Dungeon Predator (WN)

Three days after asking him to find him some meteorite ore, Man Bok contacted him back.

- I have it.

- I'll be right there.

Once Kang Oh entered Man Bok's office, Man Bok handed him the goods.

"This is it."

"Mm."

It was a rock filled with holes. However, there was a black sheen within those holes.

[Meteor from a Far Off Place]

Flew here from someplace else. Contains metal that cannot be procured in the continent. Unknown what kind of metal and what kind of properties it contains.

Material Rank: S.

"This was expensive, right?" Kang Oh asked.

"It was, so I'll take it out of your next share."

"Ahem, please do."

Kang Oh left Gold Dragon and prepared for his trip to Mt. Helver.

He didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Kang Oh bought a few AA-rank items in case he needed Gluttony, since he didn't know how long it would take him to reach the top.

Kang Oh also bought plenty of potions. He placed them in his belt so he could use them at a moment's notice, and put the rest inside his inventory.

"That."

Sara pestered him along the way. She would ask him to buy her a useless accessory or something to eat.

She had an insatiable curiosity. Sara wouldn't pass something by without making a big deal about it.

On the other hand, Tasha gradually lost interest; perhaps she had gotten used to Altein already. She also wore a strange, cynical expression on her face, one of hatred and distrust towards mankind.

Kang Oh thought it was for the best. If Tasha pestered him too, then it'd be even more of a hassle.

Anyhow, Kang Oh had finished all of his preparations, so he headed for the intercity transfer gate.

"Where are we going?" Tasha asked.

"Mt. Helver."

It was the highest summit in all of Arth!

"Aah, I've never been there before." Sara happily clapped.

"The place the goddess was talking about?" Tasha asked.

"Yeah."

"Are there a lot of monsters there?"

"Only the strongest."

"Sounds good." Tasha licked her lips.

"Why?"

"It's irritating spending so much time around humans."

"You looked pretty happy before."

"Only for a bit."

"So?"

"I want to vent. So don't even think about returning me to the sword. Got it?" Tasha grinned. It was like a witch was smiling at him; her eyes shined like a snake's eyes.

"Only if I don't need to use Demon Sword Blood," Kang Oh said firmly.

His actions wouldn't be dictated by Tasha or Sara.

"Tch." Tasha clicked her tongue.

* * *

The Phamas Mountains were extremely vast. However, Kang Oh's party could see the mountaintop, Mt. Helver.

Kang Oh, Tasha, and Sara walked towards the mountaintop.

"Hmm."

Kang Oh held a map of the Phamas Mountains in his hands. However, Mt. Helver was completely blank on the map.

'A detailed map of Mt. Helver would probably sell for a lot,' Kang Oh suddenly thought.

This was Kang Oh's way of thinking: money, money, and more money!

How far did they travel?

A group of monsters appeared. There were more than thirty of them, and they came in all different shapes and sizes.

Kiek!

Kyaheuk!

A few of them held their stomachs, so they must be starved.

Kyaoh!

A large-bodied monster yelled. It must be the leader.

Then, the monsters rushed at his party.

"Good of you to come." Tasha's eyes lit up.

"Hum-hum." Sara snorted.

They had been like that since coming here.

Kang Oh drew his jet-black greatsword.

Weapon Bombardment.

Three or four monsters exploded from his attack.

Kya, kyaa!

The leader urgently cried out. It had sensed the insurmountable power disparity between it and Kang Oh.

Then, the monsters scattered in all four directions.

'If you were going to run away, then don't attack in the first place.'

Kang Oh repeatedly used Weapon Bombardment.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Ubist's landing was followed by an explosion; it was as if someone had planted dynamite there prior. Monsters, dirt, grass, etc. were all caught in the explosion.

Sara trapped the monsters with an Ice Wall or used a spell called Ice Grasp to keep them from escaping.

In the midst of that, Tasha rampaged about, her red dress fluttering in the wind.

Blood-soaked Claws!

Whenever she swung her claws, red lines would appear in the air. Any monster in their way would explode with shards of light.

The monsters were finished off instantly.

