The Red-Eyed Tiger Dungeon was classified as an E-Rank Dungeon.
I had entered this place to obtain the fangs of its Boss Monster, the Red-Wrinkled Tiger.
Fortunately, I had managed to collect quite a few.
“This is a pretty impressive haul.”
I had pulled a total of thirty teeth from the Red-Wrinkled Tiger’s mouth.
However, eight of them had been black with decay and crumbled while I was extracting them.
That left twenty-two intact teeth.
Considering how difficult the material was to obtain, it was a satisfying number.
RUSTLE!
After storing the twenty-two teeth,
I reached toward the object I had just discovered.
It was a glittering object that was highly likely to be an Item.
I was already looking forward to finding out what it was.
Judging from the circumstances, the Boss Monster must have dropped it when it died.
‘Information.’
The moment I strongly wished to view the object’s information, it appeared before my eyes.
【Red Leather Bracelet】
[Rank] E
[Description] A piece of hide from the ‘Red-Wrinkled Tiger,’ the Boss Monster of the Red-Eyed Tiger Dungeon. It can be worn as a bracelet.
[Effect] Attack Power +5, Vitality +3, Defense +3, Attack Speed increased by 5%
“Oh! This is really good.”
I liked it.
All of its effects were useful, increasing my Attack Power, Vitality, Defense, and even Attack Speed.
I also liked that it did not occupy the same equipment slot as any of the Items I was currently using.
SWISH!
The moment I placed the Red Leather Bracelet around one wrist, I felt power surge through me.
Directly feeling that I had become stronger put me in a good mood.
- Now only the Water Flower that Blooms in the Desert and the Giant Sandworm’s Stone remain among the materials required to craft the Inner Elixir.
“Yes. That is why I intend to find them immediately.”
I began moving.
There was no need to worry about leaving evidence that I had killed the Hunters.
Red-Eyed Tigers were already gathering around the dead Red-Wrinkled Tiger.
CRUNCH! CRRRUNCH!
The Red-Eyed Tigers treated the dead Red-Wrinkled Tiger as prey.
It was a gruesome sight, but that was simply how they survived.
‘There doesn’t seem to be anyone nearby, either.’
It could become a problem if someone had witnessed me fighting the Hunters.
I therefore took a moment to survey my surroundings.
However, I soon realized that there had been no need.
- What are you doing?
“I was checking whether anyone was nearby.”
There is no one in this vicinity, at least. I cannot sense even the faintest presence of another person.
“You can tell something like that immediately?”
- Naturally. Something so trivial is hardly worth mentioning.
He could sense the presence of people from a great distance.
As expected of a man who had once been called the Martial God.
In any case, I was now certain that no one had witnessed my battle with the Hunters.
With my mind at ease, I headed toward the next location.
SWOOSH!
The environment that greeted me the moment I passed through the Gate was a desert.
No matter where I looked, there was nothing but sand.
It was fascinating to see a desert like those I had only ever encountered in documentaries or travel videos on YouTube stretching before my eyes.
However, it did not appear to be a comfortable environment for combat.
“The sandstorm makes it difficult to breathe. It obstructs my vision too.”
I had heard that Hunters disliked Desert-Type Dungeons.
Now I understood why.
I had never experienced one during my time as a Dungeon Porter, so this was my first opportunity to feel it for myself.
- A battle can occur anywhere. To become a powerful Martial Artist, you must adapt perfectly to every environment.
“Yes. You’re right.”
Jin Cheon-woo’s words made me reflect on my attitude.
That was right. From now on, I would make time to visit Desert-Type Dungeons whenever possible.
I would continue exposing myself to this uncomfortable environment until I adapted to it.
Then it happened.
RRRUMBLE!
A tremendous noise came from somewhere.
It initially sounded quite distant, but the problem was that it was approaching at incredible speed.
‘They suddenly burst out of the ground and swallow their prey, right? I heard that they move remarkably quickly as well.’
Those were the characteristics of the Giant Sandworm that I had studied beforehand.
They matched whatever was currently approaching me.
That meant…… it would attack me at any moment.
CLENCH!
