20 – Captured All by Himself – 1

—You have triumphed over a boss-class monster overwhelmingly stronger than yourself! The Rare-grade title [Limit Surpasser] has grown to Unique-grade! Due to the title’s effect, you obtain a ‘highly’ positive modifier when facing enemies of a higher grade than yourself. It becomes ‘even’ easier to surpass all kinds of limits.

—The effect of the Legendary-grade title ‘Conqueror of the Hidden Dungeon’ has been fully activated! Due to the title’s effect, the effects of all stats and skills increase by 20% in all environments such as dungeons and ruins. It becomes easier to discover all dungeons and ruins, and you will be able to grasp their internal information in advance.

—In the midst of the fierce battle, the levels of the Light Spirit Arts (U), Rapid Regeneration (U), Steelization (U), and Sleepless and Restless (U) skills have each increased by 1.

—You have reached level 99 and hit the limit. Strength (R), Light Mana (R), and Spiritual Power (U) have increased by 1.

—You have triumphed over a boss-class monster overwhelmingly stronger than yourself! The Rare-grade title [Limit Surpasser] has grown to Unique-grade! Due to the title’s effect, you obtain a ‘highly’ positive modifier when facing enemies of a higher grade than yourself. It becomes ‘even’ easier to surpass all kinds of limits.

—The effect of the Legendary-grade title ‘Conqueror of the Hidden Dungeon’ has been fully activated! Due to the title’s effect, the effects of all stats and skills increase by 20% in all environments such as dungeons and ruins. It becomes easier to discover all dungeons and ruins, and you will be able to grasp their internal information in advance.

—In the midst of the fierce battle, the levels of the Light Spirit Arts (U), Rapid Regeneration (U), Steelization (U), and Sleepless and Restless (U) skills have each increased by 1.

—You have reached level 99 and hit the limit. Strength (R), Light Mana (R), and Spiritual Power (U) have increased by 1.

What appeared first was simply the result he obtained from killing the demon.

He had thought that Limit Surpasser would grow soon, and it actually did.

Ironically, the effect he had desired the most before challenging the demon was amplified, but since it was an effect he would continue to benefit from in the future, there was no need to feel too disappointed.

‘Conqueror of the Hidden Dungeon’ was also finally fully activated, and it was a title that immediately made him realize why it was of Legendary grade.

Just the 20% increase in all stats and skill effects in every dungeon and ruin was already tremendous, but the secondary effects were simply absurd.

His level, too, had definitely grown and reached the limit.

“Of course it would. It was a Unique-grade that hadn’t even been weakened.”

He did not know what the guy’s class was.

However, no matter how much he thought about it, the opponent’s skills did not seem impressive enough to boast about being a Weapon Master.

Even while he was having such foolish thoughts, the calculation of rewards continued.

The first thing that popped up was a notification of a skill’s growth that he had never expected.

—After slaughtering countless enemies of a higher grade, you have partially reached the true meaning of butchery. The Uncommon-grade [Butchery] skill has surpassed its limit and grown into the Rare-grade [Slaughter] skill. A positive modifier is granted to the act of killing all living things and obtaining byproducts for yourself.

—After slaughtering countless enemies of a higher grade, you have partially reached the true meaning of butchery. The Uncommon-grade [Butchery] skill has surpassed its limit and grown into the Rare-grade [Slaughter] skill. A positive modifier is granted to the act of killing all living things and obtaining byproducts for yourself.

“……How savage.”

Perhaps pulling the horn out of the living demon’s forehead at the last moment had influenced the evolution of the skill.

Until then, Gi-jun had only thought of using Butchery to obtain byproducts from already dead corpses, but in reality, both Slaughter and Butchery included the entire process of killing a living thing and obtaining its byproducts.

Perhaps because he had failed to realize that simple fact, Butchery had been stuck at the Uncommon grade.

The growth of the Slaughter skill, which granted a modifier to all actions aimed at killing life, was certainly surprising, but it was not the main reward.

—The Rare-grade [Twin Tortoise Fangs ()] skill has been influenced by Light Spirit Arts and grown into the Unique-grade skill [Moonlight Fangs ()]! Your two shields resemble the moon; they are round and solid like a full moon (), yet reveal their teeth as sharp as a crescent moon (), and at times are invisible like a new moon (), but will still exist there.

—The Rare-grade [Twin Tortoise Fangs ()] skill has been influenced by Light Spirit Arts and grown into the Unique-grade skill [Moonlight Fangs ()]! Your two shields resemble the moon; they are round and solid like a full moon (), yet reveal their teeth as sharp as a crescent moon (), and at times are invisible like a new moon (), but will still exist there.

