Chapter 15
Thunk!
Once again, the tyrant squirrel's charge grazed past Carpe. Its massive front teeth collided with the cave wall, sending rubble flying with a thunderous crash.
"Squeeeal!"
Seething with rage, the squirrel let out an incomprehensible cry, stomping its feet in frustration. Blood trickled from the numerous small wounds all over its body, all courtesy of Carpe.
"This thing is vicious. What kind of squirrel is this? It's more like a wild boar."
"Despite all the grumbling, you sure dodge well."
"Humans are adaptable creatures; it's as simple as that."
Momentary surprise at encountering a beast-type monster for the first time aside, Carpe quickly adapted.
Honestly, with such a straightforward attack route, adaptation was a given.
Carpe was confident that he could fight for over an hour without getting hit once.
"Dodging isn't a problem, but... my damage seems lacking. I feel like I've hit it hard, but it's barely flinching."
"It's a legendary dungeon. Reinforcement isn't limited to just attack power and speed."
Defense and HP were also incomparable to monsters from normal-grade dungeons.
If, by any chance, one of these dungeon squirrels were to venture into the field, the beginner's city would soon turn into a city of death.
Thunk!
Once again, the squirrel grazed past Carpe. Simultaneously, Carpe's sword slashed across the squirrel's body. With a crimson streak, blood spurted into the air.
"If we keep attacking and retreating like this, we can safely catch it."
"But it'll take a while. At this rate, won't we miss the guerrilla quest?"
"That won't do. The cooldown for that quest is at least a week."
Even if they were to abandon the dungeon and leave, missing the guerrilla quest was out of the question. Carpe narrowed his eyes.
"Hmm. Nothing we can do about it."
"Heh. Do you think I would have brought you here if I didn't consider that? Don't worry. Can't land hits? Well, the common weakness of these rodent types is..."
"Wait a moment."
"Huh?"
Cheonma raised an eyebrow as if to say, "What nonsense is this?" Carpe wasn't the type to say such things.
"You have to use cheats moderately. People shouldn't try to solve everything so easily. Trials are what make people grow."
"...That's a valid point. But why does it sound so surprising coming from you?"
"Your conscience must be twisted, Cheonma. What on earth were you thinking?"
"What was I... thinking..."
Though he felt the urge to retort with words like shameless freeloader or the ultimate conscienceless player, Cheonma bit his tongue and forced a forced smile. Well, why spoil a rare commendable moment with unnecessary sarcasm?
"Good attitude. Shall we see the skills of the second-ranked professional?"
"Let me correct the image you have in your head, Cheonma. Here I go!"
Thud!
Carpe charged towards the tyrant squirrel with vigor.
"Squee?"
As the human who had been evading skillfully suddenly rushed forward, the squirrel let out a cry of surprise.
But it was short-lived.
"Squeeeal!"
The squirrel quickly shifted from surprise to anger, swinging its massive front paw.
Carpe lowered his head as if he had been waiting for this.
Whoosh!
With a slicing sound, the squirrel's claws grazed past Carpe's head, sending a few strands of hair fluttering in the air.
"Oh?"
Carpe's conclusion was simple.
If attacks weren't landing on areas like the back or legs, then strike where they would!
With minimal movement, Carpe dodged the attack and plunged into the squirrel's embrace. The large squirrel's face was clearly visible before him.
Yes, the face. The vulnerable spot for most creatures, including humans.
Carpe aimed his sword with all his might towards the squirrel's eyes!
"Squeak!"
However, the legendary squirrel was also an unbelievable monster. It skillfully evaded Carpe's precisely timed attack.
Crunch!
Carpe's sword grazed past the squirrel's eye, causing it to scream in agony.
"The tyrant squirrel activates the skill 'Rampage'!"
"Attack power and agility increase. Defense decreases."
Feeling its life threatened, the beast-type monster's unique skill was triggered. The tyrant squirrel lunged forward with its steel-like front teeth to bite Carpe's head.
"Hmph!"
But Carpe remained unfazed in such a situation.
Instead of retracting his right hand after the thrust, he extended his left hand into the squirrel's mouth. In his left hand was a short sword he had obtained from defeating a one-piece bandit.
Thud.
"Kiiieeeek!!"
As the tyrant squirrel bit down, Carpe swiftly raised his sword vertically, causing the short sword to embed deeply into the squirrel's palate.
"Critical hit! The tyrant squirrel is confused for 3 seconds!"
That was the end of it. With a scream, Carpe accurately thrust his sword into the squirrel's neck as it thrashed on the ground.
Clang.
"The tyrant squirrel has been defeated."
