After clearing the dungeon and coming out, Seongjun and his party realized only then that the world had been turned upside down.
“Wow! W-what is this?”
“Crazy! What do you mean? You mean the monsters we’ve faced so far only used 70 percent of their abilities? And what’s with the intelligence?”
It seemed like the notification didn’t appear while I was inside the dungeon, but popped up the moment I came out.
“Advantage, huh…….”
Meanwhile, Seong-jun recalled what the Holy Knight Felice Truian had said in the past.
Felice Truian had said that there were certainly monsters among them that possessed intelligence high enough to hold a conversation.
One of them was the Centaur.
However, the Centaur we faced was literally a monster faithful only to its instincts.
Was this what that meant?
The reason why the continental monsters mentioned by Felice Truian are different from the monsters appearing on Earth.
That is because the monsters’ abilities were drastically reduced under the pretext of advantage.
And now it has returned to the original state.
The monsters that hunters will have to face in the future will be very different from before.
They did not roam the dungeon in small groups of 3 to 5, but could move around in packs of 10 or more, or perhaps even over 100, and highly intelligent monsters could target hunters in return through strategic movements.
It is a tremendous change, truly enough to be called a great revolution.
“Anyway, the deed is done, and all we can do is adapt. So, since we can’t stop clearing A-rank dungeons, I think it would be best for everyone to stick together for a while.”
Even though the monsters had become stronger and their intelligence had returned to normal, I couldn’t stop clearing the A-class dungeons.
This is because leveling up, which is possible by clearing just a few A-class dungeons, would increase to dozens if lowered to B-class dungeons.
Since we couldn’t just waste time without knowing how Revolution would turn out, we couldn’t stop clearing the A-class dungeon just because there were risk factors.
However, unlike in the past when we split into teams to tackle the challenge, we planned to have everyone travel together for a while to minimize any potential variables.
“I guess that would be better. It might take a little longer than now, but safety comes first.”
Just then, Seonhwa, who had gone up to the 5th floor and come back, opened the door and entered the basement.
Click!
“Huh? Did you just come out after finishing the dungeon?”
“Yes, I just got out. But in the meantime, the world has completely turned upside down.”
Seonhwa also heard the notification, so she let out a smirk.
“It’s absolute chaos right now. Oh! Speaking of which, the Association contacted me yesterday. It looks like they’ve summoned the leaders of the nation’s top 10 guilds regarding this incident. They asked you to attend, but I was in the middle of clearing a dungeon, so I had no way to reach you. I couldn’t exactly tell the truth, so I just said that you went somewhere briefly for urgent business and haven’t been reachable.”
Since the external dungeons are managed by the Association, entering them in any way will inevitably leave a record.
If you say you entered a dungeon in this situation, they will surely try to verify which dungeon you entered through the Dungeon Management Bureau.
However, since the dungeon was summoned through a dungeon generation device, there is no way it could be recorded.
However, since I couldn’t really talk about the dungeon generation device, I just vaguely brushed it off by saying I went somewhere because of urgent business.
“Really? That’s great. I’ll contact the association separately. By the way, how is your experiment going, sister?”
“Yeah, things are progressing step by step. I think we’ll probably start the full-scale experiment around next week. I think I’ll need your help then, so I’m asking you in advance. You’ll help, right?”
The reason Seongjun is needed in the experiment process.
This is because it is unknown what kind of damage might be inflicted on
internal organs.
It is an experiment combining monsters and humans, so is it really possible that there will be no side effects?
That was exactly what was needed at that time.
After all, Seong-jun can treat not only external injuries but also internal wounds, and on top of that, he can even regenerate severed limbs.
“Of course. Just let me know anytime. Unless it’s a truly unavoidable situation like having to fight the Revolution or a sudden Dungeon Break, I’ll prioritize your experiment.”
Since it was a matter that had been agreed upon from the moment Seonhwa was brought in, Seongjun readily agreed.
However, since it was impossible to know how Revolution would turn out and the frequency of dungeon creation was increasing, making it impossible to know when or where a dungeon break might occur, he said that unless it was such an urgent situation, he would prioritize helping Seonhwa.
Okay, thank you.
“Anyway, we’ll head inside first. We’ve practically lived in the dungeon for the past few days, so nobody is in their right state.”
Even to Seonhwa, his appearance was a mess.
