Dungeon Predator (WN)
Dungeon Predator (WN) - Chapter 7: A Sweet Reward

"Class change," Kang Oh decided without delay.

[The hidden class, Demonic Swordsman!]

The demon sword emits an ever-present and powerful darkness.

A demon sword is worlds stronger than a normal sword and possesses far greater destructive power.

And only Demonic Swordsmen are proficient in wielding such blades.

If one is worthy of wielding a demon sword, then it will grant them great power.

However, if the darkness ever took control of the swordsman or ever escaped the sword's restrictions, then it would prove disastrous for the continent of Arth.

But if the demon takes control of you or breaks its seal, then it could prove disastrous for the Arth continent.

[You have learned Demonic Swordsmanship (Beginner) and Darkness Strike (Beginner).]

[All main stats +20]

[Resistance towards all curses, status ailments, and poisons has increased.]

[You cannot equip items with the holy element.]

[You have acquired the title, Demon Sword's Master.]

As the messages faded, so too did the abyss that obscured his vision.

What he then saw was...

"What are you doing?"

Burkan had his sword at the ready, prepared to strike him down if necessary.

"Little Brother, are you still sane?" Burkan asked.

"I'm fine."

"Hmph, I knew you'd overcome the Trial of the Demon Sword."

Burkan lowered his sword.

'And you were still ready to kill me?' Kang Oh thought, glaring at him.

"You became a Demonic Swordsman, right?"

Burkan avoided his gaze and changed the subject.

'Don't let it bother you.'

It definitely wasn't because he was afraid of Burkan or anything!

"Yes."

"Congratulations. But be cautious at all times, so that you don't get controlled by the demon sword," Burkan said.

Kang Oh nodded his head and asked, "May I take the adamantium?"

The adamantium gemstone was his highest priority.

"Of course you can. It's your reward for the Fight Against 100 Men," Burkan said.

Then, Kang Oh made a beeline towards the adamantium gemstone.

[Large Adamantium Gemstone]

It's a huge adamantium gemstone. But because it was exposed to darkness for such a long time, it has become quite contaminated.

Material rank: S

"Hahaha," Kang Oh laughed and opened his inventory.

His empty inventory, which only had beginner bread in it!

However, he couldn't store the adamantium in his inventory.

[Requires Master Mining.]

"Mm, you haven't learned Mining, Little Brother?" Burkan asked.

"It wouldn't matter even if I did. This thing requires Master Mining!" Kang Oh shouted.

There was a skill system in Arth.

Skill ranks ranged from Beginner, Intermediate, High, and Master. To go from one rank to the next, one needed to increase a skill's proficiency to 100%.

He needed Master Mining in order to mine the adamantium gemstone!

In other words, only a Master Miner could mine the adamantium gemstone. It was impossible for him.

"Calm down, Little Brother. There's always a solution. I'll introduce you to a Master Miner, so go and find him," Burkan said.

A quest window popped up.

[Find the Master Miner, Bower.]

The Master Miner, Bower, should be able to mine the adamantium ore. Take Burkan's letter of introduction and ask him for a favor.

Difficulty: Extremely difficult.

Conditions: Burkan's letter of introduction.

Reward: Adamantium gemstone.

"Where is Bower?" Kang Oh asked.

"Huh? I don't know. He doesn't stay in one place and often travels across the continent," Burkan said.

"Tch," Kang Oh clicked his tongue.

Based on how things were going, he wouldn't be able to procure the adamantium gemstone anytime soon.

"Why? Do you not want the letter of introduction?"

"No, please write one for me."

[You have accepted the quest.]

"When you find Bower, give him my regards."

Burkan wrote the letter of introduction and passed it to Kang Oh.

Was it just him or did Burkan look really carefree?

Anyhow, Kang Oh was forced to leave the Holiseum without the adamantium.

Burkan hummed once Kang Oh left.

"Hmm. The demon sword's been dealt with, so if I get rid of the adamantium, then I won't have to deal with Master Valan again!"

Burkan disappeared with lighthearted steps.

* * *

Kang Oh stretched out.

He had a lot of work to do, and his workload would only increase in the future.

"I'll look for Bower later..."

