When Min-hyuk entered the 4th floor, his eyes were met with a terrain filled with steep cliffs and trees that soared high into the sky.
[You have reached Level 4. Your mana and physical abilities have improved!]
[Reward for the Flawless Clear of the 3rd Floor is being distributed.]
[As you have awakened Fighting Spirit, it will be replaced with another reward.]
[Butcher’s Fighting Spirit has been created.]
[1. Once a day, you can double your Fighting Spirit against a target to be butchered.]
[2. Physical and mana capacity are temporarily doubled.]
[Part of the wild boar’s mana and health permeates your body.]
[45% remains until the Rabbit Captain’s Magic Martial Arts imprinting. Upon completing all proficiency, Magic Martial Arts will be officially registered as a skill.]
Min-hyuk felt an influx of mana far greater than the meager growth he had gained from repeated clearing of previous floors.
He could even feel a foreign power inside his body, likely the mana provided by the wild boar.
“It’s going to take some time to fully internalize all of this.”
He needed time, but it seemed his opponents had no intention of giving him any.
Above him, as he stood dazed while looking at the system window, giant birds were already beginning to swarm.
“Hup!”
The moment he saw the movements from all directions trying to snatch him up, he released his Fighting Spirit.
Several birds that were charging at him were instantly blown back.
A few managed to endure the pressure, but the moment they lost their speed, they became nothing more than prey for Min-hyuk.
Perhaps that was why?
His greatsword began to slice through the heads of the lunging birds, turning the surrounding area into a bloodbath.
The problem was that even more birds began to gather, likely drawn by the scent of blood.
“…Is this a cage?”
Min-hyuk frowned, sensing numerous monsters hiding in the towering trees, radiating killing intent.
It felt as if he were surrounded on all sides.
The only safe place was the ground beneath his feet.
‘Should I light a campfire?’
The thought crossed his mind for a moment, but he soon shook his head.
If these creatures were clever, they would find a way to harass him the moment he lit the fire.
Unlike the campfire on the 1st floor, a summoned campfire was not completely invincible.
While effective on the lower floors, it wasn’t something that could be kept lit indefinitely.
When he had listed it on the auction house, the description only mentioned that it formed a safe zone and needed to be managed well, but the campfire set Min-hyuk was currently using had an additional explanation.
[1st Floor Campfire Set.]
[※ Forming a safe zone within a certain area when the fire is lit.]
[Caution: It may be deactivated if management is poor.]
[※ The duration can be extended exactly once using firewood.]
Through repeated experiments, Min-hyuk had learned that the campfire had several weaknesses.
It could not be extinguished by artificial forces like magic, but it was vulnerable to natural phenomena.
In other words, it could be blown out by pure wind that was not infused with mana.
The moment the fire went out, the safe zone would vanish.
To make matters worse, once a campfire was extinguished, it could not be lit again during that specific attempt.
Furthermore, the firewood burned away over time.
There was a sort of time limit.
For the first few hours, the wood wouldn’t seem to change, so one might not notice.
However, as time passed, the wood would visibly decrease as it burned.
Replacing the firewood could maintain it longer, but that was limited to exactly one time.
In short, if he started by lighting the campfire immediately, he wouldn’t be able to use it when it really mattered.
“Tsk.”
Clicking his tongue at the cunning system, Min-hyuk swung his greatsword at the birds diving toward the opening he had created while distracted.
In response, the giant birds flapped their wings, intentionally creating a powerful gale.
“Kh!”
Faced with a coordinated attack intended to force him backward, he reflexively drove his greatsword into the ground to hold his position.
Seeing this, the birds that had been watching from behind him began to move all at once.
‘This is tricky.’
Min-hyuk’s face contorted at the attack, which was much more intense than anything on the 3rd floor.
The birds attacking at the very beginning were a sort of scouting party.
If one were to become overconfident and let their guard down after taking out the scouts, they would be killed by the subsequent waves of the bird swarm.
Min-hyuk was currently in that exact situation.
“Hup!”
He unleashed his Fighting Spirit once more, momentarily stunning the swarm and weakening them.
In that gap, he began the slaughter.
As he did, he spotted a massive bird watching the scene from a distant peak.
‘Is it waiting for me to run out of strength?’
The creature seemed to be waiting for him to exhaust himself by repeatedly using his Fighting Spirit.
It would likely take flight to finish him off the moment he showed signs of fatigue.
To save his stamina, he needed to use the campfire, but if the swarm produced a collective gale, the fire would be put out instantly.
He had prepared something for this very moment.
‘I’ll endure for now.’
He had to wait until the bird swarm let down their guard before using his prepared trump card for it to be effective.
With the mindset of holding out until then, he began to swing his sword.
An eagle plummeted rapidly, attempting to snatch Min-hyuk with its talons.
The moment he blocked that attack, a great horned owl flew in silently from the darkness.
Min-hyuk, barely managing to sense it even with his Butcher’s keen instincts, twisted his body to dodge.
Instead of his heavy greatsword, he summoned a sharp, thin blade like a sashimi knife and sliced through its wing.
There was no need to aim for the neck with difficulty.
For a bird, losing a wing was as good as death.
Splat.
Once again, a bird lost its wing to Min-hyuk’s blade and collapsed onto the blood-soaked earth.
It was greeted by the corpses of over a hundred of its kin already littering the area.
“Huff… huff.”
Was it because he had used his Fighting Spirit every time he was in a crisis and moved so violently?
