Kang Oh quickly realized what was attacking him. It was quite a renowned monster after all.

'A Kruger!'

It looked like a frog. However, it was much too large to be considered a frog anymore, and had an ugly face to match.

Blood dripped from the sharp teeth within its giant mouth.

Krugers specialized in burrowing into the ground; they'd normally remain underground until they spotted their prey. They would then suddenly pop out of the ground and attack.

It was level 250!

The Kruger rushed towards Kang Oh, attempting to devour him with its gaping maw.

'Not going to happen!'

Kang Oh quickly swung his demon sword.

Whoosh.

Whack!

He smacked the top of its head.

Though it was damaged by his attack, it didn’t let up, and ferociously swung its front legs’ thick, sharp claws.

Kang Oh quickly tilted his body. However, the Kruger's attack was faster than he expected.

"Ugh."

Its thick claws scraped his Baramut armor, causing shards of light to fall to the floor.

Kang Oh lost his balance and fell to the floor.

"You bastard!"

Eder rushed forward and struck its nape with his mace.

Kuah!

The Kruger immediately counterattacked.

It fiercely swung its front claws, and Eder raised his four color skull shield.

Clang!

Its power was so great that it steadily pushed Eder back.

The Kruger forcefully kicked off the floor and rushed at Eder like a lion pouncing on a water buffalo!

Ting.

Sephiro shot three arrows.

Triple Shot!

Whizz! Whizz! Whizz!

The three arrows flew with a 'whizz' and pierced the Kruger's side one after another.

However, the attack wasn't strong enough to draw its attention away from Eder.

The Kruger continuously attacked Eder.

"Tch!"

The Kruger was gnawing at Eder's shield by the time Sephiro notched another arrow.

Crunch!

Its bite was so powerful that the shield sounded like it was being crushed.

"You monster!"

Eder forcefully swung his mace.

Heavy Blow!

Once his mace struck its face, it created a small explosion.

However...!

It only served to enrage the Kruger further. The Kruger gave off a violent shriek and fiercely swung its front claws, attempting to rip him to shreds.

Then...

Kang Oh reappeared behind the Kruger. He jumped and forcefully swung downwards.

The vertical strike glimmered in golden light.

Whack!

Once his sword made contact with its back, Tempest Tiger was unleashed.

Boom!

Whoosh!

It was the combination of a golden aura and a whirlwind!

His attack caused it to wobble around, and Eder used that opportunity to retreat.

A short while later...

Once the whirlwind disappeared, the Kruger rushed at Kang Oh.

'To think it'd be able to counterattack right after taking a Tempest Tiger head on!'

It had the vitality of a leech.

Kurwa!

The Kruger acted wildly like a wounded animal, and unleashed a flurry of attacks.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

Kang Oh didn't back down. He widened his eyes and fought it head on.

They repeatedly exchanged brutal attacks.

As expected of a level 250 beast!

Kang Oh couldn't dodge every single one of its attacks. Thus, he was accumulating damage over time.

Of course, the Kruger was in the same shape.

"Uhaaaa!"

"Kurwaa!"

They crazily attacked each other, as if they were competing as to who could kill the other first.

Kang Oh managed to win the death match.

The Kruger had far more HP than him, but Kang Oh's attack power was far superior.

Especially when his attacks were amplified by Darkness Strike or Fang Bearing Blade. Whenever those activated, the Kruger's HP would drop significantly.

Not only that, but it wasn't a one on one fight. Sephiro and Eder would support him at the right times, causing the Kruger to die even faster.

Regardless, it didn't change the fact that the Kruger was a formidable foe.

After all, it managed to force Kang Oh to activate his armor's Wind Shield.

Thud.

The Kruger fell flat on its face.

[You have defeated a Kruger.]

[You have leveled up.]

Kang Oh had leveled up to 187. He caught his breath after making sure it was dead.

"Hoo."

"It was crazy strong," Eder said, looking at the bite marks on his shield.

"Well, they are called the Tyrants of the Great Forest for a reason," Sephiro said.

The Krugers were called the Tyrants of the Great Forest due to their aggressiveness, their tenaciousness, and their immense vitality.

"You don't encounter them often... We got unlucky."

"I guess it doesn't really matter. We did win after all."

Once Eder finished speaking, he picked up the dropped junk item. It was called a Kruger's Claw.

"Here."

Kang Oh pocketed the item and said, "Let's go."

They called their Yumas and progressed through the Great Forest once more.

* * *

Sunset arrived quickly, giving way to the darkness of night.

"We're here."

Kang Oh's party finally arrived at Ucle Village.

"Phew!"

Eder caught his breath.

He was in tatters. His red armor was scratched and filled with holes.

His shield had also been crushed, and a few of his mace's spikes had fallen off.

Of course, Sephiro and Kang Oh weren't in great shape either.

As an Archer, Sephiro wore light and tough leather armor. However, it was filled with holes and it was smeared with dirt as well.

In Kang Oh's case, his tiger-striped armor was filled with lengthy scratches.

"Whatever the case, we've arrived safely," Eder said.

