Acquiring Talent In A Dungeon
Talent, appearance, power.
No matter how hard I try, I can't beat the people born with these things.
But, within this dungeon, I can overcome them.
Read Acquiring Talent in a Dungeon - Chapter 1 - Day 1, Entering the Dungeon online free - Light Novel Full
Chapter 1 Day 1, Entering the Dungeon.
Prologue
Someone once proclaimed the truth of life: "Property and status aren't important. For those who are faithful to reality, happiness will come naturally." But, was that really true? I didn't know who said it, but their way of thinking was way too arrogant. They were looking down on the existence of human beings.
Everyone wanted to become richer.
Everyone wanted to become more influential.
Everyone wanted to build up their power until the end.
Fly higher. Become better. They wanted to be more special!
Not just 'men' but 'humans' were born with desire, a dream.
But, no matter how they reached for their dreams, they couldn't touch them. Money, family, problems of natural talent or social limitations all stopped them. Everyone succumbed to reality as their desires were trampled on.
Happiness didn't follow people were were faithful to reality. They just learned how to suppress their desires and dreams. They deceived themselves. This was reality. Even those who were happy dreamt endlessly. They dreamt of becoming professional athletes, famous singers or actors in a virtual drama.
The freedom to feel desire was given to everyone, but it was unfortunate for some. The number of people likely to abandon reality rose. Perhaps it was their salvation.
Maybe it was the mercy of the gods looking down on Earth for entertainment.
That night at midnight. A hole opened in front of those filled with desire.
Chapter 1 - Day 1, Entering the Dungeon
The group presentation was successful. It didn't feel that great, but it was a neat result with no specific problems. The demanding professor also complimented us.
"Somehow, I feel good!" A student pretended to be drunk on the sense of accomplishment, when in reality they had been missing for half the meetings. He used the excuse of 'something came up' every time, but when I looked at his public SNS account, he had gone out to play.
"Everybody worked hard, this is the result of your hard work!" The student wearing a baseball cap over his shaved hair imitated the leader.
The reason he could act so shamelessly was because he had made a huge difference. He knew there was a large gap. He didn't want to be associated as a pleb and instead styled himself as a prince. As soon as he started investigating, he became a professional in materials research.
"I honestly was a little concerned... As a result, I'm glad we finished well."
Ah. Yes, you should have been worried.
This jerk was formidable. He was a guy who advertised 'I am a cool person' with his words and actions.
But no matter how I looked, he was just a person with a 'cool sickness.' (Korean slang for someone who thinks they're really cool but they're not). His powerpoint writing skills were only at the level of a second year middle school student. No matter how much he was asked to modify the powerpoint, he just ignored them with an expression like he was chewing on poo.
It wouldn't be unusual if he became a thug.
This was the first time I had worked with him, but there was no sense in telling the professor about the problem. People who started a conflict by saying 'You're wrong!' would receive a penalty. In the case of X, it was inevitable.
Anyway, I needed to perform well in front of the professor because my scholarship depended on this semester's score. Being too emotional would just cause collateral damage. Thus, I didn't do anything.
"Shall we go eat to celebrate? How about dinner?"
"Okay."
"Me too!"
"I'll pass. I have private tutoring."
The three people stared blankly at me.
"Really? Then it can't be helped..."
"It's too bad."
It felt like I they were glaring daggers at my back as I waved my hand and turned away. I didn't think I could impersonate a genius. I was just tired and ready to go sleep.
I lived a very hard life. I used everything that was available to me.
My family wasn't one that could be called poor. They had high expectations for their only son, but they couldn't afford the tuition of a first-rate private school.
Rather than taking my parent's suggestion of a 100% funded scholarship, I desperately sought alternatives.
The Ward Welfare Division. I searched various student foundations and entrance screening tests to find all the low-income assistance methods possible.
I asked a few high school juniors for examples of the college entrance exams and went to private tutoring during the winter break.
I managed to solve the admission fee and the cost of moving to Seoul. Of course, it was a strenuous achievement. I put in the effort to be as prepared as possible.
Not only did I get support for a low-income household, I also received a scholarship based on my grades and recommendations from teachers.
I also cared about human relationships, so I have a good relationship with most people. I networked as much as possible with seniors who had already graduated from computer engineering and found a part time job whenever there was a break.
When taking into consideration my age and family, I was very excellent in the group bracket I was in. I put aside my pride and used it as a driving force.
Buuuong!
"..."
As I waited at the school bus stop to go home, a foreign car passed by me.
It was a stranger but I could see his face. He was around the same age as me, maybe a bit younger, possibly 20 years old.
I wasn't envious. It was just frustrating. I had seen so often it in recent years.
The talent of money, the so called 'wall' that I couldn't cross.
I stayed up all night with a few cups of coffee to solve algorithm problems with a few friends. I became more efficient.
I had friends who went out and earned a lot of money for the first 10 years after graduation and then returned home rich. I wanted to be like them. No, I wanted to surpass them.
Was that too greedy? Shouldn't I concentrate on the present and focus on my current life?
Clink.
As soon as I opened the door, I threw myself onto the bed. Today, there was no such thing as private tutoring. I just wanted to take a break. These days, it was difficult to endure the exhaustion I felt all the time. I closed my eyes.
It was midnight when I opened them again.
I rubbed my eyes and sat up. The clock on the wall showed that it was precisely midnight. However, I felt like I'd slept pretty well. I got up to go to the bathroom.
The moment that I took a step I faltered. There was nothing for my feet to touch on the ground.
"Eek?"
I staggered and barely managed to throw myself back on the bed.
There was a hole in my floor.
It was rectangular and approximately 2 metres in length, but it wasn't just an opening. There was a stone border and stone stairs leading down.
"..."
I stared at the floor for a while but the hole remained the same.
My next thought was that I should leave the house. However...
"W-what is this?"
I'd made my way to the front door, but it wouldn't budge. The handle was stuck as though it had been glued in place. My remaining drowsiness disappeared as goose bumps formed.
I opened my phone to request help.
[The call is currently not available in this area...]
There was just a voice message stating I was out of range.
I re-entered my room to try and open the window. Just like the door, it didn't move at all.
I desperately opened my mobile phone again but belatedly realized something that only raised my fear.
12:00
A few minutes had certainly passed since I woke to the hole. The clock on the wall was the same, the hour/minute/second hands were fixed at 12, not moving.
Was this a nightmare? My senses told me that wasn't the answer. Even if this was a vivid dream, it gave off the feeling of reality. If this was a dream then I wouldn't even be thinking about it.
[Lie down in bed or step on the stairs.]
"Uhat!?"
I automatically swung a fist as letters appeared in front of my eyes, but my fist didn't touch anything.
The letters were still floating in the air. That was all it said. I wondered if something else would pop out, but the words just stayed floating there.
Then I thought about the meaning of the words. Lie down in my bed? My head naturally turned and looked at the bed.
Then more letters showed up.
[As soon as you lie down, you will fall into a sleepy state. The hole will disappear. All your memories about the hole will be gone in the morning. The end.]
I wasn't as surprised as the first time. Instead, after carefully reading the letters, I turned and stared at the hole.
I had seen letters above the bed. So it was only logical more might come up if I looked at the hole. I was correct.
[Day 1 of exploration will begin. It isn't possible to leave the dungeon before the exploration of the 1st floor is completed or before you are eliminated.]
Dungeon? It was a word I had heard before. A word I knew from games and manhwa.
But if the words were true, why wouldn't I lie down on my bed? I had no intention of stepping on the staircase. Not without knowing what was down there...
[An opportunity.]
What?
New words surfaced like they were answering my subconscious thoughts. That wasn't the end.
[Explorer - Kim Hee-chul's desire, this is a means to pursue the desires that can't be achieved normally.]
"..."
If I was normal then I wouldn't step on the unknown staircase.
But was it due to what I had been thinking recently? Was it because of the uncontrollable fatigue that reached its peak today? Whatever the reason, I took the words seriously.
And I took a step.
[Explorer - Kim Hee-chul. Enter.]
[Opening the dungeon's 1st floor.]
The words surfaced in front of my eyes.
At the same time, something appeared over my head.
"What is this?"
At first glance, it was a red fluorescent light. A square bar of red light. Wait a minute.
Red bar? Above my head? I had seen this before... Perhaps…
Letters appeared in front of the bar.
[HP Bar. Displays the current health of the explorer.]
[Current Balance: 121/121]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 2 - Day 1, 1st Floor
"..."
A real game?
[Once it reaches 0, you are automatically out.]
"What is 'out'?" I muttered to myself but the letters didn't appear with an answer.
Either way, I didn't intend to walk down the stairs barehanded. I picked up a knife near the sink, but when I tried to bring it down the stairs with me...
Swish.
As soon as I stepped back on the stairs, the knife flew out of my hands.
[You can't carry in items that aren't in your inventory. Everyday things that the explorer carries such as clothing, jewellery, etc, are accepted.]
I understood. Okay. Then what about my phone? I wouldn't be able to make any calls but the light would be helpful. I swallowed my fears and headed down the stairs.
I had been worried about falling, but it was baseless. After the third step, my vision became dark and the next moment, I was at the bottom of the stairs.
[1st floor. Arrived.]
A cave appeared in front of me. It had stalactites like the ones commonly seen in nature documentaries. However, the tunnel had a regular width.
I looked back at the stairs with surprise as I wondered how much I had skipped. There was no end to the stairs leading upwards.
[You are not allowed to step on the stairs again. If your feet touch the stairs, you are out.]
"Okay, I understand."
I shrugged, but half of it was bravado. Then I started walking in the direction of the cave.
Before I walked a hundred steps, I noticed something strange: there was no light in the cave. In fact, it was complete darkness. However, I was able to identity what was in front of me.
Four metres? Or five metres?
A certain range around me was illuminated, like a spotlight was focused on me. Once I moved my foot, the part I stepped to brightened accordingly.
The boundary between the bright area and the dark part seemed to be drawn with a ruler. I was staring at it when more words appeared.
[Current floor visibility is normal. Field of Vision: 4.5m]
[This can be expanded with a related talent or object.]
Was this the concept of 'vision'? The fact that I couldn't see more than a few metres in front of me was quite burdensome.
There was a fork in the road. I'd come to a cross shaped crossroad with three directions: 'straight', 'left' or 'right'.
"... This is bad."
This was a 'dungeon' and it would be a problem if the structure was a maze. The key was the limited field of vision. If everything was visible then it wouldn't be difficult to return to this crossroad again.
The stairs that I had come down were still visible in the distance. However, it was likely to be very confusing if I could only see a few metres around me.
I pulled out my cell phone. I hadn't been thinking about making a map in my head. People weren't smart and precise creatures. There was a bit of uncertainty, so I wanted to have as few regrets as possible. I hadn't lived long, but it was a lesson I'd had deeply ingrained into my mind.
Phone calls didn't work but the touchpad app was fine. I recorded the brief directions with my finger. Then...
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Cartography: Ability to create and read maps according to the rank, spatial perception ability and descriptive power. Memory and visualization abilities have slightly increased.]
[Currently it is LV 1. Benefits will open at LV 5.]
Talent acquisition? It was distinctly different from the meaning of 'talent' that I knew...
[It is possible to open talents through specific acts and experience in the dungeon. Repeating it will give experience and cause the rank to rise.]
[The talent acquired here will also be applied in reality. The innate and acquired qualities that the explorer is born with will be forcibly changed.]
The words disappeared and small letters floated above the hand holding his phone.
[Cartography LV 1. 2/100]
This was probably… I turned right at the intersection and added it to the map. The change came immediately.
[Cartography LV 1. 4/100]
No matter how busy, I was still a teenager who lived in South Korea in the 21st century. The leisure activities that I enjoyed were playing soccer and video games.
I guessed that the '4/100' was experience. It was the experience required for LV 2, and at LV 2, the talent would grow like the words said.
The ability to read and draw maps. Spatial perception. Descriptive ability. And a little bit of memory and visualization. I could feel it already.
My overall dexterity was bad. Drawing a line on a piece of paper would make it crooked, let alone doing it on a cell phone. But it was different now. The line was noticeably neater compared to before the words had appeared. There was almost no shaking in the strokes.
"Wow."
A sound of admiration popped out. This was the 'Cartography' talent? Drawing a line on my cell phone wasn't that important. It was just important that I could feel a change.
There was nothing particularly good about drawing a map. Spatial perception and descriptive ability, I couldn't feel any change right now. However, it was a different story for memory and visualization, even with the 'slightly' attached to it.
My heart jumped-- the changes were permanent. A change in ability that was meaningful enough for me to notice. Besides, this was just the effect of level '1'!
I'd walked a few steps and it was already 4/100. It didn't seem like it would be very difficult to fill up the remaining 96 points. I continued to add to the map on the screen as I walked.
8/100, 15/100, 24/100...
The map was useful. I encountered a few dead ends as well as the overlapping intersections several times. But I never got lost.
Even though I had the map, it was confusing whether or not what I was seeing matched with the map. However, I stayed calm and made the right judgements. This was probably due to the increased spatial perception ability.
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Cartography LV 1 - LV 2. Related abilities have increased.]
[Cartography LV 2. 2/200.]
"Hya."
There was a feeling of accomplishment.
I checked the map that I had drawn so far. The structure of the cave was indeed a maze. Overall, it had a rectangular shape and there was one part that I hadn't visited yet.
I had a thought as I headed there. Something was strange. Maze. Dungeon. If so, then something should emerge, whether it was a monster or a treasure box. In fact, I was hoping for the latter.
If I left the maze without finding anything...
"Eh?"
As soon as I had that thought I reached the last part of the maze. It was a dead end with a staircase leading down. The stairway underneath the square hole looked like the one in my room.
In front of it was a square box.
[Wooden Box. There seems to be no lock. It is possible to smash it.]
It said the box could be smashed.
Then letters appeared above the stairs behind the box.
[Stairs. It leads to the 2nd floor.]
[The moment you step foot on it, the current floor exploration is over and you will return from the dungeon. The next night at midnight, you will start on the floor at the bottom of the stairs.]
So, it was fixed to one floor per day, but the real point was the next words.
[Changes in the following floor: Dungeon space has expanded. You can encounter 1 explorer. Monsters below E rank will emerge.]
Monsters... I trembled at that word but the part before it was more surprising. It meant that I could encounter another explorer like me. If that was the case, did the next floor require some type of cooperative play? Or was it a competition?
"..."
I stopped thinking about it. They weren't directly in front of me and I had an object to focus on: the box.
Gulp. I gulped and pushed open the top of the box. The interior of the box was dark. It was a completely black void that showed nothing.
I put my hand inside the box. In many ways, it was a rash choice.
Ching.
There was a sound as a mechanism was activated. I felt a cool sensation at my waist. Pain.
"...Eh?"
My wrist had been neatly cut off by the top part of the box.
"Ah, waaaaaahhhh!"
A huge pain overwhelmed me and I fell down on my butt. I looked up at my 'HP Bar' and saw that it had been reduced by 1/4.
[Current Balance: 96/121]
[A bleeding state. Health will decrease by 2 every minute.]
Pain was followed by fear. I lost my hand. The fear of living the rest of my life as a disabled person steamrolled through my mind. I couldn't believe it as I looked down at the bloody stump of my arm. It was a surreal sight as letters rose above the blood.
[Common wounds suffered in the dungeon will be cured by clearing the floor.]
In other words, my hand would return to normal if I headed down the stairs? I felt relieved and immediately stepped towards the stairs. I wanted to escape. The pain of my body being cut was real. I didn't want to feel like this for one more minute...!
...But.
I stopped right in front of the stairs. My body was telling me to go down. Don't hesitate to go down quickly, but at the same time, my head was speaking.
It was strange. The box was three steps away from the stairs. Don't think about it, go down straight away! No. Think about it.
Wouldn't the trap be useless if they placed it three steps before the stairs? It was like it was trying send me a message 'Pain? Then quickly go down, down!'
There must be something. If I didn't go down then something would happen. I thought about earlier. The moment that I received Cartography. I once again looked at my HP Bar.
[Current Balance: 94/121]
[A bleeding state. Health will decrease by 2 every minute.]
People wouldn't die just from having their wrist cut off. I stepped back from the stairs. Instead, I grabbed my cut off wrist and leaned against a cave wall.
Kaduk.
I gritted my teeth. I was familiar with enduring things. The few things I've gained in life had been through struggling. Then letters appeared in front of my eyes.
[Talent has been acquired.]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 3 - Day 1, 1st Floor Completion
Did I say I was familiar with it? I was more familiar with being betrayed by patience. Life wasn't a neat give and take. However, it wasn't the case this time.
[Talent - Pain Tolerance: The ability to endure pain will depend on the level. Willpower, concentration and mental resistance will slightly increase.]
[Currently it is LV 1. Benefits will open at LV 5.]
"It is great to see."
I could feel the sweat running down my face, but I smiled as I saw the words. Patience, willpower and concentration. It was gratifying to see these friends. Mental resistance was slightly weaker.
[Use the command prompt 'check talent' to show the list of talents that you currently possess.]
[Use the command prompt 'check ability' to show the current capabilities of your abilities.]
"Check talent." Then the words 'Cartography' and 'Pain Tolerance' appeared. Next. "Check ability."
To be honest, I was anticipating it a little bit. It was a numerical measure of my abilities, usually called stats in games. I could check my ability level through objective metrics. How much would my own abilities be? Anyone would want to see it at least once.
[Endurance: 11 (Decimal points are omitted)]
[Willpower: 11 (Decimal points are omitted)]
...Eung?
"Check ability."
[Endurance: 11 (Decimal points are omitted)]
[Willpower: 11 (Decimal points are omitted)]
Why were there only two?
[The number of human abilities capable of being represented is almost infinite.]
[For the above reason, the abilities that have a value of 10 or less are omitted.]
It meant that the only abilities that exceeded 10 was endurance and willpower. "10... What degree of ability is 10?" I received an answer.
[For the current human race, the adult standard of abilities is between 6-10.]
[Abilities increase in small quantities of units below a decimal point. A change to the left of the decimal place is rarely observed outside the dungeon. This is referred to as 'breaking through the limits.]
"Ha."
I couldn't help laughing. I had been a little bit confident.
I struggled alone in an unfamiliar environment, entered a good university and was able to achieve my own results. Frankly, it would be a lie if I said I wasn't complacent. I'm obviously not a genius.
But I still thought I was a little more special than ordinary people. I had thought like that. "Special. Hah, how ridiculous."
If this had been a normal situation then the mental blow might have been worse. No, I wouldn't have even known this fact if these were normal circumstances. But now I was here. Talent. This strange dungeon would give me access to what I didn't have before.
If I didn't have it, then I could get it.
Kuk.
I put strength into the hand holding my bleeding wrist. Endurance and willpower. Those were my two advantages. Yes. I could look at it in another manner: I could put my hands on everything.
I stared at the section of wrist that was cut off.
[Pain Tolerance. LV 1. 39/100]
The pain hadn't disappeared. Rather, it seemed to be getting worse than before. However, the feeling returned to other parts of my body. If you were hit hard in the stomach, you couldn't think about anything else and other parts of your body couldn't move properly.
That was before I received Pain Tolerance.
Now, I still suffered the pain but their sensations in the other parts of my body were different. My body seemed to be able to move more easily than usual. The shaking had also stopped to a certain extent. This was how I was able to think about raising my stats.
[Pain Tolerance. LV 1. 51/100]
Maybe I went crazy due to the pain. Only a short time had passed, yet the rise in ability was enormous. My HP Bar was almost unchanged. It seemed like the bleeding wasn't as severe as I thought.
'There is no feeling of death.' Then I can endure. I can withstand it.
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Pain Tolerance LV 1 - LV 2. Related abilities have increased.]
That's right.
[Concentration limit exceeded.]
[Concentration: 11 (Decimal points are omitted)]
Concentration? The increase in ability indicated that it was just a little bit below the decimal point. Moreover, the concentration increase from Pain Tolerance levelling up had the label 'slightly' attached.
Then my original concentration must've been around 10 or so. Maybe the decimal point was 10.99... Well, either way it was in the late 10's.
"Yes, let's just focus on it."
I still had 86 health remaining. Level two required 100 points while level 3 needed 200. I had that thought and opened my eyes.
[Pain Tolerance. LV 2. 14/200]
Wasn't it rising more slowly than before?
It might be due to the level up. But I didn't feel like Cartography became slower after reaching level two. The limit had been raised from 100 to 200 so it wasn't right that the rate should reduced.
Perhaps… Although it had been very painful awhile ago, I had now grown accustomed to the sensation. Did the experience slow down because the pain I felt was lessened? I looked up at the HP Bar. My HP was still reducing at a rate of two points per minute.
"..."
The solution was clear. I just didn't know if I could put it into action. I raised my body, standing slowly.
I turned and faced the wall that I had been leaning against. I took one step back with my left foot, while my right foot was half a step forward.
I lifted both arms, well one healthy hand holding a wrist with no hand. My shoulders were in the proper position and I prepared to throw a punch. Ah. My cut wrist couldn't form a fist. Truly.
"... Hah."
Anyone who heard it would be terrified. I honestly admitted it. Yes. I was completely ruined. Were my legs shaking? This was the craziest thing I would ever do. That time when I rode my dad's bike up a high hill and closed my eyes as I went down? Well. I didn't think it was so crazy now.
I laughed and punched the wall.
"Ack!"
I briefly lost consciousness.
[Pain Tolerance. LV 4. 792/800]
"Yes... Eu... Ai... g..."
My mouth could barely form sounds. I used every last strength to raise my head.
I was stretched out on the ground. When I looked up, my HP Bar was almost empty.
[Current Balance: 5/121]
[A bleeding state. Health will decrease by 2 every minute.]
I had less than three minutes left.
It was dangerous. I had to go down the stairs. There was no strength in my legs. My belly was damp. Blood? It was the smell of urine. There was also a lot of it. I gritted my teeth and turned over. I could see both arms in front of me as I crawled.
Let's say there was a tree branch. If it was cut with a knife then the section was very neat.
Then it was given to an active child. The child played with it, used it to draw pictures in the sand and took it to a playground. It was used to kill some ants, maybe a few earthworms or mantises as well.
Now, think about that cut section again. The end of my right arm looked similar. There was no sensation anymore. That's why I stopped gaining experience. How many times had I hit the wall? I remembered exactly two times.
No. I didn't want to think about it.
I didn't want to think about it.
I hated thinking about it.
I wouldn't think about it.
Go to the stairs quickly. I used the cut off section of my wrist as a cane and crawled forward slowly. This way was faster. I didn't have any sensations anyway.
[Current Balance: 4/121]
[A bleeding state. Health will decrease by 2 every minute.]
As I moved forward little by little, I seemed like a bug. A bug with no wings or legs. What would it do in the future? What was I talking about? My hand would grow again.
[Current Balance: 3/121]
[A bleeding state. Health will decrease by 2 every minute.]
Really? Yes.
[Current Balance: 2/121]
[A bleeding state. Health will decrease by 2 every minute.]
What did someone tell me? I didn't know. I couldn't remember. Mother. Why don't we have any money?
[Current Balance: 1/121]
[A bleeding state. Health will decrease by 2 every minute.]
My arm didn't touch the ground, but the air. My upper body tilted forward and I rolled down the stairs.
[1st floor cleared.]
[Unique talent has awakened.]
The first thing I did when I opened my eyes was to touch my right hand. My hand was intact. It was like it had never been severed in the first place.
"Ah..."
I spent two hours just touching my hands. The right hand was still attached. It was an obvious fact. But I felt so pleased and thankful as I finally realized the value of it.
I belatedly realized that I was crying. I dried off my tears and looked at the clock. 8:18 am. That meant I had awakened around 6 a.m.
I got up from the bed and stretched to loosen my tense muscles. Everything was the same as it had been before I went to sleep. Not only my right hand, but the small scrapes on my body and the dirt and urine on my clothes were all cleaned.
Was it cleaned? Or had I even been dirty in the first place?
The windows opened very easily. The morning scenery spread out, telling me that this moment was reality. How could I tell if last night was real?
It was as simple as opening a window. I opened my mouth.
"Check ability."
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 4 - Day 2, 2nd Floor
I didn't really think that the words would appear. I couldn't adapt when it was such a bright morning.
[Endurance: 11]
[Concentration: 11]
[Willpower: 12]
"12 willpower?"
Obviously, I had raised Pain Tolerance to level four. Nevertheless, willpower was only at 12 points. It seemed like the changes in decimal numbers wasn't so simple.
I covered my face with both hands and sat on the bed. I recalled what happened in the dungeon yesterday. Memories of tears, a runny nose and punching a wall with a severed hand came to mind.
I couldn't bear it and fainted. After I woke up, I had crawled like a madman towards the stairs. It was painful, to the extent that I had thought I'd rather die.
Now I had to return to the dungeon at midnight tonight. Was it worth continuing after all that pain I experienced yesterday? I asked myself the question. The answer came straight away.
"Am I crazy?"
There were no flaws in my brain so why did I ask this question? 10 times. 100 times. 1,000 times. It was right even if I asked myself 10,000 times.
Pain? It was irrelevant. I could endure it anyway. There was no going back. If I poured in hard work then I would definitely get benefits.
In reality, I clenched my teeth and endured it, no matter how sick I was. My abilities would definitely rise up and break through the limits.
Okay. I came to a conclusion. I got up from the bed. I cleaned up the mess cluttering my room. I did the laundry, washed the dishes and threw out the old garbage.
After a shower and brunch, I felt more motivated than I had been in a long time. Okay. I braced myself and started on the work that I needed to do.
That's right. It was an outsourced coding job that I received from a senior graduate. I opened the used notebook that I'd owned for three years.
Dungeon?
Of course it was the most important issue. But I only knew three things about the second floor: it would become bigger, monsters will emerge and I would meet someone else.
None of my other questions had any answers. If I could carry a weapon then I would start preparing.
So the only thing I could do was wait patiently until midnight. Should I spend all day worrying about it? Wasn't that a waste?
The dungeon was certainly a gold mine but this was now. My current living expenses were more important than the unknown talents I might get in the future. And what if I experience the change in having ascended stats while working?
Although they weren't over 10, abilities were able to rise and my concentration was also 11 points. The coding wasn't a very difficult task. It was easy to buy other companies' code and attach it. However, it was a major challenge for me. In order to save on costs, I decided to write the code myself.
Although the due date was relaxed, I had a free schedule so it should be easily finished by next week. I started at 11:45 am. If I didn't do anything else and worked hard then I should be finished by dinner.
"Good."
I opened the screen and launched the Eclipse window. For a while, it was silent except for the banging on the keyboard.
Tadak!Tadadak!
...
...
Well.
I hadn't checked my cell phone yet but I was almost certainly finished. It was sometimes like that when the work was fun or urgent. There didn't seem to be any apparent differences.
Anyway, I worked until I finished.
After putting the code on the server, I stretched while feeling somewhat disappointed. Was it too greedy to want a dramatic change? Maybe I should buy a lunch box from the convenience store...
"Eh?"
It seemed like my eyes weren't working. I rubbed them and looked once again. The clock's minute and hour hand still remained in the same spot.
It was 3:40 pm.
I hadn't looked at the clock while working. The reason why I thought it was evening was because I knew my maximum speed.
I'd expected it to be as early as 6 pm. Maybe 7 pm at the latest. Or maybe even later than expected.
But 3:40 pm?
Only that much time has passed? Did I really finish all of it? I decided to review the code once again. It was clean. Even if it wasn't perfect, it was as good as it could get with my present skills. Yet... I had finished it nearly twice as quickly.
This was completely crazy.
Kkoruruk!
An alarm started ringing. I hadn't felt hungry until now, but once I was aware it was terrible. I had eaten the same amount of rice that I normally did, yet I was starving before it was even dinner time.
My abilities had risen from 10 to 11.
Even if I didn't know the details... Maybe it made a far greater difference than I thought. Anyway, my work was finished so I decided to have a meal.
I felt slightly at ease as I went into the convenience store. I bought a special bulgogi lunch box that was to my taste. I also got an extra cider bottle.
As I returned, I saw a red-haired person smoking in front of the building: An Su-hyun.
"..."
He looked me up and down while smoking and beckoned. I had to comply as he was smoking right in front of the entrance. As I approached, he blew out smoke and said,
"Did you dump that?"
He was referring to the garbage dump site. I had stacked up all the convenience store lunch boxes there.
"It isn't me."
"No, you are clearly holding the same product in your hand."
What was with this bastard? He even looked at what I bought? There was no use in arguing.
If I had describe him to a friend, he was the manager of the building. He was the only son of the building owners. He was the same age as me but we disliked each other, and I prayed never to encounter him. However, his parents were pretty good to me.
They asked me to be the private tutor of their son and paid extra tutoring fees. Every time school finished, I tried my best to help him. But he never listened in class. He didn't do the homework and received a shocking score in the mock exam. No university I knew would accept a score of 777.
It was crazy.
His parents weren't familiar with university admission so he used the pretext of studying to receive a salary for the building manager position.
Even though his parents owned a separate house on the rooftop, he stayed in a rented room in the name of concentrating. Of course, he didn't pay rent.
I didn't think I could control my mouth and I wanted to continue staying in this building, so I quit the tutoring. I hated the thought of looking pathetic if he tried to pick a fight with me. Oh, it was true that I did look pathetic in front of him.
"Be more conscientious. Yes?"
A cigarette butt came flying towards me while he said such things. I couldn't hit An Su-hyun. There was nothing I could do so I walked past An Su-hyun. His words could be heard from behind me. "It's true. Everything they say about students from O University."
There were many sick minded friends in this world. I couldn't become angry when encountering all of them. I wasn't made enough to provoke them. It was only occasionally that their values and way of life were so incomprehensible that I thought they were quite sad. If I was in that position, I would have lived better.
Well, I wouldn't know unless it really happened to me.
My first impression was that the second floor was no different from the first.
The only thing was that the path split into three as soon as I descended the stairs. I turned around and looked at the stairs.
[You are not allowed to step on the stairs again. If your feet touch the stairs, you are out.]
The moment I stepped on the stairs, the second floor had appeared. Then we couldn't go back to the first floor? I pulled out my cell phone and took the right path.
[Cartography LV 2. 29/200]
While drawing the map, I paid the utmost attention to my field of vision while moving.
Monsters below E rank. If I thought of this as a game, the first monster in a game wouldn't be one that put the player at risk. However, the possibility of suffering considerable pain like having my wrist cut off was large. I had to be as careful as possible. I was tense every time I had to turn a corner.
Then I heard footsteps coming from around the corner.
"..."
I breathed and waited in a spot where I could see clearly. Soon, the shape of a person popped around the corner!
"Aaaagh!"
It wasn't me who screamed wildly.
I had been prepared after hearing the footsteps, and I had expected it to be another explorer instead of a monster. But that didn't mean I wasn't surprised.
"W-w-what? Y-you are Kim Hee-chul."
The person called my name. I hadn't expected the other human to be An Su-hyun. An Su-hyun was like me...
Was it that common to enter this dungeon? If so, how many other people who lived close were in the dungeon?
"No... I-it is natural to cry out when seeing another person."
"Yes. 'I see that you are here."
"I was surprised because you suddenly f*ing popped out..."
An Su-hyun had been shocked when he saw me but now he spat out curses.
"..."
"..."
It became silent as his shaking calmed down somewhat. There was nothing to say.
"I will go this way."
I talked first as I took a step. It wouldn't be helpful to stay with someone like him. An Su-hyun didn't answer but followed behind me.
"Hey, what are you doing with your cell phone?" He asked suddenly.
"Drawing a map."
"Map?"
"The paths can be confusing." I intentionally snorted and it briefly echoed in the cave.
"I had roughly visualized the structure in my head but you probably have to draw a map since you can't remember."
"It is your nature not to take notes."
"Why bother with all that effort? Well, I also thought about doing it."
He didn't ask about the 'Cartography' skill above the cell phone so he probably couldn't see it. Of course, I didn't feel the need to explain it to him.
"Let's walk a little faster. It's straight ahead."
An Su-hyun moved forward and disappeared from my sight.
"Eh?"
I made a sound a few seconds later. When I caught up with him, An Su-hyun was standing next to a box.
[Wooden Box. There seems to be no lock. It is possible to smash it.]
That box.
It was exactly the same as the trap that cut my wrist.
An Su-hyun showed no interest in the box. He was frowning and looking away from it. He had been on the first floor as well. I squatted in front of the box. An Su-hyun, who was trying to pass the box, frowned.
When I opened the box lid, it was still dark inside. I had placed my hand in here yesterday and suffered. In the end, it turned out well.