Everyone was in terrible condition, perhaps because they hadn’t been able to wash properly for several days, couldn’t sleep well due to uncomfortable sleeping arrangements, and had fought non-stop.
“I think so too. Go inside.”
At Seonhwa’s words, Seongjun looked at the group and spoke.
“The world has been turned upside down, so I can’t be sure what will
happen starting tomorrow. I would like to proceed with the dungeon raid normally if possible, but for now, I think we need to wait and see how things develop. So, everyone, please head back early and get some rest today. You all worked hard.”
“Oh, right. Seongjun, you go in too.”
Ah, I need to hurry inside and take a shower first. Goodbye, and see you tomorrow.
And so, Seong-jun and his group left the hideout and headed to their respective homes.
***
Upon arriving home, Seongjun took a shower first, and then ordered delivery food.
No matter how much of a hunter Seongjun possessed transcendent abilities, spending days practically living in the dungeon inevitably led to mental fatigue.
As a result, I was too lazy to go out and eat, but I didn’t want to go through the hassle of cooking either; I just felt like sitting on the sofa, sprawled out, and having a beer with some delivery food in front of me.
“I have some time before the food arrives, so I should give the association president a call.”
It is just past 8 o’clock.
It would normally be time for him to get off work, but considering the emergency situation, it seemed likely he might still be at the association.
Ding ding ding~
A brief ringing sound was heard, followed immediately by the association president’s urgent voice.
Oh!
Healer Kim Sung-jun!
Where on earth have you been?
I called you yesterday.
Seongjun vaguely brushed off the association president’s question.
“I had some urgent personal business. That’s how it turned out. Anyway, the world has really turned upside down this time. Is that why you came looking for me?”
-Yes, Healer Kim Seong-jun, you must have heard the notification, but the situation is very bad.
In the short span of less than a few days, accidents within the dungeon have increased several times, and there have even been teams that have been wiped out completely.
I urgently convened a meeting because I felt that if we didn’t take some action, it would cause considerable chaos.
Even without seeing it, I could guess what kind of situation unfolded.
Monster abilities increased by 30 percent? Of course, that could be considered significant, but it was something that could be sufficiently dealt with with just a little caution.
The problem is that the monsters, who were only faithful to their instincts, have regained their intelligence and habits.
Goblins, for example, were not very intelligent but had a habit of forming packs.
What if goblins, who usually maintained small groups of about 3 to 5, suddenly formed packs of 10 or more, or even dozens?
There was no way E- rank hunters could handle that.
As these situations unfolded equally across low, mid, and high tiers, the damage naturally escalated, and chaos was inevitable.
So, has a conclusion been reached?
For now, we have decided to have mid-level hunters enter low-level dungeons and high-level hunters enter mid-level dungeons to re-examine the habits and patterns of each monster.
Even if we only organize that much for now, we should be able to minimize damage to the hunters.
The conclusion reached by the association was to re-establish the habits and patterns of the changed monsters.
After all, if you just know which monster has changed in what form, a suitable strategy will emerge.
“I see. Then, what does the association expect from me?”
Since the fact that they contacted him hoping he would attend the meeting meant that the association wanted something from him, Seong-jun just asked him directly.
Regarding the points I mentioned, each guild has agreed to cooperate with one another.
However, the concern is that the spawn rate of all types of dungeons will increase; doesn’t that imply that the spawn frequency of Break Dungeons will also increase?
Therefore, until countermeasures are prepared for this, it seems we will need the help of Healer Kim Seong-jun.
At the association president’s words, Seongjun subtly frowned and asked.
“Hmm, so you’re saying you need my help? Well, fine. But you don’t mean I have to be on standby at all times to respond immediately if a Dungeon Break occurs, do you? Just how much do I need to do?”
The help the association president is talking about probably doesn’t mean asking us to be on standby to be deployed at any time if a dungeon break occurs.
To put it bluntly, it’s not like we’re on standby at five minutes’ intervals; are you telling us to be on standby knowing when and where a dungeon break will occur?
Even if the association president had no common sense, he wouldn’t make such a demand of Seong-jun, so I asked him to tell me what he wanted.
“Ah! I would be grateful if you could just ensure that we don’t lose contact for days like we did this time. Of course, I’m not asking you to keep doing this forever; I will somehow come up with a solution within a month, so I’m just asking for your help until then.”
Even if they entered a dungeon, if we knew which dungeon they had entered, we could urgently dispatch someone there.
