Chapter 48
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Winning Mentality
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Trent.
A tree-person often featured in fantasy works, a monster known as the slayer of newbies.
Unlike goblins, little rabbits, or slimes, they were incredibly difficult to deal with due to their high health and special skills.
The special skill the Trent possessed was crowd control.
It was a so-called "CC" (Crowd Control) ability, using a skill called Tree Root to bind a user's body.
A user caught in the branches couldn't move and even took continuous damage from the tree that ensnared them.
Of course, seasoned veterans could dodge the moment a Trent even gestured, but newbies were different.
How could they possibly predict a tree suddenly shooting up from the ground?
Yuhyeon, however, was an exception.
"The Trent is using Tree Root! Get out of there."
Slice!
Crack!
"You will face me!"
Cedric's two-handed sword split the Trent's body in two.
"Are you alright?"
He then skillfully wiped the Trent's sap from his blade and asked.
"Yes, I'm fine."
Yuhyeon's eyes narrowed.
It's not like I did much of anything...
Cedric was a completely different person from what Yuhyeon had expected.
'S-Still, as a knight, I should be the one to step forward. Y-Yuhyeon, please stay here.'
At first, he had been terrified, forcing himself to take the lead.
'Urk, die! I will not lose to you!'
After several life-or-death struggles, he eventually succeeded in defeating a Trent single-handedly.
'Huh, hmm? This seems more manageable than I thought...?'
'I-I think I've figured out the Trent's weakness. Please leave it to me now!'
'Haha! Your attacks can no longer reach me!'
After gaining some experience, he had successfully regained a confidence he never had before.
There's a term for it: winning mentality.
In sports, there's a phrase called a "winning mentality."
A similar term is "experience of success," which means that as one becomes accustomed to victory, confidence naturally follows.
Just as a single great failure can breed timidity, victory can restore confidence.
Perhaps what Cedric needed wasn't advice or help, but simply a chance to regain his confidence.
Slice!
Crack!
"I've done it again!"
That confidence alone was allowing Cedric's brilliant talent to fully blossom.
On top of his outstanding combat skills, Cedric was also a knight with exceptional knowledge.
"Hmm... I hear footsteps. It seems there are multiple Trents ahead."
He was not only good at finding monsters.
"We should change direction here. The artificial traces suggest we'll run into a strange structure."
He also showed a knack for route-finding, a specialty of explorers.
"Hmm, the soil tastes of iron... I believe there's a spike trap set up."
"Oh, this is a teleportation trap. Be careful. There's no telling where you'll be sent if you step on it."
He even had extensive knowledge of traps.
"Cedric, how do you know all of this?"
"I read about it in a book when I was young. It said that whoever activates a teleportation trap is moved to a random location in the dungeon..."
"No, I mean all your knowledge about dungeon layouts and traps. Did you learn it somewhere?"
"Haha, well, I learned it from my master during my childhood."
"Your master?"
"Yes, well, it's nothing special."
Whatever had happened in his past, he seemed reluctant to disclose it, so Yuhyeon didn't press him.
He is a scion of the Belbern family, renowned as a house of master swordsmen. He must have learned it somehow.
He decided to leave it at that.
Ting!
Mercenary 'Intermediate Knight: Cedric' has defeated a Trent.
You have gained a small amount of experience for defeating the monster.
.
.
.
You have leveled up by 1.
You have gained 1 Skill Point.
Meanwhile, his level was steadily rising.
In just one hour since entering the dungeon, he had already gained two levels.
Is this what it feels like to get carried?
In any case, thanks to Cedric's performance, Yuhyeon was enjoying a rather luxurious experience.
The only thing he had done so far was cast a buff for Cedric.
Specifically, playing the 'Hymn' he had purchased from the Contribution Point Shop.
I'm feeling stiff.
Cedric kept telling him to stay back, to the point where Yuhyeon's body was starting to feel stiff from inaction.
Whenever he thought of drawing his sword, the words "I will protect you!" would come out of Cedric's mouth reflexively.
