NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8
Today’s F+ Level Dungeon.
Dozens of ants swarmed.
They were as big as wild dogs.
“【Stop】.”
Screech—
The ants, which were swarming, stopped all at once.
Even the dust and grass stopped.
“Wow…”
“Why are you so amazed all of a sudden? Let’s quickly finish and get out of here.”
“Yes!”
They killed all the stopped ants.
And they dealt with the World Tree’s roots as well.
[Perfect Clear! (Solo)]
[Due to your achievement, a ‘Blessing’ has spread across the surrounding area…]
They exited the dungeon.
A pillar of light shot up into the sky.
“Tsk, I’m going to attract aggro again.”
What else can I do?
I can’t avoid clearing the dungeon.
The rewards from Perfect Clear are so sweet.
[Opening ‘Random Box (+2)’.]
“Are you opening the Random Box? Let’s see what comes out this time!”
“Please give us a potion.”
Drumroll.
[The seal of a random summoning spell has been released.]
“Huh?!”
“Why, what’s going on?”
Aden was shocked by the reaction.
She tilted her upper body towards it.
But… this is what came out?
‘Come to think of it.’
When he first awakened, he was told that the seal would be released every time certain conditions were met.
The final battle with the Black World Tree.
He succeeded in sealing the World Tree, but Kyle was also sealed by the Word magic spells.
[The spell 【Ignite】’s seal has been released.]
“Wow!”
“What is it! What did you get?”
Aden’s blue eyes sparkled.
Leaning even more forward.
It was almost like she was going to fall over.
But this has been unlocked.
It’s a low-level spell, but it’s actually better.
It consumes less mana.
Its utility is high.
But I can’t tell her.
“It’s just a useless item.”
“What!? Really!?”
Aden, who had high expectations, staggered in surprise.
She almost fell but ended up hugging me.
Something huge pressed against my lower abdomen.
It really is big.
‘With this size, it might be as big as Mila’s.’
I wonder which magic pouch is more dominant.
It’s close.
Maybe I’ll have to grab it to figure it out.
“Ah, what is this! Making people expect something!”
“Let’s go home.”
They both headed to the academy.
###
Aden changed the channel.
“Hey, they’re talking about our teacher.”
“What about?”
It seems to be because of today’s Perfect Clear.
“Now they’re talking about Blessings.”
“Oh, really?”
I’m curious.
She sat next to me.
“It’s the Awakener Professor Invitation Talk Show.”
I was curious about that too.
~f+ People>
Audience laughter.
The MC’s sly grin was zoomed in.
“Haha. Unfortunately, F-grade doesn’t have those effects.”
“Too bad!”
“But higher grade Blessings are different.”
What are the effects of higher Blessings?
I’m curious.
‘E-level is right around the corner.’
Unfortunately, the effects of an E-grade Blessing haven’t been revealed yet.
Once an E-grade dungeon gets a Perfect Clear, it will probably be discovered.
The talk show continued.
They kept singing praises about Perfect Clears.
“Yes! And five of them happened in Seoul, South Korea!”
Wait.
Seven times in history?
‘So, before me, it happened only twice?’
Ah.
No wonder there’s so much fuss about it.
They’ve been pulling aggro like crazy.
‘But I’ve done four Perfect Clears just in the past two days!’
Ahh!
“Hey! Why didn’t you stop me!?”
“Ugh! Why are you throwing the snack bag? You’ll break the contents!”
Aden quickly caught the bag and opened it.
She chewed loudly.
‘What… are there really no talented people!?’
It’s frustrating.
Even when Kyle was a little kid, he must have done something like a Perfect Clear!
If it were the old days!
Even if there were only seven heroes, a double-digit Perfect Clear would have been common!
‘Why are they all so weak, making it so easy to attract aggro!?’
It’s all because they focus too much on stats!
Training!
Research!
Gaining experience!
“Enough! Student! Time for class!”
“Oh! Magic class!”
Aden was excited.
Her blue eyes sparkled with magical energy.
She stuffed the remaining snacks into her mouth.
I won’t let my student turn out weak.
“Don’t grow up like that!”
“Yes? I don’t know what you mean, but yes!”
###
The support team was bustling again.
Team Leader Yoo Chayeong was reviewing an analysis report.
“This figure is quite significant.”
“Yes. The value of the Blessing is more than we expected.”
It might seem like just a 5% increase in stats.
But in reality, it’s a 5% increase in all stats.
Considering the synergy between the different stats, the actual combat power increase wasn’t just 5%.
This is not a number to ignore.
Reality isn’t like a game with numbers.
In a life-or-death situation, the difference of a small margin can decide if you live or die.
“Our guild members’ raiding success rate increased by 40%.”
“Of course, for regular Awakeners, the result would be different.”
