“Kyaareung……”
Thud!
Another boss monster fell.
Although Riel had a history of running away from three boss monsters, as she had said in advance, she could easily handle up to two on her own.
Not only were her spirits powerful, but she also knew how to incorporate spirit magic into hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship.
However, she didn’t have many opportunities to shine.
– You have devoured ‘Double Horn Rhino.’
– Absorbing nutrients increases Strength by 1.
Every time a boss monster appeared, Se-un stepped forward before she could even swing her sword and quickly cut the enemy’s vitals.
Unless there were about three boss monsters, she had no chance to step in.
Of course, it was extremely rare for three or more boss monsters to appear at once in this forest.
Rather, the first boss monsters they encountered were an abnormal case.
“Aren’t you handling everything by yourself too much? You can leave some to me.”
“There’s a mouth to feed.”
“Pardon?”
“It’s like that.”
“You have so many secrets. You don’t tell me anything. Do you really know the location of the Flower Garden?”
“If you don’t trust me that much, don’t follow me.”
“Who said I don’t trust you?”
– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ chews on the leather, finding the chewy texture very satisfying.
– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ expresses regret, asking why the horns have to be taken away when they can be eaten deliciously too.
Before Se-un used the Gluttony Authority, he took the tips of the boss monster’s horns in advance and put them in his subspace pocket.
He felt sorry for Beelzebub, but he was steadily collecting the core materials of the monsters.
No matter how he thought about it, giving them to Elder Go Chang-seok was more advantageous than feeding them to Beelzebub.
– You have hunted the boss monster of the Roaring Forest, ‘Double Horn Rhino.’
– Number of boss monsters to defeat until the trial is cleared: 13/4
Thanks to this, Se-un’s trial pass conditions were already met.
He heard that Riel had already hunted more than ten boss monsters, so there was no need to give up his prey.
Then Se-un discovered a hole under a huge tree trunk.
It was not easy to find because it was covered with piles of large maple leaves, but it could not escape the journey’s guidepost.
“Hidden Dungeon?”
“Yes.”
“Amazing. I thought I had asked the children to search the forest thoroughly. I haven’t found many hidden dungeons.”
[You have entered the Hidden Dungeon, ‘Seven-Tailed Fox’s Shelter.’]
Seven-Tailed Fox.
It couldn’t be compared to the Nine-Tailed Fox, which was in the ranks of divine beasts, but it was a monster that could use various spiritual powers as it had seven tails.
As it was a rare monster, it was difficult to deal with, and the items that could be obtained in return were valuable.
Riel’s eyes widened as she felt something unusual from the name of the dungeon.
“Ah, that fox guides you to the Flower Garden!”
It was a confident shout, but Se-un simply shook his head as if asking what she was talking about.
“It has nothing to do with that.”
“……Pardon? Then, why did you come here?”
“Because it’s a hidden dungeon.”
“……Pardon?”
“We’re on our way anyway, so there’s no reason to ignore a hidden dungeon, right?”
It was an extremely efficient story.
Of course, he had no intention of wasting time, but he had no intention of ignoring the hidden dungeons on the way.
As far as Se-un was concerned, now that he had met Riel, there was no need to rush to find the Flower Garden.
There were many things to gain from clearing a dungeon, such as materials and experience, and stats acquired through the Authority of Gluttony.
“No, why are you so relaxed!”
“If you don’t like it, go find it alone.”
– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ anticipates what delicacies await this time.
– The Constellation, ‘Crow Who Bows His Head,’ is excited, saying that if it is a monster approaching a divine beast, it must have valuable treasures.
– The Constellation, ‘Snake Envy Surrounds,’ watches your growth with satisfaction.
He felt sorry for Riel, but she would not make Se-un change his mind at all.
* * *
[You have perfectly cleared the Hidden Dungeon, ‘Bald Eagle’s Nest.’]
[As a reward, personal contribution increases by 150,000 points.]
[You have acquired ‘Black Feather.’]
…….
The road to find the ‘Guide’ was farther than expected, and they were able to find five hidden dungeons along the way.
Of course, Se-un diligently cleared all those dungeons.
“No, how do you find them? Hidden dungeons are something that others would call a jackpot even if they found just one.”
“It’s like that.”
“Did you find the location of the Flower Garden that way too? No, but you haven’t even been to the upper floors yet!”
“I’m telling you, it’s like that.”
“I’m really going crazy with frustration. I should just cover my eyes and ears until we go up.”
“Go ahead and do that.”
– I’ll cover your ears!
– Then I’ll cover your eyes!
– Should I tie your hands?
– I’ll do the feet!
“No, you guys……”
– Ta-da! It’s a cloth made of leaves.
– You can cover yourself with that!
The spirits, who had discovered a new toy, moved in droves.
Ruin, who had been suffering from them, finally sighed in relief and subtly looked at Se-un, requesting a reverse summon.
‘Okay, whatever.’
Se-un, judging that their interest in him had waned, summoned Ruin back into the stigma.
He stroked the stigma a few times for Ruin, who seemed more exhausted than after a battle, and continued moving.
