「Hidden piece found at Level 1! It was there to be found if anyone had looked?」
「The Monster Management Office has neglected low-floor management!」
「How will the Monster Management Office and Hunter Bureau, recently under fire, react to the sniper-like criticism from a Level 1 unknown hunter…」
There is not a single favorable article.
Even the media outlets he had bribed joined in.
This meant that a few missing articles wouldn’t be enough to stop the trend.
Feeling that things had gone south, he hurriedly made a phone call somewhere.
Meanwhile, the fire burned even brighter.
[As you can see, I am currently testing the toxic grass and leaves of the 1st floor using slime acid.]
The toxic grass and trees were placed there to keep people from wandering off and to force them to hunt slimes quietly.
The video showing how to use them featured various experimental scenes.
The keys were a campfire and slime acid.
Using the hardened slime skin as a container, he put various items into the acid and boiled them over the campfire.
[As you can see, the acid boils vigorously and blends well, right? I wondered if it would be possible to turn the mucus into highly regenerative mucus through the acid, and it seems I’ve roughly succeeded.]
The video captured the changing colors exactly.
[It seems the acid, when combined with the fire imbued with the campfire’s mana, is removing the toxicity. Let’s wait and see what kind of effect this will have.]
With those words, the first video ended.
When the screen turned black and then lit up again, a video of him experimenting next to a sign saying “a few days later” appeared.
[Hmm… unfortunately, it’s nothing spectacular. I’ve produced potions with toxic properties like paralysis, hallucinations, vomiting, and stomach pain.]
The man wore a disappointed expression that it wasn’t a recovery type like slime liquid.
[I also tested the roots, but it takes too long. I’ll tell you the results later. Oh, and I’ll also experiment with slime cores and mucus and share the results later.]
Just as he said that and another video was about to end, the man, who was staring at his own experimental results, frowned and looked at the camera as if he had something to say.
[This is something I felt while raiding the 1st floor. I feel like this is something that could have been discovered a long time ago if the hunters had been given enough support.]
The man, who had been grumbling every time, had written various experimental results on signs, starting with the campfire.
[Someone like me who just arrived on the 1st floor found these things, yet they haven’t been found in over 10 years? It makes no sense.]
They still haven’t found what even he discovered?
He scathingly criticized them, saying it was no different from the Hunter Bureau’s dereliction of duty.
[The Monster Management Office brings in new people like they’re replacing parts whenever a non-awakened person gets mana disease, and makes them do the same thing over and over. The upper management gets new monsters every time, but I’ve never heard news of anything being discovered on the lower floors.]
He sighed softly as he spoke.
[I hope these experiments I’m doing will be of even a little help to the rookie hunters and non-awakened people working in this field….]
The video ended with him bowing sincerely.
Most hunters who saw this video for the first time savored the lingering emotions in silence.
A hunter who just awakened.
They were moved by the fact that such a rookie, who would be busy just learning about the Tower, was trying to do something for the low-floor hunters.
Then, they thought: ‘What was I doing back then?’
Those times when they were busy adapting.
He was using that precious time for rookie hunters and low-floor hunters.
—He really is amazing.—
L Seriously.
Honestly, with that kind of skill, he should be busy trying to get to the higher floors as soon as possible.
L That’s true.
L For non-awakened people, the monster butchering side is literal hell.
L Right. In other countries, even non-awakened people are treated reasonably well, but not here.
Korea possesses one of the world’s leading monster butchering industries.
However, it was also true that behind that, discrimination between awakened and non-awakened people was intensifying due to overheating competition.
The same went for hunters.
To be treated properly, one had to at least pass the 20th floor, so only strategies to reach the 20th floor as quickly as possible were constantly being released.
Research on monsters?
That kind of research only happens properly when you reach the 30th floor or higher; the reality was that even basic research wasn’t conducted for the lower floors.
Overheated competition
↓
Development of strategy routes to reach high floors as quickly as possible
↓
Increasingly higher standards.
↓
Subsidies adjusted to the rising standards.
Current Korea was trapped in a vicious cycle where all of this repeated.
Within that vicious cycle, those who didn’t meet the standards were treated as losers and held their breath.
However, since the majority of hunters fell into that “loser” category, once public opinion was formed, it was bound to grow uncontrollably.
And it was the same for the non-awakened people in the monster-related industry.
“Will they finally find some courage?”
Min-hyuk smiled as he saw comments from people claiming to be non-awakened from the industry appearing one after another.
At this rate, it had started to burn enough that he didn’t need to do anything more.
In that case, there was nothing more for Min-hyuk to worry about.
“I should get going.”
The long-awaited door to the 2nd floor opened.
What if he could succeed in a Flawless Clear here as well?
Then he might truly be able to make his mark.
Even if it was just a fluke the first time, from the second time on, more people would think it was due to skill.
“Shall we go?”
The moment he entered the door, the surroundings began to change.
The Tower’s first and last consideration.
As that saying went, there is no help from the second floor onwards.
A place that must be broken through using only pure skill gained through the items received on the 1st floor and repeated raids.
