⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙You have acquired experience points!⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙Challenger 'Kim Do-yoon''s level has risen: 1 → 2!
A welcome notification floated up, but Do-yoon couldn't tear his eyes away to look at it.
Kim Do-yoon stared silently at his teammates for a long while.
The boss monster had suddenly spoken to him, and he'd even acquired the skill it used.
"...Do-yoon."
"Yes."
"What in the world just..."
"Do-yoon, that thing earlier. How'd you pull acidic stuff out of your palm and shield like that?"
"It said something about resonating with the boss mob, and then suddenly the skill popped up."
"Boss mob? The King Slime?"
"Yes."
Han Ji-hyeok ruffled his hair as if his head was spinning, then glanced at his fellow teammates.
His expression screamed, How the hell are we supposed to process this?
Jo Ha-rin wore the same stunned look, while Jeong A-hyeon...
"Whoa, that's insane."
"...?"
"Insane! This is crazy! So you can just steal skills from other boss mobs too?!"
She bounced around excitedly.
In her mind, a bright future was already unfolding, fueled by Do-yoon's exploits.
Hunt business. Oh, hunt business.
Purely Korean-style hunter business thinking had taken over her completely.
"So we can clear floors ourselves now, without getting looked down on by foreign hunters?!"
"Ah, no, A-hyeon. Calm down first."
"Ah, yes! Whew! Hoo!"
At Han Ji-hyeok's urging, Jeong A-hyeon snapped out of it and took deep breaths.
The frozen atmosphere thawed a bit from her sudden burst of energy.
"Thinking about it again, do we really need to look at this negatively? A stronger Korean hunter is good news for us too."
"...It's probably because it's a power influenced directly or indirectly by monsters that we were caught off guard without realizing it."
"Sorry, Do-yoon."
"No, it's fine."
Only after Han Ji-hyeok bowed his head did Do-yoon snap back to reality.
No one would see the current Do-yoon as ordinary.
"Stealing a boss mob's skill? Crazy when you think about it."
"And didn't it say something earlier too?"
"If you refine that 'Benefactor' skill a bit more, we really wouldn't have to bow to other hunters..."
"Do-yoon, was that thing earlier thanks to 'Benefactor' too?"
As Han Ji-hyeok and Jo Ha-rin shifted to discussing new possibilities, Cha Yun-ha approached and asked.
"Uh... seems like it."
Do-yoon gave a hasty, roundabout explanation.
Thanks to the skill 'Benefactor,' he'd gotten fragmentary info on the boss mob.
He didn't forget to mention acquiring the skill through resonance via it.
"...Man, if other guilds heard this, it'd be chaos."
"Other guilds?"
"As you know, Do-yoon, Korea's hunter pool is pretty weak compared to others."
"Ah..."
"So if you catch even a little eye, they'll come recruiting like mad..."
"Hey, Cha Yun-ha. What the hell are you saying?"
"Ack, sorry."
At Jo Ha-rin's sharp rebuke, Cha Yun-ha covered her mouth and stepped back.
Recruiting?
Do-yoon, just starting out as a hunter, still had much to learn.
"F-For now, let's get out of the tower."
"Yes."
"Report to the Association quick..."
"At this point, your handler might actually cry."
"Tell me about it. Never seen a hunter steal and use a boss mob skill in my life."
Han Ji-hyeok added, still reeling.
Truth be told, scouting the first floor was mainly to test Kim Do-yoon's potential.
But today, the hunters had witnessed performance beyond expectations from him.
Amid the chaos, Do-yoon brought up the info window he'd seen earlier.
"Oh, almost forgot to mention. I leveled up."
"Right, yeah. You landed the killing blow, Do-yoon, so you got the most exp from the boss."
"Level up, new ability discovered. Today is our lucky day."
Leveling up held no value in their minds anymore.
Levels were essential for hunters, sure, but compared to the bombshell info, it paled.
"Ah, suddenly I'm a bit worried."
"Huh? Why?"
Do-yoon asked, and Jo Ha-rin frowned, imagining future headaches.
"There's this guy who loves picking on hunters like us."
"Still gotta do what we gotta do."
"I know."
Han Ji-hyeok and Jo Ha-rin headed to the first-generated portal.
"Just follow along, Do-yoon!"
Two portals had spawned at the site.
Both appeared shortly after slaying the King Slime.
"What's the red one?"
"That's to the next floor! The blue one Ha-rin unnie took is for returning!"
"Ahh."
Another new fact learned.
Do-yoon exited with beaming Jeong A-hyeon.
'Gallery.'
Do-yoon's mind filled with the urge to log into the gallery and resolve his questions.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After leaving the tower, Do-yoon entered the room assigned to him for rest.
A dedicated lounge for hunters under the Association.
"Nice."
One room per person.
In the lounge—basically a studio—he felt deep satisfaction and decided to melt away the day's fatigue.
"Hoo..."
Emerging from the lounge's shower, he immediately opened the gallery tab.
💬 Boss Mob Gallery— Holding Breath 'Til Newbie Shows[1st floor or tutorial, 1st floor or tutorial]— When's Newbie Coming...? So Cold, When's Newbie...? So Cold[Gotta give status updates in spare moments?]— AnonymousBut if they flop on 1st floor, they just weren't cut out for it from the start... ㅇㅇ;— WHEN ARE YOU COMING!!!I'm shaking so bad worrying something happened to newbie, hands and feet trembling.
"Whoa."
Right away, the Boss Mob Gallery clamoring for him, his presence missed.
Responding to the anticipation, Do-yoon posted immediately.
