Acquiring Talent in a Dungeon

Chapter 23 - Day 6, 6th Floor Eating

TL Note: I know that some people are having trouble remembering the names. Fortunately, my editor has been making a glossary and I’ve decided to share it with you. Check it out here.

There is also a glossary of common Korean terms such as hyung etc. that can be accessed from the table of contents.

[Essence - Rock Lizardman.]

[As long as the owner ‘grips’ it, muscle strength +2.]

[Increases HP regeneration by 100%. The rate of restoration will dramatically increased against injuries such as burns. There is a slight decrease in the base metabolic rate of the body. Grants immunity against various heat sensing abilities. Body’s resistance to cold is decreased. 50% more vulnerable to ice attacks.]

The first thing I felt was a change in temperature. “Huu.” Even though it wasn’t that cold, I felt like it was almost as cold as the beginning of winter. From now on, I couldn’t wear cheap padding or I would die.

The lizardman dropped 15 silver coins and a item that was similar to a lighter called the ‘Sun Stone,’ but that was all. There were also coins scattered around Lee Chang-ju’s remains. The book that fell to the ground... Ah, it wasn’t a book?

It looked like a thick book that would have hundreds of pages, but there were actually only a few pages. It was an eight page mini-booklet made of heavy leather pieces instead of paper. There were unknown letters carved on the outside. As he flipped through the booklet, the same type of letters filled the pages.

On the other side of the page was a man’s palm-shaped groove etched into the thick leather. Should I place my palm there? ... No. I would hold off for now. It was too risky to use it right now when I didn’t know its purpose.

I got up. I was sure that the other people would have heard the shouting just now. But they didn’t come up. I thought about it and descended the stairs. The next moment, I felt my heart sinking in my chest.

"You came here to die.” Yoo Su-jeong said with a wide smile. She was standing approximately 30 stairs away. Yang Su-jin groaned as a dagger was held to her neck.

“... What is this?” I spoke in a calm manner while calculating how long I had until this peak collapsed. It would happen in less than five minutes. It wasn’t hard to grasp the circumstances.

Kim Ha-jong was holding a blade to Yang Su-jin’s neck. Kwak Yu-han was overpowering the three lower ranked members, including Yoon Ji-hee.

"Did you kill the two above?” The two bodies collapsed on the peak were high ranking. Their deaths certainly weren’t due to the lizardmen.

"It couldn’t be helped. Those people, they secretly tried to descend when there was a gap. I killed one while Kwak Yu-han here murdered the other.” Kwak Yu-han had a sour expression on his face. I could roughly imagine her trick. She must have put a knife to the back of one person while yelling at Kwak Yu-han to kill the other.

Although he was confused, he swung his sword because Yoo Su-jeong was higher ranked. Kwak Yu-han avoided my eyes and muttered an excuse. "I thought you were dead. What could I do...?”

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"That’s right. Everybody’s mental state is a little shaken. So this girl made a stupid choice.” Yoo Su-jeong lifted a bottle. It was the poison bottle that I had shared with Yang Su-jin. "She sneaked to the back and tried to splash us with this. It is a shame that I knew what would happen ahead of time. It was lucky.”

Yang Su-jin’s bottle was like the one I had used on the leader of the other group. "Just a little while ago, I explained it. You colluded with this girl to kill us and I was threatened so I had no choice.”

“...” Kwak Yu-han and Kim Ha-jong made strange expressions. They understood Yoo Su-jeong. Even if it fit to a certain degree, the two people didn’t believe 100% of her words. But the important thing was the flow. In the short time I was ‘dead,’ they had already joined Yoo Su-jeong’s side.

Anyway, it was just a temporary team. There was no need to bother with words. Kwak Yu-han and Kim Ha-jong’s posture showed that they were aiming this way. "You better not come down. If you do, all three of us will fight to the death.”

Yoo Su-jeong pushed Yoon Ji-hee forward. She was the ‘most rubbish’ so she was used as bait. "Let’s win together. I will give this girl to Hee-chul and you can go down the other stairs. Okay?”

Instead of answering, I raised an index finger. Then I pointed it at Kim Ha-jong. “... Is it decided that you will kill Yang Su-jin?”

“... Yes.” Kwak Yu-han and Yoo Su-jeong had both already killed one person. So this would somewhat maintain the balance between the three of them.

"Then what are you waiting for?”

“Wha...t?"

“If you are going to eat her talent then just cut her neck right there. Why, do you feel sorry because you saw that I survived?” I spoke without thinking and it seemed correct to some extent.

Yoo Su-jeong glared at Kim Ha-jong. “Kill her. Now.”

“No...”

"Cut her! Aren’t you going to eat? Or do you want me to eat her instead?”

“...”

"Cut!" Kim Ha-jong gritted his teeth and moved his blade.

