Chapter 51

I let the crowd of hunters go into the dungeon first. I'll take my time and venture a bit deeper today to find some harder opponents. I'm probably not ready for the boss yet, it'll take a few days before i can handle that solo.

There's a large sense of tension from the other parties. This whole dungeon surge thing is a pretty big deal.

Once it was my turn to enter I pulled out my sword and jumped through the glowing blue portal.

I wandered around the Minotaur Dungeon without any problems. The monsters became stronger and stronger as the day went on.

In 6 hours I faced off against 7 groups in total. There were a few other teams in the dungeon, so whenever I got nearby, I turned the other way to keep my distance. It was a little annoying at first, but overall it didn't really matter.

The first 3 groups I fought were pretty easy. They were all level 155-165. It was just mana drops, no level gains at all.

The next two groups were a bit harder. They were both lead by a boss with a pretty high level. One was Lv. 188, the other was Lv. 191. The Lv. 188 dropped an axe, the other 5 Minotaurs dropped only mana. I gained 4 levels from these battles.

It's much easier to level grind now that I can use my opponents MP. I'm getting hit while blocking occasionally, but with every increasing level the damage is becoming less and less.

The next group I fought had a surprising twist. It consisted of 4 total minotaurs. Their levels were 176, 177, 180, and 182. At first the monsters actually gave me a run for my money. They attacked in charges of two and had similar strength to my own. My only advantage was speed. I dragged the battle out for a long time while hardening for defense and absorbing their MP simultaneously landing cheap shots whenever I could. After this battle I had to drink an HP potion to recover fully.

The more I fight in this dungeon the more I understand why guilds love to come here. These beasts are good fighters, but they don't have any mind-blowing moves. As long as a team has proper gear and teamwork, power leveling is a breeze.

After this battle I gained 3 more levels and collected 4 huge mana crystals.

My final group was even more of a challenge. It was a group of 2 minotaur. One was a level 161 and the other stood at a staggering level 202.

The lower level monster was defeated very quickly at the beginning of the fight.

The Level 202 was definitely a challenge though. It was very strong and very fast. My small frame and agility were my only upside when it came to basic stats. I had to play it very safe and slowly chip away at the beast while blocking its attacks with a hardened left arm.

It chipped me down to about half of my HP before the battle was over. Both of these monsters just dropped mana crystals, no extra loot. I gained 3 levels from this battle.

After this fight I took a small break to sit by a tree and check my status.

[Status Open]

____________________

Name: Jay Soju

Level: 182

Hp: 465/915

Mp: 880/915

Strength: 437 [+125]

Speed: 521

Agility: 544

Defense: 389 [+156]

Mental Strength: 437 [+87]

Skills:

Absorption

Swordsmanship

Combat Magic [Fire Summoning]

Inspect [Special Grade]

Enemy Detection

Body Hardening[Special Grade]

Self Regeneration

Spacial Magic[Item Storage]

Plunderer

Items Equipped:

Golden Wolf Ring [+20% Mental Strength]

Cyclops Eye Pendant [+40% Defense]

Stainless Steel Sword [+125 Strength]

_____________________

After a quick rest I got up with a grin on my face and started heading back to the dungeon entrance. I need to stock up on HP portions, I didn't realize how tough some of these higher level minotaurs are. Plus, a bite to eat wouldn't hurt. I'll come back right after and continue this level grinding.

It took about an hour, but I made it back to the floating blue portal and left the dungeon. I heard one team fighting a nearby group of monsters on the way back but didn't encounter any myself.

I exited the dungeon and took the train back to the main Hub. When I made it up to the surface I could see a pretty big commotion going on by the E Class escalator. There were two extra guards in front preventing people from passing. One of them was speaking to a group, I couldn't help but listen in.

"We're sorry to delay all of your hunting. There's been 2 large E Class breaks. It shouldn't be much of a problem, the bosses will be cleared soon. We have temporary raised the entrance standard to a D Class minimum for 1 hour. Please bare with us, this is for your safety."