"Pick up the junk items," Kang Oh said.

Tasha and Sara stared at each other. Then, Tasha glared at her, so Sara bent down and picked up the items.

'Seems like they already decided the pecking order.'

Kang Oh > Tasha > Sara.

He fed the junk items to Ubist and then continued his way up the mountain.

* * *

Mt. Helver was the highest summit in the Phamas Mountains. It was considered one of Arth's most dangerous areas because the way there was so perilous.

First, the altitude was a problem. The higher you got, the less oxygen there was. As a result, your Stamina depleted much faster than normal. Obviously, stamina regeneration was much slower too.

Eventually, a player would catch altitude sickness (a debuff), and would no longer be able to continue.

Fortunately, this didn't prove to be a problem for Kang Oh. After all, he wasn't Jae Woo right now; he was a Master Demonic Swordsman!

His physical abilities were high enough to conquer the mountain. Of course, his Stamina would be fine too.

Then there were the monsters. Although Mt. Helver was smaller than the Goddess's Land, its monsters were much stronger.

Annoying metal monsters spawned here too. The weakest monsters here were level 450 Steel Golems.

What if a player had to fight a monster that possessed defense comparable to Teynos, but also consumed more Stamina than normal?

Most players would exhaust themselves and fall to the floor.

There were also exploding rocks all over, as well as sulfur pits that would cause you to asphyxiate on approach. The Hell Ants that promised a world of pain if they got to you? They were cute in comparison. Anyhow, Mt. Helver was filled with things that could kill you.

Finally, the climate was terrible.

Lightning fell all year around, and the fierce winds blew harmful mineral powder that was fatal to the human body.

Fortunately, it didn't often rain or snow.

Kang Oh had finally stepped foot into this hellish land.

Thud.

A 5 meter tall Steel Golem appeared before them. It left behind deep footprints wherever it went.

"Sara. Go back to being a sword," Kang Oh said.

"Why!?" Sara resisted.

However, Kang Oh stared her down, causing her to bite her lip and cease her resistance.

Whir.

Sara radiated blue light, transforming into Demon Sword Sarahoff once more.

With Ubist in his right hand and Sarahoff in his left, Kang Oh rushed at the Steel Golem.

It swung its heavy fist at him. However, Kang Oh's twin demon swords were much faster.

Clang! Clang!

A clear, metallic 'clang' rang out.

However, Sarahoff had cracked its body. That was the entire reason he'd asked Sara to return to her sword form.

Sarahoff's Absolute Destruction ability was perfect for dealing with monsters that possessed high defense.

Whoosh.

The Steel Golem's fist belatedly came flying at him. However, it didn't touch him, as Kang Oh was too nimble.

Tasha also attacked the golem, unleashing scarlet energy of various shapes and sizes.

At that moment...

Flash!

A lightning bolt fell from the cloudy sky. Kang Oh threw his body out of the way, but he couldn't outrun lightning.

Crackle!

It tingled.

"Kang Oh!" Tasha said concernedly.

Kang Oh gritted his teeth.

Fortunately, he hadn't taken much damage. He wasn't paralyzed either. As if he'd bounced off of a spring, Kang Oh rushed back into action and attacked the Steel Golem.

Bam!

Black shards of light exploded from the golem's body.

Ubist's special ability, 'Rip Apart' had activated. This ability ignored the target's defense and increased the damage they took.

Demon Sword Ubist's Rip Apart and Demon Sword Sarahoff's Absolute Destruction. Add to that Kang Oh's skill as a Master, as well as Tasha's support.

There was no reason for him to lose.

The Steel Golem fell over backwards.

At that moment...

Boom!

All of a sudden, there was a huge explosion. It seemed like the Steel Golem's huge body had touched an exploding rock, which was buried underneath the grass. The slightest touch would cause exploding rocks to go off.

Tasha stood in front of Kang Oh. Then, her red dress stretched out, wrapping around both her and Kang Oh.

Bam!

The powerful shockwave spread in every direction. However, neither Kang Oh nor Tasha shook, like a tree with deep roots.

"Thanks."

Tasha just smiled.

