Chapter 27

Once again, the Illusion shook.

All programs focused on it intensively.

The bulletin board was also in chaos.

It even swallowed the top spot in portal site search rankings.

[Dungeon, What Is It!]

The identity of the Dungeon was revealed.

[Many users are curious about Dungeons right now. Ms. Yura, did you know about Dungeons?]

[I only found out recently.]

[Oh, you got the information faster than I did.]

[You could say that.]

[Then, can I ask you about Dungeons? What exactly are they?]

[Generally, monsters are in the field.]

[That’s right. The field.]

[In contrast, wouldn’t it be easier to understand if you think of Dungeons as limited places to obtain special rewards?]

[Ah, limited places…]

[In old PC games, there were things called instant Dungeons, right? Places where you enter a limited map and can only exit after clearing it to the end. You can think of it as similar to that.]

[I see. Do you know about the rewards?]

[I don’t know for sure either. But I heard they’re amazing?]

[For example?]

[It varies depending on the Dungeon, but apparently, they often give very useful items. And sometimes there are Dungeons that give even more special rewards.]

[Useful items! Many users must be drooling?]

[I heard that the top guilds are already moving busily to occupy Dungeons.]

[The beginning of true growth!]

[That’s right. I’m really looking forward to it.]

They had truly excited expressions.

The homepage was the same.

Most of the users’ reactions were favorable.

[Jackpot, so items are finally coming out?]

[Haa, there was a content called Dungeon!]

[As expected, it’s Illusion!]

[I’ll find it first! For sure!]

But while they were excited, the large guilds had already taken action.

In particular, the infamous High Guild blockaded the hunting ground to monopolize a Dungeon they had luckily discovered.

They occupied the hunting ground line with 2,000 guild members.

“No further access allowed.”

“What the fuck!”

“I was planning to hunt here today!”

“If you want to be on the High Guild’s kill list, come on in.”

“What, you crazy…”

They cursed, but they couldn’t actually go in.

High Guild’s kill list.

There was a reason why they were infamous.

The reason for putting someone on the kill list was trivial, but once you were on it, they were known for their viciousness and tenacity, never giving up until the user quit Illusion.

Nearby users whispered.

“Why are they suddenly doing that?”

“Could it be…”

“What?”

“They found a Dungeon, maybe?”

“Damn it, then we should do it together. Why are they monopolizing it?”

“Idiot, think about it. If you were the guild leader, would you want to share it with other users?”

“……”

“Sigh, this game is so dirty. Hey, let’s go somewhere else.”

“Haa, damn it.”

Many users turned away like that.

Some users waited to see how the situation would unfold.

At the same time.

Muhyuk was already walking inside the Dungeon.

What kind of monsters will come out here?

Worry and anticipation.

He walked along the endless path inside the Dungeon, his state stained with a strange excitement.

How far had he gone?

A fork in the road appeared.

After a moment of thought, Muhyuk chose the left and entered.

Muhyuk frowned as he walked for a while. It was because another fork had appeared.

This time there were three.

Hmm…

Feeling a strange sensation, he chose the center. This time, he was able to discover a living being not long after.

A person…?

The shape was very similar to a person.

He summoned a Skeleton just in case.

Kilik, kiririk!

Only after the distance was sufficiently narrowed could he tell what it was.

It was a rotten corpse, a Zombie.

He felt strange facing the existence he used to summon and carry around as an enemy, before he changed jobs to a Gangster Necro.

“Bow Bone, attack.”

A Bone Arrow sped through the air.

The Zombie fell backward as the arrow pierced it.

Grrr…

But it slowly rose.

Muhyuk frowned and stepped forward. He swung his Skull Staff and struck the Zombie’s body.

[Deals 127 damage.]

[Deals 125 damage.]

It was too slow.

Grrr…

It only let out a strange cry. It had almost no combat ability.

“What is this?”

He quickly disposed of the Zombie.

Only emptiness remained.

Something’s strange…?

He tilted his head but had no choice but to move forward.

Muhyuk took another step.

Soon he discovered a fork.

This time there were four.

Muhyuk, who had chosen the rightmost path, met a Zombie again.

He disposed of it and looked at the dropped materials.

“……”

He didn’t pick up the materials and chose the right path again.

After passing several forks, the Zombie’s materials that he had deliberately not picked up came into view.

“Ah……”

It was a maze-like Dungeon.

He returned to the path he had taken through the center.

Next was the left.

After passing several forks, the entrance of the Dungeon came into view.

“Hoo, thank goodness.”

Luckily, he had returned to the beginning.

There is only one way to escape a maze-like Dungeon.

From the moment you recognize it as a maze, you must always go to the leftmost path.

Every time a fork appears, you must choose the leftmost path, and if it’s blocked, you must return to the previous one and choose the next path.

It would take a long time, but it was a sure method, so there was no choice.

Still, this is something.

If you level up and enter a special Dungeon or a unique Dungeon, you have to suffer for at least 3 weeks, no matter how easy it is.

If it’s really difficult, it might take 1 or 2 months.

Right, there was also the 18th floor Dungeon.

You have to clear all the monsters on one floor to open the door to the next floor.

You had to clear all 18 floors to get out, so it was hard to imagine how long it would take and how exhausting it would be.

Compared to that, well…

This is very easy.

Of course, there is a difference.

Doing it together and doing it alone.

