Chapter 79 …
How far had I gone?
[The fog thickens from this point onward.]
[Tip: Be careful of orcs hidden in the fog charging at you.]
“This should do.”
Seeing the system window appear, Dohyeon stopped walking.
As the message said, the fog around him was dense.
Not enough to compare to when he had overhunted before, just slightly obscuring the view ahead.
“Perfect.”
This was the stage for today’s slaughter.
[‘Weak Stealth’ has been deactivated.]
As Dohyeon became fully visible from being semi-transparent, Jihad stopped as well.
—Hunting here?
“Yeah, this seems just right.”
—Aren’t there still humans around?
“Can’t be helped. It’s far enough from the city. The fog also helps hide us.”
Finding a place without humans in this fishy, rocky forest was nearly impossible.
Unless he used some trick like the fog he had created during excessive hunting last time, people would inevitably be everywhere.
Still, with this level of fog, hunters would likely focus entirely on the hunt and not get distracted.
‘Seriously, that was creepy. How did they get it exactly right?’
Dohyeon shivered recalling the guess a player had made earlier.
Even now, it gave him goosebumps.
It was an uncannily precise guess, as if they had been watching the process in real time.
No wonder Dohyeon had hesitated for a moment, wondering, “Should I deal with them first?”
Thankfully, his party dismissed it as nonsense.
‘Well, it really is an impossible ability.’
As they said, Eliza’s bracelet was an unimaginable item at this stage.
A skill like stealth, a signature of a particular class, rarely comes as a bonus option.
Even if it did, such equipment usually has usage restrictions nine times out of ten.
So it was safe to assume it didn’t exist here.
On the flip side, it implied that under special circumstances, it could be possible.
‘That’s why perceptive newbies are…’
Shaking his head, Dohyeon drew his Thousand Transformations (Cheonbyeon).
Then, Eliza, from the robe pocket, jumped up onto Dohyeon’s shoulder.
—Riza!
“Huh? You’re joining this time too?”
—Riz-Riza!
—She says she’s going to show off, Master.
This time, Jihad’s translation was unnecessary.
Eliza puffed out her chest, her small eyes showing courage, clearly looking like a general heading into battle.
…Technically, she looked more like a kid pretending to be a general in a war game.
Still, Dohyeon couldn’t help but be excited.
‘Last time, I hunted alone to test Cheonbyeon’s performance.’
Back then, he had so many rewards from Cheonbyeon and other sources that he hadn’t had time to evaluate Eliza’s abilities.
Now was the perfect opportunity to gauge her level.
Fwoosh—zzzt.
Beyond the thick fog, a couple of massive silhouettes appeared.
‘Then, before entering battle…’
Dohyeon quickly opened the system window.
A message immediately popped up:
[Recording has started.]
[Saying “stop” or pressing the stop button will end the recording.]
It was the recording notification.
‘I need to grab some NewTube footage.’
Dohyeon was now a legitimate 800k NewTuber.
He had a duty to record videos for those waiting.
Some might scoff at hunting videos as content, but sometimes the best footage comes by chance.
‘If I leave it on, something might happen.’
You never know.
Maybe he’d discover a mutant boss, or, like last time, a PKer using stealth might sneak in.
Dohyeon chuckled at the thought.
‘But that’s unlikely.’
Could such bastards really exist even in Brion?
All he wanted was to complete the quest successfully.
He swung Cheonbyeon through the air, and its form instantly changed.
[Thousand Transformations (Cheonbyeon) has transformed into ‘Black Raven Spear’.]
[Using Striking increases physical attack by 40.]
‘Good grip.’
Fwoosh—.
An orc charged forward.
Normally, dodging would be standard, but Dohyeon boldly swung the spear.
The large arc sliced through the orc’s neck.
[First attack: additional 18% damage applied.]
[Set effect: Melee attack damage increased by 6.5%.]
…
[Orc defeated.]
Its neck was cut mid-charge. Its massive body collapsed a few meters later, unable to resist the momentum.
“Ahh…”
Clearing difficult difficulty was fun, but regular hunting was all about overwhelming damage.
Charging? Why dodge?
If they run at you willingly, just slice them.
The orc’s momentum even made the strike cleaner.
‘Feels good.’
The remaining orc, lured into a false sense of security, charged next.
Then…
Fzzzt—.
A small, somewhat cute sound, and something white shot beside Dohyeon.
It was a web.
Shot straight, it expanded into a small net, hitting the orc’s eyes precisely.
Eeek!
Blinded, the orc panicked.
It tried instinctively to wipe off the web, but…
Snap—zzzt?
The web didn’t come off; its hands stuck instead.
Eliza’s web was far stickier than the orc expected.