"Are you thinking of putting your hand in there?"
I raised my head. An Su-hyun was making a strange smile.
"I just opened it but I was worried due to the darkness. Doesn't it look like there's something in there?"
This bastard was trying to trick me. He thought I didn't know about the box. I stared at the open lid of the box. "I know since I've played games before. Usually, something like this would have a trap."
My tone was overly casual compared to normal. I tried to be confident against the antagonism.
"I think that you're thinking too much."
"Then you should put your hand in. The contents won't dry out." Although I was still going to check it out. Even if the outside was the same, it didn't meant the contents were.
"If anything comes out then I will keep it."
"Do as you like~."
An Su-hyun's eyes shone with expectation.
At the same time, he moved back. It seemed like he was trying to find a good position to watch. Unfortunately for him, I had no intention of meeting his expectations.
It really could be a trap. Even though I could raise my talent, I didn't know what would happen on the second floor so there was no point losing my wrist.
I thought about the words I saw over the box yesterday.
[Wooden Box. There seems to be no lock. It is possible to smash it.]
Did I need to smash it? I knew for sure. This was a box that needed to be smashed. I kicked the box.
Pak!
At the same time, there was a cheerful sound as words popped up.
[Item has been acquired.]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 5 - Day 2, 2nd Floor Battle
"Nothing... Nothing?"
An Su-hyun's eyes widened as his expectations were betrayed. The shattered box was empty. He couldn't see anything among the pieces of wood. But my vision was different.
[Item has been registered in the inventory.]
[Use the command 'Inventory' to show your current possessions.]
[If you want to take something out of the inventory, focus on the name and used the command 'Eject.'
"Inventory."
Then I could see what I obtained from the box.
[Maram's Leather Gloves. Equipment item. Rank D.]
[The personal effects of a first class boxer. It is made from well-polished crimson bear leather. If the weapon isn't a magic sword, it isn't unreasonable to be able to grab the blade with the glove.]
[Significantly reduces the load on the arm bones/muscles/joints when worn.]
"Eject."
As soon as I shouted, something heavy fell into my hands.
It was a pair of very dark brown leather gloves. They covered my elbow to the first knuckle of my fingers.
"I-Inventory!"
An Su-hyun shouted in a panicked voice but nothing came up. I looked at the gloves while listening to him shout two then three times.
"Inventory! ... Inventory!"
There was a strap to tie it like shoelaces and proper places where I could put my fingers. It was comfortable. I hadn't tied the strings yet but I could feel that the texture perfectly adhered to the shape of my arm. Once I made a fist, the parts attached to my fingers gently folded. Indeed. This truly was a glove.
"That came out from the box?"
"Yes. It's good."
An Su-hyun bit his lip.
He crossed his arms and I could see everything he was feeling without him saying anything. He said the words with his own mouth so his pride didn't allow him to argue for the item.
I started walking again with a casual expression. I could feel his greedy gaze towards my gloved arm.
"You're not a boxer..."
Just when he was going to try and dispute it… The first monster appeared.
[Blind Mouse. Type: Animal. Rank H]
[Wild mice have inhabited caves for generations. Sometimes the adults can grow as big as a calf.]
A creature the size of a small puppy appeared in front of us. Instead of eyes, it had antennae on the pink furless body. H? ABCDEFGH...
Wherever it was on the alphabet, it didn't seem like a strong monster. While I was thinking this, An Su-hyun suddenly jumped out. He turned around and excitedly kicked it.
Bam!
The kicked rat struck the wall, had a few spasms and stopped breathing.
[Meat can be obtained if there is suitable cutlery.]
"What? Nothing dropped." He looked down at the dead mouse. Even though it wasn't a tiger, An Su-hyun looked proud that he had caught something. If he had received a talent from his previous action then I would have seen it on his face. But it didn't feel that way at all.
There was no need to observe An Su-hyun as the fact was soon disclosed. After they killed the mouse, small animals started to appear on their path.
[Luminous Bat. Type: Animal. Rank H]
[Bats that enjoy animal blood. They are timid and the strength of their teeth is very weak. They mainly hunt blind mice.]
[Flat Salamander. Type: Animal. Rank H]
[They secrete body fluids that induce nausea in predators in order to survive. There is no toxicity unless ingested through the mouth.]
They were all like the cave mouse. Monsters that couldn't even kill young children.
"These scum! Ick! Ick!" An Su-hyun was very motivated.
I suppose it was due to the box a little while ago. It seemed like he had determined not to let me snatch anything in the future. He couldn't kill all the monsters alone, but was kicking diligently trying to anyway.
Then he suddenly looked into the air and shouted.
"Eh? What is this?"
He expressed so clearly that he had received a talent. It was the first time he received a talent. An Su-hyun stared at his legs that were covered with the fluids of rats and salamanders.
Then he suddenly kicked the air. Was it a kick?
Certainly An Su-hyun had successfully killed the monsters just through kicking.
"What is it?" I asked and for a moment, it seemed like An Su-hyun was going to answer. But he closed his mouth and smiled.
"It's nothing."
"..."
It wasn't nothing.
I estimated that he got the kicking talent after kicking 10 or so times.
I looked down on both hands. I had vambraces. It was an acquired item. If it was possible for kicks, then wasn't it possible for punches? I decided to prove my hypothesis.
I beat the small animals with my fists.
Bam!Bam!
It happened when I killed exactly 12 monsters.
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Punching: The efficiency of your fist will increase according to the level. Muscle strength, stamina and reflexes have slightly increased.]
"..."
I was pleased to see it but I maintained my indifferent expression. An Su-hyun had been watching me for a while. When I didn't show any signs that I'd gained a talent, he developed a superiority complex.
We continued to advance through the maze.
"Eh!"
An Su-hyun shouted and moved forward again.
It was a wooden box.
Bakak!
The kicked box was once again empty. An Su-hyun gazed at the air.
He had obtained an item.
"Inventory!"
His grin was so wide that it almost went up to his ears.
"Eject!"
He was holding a sword in his hand.
The blade was around 30cm long and the leather sheath had very stylish workmanship.
I couldn't see the details of the item with my eyes.
"Rank C, isn't it awesome?"
He said as he pulled the sword from the leather sheath. The silver blade had a vertical centre groove and looked quite sharp.
"Okay. It's good."
An Su-hyun studied my face as much as the blade.
He smiled as if he came to the conclusion that his sword was much better than my gloves.
"Yes yes. No matter how much you train, the human body clearly has limits. I needed a weapon."
He wielded the sword and whistled.
Fortunately, they arrived at a room shortly after that.
The narrow passage widened and stairs leading down could be seen in front of them.
[Stairs. It leads to the 3rd floor.]
[Changes in the following floor: Dungeon space has expanded. You can encounter 1 explorer. Monsters below E rank will emerge.]
"What the heck, it's over?"
An Su-hyun didn't say anything else so I decided to measure the width of the open space. I took a few steps to the left and a wall appeared. If I walked a few steps to the right then there was another wall. The other side was the same so it was probably a 20 metre square room.
"Hey, don't wander off alone, let's go together."
An Su-hyun followed me closely. We moved to the other side of the room.
"Heok!"
"...!"
This time, I was just as surprised as An Su-hyun.
It was because there was a likeness of a human leaning in one corner.
"... Is that a training dummy?"
It was literally like An Su-hyun said. It was the dummy that was used to practice drills and forms. Someone had put clothes on the dummy. The top and pants were reminiscent of martial arts movies.
[Wooden Dummy, Scold. Type: Golem Rank E.]
[A device used since ancient times to train young pupils. The last recorded action seemed to be the basic behaviour of a technique but it is unknown until you try it.]
[Inactive state. It won't activate unless it is attacked first.]
[Named Monster.]
"Ah~. Is this the boss room?"
An Su-hyun also obtained knowledge about the dummy. He suddenly tried to kick but I blocked grabbed his shoulder.
"What the!?"
Was he confident about fighting it himself? He shot me a nasty expression and shrugged. Of course, I didn't pay attention.
"Rank E is three stages higher than the monsters we've fought."
"So?"
He was stubborn until the end.
This bastard, was he 100% confident he could win?
"If there is an emergency then we can escape to the stairs over there." An Su-hyun pointed to the stairs.
His words weren't wrong but I had no intention of going down here. I still didn't know how much of this map was left.
"I think..."
"No, I hate it."
In fact, I had been thinking about punching him. There was one reason to help him here and that was if he held the sword, I would be able to steal it.
But An Su-hyun's curiosity exceeded my thoughts. He kicked the dummy so suddenly that I couldn't stop it.
Creak.
The dummy shook for a moment before raising its head.
I moved back two or three steps.
An Su-hyun raised the sword and laughed.
"Okay, let's play..."
Bam!
It was a quick jab, reminiscent of a boxer.
The problem was that An Su-hyun was the one hit.
The moment that it happened, An Su-hyun's nose was crushed.
The punch came from the dummy.
"...Eh...?"
I was surprised at the unimaginable speed. In addition, there was a strong impact. An Su-hyun groaned and couldn't fight back.
Unfortunately, the dummy wasn't as stupid as him.
Bam!
Once again, an outstretched fist struck An Su-hyun's abdomen.
His waist formed a 'ㄱ' angle.
The bar on top of his head was reduced by about a tenth.
"...Keok."
Before the moaning even finished, he was hit again by an uppercut.
At this point, I made a very obvious judgement. I turned around and ran. In fact, it was probably the right move. It might be funny to say, but the dummy was a pro.
I lost my footing for a moment due to the unexpected strength.
Deopsseok.
I'd only taken a few steps when I felt cold fingers grab my collar. Had it caught me? I turned around.
I made the right choice to block with my arm.
Bam!
It didn't hurt so much due to my gloves, but my body stumbled back. Being hit was a big deal. Almost instinctively, I fell back and crouched.
The dummy immediately crashed into me and got into the mount position. It was similar to the UFC matches that I watched to relieve stress during the exam period. The dummy's fist hit my belly.
Bam!
[Current Balance: 114/123]
Bam!
[Current Balance: 112/123]
Bam!
[Current Balance: 108/123]
Surprisingly, the power itself wasn't that fearsome. Perhaps there wasn't much different between it and me.
The problem was the mindless speed and skill, as well as the metal material at the end of its fists. This was used to teach 'young pupils'?
Bam!Bam!
The punches continued without stopping. I opened my eyes and looked up at the dummy.
"Eu..."
I could see a look of utter confusion on An Su-hyun's face. My HP Bar was gone down due to the uppercuts I couldn't block. The dummy turned around.
I carefully raised my body. This was a chance.
With all my strength, I hugged the dummy from behind. I put my arms between the armpits and held them together. It looked like the dummy didn't have that much strength after all. It was crazy but the dummy could be grabbed like this!
"Hit it!"
I shouted to An Su-hyun.
"...Ah."
An Su-hyun was currently in a bad condition. His eyes were at half mast. His whole body was shaking.
"Hit it! An Su-hyun!"
"Ah... Eu..."
At that moment, the dummy changed its posture. It turned its joints into a position impossible for humans and started trying to escape from my arms. It was a heavy blow to An Su-hyun.
Jjalgrang!
The sword fell from his hand and hit the ground. An Su-hyun ran away from the dummy that was still tangled up with me. There was a faint smell of urine coming from him.
"Hey!"
An Su-hyun's footsteps couldn't be heard as he disappeared out of sight. He had run down the stairs. At the same time, the dummyl had completely escaped.
Quark!
It instantly grabbed my collar and pulled me away from the stairs. It seemed like the dummy didn't want to let my get away.
I tried to squat down like I did before. This time, the dummy was faster. Its fist struck my abdomen.
Bam!
It was a fist I couldn't stop with the vambraces.
[Current Balance: 85/123]
Too much pain. It felt like my intestines were twisting.
"Keo... Heok..."
I held my belly and desperately tried to retreat. My back hit a wall. The dummy was coming towards me like a terminator. I was going to die here.
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Pain Tolerance LV 4 - LV 5. Related abilities have increased.]
[Opening benefits received from reaching LV 5.]
[Technique: Limiter Release has been acquired.]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 6 - Day 2, 2nd Floor Complete
[Technique - Limiter Release: By turning off the subconscious safeguard, you can greatly reduce the pain you feel and raise your strength beyond normal limits. Your body will bear the burden of being pushed beyond its limits. As the pain is blurred, there are a few cases where people don't realize they are self-destructing.]
[Pain reduction and muscle growth rate will rise in proportion to the level.]
[Current level: LV 1. 1/100]
Yes. Yes. Yes.
I roughly understood. Thank you for everything. But couldn't you tell me how to use it?
Kwang!
I was backed against the wall and being hit by the terminator. No, the dummy's punch hit the wall. I was definitely glad I had the effects of Pain Tolerance. I couldn't retreat due to being hit in the stomach.
[In order to activate, the command is 'activate - technique name'.]
[In order to disable, the command is 'disable - technique name'.]
Activate. Technique - Limiter Release.
I should have said it with my mouth, but ended up saying it inwardly due to being punched. But it worked.
[Muscle strength has exceeded the limit.]
[Muscle strength: 11]
My senses suddenly disappeared. It felt like my whole body, excluding the head, had received anesthesia.
Bam!Bam!Bam!
I squatted down and guarded my body with both arms. There was no pain at all. It just felt like I was being pushed. My heart started beating wildly. It was very similar to the first time I drank coffee. It felt like I could do anything.
[Current Balance: 82/123]
I knew what had happened to my body, and now was the time to act as quickly as possible. I gently released my guard and straightened my body. The dummy's fist slammed through the hole in my defenses.
A hit.
Pak!
It didn't hurt.
It didn't mean there wasn't an impact. My head shook and I could taste blood in my mouth. But there was no pain. Most importantly, my eyes didn't close despite being hit. Was there such a thing as fighting without pain?
I stretched out a hand towards the dummy. It didn't matter how many blows I took, I just focused on catching it. It was different from earlier. In a fight of strength, I could easily overcome the dummy like it was a child!
Kwatang.
The dummy fell to the ground and I trapped it from above. Once again, this guy's weakness was obvious. If I wasn't shaken by its fists, then I could easily press and hold it down.
[Current Balance: 59/123]
Although I had been hit quite a bit before this, that nightmare was now over.
Son of a b*tch.
I sat down on the dummy's abdomen and used my knees to pin its arms. How should I kill this guy? Usually, these enemies would be able to move even after body parts are torn off. The head or torso usually had to be broken before they stopped working. The torso or the head?
I decided the head was my target.
Putting all of my strength into my fists, I started a barrage of punches aimed at the dummy's head.
Bam!Bam!Bam!
In a matter of seconds, we had exchanged roles from punisher and the pummeled, completely reversing the tide of battle.
[Current Balance: 54/123]
[Current Balance: 51/123]
[Current Balance: 48/123]
My health was reduced as I injured myself. Blood covered my fists. No matter how much the gloves protected me, I was still punching solid wood.
But I kept on punching.
I didn't have much strength, but the face of the dummy was gradually breaking into splinters. "Just a little more! Quickly! Die! Die!" Maybe it was the effect of Limiter Release that made my personality a little more radical.
[Named Monster. Wooden Dummy, Scold has been handled.]
Suddenly, the dummy's face looked like crushed garlic. The body I held down no longer reacted to anything. It was finished.
Hu. As I breathed in and out, I saw that I had 30 HP remaining. Still, I felt none of the pain in my body. Wasn't there a command to disable the technique? As a test, I just thought about it in my head.
Disable. Technique - Limiter Release.
It was effective as all the pain came flooding back.
"Uck!"
My shoulders felt like the muscle had been torn from the bone. My elbows and wrists were screaming and the bleeding fists looked raw and gory.
I had crushed a wooden head with my fists. Perhaps it was for this reason. However, I'd done it with something else in mind.
[Punching. LV 2. 87/200]
[Pain Tolerance. LV 5 29/1600]
Although only one of the two talents were updated, I had gained quite a few points for them.
It happened as I finished checking my body and got up. Smoke started rising from the head of the broken dummy.
"Heok?"
If it was reviving then I would instantly run towards the stairs. Even if I used Limiter Release again, I only had 30 health and would lose that from the punching.
But my worst fears didn't come true. The smoke just wrapped around my fists and my head. To be honest, I was worried that it was the dummy's 'curse,' but that fear didn't last long.
[You have learnt the basics of the martial arts imprinted on the training dummy.]
[Technique - Ravenous Wolf Fist has been acquired.]
At that moment, an enormous amount of data filled my mind.
[Technique - Ravenous Wolf Fist: A martial art inspired by the hunting of ravenous wolves. It is characterized by the aggression that sacrifices defense in favor of hitting the opponent. The creator is an obscure master of fist techniques who kept a low profile.]
[No level. Information learning type.]
It was a strange experience. The information that filled my mind wasn't two dimensional things like letters or pictures. Rather than 'information', it was 'experience.' It was like I directly experienced the martial art before my senses cleared again.
I formed a fist. I had never experienced martial arts before, but I tried to take a stance. The preparation was no different from boxing, Just step with that foot and... Let's see, step here...
Hak!
"Uaack!"
I had forgotten for a moment that the condition of my arms wasn't normal.
[Pain Tolerance. LV 5 30/1600]
Still, I knew for sure that I could perform it with my fist. All of the dummy's movements belonged to this martial art. Of course, the speed of my fist was much slower.
If I didn't look at my stats and just the actions, it seemed like the techniques had been imprinted into my body. If I knew more about it, then I could use this in a real fight.
"..."
The previous fight popped into my head. That An Su-hyun bastard. I scanned the ground with gleaming eyes. The loot he left behind was shining on the ground.
[Elmer's Dummy Destroyer. Equipment item. Rank C.]
[Able to destroy vital spots during a surprise attack, it is a stolen sword from the collection of 'Elmer' who hated golems. The quality is normal against regular creatures.]
[When attacking an object that moves with magic or mechanical principles such as golems, it will damage the 'nucleus' or 'manipulating object' of the target.]
Well... It seemed like this was the source of confidence behind An Su-hyun attacking the wooden dummy so fearlessly. I didn't know if I cracked the nucleus, but according to the description of the item, it was a good weapon against golems. An Su-hyun just overlooked the fact that the dummy was a professional fighter.
[Use the 'load' command to put it into the inventory.]
I was happy to take the sword that had been thrown away. As the sword disappeared from my hand, I cracked my back.
"Hoo."
Tired. Although there was no bleeding, so my HP didn't decrease, my whole body felt heavy. I really wanted to lie down on a bed right now. But I couldn't just yet.
I didn't know how much of this dungeon floor I had left. "Just a little more strength." I turned on the map again. I could still get experience for the Cartography skill. I moved my weary body back the way I came.
Well, the remaining areas didn't take as long as I thought. Only H rank monsters emerged. I found three more wooden boxes and kicked them, but all that emerged were the trap blades.
The only thing that stood out was that I found another staircase. It was the one that An Su-hyun came down. I didn't think much of it and went on my way. Still, there was some success with the map.
[Cartography LV 3. 241/400]
By the time I reached level three and gained some experience, I was at the end of the dungeon's second floor. And in that place...
[Stairs. It leads to the 3rd floor.]
[Changes in the following floor: Dungeon space has expanded. You can encounter 1 explorer. Monsters below E rank will emerge.]
Stairs? The room was a dead end with the exact same staircase. What did it mean? I thought about it for a few minutes and came up with a few speculations.
The other staircase and this one. There were two staircases that led to different third floors.
I thought about earlier. An Su-hyun was on a different first floor from me.
There must be countless first, second and third floors that were exactly the same. Right now, there might be many people thinking the same thing as me on the other second floors: the stairs ascending and descending just created another maze.
Well, there was no point thinking about the whole structure of the dungeon just yet. If two stairs led to different third floors, should I go down the same stairs as An Su-hyun?
Honestly, my first thought was 'No.' I disliked An Su-hyun. An Su-hyun had abandoned me before and being in the same place as him would be stressful. But another idea came to my mind. An Su-hyun was a jerk.
At least on this floor, the dungeon seemed to encourage competition rather than cooperation. I couldn't get an item when the other person did. The number of monsters was limited and they gave small experience.
If two people fought the wooden dummy together, would the Ravenous Wolf Fist technique be passed on to both of them? Probably not.
In other words: Dungeon space has expanded. You can encounter 1 explorer.
This is what those words meant. It would be harder to take things. Also, the number of people that things would have to be shared between would increase. On the third floor, I would encounter two people.
If I followed An Su-hyun, I could be assured that one of the two competitors was a fool.
If the third floor was no different from the second floor and competition was encouraged, it would certainly be profitable. However, if there was an area where cooperation was required then we would fail.
I worried about it for a bit. Then I descended a staircase.
[2nd floor cleared.]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 7 - Day 3, 3rd floor Encounter
6:00 in the morning.
[One you return from the dungeon, items in use will automatically return to your inventory.]
My day started with those words.
Inventory. The words 'Maram's Leather Gloves' and 'Elmer's Dummy Destroyer' popped up. It wasn't even necessary to say the commands, I just had to think them.
Check abilities.
[Endurance: 11]
[Concentration: 11]
[Willpower: 12]
Um.
Although Cartography had gone up quite a bit, the fact that there were no changes to my stats meant the difference between numbers was quite significant. I wanted to check how much experience I needed before Cartography leveled up again.
Check talents.
[Cartography LV 3. 241/400]
[Pain Tolerance. LV 5. 42/1600]
[Punching. LV 2. 114/200]
[No.099 ??? LV 0. No experience.]
No.099? What was this?
[Unique Talent - No.999 ??? : ?????]
Despite the number attached to it, I didn't feel bad because it was in the talent category. But when had I received this? I always carefully read the messages that appeared in front of me, and I'd never noticed this before.
[Among all the explorers, the talent that only the first explorer who acquired it can monopolize is called a unique talent.]
[The basic acquisition method is similar to acquiring a normal talent, but it should be consistent with the inherent nature of the explorer and their fundamental desires. After acquiring the talent, the explorer must be fully aware of the desire to awaken it. Enabled.]
The more I looked, the less I knew. My nature? Fundamental desires?
There wasn't even the talent name, only questions marks, so I couldn't get any sense of what this talent was… Well, I didn't need to worry too much about it.
Since I had gained the talent, I must have done something that met the criteria. I would think about it in the dungeon.
I took a shower, ate breakfast and roughly packed my backpack. During testing periods, the cafes that were open on weekends wouldn't be that busy. I headed straight to a cafe.
"Oh, I want to sleep forever." After silently working on the algorithm on the paper for two hours, Su-yeon put down her mechanical pencil. Her cute face held a rotten expression.
"Didn't you sleep last night?"
"I stayed up late and only slept for maybe four hours."
In fact, it wasn't a matter of having gotten enough sleep. The problems on the table were so difficult that it was making everybody tired. Five people, including me, were studying in a study room at a cafe.
The algorithm we were working on wasn't simply a matter of finding the answer. Once the correct answer was unconditionally found, we would have to find a more efficient method.
That's why a few people were needed. One person picked a problem, squeezed their head and shared the solution with the others. Well... Smart people didn't need to do this. The fact that I was at O University meant there was a lot of effort and talent, but the geniuses were really beyond my imagination.
"Uh, the one Oppa is starting is a problem I tried the other day. It will be difficult."
"Yes. It looks hard. But when did you attempt this?"
"It's a fairly famous problem."
Dong-wook hyung, who was listening to the conversation, glanced at me and said, "It was a problem on last year's SZ electronic test."
"Ah really? I didn't know that. If several problems from that exam comes out... Isn't there a rule that you can't reveal the questions?"
"Some seniors memorized it before they left the exam."
"Surely not..."
"There are many such humans. We can only gaze at them from afar..."
I bit my nails and concentrated on the problem while listening to the conversation between Su-yeon and Dong-wook.At the same time, his other hand put down the mechanical pencil. "... I think I did everything..."
Su-yeon-and Dong-wook turned to face me. "Already?"
I handed over my piece of paper instead of answering. Their eyes widened with surprise as they looked over it.
"Wah." Su-yeon's mouth dropped open.
"... Hey, you must have seen this beforehand."
She didn't believe it. Dong-wook stared at me. "That isn't the Hee-chul I know."
Dong-wook beckoned to the other two people in the room. They had been listening to the conversation so they both came over to look at my paper.
"It looks good."
"Hee-chul's condition is good today." I shrugged, feeling half proud and half shy.
Honestly, it just felt like something had clicked. I felt like this was nothing. However, it was the first time I had been faced with a problem of this difficulty.
I spoke a few words to the members of the study group before suddenly looking at the clock. Ah. It was that time already… "Oh, I will leave first. I'm going, Hyung."
I hurriedly gathered my things on the table. Originally, I would have stayed until one or two in the morning. "What, has Hee-chul's confidence increased due to the studying?"
"It's not like that." I couldn't say that I was going to a dungeon, so I just said goodbye and left the study room.
"Oppa."
I looked back to see Su-yeon following me. "That thing that Oppa did a while ago."
"Huh?"
"That paper, can I have a look at it?"
Her hands joined together in a shy gesture but my hands were already opening my bag. Anyway, I was a normal Korean male in university. The other men in the room didn't have the courage to embarrass themselves in front of the sole female.
"Here."
"Thank you! I'll return it."
Su-yeon accompanied me to the elevator outside the study cafe.
"Hee-chul oppa..."
"Huh?"
As the elevator door opened, Su-yeon suddenly blurted out, "I've thought this for a long time but you sure are hard-working."
"Eh..." I couldn't reply and waved my hands. Su-yeon also waved at me. The elevator doors closed.
"Hah." Hard-working. The words weren't wrong. I probably wouldn't have been able to reach this far without working hard.
Originally, I wouldn't have been able to solve the problem. But it wasn't uncommon. It was hardly the first time I had been unable to solve a problem. Maybe the abilities I gained in the dungeon helped.
"It is still insufficient." I thought back. Su-yeon and Doon-wook's story. I wasn't a genius and there were many people superior to me. Even if I did well, I was a long way away from being a genius. There was quite a few people who could do what I could.
Even Su-yeon was outstanding enough to enroll in a science high school for exceptional children. It was the same for the other study group members. Yes, it was still insufficient.
Abilties. More talent was needed.
[Arrived on the 3rd floor.]
Upon my arrival, "Aaaah!" I could hear shouting and running outside of my field of view. It was An Su-hyun. Did he arrive a little earlier because he stepped on the stairs before me? He wouldn't be running away due to my arrival.
There must be something else; something that terrified An Su-hyun. I had to maintain my vigilance. I could hear footsteps, but they were different from An Su-hyun's footsteps that had already disappeared. They were a little slower and lighter.
"Kuoh..." A rattling sound.
Then the owner of the footsteps came into view.
[Lime Goblin (Worker). Type: Ajin (Demi-human). Rank F.]
[A goblin tribe that was defeated above ground and ended up settling in the dungeon. They have their own caste system and magic culture that is different from existing goblins. The body type is bigger than other goblins, but in the case of workers, they have no weapons or magic and low health, so their combat power is very low.]
Certainly, it didn't match the image of goblins that I had in my head.
It was approximately 160cm tall, with blue skin. There was a bulging stomach and thin arms and legs. If I hadn't gotten a description, then from its appearance I'd have thought it was more a famished demon from Hell than a goblin.
If I wasn't in a corner then I would have run away, but unfortunately I was. No, it wasn't unfortunate. I raised both fists. I had already put on the gloves before entering the dungeon.
"Come." It understood my words.
"Kya!" The goblin approached while waving sharp nails. There was no need to flee backwards. I was bigger than the goblin and it had much shorter arms.
I stepped forward, and my fist aimed for its chin.
Bakak!
I felt something breaking as my fist slammed into its jaw. After collapsing and wriggling a few times, the goblin didn't get up again.
[Punching. LV 2. 116/200]
The goblin was wearing a skirt made of leather. It didn't seem to have any value but a small pouch was hanging from it.
Jingle.
Two coins with a faded colour emerged. A person's face was carved on the back and front.
[Tellan Empire Coin (Copper).]
[An imperial coin that still holds value. Made of bronze material. It is commonly used among communities or species within the dungeon.]
I placed the coins in my pocket and started walking. I realized after taking a few steps that there was a change in the dungeon.
On the first and second floors, the dungeon was a 'cave.' Although the paths had a certain width, there were stalactites on the walls. But on this floor, bricks was laid on the outer walls of the caves, despite a significant number of them crumbling.
There were traces of collapsed pillars and arches. There were traces of marks on the walls that used to be pictures. I could see that they weren't drawn by the same people who built the ruins. The cave murals were unveiled in the areas where the bricks had fallen down.
It was the work of the goblins. The pictures were red like they had been drawn in blood. They were simple pictures reminiscent of ancient civilizations such as Egypt or the Mayans. That's why it was even creepier.
Goblins were creatures that hunted humans and animals, offering the bodies as sacrifices to the evil spirits that they worshipped. ... To be honest, I was a bit scared. It was a dark narrow cave, where there were murals that seemed to be painted in blood on the walls.
"Grrr..."
"Heok!"
Two more goblins popped into my field of view and I jumped with fright.
Bam!Bam!
I punched both of them on the chin and knocked them down. I moved forward with my nerves on edge.
"... I'm scared."
"Don't worry, Oppa likes games like this..."
I could hear voices ahead. One was An Su-hyun. The other one was... A girl? Both voices were coming this way, so I waited patiently.
"Because the both of us are together... Kyak?!"
"What the!?"
An Su-hyun, who was facing the woman, hurriedly turned his head towards this side. He held the baseball bat in his hands like a club and had a confident expression on his face but… "Y-you are alive?"
The words involuntarily fell from his mouth. He thought I was dead? All of a sudden, a corner of my mind snapped. My tightly wound nerves erupted.
"Do you know him?"
"Eh... Uh, a friend from Room 405." He talked as if he knew the woman well, but An Su-hyun was still clutching the baseball bat. I put strength into my fists. I looked at him.
Think carefully. Act rationally, Kim Hee-chul.
"Good to meet you. The three of us should join together." An Su-hyun subtly ordered. I nodded. I calmed my excited heart as I thought, I had to move rationally.
As I approached him without any emotional response, An Su-hyun laughed with relief. "Okay. Since there is a woman here, we'll both protect her from getting hurt..."
Let's test it. I kicked An Su-hyun's ankles with my foot. "Ah!!" An Su-hyun flinched and immediately swung his bat. That reaction time was impossible unless he had already decided to hit me in advance.
A normal person would jump after being kicked in the ankle, not swing a bat. He even cursed and didn't ask why I was doing this. But to be honest, I wanted it to end up like this.
I calmly blocked the bat before he finished his swing. The club and gloves made a sound as they collided with each other.
Pak!
Now it was my turn. I punched An Su-hyun exactly in the centre of his face.
Pak!
It wasn't an emotional judgement. No matter how rationally I thought, the answer was the same: a dog needed to be taught to listen to humans.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 8 - Day 3, 3rd Floor Control
One hit wouldn't be enough. I cornered An Su-hyun against a wall as my fist struck his abdomen. I did it again and again until his upper body bent over.
"S-Su-hyun oppa!" I reflexively frowned as I heard a woman's shrill scream.
"What is this? Why?"
Let's see. This wasn't a question that I would answer. I gazed at An Su-hyun's face. Fear could be clearly read in his eyes as his fingers held his bleeding nose. My fists were more violent due to what happened yesterday.
"Tell me. What happened yesterday?" It was a command to speak. An Su-hyun was conflicted, but he already had no strength left to hold his club. All that remained was his pride. A woman was right in front of him.
"Do you want more?"
"Yesterday..."
In the end, he confessed to yesterday's crime in a trembling voice. Despite the fact that he tried to justify his actions, he was the one who ran away alone in the first place. Disappointment flashed through the woman's eyes.
"I'm sorry. I have sinned greatly, so please forgive me."
An apology emerged from his mouth but it wasn't very meaningful. I extended the palm of my hand. An Su-hyun thought I would pull him up and reached for my hand.
"That's not it, hand me the club."
"Why..."
"Why should I trust you with a weapon?" If An Su-hyun had a weapon then he would there was a 100% probability that it would be aimed at the back of my head given half a chance.
"Give it to me."
"T-that is my item. I lent it to him."
The woman intervened. An Su-hyun perked up as he felt some hope. As if to corroborate this excuse, he pointed to the woman and said, "That's right... It isn't mine."
"Why does that matter?" I kicked at An Su-hyun who misunderstood and exposed his palms.
"Lower your eyes. Don't look at me. I want to kill you because I'm so irritated."
"..."
I said it, but I honestly thought it was childish. It was absurd for a grown man in his 20's to say such things. It was only appropriate for immature middle and high school students. Unfortunately, these were my thoughts.