On their way here, they'd encounter several obstacles, such as Red-spotted Garden Spiders that dropped from the trees, Great Forest Green Snakes, which camouflaged as trees and spewed venom, thousands of Red Wasps, Cannibal Plants that spewed acid, and a variety of other monsters like Lizardmen and Krugers!

They'd encountered several of the monsters that the Great Forest had to offer throughout the day.

There weren't any real roads to speak of and the land was perilous, so without the Yumas, they wouldn't have been able to arrive at the village by the day's end.

"You'll get used to it," Sephiro said.

"We should get our equipment repaired first," Kang Oh said.

Weapons and armor required maintenance. They'd also used all of their consumable potions too, so they had to restock those too.

"I'll find us a guide that'll take us to the Parmarl Underground Labyrinth. You're not thinking of going there right away, are you?"

The Great Forest was much more dangerous at night than during the day.

Kang Oh knew that well.

"The sun has set, so we'll stop here today."

"Then let's find ourselves some accommodations and get our equipment repaired."

"Alright."

Kang Oh's party went to find themselves proper lodging.

But there were no multi-story buildings in Ucle Village. What's worse, there was only one 2-story building here.

"The buildings are all so tiny, so I don't think there's any place where we can rest," Eder said.

"The Ucle Tribe lives underground. The buildings we see are.... kind of like roofs," Sephiro said.

"They live underground?"

"Yes. That's why they don't need multi-story buildings."

"I see."

Eder nodded his head several times.

"That looks like an inn."

Kang Oh pointed at a certain building.

What looked like players left the building, and the building itself emitted brighter light than the others.

Kang Oh was right.

That was the Ucle Village's only inn, and Kang Oh's party was able to obtain lodging there.

"As I said before, repair all your equipment and get yourself ready. I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Ok."

"Understood."

Their tough day in the Great Forest had finally come to an end.

* * *

The next day, Sephiro came with a guide.

"My name is Anracoum."

Apparently, it was a tradition for the people of the Ucle Tribe to apply black, red, or yellow makeup on their faces.

Anracoum followed said tradition.

He had completely covered his face in makeup, like a soldier with camouflage face paint.

"My name is Kang Oh. Please take care of me."

"My name is Eder."

"Alright then. Please take us to the Parmarl Ruins."

"Alright."

Kang Oh's party headed for the Parmarl Underground Labyrinth atop their Yumas.

Anracoum did his job properly. Kang Oh’s party hadn’t encountered many monsters or inhabitants of the Great Forest; perhaps this could be attributed to Anracoum’s guidance.

Kang Oh maneuvered his Yuma to Anracoum’s side.

"Mr. Anracoum."

"Yes?"

"Do you know the Nuwak Tribe?"

"I do," he replied immediately.

As expected of a native!

"Where do they live?"

"They live in the southern forest."

'The south, huh... That's pretty far.'

The Great Forest was so vast that going somewhere took a lot of work.

"What kind of tribe are they?" Kang Oh asked.

"They draw a third eye on their foreheads."

"I already know that."

"They're especially good at training crows. They are proficient in training other birds like eagles as well."

"Hoh."

This was the first time he'd heard of that.

"And like us (the Ucle Tribe), they're not hostile towards outsiders."

"That's good to hear."

Kang Oh looked relieved. At that moment, Sephiro entered into the conversation.

"Mr. Anracoum."

"Yes?"

"After you've guided us to the Parmarl Ruins, can you also guide us to the Nuwak Tribe if need be as well?"

Sephiro had never used a native guide before, but so far, he was completely satisfied with Anracoum.

"If you pay me, then yes..."

Nothing was free in this world!

"Of course."

Sometime later...

Kang Oh's party safely arrived at the Parmarl Ruins, which was where the Parmarl Underground Labyrinth was supposedly located.

The Parmarl Ruins were filled with rocks like Stonehenge or dolmen.

There were clearly signs that the rocks had been artificially carved; as a result of being abandoned for so long, vines and roots covered the area as well.

There were statues shaped like humans, animals, and monsters, but none of them remained unscathed.

Kang Oh meticulously examined the statues, just in case his Hyper Intuition activated.

But it was a waste of time.

"Where is the entrance to the underground labyrinth?" Kang Oh asked.

"Over here."

Anracoum led them to a steep cliff where a tightly shut gate was located.

The gate possessed eyes, a nose, and a mouth, so it looked human-like. Basically, it was like a squashed Moai.

"It's said that the entrance lays behind this door," Sephiro said.

Kang Oh carefully examined the door.

'There are holes in each eye.'

If there were holes, then something must go in there.

"You have to put the matching pieces within these holes. Considering the size and shape of the holes, it looks like something like a glass bead will fit," Kang Oh said.

"Yes. Several players have tried inserting all kinds of items into them, but no one has ever successfully opened the gate," Sephiro said, relaying what he'd heard from his information brokers.

"Mr. Anracoum, do you know how to open this door?" Kang Oh asked just in case.

"No, I don't. All we know is that this place is called Parmarl. That's all."

"Hmm."

Kang Oh looked over the tightly shut door once more. His Hyper Intuition still hadn't activated.

"What do we do now?" Eder asked.

"What do you mean? We have to go see the Nuwak Chieftain now."

The man called the Wise Soul.

He had to meet him no matter what.