The Plains Warrior
The next day, and the day after that, Taejeong's hunt continued relentlessly.
[You have acquired 13,500 EXP.]
[You have acquired 13,500 EXP.]
It felt like he'd hit a wall—leveling up was slowing to a crawl. But there was one reason Taejeong stuck around this place.
To master his weapons and skills as thoroughly as possible. That way, he'd stand a better chance in the next dungeon, rated for level 90.
"Still a long way to go."
Even after two straight days of nonstop hunting, he'd only gained two levels. It was time to scout the next hunting ground for real.
"That aside, this status window feels kinda bare-bones."
From what Taejeong knew, hunters' stat screens weren't this sparse. They should be at least twice as detailed. But his lacked even the basics like strength or agility.
It felt half-assed, like something essential was missing.
"Probably 'cause it's still unfinished."
Taejeong recalled his awakening. Sirius had said as much—this was an incomplete class. Many things would be restricted. He had to reach the completed form.
'Yeah. It's still early days. Keep grinding, and it'll fill out bit by bit.'
Shaking off the thoughts, Taejeong dove back into the hunt. Time passed—who knew how long. Just when he thought he'd had enough...
He spotted a monster he'd never seen before in this place. A muscular beast in silver armor, wielding massive crescent blades in both hands.
That's the one.
Instinct told him this was the boss. The Great Warrior of the Plains, Asilius. The kind of monster they said you didn't even dream of tackling under level 90. Insanely dangerous.
What to do?
Its infamy on the forums was legendary—no way he could ignore that. But the hesitation didn't last.
Screw it. Gotta take down something like that to move on to the next dungeon.
From a safe distance, Taejeong watched it, then swapped his M60 for the TRG-9. He scanned the surroundings carefully before dropping prone.
"Hoo."
Deep breath. He lined up the crosshairs on its head. Fired.
Bang!
The energy bullet streaked straight ahead. Boosted by his passive, its speed was amped up. Had to hit.
But—
It leaped sideways just before impact.
Dodged that?
Taejeong couldn't hide his shock. His sniping had never missed a stationary target. Sure, these guns weren't real-world spec, but the bullet clocked over 500 km/h. Even if it sensed it coming, dodging was near impossible. And since it ran on mana, speed didn't drop with distance. Full power within range.
Which meant...
No way—it heard and dodged?
It had moved exactly when he fired. But that didn't add up either. Dodging a near-500 km/h shot on sound alone? Unbelievable.
Maybe a fluke? He aimed again. Fired.
Bang!
Leap!
"No fucking way."
Asilius dodged the second shot effortlessly. Not luck. It was definitely reacting to the sound.
It scanned around, locked onto his position, and charged at terrifying speed. The distance closed in seconds.
Taejeong summoned his exoskeleton robot legs, swapped back to the M60, and unloaded as it closed in.
Rat-tat-tat-tat!
Dozens of energy rounds per second, sprayed wildly. But not one hit. It zigzagged, evading everything.
What the hell is this pattern?
Taejeong panicked at the unfamiliar moves. He swung his barrel to track its left-right sprints, but couldn't keep up perfectly. Nothing like the straight-line idiots he'd farmed before.
The Plains Great Warrior closed in with that alien pattern, swinging its massive bladed dao at Taejeong's head.
"Shit."
He kicked off with his right foot, leaping back—his blood ran cold. The blade whistled right by his face.
No time to gawk. He twisted the barrel to re-aim.
But its follow-up came faster.
Whoosh!
"Ah! Fuck!"
He barely sidestepped left, nearly tumbling. In that split second, he glimpsed its legs. Instinct fired.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
The ground shook with gunfire; dozens of light bullets tore through the air.
Miss again. No trace where it had been.
Now from the right—a black shadow lunged, dao slashing.
Shwick!
"Urk!"
Taejeong ducked, body pitching forward. Too late for balance.
Go down here, I'm done.
He rolled with the momentum, sprang up, and bolted without looking back.
