Otherworld Delinquent - Chapter 52 (Patreon)

But first was his new tier three taming mission. He was surprised he didn’t gain a World First Title on the tier two completion, but he supposed they weren’t so easily obtained.

Tier 3 taming mission.
| Mounted Class mission.

| Shadow Assault III - Kill 100 monsters above level 25 with your tamed monster within 5 seconds of exiting stealth. Gain 50 riding hours.

| Reward: Uncommon Weapon. Uncommon Pet stimulants x5. Rare Health Potion x1.

That’s a lot of hours. Noah sighed as he glanced at Krall–only for him to shoot a happy look back at him. Although it would take a while to complete, it was a guaranteed piece of equipment.

Noah was about to head back and select another Challenge, but the wilds of the jungle had other plans. He was lost. Twitching his head this way and that, Noah scratched his head in confusion. He tried to look for the pillar of light, but thanks to the dense trees, he couldn’t see it.

With no way to figure out what was north to his south, Noah made his way towards any area that would enable him to see the Hub. Preferably somewhere where the thick foliage lessened.

As they came to a clearing, Noah noticed a deep hole in the ground. Memories of the mole’s dungeon and being hunted by the monster tingled the fine hairs on the nape of his neck. It really was too close now that he looked back at it. If he was a second late, or if Krall didn’t help him out of the hole–he was dead.

But, if he managed to kill the mole, then that meant it would give him huge tunnel access at least to the surrounding areas. Well, that’s if the hole was mole-made…

Noah bought a long piece of rope and tied it to a tree, then dropped it down into the hole. Rule #15, always have an escape route. Thanks to his heightened Strength, with a strong pull of the rope it would launch him out of the deep, dark hole.

Nodding, he pumped his fists to motivate himself, then with the light crystal, he jumped down into the hole. It was dark, evidently. However the light the crystal he obtained before illuminated the area in a wide arc. Thankfully it looked the same as the tunnel he had entered before.

Come Krall. Noah looked up at his companion, he grunted, then dropped down.

Noah smiled and used [Shadowed Presence]. Shadows swirled around him as if he was the centre of a silent storm. Krall landed and the crash of weight he expected was no more. Instead, it was a muted thud. No-one, or thing, would be able to tell it was a six foot armoured kobold.

He had a couple scent blockers left, and if the first time he encountered the mole wasn’t a coincidence, then the beast probably had an acute sense of smell. Or something more sinister like a Skill to feel the vibrations on the floor. Noah hoped it wasn’t the latter.

Grabbing hold of his backpack, he plopped it in the middle of the floor along with his tattered shirt, and the light crystal. Then, he sprayed the scent blocker on himself again, and retreated to a dark corner of the room.

Moles had a weakness and that was their eyesight. Obviously it was risky using the knowledge he had from Earth, along with the sights he had seen from the Otherworld–Ubos–to reliably use it in this new world. But it was a risk he was willing to take.

He had no way of knowing if someone else had taken the World First Title for clearing a dungeon, but he knew for certain he would gain one for completing it on his own. It was something he had to do, and right now Noah had just received a power boost from his new class. It was the perfect time to attempt it.

Peter had theorised that there could be a Level limit, or some sort of recommended Level that one would receive to give them some sort of guidance. However, it seemed like he would need to gain that information for himself.

Noah supposed it for a sort of adventure, or exploration. The System could have even withheld the information entirely so that it was more entertaining for the broadcast. Whatever the reason was, it just meant that there was a slight gamble involved.

But Noah had already seen the mole before, and although mighty, it was slow. As long as he didn’t get hit–it should be fine.

Finally, Noah’s speculation turned true. Something was approaching. Each step thudded against the earth, causing his teeth to chatter. He blinked his eyes and through the darkness he watched as the mole approached the pile of equipment in the middle of the floor.

The extra dark vision he had gained from his class worked wonders, but it wasn’t perfect. He could make out the outline and the facial features of the monster, but anything beyond that was just a black blur.

However, it was enough. Noah had no plan on waiting for the mole to approach further. It was time to launch his attack.

Level 27 Giant Mole.

Bring it on. Noah grinned as he looked at the Level.