[You have entered the 2nd floor. Hunt as many Horned Rabbits as possible.]
[Clear Condition: Hunt at least one Horned Rabbit.]
[※ A chance to re-attempt will be given after giving up exactly once.]
[You have become Level 2.]
[Your level rises, and your basic health and mana increase.]
The mana, which had risen by a measly amount no matter how many times he cleared the 1st floor, grew significantly in an instant.
Along with that, his physical abilities also rose sharply.
‘I see why everyone tries to go to the higher floors as quickly as possible.’
If the 2nd floor was like this, the difference would be extreme as one climbed higher.
This was why people did a half-hearted job on the lower floors and tried to reach the higher floors as quickly as possible.
But Min-hyuk was different.
He had to clear this floor perfectly as well.
-Grrr….
“Is it rabbits this time?”
Rabbits with giant horns that didn’t match their bodies.
Cute?
The Tower’s rabbits were far from cute.
Not to mention rabbits with bodies almost the size of a human, there were many even larger rabbits.
The bigger problem was that they used mana.
Agile wild animals, not sluggish ones like slimes, using mana?
It was bound to be difficult.
“So this is why everyone struggles without being able to adapt.”
Just as he nodded as if he fully understood, a Horned Rabbit that was looking for an opening rushed in quickly.
He easily slit the throat of the creature that charged while baring its hideous teeth and began the butchering in earnest.
Soon, lines began to spread out in a dizzying manner.
What was interesting was that, unlike before, several lines were spread out.
‘The method changes depending on which weapon you choose.’
Min-hyuk wore a satisfied expression as he saw that the butchering method changed drastically depending on the weapon.
In fact, the slime had limits to its strategy.
But this time was different.
A bone knife to crush bones in one go.
A knife with concentrated sharpness that seemed specialized for deboning.
A horse-slaying saber that looked like it could cut down a horse in one strike.
A blood-letting blade that targets vital points to drain blood instantly.\
Regardless of which of these weapons he chose, Min-hyuk saw a path close to the right answer.
Some tried to ram him with their horns, but it was useless.
Instead, they were sent straight to the afterlife with a single stab to a vital point.
[Giant Rabbits will now appear.]
As if everything until now had been a warm-up, rabbits so huge they could rival the Giant Slime appeared.
Even despite their huge size, their movements were agile.
A situation that made curses come out naturally, wondering how one was supposed to face this.
However, like the Giant Slime, the Giant Rabbits were fast, but their attack routes were simple.
“Easy.”
Unlike his initial tension, Min-hyuk succeeded in digging in easily and slashing the weak point in one go, just like when he first conquered the slime.
Just as he was wearing a disappointed expression, thinking it would be a bit harder, a message appeared.
[The Rabbit Boss appears.]
A small rabbit with a large scar on one eye.
In terms of intimidation, one might mistakenly think the Giant Rabbits had more.
However, why was that small rabbit able to act as the boss here?
Considering this, he couldn’t let his guard down.
‘He’ll be strong.’
The moment he lifted his horse-slaying saber, thinking it would definitely be strong, the Rabbit Boss moved quickly.
Boom!
Min-hyuk, who blocked reflexively, was sent flying backward along with his saber from a single kick from the rabbit.
At that moment, it attacked Min-hyuk again with explosive speed.
While being pushed back helplessly by several attacks, a smile was etched on Min-hyuk’s lips.
“This is fun.”
Incredible speed, well-compressed mana, and even explosive power that bursts upon impact.
A Rabbit Boss with unique skills.
However, was it impossible to win?
That wasn’t the case either.
Even now, Min-hyuk could see lines that could split the Rabbit Boss in one go.
However, he intentionally avoided those lines and fought the rabbit.
‘I want to see more.’
He wanted to learn every part of how this rabbit fought and completely master it with his own body.
Raising stats quickly?
That was also important.
But somehow, his gut feeling told him that when he reached higher floors, each of these skills he was learning now would be important.
‘The Tower wouldn’t have made these arrangements for no reason.’
Min-hyuk focused on the strategy with this thought.
Was it because he fought with movements that intentionally deviated from the lines?
Small scratches began to pile up on Min-hyuk’s body.
Conversely, there wasn’t a single wound on the Rabbit Boss’s body.
Nevertheless, the winner in the end was Min-hyuk.
—Huff… huff….
“What a shame.”
Was it because of the excessive movement?
Looking at the Rabbit Boss who was quickly exhausted, Min-hyuk wore a disappointed expression and muttered as he quietly swung his sword horizontally.
“I’ll see you again later.”
As he cut off its head after saying goodbye in advance to the Rabbit Boss he would see again through repeated clears, the system window popped up.
[You have successfully cleared the 2nd floor.]
[Flawless Clear!]
The moment he succeeded in a Flawless Clear even on the 2nd floor, the final touch was added to his plan to screw over the Monster Management Office.
As if to prove it, all the articles simultaneously wrote about his ‘Flawless Clear.’
Naturally, interest in his strategy videos was bound to increase as well.
In the end, even the government, which had been trying to ignore it, could no longer look away this time.