Chapter 38 Chapter 10.3 - First Dungeon
As the sun slowly made its descent toward the horizon, I continued my relentless hunt, my gun and daggers becoming extensions of my body. With each encounter, I grew more skilled and efficient, taking down the kobolds with deadly precision.
The forest echoed with the sound of gunshots and the cries of defeated monsters. My [Keen Eye] skill allowed me to perceive their movements and weaknesses with clarity, giving me the upper hand in every battle. Even though guns were not supposed to be enough to kill the monsters, with my mana enchantment, every bullet passed through their defenses.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
More and more kobolds fell before me, their bodies piling up around me, and at some point, I could no longer see any more kobolds, which meant one simple thing.
'The first stage is about to be cleared.'
Most of the time, there were no stages or anything like levels in most of the dungeons, like games. However, the stage meant the sections of the dungeon where the monsters of the same strength resided.
Like, for instance, the place where I hunted kobolds was named the first stage or first district. Then the second stage would be where the monsters of a higher strength resided.
That was basically it. And me seeing no more kobolds here meant the dungeon would now enter the reproduction routine and would start spawning more kobolds.
In the game, the reason for this phenomenon was not detailly explained until the later stages of the game, but it doesn't matter what the reason is for now.
Anyway, every stage or district does have its own boss-type monsters. Of course, Kobolds also did have its own.
Chief Kobold.
A Peak Rank-2 monster and the strongest monster inside this forest.
'Dealing one on one with that monster shouldn't be too hard. But, the problem is their numbers.'
No matter how dumb monsters are, when the danger appears, they will have one simple response. They will group and defend themselves with numbers.
This is the way of the weak, basically, and every living being in nature knows that.
As the night approached, the forest grew darker, but I had been fighting with kobolds non-stop and was pretty much tired. Considering my low constitution, even using a gun while kiting the monsters was hard for me.
'I need to set up a camp.'
With the moon high above in the dark sky, I descended from the tree and found a suitable spot to set up camp. I gathered some dry leaves and branches to create a small campfire, providing both warmth and a source of light to keep the monsters at bay.
Taking out my tent from the spatial bracelet, I quickly set it up nearby the campfire. And I didn't forget to burn the incense that would erase the smell of meat and smoke.
Then, I ate the conservative food I had brought with me. Sadly, even though this was a forest, there was no monster that could be eaten after getting cooked for now.
Kobold meat tasted really bad, and it didn't offer any advantages to hunters making it blacklisted from being eaten most of the time.
Inside the tent, I laid out a blanket and made myself as comfortable as possible. My body ached from the constant battles, and I knew I needed to rest if I wanted to face Chief Kobold later on.
I settled down inside the tent and gulped a recovery increase potion. Different from stamina potions, recovery increase potions worked as supplements and made the natural recovery faster without not much external interference.
It was a lot better for future conditions and was suggested to use over the stamina potions because of lesser side effects in the long run.
Then, I closed my eyes, focusing on my mana to speed up the recovery process. Slowly, the fatigue started to ebb away as I let the mana flow through my body, soothing my tired muscles and rejuvenating my energy.
Though, I didn't forget to maintain my gun. After all, at the end of the day, a gun was a mechanical device that could be dysfunctional at any crucial moment, just like a sword that hadn't been sharpened for a while.
*******
As the minutes turned into hours, I felt myself gradually regaining strength. I knew that midnight was the best time to strike Chief Kobold's settlement. The monsters would be at their weakest during that hour, and I could catch them off guard. Also, both of my traits are always suited to work at nighttime.
[Lunar Enigma] was related to the moon, and [Shadowborne] was related to shadows. Even though some may say that in the daytime, there were actually more shadows, it was also easier to spot them at the same time. Thus, utilizing shadows at night time was actually a lot easier.
I had also slept for a while, so my head was also feeling refreshed.
When midnight approached, I emerged from the tent, feeling revitalized and ready for the next battle. The campfire still burned brightly, providing me with enough light to navigate through the forest.
Silently, I made my way toward Kobolds' settlement. My [Keen Eye] skill was still active, allowing me to detect any movement in the darkness. The forest was eerily quiet, and the monsters seemed to sense the impending danger.
Before I set up camp, I first scouted the entire area, and at that time, I found out about the whereabouts of Chief Kobold or Kobold Settlement.
They had formed quite a good settlement in the midst of the trees. They even built some huts, though they were only primal.
The important thing was that they were showing the signs of civilization. They even had some patrols.
Therefore, the most optimal approach would be tiring them to death, ambushing them, or constantly poisoning them.
But, sadly, I was not that prepared. I had no way of knowing I would encounter such monsters. Thus, I didn't buy any poisons. However, I took a mental note to buy it for a later time.
'However, I can't use my gun. The monsters will be alerted if I do so.' With that thought, I decided it was time to use my bow.
After all, the bow was silent, and it actually supplied more firepower if utilized correctly. Its only downside was the firing speed….For now.
