Rise 3. Advance 1.
“Rise 3.”
“Advance 1.”
“Max output on.”
“Descend 2.”
“Stop.”
“Right turn.”
“Left turn.”
“Spin turn.”
Taejeong executed flawless turns twenty meters in the air before plunging into a steep dive toward the ground. It was only for a moment. With just three meters left, his form slowed rapidly, landing smoothly on the earth.
“Whew. How's that look?”
Excellent, sir.
At Gerard's praise, he finally cracked a smile. Skipping meals for relentless practice had paid off. Endless repetition, Gerard's advice, and Taejeong's sheer determination had forged this result.
“Still, that potion was well worth it. If it'd been a regular one, who knows how much it'd cost.”
The mana he'd burned through in practice neared a million. That matched the total capacity of the Breath of the Earth potion gifted by the guild master—a staggering amount equivalent to two hundred top-grade potions.
“Kinda wasteful for practice, but I've still got eight left. Alright, time to head back. I'm starving.”
Leaving the training grounds, Taejeong hopped in the car and hurried home. He arrived right at dinnertime, the house filled with tantalizing aromas. As soon as the door clicked open, Park Se-ah rushed to the entrance, ladle in hand, to greet him.
“You're back? I went to the training grounds for lunch earlier, but they said not to let anyone in, so I came home.”
“Had to focus.”
“Go wash up and sit. Dinner's ready.”
Nodding at her words, Taejeong cleaned up and devoured the meal with relish. Then he retreated to his room and opened the quest window.
[Mechanic's Path 1-1]
You have begun the class quest.
📍 Deepest part of the Haigran Temple: A massive pond called the Swamp of Death.
Acquire the treasure of Titan Kingdom's hero, Tiiran, from there.
However, to claim the treasure, defeat the guardian of the pond: the Hydra.
It receives divine protection from the temple, granting extreme resistance to certain attributes.
Find a way.
Note: This must be done solo. If anyone else enters the temple, the quest cannot be completed.
🎯 Objectives:
Hydra 0/1
Tiiran's Treasure 0/1
🎁 Reward:Super Large-Scale AI Mine Deployment (Unique Skill)
“Hm. This one's gotten complicated.”
It looked different from previous quests at a glance. The description alone felt ominous.
“Hydra, treasure... resistance, and solo.”
He first summoned Gerard, the surest source for answers.
“Know where this is? Haigran Temple?”
It's a temple in the Hose Jungle Zone of Blue Grade 7.
“Yeah? Then you know how strong the Hydra is too.”
Apologies, but I have no data on the temple interior.
“No data, huh. Guess I need to dig up some info first.”
* * *
The next morning, Taejeong asked Park Se-ah to gather intel on the Hose Jungle Zone and Haigran Temple. That afternoon, files rivaling an encyclopedia flooded his hands.
“Basic dungeon data, strategy guides, anything noteworthy—I’ve got it all. It’s all on this USB, too.”
“Good work.”
“Anything else I can help with?”
“I'll call if I need you. You're dismissed.”
Once Park Se-ah left, Taejeong dove into the materials. He started with the basics on the dungeon.
⚔ Recommended Level: Late 300s
🏛 Type: Popular dungeon for C-rank hunters
📈 EXP: Double that of Blue 5-grade; all monsters neutral attribute—no need for attribute parties
✨ Notes: Minimal EXP gap to Grade 8; hunters max out here before Grade 9
⚙ Difficulty: Low
“Doesn't seem too tough. Late 300s—I'm almost there. The temple's the issue.”
📍 Location: Northern outskirts of Hose Jungle Zone—temple of the gods
🏛 Type: Hybrid wave/raid dungeon; 5 underground floors
💀 Final Boss: Hydra on lowest floor
⚔ Recommended Level: 390-500 (full attribute party standard)
⚙ Difficulty: High
Haigran Temple's difficulty was tighter than expected. Recommended level 390-500—for a full, attribute-equipped party, not solo. Even with his hidden class that chewed through levels, was this feasible?
As his thoughts deepened, he pored over the temple's monsters floor by floor. The bosses determined the difficulty, each with strategies requiring parties. Solo? Only by unleashing party-level firepower.
Hours in, a realization struck.
“Gerard, what attribute are my weapons?”
Varies by equipment, but base attribute is True.
“True? That's an attribute?”
True is the unique attribute of entities below Central 72 Seats.
“Central 72 Seats? What's that?”
I cannot disclose that.
“You know but won't tell, or you don't know?”
It means this is the best answer I can provide at my level.
“Hm... fine. So how does True interact with other attributes' resistances?”
True adds 70% bonus damage to basic five elements, 50% to light, and 100% to dark.
“What? So it bonuses all of them? No resistances against other attributes?”
Per Gerard, True was outright broken. Attributes always had counters with 50% bonus/penalty damage, plus 10% increments based on relations—ranging 50-150%, max reduction 50% per attribute.
But True added 70% to elements, 100% to dark, even 50% to tricky light. Overspec'd, effectively countering everything.
This sparked a question: Seven attributes exist. Could anything resist a universal counter?
“If True bonuses everything, the quest's resistance doesn't apply to me, right?”
I lack authority on that matter.
“Can't say... meaning there's something.”
Gerard's loaded words muddled his mind. Yes/no questions demand clarity; vagueness meant likely “no.”
“Wish you'd just spit it out. So many restrictions.”
Apologies.
“Whatever. At least I know my attribute now. True isn't even listed—would've never known without asking.”
Resuming his study, pencil underlining key points, he spent the day immersed. Over late dinner, he asked Park Se-ah,
“Know how many attributes exist in the world?”
“Attributes? Seven, I think. That's what they taught. Why attributes?”
“Something's nagging me. Feels like there might be more than seven.”
“Want me to look into it?”
“Yeah. It's late—hit the info desk tomorrow for data.”
After eating, he holed up again, poring over strategy guides. He noted the deepest boss, the Hydra, leaned earth-attribute. Not officially classified, but guides favored fire/wind magic—counters to earth.
Footnotes confirmed it near-certainly.
“Wind's iffy, but I've got the flamethrower. Counts as fire? It's actual flames, not energy. What do you think, Gerard?”
As mentioned, your base is True. It encompasses all seven, so form matters little.
“Got it. Okay, keep going.”
As night deepened, a knock sounded.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Park Se-ah slipped in.
“Not asleep?”
“How could I when the boss is up? Here's the data you asked for.”
“Now? Could've waited till tomorrow.”
“Curiosity waits for no one. It's a lot—I'll help. Theory's my thing.”
“You'll tire yourself. It's... dawn.”
“I'm fine. Great stamina. Where to start?”
“Unconfirmed stuff first...”
With her enthusiasm, they reviewed till 4 a.m. Conclusion:
“Yeah. Just the seven.”
Unconfirmeds boiled down to the five elements. Vague counters prevented pinpointing, but all within those bounds.
No attribute issues then. Attribute immunity means solo's fine, right?
Glancing at Park Se-ah asleep on the bed—she'd pushed till 3—he debated waking her. Seeing her deep slumber, he killed the lights and headed to the living room.
“Ugh, I'm beat.”
Stretching, chugging water, he flopped on the sofa, pondering.
Yeah. I'll go for it. Bail if it's too much. Book the slot first thing.