Chapter 91
Chapter 91
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Staircase Dungeon-2
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“Huh? Oh... Sergeant Kim Min-jun. Well done.”
The company commander’s flustered response.
Normally, he would have said something like, “You handled it excellently, but solo actions are dangerous.”
But....
It had been too clean.
Any comment now would just feel like nitpicking.
“Sergeant Kim Min-jun. Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”
“Here, have a potion. You’ll collapse at this rate.”
As he returned to the formation, Corporal Lee Dong-jin spoke up in a worried tone.
Even Sergeant Lee Seung-ho quietly handed over a potion.
That meant his actions had been that extreme.
“On the contrary, I’m overflowing with energy. I could do another ten rounds like before?”
“Did you take some kind of elixir? You used that mana weapon for so long....”
Elixir.
Yeah, I did.
A really good one not long ago.
“Never mind me. You guys focus on yourselves. If monster rabbits are pouring out like this from the first floor, the second floor’s obvious.”
“Ugh... There were over 200 on the first floor alone. Shouldn’t we consider pulling out?”
Corporal Kim Kwang-sik shuddered as if freaked out.
The first floor topped out at around 50 no matter what, but four times that many monsters had appeared.
The second floor wouldn’t be any less—probably more.
“We will continue the staircase dungeon assault as planned!”
The company commander, who had briefly stepped out of the dungeon, issued the order to proceed.
The reason was Kim Min-jun.
Any other company would have withdrawn. But because Sergeant Kim Min-jun was in this one, the order was to push through to the end.
‘The battalion commander’s gotten aggressive.’
The company commander wore a reluctant expression.
With his promotion to colonel confirmed, was there really any need to push like this over Sergeant Kim Min-jun?
‘Though, seeing that performance, even I might have ordered to continue....’
The order to proceed had come down, and the company members’ stamina was still high.
“Everyone, head to the second floor!”
Better to finish the assault while stamina was overflowing.
With that judgment, the company commander led the hunters up to the second floor.
Swooo.
After climbing the pitch-black rippling stairs for about two minutes.
[2]
The number changed, revealing a different environment.
Rotting trees stood densely packed.
“Keep a close eye on the trees!”
“Yes, sir!”
This was a key feature of staircase dungeons.
Clearing one dungeon, but at minimum three.
Up to five changing environments where you faced monsters.
To the soldiers, it felt like clearing dungeons back-to-back.
That made stamina management crucial above all.
‘Company commander! One red-headed monkey spotted!’
‘Two more spotted to the west!’
Reports from the hunters kept coming.
Red-headed monkeys weren’t that hard to deal with.
A bit tougher than goblins?
But if the terrain favored them, that changed.
‘They’re smart ones. If they think they’re at a disadvantage, they drag it out.’
Kim Min-jun, having already sensed their presence, decided to observe how the hunters responded.
On the first floor, he’d gone wild swinging his mana sword every which way, but his position now was officer.
He needed to give the soldiers room to grow too.
“......”
“......”
The standoff between monsters and soldiers continued.
“Keeek!”
The monsters broke the silence first.
The red-headed monkeys revealed themselves all at once at their comrade’s signal.
Then they nimbly climbed the trees and charged at the soldiers.
Judging the hunters easy prey.
Swoosh! Swish!
The tree structures made their movements even more agile.
“Unleash mana rounds! They’re not that threatening!”
“Yes, sir!”
At the company commander’s signal, the hunters poured mana rounds at the monsters.
“Ugh!”
“They’re too fast!”
Red-headed monkeys that would normally drop dodged the mana rounds with skill.
Thanks to the dungeon’s tree-like structures.
‘Let’s see how they handle this.’
Kim Min-jun slipped back a bit to watch the hunters’ response.
But....
“Keeak!”
“You crazy bastard. Lost your mind?”
One aggressive monster hurled rocks at him fiercely.
Not once, but three times.
It didn’t stop there, shaking its head front to back as if daring him to come closer.
“Sergeant Kim Min-jun! They’re provoking you—don’t take the bait!”
“Yes, sir. I know.”
He answered that way, but he’d already drawn his mana sword.
“Provoke the one who looks easiest, lure them to a favorable spot, then attack. I know the drill.”
Still.
I can’t just sit here after a monkey provokes me.
I look that easy, huh?
‘Aura of Desire.’
He activated the skill, wrapping his mana sword in aura.
‘Well, it’s the latest gear, so I can swing it all I want, right?’
Unlike training, he poured in 100% power.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa.
The aura around the mana sword swelled to terrifying size.
“W-What the hell is that?!”
“How can aura be that big... Is that even real?”
The mana sword, enlarged by aura, looked over 10 meters at a glance.
It vibrated violently, as if about to explode.
“Ki... kiiek?”
