A Comfortable Bus Ride
The bus was comfortable, accompanied only by the low hum of an unknown wind. This was the interior of the F-rank unique dungeon, Zombie's Tomb.
"Zombie's Tomb?"
As soon as they entered the dungeon, the information popped into their heads automatically. Jae-wook tilted his head and muttered, puzzled. It had to be a first for him.
"Yeah, it's a place where basic F-rank monsters like zombies mainly spawn, with the occasional E-rank ghoul mixed in."
It had taken quite a while for that to be discovered, right? That's why, despite being an F-rank dungeon, its value was insanely high—or so he remembered.
"Should've grabbed some gear if I knew it'd be like this."
"Normal equipment doesn't work well on these guys anyway. You gotta smash their heads or tear them to pieces, and even then, unless you're using blessed weapons or holy water, they'll just stick back together."
"Huh? Are zombies really that tough?"
The zombies he knew weren't that resilient. Min-ho chuckled at his words.
That's why it's a unique dungeon.
He turned toward Jae-wook and threw out a punch.
"That's why you handle 'em like this."
"Huh? With your fist?"
"Fist, foot, whatever—smash 'em however you want, as long as you use your head. As long as you destroy them with life force-infused flesh, they can't regenerate."
Life force was the polar opposite of the dark mana that sustained them.
"Grraaahhh."
At that moment, eerie groans began echoing from all around.
"Here they come. Get ready."
"Got it!"
A D-rank awakener. He'd cleared F-rank dungeons dozens of times by now. Sure enough, Jae-wook tensed up appropriately, loosening his body with slow movements.
Do your best, buddy.
Min-ho glanced at him and stepped back a bit. He was still an F-rank without any proper attack skills, after all. Time to ride the bus.
"Kreeee!"
Thud! "Die, you fuckers! Die!" Thwack! "Kreeee!" Splat! Thud thud! "These gross bastards!"
The bus is comfy~ though the smell sucks.
Right now, Min-ho was cautiously advancing while riding the D-rank awakener's bus.
"Grraaahhh!" "Not on my watch!" Crunch!
In the midst of it, a zombie that got too close had its head smashed in an instant. Jae-wook, hands clasped like a hammer, stomped down on the zombie's neck as it reached out with trembling arms.
"Kreeee."
The zombie let out a final screech and went still. By now, they'd taken down over thirty of them.
That's a powerful strike.
Min-ho observed Jae-wook's fighting form, scrutinizing the power distribution and movements. Plant the foot firmly, transfer the recoil to the waist, add rotation, and drive it into the enemy. He could even sense the flow of mana through the body as clearly as if he were holding it.
Just like when he'd first acquired Information Viewing.
That was the principle behind the D-rank skill, Powerful Strike (D).
At that moment, a notification rang in his head.
You have acquired the skill Powerful Strike (D).
Nice!
It wasn't a high-rank skill, so it wasn't too hard to grasp. First button fastened successfully. And above all, it confirmed that his Talent skill was the real deal.
Was he looking too excited? Jae-wook, catching his breath, glanced over.
Min-ho patted his shoulder. "Tag, you're it! My turn now. Take a break."
"Huh? Oh, uh, got it. Be careful."
Even as a D-rank, he was worried about an F-rank like Min-ho. Min-ho flashed a thumbs-up.
Don't worry too much. I've got years of hunter experience.
He cracked his neck lightly and advanced toward the regrouping zombies.
Let's test the new skill first.
He stomped the ground hard as a zombie charged at him.
"Powerful Strike!"
My face is burning.
When he first learned skills, he'd shout the name because the movements felt awkward. Now it just felt embarrassing. But the embarrassment was fleeting. Min-ho looked down at the zombies scattered around him and grinned in satisfaction. The awkward skill now felt pretty natural.
Jae-wook approached. "You had that skill too?"
"Yeah, same as yours."
"Huh. But aren't you F-rank?"
"Yep, but the skill's D-rank."
"Ooh~ So you're...?"
"An Irregular?"
"Knew it."
"Yup."
Learning skills mismatched to his rank could raise suspicions, but the Irregular title explained it all. As expected, Jae-wook got it right away and slapped Min-ho's shoulder with a pleased look.
"My first friend from school turns out to be an Irregular... Feels good."
"Yeah? I find it gross."
"How dare a D-rank punk talk smack?"
"Oh yeah? Don't cry when I catch up soon."
"Ugh, damn. Why does that feel so ominous?"
"Exactly. If you don't wanna get caught, train your ass off!"
"Tch!"
The guy clicked his tongue and pushed forward. Another zombie horde was slowly approaching from the front.
"Grraaahhh!" "Uraaagh." "Kraaah!"
Jae-wook glanced at the oncoming mob and turned to Min-ho.
"Hey, Min-ho."
"Yeah?"
"How many do we gotta kill to clear this thing anyway?"
