Steel Ant Weak Point
The area near the Steel Ant colony was eerily quiet.
Parties of users appeared here and there, but they hunted the Steel Ants one by one, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
They flinched every time Mu-hyuk showed up, but since he didn't interfere, they soon relaxed and resumed hunting.
They were probably sneaking around to avoid their guild's watchful eyes, just like him.
"Haa, damn it. Why do we have to do this?"
"There's nowhere else decent to hunt."
"Just go to another empire."
"Sure, but this place suits our style best."
"Tch, let's level up quick and get outta here."
"Yeah, it's not like we're scared of the guild. They're just filthy, that's all."
"Right, right."
Mu-hyuk chuckled at their conversation.
Filthy, so we avoid them.
Was that really true?
What if they had the power to crush the guild?
Would they still call it filthy and run away?
They'd probably smash the guild monopolizing the hunting grounds with a high probability.
But since they couldn't, it was just instinctual talk to preserve their pride.
I don't want to end up like that.
I need to grow faster.
Mu-hyuk climbed a tree and moved along the branches.
He passed the chatting group and headed deeper in.
The dungeon was at the 11 o'clock position from the Steel Ant colony anyway.
As long as he didn't go there, it was fine.
Below, countless Steel Ants crawled around.
He waited for an opening and leaped from the branch.
Landing on a Steel Ant's body, he stabbed his sword into the narrow joint connecting its head and thorax.
-158 Damage
The Steel Ant thrashed silently in agony.
Mu-hyuk pulled out his sword and stabbed again.
-156 Damage
This was the Steel Ant's weak point.
Because it dealt massive damage?
No, it wasn't that extreme to call it a true weakness.
They called it a weak point because if you just lodged your sword there and left it, the ant would die on its own.
Writhing in pain, its struggles shook the sword, delivering constant shock damage.
Minor Damage
-9 Damage
-8 Damage
-11 Damage
How long did it last?
The Steel Ant's movements slowed.
Mu-hyuk stood, yanked the sword free, and stabbed the weak point hard once more.
Experience gained.
Now he was certain it was dead.
"Hoo…"
He tried Corpse Dissection after descending to the ground.
Corpse Dissection begun.
He obtained the Steel Ant's jaws, neck joints, and the tough shell covering its body.
As an invertebrate, there were no bones for Bone Assembly, which was a shame.
Still, the jaws, joints, and shell would be useful for crafting armor, so he collected them.
Corpse Dissection complete.
The Steel Ant turned gray and vanished with a faint hiss.
Swoosh.
At that moment, a patrolling Steel Ant approached.
Mu-hyuk frowned and hurriedly climbed back up the tree.
The Steel Ant stared at him briefly before resuming its patrol.
From the branch, he watched for a straggler, then dropped onto it, stabbing the connecting joint.
-158 Damage
Now he just had to wait.
The ant's thrashing would shake the sword, dealing damage naturally.
Minor Damage
-9 Damage
-8 Damage
-11 Damage
This was unique to Steel Ants.
It wouldn't work on other monsters.
For example, stabbing a snake's body?
It might thrash wildly, but that alone wouldn't cause damage.
Slicing internal flesh while the sword was deep required more force than one might think.
Better to pull it out and stab elsewhere.
But Steel Ants were different.
That sensitive joint between head-thorax and thorax-abdomen was so fragile that leaving the sword lodged inflicted wounds just from the struggling.
-7 Damage
-5 Damage
-9 Damage
Small numbers accumulated into something massive.
How long did it take?
Finally, the Steel Ant's movements weakened.
Its wildly twitching antennae drooped limply.
This was his chance.
He pulled the sword and slammed it down hard.
A critical finished it off.
"Phew."
Easy prey if you knew the weak point.
Parties could take on multiples at once.
Of course, Mu-hyuk's disproportionately high Strength for his level boosted the damage, but no monster was safer or better for farming once the method was secure.
The issue? The weak point wasn't public knowledge yet.
And Mu-hyuk had no intention of sharing.