Min-hyuk stood leaning on his greatsword, breathing heavily with an exhausted expression.
Finally, the massive bird atop the distant mountain peak flapped its wings.
Taking that as a signal, the numerous birds circling the sky began to dive toward Min-hyuk all at once.
At that moment, as if he had been waiting for this exact second, a deep smile spread across Min-hyuk’s lips.
“Summon Campfire.”
Even though he summoned the campfire, it wouldn’t be a proper counter against birds that could blow it out with wind.
To solve that, he pulled out his secret weapon.
[Paralysis Poison made from 1st Floor Slime Mucus and Grass]
Sizzle!
On top of the campfire, he threw a slime container, and the paralysis poison began to boil, emitting toxic smoke into the surroundings.
This raised a question: would Min-hyuk, who was closest to the toxic smoke, be okay?
The conclusion was yes.
Having experimented countless times since the 2nd floor, he knew that as long as he stayed within the campfire’s zone, he would be purified at a rapid rate even if he was poisoned.
While he might die before being purified if the poison was nearly instant-death, most common toxins would be gradually purified the moment he was affected.
On the other hand, what about the bird swarm closing in from all sides?
Thud!
The ones in the lead began to fall one by one.
Seeing that it was effective, Min-hyuk threw every slime bottle containing paralysis poison toward the campfire.
Sizzzzzle!
Along with the sound of boiling liquid, smoke rose rapidly and spread into the surroundings.
When the giant birds flapped their wings to disperse the air, the smoke spread even faster, and the birds began to fall like rain.
Thud thud thud thud!
Did the sight of the birds falling around the campfire enrage it?
Suddenly, a screeching roar echoed from afar.
At the cry of the giant bird that appeared to be the leader, the swarm that had been launching waves of attacks hurriedly stopped and flew upward.
A moment later, all the birds began to circle high in the sky, ready to kill Min-hyuk the moment he stepped outside the campfire.
“Cunning bastards.”
Min-hyuk scowled as he watched the leader bird.
It had clearly judged that the poison wasn’t instantly lethal and realized that time was on its side.
However, the poison Min-hyuk had prepared was not of just one kind.
Sizzzzzle!
Other poisons thrown into the campfire simultaneously emitted smoke and spread out.
[Low-grade Poison made from 1st Floor Slime Mucus and Leaves]
[Hallucinogenic Poison made from 1st Floor Slime Mucus and Blue Flowers]
These two types of poison created a pungent smoke, offering another gift to the birds that were already on the ground, shivering.
“Kieeeek!”
“Caw! Caaaaw!”
This time, it wasn’t just simple paralysis.
Some birds shrieked in agony, while others drooled and stared blankly into space.
The bird swarm was losing their minds under the influence of the three complex poisons.
At this rate, it would be difficult for them to participate in the battle even after the campfire went out.
“Now, what are you going to do?”
Min-hyuk sat comfortably near the campfire and tossed some rabbit meat into his mouth.
Simultaneously, he applied slime mucus to his wounded areas.
As he applied the aloe-like, squishy mucus, he could see his injuries slowly healing with a faint sizzling sound.
Even if it wasn’t as effective as a potion, the mucus alone had healing properties.
Before long, most of the wounds all over his body were treated, and his depleted mana and stamina had recovered to a certain extent.
The problem was that the campfire was consuming firewood faster than expected.
“Kiyaaaa!”
Watching the wood burn away earlier than usual, the bird swarm began to move.
Min-hyuk looked at them with a beaming smile.
“Uh-uh! Not yet.”
Smiling, Min-hyuk replaced the burnt firewood one by one.
Then, as if all the toxic gas had dissipated, he brought out a stone plate and began to grill a different kind of meat.
[3rd Floor Wild Boar Meat (Temporarily increases Strength and Mana)]
[3rd Floor Deer Meat (Temporarily increases Reflexes and Agility)]
If the meat had been aged, it would have gained even better traits like the rabbit meat, but that required more time.
For now, he grilled the meat as it was.
To boost the performance even slightly, he added some slime mucus, resulting in a fairly decent grilled dish.
“Hmm… this is actually okay.”
It was a bit gamey, but Min-hyuk nodded as if it were excellent enough, enjoying a feast right where a fierce battle had just taken place.
Armed with a hearty meal and buffs, Min-hyuk stood up as if the time had come.
“As I thought… the duration decreased?”
Min-hyuk looked at the campfire with a hint of regret.
He hadn’t noticed it much before because he usually lit the fire after clearing a floor, but using it on a floor that hadn’t been conquered yet made the difference obvious.
1. Using it before clearing causes the firewood to burn faster.
2. The speed is even faster if the floor has not been conquered yet.
3. Cooking or manufacturing items that trigger special effects in the campfire consumes firewood even faster.
Confirming these three things alone was a sufficient harvest from the 4th floor.
“Right! Shall we start again?”
The moment he muttered those words while looking at the dying campfire, the second round began with the screech of the giant bird.
Although a much larger swarm of birds closed in than before, Min-hyuk’s movements strangely felt more relaxed.
His Butcher’s senses had already taught him how to handle these birds.
Squelch.
Stepping onto the earth that was now a pool of blood, Min-hyuk looked up at the sky.
“Now, you’re the only one left, right?”
As if it understood his words, the massive bird spread its wings wide enough to cover the sky, unleashed its Fighting Spirit, and began its rapid descent toward Min-hyuk.