Stop, Friendly Fire!

<Chapter 6. Level 3 - 2>

[Lee Shin Woo]

[Dark Skeleton Avenger]

[Treasure Hunter]

[Lv - 3 (Status effectiveness 125%)]

[Strength - 113 + 10 Agility - 108 + 10 Health - 127 + 10 Magic - 130 + 10] (While dungeon bonuses are applied)

[Passive skills - Invisible Heart Lv3, Acting Lv4, Beginner Avenger Lv1, Low Rank Bursting Thunder Lv5, Low Rank Magic Affinity Lv3, Low Rank Stealth Lv3, Beginner Command Lv5]

[Active skills - Bone Reinforcement Lv4, Low rank Combat Sprint Lv5, Low Rank Shriek of the Dead Lv1, Low Rank Regeneration Lv1, Beginner Catapult Lv9, Low Rank Flames of Revenge Lv1, Beginner Power Slash Lv7, Low Rank Harden Lv1, Low Rank Self-Destruct Lv1]

[Resistances - Holy - MAX, Curse - MAX, Acid - Low Rank Lv1]

"Wow, it increased even more!?"

When he went up from level 1 to 2, his stats' effectiveness increased by 10%. Of course, that was plenty amazing, but now that he'd risen from level 2 to 3, it had increased by an additional 15% to a total of 125% effectiveness!

Go figure, it felt like his body was overflowing with power, but the Giant Slime, which was only one level higher than him, felt way too strong!

'Levels really are everything in this world.'

He had acquired a lot of skills and had grown until now, but to properly unleash the power of those skills, his stats had to become his foundation.

He felt like he understood why his seniors were so focused on only increasing their levels. Plus, they had revealed that they were level 6, so he couldn't imagine how powerful they were. Yet, even they wouldn't dare challenge the deep darkness that lay within the Empire!

'If we exclude the temporary bonus stats that the dungeon gives, my total stats are about 478. These numbers are impossible just from changing equipment... Ah, as I leveled up, my combat related skills went up as well. Because of that, my stats increased even more, I see.'

Because of that, Bursting Thunder, Catapult, Power Slash, and even the Command skill he hadn't had an opportunity to properly use, naturally leveled up, and his level 9 Shriek of the Dead, as well as Regeneration went up to the low rank level all at once.

Lee Shin Woo knew how drastically the skills change when they go from the beginner level to low rank, so he was really excited and checked the information of the ranked up skills.

[Low Rank Shriek of the Dead Lv1 (Active)]

[Causes the enemy to lose their mind, and puts them into a 'frenzied' state. Additionally, they are afflicted with 'Fear' of the caster.]

[Low Rank Regeneration Lv1 (Active)]

[Damage is healed through magic. Regeneration speed and effectiveness increases.]

There was an option added to Regeneration stating that its speed and effectiveness increased, and there was a 'Fear' option added to the Shriek of the Dead. He was excited as he wondered what kind of change this would bring upon the battlefield.

However, there was something he was more excited for; it was the new skills he had gained. Honestly, most skills start at the beginner level, but both skills started at the low rank level!

[Low Rank Harden Lv1 (Active)]

[Consumes mana in order to harden and strengthen the area of your choosing. You can also apply this to your weapons or armor.]

"Oh, this is simple and precise, so it's great."

Firstly, the Harden skill should be great both offensively and defensively. Especially, since it was a low rank level, it had additional options, and those options made his eyes go wide. It would reinforce his equipment, making them both stronger and sturdier. It would work as an all-purpose skill!

[Low Rank Self-Destruct Lv1 (Active)]

[By exploding a section, or even your entire body, you inflict tremendous damage to your enemies. The damage increases geometrically the larger the area you explode.]

Whereas Self-Destruct seemed like it would be extremely difficult to use. He would die on the spot if he exploded his entire body, so who the hell would want to use this skill!?

At least Lee Shin Woo possessed the Invisible Heart skill, so it wouldn't be so bad, but even taking that into account, it was definitely a skill with a horrific penalty.

"Moreover, even if I were to just explode a portion of my body, it ultimately just means that a portion of my body, which is attached to me, would explode right in front of me... Hmm?

He muttered like crazy, but then it hit him. A portion of the body... if that's the case, then what if he were to remove a portion of his body and then explode it? He had just the right skill for that.

'If I were to quickly launch my bone with my Catapult skill... and then add my Flames of Revenge to increase the accuracy and firepower...'

If he were to somehow succeed in integrating those three skills, he would completely rid himself of the weakness of 'self-damaging himself', and it seemed like he'd be able to create a skill with the maximum explosive effect. It may be a bit dangerous, but it was worth it to test it.

'Hmm?'

Lee Shin Woo, who had been immersed in his thoughts, suddenly looked over his status, and realized something new.

In exchange for the 'Blessed by God' words being removed from his species, the moment he received Low Rank Acid Resistance, he saw that he had received a renewed section for Resistances, and two additional Resistances.

'Holy - MAX, Curses - MAX... How much do I have to raise the level of my skills to get to MAX?'

These two skills weren't new; he accurately interpreted it as the two Resistances that he already had being openly expressed in his Resistances section, something that had occurred following his level up, and the Resistances section being opened up.

It was much more intuitive, showing both his holy and curse Resistances maxed out, rather than a vague phrase like 'Blessed by God'. Looking at it like this, he suddenly realized just how much he had received from God.

