# 23
Farming Ruthlessly (3)
[Guest no. 48 has entered.]
BurnFriday: Damn it. Who cleared the dungeon I was working on?
Jester: LOL
BurnFriday: Is it you?
Jester: LOL, this is hilarious.
BurnFriday: C’mon, speak up. This is irritating.
Anonymous48: Hey, I found a decent dungeon.
BurnFriday: What? Where? You better not be lying.
Anonymous48: Near Gyodae Station. From what I saw, you can get Class-C items there.
BurnFriday: Class-C?
Jester: You’re on your third try? Seems like credible info. But how do you know?
Anonymous48: There are ways to know.
HonestLife: Is this guy a prophetic god or something? Where are you from?
Anonymous66: Asking for origins is a violation of the rules.
HonestLife: If you’ve got prophetic powers, spill it. How many gods with that power could there be? Where you at? Greece?
Jester: Legit.
Anonymous48: ^^;
HonestLife: Damn, you only like this when it’s me? As if it weren’t enough that my work’s not going well.
BurnFriday: I’m already pissed after wasting a whole week. Might as well go check out that place.
Anonymous25: I’m in.
BurnFriday: Come on, join the fun. I’ll take care of you.
Anonymous25: LOL, acting all tough, huh.
WindWindWind: I’m going, too.
“Phew.”
The fact that it’s supposedly a Class-C item dungeon is no joke.
From the way people kept asking if it really was Class-C items, it seems likely most of the avatars around here are heading in that direction.
“Our deity tells us to go to Gyodae Station for the next dungeon.”
“Yeah. Tell them I’m not going.”
Even though I’ve returned to the past, the dungeons I remember are few.
I only recall the dungeons I’ve been to, or ones with substantial rewards.
Most of the latter kind tend to appear later on, so I didn’t have much information on the ones available now.
‘But there’s one.’
There was one dungeon I had to visit.
I kept leaking information about other dungeons in the chat to learn more about the one I was looking for.
‘I’ve released all the info on the dungeons I know.’
Three dungeons I visited in my previous life.
Most of them I joined on the coattails of others, but I remember the rewards.
Not particularly useful to me, but high class enough to serve as a perfect decoy.
“Good call following my lead. Keep this up and we’ll be rich soon. Couldn’t we just keep hitting dungeons?”
“No. We’ll farm a bit more and then go for the main quest.”
“Do we really need to? There’s no time limit.”
“That’s true for the third main quest. But not for the fourth.”
“Huh?”
The third doesn’t have a limit.
But the fourth does.
This means the fourth quest begins before we’ve cleared the third.
Failing to clear the third quest doesn’t mean death.
It just means missing out on a quest.
That’s a significant penalty.
The main quest rewards are far more substantial than those of regular side quests or dungeons.
“Then shouldn’t we immediately go for the third quest?”
“There’s a skill I need to pick up before we go.”
I’d gathered enough miscellaneous skills and items.
I knew the location of the dungeons from the chat, so it was time to head there.
“Shouldn’t we find the third quest first?”
“I already know where it is.”
It’s not too far from here.
“RomeWorld.”
“That place was just there not long ago.”
“Not there, the amusement park.”
Upon hearing this, Mina squinted and asked again.
“Really?”
“Yeah. If we go there, the third main quest will be activated. No doubt many players are already there.”
“Shouldn’t we hurry?”
No need.
The third main quest will continue there until the start of the fourth.
Even if someone clears it, it doesn’t end, it continues.
And most people won’t make it out of there. They’ll die.
It’s that kind of place.
“I can tell we don’t need to rush by the look on your face.”
Mina chuckled snidely and sat down to gaze at the sky.
The starry night sky stood out brilliantly.
“The city lights used to block out the stars, but now they’re clear to see.”
“That’s because there’s no electricity around here.”
“Right. It’s funny. The world’s falling apart and we get to see a beautiful night sky.”
Mina watched the sky with a strange look on her face. I, too, found myself gazing at the stars, led by her gaze.
Stars.
Yes, I need those stars.
“…the constellations.”
“Hm?”
“Nothing, never mind.”
No need to explain now.
She will find out in due course.
***
Close to Exit 4 at Songpa Station. The empty entrance to the dungeon was in sight.
“Are we digging down again this time?”
