Legendary Squirrel's Nest
As Carpe tried to enter the dungeon, two alert windows greeted him.
Attempting entry to the dungeon 'Nest of the Great King Squirrel'.
Judging dungeon grade.
"Grade judgment?"
-Some RaSe dungeons have their grades randomly determined. It's rare, but mostly in hidden dungeons. Even the same dungeon gets harder and offers better rewards at higher grades.
"Hmm... so you're saying a Unique-grade 'Nest of the Great King Squirrel' is tougher and rewards more than the Rare-grade version?"
-You've played a ton of games, huh? Quick on the uptake.
The monsters didn't change much with higher grades. They just got beefier versions, and traps multiplied.
-Legendary-grade ones sometimes spawn mutants that never appeared before... but don't sweat it. In over ten years in RaSe, I've only seen nine Legendary dungeons.
"...That's a weirdly specific number. So how high is Legendary?"
-Insanely high.
RaSe had six common grades: Normal, Magic, Rare, Hero, Unique, Legendary. Textbook stuff.
-...Or so most think, since that's all that's public. Truth is, there are three more above Legendary.
Epic and Myth.
Those two were inaccessible through regular hunting or exploration—only ultra-rare glimpses during major scenario quests.
"Question."
-Shoot.
"Does your ten-year veteran’s strategy guide cover how to snag those precious Epic and Myth items?"
-You wanna know?
"Yup. Dying to know."
-Who knows? Follow my lead, and in a few months, you might be decked out in three or four Epics. For now, grind those levels.
"No doubt about it. Loyalty! Loyalty! Loyalty! Cheonma's Return! Demon Cult Rules All!"
-...Cut the Cheonma crap. It's embarrassing.
"But hey, Cheonma-hyung."
-You really don't listen, do you?
"Didn't you say three grades above Legendary? What's the last one?"
-No clue.
"Huh?"
Carpe stared at Cheonma in shock. Cheonma sighed and continued.
-I thought Myth was the top until recently. Then a hidden quest hinted at something higher.
It was a miracle of stacked coincidences—unimaginable even across seven regressions.
When he found that clue, Cheonma had trembled with emotion. Maybe it could end this endless loop.
-So I chased it into a dungeon, and...
"And?"
-Right then, my real body croaked like clockwork, and my soul got sealed as a 0-star Patron Spirit. Sad story.
"...That's rough."
-Don't die mid-game like me. Stay healthy.
Carpe nodded solemnly. Getting stuck as an NPC? Hard pass.
And then—
Grade judgment complete.
The following alerts drew gasps from both—polar opposites.
Dungeon Grade: Legendary
Monsters greatly strengthened. Dungeon layout becomes more complex. Trap count greatly increased.
Mutant variants may appear with low probability.
Rewards and EXP greatly enhanced.
First-entry bonus applied upon entry.
Enter? [Y/N]
"Whoa! SkillGodFunGame! Enter, obviously!"
-What the hell? This luck-based trash game! Is this even a game? Screw you, RaSe devs. Do your jobs!
What took Cheonma ten years and nine tries was just Carpe's first dungeon.
* * *
Carpe advanced cautiously, tension etched on his face like never before.
"Y'know, on second thought, Legendary isn't all upside. Stronger monsters mean higher wipe risk."
-True, it happens a lot. Party geared for Rare, then Unique pops—boom, party wipe.
Of course, it asks post-judgment.
-But greed's a bitch.
Higher grades were rarer. Unique+? Near mythical.
Most players had never even seen "Unique" since starting.
-Gear for Rare, Unique appears. Skip it? No way.
Seeing "Unique" gets your heart racing, mouth dry.
Suddenly, you overhype your team. Rare vs. Unique rewards? Night and day!
'We crush other players with game sense. Unique's doable.'
'Last Rare was a joke. We're way past that.'
'High risk, high reward. No pain, no gain!'
Reality? Brutal. Most overgeared parties get crushed. Greed bites—no Unique loot, just death penalties.
