Graduation from Bukhansan Rock Mountains
Kim Seongtae's team, on the verge of graduating from the Bukhansan Rock Mountains, stumbled upon an unexpected stroke of luck during their hunt. After nearly a month of hunting without a single sighting, they finally encountered an ogre.
What kind of being was an ogre? It was a monster shrouded in legend here in the Bukhansan Rock Mountains—a creature said to require three generations of accumulated virtue just to glimpse. Meeting one right before graduation made this day the most meaningful of his life. His team felt the same way.
"Ready, boss!"
"Just give the order anytime!"
"Let's see if you live up to the rumors!"
His party was far more excited than usual. Yet they held their positions perfectly. The black wizard on the left had spells loaded for follow-up strikes, while the debuff hunters on the right bound the ogre's legs to cripple its mobility. Kim Seongtae, the frontline fighter, held the front, with the two swordsmen flanking him to exploit any openings. Textbook boss fight formation with minimal personnel—no gaps for escape.
"Man, it was so hard to even catch a glimpse of your ugly mug, and now you show up at the very end. This'll be worth bragging about back at the guild," Kim Seongtae muttered, burning with determination.
The two men beside him adjusted their stances and chimed in.
"Still, stay careful. We've got it bound with Barid, but it could break free anytime."
"He's right. If you can't take it down in one sword stroke, pull left. We'll jump in right away. No heroics."
Kim Seongtae nodded at his teammates' advice. They'd drilled formations in guild training, but this was their first real boss fight. Caution was key.
No way I can strike first anyway. Dodge and wait for an opening.
His plan: Close in with a mobility skill, evade the first swing, then leap and cleave its head vertically. Even if he failed, backups would follow up and finish the neck.
Finishing his mental rehearsal, Kim Seongtae activated his movement skill.
"If the bind breaks, unload magic immediately! It'll escape if we let it. Here I go!"
With grim resolve, he charged the ogre at full speed. Just as he was about to execute...
Boom!
A deafening roar shook the valley. Startled, Kim Seongtae froze for a split second. Then came a sight that made him doubt his eyes. The ogre, snarling hungrily at him moments ago, had its head completely obliterated.
"W-what the...?"
* * *
You have defeated the Ogre.
You have acquired 9,000 EXP.
You have leveled up.
You have acquired Ogre's Horn.
"Whoa."
The TRG-9's performance was incredible. One shot to blow away that mighty monster's head—it was hard to believe even watching it happen.
"Hah. This thing's insane. Takes a bit to aim, but the firepower's no joke."
Amazed by the sheer destructive power only briefly, Taejeong checked the ogre's horn in his inventory.
"This goes for 5 million? A few of these and I'm rich."
He dusted himself off and resumed hunting. After sweeping for another hour or so, he hit level 32.
Passive Silencer skill has been unlocked.
Night Vision Scope skill has been unlocked.
Silencer Lv. 1
Reduces sniper noise by 20%.
Night Vision Scope Lv. 1
Identifies targets at night. *Displays distance to target.
"Unlocks right when I'm wrapping up."
These skills were exactly what Taejeong needed. He was especially intrigued by the night vision scope.
"So this is what wealthy hunters carry around."
Night Vision Scope. Gear for spotting enemies in the dark. Nighttime foes were deadly to hunters. While light spells or gear existed, they revealed positions, limiting stealth ops. Enter magic scopes—another variant of night vision processed from mana stones. Their history ran deep, with dozens of types. But on that Regression Day a thousand years ago, they vanished alongside modern weapons. Now, genuine night vision scopes cost a fortune few hunters could afford.
"Still weird, though. How does selective failure even happen?"
Before awakening, he hadn't questioned it. The world just worked that way. But as a hunter experiencing oddities, he now doubted everything he saw.
Cars ran fine, but tank engines didn't. Glasses lenses worked, but scopes' didn't. Same across fields—anything weaponized or militarized just failed. Humanity even tried weaponizing hydraulic crushers that pulverized rocks, thinking they'd handle monsters. No dice.
