The Healing Solaris Cleric

Chapter 62: Instance Dungeon (2)

Instance dungeons were divided into two types. One was an open type where everyone could enter at once, and the other was a closed type, accessible only to those who had registered for entry.

I should go for the closed type.

The drop rate in closed dungeons was significantly lower compared to open dungeons, which barely saved repair costs. However, despite this, many sought out closed dungeons because they were the only places where dungeon rankings could be updated.

[Instance Dungeon - Would you like to enter the Rat Kingdom?]

"Yes."

[Instance Dungeon - You have entered the Rat Kingdom.]

In a space not revealed to others, Kai entered the dungeon and grimaced immediately.

"Ugh, it smells...."

The location of the Rat Kingdom was in the sewers of Aquaria so naturally, it reeked. But even this too was designed to be conquered!

Kai picked up a disposable mask that was on the floor of the dungeon's entrance and put it on.

Much better.

He was at least no longer suffering from the pungent smell that made his nose hurt.

At the same time, Kai's gaze sharpened.

If I'm going to do this, I need to do it right. I've already planned everything.

With determination, Kai suddenly started running down the path.

"Squeak, squeak!"

"Squeak!"

Giant rats feeding on food waste began to come at him as they noticed an adventurer invading their kingdom.

But I can't stop here.

Now was not the time to leisurely defeat the monsters one by one.

I need to be as fast as possible. It has to be fast! The key is to clear it quickly.

Kai believed it was natural for him at his level to conquer this place. Therefore, he put his focus on how high he could raise his name in the solo rankings.

The higher the ranking, the easier it will be to be acknowledged by the Sage of Water.

Kai glanced back quickly.

There are about twelve giant rats following me.

The monsters, all at level 71, were sufficiently threatening. Even Kai could not be sure of victory if he were to face them head-on!

However, Kai had no intention of fighting them to begin with.

After all, clearing the dungeon is acknowledged if only the boss is defeated.

That was true. If he could just surely kill the boss, there was no need to fight the trash mobs!

At one point, this strategy used to be very popular among players. Ignoring all trash mobs and getting to the boss room to defeat the boss was the Boss Run strategy. But unfortunately, not a single party had succeeded with this strategy.

While they were fighting the boss, the trash mobs swarmed them from behind, leading to a total wipeout.

The reason for their failure was clear. There was not enough firepower and time to kill the boss before the other monsters arrived.

But I'm different.

Kai could momentarily lose the monsters using Supernova. That meant he could fight the boss one-on-one with more time than others. Moreover, due to buffs from being a Solaris Cleric and having various special titles, his attack power was more than enough.

And the path to the boss room is already in my head.

The Rat Kingdom dungeon was set up in the sewers, so naturally, the paths were as complex as a maze. Without memorizing the map in advance, progressing while defeating monsters would take over ten hours!

"Well then...."

Kai waved his hand at the swarm of giant rats running at him, trying to tear him apart.

"Follow me closely. Supernova!"

As he casted the skill, the swarm of giant rats chasing him started to quickly distance themselves. This caused the number of giant rats chasing him to increase, but they couldn't even get at his clothes. Additionally, Kai, who liked to be sure, had put insurance in place.

That corner! That's the most important part!

As soon as Kai turned the corner, disappearing from the giant rats' views, he summoned gnoll skeletons.

Ding!

[6 Gnoll skeletons being summoned.]

"Ugh, what a bummer!" Kai let out a groan full of disappointment.

But Kai quickly came to his senses and looked around.

Turning the corner, he had come upon the center of the sewer. This was the place where the vast dungeon split into ten different paths.

To divide the giant rats, having at least nine gnoll undeads would have been best....

However, six would be enough to scatter the attention of the giant rats.

Kai immediately made the gnoll skeletons run down different passageways, then took something out of his inventory and laid it on the floor of the passage.

"Okay, preparations are done with this."

With a satisfied smile, Kai darted down the passage leading to the boss room without looking back.

"Squeak! Squeak squeak!"

A moment later, the giant rats at the crossing pathways buried their faces in the ground, sniffing continuously. Even though they lived in the sewers, their sense of smell was highly developed, comparable to a dog's, making sniffing out an adventurer's scent no difficult task.

"...Squeak!?"

However, as they sniffed, the giant rats fell into a panic!

Like children who realized that Santa wasn’t real, the giant rats were left with an empty feeling as they stared at the objected dropped on the passageway.

[Orc Leather]

Grade: Normal

Leather saturated with the distinctive stench of orcs. It is tenacious and durable, making it suitable for winter clothing or armor.

"...Squeak!"

The giant rats were enraged that they were tricked by an adventurer.

Showing their sharp front teeth, they split into the ten paths to chase after Kai.

***

Kai panted in exhaustion.

He canceled the Supernova skill before his Holy Power ran out but since he had achieved his objective, he couldn’t complain.

I've arrived at the boss room.

The boss of this dungeon would appear from beyond the broken iron bars that were in front of him.

Knowing this well, Kai regulated his heavy breathing and thought, The time it took to reach the boss room after entering the dungeon was... just about fifty seconds.

Kai’s Holy Power capacity was around 26,000. Normally, even if he maximized the use of the Supernova skill, twenty-six seconds would have been the limit. However, the reason he could use Supernova for fifty seconds was simple.

[Holy Water]

Grade: Magic

This is holy water specially purified by high clerics of the Church of Solaris who serve the god Helik.