⭐ My Post— Title: He Was a Good King Slime...(King Slime byproduct photo) -Cooked the King Slime nice and proper per Boss Gallery tips But so much happened, head's spinning ㅇㅇ;— AnonymousNewbie here?— AnonymousHere! My dopamine!!!!!!!!!!— AnonymousNewbie yaaay newbiyaaay newbiyaaay— Aged Wine is...*)Hueee...! Newbie dear, was worried no posts for a while...— AnonymousYou killed it...— AnonymousNo injuries?⭐ My Post— No trouble taking it down... But...But?— Paper Enthusiast*)ㅇㅇ? Newbie, something happen?⭐ My Post— Felt like I did something really shitty ;;— Title: What Variety Shenanigans Now-Why lay out bait like this lololol— AnonymousLol for real lololol Not feeling pity, right? So cute wtf Newbie, boss mobs respawn infinite anyway, no worries nenenene
The sudden wave of comfort threw Do-yoon off, so he spilled what he'd held back.
⭐ My Post— No, not thatThis fucker suddenly talked to me
At that instant, reactions poured under Do-yoon's final line.
— ?— ????— AnonymousSir, come again? Talked to you? Who? Not talking about 1st floor boss, right? I misheard...? What? Explain pls
A barrage of comments flooded in.
Do-yoon, still shaken from battle, steadied himself and explained calmly.
⭐ My Post— Title: Thought I Was Crazy At First-Teammate hunters busing, me healing Enter boss room, suddenly voice in my head Turns out King Slime talking to me direct Status window resonance blah, even shoved its skill at me ㅇㅇ; This right? Killing the boss that helped my best?— AnonymousUh... yeah that's right? Can't have you die instead, newbie⭐ My Post— So I killed it ㅇㅇ...— AnonymousTalent for saying obvious shit the hard way Paper Enthusiast*) But wtf about the skill?⭐ My Post— Literal. Talked then taught me its skill— Anonymous...Huh? Bullshit nenenene Wtf today? Dropping bombs left right exploding gallery⭐ My Post— No fr, for real ;;Sir too fast Too ridiculous, dunno where to start— Paper Enthusiast*)Flustered. So 1F boss talked to you and gave skill?⭐ My Post— ㅇㅇ;— Paper Enthusiast*)Why? How?⭐ My Post— Uh... dunno?
Gallery users refused to believe Do-yoon for a good while.
But he felt just as wronged.
If they were gonna dump this absurd situation on him, couldn't they at least warn him ahead?
Do-yoon harbored resentment toward whatever force kept shoving weird events his way.
— AnonymousWhat skill King Slime have? 1F scrub boss prob just spits acid or some shit⭐ My Post— That right ㅇㅇOh so like from hands? God tier lol So we copy paste skills too? Eh? ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ Oh yeah Broken af;;;— Title: Honestly None of That Matters-Newbie moping after one 1F boss is cute, upvote lol first from me— AnonymousFr upvote lololol Cute lolololol⭐ My Post— No, super creepy, frInfinite respawn anyway, don't worry newbie. It'll revive
"Ah."
Suddenly, the King Slime's final words(?) resurfaced.
See you again.
That was what it meant.
— Paper Enthusiast*)Bit iffy. Need more digging Paper Enthusiast*) Anyway, only boss mob, not trash mobs?⭐ My Post— ㅇㅇ— Short-Eared Goblin*)Hmm~ Seems linked to newbie joining our gallery too~ Lol fr Newbie real identity wtf⭐ My Post— Dunno sir ;;;If you don't who does Lolololol— Title: How This Is Total BS-Boss mob talking direct to hunter? First I've heard in my life Starts absurd there Then skill King Slime talks then teaches you its skill? Wtf cheat key like that exist? Human joining Boss Gal more believable lololol ... ....Eh?— AnonymousThis guy bluescreens mid-sentence hilarious lololol Eh? ㅇㅈㄹ lolololol Where fatefags at? Still think newbie adaptee? That's part of adaptee too; Fatefags still denying This and newbie in Boss Gal adaptee?— Paper Enthusiast* Title: Anyway, No Big Diff Right Now-Newbie ripping boss skills good news for us Means he got way to protect self, right? Boss Gallery thank the daily-growing newbie ㅇㅇ...— AnonymousWe worship... True lol Level up quick, get strong quick, clear me quick for graduation pls ㅇㅇ;
The gallery vibe was business as usual.
Rather than wary of Do-yoon's sudden skill, they buzzed with interest in his growth path.
'Is this normal?'
Do-yoon couldn't wrap his head around it.
Respawn or whatever, doesn't change they feel pain dying, right?
⭐ My Post Title: Why Do This Much for Me?— Super grateful but can't understandWe're kill or be killed, no? Me stronger = you riskier Why so positive? Am I weird?— Calm down— Aged Wine is...*)Hoe, hoee... Newbie dear, don't get mad scary ㅠㅠㅠ Making even mod shake ㄷㄷ
Maybe influenced by it, who knows.
The King Slime chatting friendly up to the end.
Not just gallery giggles—taking a life—
'See ya.'
Far from pleasant memory.
⭐ My Post— So tell me nowWtf happening to me?
Do-yoon judged this the moment to learn what was going on with him.
— Paper Enthusiast*)Again: dying in tower ≠ real death Paper Enthusiast*) Remember I said ejection thing first? Paper Enthusiast*) Why we're into newbie? Related to that.
Related.
'To me?'
What did the tower's big-shot boss want from him?
Still clueless, Do-yoon waited for answers.
— Newbie famous anti-ejection button ㅇㅇ...
you can read more at novelshub.org