Scientifically inexplicable. Research continued, but no leads. Mana stone gadgets were emerging, but nothing restored original materials.
"Do objects have souls? Break down around monsters? Hell, even those genius scientists call this world a dream..."
Muttering, Taejeong raised his hand forward.
Bang!
You have defeated the Orc.
You have acquired 600 EXP.
"But if it's a dream, it's way too vivid."
Finishing his hunt, Taejeong exited the dungeon and tallied his haul.
An impressive haul at a glance. Just half a day of hunting for this much. Taejeong's expectations soared for what lay ahead.
"Wonder how much it'll fetch."
He drove straight to the market and sold all his items and materials. Total: a whopping 72 million won. His highest single-day earnings ever.
"This is nuts. 70 million from half a day?"
The ogre horn was the jackpot. What perfect timing to be there.
Hope those guys got out okay.
Recalling the incident, Taejeong opened his status window to check mana.
His mana pool neared 2,000 thanks to level-ups.
"Now I can save on cash."
Muttering, he headed to the potion shop.
Medium potions were about 100,000 won cheaper per recovery unit. After calculating, he bought 20 medium potions.
"38 million won."
"Cash."
"Thank you."
Spending most of his earnings on potions didn't sting—he was confident he'd earn it back tenfold.
The next morning, Taejeong left early for Bukhansan Rock Mountains again. With experience, his steps felt lighter than yesterday.
Should graduate today if all goes well.
Only his second hunt, but the difficulty was easier than expected. No need to linger. He'd one-shot the boss with limited sniper shots, and most monsters fell without much trouble. Better to move to higher grounds for efficiency and better rewards.
Entering the dungeon and gearing up, Taejeong strode forward. Soon, a pack of orcs appeared. His pistols unleashed merciless fire.
Bang! Bang-bang! Bang!
You have defeated the Orc.
You have acquired 600 EXP.
You have defeated the Orc.
You have acquired 600 EXP.
You have acquired Orc Claw.
More relaxed after yesterday, his accuracy improved with familiarity. Vulcan usage dropped due to less mana drain. As long as he stayed calm, he could land plenty on the weak eyes—his former Achilles' heel.
Bang! Bang-bang!
Using exoskeleton legs for mobility, Taejeong carefully aimed for eyes—the only one-shot spot. Three to four shots maxed out an orc's eye, thanks to their sluggish moves.
Steadily hunting, a new monster entered his view—one he hadn't seen yesterday.
"Troll, huh."
A beast dwarfing orcs, with an abnormally huge upper body and head twice an orc's size. Intimidating at a glance, but Taejeong didn't flinch. He calmly sighted his pistol.
Bang! Bang-bang! Bang!
Four energy rounds slammed into the troll's head. As expected from a higher monster, it shrugged them off and charged.
Anticipating this, he summoned the Minigun Vulcan.
Rat-tat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Kraaaagh!Keeeek!?
The satisfying gunfire echoed as the troll's roars filled the air. It turned into a pincushion in seconds. Yet it pressed on—tenacious vitality.
Upper-level durability, alright.
Impressed by its toughness, Taejeong widened distance, chugged a potion, and precisely aimed Vulcan again. Energy rounds shredded it like a machine gun.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat! Tat-tat!
The more fire he poured, the more ragged it got—from mere holes to tattered rags.
Oddly, it wouldn't die despite the wounds.
"Hah, look at this guy. Still kicking after all that?"
Marveling briefly, he focused on the head. Energy rounds finally blasted it apart.
Pew-pew-pew! Pop!
The headless troll tumbled. Death chime followed.
You have defeated the Troll.
You have acquired 1,200 EXP.
You have leveled up.
Portable Grenade Launcher skill has been unlocked.
You have acquired Two-Handed Flamethrower.
'Oh?'