I tightened my grip on the Limitless Sword
and waited until the tremendous rumbling drew closer.
RRRUMBLE!
The vibrations grew increasingly violent.
They were strong enough to be called a massive earthquake.
ROOOAR!
The ground beneath my feet buckled with a deafening roar.
At that moment—
FWOOSH!
A colossal creature erupted from the sand.
Its enormous maw opened wide, appearing as vast as ten four-person dining tables placed side by side.
As for me—
SWISH!
I had already glided out of its path.
It was not an easy attack to evade, but the further development of Limitless Footwork allowed me to do so without much difficulty.
“So you’re a Giant Sandworm? You certainly look formidable.”
I swung my sword toward the maw that had erupted from the ground.
SLASH!
***
The Giant Sandworm was classified as a D-Rank Monster.
It was one rank higher than the Red-Eyed Tigers I had fought earlier.
Naturally, it was known to be stronger.
Giant Sandworms were considered especially powerful even among D-Rank Monsters.
That was what I had been told.
And yet—
SLASH!
My sword carved deeply into the Giant Sandworm’s body.
The force of my strike was greater than even I had expected.
The upward momentum of the Giant Sandworm bursting from the ground had combined with the force behind my sword.
“GURK……!”
The Giant Sandworm split cleanly in two and died.
‘That wasn’t particularly difficult.’
Despite its reputation, it had not felt especially powerful.
The reason was probably that I had become much stronger.
I examined the forehead of the Giant Sandworm that had died from a single attack.
“Mr. Jeong told me that a Giant Sandworm carrying a Stone would have a faint triangular mark on its forehead. It looks like this one is a dud.”
I could not see the triangular mark I was searching for.
However, I was not particularly disappointed.
More Giant Sandworms were approaching.
RRRUMBLE! ROOOAR!
It was impossible not to notice that several of them were attacking simultaneously.
Multiple noises, each far more tremendous than the previous rumbling, were rapidly closing in from different directions.
FWOOSH!
One Giant Sandworm attacked first.
Its attack pattern was no different from that of the one I had just fought.
In other words, it was not difficult to handle.
SLASH!
I swung the Limitless Sword and cut down the Giant Sandworm.
Another Giant Sandworm immediately erupted from beneath my feet.
“GURGLE!”
I kicked off the ground and leaped away from the creature as it opened its maw wide to swallow me.
Jumping too high would have exposed a large opening, so I rose only as far as necessary.
Then I swung my sword again.
SLAAASH!
Two attacks.
That was all it took to kill two Giant Sandworms.
I wanted to examine their foreheads, but there was no time.
The other Giant Sandworms were attacking one after another.
WHOOSH! SLASH! SWISH! SLAAASH!
I repeatedly evaded their attacks and counterattacked, ending their lives.
‘It feels like I’m playing Whac-A-Mole.’
Whac-A-Mole was a game found in practically every arcade.
This felt quite similar.
The only differences were that I was swinging a sword instead of a mallet and striking Giant Sandworms instead of moles.
[Limitless Sword Method Proficiency has increased!]
The message appeared while I was hunting the Giant Sandworms.
Afterward, my Sword Method became slightly sharper.
A message related to my Footwork soon followed.
[Limitless Footwork Proficiency has increased!]
‘These Giant Sandworms give a lot of Experience Points.’
Was it because they were considered powerful even among D-Rank Monsters?
It felt as though I was growing quickly.
SLASH!
I hunted the Giant Sandworms with even greater confidence, making certain to examine their foreheads every time.
However, I had yet to find the triangular mark.
Then—
“Oh?”
I discovered water.
Water was said to be extremely difficult to find in a Desert-Type Dungeon.
Moreover, this was a rather large pool.
It was practically big enough to be called a pond.
“This seems to be the place, right?”
I asked in hopes of receiving a hint.
- It appears so.
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s answer gave me certainty.
That pool was the habitat of one of the materials I was searching for—the ‘Water Flower that Blooms in the Desert.’
SPLASH!
I entered the water without hesitation.
It was remarkably deep and extremely murky.
My vision was severely restricted.
