"Ready?"
Han Ji-hyeok asked.
"Yes."
Do-yoon answered briskly, gripping his shield and two-handed sword tightly.
In stage clears, this battered gear was no different from his lifeline.
Thinking that, Do-yoon sharpened his focus.
After walking some distance with the group, a translucent barrier strangely came into view.
"Monsters start appearing beyond that, so be careful."
Jo Ha-rin explained simply.
"Got it."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙「Would you like to enter the stage?」
Reaching out and touching the barrier with his shield, the status window popped up.
Do-yoon immediately agreed, pushing his entire body through the barrier.
-Squelch!
A strange resistance accompanied his passage to the other side.
After that, the same world as before welcomed him.
Except—
"Do-yoon, you see that?"
Turning at Han Ji-hyeok's indication, he spotted something utterly bizarre.
-Boing. Boing.
Some liquid mass bouncing elastically on its smooth surface.
"A slime?"
"Looks just like the ones in games, right?"
As if he'd anticipated the reaction, Han Ji-hyeok grinned.
It was info he'd learned thanks to the gallery.
📰 Breaking NewsBefore You Go, Check This Out💬 Comments— Paper Enthusiast*(Slime photo) The 1st floor stage is basically tutorial-level difficulty, but just in case, heads up ㅇㅇ The field monsters there are lesser slimes like in that pic. They bounce around all cute-like, but don't just touch 'em or you'll melt, so watch out; High viscosity means they're weak to sudden impacts. Instead of slashing with a sword, smash 'em with a shield or kick to debilitate first.— My PostOh, thanks for the info.— Paper Enthusiast*Just telling you so you don't die in some dumb spot ㅇㅇ— AnonymousTsundere ㄷㄷ— Aged Wine is...Uuu... They've stolen my job...— ???I liked them first...!— AnonymousUh uh— AnonymousLol— AnonymousWhat lol you moron— AnonymousTeachers pls;
Do-yoon etched the info into his mind, glaring at the slime.
The field monsters were still bouncing away, eagerly showing themselves off.
"See any other hunters around?"
"Nope. Kinda quiet today."
At those words, Do-yoon's gaze naturally shifted to them.
"Hunters usually around a lot?"
"Yeah. It's a zone where people from other worlds participate too, after all."
Hunter saturation, huh.
He'd have to be even more careful.
They'd probably always stick with their groups normally, but you had to watch for what-ifs.
"Wanna try taking on the slime in front of us first?"
"Sure."
Do-yoon headed straight for a lone bouncing slime.
"?"
No eyes, but maybe some sensory organ like one—its front-facing body mass turned toward Do-yoon.
First strike wins.
Following the advice, Do-yoon raised his shield instead of his sword and swung at the slime.
-Thwack!
The knee-high slime took a direct hit to the shield and flew off into the distance with a satisfying impact.
Trembling and unable to act next, it seemed properly struck.
"Whoa..."
Someone admired from behind, but Do-yoon ignored it and approached the immobilized slime.
Inside its jiggly body.
A small orb-shaped object caught his eye.
'The slime's core.'
Targeting it, Do-yoon aimed the tip of his blade.
Then.
-Stab.
Cleanly piercing the core, he finished off the slime.
The core-shattered slime writhed once largely, then turned black and seeped into the ground.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙「Defeated 'Slime'!」 「Gained experience points.」
-Swoosh...
An inexplicable elation settled in his body, bringing a refreshing feeling.
"...Do-yoon."
Turning at the familiar voice, he saw Jo Ha-rin with a stunned expression.
"First time fighting?"
"Pardon?"
"I mean, finding and smashing the slime core right away like that. It's just so natural."
"No way, seriously...!"
Jeong A-hyeon bounced excitedly beside Jo Ha-rin, full of admiration.
'Is it?'
Maybe because he knew the method beforehand—it hadn't been that hard.
Mana Resistance kept his mind intact, and gallery info gave him the monster matchup.
Hard to get more perfect conditions than this.
Feeling gratitude well up from deep inside, Do-yoon looked at the hunters.
"Shall we keep hunting?"
"Yeah. Getting EXP?"
"Popped up in the status window earlier."
"Okay then. Let's do three more."
"Got it."
Accepting Jo Ha-rin's suggestion readily, Do-yoon headed for the next prey.
"..."
His teammates watched him blankly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Ha-rin. This for real?"
-Thwack!
No sooner said than a second slime got smacked away.
Do-yoon wasn't hunting.
This was butchery.
Slaughtering set prey with maximum efficiency, cutting off their breath.
"...It's unbelievable."
This was a first.
Clearly his first time experiencing it.
Yet he felt no burden entering the tower for the first time.
And he handled his first monster battle with skill.
"Didn't our A-hyeon puke her guts out her first time?"
"Agh! Why bring that up!!"
Jeong A-hyeon recoiled, smacking Han Ji-hyeok's back.
She'd been the latest team member before Do-yoon—not anymore.
Not just Jeong A-hyeon; the other hunters had similar reactions.
Even with simulation room indirect experience of tower interiors, reality was worlds apart.
In contrast, that guy—Kim Do-yoon—had grown more proactive since entering the tower.
'What the...'
The tower's burden didn't end in a moment.
Breathing, moving, spotting monsters, attacking them.
The tower gnawed at a hunter's mind with every action inside.
"...."
Jo Ha-rin quietly watched Kim Do-yoon's performance.
