The Attribute Rune Dungeon had six difficulty levels in total.
Like summon ranks, they ranged from Common to Mythic.
Each difficulty consisted of ten floors, and its primary reward was an ‘Attribute Rune’ that could enhance a summon’s Unique Skills.
However, improving Hertiya’s first skill required resources that dropped from Legendary-rank dungeons or higher, so that was not the main objective of this run.
‘Even I would be foolhardy to challenge a Legendary Dungeon with a single Level 1 summon.’
However, the Attribute Rune Dungeon did not give only runes.
Like the Tutorial Dungeon, clear-time and clear-rank rewards could provide summoning tickets and items that aided growth.
Therefore, I intended to earn the highest possible rank and obtain good rewards.
‘The place I am going is the Rare-rank Darkness Attribute Rune Dungeon.’
It was a dungeon recommended for a team of four summons, each between Levels 20 and 30.
However, I only possessed one Level 1 Hertiya.
Even Hertiya had no way to overcome a thirtyfold level difference through conventional means.
‘That is, if I proceed conventionally.’
The Darkness Attribute Rune Dungeon was fundamentally the most difficult of the Attribute Rune Dungeons.
It had many troublesome obstacles in addition to monsters.
Deadly traps lurked everywhere, such as poisonous gas and arrows that poured from Rune Stones densely embedded in the walls.
When it was a game, all I had to do was try again after failing a few times. In reality, the story was different.
Failure was the end. I could truly die.
They said you could not die in the Tutorial Dungeon, but that mercy did not apply anywhere else.
‘That is why I need to prepare thoroughly before entering.’
There were two summons that were essential to the strategy I had devised.
First, Hertiya.
I needed her first skill.
I needed to be able to act freely without the monsters attacking first.
Of course, substitutes existed if I did not have her, but…….
‘What utter bullshit.’
After briefly checking the prices yesterday, I found that they were expensive summons for which even one hundred million won would not be enough.
My selection ticket had not sold yet, so I had no money on hand either.
‘Well, I already have Hertiya, the best option, so there is no need to think about that further.’
And then there was the second summon.
Fortunately, it was an extremely easy-to-obtain Common-rank summon.
However, considering that I intended to break through to the tenth floor, I would need to buy enough to fill the party.
‘My remaining team slots… three on the main team and one substitute. Four in total, then.’
I immediately opened the Exchange through the app.
What I was looking for was a slime, a summon with a particularly poor reputation even among Common-rank summons.
Specifically, I searched for a relatively viscous ‘Clay Slime.’
‘70,000 won? It costs more than I thought.’
Each Clay Slime cost 70,000 won.
It was much more expensive than I had expected.
‘Who besides me even uses these things for them to cost this much… Wow…….’
After briefly looking through the reviews, I could not help but exclaim in admiration.
Amazingly, their prices had risen because they had become popular as children’s products.
‘They are perfect for children’s tactile play… Humanity’s adaptability is astonishing.’
Shaking my head, I bought several of the least popular types: brown and gray Clay Slimes.
《Would you like to trade for the summons?》
《YES》
《You have purchased 1 Clay Slime (Brown) and 2 Clay Slimes (Gray).》
Once the purchase was complete, the information for the new summons was registered in my Status Window.
I immediately checked the Clay Slimes’ Unique Skill.
[Unique Skill]
Skill 1
The freely shape-changing slime generates hardened outer-shell mucus to protect itself. When the skill is reused, the elements it has gathered are automatically released.
‘Good. It is exactly as I remember.’
That seemingly pathetic skill would become the core of my strategy.
***
Unlike the Tutorial Dungeon, the main targets of conquest—the Towers and the various dungeons for growth—had set entry locations.
In the case of the Attribute Rune Dungeon, it was near an amusement park in Jamsil.
It was not difficult to identify the Attribute Rune Dungeon.
A gigantic statue representing a ‘Top-Tier Rune’ caught the eye of everyone who saw it.
‘Every time I see it, I am reminded that it has a completely different presence from the game screen.’
To the left of the statue were low-difficulty dungeon entrances ranging from Common to Rare rank.
To the right were warps leading to high-difficulty dungeons from Heroic to Mythic rank.
‘Damn. Look at all these people.’
There were already many Adventurers near the Rune Dungeon.
Yet it felt as though there were more foreigners than Koreans.
Well, that meant there were many tourists, which was economically beneficial. However, as a local, I was not particularly pleased about it.
‘It would be great if they did not cause trouble. Tsk.’
Furthermore, today was Thursday.
All the Attribute Rune Dungeons were open, which seemed to make it especially crowded.
‘That is enough people-watching. Shall I get moving?’
The ‘Enter Dungeon’ button activated near the warp.
When I was about to press it, I felt slightly nervous.
I had run this dungeon thousands, even tens of thousands of times in the game, but entering it with my life on the line could not help but feel different.
However, once I entered the dungeon, I could not show weakness anymore.
Before Hertiya, I had to be Lucifer, the flawless summoner.
‘Do not be afraid. I have cleared this dungeon countless times. It is nothing difficult.’
Hypnotizing myself, I slowly pressed the Enter Dungeon button.
At that moment, blue phosphorescence flashed before my eyes and guided me into the dungeon.