There were dogs who couldn't be controlled through calm voices and logic, but instead through force. There were a lot of them. As many as the number of people in the world. No, maybe more than that. An Su-hyun was a dog.
I wasn't a genius who could manipulate a dog skillfully, nor did I have the patience of a saint. Just looking at a barking dog made me want to bite it back. I usually restrained myself but there were no laws here. There was no reason not to choose a more comfortable method.
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Compulsion: The ability to break the opponent's will with physical/verbal violence. Charisma will increase according to the level. Your persuasive powers and discipline will slightly increase.]
This was an unexpected development. It was evidence that my actions were successful. "I won't say it a third time." The dog turned and revealed its belly.
I received the club.
[Old Ebony Club. Equipment item. Rank E.]
[A wooden bat made of top quality ebony wood. It seems to have been made for decorative purposes, but performs well as a blunt weapon due to the quality of the materials.]
"Oppa! That is mine..." The woman looked at her feet due to her fear. An Su-hyun didn't answer. He just looked at the ground with a terrible expression.
I asked the woman. "Any other weapons?"
"Huh?"
"I don't want to miss any other weapons." The woman shook her head.
"Uh, no. That is the only one... I thought it would be better to leave it to a man rather than wield it myself..."
"Are you familiar with An Su-hyun?"
She shook her head again. "Just... I live in the building. I know that is the manager... Today was the first time I've actually talked to that person."
A little while ago, she had called An Su-hyun 'Oppa.' Now he was 'that person.' I could tell her type with one glance: a woman who was dependent on men. Today was the first time she spoke to the red-haired man but she had handed over a weapon.
She wasn't the type to be a competitor. I put the club into my inventory.
"My..."
"Once I judge that it is safe, I'll give it back." I cut off her words. Even though she looked young, she knew how to behave. I pulled An Su-hyun up.
"That way, you will take the lead."
"Excuse me. Hee-chul ssi, my words are serious..."
Look at this, it actually worked. A dog was trying to become a person. Of course, if he repeated the same behaviour then he might become a dog again.
"Just take a few steps. I will tell you the direction." Thus, they started to awkwardly move together. I was successful. It was important that I now controlled the actions of these two people.
"Grrr..." The cries of goblins were heard in front of me, outside of my field of view.
"S-So many..." An Su-hyun stuttered as he stopped moving.
There weren't just two goblins. Right now, five had appeared in front of us. I could hear cries from behind them as well.
"Excuse me... If I don't have the club then my bare hands..."
"Both of you, stay here."
"Eh?"
"Huh?" I just moved forward. I ran out with an outstretched fist, punching the face of the one in the lead and waited for the others.
"Gruk!"
I swung towards a goblin coming from the right. It was out with one hit to the chin. I kicked the one on the left, then followed up with a fist. So far, I had taken care of three enemies. I stepped back and glanced behind me.
An Su-hyun had a blank expression on his face. I didn't need to worry about him striking me in the back. For now. I swung my fist again.
Bam!Bam bam!
There were a total of nine enemies. After taking care of all of them, I leaned against a wall while breathing roughly. Even if I had a technique, it was physically difficult.
"..."
"..."
The two people were looking at me with stunned expressions.
"Cool..." The woman made an admiring sound. I searched their pockets and found 20 coins. An Su-hyun's eyes shone but there was nothing he could do. The woman's eyes also flashed.
She was looking at me instead of the coins. "Incredible!" She was the type of woman who caught your eye. She carried a cardigan in her arms while her outstanding body stood out in relief under the short-sleeved polo shirt.
I made An Su-hyun walk another way. And from then on, the woman started to speak earnestly. "I am Yoo Su-jeong."
"Kim Hee-chul."
"Do you go to O University?"
"Yes."
"Are you a boxer? You looked awesome."
"Nope." Although I gave short replies, that just made Yoo Su-jeong become more aggressive.
"But what are you doing with your handphone?"
"Drawing a map."
She was silent for a moment before pulling out her handphone and drawing a map.
"Eh...!" An Su-hyun turned around at the small cry that emerged from Yoo Su-jeong's mouth.
"What...? Is there something there?"
"Nope. I almost fell down." She shook her head and An Su-hyun glanced at me.
This was completely… I didn't respond, but I didn't try to stop it. He was easier to handle due to the presence of Yoo Su-jeong.
"...Chet." It was funny that An Su-hyun was handled by Yoo Su-jeong who claimed not to know him. Thus, we proceeded through the dungeon. Goblins approached us, but they were sparse.
It was a maze but the composition was so simple that it was comparable to the first floor rather than the second floor. Furthermore, none of the boxes from the second floor were spotted.
We found the stairs that An Su-hyun and Yoo Su-jeong came down. Then they found a staircase leading to the 4th floor.
[Stairs. It leads to the 4th floor.]
[Changes in the following floor: Dungeon space has expanded. You can encounter 1 explorer. Monsters below D rank will emerge.]
[Personnel entry restriction 0/2]
Personnel entry restriction? Two people? The other two people's expressions brightened as they saw it. As soon as they turned the corner in front of the stairs, there was a hallway.
It was big. The second floor had a large room with the dummy in it, but this hallway was dozens of times larger. I was able to determine the size due to the torches. There were torches hanging from pillars that were arranged in a circular shape. It was very clear who lit the torches.
"Grrr..."
"Kyahh..."
The hallway had layered stairs that got lower as they headed to the centre. Goblins were camping in the centre. "Oh my god..."
"Crazy." Yoo Su-jeong and An Su-hyun cried out.
We could hide behind the pillars and look down undetected, but the sight was enough to cause fear. There were dozens of goblins. Even if they had the combat power of an elementary school student, it was difficult to take care of such large numbers. In addition, there were two superior goblins among them.
[Lime Goblin (Warden). Type: Ajin (Demi-human). Rank E.]
[They lead the tribe's warriors, occupying the stairs near the village and preventing any attacks. Their physical capabilities are right above the workers. However, their ability to use combat tools such as whips can be frustrating and annoying.]
E rank was the same as the dummy. There wasn't just one box beside them, there were seven, no eight boxes. The boxes were all piled up. And there was a staircase.
It was quite different from the existing staircases. There was a geometric pattern around the stairs that had the same style as the wall murals.
[Stairs. It leads to the 4th floor.]
[Unique Staircase - Lime Goblin's Habitat]
"Excuse me... Are you planning to go down the stairs?"
"I will look around." After replying to An Su-hyun, I led the two of them around the rest of the dungeon. Apart from some goblins that showed up, the rest of the third floor was the same. Some of the other paths only led to dead ends. In the end, we returned to the hallway.
"..."
"..."
An Su-hyun and Yoo Su-jeong's complexions were pale. The two of them had finally realized something.
[Personnel entry restriction 0/2]
The word 'safe' was obviously attached to those stairs. Two out of the three people could go down the stairs. At least one person needed to use the stairs in the hallway.
They had to go through the guarding goblins.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 9 - Day 3, 3rd Floor Pain
I thought about what was the best method. Honestly, it would be best to eat up everything alone. If I took care of all the monsters without any help then I could gain all the experience and get the boxes.
But I couldn't send the two people away.
There was a large number of goblins. I had a 50/50 chance to succeed alone, but the odds weren't stable. Instead, I chose the middle ground. "Let's go together."
"I-I don't want to. No, I can't go." An Su-hyun was shaking.
"There were two E ranked... That enemy upstairs..."
"I will take care of both E ranks." In fact, it had to be like this. Killing the two E rank goblins would give better rewards, and I wanted them. "And I will allow you to pick one box."
"O-one?"
An Su-hyun stuttered with an absurd expression. I pulled a sword from my inventory. It was the 'Elmer's Dummy Destroyer' that An Su-hyun dropped yesterday.
"That is my..."
"Why is this yours?" I frowned at An Su-hyun who was about to approach. I didn't bring it out to give to him.
"You dropped it. Now it's mine. It isn't just this. Thanks to you, I received the Punching skill. It was easier than I thought to fight against the dummy. The reward was good."
I mixed my words with lies and twirled the sword in front of me.
"I won't prevent you if you go down the safe stairs. Go down right now if you want. It will be a bit riskier, but I'll get one more box. You gave it up. Just like this sword."
"..."
"I wonder what's down on the fourth floor. You don't know what type of person will come down and there might be harsher conditions than these goblins. Will you also whine and try to move onto the next floor?"
"No."
"No what?" I snorted with derision.
"Didn't you come down here yesterday with the expectation of receiving something?" I knew An Su-hyun to a certain extent. He was a type that was 180 degrees different from me, but he also wasn't satisfied with the reality given to him.
"Until when will you live as a bug crawling up your parents' backs?"
"Be careful..."
"What will you do if I'm not careful? There is no reason for me to care. You are garbage that has no room for improvement." An Su-hyun was silent.
"Then... Give me more boxes."
"No."
"T-There are so many. Are you going to keep all of them to yourself?"
"Yes." It didn't matter if it was appropriate distribution or not, because I was the one making the decision about the distribution. The most important thing was my own survival.
"If you feel wronged then try to do better on the next floor. Wouldn't it be better to obtain one box before going down?"
"..."
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Persuasion: The ability to persuade others to follow you without violence. Speaking ability will depend on the level. Charisma and logic have slightly increased.]
[Currently it is LV 1. Benefits will open at LV 3.]
An Su-hyun nodded. "...I accept."
"Okay." As long as he was motivated, he would be a help against the goblins to a certain degree.
"I-I'll do it as well." Yoo Su-jeong spoke up.
"You will hunt the goblins?"
"Yes." It was a remark I hadn't imagined her making. Personally, I thought it would be useless. Of course, a woman's body was never weak. They were capable of wielding a blunt weapon just like adult men. However, the important thing was the mental state. She didn't seem to have the mental state to kill something.
"Me too... I understand after listening to your words. If I go down to the next floor then I won't be able to do anything... If you give me a box then I'll be grateful."
"I won't stop you, but if you get in the way or try to interfere then there will be no box."
"Yes, I'll work hard." I beckoned to both of them. I stopped just before the hallway and issued instructions.
"I'll will sneak to the other side using the pillars. Stay here, but as I go to the other side, scream and draw attention." The narrow passage meant the two of them would be able to fight quite a lot of goblins.
It would have been crazy if they tried to lure all the goblins. It was good to fight against the safe stairs. Once they lured enough, I would be able to monopolize the boxes.
"Understood."
"I understand."
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Leadership: The ability to effectively control and manage people. Eloquence and charm will increase proportionally to the level. Charisma will rise significantly.]
[Currently it is LV 1. Benefits will open at LV 5.]
This one also increased charisma. I left the two and went back to the hallway. I stood on the opposite side of the entrance and waited.
"Ack!" An Su-hyun started shouting. The goblins responded immediately. 1/3rd of them rushed towards the direction of the passage. As I speculated, the two E ranked didn't move. Rather, they paced to the opposite side.
I waited for 30 seconds. Once the moving goblins were completely uphill, I activated my ability.
Activate. Limiter Release.
All sensation in my body disappeared. I jumped down the stairs, and there was a goblin warden not far away. I ignored the smaller ones and threw a punch with all my strength.
Ujik.
There was the loud sound of facial bones breaking and the goblin warden collapsed. What? Was it the same level as regular goblins? As I was thinking that, something stuck into my neck.
Huk.
I pulled it and found a needle.
It was from the remaining goblin warden. There was a large straw in its hand. It was a wind gun. (ED: similar to blow dart gun)
"Kyahh!"
"Kuwak!"
The rest of the goblins formed a wall that protected the warden. It was impossible to catch this warden without going through them.
Disable. Limiter Release.
If I wasn't attacking the goblin warden, then there was no need to release the limit and wear out my physical strength. If I turned it off for a while...
"Eu... Ugh!"
[You feel intense pain.]
[You have been hit by the goblin's poison.]
My entire body was in pain, with the worst of it being concentrated in my neck. It was the part that was hit by the needle from the wind gun a little while ago. I looked up at my HP bar.
[Current Balance: 117/123]
[Poison - Pained condition. Pain level: 7.]
There was no decrease in my health, it was a poison that just caused extreme pain. Even so, it was hard not to scream. I thought about it. Should I use Limiter Release?
No. It wasn't free. Endure. Endure. I also had the Pain Tolerance talent. I could do it. I clenched my fist and went to work. Two goblins fell down. I felt a pain flare up on my side. I had been scratched by a goblin's nails.
[Current Balance: 108/123]
"Son of a bitch!" I shouldn't be hasty. Calmly hold my position. One by one, one by one. There would be a chance to take a breather.
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Punching LV 2 - LV 3. Related abilities have increased.]
Puk!
I felt something small pierce my thigh. There was an angle for the wind gun to be fired from behind me? Pain spread around the newly swollen area. Not only did the poison cause pain, it also amplified the previous pain. I could feel it every time a goblin scratched my side.
[Current Balance: 102/129]
[Poison - Pained condition. Pain level: 8.2.]
"Ack! Yak! Yak! Yak! Ack!"
I screamed while swinging my fists. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. Yes. Think of the talent experience. The experience was causing Pain Tolerance to rise. Once I finished the 14th goblin, I had three rows of nail marks on my thighs but there was a gap in their ranks.
I took care of 25 enemies. At that moment, a needle from the wind gun pierced my chest.
[Current Balance: 74/129]
[Poison - Pained condition. Pain level: 9.3.]
Thanks to the 26th enemy killed, I made it through the gap in their ranks. I focused on the goal.
Every time I knocked down a goblin, the wall surrounding the goblin warden thinned and I could see its face. It seemed to be laughing at me as it held the wind gun.
Kill. I would kill everything.
So let's go. The 44th enemy. A goblin jumped up and bit my shoulder.
"Ahhhhh!!!!"
My flesh was torn as I pulled it off my back. I bit my lip and threw the goblin at its allies. There were two standing between me and my goal. Three enemies left, including the warden.
[Current Balance: 29/129]
My win.
"Kii... Kyahh!"
The panicked warden wielded a whip. It was fast. The whip couldn't be avoided and struck my cheek and chest. The decline in HP was small but the pain was more than I could imagine.
But I didn't stop moving. There were only two enemies left.
Squash!
I took care of the second and caught the flying whip with my bare hands.
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Pain Tolerance LV 5 - LV 6. Related abilities have increased.]
[Endurance has exceeded its limit.]
[Willpower has exceeded its limit.]
[Endurance: 12]
[Willpower: 13]
"Is that it, you bastard?" One hand held the whip as I moved closer. I didn't use Limiter Release. There was no need to.
"Kyah..."
I made a fist, and then the warden collapsed. I sat down, all my strength gone. My legs felt like jelly. But what about the passage? What happened to An Su-hyun and Yoo Su-jeong?
The answer came straight away as An Su-hyun walked out from behind the pillar.
"..."
It was like he was looking at a ghost.
I couldn't see myself right now. My whole body was bloody from the cuts and cramping with pain.
"Crazy guy..."
"I'd rather be crazy than a pushover." I said with a grin.
An Su-hyun was holding an ebony club in his hands. He looked at my condition and kept stepping forward. Behind An Su-hyun, the restless Yoo Su-jeong belatedly showed herself.
"E-Excuse me, Su-hyun oppa. It's still too..."
"Shut up! In the end, he isn't so tough." An Su-hyun said honestly and swallowed his saliva.
"I don't intend to kill you."
"Oh? Thank you for that."
"Let's divide the boxes in half." Before I could say anything, he added an excuse. "It is wasn't for me then you wouldn't have been successful. I-I believe that I deserve half... I just want you to admit it. Once again, I don't want to kill you."
"Is that your conscience?"
"What?"
"If I don't give you half then you will kill me. Stop saying such ridiculous words." I laughed and got up from the ground. "The number of boxes given to you is fixed."
It had been one box just minutes ago, but now it had decreased to zero. "Take the girl and descend the stairs."
"Your legs don't even work properly..."
"Activate. Limiter Release." I said it out loud on purpose. My legs stopped trembling. The agonizing pain was gone and it was like I was in my best condition.
"W-w-what...?!"
"Look at this. You're stepping backwards again." If I told the truth? I'd rather have everything. If not, I would have been very angry. I also didn't like this guy. He was the type of person who chose to give up and die when things became even a little difficult. I formed a fist.
Baduk. A smile spread across my face.
"Once again. Get lost."
"Ah..."
"Or at least attack... Don't act so scared and do what you want! This garbage like bastard!!"
The fighting spirit on An Su-hyun's face disappeared. The hand holding the club dropped down and his body started shaking as he moved backwards.
"Ah... Ohh..."
An Su-hyun reached the area that was right in front of the stairs.
"I have nothing to give you so take the stairs together." Yoo Su-jeong, who had a look of dismay on her face, bowed. She spoke with a small sigh.
"... Really useless." The next moment, blood was strewn across the staircase.
"Kuk...!" An Su-hyun's eyes widened with surprise and he couldn't grasp the situation at all.
"Ahh. A waste."
Her hand was holding a knife that had dug into An Su-hyun's carotid artery. She pulled the knife out of An Su-hyun without any hesitation. Blood gushed out like a fountain and he stared with disbelieving eyes… Yoo Su-jeong paid no attention to him at all.
"I had hoped, but I guess it was too greedy to think about killing Hee-chul ssi. But even so, he was a very pathetic person... Isn't that right?"
Yoo Su-jeong moved backwards towards the safe stairs while smiling at me. It seemed like she wasn't a stupid woman.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 10 - Day 3, 3rd Floor Surprise
I didn't shout or ask what she was doing. I just measured the distance I would have to run to subdue Yoo Su-jeong.
"Don't worry. I have no intention of fighting with Hee-Chul ssi." The dagger she stabbed into An Su-hyun's neck disappeared from Yoo Su-jeong's hand. Yoo Su-jeong held out her empty palms in the front of her like she wanted to show she meant no harm.
"I knew he wouldn't win, but I didn't think he would look so stupid." She touched An Su-hyun's head with her toes. Even though she cut his throat, the amount of blood that spurted from An Su-hyun's neck was abnormal. An Su-hyun's body rolled down the stairs. Once it stopped, the HP Bar above An Su-hyun was completely empty.
[Out]
Only his cold body was left behind. "Well, bye."
Like it was a signal, she started running. She ran three or four steps towards the staircase in the narrow passage. I was lacking by a few steps. By the time I reached the staircase, Yoo Su-jeong had already stepped onto the safe stairs to the fourth floor and disappeared.
"..."
I turned around.
I approached An Su-hyun to confirm his condition but it was already too late. Even when it was touching the stairs, the body didn't disappear.
"Dammit."
It was the first death I faced, and it was completely gruesome. The light had disappeared from his eyes. He didn't deserve to die just for his sin of being human.
Anyway, I couldn't think about the body any more. I couldn't do anything. Instead, I needed to focus on the things I could do. I lay An Su-hyun back down and went back to the hallway. There was still nothing in the pouches of the goblins except for coins. Then I checked the first goblin warden.
[Crude Wind Gun. Equipment item. Rank F.]
[A primitive wind gun made by drying the hollow stem of a plant. There is no finesse or sincerity. If you don't handle it carefully then it can't be used for more than small shocks.]
[Warden's Needle. Consumption item. Rank D.]
[A tool primarily carried by the wardens of the lime goblins. The strength of the needle itself isn't much, but in the case of a poisoned needle, it has the ability to cause pure pain to the opponent.]
[Applies a pain score of 7 after being poisoned. If the poison overlaps, a pain score of 0.5~1 is added. This decreases by 0.2 per minute.]
There were a total of 10 needles. I headed to the second goblin warden.
[This wind gun can no longer be used.]
I scavenged another seven needles. It subtracted the three that were used on me.
As a result, I had a total of 17 poisoned needles that caused pain. Even if I didn't use the wind gun, I could just prick the opponent with it. I felt a lot of pain, so anybody else without Pain Tolerance would be almost paralyzed.
Or… With this, I could raise the level of Pain Tolerance. This time, I moved towards the boxes.
Pak!
The first box contained a trap. The second box contained three coins.
[Tellan Empire Coin (Silver).]
[An imperial coin that still holds value. It is made of a silver material. It is commonly used among communities or species within the dungeon. It has the same value as 20 bronze coins.]
When would a store where I could use this appear? I smashed the next few boxes. From the fourth box, five porcelain bottles emerged. A foul smell came from the corks covering the opening of the bottles.
[Crude Porcelain Bottle]
[There is no way of knowing the contents. The efficacy won't be known until after it had been drunk or applied.]
...I would drink it right before doing down the stairs. In the fifth box, there were four pieces of paper. When I saw what was on the paper, it reminded me of woohwangcheongsimwon.
[Greenish Brown Pills]
[There is no way of knowing the contents. The efficacy won't be known until after it had been drunk or applied.]
Was I a guinea pig now? Either way… I would try it once. A ring emerged from the sixth box. It was a thin silver ring that females commonly wore. There seemed to be elaborate carvings on it, but there were so many scrapes that it was hard to check the patterns.
[Old-fashioned Ring. Equipment item. Rank D.]
[A tool that promotes sexual attractiveness and was popular among the nobles of the empire centuries ago. At the time, the Imperial Princess used it to gain a lot of money and the Emperor strictly prohibited its use. It is worth quite a bit among collectors. The effect of the artifact seems to have weakened due to the magic patterns being damaged.]
[Charm correction 1. The amount of pheromones emitted to the opposite sex have slightly increased.]
What? It was useless. ...Um. Still, maybe I should go somewhere tomorrow. No... But it couldn't hurt. Um. Well.
The seventh box was a trap. And the long-awaited eighth box. A book came out. It was old but was made out of luxurious leather with designs on it. I opened it to see strange letters inside. At first glance, it was a narrow font similar to Arabic.
[Old Leather Hardcover Book]
[Information to decrypt language: Knowledge related to the language is required.]
Thus, I got everything I could from the boxes. I lifted one porcelain bottle.
Pong.
As soon as I opened it, a smell similar to rotten eggs stung my nose. I lay halfway on the edge of the stairs. If I became sick or there was something strange, I could just roll down. I closed my eyes and swallowed the contents of the bottle. It felt like drinking the snot from a runny nose.
[Current Balance: 28/129]
[Current Balance: 30/129]
Huh?
I felt good.
[The Lime Tribe's Medicine. Consumption item. Rank E.]
[Drugs made by the lime goblins for first aid. Due to the poor supply and demand in the dungeon, the lime goblins' drugs are one or two steps lower than generic goblin drugs.
[Once the medicine is taken, there is a slight homeostasis and stabilizing effect. 1~3 HP will be recovered every second for 1 minute.]
I was saved.
[Current Balance: 129/129]
Although I had low expectations, being able to fully recover my HP was a tremendous advantage. It could be thought of as having four more lives. If so, what about the pills? With higher expectations than before, I carefully unwrapped a pill and placed it in my mouth.
...This. Sweet? It felt like I was eating a sweet potato soup without the stickiness. The sweetness that spread to my head quickly made me feel disoriented.
[An unbearable sleepiness has come rushing in.]
Yes, sleepy. But I shouldn't sleep… I closed my eyes.
[Niks Candy. Consumption item. Rank D.]
[The specialty of the Mandel area alchemists. Once chewed, you will be overcome by a sleepiness that can't be resisted. It is only 10 minutes of sleep but the efficiency is better than any sleep you would normally have.]
[There will be 10 minutes of forced sleep. Once you wake up, you can get the same effect as sleeping for 8 hours.]
It was better than I thought. When I read the description, it said that I only lost consciousness for 10 minutes but that wasn't what my body was saying. It felt like I had been sleeping for 8~16 hours.
The areas where the needles hit me were now completely fine. If that was the case, could I use this in reality? It was practical. It was a miracle medicine that could almost double my day. ...How many more things could I get from the next floor?
Before I went down the stairs, I looked at the stairs in the narrow passage. Yoo Su-jeong had gone down these stairs. Then the stairs where An Su-hyun's body was.
Yoo Su-jeong had run away from me. I couldn't give up going down the other stairs just to chase her. Her judgement was right. I would go down the unique staircase. There were many more rewards waiting below.
One day we would meet again on the floors below. Could I kill a person? No, it might not be an important problem. I didn't want to be like An Su-hyun. If I hesitated then I would die before achieving what I wanted. I needed to obtain everything I could get my hands on. Even though the goal was clear, the means was the problem.
I stepped on the stairs. I would clear the way with my own hands.
[3rd floor cleared.]
I opened my eyes in my room… No, it wasn't.
[4th floor. Arrived.]
[A penalty has been applied to the unique stairs. Returning from the dungeon has been put on hold. You skipped one day and will immediately start on the next floor.]
"What?"
"What the!?"
I wasn't the only one who yelled out. I turned my head and locked gazes with another pair of eyes. The place where I was standing now was a room lit up with lights, just like the hallway.
There was a man was in front of a staircase, his body covered in scratches. His age and height seemed to be similar to mine, but his shoulders were wide and his arms were long. At first glance, I could see that he had a well-disciplined body.
There were thick gloves on both hands.
"..."
His eyes were examining me. At first glance, he gave off a strong impression. A so-called 'gangster image.' He looked like a person who was never far from violence.
"What are you looking at, you motherfucker."
I looked weaker than him. He approached me while swearing. Activate. Limiter Release. I raised my gloved hands. Bring it on, I'll smash you.
"What is this?"
As there was a third cry, both of our heads turned in surprise. There was another staircase.
The person was a middle-aged man that was at least 190 cm tall. Tattoos were exposed on his thick forearms. His meaty hands were holding a knife. He looked this way and frowned as he realized the atmosphere.
He looked a little nervous. Three beasts. Everyone was silent as we didn't dare rush carelessly. A suffocating tension filled the room.
However, all three of us were looking at one point in the room. There was one last staircase remaining.
That's right. The room was square. There was one staircase at each of the four corners. Soon, the fourth beast would be coming down the stairs. Like the other three, the person who came down from the third floor would be a beast.
It was the reason why everyone was vigilant. Seconds passed that felt like a long time. The shape of a person appeared on the stairs.
"Eh? This... Kyaaak?!"
As the fourth person made a surprised scream, the other two beasts' eyes widened. A girl in her late teens had showed up. She was wearing the school uniform of a high school in my area.
"Ah, ah, ah... Hello..."
As the weakest creature spoke in a quivering voice, the other two somewhat relaxed. I didn't do such a stupid thing. Although it was just a guess, I felt sure she was the most dangerous predator.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 11 - Day 4, 4th Floor Separation
Ching.
"Ohh?"
"What the!?" Something rose in the centre of the room. It was an empty glass tube that was approximately two metres tall.
[The total amount of HP reduced in the room will be stored.]
[Once a total of 200 HP is stored, the entrance will open.]
I seemed to be the only one who immediately understood the meaning immediately, but the high school girl and two men cried out a few seconds later.
My HP was 129 points. In other words, I needed to put a person with higher HP than me into a critical condition, or even kill them. If I thought rationally, it was possible to satisfy the conditions without killing anyone. However, I intuitively sensed that someone would be killed.
This was it. The eyes of the man with scratches who I dubbed 'Scratchy', moved nervously. Maybe he was thinking something similar to me.
From appearance alone, the strongest person in this place was the man with the knife. The weakest one was the high school girl. This wasn't a game where the strongest would eliminate the weakest. The middle-ranked people-- I intuitively sensed that Scratchy and I were placed in that group.
"That..."
"This..." Just as we were both about to say something...
"Help me!" The scream of the high school girl caught our attention. She was teary-eyed but I didn't know what she was scared of. Her finger... It was pointed towards me? "H-he raped me."
Huh?
The situation was so surprising that I couldn't even say anything. Tears flowed down the cheeks of the schoolgirl. "On the second floor, we met... H-he said that if I wanted to live... The other person was killed... So, so..."
She was very good. In fact, I'd seen someone being killed on the floor above. Maybe all three of the people here had their hands dirty. Even if I had done such a thing, it wasn't actually a major issue for them. The important thing was that it was a good pretext for a witch hunt.
"This fucking bastard!" Scratchy cried out with an angry expression as he rushed straight towards me.
Fast.
Was it a technique? Was he an athlete? I hit him with my left fist, but his counterattack struck me in the face.
[Current Balance: 92/129]
One hit had caused this much havoc. The strength of his hit was much greater than I thought. Still, the exchange was successful.
"Ah...?" There was a groan. After his blow, Scratchy started staggering.
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Hidden Weapon Technique: The ability to use darts and handle hidden weapons. Concentration and dexterity will rise in proportion to your level.]
"T-t-this..." A needle was firmly embedded in Scratchy's thigh. It was a blow I had been preparing since I saw him being so eager to fight. There was a possibility that he might have experienced the needles upstairs. Thus, I hit him with three needles at once.
"Aaaaaaack!" A scream emerged as he staggered. I hit him in the neck, chest, abdomen and the last one in the face. After using Limiter Release, I accurately punched him five times with all my strength. His HP fell to a critical state instantly.
As Scratchy tried to move his body back, I turned around.
Bam!
My fist hit something iron. I stopped the knife with my fist and was fine. I had been warily watching the other man, so I was able to take action, but I had been worried about whether I could stop the attack or not.
"Don't believe that is the end." The other hand of the middle-aged man caught my neck. He literally lifted me up. "I can't let you eat it all."
Eat? What did that mean? I grabbed his wrist. Did he think it would be that easy? Both legs and my waist. I put strength in my hands and held firmly.
"...!"
'What is this power?' His confusion was apparent on his face. It even surprised me. The middle aged man was strong. I had used Limiter Release but I still couldn't win with strength.
[Current Balance: 89/129]
[Current Balance: 88/129]
Due to the fact that I was fighting beyond my original strength, I was gradually losing HP. I gazed sideways to see the schoolgirl. The bitch was chewing on her fingernails as she watched us.
She seemed to be thinking. I gently twisted the wrist of the hand that was holding the knife. As I held onto the wrist, I forced strength into my leg. But that wasn't the end. I also poured strength into both thighs and kicked upwards at the middle-aged man.
"Ugh!" I kicked his wrist and the man winced, stepping back. At that point, I had 1/6th of my HP remaining. I quickly drank a potion bottle from my inventory. I took out three needles and looked at the girl.
"...Hik!" She stared at me with shocked eyes.
The middle aged man was still recovering. Rather than getting rid of him, I would remove the unknown risk behind me.
Kukukung.
"Ehh?" All of a sudden, the room started shaking. My foot slipped. It wasn't just the shaking, the floor was tilting!
[200 HP has been stored.]
[Entrance opening.]
The ground kept tilting to the sides. The room was divided into four equal parts, with the floor going down at each corner. Depending on where you were standing, each person could fall in a different direction.
Peeok!
I couldn't stay upright anymore and fell on my butt. I slid down the high slope helplessly, and darkness welcomed me.
I regained consciousness and looked around. On one side of me was a dead end. The other side had a passage. I had fallen into the dead end of a maze.
"Ah, argh..."
A moan was heard from outside my field of view. I took a step and saw Scratchy leaning against a wall. He had fallen with me, while the high school girl and middle-aged man were separate. Maybe there was only one wall between us.
Still, the pain had diminished over time so Scratchy was barely moving around. He held a bottle in his hand and was bringing it to his mouth: it was the goblin's medicine.
I immediately pushed him against the wall and snatched the bottle from his hand. At that moment, I felt a sting in my side.
"..."
Despite his half-closed eyes, I could see a faint triumph of victory flashing in them. He had pricked me with three needles. This guy obviously also had the warden's needles.
"Eh... What is this?" He had only been acting pathetic.
[Pain Tolerance. LV 6. 339/3200]
I sincerely said thank you. "Thank you. I received experience thanks to you."
"..."
The victory changed into an expression of despair. "Give me all your items."
"...?"
"The gloves on your hand and everything you got from the second floor. If you follow my instructions then I will accompany you to the stairs to the next floor."
I pulled out all the needles I had from my inventory. "Or do you want to lie here and moan a bit more?"
"I-I'll give it. Here." He pulled out 14 needles. I also took the three goblin medicines he had remaining. There were some coins and even an unknown bottle.
"Is this a medicine bottle?"
"I don't know." I waved the needles in his face.
"I-I really don't know! Someone else took it and just died."
"..."
It took me a moment to understood those words. I really wanted to prick him with all the needles and abandon him here but… "Stand up."
"Eh?"
"Lead the way. Stop and report to me if you see anything." I would use him as a shield.
Unlike the dungeon, the corridor was pitch black. In this situation, I wouldn't be able to see if there was a ranged attack such as the warden's wind gun.
"Gi... Give me one bottle of medicine. Right now I don't have much health left..."
