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Chapter 7
0.
The E-World User Management Team was responsible for users even in the beginner village. However, such instances were rare.
It had already been a year since the game's release.
Countless geniuses had already passed through, so they didn't have enough time to manage them all.
However, Assistant Manager Lee Won-sang was focused on a user in the beginner village, instead of the other rankers he was in charge of.
['Unknown power' has allowed you to exhibit abilities beyond your current stats.]
[New stat 《Dexterity》 has been generated.]
[Agility +3, Dexterity +2 permanently increased.]
"This is driving me crazy."
It had happened again.
The synchronization rate and other stats suddenly shot up, and then he gained permanent stat points.
Was this even possible?
Other users had to repeat training movements or perform special actions for hours to gain a single stat point, but he was gaining stats through an unknown power?
It was an incomprehensible phenomenon.
Assistant Manager Lee Won-sang couldn't understand it at all.
But today was a tannery holiday.
His superior, the team leader, was out on business, and there was no one suitable to report to.
All he could do for now was observe further.
He also shook his head in despair as he watched the hidden pieces that user 『Seonghyun』 was acquiring.
He had swept up the rewards at the butcher shop as well.
At this rate, it seemed like a truly absurd monster would be born.
There was nothing he could do about it.
'Immortal says it's not a bug, and it's already been defined as an element that cannot be regulated.'
Although Eternal World wasn't very old, there had never been any instances of unfair play.
According to the analysis of Immortal, the best artificial intelligence, this case was the same.
It wasn't like the game company would be in trouble just because one user became stronger, but growth of this magnitude could lead to other complaints, so they had to be cautious.
If only he hadn't made it known to others.
But there shouldn't be anything more to gain now, right?
While Assistant Manager Lee was thinking this, his subordinate, Officer Oh Jin-hyeok, asked,
"Huh? Sir, isn't that the place where you go to get to that...place?"
"Huh? What?"
"Well...wasn't there a hidden dungeon in Hindel Village? It seems like he's going there."
"What? There was such a thing in Hindel Village???"
"Yes, here..."
Officer Oh Jin-hyeok showed him the data on Hindel Village, and it was indeed written there.
Hindel Village's hidden dungeon, 'Hunter's Forest'.
Not only was it usually difficult to find, but the conditions for entry were also strict.
"So, the conditions are... the steel sword and the Excellent Butcher title?"
"Yes. So..."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
"That's exactly that user, isn't it?"
"...Yes."
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"
Assistant Manager Lee laughed and nodded.
To think he was actually going there.
Was this even possible?
Come to think of it, many strategy sites mentioned a place called the "Mist Forest" in Hindel Village.
Most users who arrived at Hindel Village would go to that forest.
They couldn't find the hidden dungeon because they didn't meet the conditions, but this time, Seonghyun, who happened to meet the conditions, was heading there.
Seonghyun wasn't the first to fulfill those conditions in Hindel Village.
However, most users who met those conditions were focused on quickly leaving the beginner village in the early stages of the game.
It was plausible that it was only being discovered now.
But why did it have to be user 『Seonghyun』?
"At this point, it must be the ghosts telling him, right?"
"Oh? Really?!"
"Of course not!!!"
"Euagh!"
"Ugh! If he gets that too... he'll get that item too, won't he? Haaa, no. That's right, it doesn't matter if he just gets that. Yes... that's right."
Watching Assistant Manager Lee Won-sang denying reality as he mumbled to himself, Officer Oh Jin-hyeok thought to himself,
'Usually, when you say that, they end up getting even more, don't they?'
He didn't say it out loud, though.
It seemed interesting.
As Seonghyun thought this, the green deer charged.
Snort! The charging speed of the green deer, accompanied by a snort, was by no means slow.
It charged quickly with its head lowered, attempting to gore Seonghyun with its antlers using its momentum.
However, its opponent was Seonghyun.
As he watched the charging green deer, the memories of the hunter Apic surfaced.
With the hunter's experiences and memories permeating him, he waited until right before the green deer reached him and lightly dodged to the side.
Unlike rabbits, they couldn't change direction easily.
Whoosh!
The green deer's eyes followed Seonghyun as it passed by, and it saw Seonghyun, who had dodged to the side, raising his sword.
That was the end of the green deer's memory.
A swift sword strike, difficult to even see, flowed from top to bottom.
A silver trajectory cut through the air, slicing through the green deer's neck without resistance.
The green deer's neck crumpled, and it collapsed in the direction it was running.
[Critical Hit!]
[Effect of 『One Strike!』 activated!]
Thud! Clank!
The heavy body fell with a loud thud, scraping against the ground.
The green deer's carcass rolled across the ground.
Once again, a single strike.
The sword, swung with his stats pushed to the limit, coupled with a critical hit and the effect of the One Strike! title, was too much for even the green deer to withstand.
He had become even faster than when he was catching rabbits, all thanks to the hunter Apic's spirit.
His agility had increased by 3 points since then.
'I think dexterity also has some effect.'
Not only had his agility increased, making him faster, but the newly acquired dexterity helped him maintain his balance despite the increased speed.
He could slightly feel that his swordsmanship had become more refined.
'Good.'
The thrill he felt from hunting the green deer was incomparable to that of hunting rabbits.
This was incredibly fun.
With a pounding heart, Seonghyun first put the green deer's carcass into his inventory.
There was a reason why he didn't butcher it immediately.
As long as he butchered the monsters before reaching the boss, he could enjoy the first discovery reward effect.
He was going to gather them until then.
He couldn't let go of this thrill for the sake of butchering.
The memories and experiences of the hunter Apic were excellent, and so were the memories and experiences of the former instructor.
But he still had a long way to go before he could fully adapt to them.
'Let's try to adapt further.'
He hadn't completely made them his own yet.
So he moved forward.
He ventured deeper and found another green deer.
The green deer was still eager to charge, and Seonghyun succeeded in hunting it again, utilizing Apic's experience and the former instructor's memories.
[Critical Hit!]
[Effect of 『One Strike!』 activated!]
Another one-hit kill.
As the overwhelming hunt continued for a while, the number of green deer increased.
Even with three green deer, the result was the same.
No, it became even more enjoyable.
They didn't charge simultaneously but with a time difference, making it difficult to simply dodge to the side, but he was able to learn how to move gracefully with footwork.
When the first green deer charged, he dodged slightly to the side and swung his sword.
Similarly, watching the next green deer charge, he lowered his stance and then jumped back up, slashing upwards diagonally to cut the green deer's neck.
For the last charging deer, he jumped up, gliding through the air like an acrobat, and swung his sword downwards towards the green deer's neck from above.
[Critical Hit!]
[Effect of 『One Strike!』 activated!]
[Critical Hit!]
[Effect of 『One Strike!』 activated!]
[Critical Hit!]
[Effect of 『One Strike!』 activated!]
[You have defeated over 30 beast-type monsters of the same level or higher in one strike.]
[You have acquired the title, 『Hunter』.]
Having achieved the feat of hunting three deer at once, Seonghyun muttered with a slight smile on his face,
"It worked."
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