It was, in many ways, a comfortable and pleasant dungeon exploration.
However, even in this perfect expedition, there was just one thing that bothered him...
Ting!
Mercenary 'Intermediate Knight: Cedric's' Fear Level has slightly increased.
The ominous messages that appeared every time Cedric entered combat.
Ting!
Mercenary 'Intermediate Knight: Cedric's' Fear Level has slightly increased.
The messages continued to pop up whenever he fought.
Ting!
A debuff may be activated if the Fear Level exceeds a certain amount.
To recover mental fortitude, more than 1 hour of sleep or a cleric's buff is required.
Eventually, the messages about his rising fear level were followed by a warning that a debuff could be triggered.
"Cedric, shall we take a short break? You can catch some sleep if you're tired."
"I'm perfectly fine. Compared to the knightly order's training, this is nothing."
"Just a brief rest..."
"You must be tired, Yuhyeon. In that case, let's rest."
"Um, no."
Worried that his fear level might max out, he would suggest a break, only to get that kind of response.
"Instead, I'll join the fight from the next battle."
"Th-That's alright. You can stay back..."
If resting wasn't an option, he had to help in another way.
"No, the number of monsters is increasing. There's no reason for me to stand idly by when I can help."
With that thought, Yuhyeon stated it firmly.
Just as he was settling the matter.
"Yuhyeon! I think we've reached the boss room!"
Cedric's energetic voice could be heard as he gestured toward a door.
Ting!
You have discovered the boss room of the Hard Elder Trent Dungeon.
Would you like to enter the boss room?
Wooooo.
An indescribable energy and a dark aura flowed out from the boss room.
"As I thought! The goddess must be watching over us. Thank you!"
Cedric said, clutching a cross and looking up at the ceiling.
"Well, let's apply some buffs before we fight the boss."
"Excellent!"
Soon, the beautiful melody of a recorder echoed through the dungeon.
A clear, pure tone that seemed out of place in the gloomy interior.
"Mm, mmm."
Cedric hummed along, feeling at ease.
But Yuhyeon's expression, as he played the instrument, was dead serious.
When a path seems too easy, there's always something waiting...
The success they had achieved so effortlessly felt strangely unsettling.
Like people who failed to notice a storm right before it hit.
I hope it's just my imagination.
Yuhyeon hoped his current worries were just that.
Peeeriri!
He played the recorder beautifully.
On the Wonderland community forums, posts about Hard Dungeons appeared quite frequently.
They were posts targeting the difficulty, which was overwhelmingly higher than that of Normal Dungeons.
Seriously, isn't the difficulty of Hard Dungeons too high?
I can accept the high monster levels, but changing the dungeon layout too is crossing the line.
What's gonna change just because you say they crossed the line?
Am I the only one who thinks this??
Tbh I think so too, for real for real lol
First, the level of the monsters that appeared was different.
Monsters in Hard difficulty were nearly 1.5 times higher in level than those in Normal.
For instance, if a Normal Trent was level 20, a Hard Trent would be around level 30.
When an Elite monster appeared, the gap widened significantly.
Their attack power and health were several, sometimes even dozens of times greater than their Normal counterparts.
In terms of level, this translated to a difference of roughly 3 to 4 times.
In other words, you had to face a Trent that was between level 45 and 60.
Pro Tip) Hard Dungeon monster levels are about 1.5x higher than Normal.
On top of that, gimmicks, traps, patterns, and monster respawn rates are all completely random. Newbies should just stick to Normal Dungeons. That is all.
I can deal with the other stuff, but the exit location being random too is kinda annoying lol
But the rankers all grind Hard Dungeons as soon as the entry restriction is lifted, right??
lol The rewards are too good to pass up.
If the level difference alone was that significant, the dungeon's structure was also completely different.
Unlike the linear structure of Normal Dungeons, Hard Dungeons had a non-linear layout.
The structure changed with every entry, making it impossible to memorize the path.