“It’s done.”

Gi-jun knelt on the spot, muttering those words in spite of himself.

What was done? Even he did not know, but as he thought about it, he recalled what the Demon King had said when they first met four years ago and began training: ‘Let’s at least make Dual Blunt Weapon Mastery Unique.’

He had to reach Unique grade in weapon arts at the very least.

A sense of relief washed over him at the thought that he had not wasted her expectations, or the time and effort she had invested in him.

Thinking about it now, all sorts of things had happened since then, like spirit arts and whatnot, to the point where he found it funny how obsessed he had been with that single sentence.

—Contractor, are you okay?

“Yeah, I’m perfectly fine. My level went up, too.”

“Ah, hey! Hero!”

Around that time, the door opened, and the Demon King, who wore an anxious expression, leaped through the air and rushed in.

Seeing Gi-jun kneeling, the Demon King gasped in shock and grabbed him, but soon realized there were no wounds left on his body and exhaled a sigh of relief.

“Seriously, what’s with you? Making me worry like that……”

“Sorry, I guess it’s just a sense of accomplishment……”

“Forget it, I know. You worked hard.”

The Demon King did not even check whether his skill had grown.

It was not a lack of expectation, but rather that she naturally believed he would achieve it.

Although that trust had felt a bit burdensome at times in the past—now that he had achieved it so splendidly, he was simply proud and happy.

It was then that the final notification message appeared.

—Sometimes glamorous, sometimes delicate. A truly beautiful flower shows whoever seeks it the appearance they desire, capturing them as captives. The Charm (R) stat has surpassed its limit and grown to Unique grade! Charm (U) has become 1.

—Sometimes glamorous, sometimes delicate. A truly beautiful flower shows whoever seeks it the appearance they desire, capturing them as captives. The Charm (R) stat has surpassed its limit and grown to Unique grade! Charm (U) has become 1.

No, but seriously, why the hell did you…

There had to be a reason for this.

If the grade had really risen just because Lucy admired him a bit and the Demon King worried about him a little, the Charm stat might actually be a trivial stat compared to what Gi-jun had thought.

……Or the Demon King and Lucy were far more incredible beings than he had imagined.

“How is the reward from the ruins?”

“Ah, come to think of it.”

Gi-jun, who had been staring intently at his status window, soon came to his senses and searched the remaining space of the ruins, but to his shock, there was no separate treasure chest.

In such cases, the boss of the ruins usually carried the reward directly, and if that was the case, he had a hunch.

No matter how he looked at it, it did not seem like an innate ability of that demon, but there had been something that annoyed Gi-jun by whipping up wind every time the demon swung a specific weapon.

“It’s this scimitar.”

—It seems to be enchanted. It was huge when that guy was holding it earlier.

“Ah, right. This is it. It’s Unique grade?”

The Demon King, who had finished evaluating it, nodded, completely shattering the scenario Gi-jun had secretly hoped wasn’t true.

It was a disappointing result.

Of course, the ability to create wind around oneself or shoot wind blades was incredibly cool, but for the medium of that to be a scimitar!

“I’d rather bring my Rare-grade breastplate into the main game than take this.”

“Stop talking nonsense and pick it up already.”

Still, was choosing a Rare over a Unique too much of a joke?

However, as a slightly sullen Gi-jun picked it up,

to his surprise, the scimitar transformed into a pure white shield.

“Uh……?”

“It’s equipment with a transformation function. It seems to transform into the weapon or armor the owner desires most. Can it split into two, by any chance? Ah, that’s not possible.”

“Uh, uh…….”

If so, this changed things.

Gi-jun, unable to believe that he had actually obtained a Unique-grade shield, blinked and opened its information window.

[King of the Well (Unique)]

[Durability — 2,325/2,500]

[Attack Power (U) / Defense Power (U) — 50]

[Option 1 — Strength, Mana increased by 5]

[Option 2 — It harbors the power of the wind, allowing it to be sprayed in all directions or shot in a sharp trajectory by swinging the weapon. Consumes mana to cast, and the power is proportional to the product of mana and strength. Requires a certain amount of recharge time after casting.]

[Equip Restriction — Possession of the title ‘Conqueror of the Hidden Dungeon’]

[Congratulations. You are the most outstanding frog in this narrow well!]

[King of the Well (Unique)]

[Durability — 2,325/2,500]

[Attack Power (U) / Defense Power (U) — 50]

[Option 1 — Strength, Mana increased by 5]

[Option 2 — It harbors the power of the wind, allowing it to be sprayed in all directions or shot in a sharp trajectory by swinging the weapon. Consumes mana to cast, and the power is proportional to the product of mana and strength. Requires a certain amount of recharge time after casting.]

