Chapter 190

Jeong-Hoon disappeared into the portal, and the NPC was lost in thought with a serious expression.

"Who's doing this?"

She muttered softly and fell into contemplation.

There was a limit preventing Heavenly Energy from reaching 100%.

Because of that, she had been guarding this empty space all this time.

The feeling of loneliness had long seeped into her bones.

But this too would soon end.

Once the countdown was over, this limit would be automatically lifted.

But how did the guy who came here now manage to get here?

The answer was simple.

"Someone gave him Heavenly Energy."

Someone with authority, whoever they were, had handed it over.

"But why did they give it to him?"

She couldn't understand the reason at all.

***

Jeong-Hoon came out of the portal and outside the Heavenly Hall.

[It's similar to the Sky Field, isn't it?]

'You're right.'

As Mukho and Anima said, the field outside was similar to the Sky Field.

It was the same place where they had hunted the Bone Lord Wyvern.

However, unlike the Sky Field where wyverns roamed the field, there wasn't a single monster in sight here.

There were only three portals shimmering in the distance.

[Lv.240 Laplanta of Pleasure]

[Lv.255 Gloomy Harmaind]

[Lv.260 Great King Laust]

Monsters that held the materials the NPC had asked him to gather.

Moreover, these were dungeons inhabited only by boss monsters, not ordinary monsters.

'Alright, shall we get ready?'

Instead of entering the dungeon, Jeong-Hoon went into the Achievement Shop.

This was a method that could only be used after the Achievement Shop reached Lv. 5 or higher.

[Achievement Shop (Special) Lv. 5]

-Installation

-Consumables

He skipped the installation category.

The item Jeong-Hoon wanted was in the consumables.

Countless items were displayed in the consumables category.

He quickly scrolled down and stopped at a certain point.

-Drop Rate Increase Potion

Drop Rate Increase Potion.

It was one of the newly added items after reaching level 5.

The price was 10,000 points.

It was a potion that increased the drop rate by 3 times.

But this wasn't enough.

Even if it increased the drop rate by 3 times, it was still only 3%.

It was too tight a timeframe to gather all the materials.

So he was thinking of crafting a new one to use.

-Lucky Four-Leaf Clover

One of the items needed for this was the Lucky Four-Leaf Clover.

It was an item used only as a crafting material and was sold at a considerably high price of 8,000 points.

Jeong-Hoon purchased the material without hesitation.

-Reinforcement Mortar

Next was the Reinforcement Mortar.

Similarly, when using this mortar to craft a new potion, it could enhance the original options.

-Amplification Powder

Finally, purchasing the Amplification Powder completed the recipe for the Drop Rate Explosion Potion.

The Reinforcement Mortar cost 20,000 points, and the Amplification Powder cost 10,000 points, almost depleting the 50,000 achievement points he had received upon entering the Secret Theme.

'Done.'

However, a smile formed on Jeong-Hoon's lips.

With this, he could gather the materials much faster.

Jeong-Hoon put all the purchased materials into the mortar.

Then, he used the pestle to crush and mix them together.

[Crafting success rate is increased.]

The 'Beginner Crafter' title he had obtained while crafting the Unique Restoration Powder earlier.

It only had the option to increase the crafting success rate, so it wasn't usually useful, but at times like this, it was a more necessary title than anything else.

After crushing the mixture for a long time until it was well blended, light started to shimmer inside the mortar.

'It's done.'

['Drop Rate Explosion Potion' has been created.]

['[Title] Beginner Crafter' has been upgraded to '[Title] Intermediate Crafter'.]

While crafting the Drop Rate Explosion Potion, his title was upgraded.

[Drop Rate Explosion Potion]

-Type: Consumable

-Grade: Unique

-Increases drop rate by 10 times for 1 hour after consumption.

The Drop Rate Increase Potion, which was originally supposed to increase the drop rate by 3 times, had been transformed into a potion that increased it by a whopping 10 times.

"Alright. 10% is doable."

With this, he should be able to roughly meet the deadline.

Jeong-Hoon filled glass bottles with the potion one by one.

A total of 23 glass bottles were filled with the potion.

It was enough to last for 23 hours if he drank them consecutively.

[Isn't 10% still a bit low?]

'It is low... It's a 1 in 10 chance of success.'

It certainly wasn't a high probability.

However, Jeong-Hoon thought differently.

"If it's a 1 in 10 chance, that's really good."

It was a quest that could lead to the Heavenly Realm.

There were many quests that were even more difficult than this, so this was considered quite lenient.

Jeong-Hoon drank the potion in the glass bottle.

[Drop Rate Increase Buff (10x) has been applied.]

[Time limit is 60 minutes.]

Now, shall we begin?

[Would you like to enter the Lv. 240 Laplanta of Pleasure Dungeon?]

'Enter.'

***

Laplanta of Pleasure.

The dungeon was characterized by being entirely covered in flowers and plants.

On the surface, everything looked beautiful and created a mesmerizing atmosphere, but the reality was different.

This was because it specialized in mental attacks.

[Oh, what's this? All these dazzling things?]

'It's beautiful. I've lived a long time, but I've rarely seen such beautiful flowers.'

Even Mukho and Anima were impressed by the beautiful flowers.

However, the fragrance emanating from the flowers was a potent poison that caused strong hallucinations.

[Thousand Poison Immunity has failed to resist.]

[Health is decreasing.]

It was a potent poison that even Thousand Poison Immunity couldn't resist.

Jeong-Hoon hurriedly moved forward.

Although it was a dungeon inhabited only by boss monsters, its interior was unimaginably vast.

Furthermore, the deeper he went, the stronger the fragrance became.

And Jeong-Hoon's health rapidly decreased.

To make matters worse, the hallucinations made him feel like he was going in circles.