“This place is deeper than it looks; boss room location’s not pinned down.”
“Can’t be helped.”
This dungeon was mentioned in passing in my previous life. I didn’t know the exact location, but I was familiar with the monsters that appeared, allowing me to scrape together information.
“Wrap this around.”
“Hm?”
I wrapped a long cloth around Jisu’s body.
“What’s this?”
“It’ll block arrows.”
Our many dungeon visits were all to prepare for clearing this one.
Class-C items? I’m not concerned with such.
I need the item and skill that lie beneath.
==
Arrow Shielding Cloth of Protection (D): Blocks up to 5 ranged attacks. The item is destroyed after all uses are depleted.
==
It’s a remarkable item for a Class-D. Although it looks like a scarf, it automatically defends against incoming ranged attacks. It’s consumable, but the effects are impressive.
I, too, wrapped the cloth around my neck.
It took a lot of effort to secure two of these, rummaging through dungeons.
I even earned the title ‘Professional Digger’, although it’s not particularly thrilling.
“…It’s too quiet. Is this really a dungeon?”
“If it wasn’t a dungeon, this strange place wouldn’t be here in a subway station, right?”
“That makes sense, but it’s so dark. Should’ve brought a flashlight or lantern.”
I shook my head at Mina’s grumbling.
“We can’t bring such things.”
“Why?”
“There’s a reason.”
The dungeon was exceedingly deep.
It was pitch-black, eerily silent.
There were no monsters in sight, just bats occasionally visible, clinging to the dark cave walls.
This dungeon was clearly different from any before.
“There are dungeons like this. They’re not all straightforward.”
Some dungeons are just full of traps, while others take you straight to the boss room, known commonly as ‘raid’ dungeons.
And this one is similar to those raid dungeons, but it’s unique too.
“Feels like we’re walking in circles.”
“That’s exactly the case.”
“If that was the case, you should’ve told me…”
“Shh.”
I silenced Mina’s complaints and warned her quietly.
“They’re coming.”
“Huh?”
Just as I thought we’d walked far enough, a sound of wind came from behind us.
Swoosh!
Crack!
“Ah?!”
The cloth around Mina’s neck moved to block an incoming arrow.
“What, what’s that?”
“Four left, be careful.”
“Yeah, okay…”
I picked up the arrow that had fallen to the ground, remaining vigilant.
The arrow was pitch-black.
It would be near impossible to notice in this dim dungeon and could result in death before even realizing it.
Indeed, that was the info I had seen in the chatroom.
‘Died out of nowhere in a dungeon without monsters!’
If there’s a dungeon like that around this time, this is the only one.
“What if we turn small, wouldn’t we avoid being hit?”
“No chance. It’ll hit regardless, except for one thing.”
“One thing? What’s that?”
I didn’t bother answering.
She’ll figure it out soon enough.
Sure enough, Mina seemed to understand the gist of my words and asked quietly.
“So, what now?”
“Watch for arrows and wait for my signal… you know what to do, right?”
“Got it.”
I handed her an item while keeping an eye out.
This should allow us to subdue the creature for sure.
“Here goes.”
Swoosh!
Crack!
That was another use gone.
I have four left until the Arrow Shielding Cloth is depleted.
The creature isn’t fast enough to worry me yet.
“For you, I’ve obtained these special items.”
I wrapped the thread I took out around the arrow launched by the creature.
“Follow, Thread of Pursuit.”
==
Thread of Pursuit (D)
Wrapping this thread around an object allows it to stretch toward the original owner’s location. Single use.
==
It’s a single-use item that cannot track across vast distances, but within the confines of a dungeon, it can follow easily.
‘Even so, I doubt I can catch it.’
The creature is influenced by the player with the highest agility among those who entered the dungeon.
It’s incredibly fast because my agility has reached a countering peak.
Even if I know where it is, catching it is impossible.
The best I can do is to keep it in sight.
‘But I see it now.’
[Shadow Archer]
The name of the troublesome monster.
Save for Sentinels, there are no monsters more difficult than this one in this area.
‘Tedious at best.’
Its ability is to move quickly in places devoid of light.
Other attacks mostly rely on the creature’s equipment.
It can’t move where light shines. While one might think it’s easy to strategize against, that’s not the case.
Knowing its weakness, it avoids bright areas altogether.
