Chapter 41 Chapter 10.6 - First Dungeon
Sorry for not posting for two days. I had my dental implants, and it hurt quite a lot. So I was not able to focus on writing too much. Regular updates will continue now.
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"Everything is set."
BANG!
The gunshot echoed through the clearing as I swiftly moved from my hidden spot, revealing myself to the Harmonic Chatterers.
"Keen Eye. Dash."
Activating both my skills at the same time, I could see the surprise and fear flickering in their eyes as they tried to comprehend the sudden appearance of another enemy.
However, my speed was amplified.
BANG, BANG, BANG!
In a flash, I fired my gun with deadly precision, taking down one Harmonic Chatterer after another. My shots were quick and accurate as I aimed for their vital spots, ensuring swift and clean kills.
After all, my [Keen Eye] enabled me to see the weak and vital spots of monsters, and my momentarily increased speed enabled me to change my aim at a more rapid rate.
The speed of the gun was also not a problem since when I tested it; I could see it was a semi-automatic gun.
THUD THUD THUD
The monsters fell to the ground one another, as all of them had at least one vital point pierced.
It was the strength of the guns.
No matter what, a firearm's attacking speed can not be matched, and if one can penetrate the skin of a monster, then nothing is stronger than a firearm.
That was especially the case right now.
The monsters' eerie melody was cut short as they fell to the ground, lifeless. They had been accustomed to the feeling of glory, and they were blinded by those hunters that were killed, and now they were paying the price for it.
'Comfort breeds weakness.'
With my enhanced senses and increased speed and agility, I moved at a rapid pace, making it nearly impossible for the remaining Harmonic Chatterers to pinpoint my exact location.
I shifted from one shadow to another, using the environment to my advantage. Even though I had rested, that didn't mean the sun had risen fully. It was starting to rise, but the leaves of the forest were blocking the sunlight from entering and illuminating since the sunlight was coming from an angle that was hard to penetrate the thick leaves.
BANG, BANG, BANG!
My gunshots continued to ring out, each shot finding its mark. The monsters tried to retaliate, but their attacks were futile as I remained elusive and out of their reach.
However, that didn't mean I was invincible.
No, that was far from being true.
"Huff…..Huff…."
I was getting tired again at a rapid pace as well as my mana was reaching the end of my reserves.
Since I was using my skills as well as my mana to enhance bullets, it was draining rapidly.
'I can last at most five seconds more. But this is enough to kill everyone here.'
The moment I concluded that I aimed my gun at the monsters flying over me.
SWOOSH
'One on the right.'
Turning my head to the right, I aimed at the monkeylike monster flying over me and fired the gun.
BANG!
'Another on the left.'
Firing another bullet while turning my head, I blasted his head.
BANG!"
'The last one on behind.'
With my senses, I turned back and pulled the trigger.
TICK!
'Hm?'
But the response I was expecting did not come. Rather than a loud sound of a gunshot and the pressure of recoil, it was a simple sound.
'!'
And my brain racked immediately.
SWOOSH
"SHRIEK!"
The monster, with its amplified sound, reached me.
TING
I quickly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the full force of the Harmonic Chatterer's attack. But even with my enhanced senses, the proximity to the monster's amplified sound still affected me.
"Argh!" I winced, clutching my ears as the tingling sensation intensified. The monster took advantage of my momentary distraction and lunged at me again.
THUD
I abandoned my gun, realizing that it would be useless in such close-quarters combat.
SCHLINK
Instead, I swiftly drew my daggers from their sheath, my grip tightening around the hilts.
"SHRIEK!"
SWOOSH
The Harmonic Chatterer attacked with its claws, aiming for my chest. I managed to sidestep the strike, but its sharp claws grazed my shoulder, drawing blood.
"Gah!" I gritted my teeth, feeling the pain surge through my body. The wound was not deep, but it stung, and I knew I had to end this quickly.
My movements were slowed as I knew the end of my mana reserves was approaching its end.
'Two seconds.'
With the timer in my head, I ignored the pain and imbued the last bit of my mana into my dagger.
The crimson color appeared once again as I felt the bloodthirstiness attacking.
SWOOSH
I could see the monster aiming at my chest as its claws approached. My ears were ringing, and I was nowhere in my peak condition.
But, at that moment, I calmed down.
'One second.' It was the leftover time until my mana reserves would deplete.
CLANK
My eyes were drawn to its moves as I parried its claws with one of my daggers.
STAB
Then, instantly, I stabbed the monster with another one while rotating my body and using my momentum as my strength.
"SHRIEK!"
I could feel the monster screaming loudly, but my ringing ears didn't perceive any sound.
Abandoning the dagger that stabbed the monster from its chest, I took the position of a slash.
SLASH
And following the stab, I slashed the monster's neck.
SPURT
The blood dyed the ground with the color of dead.
As the last of the Harmonic Chatterers fell, their eerie melody finally silenced; I took a deep breath to steady myself.
"Huff…..Hufff...."
The adrenaline rushed through my veins, and my heart pounded in my chest.
The once serene clearing was now littered with the lifeless bodies of the monsters. I had taken them down with ruthless efficiency, leaving no room for mercy.
As I looked around, I noticed the fallen bodies of the hunters nearby. Their faces were etched with pain and despair, a stark reminder of the harsh reality of this world. They fought bravely, but in the end, they couldn't withstand the onslaught of the Harmonic Chatterers.
And I was even sure that if I tried to help them by revealing myself, they would abandon me and leave.
It was a common occurrence even in the normal dungeons, let alone a dungeon managed by Black Market.
"Let's leave this place."
Checking the clock, I saw the time was nearing 6 AM. It was about time I left this place.
After all, even returning all the way back without encountering any monsters was going to take at least two hours. And this was even when I considered if there were no monsters.