'But what she took from me was equally as large...!'

Despite him leveling up to level 3, he grit his teeth at the empty space between his legs and his bald head. What, would she only feel better if she took it all!?

"Hoo, but still, for now..."

Rather than getting fired up for unclear, visionless revenge, he should be focusing on his growth instead! After checking the dungeon reward, he would go to the secret shop. He would get stronger.

"...Huh?"

Lee Shin Woo, who suppressed his rage and pacified himself, closed his status and checked the area where the Great Slime had died again; he soon realized that something was off.

"There's no dungeon reward."

He had already cleared several dungeons. There wasn't a single time where he wouldn't receive a dungeon reward after defeating the boss monster. Aside from what the boss itself would drop, there would always be a small wooden box that appeared.

But there wasn't one. What did this mean? The conclusion was simple.

'Perhaps... Perhaps the Great Slime wasn't the dungeon boss?'

After thinking of that, he thought of the evidence that would back his hypothesis up one by one.

When he had first entered this room, he thought it felt out of place! Now, that reason was clear. Normally, the moment a challenger shows up in the boss room, it automatically turns into a secret room, yet the Great Slime closed the door itself, which felt odd.

Moreover, when he thought about it, even when he took down the Great Slime, he didn't get a message that he'd cleared the dungeon. By now, there was no room for doubt. He hadn't cleared this dungeon yet.

"Ha, an elite level 3 boss showed up in a level 1 dungeon, and you're saying that wasn't the main boss?"

Seriously? What the hell is this? Despite him already receiving a plentiful reward from the Great Slime, he was hit by a sense of frustration, feeling as though he hadn't gotten a proper reward for his efforts. And then, a piece of rationality soon returned to him.

'There definitely wasn't any other path, though...'

Lee Shin Woo used the slimes to train, and to get the most bang for his buck, he searched the entire dungeon, and killed them all. He checked all the blocked paths, and found that the passageways merged into one. Yet, if this wasn't the end of the dungeon, how would he even reach the end?

- Tak, Tadak

At that moment, a piece of rock fell from the wall. Since the Great Slime had moved around, ramming here and there, it wouldn't have been strange if the entire passageway had collapsed.

However, as he thought that, he casually gazed at the wall, and was dumbfounded.

"This crazy..."

He saw a tiny hole in the wall opposite the entrance, likely due to the Great Slime forcefully ramming, and digging into it. That's right. A hole. There was definitely a room beyond that wall.

Lee Shin Woo shivered at the pitch black darkness, and the magic he felt beyond the wall. It was a concentration of magic that didn't even compare to the room he was in! He was right. The dungeon continued on!

"... Shall we?"

Lee Shin Woo checked the side of the wall that still endured, despite receiving several of the Great Slime's charges, and took a deep breath. How could he turn back when he made it this far? He had to find out what was beyond this wall to be satisfied.

'And just in time, I've come up with a great method.'

Lee Shin Woo stepped away from his target, the wall, and considerably widened the distance. After that, he raised a finger, and aimed for the largest crack in the wall.

He utilized his Flames of Revenge skill, which could target his own body after leveling up, and a black flame ignited on his index finger... he quickly launched his finger with his Catapult skill.

- Kwang!

The Catapult skill itself was amazing enough. It was as if he shot a bullet, and the index finger quickly flew towards the wall, lodging so deeply into the wall that it couldn't be seen. He saw the cracks in the wall get progressively more severe.

If he just sat still like this, the flames would gradually rise, and melt the wall. Of course, all of his magic would be depleted by then, so he couldn't do that. Instead.

"Self-Destruct!"

Lee Shin Woo focused as much as he could on his index finger and activated his skill. He was concerned that it wouldn't work from far away, or that he hadn't adapted to the skill yet, resulting in his entire body blowing up, but... they were all pointless concerns. His test had succeeded!

- Kwaaang!

The Self-Destruct skill's effect was quite amazing. Despite activating the skill by targeting his finger bone, it held an incredibly destructive power.

His index finger bone, which exploded magnificently in tandem with the flames, emitted a boom, and caused immense damage to the wall. The wall seemed to hold for a brief moment, but soon couldn't withstand the force, and crumbled, revealing the room within for all to see.

[Level 1 dungeon - You have found a secret path in the Dirtied Sewers. The dungeon information has been updated. Magic has increased by 1.]

[Level 2 elite dungeon - You have acquired a permit for the Secret Sewers. All stats within the dungeon increase by 5. The dungeon information is added to your minimap. All of your actions are buffed within the dungeon.]

"A level 2... elite dungeon."

He had learned about elite dungeons just a little while ago from listening to his seniors. There was a high chance that especially strong, elite named monsters would appear, and the dungeon reward was great, but it was that much harder compared to normal dungeons.

"Hoo..."

There was an extraordinary mana being exuded from beyond the opening, so he thought it wasn't a normal dungeon, but... he stopped himself from being drawn in by the concentrated magic and thoughtlessly walking in.

It was an entrance that he had barely found after defeating a level 3 elite monster. If he took it lightly and went in, he might get into some trouble.

'But still, I have to go inside.'

He wanted to prepare as much as possible before going inside. If one were to ask what those preparations were, there was obviously only one answer.

It was the secret shop.