However, when there is no contact for several days like this, the association inevitably gets anxious.
That is why I am making this request.
“Understood for now. I have my own circumstances, so I cannot give you a definitive answer that I will unconditionally do so, but I cannot simply stick to my own position in an emergency like this. I will do my best to make that
happen.”
If I had been living a peaceful daily life without any particular problems, I could have easily done as the association president said.
However, Seongjun had immediate challenges to face.
First of all, I didn’t know when Revolution’s second attack would come, so I had to level up in preparation for that.
It means that it is not a completely leisurely situation.
Therefore, although he could not give a definitive answer that he would fully grant the association president’s request, he said he would at least try.
Thank you.
The Association intends to do its utmost to come up with countermeasures as quickly as possible, so we ask for your understanding regarding this slight inconvenience.
“all right.”
After chatting about this and that, we hung up the phone.
Some time passed, and when the delivery food arrived, we watched TV while drinking beer with the food.
***
The world faced a major transformation due to unexpected changes, accompanied by immense chaos.
With the frequency of break generation already high, the increase in dungeon generation caused dungeon breaks to start occurring in various places.
And this had a significant impact on the schedule of the revolution.
Three of the monarchs we summoned are stranded locally.
I heard a Dungeon Break occurred right near the airport, of all places.
Originally, it was planned to send five monarchs along with the Grand Prince Friedrich, but three of the monarchs summoned to Switzerland ended up stranded there.
The cause is, of course, Dungeon Break.
“Hah! It’s fine that the world has been thrown into chaos by this crisis, but I see there are side effects like this. So, what do you plan to do? Judging by Alexander’s case, taking only two monarchs with you doesn’t seem like a very wise decision.”
Roberto, the monarch, was a powerful figure who ranked among the top of the monarchs.
Even Alexander, accompanied by Roberto, was defeated by Seong-jun; can he really handle Seong-jun by bringing just one more person than before?
No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed difficult.
“I think so too. That is why I am saying this; it seems we will have to postpone the schedule. I will extend the timeline, originally set for two weeks from now, to four. In return, I plan to summon five more people. Since the schedule has been delayed anyway, it would be better to handle this properly from the start. Wouldn’t one Grand Lord and ten Lords be enough?”
The original plan was to send Grand Prince Friedrich and five princes to Korea.
However, due to a dungeon break, three monarchs who were supposed to come to Switzerland were stranded locally, and as a result, a situation arose where the schedule had to be delayed unavoidably.
If I had no choice but to delay the schedule anyway, I was thinking of summoning 5 additional monarchs to make a total of 10.
In fact, there was a bit of unease even with five people, so it was to ensure things were done properly.
“Ten monarchs? Well, certainty is good, but isn’t that a bit excessive? It’s only about one S-rank and three B-ranks.”
Regardless of their true abilities, the Seongjun group known to the outside consisted of one S-class member and three B-class members.
Of course, Seonhwa was not included in that.
Given this, I thought that five S-rank monarchs might be enough.
“Friedrich, don’t you know very well that we shouldn’t judge him solely by his rank? Moreover, the same goes for his party. Keep in mind that if we only looked at ranks, Alexander and Roberto would have overwhelmed them; there is absolutely no way they could have been defeated.”
Friedrich also knew that he should not underestimate Seong-jun.
No, judging by what happened to Alexander and Roberto, it seemed clear that they all possessed abilities beyond their class. However, even so, I thought that 10 S-ranks was a bit excessive.
“Of course, I am well aware of that. However, even taking that into account, I felt that ten monarchs was a bit excessive. Anyway, I understand. Personally, I’d be happy if you assigned me as many as possible. Then, I will take it to mind that you are bringing the monarchs to Korea in four weeks. I will speak to the head of the Korean branch separately.”
“Ah! Among the monarchs accompanying us this time, I intend to assign Paltro the role of Pascal’s aide, which Roberto previously held. Any objections?”
As Roberto went to attack Seongjun with Alexander but was defeated in return, Pascal’s position as aide became vacant. Although Roberto’s role was outwardly his assistant, strictly speaking, it was
also a supervisory role, so it was decided to send a new monarch to take his place and simultaneously assist and supervise Pascal.
“No. I’m sure Paltrow will fill Roberto’s shoes well. With that in mind, I will get up and leave first.”
