The Relentless Chase
Climbing the sand dunes with utmost caution, Park Taemin encountered his first monster about halfway up the slope.
It was a Mozelin. Roughly 1.5 meters long, it resembled the common daddy longlegs spiders seen in summer.
Having thought there was nothing left to surprise him after the Tinkerbells, Taemin had to revise his opinion the moment he laid eyes on it.
"Ugly bastard."
Briefly assessing its appearance, he activated Arrainba and charged straight at the Mozelin. At the same time, he downed a potion and triggered Hydeger.
Arrainba and Hydeger
The Mozelin, having sensed Taemin, flapped its wings and flew toward him in retaliation.
As the distance closed, Taemin's sword sliced through the air.
Pshuk!
With the sound of flesh being rent, the Mozelin's body split cleanly in two. Its corpse began to rot away simultaneously.
Experience gained: 300
"They called it the weakest, and yeah, easy."
Rummaging through the corpse, Taemin pressed on.
Later.
The second monster he spotted was the Desert Yam, known as the 'Yam' of the desert.
Similar in appearance to a regular Yam but slightly larger, the key difference was the rocky plating on its back like armored deck.
A few Mozelins hovered around it, but knowing they weren't his concern, Taemin ignored them.
As before, he activated his skills and rushed at the Desert Yam.
As expected, it was no match for him either. The seemingly tough rocky back shattered under a few of his strikes, scattering everywhere. Once exposed, the Desert Yam lost half its body to a single swing and met its end.
Experience gained: 500
As Taemin delivered the Desert Yam's death sentence, the two patrolling Mozelins charged at him.
But they too fell to a single stroke, no more, no less.
Experience gained: 300
"Hmm. Decent experience... This seems manageable."
Gaining confidence from a few skirmishes, Taemin pushed forward.
After a series of minor battles, he soon reached the top of the sixth dune.
"Ugh."
A low groan escaped Taemin as he gazed down from the summit. His face twisted in dismay.
Following his line of sight, countless monsters swarmed the base of the dune below.
At least fifty of them, by rough count. Mostly Mozelins and Desert Yams, but on the outskirts, a bit separated, lurked mid-boss tier Rauders.
When it came to the trickiest monsters in the Desert Zone, the Rauder topped the list.
Resembling an ostrich with sharp teeth, plus dinosaur-like talons on its front torso beyond its two legs.
But its real threat was its incredible speed. Rauders averaged over 50 km/h.
Most hunters dared not flee from them. They usually formed lines for a frontal assault, but since group hunts were the norm, poorly matched parties often faced total annihilation.
"At least five will pile on... Guess that's it for today?"
Scrutinizing the distances between monsters, Taemin muttered in frustration.
Objectively, retreat was the smart play.
He'd come here expecting to handle Mozelins, Desert Yams, and maybe Pricks—spider-like ones he hadn't seen yet.
Anything else with a notorious rep, he'd memorize and bolt if spotted.
But turning back now felt wasteful. He'd only been in the dungeon for barely two hours.
What to do? If I leave now, hunting's done for the day time-wise.
After brief deliberation, he declared retreat.
"Yeah. No point risking it. Grab any small fry on the way out... Huh?"
About to turn without regret, a sudden chill crawled up his back.
Like the first time he'd seen the Double Snake.
He whipped around frantically, but nothing caught his eye.
"Just my imagination? Whoa!"
Tilting his head, he stepped forward—only for the ground beneath him to sink abruptly.
Desperately backpedaling to avoid the crumbling earth, Taemin froze before the colossal monster that emerged.
What the hell is that thing?
Staring in shock, his heart plummeted.
A tail raised sky-high. Pincers the size of motorcycles. And dozens of teeth protruding from its maw—enough to shred his fragile nerves.
The beast was a Scorpion, the outlaw of the Desert Zone.
Run... gotta run.
Instinctively activating Arrainba, Taemin spun and bolted.
And rightly so—no way could he face a truck-sized horror.
It was impossible on sight.
