chapter 216
216 – Unexpected Meat Party
‘Everyone is dead!’
As long as I knew that the sword I made worked, there was nothing to worry about.
The moment when I tried to lift the great sword again after tasting blood for the first time.
Ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-
A swarm of bats struck first.
He scratches my neck and other places with his sharp hook and tries his best to knock me down to the floor.
However, thanks to the neck protector that Yeonhee made, no damage was done at all, and the claws scraping across the body only made a loud noise and did not even make a scratch on the bone armor.
As long as I don’t make the mistake of losing my balance due to the overwhelming mass, I won’t be defeated by them.
I lowered my center of gravity by bending down as much as possible, creating space by exploding fireballs in the bat storm, and repeatedly swinging my great sword, aiming for the gap.
There were times when three or four groups were swirling around at the same time from all directions, and they would extend the thorns still remaining on their bodies like a hedgehog and roll away to avoid danger.
I suddenly thought that it would be amazing to release the thorns growing all over my body in all directions, but the reality is that it is difficult to even pull out a single thorn from my body right now, so I had to wait for later.
In the black storm of bats, the use of the great sword, which was difficult to swing once at first, became easier and easier, and at some point, it reached a level where I could naturally link it with magic without having to think about the next move in my head.
Huuuuung─ Huuuuung─
He danced alone for 30 minutes with a sword body that was thick and unpolished, and was about 1 meter long and made of bone.
It was a flashy gesture that I would never normally make, but since the hunters in this space are bound by an oath, they won’t be able to go out and talk about me anyway.
In addition, the bats surrounding me cover a huge area, so it would be difficult for those outside to understand what state I am in.
Nevertheless, the area of the bat group I was dealing with was gradually shrinking, and the hunters who saw my occasionally visible armor becoming darkly stained with bat blood glanced at me with a bit of fear and awe.
‘The pressure on my left arm is enormous…! Damn it!’
After enduring this for over 30 minutes, my arm, which had originally been numb, became extremely sensitive, to the point where I could even sense the movement of a bat passing by.
‘They say it depends on how you use it…’
The bone armor that had fused with my body was now one with me, so as the number of times I swung the great sword increased, my understanding of my body also increased significantly.
However, Yeonhee, who was watching me, seemed to be in danger, so her magical power was fluctuating.
She and I were connected by a very thin line, and Yeonhee was now conveying her anxious and nervous feelings to me without filtering.
Stop now and come here. I’m worried. Please stay where I can see.
That’s what she was saying.
– Defeat 10,000 enemies in one blow with a great sword. (1154/10,000)
‘Now that we have momentum… What should we do?’
As I was thinking for a moment, the bats that had flocked to me began to focus more and more on the direction where my colleagues were.
But this time it won’t be easy for them either.
This is because the hunters, who had been confused and reacted poorly at first, were now preparing with their eyes sparkling.
– Do you think you’ll get hit twice!
– Wall of Fire-!
– Light!
– Secure your front with a shield so there are no gaps! If you open a gap after the signal, the dealers will attack!
It started with a fire attribute wizard spewing out a wall of fire and roasting dozens of bats.
The second game, like the first, got off to a brilliant start, and Yeonhee focused on me for a while before eventually entering the battle with her teammates.
Yes, you must not forget your duty. It’s a good choice.
‘Then let’s build up a little more!’
With one swing, more than ten hooked bats are crushed flat by the great sword and die.
I was always stabbing at gaps with a dagger, but when I felt the cool sensation of hitting for the first time, I felt like my insides were completely hollowed out.
‘The great sword is also quite… Useful. I need to think about what my main weapon will be.’
Perhaps this quest is intended to guide me to the path that suits me best while defeating enemies with various methods and weapons.
After throwing myself into the storm again, those thoughts flew away before I knew it, and I gradually fell into a trance and began to focus only on being able to deliver faster and greater power.
That’s how we fight for an hour – rest for an hour
I repeated this routine two more times, and before I knew it, it was approaching 12 o’clock.
‘But I’m holding on because I’m returning to the ceiling just because I’m giving birth, damn it…’
Even if you think about it for a moment, bats returning to the ceiling to reproduce was extremely inefficient.
Nevertheless, I didn’t know if it was an instinct for the cycle of the species or another reason why they gave priority to their young.
I shook my head and looked at the message that came to mind.
‘Wow… Is this how things are going to turn around?’
– Defeat 10,000 enemies with skills with attributes. (7221/10,000)
– Defeat 10,000 enemies in one blow with a great sword. (4090/10,000)
– Defeat 10,000 enemies in stealth mode using daggers. (2233/10,000)
It was truly encouraging to see such tremendous progress made on the quest in just one day.
However, now filling dagger quests has become a task.
Killing small guys with a dagger is much less effective than under other conditions.
‘Still, I could finish the attribute and great sword quests as early as tomorrow… Hehe-‘
At this rate, I think I will be able to complete the quest in a few days.
I was able to complete my homework with unexpected ease, but now other hunters were the problem. Those who have taken the oath with us now.
– Wow…! Wow…
– I can’t do it anymore… Wow… Wow…
– Sigh… I want to go home… Why do I have to go through all this trouble! Fuck you world!
