How the Regressed Munchkin Chews Up the Tower - H.R.M.C.U.T Chapter 32 (Part 1):
*Groooooar-!*
The majesty of the Earth Dragon, witnessed once again, was truly awe-inspiring.
Yujin couldn’t help but marvel at the beast as it tore across the first floor of the Tower, reducing the land to a scorched wasteland with its frenzied charge.
“Impressive, really impressive,” he muttered.
How could something with the appearance of a worm move so swiftly?
Writhing and surging toward its prey, the Earth Dragon was nothing short of a calamity incarnate.
Of course, that was from the perspective of its prey, not Yujin.
“Aaaaaahh!”
A guttural scream tore from Ishia’s throat.
“How are we supposed to kill *that*?!”
Park Jihoo glared at Yujin with eyes glinting with madness.
“I told you, it’s doable,” Yujin replied, casually picking at his ear.
‘Did I make them hunt too many Red Goblins?’ he wondered.
In a standard growth route, players would hunt various monsters, steadily leveling up before facing the Earth Dragon. The accumulated experience would allow them to confront such a massive beast without faltering.
But Ishia and Park Jihoo were different. The only monsters they’d faced were Sulfur Deer and Red Goblins—human-sized threats. To suddenly encounter a colossal beast dozens of meters long was understandably panic-inducing.
‘Still, what can you do? It’s the fastest way.’
Combat experience? That would pile up naturally as they ascended the Tower, whether they wanted it to or not. Survival demanded relentless struggle, unlike the leisurely, peaceful atmosphere of the first floor. Right now, the priority was clear: level up. Red Goblins weren’t optional—they were essential.
“Stop running around and let’s take it down already. You wanna keep wasting time on a thing like that?”
Thanks to their efforts, both had reached level 20—a remarkable feat, considering the average level for leaving the first floor was around 13. They should be able to take down an Earth Dragon with their eyes closed…
“Hm? Or maybe not?” Yujin tilted his head, reconsidering.
He couldn’t judge everyone by his own standards. Ishia and Park Jihoo were talented idiots—not quite fools, but only marginally better in his eyes. Expecting too much from such dimwits was a mistake.
“Anyway, if you can’t kill it in ten minutes, it’s back to Red Goblin duty. If you want another week of blood-soaked living, keep running away and see what happens.”
*Flash-!*
As soon as Yujin finished speaking, a black swordlight gleamed. It was Ishia’s resolve, fueled by her absolute refusal to repeat the same grueling experience.
“Arghhhhhh!”
Park Jihoo was no different. His fist, thrown with all his might, slammed into the Earth Dragon’s underbelly.
*Boom-!*
The beast’s hide tore and burst, like an old sandbag splitting open, its contents spilling out.
“Kyaaa!”
“Ughhh!”
Drenched in the Earth Dragon’s putrid entrails, the two were on the verge of fainting from the stench.
“Tch, tch!” Yujin clicked his tongue at their sorry state.
Was killing one measly beast such a big deal to cause this much fuss?
“Don’t you think so?” he asked, turning to Chunbae.
The small bear nodded in agreement.
“Kraaaaang!”
“Yeah, you’re a hundred times better than those two.”
Yujin patted Chunbae’s head before slowly walking toward the two, who were retching up their breakfast beside the Earth Dragon’s corpse.
“See? Not that hard. You only wasted so much time because you were intimidated by its size.”
It had taken a whopping 40 minutes to kill the Earth Dragon. If they’d approached it calmly, as they did with Red Goblins, they could’ve finished in 15 minutes or less.
“When you’re scared of an enemy, you can’t even muster half of your strength. How many times have I told you to keep your cool?”
He had said it—probably back when they were buried in waves of Red Goblins, though they were too busy fighting for their lives to listen.
“Anyway, good work. Let’s head up.”
Yujin waded through the rancid stench without a care, approaching the stairs to the second floor.
“Hey, are you okay with this?” Ishia asked, staring at him.
“With what?”
“This smell! Urgh!” She gagged again mid-sentence.
“You’ll get used to it. Stop making a fuss over nothing.”
This smell was trivial. The upper floors held far worse horrors—zombies, zombies, and more zombies. He’d once had to eat the rotting flesh of a monster raw when food ran out. Compared to that, the Earth Dragon’s entrails were nothing.
“Follow me.”
With a look of disdain at the two, Yujin continued walking. Then, as if recalling something, he muttered under his breath, “Come to think of it, there’s nowhere to wash on the second floor.”
“Ahhh!”
Ishia’s scream echoed faintly across the first floor.
* * *