"...At this rate, we could head to the boss room right away."
"Agreed. Boss kills level you up faster than trash mobs."
Levels.
An indispensable element for hunters.
Their average was in the 30s.
With solid tower experience, they outleveled Do-yoon by a mile.
"How'd he know the slime weakness?"
"That skill... his benefactor, right?"
"Probably."
"Was skeptical at first, but damn, it's the real deal."
Not just helping acquire Mana Resistance, but combat intel too.
What kind of busted ability was that?
"...Might catch up to us way faster than we thought."
"Feels like it."
"Eh, no way... even so."
"I think so too. No point rushing judgment now—if he dies, then what?"
Jeong A-hyeon and Cha Yun-ha voiced concerns.
"Too early to judge for sure."
But the performance so far was overwhelmingly intense.
Could you chalk it up to luck?
"All done!"
Having felled three slimes total, Do-yoon returned.
"Good work."
Grinning sheepishly at Jo Ha-rin, he asked about the next step.
"What now?"
"Our original goal was gauging your overall combat power and clearing the 1st floor."
Their gazes naturally turned to the forest depths.
"Shall we hunt the boss mob now?"
"Sounds good."
Well, look at this.
Normally, you'd hesitate at facing a stronger monster.
But Do-yoon's eyes sparkled like he'd been waiting for those words.
'What is this guy?'
The hunters' feelings unified.
A sense of wrongness, like beholding the unknown.
Do-yoon, this man's potential—how far did it go?
Pondering that, they cleared the path ahead like pros.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇📰 Breaking NewsSlimes Are Total Pushovers Lol— My Post-Sorry, pulled aggro just to show this off.... (Photo of hand making V-sign while holding shield) Boss Mob Gallery intel on point fr? Chest feels all pumped up Smashed first like you said, and slime couldn't do shit? Sliced 'em clean, gobbled 'em up ㅇㅇ— AnonymousLol you're hyped af— AnonymousNo injuries?— My Postㅇㅇ All good— AnonymousGlad to hear— Aged Wine is...Hoe~! Newbie-chan is so cool~!— AnonymousThis real admiration or trolling?— AnonymousGotta be trolling lol— AnonymousOh really lol— My Post;;;📰 Breaking NewsAnyway, Off to Kill the 1st Floor Boss ㅇㅇ— My Post-Like with the others, smack once first Stun, then core Right?— AnonymousSpot on— AnonymousSeeing him follow our advice so obediently, why's it so satisfying— Anonymous?— AnonymousArmband bastard die— Paper Enthusiast*Handled— AnonymousHonestly compared to other hunters he's an angel— AnonymousHey asshole, comparing him is the insult— AnonymousNewbie jjejs;
'What the hell's their view on hunters.'
What had they gone through to hate other hunters this much?
📰 Breaking NewsAnyway Let's Clear Floors Quick— My Post-And level up fast Then help prevent my ejections too pls— AnonymousToo early no?— My PostFfs what even is ejection— AnonymousEjection is, well...— My PostSh*t here we go again— AnonymousLololol PTSD
It had come up before.
The gallery's true purpose was sharing ejection prevention and tips.
What goal drove their galling?
📰 Breaking NewsTime to Learn, Right?— Paper Enthusiast*-Meeting like this is a miracle Newbie needs to know what he needs to ㅇㅇ But finish what you're doing first— My PostOk off to big slime— AnonymousBig slime: King Slime— AnonymousThanks for useful info~— AnonymousNewbie take it slow— AnonymousGet hurt and you're dead to me— Anonymous?— Aged Wine is...Hoeee~! If Newbie-chan gets hurt, I'll be sad~!— My PostOk;; I'll be careful
Can't make the tower lord sad.
Who knows what mess that'd cause.
"...Do-yoon?"
Jo Ha-rin called just then.
Turning, she looked puzzled.
"What're you doing?"
"Oh. Using my skill to scout boss mob info."
"Ah..."
She seemed convinced, proceeding naturally, and Do-yoon felt his teammates growing accustomed to his skills.
'Even better.'
Less suspicion meant bolder actions.
"This is the boss room."
Passing the dense woods, they arrived at a spot.
A bizarre magic circle etched the floor, eerie light emanating from its center.
"Do-yoon. I'll go in first here."
Han Ji-hyeok said, stepping forward.
A massive shield was strapped to his back.
Anybody could tell: tank.
Prepping for unknowns, Han Ji-hyeok entered first to set formation.
"Got it, bro."
"Join right after."
"Yep."
-Flash.
The bearish frame vanished instantly.
Signaling boss room entry.
"Let's go."
Following Jo Ha-rin's lead, Do-yoon stepped into the light.
Like first tower entry, vision cut off briefly.
When it cleared, a musty ruin-like space filled with dank odor.
"Do-yoon!"
"Yes!"
Reacting to the shout, Do-yoon entered combat stance.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙「Entered the boss room!」 「Defeat the 'King Slime' to clear the floor.」
Dismissing the window, he sought the tank bro.
Not far.
A man's back faced the massive slime they'd seen before, in standoff.
"Bro!"
"I'll hold it—join slowly!"
"Got it!"
Han Ji-hyeok deftly struck the King Slime with his huge shield, stiffening it.
"Now!"
Han Ji-hyeok signaled.
Do-yoon dashed forward, aiming for the King Slime's core.
But then.
"Squish squish. Ouch."
A sudden cute voice echoed in his head, freezing Do-yoon solid.