Maxed Out Leveling Novel

Chapter 99

35. In the Fog (1)

four days later.

Upon arriving on Jeju Island, Cha Shin Hyeon was warmly welcomed by Kim Ha-geun, who was met at the airport.

“welcome.”

It seems really nice to think of it as a decoration. Cha Shin Hyeon was greeted with a smile as it was inevitable to respond to the sincere hospitality.

“Long time no see. How have you been?”

“Well, I’m just hanging out. haha.”

Ha-geun Kim guided Cha Shin Hyeon with a moderate smirk.

I try to hide it, but I can feel a little tiredness on my face. When he quietly checked his body, he found that he was not in perfect condition. Poor flow of energy (元气) is a common phenomenon in those who suffer from heavy duty.

“You seem to be having a hard time these days.”

As soon as we got into the car, Cha Shin Hyeon asked directly. After hesitating for a while, Ha-geun Kim smiled bitterly.

“Is that what it looks like on the outside? I’m just ashamed.”

“It means you worked so hard, but it’s embarrassing. But it seems like a lot of work?”

“To be honest, yes.”

Ha-geun Kim graciously admitted.

“Did I tell you when you came last year? There are six high-risk dungeons on Jeju Island, but there is no high-ranking hunter, so it’s difficult.”

“It was.”

“A little more than half a year has passed since then, and high-risk dungeons have been added to 7 even though no high-ranking hunters have been produced.”

“It just keeps happening to the point where it really makes me wonder.”

Cha Shin Hyeon tilted her head.

The density of the dungeon was too high, and the first crack in the dungeon—even though there were only two places so far—was found on Jeju Island. Is there some kind of magic on it?

“Are you all right?”

“Not very good.”

Ha-geun Kim answered Cha Shin Hyeon’s question self-help.

“The other day, Cha Shin Hyeon wiped out all the dungeons, but after that, the monsters are piling up one by one.”

“After all, it is the road Amitabha.”

“It is like that. Tamra is a union guild, isn’t it? Just because I’m the representative, I can’t force other guilds to attack the dungeon. Even if I roll as rough as a slave, I wonder if I will have the ability to clear all 7 places… … .”

Kim Ha-geun sighed.

“Besides, low-risk dungeons are a problem these days.”

“Hey, are you?”

“People in the field said that the number of monsters has increased compared to before. I don’t know when it started, but it’s definitely increased this year. You can earn that much more, but if it continues to increase like this, it will become impossible to completely clear even low-risk dungeons.”

Tamra also seemed to be in a similar situation to Dawn’s situation.The big difference was that there were very few freelance hunters who could help as the Jeju Island area itself had a small population and few hunters.

“Are you still considering the proposal I made last time? Now is the time to really join hands with the Dawning and ask for help.”

“I think, then and now, I would like to sympathize with Cha Shin Hyeon’s suggestion. A lot of people agree with me.”

Ha-geun Kim complained in a tired tone.

“But still, close to half say they don’t know why they want to cooperate with the outside world. It’s because I haven’t had a good life so far.”

“You seem to be having a hard time right now.”

“Their argument is this. I mean, why bother trying to clear the dungeon? So, it’s hard work, and it’s not like anything will happen if you leave the monster alone, but if you live as long as you can reach your ability, you won’t have enough energy and you will have enough income. This is an opinion.”

“… To be sure, with that said, there is nothing to refute right now.”

Cha Shin Hyeon smiled bitterly.

Because of the vague anxiety of leaving the dungeon and the subsequent attack that becomes more and more difficult as more monsters accumulate in the dungeon, it is periodically cleared. If you don’t mind that, the arguments of the opposers also had no loopholes in their logic.

“I am well aware of the situation. I can’t interfere in Tamra’s internal affairs, so if opinions are unified later, we can talk again. For now, I will act according to the purpose for which I came to Jeju Island.”

“Yes. Opponents are saying that we should not force ourselves to do it because we are not capable, and we are not even against Cha Shin Hyeon’s sweeping. Everyone is welcome.”

In particular, the guilds that received Cha Shin Hyeon’s help last time are said to be more welcoming. It was because his performance was so impressive.

“Are you going to go to the Misty Dungeon first this time?”

“Yes. There is something I want to check.”

“All preparations have been made. You can go right away tomorrow.”

“Thank you for your consideration. Ah, dungeon raid members.”

Cha Shin Hyeon paused for a moment, then lowered her voice a bit.

“Are they trustworthy?”

“What do you mean… … .”

“I’m telling you just in case you don’t know what will happen. Do you remember what happened last time in the Wolf and Bat dungeon?”

It refers to the story of Gaolin of the Heavenly Kings digging a trap in partnership with the Samdado Guild. Kim Ha-geun carefully nodded.

“Of course I remember.”

“I am really grateful for Kim Ha-geun’s cooperation in that the incident did not leak out. That being said, I hope that the hunters with heavy mouths will accompany them in tomorrow’s expedition.”

“Yes? Perhaps… Tomorrow will be the same… … ?”

“Ah, that’s not it. I don’t know if anything to worry about will happen or not. I’m just saying that when it happens, it might need to be kept quiet rather than spreading to the outside right away.”

“If that’s the case, I see. I’m going to organize the party only with the people I trust the most.”

“thank you.”

Kim Ha-geun readily accepted. Cha Shin Hyeon bowed his head slightly in return.

The reason he asked for it wasn’t really for any great reason.