The moment he fled, the Scorpion skittered after him on its myriad legs.
Defying its bulk, its speed was unreal. Without Arrainba, he'd be minced already.
Taemin's face darkened as he raced toward the horde ahead.
Of all directions, he'd bolted straight into a field teeming with monsters.
Even with his speed, encirclement meant doom.
Change direction...
"Gah!"
Veering left to climb back up, Taemin yelped as a lukewarm liquid splashed over him.
"Argh! My body!"
Thinking it poison, he screamed while sprinting, only to sigh in relief upon realizing no harm.
"Fuck! It's nothing!"
The sudden spray threw off his turn, landing him amid the monster field.
Too late to redirect—beasts from all sides had locked onto him and swarmed.
Desperate, but Taemin didn't give up.
8 seconds is enough to break free.
Quickly downing a potion, he triggered Invisible.
Invisible
His form vanished from the monsters' sight.
Yet they kept charging toward his position.
What? It didn't work?
Shock crossed his face as his trusted skill failed.
But only briefly—he checked Arrainba's remaining time.
If Invisible failed, this was his lifeline.
Duration: 55 seconds
Plenty of time—no issue reusing potions.
Weaving through the pack, he dodged perilously. Never had he been surrounded by so many.
Thankfully, most couldn't match his speed.
He could shake them like this.
But the outer Rauders joined, matching his pace and snapping viciously.
"Ah!"
"Ugh!"
Each grazing attack drew weird groans from Taemin.
The situation was dire.
Exhausting every ounce fleeing and dodging, he unwittingly dragged every monster in the area behind him.
An unintended boon. With them herded back, his path cleared.
Just run straight ahead.
Head out this way.
Taemin desperately raced down the dune he'd climbed.
Over two hundred monsters trailed in a massive swarm.
Leading his party into the dungeon, Choi Dong-chan eyed the scattered rotten corpses and muttered.
"Looks like someone got here first."
Song Min-ji shot back at his mumble.
"Who cares? Our goal's the great barrier anyway."
"True, but... I'm scared you'll whine again."
At Choi Dong-chan's exaggeration, Song Min-ji pouted.
"Don't worry. Not in the dungeon. Plus, I can use magic here, so reaching the barrier's no sweat. Not our first rodeo."
"Good, as long as you say so. Still sulking from earlier?"
"Who said I was sulking? I was just pissed."
"Anyway, I was too harsh. Sorry, for real."
"Whatever. I wasn't great either."
Watching their awkward reconciliation, Park Seung-mi shook her head knowingly.
"Why fight if you're just gonna make up? Glad you're good—I'll buff you now."
With that, Park Seung-mi bestowed Elf's Blessing on them.
The gradual stamina recovery of Elf's Blessing was essential for any party.
Low stamina meant rests, slowing hunts.
Once buffed, Song Min-ji cast Haste for speed.
With all buffs active, they performed their party ritual and dashed up the dune.
Descending the third dune at high speed, they began slowing.
Choi Dong-chan ahead raised a hand to halt.
Song Min-ji pulled up beside him, puzzled.
"Why stop? Magic's still got time."
Choi Dong-chan pointed at the next dune's summit.
"No, look there. What the hell is that?"
"What? Huh? What's that?"
"I'd know if I did. Storm maybe?"
Park Seung-mi chimed in.
"What's up, unnie?"
"Look. Something's swirling up there."
Park Seung-mi peered at the summit. As Song Min-ji said, a massive dust vortex spun on the fourth dune.
First time seeing this while hunting here.
"Me too. Whoa! Hey! Isn't that a person ahead?"
At Park Seung-mi's shout, Choi Dong-chan nodded like he'd seen it too. Song Min-ji reacted late.
"Huh? For real? A person's coming this way? Wait... that guy's..."
Song Min-ji's face rapidly darkened.
Choi Dong-chan and Park Seung-mi, staring at the same spot, paled too.
Choi Dong-chan drew his sword, voice trembling as he ordered.
"B-battle stations."