He really wanted the adamantium, but it was unfeasible for him to find Bower at this time.

"First, let's look at my items."

Kang Oh entered a secluded alley where even the sun barely shined and took out the demon sword from his inventory.

The jet black blade, which emanated darkness!

Kang Oh stroked the blade.

It was longer and wider than any normal blade, and the hilt was long too.

'A greatsword, huh... Nice.'

In Warlord, Kang Oh's primary weapon had been a greatsword.

Though he'd used a one-handed steel sword in the Battle Against 100 Men, he was much more familiar with a greatsword.

He was lucky that the demon sword matched his preferences.

"Appraise."

[Demon Sword Ubist (Lv1/+0)]

The sword where Ubist, the King of Demonic Beasts and the Abyss Predator, is sealed.

The blade constantly emanates darkness. The blade's alloy cannot be ascertained. The sword also shakes occasionally. It shares its level with its wielder.

An untradable item.

If you die, there is a high chance that the demon sword will either drop, or you will become a monster under the demon sword's thrall for 24 hours.

+ Predator: Eats any and all items. When it is completely satiated, the demon sword will become stronger and gain special abilities.

[Satiation: 0%]

+ Gluttony: By consuming a BB-rank item or higher, you enter Gluttony mode. All abilities are doubled for a limited amount of time.

Steals stats from fallen enemies while Gluttony is active. This feature can only be used once a day.

Rank: SS

Abilities: Attack Power 20. Physical +1

Conditions: Clearing the Trial of the Demon Sword.

"I hit the jackpot!"

Kang Oh perused all the information and jumped with joy.

Items in Arth had a ranking system too. They were divided into C, CC, B, BB, A, AA, S, and SS.

The demon sword was in the highest tier, the SS-rank!

Not many people owned S-rank items, let alone SS-rank items.

But Kang Oh, who was only level 1, came into possession of such an item.

Kang Oh rubbed his eyes in disbelief and meticulously looked over the sword's abilities.

As an SS-rank demon sword, it's attack power was obviously high.

While Kang Oh's beginner training sword possessed an attack power of 3, the demon sword had an attack power of 20.

That's not all!

A weapon reinforcement system hadn't previously existed in Arth, but Demon Sword Ubist was capable of autonomous growth.

Reinforcing the demon sword would make it even stronger.

Moreover, because the weapon shared its level with its wielder, there would be no need to replace the weapon as his level increased.

Lastly, by consuming a BB-rank item or higher, he would enter Gluttony mode, which doubled all of his stats.

'As expected of an SS-rank item!'

However, there were some downsides. First, it was untradeable. Second, if he died, he'd either drop the sword or he'd become a monster!

Still, the pros far outweigh the cons; there might as not be any!

His revelations quelled whatever disappointment he felt for not being able to procure the adamantium.

"Skill."

Next, Kang Oh opened his skill window and checked his newly learned skills.

[Demonic Swordsmanship]

Demonic Swordsmanship is a Demonic Swordsman skill. In other words, it determines a Demonic Swordsman's worth.

The higher the skill is, the more powerful the demon sword and the Demonic Swordsman's abilities become.

Classification: Passive/Skill

Rank: Beginner

Proficiency: 0%

[Darkness Strike]

The demon sword delivers a devastating blow using the power of darkness.

When attacking or using a combat skill, there is a fixed chance that it will activate.

If an enemy is executed with Demon Sword Ubist while using Darkness Strike, then there is a fixed chance that some stats are stolen from the victim.

However, if Ubist is lost, then the player's stats return to normal.

Classification: Passive/Skill

Rank: Beginner

Proficiency: 0%

The Demonic Swordsmanship skill was a class skill, while Darkness Strike was...

'Stat steal.'

He really liked it. If used well, his stats would be far superior to anyone else's.

"Nice."

What was the saying again? 'Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.'. The reward was so sweet. It was like he was eating honey!

"And this isn't the end."

* * *

Jae Woo entered a cafe near his house. A man was waiting for him.

"It's been a long time."

Jae Woo and the man shook hands.

"I'd heard you awoke from your coma. What a relief."