"Level up! Bonus points awarded."
"Whew. That was close."
Carpe breathed a sigh of relief as he slumped to the ground. What kind of game was this, being so intense from the first day?
"Wait, this is supposed to be the beginner's city? Why is the difficulty like this? Were they trying to drive off all the newcomers?!"
"Well, while it's true that Lasé is known for its difficulty, in this case, you brought it upon yourself."
In fact, to enter the 'King Squirrel's Nest' dungeon through the conventional route, two conditions were necessary.
First, the level had to be below 5. Second, at that level, the player had to maximize their favorability with the ranch owner NPC in the starting city.
Once the favorability condition was met, players could receive a quest from the ranch owner, where they could learn about the entrance to the dungeon and the weaknesses of the squirrel monsters.
- "This dungeon wasn't designed for head-on assaults. You're supposed to strategize based on weaknesses, but you just charge in recklessly, so the difficulty goes through the roof," Cheonma glared at Carpe with exasperated eyes.
"What makes you think this is a level 5 fight? I've never seen anything like this, even in a brawl," Carpe retorted.
"Well, regardless..."
- "Hmm?"
"It's still... fun, though," Carpe admitted.
"Enough with the jokes. Anyway, are you going to keep this up? You seem pretty exhausted."
"I'm fine. I know the ropes now. Things should move much faster from here on, right?"
- "Hmm. Well, if you say so."
"If understanding the ropes means you can grasp everything after catching one, who'd ever struggle..."
Cheonma's eyes showed a mixture of concern and understanding. But ultimately, his worries were futile.
Thud!
[Level up! Bonus stats awarded.]
After defeating the initial squirrel, Carpe successfully hunted three more tyrant squirrels.
"I can't believe this. Does this even make sense?"
Carpe's declaration of understanding was not a lie. The next squirrel he encountered took 5 minutes to defeat, then 3 minutes, and the one just now took less than 2 minutes. He even leveled up once more in the process.
"In essence, most of life's challenges boil down to knowing the ropes, Cheonma."
"...Let's leave it at that."
Cheonma gave up trying to understand. Sure, he had his own share of regression and soul-binding situations, but compared to the incomprehensible gaming genius, he was just a bystander.
"Anyway, is the drop rate increase in effect? Why am I only getting acorns... huh?"
That's when it happened.
As Carpe defeated yet another tyrant squirrel and rounded a corner in the dungeon, he spotted something he hadn't seen before.
It was a rectangular prism about a meter long. A quintessential item in the combination of RPGs and dungeons, one could never miss it.
"A treasure chest?"
"Oh, a chest? What color is it?"
"Color?"
Carpe observed the treasure chest again, puzzled by Cheonma's cryptic remark.
It unmistakably resembled a treasure chest. And a faint yellow aura emanated from its surface.
"Are you referring to this? It's yellow."
"If it's yellow, it's rare. Just like items have grades, dungeon chests have grades too."
"Ah, I see."
According to Cheonma's subsequent explanation, dungeon chests had different colors depending on their grades.
Normal chests were colorless, magic chests were blue, rare chests were yellow, hero chests were purple, unique chests were violet, and legendary chests were deep orange.
"What about epic and mythic?"
"They don't exist. Legendary is the highest you'll find in dungeon chests. Well, they might exist, but I've never seen one."
"I see."
"If even the veteran experts don't know, then it's as good as non-existent," Carpe muttered as he approached the treasure chest.
"Alright! Let's see what rare item I'll get..."
- "As much as I wish that were the case, no. The chest's grade is just a ceiling. Opening a rare chest won't necessarily yield rare or higher items."
"What's the probability of getting an item of the same grade as the chest's color?"
- "Roughly 10%, from what I've observed."
"10%? No, that's..."
- "Yeah. It's a crapshoot of probabilities..."
"How is that not a steal?"
- "...What?"
Cheonma doubted his own ears. Was he told that the meaning of "steal" had changed while he was an NPC?
- "Did I misspeak? I said 10%, right?"
"Seriously, what are you saying? Haven't you ever played other gacha games? This is beyond unreasonable."
- "I haven't."
"Tsk."
Carpe mumbled, nodding in agreement.
In other games, if you had a 10% chance of pulling an SSR rare, that would be considered a windfall! Even the most advantageous steals couldn't compare to this.
"Even if the success rate for enhancing items was just 3%, gamers would still think, 'Hmm, worth a shot.'"
- "...Are you going to get brain damage from continuous gacha?"
"I'm perfectly normal. I've never even experienced a 0.01% chance," Carpe retorted.
