Endless Plains Hunt
Taejeong entered the dungeon and immediately stayed on high alert, summoning pistols into both hands. The handguns probably wouldn't cut it anymore, but it couldn't hurt to test them out.
The Asilius Plains lived up to its name—vast and open. Endless grasslands stretched to a horizon that seemed infinite, under a brilliant blue sky. It looked so peaceful that it was hard to believe this was a monster-infested dungeon.
"Gotta stay sharp. Could get lost in here."
The monsters were one thing, but finding the way out was another worry. In a featureless plain like this, even a moment's lapse could leave you disoriented. With nothing but uniform grass and no trees in sight, it was all too easy to lose track of the entrance gate. To avoid that, he decided to stick strictly to a straight path.
With that, he began moving slowly forward.
There were no obstacles or cover, but visibility was excellent in return. He could see everything in every direction. Taejeong saw this as a huge advantage. Limited sightlines meant more things to watch out for, raising the odds of an ambush. Of course, it wasn't all upside—no place to hide meant he was exposed too. But he had powerful weapons, and if push came to shove, his exoskeleton legs for a quick escape.
How long had he been walking? Far off in the distance, shapes began to appear.
What started as mere dots gradually took form as he approached, and it didn't take long to realize they were monsters.
What the hell? Looks like a big one.
With about 300 meters between him and the monster, Taejeong summoned his TRG-9.
Peering through the scope, he identified it as a Yorik—a mid-tier threat in terms of difficulty. It resembled a sheep with long legs, but its bulk rivaled a bull's.
"Let's see how it takes a light shot."
He'd planned to probe with the pistols at first, but since he'd already drawn the TRG-9, he aimed it instead. The distance made for shaky aiming at first, but the auto-sight locked on after a moment. His finger squeezed the trigger.
Bang!
Whoosh!
A gunshot rang out, followed by a streak of light bullet flying straight. It punched clean through the Yorik's skull, and the beast crumpled like a marionette with cut strings.
You have defeated a Yorik.
You have gained 14,000 EXP.
"What the—?"
A barrage of level-up notifications poured in, prompting him to check his status window.
"Three levels at once?"
Taejeong couldn't hide his shock. Just one kill, and he'd jumped three levels. He'd expected a drop-off, but this exceeded his wildest guesses.
"Even skipping ranks... this is great."
How could he not be thrilled? He'd come just to test the waters, but with EXP like this, explosive growth was on the table. Plus, a core dungeon mob sniped in one shot—his firepower was more than enough.
"No need for other weapons, then."
Sniper fire was just one option in his arsenal, mana-heavy and time-consuming to aim. But with wide-open sightlines and instant level-ups restoring mana endlessly, it had main-weapon potential.
"Alright. Sniper as primary, others as backup."
With his hunting style shifted, he pressed on.
It wasn't long before three more monsters entered his view: bipedal beasts with horns on either side, kangaroo-like. Common foes called Dorchi.
Far enough for safety, but three of them kept him tense. He carefully aimed at the first.
Bang!
Thud.
You have defeated a Dorchi.
You have gained 13,000 EXP.
Easy level-up. The remaining two didn't even flinch.
He realigned on the second.
Bang!
Thud.
You have defeated a Dorchi.
You have gained 13,000 EXP.
Only now did the last one turn toward him and charge full tilt.
Taejeong quickly realigned and fired.
Bang!
'Shit.'
The third shot missed wildly—hard to hit a moving target.
As it closed in fast, he dismissed the TRG-9, summoned pistols to both hands, and activated his exoskeleton legs below his waist. He dodged left, unleashing a barrage at the now-close-range Dorchi.
Bang! Bang-bang!
Three energy rounds hit dead-on. Blood sprayed, but its momentum didn't falter—it kept charging.
As expected. Taejeong backpedaled, firing nonstop. He wanted to whip out the flamethrower and roast it, but he was testing limits.
Bang! Bang-bang! Bang! Bang-bang!
Six more slugs hammered its flank—minor wounds only. Headshots were the same. Its durability dwarfed orcs'.
Tough bastard.
His stats had risen with levels, boosting gun power, yet only scratches. After nearly a hundred rounds, he summoned the Vulcan on his right arm.
"Try this on for size."
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat!
Dozens of rounds shredded into its skull from the spinning barrels. It staggered, finally collapsing backward.
Taejeong halted, pounding it with pistol in left, Vulcan in right.
Rat-tat-tat! Bang-bang! Rat-tat-tat! Bang!
Amid dust clouds and energy impacts, it twitched, trying to rise—then went limp.
You have defeated a Dorchi.
You have gained 13,000 EXP.
"Hm."
Staring at the ragdoll corpse, Taejeong grimaced. It was dead, but inefficient. Meant he'd need the flamethrower for proper hunts.
"Pistols are useless now, huh."
If Vulcan barely worked, KA-1 would be worthless too. Three weapons obsolete. Expected with gear scaling, but still disappointing.
"Still, got good mileage out of 'em."
He resummoned the TRG-9 and headed toward his first kills' path.
Hunting went smoothly. Long range favored sniping more over time—one-shot kills on hits. Close-range stragglers got flamethrowered. Not instant like orcs or trolls, but far better than bullets.
After a while, with Lv. 55 in sight, he eyed the front cautiously.
Ten or so?
A pack of Hirama loitered nearby. He'd sniped from afar before, but slowing level-ups hurt efficiency. No mana regen now—better to herd and flame.
But first, something to try: his left arm's Portable Grenade Launcher. Untested in real combat due to trickiness.
This angle? No, bit more.
He adjusted his arm, calculating the arc. Tough without range and angle sense—needed experience. Still, he eyeballed it.
Miss is fine. Flamethrower cleanup.
A 40mm round lobbed from the barrel, arcing high before—impossibly—landing dead center in the pack.
'Whoa?'
BOOM!
A thunderous blast and flash erupted, followed by a flood of notifications.
You have defeated a Hirama.
You have gained 13,500 EXP.
"Whoa. Insane effect."
The pack wiped in one shot—he couldn't contain his excitement. The grenade's power surpassed expectations. He'd barely felt it practicing in the mountains without targets. Way stronger than imagined.
"Gotta use this for crowds. Less mana than flamethrower, one-shot packs. What was I doing all this time?"
His eyes blazed with glee. Felt like he could take on anything.
Dead wrong.
Every subsequent hunt, he whiffed the grenade. That hit was pure luck.
"Fucking misses every time. Range that finicky?"
Cursing himself for wasting such a gem, he persisted. Repetition would build instinct—then efficiency.
By now, he'd hit Lv. 59. Nineteen levels in a day—insane to outsiders, but low starting point plus high-end mobs explained it.
And now...
"Not dying easy anymore."
Even his trusty flamethrower struggled against these: top-tier non-bosses, mammoth-like Doruma. Ten-plus seconds to burn one down. A luxury complaint, but mana drain made it a loss per kill.
Fwoooosh!
Kraaa!
Finishing the last one, Taejeong realized it was time to head back. Potions nearly gone.
The massive Doruma thudded down amid flames.