And that wasn't all. The monster spawn locations, respawn rates, hidden traps, and structures...
It was no wonder that users called Hard Dungeons "the road to the grave."
The reason why Yuryeong's No. 1 Time Attack record is legendary
In the early days, he cleared the dungeon in 2 hours with pure skill and found the exit in 1 hour lol
I spent 3 hours clearing a dungeon yesterday, couldn't find the exit, got pissed, and hit the give up button lol
A game where you can clear it but still have to give up because you can't find the exit?? LOL
Just give up. It's easier that way.
Despite all this, users went through all sorts of trouble to enter Hard Dungeons.
To obtain the massive rewards and time attack bonuses that were unimaginable in Normal difficulty.
To achieve a great feat that no one else had accomplished.
I thought it was just my imagination.
Yuhyeon's only goal was to clear the Hard Dungeon.
To obtain a Trent's branch, a byproduct of the Elder Trent.
He had never cared for time attacks or flashy achievements.
So it was true that Hard Dungeons are difficult.
The dungeon layout, mobs, traps, and patterns that others found so difficult.
Until now, he had progressed smoothly without facing any particular hardships or trials.
Cedric had taken care of everything before Yuhyeon even had a chance to act.
Can we clear it like this?
But the problem lay elsewhere.
Perhaps, he thought, the true beginning of the Hard difficulty started here.
And for good reason...
Ting!
You have entered the boss room.
An unknown energy begins to flow through the dungeon.
Rumble!
The master of the Hard Dungeon, 'Elder Trent,' reveals itself!
Groooooan...
The Elder Trent, Yuhyeon's objective and the dungeon's purpose, had appeared.
And at the same time.
Mercenary 'Intermediate Knight: Cedric's' Fear Level has increased dramatically.
Cedric struggles to overcome his fear!
.
.
.
Ting!
Failure! He has failed.
Cedric cannot escape his fear.
Mercenary 'Intermediate Knight: Cedric' is overcome with extreme fear.
Ting!
Trait 'Fainthearted (S)' is activated!
Mercenary 'Intermediate Knight: Cedric's' all stats are reduced to 90!
What he had feared was just his imagination had actually happened.
Cedric's greatest weakness, the 'Fainthearted' trait, had been triggered.
"Cedric! Are you alright?"
Yuhyeon quickly turned his head to look at Cedric.
"...I-I might die. I never should have come here..."
He couldn't even answer properly, frozen in place, trembling uncontrollably.
"N-No. I-I have to endure."
The color had drained from his face, and his eyes, looking up at the Elder Trent, were filled with despair.
Like a dead man gazing upon a lion.
This is impossible in his state.
On top of that, the Elder Trent's rank was black.
It was the same color as the Skeleton Knight he had fought before, the highest rank among Elite monsters.
While protecting Cedric... can I defeat the Elder Trent?
They had to face a monster that was difficult even for a perfectly formed party of four, with just the two of them.
Just Yuhyeon, at a mere level 22, and an intermediate knight with all his stats reduced.
At this rate, we're sure to lose.
If Cedric weren't here, he might have been able to handle it somehow on his own.
Failing the quest would only lower Gessin's affinity; nowhere did it say the opportunity would be lost forever.
He could level up and try again, or if all else failed, he could spend a fortune to buy the lumber.
However.
If that happens, Cedric will never be able to stand on his own again.
If they failed this mission, Cedric's recovery would likely become an impossible dream.
Repeated failure would only deepen his trauma, and his dream of becoming a knight would surely be shattered.
He wanted to prevent that, if nothing else.
Because I was the one who reached out to him.
He was the one who had extended a hand to Cedric.
Ting!
The Elder Trent has spotted you and Cedric.
The Elder Trent is casting the AoE skill 'Grasp of the Oldwood.'
An indescribable energy then surged from the Elder Trent's grasp.
"...N-No! Cedric!"
Realizing it was aimed at Cedric, Yuhyeon...
CRUUUUSH!
"Cedric! Move!"
...threw himself toward him without a second thought.