—-

It didn’t take long for Kieran to reach the part of the Fanged Forest that didn’t spawn any monsters. The lack of spawning monsters was because the dungeon entrance possessed a type of barrier that deterred monsters and prevented them from entering within two hundred meters. Otherwise, it would be easy for any unsuspecting player to be attacked by monsters in a highly exhausted state, especially if it was after a failed dungeon run.

As he arrived there, he noticed the area was excessively active. The activity consisted of people frantically looking for a party to join, individuals who had either just failed or cleared the Normal difficulty, and people who had just arrived with a full party already in tow. However, what immediately caught Kieran’s eye was the state of the dungeon.

The flashing neutral gray light surrounding the dungeon portal suggested there was at least one party attempting the Difficult Mode.

Suddenly, Kieran sensed a presence beside him and turned. It was Altair, who seemed partially irritated. “How did an hour end up turning into nearly three? I estimate that someone will clear the Difficult Mode within minutes! That doesn’t help us in the slightest bit.”

“Oh? If that’s the case, then that’s even better. Less work for us with higher rewards,” Kieran responded with a cheeky grin. After all, he no longer had his sights set on the Difficult Mode. Instead, Kieran now eyed the Very Difficult Mode, which some would admittedly call him insane to attempt.

The difference between Difficult and Very Difficult was vast. Not only did the terrain inside the dungeon change slightly, gaining the ability to affect the run’s success rate, but the dungeon’s magnitude also increased considerably. It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the Very Difficult layout was beyond double that of the Difficult Mode.

In fact, if selected, the mode would give a warning prompt. Only an insane individual would want to attempt it without first entering the dungeon to gain an understanding of the monster’s inside alongside their attack patterns and dungeon layout. Then again, Kieran was in no ordinary situation. Furthermore, the significant change to his Perception coupled with the item he received from Grandma Agatha spurred this crazy decision._-.

While it didn’t alleviate the dungeon’s difficulty directly or assist in battle, it acted as a catalyst for Kieran. There were now many routes present for Kieran to take within the dungeon provided that he assembled the right party composition at a suitable level. All party members needed to be between Lv.5 and Lv.7 prior to dungeon entry to receive the highest Experience and broadest loot table. If they entered after that level, the Experience and rewards would drastically reduce.

“Less work? More rewards? Just what are you thinking?” Altair questioned with a slightly confused expression. The developers nor the early guide thoroughly explained the dungeon system, so it was understandable that Altair wasn’t aware of the shared difficulty feature unique to the beginner areas.

All Kieran needed now was for a competent team to clear the Difficult Mode. As for the item in Kieran’s possession, it was a palm-sized bronze medallion with liquid the color of blue-green tourmaline flowing through it.

「 Medallion of Growth (Special)

Item Rank: Rare

Item Level: N/A

Description: A special medallion made from standard metals that displays extensive signs of erosion. Despite the damage, the embedded Rune of Growth remains undamaged. The intricate rune alone would warrant the attention of established enchanters. Nevertheless, it appears the maker of this item deliberately used a provisional form of the Rune of Growth. Thus, it has a finite duration and extreme limitations.

Effects: The «Rune of Growth» increases Adventurer Experience gained by the wielder by 100%.

Restriction: The «Rune of Growth» is only usable up to Lv.20

Durability: ∞

Duration: 28 days 」

Kieran was jubilant over this item when he read through the information earlier. Perhaps it was because Grandma Agatha had taken an increased liking to him or his higher contribution than the 1 Silver in the past, but the duration of this item was four times longer than the one in his memory! Moreover, the experience boost was twice as much!

It only made sense for him to capitalize on this item and delve into the experience trove that was the Very Difficult Mode. Otherwise, he’d be nothing more than a fool.

“Hmm, how much Attack Power, Agility, and Control do you have?” Keiran answered before revealing his plan. If it was sufficient, he could carry out the team composition in mind.

“As of now… they’re 77, 42, and 40,” Altair revealed. Kieran felt a tinge of shock that Altair’s Agility and Control were this high already.

“Did you… max out the roll on your unique package?” Kieran asked suddenly.

“I did,” Altair admitted.

