RTGR 39

Chapter 39 …

Money?

It would be nice to earn some, but it wasn’t something he absolutely needed right now.

He had just gotten his hands on an incredible opportunity. There was no way he was going to give it up and hand it over to someone else.

‘Just thinking about what I might get is already making me drool.’

A Hero-grade secret dungeon—maybe he could even get a Hero-grade item?

At the very least, wouldn’t it drop something Rare+?

Dohyun’s luck was notoriously terrible, but since this was a secret dungeon, he couldn’t help feeling a bit hopeful.

‘Eye of Truth… you’re seriously the best.’

To be honest, he had expected it might help him find a dungeon.

It pierced through hidden things—anyone could tell it had the feel of an explorer’s search skill. That was why Dohyun had wandered around the forest before entering the Goblin Chieftain’s habitat.

Even after all that effort, he hadn’t found anything and was half ready to give up—so who would’ve thought it would trigger such a big event like this?

‘If this was going to happen, you could’ve told me earlier. So mischievous.’

Still, thanks to that “mischief,” he had gained a Rare title, so he would welcome that kind of prank a hundred times over.

He wasn’t sure if the “search range” bonus would apply to Eye of Truth as well, but the +2 to all stats effect was sweet enough on its own.

“Phew.”

Dohyun, who had been grinning while teasing the unresponsive Eye of Truth, suddenly grew serious.

It was the first time he’d shown such an expression since defeating the Iron-Blooded Demonic Dragon.

Up until now, he hadn’t needed to try very hard. Monsters had died in one or two hits without him even bothering to use proper control.

The same went for PVP. He hadn’t felt even a hint of tension.

But this secret dungeon was different.

‘From Hero-grade onward, it’s on another level.’

There wasn’t much difference between Normal and Rare.

Players just had a few more things to handle, and it got slightly trickier.

But from Hero-grade onward, the difficulty skyrocketed.

And it wasn’t just dungeons. Any system with a ranking tier worked the same way.

‘Whether it’s items, skills, or bosses… this is where the real game starts.’

No matter how much people cursed it as a trash RNG game, Demrock had always stuck to one rule:

‘The lower the probability, the more certain the reward.’

God of All Seasons was the same.

Just look at his unique abilities—‘Adventurer’ and Eye of Truth.

They were one-of-a-kind, and their performance was overwhelming.

By that same logic, a Hero-grade dungeon’s rewards had to be on a completely different level from a Rare-grade one.

Imagine going through hell to defeat a brutally difficult boss, only for the reward to be barely different from the previous one.

People would just farm Rare bosses instead. No one would bother with Hero bosses.

Of course, RNG still lurked as an infuriating variable…

[As the first discoverer, you receive additional benefits.]
[Upon first clear, a boss-related equipment item is guaranteed to drop.]
[Experience gained increases by 30%.]
[Drop rate increases by 30%.]

‘Heh… yeah, this is what a game should be like.’

For Dohyun, that was all that mattered.

All he had to worry about was clearing the dungeon for sure—and in that area, he had more confidence than anyone.

[Do you wish to enter the Secret Dungeon?]

“Yeah.”

[Conditions fulfilled.]
[You will shortly enter the Secret Dungeon ‘Black Goblin Shaman’s Hideout.’]
[5…]
…
[2…]

As the final “1” message flashed, his vision turned white.

Dohyun grinned.

‘Alright then. Let’s go claim my reward.’

It was the moment the first secret dungeon opened in Raven, the first city of the main continent.

“Entering a secret dungeon is like sticking your head into the jaws of a wild beast.”

Those were the words spoken in an interview by Fried, ranked 1279 in God of All Seasons.

When users asked about secret dungeons, he had paused briefly before saying that—and it left most players tilting their heads in confusion.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“That it’s just really hard?”
“Doesn’t that mean it’s basically suicide?”
“Then why is everyone so desperate to find one? Are we all suicidal or what?”

They understood it was metaphorical, but they couldn’t quite grasp the meaning.

However, those who had experienced secret dungeons immediately agreed with Fried.

They understood at once.

What happens if you stick your head into a beast’s jaws?

—It bites down.

Unless it’s a well-trained animal, it will snap shut ten times out of ten.

Drooling over prey that delivered itself, it would chew without hesitation.

Secret dungeons were exactly like that.

[Dungeon entered.]

BOOM!

The moment he entered, a massive black sphere shot toward Dohyun in greeting.

It wasn’t a literal sphere—it was a magic projectile formed of mana.

And this wasn’t something ordinary like a Fireball.

[Direct hit by Curse Orb. Status effect ‘Darkened Vision’ applied.]
[Due to Darkened Vision, your field of view narrows for a set duration.]

Curse Orb—the most commonly used and basic spell among curse shamans.

Its damage was unimpressive.

The real problem was Darkened Vision. One hit, and your vision became disgustingly restricted.

Like holding a faint lantern inside a cave.

But Dohyun’s vision remained perfectly fine.

[Trait ‘Hero’ prevents mental contamination.]
[Darkened Vision effect ignored.]

He possessed the top-tier trait ‘Hero,’ a hard counter to crowd control effects.

Boom! Boom-boom!

Two more shots followed in quick succession, but all of them were blocked by the Hero trait and vanished without effect.

Dohyun brushed the remnants of the curse off his clothes.