That’s why I didn’t bring a lantern to this dungeon.
Crack!
“Three left.”
The creature maintained its focus on me, deeming Mina non-threatening.
I continued to herd it.
While I couldn’t catch it, I could chase it and menace it.
Crack!
“Two left.”
Not much longer now.
Crack!
“One left.”
The cloth around my neck reached its limit.
Aware of this, the Shadow Archer seemed to be laughing from within the darkness.
Crack!
“Done.”
The cloth around my neck shattered into pieces.
“…!”
Though the Shadow Archer had no face, it appeared to mock me.
I returned the gesture with a smirk of my own.
“The end is not for me; it’s for you.”
“…?”
The creature keeps fleeing as long as it’s pursued.
How, then, do you catch it?
Stop chasing and stay still.
This dungeon has a terrible layout; you end up crossing the same paths over and over.
Just like Mina was frustrated earlier.
“Ta-dah!”
A bat clinging to the cave wall transformed into a human, emitting a brilliant light.
==
Flash Mark (E)
Envelops a 10-meter radius in bright light. If a monster or player within 3 meters gazes at this light for 2 seconds, they become blinded for 10 seconds.
==
The item I had discreetly passed to Mina earlier.
It’s best suited to inflicting a blind status but complex to use effectively.
However, engulfing a 10-meter radius in light makes it perfect for capturing this creature.
Boooom!
While I was leading the Shadow Archer, Mina mimicked a bat on the cave wall, waiting for the creature to return.
And when the Shadow Archer came back to the spot, there Mina was, having transformed from a bat into a human using the item.
“…!!”
A silent scream erupted.
Only we and the Shadow Archer were in the dungeon.
And the bats.
It doesn’t shoot bats.
In games, there are often small animals roaming dungeons.
These are typically referred to as objects that neither the player nor the monsters can interact with.
The bats were probably part of the dungeon gimmick for ambiance.
The GM of this area is obsessed with the concept of ‘game’ and is fond of showing off.
“You’re dead, kid.”
In the brief moments as the flashbang went off and faded, that short window was enough time for me to plunge my sword into the creature’s heart.
# 23
Farming Ruthlessly (3)
[Guest no. 48 has entered.]
BurnFriday: Damn it. Who cleared the dungeon I was working on?
Jester: LOL
BurnFriday: Is it you?
Jester: LOL, this is hilarious.
BurnFriday: C’mon, speak up. This is irritating.
Anonymous48: Hey, I found a decent dungeon.
BurnFriday: What? Where? You better not be lying.
Anonymous48: Near Gyodae Station. From what I saw, you can get Class-C items there.
BurnFriday: Class-C?
Jester: You’re on your third try? Seems like credible info. But how do you know?
Anonymous48: There are ways to know.
HonestLife: Is this guy a prophetic god or something? Where are you from?
Anonymous66: Asking for origins is a violation of the rules.
HonestLife: If you’ve got prophetic powers, spill it. How many gods with that power could there be? Where you at? Greece?
Jester: Legit.
Anonymous48: ^^;
HonestLife: Damn, you only like this when it’s me? As if it weren’t enough that my work’s not going well.
BurnFriday: I’m already pissed after wasting a whole week. Might as well go check out that place.
Anonymous25: I’m in.
BurnFriday: Come on, join the fun. I’ll take care of you.
Anonymous25: LOL, acting all tough, huh.
WindWindWind: I’m going, too.
“Phew.”
The fact that it’s supposedly a Class-C item dungeon is no joke.
From the way people kept asking if it really was Class-C items, it seems likely most of the avatars around here are heading in that direction.
“Our deity tells us to go to Gyodae Station for the next dungeon.”
“Yeah. Tell them I’m not going.”
Even though I’ve returned to the past, the dungeons I remember are few.
I only recall the dungeons I’ve been to, or ones with substantial rewards.
Most of the latter kind tend to appear later on, so I didn’t have much information on the ones available now.
‘But there’s one.’
There was one dungeon I had to visit.
I kept leaking information about other dungeons in the chat to learn more about the one I was looking for.
‘I’ve released all the info on the dungeons I know.’
Three dungeons I visited in my previous life.
Most of them I joined on the coattails of others, but I remember the rewards.
