The Newbie Who Soars and Grows
The Rakunda team plunged deeper into the tunnels. Traces of other groups that had passed through this area remained visible on the floor. Wang Gang kicked at the plastic trash carelessly thrown aside like it was nothing. Several team members glanced at him before turning away, eyes carrying the same look they reserved for troublemakers best avoided.
Kang-jun swept his gaze across the low ceiling of the passage. A few eerie creatures clung to the walls, slithering along in slow, repulsive waves. No need to kill them when neither threat nor coin could be squeezed from the encounter.
“Fuck, it’s freezing out here.”
Wang Gang spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground and immediately launched into his complaints. The rhythmic clack of his boots echoed unnaturally through the narrow corridor.
This passage didn’t stretch far. After only about thirty minutes, it dead-ended. Beyond it, however, waited another massive cavern ready to swallow them whole.
Rakunda turned left and gave a brief nod. The others followed without a word, their eyes probing the invisible darkness ahead.
“I’d be happy if something actually showed up.”
A man’s voice murmured the words as if speaking to himself. They had come here hoping for loot, but an empty path felt strangely hollow.
“Don’t worry. It’s only like this at the start… later, when the dungeon gets messy, I don’t want you complaining like you’re about to shit yourself.”
Rakunda shot back with a mocking laugh. Wang Gang would have preferred the opposite—he kept muttering anyway, refusing to stay quiet.
Hours passed until lunchtime, and still the team hadn’t spotted a single monster. It was time to push deeper.
“If we keep going like this, our junior will start losing his edge. What do you think?”
Wang Gang patted Kang-jun’s shoulder as he passed, grinning like he’d just cracked a joke. Kang-jun didn’t bother reacting, of course. The guy’s interest had faded the moment it appeared, and he turned away muttering. Camilla, sitting beside Kang-jun, leaned in close and whispered.
“Stop talking to that bastard. He’s disgusting.”
“I figured it out the second I saw him.”
“He’s been pestering me nonstop.”
She jabbed Kang-jun’s shoulder for good measure. While the other players walked, she had taken the chance to fix her gear. The big dealer Kane groaned as he hauled his enormous backpack again, rubbing the ache in his backside. Kagul, already halfway through his shift, complained about missing the hot shower he was due for.
The team kept pressing forward. Rakunda sniffed the air constantly, his nose working overtime to pick up whatever scent he could. It was impressive, but Kang-jun found the ability far less useful; the worse the stench, the better he could detect it.
Kang-jun checked the time every so often. 2:18 p.m. They had been inside the dungeon for nearly six hours, and the only monsters they had seen were those two or three eerie creatures.
Unseen, he kept releasing mana, and at last he caught a glimpse of one. It was a bit far off, but Rakunda noticed too. The man’s gaze locked onto the target. He gave Kang-jun a quick signal from his shoulder.
“One down.”
The mana signature was strong.
‘Level around 200.’
Second-zone dungeons were full of monsters in that range. Nothing unusual.
The others had already guessed the creature’s approximate strength.
“Hope there’s a core in there.”
Wang Gang clicked his tongue in disappointment. If only they had found a mana core, he could have started the day with a few hundred in profit. Of course, that kind of luck didn’t exist.
The team moved in quietly. As they drew closer, their breathing grew careful. The monster itself began to shift slightly, sensing something approaching. The whole situation felt ridiculous—like prey and predator had somehow switched roles.
“Ready yourselves.”
Each player took their assigned spot according to role. Guards Rakunda and Kagul stepped forward, dealers Wang Gang, Kang-jun, Abdul Rahim, and Camilla in the middle, and healers A-yumi with porter Kane at the rear.
They stopped short of the beast once they were within range. The creature would come to them. At the hazy border between light and shadow, it finally appeared. It looked like a dinosaur—front limbs like a huge raptor, exactly that.
Its mouth yawned open, sharp teeth glinting, and a sticky fluid dripped steadily from it. It shuffled on four legs.
The two guards raised their shields. Three dealers readied their weapons from a short distance. Wang Gang gripped his spear, Camilla her mace studded with iron, and Abdul Rahim his double-headed axe.
Rakunda struck the side of the shield with his iron club, drawing the monster’s attention. It twisted its pointed head. Most dungeon creatures had poor eyesight, so they relied heavily on sound and smell. Guards usually learned just one shouting technique.
