CHAPTER 77……………………………………
I had assumed that a bat-type monster would be small and move in groups like actual bats, but I was completely wrong.
“What kind of bat is that? That’s just a demon or a vampire!”
I once read an article titled ‘Giant Fruit Bats Living in the Tropics’, and those fruit bats were almost human-sized. I was shocked back then, but the monster in front of me now was even bigger. If I had seen it on the road at night, I might have mistaken it for a giant wearing a cloak.
“Who said it’s a bat? They said it’s a bat-type monster.”
Well, technically, Kang Gun-hoo wasn’t wrong, but his calm tone was irritating.
“Let’s keep our distance for now!”
I gave instructions to Ryu Ji-soo and Kim Jun, and they nodded and fell back.
“If I join in, it’ll be too easy, so I’ll only support when things get dangerous from behind.”
It was a relief that no one got hurt, but it was natural for Kang Gun-hoo, with his hands in his pockets, to start annoying me.
“There are about five of them.”
[Monster Appeared]
[Animal-Type Monster
Monster Name: Giant Bat
Rank: B
Attribute: Darkness
Reward on Defeat: 250 Dia per monster]
As expected, even monsters of the same rank give smaller rewards than heterospecies.
‘Does that mean they’re weaker, so we don’t need to worry?’
Kim Jun had fought reasonably skilled hunters, and Ryu Ji-soo and I had experience defeating SS-rank heterospecies like Azazel. So we thought we could easily take care of these monsters.
Until three minutes ago…
“Jun! Fall back now!”
“Ji-soo! Bats coming from behind!”
Each giant bat wasn’t that strong individually. However, the five of them were coordinating attacks using sounds only they could understand.
Screeeeeech.
Whenever we tried to attack the monster in front, a giant bat from behind would shriek to interrupt us.
‘Ji-soo and Jun, who haven’t fully adapted to the heightened senses triggered by manifestation, are going to have a hard time.’
Moreover, unlike monsters that could hit perfectly, we had no real combo system.
“Woojin, there’s a poison trap ahead!”
We were clumsy because we weren’t familiar with each other’s attack patterns. I hesitated to use my skills for fear of accidentally hitting them, and judging by their hesitation, they felt the same.
“Last time, there were hunters who clearly led the combo, which made it easier. Ji-soo only used one big attack this time, so it’s even harder.”
Kang Gun-hoo evaluated us from behind. Now it was clear why he had brought us into the dungeon before the next quest.
‘He wanted to see just how terrible our teamwork is.’
Seeing it firsthand definitely drove the point home.
“Let’s assign attack order. They do combo attacks too, but their patterns are simple.”
“What should we do?”
The three of us stood back-to-back and had a brief meeting.
“When the bat that makes a loud roar appears, I’ll run to it. Attack the bats on the opposite side. Only attack the bats you’ve marked.”
“Got it.”
The giant bats didn’t wait for us—they attacked immediately. The air pressure from their swooping attacks could cut limbs in an instant, so I pushed the others back.
Bang! Boom!
[Skill “Moon Swordsmanship Lv37” activated. The blessing of moonlight fills your hands!]
I blocked the incoming attacks with my swords. Controlling the force so the cave wouldn’t collapse was no easy task.
‘Fighting in tight spaces isn’t always good, even with allies nearby. I’ll need to narrow attack range and focus force on a single target.’
Ryu Ji-soo was about to swing his gauntleted fist.
Screeeeeech.
A giant bat, anticipating the movement, flew up to a high part of the cave, preparing to scream.
[Skill “Blessing of Lightning Lv29” swirls at your feet.]
Instead of flying, I scaled the cave walls to follow the bat. Accelerating with lightning allowed me to minimize gravity’s effect. I wasn’t actually flying—just hovering temporarily.
[Skill “Moon Swordsmanship Lv37” activated. The blessing of moonlight fills your hands!]
Even a single B-rank monster was taken down in an instant.
“Hyah!”
The bat that had just opened its mouth melted away at the sword strike.
‘They’re one-shot creatures once the attack lands.’
Even low-rank monsters are tough if the team isn’t skilled.
I landed safely and checked on my teammates. Ryu Ji-soo had already pulverized a bat he was about to attack with a single punch. The word “pulverized” barely described the monster, which couldn’t withstand his destructive power.
