98. The Unexpected Happens
According to those who studied him, this guy is said to still be nothing more than a young specimen.
So, they say he focuses more on sleeping and growing rather than being active.
It’s just as they see it now.
Thanks to this, most visitors to this dungeon could safely come and go, watching him like an exhibit, as people say. Seeing it firsthand, the rumors seemed to be true.
The boss of the Extremis Dungeon, Nepenthes Gluttony.
Hunters are not only forbidden to attack this boss but even to catch his eye.
All due to the formal treaties and contracts made from the moment they enter.
Back then, no one knew the reasons, but now not only Koreans but people all over the world understand.
From Noble mtl dot com
For quite a while now, the Korean government has seen this dungeon as a place where the Plant Sorcerer, Sang-yun Lee, would rise as a top-tier hunter.
However, the truth was different.
“But Hana, is he really that huge? Not just tens of meters, but hundreds?”
“…Most likely. The system said so without a doubt. I’ve never seen the system be wrong before.”
A creature that was said to be so massive it could easily surpass hundreds of meters, as heard through the system by Han.
According to the system, there was no chance of Sang-yun Lee succeeding in his conquest of this creature.
Of course, outwardly, the appearance was merely that of a huge flower bud, maybe just a few meters tall, which was hard to believe in itself.
“If what we see is all there is, then the rest is probably…”
“Hidden deep underground.”
This was also why monsters kept their distance and didn’t approach him easily.
Though each individual was different, the instinct of wild monsters was far superior to humans.
“But Hana.”
Therefore, it was only natural for Jin-hwa to be cautious in his evolution.
“Surely the system didn’t bring us here just for the two of us to conquer this creature… right?”
“There was no mention of that, so probably not. Right, system?”
[…….]
But why?
“Hey, why no response?”
[…….]
The system, which had always responded well until now, suddenly fell silent.
“Why is that?”
“The system isn’t responding.”
“What? Why?”
Of course, it wasn’t the first time he had suddenly shut up, and Jin-hwa was used to such situations.
But the problem now was that Jin-hwa had Jin-wa by his side.
What would his stance be now?
Naturally, it was becoming awkward.
“Mi, I’m sorry. Harin.”
Han glanced at her briefly and cautiously opened his mouth.
“Since this isn’t the first time something like this has happened, it’s not particularly strange… Sorry, but could you wait a bit?”
“Okay.”
Then suddenly, Han turned around absentmindedly.
‘Hmm?’
He suddenly felt puzzled.
‘What’s this?’
The monsters that had followed him here.
For some reason, they seemed to have distanced themselves a bit.
Their behavior was as if a line had been drawn.
‘Are they unable to come in here?’
No, it was more like they were showing signs of fear.
It was a reasonable reaction.
These creatures, possessing instincts superior to ordinary beasts, must have been well aware of the danger posed by the Boss Nepenthes Glurtney.
At that moment, Harin spoke up.
“You can touch it once. It’ll behave. Quiet little monsters, they are.”
“Is it really okay?”
“Of course. It’s like a ritual for everyone who comes here. They’re peaceful monsters that sleep all day.”
Of course, there was a hidden danger in her words.
At the tip of the flower bud were clearly predatory teeth and hook-like claws.
It meant the creature was not as docile as it seemed.
However, it had been peacefully slumbering in the same spot for years.
Over the past few years, hunters and researchers had come and gone, causing quite a commotion, yet no one had seen the creature wake up.
That’s how deeply it was asleep.
Swish.
It was the moment Han slowly placed his hand on the giant flower bud.
“What a strange sensation. I can feel its heartbeat.”
Thump. Thump.
He could feel it.
Under the thick stem as massive as the Adrima tree, there was a slight wriggling movement, as if the stem was breathing in and out.
Han’s gaze suddenly shifted downwards, not towards the flower bud above.
“Come to think of it, could the main body be below here?”
Most likely, the main body of Nepenthes Glurtney was sleeping beneath the ground.
Looking at the part of the ground covered with soil, it did seem a bit peculiar.
It appeared slightly unearthed or as if the ground had moved slightly, indicating some disturbance.
It was at that moment.
Gooooo-
Suddenly, as Han’s hand lightly touched the creature’s stem, a faint light began to emanate, then it started shining brightly.
It was an anomaly.
“Huh… Huh?”
“Hana!”
It wasn’t just Hana who was taken aback.
Jin Hwarin, too, shouted in surprise,
Kugugugugu!!
Suddenly, vibrations shaking the ground began.
In Hana’s ear, the silent response of the system, which had been quiet until now, was heard.
[Nepenthes Glutni’s consciousness, which was in a dormant state, is beginning to awaken.]
Quarrr!
It was a massive earthquake.
The enormous flower bud and stem that had been near them seemed to ascend in an instant, soaring up into the distant sky, with the stem becoming thicker and larger.
