Dungeon Predator (WN)

Tatax's Trap!

Ullevador!

Gondra Prison!

Child's Tower!

Kang Oh cleared the dungeons one by one.

He found one of Geskal's Secret Storehouses in the Child's Tower, but it was, of course, just another fake. Kang Oh had also killed Gondra Prison's boss, which dropped an AA-rank sword.

Kang Oh was level 355 now. Leveling up past 300 is supposed to be really difficult, but Kang Oh wasn't having any problems; perhaps it was because he was hunting monsters over level 400.

"Next."

His next destination was 'Saul Graveyard'.

Sometime later…

The graveyard was surrounded by tall, stone walls, and only half of the barred door was left standing. It was really spooky.

His heart pounded.

Coming to a dungeon he'd never been to before, one he didn't know much about at that, was always a thrill. After all, no one knew what would be inside!

"Let's make it big. Let's make it big," Kang Oh muttered like a prayer, and entered the dungeon.

[Entering the dungeon, Saul Graveyard.]

Originally, Saul Graveyard was a place where the denizens of the Goddess's Land were buried. But one day, undead monsters began to appear, which kept people from coming to the graveyard ever since.

Anyhow, there were various graves here. The statues and graves hadn't been properly maintained, so they weren't in good condition.

'Huh?' He felt like he'd heard something, so he pricked up his ears.

Rattle, rattle.

He heard an odd percussive sound, one akin to bones rubbing against each other! Kang Oh froze, and searched for the source.

'That guy is...'

It was a skeleton, an undead body entirely composed of bones. The skeleton held a luxurious staff, which resembled a twisted bread stick, and wore intricately decorated robes, a belt, and shoes!

Skeletons were weak enough that beginner/intermediate players could fight them. However, this one was different.

'So this is where it spawns!'

Mana Enlightened Skeleton Mage!

Basically, it was the highest evolution of a Skeleton Mage. For a mere skeleton, it was level 500.

It was said that they appeared in the Vestecker King's Tomb, a dungeon that no player had conquered yet.

'Let's get a hit in first.' Kang Oh grasped a Fire Bomb and forcefully threw it. The Fire Bomb would explode, surging with fire, and then he'd approach and give it everything he got.

Whoosh.

The Fire Bomb flew through the air, and it looked like it'd hit the Skeleton Mage's face.

However...!

Water Shield!

The Skeleton Mage quickly cast a Water Shield, blocking the Fire Bomb completely.

"Tch!" It didn't go as he'd expected, but Kang Oh rushed forward regardless. He needed to close the distance!

Whoosh!

The Skeleton Mage quickly cast another spell, and slammed the end of its staff into the ground.

Earth Wave!

The land was upturned, and a wave of dirt came rushing at him.

Kang Oh put everything into his thighs, and leapt over the Earth Wave.

However, it was a trap! Once he jumped over, the Skeleton Mage raised its staff into the air.

Lightning Bolt!

A white streak of lightning fell from the sky, coming right for Kang Oh's head. Since he was in midair, there wasn't any way he could dodge it.

However...!

Demon Sword Ubist could absorb magic. The Lightning Bolt was completely absorbed, leaving no trace behind.

[Demon Sword Ubist has absorbed the Lightning Bolt.]

[The demon sword's satiation has increased by 0.0001%.]

[Cooldown: 30 seconds.]

Kang Oh landed on the floor, and then bounced forward like a spring.

Rattle, rattle!

The Skeleton Mage gritted its teeth and pointed its staff at Kang Oh.

Flame Pillar!

Kang Oh felt a cold feeling at his feet, and threw himself out of the way.

Roar!

Flames surged where he'd once been.

This was the power of a Mana Enlightened Skeleton Mage. It could utilize fire, water, wind, earth, and lightning spells. Moreover, its cast times were short, and its spells were powerful. It also had a ridiculous amount of MP.

However...!

'It's still weak close up!'

A mage's weakness was close quarters combat. If he got close enough, he should be able to kill it easily.