Still, wouldn’t there be at least one companion by that time?

Kilik, kiririk.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of a Skeleton.

He turned his head and saw a Sword Bone there.

He had only summoned one because he was lonely traveling alone.

Also, it didn’t burden his Mana.

Right, you guys are companions too.

His heart felt lighter.

He leisurely chose the left path and went on for an hour.

Hmm, it’s blocked.

He returned to the previous path, and there was a monster wandering there.

It wasn’t there when he came?

He tilted his head and narrowed the distance.

Is it another Zombie?

But the movement is a little different.

Thud.

Even in the midst of that, Muhyuk moved forward, and only when the monster’s appearance became clear did Muhyuk urgently summon all the Skeletons.

Enhanced Zombie…!

It was a level 31 monster.

It was much taller and bulkier than a normal Zombie, and its movements were extremely natural.

Just like a human.

A sense of tension naturally flowed.

Why are you nervous when it’s a lower level than the level 32 Steel Ant?

He knew the weakness of the Steel Ant and dealt with it, but this guy has no weaknesses.

It doesn’t flinch at pain and ignores injuries, only pouring out indiscriminate attacks.

Its health is high, its defense is excellent, and its attack power is not negligible. So it was natural to be nervous.

Bow Bones, all attack.

Bone Arrows struck it.

Thwack, thwack.

But it came without any reaction.

Attack again.

The distance is sufficient.

It was the moment he judged that.

Swish.

The Enhanced Zombie suddenly increased its speed.

It was faster than he thought.

After firing one more Bone Arrow, he had no choice but to send the Sword Bones forward.

After switching to defense mode, Muhyuk narrowed the distance.

He intruded into the battlefield where they were exchanging blows and swung his Skull Staff.

Thwack.

With a powerful sound.

[Deals 97 damage.]

The message that appeared came into view.

Only 97…

Muhyuk’s current damage is roughly 150.

Thanks to his high strength, the Skull Staff’s damage, and the options attached to the item.

But the damage being dealt was only in the 90s.

That means its defense is over 50.

That’s an enormous number.

At this rate, the Skeletons’ damage will hardly be dealt.

What is its attack power?

Muhyuk deliberately stepped forward and got hit.

[Takes 111 damage.]

Muhyuk’s defense is over 30.

But still, 111 HP was reduced.

The Enhanced Zombie’s attack power is at least 140 or higher.

The Sword Bones’ HP is less than 700.

Their defense is around 20.

If you assume they take 120 damage each time they’re hit, one Sword Bone will be reverse-summoned after six attacks.

Body slam.

Biting.

Scratching.

Punching.

Kicking.

All of that will come in with similar damage.

On the other hand, the Skeletons’ attacks will be dealt at a very minimal level.

His worries were piling up.

But…

Kiririk! Kilik!

The situation didn’t flow as difficultly as he thought.

When he defended with the shield, the damage was clearly reduced, and in the meantime, Muhyuk succeeded in several attacks, so he was able to reduce its HP more easily than he thought.

The Sword Bone that had been attacked more than four times retreated, and he ordered the sturdy one to come forward and block its attacks with the shield.

The Bone Arrows that flew occasionally gave the monster a sense of incongruity, and Muhyuk also fired arrows to inflict damage.

Grrr!

Thanks to that, the monster’s entire body was currently silver.

That means it was stained with blood.

Even its movements slowed down.

It meant that its HP was less than 10 percent.

Muhyuk accelerated his attacks.

Grrr, grrr…

Eventually, it fell.

“Hoo…”

A smile came out for no reason.

Is this really an Enhanced Zombie? He even had that thought.

At that moment, the summoned creatures came into view.

Kilik, kiririk!

Didn’t they seem to be enjoying it?

Right, that must mean they’ve grown that much.

Among the monsters in the early 30s, the Enhanced Zombie is particularly high in defense.

It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s on par with monsters in the late 30s. He dealt with such a guy easily.

The summoned creatures’ damage was hardly dealt, but it must have accumulated little by little, and also because the Sword Bones blocked the attacks that Muhyuk would have taken.

That’s enough with the distractions.

“Corpse Dissection.”

After performing Corpse Dissection on the Enhanced Zombie, he put the materials in his inventory.

After that, he moved forward again.

He dealt with the monsters that appeared occasionally, and when the path was blocked, he came back.

There was always an Enhanced Zombie when he came back from a blocked path.

Anyway, Muhyuk was clearly narrowing the distance to the exit little by little.

It wasn’t that difficult because it was a normal Dungeon.

Did it take 3 days?

Only 3 days to the exit.

And what he acquired was gloves and a large amount of experience.

[Level has increased.]

With this, his level became 31.

And even then, about 50 percent of experience was accumulated.

Shall we see what the gloves are like?

Item confirmation.

A hologram appears.

[Gloves of Combat]

Attack Power 10

Strength +2

Durability 70/70

Usage Restriction: Strength 25

It was gloves with 2 Strength attached.

Even attack power?

If he sells it, it will probably fetch at least 100 Gold.

Jackpot.

He immediately put on the gloves.

After that, he held the Skull Staff in his hand.

There was no rejection.

It felt like it was sticking to him.

Good.

He smiled with satisfaction and passed through the entrance of the Dungeon.

The place he appeared was the center of the pavilion.

What he saw were users in the same attire surrounding him.