Chapter 15
Chapter 15: Proper Growth
‘Battle of Summoners’ has a total of 4 types of dungeons.
Let's briefly go over each of these.
First, the Weekly Dungeon. Like the Tuesday Dungeon from last time, this is a place you visit to obtain materials specific to each day of the week, and the dungeon that opens differs by day. Low-grade, Mid-grade, High-grade, Top-grade. It's divided into a total of 4 difficulty levels, and naturally, the higher the difficulty, the greater the rewards.
Next is the Tower of Trials! This place has 100 floors and serves as a challenge to push players to their limits. It boasts an incredibly brutal difficulty that doesn't even compare to a Normal Dungeon, and the rewards are just as extraordinary. However, one must be careful. Because in reality, a single failure is directly linked to death. Currently, the highest record belongs to Rachel from England at floor 29. Apparently the floor 30 boss is a bit tricky and she's busy powering up her stats.
Next is the Chaos Dragon! This was a Raid updated during the 5th year of ‘Battle of Summoners’—a boss that must be defeated by challenging it together with multiple players. This hasn't appeared in reality yet, so I'll explain it in more detail later.
Every dungeon aside from those 3 is what's called a Normal Dungeon. In ‘Battle of Summoners’, it was also referred to as a Stage Dungeon, but in reality, it appears randomly in various locations around the world. You could say that leveling up Summoner Beasts takes place primarily in Normal Dungeons.
Normal Dungeons also have difficulty levels. F-Rank through S-Rank. Furthermore, unlike Weekly Dungeons, Normal Dungeons allow party play.
And. The very place Baek Jin-woo headed to the moment he opened his eyes in the morning was this Normal Dungeon.
***
Near Seonbawi Station, Gwacheon City, Gyeonggi Province. A place with a refreshing view of Gwanak Mountain.
Screee. Baek Jin-woo stepped out of the taxi that had come to a stop.
"Hoo."
How does one find a dungeon? Simple.
[Player Web]
On the app commonly called ‘PW’, dungeons reported to headquarters are recorded. Just create a party and apply there—done!
Baek Jin-woo created a solo party. The dungeon's rank was D-Rank. Even though it was his first real Normal Dungeon, it was no different from child's play to Baek Jin-woo. There was no need to team up with other players. Especially when he had his overpowered Summoner Beasts.
—Jin-woo……. I'm tired-eeeed.
"Here. The cream bread I bought earlier."
—Hehe, thanks. There's no one but Jin-woo after all-ll.
Lamba's dying gaze came back to life. Chomp, chomp! She scarfed it down as if possessed, likely starving. He understood. She'd been swinging a frying pan in the air all night—of course she was exhausted.
"Eat slowly. You guys get one each too."
—……Thank you, Master.
—Thank you, Jin-woo.
When Baek Jin-woo had woken slightly in the early hours, he realized the Summoner Beasts had been training through the night. That was incredible. It had been the same in ‘Battle of Summoners’. Though back then.
['Drill Instructor' (E-Rank)'s instructions guided the Summoner Beasts in training.]
Each time he logged in, a brief line like that would appear, but he never knew exactly how they trained. But to think they were training this hard. No wonder the kids' growth rate sped up so much. All of it was thanks to the Drill Instructor working hard behind the player's back.
Baek Jin-woo had no intention of stopping it. Quite the opposite.
"Drill Instructor is always working so hard."
He acknowledged his efforts. Because Baek Jin-woo's goal and the Drill Instructor's goal were aligned.
—Thank you, Master. I will work even harder.
"Yeah, let's go."
Tap, tap, tap. Baek Jin-woo opened the map on his app and walked toward the dungeon. Following the directions, he arrived near the entrance of a hiking trail with little foot traffic.
Wuuung! A glowing blue oval shining brilliantly came into view. That's the Normal Dungeon. According to the volume of energy detected by headquarters—D-Rank. He'd heard those kinds needed to be cleared as quickly as possible. Apparently, if enough time passes after one forms, something called a ‘Dungeon Break’ occurs where the monsters inside burst out into reality.
Around the dungeon entrance, no-entry signs and yellow tape were wrapped all around. Only registered players with authorization could enter.
"Are you Player Baek Jin-woo?"