Not particularly useful to me, but high class enough to serve as a perfect decoy.
“Good call following my lead. Keep this up and we’ll be rich soon. Couldn’t we just keep hitting dungeons?”
“No. We’ll farm a bit more and then go for the main quest.”
“Do we really need to? There’s no time limit.”
“That’s true for the third main quest. But not for the fourth.”
“Huh?”
The third doesn’t have a limit.
But the fourth does.
This means the fourth quest begins before we’ve cleared the third.
Failing to clear the third quest doesn’t mean death.
It just means missing out on a quest.
That’s a significant penalty.
The main quest rewards are far more substantial than those of regular side quests or dungeons.
“Then shouldn’t we immediately go for the third quest?”
“There’s a skill I need to pick up before we go.”
I’d gathered enough miscellaneous skills and items.
I knew the location of the dungeons from the chat, so it was time to head there.
“Shouldn’t we find the third quest first?”
“I already know where it is.”
It’s not too far from here.
“RomeWorld.”
“That place was just there not long ago.”
“Not there, the amusement park.”
Upon hearing this, Mina squinted and asked again.
“Really?”
“Yeah. If we go there, the third main quest will be activated. No doubt many players are already there.”
“Shouldn’t we hurry?”
No need.
The third main quest will continue there until the start of the fourth.
Even if someone clears it, it doesn’t end, it continues.
And most people won’t make it out of there. They’ll die.
It’s that kind of place.
“I can tell we don’t need to rush by the look on your face.”
Mina chuckled snidely and sat down to gaze at the sky.
The starry night sky stood out brilliantly.
“The city lights used to block out the stars, but now they’re clear to see.”
“That’s because there’s no electricity around here.”
“Right. It’s funny. The world’s falling apart and we get to see a beautiful night sky.”
Mina watched the sky with a strange look on her face. I, too, found myself gazing at the stars, led by her gaze.
Stars.
Yes, I need those stars.
“…the constellations.”
“Hm?”
“Nothing, never mind.”
No need to explain now.
She will find out in due course.
***
Close to Exit 4 at Songpa Station. The empty entrance to the dungeon was in sight.
“Are we digging down again this time?”
“This place is deeper than it looks; boss room location’s not pinned down.”
“Can’t be helped.”
This dungeon was mentioned in passing in my previous life. I didn’t know the exact location, but I was familiar with the monsters that appeared, allowing me to scrape together information.
“Wrap this around.”
“Hm?”
I wrapped a long cloth around Jisu’s body.
“What’s this?”
“It’ll block arrows.”
Our many dungeon visits were all to prepare for clearing this one.
Class-C items? I’m not concerned with such.
I need the item and skill that lie beneath.
==
Arrow Shielding Cloth of Protection (D): Blocks up to 5 ranged attacks. The item is destroyed after all uses are depleted.
==
It’s a remarkable item for a Class-D. Although it looks like a scarf, it automatically defends against incoming ranged attacks. It’s consumable, but the effects are impressive.
I, too, wrapped the cloth around my neck.
It took a lot of effort to secure two of these, rummaging through dungeons.
I even earned the title ‘Professional Digger’, although it’s not particularly thrilling.
“…It’s too quiet. Is this really a dungeon?”
“If it wasn’t a dungeon, this strange place wouldn’t be here in a subway station, right?”
“That makes sense, but it’s so dark. Should’ve brought a flashlight or lantern.”
I shook my head at Mina’s grumbling.
“We can’t bring such things.”
“Why?”
“There’s a reason.”
The dungeon was exceedingly deep.
It was pitch-black, eerily silent.
There were no monsters in sight, just bats occasionally visible, clinging to the dark cave walls.
This dungeon was clearly different from any before.
“There are dungeons like this. They’re not all straightforward.”
Some dungeons are just full of traps, while others take you straight to the boss room, known commonly as ‘raid’ dungeons.
And this one is similar to those raid dungeons, but it’s unique too.
“Feels like we’re walking in circles.”
“That’s exactly the case.”
“If that was the case, you should’ve told me…”
“Shh.”
I silenced Mina’s complaints and warned her quietly.
“They’re coming.”
“Huh?”
Just as I thought we’d walked far enough, a sound of wind came from behind us.
Swoosh!
Crack!
“Ah?!”
