The Veteran Player Already Knows

Chapter 9 - Mysterious Forest (1)

[ Mysterious Vessel / Grade: Unique ]

[ A vessel that once held mysterious and precious liquids. It has gained special effects due to the influence of powerful Mana. ]

[Effects]

[ 'Item Synthesis' possible with this item ]

[ Increased chance of Great Success when attempting 'Item Synthesis' ]

[ ??? ]

[ ??? ]

[ ??? ]

“…”

No way.

Unique?

For real?

I was so dumbfounded that I tried scanning it again, but the text that appeared was exactly the same.

‘The fact that it allows Item Synthesis is enough to make my eyes pop out…’

Item Synthesis was a feature that could only be used in specific situations after passing incredibly difficult conditions.

It also demanded an incredibly high cost, and it even had a pretty long cooldown.

That's because it was a cheat-like feature where you just had to cram in two or more items of the same grade to get a higher-grade item.

There were also a few special items that could only be obtained through synthesis.

First of all, just being able to use it for free was a huge gain, and it even had three more effects that were yet to be unlocked.

This thing is so valuable, well.

It was a treasure so precious that even if Seo Ah-in's dad came here personally and threw a fit with his money, I could tell him to piss off with a smile.

“…It pays to live a good life.”

Muttering a sentence that would have made Seo Ah-in foam at the mouth and charge at me, I carefully tucked the vessel into my embrace.

***

The lodging provided to us by Renegade was a place with a ceiling and a bed where we could at least stretch our legs and sleep.

It couldn't be called luxurious even as an empty compliment, but Yoo Ho-jun didn't seem to have any complaints with just that.

Just from the look on his face as he snickered and spoke to me, he looked completely relaxed.

“What's with the guy who's been resting all day being so stretched out?”

“…”

I didn't even answer Yoo Ho-jun, who was speaking from the top bunk, and just gave him the middle finger.

Because I was currently experiencing the aftereffects of activating the Observation skill with my whole body.

There were two problems.

The amount of Mana consumed was terrifyingly large for a weak body like this to endure, so I couldn't maintain it for long.

And after processing such a torrent of information, a headache that was bad enough to make me lie down sick would follow.

These were phenomena that made me think it would be difficult to use it frequently without a care.

‘Of course, considering its power…’

This kind of penalty was a drop in the bucket.

Above all, the user was me. A veteran of this game.

I already knew all too well when and how to use it for maximum efficiency.

“By the way, what has she been doing since a while ago?”

Saying that, he gestured with his chin towards Seo Ah-in, who was sitting on the edge of the bed next to us.

Her head was buried in the pillow and her whole body was trembling, looking as if she had seen the end of the world or something.

“A little while ago, a huge moth came in when I opened the window. She saw it and her mental state collapsed.”

“…”

Did I hear that right?

“How can someone lose it over that?”

“She said it's the first time she's ever seen a bug enter her sleeping quarters. At her family home, she said they had a device that would electrocute them to death if they even came close, or something…”

“…”

It's a world where even someone like this wields a sword and fights to be a Climber.

It's the end of days, the end of days…

As I was thinking that and staring at Seo Ah-in with a pathetic look, Yoo Ho-jun snickered and chimed in.

“Hey. We got some help from her during the day. Don't be like that.”

“A lie. You're saying she was helpful?”

“…She did graduate second in her class from boot camp. Isn't that too harsh?”

After saying that, Yoo Ho-jun proceeded to recount what had happened during the day.

“During the Harvest Work, some new cadets who joined another guild started picking a fight. Something like, if you're a guild that handles leftovers, stay out of their sight. Or that we smelled.”

He said it was the work of some guys belonging to a place called the Leopard Guild.

Yoo Ho-jun added that they happened to have the worst reputation in this area.

‘If it's the Leopard Guild…’

It was a guild I also remembered.

Because it was a guild that was definitely bound to get involved with a certain character later on.

Though I wouldn't be running into them for now.

“So. What happened after that?”

“What do you mean, what happened? The woman lying over there went on a rampage.”

And upon hearing those words, Seo Ah-in apparently lost her temper, charged in almost bare-handed, and gave the mocking group a sound beating.

It was 10 against 1 just by numbers, but she apparently crushed them like a lion dropped in the middle of a flock of sheep.

