Chapter 48

What was Siyoon’s reason for supporting the first party?

It was none other than equipment and treasure.

Unconquered dungeons are untamed frontiers untouched by hunters’ hands.

Along with combat experience, there is a high probability of obtaining rare equipment.

However, he had not considered the hidden route.

A hidden route only appears when specific conditions are met.

Once opened, the dungeon’s difficulty rises accordingly.

While the hidden rewards are plentiful, the danger increases in equal measure.

But there was no guarantee that the conditions would be easily discovered.

That was why he had tried not to covet the hidden route.

Yet who would have expected a hint to be sitting right there in the message?

This was practically spoon-feeding him the answer on a silver platter.

What reason could there possibly be to refuse such an opportunity?

‘I don’t know the exact conditions. But I have a fairly good guess.’

A pillar situated somewhat incongruously within the tropical rainforest.

It was a kind of marker, meant to indicate something.

When he touched it, a faint light had gathered and a message appeared—that much was certain.

However, only part of the conditions had been revealed.

‘The pillar itself has sustained significant damage, so it likely couldn’t fulfill its proper function.’

The pillar Siyoon had discovered was old and weathered.

Though made of stone, it was heavily eroded and covered in moss and vines.

A stark contrast to the radiant, divine power it once emanated.

This was a problem that Siyoon’s grown Enhancement skill could, to some extent, solve.

Of course, he could only attempt this if the party members shared his intention.

In their current situation, the dungeon was something they all had to navigate together.

Pushing through with stubbornness or dictatorial insistence was out of the question.

So from here on, he had no choice but to talk them into it.

‘Alright.’

He had finished calculating how to present his case.

Now all that remained was persuasion.

Siyoon looked at his party members, lost in thought, and slowly began to speak.

* * *

Siyoon calmly explained the situation to the party members.

The gist of his explanation was as follows:

The condition for opening the hidden route was this very pillar.

And he possessed the means to restore it.

With a clue right before their eyes, wouldn’t it be a shame to let it slip away?

His words were logical and articulate, but the party members who heard them only groaned in hesitation.

“A hidden route, huh. Isn’t that dangerous?”

“I’m tempted, but I don’t know. I’m not sure it’s worth the risk.”

Among them, Jang Taeju and Jin Baekseon, who had listened quietly and pondered, spoke up.

It wasn’t that they were cowards or lacked ambition.

It was simply because this was an unconquered dungeon.

‘That was the reaction I expected.’

Unlike conquered dungeons, unconquered dungeons cannot be exited unless something extraordinary happens.

The passage through which they entered had already closed.

Given these circumstances, their reluctance was perfectly understandable.

There was also a strong possibility of acquiring additional equipment during the dungeon run.

Above all, simply clearing the dungeon would earn them a substantial reward from Andor.

That was when—

“I’m in favor.”

Seo Eunhyun, who had been deliberating for quite some time, spoke up.

“Are you serious?”

“Yeah. If we had to find the clue ourselves, that’d be one thing, but it’s right in front of us. Giving it a shot seems reasonable enough.”

“But we don’t know what kind of variables might come up.”

“True enough. But even so, I think the odds are well in our favor.”

“Hmm.”

“We’re the first ones to enter this dungeon anyway. A slight change in course shouldn’t throw things too far off track, should it? And besides…”

Seo Eunhyun looked at Siyoon.

“We happen to have a capable guide on our side.”

“Hmm…”

“And the fact that you brought it up suggests you already have a way to open the hidden route.”

At Seo Eunhyun’s words, Jin Baekseon and Jang Taeju fell back into contemplation.

They must have found his argument persuasive.

No matter how dangerous it was, they were hunters at heart.

There was no way they weren’t interested in higher-rank equipment or treasure.

If they weren’t, they wouldn’t have taken on such a perilous commission in the first place.

“…You have a point.”

The first to speak was Jin Baekseon.

“Considering the abilities you’ve shown us so far, it’s true that the odds are high.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

Though they had only been together for a few hours, they had witnessed Siyoon’s capabilities firsthand.

His keen senses that detected approaching magic beasts early on.

His swift judgment in taking action to verify his suspicions the moment they arose.

And his marksmanship, which ranked among the best.

The party had managed to reach this point while preserving their stamina as much as possible—all thanks to Siyoon.

“…What’s the method?”

Jang Taeju, who had been seriously deliberating, finally asked.

