Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: The Path to B-Rank Hunter (2)
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「B-Rank Dungeon. Tar Pit.」
Of the three requests, the first one I tackled was gathering materials from the Black Slimes in the Tar Pit.
None of them were so difficult that the order truly mattered, but if I had to pick one, collecting Black Slime materials had the tightest deadline.
「Black Slime Cores: 10
Black Slime Mucus: 10 vials」
⚙ REQUEST DETAILS ⚙ Black Slime Cores x10 Black Slime Mucus x10 vials After checking the first request engraved with magic, I headed straight to the heart of the Tar Pit.
'Plop, plop...'
A suspiciously bubbling black pool that evoked the image of a witch's cauldron, surrounded by trails of black mucus stretching outward like paths.
It was easy to tell these were traces left by Black Slimes.
'There it is.'
Spotting the nearest Black Slime munching on grass and twigs, I quietly approached and prepared my Flame Magic.
'Ignite, then hurl.'
A simple incantation combo produced a fireball that shot straight toward it.
'Pryut!'
The black ooze hit by my magic let out a cute cry and reacted to the attack.
Black Slimes' unique trait: body transformation. Before taking damage from the first strike, they shift their bodies into one of two forms.
Physical resistance form or magic resistance form. These two transformations were the biggest headaches when fighting Black Slimes, often requiring at least two B-Rank Hunters to handle effectively.
Multiple awakenings were rare worldwide, and even rarer were cases like mine, awakening both physical and magic attacks—two completely different abilities. You could count them on one hand.
That's why Black Slime hunts always needed at least two Hunters. Doing it solo turned it into an unpopular request. Pairing up just to kill ten Black Slimes wasn't efficient.
Plus, Black Slime mucus spoiled quickly, so guilds wouldn't buy extras. No profit from extra hunting. That's why this request had languished on the guild board for nearly a year.
'Pryuut!!'
The Black Slime, shifting to magic resistance form under my attack, cried out and launched itself at me, rising to about my height.
It thrust a sharp tendril straight at my throat—far deadlier than its cute looks suggested. Even its soft appearance belied a lethal strike that could pierce my neck and kill me outright.
'Prryuk!!'
I whipped out my greatsword from the subspace pocket, and it collapsed with a death cry. The blade passed through its body, flinging the core out and killing it instantly.
Monster cores couldn't be sliced by even a greatsword's edge. The core—the only solid part in its fluid body—flying out was inevitable. Good thing it wasn't in physical resistance form; the attack landed cleanly.
'The material list includes not just the core, but mucus too.'
Once it stopped moving completely, I pulled out a material collection vial from my subspace pocket and filled it with the body.
For intact mucus collection, you had to kill them in magic resistance form, not physical immunity.
My Swordsmanship was higher level, so a sure kill was tempting, but ending with Flame Magic risked damaging the mucus instead of the core.
One big drawback of magic attacks: excessive material damage. Not ideal when I needed the mucus too.
Same reason I felt a pang whenever Cha Yu-ri shredded Tris or Woodrellos with wind magic in the Ancient Tree Graveyard. Wood-based monsters' timber sold for as much as their cores.
Filling the vial to about three-quarters with the body, I capped it off and pocketed the stray core in my subspace pocket.
One Black Slime core and one vial of mucus down.
Progress was quick, but no time to slack. Two more requests due by midnight tomorrow.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 「B-Rank Dungeon. Necromancer's Cemetery.」
⚙ REQUEST DETAILS ⚙ Skeleton Femurs: 30 The second dungeon for completing the request: Necromancer's Cemetery.
As the name suggested, this was a dungeon teeming with undead monsters.
Mostly Skeleton Soldiers—swordsmen, spearmen, archers—with minor variations. Except for Skeleton Mages, they were all much the same.
I didn't care about types as long as they were Skeletons for the materials.
Whether they swung swords or shot arrows, all Skeletons had identical femurs. Just kill any in sight.
Why was this simple request buried at the bottom? Skeleton special traits.
As undead, physical attacks did nothing. Not partially—completely ineffective. No Hunter wants to hack at regenerating foes endlessly.
S-Rank Hunter Kang Eun-young in her Sword Master prime could have managed, but a Sword Master on a mere B-Rank request? Absurd.
Why B-Rank then? They crumbled to magic attacks.
-Roarrr
'Darak...'
'Darak, drak...'
Three Skeletons touched by my flame orb erupted in fire, bones charring black, leaving only cores as they crumbled.
Just ash piles and cores remained.
'As expected.'
Skeleton cores were valuable B-Rank materials, but I was here for femurs, not cores. Burning bodies ruined that.
Best way to drop undead while preserving materials? Luckily, I had the perfect skill.
⚔ SKILL UPGRADE ⚔ 『Healing Lv. 2 → Healing Lv. 3』 Spending 200 of my ~300 Awakening Points to raise Healing to Lv. 3, I cast the 3-circle AoE healing spell.
A thin wave of light rippled outward from me the moment I chanted.
'Clack clack clatter clack...'
Hordes of Skeletons collapsed, unable to hold form against the holy magic. The sacred wave did its job.
Not high-tier undead—just bones animated by faint grudges.
A touch of holy power in healing purified them effortlessly, leaving dozens of scattered bones.
'Now just collect femurs and cores from this pile...'
Sighing at the jumbled bone heap.
Femurs were the largest, heaviest pillar-like bones, but picking 30 from this mess was tedious.
Tired of sorting, I simplified: shove all long, big bones into subspace pocket and let it count.
Skeleton Femur Skeleton Femurs x2 Skeleton Humerus Skeleton Tibia Skeleton Radius Skeleton Tibias x2... Skeleton Femurs: 30 When subspace hit 30 femurs, I grabbed some cores and ditched the rest, exiting the dungeon.
One last request undone; no need to waste more pocket space.