The Monkey Paradise test had confirmed my hypothesis: my strategic essence fusion allowed me to bypass the rank ladder and achieve Rare-level power output. The next step was to confirm the second, and more dangerous, piece of information gathered from the Workshop: the 48-hour respawn cycle of the Yellow Gate (Rare-rank) dungeons.
To do this, I needed a target that would clearly demonstrate my ability to handle Rare-rank threats with the speed and efficiency of an Epic-rank hunter, leaving no doubt about my competence, while keeping the Guild Master's suspicion focused on my skill, not my forbidden knowledge.
The current most notorious Rare-rank dungeon active in Vigan was located deep beneath the old city docks, codenamed "The Glacier Hole." Its boss was a terrifying beast: the Polaris Ursus.
The Polaris Ursus was a massive, bear-like monster encased in enchanted, diamond-hard ice armor. Its attacks revolved around crushing force and devastating cold blasts. It was a purely defensive and brute-force enemy, the ideal candidate for a kinetic force test. A typical Rank B hunter team would require hours, utilizing fire-based artifacts or specialized armor-piercing arrows.
I secured the mission by demanding the coordinates for the 'closest available Yellow Gate,' leveraging my exceptional Monkey Paradise clear time. The Guild Master, tied by his own rules and anxious to see me fail a real challenge, grudgingly approved the coordinates.
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The Yellow Gate portal glowed an intense, ominous yellow, marking the severe danger within. I left Juts outside again, instructing him only to log the entrance and exit times—our continued efficiency was the key to my leverage.
The air inside the Glacier Hole was instantly frigid, the tunnels lined with razor-sharp frost. I moved quickly, ignoring the smaller, frost-bitten creatures, focusing solely on the kinetic efficiency of my gauntlet. The Gorgon Essence roared to life, delivering focused shockwaves that crumpled the thin frost armor of the lower-tier monsters, clearing my path in minutes.
I found the Polaris Ursus in a vast, subterranean chamber. It was an intimidating sight—a mountain of white fur and translucent ice armor, roaring a challenge that turned the condensation in the air into glittering shards of ice.
My strategy was simple: Shatter the Defense, Exploit the Core.
The common method—fire magic—would take too long, requiring prolonged exposure and high energy cost. My method was kinetic resonance.
I activated the full power of my Rare Gauntlet, channeling the raw force of the Gorgon Essence and the disruptive energy of the Miasma Essence into a complex vibrational strike.
I didn't need fireballs. I needed a single, decisive kinetic burst.
How many Fireballs to take down a huge Polar Bear?
Answer: Zero.
The Polaris Ursus charged, its massive claws ready to crush. I sidestepped the initial lunge and drove my gauntlet, not into the surface of its armor, but slightly above the ground, releasing a precisely focused low-frequency shockwave.
The kinetic force traveled through the iced floor and impacted the Polaris Ursus' armored feet. The monster roared in confusion as its own solid footing betrayed it. The shockwave did not break the ice armor directly; it created micro-fractures within the crystalline structure due to internal vibration.
The Polaris Ursus was stunned for a critical second. I used that second to strike again, channeling all remaining kinetic force into a devastating blow aimed directly at the center of its chest, where its Ancient Core pulsed beneath the armor.
The Miasma Essence, acting as a chaotic, disruptive force, amplified the kinetic impact, turning the controlled shockwave into a localized, internal explosion.
There was a deafening BOOM!
The Polaris Ursus's diamond-hard ice armor shattered from the inside out, exploding into a million glittering shards. The monster collapsed, a massive, lifeless pile of fur and muscle. Its defense, which required hundreds of specialized fire magic strikes to penetrate, was demolished by a single, focused burst of kinetic energy.
I immediately absorbed the Polaris Ursus Essence and the shimmering Ursus Ice Plate Card that dropped. The new essence was cold, powerful, and defensive, immediately mixing with the Gorgon Essence to fortify my gauntlet's already formidable defensive capabilities. My artifact was now a multi-layered shield and a kinetic hammer.
I collected the remnants of its Ice Plate, the key material the Guild required, and activated my Shadow Locket Ring to safely store the Ursus Ice Plate Card and the other minor artifacts.
I stepped out of the Yellow Gate. Total time elapsed: 41 minutes.
Juts, who had been sitting anxiously, jumped up. His eyes, wide with disbelief as he looked at his stopwatch, confirmed the terrifying efficiency of the clear.
"Forty-one minutes," Juts whispered, his voice trembling. "Dax... you were faster than the best Rank A hunter the Guild has on record for a Polaris Ursus solo clear. How did you—"
"Efficiency, Juts," I cut him off, dropping the bag of crystalline plates at his feet. "Take this directly to the Guild Master. Tell him the Glacier Hole is cleared and is now on the 48-hour respawn timer. We'll be back for the next cycle. Inform him that Dax Jackal requires all accumulated Rank-up documentation prepared immediately."
The Polaris Ursus was dead, and my tactical knowledge was verified. The Guild Master's schedule was confirmed, and I had just asserted my dominance over the entire Rare-rank system. The path to Epic dungeons was now wide open.