Levelling Up In An Exclusive Dungeon

Many hunters felt the importance of healers and sought to change their careers to become Clerics.

However, pretending to have deep faith on the surface was utterly useless.

Only those hunters who showed sincere faith and genuine altruism could finally change to the ‘Cleric’ class.

It was no wonder that the mere mention of the class ‘Cleric’ would often lead to automatic acceptance in interviews.

It acted as a guarantee not only in parties but also in trades.

Just seeing the class was enough for people among hunters to start trusting and opening deals.

“I never thought I could get this job by smashing skeleton heads.”

He had never heard of such a method.

Perhaps it was because, outside, so many skeletons had never appeared at once before.

“In the long run, it might yield good results, but…”

The Cleric class was not a good class for solo activities in dungeons.

With skills focused on support and defense, it might provide stability, but quick hunting was impossible.

“For now, I guess I have no choice but to rely on this bat.”

As he couldn’t use skills to attack large numbers of monsters, he had to continue defeating one by one as he had been doing.

The fortunate thing was that the power of the baseball bat was superior to any item he could have.

If it had been an ordinary weapon, facing over a hundred skeletons like that would have been impossible.

“Heal.”

When Kang Jin-hyuk tried using the skill on himself as a test, he felt a bit of fatigue lift.

As he had heard, the heal skill had effects beyond just healing; it also alleviated fatigue.

Refreshed, Kang Jin-hyuk stood up and walked deeper into the maze.

Perhaps because he had defeated all the skeletons, no more monsters had appeared.

As he felt relieved and examined his surroundings, he discovered a silvery white ore emitting a faint blue glow.

Judging by the traces of someone having mined it, it was almost certainly mithril.

“It’s surprising that there’s ore embedded in this stone wall.”

Kang Jin-hyuk took out the pickaxe given by the dwarf from his inventory.

“Here goes.”

With all his might, he swung the pickaxe down, and broken ore pieces scattered.

“Is mithril some kind of metal that breaks that easily?”

It was difficult to determine if the pickaxe was especially strong or if mithril was a soft metal.

Having gathered enough mithril to hold in his arms, he saw no other ore resembling it nearby.

He tried digging around the soil with the pickaxe, but ordinary dirt was all that came out.

It seemed that the dwarf had left behind only this much.

“Well… I guess this should be enough.”

Kang Jin-hyuk packed the mined mithril into his inventory and turned back the way he had come to head outside.

* * *

After exiting the black walls and reaching the first floor through the gate, Kang Jin-hyuk soon arrived at the dwarf’s forge.

The dwarf, who had been sitting in a chair resting, stood up upon seeing Kang Jin-hyuk.

“You managed to come back without getting lost, huh?”

“Is that what you say to someone who has just had a grueling trip?”

“Hey, can’t I even joke around?”

The dwarf laughed heartily and extended his hand toward Kang Jin-hyuk.

“Hand it over; since you’ve brought it, I’ll make something amazing out of it.”

Kang Jin-hyuk had almost handed over all the mithril but halted his hand for a moment.

Then, he took out about two-thirds of it and handed it to the dwarf.

“Here you go.”

“Is this all there was?”

“There was more, but I didn’t find anything that looked similar to this.”

“Tch, that maze has become useless now.”

The dwarf accepted the mithril without suspicion.

“Alright then, let’s make your equipment first.”

Before melting the mithril in the furnace, the dwarf asked Kang Jin-hyuk a question.

“Do you have any special features you want?”

“Well… I hope it doesn’t stand out.”

“That’s simple enough.”

As the dwarf ignited the furnace, an immense heat filled the forge.

Kang Jin-hyuk couldn’t withstand the heat, which felt even hotter than a sauna, and moved back.

Standing only a moment was enough for him to be drenched in sweat.

“How does that guy manage to work in this?”

The sight of the dwarf, coated in thick hair and wearing no upper garment while heating the forge, was nothing short of miraculous.

Kang Jin-hyuk felt that it might take quite some time, so he decided to step outside the forge.

As it was getting late, he thought he would take a nap after that.

“About six hours should do.”

Setting an alarm, Kang Jin-hyuk lay down on the bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.

It was the first time he had slept so soundly without waking up even once since turning 23.

“Did I move too much for once?”

Although he had alleviated his physical fatigue with Heal, his weary mind remained.

In a hurry, he finished washing up and changed clothes before heading into the attic.

Upon entering the maze, he immediately felt a scorching heat.

The heat emitted from the forge had affected the entire maze over time.

“What a sauna…”

The goblins he encountered in the maze couldn’t withstand the heat and were staggering.

Kang Jin-hyuk hunted the goblins, who couldn’t resist, while heading to the forge.

When he arrived, the dwarf had just finished his work.

Seeing Kang Jin-hyuk, the dwarf waved his hand.

“So, where have you been, and what have you been doing until now?”

“Uh, well, I had a quick errand to run.”

If they found out he was napping, he would probably hear complaints, so he couldn’t tell the truth.

Avoiding the dwarf’s gaze, Kang Jin-hyuk noticed the items on the table.

The armor made of tightly linked chains shimmered in the same faint blue hue as the mithril he had collected in the cave.

“Could this be…?”

“Yeah, it’s your armor. Since you said you didn’t want to stand out, I made it suitable for wearing under clothes.”