“Hey, wait a minute! If you really do it, heup! I told you to wait!”
– Ah, weren’t we not supposed to cover the mouth?
– Idiot, if you cover your mouth, you can’t breathe!
– Idiot, there’s a nose!
– Ah?
“Don’t understand!”
While they were having fun over there, Se-un focused more on searching for the Guide.
Judging from the fact that the journey’s guidepost was reacting violently, it seemed like they had almost arrived.
He still had plenty of stamina left and could clear a few more hidden dungeons, but if he went any further, Riel seemed like she would really explode, so he decided to move on immediately.
“Follow me closely.”
“Pardon? It’s blocked here?”
“If it’s blocked, you have to break through.”
Between the giant trees.
As if they couldn’t go any further, numerous thorny vines were intertwined.
The problem was that the thickness of each vine was as thick as an adult man’s waist.
Of course, the thorns attached to it were so large and sharp that they could be compared to ordinary spears and swords.
– Through internal energy, the second form of the Blood Wolf Sword Technique, Blood Wolf Fang, is enhanced.
The vines, which were not only thick but also tightly packed with fibers and harder than ordinary leather armor, were cut off with a single strike from Se-un.
At the same time, a path wide enough for one person to pass through was created between the vines.
Squirm.
At that moment, green fibers rose from the cut surface of the severed vine.
Just as a troll instantly regenerates a severed finger, this vine was also instantly regenerating the severed surface.
“Riel, burn these.”
“Ah, yes.”
– Bad grass!
Se-un could have used magic, but there was no need to do so since Riel was there.
Every time Se-un cut the vines, the fire spirit flew over and burned the cut surface of the vines black.
Originally, these vines would not budge even with ordinary fire magic, but this exposed surface was surprisingly vulnerable to flames.
Thanks to this, Se-un could focus solely on cutting the vines in front of him.
While doing so.
“Sylph!”
– Fly away!
The maple leaves that were fluttering and falling above Se-un’s head were blown far away by the wind created by the wind spirit.
It was a wise move. Those maple leaves were not just ordinary maple leaves.
“How did you know?”
“I have that much sense too. But what kind of place is it that such brutal maple leaves are falling?”
“I told you, we’re going to find the Guide.”
The maple leaves that Sylph had blown away fell on the vines in the distance.
Then, with a sound like something burning, purple smoke billowed and the vines melted downwards.
After that, various obstacles covered Se-un like traps.
– Wow, the trees are moving here too!
– Bad grass! Bad grass!
– I’ll block this!
Before the regression, it took a tremendous amount of time to cut and burn the vines and avoid those traps one by one until they passed through the vines.
Now, he could focus only on cutting the vines and leave the rest to Riel, so he could advance at an unbelievable speed.
Thanks to this, in less than ten minutes.
Swish-
“Is it over now? What the heck is here……”
He was able to escape the vines and reach the field where the Guide was located.
“Wow……”
– Pretty!
– It’s pretty!
“It’s here.”
What they arrived at was a huge flower field.
The flower field was full of yellow flowers, and the flowers that came up to their waists were more than twice as large as the flowers they generally knew.
Such a flower field stretched out so wide that it reached the horizon, making it a truly spectacular sight.
“I didn’t know there was a place like this on the 64th floor. It’s all trees and monsters, and there are hardly any other plants.”
“Of course. There’s probably no other terrain like this on the 64th floor.”
– The scent is so good!
– The wind is so cool too.
Every time the wind swept through, the petals swayed and golden waves rippled across the flower field.
When the wind subsided and the flowers returned to their places, the flower field was covered with its unique subtle floral scent.
Compared to the previous situation where giant trees blocked their view and monsters were aiming for their backs, it was a place that could be said to be peace itself.
Riel, who had been admiring the scenery for a while, came to her senses and asked Se-un with a puzzled expression.
“I know it’s pretty, but where is the Guide? There doesn’t seem to be anything but flowers.”
“Why isn’t there? It’s over there.”
Se-un pointed to a flower nearby.
It would be difficult for ordinary people to notice, but Riel was also a proper player.
She might not be as good as Se-un, but she was a player who could be compared to the strong of the Diablo Guild. No, maybe even stronger.
So she was able to quickly identify the target that Se-un was pointing at.
“A bee……. No, a hummingbird?”
“That’s right.”
“Is this the Guide?”
“No, the Guide is separate. It will probably appear soon.”
The Guide had already noticed Se-un and Riel’s intrusion.
And no matter where the Guide was in this vast flower field, it would have already arrived around them by now.
As Se-un focused his attention on his hearing, he soon heard a whirring sound.
The sound of wings flapping, which was faster than the hummingbird next to him, was not fixed in one position but was rapidly circling around them.
Then, just as the direction of the sound stopped.
“There.”
Se-un pointed his finger towards that place.
As Riel moved her gaze following Se-un’s finger, there was a colorful hummingbird that looked a little different from the hummingbird she had seen before.
“Oh, how did you know?”
The appearance of the Guide.
Unlike the appearance Se-un had encountered before the regression, it was in a state of panic, with even the wings that had been flapping more than a hundred times a second stopped.