‘That’s one hell of a welcoming ceremony.’

That was exactly why Fried had described it that way—and the core concept of secret dungeons.

There were many types of secret dungeons, each with different themes, but almost all of them harassed the player from the very moment of entry.

Labyrinth types used traps.

Single-boss types attacked immediately like this.

High difficulty aside, the dungeon began the instant you stepped inside.

[How dare you enter my home without permission… You are a human who has lost all fear.]

Even villains usually waited for a proper entrance or transformation scene.

But true to his rotten personality, the voice that split the air was unpleasant and warped.

Dohyun turned his head.

Ki-rrk… Ki-rk…
Kirik…

Countless corrupted goblins covered the ground.

Their eyes were unfocused, their skin stained purple, their bodies half-rotted—undeniably undead.

[Undead Goblin of the Black Goblin Shaman]
[Undead Goblin of the Black Goblin Shaman]
…

Even their names confirmed it.

And they weren’t the only disgusting sights.

Kii- kii-.
Srrr-.

Around the undead goblins crawled at least twenty giant insects.

A massive spider spun webs in the corner of the half-collapsed ceiling, while huge centipedes wriggled across the cracked floor.

Some even clung to the undead goblins.

“Ugh… what a visual.”

Being virtual reality only made it worse—unnecessarily vivid.

[Heh… it seems you are frightened by my children.]

At the far end stood something black.

With skin darker than the robe he wore, the creature sat upon an old throne wrapped in spiderwebs.

Green eyes gleamed in the darkness.

Above him floated a red name and information window.

[Zihad Black]

Title: Hero-grade Named Boss
Type: Goblin
Traits: Bloodline Factor, Curse Shaman, Necromancer, Swift Hands
Description: Survivor of a fallen clan.
Zihad, who inherits a superior bloodline, is a goblin who has lived for centuries.
For reasons unknown, he hides in this lair, preparing something.

‘A Named Boss?’

…That was unexpected.

Even for a secret dungeon, a Named Boss?

Named Bosses were ranked above Elite Bosses.

If Elite was a modifier given to monsters acknowledged as exceptional for their tier, Named meant they possessed a unique identity.

In God of All Seasons, only one of each Named existed.

They weren’t even comparable.

‘Though having a name doesn’t always mean they’re strong…’

Rarity was guaranteed—but difficulty varied.

A Named Boss’s strength depended on how long it had lived and how much it had honed itself.

Some were absurd like the Iron-Blooded Demonic Dragon.

Others were pathetically weak despite their title.

‘Hmm… can’t tell from just this.’

That was typical for Named Bosses.

The Iron-Blooded Demonic Dragon hadn’t had much of a proper description either.

Just as he was about to leave it at that—

[Conditions fulfilled.]
[Slayer activated.]
[Hidden information of Zihad Black unlocked.]

“Hm?”

Startled by the sudden notification, Dohyun quickly understood.

‘Ah, right. I had this.’

The Slayer trait.

It revealed the location and hidden information of monsters whose type he had earned the Slayer title for.

It hadn’t activated until now, so he had almost forgotten about it.

[Would you like to view the additional information?]

‘Hmm.’

He was curious—but before opening it, Dohyun glanced at the boss.

What if it attacked while he was reading?

Zihad Black remained seated arrogantly, as if he could erase Dohyun anytime he wished.

Ki-rrr… Ki-rk…
Sss-.

The undead and insects remained still, as though waiting for a command.

Though having all those grotesque creatures staring at him was admittedly unsettling.

Then the boss spoke in a haughty tone.

[Strange… How did a human discover this place? I was certain it was perfectly hidden.]

“…It was.”

If not for someone abnormal like Dohyun, it might have remained undiscovered forever.

[I sense no aura of an explorer… Yet you carry a mixture of energies. You are a truly peculiar being.]

That made even Dohyun slightly surprised.

A mere Raven boss could vaguely sense that he was an All-Master.

Was that the insight of a creature that had lived for centuries?

[Hmm…]

Zihad stared at him, as if trying to peer into his very core, but seemed unable to fully grasp it.

‘What kind of guy are you?’

Everything about him was strange.

The most rational and unique boss he had met so far.

And that sharp gaze—hard to believe he was a goblin.

Curiosity piqued, Dohyun opened the hidden information.

[…An ancient and special race once existed—the Black Clan.
Possessing immense innate potential, they wielded unique techniques.
Because of their danger, they were perpetually at odds with ‘humanity.’
But after ‘that day,’ the Black Clan fell into ruin, and in later generations, they could no longer be seen.
Zihad Black is one who inherits their blood.
Though he has lived for centuries, by the standards of the Black Clan—who live over a thousand years—he has not yet even undergone his coming-of-age ceremony.]

Dohyun let out a small murmur of admiration.

Slayer was even more powerful than he had thought.

‘The Black Clan… first time I’ve heard of them.’

They hadn’t existed in Demrock.

But God of All Seasons took place after Demrock’s world timeline—many things had been added or removed.

It wasn’t strange that there were things he didn’t know.

‘Whatever they are, they don’t sound weak.’

Humanity had considered them dangerous since ancient times.

And regardless, a creature that had lived for centuries couldn’t be weak.

At least he hadn’t even passed adulthood yet.

‘Four traits… none related to melee.’

All of them were necromancer-related.