[Equip Restriction — Possession of the title ‘Conqueror of the Hidden Dungeon’]

[Congratulations. You are the most outstanding frog in this narrow well!]

And his face scowled.

“Dammit!”

Its performance was definitely outstanding.

In fact, looking at the way it possessed both the attack power and defense power he demanded of a shield, it was even more excellent than any Unique-grade item he had ever seen or heard of.

However, the item’s name and description detracted from all of that value.

It could hardly have reminded him more vividly that all the hardships he had endured so far were nothing more than a mere tutorial!

“The name is…… pfft, a bit funny, but.”

The Demon King, who once again could not hold back her laughter, patted the Hero on the shoulder and said.

“Still, it’s a truly amazing piece of equipment. It gives a bonus of 5 to both Strength and Mana…… and for someone like you who performs both attack and defense with shields, it’s a perfect match. I guarantee that you will become more than twice as strong if you hold this.”

“I know, I know, but it’s still frustrating……!”

This feeling, as if even his putting his life on the line to strike a pose and challenge the guy had all gone down the drain.

Stroking the shoulders of the miserable Gi-jun a bit more gently this time, the Demon King comforted him in a warm voice.

“It’s okay. I know that the battle you went through was amazing. You didn’t care about things like tutorials and always fought with everything you had. So it’s okay. You can be proud of yourself.”

—That’s right, Contractor! You were really, really cool earlier! To the point that I feel so proud that I was the only one who saw it!

“This spirit, seriously.”

The Demon King, who secretly wished she had seen Gi-jun’s struggle as well, took Lucy’s bait perfectly and glared.

Meanwhile, Gi-jun, who had recovered his spirits, slung the [King of the Well], which had completely locked into the shape of a shield, onto his back along with his Rare-grade shield.

With just that, a bonus of 5 was successfully added to his Strength and, though he had been slightly worried, his Light Mana as well.

“Alright, this will do.”

He cheered up at that positive fact and turned around.

“Now let’s go back up to the surface.”

“Yeah, it’s a party once we get to the surface!”

—Ah, that’s right. Party! ……Contractor, that thing is left over!

“Hm? ……Oh!”

Except for the King of the Well, all the armaments the demon had wielded decayed as if suddenly affected by the passage of time, and the demon’s body similarly scattered as ash, leaving only one thing rolling on the floor.

It was the guy’s horn, which Gi-jun had pried out with his shield earlier.

“Oh, you succeeded in pulling that out?!”

For some reason, the Demon King looked even more delighted.

“Thank goodness. The Lesser Demon hearts we’ve been harvesting all this time won’t go to waste.”

“If there was a chance of that going to waste, you should have told me in advance, Senior.”

When Gi-jun replied in consternation, the Demon King smirked and added.

“Even without it, I could have refined them for you. Anyway, it’s great, so pack it up. I’ll make something decent for you before you head to Reta.”

“What is this ‘something decent’ going to be?”

“A permanent battery. These are extremely expensive. Since demons are an ultra-rare species to begin with.”

Watching the Demon King mutter happily that she could make two of them out of a horn of this size, Gi-jun was dumbfounded.

He had extracted the hearts of thousands, tens of thousands of Lesser Demons over the years, and now she was making a battery with them……?

“Why are you looking at me like that, King of the Well?”

“What, you said earlier that I could be proud of myself!”

“Just because you were cool doesn’t mean your item’s name becomes cool too.”

—Demon, what did you just say?

“Huh? I said let’s hurry up and go.”

The exploration of the ruins, which had lasted for four years, finally came to an end like that.

They hurried their way up to the surface, chatting quietly as if to prove the depth of the bond they had forged during that time—.

—You have obtained the qualification for the new class ‘Guardian of Light’. The class is Rare-grade. Would you like to change classes?

—You have obtained the qualification for the new class ‘Dancer of Light’. The class is Rare-grade. Would you like to change classes?

—You have obtained the qualification for the new class ‘Guardian of Light’. The class is Rare-grade. Would you like to change classes?

—You have obtained the qualification for the new class ‘Dancer of Light’. The class is Rare-grade. Would you like to change classes?

No, scratch that.

“Senior! Senior, wait a second!”

“What is it now?!”

* * *

“My name is Choi Kang. I am the strongest man in Korea—no, in the entire world.”

“The way out is over there.”

“No, wait a minute!”

Six years had passed since the second round in the other world began.