"Take the lead instead of saying such nonsense." After he stood up, I seized the gloves from him.
[Kung Fu Apprentice's Glove. Equipment item. Rank E.]
I read the explanation, but it didn't say much other than it protecting my muscles and joints. Instead, I examined the rank. E. Did this mean an ordinary standard?
Monsters or items belong E rank were nothing special and could be found in reality. But once it reached D rank, there were things like the pills that helped relieve fatigue for 8 hours.
E rank was commonplace, it was something that just wasn't that great. From F rank downwards, the quality was worse than ordinary. From D rank and above, things started to go beyond the ordinary category. That was an approximation, at least.
"Hey! I-I'm going!" Scratchy shouted at me. I was just about to walk forward when...
Jaengurang!
A bottle flew from outside my field of view, hit Scratchy's chest and broke. A strange odour spread through the passage. Scratchy started moaning.
"...Eh?" I could finally see the enemies, and there were three of them.
[Lime Goblin (Warrior). Type: Ajin (Demi-human). Rank E.]
[The middle and upper class of the Lime Tribe that monopolizes the majority of the supplies. Due to the extra nutrition, the development of the bones and muscles is different. In the case of warriors, they have the physical ability to fight against adult human men.]
Indeed, they weren't at all comparable to the small workers and wardens. The bulging belly and strong upper body reminded me of a small gorilla. And... There was one more behind them. I could only see a fuzzy shape in front of me.
Jingle.
It shook something and threw it towards me. The upper body was revealed due to its throwing motion.
[Lime Goblin (Pharmacist). Type: Ajin (Demi-human). Rank D.]
[Responsible for the production of drugs, which could be called the lifeblood of the entire goblin species. The drugs made will vary depending on the traditions and environment in which the material is procured.]
I couldn't let myself be hit by that bottle. I hurriedly turned my body and it flew in an arc and broke behind me. The smell was enough to make my nose protest. What was it?
"Ah, ahh... Ahh..." After being hit by the bottle, Scratch was flopping helplessly on the ground and moaning.
Then the goblin warriors came rushing in, each of them with a rusty knife in their hands.
I plunged forward.
Bam!
I turned on Limiter Release and punched the face of the enemy in the lead. I followed up by striking its neck and chest.
"Kyahh..." Was it still standing? Although it was obviously in pain, the goblin didn't collapse. Then another one aimed at my side. I avoided the swinging knife and smashed it in the face.
It wasn't an easy fight, but the narrow passage worked to my advantage. It had allowed me to see the bottle flying towards me and avoid it.
Once one of the goblins couldn't fight properly, the other two were quickly joined his misery. At that moment, the goblin pharmacist disappeared out of view.
"Kyah!"
I heard the sound of fleeing feet; It was running away. Maybe it lost all the bottles that it was holding. Either way, I soon got rid of the goblin warriors and then it was time to chase the pharmacist.
"It hurts! Hurts!" I looked back at the scream that reminded me of a child crying and was shocked. It hadn't even been one minute. What had happened in that time?
Scratchy was a bloody mess. Eyes. Nose. Ears. Mouth. Blood was pouring from every visible hole. There were two bottles on the floor. Was he hit by the one I avoided?
"Hurts... P-please help me, medicine..." But there was nothing I could do, so I turned my back on the crying person. He deserved to die.
"It hurts! Mother! Mother!"
...Dammit. I turned back towards Scratchy. There was only one thing I could give him, but I was reluctant to do it. I turned Limiter Release back on and gathered strength in my fist.
Then I put all my weight into it as I punched downwards. It felt like a watermelon breaking open.
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Murder: The damage given, emotional control and karma will increase according to the level. Willpower and charisma have slightly increased.]
It was a talent that I had expected. ...I just hadn't wanted to obtain it like this. However, I hadn't thought that more messages would pop up.
[All the talents and experience of the loser will belong to the winner.]
The notifications filled my view.
[TL Note: I've made a glossary of common Korean honorifics and terms that will pop up in my novels, so that I don't have to repeat the explanations. There is a link on the TOC for all my novels and I will add it here as well. Check it out if you're confused by any of them e.g. Noona. ]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 12 - Day 4, 4th Floor Drug
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Punching Lv3 - Lv5. Related abilities have increased.]
[Compulsion Lv1 - Lv3. Related abilities have increased.]
[Murder Lv1 - Lv2. Related abilities have increased.]
[Reflexes has exceeded the limit.]
[Reflexes: 11]
After killing Scratchy, more records of my history in the dungeon came up.
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Deception: The ability to deceive another person will increase according to the level. The insight, planning and emotional adjustment abilities have slightly increased.]
[Deception. LV 2. 144/200]
[Talent - Taunt: The ability to make the opponent lost their calm will rise according to the level. Eloquence has slightly increased.]
[Taunt. Lv2. 23/200]
[Planning has exceeded the limit.]
[Insight has exceeded the limit.]
[Planning: 11]
[Insight: 11]
Once no more notifications appeared, I got to my feet. I wouldn't let myself be eaten. I finally understood the words of the man.
If Scratchy had died by my hands, his talent would have flowed into me. The man with the kitchen knife probably knew this. "This is completely... A battle royale."
I smiled as I gazed into the darkness. I had been prepared to kill. Even so, I hadn't thought about always killing my opponents. The 'Persuasion' talent existed, so I had thought about solving some things through intimidation or a conversation.
But if the system was like this then things were different. If I killed instead, then wouldn't I get the talents of that person? Anybody who knew this would try to kill others if they had a chance.
There would be no conversation. It was the same with negotiations and deals. Who would do such ineffective things? It was impossible for faith to be established.
I needed to be prepared. From now on, there would be no self-defense.
I moved in the direction that the goblin pharmacist had escaped to. I wanted to encounter someone else after gaining Scratchy's strength, but the fourth floor was quite spacious. The goblin pharmacist had thrown bottles. Scratchy had suffered greatly from only two bottles. If I could obtain them, then I would gain an advantage when fighting others.
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Cartography. Lv4 - Lv5. Related abilities have increased.]
[Opening benefits received from reaching LV 5.]
[Technique - Mental Image: A technique that allows you to record images and letters on a mental piece of paper. Only geniuses are born with this 'talent', but a few are able to acquire the technique through effort.]
[No level. Concentration, descriptive power, planning, the range and speed of drawing in proportion to spatial perception and the duration have increased.]
What was this? As soon as I thought about it, letters were drawn in my head.
[What is this?]
"... Uhat."
Normally when visualizing words or pictures in my head, they would disappear after a few seconds. But this was like a piece of paper actually appeared in front of me. Even if I shook my head and tried to erase it, the image was still vivid.
I drew all types of complex shapes. After a minute, they all remained intact... Then what would happen if I tried to draw a map like this?
[Cartography. Lv5. 2/1600]
It worked. This was a remarkable advantage.
So far, my hands were always on my cell phone when moving through the dungeon. I would have to quickly put my cell phone away when a monster emerged.
Now that wasn't necessary anymore. My hands were free! I could respond more quickly. I raised my hands into a combat stance and prepared for any bottles that could come flying. One step forward. Another step.
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Stealth: The ability to walk covertly, concentration and agility will rise according to your level.]
I walked around for 20 minutes, and my stealth was close to reaching level two. Then I stiffened as I heard a scream from outside my field of view.
It was a scream-- A woman's scream. I walked for a while and light started to appear in front of me. There was a curve in the path that I peeked around, trying to stealthily see the sights that stretched out before me.
Just like the hallway last time, the source of light were torches. There was a village in a wide space, with conical tents and goblins scattered around them.
The screams were coming from there. I had to pass through the area that the scream came from anyway. I moved my head slightly and shouted as hard as I could.
"KYAH?"
"Kyak!" The goblins among the tents reacted. I immediately pulled back. My fists were waiting in front of the curved path. Within a few seconds, the first victim popped out from around the corner.
"Kik?" My fist slammed straight into its face.
Bakak.
The hit made the goblin stumble backwards and become entangled with the ones behind it.
The terrain was good. The curve of the narrow passage was to my advantage. No matter how many goblins came at me, only one or two could attack at a time-- and there was no need to worry about things thrown from a distance.
The only thing left was for me to punch without making any mistakes in my timing.
"Pant... Pant...!" I panted harshly as the corpses of the goblins came up to my knees when everything was finished. I moved my head past the curve and yelled again.
No more goblins came out. I walked between the tents and looked carefully in each one. There was nothing. Even if there were some boxes, only japtem of E rank or less appeared.
"Ahh!"
"...!" The screams stopped for a while before starting again. But unlike earlier, the screaming sounded strange. I passed through the tents.
At the end of the tents and near another passage leading to a big and colourful tent. I went inside, then stiffened for a moment.
"Kyak?" I was looking at the back of a goblin pharmacist.
It was holding the handle of a pulley and trying to raise something so it would be 'hanging' off the ground. It wasn't holding a bottle in its hand. I immediately extended my fist.
Kung.
Once the goblin died, the 'thing hanging' fell to the ground. I looked at it... No, I was looking at a person.
"Hi... Ugh..." The high school girl was naked and groaning on the ground. It would have been hard to recognize her if her face hadn't been mainly left alone. The schoolgirl smelt of medications. Had she been experimented on?
There was a funnel in her mouth. There were already many empty bottles rolling around. At a glance, all the blood vessels in her body had been poisoned and her limbs were spasming.
"...Ah." As the funnel moved inside her mouth, I could see that a section of her tongue had been cut. This was the cause behind the different screams. Her eyes were bleary with pain as she looked at me. Astonishment crossed the pain-filled face.
"Eu, euuuuh...!" Her body wriggled desperately. I took one step towards her.
"Ple... se... P-please..."
"What are you saying?"
"Hah... Don't do i... Don't..."
It wasn't 'help me' but 'don't do it.' What shouldn't I do? It seemed she was conscious of her nakedness. She raised her knees and used both hands to cover her groin. I didn't care about her nakedness.
She thought I would do something. The motions were something she did unconsciously. Tears formed in her eyes as she begged.
"Please... Please…"
"..."
I thought about tearing her apart. To be honest, there was still some anger remaining. Being framed for rape was a very disgusting experience. The schoolgirl still had a lot of HP left, but she was paralyzed and couldn't move her body.
If I wanted, I could make her feel pain until she died. It was a shame that a woman absolutely didn't want to go through. I approached her and knelt down.
"Close your eyes."
"Hi..."
"I will kill you. But I won't do anything shameful." Her eyes gazed at me. I raised a fist. "I'll finish it as painless as possible."
Opportunity shouldn't be wasted. Not only would it take time, but I was about to take her life. It was the most precious thing for a human. No matter how much I was filled with greed, I didn't desire anything else from her.
"So... Close your eyes."
"..." Tears flowed down as the schoolgirl closed her eyes. Fear? No, it was subtle, but it felt different. Relief... Maybe it was remorse.
"S... Sorr... Really... Really sorr..." I accepted the apology as I formed a fist.
Jaengurang.
Wuk.
I was in shock for a moment. My whole head felt wet. Fragments of broken glass feel to the ground.
I turned to look, and there was a goblin pharmacist at the entrance of the tent. There was apparently one left, but there was nothing wrong with my body.
I immediately turned and rushed to the entrance as I tackled the goblin.
"Kyakyak!"
I struck the back of its head. Two hits. Three hits. The floor was soaked with the blood of the goblin.
Blood? Why was I bleeding? Ah, a nosebleed. My body started wobbling. I raised my hand from the ground. Nose, mouth and eyes. Blood dripped on the floor, escaping from every hole on my face.
Activate. Limiter Release.
The dizziness didn't disappear. I tried to stand up, only for my head to hit the ground.
[Current Balance: 115/140]
[Poison - Bleeding/ Nerve paralysis. Health is reduced by one every second.]
No, I still had a lot of HP left.
This is… Too much.
...
...
Something was put between my lips. My eyes couldn't open so I had no way of knowing what it was. I just knew that a bitter liquid was being poured into my mouth.
"Dri... You should drink it al..." But what was it? ...No, before that. Who? But the questions didn't emerge from my mouth as I lost consciousness again.
My eyes opened, and I sat up. I was inside the goblin tent. It was the tent where I found the schoolgirl. I turned to look, but the place where the schoolgirl had been was empty.
"...Ah." There was a little surprised noise. I looked back and saw the schoolgirl. She was fine.
... Of course, she was naked but that was all. She was standing on her own two feet and watching me. All the poisoned blood vessels and wounds were gone.
"Excuse me..."
Her mouth only opened slightly but I was certain. Her severed tongue had grown back again. "Hey. What are you?" I frowned and approached with clenched fists. I knew the situation. I didn't know what she was, but the girl had fully recovered from her wounds. She was the one who poured something down my throat.
But the question was why she did it. If she killed me then she could get everything. "What are you up to? If you don't answer..."
"It doesn't matter if you kill me."
Eh?
"...Ah, no. I mean that it is no use if you kill me right now... That... So... I want to stay here a bit more..." The girl stuttered like she realized what strange things she was saying. "First of all, r-receive this." She handed over a bag full of bottles.
"T-they are all safe. I've tried it."
I really didn't know what was going on.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 13 - Day 4, 4th Floor Monster
Her name was Yang Su-jin.
Technique - Healing Factor.
This was the technique she gained from defeating the 'Regeneration Tree' on the second floor and eating its fruit. "It was a dry tree so I wondered if it would work but..."
She took out a lighter from her pocket. A high school girl was smoking-- it was amazing. "The speed is slow but if my head is fine, I won't die..."
The problem was that there was even more. If she was overpowered, the regeneration would proceed at a slower rate. She wouldn't die, but she wouldn't gain any additional strength.
After fighting and being defeated, she'd revived and the goblins became deeply interested in her. They had dragged her back to the tent where she was hung on the pulley and the goblin pharmacist poured all types of drugs into her mouth.
"I didn't think it was too painful while I was being force-fed... I discovered a new talent. 'Identification of ingredients'... If I eat or apply anything then I will know the exact ingredients."
"Stop there. What's your conclusion?" The more she spoke, the more it sounded like she was saying 'kill me because I have this.'
"My regeneration is not a talent but a technique."
"...So?"
"Eh... Therefore you can't absorb the technique if you kill me." How did she know that? Yang Su-jin looked at me with glowing eyes. ...Of course, the only things that popped up in the message were 'talents and experience.' The only person I killed was Scratchy. I didn't know what type of techniques he had.
"How do you know?"
"... Both people I killed on the previous floors had techniques." She spoke in a somewhat depressed voice.
"They were cheap even when dying... Well, I don't care what you think. Anyway... I will definitely be useful. Especially when it comes to drugs." ... Assuming that the story she told me was 100% true, her words weren't wrong.
The poison inflicted on me by the goblin warden had caused pain. What if I was poisoned and had no antidotes? Or there was an antidote, but I needed to actually 'eat' it for it to work. In order to do that, resilience was needed-- the ability to recover from even the most harmful drugs.
"If you don't believe me, I'll give you whatever drugs or items are found. I will leave you my share of monsters as well. Just let me follow behind you."
"What for?"
"You saved me. I want to do this."
"I didn't save you. I tried to kill you with my own hands."
"It doesn't matter." Yang Su-jin put down the pile of drugs I didn't take and folded her hands together. "... Anyway, you didn't do anything to me and tried to get me 'out'. Even if I die here, I won't actually die..."
"...?"
What? I barely refrained from reacting to the information that popped out of her mouth.
"Oppa... Ah, you're older than me... Can I call you Oppa? Oppa, I'm not garbage."
"It is a good idea, but I'm not a guardian you can hide behind."
"Once again, I don't care if you kill me." She took a step towards me.
"I don't want a guardian. If you have any unknown medicine then you can feed it to me. If I can't die, then can't you use me as a shield or something? As mentioned earlier, you can have as many items and monsters as you like. This dungeon, a lot of things can be acquired just by wandering around."
"..."
I thought for a moment and then spoke. "I want to ask you one thing-- you're fine right now. You might be helpful to me or you might be trash..."
But the fundamental question still remained: why didn't she kill me? After all, it would be enough if she took my talents and went through the dungeon alone. Was she thanking me for trying to save her from endless pain? Or saying that she wasn't garbage?
It was a pessimistic view of the world, but I believed it despite her youth. In the first place, she was a person who framed me for rape.
"...I am scared."
"The dungeon?"
"The experiences here... To be honest, I'm not afraid to fight with monsters or get hurt anymore. No matter how deep it is... It isn't as severe as what I've experienced." Her eyes became nervous. "But... Meeting other people here, and what I did to Oppa... I don't want to keep suffering like this."
"Your suffering won't stop just because you follow me."
"I-I don't want to be alone. When I am alone, my actions when encountering others ... I want to become a better person in here... I really feel like if I go with you..." She was crying as she talked.
I didn't question her anymore-- there was no need to. I fully understood her story. In short, it was for the sake of her psychological stability. She had killed two people on the previous floors. I didn't know what happened but it was double the number of people I murdered. The psychological burden was large...
It was a story I could sympathize with. To summarize... If she wanted to keep exploring the dungeon, then bad actions would be required. This would continue into the future, but there was a psychological burden that came with being alone. Maybe she was being selfish. To me though, it gave her more credibility than before.
"Sure."
"Huh?"
"You will keep the potions, but you will need to take care of me with the antidotes. The monsters and items are all mine."
"...!" Her teary face brightened. "I-I will. Do you want the items and coins that I have? I have a talent..."
She stopped speaking for a moment. "... Excuse me, are you pitying me?"
"No? Why are you asking?"
"Ah... Just now, I got a new talent…"
"What was it?"
"I-Induce Pity... My charm and eloquence have slightly increased..."
"..."
[Far Vision Pendant. Equipment item. Rank D.]
[A required equipment for the Leng Plateau hunters, it has a spell that enhances vision. It is difficult to reveal its function in a dark dungeon, but the darkness seems to have lightened a little bit.]
[When worn, vision 1. Your field of vision in the dungeon will increase by 1.5 metres.]
In addition, there were five silver and 107 copper coins. There were six of the goblin's medicines, as well as various detoxifying drugs, including the antidote to the 'Grey Malice' drug that the goblin pharmacist tried to kill me with.
These were the items I received from Yang Su-jin. She proved it by eating the 'Grey Malice' and then its antidote. It was the same for the other detoxifying drugs. I hadn't experienced it myself so it was still an unknown potion, but once I tasted it, I recognized it as the same potion she'd fed me earlier.
"Hum, hum hum hum." Yang Su-jin hummed as she hopped between the goblin tents. I was gathering all types of miscellaneous things from them, empty vials, tongs, pliers...
[You don't know the language of the goblins so you can't decipher this.]
Those words popped up whenever I looked at pieces of paper with scribbles on them. There were a few E rank items but most of the stuff was garbage.
"This is it. The goblin pharmacists looked at this scroll and made something. So maybe I can do something if I look at it. I will do it." She brought the issue up before I even asked. Was she doing this on purpose to get rid of my tension? She originally had that type of character.
"... Let's leave."
"Yes!"
We entered the passage beyond the big tent. "Is there at least one more space like this?"
"Yes. This isn't where I came from." There was one more type of goblin that knocked Yang Su-jin out. "They're big. That uncle that was in the room with us before... They're probably bigger than him. Lots of muscle."
"Rank?"
"D. That... In the old movies. Ah, Rambo! They have the body like that main character and have small bottles hanging from their belts. They kept drinking from the bottles."
I wondered if it was some type of doping. Maybe I could raise my stats if I got my hands on it.
"Excuse me, Oppa."
"What?"
"If you have a cell phone... Here." Yang Su-jin held out her cell phone. There was a map drawn on the screen. "You can obtain a new talent this way."
"I know."
"Huh?" I knew a bit more about it than she did. I kept silent and didn't answer Yang Su-jin's confused look. I would kill her if I saw anything the least bit suspicious. No matter how young she was, I wouldn't accept everything at face value.
The passage was long. 30, no 40 minutes. After defeating a few goblins, we arrived at a second village. I started to understand the shape of the fourth floor. It was a swirl. If we kept going straight then we would eventually reach the centre. The goblin village was located in the middle of it.
"Eh?" Yang Su-jin exclaimed. I was also surprised. The camp in front of me was shattered. The tents were torn and there were goblin corpses everywhere. It seemed like they had been cut by something, probably the man with the knife.
"T-that is it." Yang Su-jin pointed to the body of a goblin leaning against the wall. It was certainly bigger than me, but there were no bottles on its body. I could only see the belt that had previously held the bottle.
I touched the body to check for warmth. It was cool so the fight had been a while ago. "How long has it been like this?"
"One... A few hours?" Dammit.
I screamed at Yang Su-jin who had gone to see the tents. "Come along, quickly!" I rushed through the dungeon at almost full speed. Thanks to the faster speed, we arrived at the next camp in five minutes.
But this place was already demolished. The tents were destroyed and all the enemies were dead. The man with the knife had already gone ahead. This wasn't good.
I had started from the very end of the swirl. Once I saw the location where Yang Su-jin had fallen, the positions where we all fell down weren't that different. But Yang Su-jin was captured and tortured, and I feel unconscious for approximately an hour.
If Kitchen Knife moved properly without losing the path then we would keep chasing him, only following the trail of Kitchen Knife. I hurriedly moved to the next camp. This time, there was another huge goblin at the entrance. It was also wearing a belt without the bottle.
"This is a little... It is cruel." Cruel? It was much more meaningful than that. The corpses of the goblins were much more gruesome compared to the ones in the first and second village. The cuts were exactly the same but the depth was different. Most of the bodies were half mutilated, as though Kitchen Knife had enjoyed it.
The doping potion-- it was potent enough to make the small goblins have a huge physique. I didn't know what would have if a 190cm tall person took it. Especially the amount that the two goblins were carrying.
Goose bumps formed along my body. Maybe he had already cleared the fourth floor... And he might be waiting for us. Still, I had no choice but to head for the end.
"There is still the antidote." I turned to see Yang Su-jin standing in front of a tent. It was the tent of the goblin pharmacist. Every camp had one.
"What?"
"That person, he didn't take the antidote. The goblin pharmacist was holding it. There are many things I don't know, but I'm certain this is the antidote."
Certainly, I had seen the power of the poison that Scratchy died from. If Kitchen Knife had avoided the bottles then he wouldn't know how dangerous the goblin poison was. So maybe I could kill Kitchen Knife with that poison.
"Here." Yang Su-jin handed me a poison bottle. I hadn't said anything but she guessed the situation. There was a moment of silence before we proceeded to the next passage.
After walking for a while...
The walls on either side of us disappeared and we emerged into a wide space. It was a large space, like the camps, but there were no torches. However, it wasn't like the last room on the first floor. I walked along the passage but didn't see the end. Only a narrow area was revealed within my field of view.
"..."
I swallowed my saliva and could feel Yang Su-jin sticking closely to my back. I didn't pull away.
[Stealth. LV 2. 5/200]
Eh? After gaining the talent and reaching level two, the experience hadn't gone up no matter how slowly I walked. Now, through this method...
Kung.
With the sound, 'it' came into my sight. It was approaching this way.
Kung.
I immediately moved away. It responded as soon as it heard footsteps.
"Huh?" My miscalculation was that I was wearing the pendant received from Yang Su-jin. In other words, I have a wider field of view than her. Thus, her reaction was too late.
"Avoid it!" I belatedly yelled, but it was useless. Yang Su-jin stiffened and couldn't move as 'it' came into her sight.
Buuuong.
The knife moved through the air with a harsh sound. Yang Su-jin couldn't even scream as her upper and lower body was separated.
'It' had a body that was almost three metres tall. Hundreds of thousands of blood vessels were showing up dark pink against its skin, and there was a dark aura around it. Its facial muscles were swollen so much that the eyes and nose weren't visible. The knife in its hand looked like a baby toy and I wouldn't have known it was Kitchen Knife if it wasn't for the tattoos.
[Park Jong-gyu. Type ???. Rank ???.]
[A gang member. His inner desires made him recognized as a dungeon explorer, and he was attracted to the 'Goblin Spice' that promotes abnormal development of the body.]
[Repeated overdoses has removed reason from his body and the synergy with his inherent desires had created an unprecedented change.]
[Unique Talent - No.005. Atlas has awakened.]
[Named Monster.]
"I think I'm going crazy." I held the bottle in my hand.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 14 - Day 4, 4th Floor
The thrown bottle hit him exactly in the middle of the face.
"Kuoh?" A noise that wasn't human emerged from his mouth. He sounded like a pig had inhaled helium.
"That...!"
Kung.
He knelt down, dropping the knife as he covered his face with his hands.
"Kuwaaaaah!" A tremendous roar assailed my ears. I turned Limiter Release off and ran forward to punch him in the face.
Crunch.
The sound came from my fist hitting his face. It was obviously the correct posture for a punch but electricity was transmitted through my wrist. He was hard as a brick. Maybe even harder than that.
"Guah!" He swung his arm. The back of his hand hit my belly and it felt like my stomach and intestines had been turned upside down. I literally bounced back.
"Kuooh... Kuoh..." I shook my head and got up. There was blood pouring down his face. Nevertheless, his body wasn't paralyzed. I needed more poison.
I started searching. Despite the pendant, my field of view was smaller because my eyes were narrowed. I took careful footsteps and was able to find Yang Su-jin.
She was alive. Her eyes were closed and her mouth shut as she surprisingly endured the pain of having her upper body cut off. Indeed, this was her regeneration ability. From her severed upper body, a new lower body could be seen growing. Still, it was quite strange to see the legs of a 5~6 year old growing out of her.
...Well. It was an urgent situation so I approached Yang Su-jin. She breathed out and said.
"I'm okay."
"Ah..." Her eyes were touched as she stared into my eyes. ...I wouldn't talk about coming to get the drugs. Instead I used my hands to open her mouth and took out a medicine bottle. I was pouring the second bottle in her mouth when Yang Su-jin suddenly turned pale.
I looked up before Yang Su-jin could speak. That person was towering above us, on the verge of throwing a punch. I reflexively kicked Yang Su-jin out of the way.
A fist hit my left shoulder. All sensations in my shoulders disappeared.
"...Uck!" I staggered and tried to grab a bottle, but his other hand grabbed my neck. I was lifted up by my throat. In that state, he grabbed my shoulder. It was the side where I had lost all sensations. No, it was my misunderstanding that I lost all sensations.
Jiik, jiiiik.
"Aaaaack!" My shoulder was being pulled, just like one would remove a chicken leg from a chicken. I was barely able to retain consciousness. I threw the bottle in my hand with all my strength but...
"Kik."
He moved his head slightly and the bottle fell to the ground behind him.
"Kiaaaahahah." Was it laughter? He put my torn arm in his mouth and started chewing. No, he wasn't chewing but just pushing it in. He was eating my arm.
No, now wasn't the time to worry about that. He swallowed from my hand to my shoulder in an instant and smacked his lips like he was satisfied. Then he swapped hands with the one holding my neck.
He wanted to tear the rest of my limbs off like I was a chicken.
I felt like I was dying as the pain of having my limbs pulled off engulfed me. My vision became blurry as I slowly lost consciousness…
Jaengurang.
Suddenly, there was the sound of something breaking and I was dropped. After dropping me, the guy looked back to see that he was soaked due to the bottle that hit him.
"A-Are you okay?" I couldn't see it but it was Yang Su-jin who threw the bottle.
An additional two or three bottles flew through the darkness and hit his chest. No. The location was wrong. Although he was groaning, he was still moving at his fastest speed.
It had to be in the middle of the face or directly on the body… I lifted myself up.
[Current Balance: 54/140]
My hand touched something on the ground. It was the bottle that missed before. I grabbed it while still feeling the agony of my missing limb. The bottle was a little cracked but the contents were still fine.
"Kyak!"
I could hear Yang Su-jin's scream from outside my field of vision. And at that moment. Kung. A sound.
Kung.Kung.Kung.
I held the bottle in my mouth and moved forward. I could see his back. He was hitting the ground with his fist. It was the sound of the guy hitting Yang Su-jin's flesh. I gritted my teeth as I was reminded of my one-armed state, almost breaking the bottle.
One step. Two steps. I put as much weight as possible into my leg as I kicked between his legs.
"...!!!" There was no screaming, but I could definitely feel the response in his body. Also, his genitals weren't as hard as his face.
One step again. My hand hit his genitals. I hit him so hard that my HP was reduced by 14 points.
"Kiiiiik!" The guy stumbled and slipped on the pieces of Yang Su-jin's body. His head literally slammed against the ground. Yang Su-jin, nice assist!
The bottles that Yang Su-jin held were scattered on the ground. I grabbed as many as I could hold in one hand, along with the one in my mouth.
The guy's hands were holding his groin. I opened his mouth and poured the bottles in my hand down his throat.
"Keok..!" A hand was raised and he threw me away. I was thrown back but all the bottles in my hand were already gone. In fact, I didn't have a hand at all. I had shoved my hand with the bottles down his mouth, and the tightening of his throat was so strong that it tore my wrist off.
However, all the drugs had definitely entered him. The drug was immediately effective.
"Keok! Ukukuk! Uck!" He never got up again.
A tremendous amount of blood poured out from his eyes, nose, mouth and even genitals. It poured out so much that it almost seemed like a broken pipe.
[Unique talent has been acquired.]
[Unique Talent - No.005. Atlas: Your body will become stronger, leading to a desire to oppress others through violence.]
[But always keep this in mind. The more power you have, the greater the weight your body will have to carry.]
[Increases the growth rate of physical talents by four times. The effects of Talent - Suppression are being recalibrated.]
[Muscle strength has exceeded the limit.]
[Health has exceeded the limit.]
[Reflexes has exceeded the limit.]
[Muscle strength: 11]
[Health: 11]
[Reflexes: 12]
I didn't gain any other talents apart from Kitchen Knife's unique one.
I guess... It was because he was no longer human. At the beginning of the fight, words had surfaced stating that he was a monster. I looked at the corpse that shrank like a popped balloon and turned away.
Yang Su-jin was finely chopped. Every part of her body, including her arms and legs, looked like they had gone through a blender. Her regeneration ability could be called the best. Even so, it was impossible for her to survive such a horrible thing.
"...Thank you."
I bowed to her remains. Her talents didn't allow her to fight, but I wouldn't have been able to win this without her.
Duk.
Um? There was the sound of something rolling around outside my field of view.
I took one step.. Oh my god. It was a head. Her eyes were closed but new flesh was growing from her neck. This caused the head to move and make sounds.
I sat down next to Yang Su-jin's head. As her neck and clavicles regenerated, her eyes opened. Was it to look at me? The mouth moved but there was no sound because she didn't have any lungs.
"Good job."
"..." She was a little dazed. Then Yang Su-jin smiled brightly. I frowned.
"Don't smile, you look terrible right now."
We moved a little more and a space with pillars emerged. There were warm lamps above our heads. The pillars were spaced at intervals of 10 metres.
Yang Su-jin's lighter played an active role here. By walking around a few pillars, we could light up the entire space.
"..."
It was an unbelievable sight. The overall area was similar to the third floor hallway without the stairs. But there were no goblins. There were dozens of tents lined up, as well as wood and stone structures. Everything was soaked with blood from the bodies of goblins.
"Wow, that guy did all of this..." Yang Su-jin muttered as she examined the corpses. There were at least eight huge goblins. However, none of them had their potions. At some point, that guy only become filled with the desire to drink more potions.
"It seems like he couldn't find what he was looking for. So he made a mess..." Yang Su-jin stared at me.
[Current Balance: 121/170]
[A bleeding state. Health will decrease by 5 every minute.]
Blood was dripping from my missing arm and wrist, as the wounds weren't easy to heal. I had medicine to recover my health, but I couldn't stay longer.
As we continued to light the pillars, all areas of the space became visible. The staircase was on the far end of the room. The goblins had built a small altar-like structure on the wall behind the stairs.
[Stairs. Goes to the 5th floor.]
[Relaxation/Exchange is available at the next staircase.]
"It doesn't state how many people we can meet." Yang Su-jin mentioned a pretty important point but I was looking a bit upwards. There was a decorated altar behind the stairs.
Light was leaking from the small house shape at the top. Lamp? But the light was a little different. I kicked the altar. There was a loud sound and the identity of the light was revealed.
Alphabet... I had that thought, but the letters had different shapes.
[Talent - Goblin: Runes containing the essence of the goblin species. Explorers who touch the runes will obtain various characteristics that could be called the identity of the species. There are no limitations on the type of runes that can coexist with each other and there are runes with advantages and disadvantages. However, once a rune is taken, it can't be removed by ordinary means.]
[There will be a 20% compensation effect on the subtlety, concentration and dexterity abilities.]
