Was his movement the signal?
The moment he ran toward the bridge, creatures flapping their wings emerged from the sea.
They looked like a school of flying fish, but with one difference: they possessed long, elongated beaks.
The flying fish soared like artillery shells, thrusting their sharp beaks forward—a single puncture looked enough to send someone straight to the afterlife.
Bang!
Min-hyuk, who avoided the attack by a hair’s breadth, hurriedly gathered his mana with an incredulous expression.
A sound like a bomb exploding had echoed behind him, leaving a crater in the dirt.
That was only the beginning.
Bang!
Kaboom!
The attacks from the school of flying fish, charging with full mana, boasted a destructive power akin to exploding bombs.
Choosing to dodge rather than block, Min-hyuk stopped running straight for the bridge and began darting horizontally.
Immediately, a series of thunderous explosions followed in his wake.
“This is insane….”
The waves that had been far off just a moment ago were now pushing right up to Min-hyuk’s feet.
This meant that in a little more time, the water would reach his ankles and restrict his movement.
At the same time, it meant the flying fish stuck in the sand could return to the sea and attack again.
“I should have come more prepared… I let my guard down.”
The school of flying fish looked ferocious, but it seemed he could pass through the initial stage easily if he used his head a little.
A few ideas immediately came to mind.
Sticking the incredibly hard bird feathers into slimes to use as a shield.
Weaving leather with plant stems from the 6th floor to make a giant shield.
Creating poisonous smoke so the charging fish would fall on their own while flying.
These were basic pieces of equipment that anyone in a production class could make.
Usually, production classes only started to shine around the 20th floor because of the cost, but things were different now.
Since one could receive inner cores based on their clear rate, sufficient growth potential was guaranteed even on the lower floors.
There were also plenty of ways to make money.
Under these two conditions, the environment was ripe for even lower-floor hunters to open their wallets.
To increase their clear rate even by a little, hunters would buy items from floors lower than the one they were challenging, making even basic weapons competitive.
The problem was that Min-hyuk couldn’t get help from lower-floor production hunters right now, so he had to break through with his own body.
Clang!
Min-hyuk, who deflected the flying fish’s attacks with his mana-infused greatsword, tried to put strength into his legs but quickly changed his mind and threw himself to the side.
“Come to think of it… there’s no time limit here, right?”
He hurriedly checked the system window, and a smile played on his lips when he confirmed there was no time limit.
Then was there any need to rush the clear?
When the seawater rose, the flying fish would be revived and launch a total offensive, but there was no reason to take that risk.
As if decided on wiping them out while he was at it, he went around tapping the flying fish that were still struggling with their snouts stuck in the sand, knocking them out one by one.
He repeated the process of dodging the incoming school of flying fish and knocking out those stuck in the ground until the time for harvest arrived.
“I’m going to end up a fisherman at this rate.”
With a broad smile, Min-hyuk pulled the unconscious flying fish out of the sand one by one and tossed them into his subspace.
He was busy harvesting the fish when it happened.
Noticing the seawater had already reached his ankles, he hurriedly started running toward the bridge.
“They told me to be careful of the sea….”
Recalling the words of his elders who warned him as a child that he could be swept away by the tide while digging for clams in the mudflats, Min-hyuk climbed onto the bridge, panting for breath.
Then, he saw shark fins slowly rising above the water as the tide came in.
Even a giant ray leaped out like a flying fish, crossing over the wooden bridge.
Giant octopuses and jellyfish large enough to rival giant squids were wrapping their tentacles around parts of the bridge.
“Whew… it’s going to be a bit tough to get through.”
However, that didn’t mean it was impossible.
Min-hyuk had grown explosively since clearing the 6th floor.
There were the mana-infused fruits he found while exploring the 6th floor.
And the inner cores he obtained from repeatedly clearing floors 1 through 5.
Although the efficiency of the same type of fruit or inner core dropped sharply after the first consumption, combining them with the rewards for repeated clears led to a massive growth spurt in a short period.
On top of that, he had achieved additional growth upon entering the 7th floor.
Shark attacks?
‘Pathetic.’
What Min-hyuk was worried about now was the possibility of having to fight in the water and the depletion of stamina from a long battle; he was skilled enough to easily take down a single shark.
As if to prove it, he sliced a shark that leaped up to bite him in half with his greatsword.
“Not so fast!”
Another shark lunged, thinking it saw an opening, but Min-hyuk showcased his artistry by cleanly taking off only its head.
Then, octopus tentacles wrapped around the bridge and jellyfish tentacles came flying at him.
“So this is all just food ingredients?”
He smiled as if thanking them for attacking and swung his greatsword.
From shark meat to octopus legs and even jellyfish tentacles.
Even if Min-hyuk couldn’t cook them, someone surely could.
He quickly opened his subspace.
“Seriously, this is too much.”
Watching the seawater rise further, he hurriedly stuffed the shark pieces and octopus legs scattered on the bridge into his subspace and began to run.
At this rate, the bridge would be submerged before he could cross.
However, the system did not demand an impossible clear.
Amidst the onslaught of fish and sharks attacking like piranhas from all sides, he performed a sword dance with his greatsword.
Upon reaching a building that looked like a midpoint station, the seawater that had seemed ready to overflow onto the bridge began to recede slowly.