* * *

'Jackpot Dice', led by the high ranker, Vibra, was the only group of players operating on Mt. Helver at the moment.

However, their goal wasn't to hunt. After all, Mt. Helvert was the worst hunting ground ever; the monsters were too hard to beat.

They were gathering minerals instead.

Expensive, precious materials like adamantium and mithril could be found here. Jackpot Dice was a party that focused on gathering these minerals.

"Damn, run!" their party leader, Vibra, yelled.

His five party members began to run. They were all middle rankers, so they were skilled in their own right.

Kyahaaahk!

A horrific cry rang out. Dozens of them at that!

The cries belonged to the Talas; monster birds that possessed steel wings. If they fully stretched out their wings, they would be about 3 meters long.

They were around level 400. Killing one or two of them was doable, but the Talas would always travel in flocks of 50.

Ultimately, the correct choice was to run away!

Jackpot Dice was quick on their feet. The Talas pursued them, but they couldn't catch up to them.

At that moment...

There was a man and woman walking towards them.

Vibra, who was at the forefront, yelled, "Hurry up and run!"

He assumed they would run too. If they had eyes, then they would be able to see the flock of Talas chasing them.

However, the man and woman completely ignored his warning.

"I said run away!" Vibra yelled again.

But once again, they didn't listen.

On the contrary, the man lightly waved his hand. He was basically saying, 'Don't worry about me.'.

"Boss, just leave them be."

"He's right."

His companions yelled.

"Tch." Vibra clicked his tongue and kicked off the floor.

A short while later...

Kyahaahk!

The flock of Talas flew towards Kang Oh and Tasha.

Vibra couldn't help but feel guilty. He just had to run this way, getting innocent people caught in the crossfire.

He apologetically turned his head around.

"What?" Vibra stood still, absolutely shocked.

"What is it, Boss?"

"What's the matter?"

"Hurry up and run. The Talas..."

His companions likewise turned their heads, and soon sported the same exact expression as their leader.

Shock.

That's right. They were shocked.

The group of more than 50 Talas were ripped apart by the man and woman as if they were nothing!

* * *

Kang Oh planted his twin demon swords into the ground and dusted himself off.

"Tch. Sara's not here, so I have to pick up the junk," Tasha said grumpily.

Then...

Vibra and his companions hesitantly approached them.

"Excuse me... I'm sorry, Mr. Kang Oh."

There was no way he wouldn't know who he was. A man who wielded a jet-black greatsword that was skilled enough to kill a group of 50 Talas? It could only be Predator Kang Oh!

"For what?" Kang Oh asked.

"We led the Talas to you." Vibra scratched his head. He was truly apologetic.

Kang Oh grinned. So that's why he had yelled at the top of his lungs for them to run away.

"It's alright."

"I'm glad. And... I watched you fight. It was truly something."

"I'm pretty strong."

Kang Oh was never humble when he should be.

"If it's ok with you, may I ask why you're here? I'm just asking because I'm curious. If there's anything we can do to help, then we'll do it."

Vibra's companions nodded their heads.

"Ah, before that, let me introduce myself. My name is Vibra."

"Jackpot Dice's Vibra?"

Vibra looked touched that Kang Oh had recognized him.

"Yes."

"Then these must be your party members."

His party members introduced themselves.

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't need any assistance. After all, I need to reach the top of the mountain by myself."

Only then would he receive the title, Helver Conqueror, which would give him access to Orgon's temple.

"I see. Then maybe next... Huh? You're going to the top of the mountain?" Vibra yelled in shock.

To think he was headed for the top of Mt. Helvert!

After all, it was something no player had ever done before. Kang Oh was attempting that? It was breaking news.

"I have business at the top of the mountain. Ah, please keep this a secret." Kang Oh grinned.

Vibra made a 'my lips are sealed' motion.

"Then, if you'll excuse me."

Kang Oh and Tasha headed up the mountain once more.

"Wow."

"He's so cool."

Vibra and his companions stared at Kang Oh's back in amazement.

Then, they thought, 'Kang Oh might be able to reach the top of Mt. Helvert!'.