Drinking it restores 10,000 Holy Power and removes negative states.

This was exactly what he needed to prepare before entering the dungeon. A Magic-grade Holy Water potion produced exclusively by the Church of Solaris!

Of course, such an item wouldn't have been cheap.

"Dang, I’m breaking the bank just to meet the Sage of Water once."

Including the teleport cost of 9 gold and five bottles of Holy Water at 1 gold each, the total price he paid was 1.4 million won.

The more money he invested to meet the Sage of Water, the deeper his determination got to meet him no matter what.

I used three bottles of Holy Water... so two are left.

Kai then poured the remaining two bottles of Holy Water into his mouth.

"Ah, definitely worth the money. Holy Water tastes the best."

Although each potion had a different taste, Holy Waterwith its refreshing ion beverage flavor, was undoubtedly the best!

Wiping his mouth, Kai entered the boss room with a confident stride.

"Krrrrgh...."

This creature even cried differently from ordinary giant rats, and its front teeth, three times larger than a giant rat's, dripped saliva as its red eyes shined.

[King of the Filthy Rats, Trebinzer. LV.78]

Quick and decisively. The key is to finish him off before the giant rats arrive.

Kai poured all his efforts into this dungeon run. He even used up all of Fermi's Venom, which had been helpful during the Orc Sorcerer expedition!

It's unfortunate I won’t be able to use it anymore, but I won’t be able to use it forever if I keep saving it like this.

Kai utilized everything available to him as if he didn’t know what a second attempt was. He used all his skills, items, money, and even petty tricks!

There was a reason he pushed himself so hard. It was because he had browsed MewTube before entering the dungeon.

Greemz, was it?

It was the name of the Wizard he briefly encountered before entering the dungeon. Curious about a Wizard solo playing, Kai had looked up his videos and was greatly shocked.

From level 72 to 85, Greemz had challenged the Rat Kingdom dungeon every single day. He had uploaded over 200 videos on MewTube that were just about attempting the Rat Kingdom.

...So this is what it takes to reach the goal of first place.

Kai, who had not put in much effort relying on his hidden class as a Solaric Cleric, greatly reflected back on himself.

I lack desperation.

He wanted to become stronger to become a ranker, and earn a lot of money to become confident in front of his family. And as simple as his goals were, so was the effort he had put in.

But this can't go on.

A lazy hare couldn’t beat a hard-working tortoise.

Kai was confident that he could overpower Greemz one-on-one if they were to face off right now, but what about in three months or in half a year?

Without a hidden class, the ways to become stronger are limited.

The usual methods were acquiring better equipment and skills. However, not every player could afford to spend a lot of money. Ultimately, they had to inevitably polish the abilities they possessed.

The importance of basics. That’s what Master Huey always told me.

Of course, Kai had the job of a Solaris Cleric. And perhaps due to his inherent advantages, he could just be able to remain strong forever without much effort.

But... if I put in as much effort as they do, it’s obvious I could become even stronger.

Rejecting a sure path to more power was impossible for Kai. That was why he pushed himself so hard.

While I was walking, others were running.

The others had been diligently running their way up from unseen depths.

Once Kai realized this, he had only one option left.

I need to run too.

Kai glared at Trebinzer with determined eyes and flicked his sword. "Come at me, squeakers."

"Kaaagh!"

As if protesting being called squeakers, Trebinzer charged with a loud and strong cry.

Kai's gaze, watching the creature, neither trembled with fear nor flickered with excitement. They were cold and settled like a lake frozen solid on a winter day.

If one thing’s for sure, it’s that I have to be careful of that guy's front teeth strike attack.

Biting its target and tearing them apart until all their health was depleted was Trebinzer’s lethal move. In a party, teammates could attack Trebinzer and interrupt this technique, but that was impossible when soloing. Simply put, if caught in that skill, it was all over!

As a chilling sense of crisis crept over Kai’s skin, his lips curved into a smile.

"Let me tell you something. The last time I fought the Orc Lord, I learned something valuable."

No matter how powerful an attack, it was useless if it didn't hit the target!

Kai and Trebinzer’s gazes collided in mid-air. The moment their eyes met, they moved.

Whoosh!

Trebinzer first spun its massive body like a spinning top. Its thick, long tail lashed out at Kai like a whip. It wasn’t a thin tail like a jump rope. It was thick and sturdy, like several strong ropes tied together.

Anticipating the attack, Kai had already moved with ease.

First, dodge the attack.

Kai’s knees bent, and his upper body leaned back. Incredible strength poured into his waist and sides to support his weight.

Boom!

Trebinzer’s tail missed Kai and broke the sewer’s iron bars instead! It was powerful, but the important thing was that it missed.

Kai smirked.

Then he sprung forward using the strength of his back that had been arched like a bow. At the same time, his blade thrusted forward.

Kai’s thrusted sword stabbed Trebinzer.

"Squeak!"

As the sharp sword plunged deep into the creature’s thick belly, it let out a painful scream. The wound, poisoned with Fermi's Venom, quickly turned black.

"But this isn't all. Flood of Blades!"

Flood of Blades was a skill that involved throwing a spinning sword at the opponent's weak spots.

In that case, what would happen if it was used while a sword was embedded in the opponent's belly?

"It’s obvious. It would just hurt like hell."

"Krrrgh, Kaaagh!"

Loud screams continuously burst out from Trebinzer's stinky mouth.