That was why even Gemini couldn’t find it for a while.
In truth, discovering it was something that could only be called ‘luck.’
Having collected all the set items except for the shield fragments, I was extremely stressed out, not knowing the way to combine the fragments.
In a moment of frustration, I slammed them onto the ground, and the fragments broke just right to yield a fortunate case.
The condition was so unusual that there wasn’t a single user who didn’t know about it; thanks to that incident spreading far and wide, even Dahav remembered it vividly.
Crack—!
While recalling that, the fragments shattered into pieces so fine their shapes could no longer be recognized.
Looking at the shattered fragments turned to mere dust, a confident smile blossomed on Dahav’s face.
‘I finally finished it.’
As if responding to that, a message window popped up right before his eyes.
[The item’s combination conditions have been met.]
[The power of the Sun sealed within the fragments has been consolidated into one.]
Fwoooosh—!
A fierce blaze burst forth, flames roaring and swirling as they began to shape.
Oh yes.
Amidst the dazzling brilliance, the scattered flames finally gathered in one place and slowly transformed into the form of the shield.
The flames gradually lost strength, revealing the shape of an object.
[Sun King’s Hoplon]
- Grade: Unique (Exclusive, Unopened)
- Classification: Upper-tier
- Usable Level: 30 or higher
This is the shield of Melainin, the Sun King of the Arctic Dominion.
During the Lion King era, he unified the fragmented states into an alliance and ordered his craftsmen to create a shield that would symbolize his authority.
It took a full 49 days to complete this Hoplon.
Melainin declared it the Sun’s shield and, during his reign, established the foundation of the Arctic Dominion with strong centralization and wise policies, earning recognition and ultimately posthumous deification as the Sun King.
Though imbued with the power of the Sun, that power is weakened compared to its prime era.
By tracing Melainin’s history, the shield’s true strength can be reclaimed.
- Stat options: Strength +15 / Stamina +20
- Special options:
- Blaze Command – When attacked by an enemy, reflects fire damage proportional to the user’s maximum stamina.
- Sun King’s Spirit – Within a 50-meter radius, bolsters allied troops with the Sun King’s steadfast spirit. (Increases Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Willpower by 20 each)
- Special notes: New powers will manifest when the item’s unlocking conditions are met.
Seeing the options, a smile involuntarily formed on my lips.
‘As expected of something called the Sun King.’
Strength, stamina, agility, willpower. In other words, all stats increased by 20.
In terms of levels, that was equivalent to at least a 4-level increase.
Just possessing a shield like Hoplon, with its excellent aura effects, would make any respectable mid-tier party want to recruit you.
‘Even if I sold it now, it’d be worth at least 200 gold, or maybe more than 500 gold.’
Though I had bought the fragments for 50 gold each, it was by no means a loss.
Of course, I had no intention of selling it.
“To get such a rare wide-area aura item… and the synergy with players who have summoner-type professions commanding Familiars is needless to say.”
Right now, having three Familiars was enough, but once equipment was properly acquired and skill levels rose, the number of Familiars could grow to the point where it would be called an army.
And the more Familiars there were, the more the ‘Sun King’s Spirit’ effect would be maximized.
‘Besides, Hoplon’s true value doesn’t end here.’
The real worth appears after unlocking.
There were items that could dramatically increase your stats and abilities beyond your own limits, just like Gemini’s active abilities.
Players called these ‘Bogu’.
And the unlocked Sun King’s Hoplon was called a ‘National Treasure’ level Bogu—the very highest-grade item.
Of course, unlocking it required certain conditions, which would mean hustling to find them, but Dahav didn’t need to worry about that.
‘Of course, the unlocking conditions are already in my head.’
That was thanks to everything Gemini had told me.
The only regret was that there was currently no way to fulfill those conditions, but if I kept leveling steadily, unlocking it was definitely possible.
Now, I had one more reason to level up faster.
With a goal set, my body tensed on its own, and I clenched my fists tightly.
‘The best choice, no matter how you think about it, is to level up quickly.’
After strengthening myself through shopping, I hurriedly moved toward the hunting ground to reach my goal as fast as possible.
***
Ayumur Temple in Dharmilda.
As long as you had an adequate combat power, it was a perfect hunting ground to clear up to the 5th wave and retreat normally.
But that was just from the perspective of ordinary players.
Records and data about Ayumur Temple clearly set the standards for guilds when recruiting Guild Members.
For managers of top or semi-pro guilds aiming for professional status, it was a stage of social maneuvering; for rookies aiming for that position, it was an opportunity stage.
“Isn’t that Orha’s party that just joined Valhalla for 300 million Won?”
“Yeah, and earlier, a party from Lyca’s guild went in as well. Looks like they came to break records like those guys.”
“Surely, if you want to receive growth support by joining a top-tier guild like Valhalla, you have to clear at least seven waves.”
“Well, all that support just turns back to themselves anyway.”
The raid monsters in the Ayumur Temple didn’t respawn fast enough to match the hunting speed, so there was no dungeon more guaranteed in terms of skill than this.
It was a verification ground that no one could escape from, and for guilds, it was the gate deciding whether to keep Guild Members.
“Well, we don’t want to be the first to lose, but the rival party of Lyca, called ‘Rivals,’ barely got their core destroyed by the Knights’ attack on wave six. You can imagine how tense everyone is.”
