Shun POV:
Two red doors blocked the entrance to the Boss Room. Their gigantic size didn’t change, regardless of the species the dungeon focused on. In order to open them, I needed to obtain the ‘Secret Password of the Focused Fin.’
‘...’
Another habit that remained the same was my grip around a monster’s neck. I peered down at the Fishnin struggling to breathe before parting my lips.
“Say the password.”
“…Our fins are strong and fast. We forged them within the confinement of the fish tank. They propel us through the abundant source known as the water of life.
A secret exists within the eyes that bulge; the eyes that see beyond the realm of the fish tank. Yes. We see. We remember. O’ goldfish grow strong. O’ goldfish grow long. O’ goldfish grow big. O’ goldfish become a Fishnin!”
“...”
After being forced to listen to that nonsense, the doors remained shut. The veins on the side of my head popped, and the fingers coiled around the Fishnin’s small neck tightened.
Before I could speak, the red doors swung open. A gentle breeze emanated from the darkness in front but failed to offer any comfort to the head that flew through the air.
The shadows retreated once I stepped inside. Thousands of bright lights shone over countless fish tanks that were lined in neat rows and stacked on top of each other. It created an almost aquarium display, centralised behind an arena that had a goldfish symbol in its centre.
A Fishnin stood in front of the fish tanks with its arms folded.
[Boss: Ultimate Fishnin]
Unlike normal Fishnin, its top had sleeves that reached the start of the monster’s large gloves, which had decreased in size by a small amount. A red headband flapped behind its short hair, but it seemed optional when compared to the rest of the Ultimate Fishnin’s clothing.
“So you are today’s challenger. Humans... such foolish beings. How dare they dip their hands into the sacred water of life to feed us!”
The Ultimate Fishnin spun around and spread out its arms with a confident smirk.
“Behold! Brothers and Sisters, watch me again dismantle and break down the stigma that has been attached to us fo—”
I placed the black katana back inside the inventory right when the fish tanks exploded.
“M-MY BROTHERS!! MY SISTERS!!! HOW DARE YO...”
The tears rolling down its small face subsided, despite the water that rushed over the arena. It blinked its eyes several times before parting its lips.
“So you are today’s challenger. Humans... such foolish beings. How dare they dip their hands into the sacred water of life to feed us!”
‘...’
Fishnin.
The reason for their elaborate poetic speech was because they had the memory of a goldfish. In other words, the more they spoke, the higher the likelihood of remembering whatever was discussed.
“Ultimate Fishnin Style: Fin... Human, what does life mean to you?”
“Revenge.”
I stepped into the arena as the corners of my mouth rose. Theatrics were theatrics. It didn’t change the fact that this dungeon had helped me grow, but it was far from enough.
The Ultimate Fishnin chuckled before shifting into a unique stance I had yet to see any Fishnin use.
“All of a sudden, I feel like I can relate to a human.”
We charged toward each other, and a flash of white light covered the entire room.
***
“Congratulations, Shun. You are now a Rank C- Adventure—“
“Stop wasting my time.”
I snatched the license out of Juri’s hand and ignored a deep sigh that made the veins on the side of her head tremble. She forced a smile, got up from her seat, and slammed down another stack of papers on the counter.
“I really do hope you come back safely.”
[All Dungeons acquired have been transferred to the Mission Log.]
I sat alone by a tree away from the city.
“Inventory.”
This was the only thing the system was useful for. I spent the next few minutes organising everything within the inventory before dispelling the window.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“S-st... S-stat...”
A faint tremble ran down a finger. It joined forces with several others and turned into quakes, but that wasn’t enough either.
They became tremors—convulsions that blurred the area in front of me. I gripped the sides of my head in an attempt to force them to stop, but it made no difference to them.
“I’ll kill her! I'LL KILL HER!!”
Tears streamed down my cheeks until my head hit the tree behind.
Chunhae Village was smaller than Patari, but a large city nonetheless. Its roots could still be seen from the nearby villages that connected to the city’s outskirts. The locals cultivated and respected nature. The beautiful scenery before me was proof of that.
I observed the rays of sunlight bounce off a stream, lighting up the sunken eyes of a leopard drinking from it.
Its thick fur was a pale cream colour and distinguished the subspecies of the animal: an Amur Leopard also known as the Korean Leopard to some. The International Union for Conservation of Nature, or IUCN for short, assigned them the critically endangered classification.
In my world, only 100 Amur leopards were estimated to be alive the last time I checked online. Its presence here wasn’t a surprise but served to reinforce the similarities between the two worlds.
I ruffled my hair and flicked the Troll hoodie over my head before heading toward a nearby smithy.
“I still can’t break through to Shin.”
Once I handed over my loot to the blacksmiths, I took a seat near the side. Depending on the type of equipment requested, the process of breaking down the materials differed.
After that was done, they would combine the separate components with other materials before merging them with the core item. A final refinement would then be carried out to complete this lengthy process.
[You have acquired ‘King Turtle’s Shield (Enhanced+4).’]
[Equipment Name: King Turtle’s Shield (Enhanced+4)
Durability: 250/300
Description: An extremely tough shield made from the shell of a Giant King Turtle. It has been enhanced to the limit with Troll bones and Warhog Fur, multiplying its defensive properties by 2x.