He must have crunched the numbers and accepted that the probability was high.

Siyoon hadn’t expected persuasion to be this easy.

Thanks to Seo Eunhyun, the process had concluded far more quickly than anticipated.

“The hidden route is connected to restoring this pillar.”

“What?”

Jang Taeju’s face twisted in disbelief at Siyoon’s answer.

“Isn’t that just another way of saying it’s impossible?”

“No, it’s possible. I have an item that can restore objects.”

At those words, all three party members’ eyes went wide.

This, too, was a perfectly natural reaction.

After all, items capable of restoring objects were expensive.

It was a lie, of course.

‘Can’t let them find out about the skill.’

Siyoon had no intention of revealing his skill to anyone yet.

But this time, he had no choice but to use it in front of others.

The clue to restoring the pillar was Enhancement itself.

So he had fabricated a lie to ensure they wouldn’t attribute it to a skill.

“You must have scored big when you raided Haind.”

“To use an item like that here…”

“You must have really wanted that treasure, huh?”

It was a hastily invented lie, but the party members didn’t question it.

If anything, they seemed to believe that Siyoon had pocketed something during his raid on Haind.

He saw no need to correct that assumption.

There was no reason to.

“I’ll take your agreement as given and proceed.”

The party members nodded and raised their weapons.

A precaution against any unforeseen circumstances.

Confirming this, Siyoon placed his hand on the pillar.

And used Enhancement.

[ Enhancing ‘Enseodotar’s Heart Pillar’ with ‘Skill: Enhancement.’ ]

Under the influence of Enhancement, the pillar once again emitted a faint light.

Siyoon watched the pillar closely.

In truth, this idea had come to him after observing the effects of Enhancement.

Upon reaching Enhancement level 5, several changes had occurred.

One of them was the ability to enhance the inherent characteristics of an object.

‘Strictly speaking, it’s quite different from restoration, but the possibility is more than sufficient.’

Objects enhanced through the skill see a dramatic increase in their overall performance.

Scars or signs of wear on the object itself wouldn’t be erased, of course.

However, as its characteristics and effects increased, there was a very high probability that some of its lost abilities would return.

Siyoon’s conjecture proved to be exactly right.

[ Enhancement successful! ]

[ You have made contact with ‘Enseodotar’s Heart Pillar +6.’ ]

[ The pillar’s original lost abilities have been restored. ]

[ All hidden conditions have been revealed. ]

[ The hidden route has been revealed! ]

Kwaaak!

An intense light burst from the Heart Pillar, now enhanced to +6.

The pillar of light pierced through the rainforest canopy and shot skyward, almost appearing sacred.

But that wasn’t what mattered.

[ Additional conditions have been added following the opening of the hidden route. ]

[ Eliminate the magic beasts swarming toward the pillar of light. ]

[ 0 / 100 ]

The content was slightly different from the message that had appeared earlier.

But the difficulty was worlds apart.

“Don’t tell me this is—!”

“No time to be surprised. Everyone, prepare for combat!”

Siyoon barked the order at his party members.

The situation had completely reversed.

This was vastly different from before, when they could simply hunt magic beasts at their leisure.

What did it mean to be told to eliminate swarming magic beasts?

It meant that the magic beasts were about to charge at them with fire in their eyes, hell-bent on overrunning this position.

-Kiiiiiik!

-Kyaaaah!

-Gwwoooooooh!!

Sure enough.

Barely a moment after his shout, monstrous shrieks erupted from all directions.

Siyoon felt the trembling of the ground growing steadily worse as he quietly raised his gun.

The first trial on the path to the hidden route.

The beginning of a Monster Wave.

* * *

The sudden Monster Wave made its presence known with overwhelming force.

The thundering footsteps of magic beasts shaking the earth, bloodlust surging from every direction.

Trees all around were torn apart, and the skittering sounds of crawling insects filled the air.

Then, at some point, all noise vanished.

Simultaneously, crimson glows began to appear one after another beyond the dark undergrowth—eyes opening in the shadows.

It was a chilling sight.

-Kieeeeeeeek!

-Kaaaak!

In that instant, the magic beasts roared in unison and charged.

A force numbering a hundred was no joke; the malevolent energy overflowed.

They were as ferocious as predators closing in on their prey.

“Cover us from the back.”

Jang Taeju took the lead, with Seo Eunhyun and Jin Baekseon positioned slightly behind him.

