The Night Before the Ruins Hunt

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The night before the ruins hunt, Park Taemin sat in front of his computer, skimming through information on the dungeon. He didn't have any attribute gear anyway, so there wasn't much he could do, but at least getting a rough idea would prepare him for any potential emergencies.

He meticulously reviewed the monsters' traits and various details, committing them to memory, then drifted off to sleep in preparation for tomorrow's hunt.

The day of the hunt dawned.

After finishing his preparations, Taemin stepped out of his lodging and headed toward the building's exterior. Just as he passed through the entrance, a group of hunters lined up on one side caught his eye.

"Um, excuse me... are you all heading to the ruins today?"

"Ah, Park Taemin, right?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Perfect. Just come with us. Not everyone's here yet, so hang tight for a bit. We'll head out as soon as they're all here. Oh, and I'm Yoo Hyuk, the leader of this party."

"Got it. Looking forward to working with you."

"Why don't you go introduce yourself to the others over there?"

Taemin approached the hunters gathered in small clusters behind them and greeted them first.

"Hey, everyone. I'm Park Taemin, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lucky to have been picked for this hunt."

The hunters welcomed him with friendly smiles one by one.

"Hi! Nice to meet you. I'm Song So-hee."

"Lee Kang-woo here."

"I'm Cheon Woo-hee."

"I'm..."

After the introductions, the hunters bombarded Taemin with questions. They'd done their homework on him once they learned a new class was joining the hunt. Word of mouth from hunters who'd partied with him had sparked buzz in the guild about the Il-sala-ja class, piquing everyone's curiosity.

"Can you show us that invisibility magic? Does it really make you completely disappear?"

"I heard it can even fool the eyes, right?"

"They say your movement speed is insane too..."

A bit flustered by the barrage, Taemin demonstrated his skills one by one to satisfy their curiosity. They were especially awestruck by Invisible.

"Holy crap, he's really gone."

"No way."

"Is this even possible?"

"Hearing about it is one thing, but seeing it for real is on another level."

"At this rate, aren't you basically invincible in hunts?"

"Hunts? Think about everyday life too... ahem."

As they chattered excitedly, the rest of the party members started trickling in. The group size looked about half of the recent raid Taemin had joined. Counting them up: four healers, one sorceress, three knights, and seven warriors. Including Taemin, that made exactly sixteen.

Once everyone was assembled, leader Yoo Hyuk addressed the group.

"Looks like we're all here, so let's move out."

They emerged from the multi-portal near a river bridge. It used to be a popular spot for jogs and fresh air, but after portals appeared, it became a restricted zone off-limits to civilians. They flashed their entry passes to the guarding hunters and plunged straight into the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dungeon.

The ruins interior was an endless maze. Towering stone spires and murals, mysteriously erected like remnants of an ancient civilization, loomed majestically.

"Alright, everyone stay sharp. Taemin, once the hunt starts, hang back at the rear. Let's do this—fighting today!"

With Yoo Hyuk's words, the hunters began advancing forward. Since this wasn't a full raid, their pace was leisurely yet relaxed.

Exiting the first maze section led to a spacious clearing where monsters appeared. The beasts looked familiar to Taemin.

'Looks just like the Ice Golem from the cave. That must be a Stone Golem.'

Just like the Ice Golem he'd seen in the cave, this was a Stone Golem— ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a massive monster armored in stone instead of ice. One of the ruins' signature monsters, relatively easy to take down.

As always, Taemin activated Insight on the monster.

'Whoa.'

Taemin couldn't hide his inner surprise at the Stone Golem's stats. Even this "weak" monster in the ruins had specs nearly identical to the Ice Golem—which was the strongest non-boss in the Crystal Plateau. It was a clear indicator of just how brutal this place was.

"Shall we get started?"

At Yoo Hyuk's cue, the hunters drew their weapons. The sorceress and healers cast buffs, while tanks and dealers infused their blades with power. A humming resonance filled the air as vibrant lights of various colors surged from their swords and axes.

Sensing it, six massive Stone Golems shook the ground as they charged toward the hunters.

With levels like theirs, the hunters surged forward in unison without needing orders. They didn't even form proper formations—just dove in chaotically, brimming with confidence.

Bang! Thud! Crack! Whish! Thwack!

Intense impact sounds echoed as sparks flew everywhere. Damage varied wildly, but even the weakest strikes chipped away fist-sized chunks of stone.

'Levels are indeed OP.'

Compared to how Taemin had barely managed to kill one with Ambush, their power was staggering.

Watching the battle, Taemin noticed something odd. The hunters' average levels were similar, so their skills and gear should be comparable. Yet some attacks landed hard, while others barely scratched—sometimes knights outdamaging warriors.

'Hmm. Gear looks about the same.'

Warriors had superior base Strength, so knights shouldn't outpace them at similar levels. A 10-level gap was nothing to a warrior's raw DPS.

But the current fight suggested otherwise. Watching intently, Taemin soon pinpointed the issue.

Attributes.

All ruins monsters had variable attributes, not fixed ones. To deal proper damage, you needed a full set of matching attribute gear. There were four types needed for ruins hunts, but since you couldn't predict the monster's attribute, you had to swap and test. Mismatched gear halved damage or worse.

One knight pounding a Stone Golem yelled to the group.

"Earth!"

His teammates swiftly swapped to Wind (Earth-counter) pendants and struck. The golem's body shattered instantly. Each sword or axe swing sent massive stone chunks flying in all directions. Unable to withstand the accumulated damage, one crumbled.

The hunters who'd felled the first golem joined to help the others. Soon, the rest met the same fate.

After clearing the five golems, they advanced per Yoo Hyuk's orders. Reaching the next chamber, they prepped for round two.

"Knights pull aggro, everyone else DPS."

They charged without hesitation, even against over ten foes.

Feeling awkward standing alone, Taemin stepped forward to the healers' support line and resumed spectating.

Over time, Taemin realized upper dungeons were a hassle. Hunting was busy enough without constantly swapping gear to test attributes. With just ten-ish monsters now, it was manageable, but more would turn it into chaos.

Swapping gear mid-panic? They'd fumble for sure. Plus, relaying the attribute info. With their skill, they'd eventually win mismatched, but it'd be slow.

Taemin pondered the tricky hunt style.

'No magic to reveal attributes? Something like that would save so much trouble...'

"Wait."

A thought flashed through his mind unconsciously. He chuckled in disbelief at how perfectly it fit.

It was a skill he'd had forever—one he'd just used.

To confirm, he activated Insight on the Stone Golems ahead.

'What? I've known this all along?'