‘This shitter is lucky! I’m willing to bet he had above-average Control, to begin with. Probably even just below mine. But, I suppose I should expect as much of his stats seeing as he’s a Thief. Meaning, both his Vitality and Endurance have barely been touched,’ Kieran guessed.

Additionally, the Thief classes wore leather armor. While the defense it rewarded was inferior with regards to heavy armor, it tended to reward more critical chance and agility as a result.

“No free attributes point left to be assigned, I presume?” Kieran commented.

“Nope! Not a single one. Use ’em all up. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten my three primary attributes this high.

Nevertheless, Kieran could more than make do with his current stats. Kieran leaned close to Altair and whispered, “It’s quite simple then; we’ll be tackling the Very Difficult Mode!”

“What?! We haven’t even run into a boss yet. I hear the boss inside that mode may even be above the Rare grade!” Altair shouted, attracting some attention from others.

“Mm, so? You scared?” Kieran shrugged nonchalantly. As a result, Altair’s eyes widened in disbelief. While he was excited about tackling the dungeon, he felt he may have made friends with a lunatic.

Suddenly, a commotion sounded behind Kieran and Altair. Two sets of bell chimes rang with distinct noises, symbolizing the clearance of the Difficult Mode. This made Kieran grin from ear to ear cause the wait was now over.

He pulled up the party menu and registered a party. Unlike typical MMORPG games where the party maxed out at 4, Zenith Online paved the way for the expanded party feature. A full party inside this game consisted of 5 members. Likewise, the dungeons also sport corresponding challenges to justify this new type of party play.

However, when the parties realized the composition he was looking for, they all ignored his party icon. They all felt this individual might have mental issues because he didn’t want a tank inside the party. Furthermore, he wished for a second healer at the expense of said tank! That would ultimately decrease the party’s damage-dealing capabilities. They simply couldn’t understand what this person was thinking.

Even Altair looked at Keiran awkwardly after reading through their party description.

“What do we need two healers for? I think that’s why everyone is avoiding us. Maybe we should compromise and pick up a tank. I mean… they’ll absorb some decent damage and fill in the gaps between our rotations.”

“Nope, most tanks are utter garbage at this stage in the game. Even with superior mechanics, the monsters inside the Very Difficult Mode will thrash tanks. Meanwhile, two healers are essential. It’s unclearable without them,” Kieran admitted.

Despite revealing this information, Altair remained unconvinced. “What about the person who completed the Knight’s Class first test? Surely they are a consideration?”

“Nah, I’m almost certain they have a static party,” Kieran responded. Based on the equipment and skills Bastion displayed, Kieran was 95% sure that he was the one to receive the Knight’s Unique Package. The odds of that fellow leaving his party members were practically zero.

What’s more, the team who cleared the Difficult Mode just so happened to be them! It was true that Kieran could attempt to squeeze into their party by requesting the spot filled by a random, but he’s wasn’t willing to leave Altair hanging. After all, he had already wasted some of his time. Kieran couldn’t see himself abandoning a team member who took the time to wait for him.

He’d end up attracting a horrid reputation amongst the unaffiliated dungeon crews.

“Fine, I understand that. But, we should at least make a concession and reduce the levels from Lv.7 to Lv.6,” Altair insisted.

However, this suggestion made Kieran frown. “We’re even stronger than ordinary Lv.9 characters with only basic attributes assigned. Why would we accept someone that’ll struggle clear the Difficult Mode? Just be patient. We’ll make up the lost time later.”

“Agh… whatever,” Altair groaned while leaning against a tree. While doing so, he watched as Kieran canceled an insane amount of potential party members. Either their level was too unimpressive, or they just irritated Kieran.

“Holy FUCK! It’s like people can’t read. This description is right there, yet I’m getting a whole bunch of Knights, Thiefs, and Fighter.” Kieran exploded. He was becoming quite annoyed with the sheer volume of people who spammed the parties. Alas, that’s how party searches typically went.

Kieran could only remain patient while sifting through the ocean of party requests. It was times like this that Kieran wished more veteran gamers besides Altair spawned with Gena Village. Fortunately, Kieran soon came across two suitable members―two Priests and a Mage.