With Jang Taeju, whose shield made him suited for the vanguard, holding the line, the goal was to dispatch the magic beasts quickly.

With Siyoon positioned in the rear, it formed a textbook formation.

-Kyaaaat!

At that moment, a magic beast burst through the foliage.

It was an Aindar.

The Aindar, its mantis-like eyes flashing, spread its wings and accelerated.

“Hup!”

Kang!

Jang Taeju didn’t dodge—he actively blocked the Aindar’s attack.

No, he overpowered the creature’s force in return.

Jin Baekseon instantly bisected the staggering Aindar.

[ You have defeated a magic beast. ]

[ 1 / 100 ]

The kill count rose simultaneously.

But there was no room for complacency.

Behind that first beast, magic beasts literally poured in.

-Kiririk!

-Kwwoooong!

-Kik! Kyaaa!

Aindars resembling praying mantises, along with magic beasts in the shapes of all manner of insects, swarmed in.

A staggering horde numbering a hundred.

Seogeok.

Seo Eunhyun, wielding dual reverse-grip daggers, engaged two magic beasts simultaneously.

He slashed at impossible angles, as though two separate people were wielding the daggers.

Deflecting incoming strikes while piercing exposed weak points.

He would block attacks from both high and low angles simultaneously, then thrust from a different direction altogether.

Given how difficult dual-wielding was to master, it was a display of considerable skill.

Chwaaaak!

Jin Baekseon was by no means falling behind.

The instant his thin blade moved, blood spurted from the bodies of three or four magic beasts at once.

His attacks were as swift as they were lethal, as if coiling the very wind around his sword.

Of course, this was only possible because Jang Taeju held the line steadfastly.

Jang Taeju, armed with a mace and shield, planted his lower body firmly.

He knocked back approaching enemies with his mace and blocked their attacks with his shield.

Once he created an opening, it was Seo Eunhyun and Jin Baekseon’s turn.

But he couldn’t block every single enemy.

Peogeok!

In those moments, supporting fire arrived without fail.

Siyoon, positioned in the rear, didn’t even bother looking through his scope.

He assessed the overall battlefield with his naked eyes.

From there, he focused on intercepting the most dangerous beasts and those that slipped through the formation.

This was only possible thanks to his Enhanced eyes and the Wind of Horus.

Tatatatatang!

Despite being a sniper rifle, the gunfire sounded like rapid fire—truly overwhelming.

With every pull of the trigger, magic beasts’ bodies burst apart.

Yet the situation was far from optimistic.

[ 31 / 100 ]

‘So we’ve taken down thirty-one so far.’

The kill count climbed steadily as the party members slaughtered magic beasts.

But they hadn’t even reached the halfway mark yet.

Moreover, the situation that allowed Siyoon to snipe freely would soon come to an end.

-Kyaruruk!

-Kuwooooh!!

Magic beasts were steadily pressing in from the rear as well.

The back was a shallow water’s edge tangled with vegetation, which had only slowed their approach.

It was only a matter of time before they caught up.

‘I already anticipated this much.’

Their position was an open jungle on all sides.

Trees and waterways were hardly significant obstacles for the magic beasts of this place.

This was their home turf, after all.

Siyoon had factored in this scenario from the very beginning.

‘Slipping away to another position now would be the worst possible move.’

Once magic beasts closed in, sniping would become difficult for Siyoon.

Climbing a tree or breaking off alone in another direction would collapse the formation.

That left only one answer.

Siyoon had to change positions himself to maintain the formation.

-Kyaaaak!

At that moment, a Kised—a mid-rank magic beast resembling a hornet—charged at Jang Taeju.

Colorless, odorless venom dripped from its gleaming stinger.

Kised venom was lethal enough to kill within an hour if not immediately treated.

But as luck would have it, Jang Taeju was in the middle of blocking an Aindar’s attack.

With the rest of the swarming beasts, he was in no position to respond.

Pak!

Siyoon instantly Enhanced his legs and feet.

Using his enhanced muscular strength and leg power, he leaped forward and closed the distance.

Simultaneously, he pulled the trigger at the magic beast.

Peogeok!

-Kyaaaak!

The bullet tore the Kised’s stinger clean off.

While the creature thrashed in agony, Siyoon stacked Enhancement on both his legs and arms.

Using his amplified spring-like power and muscular strength, he launched himself forward and crushed the Kised’s head with the barrel of his gun.