[Kkiiii!!]
[Kkig!]
The monsters that followed Hana also cried out in surprise, unsure of what to do.
Amidst them, various colorful flower buds that were seen earlier burst out from below the ground, revealing their existence.
Eventually, the largest stem among them revealed itself.
A colossal maw resembling an abyss and full of teeth.
As if a giant tree resembling that powerful worm seen before was looking down on Hana and Hwarin.
[Grrr-]
“Ah, ah….”
An overwhelming and savage form.
Reason was erased from their minds as they faced it.
***
It was a day that had passed since then.
Step. Step.
Jin Hwarin commuted to her guild.
“Hwarin, senior! If you enter the Extremis Dungeon so recklessly, what will happen! The entire guild is in chaos right now!”
“Did people from the Hunter Association come?”
“It’s not about whether they came! The point is, there’s chaos!”
People from the government had already come.
“Yeah.”
Of course, it was expected.
As a top-tier hunter, she had stepped into a dungeon related to Lee Sangyun Hunter without permission.
For them, Jin Hwarin was a violator of morality like no other.
“…Phew.”
She took a deep breath.
Just facing them already made her feel exhausted.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t even properly relieved the fatigue from conquering the dungeon.
But she made a promise.
This was an equal transaction.
A deal between Han and Jinhwa Rin.
Rin opened her mouth towards her cherished junior.
“I have important news.”
“Is it more important than the fact that the senior entered there without permission?”
“It is. And that’s why the first step is to call Hunter Lee Sang-yun. Because, that dungeon. It’s not Grade 1, it’s Special Grade.”
“…!!”
All the guild members around wore shocked expressions.
“S-Special Grade?”
“Yes.”
But there was more to be surprised about.
“One more thing, what I just said includes only the bosses. Everyone has encountered monsters from the Special Grade dungeon, right? Have you ever seen a boss that stands out among them?”
“I-Is that possible?”
“It is.”
Dungeons are graded in proportion to the total strength inside.
However, there was very important evidence that she was confident that the dungeon she revisited, Extremis, was not Grade 1 but Special Grade.
That meant the boss possessed exceptionally special strength.
Then, she added.
“When the dragon appeared in the former Australia. In that dungeon, besides the boss being a dragon, the rest of the monsters were nothing special, right? What grade was it?”
“Um… Ah, it was probably Low Grade? At an average level. It was a dungeon where only the boss was of a particularly strong type.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
The difficulty of dungeons varies greatly.
There are dungeons that are relatively easy, dungeons like the first or second floor of the Tower that have a balanced level of difficulty.
Some places have extremely dangerous monsters, while in others, the difficulty spikes due to the environment itself.
Or there are cases where most of the dungeon’s composition consists of regular monsters, with the boss being nothing out of the ordinary in terms of danger.
In this way, there is no common factor in any dungeon, but generally, a few patterns exist.
‘That is, in dungeons where the boss is particularly strong, the boss is terrifyingly powerful.’
While previous cases were not to be underestimated, this case is particularly dangerous.
Even in Grade 1 or 2 dungeons, Special Grade hunters would not easily let down their guard.
“Yes. This is on top of that. It was truly a monster.”
A monster surpassing 200 meters in size.
The dragon she faced in Australia previously wouldn’t have been at that level.
Who would win if they fought?
Well. Perhaps the dragon at that time, as a young Jinhwa Rin hadn’t encountered it yet. But still, a temporary conclusion had been reached.
Simply overwhelming.
Perhaps that creature, at that time, was barely defeated by seven hunters from around the world?
Unconsciously, she clenched her fist.
‘…Such an overwhelming presence. It’s not an opponent that can be handled just by gathering a dozen or twenty Special Grade hunters.’
Just feeling relieved that this incident was prevented in advance without any casualties would be enough.
If he hadn’t been there.
At some point, Ganghwado, and even Seoul, must have been swept away unchanged.
“If you doubt it, I’ll show you myself.”
She had a file containing the recorded footage.
This alone was sufficient evidence.
Of course, the footage related to Han was conspicuously absent.
Nevertheless, there was an abundance of evidence.
A colossal figure and physique to the extent that even ordinary buildings seemed small beneath it.
One might liken it to a massive strange rock formation, or a giant cliff or island in nature.
[Rumble!]
[Whoosh-!]
“…Good heavens. This, this is.”
People whose expressions froze in fear as the video played on the screen.
“Get the Chairman on the line! Quickly!”
“Play the video! What are you standing there foolishly for?! Do you think this is a joke?!”
Soon, starting with those who quickly assessed the situation and began to run, everyone around started bustling about.
Exactly one day.
It was enough for the grade of the Extremeist Dungeon, which had been recorded in the Association for the past few years, to rise to special grade in just a day.