Standing before it was a headquarters employee who had come in after being notified.
"Yes. That's me."
"I'll need to verify your credentials."
"Sure."
After a brief identity check.
"D-Rank alone. Will you be alright?"
"Yes, I'll be fine."
"Please take care of yourself."
With the bowing employee at his back, he immediately threw himself into the dungeon.
***
Rumble!
"Waaaargh!"
"Aaaaaah!"
The moment he entered the dungeon, a thunderous war cry slammed into his eardrums.
This place is……
Baek Jin-woo opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. The backdrop was atop a not-particularly-tall castle wall. Below, a massive horde of orcs brandishing axes was charging at them.
Oh man, it's a suppression mission.
Baek Jin-woo was a veteran. A player so seasoned he'd gone stale. He knew the instant he stepped in. Everything from the dungeon's type, its difficulty, how it needed to be resolved, and so on.
[Squeee! Squeee!]
[An orc horde has invaded the village.]
[Assist the NPCs in suppressing the orcs.]
"Throw the rocks!"
"Gaaaargh!"
"They're climbing up the ramparts. Pour the boiling water!"
Atop the castle wall, men who appeared to be village soldiers were fighting desperately. This is something. In ‘Battle of Summoners’, they were just regular NPCs, but looking at them now, everything felt vivid. The details were extraordinary. The soldiers' faces were each distinct, just like real people, and—
"Ugh, gaaargh!"
"Healer! Healer, over here!"
The sight of a soldier screaming with his abdomen torn open by an orc's axe was……
This is real. Reality itself.
First—get a grip. Baek Jin-woo took a deep breath and tried to stay calm. No matter how seasoned a veteran he was, he couldn't ignore the gap between reality and a game. How often does an ordinary person end up in the middle of a battlefield? And not just any battlefield—a war against monsters.
"Ugh……"
He felt dizzy, but acted on instinct alone.
"Hey guys."
Baek Jin-woo summoned the 5 Summoner Beasts he'd designated as Team 1. For reference, only 5 Summoner Beasts could be brought into a dungeon.
['Wind Fairy' (EX-Rank) is being summoned.]
['Drill Instructor' (EX-Rank) is being summoned.]
['Explosive Dragon Sorcerer' (EX-Rank) is being summoned.]
['Mini Kong' (D-Rank) is being summoned.]
['Golden Fairy' (D-Rank) is being summoned.]
Lamba, the Drill Instructor, the Explosive Dragon Sorcerer. Those 3 were joined by Mini Kong and Golden Fairy. Mini Kong was the most cost-efficient tank in D-Rank, and Golden Fairy was similarly the most cost-efficient healer in D-Rank.
And Shaggy Gorilla…… Sorry, but it had been used as material to fuse Mini Kong. There were feelings there, but it was too weak to keep bringing along. Well, it'll go back and find a better owner…… I'm sure it will……
Wuuung!
['Shield' is generated for the Player.]
The moment the Summoner Beasts were called out, a shield naturally formed. His heart eased considerably.
This is nothing, really. He'd done this countless times in the game.
"Lamba."
—Mm!
"Cast a buff on the Drill Instructor."
—Okie-ee!
"Explosive Dragon Sorcerer."
—Yes, Jin-woo.
"You prepare your magic and support the Drill Instructor from the rear."
—Understood.
"And Mini Kong."
—Grooooar!
Boom, boom, boom, boom! The small gorilla vigorously beat its chest. This one was the upgraded version of Shaggy Gorilla. Since he'd leveled it up quite a bit at the Fusion Hall, it would hold up well enough against even orc axes. Especially with Golden Fairy's healing.
"Jump down the wall. We're going straight for the orc chieftain."
The orc suppression pattern was simple. Take down the giant orc at the very rear of the horde, and it was over.
—Squeee, squeee!
—Squeeee!
The orcs slammed their axes down at Mini Kong as it landed. But Mini Kong's thick, tough hide deflected everything. If anything—
Thwack! Mini Kong's fist blasted clean through an orc's skull and kept moving.
I had Destruction Runes equipped. Low-grade ones, but it was pulling off damage-tanking at the same time.
The remaining Summoner Beasts fell in behind Mini Kong.