Just like the special rabbit that appeared in the tutorial dungeon, the special hare that left the corpse could also appear in the foggy dungeon. The intention was to keep it a secret for the time being if they witnessed it. Until the outlines of the phenomenon become more apparent.

‘Maybe you don’t know. There might be more clues.’

The increase in the number of monsters and the emergence of special monsters from cracks are all happening only in low-risk dungeons.

However, the foggy dungeon is a high-risk dungeon.

As it was something different from other places, new clues could be found. It was better to take the heavy-mouthed ones to determine whether it was a secret, even when it was witnessed by others.

[I will report on the matter you have entrusted to me.

From the second half of last year, we finally confirmed that the revenue generated from risk 5 or lower dungeons in China is gradually increasing. At this point in time, this is an increase of about 40 percent over the same period last year.

Dungeons in North Korea also showed a similar phenomenon. The cause is completely unknown, and there doesn’t seem to be any tangible countermeasures.

However, the Chinese government is not taking this phenomenon seriously. Due to the nature of China, where all hunters are managed by the state, if the number of monsters increases, it is enough to nurture more hunters. Even now, the hunter population is oversaturated. The government seems to be happy with the increase in revenue.

Other than that, no special phenomenon was found. We will report back when new information comes in.]

This is an email from Linmei two days ago.

‘I don’t think Cheonjo knows everything, but anyway, it’s a case that has never been found in that wide area of ​​China.’

So you should pay more attention.

I had to go and check if the foggy dungeon could give me a hint.

If your worries were just the rain… that’s good Because it means nothing happens.

As a result, his choice was right.

* * *

next day.

A party of 6 people including Cha Shin Hyeon, Kim Ha-geun, and four members of the Tamra guild found the foggy dungeon.

A few guards guarding the entrance – of course, they belong to Tamra – and the party walked towards the black hole.

“The last time you came was three weeks ago?”

“Based on when you called. It’s been almost four weeks now.”

“The mistletoe numbers will be sufficient. How about a safe zone?”

“It seems to me that it has already lost its meaning. Because there is no public. As soon as you walk in, you will sometimes see a mistletoe and sometimes not. Other high-risk dungeons are not like that, but this is the only one I want.”

Kim Ha-geun shook his head flutteringly.

“I would like to know the cause, too. Then I will go in first.”

“Oh, thank you.”

The party expressed their gratitude to Cha Shin Hyeon, who took a risky job. It was originally nonsense to let the wizard in first in a situation where he could be ambushed, but everyone here knew that Cha Shin Hyeon was an out-of-the-ordinary force.

Whoops.

Passing through the darkness, Cha Shin Hyeon stepped into the sea of ​​fog.

As if he had waited, a shroud of mist fell upon him.

Of course, there was no fuss.

Aww!

With a roar, a space of about 10 meters in radius from Cha Shin Hyeon exploded as it was. The waves of aerodynamics that flew in all directions swept away all nearby monsters.“There are seven around.”

Cha Shin Hyeon kindly informed the party who followed without knowing anything.

“Yes?”

“Monston. Seven mistletoes came rushing in.”

“No, have you just dealt with it?”

Kim Ha-geun stuck out his tongue and gave instructions to his subordinates. The party members opened their eyes wide and searched the floor, achieving results.

“You seem stronger than last time… … .”

“It’s been half a year, isn’t it natural?”

Actually, last year’s Cha Shin Hyeon wasn’t even level 60, but now it’s level 70. Intuition stats have also risen that much, and the proficiency of magic-related skills has also risen a lot. It was true that he had become much stronger in terms of magic alone. Of course, he didn’t use magic just before.

“… Normally, the growth rate should slow down as the level goes up. Somehow, even a high-ranking hunter seems to have grown stronger than the bad me.”

“You can stop the plane from flying.”

Cha Shin Hyeon, who couldn’t say that because your talents are different from mine, laughed softly.

In any case, the exploration began in a friendly atmosphere.

It was definitely faster than the previous expedition. It was not because he was walking blindly through the fog, but because Cha Shin Hyeon had led his party by relying on memories of that time.

The attack pattern was no different from back then.

It’s crazy!

Cha Shin Hyeon’s magic sweeps away the fog that approaches in a foggy state, leaving only a lump of ice. It was enough for the party members to break it and retrieve the monsters.

As before, Cha Shin Hyeon put aside the consideration of deliberately missing a few birds for a while. I don’t want time wasted. He now wanted to quickly check the cracks. Even after confirming the monster concessions, it was enough.

Two hours passed like that.

Less than half the time spent the last time, Cha Shin Hyeon found a crack.

Although he was a bit lost, even in this dungeon, where visibility was less than 10 meters, Cha Shin Hyeon’s eyesight could see through farther. If you’re confused, just look it up and find it.

‘this… … .’

Seeing the shape of the crack, Cha Shin Hyeon drooled inwardly and accelerated her steps. The party members followed him without knowing English.

The crack I saw up close was very different from the last time.

The fear that there might have been a change turned out to be true.

It was much bigger than it was back then, when it was just incontinence. It’s bigger than the tutorial dungeon. At this point, I wonder if we should call it a hole rather than a crack.

However.

It was when Cha Shin Hyeon was watching the crack with serious eyes.

“Hey, Cha Shin Hyeon?”

Kim Ha-geun, who arrived a little late with the party members, cautiously called Cha Shin Hyeon.

“Why?”

“What the hell is that… What?”

The tip of Kim Ha-geun’s finger was pointing exactly at the crack.