The Flying and Breeding Newbie (3)
Kang-jun's eyes snapped open. Everything around him was pitch black. The only light illuminating the darkness came from faint flames flickering beyond the tent walls.
He had only recently gone back to sleep after his shift ended, so he was in a highly sensitive state. If he had slept soundly, he would likely have been wandering in his dreams without noticing.
Kang-jun spread his mana wide. He confirmed the presence of a monster at quite a distance from here. It was approaching the encampment stealthily, step by step.
'Something's coming.'
Its mana level put its level at just a little over 200. It was the kind of opponent you could take serious damage from if you were ambushed without warning.
Kang-jun pulled open the tent zipper and stepped out. Abdul Raheem, who had been yawning, looked at him groggily with a questioning expression. He didn't seem to be getting up because he needed to pee.
"We have to wake everyone. There's a monster."
"A monster?"
Hearing that, Abdul Raheem quickly spread his mana as well. There it was. Their gazes locked onto the exact spot where the monster was hiding.
"Wake them all quickly."
Abdul Raheem said that while clenching his massive double-bladed axe. Kang-jun walked around the various tents and tapped on their entrances with his hands. Even so, since all of them were competent members, the impact was enough to rouse them.
"Ah, fuck... shit."
Wang Gang rubbed his sleepy eyes as he emerged from his tent and grumbled in irritation. Everyone quickly grasped the situation and gripped their weapons.
The team quickly positioned themselves according to their roles. Rakunda and Kagul raised their shields and prepared to draw aggro. Team leader Rakunda snapped a emergency flare rod and threw it in the direction of the monster. In the silence, the sound of the flare rod bouncing and rolling across the ground echoed.
Kang-jun concentrated his mana in his eyes. A hazy silhouette appeared. It had two legs, using bipedal movement with feet shaped like frog hind legs, thick arms, a tail, and a slender body. Its beak was slightly curved at the tip, like a bird's.
In other words, a lostro. That was the general term for monsters with bird-like beaked mouths.
"A lostro."
When Kang-jun said that, Rakunda, who had identified it, nodded and added an explanation.
"As you know, that guy is fast. If you hesitate, it'll probably carve a hole in your torso, so be especially careful."
Soon, in the flare's light, the monster's form began to sway and become visible. It was slowly moving behind a pillar of rock, looking for an opportunity.
Kang-jun converted his mana into speed. The stat reached 40, and adding 4 more, he hit 44. That speed would not be lacking even against a lostro.
The monster was being quite cautious. It had been waiting for a long time. As the tension built up to the point of explosion, the monster suddenly leaped with a whoosh.
Experienced Rakunda quickly pushed off the ground and blocked the view with his shield. The weakest point had been its target, but it changed its goal. ...And Kang-jun did not miss that moment.
Taking advantage of the brief moment its head turned to the side, Kang-jun moved in an instant and appeared from the opposite side. It noticed the presence and turned its head, but by then Kang-jun's blade had already fallen from above downward.
-!
It was truly a split second. When he came to his senses, the lostro was already rolling on the ground with its head severed. Its movements were fast, but its durability was weak, so aiming only for the head could instantly kill it.
The situation ended in an instant. Despite being highly tense, the conclusion was surprisingly empty.
"What the hell is this thing? It's so weak."
Wang Gang muttered with a tone as if it were nothing special. However, Rakunda had realized that Kang-jun had flown over at incredible speed and cut the monster's neck. ...That speed was definitely not something a first-year newbie could achieve. On top of that, not only speed but also judgment was excellent.
'...He moved exactly at the moment of that weakness.'
Rakunda understood that this Kang-jun was an incredibly talented guy. He had been expecting something from the "genius" nickname, but this was too beyond imagination. It was like seeing an experienced team member who had been around for years.
Other people, of course, had wide eyes when they saw Kang-jun's speed, realizing it was far faster than theirs. They would understand why the instructor had praised him until his mouth was dry.
"...He really is a genius."
Kang-jun wiped the blood-stained blade with a cloth and swept a glance over the dazed team members.
"Why are you all standing there like amateurs?"
He let out a light chuckle.
· · ·
Wee-iiiiing. Kang-jun woke up quickly at the vibration sound. Checking his phone screen, it was 6 a.m. The team members were also waking up around that time, and the sound of rubbing bodies together was audible.
He opened the tent zipper and stepped out, taking in the icy cold air. He was fully awake now.
Team leader Rakunda was sitting in front of a dying campfire, as if lost in thought. Then, seeing Kang-jun coming out, he gestured for him to follow. The two walked a short distance away from the encampment.
"Is this the first time in a second-rank labyrinth?"
"Yes."
"A first-year."
"Precisely, 10 months."
A newbie who hadn't even reached a year, playing at a second-rank labyrinth far more actively than seniors who had played for three or four years? ...It was the kind of thing one would dismiss as nonsense if they hadn't experienced it. But Rakunda, who had witnessed it firsthand, couldn't help but believe it.
That movement couldn't be dismissed as mere luck. It was real skill. The monstrous guy in front of him had entered its blind spot in an instant and delivered a one-hit kill to the neck. Both speed and judgment were top-notch.
'He's truly a monster.'
It wasn't jealousy or envy. If they had been the same guard position, a slight feeling might have arisen, but their positions were clearly different. As a guard, having a dealer like him was the most reliable. It was worth drawing aggro.
"Lee Kang-jun, right?"
"Yes."
"Is there a separate labyrinth team?"
"There is one team I'm in charge of."
"You are the team leader?"
"Yes."
Rakunda was envious of Kang-jun. He wanted to scout him somehow.
"Be honest with me. I want to scout you."