Many things had happened during that time, but they could be briefly summarized into about three things.

Gi-jun did not show up.

Ye-min’s party had already become strong enough to far surpass what they were in the first round.

And yet, they still had no intention of challenging the Demon King.

“You guys are the strongest party in Korea—no, the strongest in the world. Then there must naturally be a spot for me. There has to be!”

“Look here, I don’t know what you’ve heard or from where.”

In addition, they had seen a massive number of crazy people who constantly made a racket in front of the gate of the party house, claiming they should be let into the party.

This guy looked like a particularly nasty punk among them……

Ji-hye, the party’s magician, brushed aside her side hair, exhaled a sigh, and replied.

“We are not recruiting party members. If you understand, please leave. And stop shouting noisily in front of our house.”

“I know there’s one spot left in the party, though?”

“So you know that, but you seem not to know this?”

A perfect red sphere floated above Ji-hye’s palm without a single distortion.

Inside that object, which looked like a jewel because it was so beautiful, dwelt mana capable of burning the man in front of her without even leaving ashes behind.

“That talking about the vacant spot in our party is taboo.”

“Wait, don’t rush like that. Once you guys know my strength, you’ll definitely change your minds.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m not really curious.”

“My Strength!”

Seeing the sphere floating right in front of his eyes as if threatening him, the man shouted loudly.

“My Strength is Uncommon. It’s been that way since I was summoned here. And now it’s right on the verge of Rare.”

“Pfft.”

Ji-hye sneered.

The man actually seemed relieved by her reaction.

“As I thought, you don’t know, but stats actually have grades too. And chosen people like me—”

“I know.”

Ji-hye smiled bitterly and stroked the bridge of her nose with her index and middle fingers, as if pushing up glasses.

Back on Earth, she had worn glasses, so she often made gestures conscious of them, and it was a habit she still couldn’t get rid of, even though nearly twenty years had passed since her vision became normal after being dragged to the other world.

“The reason I laughed is that if there were such an amazing person, there’s no way they wouldn’t have been known during the first round. That’s why I laughed.”

“Because I died early.”

“Oh dear, despite your Strength being Uncommon.”

She did not bother to add that in that case, it was truly pathetic.

The man also seemed to know this, as he hurriedly added some words.

“During the first round, there was someone the fairy killed to make an example of!”

“That was you?”

“Yeah!”

“And of all things, the Strength of you, who died like that, was Uncommon?”

“Exactly! Do you think I’d be frustrated or not?!”

If those words were true, it was indeed a frustrating thing.

However, the reason this person died in the first round was probably because he knew how special he was and tried to pull some nonsense……

Having finished her calculations, Ji-hye let out a sigh and declared.

“That is unfortunate. But there is still no room for you in our party.”

“Are you stupid?! No, talking to you is useless. Let me talk to the party leader, that fucking…… girl.”

He seemed to have stopped himself from saying something, but she did not even want to know.

As Ji-hye waved her hand, the man who was trying to force the door open was blown backward mercilessly and rolled onto the ground.

By the time the man got up, frowning in annoyance, a sphere of fire even larger than the one he had seen earlier was already floating before his eyes.

“My Mana is Rare-grade.”

Looking down at the man who was staring blankly at the magic sphere, Ji-hye smiled brightly.

“If you understand, get lost now.”

The door closed.

Ji-hye sighed and thought as she climbed the stairs.

Maybe I was a bit too sensitive.

His death in the first round might have been due to some overlapping misunderstandings, and since he was working hard now that they were in the second round, he must have been able to make it all the way here.

If someone who started without any know-how had raised their Strength to right before Rare grade, then yes.

They could easily become overflowing with confidence and boast about joining our party.

Even so, there were two reasons why Ji-hye could not tolerate the man’s presence.

First, it was because of the man’s selfishness in ignoring and pushing his own position despite being clearly told that talking about the vacant spot in the party was taboo.

Second, it was because she was unbearably jealous that the man was born with an Uncommon-grade stat.

While someone else had barely achieved a Rare-grade in Mana after completely giving up all possibilities for other stats and dedicating themselves entirely.

‘But then, how on earth am I supposed to face Min-i? Ah, I’m truly pathetic.’

Soon, arriving at Ye-min’s room, Ji-hye knocked lightly on the door.

After a faint reply telling her to come in, she opened the door.

There stood Ye-min, looking as if she had just woken up, with disheveled yet beautiful hair, quietly staring this way while blinking her clear and deep eyes.

Would a princess who popped out of a picture book look like this?

Despite being a woman herself, she took a brief deep breath at the sight, which was beautiful enough to make her heart stop for a moment.

