Chapter 187: Destruction King (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 187: Destruction King (3)
Although most parties had begun their dungeon raids at roughly the same time, their progress intervals varied wildly. While Black Unicorn took only two days off, other parties rested for five days, and some even exceeded a week.
Most of these breaks were due to magic pollution levels, though the duration often depended on the temperament of the individual or the party leader.
The reason stats increase after clearing a dungeon is the absorption of dungeon mana. When heroes slay monsters or spend prolonged periods inside a dungeon, mana accumulates in their bodies. They raise their stats by absorbing this mana; however, the portion that remains unabsorbed and builds up in the body is referred to as the Magic Pollution Level.
Consequently, after a day of raiding, heroes typically spend several days resting to either internalize the mana or wait for their pollution levels to drop.
Since these breaks were mandatory, many heroes who had come to provide support found themselves with nothing to do, idling away the time in their lodgings or pursuing personal interests. Because of the Dungeon Impact, the downtown areas were chaotic, and since it wouldn't look good for heroes to be seen playing around while on a support mission, most spent their time in tedious boredom.
Jeong Sae-bom wandered the hallways, munching on wasabi-flavored Japanese snacks. Having slept through the entire morning due to the fatigue from yesterday’s raid, she had skipped lunch and spent her time scrolling through her phone before finally stepping out out of sheer boredom.
Between the internet and social media, every post was about the Dungeon Impact. Sick of the topic, Sae-bom decided to go looking for people instead. Clutching a large bag of snacks to her chest, she walked until she spotted a crowd gathered in one spot, her interest piqued.
‘Didn’t they say they were building a training ground…?’
Black Unicorn’s Jeong Yeon-woo.
Just as she had heard from her Clan Leader, he was a truly peculiar man. He was extraordinary in many ways—from asking if he could build a simulation training ground while on a support mission to boldly voicing his opinions in front of A-rank heroes.
Sae-bom had heard plenty about Jeong Yeon-woo through her Clan Leader, who was close with Lee Ru-da.
‘Come to think of it, So-hyun praised him to high heaven, too…’
She had also heard much about him from Eom Soo-hyun, a member of her own clan.
Thinking this might be interesting, she scurried over and spotted her teammate, Go Ha-ram. She moved to stand beside her to watch.
Since it was a temporary setup, the training ground had no physical walls, only a barrier, leaving the simulation equipment exposed. Seeing the devices that were usually hidden behind walls was fascinating to Sae-bom. She chewed on her snacks while watching the members of Black Unicorn inside.
“Pivot and break away! Anna, fall back! I told you to pull back immediately if they try to grab you!”
“I’m sorry!”
There seemed to be some soundproofing magic in place, but since most of the output was focused on the barrier, the voices from inside sounded muffled. Watching Black Unicorn move in perfect unison under Jeong Yeon-woo’s direction was like watching a high-octane action movie.
“Wow, he’s quite the drill sergeant, isn’t he?” Sae-bom remarked, her mouth full.
Go Ha-ram glanced at her briefly before turning her gaze back to the training ground. “It looks like they’re actually planning to challenge a B-2.”
The simulation they were running was for a B-2 dungeon. At Ha-ram’s explanation, Sae-bom used her tongue to pull a hanging snack into her mouth and spoke nonchalantly.
“Hooo—well, they cleared B-1 ten times yesterday, right? More than ten times, actually. It’s clear they weren’t at that level to begin with. That blue-haired girl was originally a B-rank villain, wasn’t she? Same with the Japanese girl.”
“That’s true. But except for that samurai, the rest of them have only cleared a B-1 once.”
Go Ha-ram spoke with a hint of admiration. As the saying goes, a hero’s true journey begins at B-rank. Although there is only one step between C-10 and B-1, the difficulty spike is immense.
Monsters that fight with strategy, power that dwarfs anything in C-rank dungeons, and complex special abilities—every aspect of the monsters’ capabilities is enhanced. Because of this, many heroes fail to adapt to B-rank dungeons initially and burn through a massive number of Treasure Orbs.
Yet, so far, Black Unicorn had used zero Treasure Orbs. For a typical B-rank party, that was an extraordinary statistic.
