Chapter 64

“Now, I feel more comfortable. Honestly, being the only one receiving formal speech was awkward.”
“Awkward? Why?”
“People often misunderstood, thinking I was the real leader.”

While Justin had been informal with everyone else, the respectful tone used with Ethan had caused some to mistake him for the true authority figure. Though Ethan had denied the assumption every time, the discomfort lingered—one wrong misunderstanding, and he could have been isolated from the team.

Ironically, the shift to informal speech relieved him more than anything.

Following this change, the other pioneers became noticeably more cautious around Justin, reaffirming his authority without even a word of protest.

“Not bad at all.”

If this atmosphere remained, newcomers would naturally fall in line, preventing potential conflicts before they began. It was a change that benefited everyone, and personally, Justin found it rather satisfying.

With the matter of authority settled, the team resumed their hunting expeditions—this time with an extra member in the group.

“Haah!”

Thwack!

A sharp, powerful strike landed as Rachel slammed her weapon into a gnoll. The creature screeched in pain and was knocked back, though not instantly killed.

“Keep an eye on your surroundings! Don’t get greedy for the kill!” Justin shouted.

“I know!” she responded without missing a beat.

The brief exchange wasn’t even over before another gnoll lunged toward them. Anticipating the attack, Rachel blocked it smoothly with her shield.

Meanwhile, two other gnolls tried to flank them from behind.

“Black Missile.”

Thud!

One gnoll’s head exploded silently from Justin’s spell, while an arrow skewered the other before it could react—Nathan’s precise shot.

The last gnoll, which had been circling around for an opening, was swiftly dealt with by Derek’s hammer.

After blocking the incoming assault and finishing off the gnoll she’d been engaging, Rachel let out a deep breath.

“Phew… I’m getting the hang of this hunting style now.”

“Your movement’s improved, but your damage output still needs work,” Justin noted.

“That’s just a matter of leveling up. At this rate, it won’t take long.”

She smiled confidently.

In just two weeks, Rachel had jumped from level 9 to level 16. She could’ve reached level 19 if she’d focused purely on grinding, but adjusting to the group’s coordination slowed her pace slightly.

“Still, having you with us makes a huge difference. Three on the front line, two in the back—this is a perfectly balanced party for small-scale hunts,” Ethan commented.

“Definitely,” Justin agreed.

That had been the plan all along—bringing in Rachel despite her lower level to complete their party formation. Though she lacked destructive power for now, her combat instincts were solid. Once she reached their level, she would become a key force in their battles.

“Speaking of levels,” Derek grumbled as he shook off the blood from his weapon. “When are our levels going to increase again?”

Their experience gain had plateaued over the past week.

“Come on, this is getting ridiculous. We’ve killed dozens of these things already.”

“Just be patient. I’m already at level 21. Be happy you hit level 20—it’s not like that was easy.”

After countless gnoll hunts, everyone except Rachel had broken past level 20. The joy of unlocking new skills and feeling noticeably stronger had kept their spirits high—until their progress stalled.

Even for Justin, taking down a gnoll warrior had only rewarded him with a single level increase.

“We should consider moving to a new hunting ground,” Derek muttered.

“If only we could,” Nathan sighed. “Why aren’t there any paths leading elsewhere?”

They had searched for other hunting grounds multiple times but found nothing—just dense, impenetrable thickets surrounding the area, blocking any attempt at exploration.

“Maybe we’re just too far ahead of the curve,” Justin speculated.

“Too far ahead?”

“Think about it. Remember that gnoll warrior? Honestly, if I hadn’t been there, who else could’ve killed that thing? We were supposed to fight those with a much higher level or in larger groups.”

The system likely intended to scale their growth step by step, ensuring pioneers gradually faced tougher challenges without straying into overly dangerous zones too soon.

The problem was that they had killed the field boss too early.

“I bet even the system didn’t expect us to take it down this fast. Unlocking the next quest early just for us would break the balance.”

It was just a theory, but it aligned with how quests had worked so far—everyone received new objectives at the same time after reaching certain milestones.

“But it’s been over two weeks already. Shouldn’t something unlock by now?”

“Yeah, at this point, anyone with the determination to challenge the field boss should have done so.”

Just as frustration began to set in, a system message echoed in their minds:

《Fifteen days have passed since the field boss appeared.》
《Side Quest: ‘Field Boss Hunt’ has expired due to time limit.》
《Main Quest: ‘Dungeon Conquest’ has been unlocked.》

The new challenge had finally arrived.

RUMBLE RUMBLE

“An e-earthquake?!”

Derek’s panicked voice cut through the tense silence as the ground violently shook beneath their feet. Until now, this land hadn’t even seen a drop of rain, let alone a natural disaster like this.

Justin himself was caught off guard by the sudden tremor, though thankfully, the shaking subsided almost as quickly as it had begun.

Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the system’s message, which had briefly been cut off, resumed.

《A new area, the ‘Hill Zone,’ has been unlocked.》
《A ‘Brass Compass’ has been distributed to the inventory of all pioneers. Please check your inventory.》
《Those without an inventory will not receive the ‘Brass Compass.’ Cooperate with those who possess one to complete the quest.》
《For further details, refer to the main quest: ‘Dungeon Conquest.’》

The message ended without another word.

They exchanged brief, uncertain glances before simultaneously opening their status windows. As expected, a new quest had been added, just as the system had promised.

〈Dungeon Conquest〉

• Category: Main Quest
• Details: Developing a domain requires massive resources. Even if the leader has the authority to develop it, the costs can be overwhelming. To cover these expenses, treasures from dungeons are essential. Use the compass to locate dungeons and clear as many as possible to collect valuable treasures.
• Reward: Treasures found within dungeons. (No reward if the conquest fails.)
• Note: The Brass Compass will assist in locating dungeons.

The word dungeon snapped Justin’s focus back instantly. In World Breaker, dungeons were renowned for offering the greatest rewards.

And now, dungeon conquest was finally unlocked.