I raised an eyebrow. A couple E class dungeon breaks huh? Maybe it wouldn't hurt if I checked it out. I took out my ID and showed the guard while asking him a question.

"Hey, uh. Which dungeons were the ones that had a break?"

He nodded to let me pass.

"There's a pretty bad goblin dungeon break, its lower level and should be cleared within the hour. The other seems to be a rat dungeon, it should be cleared much sooner. We just got news to shut off the area to newbies just in case."

"Alright. Understood."

I headed down to the E Class platform to check things out. They have a goblin dungeon here too? I wonder what it's like? The rat dungeon sounds disgusting, I don't mind missing out on that. The only break I've ever seen was that previous cyclops dungeon break... and I was very under prepared. This one should be fairly easy, some rare loot may drop if I have enough time to farm.

It looks like there's a lot of people with the same idea as me. As I got down to the platform it was pretty chaotic. I read the info board and sure enough the train with all the parties surrounding it was the goblin dungeon. I could see about 20 other hunters in 6 separate groups ranging from 2-5 members. It looks like I'm the only solo hunter here.

We all boarded the train and were off shorty after. It was a quick ride, no more than 3 minutes. Everyone on the train was getting anxious. They were either scared of what was in that dungeon or were just inching to fight. I for one, was itching to fight.

Once the stop arrived we all piled out and went up the escalator to be met with a floating red portal. I could feel the dense magic in the air. This is definitely a dungeon break.

I let a few people jump through first, but I followed soon after. We all dispersed once entering.

It's actually pretty similar to the old goblin dungeon I used to hunt at. That brings back memories. Theres thick tall grass everywhere and occasional trees. It's basically an open plane dungeon.

No more than 2 minutes in I already encountered a monster. It was just a goblin, I used inspect.

[Lv. 13]

I chuckled a little and cut it in half with a lazy swing of my sword. It is definitely stronger than your average goblin, but at this level I can't tell the difference. I walked further into the dungeon. A few more goblins ran at me, but they were defeated in seconds. I didn't even bother to collect the mana.

After 10 minutes or so I was starting to get a bit discouraged. Did I really come down here for this?

I was about to turn back, but then I heard a familiar roar.

I used enemy detection and inspect.

[Lv. 41]

Something bigger is here.. I'm intrigued. I ran towards it with my sword ready. To my surprise it was a mutant hobgoblin! This is a pretty bad break, I didn't even know these guys could spawn outside the boss room.

The monster charged towards me with its sword pointed straight ahead while grunting and hissing. It was an easy kill, I defeated it in seconds. This gave me hope though, there might be more unusual spawns around here.

The air started getting denser and denser. This is a good sign, the magic is getting more concentrated. I kept using enemy detection and inspect with a very wide range to look for mutants.

[Lv. 14]

[Lv. 31]

[Lv. 11]

{Lv. 42]

[Lv. 38]

There were a variety of goblins and hobgoblins all over the place the further I went inside. I ran into a few other hunters, but it was nothing more than a short head nod and us running off in opposite directions.

[Lv. 17]

[Lv. 44]

[Lv. 19]

[Lv. 46]

[Lv. 51]

The levels were slowly increasing more and more. I kept walking further in towards the dense pocket of magic.

[Lv. 124]

It's 100m away...

Now this is what I was looking for. The air is heavy and my sword is drawn. There's a calm silence as I walk slowly towards my future opponent.

50m....

I'm getting closer. Soon it'll be within range. There's a small patch of trees up ahead, it must be in there.

20m....

My face lit up when I saw the creature pop out of the tree-line.

It's an old looking goblin dressed in a dark cloak and a leather hat. The monster is carrying a long wooden staff and has a large brown satchel that looks full to the brim. It let off a faint grey glow, it must be a magic user.

This is my first time coming face to face with a Shaman. I can barely hold in my excitement as I tighten the grip on my sword and get ready to fight.