[There is a 20% compensation effect on the talents Hidden Weapon Technique and Stealth.]
[The success rate of manufacturing various chemicals and high quality products will increase.]
[There is a 10% reduction in physical strength and health.]
I read the words carefully and looked at Yang Su-jin. "Uh, what i...s it?"
"You should take this." Yang Su-jin reacted with surprise because she hadn't been expecting it.
"Really? Why should I take this? Really?" It wouldn't hurt to have more subtlety and concentration, but the 10% reduction in physical strength and health was quite a bit. This was a tool of the goblins, but I didn't need to throw it away.
Yang Su-jin touched the runes while I stood closer to the wreckage of the collapsed towards. I hadn't realized when the altar was still standing. There was something engraved on the wall behind the altar. I kicked the debris in order to see more of the wall.
Rattle.
The wall moved.
[Welcome!]
"Kyak!"
"Heok!"
[Depadora Salesman - V023 Type Golem. Rank C.]
[The Depadora sales golem that sets up various branches in famous dungeons to sell miscellaneous goods to adventurers.]
[It doesn't have much strength itself, but the protective magic of the store is hard to pierce.]
In short, it was a dummy made of stone. The voice seemed to be coming from a speaker-like device attached to the neck, not the mouth.
[This is the 427th store of the Depadora Commerce Company...]
Even without the prattling on, I was able to understand that the space inside the wall was a store. The area was approximately five pyeong wide and the shelves were practically barren.
[I am sorry to tell you that this branch has not received payment for our products for 14 years and 32 days. There are hardly any items remaining.]
There were just four items.
[An Introduction to the Old Language of Tellan. A book item. Rank F.]
[Introduces the official language of Tellan. It looks quite old.]
It was a decrepit book.
[Old Explorer's Cloth Bag (Small). Equipment item. Rank F.]
[Made for explorers. Although it is a handmade product, the quality isn't that good. It seems like the durability had weakened considerably over many years.]
[Outside of the dungeon, you can put things in the bag, place the bag in your inventory and bring it into the dungeon.]
There were two of the similarly worn bags. And then there was one small ring with a red jewel embedded in it.
[Salamander's Ring. Equipment item. Rank D.]
[An item created to support non-magical warriors, the power of fire is sealed within the ruby.]
[You can cast the Fireball spell 35~40 times without any fire magic. Be careful not to damage the ruby.]
I pulled out all the coins that I had. After going through this floor, I had 20 silver coins and 325 copper ones. Since one silver coin was equal to 20 copper, that was 36 silver?
"How much is the ring?"
[The ring is 35 silver! Ah, I can give you each bag for five silver and the book for one silver!]
In fact, there was no need for the bags. Even if I could bring things in from outside world, the emergency medicines found here were better. I didn't know where I could get a gun even if I could bring it in. Even if it was D rank, a ring that could shoot fire was much better.
"Then the ring and the book..."
...Wait.
[Yes! Then pay...]
"No, wait. Wait a minute! Please wait." I thought for a moment before changing my words. "Give me the book and two bags."
"Aren't you buying the ring? It looks great..." Yang Su-jin asked but I had already finished paying. I had almost made a crucial mistake. The reason I continued to explore the dungeon wasn't to fight to survive.
No, it was to ultimately succeed in reality. These bags could be the answer.
[4th floor cleared.]
I headed straight for the library.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 15 - Day 5, 5th Floor
It was fortunate that the 4th day was a weekend. I had skipped the study group without any explanation, so the only excuse I could give retroactively was that I was in too much pain to have gone. I had a simple dinner and went back home. As I was walking back, I heard a sound in the alleyway next to the house.
"...!?" It was An Su-hyun--A person who I had seen die with my own eyes. But that wasn't the reason for my surprise. It was because he was holding a broomstick that I never once saw him use before.
The building management had always been the responsibility of his parents. Yet now the front yard was immaculately swept and the garbage space was neatly organized.
Even the empty bottles were arranged for the collectors. The boxes were tied up with strings. After finishing the sweeping, An Su-hyun started spraying a bucket with water.
Then his eyes met mine.
"..."
He gave me a small nod. His eyes were free of any of the hostility that was normally present when he saw me. That's why it was even more surprising. His original self wouldn't have done such minor work or even acknowledged me.
"Yes, Father. I have changed the rubber plug in the sink of Room 502..." He picked up a call as I walked passed him.
As Yang Su-jin had explained, a person who died and revived wouldn't remember anything about the dungeon. If so, did it also change people? Was it like a fairy tale, where leaving the dungeon converted them? If so, it was something to be glad about.
But why? Was it a dissonance that his mind had created from his selfish, spoiled self? This thought remained in the corner of my mind. I would soon find out the cause.
Eject.
I took out the cloth bag from my inventory and placed the things I had prepared inside of it. The bag had less capacity than I thought because there were many 'different types.'
This was likely to work properly. Hopefully everything would go as I speculated. I stepped onto the staircase.
[5th floor, entered.]
As soon as I arrived, I could see that it was different from the previous floors. It was bright and noisy. It was like an auditorium or a playground. It was a big space that seemed twice as large. The high ceilings seemed at least 6~7 stories tall.
There were also more than 100 people visible. "Oppa!" Yang Su-jin was right in front of me.
"I knew waiting here was the right answer! I came down the same stairs as Oppa so I thought we would show up in the same place." There were no staircases anywhere around me. New people just appeared out of thin air.
"When did you get here?"
"Not long ago. One minute? Two minutes?" She looked at the wide space like she couldn't believe it.
"Now these people..."
"Surely we won't be fighting all of them?"
"We won't. Take a look over there." Not far away from us, there were men exchanging blows. Or rather, they were trying to.
Listening to their words, the two men had explored the fourth floor together. One of them had pushed the other down the stairs, forcefully outing them from the dungeon. The purpose was to monopolize the items and monsters. After that, the traitor came down another set of stairs but the two of them had ended up in the same place. The victim and perpetrator tried to hit each other, but in the end, they couldn't reach. It was like an invisible wall had been sprayed with oil as any attacks just slipped off.
This was the floor of relaxation and exchange. However, the atmosphere wasn't particularly friendly. There was no one else with two people sitting around calmly, like Yang Su-jin and I. All of the people not fighting seemed to be alone. Rather than conversing with someone else, they were looking at people with the eyes of a predator.
It was natural. What had I gone through from the first floor to the fourth floor? Lions. All the people gathered here had done things in order to survive.
Apart from that… My attention moved to the centre of the space.
[ Statue. Type: Golem Rank SS.]
[ is a vessel made by harmonizing various materials. Unlike other golems, there is no control center, but it contains a high level of technology.]
[It is impossible to know whose voice will speak from it. Beware, even if it is just a servant, it is likely a messenger of a god.]
[Currently in an inactive state.]
It was a stone statue thousands of times larger than a gargoyle. It was kneeling but the head was almost touching the ceiling.
"Well, it seems to be two S's. Oppa, do you also see it?"
"Yes." Naturally, it wouldn't be the S in the normal alphabetical order. I nodded towards Yang Su-jin. We moved to one corner of the wide space and were able to look at the bigger picture.
The frequency of people appearing out of thin air was decreasing. After 10 more minutes, there were approximately 200 people in the room and no new people were arriving.
Kuuong.
[ Statue. Active.]
The statue had started to move. "What the!?"
"T-This...!" Many people screamed in surprise or tried to run as far as possible away from the stone statue. However, there were a few exceptions. Some were only interested in the movements of the statue, as if they predicted it would happen. There were also people who closely examined the statue like I did.
Ojeok.
There was a crushing sound from the head of the stone statue. A mouth formed on the face that had been as bland as a ghost.
[Yes, hello.]
It was a far too polite and soft voice. "..." This time, I was sure that everyone was confused.
[Let's see... Wah, a lot more arrived than I thought.]
As it spoke, the stone statue started to look everywhere.
[Welcome to the 5th floor! I am called 'Iphos' and I'm the mentor of this V9 area.]
Everyone became quiet.
[I am the servant of the one who brought everyone into this dungeon.]
How the thing was possessing the statue wasn't an important issue. What mattered was that it was the one who could give them information on the god who caused this mysterious phenomenon.
"Lord." A middle-aged woman cried out and broke the silence. She held the cross hanging around her neck and looked up with an expression of reverence.
[Um. Sorry, but the one who sent me isn't your god.]
"..." Her face became rotten in a short period of time. I could hear Yang Su-jin giggling from beside me.
[The god I serve isn't from this world. He brought you to this dungeon, as well as various other dungeons that exist in the world, and reassembled them for you.]
Nobody said anything.
[Ah, good question!]
The doll pointed to one man as it spoke. Was it able to read our minds?
[Explaining these things is such a hassle... Oh, no, I'm supposed to be nurturing you.]
What was the purpose for the nurturing? If it could read minds, it was probably reading this from the minds of everyone here.
[The original people of this world couldn't fulfill their mission. They failed to attack the place he wanted to conquer.]
I suppose that place had the form of a dungeon like this...
[That answer is correct!]
... I was surprised. The statue was laughing while pointing at me.
[As expected from the one who occupies the overall first place in the V9 area. You have certainly noticed faster than others in this world.]
Overall first place? I could feel countless gazes aimed towards me. I remained calm despite all the eyes observing me. They were able to fully understand the statue's words in a short moment.
[Anyway, he decided to scout people from other worlds. Of course, he wanted to bring everyone without any discrimination, but he can't do whatever he wants with beings from other worlds. So he set one condition.]
Perhaps it was desire. It was a word that had emerged in several messages. Perhaps more desire than others...
[Another correct answer! Indeed, the first place!]
That bastard. Despite only having a mouth on the face, I strongly felt like it was winking at me.
[Yes, it is desire. You aren't satisfied with what you have and are continually seeking something higher. His judgement wasn't wrong.]
The following words didn't come from the statue's mouth. Letters appeared in front of me. Like everyone else, I stared at it.
[The talents and skills you will gain in the dungeon are your rewards. Bring out all your potential, become stronger and reach the last floor.]
"Do you really need to use this method of nurturing?" It was a man who spoke up. He walked up to the stone statue with challenging eyes. "If the being is something similar to a god then can't he just give experience to everyone in this room?"
[It takes trials to give birth to a hero.]
The stone statue opened its mouth. Its tone was like a child talking to a cute hamster.
[Giving strength is deadly for children who can't fight. Won't you easily be killed by an adult with their bare hands? Besides, it seems like you are mistaken. There is nothing free in this world.]
"I knew it!" The lady with the cross shouted again. She pulled the cross necklace and held it up towards the statue. "This is the path of the devil! Tempting people to do bad things!"
I was reminded of where I had seen people like her before. A woman holding a sign in front of a nearby bus stop or those talking about hell 365 days year round. It had the smell of a pseudo-church. Until a short time ago, she'd had the attitude of looking up at an apostle of god.
[Uhh, this is difficult. Even if it is bad things... Didn't you kill all the explorers on the same floor as you?]
All eyes focused on the middle aged woman. Honestly, she didn't seem that strong but I couldn't judge a person from their appearance.
"I-I...!" Her eyes shook violently but it was only for a moment. "I thought it was the will of the Lord... I am still the Lord's servant, Devil! Repent for your sins..."
[Oh, I don't know.]
Ttakkuong.
The stone statue moved. Its finger descended. The body, struck by a stone body that dwarfed her, instantly bounced backwards, and blood pudding hit the wall.
[Anyway, it doesn't seem like she was intelligent enough to last long... Although she was pretty good... Ah, what to do?]
It scratched its head like it was really in trouble.
[Ah, do you know that it isn't really death?]
It changed the topic in a bright voice.
[As some of you already know, even if you die here, your body and mind is restored in your original world. He cares for you as much as possible... Oh, naturally there is an admission fee.]
At that moment, An Su-hyun popped into my head.
[Bringing a lot of people and giving them talents... Dealing with the existence of another world is a very difficult problem. Thus, we take it. The reason you were able to come here. Your desires.]
'Is that all?' appeared on people's faces.
[Do you think that is isn't a big deal? Maybe some people live without any desires, and it is encouraged as a virtue. Still, human desire is a very expensive energy source.]
I understood. Like the words of the statue, my evaluation of desire was different than it was in the past. Another way of life. I also think that people who can live without any desires is respectable.
But it wasn't for me.
I had seen An Su-hyun. He used to be a jerk but… If I didn't have desire... From the beginning, I wouldn't have been anything.
[Then, shall we have an event?]
The stone statue spread out its hand. There was a small light hovering over it.
[This is a talent from the lady I just sent back. A small mistake... It was a cleansing but her exit wasn't normal.]
At the end of the stone statue's words, everyone's eyes filled with greed.
[This is a risk free game. I will give this talent to the winner of the game.]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 16 - Day 5, 5th Floor Hunger
The next moment, the stone statue melted down.
[Please step away from me.]
Just like an ice cream in summer, the stone statue became a puddle and started to form a shape on the floor. It was a large plate that was one metre in height. The square plate filled 1/5th of the entire floor.
The stone statue, which was no much smaller than before, stood on top of the 'stage.' Even so, the statue was still three metres tall.
[Originally, I wanted to do a tournament but there is a space constraint. Some people will also want to take a break. Those who are willing can come up at any time.]
As soon as the stone statue finished talking, dozens of people rushed towards the stage at once. There were the words 'no risk' so they thought there was nothing to lose. The man who was first on the stage was the one who had neared the statue to question it. The people behind him were pushed out.
[Then, we will now begin.]
The very next moment, a number came up in front of me. The man on the stage asked with a confused expression.
"Eh? What is this number three?"
The statue answered everyone, not just the man.
[The number in front of you is the number of competitors you will have to defeat in order to get the talent on top of this stage. With a minimum of two people, the number has been assigned as fairly as possible considering your abilities and grades.]
Some people were sulking.
[Now, please come up on stage to challenge this person.]
A man immediately jumped onto the stage. He had a confident expression. It wasn't hard to guess the reason why.
"Does he have a higher number?"
"Yes." It was like Yang Su-jin thought. The number was the same as a person's strength. The man on stage had unintentionally said 'three.' Therefore, those with a higher number would feel confident.
[Even if your HP becomes zero, there is no out. Now. Start.]
The fight began. The man with the number three was pushed back. it was almost one-sided as his health fell to the bottom.
"Eek!" He swung a fist at the opponent's chest.
"Heh!" The opponent snorted like it was ludicrous... Then his complexion gradually changed and he spat up blood. There was a needle in his chest where the number three man had punched. Even though it wasn't deep, the opponent's HP decreased in a very short amount of time.
"Poison?"
"Poison."
[You have won the match. Who will be the next challenger? If a challenger doesn't appear in less than a minute, then he will get half the talent!]
I took my eyes off the stage and moved further into a back corner.
"Aren't you watching?" Yang Su-jin asked. There was no need to do so. The man only had a three. Rather, it was better to wait until the fervour had died down. Didn't they know that the poison and needles were equipment that they were throwing away when it was needed for future dungeon progression?
[You have lost.]
It wasn't surprising. The number three man had quickly received another challenger. He was showing signs of weariness. The opponent also knew his trick so he couldn't use it again.
[Now! Do we have a next challenger? If your number is 'two' then you only have to win once!]
That was impossible. I pulled out the cloth bag. There were three thick books.
[Learn Programming Efficiently]
[The Basics of Mathematical Problem Solving]
[Advanced English: Reading]
"Ah..." Yang Su-jin's face was filled with shock. The talents you could get inside a dungeon were limited. But... what if I took books from different fields and read them? Would I be able to gain different abilities?
"Check the situation on stage. Tell me immediately if it seems like someone is going to get the talent."
"Ah, yes!"
I started with 'Learn Programming Efficiently.'
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Reading Comprehension: The ability to read words faster. Understand the meaning of words will rise according to the level. Memory, thinking power and concentration have slightly increased.]
I continued reading.
[Reading Comprehension. Lv 1. 34/100]
I didn't receive programming. I had expected it, but it was worth trying. In the previous dungeon floors, I had tried wrestling with the air or swinging a fist at the wall. If I could raise the level of Punching then I would stay in the dungeon until I could no longer hold out.
However, it was useless. The level didn't increase because the experience rise was too slow. A condition was that the action needed to be valid.
In the case of programming, the talent didn't appear because I was merely skimming a theoretical book. Then... What about the second book? The Basics of Mathematical Problem Solving. It was the easiest mathematics book for beginners.
Mathematics. It was an area I wasn't particularly good at in middle or high school, but would there be some results since it was all in my head?
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Mathematics: The ability to clearly understand numbers, volume and space problems related to various objects and phenomena will rise according to the level. Thinking power, spatial perception and insight have slightly increased.]
Okay. Although it was slow, experience was definitely rising as I read the book. Now I was down to the last book. Advanced English: Reading. If I could get Mathematics then of course this should work.
The question was, what would the result show up as?
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Language Acquisition: The ability to learn languages other than your native language. Language acquisition will become faster and more accurate. Thinking power has slightly increased.]
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - English (Reading, Writing): The ability to read and write English will rise according to the level. Thinking power, reading comprehension and planning have slightly increased.]
[English (Conversation) will be corrected according to the level.]
There was also this. I read the book without hesitation.
[Reading Comprehension Lv 2. 177/200]
[Language Acquisition Lv 2. 4/200]
[English (Reading, Writing) Lv 2. 99/200]
[Concentration has exceeded its limit.]
[Concentration: 12]
Suddenly, a small water bottle was pushed in front of my face. It was Yang Su-jin;s doing. "Your lips, they are dry."
I became aware that I had a really sore throat. I opened the lid and asked, "How much time has passed?"
"Well. Two or three hours?" So quickly?
"It is the first time I've seen someone concentrate like this. Not even the best student in my class..."
I ignored the burdensome gaze and looked towards the stage. "Ah, that's right!" There was a clap as Yang Su-jin started looking through her bag. I had given one of the two bags to Yang Su-jin so she would be able to bring what she needed in with her.
Her brain was young and quick so she might bring something that I would never think about. I was half filled with expectation. Yang Su-jin pulled out something that I never imagined from her bag.
"Voila."
There were two very big thermos. No, it wasn't a thermos… They were heated lunch box tins. Although I accepted it unconsciously, the water bottle was also strange. As soon as Yang Su-jin opened the lid, the scent of hot steaming food wafted out.
"What is this smell?"
"Soy sauce stew...' As the smell of food spread, gazes moved from the stage towards this area. They looked dumbfounded. I was also the same.
"What? What is with that look? I brought this." Yang Su-jin clearly wasn't a normal schoolgirl in many ways.
"Well. I would have brought a book like Oppa if I had thought about it. Honestly, I came up with this the moment I received the bag."
"I se...e."
"It isn't instant food nor does it have MSG. Everything is homemade. Except the meatball! They are the three minute ones."
I... I picked up the box. In fact, I was hungry. Two or three hours had passed, and it was a lot more time then I had spend on the 1-4th floors. As long as it filled me up...
"Eh?" A sound emerged from my mouth.
"How is it? Delicious. Is it delicious?" It wasn't because of the flavour. Letters had appeared the moment I took a bite.
[Hunger has recovered by two.
[Current hunger: 58/100]
I looked at the water bottle. I had forgotten to drink it after opening the lid due to the appearance of the lunchbox, but if I drank it now...
[Thirst has recovered by 20.]
[Current thirst level: 91/100]
"Is it that delicious?"
Seeing was believing I picked up a meatball and held it out to Yang Su-jin.
"No... Uh..."
"Why are you paying attention to the surroundings? Eat it quickly."
"..."
She blushed, sweeping her hair behind her ears as she opened her mouth… Something was strange but I kept holding it.
"..!"
Yang Su-jin made a shocked expression. I was conscious of all the people looking at us. Anyway, it was nice that she brought some food. This discovery was quite meaningful.
So far, clearing the dungeon floors had only taken one or two hours at most. If there were no problems on the fourth floor then it would have only been one or two hours.
But what if the space kept expanding? Or there might be a time consuming event like this one.
"Eat as much as you can now. As long as you can still move."
"Yes." I looked over at the stage.
"Excuse me, but is it delicious?"
There was a policy that people couldn't challenge the ring a second time, but this was still taking an unexpectedly long time. The reason for the constant fighting was that the number of opponents couldn't be precisely known. If I remained idle then there was a chance the game might be over.
In fact, I didn't think it was a good idea to jump in at the beginning. I had seen the first fight. I would jump in once the number of competitors decreased. I also wanted some time to read the books since I didn't know what would happen in the future. But now I was decided.
"What is your number?"
"Me? Well... Seven. I don't have many capabilities other than my regeneration ability."
I nodded and waited. Once everyone was hungry...
Otherwise...
[Twenty-two.]
I wasn't confident about fulfilling this nonsense number. I wasn't a martial arts hero.
The time had come. I climbed up to the stage.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 17 - Day 5, 5th Floor False Evil
I could feel everyone's gazes. I was that person-- The '1st' place… They didn't say anything but I could tell they were thinking it.
The other person was a man approximately my age. He had a solid body, stylishly shaved hair and had won eight consecutive victories. His expression showed that he was confident about his ninth victory.
He took out medicine from his inventory and drank it. "That meal looked delicious, but can you move properly with a full stomach?" Was he observing me? His taunt that was mixed with unease sounded pretty awkward.
"Yes." I gave an inflexible, but sincere, reply. There was a funny expression on his face as I answered.
[Now, begin.]
The other person immediately rushed at me. His technique was easy to identify-- it was a technique to make his body solid. He swung a fairly big hammer. Maybe it was to hide the punch coming from his other hand.
"Urat!" He made a fist with all his strength.
Limiter Release.
[Muscle strength has exceeded the limit.]
[Muscle strength: 13]
Thirteen. Although it was only an increase by one, I could see that any ability over 11 points was enormous when just looking at reflexes that had 12 points. The other person's fist wasn't slow. It was a fast punch reminiscent of an athlete, but I was able to easily avoid it.
Deopsseok.
"Uh, ut." I grabbed at his waist, then used my strength to lift him up from the ground. Even though he had the ability to harden, his weight wasn't that heavy.
I slammed the opponent onto the ground and climbed on top of him. Limiter Release was turned off, but it didn't matter due to the huge difference in muscle strength.
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Grappling: The ability to throw the opponent. Damage will rise according to the level. Muscle strength and balance will slightly increase.]
I was thankful, but there was still a lot left to gain. I held one of the hands of the opponent behind his back. I took his left little finger and folded it hard.
Crack.
There was the sound of metal breaking rather than bone, and it was quickly followed by a scream. "Ah, uwaaaack! Hey, what, what are you doing...?" I truly wanted to thank him, but it wouldn't end with just this.
Creak.
"Kuaaack! Stop, I surrender! Surrender! S..." It probably wouldn't work. I looked at the statue. Of course, it didn't interfere.
So far, no one had 'surrendered.' The assumption was that they wouldn't die when the HP reached zero, so everyone hit with all their power. Fight until the HP was zero.
I grabbed the ring finger this time. It broke.
"Kuook!" There was a foaming sound. His HP was only decreased a tiny bit.
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Torture: The efficiency of dealing physical/mental distress to others. It will increase in proportion to the level. Emotional control has slightly increased.]
[Has a complementary effect with the Talent - Compulsion.]
"Stop, stop, stop. Please, what, what are you doing?" He had already provided enough: I had gained talent and experience. Now his screams would apply psychological pressure to the other people. There was a reason for inciting fear in the other humans.
It was difficult to win against 22 people. If so, my goal was to frighten them; to prevent them from challenging me at all. There was nothing to lose so why not try it once? That was my idea.
I broke the last finger of his left hand. It was the thumb.
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Torture. Lv 2. 4/200]
"Ack!" It would be a lie to say that his screams didn't hurt me. Torture couldn't be justified even if the person wasn't killed. "Stop... Please, please..."
I wanted to close my eyes and my ears. But I couldn't. If I showed even the slightest sign of weakness then a few contestants might use that gap.
[Emotional control has exceeded the limit.]
[Emotional Control: 11]
Once I finished with the right hand, shouts began to be heard from the people watching. "Stop it, you bastard!"
"Are you even a human?" Crowd psychology was truly scary. Fear became secondary as they protested the ethics.
It was good enough. "I will stop it then..." I formed a fist and punched the poor man's head.
Kung!
The screaming stopped. "... I-Instantly..." Although it was painful, most of the man's HP was intact. The remaining amount had disappeared instantly. When considering the punch contained 13 strength, the fact that his head was against the floor made it the perfect scene for directing.
I threw the unconscious body outside the stage. Then I beckoned. "You told me to stop, so I need someone to replace him."
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - False Evil: The ability to plant an evil impression on others. It will increase in proportion to the level. Charisma has slightly increased.]
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Induce Fear: The ability to plant fear in the minds of others. It will increase in proportion to the level. Charisma has slightly increased.]
[Benefits will open at Lv 5.]
[Charisma has exceeded the limit.]
[Charisma: 11]
Those who yelled avoided my gaze as I gestured. It took almost a minute for a challenger to emerge. "I-I'll do it." It was a woman in her early 30's. She didn't seem like someone who could hurt anyone. She was very passive as she headed up to the stage. It seemed like she thought I wasn't going to torture a woman.
Or… She plunged forward as soon as the stone statue announced the start of the battle. She narrowed the distance with a light smile and took out a fist like cylinder.
Pak!
It was some type of launch device as I felt a pain in my chest. Nine needles were lodged in my chest in a circular pattern. I fell to my knees. "Huhu. Thank you." My smile became bigger.
The woman shook the cylinder as she approached. "Thanks to you, I received a very good idea."
"..." My kneeling body shook as I didn't say anything. Nine more needles entered my chest. The poison kept seeping inside me. The woman's attitude completely changed as she pushed at me chest. I fell and the women climbed on top of me.
"..."
"I am just doing what I learnt from observing you. So please scream a little more." Was this her original preference? It seemed like she didn't like the fact that I wasn't screaming. She thought I was trying really hard to endure it.
"Eh?" The body spasms and stupid moaning stopped. I grabbed the woman's throat like I was going to crush it.
[Pain Tolerance. Lv 6. 2339/3200]
I had the various antidote drugs received from Yang Su-jin on the fourth floor, so I had received the woman's needles without worrying. I flipped the upset woman over and put her down on the floor. The woman's eyes were filled with astonishment and questions as she looked up at me.
I just said, "A dramatic production."
The woman's voice trembled as she begged. "Do... Don't... Please." Wasn't this her preference?
"Then you have to pay for it."
"P-Pay?"
"I want all the items you have, including that launcher." Once ejected, the items dropped to the floor with a loud sound.
[Yabsel Manufactured Homemade Dart Gun. Equipment item. Rank D.]
[A launcher used by the nomadic people of the Yabsel Desert. It mimics the structure of the archer scorpions that inhabit the desert and is made from the curled stem of a cactus. It can launch up to nine needles at once and there is no restriction on the size of the needles.]
[The poison won't disappear even if the fired dart hits the ground.]
"I-I gave it. Now let me go."
I started. The bones that didn't have the capability of being hardened were easy to break. The sound was more playful and above all, there was no guilt. Pain Tolerance made the pain of the nine needles more 'tolerable', but it didn't remove it.
[Torture. Lv 3. 4/400]
Once the woman's HP became zero… I wouldn't describe it. Honestly, I was a little bit nauseous seeing it. I instead picked up the items that fell to the ground.
Except for the dart launcher, they were all cosmetics and coins. When the torture of the woman had been in full swing, her shaking had dropped additional things.
[Are there no more challengers?]
No one answered. In other words, it was a yes.
[Good! The owner of the talent has been decided.]
The stone statue walked over to me with the light. The letters didn't appear immediately.
[The additional talent will be applied on the 6th floor. Now, please go back to your place.]
I nodded and descended the stage. "...Uhh."
"Euh..."
The people surrounding the stage parted like the Red Sea. It had been approximately 20 minutes since I first got on the stage. Certainly, I wouldn't want an encounter with me after watching me torture someone for 20 minutes. There was only one exception.
"Thank you for your efforts!" Honestly, I had been wondering if there was a possibility of betrayal but Yang Su-jin just greeted me with bright eyes. She whispered in a low voice. "It was very cool."
Cool? "You, did you see what I did?"
"Of course. I watched it all." It wasn't just laughter but worry on her face. My lips were white. Sweat was dripping down my forehead.
"It isn't like you wanted to do it. That wasn't an easy task. So you were cool."
"... You also aren't normal." Just like me. I placed the dart launcher in my inventory, and looked at the unknown bottles I'd also picked up from the woman.
"Can you look at this for me?"
"Of course. I will identify the bottles and hand them over again." I leaned against the wall and breathed deeply. It was mental rather than physical fatigue. Yes. What was next? Everyone's gaze had already moved towards the stone statue.
[As I told you, the dungeon you are exploring is a nurturing course. It is a place for your growth. Therefore, it doesn't matter how many people reach the 'end.' Those who reach the end of the dungeon are qualified in his eyes.]
Once we cleared this dungeon, which was a practice course, we would encounter why 'he' wanted us. I asked myself a question: Was it mandatory to attend the game?
[I'm afraid so. It can't be helped since we brought you for that purpose in the first place. If you don't participate then it will be treated the same as an 'out' in the dungeon.]
Completely losing all desires.
[But don't think about it too much. You have gained strength through his power, and can gain recognition even if you don't succeed in attaining his purpose.]
Is that... so? The stone statue was clearly looking at me. I felt like it was laughing.
[Then, please receive this prior to going to the 6th floor.]
['Return Ticket: 5th Floor' has entered your inventory.]
[If you tear the ticket, you will be sent to the 5th floor for 12 hours of rest. It isn't present now, but there will be shop and various facilities. After the 12 hours, you will return right back to where you tore the ticket so be careful.]
Finally, the stage started to shake.
It wasn't turning back into the huge statue again. The height reached a certain size and several small square plates were formed.
[I will send you in groups of 'seven.' Relax and wait. Once seven people are selected, stand on the platform in order to go to the sixth floor. Let me know and I will send you immediately.]
Seven people. It didn't say whether the seven people would fight or cooperate on the sixth floor. It was rather abrupt to join up with five other people who I had never shared a word with.
[Oh, I will write this as reference.]
One whole wall was filled with large letters.
Kim Hee-chul.
It was a list of 244 names. This was the leaderboard.
[Please note that the last seven players will automatically be on the same team.]
The silent space instantly became filled with conversation. People were checking each other's names and ranks while planning out combinations.
"They aren't coming towards us."
"To be exact, they aren't coming towards me." 'Number one' was a number they couldn't reach. A little while ago, they had seen my brutal actions. All the people were thinking hard to try and avoid becoming part of my group.
As such, there was nothing I could do. I sat on the floor and opened my book, pouring all my focus onto the pages.
How much time had passed? The surroundings were quiet.
I raised my head.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 18 - Day 5, 5th Floor Social Standing
According to my estimate, there were 30 people left, which was more than I thought there would be.
The remaining people weren't communicating with each other. They knew those left at the end would have to form a team so they just watched each other's faces. It seemed like they wanted to stay until the end.
Tak.
There was a loud sound as I closed the book and 30 pairs of eyes focused on me. "Please hand me the leftovers from our meal and water."
"Yes!" I ate the remaining food and drank water. I had already eaten but some time had passed and I was quite hungry, so why shouldn't I eat the remaining food? Of course, I finished it quickly and turned my attention back to the book.
"Again? I'm bored because you're only looking at books."
"Read this." I threw the mathematics book at Yang Su-jin and concentrated.
[Reading Comprehension. Lv 3. 44/400]
[Language Acquisition Lv 2. 187/200]
[English (Reading, Writing) Lv 3. 13/400]
Some time passed and I saw a shadow in front of me. I looked up to see a man standing over me. His angular face and thick eyebrows gave off a tough impression. When he opened his mouth, a thick and calm voice came out. "I'd like to go with you."
"Your name?"
"Kwak Yu-han." I looked at the list on the wall. Kwak Yu-han was in 7th place. "If you let me go with you..."
"Wait there."
"..."
"Do you want to go with me? Then wait until everyone is gathered." Kwak Yu-han's eyes widened like he was surprised and he nodded. He sat down against the wall and leaned on it.
That was the beginning. After seeing me accept Kwak Yu-han so easily, the rest of the people started to gather around. "I-I will go as well."
"My name is..." I had put on a wicked act. In order to get what I wanted, I was a powerful person who did terrible things without changing my expression.
So what were their motives for going with someone like this? Kill me or 'eat me'? It was an easy way of thinking, but would all thirty something people think the same thing? I needed to think more realistically.