Something grazed his back—a chill wind along his spine. A split-second later, and he'd be bisected, clothes and all.
Cold sweat poured. He chugged a potion, gained some distance, and sprayed again.
Same shit. The warrior grazed every shot by millimeters.
Too fast. No—this should be hitting!
Absurd. Point-blank, and he couldn't land a hit? Predictive shots? Useless.
After endless frustration, Taejeong backed off and pulled his flamethrower.
"Die already, you fucker."
Fwoooosh!
Flames fanned out, blanketing ahead. It dodged that too.
But things shifted. Taejeong's wild swings made the fire snake and coil, expanding. It slipped left—straight into the blaze.
Whoosh!
"That's more like it, you fucking bastard. Croak already."
Exhilaration bubbled up—ten years of pent-up shit venting.
Then—
Fwoom!
A charred face burst through the flames.
Immortal or what?
He recoiled but kept spraying, backing up.
How long did he roast it? The relentless pursuer suddenly froze. Asilius, charred black, unmoving.
Chance! Taejeong swapped to M60, jammed the barrel to its head, and unloaded.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
Its head vaporized in the barrage.
A death knell rang out.
[You have defeated the Plains Great Warrior Asilius.]
[You have acquired 550,000 EXP.]
[You have leveled up.]
[R-Type Direct-Fire Cannon skill has been unlocked.]
[L-Type Indirect-Fire Cannon skill has been unlocked.]
[New Material Armor Suit skill has been unlocked.]
"Whoa. Came that close to dying."
Even after the fight, adrenaline wouldn't quit. First real brush with death since his debut battle. He'd known it was fast and agile from reports, but reading and facing it were worlds apart.
That zigzag pattern threw him hardest. Seemed simple at a glance, but with its speed, it was poison for single-target DPS hunters.
Lucky he was Mechanic—no post-cast delay. A wizard would've been shredded.
One thing he overlooked, though: Asilius was a small raid mob, meant for 8-to-14-man parties. Solo at appropriate level? Impossible. He'd forced it.
Either way, the fight taught him plenty.
This is real combat. Mindlessly farming straight-line dummies was pointless.
All that "mastery" and "practice" satisfaction felt embarrassing now.
"Right, the skills."
Calm returning, he remembered the alerts.
L-Type Indirect-Fire Cannon
[60] Sealed Speed [400km/h]
Ammo: 60mm Energy HE Shell
Range: [90m]
Lethal Radius: [20m]
Base Damage - 1,900
*Max 3 rounds per minute
R-Type Direct-Fire Cannon
[90] Sealed Speed [420km/h]
Ammo: 90mm Energy HE Shell
Range: [70m]
Lethal Radius: [25m]
Base Damage - 2,200
*Max 3 rounds per minute
New Material Armor Suit
Advanced infantry combat uniform. Equips instantly upon summon.
Physical Defense [600]
All Strength [30]
Duration [Semi-Permanent]
Mana Cost [2,000]
"Oho, check these out. No joke."
Three new skills: two weapons, one armor. The stats looked killer even at a glance.
The one that caught Taejeong's eye most? New Material Armor Suit.
"Let's test it."
He activated it. Light flashed around him—his clothes changed in a blink.
A tight, connected gray top-and-bottom suit. Skinny as hell—not matching the name at all.
"What the...?"
No matter the angle, it screamed spandex onesie. Even had a piss flap. No way to wear this outside.
But the material was weird.
"Feels like cotton, but why so damn tough?"
A texture he'd never felt. Soft like fabric, hard as near-steel. Total disconnect.
Super thin too.
"This rigid, yet moves like nothing."
He flexed his arms, twisted his waist, lifted a leg. Stretchy and comfy as regular clothes.
"Anyway, defense 600. Semi-permanent. Looks goofy, but it's OP."
Movement unrestricted, 600 defense, near-endless duration. Perfect for his gearless ass.
Compared to the sky-high market prices for crap defense gear, 600 was insane.
After a few more tests, his eyes drifted to the top of the skill window.
"Alright. Time for the rest."