Black Slime Material Delivery (2)
Just as I was about to start the hunt, a sudden thought crossed my mind. Among all the power and skills I'd gained so far, was there truly anything I'd made my own through genuine effort? Or was it all just numerical stats bought with points?
Maybe Sung Taekyung himself was still a worthless guy, and I'd simply acquired more strength than I could handle. It might sound ungrateful—after all, I'd taken down an S-rank monster like the Kraken just a few days ago—but sparring with Eunyoung noona recently made it impossible not to think this way.
No matter that she was an S-rank hunter, a record of 68 losses, 2 wins, and 1 draw wasn't exactly impressive. Even factoring in that we hadn't used magic, healing, or other abilities, it was a score that was hard to swallow. With nothing but a single sword, I could barely graze the toes of an S-rank hunter.
For someone like me, who'd devoted my life to greatsword techniques before awakening, this sparring result was a massive shock. At best, in terms of swordsmanship alone, I was no different from your average A-rank hunter. I only had the skill level exactly matching what my awakening points had bought.
And that wasn't enough. Just because I could wield diverse awakening abilities didn't mean I could neglect mastering each one individually. I'd seen plenty of multi-awakened hunters who tried juggling multiple powers, only to end up mediocre at all of them.
To avoid that fate, I needed meaningful progress in swordsmanship—the one skill I'd studied the most and honed the longest. Until I could fully master it to my own satisfaction, learning magic or healing would lead to the same half-baked results.
I wanted to be a warrior whose footwork shone on the battlefield, not just one skilled at thrusting hips in bed. That had been my dream since childhood.
So, the moment I entered the first dungeon of the day, the Tar Pit, I swung straight at a single Black Slime. The creature blocked my first strike and immediately triggered its signature trait, First Strike Resistance.
I could have easily finished it with a fire spell right then. Sure, it would've damaged the materials, forcing me to hunt an extra one, but that's not what I did. Instead, I decided to take it down with swordsmanship alone.
Hunting a physically resistant monster with pure melee? It might sound absurd, but it wasn't impossible. Even among A-rank hunters, let alone S-ranks, those who'd reached a certain level could overcome monster resistances.
In that sense, the physically resistant Black Slime was the perfect sparring partner for breaking my limits. If I couldn't handle this, I wouldn't even attempt a real attack in my next spar with Eunyoung noona. Plus, I had the upcoming promotion exam to prepare for.
Until now, I'd cleared B-rank requests by combining various awakening skills, but flashing multi-awakening abilities in front of other hunters was risky. Fine with trustworthy ones like Hyeun or Sihee, but the exam proctors would likely be strangers.
I didn't want to reveal my full arsenal to unknowns. So, I needed to handle the requests I'd taken to raise my hunter rank using swordsmanship alone.
I'd sown the seeds; now it was time to reap them.
Prroooot-! The Black Slime let out a menacing cry as it launched its body upward from below, aiming for me. Instead of countering with fire or ice magic, I swung my mithril greatsword again, smashing into its body.
Clang. The blade struck something hard and bounced off, and we quickly widened the distance once more.
Prroooot-!!
As expected, it didn't go down easy from the start. No matter how good the greatsword, hitting a physically resistant foe with physical attacks wasn't going to land cleanly.
With a ferocious cry, it charged at me again.
Prroo-!!
Clang. Our second clash. We separated immediately after, but this time the distance was a bit shorter than before.
It wasn't because I'd hit harder. I'd used the same force as the first strike. The difference? This time, I'd infused my blade with inner energy, just as Eunyoung noona had taught me.
Inner energy was a third power, neither purely physical nor magical. Master it well, and it could enhance either. It let melee fighters damage resistant foes and helped mages infuse mana with physical force.
How effectively you wielded it defined a hunter's prowess—and for someone aiming to be the world's best, it was a must-learn skill.
And now, I could see with my naked eye that the top of the Black Slime's "head" was half-cleft from my strike. Not a killing blow, but proof my attack had landed properly. Of course, true to slime nature, the wound began regenerating almost immediately.
...Prroo-!! Enraged by the effective hit, the monster shrieked even more viciously. Hard to believe this fist-sized B-rank beast could unleash such terrifying presence.
Fully furious now, it rushed me faster than before, unlike the second exchange. I'd just started getting the feel, so I met it head-on without dodging.
I wrapped the same amount of inner energy around my blade, but compressed it for higher density and sharpened its form. I had confidence this strike would connect.
Thwack! My sword cleaved straight through the Black Slime's body. A clean hit using only swordsmanship—no cheap fire magic tricks.
Pr...roo...!! With one final chilling cry, it died, its core popping out.
I collected the body fluid into a material extraction vial and stored both the fluid and the Black Slime Core in my monster material pouch.
Black Slime Body Fluid x1
Nine more to go with these. Maybe this would wrap up faster than expected—a flicker of optimism rising.
⁎ ⁎ ⁎
By the time I'd finished gathering materials in the second dungeon, it was just past 10 p.m. My stubborn insistence on using only swordsmanship—no fire magic or healing skills—had caused some delay, much like last time.
Both the Black Slime materials and the skeletons from the second dungeon could've been cleared much quicker with those abilities. With better gear and higher skill levels than when I first took those requests, it was natural they'd go faster anyway.
But that didn't mean today had been a waste. I'd felt tangible growth firsthand.
For the tenth Black Slime, it took about three strikes each. By the fifteenth, two sufficed. And for the final twentieth, I'd reached one-shot kills.
Eunyoung noona's lessons on handling inner energy and overcoming limits with swordsmanship alone had been invaluable.
The same went for the skeletons in the next dungeon, the Necromancer's Cemetery. There, I honed precise strikes targeting the joints of those complex, constantly moving bone monsters.
Honestly, for such finesse, a saber or arming sword might've been better than a greatsword—but I had to master it with mine. Eunyoung noona could.
Her late-game strikes, absurd in power and speed, yet pinpoint accurate at my weapon's center of balance... you can't grasp the terror without experiencing it. I couldn't replicate her fully yet, but mimicking her movements was step one. Power and speed would come later.
It was a blessing she'd regained her hunter awakening. Without her, there'd be no master for swordsmanship—especially the unpopular greatsword style.
She was essentially passing down her entire career's worth of experience. Beating her with the sword someday would bring me a step closer to my goal.
Then I'd naturally shift to mastering my next main skill: fire magic. Finding a retired S-rank fire specialist would be ideal, but I doubted it'd go that smoothly.
Unless I somehow crossed paths with one by sheer miracle—which wasn't happening. No such coincidences in this world.