• There is a small chance of a Turtle Shield being deployed.]
The effects were underwhelming compared to what I had read in novels. That meant the method used to create Enhanced Equipment was inferior to Ki Artifacts, despite being the closest equivalent mankind could currently make.
Ki Artifacts appeared to be the remains of a prior race to humanity called The Primordial Ones. They were far more technologically advanced with their knowledge and application of Ki.
[Ki Artifact: Power Gauntlet V4 (Unique)
Ownership: Shun Kurosawa
Durability: 80/90
Description: The 4th iteration from the Power Gauntlet Series, which boasts deadly offensive capabilities.
• When utilised with the Fire Ki Nature, all damage is doubled within a 10-metre radius.
• Consecutive punches bring out the power within! Double the power of chain combinations within a 3-second window! (Cooldown: 15 seconds)]
I placed the black gauntlet down and pulled out a refined katana from the inventory.
[Ki Artifact: Hanzo’s Blade V4 (Super Rare)
Ownership: Shun Kurosawa
Durability: 75/80
Description: Made through trial and fire. The 4th iteration from the Hanzo Line, which boasts the strongest power out of them all so far.
• When utilised with the Fire Ki Nature, all damage is doubled.
• When not thrown around by an amateur, precision and accuracy noticeably increase.
• Consecutive slashes ignite the flames of Hanzo! Double the power of chain combinations within a 5-second window! (Cooldown: 15 seconds)]
Ki Artifacts were split into grades from Common to Legend. A Super Rare artifact, like Hanzo’s Blade, was capable of outputting power leagues above what I could produce at Uso. However, relying on Ki Artifacts too much would stunt my growth.
Why?
Because they do almost all the work. I only need to supply it with Ki and strike the target. It was an oversimplification, but my current hypothesis held true.
I had seen hundreds of adventurers stuck in the same position at the same rank due to solely depending on the lucky Ki Artifacts they were able to keep.
There was also the guild: the governing body that decided what Ki Artifacts could be kept in the first place. In other words, those Ki Artifacts that they clung to weren’t valuable in the eyes of the upper echelon.
It could be summarised in this way.
If Ki Artifacts were like guns, then Enhanced Equipment were like spears. The former allowed the average person to become a mass murderer within minutes in a crowded area, while the latter would be apprehended by the crowd themselves due to the dexterity and skill needed to wield the spear.
Applying that same analogy to my current situation meant that I would gain greater improvement through Enhanced Equipment. Ultimately, I wasn’t trying to be a famous Adventurer decked out in full gear.
I was trying to kill a Ravendawn.
Chloe herself mentioned that the Ravendawns have many Legend grade Ki Artifacts, so Hanzo’s Blade was useless either way.
‘Do the strong people in this world not fight with Ki Artifacts at all?’
I shifted my gaze to Atlas V3: a common grade artifact. Perhaps the original core use of Ki Artifacts was utility, not violence.
The sound of soft humming interrupted my thought process. It was harmonious, hinting at the capability of their singing voice, yet also layered with a pure innocence that was gentle.
A beautiful woman with long, light blonde hair was the source of the sound. She sat alone, away from everyone else as she gazed at the furnace fire.
Two fingers curved beneath the handle while a thumb rested on top. It balanced the teacup and showed her elegance at the same time. Her pinky finger didn’t stick out; an action that was rude and linked with elitism.
She took a quiet sip from it before placing it down on the saucer in silence. Everything about her would steal the heart of any man. That was how radiant her beauty was.
“Don’t be fooled by her looks, Shun. That lovely lady is an Elementalist. The new kind.”
I glanced at Kibo, the head of the smithy here. The depth of his dark skin highlighted the whiteness of his eyes. His muscular body was the result of countless hours spent honing his craft.
As for the new kind of Elementalist he mentioned, it referred to those that didn’t rely on some sort of technique called Elemental Alteration. It was a method that converted all of one’s Ki, in their Ki Center, into Elemental Ki. The technique bypassed the cost that would have occurred outside of the Ki Center through Elemental Conversion.
The woman’s fair skin accentuated pure blue eyes that shimmered once they met mine. They almost looked through me while her lips spread into a warm smile. She got up from her seat and approached Kibo, who handed her a brown bag.
“Thank you very much, Kibo.”
Her delicate voice had a gentle firmness to it that suited her. She bowed her head first before taking the bag from Kibo.
“No problem. Though I don’t need to say it, take care anyway.”
“I will. Please do the same.”
Kibo’s grin was met with a bright smile before she bowed once more and left the smithy. The other blacksmiths snapped out of the daze she put them in and continued on with their work.
“Kibo, what’s the highest-ranked dungeon someone has ever soloed?”
He scratched the stubble on his chin; the furrowing of his eyebrows indicated the deep thought he was in.
“Long ago, there was a story about a man known as the ‘Black Winds of Destruction.’ They say he not only survived a Rank SS+ Arcane Dungeon but also cleared it.”
“SS+? Solo?... That’s... insane.”
Kibo raised an eyebrow at my genuine surprise. I couldn’t imagine how much power was needed to perform a feat like that.
“You’ve never heard of Keo Yeboah, Shun? You need to interact with others more, youngin’.”
Kibo let out a hearty laugh as he walked off. My hands balled into fists at the slow rate of my growth.
“More. I need more power.”