“The Clan Leader did say he was the secret weapon Fist is so fond of. He should at least be this good.”
“It’s because they have talent but still practice like their lives depend on it that I respect them. Those kids don’t even think about resting. It makes a girl feel embarrassed for just sitting here stuffing her face with snacks.”
Without a word, Sae-bom pulled a snack from her mouth and stuffed it into Go Ha-ram’s.
“Ugh, get that away! And eat something that actually tastes good! Why are you eating that weird stuff?”
“Why? It gets better the more you eat it.”
Chewing on her wasabi snacks, Sae-bom watched Black Unicorn train intensely. Even if it was a temporary installation, showing their entire training process so openly suggested immense confidence.
‘Either that, or he’s just a cocky idiot…’
While other heroes watched their various tactics with admiration, Sae-bom maintained a bored expression. Revealing tactics like that carried the risk of others copying them or analyzing the party’s weaknesses. She couldn’t tell if it was confidence that they didn't care about being analyzed, or if it was just the typical male nature of wanting to show off, but Sae-bom wasn't interested.
It was a foolish move.
A Dungeon Impact wasn't a sprint; it was a marathon. Pacing was crucial. They cleared ten dungeons in one day? And then they were training to the point of vomiting the next? They were overdoing it. You have to work hard when it’s time to work, but you have to rest when it’s time to rest. If you push too hard and burn out early, you just become a burden to other heroes.
‘I’ll acknowledge you if you can actually maintain that pace.’
Sae-bom lost interest, assuming they would stop soon enough.
Two days later, Sae-bom—who followed a rhythm of three days of rest—was relaxing at the inn when she saw the members of Black Unicorn return in the evening, their faces haggard with exhaustion. Despite the fatigue etched into their features, the way they were laughing and chatting suggested that their B-2 dungeon run had gone well.
Sae-bom stuffed a wasabi snack into the mouth of Go Ha-ram, who was staring at them with a look of disbelief, and asked as they walked away, “How many did they do today?”
“Four…”
“Four? That’s not as many as I thought. I guess the impact of the first day was too strong?”
Sae-bom rummaged through her snack bag, thinking it was only natural they’d hit a wall, and that it was better they realized it early and slowed down.
However, Go Ha-ram just stared at Sae-bom blankly.
“What are you talking about? I said four.”
“Yeah, four… Wait, four? You don’t mean they entered four times, you mean they destroyed four?”
Sae-bom looked up with a dazed expression. Go Ha-ram nodded, looking as though she couldn't believe it herself. The two fell silent, staring at the backs of the boisterous Black Unicorn members.
“Is that for real? Actually four? Are their pollution levels okay?”
“Surprisingly, none of them even reached the Alert Level.”
“No, even so… they destroyed four? Why is their team leader pushing them so hard?”
When Sae-bom started blaming Song Jae-ah, Go Ha-ram shook her head.
“Apparently, the original plan was three. But they cleared them so fast that they called HQ to ask if there were any spare dungeons left.”
“…Well… it’s not like there’s a shortage of dungeons…”
With the Dungeon Impact, you could encounter several dungeons just by going for a walk. But clearing them as if you were just stopping by a convenience store on your way out was a completely different story. Furthermore, Black Unicorn was a party missing one member.
The fact that they successfully cleared four different types of B-2 dungeons on their first try was impressive, but their magic pollution levels were even more nonsensical.
“Do they feed them something special at Square Garden? Why isn't the pollution accumulating?”
“If there was something that good, wouldn't our Clan Leader have gotten it from Fist? Maybe their stats are just so high that the pollution doesn't stick, despite their low rank?”
“Hmm… if that’s the case, it means they’re A-rank or close to it. Doesn't that make even less sense?”
Go Ha-ram thought for a moment at Sae-bom’s words and then nodded. Since they had openly revealed their training, their stats could be roughly estimated. While they felt higher than what the media or the public expected, they weren't higher than their own B-9 party.
Leaving the mystery unsolved, Sae-bom went to bed early ahead of her raid the next day.
After a grueling struggle against monsters to clear their own dungeon, Sae-bom and Go Ha-ram returned to the inn, satisfied with destroying just one. When they dragged their exhausted bodies back, they saw Black Unicorn still training at the setup in the corner of the inn.