The man's name was Park Jin Cheol. He was a producer for GBS.

GBS.

It was a gaming network, which was created alongside the first generation virtual reality games. GBS was ranked 3rd amongst gaming networks.

"Yes. I'm glad I got the chance to see you again, Producer Park," Jae Woo said.

"It's nice to see the Human Dragon again."

The Human Dragon!

That was the keyword that tied the two of them together.

After all, they became acquainted after people failed the Human Dragon Raid.

The Human Dragon Raid was an event where the 4th ranked guild in Warlord, GK, attacked Jae Woo with everything they had and were defeated.

It was no mere defeat; it was a massacre!

In Warlord, guilds could be as large as 1,000 members, and GK, befitting its status as a top guild, had maxed out its capacity.

They attacked Jae Woo with all 1,000 members, yet Jae Woo was the last man standing in the end.

'Back then, I really was strong.'

With one skill, Jae Woo could take down dozens of people at once.

Even the rankers in the GK guild were no match for him.

He even killed Gerrik, who was a paladin, GK's guild leader, and ranked 11th amongst the playerbase.

Thus, people began calling GK's defeat 'Failing the Human Dragon Raid'.

At the same time, Jae Woo was given the title of Human Dragon and was recognized as the strongest player in Warlord.

The Human Dragon Raid was covered by GBS in a feature broadcast.

Of course, the director was Park Jin Cheol.

Anyhow, that's how the two had become acquainted. Jae Woo had contacted him first this time.

Of course, his reason being...

"Did you really clear the Fight Against 100 Men?"

Jin Cheol's eyes sharpened.

"Here."

Jae Woo took a chip out of his pocket and handed it to him. Jin Cheol inserted the chip into his tablet and looked over the footage.

"Oh."

Jin Cheol's expression brightened immediately. It truly was a recording of Kang Oh clearing the Fight Against 100 Men.

"Did you clear it yourself?"

"Can't you tell?"

Since he'd scanned himself for his character creation, his in-game face matched his real-life face.

"As expected of the Human Dragon!"

Jin Cheol gave him a thumbs up.

"How is it?" Jae Woo asked.

Then, Jin Cheol looked regretful, as if he'd never given him the thumbs up at all.

"It will definitely catch peoples' interest, but it's a bit boring."

It wasn't a large-scale battle, and there weren't any flashy skills used or a giant boss monster involved.

It looked more like a gladiator movie than player footage.

Still, it was still proof of him clearing the Fight Against 100 Men, so it was assured that some people would watch it.

"Then I'll ask someone else."

Jae Woo stood up.

"I'll buy it," Jin Cheol said hastily.

Jae Woo sat back down.

"How much?" Jae Woo asked straightforwardly.

"How about this much?"

Jin Cheol pointed his index finger.

"You're not suggesting 1 million won ($1,000 USD), are you?"

If he was, there was no reason to hesitate.

"It's the price for your achievement."

'1 million won!'

Jae Woo stifled his smile and maintained his poker face.

"You can't give me any more?"

"You know my style. I already offered you my max."

"Hmm."

If he negotiated with him, he should be able to receive more. However, Jae Woo had something else in mind.

"I have a condition," Jae Woo said.

"I'll do my best to fulfill it," Jin Cheol answered promptly.

"I'd like to know the Wind Archer, Sephiro's contact information."

Sephiro had said that he'd give whoever cleared the Fight Against 100 Men whatever they wanted, so if he was man, he'd keep his word.

"I understand."

Jin Cheol nodded his head.

"Edit the video however you wish, but you must censor my face. Remember, you must censor my face!"

'There's nothing wrong with being a little careful.'

There was a chance that vultures would go after him, seeking the reward from the Fight Against 100 Men.

"I understand. Can we put a helmet over your face instead?"

Censoring his face would drop the viewership rating, whereas putting a glorified CG helmet over his face would make the footage even better.

"Yes, that's fine."

Jae Woo refused to have his face spread everywhere.

"Good, good."

They'd reached an agreement. Jae Woo and Jin Cheol shook hands, both looking satisfied.

Jae Woo was happy that he'd made some money, whereas Jin Cheol was given a chance to show a featured broadcast.