Kang Oh suddenly stood up and closed the distance. His blade had gotten within reach of the Skeleton Mage.

"My turn," Kang Oh declared icily. At the same time, Ubist cleaved through the air, coming straight for the Skeleton Mage.

It quickly retreated and swung its staff.

Gust!

A vicious wind blew. However, it wasn't strong enough to push Kang Oh away.

Whack!

Ubist struck the Skeleton Mage's rib, causing it to crack. Kang Oh didn't stop there.

Tempest Tiger!

The golden tiger pounced on its target, attempting to rip it to shreds. However, a level 500 monster was different from any normal monster.

It disappeared!

'Teleportation!'

It was a highly technical spell that allowed the caster to travel across short distances!

Tempest Tiger struck the ground, and a Water Spear came flying at Kang Oh from behind. Kang Oh quickly turned around and extended his hand. A small magic circle formed on his palm, and out came a black chain.

Swoosh!

At the same time...

Bam!

The violently spinning Water Spear pierced his flesh.

[You have been hit by a Water Spear.]

[The Draka set has reduced water damage taken.]

[You have lost 23% of your HP.]

"Ugh." Kang Oh scowled. However, he didn't lose his concentration. He kept hold of the Darkness Chain, and managed to ensnare the Skeleton Mage. "Get over here!" Kang Oh screamed, and violently pulled the chain.

The Skeleton Mage's thin leg shook, indicative of its resistance, but Kang Oh was far stronger than it.

Rattle, rattle!

The Skeleton Mage was pulled feet first. Its bones rattled noisily as it was reeled in.

"Die!" Kang Oh held Ubist in a two-handed grip and forcefully swung downwards.

Crack!

The Skeleton Mage's already cracked rib broke into pieces, and the fragments flew everywhere. But like any undead, the Skeleton Mage had no sense of fear. Although its rib had been smashed apart, it cast another spell.

Exploding Lightning!

A cluster of deep blue lightning shot out of its staff.

'It's useless!'

Suck.

Upon contact, Ubist absorbed the spell! He wondered what lightning would taste like. Would it tingle, as if fireworks had gone off in its mouth?

Kang Oh quickly shoved such thoughts aside, and immediately swung downwards.

Whack! Crack!

Shards of light and bone flew through the air. Kang Oh swung his blade faster and stronger than before.

Whack!

That's what he liked to hear! Every hit made his hands tingle! However, he didn't get the chance to celebrate, as the Skeleton Mage began its counterattack.

Swish!

Sharp blades of wind passed through his body.

'Dangerous!'

He'd only been hit by two spells thus far, yet his HP had gone below 50% already. The Draka set had even been reducing the elemental damage he'd been taking!

Rattle!

The Skeleton Mage's staff began to radiate red light.

"Huaahp!" Kang Oh quickly thrust his sword at the ground.

Transcendent Blade!

His blade flashed with transcendent speed. A scar belatedly appeared in the center of the Skeleton Mage's body.

'One more time!' Kang Oh swung vertically, as if he were dunking a basketball.

Darkness Strike activated just in time. A beast-shaped wave wrapped itself around the entire length of his blade.

Roar!

At the same time, the Skeleton Mage cast a Flame Pillar.

The two opposing forces clashed!

Boom!

Kang Oh fell to the floor, but he was smiling.

[You have defeated a Mana Enlightened Skeleton Mage.]

[You defeated a monster that was much higher leveled than you. You have acquired a large amount of bonus experience points.]

[You have leveled up.]

The Skeleton Mage had also been caught in the explosion. But because it was a mage and by definition, physically weak, it had been significantly weakened by Kang Oh's attacks. Then, it had been caught in the explosion and died.

"Hoo." Kang Oh stood up while dusting himself off. Then, he pulled off a health potion from his belt and drank it down.

Then, Kunta's Ring, which resembled an intertwined vine of black and gold, dimly shined.