As long as the guild dominating this area didn't catch on, no better hunting ground existed.
*
Holy light poured from his body.
It was a historic moment—level 20 achieved.
"Ahh…!"
The ecstasy was fleeting.
Forced logout for update.
He was booted out.
Mu-hyuk sat blankly in the darkness, then opened the capsule and stepped out.
His brow furrowed.
"Ah, damn it."
Couldn't even distribute his stats.
Still… he had hit his goal of 20, so the disappointment was mild.
He relaxed his expression and lay on the bed.
Even now, when he should rest, his mind was full of Illusion.
Log in, assign stats, then start the quest for Gangster Necromancer advancement.
After that, he wouldn't need to fight upfront anymore.
As a special class, Gangster Necromancer was powerful early on.
It weakened over time, but with his future knowledge packed in his head, Mu-hyuk was confident he could make it stronger instead.
He shook his head.
Rest when resting—that was necessary too.
So he cleared thoughts of Illusion from his mind.
What to do?
It was well past dawn.
Yet sleep wouldn't come.
Anticipation, probably.
But he couldn't pull an all-nighter.
Exercise was best for this.
The gym was closed, so he did simple home workouts: push-ups, sit-ups, squats, breaking a sweat.
After 30 minutes, he showered with lukewarm water.
Lying in bed, pleasant fatigue washed over him.
Aah… good…
His thoughts faded.
*
Mu-hyuk woke earlier than usual, washed his face quickly, and headed to the gym.
After an hour's workout, he grabbed breakfast on the way home.
Logging into Illusion, he first boosted his character's Vitality.
Then he summoned his skeletons and zombie to check their status.
He skipped the details.
Just checking the stats was enough.
Equivalent to a level 14 user.
With 7 bonus points, maxed out they'd hit level 21.
Knowledge and Wisdom were useless, so level 18 effectively.
Possible only because Mu-hyuk's own stats were beyond normal.
Hmm, not bad.
Then why had they felt so weak until now?
First, he was comparing them to himself.
Even with his overwhelming stats, he hunted cautiously in tough spots—so naturally, the much weaker summons felt feeble.
Second, increases from Strength, Agility, and Knowledge applied equally to summons, but HP and MP gains from levels and Vitality/Wisdom were lower than for users.
Basic skeletons didn't gain Vitality on level-up, and each point only added 30 HP, so they couldn't endure like users.
Not all summons were like that—just the initial basic ones.
Higher-tier skeletons later would see bigger HP jumps.
Mu-hyuk organized his thoughts and allocated the summons' stats: 2 to Agility, 5 to Vitality.
The updated stats appeared.
After confirming, he closed the summon window.
Time for the job change quest, so he headed to the blacksmith and explained to Luke.
"Hmm, need a few days off?"
"Yes."
"Well, can't be helped. I wasn't planning to keep an outsider around forever anyway. Honestly, surprised you've stuck around this long. Anyway, come back whenever."
It seemed unexpected to Luke.
Well, it benefits me too.
Finding a workshop like this wasn't easy.
Disposable tools would free him from locations, but they were pricey.
No need to spend big when he could craft here.
Plus, quests from the smith boosted efficiency, and rewards sometimes raised Dexterity.
The only regret? Never learning armor crafting.
Then—
"Before that."
Luke stared at him intently.
"You need the basics, right?"
"Basics…?"
"Repair."
"Ah…!"
He'd forgotten.
Repair, which might see more use than crafting.
Luke was offering to teach it himself.
"Pathetic. Tch, follow me."
He followed Luke and learned Repair.
Repair skill acquired.
Dexterity (1) increased.
A pleasant notification.
"Thank you."
"I'll prep armor crafting too when you return."
Even the armor crafting he'd regretted.
Luke had probably prepared to teach it as a farewell gift.
Mu-hyuk felt grateful and sorry.
"I'll be back soon."
"Do whatever."
He chuckled at Luke's gruffness and bowed.
Then he headed to the warp zone.