《Entering Darkness Attribute Rune Dungeon (Rare).》
***
《Summon your summons to proceed with the dungeon.》
《Remember! If all summons are reverse summoned, the clear will be considered a failure and you will die.》
《You cannot abandon the dungeon while clearing a floor. At the end of each floor, you will be asked whether you wish to proceed or escape.》
The System notifications sounded the moment I entered.
It meant that if I failed to clear a floor completely, I could not abandon the dungeon partway through.
It was also a warning not to push myself too hard and to proceed one floor at a time.
However, I intended to complete all ten floors in this run.
Otherwise, I had a feeling that she would not leave me alone.
“Ah, noble one, you are beautiful no matter how many times I see you. You have summoned me again! However…….”
Hertiya looked around, then spoke with a frown between her lovely brows.
“…This is not a suitable place to revel in my reunion with the noble one.”
Hertiya’s reaction was unusual.
That was understandable.
The masters of this Rune Dungeon were none other than spirits.
“They are insignificant insects that do nothing but run errands for the elves.”
‘Spirits’ were a race that had forged a long relationship with elves and allowed them to wield the powerful force known as Spirit Magic.
As such, they were among Hertiya’s sworn enemies.
“Shamefully, I lack the power to cleanse this place in my current state.”
Hertiya seemed to have suffered a blow to her pride.
Judging by the aura she sensed in the dungeon, she had likely realized that its difficulty was more than she could handle at her current level.
“However, noble one, you surely have a plan, do you not?”
Hertiya smiled with her eyes as she looked at the Clay Slimes clustered together behind us.
She was clearly saying that she trusted me, but somehow, she was a little frightening.
Could she be angry? Was I putting the leader of the Seven Deadly Sins in the same party as mere slimes?
However, I could not show that I was frightened.
The moment I revealed myself to be weak, her demonic claws might fall upon me again.
“Do not doubt me. I came to this place specifically to restore your power.”
“Then, as expected, you intend to clear all the way to the tenth floor in one attempt?”
Yes. I had no choice but to clear all the way to the tenth floor in one go because of Hertiya.
The moment she doubted my capabilities, it would be game over.
“Yes. Let us get our teamwork in sync again after so long.”
“Heh heh. I, Hertiya, will follow my master anywhere.”
《The Darkness Attribute Rune Dungeon (Rare) begins.》
《Dungeon Timer 00:01》
***
The Darkness Attribute Rune Dungeon was a difficult dungeon.
The number of monsters that appeared was relatively small, but they hid in the shadows and targeted an Adventurer’s life whenever they let their guard down.
Moreover, deadly traps lurked throughout the dungeon.
For example, the Rune Stone in front of me was one such trap.
If I touched or stepped on that rune while disoriented after an ambush, a massive explosion would occur.
It was effectively a land mine that could rapidly gnaw away at a summon’s Vitality.
In other words, it was a troublesome dungeon that required listening for the presence of monsters that could attack at any moment while constantly searching for traps, but—
THUD!
Without hesitation, I grabbed the Rune Stone embedded in the wall at the dungeon entrance.
It looked dangerous at a glance, but the first three meters from the entrance were a kind of safe zone.
Even if Rune Stones were placed there through random generation, they would not explode in this area.
“Slime.”
At my call, a brown Clay Slime wriggled toward me.
Looking at it like this, it might actually be rather cute.
I lifted the approaching slime and pushed the Rune Stone into its body.
Then I ordered it to enter a shallow fissure that ran along the entrance.
“I am counting on you.”
After finishing my task and stepping back, Hertiya asked me a question.
“Have you finished?”
“Yes.”
“I feel remorse at having the noble one perform such tedious work.”
“It is all right. I will need your abilities soon.”
As we conversed for a moment.
BOOOOM!
A huge explosion occurred in the fissure the slime had entered, and the wall collapsed.
《Clay Slime (Brown) has suffered critical damage and been reverse summoned.》
《10 minutes until it can be resummoned.》
“They say that a tool depends on how it is used. I can only marvel at my master’s wisdom.”
“Your praise is excessive.”
I had pushed the Clay Slime containing the Rune Stone into the fissure to make it leave the safe zone.
Once the Rune Stone left the safe zone, it detected the slime surrounding it and exploded.
And the result was—
RUMBLE—
“Let us go, Hert.”
A ‘fissure leading to the lower floor’ had been opened wide enough for a person to pass through.
It was a strategy that could only be used with a wall within ten steps of the dungeon entrance.
And from here onward, it was Hertiya’s turn to step forward.
-Human. Human, human. Smelly human.
-Filthy elf! A dark, ugly, hideous elf!
As their name suggested, Dark Spirits lived in the shadows.
This fissure, untouched by light, was their very cradle.
As this was a Rare-rank dungeon, their average level was above 20. If battle broke out, we would have no chance of victory.
“You insignificant insects, how dare you speak such nonsense to my master!”
“Enough. Your tendency to lose your temper so easily is a bad habit.”
“Ah, I am sorry. I was not sufficiently composed.”
With ‘Hertiya’s Reason,’ even a battle that would have been an inevitable defeat could be smoothly avoided.
In fact, dozens of Dark Spirits beyond the reach of the light could not even twitch.
They had been affected by ‘Hertiya’s Reason’ and robbed of the right to move first.
“From here onward, I will take the lead, my master.”
Relying on the violet light Hertiya kindled in her hand, I continued descending through the dark fissure.