NOVEL NEXT chapter 377
377 – Just Hearing Information Makes Me Dizzy
“You have to write a pledge before you can share information.”
“Huh? “What kind of oath are you suddenly making?”
“No way, didn’t you go there and do something strange?!”
When Joo-a mentioned the pledge, Noh Hayun and Baek A-rin were shocked and shook Joo-a.
“Oh, that’s not it. I said let’s go together, who is it that didn’t come out and say I’m sleeping with you?”
“······.”
After scolding the two sleepyheads, Joo-A again said that the information can only be released if we all sign an oath to keep quiet about this information.
“What if even one person disagrees?”
“Then I can’t speak.”
“You made an oath about that again?”
“That’s right.”
In the end, all my colleagues except me signed an oath, and now they cannot tell anyone about the information they just heard.
‘Is there any information in the dungeon that shouldn’t be leaked?’
Although I had some strange thoughts, I decided to give it a listen.
“There are many dungeons all over the world, but the number of monsters that appear is limited, right?”
“That’s right.”
“It is common for there to be no more than five types of monsters in one dungeon, but in the hidden dungeon managed by Ilseom, it is said that, except for the three set monsters, the other monsters keep changing at regular intervals.”
‘The types keep changing… That must be a pain in the ass.’
“How is the schedule set?”
Hayun asked, and Jooah replied that she didn’t know either.
“They say it’s random. Sometimes it changes in 15 days, and sometimes it doesn’t change for over half a year.”
“So… In the end, we have to deal with an unknown monster.”
“That’s right. Anyway, there are some that appear without fail. These are the ones.”
On the paper Jua held out, three monsters of different appearances were drawn in pen. What’s interesting is that they all have an appearance similar to that of an insect.
“First. Blood Mosquito. This is the monster you need to be most wary of in this dungeon.”
‘Blood Mosquito…? Can’t we just call them mosquitoes?’
The first monster was a monster that looked very similar overall to a mosquito. It has bloodshot red eyes, three pairs of wings as colorful as a rainbow, a body length of up to two meters, and, as its name suggests, it is said to suck blood with its long snout.
“Once blood is sucked, it becomes infected and its stamina continuously decreases. After a certain period of time, it can even cause permanent illness. It is said that the certain period of time depends on the grade of the Mosquito that sucked blood.”
“Oh… A permanent disease? Is it incurable?”
“It’s not that bad, but I think a fairly high-level treatment is needed.”
“Wow… This is absurd. Is there enough charm to take on such a risk?”
“Well, I guess there is?”
‘Once you hear the explanation, they are people you never want to deal with.’
They even walk on two legs and have four pointed arms that can suck blood like a snout. It seemed like it would be annoying in many ways.
“Ugh… Of course it’s mosquitoes. I really hate mosquitoes.”
“Look at the red eyes.”
“They say this is what it looks like when it has finished sucking blood. It is said that the more blood it sucks, the stronger its physical abilities become.”
“… Becoming stronger doesn’t mean becoming stronger permanently, right?”
“Yes, it becomes stronger permanently. So sometimes, mutants that grow by sucking the blood of other monsters in the dungeon appear, and these guys have much higher combat power, so you have to be especially careful.”
“I guess the reason it is the monster we need to be most wary of is because of its mutation.”
“That’s right.”
“Wow… That must be so dangerous… “
Rather than his appearance, his colleagues were perplexed when they heard about his ability to grow by sucking blood.
“It is said that the rough grades are spread widely, from the top of Class C to the top of Class B. Among the strains that have grown successfully by sucking blood for a long time, there are said to be some that have gone well beyond Class A, and in addition, they even resemble the external appearance of the individual that sucked blood.”＜ Br﹥
“… I can’t go in here, right? Aren’t I going to go in right now? No, there’s no reason to go in, right?”
“If the variant has A-level combat power… It’s impossible right now. But at what rate do such variants exist?”
“They say it’s extremely small. Ilseom officials say it doesn’t have a long lifespan, so it seems to disappear naturally.”
‘Life span…? Probably not…’
Although it has not yet been revealed to anyone else than Yeonhee, the recipe for the drug ‘Kilbad’ used by Ilseom’s prosecutors clearly listed a variant of mosquitoes as an ingredient.
Therefore, it would be reasonable to assume that there are only a small number of those who have grown up because they are being caught by prosecutors in the small group where mutations occur.
From the beginning, a very powerful guy appeared and the mood among my colleagues suddenly became depressed.
“It’s just that I can’t challenge it right now, but I will be able to challenge it someday.”
“Well, then.”
“Hmm… I was shocked anyway, so let’s move on to the second part.”
The second monster was reminiscent of a giant scarab.
The yellow body is covered with a hard shell painted with a smooth gloss, and it appears to be difficult to cause significant damage unless the boat is flipped over.
‘It reminds me of Tarantara. That guy also had a hard skin.’
“The name is ‘Minescarabe’. As you can see, it is a monster with excellent defense.
This guy shows two main types of attacks: one is rolling up its hard body into a ball and headbutting the body, and the other is firing bombs from the cannon-shaped genitals hidden in its outer shell.”
“It’s getting bigger and bigger… It’s a bomb.”
“How much damage does the bomb have?”
“It is said to be equivalent to Pyro Burst, a higher version of Fireball. It may not be stronger than the bomb, but it is still fatal to hunters with low defense like us.”
“Pyro Burst?! It’s so powerful, right? So this scarab is also a B-class monster?”
“It is said that they are classified as Class B and higher, but they are not as numerous as the Blood Mosquito. And in Ilseom, they say they judge their promotion based on whether or not they can cut off their carapace with a sword.”