“Even so, it will increase by 20%.”
Higher success rate means more mana stone production.
Mana stones are the lifeblood of modern industry.
They replace oil as an energy source.
They are used in chemistry, textiles, metals, and materials.
They are everywhere.
“South Korea’s economy will be greatly shaken.”
“Of course, in a good way!”
“Phew… the value of a Perfect Clear Awakener just went up.”
“Will our salaries go up too?”
The competition for recruitment will get even fiercer.
With a Perfect Clear Awakener, you can produce as many of these Blessings as you want.
“Jin-Young, please deliver this result to the finance team.”
“Yes!”
The team members were very excited.
“We should buy stocks right now~ Team leader, you should also buy something during this opportunity! Anything, really, it will all go up!”
“Jin-Young.”
“Yes, yes?”
The subdued response made the team member nervous.
But soon, the tension was relieved.
“I’ve already bought some.”
“…Ah!”
“Investment is also part of self-management. Always strive for improvement, for the sake of progress.”
“Team leader. Can you share the stocks…?”
“It’s work time. Move.”
“Yes, yes!”
The team member quickly left under the calm but firm command.
###
Kang Hyun and Aden arrived at the gate.
It was also F+ grade.
“If Elixir comes out this time, we’ll be at E-grade soon.”
“Do you think it’s okay? Even if we keep doing Perfect Clears?”
“It’s already spilled milk.”
“…Normally, wouldn’t you say ‘let’s be careful from now on’?”
True, but when is Kang Hyun ever ordinary?
“Why hide now? We’ve already attracted tons of aggro with five Perfect Clears, one more won’t change anything.”
“Hmm….”
“And the rewards are too sweet.”
“That’s true.”
The first reward was an aether space.
A treasure I’d never even touched in my past life.
Along with two Elixirs and a ‘Perfect Moisture Mask.’
‘The effects are amazing.’
My throat feels super hydrated.
Kang Hyun, who’s extremely sensitive about throat health, knows how crucial humidity is for it.
‘This is treasure.’
How can I stop doing Perfect Clears with rewards like this!
I’m already addicted to the rewards.
“Let’s go in. Let’s rest in the aether space for a bit.”
Aden entered through a loophole.
This time, the entrance was quiet.
They walked until the monsters appeared.
“After all, I heard that other Awakeners have to run through dungeons dozens of times to see Elixirs. And even then, it doesn’t come out in low-level dungeons.”
“Keeping a low profile is important. But we’ve been careful so far, right? Just keep doing what we’ve been doing.”
They only picked gates in quiet places.
“Keeping a low profile is about protecting yourself. But to protect yourself, you need to grow strong quickly, and to grow strong, you need to enjoy the rewards.”
Kyle and caution didn’t go together.
Even in the past, he was always the first to charge ahead.
He took on risks head-on.
That’s Kyle’s mindset.
“In that sense, you should learn too. Sometimes, taking on risks is the fastest and most efficient way. Like right now.”
“Now? What do you mean?”
Kang Hyun drew his sword.
“Why handle those rats outside when it’s easier to just deal with them in the dungeon and get rid of all the evidence?”
“Yes?”
Since he’d just unlocked a new spell.
It’s time to stretch his body a bit.
“Look ahead. Don’t react. Just pretend you don’t know.”
###
The two men quietly followed behind Kang Hyun.
They were all loan sharks.
“Boss, are we really killing them? Just because they borrowed money? Does that make sense?”
“It’s not just ‘because they borrowed money,’ you idiot.”
Tsk. This is why newbies are annoying.
Why do I always get stuck training these idiots?
“They broke the number one rule: never make an Awakener your enemy. Didn’t you learn that?”
“Of course, I learned. But this is….”
“Then. Someone borrowed our money. Do you think we lent it out nicely?”
“Yeah, probably….”
They must’ve caused a scene. It’s a loan shark’s business, after all.
The answer was swallowed.
“Exactly. So, they probably have a grudge against us, right? But that debtor just awakened. What do we do now? This goes against our first rule.”
We kill them.
The words didn’t need to be said out loud.
The newbie swallowed nervously.
“Why are you trembling? It’s fine. We’ll kill them in the dungeon. No evidence left behind.”
“Do you think we can handle this with just the two of us?”
“Our target just awakened as an F- grade. One slash and they’re done.”
Both of them were D- grade.
An F- grade didn’t stand a chance against them.
“But they didn’t come alone, so there must be at least five of them….”
“They’ll all fall. Just watch and learn.”
This is what we call ‘pulling.’
If you use monster aggro properly, it’s easy to wipe them out.
It’s the most common accident that happens in dungeons.
“We’re closing in now. Keep quiet.”
The target was spotted.
But the men witnessed an unbelievable scene.
“【Stop】”
Screech-
The world froze.