Chapter 182 – Class B Promotion Test (6)

The second monster given as a test task by the Guild was Dust Kelp.

A plant-type monster made up of marine debris and seaweed.

It has a form of defending itself by hiding the main body, seaweed, inside the body the moment an external attack comes in while moving with the clutter on its body.

If I had to compare it, it was a monster that protected itself in a way similar to a turtle or a hermit crab.

It is possible to incapacitate it by slicing the seaweed part, which is the main body, but naturally, the process is not as easy as expected.

If you try to cut off the part of the seaweed that comes out temporarily, it will hide with a quick reaction speed, and even if you cut off the tip a little, it won’t die and will regenerate soon after.

To kill it, you must cut at least four or five pieces of the body hidden among the garbage.

I had absolutely no experience dealing with them. Although it was not the case in the combination dungeon.

One of the types of monsters that flowed along with the monster wave on the island where I spent summer vacation with Doshi-hee was that dust kelp.

However, at that time, there was a slight difference that he was killed using flame magic instead of a sword.

Using flame magic, it was the most efficient attack for them because it was possible to use the heat to learn whether or not the guy was hiding inside.

In the first place, at that time, I had no time to use any means other than magic because I was dealing with the Krael swarming under my feet and the Kraken wielding huge tentacles from the front.

So, if the only way to defeat this dust kelp is with flame magic, of course that’s not the case.

The easiest way to suffocate a guy hiding inside a hard shell using only a greatsword?

Of course, that would crush him into his shell.

Kwajajak! One dust kelp that touched my greatsword with a sound was completely crushed with the sound of its shell breaking.

The dust kelp’s shell is tuned to its unique magical power, and it becomes so durable that it cannot be cut with a few blades.

If you focus only on the act of applying force without aiming at slicing it from the beginning, the dust kelp shells that cannot withstand the pressure will collide with each other and break apart.

If you slice the main body protruding from between the completely ruined protective gear, the hunt is over.

The main body of dust kelp is only a little tougher than common seaweed such as kelp or seaweed, so of course it can be easily sliced.

After chopping two dust kelps according to the number specified by the union guide, they waited for the evaluation to be given.

“How is it?”

“It’s great! Not only do you know how to properly attack Dustkelp, but you also have enough power to use it!”

Looking at this reaction, it seemed that the second task passed without any problems.

In fact, it was a monster that had a bad compatibility with the swordsman, but that was only true when it was at the same grade level.

It would be rather strange for me to be at a loss against a B-class monster, Dust Kelp, while looking at an A-class swordsmanship level itself.

Cha Yu-ri turned her gaze to her to see how she would react, and suddenly two sprays of water rose from her beach.

The two dust kelps in the middle of the two whirlpools thus created exploded within seconds due to the wind pressure of the cyclone.

“… Mr. Cha Yu-ri?”

As soon as her name was called, Cha Yu-ri started explaining about the monster called Dust Kelp without even asking.

“Dust kelp is actually seaweed that looks like kelp, and the pile of garbage it’s hugging is just a defense. Since I use things that are not originally included in my body as armor, it is possible to inject magic into the gap and create wind pressure.”

“… Yes?”

“That’s why I’m saying that I can easily catch this level of monsters this way. Don’t try to be equal to me just because you became a B-class hunter and caught some B-class monsters.”

“… Alas, yes.”

Why did he use magic out of the blue, but was it to explain that he, like me, has the skills to catch dust kelp?

Objectively, it was powerful enough to be proud of.

Listening to her hunting method, it means that she squeezed her magical energy into the narrow cracks in the clutter that her monsters were wrapped in to catch the dust kelp. It meant that he was a high-ranking wizard.

“Uh… Eww…”

The question is, is it really necessary to show it to me right now? The union staff are also embarrassed because they don’t know how to react.

“I am still stronger. I will not tolerate such nonsense, saying that you became stronger than me just because you barely reached the level of a B-class hunter.”

“Okay, so let’s go to the next exam. Cha Yu-ri’s original role is a test supervisor.”

“… Okay.”

Cha Yu-ri, perhaps because of my reaction, got on the warp gate to move to the final test site with a disapproving expression on her face.

“Therefore… This promotion test is not a hunting competition between the two of you…”

Only the timid resistance of the information staff reached my ears.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The final test site of the B-class promotion test.

