The Mega Dungeon and the Monsters That Fell from the Stars
“Coffee, please.”>
A warm cup of coffee was placed in front of Fafnir and his group. In a field where resupply was impossible, one could see that they had taken the trouble to prepare it. Yet Fafnir’s expression remained grave. >
“So we’re supposed to hunt for a week?”>
“Yes, the guild master gave strict orders—no exceptions.”>
Named boss monsters had to be taken at the party and guild levels. Like primitive humans catching mammoths. Trailing them for days until the large beast or powerful hero was finished! >
“Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m asking you to take it for free.”>
“Then?”>
“Instead of giving it away, I’ll show you the top-tier hunting ground we manage.”>
“Top-tier hunting ground?”>
Easy hunting, obvious experience gains, and special items or gear? That was what it meant. >
“Not far. For a week I’ll let you use it freely…”>
“Even after a week, if I don’t catch anything?”>
“I’ll give you a detour and delay reward.”>
Thanks to the order that reached even the middle manager, his courtesy was extraordinary. >
‘The dragon vein’s calm period is about three weeks left…’>
No strict quest deadline, so they could afford the time. >
“Miss Sihyun, Miss Siyeon, are you both okay with this?”>
“Do as you like. They’re probably just pretending to be enthusiastic because of you.”>
Sihyun, eyes still red from wiping them, shot back. >
“We don’t have any urgent quests, so I think we’ll be fine. But will it be okay if we join?”>
“It’s fine.”>
Sihyun and Siyeon were characters that would shine later. The classic “king’s return” type. >
“Since we’ve decided, please guide us.”>
“Yes.”>
Fafnir’s group headed to the hunting ground under the middle manager’s escort. >
“Hey, it’s really Fafnir!”>
“The guy from the screenshots? I’ve never seen him in person before.”>
“So the people on either side of him… are those maids over there?”>
“Idiot! They’re way too short!”>
Some Crossfire guild members who overheard muttered as they watched the scene. >
‘Hmm, I guess I’ve really become famous.’>
Thanks to the Ludius broadcast channel and the alert they’d picked up in Aluin Free City. >
‘This time I should be able to pass through without any problems.’>
In the original novel, Sihyun and Siyeon didn’t like large guilds much. Especially Crossfire guild—they shuddered at the name. They’d said they read them as underdogs, but now they understood. >
“We’ve arrived.”>
The middle manager waved his hand. >
-You have entered the Fallen Star Burial Site. >
-This area has monster levels far above your current level! >
“Our guild also counts it as a top-tier hunting ground. I’ve already warned you, so go ahead and start hunting. Enjoy yourselves.”>
Even as the middle manager left, Sihyun and Siyeon stared around in amazement. >
“Wow…”>
“It’s really amazing…”>
A vast, deep crater. Blue and gold crystals jutted out everywhere, and modified golems and scorpions wandered around them. >
“Look, meteors fall and turn into this…”>
“I’ll have to get a tattoo of that later!”>
The two relaxed individuals kept circling the area. Fafnir’s eyes suddenly snapped wide open. >
‘Hold on, those guys… it must be!’>
Meteoric crystal golems. Golem-type monsters made of crystals embedded in the meteor that crashed into this crater from space. >
‘If they appear, this must be the place.’>
Fafnir also recalled which part of the novel the golems came from. >
‘One of the places where Flush made a huge profit while going south…’>
The original never detailed it much. Just that the Crossfire guild that first discovered it, and later large guilds who tried to conquer it, failed. And that Flush, by pure luck, hunted there. >
‘In the main text it only said “luckily, one hit and it shattered.”’>
Thanks to that, Fafnir knew the rewards for the crystal golem well. Various gear from the 330s, rare and unique. Meteoric crystal shards (unique), meteoric power crystals (unique), and meteoric crystal cores (immortal). The core had under 0.01% drop rate, but Flush had mentioned getting it every time. >
‘The author really slacked off.’>
“Just to give a huge profit, he threw in monsters this strong?”>
Fafnir felt his stomach twist the moment he stepped into the crater. >
‘Well, first I’ll try to catch one.’>
When facing monsters with no info, the best way was to clash head-on. >
“Here it is?”>
“Looks like.”>
“They look tough just from a glance…”>
“Hold on, I’ll take it!”>
Sihyun stretched. >
“Even if I try, a golem will just go down with one hammer swing.”>
Sihyun, now wielding a war hammer and heavy armor, charged forward. >
“YAAAA!”>
Sihyun’s hammer struck the golem’s thigh dead center. A clean, perfect hit. >
-Grrrr. >
The golem slowly turned toward her. >
‘As expected…’>
Fafnir hurriedly used Pandemonium Necrophage. >
KWAANG! >
An explosion erupted right at the foot the golem had been about to stomp on. >
“Come this way!”>
Fafnir pulled Sihyun back and inspected the golem. >
The golem slowly rose and began walking toward her. >
“Why is it so solid?!”>
“More importantly, it’s coming. Everyone, back up.”>