– Fuck… The dungeon is balanced? You value fairness? Give it to me… Kick, kick, kick…
The hunters were strewn about like freshly hung laundry on the big bore hides I had laid out. In contrast to their exhausted bodies, their mouths were constantly spitting out complaints.
‘One less person, twenty-three people…’
There were even additional deaths.
In the battle a little while ago, one person fell unconscious and never got up. Death due to exhaustion of vitality.
Actually, it was a bit strange. Because there are not many cases where people die from exhaustion of physical strength. Of course, it was that difficult…
“Everyone, take care of your physical strength. Don’t skimp on food. Since life force is invisible, it’s not like someone else can take care of it for you.”
“Oh, I understand…”
“Let’s eat first…”
“I only have one day’s worth…”
Yeom Tae-seok said to recover your physical strength first without sparing anything, but everyone was very worried about food and seemed hesitant to eat.
Who would have thought they would experience survival like this? It was something we couldn’t say we weren’t prepared for.
‘I think we need to raise morale a little.’
I hid behind the lizard unit, took out the Big Boar I had caught and stockpiled at the beginning, and moved back to where the people were.
Kuung-!
“Wow?! Big bore! Isn’t that even a baby?”
The melee warrior, who still had some stamina, raised his upper body and shouted.
Of course, it wasn’t small enough to be called a cub, but it seems to be that big in the eyes of a tanker, like a bandit.
A clean Big Bore with the skin already removed and all the inedible parts removed.
The other hunters who were lying down also quickly turned their heads at the shout and looked at the Big Bore in my hand.
Gulp-
Big bore meat known to be three times more delicious than pork belly.
“Huh… Well, how did that come out of here…”
“Since each summoned creature has an inventory, I guess they carry something like that…”
“At least he won’t starve to death in the dungeon.”
Unfortunately, the summons’ inventory space is less than half that of the hunters, so Big Bore does not fit in.
I already tried it.
I’m a bit weird with a large storage space, but I thought it would be better to leave it that way.
I dug out a small round shape on the flat floor and placed the magic furnace that I brought with Big Bore.
After that, if you blow magic power into the round magic storage tank attached to the bottom of the magic furnace, that’s all you need for fuel.
The magic power decreased by about 30, and soon a fairly strong flame began to burn above the furnace.
Tadadak- Grumbling-
If you install a stand for hanging skewers in the groove next to the brazier and hang a whole big bore meat on a skewer.
Chii Iik- sizzle- sizzle-
It becomes a big-bore whole roast with a crazy look.
As I squatted down next to him and started turning the whole roasting pot, the hunters’ eyes also swiveled as the meat cooked evenly.
All the hunters I checked during break time had less than a day’s worth of food.
Of course, it may seem like a few days’ worth to the general public, but that’s because hunters eat much larger meals than ordinary people.
Our party members, including Yeonhee, looked relaxed because they knew that I had stored up a large amount of food, but the other hunters had no idea, so they were already very worried.
Meanwhile, as I leisurely grill Big Bore, various thoughts must be floating through my head.
“Ilwol… Are we all going to eat together? Huh?”
Yeonhee seemed worried that I might give it to other hunters.
“Crack, crack, crack!”
“Yes! This is still enough to go around.”
Of course, it won’t be enough to feed all 29 people, but it will be enough to energize them.
When you eat monsters in the dungeon, there is a buff that temporarily increases your magic power and stamina recovery.
Seokgeuk- Joowoouk-
I cut the properly cooked Big Boar meat into bite-sized pieces with a dagger and placed it on a plate, and the hunters smiled at me and accepted the food.
“Thank you!”
“I’ll eat well! Wow-“
“Thank you. Thank you…!”
The hunters were all busy giving Yeonhee a friendly greeting and making eye contact.
When giving something, you want to give at least one more thing to the person who gives you that kind of feedback.
Any high-ranking D-level hunter with some experience will have this level of social skills.
‘… Well, being with people isn’t that bad.’
Of course, it may be a momentary impression, but running a dungeon with a large group of people is a different experience than when running a small group of people.
“Wow, it really tastes amazing.”
“The dog tastes like honey…”
It’s probably not a big bore meat that I’ve tried once or twice, but the people were unusual.
However, seeing even Ham Eun-young, who is stingy with her expressions, smiling brightly while stuffing her cheeks with meat, clearly seemed to be delicious.
“No, this is so delicious! It’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten?!”
“Is this Big Bore meat? Does it taste different from what I know?”
“That’s right. A big bore caught in the lowest level dungeon.”
‘Hmm… I can’t taste it, so I don’t know if I’m exaggerating or if the taste has really improved.’
It’s been over a month since it was put in inventory, so has it aged at all? I didn’t know.
‘Where…’
I quietly put a piece of meat in my mouth, but a message came to mind that it did not meet the conditions for [Innate Gluttony].
‘If I cook it, does it become neither alive nor dead? The standards are arbitrary…’
You will be able to tell the difference later by eating part of the carcass instead of grilling the big bore meat.
Anyway, everyone finished their meal happily, and it seems that the slight color on everyone’s face helped them recover their stamina.
I nodded in satisfaction and thought about the variables that would arise while doing [Mimicry] At night.
‘It would be better to hide in the tent with Yeonhee for now…’
To do that, we needed a space where just the two of us could cover ourselves.