Ever since her Charm had…… grown, it had always felt like this.

“Yeah, Hye-ji—”

“I told you not to call me Hye-ji.”

“What can I do if it’s already habit? Ah, coffee for me.”

“Drink.”

When Ji-hye took the coffee, which she had stored in her inventory in the kettle right after brewing it, and poured it into a cup, Ye-min accepted it and smiled softly.

“Thanks. I love you—”

“You’re completely drunk on sleep.”

Leaving behind Ji-hye who was shaking her head, Ye-min downed the hot coffee in one gulp and regained a much clearer head.

“Yeah…… so what brings you here since morning?”

“It’s afternoon.”

“On holidays, the time I wake up is morning. I decided it that way.”

“Though Gi-jun Oppa’s wake-up time was always the same.”

“Yeah…… right, I guess we really are soulmates.”

Just how on earth did she interpret the current conversation to mean the two of them were soulmates?

Ji-hye was truly puzzled, but since she didn’t want to bother getting tired for no reason, she asked something else instead.

“Did you look for him yesterday too?”

“Yeah. Where on earth is our Oppa, really? Since the moth told us for sure that he isn’t dead, he must be somewhere in this world.”

“Still, don’t overdo it. You know, right? If you neglect your duties as a Hero because you’re too focused on searching for Gi-jun Oppa, he won’t like it either.”

“I know that. I’m only looking for him in my spare time after finishing all my work.”

As Ye-min grumbled while puffing out her cheeks and silently held out her cup, Ji-hye refilled it with a light sigh.

“Whew—. So? What is it that you want to ask?”

“An applicant who wants to join the party came.”

“You kicked him out, right?”

“I did kick him out, but.”

“But?”

Ji-hye felt unconsciously relieved by the question that seemed to ask why there was even a need for anything after that.

It felt as though Ye-min was telling her that kicking the man out wasn’t a mistake.

Still, she had to say it.

“He said his Strength is Uncommon. And from the moment he was dragged to the other world, too. He said he died early in the first round, so he wasn’t known.”

“Ah…… no wonder, I felt like I wouldn’t be the only one. What country is he from?”

“Korea.”

“Really?”

Ye-min, who was widening her already large eyes in surprise, soon shrugged her shoulders.

“Well, whatever.”

“He’s definitely a good talent, though.”

“We don’t need him. Uncle Su and Shin-i are strong enough.”

Ye-min, who shrugged her shoulders as she said so, added.

“It must have been funny since he thought he was holding some high-level information. It’s been quite a while since we leaked the information quietly, mainly targeting the top parties.”

“There were also those who guessed it on their own beforehand. But it’s also true that the subjugation of the Demon King is being delayed because of that.”

It was not just Ye-min’s party that had surpassed their combat power from the first round.

Of course, while their strength was unrivaled, the hero parties of the second round, who grew and trained more efficiently and acquired what they wanted through fair and fierce competition with all information exposed, boasted overwhelming strength compared to the first round as they reached the higher ranks.

However,

despite that, they still claimed that their preparations were insufficient and continued to remain in that place.

“Everyone is scared.”

“Sigh……”

Ye-min, who had emptied her cup completely, put it away in her inventory and said in a determined voice.

“So, we must train so that we can defeat it with just our party’s power if worse comes to worst. Four years will be enough. Having everyone achieve Rare in their main stats and grow their racial grade. Once that’s done, we are going to slay the Demon King.”

“Exclude me.”

“Right, you’re the only one with Unique Mana.”

Ye-min, who added this with a playful smile, soon sighed and muttered.

“I wonder if Jun-i Oppa is doing well. He should have heard the information we spread properly……”

“I thought so. ……Are you worried that Gi-jun Oppa might fall behind?”

“If only he knows the information, Jun-i Oppa will never fall behind anyone. Never.”

Ye-min, who said so with a serious expression, soon narrowed her eyes and spoke.

“Somehow, I have a feeling that it won’t end with just the Demon King. The moment when Oppa has to step forward will definitely come. Everyone is letting their guard down…… There’s no way this world would be this kind to us.”

“Min-ah.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad you’re our party leader. I’m sorry.”

“U-uh?”

Ji-hye barely squeezed out those words and left the room, leaving behind Ye-min, who widened her eyes in surprise.

Perhaps Ye-min was only having such thoughts because her anxiety about Gi-jun not being by her side had grown, but she was still far better than herself, who was merely jealous of her friend.

Embracing both her apologies and embarrassment toward her precious friend, she walked away.

It was time to go see the uncle and the younger one, who would be training in the backyard.