The modified golem was already right in front of them. >
-BOOM! >
A huge arm swung, but Fafnir dodged it instantly. >
“I’ll draw its attention!”>
Fafnir stepped forward and swung his blood sword. >
-KAGAK! >
-UWDUD! >
Even though it was meteoric crystal, the epic-grade blade sliced in a little. >
‘The attacks are landing.’>
That was enough. >
Fafnir kept carving wounds into the golem’s legs. >
“When I sheath my sword, stick the nails in!”>
“Nails… oh! Okay!”>
Sihyun nodded. Behind her, Siyeon applied tattoos to the skeleton soldiers. >
The effect was small, but quick-to-apply “lettering” tattoos! >
-Lettering “Attack” has been applied to Elite Skeleton Soldier 3. >
-Elite Skeleton Soldier 3’s attack power +10. >
The skeleton soldiers, now ready for battle, hurled their spears, disrupting the golem’s focus. >
Sihyun slipped in a nail the size of her forearm. >
-KKAANG! >
The nails already driven deep into the sheath Fafnir had provided. >
Fafnir circled, drawing the golem’s attention from the opposite side so Sihyun could nail it. >
-UWDUD. UWDUD! >
-KWAK! >
Ten or so nails later, the golem’s movements grew erratic. Its limbs jerked, chunks of crystal flying off! >
‘Now!’>
Fafnir bit his finger and sprayed blood. >
Blood Explosion! >
Mana flooded into the blood, and explosions followed in quick succession. >
-Grooo! >
-KWA KWA KWAANG! >
The golem staggered, its limbs shattered. >
Fafnir dove in without hesitation. >
‘This is the opening!’>
Faster than the crystal golem. He drove his blood sword into the neck area it couldn’t defend and slashed. >
-Weak point attack! >
-Critical hit! >
The blade sank deep, severing the neck completely. >
Still gripping it, Fafnir used Burn End. >
-KWAKKWAK! >
A finishing move that spent all his mana. The golem’s neck flew off, and the remaining body shattered instantly. >
-Experience gained. >
-You have acquired one Meteoric Crystal Shard (Unique). >
The reward message appeared, but Fafnir collapsed before he could read it properly. >
“Huff… huff…”>
“Haah!”>
“Unnie! Master Fafnir!”>
Sihyun and Siyeon were equally exhausted. >
Siyeon, who had only applied tattoos and kept her stamina, quickly brought water and potions. >
‘This isn’t a normal tough opponent?’>
A fierce fight. Only the three of them had managed to defeat it. >
‘I barely took it down.’>
A single golem was already this hard. Fighting the whole group? One hundred losses out of a hundred. >
No, just two would make it tough. >
‘If they fought smartly they could probably hold their own, but I’m too impatient.’>
If Sihyun and Siyeon fought together, they’d die for sure. Fafnir could win, but it would take over an hour of careful play. >
‘So this isn’t a honey hunting ground—it’s a hell one.’>
Better to farm orcs or players for better experience. >
‘And according to the novel, Flush did get a huge profit here…’>
Fafnir sat up and rubbed his chin. >
In the original novel, Flush had gained enormous benefits from this hunt. Experience, levels, gold, and hundreds of items, all while muttering “lucky me.” >
‘The world’s forced probability must have been working overtime to make the story plausible.’>
Since Fafnir already knew the strategy, he only needed to figure out the rest himself. >
Fafnir walked over to the Sihyun and Siyeon sisters. >
“This isn’t really a honey hunting ground.”>
“Honey hunting ground? Don’t talk nonsense—it’s a hell hunting ground!”>
Sihyun shouted, frustrated. >
“They must have deliberately not told us so we’d eat it! Those bastards!”>
One monster had been this difficult; no wonder the misunderstanding had happened. >
But Fafnir shook his head. >
“That’s not it. The guild master and top-rankers gave up on the hunt too. If I succeed, it’s unavoidable. If I fail, I’ll say I didn’t lie.”>
“Then what do we do? Hunting speed will be too slow…”>
Siyeon’s question was answered by Fafnir. >
“We’ll have to research.”>
“Research?”>
“Yes. Could you help a little?”>
“It looks fun… I’m in!”>
“I’ll help too. No point following my sister alone.”>
Fafnir nodded. >
“Then follow me.”>
The more eyes watching, the better. Fafnir climbed a nearby hill and pulled out a notebook, paper, and pen. >
“Write down the movements, behavior patterns, and features of these golems.”>
“So we’re just supposed to record everything?”>
“Hmm… got it.”>
Fafnir started writing as well after confirming the two were observing. >
‘Meteoric crystal golem… body size around 5 meters…’>
Compiling a hunting guide wasn’t just about features. Monster movement patterns, walking speed, awareness. Every action, from normal behavior to the smallest detail, was logged for analysis. In other words, hacking the opponent. >
-Your monster investigation talent stands out. >
-Experience gained. >
-Handicraft stat +1. >
-Explorer-type skill level increased. >
-Record skill level increased. >
-Records can be traded with the Explorer Guild. >
‘This is good. Just recording is already giving benefits.’>
Fafnir’s lips curved upward as he moved the pen. >
‘I won’t feel like I’m losing anything thanks to this.’>
Fafnir, completely absorbed in his notes, watched the meteoric crystal golem page fill with dense handwriting.