Chapter 51: The Old Monster of the White Swamp
As the massive form of an alligator turtle crouched and slumbering atop the swamp came into view through the underbrush, a notification chimed.
Nam-gung Yun sucked in a sharp breath. The monster info scrawled across its thick shell back made it look utterly impossible to take down.
Now that I see it up close, the difference is clear.
The staggering Lv90 might overwhelm anyone else, but for me, it had the opposite effect. The name on its shell was just a plain blue.
A creature that's lived this long has dragon-level stats, sure, but its monster grade is ultimately just Rare.
After dragon hunting, this alligator turtle didn't scare or impress me anymore.
Freezing up at a mere Rare-grade monster... No wonder catching the Calamity in my second loop was impossible at that level.
Only in my eighth-loop dream had I finally soloed the White Swamp's old monster—and now, seeing grades clearly, that past helplessness hit home again.
"Are you insane? You wanna take that down right now?!"
Nam-gung Yun yelled at me the moment he spotted Kuntaka, just like I had in my second-loop dream.
"...!"
But as our eyes met, he realized his mistake and clapped a hand over his mouth.
"It's not a dragon. Don't pussy out. Just a Rare-grade. You'll end up killing one someday anyway."
"It's not the grade—look at the level, bro! Lv90! How the hell do we even scratch that? Even Rerto Karen's Los Clan couldn't do it right now."
"Why not? Someone already bagged a dragon."
Nam-gung Yun scowled and shook his head at my words.
"Bro, the community's calling that an event the devs cooked up to check the Eight Great Clans."
He said it casually.
"They hid the rankings on purpose 'cause it wasn't a real player—probably some company plant. Y'know how the Eight Great Clans dominated before. Devs don't want a repeat, so they're spreading rumors of some uber-player, right?"
I hadn't checked the community, but folks seemed to chalk my dragon kill up to a scripted event.
Makes sense—game's barely started.
I'd needed Gullak's existence, Amur's dagger, and Northern hunters' help—without those, no dice.
If they think it's dev-planned, great for me. But the Eight Great Clans won't swallow community bullshit whole.
Most posts were wild speculation anyway. With tails on Jin-su and Chan-ho, the clans had their own intel nets, hunting hidden rankers like me.
And Hidden Eater's a top suspect.
"Help me snag those leaves, and I'll clear this boss."
"...You'd go in even if I said no. No choice for me, huh? Ugh... Abusing party rules like that."
Nam-gung Yun whined, face falling. Party rules meant disbanding triggered a consent prompt—if you force-quit without agreement, you forfeit all party rights.
Exploits pissed people off, but dev Choi Hyuk-su shut it down: Real-world laws don't benefit everyone equally—same here.
"Abusing? Pfft."
I smirked at Nam-gung Yun.
"You had the dungeon map—you knew the way. I already cleared the exit monsters, so no need to dodge anymore."
"..."
"You never planned to bail. Leaving the dungeon you wanted means clearing it, right?"
Nam-gung Yun gaped, speechless.
"Be grateful."
"...Huh?"
"Partying with me means you'll rack up EXP and Explorer achievements."
"Wh-what?!"
Amur's Dagger
No hemostasis → Continuous HP drain
"...?!"
Nam-gung Yun's eyes widened at the red blood dripping from my handknifed backhand—right before the boss, when I should've been healing.
Sword's Penance Lv1
Per 1% HP loss: +0.5% skill attack power, +1% swordsmanship EXP
Skill attack power +0.5%
Swordsmanship EXP +1% bonus
I ignored the wound, watching notifications stack.
Skill attack power +1%
Swordsmanship EXP +2% bonus
Despite Nam-gung Yun's frantic protests, I let HP halve while staring at the alerts.
Skill attack power +25%
Swordsmanship EXP +50% bonus
Thud—thud—thud—
The second the final alert hit, I strode into the underbrush without hesitation.
Enter the White Swamp's End?
📍 Press [Accept] to confirm
⚠️ Boss area: No exit until cleared
The warning popped as we crossed into the thicket. I glanced at Nam-gung Yun, beckoned him, and hit [Accept].
"W-wait...!!"
No time for reply—he dove in after me.
The White Swamp begins to rumble.
Whoosh—!!!
A ferocious gale tore through the branches, heralding boss combat.
"Are you nuts? You halved your own HP...!!"
[GRRRRRR...!!!]
Nam-gung Yun's frantic shout—or scold?—cut off as Kuntaka growled upon our entry.
Rumble...!!
The beast rose slowly, shaking the ground like an earthquake.
"It's like a mountain moving..."
Nam-gung Yun muttered, awestruck. No wonder—its size dwarfed even an adult dragon.
"Forget that! One hit from that thing is instant death. And you cut your HP?!"
"That's why."
"...Huh?"
"What's your level now?"
"...35."
I nodded. Minimum for White Swamp entry, but hitting 35 this early was blazing fast.
"Like you said, at your level, even blocking its attacks means one-shot death. Defense is pointless."
"Then..."
"Heard of one-coin clears? No hits, just boss down. Tons of vids on community lately."
Folks love challenges—and weird strats.
"...That's vet stuff!" Nam-gung Yun wailed.
"They master patterns, timings, enrages before trying. Server's been up, what, weeks? How could you?"
I met his eyes calmly.
"I'm a vet."
"...Huh?"
"A goddamn bored one."
He stared, uncomprehending. I just smirked faintly.
"Gonna show you a good time—watch close. But post this fight anywhere? You'll hate gaming forever. Got it?"
"...Huh?"
Originally, partying with him was just to steal first-discovery perks. With clans watching, secrets fade with more mouths.
But if Nam-gung Yun links to Hidden Eater—and her to Mountain King...
Isabel Silver could flip the Eight Great Clans' game—worth the risk.
Plus, White Swamp boss ain't about levels or skills.
Skill attack power +30%
Swordsmanship EXP +60% bonus
HP dipped under half—alerts now blared warnings.
"Nam-gung Yun."
"...Y-yeah?!"
"Pit in the thicket ahead. Hide there. Only safe spot."
He shot me a how do you know? look but bolted without asking.
Thud—thud—thud—
The colossal turtle stomped, heart-pounding quakes.
Its shell-protruding head was razor-sharp, pure giant croc.
"If Blue Ghost Kalduan—one of the lost Three Divine Beasts—still lived, would it look like you?"
I murmured at the long-unseen beast, reminiscing.
"Wish I'd seen the Divine Beast era. Shame. I'd rather see Kalduan than you."
I pulled a small pouch from my inventory—the Divine Beast powder from devouring the Spirit Devourer dragon.
"Know what this is? Ground Blue Ghost shell powder. Nostalgic scent? Old monster called Blue Ghost's descendant."
[GRRRRR...!!! RAAAAAHHH!!!]
Thud—! Thud—thud—!!!
Kuntaka roared like it caught the scent, charging with earth-shaking mass.
"Long time no see. Lots changed since then—but reunion gift incoming."
Thud—! Thud—! THUD—!!
As it barreled in, I dumped the powder into my Geokchwi Mountain pouch mix.
Hummm...
Channeling mana, the pouch swelled, glowing red-hot like it might burst.
"Time for fireworks?"
I whispered toward the beast.