The Serpents' Lair
A chilling sensation faded, replaced by a heavy dullness that spread from his buttocks throughout his entire body.
There wasn't much pain, but glancing at his reduced HP gave him a rough idea of the damage.
His arms and legs seemed fine...
He pushed himself upright. No discomfort in the movement.
He scanned his surroundings. A faint light filtered in from somewhere, allowing him to make out vague shapes.
Not far away, a massive iron door dominated his view.
An iron door?
Was this the special dungeon he'd been seeking?
It didn't quite match what he remembered...
No mentions of falling from above, or a door this enormous and imposing.
But pondering it now was pointless.
He'd know once he opened it and went inside.
Step.
Mu-hyuk stood before the door and reached out.
The moment his hand touched it, the iron door groaned into motion.
Kiiik, kreeeeek.
Emitting an unpleasant screech, the massive door swung open.
In that instant, a message appeared.
Discovered Level 15 'Unique Dungeon'.
EXP gain increased by 50% inside the dungeon.
Mu-hyuk's movement halted abruptly.
Unique Dungeon...?
This wasn't the special dungeon he'd been after.
But he'd stumbled upon a unique dungeon—something even rarer and harder to find.
He couldn't fully grasp how this had happened, but one thing was clear.
Jackpot.
The entry limit matched the special dungeon at Level 15.
If he'd gone into the special one first, he wouldn't have been able to enter here later, even if he found it.
Clearing a unique dungeon would surely push him past Level 15 anyway, making the original special dungeon inaccessible as planned.
But he doubted the rewards here would be inferior.
Dungeons fell into four tiers.
The common ones, easy to stumble upon.
Special dungeons, a step above.
Then unique dungeons—fiendishly hard to locate, but with exceptional rewards.
And that wasn't all.
Over ten long years, only a dozen or so ancient dungeons had ever been found.
Those who cleared them became legends, hinting at their unimaginable value.
Anyway, Mu-hyuk had just uncovered the second-highest tier: a unique dungeon.
Pure luck, nothing less.
The special dungeon's reward was a potion granting +2 Knowledge and +2 Wisdom on clear.
This place would offer something better, no doubt.
Of course, if luck soured, it might match or even underwhelm the special one.
But the atmosphere suggested otherwise.
Dark and foreboding.
Heavy with portent.
Something extraordinary lurked here.
Paralyzed in the past, he'd binged countless ranker videos.
This was his honed instinct.
"Skeleton Summon."
Golgol-1 and Golgol-2 materialized.
Kirik, kiririk.
Mu-hyuk's expression softened with satisfaction at the sight of them.
"Zombie Summon."
He summoned a zombie too—weaker than skeletons, but tankier, perfect for absorbing at least one hit.
With his two skeletons and one zombie in tow, he passed through the door.
The iron gate sealed shut behind him, beams of light shooting from glowing stones on either side.
Ordinary rocks infused with magic, apparently.
"Oh ho."
He approached and touched one.
Pushed, but it didn't budge.
Check info.
[Stone Infused with Magic]
A stone embedded with Light magic.
Nothing special.
He lost interest and pressed onward down the path.
A heavy silence settled, heightening his tension just enough—not unpleasant.
Then it came.
A presence from afar.
"Halt."
Golgol-1, Golgol-2, and the zombie froze.
He ordered the zombie to the front, then waited for the presence to reveal itself.
Scraping sounds grew louder as a distant speck took shape.
A snake..!
Geometric patterns adorned its body.
Mu-hyuk frowned at the tongue-flicking approach.
Creepy bastard.
But he couldn't just watch.
Time to fight.
Shing.
He drew the Sword of Destruction and sturdy shield.
"Zombie, defense mode. Golgol-1, hold left flank. Golgol-2, hold right flank."
His low Wisdom limited commands to basics.
But precise short orders could make them act fluidly.
The snake was nearly upon them.
"Golgol-1, Golgol-2. Auto-attack."
Mu-hyuk moved in sync.