From the way she acts, there's no bigger fool, but it seems her fighting skills are indeed astounding.

“…But if something that big happened, shouldn't both guilds be yelling at each other by now? Why are both sides so quiet?”

“Well, they're probably keeping quiet because they're embarrassed about getting their asses kicked 10 to 1. But more than that, I think it's because there's a bigger event?”

“A big event?”

“Tomorrow's the day. The formation of the 9th Floor Conquest Team. What was the floor's name again. Right… Mysterious Forest?”

And as soon as I heard those words.

“…Shit.”

A curse naturally slipped out.

“Why are you suddenly swearing again?”

“Because there's a good reason.”

I said, running a hand through my hair.

I was suffering from the aftereffects of the Observation skill, but it seemed I would have to use it once more tomorrow.

Because there's something important.

An item that's too good to let others have.

‘The problem is…’

A Floor Conquest Team meant it's composed of elites that top-tier guilds have painstakingly put together.

They were high-level personnel who would only move after they had completely finished their investigation of the floor and were certain they could conquer it entirely.

To monopolize the rewards, it meant I had to capture an area of the Tower faster than them, all by myself.

Is it possible?

“…”

There was no need to ask myself.

Of course, it was possible.

I snickered and got up.

***

The Mysterious Forest, true to its name, boasted a splendid appearance.

The sight of multicolored plants covering the area was spectacular in itself.

‘If its contents were a little less vicious, it could have even been a tourist attraction…’

Of course, compared to its glittering exterior, the inside was a hellscape where an ordinary person couldn't survive for even 10 minutes, just like any other area inside the Tower.

The people currently camped in front of the area seemed to be well aware of that fact.

I could tell just by their numbers.

“There are so fucking many of them…”

Even from a hill quite far away, the number of people gathered was so immense that it could be seen at a glance.

It seemed to be in the hundreds, at least.

It was true that a Tower Conquest Team usually mobilized a large number of people, but even so, there were only a few guilds in the country that could gather such a number.

And at this time, there was only one group that would move a conquest team.

‘Hunting Alliance.’

The one where Seo Ah-in's father was the guild master.

“Hmm.”

And the fact that it had started to move. It would be right to assume that the ‘scenario’ that penetrates the entire game would also begin soon.

It wasn't something for me to get involved in yet, but I would have to get acquainted with the other main characters, starting with Seo Ah-in, soon enough.

Of course, right now, there was something I had to do first.

[ Main Quest ]

[ Conquer the Mysterious Forest! ]

I looked at the window flashing gold in the quest log and nodded.

The clear condition for an EX-Rank was to break through the floor within 5 days.

Conquering a floor in the first place was a large-scale project that usually took at least weeks, or even months at its longest.

Considering that, even for an EX-Rank, it was an incredibly tight condition.

‘The reward at stake is…’

20 Intermediate Healing Potions.

Potions were the most valuable among various consumables. Because they would restore a character regardless of the type of injury sustained, no questions asked.

And an Intermediate Healing Potion was an item that definitely restored 40% of one's total HP at once.

It was unknown what kind of effect it would show in reality. But considering the original effect, it certainly wouldn't be bad.

Of course, compared to the Guardian Angel buff that could even bring back the dead, it might seem stingy, but that was due to the nature of this quest in the first place.

‘When you think about it, this is a tutorial area.’

In other words, this was a reward that could be obtained in the original game just by auto-progressing.

Of course.

I did have a way to multiply the value of such a modest reward by several dozen times.

‘Anyway…’

If it was a tutorial, it was bound to focus on explaining what to do from now on.

Therefore, unlike other floors armed with vicious patterns to torment the player, the main purpose of this floor conquest event was to explain how to proceed with the ‘Floor Conquest’ content.

“…”

Recalling that knowledge, I snickered.

So.

That was precisely why I was speaking so confidently.

I would unconditionally conquer the floor faster than that conquest team of several hundred.

“Let's see…”

Muttering that, I looked at the Tower wall in front of me, which was intertwined with all sorts of vines.

On the outside, it was an ordinary wall with no special features, but it had a hidden function.

‘This is it.’

When I grabbed one of the vines and channeled Mana into it, something soon came sliding down from above.