- "Let's just drop it. Hope you get a 10% chance of receiving a salary when you get a job. Please."
He had spent over ten years immersed in La'Zhe.
And during those ten years, how much had he cried over a 10% probability? It was a rotten mindset that Cheonma could never agree with as a heavenly being.
Whether Cheonma grimaced or spoke, Carpe, humming to himself, gripped the lid of the treasure chest with both hands. And just as he was about to open it...
Thud! Thud!
"What, what's happening?"
- "Could it be?"
The ground trembled. It was a solid vibration like the ones from the tyrant squirrels encountered so far, charging through the corridor. And the tremor was heading straight towards Carpe.
- "There's something, but... let's hide and assess the situation first."
"Got it."
Carpe swiftly concealed himself behind a nearby boulder. Soon enough, the owner of the tremor revealed itself from the depths of the cave.
Thud!
"Grooo?"
This time, the newcomer was also a squirrel. However, its size was extraordinary.
If the tyrant squirrels encountered so far were calf-sized, this one was bigger than a full-grown bull, perhaps even larger.
- "As expected. That's a mutant specimen."
A hidden monster that only appeared with a slim chance in legendary-grade dungeons.
And it chose this timing to appear, even more formidable than a dungeon boss.
"Isn't this great? If it's a hidden monster, the rewards must be fantastic."
- "In other games, maybe, but not in La'Zhe. Though it's a monster, it's more like a trap, so it doesn't drop loot. Instead, it guarantees experience points for leveling up, and if you defeat it one-on-one, it also grants a title. So, what's the plan? Shall we take it down?"
"We should. Even if it doesn't drop loot, it still gives titles."
- "I thought you'd say that. Then, I'll point out its weaknesses, so inventory..."
"Just a moment."
- "Yes?"
"We agreed to try this without exploiting weaknesses. So, I'll go head-to-head again this time. It seems more fun that way."
- "Hmm."
Cheonma was at a loss for words. What was this guy thinking?
- "Unlike any squirrels we've faced before, this mutation is stronger than even a boss. If you go head-on, you'll probably die nine out of ten times."
"Nine out of ten, huh..."
Carpe chuckled to himself.
"As expected, it's a jackpot game. Giving a 10% probability."
- "Seriously..."
"Sure, it's great to steadily grow by exploiting weaknesses, but hey. I play games for fun."
Before him stood the most powerful monster he had ever encountered, one where even with all his abilities combined, the chance of victory was only one in ten.
It was bound to be ridiculously fun!
Death penalties and such were nothing to worry about.
- "Fun?"
Weaknesses or not, maximizing gains while seeking the highest efficiency in growth was the right approach.
Cheonma thought so, acted accordingly, and as a result, reached the pinnacle. Reaching the top was the ultimate fun, wasn't it?
- "Fine. Do as you please."
Understanding Carpe's mindset was difficult for Cheonma, but he decided to step back here. After all, he was confident that as time passed, he would be drawn to the luxurious taste provided by hidden pieces!
"But, hey, bro."
- "What now? Don't talk to me if you're mad."
"What's that?"
- "As I said, a mutation... huh?"
Carpe pointed to where the mutant squirrel was. However, Carpe wasn't pointing at the squirrel itself.
More precisely, he was pointing at the box-like object dangling from the mutant squirrel's neck.
"..."
- "..."
Yes, it was a box. And there was only one type of box found in dungeons.
It was the dungeon's treasure chest.
The treasure chest dangling from the mutant squirrel's neck emitted a brilliant aura of 'deep orange'!
"Bro."
- "What now?"
"What was the weakness of those squirrels again?"
- "...You said you wanted to fight head-on, right?"
"Because it's more fun than exploiting weaknesses to open a legendary chest."
- "I'd like to crack open your head instead."
Cheonma sighed deeply.
- "The weakness is simple. You've collected acorns from all the squirrels we've defeated so far, right?"
"Yes. Instead of dropping equipment, they all spat out acorns."
- "Retrieve them."
At Cheonma's words, Carpe obediently took out the acorns from his inventory. The size of the acorns was as enormous as the squirrels encountered in the dungeon.
"These are bigger than my fist. But where do I use them? Plant them again?"
- "Have you ever heard of item munchers?"
"Item munchers? Ah!"
Though somewhat obscure now, they were creatures often seen in old-school RPGs.
Monsters that recognized items dropped on the ground and swiftly gobbled them up.
They were notorious for causing a surge in many players' blood pressure by snatching up valuable items dropped by players.
"Usually, slime-type monsters tend to behave that way."
- "Yeah. Just like those slimes, these squirrels are all item munchers. However, they only respond to specific items."