Circling slowly in a wide arc, he watched the snake clash with the zombie.
The zombie reeled back; the snake claimed its spot.
Golgol-1 and Golgol-2 lunged from the sides, fists extended—sharp central bones piercing the snake's hide.
The snake thrashed wildly.
Low Wisdom left the skeletons unresponsive; they crashed into its body.
Bone shards flew in the impact.
Kirik, kiririk.
Overwhelming difference. But the summons had served their purpose.
He never expected them to solo unique dungeon monsters anyway.
Just enough distraction—that's all he wanted.
And they drew the snake's eyes perfectly.
Mu-hyuk seized the opening.
Shing.
In its blind spot now, he launched himself.
Dropping atop its head, he slammed down the iron sword with brute force.
Critical strike landed!
Messages off, but he felt it.
Critical.
Hand felt right.
The sudden massive damage? The snake writhed, emitting a bizarre shriek.
But Mu-hyuk gripped the hilt tight.
Kieeeek!
He clung on through the frenzy.
As it slowed, he drew a dagger from his belt sheath and stabbed its hide again.
Another dagger, another stab.
Puk, puk, puk.
Seven more strikes, and the snake stilled.
"Hoo, haa..."
Tension easing, Mu-hyuk checked the delayed messages.
A grin of astonishment broke free.
Killed 'Power Serpent'.
'Strength stat (+0.1)' has increased.
Savoring the implications.
*
Unique dungeon.
This place boosted stats directly.
Power Serpent, Stamina Serpent, Agility Serpent, Knowledge Serpent, Wisdom Serpent—random spawns, each granting a matching stat up on kill.
Power Serpent hit hard and fast but was frail; eight strikes to fell it.
One hit shaved off ~30% HP—highly dangerous.
Luckily, sacrificing the zombie and skeletons bought attack windows. Nail the timing, and it was manageable.
Stamina Serpent had low attack, no death risk.
But sky-high defense and HP demanded nonstop 20-minute assaults.
Agility Serpent was swift.
Worse, it read Mu-hyuk's attacks effortlessly—superior reaction speed.
Solution? Simple. Only option, really.
Blind flailing everywhere.
The narrow dungeon width helped; with two skeletons and zombie swinging wildly, hits landed eventually.
It flinched on impact—seize that moment or fail.
Wisdom Serpent was clever: sensed danger, fled, or called allies.
Miss the escape, and it turned nightmarish.
But block the retreat first, and it was the easiest prey.
Knowledge Serpent cast magic—late Level 10 mage tier, no big threat.
Mu-hyuk's high Knowledge bolstered magic resistance, plus item bonuses.
"Hoo."
Three days of nonstop hunting here already.
All day yesterday and the day before; today from morning till now.
Brief logouts for meals and rest, but fatigue mounted.
No leaving, though.
Best hunting ground ever.
Stat ups per kill, massive EXP buff from discovery.
Corpse recovery yielded bones and hides too.
Exiting would be idiotic.
Clear it.
Mu-hyuk steeled himself and advanced.
Another snake ahead.
Patterns gave it away now: Wisdom Serpent.
Toughest one.
First time it fled and summoned help, he'd bolted without looking back.
Now, he preempted escapes by sealing retreats.
Like now.
"Golgol-2 Summon. Defense mode."
Mu-hyuk fell back.
The approaching Wisdom Serpent warily faced Golgol-1.
Just defending? It closed in, coiling around Golgol-2's body.
Meanwhile, Mu-hyuk circled behind to block the exit.
"Golgol-2 Summon. Zombie Summon. Defense mode."
Two summons sufficed.
Narrow space forced passage through them.
Kiririk!
Golgol-1 shattered meantime.
Even a Wisdom Serpent: pure defense mode, coiled tight—no escape.
No matter.
Exit sealed—it was done.
Or rather, Wisdom Serpents were soloable without summons, if they just blocked retreat.
He gripped the hilt fiercely and kicked off the ground.
Paabat.
Closing distance in a flash.