As Kang Jin-hyuk picked up the chain armor, a message immediately appeared before him.

[You have picked up a unique item.]

A unique item, one level above rare!

Kang Jin-hyuk barely managed to suppress his cheers.

[Mithril Chain Armor]

Grade: Unique

Description: A chain armor made with all the effort of a dwarf. Lightweight and sturdy.

[Unique Effects]

Reduces physical damage by 50%.

Reduces magical damage by 50%.

After reviewing the item description, Kang Jin-hyuk realized why it was a unique grade.

Even with just a 20% damage reduction, it would rank among the best defensive gear in the rare category.

But the armor, made by the dwarf, offered a whopping 50%.

Not only that, it halved all damage, both physical and magical.

He had doubted if mithril was really a common metal like orihalcum, but seeing this, those thoughts vanished.

“Wow…”

When he personally tried on the chain armor, it fit his body as if it had been tailored specifically for him.

Moreover, it was surprisingly light for armor, and it could be easily concealed under outer clothing.

Kang Jin-hyuk felt this level of item being so easily obtained was almost too good to be true.

“Thank you, sir!”

“No need for thanks. Just take this with you.”

What the dwarf handed him was a large barrel with various peculiar attachments attached to it.

“What is this?”

“Can’t you figure it out? It’s a barrel for brewing.”

“A brewing barrel? You mean you made it for brewing?”

“Exactly, I combined it with the mithril you brought.”

“You’re going to brew alcohol with this?”

“No, it’s for you. I’ve quit drinking.”

Hearing the dwarf’s words, Kang Jin-hyuk tilted his head in confusion.

“But you drank well yesterday.”

“I only tasted it because you brought it after such a long time.”

“Then why did you make this?”

“Why? Because I felt like making it.”

“…”

Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t quite understand, but that was typical of dwarves.

They found joy in the act of creation itself.

“Even if you give me such a thing, I don’t even know how to brew…”

“I know, buddy. Who would expect a guy bringing such trash to actually know how to brew?”

The dwarf grumbled, saying he was still haunted by the bad taste.

It seemed that the alcohol he had tried was truly devoid of any quality.

“Just put in that revolting drink. Then its flavor will improve.”

“Really? Is that possible?”

“If you don’t believe it, try it.”

The dwarf poured some of the soju that Kang Jin-hyuk had brought into a cup.

Uncertain, Kang Jin-hyuk took a sip and nearly dropped the cup in surprise.

“What is this? Is this really soju?”

The dwarf understood perfectly why Kang Jin-hyuk reacted that way and exclaimed at how splendid the flavor was.

Had he been accustomed to such flavors, any alcohol sold outside would surely be seen as trash.

“Hahaha! So now you have a good understanding of what real alcohol tastes like?”

Creating a unique-grade armor was impressive, but to then concoct something that could alter the taste of alcohol was astonishing.

Kang Jin-hyuk started to view the dwarf as a futuristic robot with a fourth-dimensional pocket.

“So, any alcohol will change if I simply put it in here?”

“No, only that clear alcohol you brought will work. It has a good compatibility.”

Upon hearing this, a particular idea sparked in Kang Jin-hyuk’s mind.

* * *

After receiving the brewing barrel from the dwarf, Kang Jin-hyuk felt a strong conviction.

‘This is going to be profitable!’

The baseball bat and the armor were too precious to sell, but this alcohol could be different.

With the brewing barrel, he could create more drinks with that taste, so the potential for profit was limitless.

Once his thoughts led him there, Kang Jin-hyuk immediately contacted Lee Jun-cheol the moment he exited the attic.

“I have something I want to sell.”

“Cobalt corpses… and alcohol.”

Lee Jun-cheol doubted his own ears.

Not a monster’s body but alcohol?

“I brewed it myself.”

Lee Jun-cheol rubbed his forehead in bewilderment.

He felt compelled to cater to a valuable customer, yet he found it baffling that someone would want to sell home-brewed alcohol.

Was this the essence of how difficult business could be?

However, his thoughts shifted upon seeing Kang Jin-hyuk arrive at the office.

The alcohol he had bottled appeared ordinary like any typical beer.

Yet, the moment he opened it, an extraordinary aroma – one never experienced from regular beers – tantalized Lee Jun-cheol’s senses.

“You… brewed this yourself?”

Kang Jin-hyuk simply nodded instead of responding.

Lee Jun-cheol poured the drink into a glass and examined it closely.

No matter how he looked at it, it resembled beer, but its fragrance told another tale.

After some contemplation, Lee Jun-cheol gathered his resolve and cautiously brought the glass to his lips.

In an instant, his surprise mirrored Kang Jin-hyuk’s initial taste experience.

“How is it? Do you think it’ll sell?”

Without hesitation, Lee Jun-cheol replied,

“It will sell. This is a guaranteed hit!”

Having tasted numerous types of alcohol over his years in the organizational world, he could confidently assert this.

The drink Kang Jin-hyuk had brought possessed a depth of flavor and aroma unmatched by anything he’d ever tried before.

If marketed as a premium brand for entertaining clients, it would surely fly off the shelves.

“What price are you thinking of selling it for?”

“You can decide the price. I just want to share the profits.”

“…Then how about 70-30?”

Kang Jin-hyuk shook his head, showing eight fingers.

There was no need to ask what that meant.