“Wuh! Wuuuh!”
Rakunda shouted and advanced. The monster crouched, preparing to leap. It rushed forward with a roar. Its body was twice the size of a bear; when it stretched its front legs, it looked even larger.
Rakunda blocked the attack with his round shield, but the downward strike was too powerful. His knee buckled.
When Rakunda finished his block, Kagul saw his chance and lunged. The monster swept its right front leg. Kagul held his ground.
Now it was the dealers’ turn. The three moved quickly to surround it. Each struck with their chosen weapon.
Level 200 was no joke. The guards, without a healer, would collapse after one or two blows, and the creature’s speed let it close in faster than a blink. One mistake meant its head flying off. Every attack had to be precise.
Kang-jun raised his mana to maximum speed before striking, just in case the monster counterattacked. Even he knew that a hit from a 200-level beast could end things.
Fortunately, they had all awakened once and gained plenty of experience, so they fought with real skill. The 200-level creature fell quickly anyway. The guards had done their jobs perfectly. Rakunda in particular had shown exactly what a guard was meant to be. For now, it was enough. He had met the level Kang-jun had hoped for from Ogerman.
“Hoo, this one was a bit boring.”
Wang Gang shook the blood from his spear tip and boasted. The others had stopped expecting a core. The monster’s level was too low. Even at the same level, having or lacking a core made a huge difference.
Porter Kane began butchering the corpse right away, slicing the meat and pulling out the bones with practiced hands. Not bad.
The team rested while the work finished. It took only twenty minutes. Then they moved on.
The hope and tension of a new dungeon had faded a little after today’s fight. Everyone looked more relaxed.
From then on, the Rakunda team encountered monsters at one-hour intervals—some pitiful, some plentiful, and all of them different. The variety proved they had entered a brand-new zone.
At 7 p.m. they called the exploration to a close. They chose a suitable spot for a campsite, unpacked their gear, and filled their stomachs. After that, each had free time. Of course, only a few things were possible, so the freedom was mostly choosing from a short list.
“You’re really a first-year?”
Camilla sounded surprised by Kang-jun’s skill. Too proficient for a rookie.
“Want proof?”
“Proof? Nah… I just figured out that geniuses are like this.”
She emphasized her thick chest. Kang-jun’s eyes dropped to it for a second before rising again. Her red tongue licked her lips. She asked for his phone number. Kang-jun answered without hesitation.
Camilla was clearly interested, but Kang-jun felt nothing for her. His skill wasn’t impressive enough to justify recruiting her. He would probably outperform the fire mage Tzu-sho for a few months, but after that he would be out of the running.
- Eat it
- Go ahead
- Just take a taste lol
The chat was flooded with urging to eat and discard. Of course Kang-jun had no intention of sharing the meat. He would just taste it and let it rot. Besides, the monster didn’t seem to be clinging to him.
Once the watch rotation was set, the team members went to their tents. Kang-jun was inside when a shadow moved outside. The curvy figure needed no introduction.
Camilla slid the tent zipper open.
“Why?”
“Just wanted to take a look.”
“Get in.”
The space was tight even for two, but she didn’t hesitate. For a moment there was silence. Kang-jun reached out and stroked her thigh. Her skin was warm.
“This… is it laundry?”
Kang-jun grinned and patted her crotch with a playful hand. Camilla crawled between his legs.
When the zipper opened, his large member sprang out. Her eyes widened in surprise.
“But won’t other people mind?”
“If a man and a woman like each other, this is natural. What’s the problem?”
Her mind was wide open. From Kang-jun’s point of view, there were already too many perverted gods in the world; adding a few more humans wouldn’t matter.
“Then suck it.”
Camilla licked the base of his cock with her tongue, smiling brightly. Her eyes crinkled into a very attractive smile.
Her technique was exactly what he expected—excellent. Her tongue moved with skill he had never seen before. She wasn’t just blowing him once or twice; she took even his rough hair-pulling without complaint.
Soon Kang-jun filled her mouth with his release. She held it, then spat into a tissue. He wanted to finish inside, but the timing wasn’t right. For now, this would have to do.
“Once we’re out, I’ll do something more fun.”
“Yeah. Got it.”
Camilla had seen his size up close, so the win-win felt perfect.
…If she knew how incredible his night skills were, her eyes might spin.