[Master, isn't this the same flower we saw earlier?]

'I think we're going around in circles.'

Jeong-Hoon nodded.

"We're going straight, so don't worry."

This was an illusion.

It was making him think he was going in circles so he wouldn't reach his destination.

However, Jeong-Hoon had experience clearing similar dungeons countless times.

The fact that the hallucinations were getting stronger meant he was getting closer to it.

Jeong-Hoon relied on his senses to explore the surroundings.

'This is it.'

Then, Jeong-Hoon stopped abruptly at a certain point.

Outwardly, it looked like the same flowers and plants he had seen when he first entered.

[Wow... Did we come back to the beginning?]

'No... Something's strange.'

Unlike Mukho, it seemed Anima had noticed something.

That's right.

This wasn't the place he had first come to.

The fragrance was so strong it made him dizzy, and his health was rapidly decreasing.

Also, unlike before, there was a very faint flow of mana.

It was so subtle that he wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't been concentrating.

Jeong-Hoon held Anima and pulled the bowstring.

'Heavenly Strike.'

He released the drawn bowstring, and the arrow shot out.

The fired arrow accurately struck a mesmerizing red flower.

[Heavenly Strike activated.]

Then, a rain of nearly 100 arrows poured down.

[The illusion disappears.]

The illusion that had been clouding Jeong-Hoon's eyes disappeared, and Laplanta revealed itself.

It had incredibly gorgeous and mesmerizing flowers, but beneath them, thorny bushes and poisonous glands emitting hallucinogenic toxins were oozing sticky liquid.

That liquid was spreading throughout the dungeon, causing hallucinations along with the strong fragrance.

"Kieeeeek..."

It let out a painful groan due to the rain of arrows.

[Wow... Did you hit it accurately?]

Mukho exclaimed briefly.

'Mana was flowing faintly from it.'

Although it was difficult to distinguish due to the illusion, Jeong-Hoon had stats higher than his level.

Therefore, it was impossible to completely deceive Jeong-Hoon with just a level 240 illusion.

Jeong-Hoon pulled the bowstring once again.

'Ultimate Arrow.'

The Ultimate Arrow, boasting a whopping 1700% damage.

Jeong-Hoon released the drawn bowstring, and the Ultimate Arrow shot out.

The arrow accurately struck the thorny bush.

"Kieeeeek!"

It screamed.

As it screamed, the flower opened, revealing sharp teeth and a wriggling tongue inside.

[Eww! What's that!]

'The flower is pretty, but it looks disgusting like that.'

Laplanta, hiding its ugly appearance with flowers.

It was a bizarre monster that sought pleasure through hallucinations.

[Laplanta of Pleasure uses Seduction.]

[Laplanta of Pleasure uses Intense Pleasure.]

Then, powder scattered from the flower.

The powder spread rapidly, covering the surroundings before Jeong-Hoon could escape.

[Debuff: Seduction applied.]

[Debuff: Intense Pleasure applied.]

He couldn't resist, even though it was just a level 240 ability.

'It can't be helped.'

This was a dungeon designed to make all resistance impossible.

Jeong-Hoon felt his vision spinning.

His whole body felt hot, and he had the urge to enter Laplanta's mouth right away.

[Master! Your face is red!]

'Are you okay?!'

However, Jeong-Hoon's face was filled with composure.

He wasn't someone who would crumble from such a measly ability.

"Alright."

Jeong-Hoon took out Leviathan.

[Blackfield activated.]

[All stats are increased by 1.5 times.]

[Due to the effect of Blackfield, all stats of monsters that invade the area are decreased by 10%.]

As always, he activated Blackfield first.

His current detailed stats were already comparable to those of level 350 users, and with a 1.5 times increase, it was even more significant.

[All stats are increased by 15%.]

[20% damage reduction is applied.]

[Time limit is 1 hour.]

Then, the stat amplification ring.

[The activation probability of 'Poison Attack' is increased by 4% for 1 hour.]

He finished his doping by also using the Guardian of Märchen.

The newly acquired Ruler's Grasp.

[Ruler's Grasp's special ability activated.]

[All stats are increased by 10%.]

Jeong-Hoon, with all his might, leaped towards Laplanta.

As he did, he swung his sword in a wide arc.

[1st Form: Initiation activated.]

The first form of the Sword of Extinction.

As Initiation poured out, Laplanta's body was split vertically.

It was killed in just one attack.

[All debuffs are removed.]

[You are no longer poisoned.]

It was a natural result, considering he had used all his items to strengthen himself.

Jeong-Hoon checked the items dropped next to the corpse.

And the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

"Okay. One down."

A large black seed.

That was the Laplanta Seed the NPC had requested.

***

The beginning was smooth, but from then on, it was just manual labor.

The 10% probability didn't come up as often as he thought.

If he was lucky, he would get one more seed after defeating Laplanta 4-5 times.

However, if he was unlucky, the seed wouldn't drop even after defeating it over 20 times.

It was a truly frustrating probability, but Jeong-Hoon managed to gather all the seeds.

'I got them all.'

The mindset of 'if it doesn't work, keep trying until it does'.

Jeong-Hoon had to defeat Laplanta a total of 178 times to gather 10 seeds.

[Wow... Finally!]

'...But isn't that less than half done?'

Anima poured cold water on his excitement.

"That's right. Now we need to gather 10 Harmaind's Wills."

10 Harmaind's Wills.

And 1 King Laust's Axe.

Jeong-Hoon consumed another Drop Rate Explosion Potion.

[Drop Rate Increase Buff (10x) has been applied.]

[Time limit is 60 minutes.]

There was no time to rest.

Jeong-Hoon immediately headed towards the portal where Harmaind was lurking.

[Would you like to enter the Lv. 255 Gloomy Harmaind Dungeon?]