Chapter 73 – It Is Slowly Being Solved

The hunt with Jong Ho and Ho Jin allowed them to hit level 110 in a single day.

Despite the giant leap in growth, they decided not to graduate from the succubus dungeon, but instead clear it as a duo since they would receive a far greater amount of experience from the level 14 succubus dungeon with its numerous monsters rather than the level 15 dungeon.

They continued to grow stronger in preparation for the level 19 dungeon they would be going to later.

They were in the same boat as me.

With Banwol Jincheon’s in each hand, they looked energetic as they entered the dungeon.

It’s been two days since I headed for the level 34 dungeon.

As usual, I casted Warp to head to the desolate region.

Since I hunted for over 12 hours, the cooldown of Warp wasn’t important.

The Warp skill had levels and experience, but one would wonder why because despite the levels increasing, the cooldown didn’t decrease and nothing changed.

A dungeon that did not require anything for entry.

And a difficulty that was so high, it couldn’t be cleared by anyone but me.

You could say it was a dungeon just for me.

I mean, the monsters replicate the same attack it receives.

On top of that, it takes 10 A+ ranking attack skills to destroy them.

Of course, other Awakened magicians could attack, but it would be impossible for them to receive the replicated counter attack.

If I did not have infinite mana and Mana Shield, it would be impossible for me as well.

I didn’t let the feeling of superiority stay for long.

Suddenly, I felt a sense of dread.

What if level 34 portals that may exist all over the place suddenly explode?

Just like how the first level 29 portal exploded recently, it wouldn’t end easily.

It would cause chaos and destruction far greater than when the portals first began forming 40 years ago.

Shaking off the heavy feeling in my heart that I didn’t know why I felt, I focused on hunting.

The only item that dropped in this dungeon were bloodstones.

Since no bosses appeared after each clear, I assumed that there was a hidden boss.

The encounter rate would be probably the same as the ones I’ve met so far.

So 5 days of hunting wouldn’t be enough.

It wouldn’t appear that easily.

Only the reverberation from Meteor Call could be heard in the dungeon.

All the Meteor Calls I cast plus 30 monsters casting them back.

The force of impact and flames were enough to deform the dungeon’s interior.

It didn’t take 5 minutes to turn the snow white dungeon into a demolished field.

I thought to use Iceberg to try preventing their counterattacks, but since it could serve as obstacles for me if they do succeed in returning them, I avoided doing so.

“My Mana Shield is shaking so much that I can barely see in front of me.”

I couldn’t see their forms, but I was targeting the red dots that I could see from Eye of Insight with Meteors.

Between the red dots, I could see something floating.

Almost like a zebra stuck in a crowd of oxen.

It was only after the 30 monsters perishing and the Meteor attacks to finish before I could see it.

“Awakened Essence?”

Amongst the bloodstones was an Awakened Essence.

I wasn’t very excited because I had already gathered plenty using the Lizardman Gauntlets.

If there is one thing that was surprising, it was that the essence that you can only get from bosses dropped from a regular monster, I guess?

However, you could tell it was shaped differently from regular essences if you looked up close.

A regular essence would was roughly the size of a thumb with the colors of the rainbow, and the surface was smooth like a pebble.

However, the item in my hand had a different shape.

Despite that, I still believed it to be an Awakened Essence.

“The once smooth surface is rough…. But I’m pretty sure it’s still an Awakened Essence.”

It was a pointless thought, but I had doubts that this could possibly be a defective item.

Probably because the shape was different.

“For now, let’s try using it.”

It wasn’t that dangerous because Awakened Essences weren’t orally consumed, but used like skill books where you put it on your chest and confirm after you hear the sound from the system.

How nice would it be if the transparent marble I got from Joker worked the same way.

I held the essence to my chest.

[Please select the skill to Awaken]

“Hm… guess this is an essence.”

I did hear the narration to pick the skill I want to Awaken.

The shape was different, but I was sure that it was an Awakened Essence.

Since I didn’t think of a skill ahead to Awaken, I chose the Frost Orb that I did not Awaken even after hitting level 100 on it, and held the essence on my chest once more.

[Ineligible skill for Awakening]

“Huh?”

Frost Orb had definitely hit level 100.

Despite the skill ranking being so low, it should be possible to Awaken.

But almost as if the essence was picky of the ranks, it refused.

“So it is defective. Maybe I should smash it with Meteor.”

[Will you Awaken Meteor Call?]

“…. What is it saying? I already Awakened Meteor a long time ago.”

Before I threw the Awakened Essence to the ground in frustration, I stopped for a second.

And looking at the defective stone held in my hand, I thought for a bit.

This is the level 34 dungeon, something that humankind hadn’t been able to approach.

Other than the bloodstones, information on the items that drop here isn’t found anywhere.

You could tell just from the monsters shaped like portals, because they aren’t named.

And this was the essence I obtained from a place like this.

Everyone knew that the max level of the skill was level 200.

But what if there are levels beyond that?

Perhaps it was possible to raise the level of a skill beyond 200 with this essence.

“Like the transparent marble, with each passing day, more questions crop up.”

It would be impossible to get information on this from anyone.

It was something only I could solve on my own.

I could level up the skills without much difficulty due to my infinite mana.

If it’s a skill without cooldowns, I could master it in about four to five days at the most.