Something like a giant's hand made of wood was approaching me, but I just stood still and watched it.

Anyone who's played a few games would know.

Most games have a feature that allows 'second playthrough or more' players to skip the tutorial.

And even though it was a Concentration camp game, Conqueror was the same.

‘In other words.’

It meant I didn't have to struggle and conquer this area from the beginning.

You learn the method through a system message when you first conquer the Mysterious Forest, but well.

It was clear that no one in the conquest team knew this method.

“I'm in your hands.”

As soon as I said that, the hand gently enveloped me.

This wasn't an attack in the first place.

It was an ‘elevator’, so to speak.

The hand lifted me up as I was and soon began to slowly ascend along the outer surface of the Tower.

The destination was the boss room.

The place where the so-called ‘Area Guardian’ was located.

While whistling and comfortably ascending, I confirmed that the conquest team was preparing to enter the area entrance under strict command.

Those people would have to struggle and break through from the very entrance, suffering from all sorts of carnivorous plants, Demonic Beasts, and a harsh environment.

But I just had to ride this up and beat the boss, and that would be it.

“Hmm.”

Well.

Sorry, but this time, I'll take the easy win.

While I was thinking that with a smile, the giant's hand that had reached the destination released me.

“Well then…”

As soon as I landed in the boss room, I put down the duffel bag I had brought.

These were things I had secretly swiped from the Renegade equipment storage.

They were nothing but off-the-shelf products with no special features, but as expected of a guild that prioritized substance, they were excellently maintained.

[…Human?]

I raised my head at the strange voice echoing from above.

A giant tree emitting an overwhelming presence inside the massive boss room, which could be called a great cavern.

And protruding from its side, the upper body of a woman.

A Dryad. A tree spirit.

The final boss of this floor.

[…]

The Dryad, who had been scanning me as if tilting its head, soon quietly closed its eyes.

I knew very well what this meant.

“Hello.”

As I greeted it, I lifted one of the items I had brought.

A double-barreled shotgun loaded with two 12-gauge shells.

One shot straight ahead. One shot to the left.

Simultaneously with the shots, green spores that were bursting out from the tree were hit by the bullets and exploded.

It was the opening pattern of the Dryad boss fight.

“I came to kill you.”

When I said that with a grin, a look of disbelief appeared on the Dryad's face.

[…Alone? With such a feeble weapon?]

A voice that seemed to be mocking me followed.

It was a valid point.

By the standards of a Climber or a Demonic Beast, these things wouldn't even count as weapons for self-defense.

Of course.

Regardless, I returned a snicker of my own.

“What bullshit.”

Saying that, I tossed all the prepared weapons onto the floor.

“I brought these as an excuse.”

[…What?]

“No matter what, if I said I beat you bare-handed, no one would believe me, would they? You're a boss, after all, right?”

[…]

Meeting the Dryad's dumbfounded gaze, I strode towards a corner of the room.

[You, what are you doing?]

Those words came from the Dryad, but I ignored them and searched the vicinity thoroughly.

It should be around here somewhere…

[Haa…]

At the sight of me looking around without paying any attention to it, the Dryad finally sighed and began to operate its Mana.

Attacks containing a frosty killing intent began to pour out in streams all around.

Someone with a weak body like me would die just by being grazed by them.

I still paid no mind to it and looked around.

“Found it.”

With those words, I reached a spot where a symbol was engraved so small it was almost invisible.

I probably wouldn't have been able to find it without the help of the Observation skill.

[Huh?]

And as soon as I reached that spot, the Dryad's completely flustered voice flickered near my ear.

Then, before the Dryad's attack could fly this way, I quickly ripped that part out.

Well.

This thing was indeed a boss.

But this was still the tutorial.

Just as I had come up here without any combat, it meant there was a ‘skip’ function here as well.

In its case, if you proceeded with the boss fight normally, the ‘Mana Core’ hidden in the middle of the boss room would reveal itself.

A user who has gone through the tutorial once could skip the boss fight and directly attack that core.

So.

What this throbbing green lump at the location I just ripped out was, I don't think I need to explain.

[W-Wait…!]

I heard it trying to say something, but my movements were faster.

[ Barbarian's Strength ]

[ Menacing Blow ]

My fist, flying in a perfect arc, immediately burst the Dryad's Mana Core.