I had heard in a previous life that Ilseom divided its own ranks among prosecutors who had risen above a certain level.
The more I heard everyone’s story, the more I resigned I became, but I had a different opinion.
‘Hmm… It’s not as difficult as I thought?’
Before hearing the story, I was nervous, wondering what would happen if it was a high-level dungeon where the average combat power of the monsters far exceeded A-level, but except for the mosquito variant, it was a pretty decent place.＜ Br﹥
Of course, the moment you encounter that variant, you will see hell.
“Lastly, the name of this gorgeous-looking monster is ‘Priscana’, commonly known as Jewel Bug.”
The third monster was a monster the size of a large dog that crawled without limbs like a caterpillar, and its body was covered in jewel-like things.
“The colors are very pretty~ What are the abilities of this monster?”
“It is said that the jewel attached to the body is filled with ice-like energy, and by spreading it into the air, snow crystals explode everywhere.
It seems like an ice spell that lasts for quite a long time, but during that time, this guy is absolutely in a state of counterattack. Deals ice attribute damage to the person who attacked.”
“Wow!! Ice attribute monster?! That’s awesome!!”
When the word ice came out, Hayoon Noh burst into cheers.
Usually, if you kill a monster with your main attribute, you will receive a lot of experience points, and sometimes you can get a new growth route or an unexpected event.
“This absolutely has to go!! Huh? Everyone is going to go, right?”
“When you say that, I don’t want to go.”
“Ah, why!!”
‘Still, there’s at least one small reason to go.’
“Explodes a jewel full of energy in a wide area?”
“If you stay still, your stamina will decrease, and if you attack, you will receive counterattack damage… Are all the monsters in this dungeon easy?”
“That’s right… They say that ‘Prizcana’s’ grade is close to A grade. I feel that it is a bit overrated because it doesn’t compatibility well with the swordsmen of the Ilseom. Still, it is the strongest of the three monsters, so you should be careful.”
“It looks very gentle, but that’s about it… Hmm…”
“But more than anything, the reason I’m reluctant to go to this dungeon is because there’s another reason.”
“What is that?”
Joo-a could not easily say anything to Yeon-hee’s question.
“Huh? Why are you holding back?”
“That’s something I don’t readily believe.”
Joo-a stroked her lips for a while and then resumed her story.
“They say we’re not the only ones entering the dungeon.”
“Huh? Well, then hunters from other countries are coming in too? Chinese guys again?”
“It looks like this dungeon is losing balance like other dungeons.”
“No… That’s it. You’ll have to meet them in person to know, but they say they’re from a completely different world.”
─?!
‘People from another world…?! This is an unexpected barrier.’
“That’s ridiculous… Really, people from another world? We can see people from another world that we’ve only heard about in stories?”
“Are these elves who can only be seen by going to the top of the upper dungeon?”
“No, their appearance is no different from us. However, they say they will be easier to recognize because they are taller.”
“Then of course those people must also be talented, right?”
“That’s right. The problem is that since we can’t communicate with these people at all, frequent and unwanted friction has arisen. Now, whenever we see people on our side, we consider them enemies and attack them first.”
“Like this…”
‘You’re hitting a goal. If this happens, the story will be different again. This is why they made me take the oath.’
Everyone couldn’t help but be lost in thought.
Dealing with unfamiliar monsters is a headache, but they are people from another world.
“Are they strong?”
“It’s no different from us. There are strong people and there are ridiculously weak people. But they say they have only one purpose.”
“What is that?”
“The ‘Prizcana’ I explained earlier. Their only purpose is to catch that monster. I don’t know why.”
“Huh?”
“Why? Are they making ice cream and eating it?”
‘A monster with the ice attribute… That means it has something valuable. What other abilities does that gem contain?’
“Then if you don’t touch those guys-“
“They say they attack as soon as they see you, Arin. Once you meet them, they immediately go into battle mode. No matter how much we smile.”
“Hmph…”
But ‘Prizcana’ is something we need too.
‘Because the jewel on the body is Kilbad’s recipe. I can’t just pass it up. It’s difficult.’
“Then what about the numbers? They sound so crowded?”
“They say it depends on the time of year. They have nothing to gain from meeting the swordsmen of Ilseom, so they usually explore while keeping a reasonable distance from each other. Still, if they are targeting the same prey in a limited space, they are bound to clash.”
“First of all, it’s a place you can’t enter right now, right?
“That’s right. I don’t know if it would be possible if it were Sun and Moon.”
At JooA’s words, everyone turned their heads to me and looked at me again.
“I’m sure… I cut off the amazing face of Hyeon Woo-seok. I wonder if he can survive there too?”
“Speaking of which, what on earth was that swordsmanship that Ilwol showed yesterday? Teach me too!! I was a teacher once, so now you teach me!”
‘…’
“The swordsmanship is great enough to cut through Hyeon Woo-seok’s strange abilities. It’s definitely strange.”
“Uh… That’s…”
As questions pour out to Yeonhee, she looks back at me.
‘Every time something like this happens, I feel like I want to turn into a human being and talk coolly.’
Being able to do something but not being able to do it was truly tantalizing.
‘It’s still too early to show a humanoid… Yeonhee probably doesn’t want to either.’
When I shook my head, Yeonhee just brushed it off, saying she wasn’t sure.
“But… If you’re planning on going in, you can’t just delay your entry.”
“What do you mean by that again?”
Jua heard that the entrance to the dungeon is blocked during the period when the entrance is dyed red.
The reason is that when you enter the dungeon during that time, the number of other world people and monsters is several times higher than usual.