I looked at the crowd of people gathered and raised my index finger before I made a 'shh' gesture and everyone fell silent. This compliant response was my evidence. In general, there weren't many who would choose to fight someone stronger than them. They would rather choose to go under that strong person.
"Excuse me, you there in the front. Your name?"
"Kim Jong-gyu. I..."
"Rank."
"125..." I raised my hand to stop him. "Huh?"
"I would appreciate it if you get out of the way so I can see the others."
Kim Jong-gyu's complexion changed. "Nope. Can you just listen to me for a minute? Just please take me. If you let me accompany you then I will do whatever Kim Hee-chul ssi tells me to do. So..."
He was a fairly educated person so his words flowed smoothly, but it didn't matter. "Excuse me, Ajusshi." I interrupted Kim Jong-gyu and pointed a finger. His head looked in the direction of my finger like a dog. He saw the people silently watching the conversation.
"See them? Do you think that any of these people will be less hardworking than Ajusshi?"
"..." Kim Jong-gyu's expression was embarrassed. It was a smart idea but he had too many competitors. A person with the strength of two people. Two people who moved as one. I had wondered if it was easy to break through this dungeon, but I hadn't been able to find a good answer.
But that was before killing someone in this dungeon. I would gain the 'talent' they had in the dungeon. It wasn't 11, but rather 10.1~0.2. I hadn't suddenly become a genius just because the loser was killed.
Moreover, considering that techniques weren't passed down if someone was killed, the best way to break through this dungeon was to work as a team. Of course, it wasn't that easy. Trust didn't suddenly sprout from the ground.
Even if two people who were similar in skill were able to hold hands and negotiate, it was hard to trust one another unless they believed in each other thoroughly. But what if they weren't equal? What if there was a clear hierarchical relationship?
Obedience. Rather, the one on the bottom could be comfortable as they obeyed the one above. By giving up that initiative, I had to be confident that the person wouldn't betray me.
The second successful candidate was a boy around 20 years ago. He was somewhat defiant and handsome. Compared to the well-grown body, his face was still immature. "Kim Ha-jong. 19th place."
"Go wait at the wall." Ever since Kim Jong-gyu's exclusion, half the people had turned away silently. Perhaps they were ranked lower than Kim Jong-gyu. There wasn't the least bit of value in bringing them with me.
The third and fourth people that I picked were a set. There was one girl who looked around Yang Su-jin's age. The other person was a boy who seemed to be one or two years older. "Siblings?"
"Yes. My brother is Lee Sang-hoon. I am Lee Min-ju."
Compared to the older sister's attitude, the younger brother seemed to be in a poorer condition. There was no eye contact and his shoulders were slumped. "My brother is ranked 185th but I am 15th."
"Are you a set deal?"
"My brother's share... No, I am confident that he can do it."
"This pair would be useless." Yang Su-jin spoke in a mocking voice towards Lee Min-ju. She was looking at Lee Min-ju with dissatisfaction. Lee Min-ju was glaring back.
Clack!
"Ah!" I hit Yang Su-jin in the back of the head and nodded to Lee Min-ju.
"Go to the wall and wait."
"Thank you!" The sister pulled her little brother away with saying a word.
"A-Are you really going to take them?"
"Are you jealous of a younger woman?"
"... It isn't like that. I just don't like her expression. She is trying to create an image that she works hard."
"She is the 15th ranked. What are you?" Of course, I already knew Yang Su-jin was ranked 41st.
"Still..."
"You just have to follow my instructions. Clearly understand the line separating both of us. You don't seem like the type of make a mistake like this."
"..." Now there was only one spot left. Among all the people, one woman walked out. I thought she would come out, and I had been watching her from the beginning.
3rd rank.
The second time I saw her, Yoo Su-jeong had a creepy smile on her face. I had seen her kill and take An Su-hyun's abilities two days ago. "I thought you would be popular, but this is beyond what than I imagined. You even caught a cute schoolgirl." There was admiration mixed in, causing Yang Su-jin to feel uncomfortable.
In fact, I was quite uncomfortable as well. Yoo Su-jeong was wearing a grey dress that showed off her body and seemed to be intended to maximize her sex appeal.
"I..."
"Go back and wait." I interrupted before Yoo Su-jeong managed to completely speak.
"Eh? Aren't you going to listen to my story?"
"You are the 3rd ranked, so what do I need to hear?"
"Still..."
"I don't want to hear one more word." As soon as I finished speaking, I beckoned to the people leaning against the wall. I headed towards the nearby stage. Then I beckoned to Yoo Su-jeong.
"...Well, okay. It wouldn't be bad to let you follow me."
Yoo Su-jeong shook as she walked back towards me.
As she looked at me with discomfort, I grabbed Yang Su-jin's shoulder, lowered my voice and whispered, "Walk with me."
"Yes...? Yes." She slowed down as naturally as possible, without making it seem like she had deliberately slowed down. On the other hand, I repeated numbers one by one.It was my cell phone number.
"Memorize it."
"Yes."
"Contact me as soon as you leave."
"... Are you going to buy me a meal?" What was she talking about? Obedience was good. There was the Leadership talent so I was sure that there were plenty of talents in this field. Finally, after climbing onto the stage, I looked at all the ones left out.
To be honest, a leader might prefer leading those with insufficient abilities. However, the more competent and ambitious a person was, the more they would expect an equal relationship. Yoo Su-jeong was separate from that.
[Is this group of seven okay?]
The stone statue asked me. Once again, I read the invisible expression. It was smiling like it knew everything.
"Yes."
I answered despite the statue's ability to read my mind. I never thought I would be a leader. A person should know their capabilities. 'Not being able to do it now' was different from 'not being able to do it.'
Right now, I wasn't going to take care of those on the stage. I was better than them. I had enough talent to be ranked first and would receive new talents on the sixth floor. Yang Su-jin also had the means of distinguishing between potions and poisons.
On the next floor, I would kill five people. In reality, I would cooperate with Yang Su-jin and start the poisoning first. Subtracting one of the siblings, the actual number was four. It was fortunate that I could bring in someone slightly lacking due to his older sister.
Even if I had poison, it was a big risk to take down five people.
[Now, move on to the 6th floor!]
[5th floor cleared.]
My eyes opened. "...Well." Today, I had a test. I brushed my teeth, went to the bathroom and organized my schedule in my head.
I would go to school early in the morning and study with a friend until lunch. The test was at 2 p.m. And in the evening... I would meet with Yang Su-jin to make a plan.
However, there still wasn't a phone call from Yang Su-jin. There was also no rice in the rice cooker. I had forgotten to buy rice yesterday. Should I eat at the convenience store?
I put on sweatpants and left the front door. The elevator was just coming down from the fifth floor. My place was on the fourth floor. Ah, I missed it...
Dding.
The elevator stopped. Why was it was stopping at the fourth floor? There was no one I knew upstairs who would stop here except for the caretaker. I expected to see An Su-hyun's face when the door opened. However, it was the face of a woman.
"Ah, you were coming out." Yoo Su-jeong greeted him with a sincere expression.
"The day before yesterday. The manager told me. Hee-chul ssi lives in No. 405."
I formed fists inside my pockets. I was conscious of the CCTVs in the corridor. My expression didn't change. "I don't want to be stalked."
"Is that so? Hehe. I'm sorry if you are offended. But it couldn't be helped. I definitely needed to see you." I clicked my tongue and walked towards the elevator. The next moment, Yoo Su-jeong fell to her knees.
I pulled my fists out of my pockets and… Yoo Su-jeong was begging on her knees. "What are you doing? This..."
"Well. Isn't this the basic posture when asking for a request?"
A request?
"Please don't kill me. Please." Yoo Su-jeong smiled brightly as she begged.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 19 - Day 6, 6th Floor
I heard the sound of a door opening. A neighbour who came out to throw away his trash passed by me and gave me a look that said, 'You are capable. Hyung.'
I was capable. No, was it right to say that? I didn't care about the looks of other people as Yoo Su-jeong stayed on her knees in front of me. I asked simply, "For free?"
It was a baited question. "Of course not!" The answer came straight away. A pair of gloves fell into Yoo Su-jeong's hands. She stretched them back and forth for a bit like she was thinking, before extending them to me.
[Vicious Advisor's Leather Gloves. Equipment item. Rank C.]
[The weapon of an adviser who has a notorious reputation as a torturer. After the death of its master, it has passed through the hands of many men and women. The fact that the leather hasn't changed for centuries has produced lots of ghost stories. After the death of its last owner, a merchant, the whereabouts became unknown.]
[Additional damage to the opponent is applied in proportion to the pain dealt by the gloved hand.]
I immediately put it in my inventory. Of course, the gloves were mine now. Therefore, Yoo Su-jeong hadn't offered me anything to negotiate with yet. "Now tell me why I shouldn't kill you."
She had given me the gloves first to buy my favour, so she wasn't stupid. "You are as shameless as I thought. I like it though. That item was just my personal courtesy to you." She said with a constant smile. "Include me in your plan."
"... You really are straightforward."
"Uh, do you like that?" She put a finger on her lips in a manipulative gesture against me.
"Don't you know that I hate unnecessary words and gestures? Don't try to flirt and use your body against me."
"You are over-rating me."
"I think that it is a proper evaluation. I noticed that your eyes are quite disciplined." Well, at least I could get the gloves.
"What if I don't want to involve you?"
"Will there be any other choice? As soon as I go down to the sixth floor, I'll scream. Kim Hee-chul is going to betray us." Yoo Su-jeong got up from the ground. It seemed like she was going to start trying to making a deal.
"I don't want a lot. Just one person as my share..."
"I have no intention of agreeing. Do what you like." I passed by Yoo Su-jeong. I took one step into the elevator. "Shouting is good. I'm looking forward to it."
Yoo Su-jeong looked at the elevator with a shaky expression. Did she think my words weren't true? I was a bit sorry, but I was serious.
"Then let's see at midnight." I pressed the button to close the elevator doors. Just before the doors closed, Yoo Su-jeong stepped in, her steps clearly impatient.
"This is going down. Are you going to the first floor?"
"Are you really not bothered at all? Even if you have that girl, won't it be two against five?" Oh look. Her relaxation had disappeared. Her impatience was a sign of defeat.
"Why do you think it will be two against five?" If she said that I would betray them, everybody would be on guard. However, these people had come to me with the attitude that they would be subordinates under me. Would they believe Yoo Su-jeong that easily?
"Even so, it won't be possible to kill all five people. I'll be vigilant all the time."
"It doesn't matter. Because you are you." It sounded romantic if a third party had heard it. But Yoo Su-jeong's expression completely hardened. She realized her mistake.
"If I use the excuse that you are promoting dissent, I can publicly execute you. Of course, I will take your talent."
As Yoo Su-jeong said, it would be difficult to kill her if she was vigilant. She would pay close attention. But she had something to lose. Third ranked talent. It was a chance to handle the most annoying human among the five people. Yoo Su-jeong's mistake was coming to me in the first place.
"It is better to pursue my own path than have a snake constantly aiming for my back. Well, thanks for the courtesy. Thanks to that, one of the unstable elements I was worried about has disappeared."
The elevator arrived on the first floor. Yoo Su-jeong left the elevator with a face that was paler than it was 30 seconds ago. I was calmer than I thought, which surprised me. I'd realized that I had been really embarrassed when Yoo Su-jeong fell to her knees.
If I was my usual self, then that embarrassment would have taken a while to disappear. Yoo Su-jeong would use that loophole. Fortunately, I obtained concentration from the dungeon. It was thanks to my various abilities.
"What if there is one more element to be anxious about?" Yoo Su-jeong stopped walking and spoke without looking back. "Among the four people besides me, there is one who managed to conceal their ranking. I overheard them talking when I was by other people."
That's right. This was what she really intended to do. Originally, I would have been thankful for the information. "The second ranked person? It's obvious they hid their rank so you wouldn't know who they are."
Was she planning to inform me? I looked at her back. Her body didn't turn, only her head. I only had one thing to say. "Thank you for that as well."
"..."
I left the building.
"This isn't a matter for me to interfere in."
"Huh?"
"Did you skip school?"
"Ah, no." It was a reasonable question. Although I saw high school uniforms on the streets, she was wearing plain clothes after school. "Just... I don't like wearing a school uniform outside."
Well, I guess it made sense. I explained what happened in the morning. Yoo Su-jeong had come to find me. She ignored the part about Yoo Su-jeong and exclaimed with surprise. "Amazing. Indeed!"
"Is it so good that you have to react like this?"
"Of course!" Yang Su-jin's eyes lit up.
"Then you will kill her?"
"Eh?"
"I knew it when I saw her yesterday. I got an impression just looking at that woman. She is the type that will be a cancer if she is with us."
A disease like cancer? In fact, there was no need for Yang Su-jin to speak since it was already confirmed that I would kill Yoo Su-jeong. "Oppa, you don't need to do any work since I'll take care of it. I can't die even if killed so can't I be a suicide bomber and spread poison?"
"..." Yang Su-jin was more ambitious than I thought.
"Well, the idea is good. Leave that woman until the end."
"Huh? Why? She is third place so killing her should be a priority. I don't know who it is, but even if there is second place..."
"Since we don't know who they are, we need to target the other people carefully." Even if she was the third ranked, Yoo Su-jeong had come and negotiated with me. In order words, she wasn't so confident in a direct confrontation. She had run away when she killed An Su-hyun.
Maybe she was weaker than Kwak Yu-han, who was in seventh place. This meant she was an opponent I could definitely win against in a direct confrontation. Rather, the remaining four needed to be poisoned first. To be precise, the most important target was the second ranked person hiding among them.
Anyway, even someone with a regeneration ability like Yang Su-jin would be out of action for a while if they were poisoned. "Once Yoo Su-jeong goes into action, the poison operation will need to be delayed. However, if you run away or watch for an opportunity, then you will have the chance to poison at least two people. Make sure you use as much as possible. Like you said earlier, be a suicide bomber."
"Please leave it to me!" Yang Su-jin replied cheerfully. Then she rubbed a foot on the ground as she hesitated.
"But..."
"Tell me."
"Can you please buy me dinner?"
"..."
There was a famous handmade burger restaurant nearby. Honestly, it wasn't a cheap price. However, even if she couldn't really die, I was still ordering her to act like a suicide bomber. Anyway, I was an adult.
Yang Su-jin found the food very delicious. She ordered french fries as well.
Just before midnight, I removed the leather gloves from my inventory. I checked it just in case it had been poisoned or something. The gloves were fine. I was grateful to Yoo Su-jeong for giving it to me. These gloves and the suicide bomber would shatter her chances of winning.
As for the existence of the second ranked person… Kwak Yu-han was seventh. Kim Ha-jong was 19th. Lee Min-ju and Lee Sang-hoon were siblings. One was ranked 15th and the other was 185th. One of them had tricked the rankings. Their faces were arranged in my memories.
12:00:00 AM
The stairs appeared and I took a step.
[All the talents and experience of the loser will belong to the winner.]
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Compulsion Lv 3 - Lv 4. Related abilities have increased.]
[Murder Lv 2 - Lv 4. Related abilities have increased.]
[Deception Lv 2 - Lv 3. Related abilities have increased.]
[Taunt Lv 2 - Lv 3. Related abilities have increased.]
... Wasn't this lady religious?
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Meditation: The ability to find physical and mental tranquility through meditation and to activate potential abilities. It will rise in proportion to the level. ]
[Benefits will open at Lv 8.]
[Lv 5. 46/1600]
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Dagger: The damage dealt by a weapon with a blade less than 30cm will rise in proportion to the level. Reflexes and muscle strength will slightly increase.]
[Lv 4. 32/800]
[Muscle strength has exceeded the limit.]
[Reflexes has exceeded the limit.]
[Muscle strength: 12]
[Reflexes: 13]
My vision changed as I read the letters that surfaced in front of me. I was in the dungeon. No, I should say 'we.' There were seven people standing in a circle. The air that touched our skin was chilly. Everybody took a step back, breaking the circle, and looked around.
Cries of astonishment burst from our mouths. We were in a huge space. It was reminiscent of a soccer field, but much larger. Dozens of times? Maybe hundreds of times? The distance between the walls and ceilings was so large that I wasn't sure of the scale. And there was darkness below us.
The height couldn't be measured. Many stone peaks were rising to astonishing heights around us. The top of the peaks were flattened. We were standing on one of the highest peaks.
"Excuse me... I think there are people there." Everyone turned to look at Kim Ha-jong's words. Indeed, I could see seven points on a peak not far away from us. There wasn't only one peak with people. Everything was far away, but I could see at least eight peaks with people.
There were stairs on the edge of the peaks. The width was around two metres and the thickness seemed similar. A staircase leading to the top of a lower peak. But the incline was steep and the staircase was next to a cliff. We had to take this staircase and go into the unknown darkness?
If this was the '6th floor'... I guessed that it would take at least a day to reach the seventh floor. I suddenly felt eyes on me. There were six pairs of eyes watching me, waiting for my instructions.
What to do now? Yang Su-jin's gaze was asking that. Yoo Su-jeong was watching me with a stiff expression. Then letters showed up in front of me.
[Twenty.]
[Nineteen.]
[Eighteen.]
It only took a few seconds to realize that it was a countdown. The area under my feet started to shake.
The peaks were falling down.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 20 - Day 6, 6th Floor Prey
[Sixteen.]
I had to spray poison and kill everything within a dozen seconds. It was impossible. At this point, everyone had noticed and was running towards the stairs. I took a deep breath.
"Kwak Yu-han!" Of course, he turned to look back at me as well as the rest of the party. I called their names as quickly and clearly as possible. "You go down first. After that, Lee Min-ju and Lee Sang-hoon. Kim Ha-jong. Yoo Su-jeong. Go down the stairs in the order that I called. Come on!"
[Leadership. Lv 188/200.]
The moment that the countdown reached 'two', I stepped on the stairs with Yang Su-jin. The peak collapsed with a loud noise and the stairs started to shake. From the end that touched the peak, they started to fall one by one.
"Let's go. Come on." The speed that the stairs were crumbling was slower. One almost every second. If you weren't afraid to take one step at a time then there would be almost no possibility of dying.
But there was no time to fight. I looked down and instantly became dizzy from the darkness below me. If I fell down there then I would surely die.
I looked at the five people who were in front of me, except for Yang Su-jin. At least two of them were thinking the same thing as me. There was no need to fight. A fall from this height would definitely kill people. If I just pushed them without having to fight...
Ahhhhh!
I turned to look as I heard an echo from far away. It was a scream from a staircase that was relatively close to us. The people there were fighting to push each other. The first loser fell, his panicked limbs waving frantically in the air just before he disappeared into the darkness...
"...!"
"Heok!" Everyone saw it. In the darkness, a giant mouth opened to swallow the victim's body.
[Shadow Leech. Type: Animal - Malformed. Rank A.]
[A creature that exists in the dark space where light can't reach. A dark fog is created from the secretion glands in its body to block light from entering its habitat. It swallows animals that are smaller than it and receives nutrients by slowly squeezing fluids from the body. Due to its cold blood, it squeezes the food that enters its body as slowly as possible.]
[Although they are usually the size of one or two fingers, individuals can grow more than a few meters depending on the environment and food.]
[A malformed creature. It is different from others of the same species.]
One or two fingers to a few metres? Don't make me laugh. It was only a very short time, but I had seen the size of it. Although the length wasn't known, the width... After comparing it to the peak, it was as wide as a subway carriage.
And there wasn't just one. The second loser screamed and fell in succession. This time, half a dozen heads that resembled an earthworm rose simultaneously. They gravitated to the prey falling like carp chasing bread in the water.
The people fighting on the stairs didn't notice what was below them. In order to survive, they just fought with each other. Three. Four. Five. Six. The food fell in succession.
Finally, there was only one person surviving on top of the stairs. He raised both hands above his head and cheered with victory. But then the cheering stopped.
I thought I knew why. Of the six people he had pushed, none had been killed. No. Were they still alive? They had gone into the stomachs of the leeches.
"He is the biggest loser with no income. How pitiful." Yoo Su-jeong spoke up. Unlike her calm words, she looked very pale. The leeches were also under us. This feeling? It felt like the darkness under my feet was slightly wriggling.
Maybe all that darkness… "There is something on the peak." Kwak Yu-han reported from the front. We had descended the stairs and reached another peak. There were ten things, and they weren't humans.
Light brown skin. A tail as long as their body. The closer I came, the more certain I was.
[Rock Lizardman. Type: Ajin (Demi-human). Rank E.]
[A subspecies of the lizardmen that live on rocky areas and cliffs. They form nests and live on bird monsters and various plants. They have a better sense of balance than normal lizardmen and their claws can climb the steep cliffs. Due to the weakness of cold-blooded animals, they always carry around warm stones to heat them up.]
Their tails moved as they watched us from afar. I could tell they were hostile just by their appearance. It wasn't a bad opportunity. I would give up on the experience this time and just watch the five people fighting.
The first one to attack was Kwak Yu-han at the front. The claws were pretty bloody but he didn't hesitate to dive straight in at a lizardman. I admired his smooth movements.
I had seen several people in the dungeon who seemed to exercise, but the movements of Kwak Yu-han was different. I didn't know anything about exercising, but... Wasn't he at the level of an amateur athlete or pro?
The second one was Lee Min-ju who wielded a stick with a blue jewel at the end. As it moved, frost formed on the skin of a lizardman nearby.; It was a tool similar to the ring I had given up on the 4th floor. That would certainly be a little dangerous.
The third was Kim Ha-jong. Due to the impression he gave off, I thought he would use his fists. However, he took out a long sword from his inventory. Both hands used the sword to deal a heavy blow that crushed a lizardman.
It was a blow that could threaten me, but I was certain I could take him. His speed was low so I could deal with him without the aid of poison.
And then there was Yoo Su-jeong. She was holding a dagger in both hands. The third ranked person wasn't strong, but she was fast. She didn't lose her vigilance and aimed for the vulnerable parts such as the back and underbelly. The movements of the third and seventh ranked were certainly different.
I looked at the last person. Lee Min-ju's brother, Lee Sang-hoon. The 185th ranked person was watching the claws with a frightened expression. I watched him for a while before shouting. "Stop!" Everyone instantly looked at me and stopped their actions.
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Leadership. Lv 2. 5/200]
They listened well. Frankly, I hadn't expected this much. There were three lizardmen remaining. They knew they had been defeated and were on the edge of the peak.
"I'm going to test something." I said as I went forward. I moved in front of the lizardmen without even raising my guard. It was a type of taunt.
"Shayak!" The two lizardmen in front rushed forward in unison. At the same time, my arms moved. I felt relaxed. I slightly moved my back foot and lowered my waist and head. The claws narrowly passed in front of my nose. Then my left hand and right hand moved.
One.
Peok!
Two.
Bakak!
Thanks to Limiter Release, my fists moved neatly. Two bodies were torn and fell down. Although I couldn't read the lizardmen's faces, the remaining one seemed quite scared. It turned its body towards a cliff. It wanted to get away by climbing up the wall.
Deopsseok.
I took three steps forward and grabbed its neck. I squeezed with all my power and lifted it with one hand. Then I threw it down.
"Siak!" I turned off Limiter Release and looked at the lizardman on the floor, then the five people behind me. There was amazement in their eyes. In particular, the higher the rank, the greater the degree of their discomfort.
I had ended three monsters in a single moment. Kwak Yu-han had been the fastest and he took longer to kill just one. It was a clear, unspoken message: they would die if they tried to eat me.
The plan to kill all of them had been pushed back. For the moment, this would be a challenge to raise my leadership. If so, I needed to make one thing clear. I wasn't the leader, but I was the strongest.
I grabbed the neck of the fallen lizardman. As mentioned earlier, there was something I wanted to test.
"Look."
With that one word, I threw the lizardman over the peak. The lizardman fell into the darkness with a reptilian scream. Everyone waited for the leeches to catch it, but the leeches didn't appear.
"Everybody saw that, right?" I opened my mouth and explained. "Leeches like 'warm blood' so dropping a lizardman with 'cold blood' is no use."
"... But what does that mean?" Kim Ha-jong asked with confusion.
"So... Is there a reason to care?"
"Perhaps." I pointed to the other side with my finger. The six pairs of eyes gazed in that direction. I had seen it when coming down the stairs.
They saw the peaks below us. To be exact, they saw next peak we were going to, which had another staircase leading down. The staircase wasn't leading down to another peak, rather it ended as it entered the darkness.
"It is too optimistic to think that is going to the 7th floor." However, it meant they had to literally go down into the darkness. Leeches would be inside that darkness.
"I am just guessing, but walking into the darkness is probably walking into the leeches' stomachs. Since the darkness is their secretions..." They would aim for the hot-blooded organisms. They were leeches that liked humans.
I pointed to the other evidence to support it. There were two staircases leading down to the next peak. Not just us, but a staircase from another peak led down there.
The peak on the other side. On top of it, there were seven silent figures.
This was a crazy feeding game.
[Leadership. Lv 2 65/200.]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 21 - Day 6, 6th Floor Leading Figure
The stairs continued to disappear.
Once half the staircase disappeared, the peak started to shake. Of course, at that point we had already gone down the stairs. "They're looking at us." Like Yang Su-jin said, the people from the other staircase were looking at our group. I had a gut feeling about the circumstances. We had arrived at the peak almost simultaneously.
"What's your name? I'm Han Sang-ho, 35 years old." A considerably large man came out as a representative of the seven of them with an axe on his shoulder. I hadn't seen any of their faces on the 5th floor. Were they gathered from 'another' 5th floor? Maybe there was a balance.
"Kim Hee-chul."
"You look young, approximately 20 years old?"
"23."
"What rank were you on the 5th floor?" It was a very natural transition.
"Number one."
"..." A slight hesitation was seen. Then a dubious expression crossed Han Sang-ho's face. He studied me with a smile and shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't matter. I was fourth. Well, that isn't important. Have you thought of a way to break through that?" Han Sang-ho pointed to the stairs going down.
"It is impossible to get through without sacrificing at least one person. So I have a suggestion for you."
Han Sang-ho turned and pointed to his companions. I could guess before even hearing it. Two of the six people. One was a pale teenage boy and the other a frightened girl. "There is no guarantee that we won't encounter other people at the end. Furthermore, they might be 'people like us,' so isn't it better to leave the stronger people to the end?"
He had selected scapegoats. That was Han Sang-ho's main point. "I will pick three people and you should also pick some from your side. How about it, isn't it a decent offer? There is no need for useless conflicts. Let's go peacefully. Huh?"
Han Sang-ho placed the axe on the ground and extended a burly arm. I took his hand. "Okay. Let's be friends."
Han Sang-ho grinned. At the same time, Han Sang-ho poured strength into his arm. A tremendous pressure tried to crush my hand. His eyes showed that he was looking forward to my screams. He was confident in strength. This was his plan. He didn't believe that I was first place and decided to act.
If I was my original self then it would've hurt. However, now I didn't feel any pain.
[Muscle strength has exceeded the limit.]
[Muscle strength: Fourteen.]
Crunch.
It wasn't the sound of my joints but the sound of Han Sang-ho's bones breaking. It was very clear who the one groaning was: they was coming from Han Sang-ho's mouth. "... Uck!"
He frowned and flinched, "Hah... This is a little..." Then his face distorted and his upper body shook. Han Sang-ho felt himself weakening. "Hey... S-stop."
"..." I kept using my strength. He was the one who wanted to suppress me with strength in the first place.
Crunch.
"This is crazy! Stop...!" Saliva fell from Han Sang-ho's mouth as his face turned red. He diverted his strength into his opposite hand that reached down and grabbed the axe, but my other hand also wasn't empty. I threw the bottle I was holding into Han Sang-ho's face. "Ack!"
I grabbed Han Sang-ho at the groin area and picked him up, then walked towards the end of the peak. No one was able to stop me. Han Sang-ho couldn't even swing his axe, let alone the people behind me. There was a scream as Han Sang-ho was thrown in the air.
A leech rose from the darkness to snatch him before disappearing. Within a few seconds, the leech couldn't be seen in the darkness anymore. The overall level wouldn't be reduced just by losing one person. A handful needed to be missing before it fell apart.
I needed to make sure that no one tried to push me down the stairs.
I turned around, but everyone was stiff. Of course, there were seven of us and six of them.
"You just, Sang-ho hyung-nim..."
"Did you know him? Sorry. He was talking nonsense."
"Does that make sense? You son of a bitch!"
"Don't be like that." I laughed. Then I pointed to the man complaining. "You are number two?"
"What?" I raised a fist.
"You're next."
"...!" The number two took out a stick. But...
Seuk.
"Eh?" His forearm was cut off before he could swing it. A strike from the side. It was from Kim Ha-jong's sword. They became familiar with something as we descended the stairs.
I focused on the opponent while moving my left hand. When I created a specific shape with my fingers, they had to do the corresponding action. Immediately after throwing Han Sang-ho, I had spread out the index finger and thumb of my left hand. In other words, strike the opponent.
Under normal conditions, people would hesitate to attack even if there was a signal. So I had made the situation easier. I got rid of Han Sang-ho and picked a second person with my taunts. This was enough to create an opportunity.
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Leadership Lv 3 2/400.]
[Eloquence has exceeded the limit.]
[Eloquence: 10]
[Charisma has exceeded the limit.]
[Charisma: 12]
"Be careful not to kill him. As soon as he loses his breath, another person will be a substitute." The feedback was clear. I wouldn't weaken the opponent for no reason. It was a one-sided game. After getting rid of the leader and a second person, the rest became unable to think about fighting back.
Peace? Han Sang-ho's words were foolish. I laughed just thinking about it. Peace was a long distance away... Although it seemed to be a rough solution to this floor, it wasn't a reliable solution.
The leeches didn't just bite, but slowly squeezed out the blood of a person. It would almost certainly be painful. The idea of having scapegoats wasn't bad. However, everyone was at risk of being thrown except the leader and one or two other people.
There would be no unity. Of course, some people might follow the leader but that was because of fear. This floor needed unity. It was a device that bound seven people together, but only temporarily. If it was seven against seven then the situation wouldn't have changed. After all, I had already branded three people who I could throw away.
Six desperate faces bowed down, kneeling on the ground. Kim Ha-jong stood in front of them like an executioner and asked. "Hyung-nim. Should we throw them all?"
"... Hyung-nim?"
"Uh, you are older than me... Didn't you know? Haha." Kim Ha-jong awkwardly scratched his head. His original nature was very fussy but it felt like he had gradually relaxed.
"If you feel uncomfortable..."
"Do what you like." It wouldn't make a difference. No matter how outwardly submissive he seemed, I would only trust him when it was convenient.
"Do you think that makes sense?" Yang Su-jin's sharp voice rang out. She was confronting Lee Min-ju and Lee Sang-hoon.
"What's the problem? I already told you that I will do my brother's share."
"So he is just going to stay still? Everybody is risking their lives but what is he doing? Just sucking on his fingers." It wasn't hard to find the cause of the fight. In the fight against the lizardmen, Yang Su-jin had participated using the launcher. However, Lee Sang-hoon had just stayed in the background.
"Hey, I'm talking to you! Don't you dare avoid my gaze!"
"..." But Lee Sang-hoon didn't raise his eyes to the end. Yang Su-jin and Lee Min-ju simultaneously turned towards me. One side wanted punishment. The other wanted me to intervene.
"It can't be helped if he can't contribute due to a lack of ability.'
But… "But that doesn't mean that he can do nothing. Is this the second time? There will be no third time."
I pointed at the cliff with my thumb.
"If you do nothing the next time we encounter something, I will treat you as the very first volunteer if I need a scapegoat."
"T-that...! You obviously promised me..."
"Doing the share of two people. Isn't that what you proposed? Can you be confident that you can do the share of two people with all these members?"
"... Well, his words aren't wrong." Kim Ha-jong offered his opinion. Kwak Yu-han was just watching silently. It wasn't the time to be overcome by emotions. Lee Min-ju had no justification. There was already a certain level of group consciousness.
As the sense of belonging grew, the hostility towards those who got a free ride would grow stronger. The next time... At that time, Lee Sang-hoon would have to demonstrate his skills. Then I would be certain. The evidence pointed to him being the second ranked.
I asked the six who were kneeling down. "From the right. Tell me your rank."
"9-98."
"15...6."
"144." So far, the answers were all high numbers.
"...36."
"25. I-I will do whatever you say. S-spare me."
"12." Compared to the first three, the rankers seemed to have some confidence. They believed that they wouldn't be the first to die. I would keep them alive for as long as possible in order to take their talents.
That's what they thought, but… "Start heading down. Go in the order of the strongest ranked first."