Therefore, this was the most optimal choice.
After gulping a Stamina Potion to relieve my fatigue, I started grabbing the corpses of the monsters.
'10 Harmonic Chatterers, huh? That is quite a lot.'
After all, there was a reason why it was this hard to kill all those monsters.
After taking my Gun and putting another magazine in for future fights, I started leaving the place.
Though I didn't forget to fill all the space inside the magazines, in the end, the number of magazines was limited per weapon.
Just like that, I left the dungeon.
*****
WUSH!
The moment I returned back, the same feeling of nausea came, but at this point, I was slightly familiar with it.
The first thing they were going to do was to check the monsters inside my spatial bracelet.
Since I needed to show them the haul and I didn't want to look suspicious, I bought another spatial bracelet for this sake.
The same man with the cigar was at the gate. He was smoking while he was waiting, and when he saw me, he put a smirk on his face.
"Yo, Edgy Little Kid. How was it?"? His annoying tone was still there, but I was quite tired of constant fighting, so I didn't bother with answering.
"Tch! Let me scan you." With that, he brought a device closer to me as he scanned for the spatial type of artifacts.
DING!
"Give me the bracelet."
He grumbled as he gestured for me to give him the bracelet. Then, after he took the bracelet, he started examining the things inside.
"Ho? Not bad…. You are better than I thought. 15 kobolds….That is quite a lot."
He said, nodding his head. Just as he said, I put 15 kobolds on the place and didn't put any Harmonic Chatters, as that would make them suspect that I was a person that had a hand in the massacre of another group.
"Okay, it is confirmed. You can leave now."
As he said those words, he tapped on his watch and mumbled something that I couldn't hear.
'It is truly a cheat item.'
Just as I had expected, he wasn't able to detect the spatial bracelet where I put my belongings.
"Wait a second."
And following that, after a minute, the same masked man came.
"Marcus." The gatekeeper greeted the man, but Markus simply ignored him, just like me.
"Tch! You two are a good match. You should go on a date or something."
Hearing his sarcastic remarks, none of us cared about it, and we both left the place not long after.
After passing the second gate, I made my way to the place where the [Wildcatters] bought the monsters from the customers.
"How can I help you?"
It was the same procedure as the woman, and I started the process.
"After taking the institute's share, the remaining points will be 13750 Valer."
Just as I had calculated, the woman presented me with the amount.
Just like that, I left the [Wildcatters], but that was nowhere close to the end of my day. After all, I needed to find a monster broker to sell the monster carcasses I had at my disposal.
Leaving the [Wildcatters], I navigated through the busy streets of the black market.
As I moved through the bustling crowd, I spotted a sign that read [Bestiary] with an arrow pointing down a narrow alleyway.
'Found you.'
It was a place that was pretty common for players to visit when they wanted to make use of the monster carcasses.
Since this place fetched the highest price when the carcass of the monsters was in good condition.
Pushing open the creaky door, I stepped inside a dimly lit room filled with an eclectic mix of individuals. The place had an air of secrecy, and I could sense that many illicit deals took place within these walls.
Approaching the counter, I met eyes with a man who seemed to be the monster broker. He had a sharp gaze and a no-nonsense demeanor.
'He looks sharp, and from his posture alone, it seems he is a spearman. His estimated strength should be around 9-10 stats on average.'
I judged the man as he judged me.
"How can I assist you, young hunter?" he inquired, his voice low and gravelly.
"I have some monster carcasses to sell," I replied. He looked quite intimidating, but knowing his reason for being here, I didn't bother at all.
His eyes narrowed as he examined me. "Let's see what you've got."
I carefully placed the monster carcasses on the counter. The broker inspected them one by one, his expert eyes sizing up their value. However, I could see his eyes shining.
After all, the condition of the carcasses was quite good. All of them had their body pierced by arrows at most, and almost none of them had neither burn marks, nor did they lose too much blood since I prevented them from doing so.
"These are quite the haul you've got here," he remarked, his voice tinged with a hint of admiration.
He named each monster and their respective ranks as he examined them. "A group of Kobolds, Harmonic Chatterers, and even a Kobold Chief... impressive."
"All of these will fetch around 30.000 Valer." And then he made his offer.
I observed the broker's reaction carefully as he appraised the monsters. His initial offer was 30,000 Valer, which was already a decent sum. However, I knew the true value of my haul, and I wasn't about to settle for less.
"I appreciate your offer, but I believe the value of these monsters is higher than that," I calmly replied, meeting his sharp gaze.
The broker raised an eyebrow, clearly intrigued by my confidence. "Oh? And why is that?"
"These monsters are in excellent condition, and their ranks are quite high. I've taken great care in preserving them, ensuring that their quality remains top-notch," I explained.
The broker leaned back slightly, considering my words. "You have a point there, young hunter. But the market for these monsters is already quite saturated. I can't go higher than 40,000 Valer."
I knew he was trying to haggle, but I wasn't about to back down easily. After all, I knew he was in dire need of monsters with such conditions for his supplier with picky demands.
"These monsters are still rare and valuable. They would fetch a much higher price in the right hands. I'm willing to settle for 50,000 Valer, no less."
As I spoke, the broker's eyes narrowed more. "You drive a hard bargain, young hunter. But I can't give you more than that."
Hearing this, I knew he was playing his last card, but there was no way I was letting go.
"Is that so? Then I shall look for another monster broker."
With those words, I started picking up the carcasses and was about to leave the place.
"Wait."
Until the man stopped me.
After a few moments of tense silence, the broker finally nodded. "Very well. 50,000 Valer it is."
The moment I heard his voice, I nodded my head. Just as I expected, he couldn't back down.
Just like that, I sold everything under my disposal as I left the black market and returned to the academy…..
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