Mountains of Ogres
Building on that one real battle experience, Yoo Taejeong was gradually finding his optimal path as he headed out to hunt again.
Bang!Bang bang!
Wolf defeated.
50 EXP acquired.
Grrr!
"Get lost."
Bang!
Kuwek!
His accuracy had improved dramatically—now every shot was almost guaranteed to hit. The fear had dulled, rebuilding his trust in the gun. With time, he grew bolder in combat.
Already, over twenty corpses littered the ground around him. He'd taken down an entire pack single-handedly.
"After a few tries, it's not that bad... but it's still just as dangerous."
He'd pulled off a perfect hunt without a scratch, but close calls had happened at least three times just moments ago.
Sensing the blast radius was key. Stray even a bit outside effective range, and no one-shot kills. That was a huge weakness in chaotic melees.
"Anyway, looks like just one left."
After his frenzied hunting spree, Taejeong was one level-up away. Just one more, and he'd hit level 20—the minimum for the next hunting ground.
He calculated his remaining potions and mana, then set off again.
The spot he reached was the entrance to Bibongsan.
"The black ones should be around here, right?"
Taejeong recalled that hellish moment in Icheon not long ago—the despair when all the porters died, forcing him to escape alone.
That's when he'd met the Mimic.
The main monster inhabiting Bibongsan alongside wolves.
'Looking back... how the hell did I even escape that time?'
Thinking of when he only had that single pistol sent chills down his spine.
But despite those thoughts, his legs kept moving forward—brimming with confidence.
And why not? Even at clueless level 1, he'd taken them down and escaped. Now he could dual-wield pistols, and he had exoskeleton legs surpassing wolf mobility.
Above all, with real combat experience under his belt, Mimics were no longer a threat.
Climbing the mountain with bold swagger, dark shapes began swarming into Taejeong's view.
Familiar black fiends he hadn't seen in a while—the Mimics that had shredded porters like paper.
'Yeah, feels totally different from back then.'
Their numbers were hefty, but after mowing down wolf packs, not a trace of fear showed on his face. If anything, his hands itched for action.
Locking onto them, Taejeong instantly entered combat stance.
His gun barrels unleashed monstrous firepower.
Bang!Bang bang!Tatang!
Each flash from the muzzle punched massive holes into the black forms.
Mimics crumpled, twitching.
But their counterattack was no joke. Unlike wolves, they lashed tentacles at his limbs.
Amid the chaotic barrage from all sides, his feet danced busily.
He might've panicked yesterday, but now, fully adapted to the robot legs, those tentacles posed zero threat.
Finally, the last one's head exploded in a satisfying burst, and a pleasant chime rang in his ears.
Mimic defeated.
100 EXP acquired.
New skill Minigun Vulcan unlocked.
◈ Sealed speed: 550 km/h
◈ Ammo: 7.62×51mm enhanced energy rounds
◈ Range: 720m
◈ Base damage: 750
'Two at once?'
Thrilled by the unexpected gifts, Taejeong itched to check them out—but surrounded by forest, he decided to descend the mountain first.
He hustled down to his car, then opened his inventory to inspect the gear.
"Huh? Why's this one so damn strong?"
The new equipment's stats were insane. Damage four times that of the KA-1 rifle. Range fifty times greater.
Come to think of it, the gun's design was worlds apart—massive, oozing cool factor.
No wonder he was hyped for the skill too.
Closing inventory, he opened the skill window.
"Sniper rounds guzzle 750 mana... Vulcan's better, but... Huh? The skill itself seems meh?"
The sniper ammo's mana cost made sense for that range and power.
But the new attack skill felt underwhelming for his level—barely better than the rifle.
"Still, let's give it a shot."
Shoving aside disappointment, he summoned the weapon.
Light burst from his arm, forming a bizarre machine enveloping his forearm—eight tiny barrels in a circle.
Designate target and activate.
Following instructions, he aimed forward and triggered the skill.
Suddenly, light exploded as the barrels spun wildly.
Tatata-tatang!
"Whoa!?"
Massive mana drain, dozens of rounds in an instant—he yelped and stopped firing, staring at the minigun on his arm and the beehive-riddled tree ahead.
"This thing's... insane?"
Unable to believe it, he activated it again.
Tatata-tatang!
"No way this is real."
Tatata-tatang!
"Ha. Unreal."
Tatata-tatang!
Grinning like a kid, he kept firing until mana bottomed out.
"What kinda broken is this?"
Even a quick test showed its potential went beyond mere rapid fire.
The option. This Minigun Vulcan was a sidearm—usable alongside dual pistols, like a third weapon.
Not just for hunting; it boosted safety too. Mounting a sub-weapon meant fewer variables to worry about.
"Used right, this'll be game-changing."
Testing done, Taejeong drove back to collect byproducts from his kills.
Fifty hides sold for 12 million won. He blew it all on mana potions.
Stopping at an equipment shop, he browsed.
"Doesn't even look that great, and it's hundreds of millions? Ridiculous."
Shaking his head at the prices, he headed straight home—logging into the hunter community without even showering.
"Gotta make money. Money."
Two big reasons he craved cash: snag good gear ASAP for safer hunts, and pump up mana for stable farming.
Hit those basics, and the rest would snowball. He wanted them yesterday.
"Hmm. Blue Ground at my level might be overkill."
He scrolled community posts intently.
Fields divided into White, Blue, Red ranks. Blue required level 40+—double his current level.
Textbook move was higher White Ground, but similar profits had him eyeing a skip to Blue.
"Fields without porters are too inefficient, though."
Shaking his head, he dove into the dungeon category below.
Dungeons—hunters' top choice. Enter via gates. Tougher than same-rank fields, comms blocked, high risk.
But one killer perk offset it: auto-loot items.
That alone made dungeons way more popular.
"Lowest dungeon's 30. Minimum 8-man party. That's the floor, huh."
Specs screamed over his head, but Taejeong didn't see it that way.
Anseong's White Ground was 10-20, 12-man minimum. He'd soloed it from level 2.
Who knew without trying?
"That's why I grinded cash and experience. For spots like this."
Dungeons tiered White to Red too. His option: free-rank White Hole. Seoul alone had plenty of gates.
Issue: Even Whites varied by level. He needed solid intel.
Entrance on the right of the first hiking trail.
Caution: Monsters often in groups.
Orcs, goblins, trolls, wolves.
*Ogres rarely spawn. Weak point: head.
Ogre horns fetch 4,500-5,000 at weapon shops.
Recommended combat power (incl. skills): 300-1,000
Difficulty: Ground Blue (Lv.1)
Recent post, decent replies. Mostly nostalgia, but solid info too.
Wolves and goblins roughly equal—his grind staples.
Orcs a notch up. Trolls a big jump, but rare, solitary—focus fire works.
Then the boss: Ogre. Mountain spirit rarity—three generations of virtue to even glimpse one.
"Looks brutal."
Staring at a scary ogre pic someone posted, Taejeong's eyes gleamed with resolve.
His average combat power: 250-300. Sniper: triple that.
Pure offense? Doable. Party size? Potions and rapid fire cover it.
Not impossible.
'Alright. Let's check it out.'