Powered by his Skills, Noah shot through the darkness as if it was his own domain. The muted thunderous charge was so explosive that Noah had to steady himself. The reins tightened around his body as if they had a mind of their own, along with it, he could feel something emptying within him. Mana was being expelled, but Noah paid it no heed.

In just a couple seconds, Noah collided against the mole. His spear sunk deep into its flesh, disappearing almost entirely.

With one attack, came the second. Krall, filled with the added power of [Kill Command], slammed his club against the beast’s stalwart snout. Crack. Bone splintered, blood spilled, but it still hadn’t died.

The mole thrust its head to the side as if it was a hammer, but it was too slow. Noah was already prepared for such an attack. Krall took a glancing step to the side as Noah stabbed his spear with another [Thrust] into the monster's stomach. Hopefully where the heart was.

Whether Noah hit the heart or not, the mole flopped to the ground. Warm liquid seeped out and into the dirt ground below it, sending a wafting copper throughout the tunnel.

Noah was expecting the dungeon to end, but of course it wasn’t so simple. Nothing ever was. The System notification that followed was a reminder that a dungeon wasn’t never going to be so easy.

You defeated a - Level 27 Giant Mole.

| Extra experience is rewarded for fighting an enemy above your level!

The dungeon must be for Level twenty-fives and up. Noah made a guess based on the mole he had just killed. But the only way of knowing for definite was to kill more of them.

Noah was about to move, but the thudding continued once more. They had caught a whiff of blood and needed to investigate what was going on. Cracking his neck in preparation of another fight, he could tell it was going to be a long one.

***

Mole corpses lay within the large tunnel opening in the dozens. A shirtless young man with black tattoos sprawling down his right arm was sitting on one of their dead bodies, panting. From excessive energy consumption, his veins were pumped. Each one looked like a squirming snake wriggling on the surface of his skin as he moved.

Slicking his sweat drenched hair back, beadlets of slater water sprayed outward. Taking a final breath to calm down his heart rate he reflected back to the fight.

Each fight had practically ended the moment he charged, the beasts were simply too slow to deal with his brutal first attack. But more than that, they didn’t seem to have a keen instinct of comradery. If they did and swarmed him, using cooperation, he would be forced to leave the dungeon.

Although he was confident in avoiding one or two of their attacks, three were entering dangerous territory where an easy mistake would cost him his life.

Noticing that the moles had ended, it meant one of two things. One, the others were too far to smell the blood of battle, or two, only the dungeon leader was left.

Noah rested for a while until he was mostly in tip-top shape before heading further into one of the tunnels. Of course he chose the one where most of the moles had emerged from. He was still after the Levels after all.

On the back of Krall, Noah approached a wide opening. From where he stood, he was on top of a large slope that descended into a spacious room.

Noah’s eyes widened in surprise. Three moles scuttled around a wooden chest that was inscribed with–something. Whether it was words of Earth, or some mysterious language from this world was unknown as it was too far to currently make out.

Level 27 Giant Mole.
Level 28 Giant Mole.
Level 30 Giant Mole.

The Level thirty mole was the biggest of the three, but it also looked vaguely familiar. Noah squinted his eyes as he noticed a scar on the side of its forearm. His memory was a bit hazy from the last time as he was in an emergency, but he could swear it was the mole from back there.

Well met, old friend. Noah masked his smiling chuckle with his hand, wary that the sound would ruin his sneak attack.

Using [Shadowed Presence], the shadows swarmed all around them, hiding their existence from the world.

Then, Krall crouched at his command, and as they took a step toward the slope that headed down into the room, Noah plunged a Common Pet Stimulant into the gap between Krall’s armour.

Eyes turning a bloodshot red, they skulked forward, hunting for their next prey. Noah stopped just as they reached half way on the ledge. The strongest mole had already begun using its nose, but Noah was certain that the scent blocker was still working. That meant it was reaching the maximum of its capabilities.

Not able to descend any further in fear of being caught by the mole, Noah looked down at the monster. It had caught their scent and was approaching them from below.

Tightening the grip around the shaft of his spear, Noah commanded Krall to drop down. Skills activated, Noah pointed his spear at the monster's head, then, Krall stepped off the slope.