-Unless you're a vet or ice-cold rational, you charge in. Like you just did.
"...Oof. No argument. Game's sneakily evil."
This was RaSe's infamous "Random Grade System"—second-worst sin after tutorial Patron Spirit gacha.
-Saw the first-entry bonus note?
"Yeah. Why?"
-Weird, right? I knew this dungeon existed. Why's it your first entry?
"...Huh?"
Wait, yeah.
Carpe puzzled briefly, then it clicked. Only one reason.
"You didn't enter this run."
-Two reasons.
First: Level 5 cap.
-RaSe's world is huge. Billions of players digging, still secrets galore. Hidden pieces? Endless.
Leisin had others besides this one.
-This run, I cleared a different one, hit level 6. Couldn't enter this anymore.
"Ah. But you picked that over this, so better rewards?"
-Nah. This one's superior. Mine was fixed Hero-grade, no random.
"Then why skip this for the lesser one?"
This could roll Hero to Legendary. Why settle?
"Don't tell me you foresaw getting NPC'd and saved the best for your ultimate guide arc?"
-Bullshit. Second reason...
Before Cheonma could answer, the ground rumbled. First monster appeared.
"Chyu-chyu-chyu!!!"
True to "Den of the Great King Squirrel," it was a squirrel.
"...Bigger than the field one."
Field Tyrant Squirrel: Jindo dog size. This? Calf-sized.
Time to drop "squirrel" from the name? Looked way tougher.
"Chyuuut!!!"
"Ugh! Fast?!"
It screeched and charged full tilt. Way faster than field trash. Carpe rolled aside.
Bam!
"Hngh!"
Its massive incisors pulverized a boulder behind him. Rock crumbled; teeth unscratched!
"What kinda squirrel is this?!"
-One hit, you're dead. Get it? That's reason two.
Cheonma grinned.
-No confidence breaking Unique+ solo!
"Say that sooner!!"
Carpe yelled, rolling again.
Kaboom!
Another boulder shattered. Sweat poured down his back.
"Ten-year vet can't guarantee clear—how the hell should I?"
-You'll clear. That's why I greenlit it.
"Ridiculous... Ugh! Dodged!"
-Your specs are ridiculous. Quit whining, analyze coolly. Zero hits so far.
"Eh?"
True. Not even grazed. Cheonma tsked.
-Weird guy. Ace vs. humans/monsters, panic vs. beasts? Arena rank 2?
"No beasts in arena!"
Kaboom!
Dodged again—more smoothly now, familiar.
"Fast. But..."
Not unbeatable. Straight-line charges? Easy dodge.
"Why?"
-Your stats and reflexes are busted. Still no clue how broken you are? Normal level 5? Instant death.
"You too?"
-Wrong idea. I'm no physical freak or luck god. I'd fail. What am I, divine?
Damn, if I'd pulled decent Patron or skill this run, I'd have piled squirrel corpses mountain-high.
Cheonma grumbled.
"Kieeeek!"
Tyrant Squirrel berserked, shrieking and charging.
But.
"Just straight charges? Total klutz."
Stab.
"Chyuuut!"
Dodged and slashed. Green Skin Slayer—Hero-grade—sliced flesh easily.
"Ngh?!"
Not field-easy. It clawed back mid-hit. Carpe jerked head away.
"Phew. Close."
-Careful. Even with your stats, their trait's Defense Penetration.
Damage scaled with foe's HP/defense.
Legendary buffed attack + penetration = hell mode.
One-punch squirrel.
High HP? Still fatal.
Carpe swallowed hard.
"No hits allowed. Got it."
-Clear without a scratch? Title: 'Cleared Dungeon Without Taking a Single Hit'. Up for it?
Cheonma's guide was gold.
But if Carpe couldn't even chew...
Answer was set.
"Huuuuh."
Carpe steadied breath, glaring at the Tyrant Squirrel.
"Gotta."
He charged without hesitation.