‘Jun?’
Kim Jun was throwing something from his hands as if scattering it.
‘Looks like venom… a new skill, or an adaptation of an old one?’
It seemed he was condensing poison like a needle and throwing it at the enemy. His adaptability was impressive for his age.
“Woojin.”
Kang Gun-hoo, standing behind, quietly called my name. I refocused and aimed my sword at the approaching bats, striking multiple targets at once with a lightning-infused sword swing.
“Pathetic creatures.”
Seeing all the monsters fall, Ryu Ji-soo tapped his ear in irritation.
“Still hurt?”
“They’re still buzzing. Are you okay, Woojin?”
“I managed.”
Kim Jun checked the items he had collected and approached us.
“What did you just use? Looks like a new skill.”
“Yes. It’s an attack skill, but since I usually use poison skills, it contains poison elements. Mainly for paralysis, but I’m still clumsy with it, so I can’t use it near people yet.”
Using existing skills frequently seemed to trigger new skill manifestations. In contrast, Ryu Ji-soo’s Descendant of Giants skill was so strong that no other skill was really needed.
‘That’s actually a problem. He doesn’t feel the need for other skills.’
Ryu Ji-soo could have used more diverse combat strategies, but his attacks were somewhat uniform. If this trend continued, it might not be a problem until the next quest, but future challenges could get tough.
‘I’ll hold back from interfering. Let’s observe a little longer.’
I stayed silent.
“Everyone saw how terrible our combo is, right? Let’s not delay and push to the end of the dungeon.”
Kang Gun-hoo, impeccably dressed, spoke sharply. We were all covered in dust and blood from fighting, while he watched from afar, unchanged since entering the dungeon.
“You have a way with words,” Ryu Ji-soo muttered, glancing at Kang Gun-hoo but continuing forward, which showed he partly agreed with him.
‘Coming here was the right call.’
I felt the same. Joining the next quest in this state could have been disastrous. It was fortunate we had the chance to learn how to fight together.
‘So when I fought with Kang Gun-hoo before, he must have been adjusting to me.’
Thinking back, I rarely fought while considering others’ movements.
“Jun, don’t rush ahead. Proceed carefully.”
“Yes!”
The real game was just beginning.
The dungeon took almost six hours to clear. Our party should have finished faster, but coordinating attacks took more time than expected.
“Any skill leveled up from this battle?”
“I gained one level in Descendant of Giants from all the fighting.”
Even with frequent use, it was impressive to level up so quickly—a sign of natural talent.
“My new skill reached level 10, and I gained about five levels.”
Kim Jun’s initial low level made his growth rate steep.
‘Even with growth boosters, he might be a genius too.’
We needed to watch carefully, but Kim Jun’s growth wasn’t ordinary. It was reassuring for the battles ahead.
“How about you, Woojin?”
I realized I hadn’t checked my own skill levels.
“Oh, I should check too.”
[Checking Information for Baek Woojin (Seo Han-gyeol)]
[Name: Baek Woojin (Seo Han-gyeol)
Age: 23 (29)
Title: “There is a younger brother better than the older one” – Persistent Player
Skills: 「*** Lv99」, 「Moon Swordsmanship Lv37」, 「Beast Tamer Lv10」, 「Weapon Adaptation Lv31」, 「Spear & Sword Lv30」, 「Blessing of Lightning Lv29」, 「Future Reading Lv3」, 「Steal Trait Lv2」, 「Sword Eclipse Lv37 (Inactive)」, 「Hidden Skill (Inactive)」
Traits: Possession, Pioneer, Regeneration
Status: Inferiority Complex
Assimilation Rate: 35%]
Some skill levels had increased dramatically since I last checked.
‘Steal Trait must have leveled up automatically last time. Beast Tamer probably increased while with the cat.’
Some skill level increases were suspicious.
‘Could it be related to the rising assimilation rate?’
Still, they increased rather than decreased, so it wasn’t bad.
“My combat skills are the same, but other things have gone up a lot.”
“Seems like we really need to run dungeons.”
Kang Gun-hoo, as if waiting for Kim Jun’s comment, spoke.
“Tomorrow, we’ll enter an A-rank dungeon.”
For me, exhausted and staring at the full moon, it was a terrifying announcement.