[Darkness Strike 2]

Kunta's talent dwells within you. Defeat 100 higher leveled monsters using Darkness Strike.

Monsters Defeated with Darkness Strike: 0/100.

Difficulty: Spontaneous.

Reward: Proficiency in Darkness Strike +5%.

Kunta's Ring had activated!

At the moment, his proficiency in Intermediate Darkness Strike was at 95%. If he completed this spontaneous quest, then it'd level up to high-rank.

'The conditions are kind of tough though.'

Darkness Strike had a fixed chance of activating. Thus, he couldn't intentionally finish off all of the monsters with Darkness Strike.

"Eh, I'll finish it eventually."

* * *

Like an assorted gift basket, various undead monsters appeared in the Saul Graveyard. However, none of them were weak.

There were Hellfire Zombies, which were engulfed in inextinguishable fire, Radioactive Ghouls, which damaged you just by being near them, etc. They were all slightly weaker than the Mana Enlightened Skeleton Mage.

Then there was the Dullahan Master, who'd misplaced its head, wielding two double-bladed axes in its bloodstained hands. He also encountered a group of Skeleton Warriors, which were led by an Elite Death Knight. Lastly, there was the Rag Golem, a monster stitched together using countless corpses. Overall, these monsters were about as strong as the Mana Enlightened Skeleton Mage.

'Mm!' Kang Oh hid behind a half destroyed statue.

Roar.

The fire wreathed monster horse, or Tehorus, was said to devour memories and only leave behind nightmares. A knight, who was engulfed in black mist, rode on the horse. It was far stronger than its mount.

[You have discovered the Chaos Knight, Jerome.]

[It is a named monster.]

Death Knights commanded a legion of undead, while Ruin Knights were like a sharp blade, possessing incredible combat prowess.

A Chaos Knight was a being that gained all of their strengths, but none of their weaknesses.

'It should be... over level 600.'

Compared to the other undead here, it was on another level!

He'd just barely be able to match it with Gluttony and Devil Trigger. However, he couldn't predict the outcome of the match.

'Let's not deal with it now.'

Kang Oh held his breath and waited for the Chaos Knight to leave.

Normally, he'd hunt monsters without a hitch. However, he couldn't afford to do that in the Saul Graveyard. The monsters were way too high leveled here.

If he discovered three or more monsters grouped together, then he'd avoid them. He would aim for those separated from the packs.

The Skeleton Mages were his best target, as they were weak physically, and Ubist could absorb their spells. Fighting the Hellfire Zombies or the Radioactive Ghouls weren't bad either.

He avoided the Elite Death Knights, which led dozens of undead soldiers. You shouldn't recklessly mess with a hive.

It'd take him more than 30 minutes to beat a Rag Golem. After all, it had more HP than most boss monsters.

"Haa, haa." Kang Oh had managed to take one down, but it had taken a lot out of him. He leaned against a rectangular grave and rested.

Once he had somewhat recovered his Stamina, Kang Oh grabbed onto the gargoyle statue and stood up. However, he shouldn't have pressed down on its head.

All of a sudden, something popped out of the hole in the grave, which was about the size of a 500 won coin.

Whoosh!

It was a bar coated in deadly poison.

Danger! His Hyper Intuition sent him a warning. It felt like his heart had frozen solid.

Kang Oh quickly shielded himself with Ubist.

Clang!

A metallic 'clang' rang out. He'd just barely managed to block the bar.

"Hoo." Kang Oh sighed in relief and saw the bar return through the hole.

'Traps were set up to keep tomb robbers away I see.'

Graves offered good cover. Thus, he touched or leaned on them. However, the story changed if there were traps set up. Hiding from a monster would be completely pointless if he died from one of the graves' traps.

'I have to be careful.' Kang Oh fiddled with the Cassio Ring. It wouldn't be able to revive him yet. It hadn't been 1 month since he'd died to Krishan.

Plus, this place was filled with dangerous monsters that could kill him.

Kang Oh carefully walked off, keeping a close eye on his surroundings.