Solo Max-Level Newbie

The ruins of the 19th floor are home to thousands of caves, a labyrinth where it’s impossible to tell which path leads where. Losing one’s way could mean wandering forever until death.

Swish.

Jinhyuk hastened his steps.

‘Hasting…’

Given that the members of the Uasys clan had been murdered outside the ruins, there was no time to hesitate.

The rest of the party accelerated their pace, understanding the urgency.

But then…

“Wait!”

Jinhyuk, who had been running mindlessly, came to a sudden stop.

Uasys pricked up her ears.

“There are monsters up ahead. A swarm… Over a hundred of them.”

“I don’t sense any magical energy. Are you sure there are monsters?”

Theresa focused, scanning the surroundings.

However, she didn’t detect a thing.

“They’re in a semi-dormant state, invisible to magical detection, but if we get too close, they’ll all awaken and swarm us.”

He knew the characteristics of these creatures all too well.

Black Scorpions.

Over 5 meters in size and incredibly fast.

Moreover, the deadly poison in their tails was impossible to cure with even the ‘Blessing of the Stars.’

This was a challenge on a completely different level compared to the Sandworms they had just faced.

There were over a hundred of them.

Even if they chose to break through, it would undoubtedly be time-consuming.

“So, what do you propose we do?”

“We… should take a detour.”

Jinhyuk glanced at the side of the passage.

“Don’t tell me you plan to dig a way out with a pickaxe. That would take ages.”

“Don’t worry. It’s not that.”

Jinhyuk approached the wall slowly.

Sssk.

He ran his palm along it, feeling the cold touch of the earth.

“This isn’t the time to be—”

“Shh. Wait. Just a moment.”

Jinhyuk concentrated.

How much time had passed?

Jinhyuk, who had turned back for a moment, stopped again.

“I found it. It’s right here.”

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary wall that anyone would pass by without noticing.

But that was merely an illusion created by the shadows.

Looking closely, there was enough space for a person to pass through.

“I’ll go first. Follow me right away. Everyone else too.”

As Jinhyuk slowly disappeared between the cracks, gasps of amazement burst from all onlookers.

“Ah…”

“Incredible…”

“I’ve been here numerous times, but I never knew about this place.”

Even Uasys stared wide-eyed at the spot where Jinhyuk had vanished.

* * *

The inside was even more humid than before.

The stale, musty smell stung the nostrils.

‘I wanted to avoid this place if possible…’

He knew of this passageway; however, he hadn’t spoken of it.

Of all the routes leading to the Sun’s Core, this one was the most perilous and complicated.

Nonetheless…

There was no other choice but to pass through here given their time constraints.

And now that they had decided to come this way, there was something else that had to be done.

[Unique Ability ‘Primeval Flame’ activated!]

Red flames surged along the edge of his fangs.

The darkened vision grew clearer, revealing the surrounding landscape.

Flare!

A vast space spread before them, the floor covered with white sand.

An eerie sense of danger stimulated every nerve.

“From here on, it’s all traps. I could explain each one, but we’d waste too much time.”

“In the end, we just have to follow where you go?”

“Exactly. Everyone here is physically capable, so just follow in my steps.”

“Crap. Why does it feel like being with you only ever leads to hardship?”

Cheon Yuseong grumbled as he pulled out his stored armor.

Thwack!

Thud!

Theresa too removed her armored vestments.

They aimed to lighten their burden for agile movement.

The trio arranged themselves in slightly different attire.

‘It’s been a while; I’m a little nervous.’

If he took a wrong turn and awakened a dormant beast, it might be better to face the hundred Black Scorpions instead.

If only he had realized the situation would get this dire…

He would have purchased some personal items through Rick.

As a guild leader, Rick would have artifacts with weight reduction and stealth magic.

‘All we can do is move carefully.’

Jinhyuk concentrated energy in his legs.

Vroom!

‘Wind Domain’ and ‘Sword Demon Heavenly Spirit Step’ unfolded…

Whoosh!

A gust swept over the sand.

Quickly.

Yet lightly.

Jinhyuk sprinted across the sand with memories of the past.

The others accurately followed in his footsteps.

Until…

Thump!

A disturbing noise sounded.

Uasys’s hooves sank too deeply into the sand.

Crack!

The grains of sand shattered at the impact, and in that instant…

Rumble!

The ground shook violently.

White grains split to each side as the whole cave seemed to scream with the turmoil.

“Uasys?”

“Sorry, it’s my fault for being so heavy. I guess I should have dieted…”

Even a delicate deer is still a deer.

At over 100kg, it was nearly impossible to leave no trace on the sand.

[The owner of the passage awakens!]

[A state of ‘fear’ triggers due to severe level discrepancy!]

[All players and residents experience a level drop of 10 stages!]