"Huh? In order of the ranking? Not the reverse? "
"Yes." The involved people couldn't believe it.
"No, wait a minute. Why are we going first? Why...?"
"Be quiet. I don't want to kill you." It wasn't just about going down the stairs. They were captured prisoners, so I needed to notice any irregularities that occurred. The atmosphere made them all agree without hesitation.
"Yoo Su-jeong. Kwak Yu-han. Kim Ha-jong, take the lead with the three strongest ones. After that will be Lee Min-ju and Lee Sang-hoon. Yang Su-jin. I will be next. The three lower ranked will be between me and Yang Su-jin."
Then I spoke to the three lower ranked.
"You will be put in the back of the line. Still, that doesn't mean you are safe from the leeches. If you don't want to be food for a leech, then don't rebel."
"..."
There will still several things I wanted from the six captured people. I wanted to make them spit out some items. However, the collapse of this peak was near. I finally stepped on the stairs.
Then I muttered in a low voice. "Yoon Ji-hee."
"...!"
Rank 156 was the lowest ranked person. The woman walking in front of me flinched. "Keep walking. Don't show any signs. Just look in front of you. Listen to my words."
"... Do you know me?"
"We go to the same school." However, it was different. She was in business administration. A junior one year younger than me. She didn't know me, but I knew her. "You don't want to die here."
"Yes, yes..."
"I will allow you to survive this floor. However, it depends on whether or not you want to cooperate with me on the next floor." At the moment, a moan emerged from her mouth. Joy? Relief? There was a sound, no matter how quiet she tried to make it.
"Quiet."
"I-I'm sorry. I... What do I have to do?"
"Think as much as possible. Until we escape from this floor."
"..." The people in front stopped as they reached the darkness.
"The conversation ends here. Don't talk now." Kwak Yu-han threw off the number two person at the front of the line. The sight of the leech in front of their eyes was overwhelming. Ahead of me, Yoon Ji-hee was almost crying. I never imagined that Yoon Ji-hee would be a crybaby, but it didn't matter.
Unless she had a lack of imagination, she should be able to understand what she could do for me. She wasn't very famous in school, but I had heard about her from a senior. She was the granddaughter of Yoon Sang-gyu, chairman of the UZ Group. Perhaps that was as valuable as this dungeon itself.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 22 - Day 6, 6th Floor Wind
The leech swallowed the number two and the darkness started to lift. The scene that unfolded in front of my eyes was really quite surprising.
"... Peaks?" Someone's mutter represented everyone's feelings. The darkness on the stairs had been lifted with the sacrifice of just one person. The darkness was very thin, and only blocked the visibility due to the wide area it spread over.
"Hah..." Sighs of relief flowed from the mouths of the three low ranking people, including Yoon Ji-hee. They thought they wouldn't need to be sacrificed to the leeches anymore. A few people were more cautious and remained silent.
There were three staircases descending from the peak, and on top of the peak was a huge creature.
[Rock Lizardman Chieftain. Type: Ajin (Demi-human). Rank C.]
[Due to the species characteristics of the lizardmen, their size is proportional to how many years they have lived. Therefore, the oldest lizard will naturally become the leader. Since the leader's age and proficiency will be different for each tribe, it isn't unreasonable to judge the strength of a tribe based on the leader's ability.]
There was just one. I could see it clearly from a distance. Its size reminded me of Kitchen Knife on the fourth floor, who was several times bigger than general lizardmen.
Besides, rank C? The former lizardmen were rank E... The chieftain had a much higher rank. So far, it was the highest ranked monster that I had encountered.
Come to think of it, there was always significance to these things. From the first floor to the fifth floor, as well as the two peaks I encountered on this sixth floor… There was no section that didn't have meaning. Two teams of seven were assembled and the chieftain appeared on the peak after the darkness was lifted.
That bonus was to offset the formidable presence in front of us...
"Ah!" Yoon Ji-hee screamed. She wasn't the only one who was surprised.
The lizardman was jumping up the stairs, and the stairs behind them were already disappearing. Retreat wasn't the answer.
"Lee Min-ju! Your wand..." Just as I was giving instructions, something was quickly throw from the hands of the lizardman. I realized it was a noose after it caught around Yoo Su-jeong's neck. She thought she had avoided it with her reflexes, but it wasn't aiming for just a single point.
The rope tightened around her neck and she briefly moaned. The lizardman took two steps back on the stair, both hands holding the rope attached to Yoo Su-jeong's neck. Immediately after the lizardman's foot hit the top of the peak again, its body swung in a neat, semicircular pattern.
A normal person would explode. "Sha...?" There was a small sound and Yoo Su-jeong's body that hit the ground, suddenly disappeared. It was clear that the lizardman hadn't done anything. It stared with surprise at the empty noose.
A technique, perhaps a type of avoidance? Either way… That lizardman was strong.
The purpose of its existence was to reduce our numbers. The number of humans was a bait. "Go down! Quickly! Leave anyone who is trapped!" Kim Ha-jong and Kwak Yu-han, who were in the lead, hesitated for a while before following my orders.
As a C ranked monster, it was fast. My conclusion was that it wasn't something that could be easily killed, no matter how excellent one or two people were. The two groups had just come together so there would be no teamwork to defeat the monster.
I also ran down quickly. Kim Ha-jong and Kwak Yu-han were fighting well. They boldly attached themselves to the lizardman to prevent the use of its lasso. Lee Min-ju also used her staff and a painful gale of cold wind was shot at the lizardman.
Okay. Once I joined forces with them...
Pak!
"What?!" Kim Ha-jong suddenly shouted with shock. The lizardman had tumbled back and jumped down the peak. Everyone hesitated, but I could hear it--the sound of stones falling down from the peak.
The sound of the stones falling stopped at one point. "Lee Min-ju! Right!"
"Eh?" Her biggest mistake was looking at me, who shouted, instead of to the right. On the right. A noose protruded from the edge of the cliff and went exactly over her neck. "Keok." Her head was yanked upside down with a moan. It was the end. The noose was fastened and Lee Min-ju was pulled over the cliff.
"Noona!" Lee Sang-hoon ran towards the edge of the cliff and shouted downwards. The sounds of stone falling could be heard from everywhere. The lizard was moving around by hanging onto the cliff.
"Move to the centre! Form a circle to watch the outside."
"How about fleeing?" Yoo Su-jeong spoke up. Just as she had vanished suddenly, she just popped up in front of my eyes. Her HP Bar was reduced by one-third, so she had still received a blow. "We can't beat it. Even if we win, more people here will die."
Then she pointed to the upper stairs. Five people were coming down late. "We can use three of them as bait in order to walk down the stairs."
"Is there any guarantee that it will be safe?" I shook my head. We couldn't escape down the stairs. The lizard definitely had intelligence and there would almost certainly be victims of the noose. ... In fact, there was no other answer. It was probably impossible to escape down the stairs. If it was difficult to fight, scatter.
Then, was it impossible to catch the lizardman? "...Fight." I concluded. If we concentrated our talents then we could break down the lizardman. By gathering in the centre to avoid the noose, it was an opponent we could fight. There was still time to go down the stairs. We just needed to hold on for a little longer.
That was the conclusion I came to. Suddenly, I felt pressure from behind me. A strong wind like a typhoon was suddenly blowing.
"Kyak!"
"Uck?"
I couldn't withstand the pressure and rolled forward two or three times. It wasn't just me. All the people in the circle were pushed out of the center by the wind. The cause of the storm stood there calmly: Lee Sang-hoon. No, I should say Lee Chang-ju.
I was able to identify the second name on the list because it was right under me. It was a male with the surname of 'Lee.' Also, the remaining four people had showed no need to hide their skills. In the end, the answer was almost certain. The so-called 185th ranked person was hiding his claws.
Immediately after entering the sixth floor, I had focused half my concentration on him. Yang Su-jin also smelt something suspicious. If I could prove that he was hiding his second place rank, I could publicly execute him without any rebellion.
But I hadn't expected this at all. The reason he had the second rank wasn't such a ridiculous thing.
"Ah... Ohh... Noona..." As he shed tears, another bar appeared on top of his head--a blue bar underneath the red bar. Technique? Talent? Was it a system that couldn't be invoked until there were intense emotions? The only thing that was certain was that I couldn't identify that child's power.
"Crazy bastard! Stop!" Kim Ha-jong shouted. The force that pushed everyone out didn't come back again, but an enormous amount of wind pressure was coming from Lee Chang-ju. It was at the level of a weak typhoon. It wasn't impossible to walk or run, but it made a great difference in a situation where a single moment could cost us our lives.
However, Lee Chang-ju's eyes weren't seeing Kim Ha-jong at all. The lizardman had just climbed back over the cliff. It was because the ice wand, what it considered the biggest threat, had disappeared. It seemed completely unaffected by the wind.
"Dog scum!" Lee Chang-ju stretched out his hand. An airflow formed that was visible to the eye and struck the lizardman. The body of the lizardman staggered back due to the airflow, but that was it. The strong wind just disoriented it, but there were no injuries.
In the end, he was still a lower rank than me. The situation was difficult due to the peaks and the lizardman, but it was really hard to kill something using wind. Lee Chang-ju was unable to grasp this at all.
"Die! Die!" The blue bar visibly decreased every time an airflow was sent out and the lizardman staggered. The aftermath of the attack left it vulnerable to damage, but everyone else was pushed towards the edge and couldn't move properly.
"Lee Chang-ju! Stop!"
"Shut up!" Lee Chang-ju shouted crazily and stretched out a hand towards me. The airflow struck my chest. Indeed, there was little impact. At best, it was like a shove. However, that was enough to make me step back.
Over the cliff.
I realized as I was pushed back--Lee Min-ju hadn't hidden her brother's rank for the purpose of betrayal. It was because he was a timid person who couldn't adjust his emotions, who just happened to get his hands on a strong technique. This was my complete mistake.
"Oppa!" Yang Su-jin cried out with dismay. I desperately swung my arms.
Kwaduk!
My fingers touched the cliff wall. Even though I activated Limiter Release, I could feel a lot of pressure on my fingers and arms. I had fallen almost seven metres before managing to grab onto the wall. The darkness was just a little further down.
Fortunately, the cliff wall was curved enough that I could climb it. I started going up the wall. Above me, the messy situation was still continuing. The turbulent sound of wind, screams, cries...
...And? I stopped when there was three metres left to the top. Then I carefully moved my hands and feet around the peak. After shifting approximately 15 degrees. I found Lee Min-ju.
"... Euh." It was surprising that she was still breathing. Not only was there a mark around her throat, but her body was torn to rags from claws. It was clear that the lizardman had left her here, probably to eat her later. Lee Min-ju's wand was also stuck on the wall. Whether it was because she heard a sound or from my shadow, her eyes turned towards me. I grasped her neck.
"Sorry."
Crunch.
The already heavily injured neck bones were easily broken. The wand was already taken away from Lee Min-ju's body as she fell. A leech rose up and swallowed her dead body.
Spit.
It chewed a few times before spitting out the body. It was a picky b*stard.
[All the talents and experience of the loser will belong to the winner.]
[Murder Lv 4 - Lv 5. Related abilities have increased.]
[Persuasion Lv 1 - Lv 3. Related abilities have increased.]
[Stealth Lv 2 - Lv 3. Related abilities have increased.]
[Deception Lv 3 - Lv 4. Related abilities have increased.]
[Punching Lv 5. Level unchanged.]
[Pain Tolerance LV 6. Level unchanged.]
[Agility has exceeded the limit.]
[Agility: 11]
I drew the wand stuck to the wall.
[Wand: Glacier Breath. Equipment item. Rank D.]
[A wand containing the essence of the ice spirits of the North Sea. The processed sapphire at the end is a consumable that can't be recharged with normal magic power. However, the performance itself is exceptional. This luxury item from the North Sea is faithful to its purpose of self-defense as it is very easy to use.]
[Touch all five fingers to the groove in the centre and swing in a directly to instantly cool the air in front of you.]
[Current Balance: 16/25]
I put the wand in my mouth and started climbing the wall again. My direction was right behind the lizardman. It was the only place that wasn't affected by Lee Chang-ju's wind. I was able to grasp the rough situation with one glance. Lee Chang-ju was still confronting the lizardman.
There were the bodies of two of the captives on the ground. No one else was on the peak--they had gone down the stairs. The distance wasn't far.
"Ugh, die! Please! Please..." Lee Chang-ju seemed somewhat insane. No matter how angry he was, he should've realized how bad the situation was right now. But it was too late. The lizardman's gaze didn't move away from Lee Chang-ju. He would die if the wind stopped.
The blue bar above his head was already close to the bottom. I waited quietly. Finally, the wind stopped and the lizardman approached Lee Chang-ju. "Ah..."
There was the sound of wet pants falling to the ground. Through the legs of the lizardman, I could see the boy's legs hanging in the air. Soon, a tremendous amount of blood was flowing down his legs.
Many coins and a book dropped to the ground. The time had come. I ran behind the lizardman and shouted. "Here I am, you bastard!" I continuously waved the wand towards the lizardman. Since it was from a close distance, it seemed more painful than when Lee Min-ju used it.
[Glacier Breath. Activate. Current Balance: 15/25]
[Glacier Breath. Activate. Current Balance: 14/25]
[Glacier Breath. Activate. Current Balance: 13/25]
The effect was indeed awesome.
"Shaaaack!" The reptile screamed. Its rapidly freezing skin was cracking.
[Glacier Breath. Activate. Current Balance: 7/25]
[Glacier Breath. Activate. Current Balance: 6/25]
Once its legs were fully frozen, I put down the wand. I grabbed one leg and pulled with all my strength. The lizardman fell and the ice broke.
Kwajik!
It felt like frozen sashimi as I slammed my fist into its chest. I repeatedly hit it. After it was completely frozen or had died, letters of light appeared before me.
[Essence - Rock Lizard.]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 23 - Day 6, 6th Floor Eating
TL Note: I know that some people are having trouble remembering the names. Fortunately, my editor has been making a glossary and I've decided to share it with you. Check it out here.
There is also a glossary of common Korean terms such as hyung etc. that can be accessed from the table of contents.
[Essence - Rock Lizardman.]
[As long as the owner 'grips' it, muscle strength 2.]
[Increases HP regeneration by 100%. The rate of restoration will dramatically increased against injuries such as burns. There is a slight decrease in the base metabolic rate of the body. Grants immunity against various heat sensing abilities. Body's resistance to cold is decreased. 50% more vulnerable to ice attacks.]
The first thing I felt was a change in temperature. "Huu." Even though it wasn't that cold, I felt like it was almost as cold as the beginning of winter. From now on, I couldn't wear cheap padding or I would die.
The lizardman dropped 15 silver coins and a item that was similar to a lighter called the 'Sun Stone,' but that was all. There were also coins scattered around Lee Chang-ju's remains. The book that fell to the ground... Ah, it wasn't a book?
It looked like a thick book that would have hundreds of pages, but there were actually only a few pages. It was an eight page mini-booklet made of heavy leather pieces instead of paper. There were unknown letters carved on the outside. As he flipped through the booklet, the same type of letters filled the pages.
On the other side of the page was a man's palm-shaped groove etched into the thick leather. Should I place my palm there? ... No. I would hold off for now. It was too risky to use it right now when I didn't know its purpose.
I got up. I was sure that the other people would have heard the shouting just now. But they didn't come up. I thought about it and descended the stairs. The next moment, I felt my heart sinking in my chest.
"You came here to die." Yoo Su-jeong said with a wide smile. She was standing approximately 30 stairs away. Yang Su-jin groaned as a dagger was held to her neck.
"... What is this?" I spoke in a calm manner while calculating how long I had until this peak collapsed. It would happen in less than five minutes. It wasn't hard to grasp the circumstances.
Kim Ha-jong was holding a blade to Yang Su-jin's neck. Kwak Yu-han was overpowering the three lower ranked members, including Yoon Ji-hee.
"Did you kill the two above?" The two bodies collapsed on the peak were high ranking. Their deaths certainly weren't due to the lizardmen.
"It couldn't be helped. Those people, they secretly tried to descend when there was a gap. I killed one while Kwak Yu-han here murdered the other." Kwak Yu-han had a sour expression on his face. I could roughly imagine her trick. She must have put a knife to the back of one person while yelling at Kwak Yu-han to kill the other.
Although he was confused, he swung his sword because Yoo Su-jeong was higher ranked. Kwak Yu-han avoided my eyes and muttered an excuse. "I thought you were dead. What could I do...?"
"That's right. Everybody's mental state is a little shaken. So this girl made a stupid choice." Yoo Su-jeong lifted a bottle. It was the poison bottle that I had shared with Yang Su-jin. "She sneaked to the back and tried to splash us with this. It is a shame that I knew what would happen ahead of time. It was lucky."
Yang Su-jin's bottle was like the one I had used on the leader of the other group. "Just a little while ago, I explained it. You colluded with this girl to kill us and I was threatened so I had no choice."
"..." Kwak Yu-han and Kim Ha-jong made strange expressions. They understood Yoo Su-jeong. Even if it fit to a certain degree, the two people didn't believe 100% of her words. But the important thing was the flow. In the short time I was 'dead,' they had already joined Yoo Su-jeong's side.
Anyway, it was just a temporary team. There was no need to bother with words. Kwak Yu-han and Kim Ha-jong's posture showed that they were aiming this way. "You better not come down. If you do, all three of us will fight to the death."
Yoo Su-jeong pushed Yoon Ji-hee forward. She was the 'most rubbish' so she was used as bait. "Let's win together. I will give this girl to Hee-chul and you can go down the other stairs. Okay?"
Instead of answering, I raised an index finger. Then I pointed it at Kim Ha-jong. "... Is it decided that you will kill Yang Su-jin?"
"... Yes." Kwak Yu-han and Yoo Su-jeong had both already killed one person. So this would somewhat maintain the balance between the three of them.
"Then what are you waiting for?"
"Wha...t?"
"If you are going to eat her talent then just cut her neck right there. Why, do you feel sorry because you saw that I survived?" I spoke without thinking and it seemed correct to some extent.
Yoo Su-jeong glared at Kim Ha-jong. "Kill her. Now."
"No..."
"Cut her! Aren't you going to eat? Or do you want me to eat her instead?"
"..."
"Cut!" Kim Ha-jong gritted his teeth and moved his blade.
Seokeok.
It was a smooth slice and Yang Su-jin's head rolled down the stairs. As everyone's gaze followed her head, I jumped down the stairs.
"...!" I aimed for Kim Ha-jong who was standing at the front. I grabbed his head and kneed him in the face with all my weight behind it. Quite tasty.
As something broke,
[All the talents and experience of the loser will belong to the winner.]
Letters rose up. They described the talents that I had absorbed from Kim Ha-jong, but there was no time to examine each one.
[Agility has exceeded the limit.]
[Agility: 12]
[Reflexes has exceeded the limit.]
[Reflexes: 14]
[Muscle strength has exceeded the limit.]
[Muscle strength: 13]
[Health has exceeded the limit.]
[Health: 12]
I saw something flying at the edge of my vision and moved my head to avoid the bottle.
One of the bottom three screamed as the bottle hit them. I hoped it wasn't Yoon Ji-hee but I was too busy countering Yoo Su-jeong's daggers.
Rattle!
It was obviously a proper hit, but the feeling on the other end of my fist was quite subtle. It felt like Yoo Su-jeong's body had disappeared the moment I struck. Then someone embraced me from behind--Kwak Yu-han. He was really strong. He tried to lift me with his arms, but I put strength into my legs and resisted.
The next moment, something cold touched my abdomen.
[Current Balance: 192/256]
"Hah..." Yoo Su-jeong appeared in front of me with a wild smile. As she drew her dagger back to strike me in the stomach again, I spat in her face.
"Kyak!" Yoo Su-jeong flinched for a moment and gritted her teeth.
I was in a disadvantageous situation but in the end, Kwak Yu-han's strength was weaker than mine. By using all my strength, the arms around me were released.
I could finish him off, but I instead chose to move forward. I aimed towards Yoo Su-jeong who was wiping the spit off her face. She was capable of disappearing every time she was hit, but I thought it would be okay if I grabbed her.
"Ugh!" In fact, this wasn't a skill from Ravenous Wolf Fist, but one I saw from wrestling. She became off balance and fell down along with me.
As I predicted, we fell exactly into the darkness. Before my dizzy vision could recover, I felt something moist and enormous wrap around my body.
I was swallowed by a leech. It was disgusting as I felt my whole body being dragged down. But it wasn't like I couldn't move my body. I took out the 'Sun Stone' from my inventory. It was the stone that I got from the lizardman chieftain.
As described in the explanation, once pressure was applied, the stone would start to shine and emit the temperature of boiled water. Then the body of the leech became visible.
"..." The first thing I saw was Yoo Su-jeong. In fact, I was a little worried because I couldn't hear her screaming. Maybe I was the only one swallowed, but that wasn't the case. Yoo Su-jeong had also been swallowed.
However, unlike me, she was being 'eaten.' There were thousands of reddish black hairs surrounding and wrapped around her body. They penetrated her skin and entered her blood vessels. In a short amount of time, many hairs had entered and half her body was filled with black lines.
"...Ah..." Yoo Su-jeong's wide eyes stared at me. She reached out like she was asking me to save her...
I responded to the call. I was safe. It had been a gamble, but one I thought I could try. After acquiring the immunity to 'heat detection methods' from the lizardman essence, I thought that the leeches wouldn't recognize me as prey. But there was also a problem.
Kuuong.
The hairs around me were shaking and pushing me away from Yoo Su-jeong. It perceived me as unable to be eaten and was spitting me out. Of course, it was a good thing, but I should at least kill Yoo Su-jeong.
I grabbed the hairs with my hand and reached out towards Yoo Su-jeong, but I wasn't the only one moving. Yoo Su-jeong was being pulled deeper into the body.
I tried to somehow grab her neck but... In the end, Yoo Su-jeong disappeared from my sight. Instead, I could feel something cold in my hands after desperately fumbling for her body. A ring? I placed it in my inventory and pulled out something else.
Elmer's Dummy Destroyer. It was the only cutting instrument that I had. I cut the hairs with the blade while using Limiter Release. The hairs shook. Blood gushed from them as they were sliced apart.
I put my hand in that gap. The leech also felt pain so the gloves became more effective. I grasped something in my strong grip.
The hairs shook even more violently. As more blood poured out, I could feel that some hairs had penetrated my skin. Even if it couldn't suck my blood, the hairs perceived me as a threat and was attacking to remove me.
[Current Balance: 182/256]
[Current Balance: 169/256]
I tore the area in front of me open. Again and again… Oh, I could taste it. I was almost suffocating due to all the blood coming from the torn hairs.
[Current Balance: 42/256]
As the disgusting blood entered my throat and nose, I desperately sought some air. Then a light shone in front of me.
[Essence - Shadow Leech.]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 24 - Day 6, 6th Floor Closing
[You are in a bleeding state. Health will decrease by 9 every minute.]
[Current Balance: 39/256]
The leeches had enzymes to prevent the clotting of blood. Blood constantly poured from the holes caused by the hairs. I moved my limbs and exited the stomach of the dead leech. The blood stopped flowing once the leech died, but the hairs were still stiff and weighed me down.
Puk!
Cold air touched my outstretched hands. My fingers touched the end of a stair. Lucky. In fact, I had been worried about the leech falling off the stairs. I took out my other arm, head, torso and legs and stepped on the stairs. I wiped off the sticky blood and mucus covering my eyes.
The first thing I saw was Yang Su-jin's head. Her neck hadn't grown yet, so it was just her head as she watched me with wide eyes. Her mouth that didn't have a voice, urgently mouthed something.
'Front.'
I immediately formed a X with my arms. A kick from the front hit my guard.
[Bleeding - Anemia. Health will decrease by 9 every minute.]
[Current Balance: 19/256]
I was pushed back from the shock, but the carcass of the leech on the stairs became a cushion so I didn't receive any damage. I lowered my guard and looked at Kwak Yu-han.
"..." He was looking at me with shock.
Don't make such an expression. If he was trying to kill someone, don't make a face that says 'I didn't want to betray you.' I'd rather accept an apology by eating him.
"Hup!" Kwak Yu-han became fired up and his arms swelled up like a gorilla. This was a technique. The attack started straight away. I wasn't even given time to drink a potion.
Despite his arms becoming swollen, his speed didn't seem to slow down at all as it moved through the air with a hissing sound. It was impossible for me to avoid it since the leech carcass was under my feet.
I read the trajectory of the arm flying towards me and caught it. It looked like both hands were clasped together. In a flash, the battle turned into a contest of power.
[Muscle strength: 15]
Indeed, he was strong. It was a tight situation even with the strength obtained from Kim Ha-jong and amplified by Limiter Release. Kwak Yu-han's arm started to twitch. It was obvious that he couldn't maintain this technique for long.
Originally, I would hold on until the time ran out but...
"..." Kwak Yu-han quickly glanced at the top of my head. It was at my HP Bar that was still dwindling.
[Bleeding - Anemia. Health will decrease by 9 every minute.]
[Current Balance: 12/256]
This was a limitation for me so I had to make a decision. "... I'm sorry." He said those words. I immediately kicked his side.
Peok!
His body shook and the HP Bar decreased slightly. However, Kwak Yu-han stayed upright. He was able to withstand it. I repeated the kicks. One hit. Two hits. Three hits. After the fourth time, Kwak Yu-han's eyes finally shook. It wasn't because of the impact. He had finally noticed.
Something was increasing 'quickly.'
"Are you still sorry?" I asked.
"...?"
[A bleeding state. Health will decrease by 9 every minute.]
[Current Balance: 32/256]
He shook due to the confusion. Thanks to this, I was able to kick his chin. Naturally, it reduced the HP by a lot more than kicking his side.
[Blood has been sucked according to the damage. 21 health has been recovered.]
I was receiving more health.
[Essence - Shadow Leech.]
[Absorbs 30% of the damage done to the opponent as HP.]
[Increases the amount of health reduced by 'bleeding' by 50%. Bleeding duration and difficulty will increase by 100%.]
[The command 'Darkness Cloud' consumes five health per second, allowing you to cover your field of view with a darkness that only you can see in.]
[50% increase to bleeding damage.]
[Once HP is below 20%, you will become 'anemic' and all stats will reduce by 15%, in addition to the symptoms caused by a lack of blood.]
"There is a shortage of blood." Kwak Yu-han stared at me with innocent and confused eyes. I raised my chin one more time. As he stared at me wide-eyed, the power in his arms was released.
"I'm sorry." I indifferently returned the apology that I received before.
Peok!Bam bam bam!
I punched his belly multiple times and he staggered. Kwak Yu-han's health fell to the bottom. Thanks to Blood-sucking, I recovered a lot of HP and was able to recover from the jaws of death.
[Cartography. Lv 5 - Lv 6. Related abilities have increased.]
[Pain Tolerance. Lv 6 - Lv 7. Related abilities have increased.]
[Grappling. Lv 1 - Lv 5. Related abilities have increased.]
[Murder. Lv 5 - Lv 6. Related abilities have increased.]
[Punching Lv 6. Level unchanged.]
[Compulsion. Lv 4. Level unchanged.]
[Spatial perception has exceeded its limit.]
[Spatial perception: 11]
[Concentration has exceeded its limit.]
[Concentration: 13]
[Muscle strength has exceeded its limit.]
[Muscle strength: 14]
[Sense of balance has exceeded its limit.]
[Sense of balance: 11]
I pulled a medicine bottle from my inventory and drank it. I looked at the top of the stairs. The three low ranking men and women were there.
"... Sob." There was a small cry. It was Yoon Ji-hee. She was being strangled when I emerged. The other two were already breathless.
"Hey."
"Hi... Hik." She closed her eyes and reacted as I stretched out a hand to her.
"Hey, it's me."
"Kyak!"
... Indeed, it was natural that she wouldn't feel relieved. My whole body was scarred and covered in blood and saliva. However, there was no time to let her intimidation die down. I grabbed Yoon Ji-hee's arm and dragged her up.
"I-It hurts."
"If it hurts then stop blubbering and stand on your own." I turned back towards the bottom of the stairs.
Before I knew it, Yang Su-jin's upper body had been restored. She was turned towards this side and her eyes were asking 'is it over?'
"Are you shy now?"
"... What are you...? Don't look as much as you can. I am going to take off my clothes."
Then I turned her head without touching her neck. I quickly stripped off my clothes. If I thought about it, Yang Su-jin's body was covered but she was essentially naked. I didn't know if it was funny or creepy.
If I acted in this situation then I would be a real pervert. By the time I finished changing clothes, most of Yang Su-jin's body had regenerated.
"That is fast."
"I can slow down my regeneration rate. I was in a decapitated state so there was no point in regenerating right away."
"... You should have regenerated when being stabbed earlier."
"Ah, I held my hand to be chest and still pretended to be hurt. Aren't I a genius?" Was she really calling herself a genius?
"That... Excuse me..." Yoon Ji-hee approached me.
"That, can I go down first?" The darkness of the leeches was lifted and they could see the peak that the staircase led to. The staircase to the seventh floor leading down from the peak was there.
"What about the deal?"
"That... Please tell me later... I can't stay here anymore..." She showed a nauseous expression at the end of her words. There were dead bodies, blood and mucus strewn all over the place. I winced and nodded.
"Then go down first and headed to the student union dining room tomorrow afternoon. 1 p.m. If you don't, I will kill you on the seventh floor."
"I-I'll come. I will definitely come." She ran down the stairs as soon as she received permission. She gave a small scream as she stepped on the carcass of a leech and Yang Su-jin shook her head with disbelief.
"Why is she still alive?"
"There is a reason."
"I heard you talking as you came down... Is she the daughter of a wealthy house?" She was sharp.
"You heard that?"
"I was listening. Well... It is because I care."
"..." I got goose bumps.
"If she doesn't give big money directly then... No, isn't it better to just kill her? I think that she will just be a burden." Yang Su-jin made a grumpy expression.
"When I was in the decapitated state, I looked at the weak people... They didn't even think of resisting. That woman will 100% be a cancer, a cancer."
"You might really get cancer as karma."
"Fine, then she is a sweet potato?" Yoon Ji-hee had disappeared down the staircase heading to the seventh floor. The stairs were still falling down so we should head down quickly… I searched through the corpse of the leech.
"What are you looking for?"
"..." I found what I was looking for in the lower part of the body. I approached it and wielded my sword with all my strength. The firm, hard skin was torn and the thing inside was revealed.
"..." I could hear Yang Su-jin sucking in a deep breath. Despite being beheaded, she was still capable of being shocked. Yoo Su-jeong was almost like a living corpse. Her eyes were staring blankly into the air and were discoloured like the pigment had been sucked out of it.
"...Ah..."
"Euh. Finish it quickly. I feel bad." Yang Su-jin spoke quickly as she gazed at Yoo Su-jeong. I grabbed Yang Su-jin's wrist.
"Why? Just start eating. First..."
"You eat her." Yang Su-jin's eyes widened. Just like last time when she received the essence of the goblins, she made a face like she couldn't believe it..
"You are giving her to me? Really?"
"Didn't you say it? She is cancer." In order to continue the partnership in the future, Yang Su-jin should have more capabilities. There was no guarantee that she wouldn't be separated from me in between. Even though her method was brutal, Yoo Su-jeong was the 'woman' who reached the third rank. It seemed appropriate to have Yang Su-jin eat her talents.
Well, she also helped and in the meantime, I wanted to continue making a good impression on her.
"Oh yes!" Yang Su-jin cheered and pulled out a bottle from the inventory. She looked back to see how long she had until the stairs would collapse and poured the bottle on Yoo Su-jeong's face.
"Ah... Euhhhhhhh!!!!" An incredible scream emerged.
"I don't remember that. Is it poison?"
"Nope. This is vinegar." Indeed, the smell was familiar.
"It looks like it hurts a lot... Oh, are you wondering why I am enjoying this? It is payback for stabbing me twice with the knife earlier."
"I see." Well, as long as I wasn't the one receiving it... I waited silently.
"The stairs are almost collapsed."
"Yep." Yang Su-jin threw the empty bottle of vinegar away and kicked Yoo Su-jeong. Yoo Su-jeong's two daggers and some coins fell just as the staircase was about to collapse. It was a close call, but we arrived at the peak.
[6th floor clear.]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 25 - Day 7, Family
"Ah ~ I want to take a leave of absence." Su-yeon came out after the test and stretched. Was it better than the 'I want to commit suicide' they'd muttered when studying for the test?
Dong-wook looked around at all of us and said meaningfully, "Everybody has suffered, so let's meet again for the re-test."
"Don't say such unlucky things!" Su-yeon huffed angrily and Dong-wook just chuckled before looking at me.