"I'll go when there's no work."
"Is that the only way? You don't want to join the organization?"
"There's a team."
"How many members?"
"Five including myself."
"I'll add them all. How about it?"
Looking at this guy, Kang-jun let out a light chuckle. Even if they were added, Kang-jun would clearly clean them up one by one later. At best, perhaps the healer Hye-mi would stick around.
Since Kang-jun only laughed without answering, Rakunda felt a bit embarrassed as if his true feelings were leaking. He had pushed too obviously....
"My team is quite famous."
"That's why I'll go when there's no work."
There Rakunda backed off a step. It was because he had confirmed Kang-jun's firm resolve. Rakunda's own attempt had been too sudden, so he hadn't prepared much. Normally he would have thrown money and honor at him. ...Persuading with words alone was obviously difficult.
"Yeah, good. ...I'll contact you next time."
"But you have to give a lot of money."
"Of course."
Rakunda was satisfied with just connecting lines with Kang-jun. And after properly preparing later, he decided to attempt scouting again.
The two finished their secret conversation and returned to the encampment. The awakened team members looked at them with strangely abnormal expressions. They sensed that Rakunda had taken Kang-jun away for a reason. They had realized he was a monster.
Wang Gang's expression became very displeased. He had actually wanted to join Rakunda's team for a long time, but he kept getting rejected. Now a distant junior had held a secret conversation with Rakunda, so of course he felt like shit.
Porter Kane handed disposable plates to both of them. They accepted and quickly finished eating. After the meal ended, Rakunda's team finished cleaning the encampment and set off again.
The deeper they went into the labyrinth, the more the number of monsters increased sharply. They now encountered monsters every thirty minutes. The bones of the monsters piled up neatly and quickly.
"Of course, the purpose is to earn money, but the real goal is labyrinth exploration. The organization wants to know more about this place."
Rakunda emphasized the exploration purpose like that. Of course, since the leader was in charge of writing the report, the team members didn't seem particularly concerned with that purpose. The boss emphasized the company's lofty purpose, and the employees only cared about their annual salary. After all, after this exploration ended, they would each go their separate ways, so they couldn't cling too much to the gain. ...How many people would really work their asses off for the real organization.
"You, you got a scout offer, right?"
"Yeah."
Taking advantage of a short break, Camilla quietly slid over to Kang-jun's side and asked that. Since there was no reason to hide, Kang-jun answered plainly.
"So, you said you joined?"
"No."
"...No, why? It's Rakunda. He's recognized in the organization too. Everyone is dying to join his team."
As she said that, her gaze briefly swept over Wang Gang.
"Well, there was a reason."
"The genius's mind world is a bit special."
"I'm not a genius."
"If I'm not the genius, who is?"
Camilla subtly pressed her body closer.
"But, can I join your team?"
"No."
"Why not? Why can't I? I'm pretty good, right?"
Because she was directly rejected right in front of him, Camilla also had a slightly wounded prideful expression. Of course, Kang-jun was not the kind of kind man who carefully considered such things. If he was a bastard, he was a bastard.
"Then there would be too many dealers. There's only one guard."
"More dealers are better."
"Then there won't be enough money to share. ...You won't give it to me?"
"Even so, that's a bit much."
Camilla didn't want to work for free either. She was getting decent treatment in the current team while working hard; she couldn't give up that just to not receive money.
"Hmph, fine. Eat and live well alone."
"Are you coming later at night?"
"I don't know. Tsk."
When Kang-jun teased her subtly, Camilla let out a fart. Of course, he didn't care whether she came or not. Anyway, there was plenty of meat in the sea, wasn't there?
When she was rejected, she started persistently asking for a chance, thinking it was a good opportunity. Of course, Kang-jun was not merciful enough to let the fish swallow the hook without a bait. He would have eaten the fish raw right there if he caught it.
"Did you two wake up?"
"I hate clingy women."
"That one is complicated in relationships too."
Ayumi, the waitress, lowered her voice slightly and poked Camilla. Kang-jun let out a smirk.
"What about you? Clean?"
"Of course. ...I just enjoy myself."
Unlike her strict appearance, she had less ambition than Camilla. Instead, her sexual desire seemed stronger. Kang-jun liked this side much better.
"So, will you come later?"
"At night?"
"Yeah."
"Good."
Ayumi licked her slightly red lips with her tongue in a lewd way before returning to her seat. After the short break ended, the team moved again.
They passed through another passage and went deeper. There were also many monsters here. The average level here was higher than the previous area. Kang-jun was exploding with levels. Every three monsters he caught, his level rose by at least 1.
Kang-jun's level, including additional stats, was now approaching 150. At this rate, second awakening would be possible before next year.
'Then I should start the hero operation soon.'
The villain organization was fine, but he couldn't avoid joining the hero organization. Not because of anything else, but because of the heroes there. There were two heroes he absolutely had to bring to the next dungeon. To defeat them, it would be advantageous to have the same hero.
Joining the hero organization was basically declaring himself a spy, so it required strict scrutiny from the organization. One of the reasons he wasn't hiding his current strength was related to that. Reputation could influence the exam too.
'Here, I have to earn a lot of coupons.'
Even for the next dungeon, he couldn't avoid earning a ton of coupons here. To minimize time, he had to have many good traits. On top of that, he had to buy legendary equipment too....
The problem was that it was becoming increasingly difficult to satisfy the gods who wouldn't even get excited with ordinary stimulation. At best, he would have to humiliate the female heroes to the point of making them beg just to get some coupons.
'...I need to craft the plan carefully.'
Kang-jun walked while planning for next year.
When he got back, he would have to pull out the hero list.
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