Even so, I carefully searched through the water for the flower.
Then—
FLASH!
I saw a light.
Instinct told me that it had to be the ‘Water Flower that Blooms in the Desert.’
SWISH!
The moment I reached toward it to collect it—
- What are you doing? Do you intend to ruin the material?!
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo suddenly shouted angrily.
I hurriedly withdrew the hand I had extended toward the light.
- The Water Flower that Blooms in the Desert must be handled carefully. You must meticulously dig it out from around the roots without damaging either the flower or its stem.
Judging from Jin Cheon-woo’s tone, blindly attempting to collect it would have ruined the material I had worked so hard to find.
That had been close.
SWISH! SWISH!
Straining to see through the murky water,
I carefully began digging around the roots of the ‘Water Flower that Blooms in the Desert.’
However, I was soon forced to stop.
RRRRUMBLE!
A tremendous noise came from beneath the water.
Moreover,
its presence was on an entirely different scale from the noises I had heard before.
It was commonly known that Hunters could hold their breath underwater for extended periods.
I had been unsure whether it was true before experiencing it myself, but now I knew for certain.
‘This is insane!’
An enormous Giant Sandworm was chasing me.
It was faster and more powerful than any of the ones I had fought before.
Of course, I could probably have handled it easily on land.
However,
it was difficult to use my full abilities underwater.
SWOOSH! SWISH!
Even swinging my sword was difficult.
KICK! KICK!
Using my Footwork was no easier.
- At your current level, fighting underwater will be difficult. I recommend leaving the water immediately.
I want to get out too.
But that Giant Sandworm bastard keeps preventing me from leaving!
BOOM! BOOM!
The Giant Sandworm attacked relentlessly.
Unlike the others, it charged directly at me with its entire body exposed.
BANG!
I raised my sword and blocked its body slam.
The impact was tremendous.
My instincts warned me that I could not afford to take such an attack repeatedly.
‘If we were on land, I would have already evaded it, counterattacked, and killed it……!’
I had yet to land a single successful attack.
The Giant Sandworm had easily evaded every strike I attempted.
Was it because the creature was fast?
That was certainly part of the reason, but it was not the only one.
- You are far too slow! Who do you expect to be struck by a sword swung like that?!
The problem was that my sword was moving too slowly.
Unable to overcome the water’s resistance, every strike had lost its speed.
This particularly powerful Giant Sandworm had no intention of allowing such attacks to hit it.
Then—
- Drive your legs firmly into the ground! It would be better to wield your sword from a fixed position than to continue letting the water toss you around like a fool!
I immediately followed Martial God Jin Cheon-woo’s advice.
THRUST! THRUST!
I drove both legs into the floor beneath the water.
I anchored them as firmly as possible so that my body could not be moved.
- Do not swing your sword. Thrust it. That will encounter less resistance underwater.
I wanted to object.
I had already attempted to thrust my sword several times, and every attempt had failed.
- Trust yourself. If you thrust your sword at precisely the right moment, you will not fail.
Martial God Jin Cheon-woo spoke as though he had read my thoughts.
I decided to trust his words.
SWISH!
Keeping a firm grip on my sword, I waited.
I waited for the moment when the Giant Sandworm charged at me.
“SKRRAAA!”
The Giant Sandworm opened its maw wide and lunged forward to bite me.
If I made a half-hearted attack, it would evade me instantly.
‘A little closer.’
I continued to wait.
The perfect moment had not yet arrived.
“SKRRAAA!”
Just before the creature’s jaws closed around me with a monstrous shriek,
I finally thrust my sword.
SHUNK!
The Limitless Sword pierced diagonally upward into the roof of its mouth.
Without loosening my grip, I drove the sword through it in a sweeping slash.
SLAAASH!
The Giant Sandworm split in half.
- You succeeded.
With a single successful attack, I had killed the exceptionally powerful Giant Sandworm.
‘Oh!’
New messages appeared before me.
[The Second Seal on ‘Limitless Armor’ has been released.]
[Additional information for ‘Limitless Armor’ is now available.]
[Skill ‘One-Hit Kill (B)’ has awakened!]