“Kiiek!”
Overwhelmed by the immense energy, the red-headed monkeys tucked tail and fled.
‘Like you can escape anywhere.’
Kim Min-jun kicked off the ground and charged forward.
Swoosh! Swish!
He didn’t swing at the monsters.
His target was the rotting dungeon structures.
The trees.
“This should make dealing with those guys a lot easier.”
The second floor, once thick with trees, was now clear enough to see the end.
In under five minutes.
“No other hunter would use a monster-slaying sword to chop trees but Sergeant Kim Min-jun.”
“More importantly, what was that aura just now?”
“Were you holding back during mana sword training?”
The once-barren dungeon.
Thanks to that, the hunters cleared the second floor of the staircase dungeon with little effort.
“Hiding? I wasn’t hiding. Just no need to use this much power until now.”
“No way... You, your stamina? Swinging that mana sword like a maniac—you should’ve passed out.”
The moment the second-floor clear message popped up, the officers rushed over.
“Sergeant Kim Min-jun. You look fine.”
“After swinging that mana sword like a beast? Unreal....”
Monster-like stamina, not a drop of sweat.
The officers clicked their tongues, muttering how staircase dungeons were never this easy.
“We’ve been in this staircase dungeon less than two hours and already cleared the second floor....”
The company commander watched Kim Min-jun inspect his mana sword, his expression complicated.
He’d expected the assault time to shorten with him in the company.
...But not that they’d reach the second floor in just two hours.
“Staircase dungeons usually take 12 to 24 hours per floor.”
At this pace, they could head straight to the third.
No injured soldiers, most stamina still high.
“Attention, all!”
“Attention!”
“We’ll eat here and take a short break for maintenance!”
“Yes, sir!”
Even so, the company commander ordered rest for the soldiers.
This wasn’t a dungeon time attack—it was about clearing safely first.
“What’s this? One combat ration and done?”
“We might eat dinner at the mess hall today.”
Mealtime.
The hunters settled in one corner of the dungeon, chatting.
Eating inside a dungeon was normally unthinkable, but staircase dungeons allowed it.
With assault times so long, they had to let troops rest after each floor.
“The third floor’s the issue, but... Sergeant Kim Min-jun’ll probably solo it too.”
Staircase dungeons ramped up monster strength per floor.
First: monster rabbits.
Second: red-headed monkeys.
Third: undetectable, but probably orcs at worst from the situation.
“No matter how strong, ogres at most.”
“Ogre at most? You lunatic.”
Corporal Kim Kwang-sik smacked the nonchalant hunter on the back of the head.
“Hey, you psycho! Why hit me while I’m eating?”
“Don’t you know one ogre takes a whole company’s firepower? Two and we’re screwed!”
At that, the hunter pointed ahead.
There sat Kim Min-jun, silently wolfing down his combat ration.
“What? More rations? This is officer issue. No way.”
“...Even if you offered, I wouldn’t take it.”
The hunters chuckled weakly at his firm reply.
Hard to believe this was the guy from that brutal display earlier.
“You’ve all done great so far! This staircase dungeon ends at three floors!”
Mealtime over.
The hunters checked weapons and gear, then climbed the stairs.
[3]
Unlike the first two floors, most company members were tense.
Gulp.
Unlike the first two floors with prior intel, the third had zero info.
No way to know what monsters until they faced them.
“This is...”
“Sand.”
The company faced a desolate dungeon.
Endless sand everywhere, feet sinking deep with every step.
Felt like a full-on desert.
“Stay alert for monster ambushes and maintain four-way watch. Move as slowly as possible.”
“Yes, sir!”
Terrain that hindered hunter mobility.
The company commander carefully scanned the dungeon as he led the soldiers.
Thud.
“Huh?”
After about ten minutes.
Something touched one hunter’s foot.
“Company commander! Something here—arghhh!”
A yellowish rope-like thing coiled around the soldier’s ankle and yanked.
With insane force.
“Hey!”
“Grab him! Don’t let it drag him off!”
Thanks to solid four-way watch, the hunters reacted fast.
They rushed to help, severing the thing coiled around his ankle.
“Company commander. Looks like sand storms.”
“Sand storms, huh... We drew the worst luck.”
At Kim Min-jun’s report, the company commander bit his lip hard.
This desert-like dungeon was basically their home turf.
Sand storm.
Sand-colored scorpion-type monster.
Instead of pincers, they had rope-like appendages.
Used to snag prey and drag into the sand.
From that incident, the third floor monsters were 100% sand storms.
“Company commander. I have an idea.”
Kim Min-jun swept his eyes over the dungeon, then spoke up.
As if a brilliant idea had struck.
“...What?”
The company commander was stunned by his response.
No normal hunter would think of that.