Seokeok.

It was a smooth slice and Yang Su-jin’s head rolled down the stairs. As everyone’s gaze followed her head, I jumped down the stairs.

“...!” I aimed for Kim Ha-jong who was standing at the front. I grabbed his head and kneed him in the face with all my weight behind it. Quite tasty.

As something broke,

[All the talents and experience of the loser will belong to the winner.]

Letters rose up. They described the talents that I had absorbed from Kim Ha-jong, but there was no time to examine each one.

[Agility has exceeded the limit.]

[Agility: 12]

[Reflexes has exceeded the limit.]

[Reflexes: 14]

[Muscle strength has exceeded the limit.]

[Muscle strength: 13]

[Health has exceeded the limit.]

[Health: 12]

I saw something flying at the edge of my vision and moved my head to avoid the bottle.

One of the bottom three screamed as the bottle hit them. I hoped it wasn’t Yoon Ji-hee but I was too busy countering Yoo Su-jeong’s daggers.

Rattle!

It was obviously a proper hit, but the feeling on the other end of my fist was quite subtle. It felt like Yoo Su-jeong’s body had disappeared the moment I struck. Then someone embraced me from behind--Kwak Yu-han. He was really strong. He tried to lift me with his arms, but I put strength into my legs and resisted.

The next moment, something cold touched my abdomen.

[Current Balance: 192/256]

“Hah...” Yoo Su-jeong appeared in front of me with a wild smile. As she drew her dagger back to strike me in the stomach again, I spat in her face.

“Kyak!” Yoo Su-jeong flinched for a moment and gritted her teeth.

I was in a disadvantageous situation but in the end, Kwak Yu-han’s strength was weaker than mine. By using all my strength, the arms around me were released.

I could finish him off, but I instead chose to move forward. I aimed towards Yoo Su-jeong who was wiping the spit off her face. She was capable of disappearing every time she was hit, but I thought it would be okay if I grabbed her.

“Ugh!” In fact, this wasn’t a skill from Ravenous Wolf Fist, but one I saw from wrestling. She became off balance and fell down along with me.

As I predicted, we fell exactly into the darkness. Before my dizzy vision could recover, I felt something moist and enormous wrap around my body.

I was swallowed by a leech. It was disgusting as I felt my whole body being dragged down. But it wasn’t like I couldn’t move my body. I took out the ‘Sun Stone’ from my inventory. It was the stone that I got from the lizardman chieftain.

As described in the explanation, once pressure was applied, the stone would start to shine and emit the temperature of boiled water. Then the body of the leech became visible.

“...” The first thing I saw was Yoo Su-jeong. In fact, I was a little worried because I couldn’t hear her screaming. Maybe I was the only one swallowed, but that wasn’t the case. Yoo Su-jeong had also been swallowed.

However, unlike me, she was being ‘eaten.’ There were thousands of reddish black hairs surrounding and wrapped around her body. They penetrated her skin and entered her blood vessels. In a short amount of time, many hairs had entered and half her body was filled with black lines.

“...Ah...” Yoo Su-jeong’s wide eyes stared at me. She reached out like she was asking me to save her...

I responded to the call. I was safe. It had been a gamble, but one I thought I could try. After acquiring the immunity to ‘heat detection methods’ from the lizardman essence, I thought that the leeches wouldn’t recognize me as prey. But there was also a problem.

Kuuong.

The hairs around me were shaking and pushing me away from Yoo Su-jeong. It perceived me as unable to be eaten and was spitting me out. Of course, it was a good thing, but I should at least kill Yoo Su-jeong.

I grabbed the hairs with my hand and reached out towards Yoo Su-jeong, but I wasn’t the only one moving. Yoo Su-jeong was being pulled deeper into the body.

I tried to somehow grab her neck but... In the end, Yoo Su-jeong disappeared from my sight. Instead, I could feel something cold in my hands after desperately fumbling for her body. A ring? I placed it in my inventory and pulled out something else.

Elmer’s Dummy Destroyer. It was the only cutting instrument that I had. I cut the hairs with the blade while using Limiter Release. The hairs shook. Blood gushed from them as they were sliced apart.

I put my hand in that gap. The leech also felt pain so the gloves became more effective. I grasped something in my strong grip.

The hairs shook even more violently. As more blood poured out, I could feel that some hairs had penetrated my skin. Even if it couldn’t suck my blood, the hairs perceived me as a threat and was attacking to remove me.

[Current Balance: 182/256]

[Current Balance: 169/256]

I tore the area in front of me open. Again and again... Oh, I could taste it. I was almost suffocating due to all the blood coming from the torn hairs.

[Current Balance: 42/256]

As the disgusting blood entered my throat and nose, I desperately sought some air. Then a light shone in front of me.

[Essence - Shadow Leech.]