"And that's acorns?"
- "Exactly."
Carpe nodded his head in agreement. It was only natural that squirrels were attracted to acorns.
- "Toss all the acorns you're holding over their heads. That way, their hidden weakness will be revealed."
"What kind of weakness could it possibly be?"
While Carpe pondered, he began to swiftly toss the acorns. Directly over the heads of the squirrels.
"Kyuuh!"
Thump! Thump!
The mutant squirrels, drawn to the acorns, began to move in the opposite direction, making thumping sounds. They showed their backs to Carpe.
"Are you planning to attack their backs like this?"
- "No. Their backs are the toughest part. Our current attack power won't be enough."
"Right."
Carpe nodded. From his past experiences, attacking their backs didn't yield effective damage.
- "The funny thing about these squirrels is that they all walk on two legs, right? Well, they use their front paws as weapons."
However, even these creatures were forced to resort to using all four legs in two situations.
Firstly, during a charging attack. And secondly, when eating acorns.
"Kyuuh!"
The squirrels, upon discovering the acorns, let out cries of joy. They then bent their heads down and began to eat the acorns.
"Huh?"
The squirrel lowered its head. Naturally assuming a quadruped stance, its rear end rose. Its curled tail pointed upwards.
And then, it became visible.
* The weakness of the shape!!!
- "There's no need to point out where the weakness is, right? Now, go!"
"...."
- "What are you waiting for? I told you to go and poke it."
"No... No, this is... This is just not right."
- "What nonsense are you spouting? With your strength, you could easily push it in with one shove."
"Are you even human?! How can you suggest such a thing! It's too cruel!"
- "Cruel? How efficient is it? If we keep dawdling, that thing will eat everything and disappear. Oh, and the legendary chest will evaporate along with it, won't it?"
"Ugh!"
Though his conscience momentarily held him back, Carpe swiftly moved. The allure of the legendary title even overcame his conscience.
"Kyu?"
Sensing something amiss, the mutant squirrel attempted to raise its head, but Carpe was much quicker.
With all his strength, Carpe swung the sword in his hands toward the spot, shouting.
"To the wretched enemy squirrel... I'm truly... sorryyyyy!!!"
Swish!
Rather than stabbing something, it felt as if his hand was being sucked into a hole.
"?!?!?!"
[Critical Hit! Successfully exploited weakness!]
[One-hit kill! The mutant tyrant squirrel has been defeated!]
[Level Up! Bonus stats have been granted.]
[Achievement unlocked: 'Legendary Dungeon Complete.' Title 'Discoverer of the Legendary' integrated.]
[Achievement unlocked: 'One Strike to Heaven!' Title obtained.]
The squirrel couldn't even scream; it just trembled and collapsed. Carpe bowed deeply.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, human."
- "You crazy bastard. Cut it out!"
"You're a demon! Not a hero but a demon! Ding! You have acquired the title '0-Star Underling Demon Lord!'"
- "Sigh. You lunatic. Don't get emotionally invested in pixelated graphics and quickly open the box."
"Oh, right."
As if asking when he had ever been sad, Carpe rushed over to the box. Though Cheonma gave him a look that said, "What kind of person are you," Carpe didn't care at all.
"Huh?"
- "What now?"
"This... it's locked, isn't it?"
The legendary chest obtained after defeating the mutant squirrel was locked, unlike rare-grade chests.
- "Oh, well. Tough luck."
"Are you saying we can't open it without a key?"
- "Well, yeah, basically."
According to Cheonma's explanation, treasure chests found in dungeons come in locked and unlocked varieties. Naturally, the locked ones offer better rewards.
- "To unlock it, you need a key of the same grade as the chest."
"...To open a legendary chest, you need a legendary key?"
- "Correct. By the way, beginner towns only sell up to magic-grade keys."
Of course, even if you went to a major city, you couldn't buy legendary-grade keys. Typically, legendary keys were dropped by boss monsters or elite monsters at a low probability.
"Where are we supposed to find one of those?"
Thud!
Carpe swung his sword forcefully at the lock. Naturally, it didn't budge.
"This is ridiculous. Is there no other way to open it without a key?"
- "Tsk tsk. Give it up. Rangers or thief-type classes can learn lock-picking skills, but you're not..."
Cheonma paused mid-sentence. Carpe, too, stopped abruptly.
"...."
- "...."
"We're thinking the same thing, aren't we?"
- "....No way. That wouldn't work. It'd be too much of a cheat."
"But hey, we won't know until we try."
Saying so, Carpe placed his hand on the lock.
"Unlock."
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