Orha’s party leader said with a grave expression, and the party members weren’t surprised.
It was always difficult after wave six.
Especially since the Knights possessed destruction power combined with rapid mobility.
The difficulty sharply rose, and the spacing suddenly disappeared, making it hard to keep up with the wave speed.
Even the tanks guarding the entrance could get temporarily overwhelmed, and the entire team had to provide support.
From wave seven onward, the difficulty deepened further with powerful ranged bombardments by the enemies.
That was why if you cleared it, guild support would noticeably increase.
“I know you’ve suffered for two weeks, but let’s stay sharp so that all that preparation doesn’t go to waste. And I hate to say it, but remember, Lyca’s party’s total defeat is also an opportunity for us.”
Other parties losing meant you could make a comeback yourself.
If you did well and cleared wave seven, you could not only get guild support but also increase your contract price from 300 million to 600 million Won—an absolute golden opportunity.
The party members nodded solemnly instead of speaking, and Orha smiled with satisfaction before returning to his position.
“Everything’s as practiced! If we just hold the entrance well, we can clear wave seven! If we fail, there’s only one option—disband! Everyone, fight with all your might!”
Orha’s party entered the dungeon with grim determination.
***
The horde of Pawns collapsed like bamboo shoots after withstanding the wave’s destruction power, and soon the end of the wave was in sight.
“Don’t kill them.”
At Dahav’s words, the Dark Knight acted without question.
Crushing the Pawns’ arms and legs so they couldn’t move properly, the Dark Knight left them alive but incapacitated.
Of course, Dahav wasn’t a cruel sadist.
“From now on, pace control is important.”
Having fought through continuous destruction from waves 1 to 5, my body had warmed up, and I was now even faster than when I first entered the dungeon.
Speed might seem like I had received a power boost, but that wasn’t the case.
“This is the most dangerous moment.”
I knew from my days as a pro player.
Unless you’re aiming for the shortest-time victory or records, what matters most in winning is not speed.
The real skill is to maintain pace without losing control and to seize the winning opportunity decisively from your opponent.
It was no different now.
I wasn’t trying to rush to climb the ladder of honor through a time attack.
I had to maintain tension slowly but steadily.
I eased my impatience a bit.
‘Never repeat the same mistake.’
Especially because I’d made such a mistake hunting Harpy Queens.
It’d be foolish to get cocky without knowing the enemy or my own power and make a blunder.
‘No rush; going slow is fine.’
And the reason I hadn’t killed the Pawns just now was also a trick for pace control.
There was a rule limiting rest time between defeating monsters and advancing to the next wave, so killing them would have wasted precious seconds.
After catching my breath, I opened my mouth upon seeing my health bar fill up.
“Kill.”
The Dark Knight’s eyes glowed with a crimson light as he nodded.
Crack—!
With a sound of crushing stones, a message window appeared.
Ping!
[All Pawns of the fifth wave have been defeated.]
[All Pawns defeated. Wave 5 cleared.]
[Do you wish to challenge wave 6?]
Without hesitation, I nodded, and another message popped up.
[You have been given rest time before entering the next wave.]
[Take a 3-minute break and purchase necessary consumables from the merchant.]
Three minutes of rest.
Not just simple rest, but also a short time to use the shop and plan strategy.
I dashed to the merchant to buy basic stat-boosting potions and healing potions.
“10 potions for HP and MP and one mind stimulation elixir, please.”
No sooner had the transaction finished than a message window popped up.
[Entering the next wave shortly.]
[Signs of the sixth wave’s approach have been detected. Prepare yourself.]
Soon, the gate at the edge of the arena swung wide open.
Creak—clang!
From inside, Pawns poured out, and the Dark Knight roared as if he’d been waiting.
Kraaaang!
The Pawns all focused their gaze on the Dark Knight.
What followed was predictable.
“Pawns are drawn to aggro on the Dark Knight and attack without guarding themselves; handling them was very easy.”
But wave six would not end so simply.
Behind the gate, five Knights clad in dark armor emerged, gripping reins tightly as they charged.
The Knight in front raised his hand, signaling the others to pull their reins and form ranks.
Knights and cavalry’s strength lay in the solid formation and the heavy blows delivered at high speed.
Even a Dark Knight clad in full armor, if hit head-on, would cause the front line to collapse and open the way to the core.
But Dahav wasn’t about to just watch.
‘If heavy blows come from speed, I just need to prevent their speed before that.’
Pushing off the ground, Dahav flew past the weakened Pawns’ heads and headed straight for the Knights.
Seeing Dahav approaching from afar, the Knights smirked and adjusted their stance.
Being a dealer was also a disadvantage due to lack of tanking ability.
Before receiving momentum, a Knight wasn’t that strong—but that was a relative term.
There was enough power to easily pass by a lone dealer without a healer.
The Knight at the front, not caring about Dahav, stretched out his hand.
Hi hi huff—!
The horses began charging fiercely.
At the same time, the Knights behind pushed forward their cavalry spears and let out battle cries filled with murderous intent.
Kyaaah—!
Since both sides charged straight at each other, the distance between Dahav and the Knights rapidly closed.
‘100 meters forward.’
What once was a far distance was closed in an instant by the Knights’ swift mobility.
Facing the furious cavalry so close, Dahav smirked coldly.