“Those guys never rest.”
“B-3…”
This time, even Sae-bom muttered in shock. They had just cleared B-2, and they were already training for B-3 dungeons. Jeong Yeon-woo was constantly shouting instructions while facing off against a boss that poured out flashy magic, and the other party members were gritting their teeth and running according to his commands.
“Do they have a personal vendetta against monsters or something?”
Ignoring Go Ha-ram’s trivial comment, Sae-bom went up to her room to rest.
The next day, having overslept, she woke up with messy hair and opened the window. Since the inn was on high ground, the second-floor room offered a wide, pleasant view. Sae-bom looked down with half-closed eyes, thinking it would have been perfect if not for the dungeon entrances jutting out haphazardly.
Even though she had woken up late, Black Unicorn was still training. Since they were a party with a short rest cycle, they would likely head out for another raid tomorrow. They were certainly diligent.
As Sae-bom watched for a while, Go Ha-ram, who had been sleeping in the other bed, also got up. She sat beside Sae-bom with a dazed expression and let out a long yawn.
“Yawn—don’t they ever get tired? I’m so exhausted I could sleep forever, but they’re so industrious.”
It wasn't that Sae-bom’s party was particularly lazy. Being a hero was a physically demanding job. Every raid consumed stamina and mana, and time was needed to recover. Sae-bom’s party, which rested for three days for the sake of stable raids, wasn't resting longer than most other parties.
“It looks like the original members are used to high-intensity schedules. The samurai and the blue-haired girl are struggling to keep up.”
“They don’t seem to have any complaints, though. I guess the Japanese girl is doing it to protect her country, but that blue-haired girl has surprisingly good grit for a villain.”
Sae-bom and Ha-ram weren't the only ones analyzing Black Unicorn. They weren't just hitting dungeons below their rank; they were challenging everything they were qualified for and destroying multiple dungeons. Based on the count alone, they must have entered at least nine times, yet despite such a forced march, their pollution levels remained low, and they never stopped training even during their rest periods.
Moving like a perpetual motion machine, Black Unicorn had already captured the attention of the other heroes staying at the same inn. Watching their training had become a daily routine for everyone.
Parties of a lower rank than Black Unicorn looked at them with eyes of respect, while parties of similar or higher ranks tried to absorb their tactics or solve the lingering mysteries surrounding them.
“How can they have that much willpower?”
The day after a raid, the fatigue usually made you not even want to get out of bed, yet Black Unicorn was so diligent.
“Maybe there’s some kind of reward? Since they gathered only the best and most hardworking people…”
“…Don’t you dare go outside and say stuff like that.”
When Go Ha-ram spoke with a sly smirk, Sae-bom looked at her with a scowl.
“Hey, I’m only saying it because it’s just you and me. You think I’m crazy enough to say that outside? But look at that body. Doesn't it make you thirsty?”
“… …”
Sae-bom stole a glance at Jeong Yeon-woo’s back. As he ended the simulation and wrote something on a whiteboard to explain tactics, his back did look quite sexy.
“Honestly, when there’s only one man in a party, don’t you start having impure thoughts? He’s the leader, too, so maybe he unbuttons his shirt and calls it a ‘reward’…”
“Stop with the cheap talk. I’m scared someone might hear you.”
Sae-bom scolded Go Ha-ram while pulling out a snack. Sharing the snacks, the two of them silently watched Jeong Yeon-woo.
“That would be legendary…”
“Are you still thinking about that? Stop watching so many adult videos. You think party members just swap around and sleep with each other?”
“Heh—that would be even more legendary. You’ve got a wild imagination. Is that a plot from one of those videos?”
“I told you to stop. What kind of things are you imagining about such an innocent boy?”
He was handsome, his sweat-slicked skin glowed clearly, and he had a great physique. However, Sae-bom felt it wasn't right to have lewd thoughts about someone so dedicated to his hero work, so she nudged Go Ha-ram with her elbow.
“Do you think Jeong Yeon-woo also likes lewd—”
“He doesn't. Stop talking nonsense.”
Even if it was just talk between friends, she felt like she was committing a sin by having erotic fantasies about such a pure young man.