Fwoosh, fwoosh! Lamba kept continuously boosting the Drill Instructor's attack speed, and—
Slash, slaaash! Eyes gleaming, the Drill Instructor swept his sword and lopped the heads off orcs one after another. After cutting down 2, the sight of him thrusting his sword—without even looking—into the skull of an orc rushing from behind was……
Wow, why is this so cool?
Something was different. Is it because he's EX-Rank? This wasn't the Drill Instructor from the early days. Having memories of his fully grown self, the Drill Instructor's swordsmanship was no joke.
This is going to be even easier than I thought.
Baek Jin-woo's Summoner Beasts cleaved through the orc horde like parting the Red Sea, and—
—Kyeeeek!
—Grk, greeek!
The orcs that tried to block them screamed and fell dead. Simultaneously.
"Waaaaaaah!"
"Wooooaaah!"
A roar burst from the soldiers.
"Wh-what is that?!"
"They're allies! Allies, but insanely strong!"
"S-sob, can we…… Actually hold them back?"
Looking at the soldiers weeping beside him…… It was impossible to tell whether these were NPCs or real people.
Either way. Even if they hadn't fully grown yet, EX-Rank is EX-Rank!
—Hihihi! Die, orcs!
—How dare mere swine raise an axe toward Master—you deserve death.
—Here it comes! Dragon Burst!
Craaackle! And on top of that, flames that swallowed the orc horde whole in an instant!
Cleaning up a D-Rank dungeon was over in a flash.
—Squee, squeeee!
The flustered ‘Giant Orc’ (D-Rank) couldn't even put up a proper fight before—
Shlick. It offered its neck to the Drill Instructor.
[Dungeon Clear!]
['Drill Instructor' (EX-Rank)'s level rises to 5.]
['Drill Instructor' (EX-Rank)'s Critical Hit Rate increases by 1%.] ……
['Explosive Dragon Sorcerer' (EX-Rank)'s level rises to 5.]
['Explosive Dragon Sorcerer' (EX-Rank)'s Intelligence increases by 2.] ……
The Drill Instructor and the Explosive Dragon Sorcerer hadn't had their levels raised at the Fusion Hall, so they shot up by a large margin.
And.
[Rewards have arrived.]
[Mid-grade Summoning Scroll x 1.]
Jackpot. A Mid-grade Summoning Scroll was 500,000 won in cash. In less than 2 minutes, 500,000 won?!
Aah. Baek Jin-woo was elated. Because the amount of money he was going to earn from here on out was beyond even imagination.
I should find the next dungeon right away. From here on out, it was endless grinding. Level up the Summoner Beasts, earn money. The only thing left ahead in life was smooth sailing!
***
At that moment.
"Haaawn."
A Gwacheon City headquarters employee who had been stationed outside the dungeon stretched out in a long yawn.
"Baek Jin-woo huh……. Who is that? Never seen him before."
If someone was going around solo clearing D-Rank dungeons, they'd have to be a pretty seasoned veteran. Yet it was a player he'd never heard of.
"Well."
Still, it wasn't exactly surprising. Players who'd gotten a taste of dungeons to some extent would solo D-Ranks. From C-Rank onward, only rankers could go solo.
"Even so, it'll probably take at least 1 to 2 hours."
Unless you were ranker-level, that was the usual timeframe. Especially with a complex dungeon type, it could multiply from there. Which meant. He'd have to sit here and wait until then.
"Guess I'll grab a bowl of boiled pork rice soup from that clay pot place nearby."
Tracking a player's dungeon entry and exit was the job of headquarters employees. Because keeping constant watch on the dungeon was the only way to tell whether it had been cleared, or whether some kind of accident had occurred inside. If someone didn't come out for a full day, they were presumed dead.
"Whooo."
He'd just finished smoking a cigarette and was about to head off for breakfast.
Wuuung! Cracks began forming in the blue oval.
"Wh-what?!"
The employee was caught off guard. That phenomenon only appeared the moment a dungeon was being cleared!
"Already?"
His eyes went wide as saucers. How is that possible? A single cigarette takes about 3 minutes—that's all the time that had passed. He went in alone and cleared it?
Standing there, jaw dropped, a ray of light—
Flash!
A man with a relaxed expression stepped out alongside it. It was none other than Baek Jin-woo.