It could be removed with force, but that might tear out the eyes.
Yet fighting blind wasn’t much worse—losing the eyes wouldn’t change much anyway.
Fwoosh! Fzzzt!
Caught in this unexpected dilemma, the orc was frozen.
Its movements slowed, as if gravity weighed heavier on it alone.
Blinded and slowed, even an orc could feel fear.
Fwoosh!
Bipedal creatures rely heavily on vision.
Without sight even an inch ahead, they often lose their sense of direction.
This orc was no exception.
Thud—fwoosh!
Its center of gravity shifted, and before reaching Dohyeon, it fell face-first onto the ground.
It instinctively swung its double-bladed axe, but Dohyeon easily avoided it.
Whoosh—.
He thrust the spear into the fallen creature without hesitation.
Thud!
[Orc defeated.]
[Spear skill proficiency increased.]
[Spear skill reached LV3.]
Two down in an instant.
But it wasn’t over yet.
Fzzzt—!
Another orc, hiding and watching, suddenly charged.
Its eyes red with rage at its companion’s death.
It swung its axe to split Dohyeon’s skull, but Eliza was faster.
Fshh—zzzt!
She quickly shot her web.
The orc wasn’t dumb enough to fall for the same trick again, and blocked with the large side of its axe, rushing forward menacingly.
Just as it came within reach…
Clack.
Fwoosh, fwoosh!?
Something snagged its legs. Both feet tangled, and the orc fell grotesquely.
A faint web stretched between the nearby rocks.
Fshh—fushh—.
Eliza jumped from Dohyeon’s shoulder, circling the fallen orc.
The webs glimmered in the moonlight, wrapping its limbs, knees, and eyes.
Soon, it looked fully restrained.
—Riza!
As if shouting “Finish it!”, Dohyeon stabbed Cheonbyeon, transformed into an Assassin’s Dagger, into its neck.
[First attack: additional 18% damage applied.]
[Set effect: Melee attack damage increased by 6.5%.]
[Bleed activated.]
…
[Orc defeated.]
[Quest item ‘Concentrated Orc Blood’ obtained.]
Not only was the orc defeated, but he also collected the quest material!
Ensuring no orcs remained nearby, Dohyeon immediately sought out Eliza.
“Eliza! What was that just now? Amazing!”
Eliza puffed out her chest, clearly expecting the praise.
—Riz-Riza!
“Eliza! You’re even more useful than I thought! Why didn’t you do that when we fought each other?”
—Riza…Riz-Riza!
—When she fights her master, she gets dizzy and can’t focus. She also can’t use her webs while parasitizing.
“Ah… hmm, sorry. It wasn’t on purpose. So that’s the story. Well, without that penalty, she’d be too OP.”
—Riza!
—She said it’s fine. Since we were enemies then, it’s only natural.
Now, thanks to Jihad translating seamlessly, Dohyeon could fully appreciate Eliza’s true value.
‘I thought she’d just be like the webs from last time… but she’s stronger than I expected.’
Steel Web vs. Sky Web.
The difference wasn’t just in name. Even steel webs were strong, but sky webs were faster and stickier.
No extra damage, but endless utility.
‘Perfect for support.’
Obstructing vision, tripping enemies, restricting movement—hunting becomes much easier.
A surprise performance like this would make anyone’s jaw drop.
Eliza’s small stature became an unexpectedly powerful weapon.
“As expected, Eliza. Perfect from head to toe.”
—Riza!
“Cute enough to count as one, but she’s outstanding. What an amazing guardian… no, divine beast, Eliza.”
—Riza!
That was why Dohyeon freely praised her.
Each time, Eliza’s eyes sparkled, asking for more, and Dohyeon happily obliged.
Watching the two, Jihad’s expression grew oddly tense.
‘…What is this strange feeling?’
He liked seeing Eliza praised.
It felt like a proud pet owner or parent.
But…
‘Still, I’m the senior… and I feel like I’m doing nothing.’
The problem was Jihad’s current role.
Despite being Dohyeon’s senior guardian, he mostly just picked up items and translated for Eliza.
Meanwhile, Eliza, who joined later, was excelling and cute too.
—Jihad? Oh, the pack mule?
—A necromancer leading a legion? He can’t even summon goblins properly.
—He’s just a servant~. Don’t worry, he was born to pick up loot.
—Our Eliza is a million times better than that useless guy! Come here, cute Eliza.
Dohyeon’s words echoed like a hallucination.
It could become reality if things continued this way.
‘I-I can’t let this happen. My position…!’
He had to prove his abilities, even to his unlucky master.
Jihad clenched his fist tightly, trying to steady his wildly shaking pupils.