But I can’t let this get in the way of hunting I need right now.

“A skill that’s level 200 but doesn’t affect my hunting much. And since it could fail, a skill with no cooldowns so I can level it up quickly would be best.”

Looking at the skill menu, I made my choice.

“I’ll pick Eye of Insight.”

What if this defective essence really allows for a skill to Awaken another time?

You could say that I’ve made a huge mistake, since I used it on a support skill rather than on an attack skill.

But instead of having something yet being unable to use it due to not knowing how it works, it would be better to at least experiment like this.

I had no regrets with my choice.

[Will you Awaken Eye of Insight?]

I heard the narration and agreed without any hesitation.

The stone gave off bright light and immediately dissipated.

Opening the skill menu again, I was surprised.

-Eye of Insight ** Lv. 1 [0%]

“That’s crazy. Two stars….”

****

“Hyung. Shall we call it a day?”

Jong Ho spoke to Ho Jin while wiping the blood off his sword and armor.

Hunting with Min-Cheol had allowed him to hit level 110, which made him very satisfied of his growth.

It was a growth that would normally take a year, but he had achieved it in a single day.

It was the same with Ho Jin.

Ho Jin answered Jong Ho after confirming that he finished wiping the blood off his wristwatch.

“Should we?”

“Since the weekend starts tomorrow, do you want to have some soju someplace?”

“Hoho. If my wife knew, I’d be in a lot of trouble…”

“Then you want to head in early?”

“It’ll probably be okay if I just take a small sip?”

“Of course! Let’s go, hyung-nim!”

Both of them headed for the small food cart next to the dungeon.

Since it was already late, many Awakened were taking their fill after finishing their hunt.

The two sat at a corner, ordering soju and a light meal. While they waited, they continued the conversation.

Jong Ho spoke as if whispering first.

“What about the surveillance?”

He was probably talking about the surveillance that stuck to him daily after he quit the association.

Probably heard about it in the car when Min-Cheol left to fight with Joker.

Ho Jin spoke as he chewed on a cucumber in front of him.

“There’s none today.”

“Since it’s Friday, they must’ve left work early?”

“Hohoho! Could be. Right. Isn’t Min-Cheol just about done with hunting? Why don’t you give him a call?”

“Eh. Unless I contact him first, he usually doesn’t call.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. He must be very busy.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“He said he needs to go to school soon, so he’s doing his best.”

“Hm? School?”

“Yes. He says he can’t do anything about it because it’s mandatory.”

“Oho. I’ll take care of that myself. In this situation, school isn’t that important, right?”

“Ah! I think Min-Cheol will be very happy. First, take a glass, hyung-nim.”

That started the road down both of them becoming very drunk.

The bottles of soju were already increasing from 4 to 5.

Slurring his speech, Jong Ho asked Ho Jin.

“Hyung.”

“Hm?”

“Where do we go from here?”

“Where we go? What?”

“Well. While our little sibling who is much younger than us is fighting tooth and nail, can we afford to just stand idly by like this. That’s what I mean.”

“Hm… Why are you helping Min-Cheol?”

“I feel bad for him. He’s so young. Thanks to all those greedy bastards around trying to use him for their greed…. Sometimes he’s scary, but he’s a lot younger than we think.”

“……”

“Radical faction? Government? I don’t care about all that. It’s because he’s like a little sibling to me.”

“The only thing we can do for him is provide information. No matter how much we try to grow, we can’t match those bastards.”

“True. Information. But even that marble. No matter how much we search, there’s nothing. Even looking through books resulted in nothing. It feels like we can’t even provide that help for him anymore.”

“….”

“But I feel bad just hunting together with him. What should we do, hyung-nim?”

Drinking the soju in his glass, Ho Jin was about to continue talking.

But then.

“Aigo. What occasion is it that you’re having alcohol?”

Bringing a chair between the two to sit was Min-Cheol.

This situation was awkward no matter how you looked at it, so Min-Cheol turned to look at Jong Ho and Ho Jin back and forth.

His face flushing bright red, Jong Ho spoke.

“Oh! Bro, what’s up?”

“Yo. Bro what’s up.”

“Bro. What does hyung do now?”

“Why ask?”

“This hyung isn’t useful to you anymore.”

“Mister. Did Jong Ho-hyung drink a lot?”

“Hoho. I didn’t make him drink.”

Min-Cheol heard what Jong Ho said from Ho Jin.

All the worry and how apologetic Jong Ho felt.

Listening to whole story, Min-Cheol spoke.

“Hyung. Should I get you to snap out of your drunkenness?”

“Ah! Are you trying to hit hyung or something!”

Min-Cheol laughed for a bit at the funny face Jong Ho was making before pulling something out of his pocket and spoke.

“From what I heard, I understand why Jong Ho-hyung is being like this. I think I found the solution just now?”

“What are you saying?”

“Should we go tomorrow morning after you snap out of your drunkenness? Or should we go now?”

“What! Let’s go now! Second round let’s go!”

“Hoho. Let’s go now then. But where…?”

“There it is. The level 14 dungeon.”

“Huh? Why the dungeon that we’ve been hunting in until now…”

“You’ll know when you go.”

-beep. beep. beep.

Just like that, the three of them entered the dungeon.