After moving to the Golem Temple to face the last monster, we immediately proceeded with the final task of the promotion test.

The last promotion task explained by the union staff is three stonerello.

A giant monster made of a huge rock about 5 meters tall was the last task.

Befitting a popular dungeon, there were several hunters besides us in Golem’s Temple, each hunting for one or two Stonerellos, and I expressed my calm feelings about the last task, which was easier than the previous two.

“It’s normal for a last assignment.”

“It’s not like the difficulty gets higher towards the end. In general terms, Black Slime or Dustkelp are more difficult monsters than Stonerello.”

“I think so too.”

“And in fact, Seongcheol Kim’s Hunter promotion test is practically equivalent to passing, so you can skip the last test.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“It’s supposed to pass as long as you clear at least two of the three tasks. In particular, the two monsters Kim Seong-chul dealt with earlier were easily defeated even though they were not so good against melee Awakeners. I think even the higher ups will probably recognize you as a B-class hunter.”

Even if being able to beat a B-class monster one-on-one was a condition for a B-class hunter, there were definitely monsters that could never be defeated in the same match.

It would have been unfair to be eliminated from the promotion test just because a monster with a good match had entered the test task unluckily, so I could fully understand the guild’s policy of passing only two of the three tasks.

Besides, it’s after I’ve already won against two types of monsters with bad compatibility. It must have meant compatibility with a normal B-class swordsman.

Still, I shook my head lightly when the information staff said that it was okay to end the exam at this point.

“Still, if possible, I want to make it clear until the end and finish it.”

“All right. Then, I will measure the time from now on, so please kill the three stonerellos.”

As soon as the guild staff activated the timer for time measurement, I immediately rushed at the nearest Stonerello with my sword.

With a single sword strike filled with energy, Stonerello was split in half exactly and died a meaningless death.

‘Goooh…’

The corpse of the monster and only the core of a B-class monster remained in the place where the monster had fallen while spitting out a low-pitched scream.

Why is the Golem Temple, where the Stonerellos live, a popular dungeon?

As it is used to move the huge body, Stonerello’s core is more expensive than other B-class monster cores, and the stone body is also easy to process, so there are reasons why it is quite valuable as a material.

Even putting all that aside, this was the reason Golem’s Temple was a popular dungeon.

Unlike its seemingly solid body, this golem is extremely vulnerable to physical attacks.

It is a monster that is almost unaffected by magic attacks because it has magic resistance all over its body, but it has no resistance to physical attacks, so just swinging the sword once like this is meaningless.

It wasn’t just because the mithril greatsword I was holding was sharp.

Melee hunters who hunt like me in other places are also crushing or breaking stonerellos without delay with their own weapons.

A woman in plate mail at 11 o’clock was blasting her head off using her energized spear, and a muscular woman at 2 o’clock was splitting the body of a golem with her halberd. .

Even the woman at 6 o’clock is crushing golems with only fighting skills without a weapon, so it goes without saying that she is vulnerable to physical attacks.

As much as it had a body made of granite, its hardness was just as hard as granite.

And for a melee B-class hunter, breaking granite rocks was the basic skill among the basics.

So, it was a characteristic of this dungeon called Temple of the Golem that there were always many people, and sometimes there were more hunters than monsters.

Conversely, it was a place I seldom visited, as I had only done commissions on the floor, but even I, who was dealing with Stonerello for the first time, was able to cut him down with a single blow without any preparation.

In the same way, in the blink of an eye, I was greeted by the union staff clapping my hands when I came back.

“Good job, Seongcheol Kim! You did a great job until the end!”

“Thank you for your compliment.”

“The B-class hunter certificate will be issued within three days, so you can pick it up at the window after next Monday!”

It was a B-class hunter promotion that was done much more calmly than expected, but it certainly didn’t diminish the joy.

Now that I have risen to the position of a B-class hunter, there will be more things to do in the future, but at this moment, I can fully enjoy this joy.

That’s why, in order to enjoy this joy a little more abundantly, the moment I turned my head to call Cha Yu-ri, the supervisor of this test.

“Cha Yu-ri! I’ve finally been promoted to a B-class Hunter… !”

“Cannon Cyclone! Screw Tornado! Wind Cutter aaaaa!!”

There was a wizard who dealt with Stonerello by shooting all kinds of magic of his own.