After finishing the meeting, Grand Prince Friedrich slowly rose from his seat and left the meeting room.
***
Large guilds, led by the top 10 guilds in the country, were mobilized en masse to attack the dungeon.
Their goal is to identify the habits, patterns, and intelligence levels of monsters appearing in low- and mid-level dungeons.
Perhaps because hunters of a rank at least 2 to 3 levels higher than the dungeon’s rank entered, the event proceeded smoothly without any major incidents.
Meanwhile, Seong-jun and his party refrained from entering closed dungeons at the request of the association president and hunted mainly in regular dungeons.
And I asked Seonhwa to enter the dungeon and let me know immediately if any incidents occurred, such as a dungeon break. Seongjun and his party emerged after finishing the dungeon raid.
It is a shame that we cannot enter closed dungeons, but it is a relief that the clear speed doesn’t seem to have changed much from before.
“I know. It was actually better that the Bone Drakes came out in packs. If we had split into two teams to hunt, the progress might have been much faster.”
The A-rank dungeon I am currently tackling is Bone Drake’s Valley.
It is a field-type dungeon where Bone Drakes of the Dark element appear, but perhaps due to the newly changed changes, the Bone Drakes, which used to travel in groups of 3 to 5, were traveling in groups of at least 10, and sometimes even more than 30.
The fortunate thing is that, perhaps due to low intelligence, it did not show any strategic moves.
In any case, catching just one group produced the same effect as catching multiple groups, so it became much faster in terms of speed.
Of course, this is possible because it is Seongjun and his group.
“Just wait a little while. Your level will go up after running just a few dungeons, and depending on the situation, you might even be able to move as a team like before.”
Judged that if I could just somehow reach SS rank, I would be able to clear A-rank dungeon, no matter how much the monsters’ abilities I at least an increased or their intelligence levels and habits changed.
No, on the contrary, since the number of the group had increased significantly, a faster attack than before might have been possible.
“By the way, why aren’t you using the level-up orb you got last time?”
Why on earth wouldn’t you use the level-up orb after going to all that trouble to get it?
When Gwangtaek asked in a puzzled tone, Seongjun replied nonchalantly.
“First of all, if you use the orb to level up, your experience points are reset. If you use it now when you’re close to the next level, all the experience you’ve accumulated so far is gone. It randomly increases your level from 1 to 3, so if by any chance it only goes up by 1 level, it’s basically the same as just wasting the level-up orb. So, it’s best to use it after you’ve leveled up and your experience is at zero.”
That was the case.
If you level up using a Level Up Orb, all remaining experience points are reset.
You used a bead when you were close to the next level, but only leveled up by 1?
Then it means you would just be wasting the level-up orbs.
In that case, the standard strategy is to finish the remaining experience points by hunting and use the level-up orb when your experience points are at zero.
“Oh! Really? I didn’t know the experience points were reset.”
Since Seongjun was the only one who checked the level-up bead options, others did not know the detailed information.
At that time.
Ding!
A message arrived on Seongjun’s cell phone.
“Hmm? Choi Sang-jin?”
It was a message from Choi Sang-jin.
Seongjun immediately checks the message.
“Choi Sang-jin sent a message? What is it? Is it related to Revolution?”
Seongjun checked the message, looked at his companions, and spoke.
“That’s right. They say Revolution plans to send the Overlord again to capture us. They say he will enter in four weeks.”
In the end, Revolution decided to eliminate Seong-jun, and to do so, people dispatched from headquarters will enter Korea a month later.
“So it ends up like this. So? Is the Overlord coming again this time?”
Seongjun nodded at Yuseon’s question.
“Uh, one Grand Monarch and ten Monarchs.”
At the mention of ten monarchs, Yuseon’s eyes widened.
“What? Ten Monarchs? Aren’t Monarchs S-Rank Hunters? Huh! One Transcendent and ten S-Rankers? The difficulty is suddenly skyrocketing!”
Although they were stronger than when facing Grand Monarch Alexander and Monarch Roberto, ten monarchs were still a bit of a burden.
“I have to level up somehow before then. Well, I still have a month, so I can definitely level up within that time. Don’t worry too much.”
The only saving grace is that we have a month to spare.
In a month, you could comfortably clear 4 A-class dungeons, and if you worked a bit harder, it was possible to clear up to 5 or 6.
And I judged that that was enough to raise my level.
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