All Preparations Complete
Having finished all his preparations, he soon vanished into the portal.
Stepping through, a dense jungle of tropical rainforest unfolded before him. It was his second time, but Park Taemin still found it utterly fascinating. Who on earth had created this place? Nothing had been uncovered about it yet—just wild guesses about aliens. For now, it remained a global mystery for the whole world to solve.
His questions didn't linger long. Once inside the Beginner Dungeon, he snapped into a state of hyper-alertness.
Unlike two days ago, he was alone this time. Back then, an overwhelmingly powerful ally had been with him, eliminating any hint of danger. Every monster that appeared had its movements sealed by chains of binding, so not a single one had ever charged at him during an attack.
Now the real combat begins. Stay tense, stay calm, move carefully.
Scanning his surroundings cautiously, he advanced slowly. His steps were tediously slow, but with no one to watch his back, he had to place each foot with utmost care.
About five hundred meters in, by his estimate, a familiar yet utterly horrifying monster appeared ahead.
It was a Tinkerbell—the same one he'd slaughtered endlessly two days prior. Stuck to the ground, its long antennae twitching this way and that, the thing's form was pure terror no matter how many times he saw it.
Killed so many of them... but I still can't get used to it. This one's bigger, too.
Adult monsters were all roughly the same size, but to Taemin's eyes, this one loomed larger. It meant his fear of them hadn't faded yet.
Still, he couldn't turn back now. Cautiously, he crept toward the Tinkerbell. Since it was a non-aggressive monster, one clean strike would end it without issue.
Reaching its side, he slowly raised his dagger, aiming for its head. His hand shook wildly, but this was just a phase he'd have to push through.
One, two, three!
Counting in his head, he plunged the dagger mercilessly into the Tinkerbell's skull.
At that exact moment—
Pud-dak! Pud-da-dak!
The Tinkerbell unfurled its folded wings and began flashing wildly.
Stunned by the unexpected reaction, Taemin tumbled backward, cursing as he scrambled away.
"Fuck, what the hell! What the hell! What?!"
Panicking hard, he babbled incoherently while keeping his eyes glued to the flailing Tinkerbell on the ground. If it tried any tricks, he'd smash it again without mercy.
But luckily, the convulsing Tinkerbell just spun in circles on the ground before going limp. It was dead. Proving it, the corpse began rotting away at rapid speed.
You have acquired 100 EXP.
Taemin clutched his pounding chest, exhaling a deep sigh to calm his racing heart.
"That scared the shit out of me. Die cleanly if you're gonna die."
Grumbling, he kicked at the Tinkerbell's corpse, now reduced to black powder.
"No items? ...Figures. Can't fill up on the first drink anyway. Whatever, at this rate, I'm gonna give myself a heart attack."
With Yoon Ji-young around, the binding chains had kept any convulsions to mere twitches. He'd never seen one thrash this violently before.
"Well, now I know, so it'll be easier next time."
He resumed moving. The second monster he encountered was another Tinkerbell.
This time, Taemin marched straight toward it with newfound resolve. Reaching its side without hesitation, he jammed his dagger into its head.
Then he unleashed a torrent of curses, stabbing the body like a madman.
"Die! Die, you bastard! Quit fucking around and just croak!"
His profanity escalated with the intensity of its flashing. It was his personal method to conquer fear—and strangely, it worked wonders. Courage welled up like magic.
Panting and stabbing wildly in his frenzy, he only stopped once the thing went completely still.
"Hoo, hoo. Not a big deal."
Wiping sweat from his brow as he eyed the rotting corpse, Taemin felt a twinge of regret—no wings this time either. But his face beamed with brightness.
If I keep this up, I'll adapt in no time.
He set off immediately to find another target, committing that rush to memory.
The hunts that followed progressed smoothly. Charging at every monster with roars, his approach was a bit over-the-top, but the results were spectacular.
After about two hours, he'd fully adapted. No more need for screaming or swearing.
Starting with Tinkerbells, then Yams, Wild Dogs, and Power Sitters—countless monsters fell to his dagger. Even groups of two or three in one spot no longer fazed him.
That's the scary thing about adaptation.
Chop, slash, stab—he repeated the motions relentlessly. Six hours in, he finally leveled up.
Not bad for a solo debut.
Having slain around eighty monsters, Taemin checked his inventory.
"Whoa. At this rate, I'll be rich soon. How much is all this worth?"
His calculations were cut short as thirst and stuffiness surged.
"Speaking of, my throat's killing me. Should've brought something to drink... What an idiot, getting all hyped up."
Rubbing his parched throat, he pondered heading back—when something sparkling caught his eye in the distance.
What's that?
Curiosity piqued, Taemin headed toward it. It turned out to be a small puddle about five meters wide.
"Does it rain here too?"
Glancing up at the sky, he looked back at the puddle. Crystal clear despite being stagnant, bottom visible—you could drink it right now and it'd be fine.
On the opposite side, two Yams were drinking side by side. Seeing them only made his thirst worse.
"Ugh, so thirsty. Can't drink that, though... Maybe just wash my face?"
Feels like 35 degrees Celsius, humidity over 90%. That was Taemin's current weather sensation.
Unable to ignore the sweat, he rolled up his sleeves and approached the water's edge for a splash.
Dipping his hand in, an indescribable chill shot up to his scalp, cooling him instantly.
"Damn, it's barely a handspan deep, but so refreshing."
Testing with his hand first, he scooped up water to wash his face.
That's when the two Yams drinking on the other side bolted into the jungle in a frenzy.
"Heh. Finally figuring out who I am? Makes sense—with all the blood stench coming off me..."
Half-joking, his body suddenly froze. Instinctively, he gripped the dagger at his waist.
Something felt off. Taemin scanned the surroundings warily.
The jungle looked the same, but the eerie silence felt like something was about to happen.
What's with this unease?
Frozen by the unnatural quiet, his eyes caught something in the puddle's reflection—a massive black shape.
His body went rigid. Then, two pairs of yellow eyes he never wanted to see locked onto his.
No way.
His thought ended there. The snake-headed monster reflected in the puddle lunged with jaws wide.
Taemin hurled himself aside on instinct. Just then, its razor fangs grazed his collar.
A hair's breadth. Any slower, and he'd be dead.
He activated Arrainba instantly. His body shot forward like a bullet.
Everything blurring past was a potential hazard at that speed.
Maxing Arrainba was a godsend.
Even while running, euphoria hit—he'd made the right call. At this pace, he could shake it off quick.
But that hope didn't last. Glancing back, Taemin's blood ran cold at the sight of the Double Snake pursuing relentlessly.
Weaving through trees at terrifying speed, it was horror incarnate.
Wait, why is that here? No way that tiny puddle counts as a lake?
He couldn't believe it. The guidebook said Double Snakes inhabited snake lakes. Lakes meant reservoirs at minimum.
But that puddle was barely a pond—embarrassingly small. How?
No time for questions. Fail to lose it, and death awaited.
The Double Snake was massive. Body nearing four meters, its split heads bigger than industrial rice cookers. He was a snack in one bite.
What now? Skill's almost out... Wait, where even am I?
Too pumped, he'd gotten lost. He had four Potions left—two skill uses max.
Escape within that, or game over.
A full minute since fleeing, and despite weaving through trees and rocks, it chased desperately.
Time up—his legs slowed as Arrainba faded.
Screw it. Pop a potion first.