Min-ho shrugged. "Dunno? Maybe ten million?"
"Ten thousand...? That's not too ba— What?!"
The guy, who had been nodding slowly, whipped his head around with bulging eyes. Not exactly that many, but close enough.
"At this rate, it'd take years of grinding non-stop."
"Holy shit..."
Min-ho patted his shoulder and stepped up. "Buckle up mentally for now."
"..."
He shot Jae-wook a glance—the guy was staring blankly at the horde, eyes screaming denial of reality—then swung his arms loosely.
Gotta hit that number to unlock inactive skills. Plus, I can pick some up too.
Of course, he kept the last part to himself.
How long had they been fighting? Jae-wook was smashing heads and ripping limbs like a maniac, roaring in frustration.
"Arrrgh! You endless zombie shits! Just die already! Die!!"
Min-ho handled the stragglers leaking past from a safe distance.
"Ahh~ Music to my ears."
Listening to those rage-filled yells, he could feel the time for acquiring the C-rank Warrior's Cry approaching. Work it, Jae-wook bot!
Jae-wook was drenched head to toe in zombie fluids, unrecognizable as human. Kicking and flailing amid the swarm looked kinda pitiful. But snagging a skill after that grind? Worth it. Warrior's Cry was a great buff—once learned, it'd boost hunting efficiency for sure.
"Raaarghhh!"
A desperate wail laced with more anguish than before echoed out. Then, a notification blared in Min-ho's head.
All abilities increased by 10% for 30 minutes.
"Ooh~!"
Vitality surged through his body. Min-ho clenched his fist and grinned.
Finally!
The moment Jae-wook acquired the C-rank skill Warrior's Cry.
They kept at it for a while longer until Jae-wook spectacularly decapitated the last zombie. Then, grinning ear-to-ear despite his wrecked appearance, he charged at Min-ho.
"I-I got a skill! Min-ho! I got a skill!"
"Don't hug me, you stink."
Min-ho sidestepped neatly.
"Oh, sorry."
He'd probably pictured a celebratory embrace, but Min-ho wasn't into that. Especially not with a rotten-smelling dude.
"This one's C-rank! C-rank, man!"
"Congrats. Get that recognized, and you might even rank up to C."
"Yeah, need more points, but still—huge win."
"For real. Congrats, Jae-wook. Guess you've got some real talent."
"You think? Haha! Anyway, this is all thanks to you. Best idea coming here."
What a simple guy.
He'd been suffering like death minutes ago, but now he beamed like nothing happened. The skill he'd gotten was the inactive C-rank Warrior's Cry—a buff that applied the same effect to nearby allies he recognized for a set time.
S-rank Hero's Roar was a 100% all-stats boost, I think?
Still, 10% was something. C-rank alone was respectable anywhere. No wonder he was thrilled. Buff skills were guild favorites for their versatility too.
C-rank down, next up B-rank Body Reinforcement?
Two hours in, they'd probably bagged around a thousand. He'd exaggerated with the ten million, but without destroying the central core, zombies respawned endlessly. With tireless stamina and unbreakable sanity, ten million was doable... but.
Time to head out soon.
Min-ho eyed Jae-wook, gauging his limits. He could go a bit longer. The buff was still active too.
"Jae-wook."
"Yeah?"
"Hunt before the buff ends."
"Huh? Oh, right."
Jae-wook backed away a step from Min-ho's cheerful nudge, looking a tad pitiful—but Min-ho forgot it quick. Two more skills to snag.
The effect of Warrior's Cry has ended.
"Huff huff huff!"
The notification coincided with the last ghoul's head exploding.
"Huff huff, h-how many did we even get?!"
"Dunno, maybe a thousand?"
Did Warrior's Cry have a side effect of losing your shit? Either way, post-buff Jae-wook went berserk on the zombies. That 10% all-stats boost hit hard—exaggerating a bit, it felt like he could do anything. He'd scream to recast it the second it wore off, nearly deafening Min-ho.
Four times, maybe?
But overdoing it was risky. Min-ho watched Jae-wook shake off zombie goo, panting heavily.
Hmm, this is about the limit.
Steam rose faintly from his body. The new skill's hype masked it, but he was right at his physical limit. Fresh guild rookies often died or got wrecked like this—and as team leader back then, cleaning up after them was Min-ho's job.
Anyway, I've got everything I need.
He called out to the hyped-up Jae-wook.
"Jae-wook."
"Yeah?"
The guy looked at him with bloodshot eyes, heaving breaths. Looked like a berserker skill user.
"Time to head back."
"Huh?"
Deflated by the call to leave, he made a weird noise. Min-ho turned toward the dungeon entrance regardless.
Desperate voice from behind: "Hey! Can't we do just a hundred more?"
Nope.
"Ten! No, five!"
Nope.
"Wait up!"
Finally giving up, the guy chased after him.