“Huff… huff…!”
Catching his breath with an exhausted expression, Min-hyuk watched the receding water, sat down, and reached his hand out.
“Hmm?”
As soon as Min-hyuk reached out, the water began to rise again.
He pulled his hand back immediately upon seeing that, but then another thought occurred to him.
Looking at the fish swarming as the water rose, he couldn’t help but grin.
“This is the best fishing spot, isn’t it?”
A place that was no different from heaven for a fisherman, where the fish gathered on their own even without bait.
There was the drawback of it being a bit dangerous, but if one couldn’t handle that much, they shouldn’t be a hunter.
Once Min-hyuk finished his thoughts and stepped out of the midpoint station, the fish swarmed toward him as if he were their sworn enemy.
“It’s a big one!”
Min-hyuk struck and knocked out a rockfish charging at him like a wild boar, grinning from ear to ear.
When the seawater rose enough to splash against the midpoint station, a school of mackerel swarmed in this time.
Thwack!
Thwack!
Thwack!
He skillfully struck only the heads of the mackerels that leaped up and charged like flying fish.
Then, the pollocks formed up like a disciplined army and swarmed toward Min-hyuk on the waves.
“Come at me!”
Like a general facing an army alone, he frantically swung his greatsword at the pollocks.
After fending off even the pollock brigade, schools of squid, blue crabs, cod, sea bass, and shrimp began to swarm in as if the real battle was starting now.
Even shellfish like scallops climbed onto the bridge, opening their shells as they lunged.
“Whew… quite a haul.”
Min-hyuk, seemingly satisfied after his frantic swinging, took a step back, and the seawater that had flooded the bridge began to recede slowly.
As the water drained, the fish that had been floating around unconscious all fell to the floor.
Some fish seemed to have regained consciousness as they started flopping around.
Sashimi, spicy fish stew ingredients, grilled shellfish, grilled fish, salt-grilled fish.
With so many ingredients available, he wanted to cook right away, but unfortunately, he didn’t have the luxury.
He had to save his campfire since he didn’t know what crisis would strike next.
“Tsk.”
Smacking his lips in disappointment, Min-hyuk suppressed his regret and swept the seafood ingredients into his subspace.
He looked around the space, which was now filled with a fishy smell that proved it had been full of fish just moments ago, then ate some roasted meat and downed a potion.
“Whew… shall we go?”
Feeling his stamina and mana replenish, he stepped out of the midpoint station, and in the distance, water geysered high into the sky.
Seeing the massive pillar of water that heralded what the final boss of the 7th floor was, he put strength into his legs.
The moment Min-hyuk charged forward with gathered mana, the receded sea began to rise again, and an immense number of fish flew in from both sides like a hail of bullets.
Thwack-thwack-thwack!
The sound of the fish colliding and crushing each other from both sides was chilling.
Was it because of his speed?
A massive octopus leg stood in his way like a wall, as if determined to block his path.
Slash!
Maintaining his running posture, Min-hyuk delivered a strike that cleaved it apart, then licked his lips as if in regret.
Thinking, ‘I wonder how many times I could make octopus hot pot with just that one huge leg,’ a school of sharks leaped up to bite him.
“Phew….”
The moment he exhaled a long breath, numerous lines showed him the answer on how to break through the sharks’ onslaught.
Splitting the head of the first shark that lunged, Min-hyuk pushed forward, leaping into the air by stepping on the heads of the sharks attacking from both sides in turn.
Was that the right answer?
A moment later, giant squid tentacles surged from the sea, swarming over the spot where Min-hyuk had been just a moment ago.
“Incredible.”
The bridge, which looked like it might collapse at any moment, was withstanding the attacks of the shell-shocking fish and even the squid tentacles.
The minimum safety measure created by the Tower looked old and intimidating as if it would crumble, but it proved to be more solid than any other bridge.
“Sly.”
Coming down onto the weathered wooden bridge designed to intimidate visually, Min-hyuk put strength into his legs again and charged forward.
He felt like he could see his destination now.
It was a distance that looked like it would take thirty minutes of running, but it felt as if it had suddenly drawn close.
Right then, waves began to surge over the bridge.
A massive wave created by a giant whale, which was effectively the final gatekeeper of the 7th floor, as it spouted water.
Sensing instinctively that this was the final obstacle, Min-hyuk gathered all his mana and concentrated it into his greatsword.
“Hah!”
The moment the greatsword, held high toward the sky, was swung toward the wave rushing at him, the water began to split in two.
Seeing the wave split, Min-hyuk shot forward like a bullet.
In his wake, the waves that had split for a brief second began to merge again, putting pressure on the running Min-hyuk.
If he slowed down even a little, he would be swept away by the converging currents.
Leaving the following wall of water behind like a scene from a movie, Min-hyuk leaped from the half-collapsed bridge and landed on the ground covered in golden sand.
At that moment, a system window popped up as if to congratulate him on reaching his destination.
[You have successfully achieved a Flawless Clear of the 7th floor.]
Min-hyuk let out a sigh of relief at the news of his successful clear.
The first thing he did was summon a campfire.
“What should I eat first?”
Looking at the heap of seafood in his subspace, Min-hyuk’s face wore a happier smile than ever before as he pondered his options.
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