Activating my [Keen Eye], I started scouting the monsters and labeling their locations.
Their numbers were not that high.
'Twenty Kobolds and One Kobold Chief. Two of them are protecting the chief's hut, ten of them are mating, and the remaining eight are patrolling.'
I remembered that the kobolds would mate when the moon was full, and seeing this scene confirmed. It seemed, luck was on my side.
Taking out my compound bow from the spatial bracelet, I carefully nocked an arrow and pulled the string back.
I had been practicing with this bow for the last week inside the academy, and my posture had already started becoming swift and smooth. My body was really talented at Archery.
With a deep breath, I focused my mana on the arrow, imbuing it with a powerful enchantment. The arrow glowed faintly with green light, indicating the presence of the mana enhancement. Though, I didn't know what the color meant.
I took aim at the lone kobold patrolling near the outskirts of the settlement, and when I was sure of my shot, I released the arrow.
SWISH
The arrow flew silently through the air and struck the kobold right in the neck.
"Burghk-"
It let out a choked gasp, but the sound was barely audible in the quiet night. The enchantment on the arrow made it smooth for Kobold to die as its skin was pierced.
As the dead kobold fell to the ground, the forest fell silent once more. The soft rustling of leaves and the distant hooting of an owl were the only sounds that broke the stillness of the night. My [Keen Eye] skill continued to guide me, helping me locate the next target.
It was another patrolling kobold. Though this time, two of them were patrolling at the same time.
However, it didn't matter. I nocked an arrow on the bow and readied myself.
SWISH
Releasing the arrow, it flew with deadly accuracy and struck the first patrolling kobold in the chest. It let out a choked gasp before collapsing to the ground, lifeless. The second kobold turned to look at its fallen comrade, confusion evident in its eyes.
"Au-"
Before it could react and warn his comrades, I swiftly fired another arrow, hitting the second kobold in the throat. It fell to the ground, clutching at its neck, but it was already too late. The enchantment on the arrow had taken effect as the mana of the moon shone.
With the immediate threat dealt with, I took a moment to scan the area once more, ensuring no other kobolds had been alerted. Satisfied that the coast was clear, I continued my infiltration, using the cover of darkness to my advantage.
First, I dealt with all of the remaining kobolds around the settlement. It wasn't that hard; it only took me a bunch of arrows to kill them. Though, I didn't forget to pluck them back.
Then, silently, I moved from tree to tree, making my way closer to the settlement. My [Keen Eye] skill helped me identify the kobolds' positions. Slowly but steadily, I closed the distance, taking care not to make any noise that could give away my presence.
Once I reached the outskirts of the settlement, I hunkered down and observed the kobolds' activities. It seemed that they were indeed preoccupied with their mating and were not on high alert. This was the perfect opportunity for me to strike.
After all, I could hear disgusting moans of the monsters, and as a person that had never been into Bestiary, it made me want to vomit.
Normally while dealing with such tropes, one would first kill the mobs and then one-versus-one the remaining ones. But, at this point, that was almost impossible to do since the monsters were too close to each other, and they would be alerted.
Therefore, there was one simple course of action that would be needed to be taken.
Killing the Chief Kobold first.
And I actually got the perfect opportunity for it. While I was moving around, I scanned the whole area to find a good spot to attack. And it didn't take me too long for me to find one.
I found a tall tree with thick foliage that offered a clear view of the chief's hut.
With the utmost stealth, I climbed up the tree and positioned myself on a sturdy branch. From this hidden perch, I could see Chief Kobold clearly, still seated on its makeshift throne, surrounded by the other kobolds.
"Keen Eye."
Activating my skill, I observed the monster's weak points. Its heart was located on the right side of his chest, but there was one more place that was marked.
'This must be his core.' It was his core. There were monster cores in this world, but most of the time, they would only be found on rare occasions or on boss monsters.
'The core is a no-go. It will fetch for a good prize.'
There were also several other weak points around the body.
My heartbeat slowed down as I notched an arrow on my bow, readying myself for the shot.
The most important thing for a ranger was to keep calm in every scenario.
Taking a deep breath, I focused my mana on the arrow, imbuing it with an additional enchantment for maximum impact. For the last week, I have been trying to improve my mana usage, and I got more familiar with it.
The arrow shone bright green, as well as I felt my mana pouring into the arrow. This was the reason why bows were used more frequently because one could enable more mana into the arrows.
Though, I had yet to understand why the colors of my mana changed constantly. I couldn't understand the reason; thus, I decided to leave it for a later time.
Time seemed to slow down as I steadied my aim, waiting for the perfect moment. The kobolds continued their revelry, oblivious to the imminent danger. This was my chance.
SWISH
As Chief Kobold leaned back, letting out a guttural laugh, I seized the opportunity. Without hesitation, I released the arrow, watching it soar through the air with deadly precision…..
This was the start of the fight….
-------------------A/N-------------------
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