The cloth around Mina’s neck moved to block an incoming arrow.
“What, what’s that?”
“Four left, be careful.”
“Yeah, okay…”
I picked up the arrow that had fallen to the ground, remaining vigilant.
The arrow was pitch-black.
It would be near impossible to notice in this dim dungeon and could result in death before even realizing it.
Indeed, that was the info I had seen in the chatroom.
‘Died out of nowhere in a dungeon without monsters!’
If there’s a dungeon like that around this time, this is the only one.
“What if we turn small, wouldn’t we avoid being hit?”
“No chance. It’ll hit regardless, except for one thing.”
“One thing? What’s that?”
I didn’t bother answering.
She’ll figure it out soon enough.
Sure enough, Mina seemed to understand the gist of my words and asked quietly.
“So, what now?”
“Watch for arrows and wait for my signal… you know what to do, right?”
“Got it.”
I handed her an item while keeping an eye out.
This should allow us to subdue the creature for sure.
“Here goes.”
Swoosh!
Crack!
That was another use gone.
I have four left until the Arrow Shielding Cloth is depleted.
The creature isn’t fast enough to worry me yet.
“For you, I’ve obtained these special items.”
I wrapped the thread I took out around the arrow launched by the creature.
“Follow, Thread of Pursuit.”
==
Thread of Pursuit (D)
Wrapping this thread around an object allows it to stretch toward the original owner’s location. Single use.
==
It’s a single-use item that cannot track across vast distances, but within the confines of a dungeon, it can follow easily.
‘Even so, I doubt I can catch it.’
The creature is influenced by the player with the highest agility among those who entered the dungeon.
It’s incredibly fast because my agility has reached a countering peak.
Even if I know where it is, catching it is impossible.
The best I can do is to keep it in sight.
‘But I see it now.’
[Shadow Archer]
The name of the troublesome monster.
Save for Sentinels, there are no monsters more difficult than this one in this area.
‘Tedious at best.’
Its ability is to move quickly in places devoid of light.
Other attacks mostly rely on the creature’s equipment.
It can’t move where light shines. While one might think it’s easy to strategize against, that’s not the case.
Knowing its weakness, it avoids bright areas altogether.
That’s why I didn’t bring a lantern to this dungeon.
Crack!
“Three left.”
The creature maintained its focus on me, deeming Mina non-threatening.
I continued to herd it.
While I couldn’t catch it, I could chase it and menace it.
Crack!
“Two left.”
Not much longer now.
Crack!
“One left.”
The cloth around my neck reached its limit.
Aware of this, the Shadow Archer seemed to be laughing from within the darkness.
Crack!
“Done.”
The cloth around my neck shattered into pieces.
“…!”
Though the Shadow Archer had no face, it appeared to mock me.
I returned the gesture with a smirk of my own.
“The end is not for me; it’s for you.”
“…?”
The creature keeps fleeing as long as it’s pursued.
How, then, do you catch it?
Stop chasing and stay still.
This dungeon has a terrible layout; you end up crossing the same paths over and over.
Just like Mina was frustrated earlier.
“Ta-dah!”
A bat clinging to the cave wall transformed into a human, emitting a brilliant light.
==
Flash Mark (E)
Envelops a 10-meter radius in bright light. If a monster or player within 3 meters gazes at this light for 2 seconds, they become blinded for 10 seconds.
==
The item I had discreetly passed to Mina earlier.
It’s best suited to inflicting a blind status but complex to use effectively.
However, engulfing a 10-meter radius in light makes it perfect for capturing this creature.
Boooom!
While I was leading the Shadow Archer, Mina mimicked a bat on the cave wall, waiting for the creature to return.
And when the Shadow Archer came back to the spot, there Mina was, having transformed from a bat into a human using the item.
“…!!”
A silent scream erupted.
Only we and the Shadow Archer were in the dungeon.
And the bats.
It doesn’t shoot bats.
In games, there are often small animals roaming dungeons.
These are typically referred to as objects that neither the player nor the monsters can interact with.
The bats were probably part of the dungeon gimmick for ambiance.
The GM of this area is obsessed with the concept of ‘game’ and is fond of showing off.
“You’re dead, kid.”
In the brief moments as the flashbang went off and faded, that short window was enough time for me to plunge my sword into the creature’s heart.