A cascade of red warnings appeared.

From the sand emerged a monster of such size that words failed it.

A bug-like creature akin to a building, over 15 meters, had arisen.

The named guardian ‘Ghast Ant’.

A trap-type monster that hid in the sand, lying in wait for its prey.

“It’s dangerous. The chances of survival are less than 2%.”

Freya unsheathed her spear.

“Darn it.”

“So, we can’t avoid a fight after all.”

Cheon Yuseong and Theresa grimly drew their weapons.

The Ghast Ant surveyed below as if selecting its first victim.

Its decision made, its yellow eyes fixed on Cheon Yuseong.

“Screeech!”

Dozens of teeth parted, and a purple liquid sprayed from the Ghast Ant’s mouth.

An acid capable of dissolving its prey instantly.

The fluid, cast in a wide arc, made its way straight for Cheon Yuseong.

…So fast.

Sizzle!

The acid melted the sand in an instant.

Of course, Cheon Yuseong had narrowly dodged, leaving the spot just in time.

“Crap! Jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

Roar!

The sword, enhanced by ‘Sword Song’, flickered with blue energy.

Cheon Yuseong scaled the Ghast Ant’s body, blade swinging fiercely.

His ‘Sorrowful Sword Dance’ cascaded over the creature’s shell.

Clang, clang, clang!

The blade tore through the armor, cutting into the flesh.

No matter how high-level a monster was, naked flesh could not withstand sword energy.

But…

“Huh?”

The creature was too massive, the wounds not mortal.

“Screeeech!”

Angrily, the Ghast Ant screamed.

Unbelievably quick for its size.

Rumble!

The sand parted like the Red Sea.

A charging attack using its entire body could annihilate anything in its path.

“Dodge it!”

But dodging wasn’t easy, the charge covered a vast area.

Boom boom boom!

As the Ghast Ant passed, destruction marked its trail.

Cheon Yuseong leaped to the side, springing off the sand.

“Argh!”

He lost balance.

That opening…

…was not missed by the predator.

“Screeee!”

With another screech, the Ghast Ant plowed through the sand.

Even at full strength of Sorrowful Sword, it was impossible to withstand the impact.

It was too late to escape.

At that moment…

“I will intercept it.”

Without a chance for dissuasion, Freya stepped forward.

Boom!

An extraordinary clash occurred – the Ghast Ant’s forehead halted for the first time against the slender girl’s arm.

The pin holding her blue hair broke, unable to endure the shock.

Groan…

The forces balanced precariously, causing strange harmonics.

The legend of the Philosopher’s Stone, the strongest war machine, was palpable.

However…

The deadlock didn’t last long.

The Ghast Ant unleashed its magic power irritably at the persistent resistance.

[The Ghast Ant activates its unique ability ‘Ant Hell’!]

The prey that was to be eaten had now become an irritating ‘enemy.’

With a swoosh…

Legs sank into the ground.

Ant Hell.

A swarm type area-of-effect skill that sucks everything above the sand down.

Once in the sand, movements were restricted, just like mice in a trap.

“Can’t… move.”

“Survival chances… Less than 0.01%.”

“Dang it, do something. A desert burial is not my style!”

Slowly, dribbling drool from its mouth, the mighty body of the Ghast Ant vanished into the sand.

* * *

‘Good.’

Jinhyuk watched as he sank up to his waist.

He had never expected the dryad Uasys to escape undetected.

Yet he had insisted on this route because…

Even if the Ghast Ant awoke, he knew how to escape.

The activation of ‘Ant Hell’ only increased that likelihood.

‘Shorten the time and pay off a debt to Uasys along the way.’

Uasys struggled to bear the guilt of causing everyone such trouble.

Her large eyes looked as if tears could spill at any moment.

Along with this, he had verified Freya’s remarkable physical strength.

It was like hitting two birds with one stone.

“Keep calm everyone. It’s not over yet.”

Jinhyuk spoke calmly.

“Do you have a plan?”

“Yeah. I have an idea… just…”

His voice trailed off slightly, causing Cheon Yuseong to jerk his head as if he had touched a hot kettle.

“I’m not doing it. Absolutely not.”

“I haven’t said anything yet?”

“You’re surely going to tell me to act as bait while you do something, or are you asking me to sacrifice myself? I already know you’re the kind to sneakily push someone to their doom.”

After three years even a dog can recite poetry; this guy clearly knew what was coming.

“I’ll do it. I have 0% survival chance.”

Freya nodded slightly.

Void of any fear or emotion, she was willing to follow orders, incapable of acting on her own.

However.

“No.”

Jinhyuk drew his scythe made of Ghostwood.

“I’ll be the bait.”

There was another task to complete during their escape.

It was better to have as few observers as possible for that test.