"But Hee-chul, did you solve the problems?"
"Yes. Why?"
"I saw you during the middle of the test. You were leaning back in your chair and turning your pen."
Ah, that. "I have a lot to think about these days."
"You were thinking during the test?" The gazes of the two people turned towards me.
Whoops. I added an excuse. "But I was checking over the problems. There was still time left after."
"..."
"..." Their expressions became more pronounced.
"... Oppa."
"Huh?"
"I just want to say that Oppa is like a character who appeared from a drama."
"A very unfortunate guy. I feel like you are the type of snobby person who will raise your index finger to fix your glasses." Dong-wook assisted Su-yeon in teasing me and he hit my shoulder while laughing.
"Your attempt wasn't bad, but you should put more effort into acting. Hey. It is creepy, not funny." I couldn't help but laugh and then stayed silent while Su-yeon and Dong-wook talked about the test.
"But it was really difficult. Today's test."
"Well. Let's see... I don't know if there will be anybody who exceeds 40 points. I skipped problem number seven."
"I missed seven and nine..." I was satisfied with the result. I hadn't realized it was difficult at all. As I told Dong-wook, I finished the test with approximately 1/3rd of the time left. Concentration helped, but the biggest factor was Mental Image.
Drawing out notes in my brain was faster than using my hands and I could see it clearly. Thanks to that, I was able to sort out my thoughts several times faster than usual. "Anyway, now the hard work is over so we should party. Shall we go to P-X?"
"Let's do it!"
"I already have a prior engagement." I pointed to the student cafeteria. "I'm eating lunch with someone."
"Huh? Who?"
I thought for a moment before picking the appropriate answer. "Just a friend I know."
Just a friend I know. She was easy to find, and I couldn't help but laugh as soon as I saw her.
She was occupying a place in the crowded student cafeteria without a plate in front of her. The people around her were glaring, but she couldn't see because her head was bowed. It was more like she had no idea rather than being shameless.
"Excuse me."
"H-H-Hello..."
"Let's go outside. We shouldn't interfere with the people wanting to sit."
"...Ah." I took her to a corner of the campus. It was a cafe in a graduate school research centre. There was no one eating lunch here.
"Now, tell me."
"I-I can give you money."
"And?" I raised an eyebrow. Was that all? Of course, the easiest method of give and take was through money. "How much and in what manner will you give it to me?"
"..." Had she not thought about this? Of course, I didn't intend to receive just a few pennies.
It wouldn't be an issue if it was just lending money between friends. Frankly, I didn't know a lot about huge donations. I lived alone and never received any unearned income. I knew that ordinary people like me were scared to receive large amounts of money without any cost. However, that answer was taken care of when the other person was the child of a big company.
"Can't you just blindly give me money? First of all, can I get 100 million in cash now?"
"N-Not right now..." I stood up. Indeed, I was also naive. Was it due to the fantasy of a chaebol? (chaebol= type of family run business conglomerate)
The rumours about Yoon Ji-hee weren't that good. Her skills weren't good enough to go to the best university in Korea or to study overseas-- so she bought her way into our private university through the method known as 'rich selection.'
Still, I thought she would study and have a certain amount of intelligence. I didn't think she would be this stupid. "I'll see you at midnight." It wasn't a threat, it was just an end to the conversation. I would take it as she had no influence within her family.
Her answer was quick. "W-wait a minute."
Deopsseok.
Yoon Ji-hee's hand grabbed my wrist, though without much force. We were currently in reality, not the dungeon. I no longer had any business with her here. "I need to talk to my mother."
"..." She still listened to her mother?
"Are you one of those people whose mother checks on them every night?"
"S-She knows."
"What?
"My mother knows. And Grandfather..." I turned back to Yoon Ji-hee.
"Are they also inside the dungeon?"
"Nope. That isn't it... Yesterday, my grandfather called all his grandchildren together..." Someone who had reached the 5th day in the dungeon had reported all of it to her grandfather. It wasn't difficult to prove it. They had held on for five days, so they would either have an item or an excellent talent.
Yoon Sang-gyu, the currently head of the UZ Group, collected all his grandchildren and their parents, and gave them the edict: 'It doesn't matter what you do in there. The next leader of the UZ Group will be handed over to the last person who remains.'
"So, how many people are there?"
"Five people including me..."
"Will you take out the other four to become chairman of the group?"
"I-I hadn't thought about it specifically. But... It doesn't seem to be a big deal since they won't die... So my mother..." No, I guessed that it was already a big deal in her house. My mind was reeling the moment I heard the situation.
I thought I had caught a tuna with my fishing rod, only to find a whale underneath. The scale was much larger than I thought. Instead of leaving the cafe, I ordered a sandwich from the counter.
"I'll buy it for you..."
"It's done. Just eat." I filled my empty stomach and continued to question her. "How many of them didn't enter the dungeon?"
"Just one. He was born late so he is only five years old..." A chaebol was definitely different. Five of the six grandchildren had entered the dungeon. From one perspective, the UZ Group wasn't a big deal. The fact that Yoon Ji-hee was in front of me proved that.
Of course, if one of them completed the dungeon then the next UZ chairman would be a superhuman. But what if they didn't clear it? Except for the five year old who wasn't grown yet, the next chairman might be someone with no desires.
"If I go to Mother then she might do something. I don't know... The way that my uncle is treating the others..."
"The others?"
"Ah... I met my cousin on the fifth floor. I heard that he recruited real people in reality." No, this story was none of my business. Yoon Ji-hee was obviously used as a bait on the 6th floor.
"What happened?"
"I-I hadn't thought about it until the fifth floor. My other cousins are also meeting and gathering people in real life."
"..."
"I couldn't trust them so I went down to the 6th floor alone. Then I met you and... You said I would die if I lied..."
"..." Looking at this, who would believe that she was a chaebol? I drank the soda that came with the sandwich. It was a cup full of carbonated juice, but I was still thirsty. Yang Su-jin's words were correct--this was 'real.' She was just an ordinary girl, not a member of a chaebol.
She was someone whose siblings and cousins wouldn't have wanted on the same team. Still, the chaebols had taken advantage of their power.
I had received one unwelcome piece of information: there was a combination of top players in the dungeon. At least four of them were tied together by money and power in reality.
The UZ Group wasn't the only chaebol. Also, chaebols weren't the only ones who could mobilize money and power. I rubbed my temples with both hands. I couldn't say anything else as Yoon Ji-hee stared at me with a worried expression.
Then the cafe door opened and I heard a shaky sound. Hup. Yoon Ji-hee sucked in her breath. Many footsteps entered the cafe, and the voice of a female was heard. "Unni! You were here!"
"Sang-ah..." I didn't turn around. The amazed expression on Yoon Ji-hee's face told me roughly who the owners of the footsteps behind me were. "S-Sang-min oppa... What brings you here...?"
"Didn't Grandfather say that we didn't need to go to school or work for a while? I was just going for a long drive. Then I saw Unni here." This wasn't a crowded place--it was a cafe on a corner of the campus. It was impossible to just 'pass by' the building.
They must have followed Yoon Ji-hee here, or perhaps they were using direct surveillance. It was only natural to keep an eye on their competitors. "Who is this? Can we join you?"
"That... Right now, we are having an important discussion..."
"Ah! Someone you met in the dungeon?" The female clapped her hands. The male, Sang-min, still hadn't talked. I just chewed on the rest of my sandwich.
"Unni is trying to make a contract... But what are you going to offer for the contract? I heard that you don't have a lot of money these days. Grandfather also won't give you any."
The voice was sufficient to determine that Yoon Ji-hee was the female's meal. "Well, I am going first. I'll see you later." I said to Yoon Ji-hee and got up. As I turned around, I saw the faces of a male and female.
Yoon Sang-ah was approximately 20 years old. Yoon Sang-min was a man in his late 20's. I could tell they were siblings with one glance. Behind them, there were people glancing this way.
They didn't seem to be bodyguards. They were all wearing plain clothes. There was a variety of men and women of different ages. I memorized those faces. It was unlikely that I would only see them again in reality.
"Hello!" Yoon Sang-ah bowed and greeted me. "Are you a student of this school? What is your name?"
"It is a little difficult to tell you." I spoke as politely as possible. Even if they didn't follow me after this, it was hard to confront a chaebol. Instead, I tried to go straight to the exit.
"If you haven't formed an agreement yet, come here. I can offer you 100% more than what Unni did."
"I will think about it."
"Is there any need to think? You won't receive this offer again." Yoon Sang-ah blocked my path.
"We have a company. It is like an affiliate. If you accept then I can hire you within an hour. You will receive a 'salary' without needing to go to work." Certainly, it was 100 times better than her cousin's offer. "You don't have to do a lot. When you go to the next floor, just take Ji-hee unni out."
"W-What does that mean?!" Yoon Ji-hee exclaimed but Yoon Sang-ah just laughed.
"Why? Isn't it an efficient method? Unni tried to buy this person so the answer is simple." Her expression changed with the next words. "Unni is already stupid, so is it a bad thing?"
"Euh..." Well. This was one thing I agreed with, so I had nothing to say. I raised my hand and brought it to Yoon Sang-ah's shoulder. "If you are finished, then please let me pass. This is the testing period."
"... Didn't you understand my offer? I can repeat it again."
"No. I understood."
She didn't seem to care about how much Yoon Sang-ah 'offered.' I raised one finger. "One billion."
"What?"
"By today. Can you ensure that I receive one billion won legally and without looking suspicious?" I could tell just by looking at her facial expression-- she looked at me like I was crazy. The problem wasn't just the amount.
It didn't matter. "It is no use if you can't afford that." I slowly pushed Yoon Sang-ah out of the way.
"There is nothing to talk about."
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 26 - Day 7, Alley
One billion won. I used to think about it often. When I was a high school student, I didn't have a lot at home, so I thought about the things I wanted to have.
After going to college, I had to wear the same old clothes that I had worn for many years, and realized that the things my friends enjoyed were a luxury to me. Just... I didn't need anything. I just hoped for a little more money. At least, it used to be like that.
"Hey, do you have your bankbook?"
Yoon Sang-ah stared at me with a confused expression. "I don't understand what you are saying right now..." She didn't know exactly, but she could roughly guess.
"Legitimate. By today. One billion won. Don't you understand?"
"This frustrating guy..." The man, Yoon Sang-min, opened his mouth for the first time.
"It's to avoid being pursued by the law, my proposal won't be a problem. Is there any reason to refuse my terms?"
"There will be a record."
He gave an answer right away.
"There will be an inquiry when you get a job, so it will just be seen as a dubious monthly salary."
"So?"
"I don't know what type of life I will live in the future, but I don't want to do anything."
I could hear some laughter. The other people sitting in the cafe were laughing at me.
"You can become a big person."
"Maybe you can even run for President." They spoke nonsense as they laughed, but I didn't bother looking at them. I just studied Yoon Sang-min.
"So legally. I want a clean one billion."
"It's awkward. The reality is that there's no way to satisfy the condition of giving you one billion by today. If those conditions..."
"Then I guess I have to refuse. Realistically." I shook my head. Many eyes looked at me like I was crazy as I opened the door to the cafe.
I could hear Yoon Sang-ah from behind me. "How funny. A beggar wearing a t-shirt is going around like he's some big shot."
Laughter burst out. I kept moving. One billion won. It wasn't a small amount of money. With that amount of money, I could live a life of ease. So why did I refuse now that it came into my hands?
What if it wasn't one billion, but five billion or ten billion? Maybe I would've been satisfied.
That was before entering the dungeon. I was different now. I have become physically stronger. I was a little smarter and more willing to take action.
And I would be even better in the future. I had to continue for as long as possible. Until the day when it was impossible for me to struggle any longer. The words I said to Yoo Sang-min and Yoo Sang-ah were true. I hadn't been talking nonsense.
It would be good if they 'gave' all that money to me. Then I would be able to stop along the way and smell the roses.
But not anymore. A long road stretched in front of me. I would do the things I wanted to do. I would walk the path I chose and be successful. To the me right now, one billion wasn't enough as a goal.
I walked out and left the campus. I had to wait a bit for the next step.
Late at night. I was walking down a street when I received a message.
-If you are alone now then you should contact me.
The call came straight away.
-H-hello? This is Yoon Ji-hee.
It was the number that she gave on the way to the cafe.
-Excuse me...So the money...
"Please give me the cell phone number." Yoon Ji-hee swallowed her breath. The number shouldn't be repeated twice.
"If you let me know, then I will protect you on the assumption that there won't be any problems with my safety in the future."
-S-still...
"If you do not want to die..." I hung up and waited. Three minutes later, I received a message. I entered the phone number I received and took a breath. I closed my eyes before pressing the call button. The ring tone continued for a while.
-Who is this?
I heard the voice of an elderly man. "I called about a matter regarding one of your grandchildren. Yoon Ji-hee."
- ... This is a number that is only used in my family.Did Ji-hee give it to you?
The old man's voice was grumpy. "Yes. I sincerely asked Yoon Ji-hee to tell me. It is a condition to escort Yoon Ji-hee inside the dungeon." There was a moment of silence. Then Chairman Yoon Sang-gyu spoke again.
-I made it clear to my grandchildren.No matter what the children do in there, I decided not to intervene.
The old man spoke in a feeble voice, but the weight behind his words was fierce. Was it to make the opponent shrink back from the weakness?
-So I can't give you anything.I think it is better for you to hang up.
Of course, I already knew that. Yoon Sang-ah told Yoon Ji-hee that she was acting on her own behalf, not on UZ Group's. "I'll didn't call Chairman-nim for nothing." I calmed the trembling in my chest and spoke. "I will protect your granddaughter. I will do my best and she will be the one who stays until the end."
-You and Ji-hee?What is the relationship?
"Until yesterday, we had no affiliation." The chairman didn't hang up. Okay. Then I would continue. "Even if you don't intervene, I don't think you have a lot of expectations for Yoon Ji-hee. I met three of your grandchildren today, but I could clearly see who would die first." From here on, I cut to the chase and pulled the pin from the hypothetical grenade.
"But Yoon Ji-hee will survive the longest. If only one of your grandchildren is left, it will be Yoon Ji-hee."
-Why?
"She has me." I heard a faint laugh.
-In other words, the grandchild that has you...Perhaps Sang-ah and Sang-min...You are better than those children.
"Yes. I am the ace in the hole. The two of them... Even if they have the people that they've already gathered, I will still win."
-Hrmm.
"In addition, none of your grandchildren are better than me. So naturally, Ji-hee will stay the longest." What did I want? I said it first before the old man could ask. "As you said, you won't be giving me anything right now. Anyway, if my words are proven correct..."
-You won't need to ask for anything since I will do it.
The old man's voice was filled with laughter. Yes. He was right. If Yoon Ji-hee survive longer than any of her siblings or cousins, it meant she would be the successor of the UZ Group. And I would have been responsible for the safety of the successor.
"I just wanted you to know. This is your insurance against damage. Even in the worst situation where the dungeon surpasses the ability of your grandchildren, it is insurance that at least once grandchild survives." The next moment, the old man's loud laugh entered my ears.
-That is fine.
"Thank you."
-Yes, then should I call the other children and tell them not to hurt Ji-hee and the person who is calling?
Goose bumps formed on my spine. I hadn't said it yet.
-Sang-min more than Sang-ah...That child feels a desperate sense of urgency.I've told him several times to be vigilant to other parties.I can't stop him.
"..." Even though there was no hope, I wanted him to keep his grandchildren in check, at least in reality. It was for my personal safety rather than Yoon Ji-hee's. I knew he was going to say that.
-Ah.Don't worry about it.This business is okay.Free insurance.It is free so I will take care of it.
"Thank you."
- I personally feel sorry for Ji-hee since she isn't the type to make an active move or to play dirty.Tomorrow, I will tell the children.Now, is that all?Can I hang up?
"That's it. Thank you for listening to my words." Just before the call was disconnected, the old man suddenly spoke.
-I haven't heard your name.
"Ah..."
-Well...It doesn't really matter right now.I don't know about later, but there is no point knowing your name now.
I heard a short laugh.
-Then, work hard.
The call was disconnected.
"... Hah." I let out a long breath. I did it. I hadn't stuttered, nor did my voice shake, despite my heart racing quickly. With lighter footsteps, I entered an alley lined with buildings.
As re-development proceeded in this area, more than half the buildings were empty. There were places where the streetlights had gone out. It was annoying during the day, but it was even worse at night. I stood in front of a building and examined the mailbox installed outside the entrance.
"You're living in a place like this?" I turned around to see several people in the side alley. The alley on the other side had people as well.
"It's surprising. I didn't think such a great person would live in a place like this."
"Originally, great people are frugal. Can't you tell by looking at his t-shirt?" They moved forward and narrowed the distance. Two people on the left. Two people on the right.
They were people that I saw at the cafe--those who followed Yoon Sang-ah and Yoon Sang-min.
"Who sent you?" I could roughly guessed but I asked anyway.
"Wah, did you hear? He asked 'who sent you?' I just now realized it was a drama."
"I have goose bumps." The tallest of the two on the right spat out.
"You never know. You didn't want money so we came to persuade you in another way."
"Are you planning to use violence?" I raised my head and looked around.
"Well, in some cases... It's as I thought. This neighbourhood looks pretty good. No one seems to be here, and there doesn't seem to be proper CCTV." There was a guy who was already shadow boxing in the air.
"Whatever happens, it is because you angered the people behind us. You shouldn't have rejected them."
"... I see."
"Wah. Look at that calm expression. As expected from a great person." They were getting closer and closer.
"If you're scared then why don't you rush into your house, lock the door and call the police? Of course, we already know the location of your house so we will always be here. I saw the mailbox you were looking at. You're not very smart, are you?"
Indeed. I took out my gloves.
"What? Do you plan to fight?"
"It looks like it. What should we do?"
"Then let's call the police." They wouldn't do such a thing. If the police came to catch me then they would get caught as well. I didn't think that Yoon Ji-hee would get a lawyer for me.
So… They picked this place.
"The police wouldn't believe it anyway."
This neighbourhood wasn't where I lived. Of course, this building wasn't mine. The mailbox that I was looking at also had nothing to do with me.
"Eng?"
"What did you say?" There was no one else around. The lighting was dim. It was an area where the CCTV was underdeveloped. I had searched for a suitable place during the daytime.
"Hey, grab him." They headed towards me at the same time. I twisted my neck and chanted something in my head.
Activate. Darkness Cloud.
A darkness that was darker than the night wrapped around us.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 27 - Day 7, Preparations
The blood vessels in my whole body felt tight. It was like the pain when donating blood, amplified by 10 times. There wasn't a physical HP Bar above my head or a message in front of me. It was different from the letters that popped up when looking at an item.
"W-what?" Four confused voices echoed in the darkness. The range of darkness was just as I thought. It was the same range of vision like in the dungeon. I aimed my fist at the closest one. The blitz tactic was the key. I didn't know what variables the four opponents had so it was best to utilize the advantage of surprise.
Bam!
As soon as the guy collapsed from being hit in the stomach, the one next to him swung a club at me. He couldn't see, but it seemed like he was responding accurately and quickly to the sound. Of course, it was a blind hit but it might work because it was a pincer attack.
I moved my head, grabbed his wrist and pulled back his arm. There was the sound of something breaking. Every time I dealt a blow, the pain in my blood vessels gradually faded. The blood-sucking effect worked without any problems.
There was the feeling of someone kicking me from behind, but I gritted my teeth and withstood it. The pain was severe but I could endure it. I turned around. This time the kick was a bit higher. However, it missed and the leg moved to the side, causing the person to stumble.
The remaining person didn't come directly. He hesitated while holding a bottle in his hand. It was because a disaster could happen when it missed unlike the colleagues who swung a fist. The person was only a few steps away, so I killed my footsteps and approached immediately.
I grabbed the bottle and lightly kicked his testicles. The problem was the next step. Their shouts and screams rang through the alley. There was no guarantee that someone wouldn't exercise their courage.
I quickly dragged them to a building that was being redeveloped. As I entered through the tarps covering the outer wall of the building, there was nothing to be seen.
"If a sound leaks out of your throat then you will die." Of course, I was bluffing. There were grunts as I punched three of them in the abdomen. The one left was the supposed leader.
He was the one watching me quietly. I pinched the flesh on the inside of his forearm with my index finger and thumb, then twisted it painfully.
Quark!
"Ugh...!"
I didn't know how powerful my grip was after being influenced by the lizardman essence, but he received pain when I used only a little bit of my power.
"What is my name?" I saw this in a novel. The detective said that asking questions like 'what is your name?' made it harder to hide their thoughts instead of yes or no questions.
"I-I don't know! We just followed..."
"That is enough. Be quiet." From here on, I was going to test the talents and techniques I acquired in the dungeon. How efficient were 'Compulsion', 'Eloquence' and 'Charisma'?
"Kim Sung-tae. Lee Ji-hwan. Kim Sung-ik. Jang Hyo-jin." I took out their cell phones, removed the batteries, and read their names on the ID cards in their wallets. I read the addresses written below. It was significant.
"A-Are you crazy? This isn't the dungeon... We didn't plan anything other than a simple assault. Killing us is too much. Our instructions were just to scare you a little..."
"Of course, those are just words." I tried to laugh like a psycho as much as possible. The effect was obvious. Even though I didn't say the word 'kill' myself, they had already imagined a snuff film in their minds. The leader's name was Kim Sung-tae.
"Sung-tae. The problem with attacking me is that I will pay you back. Not only that, I was insulted as well."
"What should..."
"Make me feel better. If I feel better, I might not use your cell phone to call your family." The other three looked at me nervously as they carefully listened to my words. "Are there any facts I should now? Things that I might not know about the dungeon? Points will be given to the person who tells me first."
It didn't take long for the first answer to come out. The person called Jang Hyo-jin spoke first.
"Well, you don't need to be in the place where the stairs were originally."
"Huh?"
"So even if you are in the bathroom or someplace else... As long as the space is isolated, a staircase will appear at midnight."
"Oh?"
The experiences from individuals were quite specific. I looked at Kim Sung-tae. "Your employer was experimenting with this?"
"..." An expression of embarrassment was his answer. They had probably done such experiments.
"With this, I don't have any bad feelings towards Jang Hyo-jin. Does Sung-tae's silence represent the rest of you?"
Kim Sung-tae hesitated before speaking. If two people were in the same place, then one staircase would be created. However, stepping on the same staircase wouldn't cause the stairs to overlap. If someone went into the dungeon with an injury, that injury would be healed when they left the dungeon.
Once I listened to the experiment, I asked a few additional questions before saying. "They are pretty safe experiments. Have you never tried an experiment like this?"
"What...?
"Killing a person outside the dungeon and seeing if you can absorb their abilities."
"C-Crazy!" Kim Sung-tae forgot his position and spat out. "Hey... There are still some lines we shouldn't cross. I don't know what thoughts you are having but... I told you. This is real life. It's nonsense to think like that."
"That is true." I put a falsely evil expression on my face.
I released the expression. "This is somehow quite awkward to say."
"...?" As they looked at my expression, saliva thickened in their mouths. I noticed it. I was mocking them until now. In fact, it was a little fun deceiving them. I knew more than anyone else the limit as a psycho. If they were murdered then the risks to me were enormous.
"If it is like this..." I placed my hand on Kim Sung-tae's head as I pondered aloud. I placed strength into my wrist and shoved his head down on the ground. After lifting Kim Sung-tae's head again, his face had become bloody.
"Ugh..."
"No matter how angry, don't forget your position now." He was the one who told me that when you entered the dungeon, your wounds will disappear. After two hours, the evidence will disappear. It didn't matter what I did as long as they didn't die.
"Give me all the items you have."
"..."
"I can see from your reaction that this isn't sufficient. You should worry about each other."
Noises were heard from one side. The three people, except for Kim Sung-tae, were already scared. I collected all the items, such as clubs and bottles, and stored them in my inventory.
"Coins?"
"We don't manage the money or supplies..."
"I see." I nodded. I checked the time and went to work. I started beating the four people up.
"I-I gave you the items! There is no more, really!"
"I know." I showed them the time on my cell phone. "There are approximately two hours left. Anyway, if you stay here then the staircase will appear."
Once you entered and exited the dungeon, your wounds were restored. This meant that when they entered the dungeon, their wounds would be maintained. I didn't know if the goblin's medicine could restore broken bones. However, they would have to consume quite a lot of medicine on the seventh floor and would have to worry about all types of disadvantages.
They might have to eat their medicine to an extreme level. If they were with colleagues from the fifth floor, they might become meals for several people.
"I'd appreciate it if you convey my thanks. Tell them that this is just fair play for what they tried to do."
Three of them gave up. Kim Sung-tae maintained his spirit until the end. After it was over, he said to me. "Again... Do you want to consider it again?"
"What?"
"The ship you are on is rotten. I saw it. Earlier at the cafe, I heard it from Sang-min and Sang-ah." These people were acquaintances of the Yoon siblings? They felt like the entourage of a chaebol child that often appeared in dramas.
"... Everyone misjudged. You are a great person. Now I know it for sure. I mean, the words that were said... I'll make Sang-min recognize his mistake and reevaluate you." Despite his blurry eyes and bloody lips, Sung-tae seemed quite strong-willed.
"Based on the system of the dungeon, a small number will survive. I am sure I will meet you again. Honestly, to say that I don't have any bad feelings right now... It would be a lie. But that's just the way I feel. If you join then Sang-min will surely get closer to being the final one... Of course, he will also give you sufficient compensation." A so-called loyalist.
"I'll say it once again... Yoon Ji-hee is rotten. Maybe she will do something unexpected... After her father died, she grew up with a mother who is a third rate actress. Did you know that?"
"Hrmm."
"Rather... You might get caught around the ankle, compared to your profits... It is like picking up an empty bowl compared to a bowl of rice. If you want to get far in the UZ Group..."
"Nothing like that."
"What?"
"I have no intention of joining UZ Group. In the first place, it doesn't seem like a company that can support me after I graduate." I got up.
Kim Sung-tae stared at me with disbelieving eyes. But it was true. After hearing the story of succession from Yoon Ji-hee, if Yoon Sang-ah and Yoon Sang-min hadn't entered at that moment, I would have killed Yoon Ji-hee on the seventh floor and neatly separated from the problem.
It was too reckless to get involved in such a fierce competition due to Yoon Ji-hee. However, Yoon Sang-min and Yoon Sang-ah had given me a hint. At the cafe, she had unintentionally provided me with extra information.
Just one thing. I had made one mistake when judging Yoon Ji-hee. This was it.
I was sure after hearing the information. That's why I refused the suggestion to kill Yoon Ji-hee and even called the chairman. I was sure. Secure Yoon Ji-hee, not the UZ Group.
"Well, I guess your words are correct."
"... Then why..."
"But you and those cousins, have you ever wondered what greed is after you entered the dungeon?"
"...?" I think I found the answer. After knowing this, it made a lot of sense. It wouldn't matter if anyone else knew. Rather, those who knew the answer would snort with laughter. Maybe I had already known. When I looked at it, I could see the practical meaning.
I left the construction site. Quite a lot of sound should've leaked into the outside world, but in the end, the police didn't come. As I headed home, I messaged my school friends. It was to obtain some information about Yoon Ji-hee's academic life.
The last person I sent a message to was Yang Su-jin.
-What about the errands?
-I've prepared everything.Should I bring it in my bag?
-Yes.Good work.
-I'll see you inside!!
I took a shower and packed the things into my bag. Then I waited for the stairs.
[7th floor arrived.]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 28 - Day 7, 7th Floor City
On the sixth floor, the first stimulus to his senses was 'wind.' The cool breeze that blew from below. The seventh floor was 'light.'
"Are we outside?" Yang Su-jin asked, and I thought she was correct. The dungeon was bright like it was daytime. If there wasn't the high ceiling of a cave instead of the sky, I would have thought I was outside.
A ball that served as the sun, was lodged in the centre of the ceiling. It really was like the light from the sun, to the extent that I could feel the warmth on my skin.
A new element of this place were some ruins. On the sixth floor, there had been no traces of any ruins. No, this place didn't have traces, but the ruins itself.
"It looks like a city. Wah, kind of like Ancient Rome."
I agreed, but the city 'here' was probably a few centuries older than Rome.
Although it was a ruin, there were buildings four or five floors tall. The stone roads had little damage compared to the buildings. There were thin pillars rising at regular intervals along the streets... Street lights?
"But why hasn't that woman come down?" Yang Su-jin turned and looked at the pillar where we had descended. It was a carved pillar of stone that stretched from the ceiling to the floor of the city. The staircase that brought us down didn't directly appear. Maybe the ceiling was the sixth floor.
Yoon Ji-hee appeared not long after. I didn't have to ask why she was late. I could see it. It was written on her face that she really didn't want to come down. "Ah... I-I'm sorry."
"If you are sorry..." Just as Yang Su-jin was about to say something...
[The locusts have started their activity.]
"Eh?"
All three of us looked around. But I couldn't see anything in either direction. In addition, I didn't hear anything.
"E-Excuse me..." It was Yoon Ji-hee who raised her finger upwards. There were black dots in the air. As time passed, the number of dots increased and their size also became bigger.
[Evil Swarm of Locusts. Type: Reptile. Rank D.]
[They are called locusts due to their appearance, grouping habits and unique wings. Biologically, they are reptiles. When hunting animals, they separate their prey according to size and will take them back to their habitats instead of eating the prey right away.]
[They have an organ in their body to store sunlight. The disadvantage of flapping their wings is that is consumes a huge number of calories, making them reluctant to act in a space that doesn't receive light.]
I couldn't eat these guys properly. I grumbled and clapped my hands. The eyes of the two females zeroed in on me. "Go." I pointed to the ruins. Both of them seemed to understand immediately, as they moved quickly.
We entered a one-story building, but the interior was quite large. Most importantly, there was a space where the light didn't reach. There were many wooden shelves like it was a store that sold something. We crouched under the table that acted as a counter and waited.
Soon, all the light that entered the building was completely obscured by the swarm of locusts. There was the sound of wings flapping and countless black shapes passing by the door, but there were no signs of it ending.
Tak.
There was something on the ground next to my feet. I looked at the locust that had taken one step into the building. Indeed, they really had the appearance of a locust. It was just like a locust, except that there were no insect-specific joints and it had the twinkling eyes of a reptile.
Between the gaping mouth, the teeth looked like toothpicks. "Look at this b*stard." I laughed as I stared into its yellow eyes. I didn't think it would understand, but... The mouth snapped crazily like it was expressing its feelings.
In the end though, it didn't come in.
It had only taken one step into the building before turning around and flying back down the road. It was pretty cool in here. Due to the building being made of stone, the temperature was just like a refrigerator.
"I-It didn't come in?" Yang Su-jin asked in a furtive voice. I nodded and looked at Yoon Ji-hee. She had her eyes closed and was blocking her ears. I waited for a while, but the sound of the wings outside didn't stop. It felt like a dozen or so big dogs were flying around.
"We are trapped right?"
"It seems so." Even though they were ranked 'D', the numbers were overwhelming. They weren't opponents that we could run away from, so we couldn't go out.
There was only one way left. "Wait until night."
"..."
"...?"
It seemed pretty ridiculous. Not only Yoon Ji-hee, but Yang Su-jin also stiffened. They stared blankly at me. However, it wasn't that strange if you thought about it. First of all, there was always a solution. The reptiles didn't always fly through the sky since there was a time when they couldn't act. "Besides, this is a place where people lived."
It was said that this dungeon was created by putting together places that actually existed in another world. This place couldn't shine 24 hours a day, since it was a place where humans lived. Furthermore, the shape of the pillars on the street looked like street lamps. In other words, the artificial sun would eventually turn off.
"Indeed!" As Yang Su-jin clapped positively, I held out a hand to her to ask for the items. Yang Su-jin took out a hot pack from her bag. This was my first request for her. Due to the lizardman's essence penalty, I had to suffer quite a bit of cold on the sixth floor.
This was the correct answer. This place was huge. Thanks to the buildings, it was difficult to guess the width of this space, but I had spotted some pillars quite a distance away. They also led up to the sixth floor.
"A village? No... Maybe it was actually a wide city in reality. This might take longer than I thought." Still, it wasn't bad to think positively. If I had to wait then there was something I had to wait for.
I pulled a book from my inventory.
[An Introduction to the Old Language of Tellan.]
Even if it was an introductory book, it was a book that I couldn't understand properly.
However, I decided to try it. Even though I came down to the seventh floor, there didn't seem to be any special clues about this language. Based on the cultural relics and cities, it wouldn't be bad to know the language in the future.
I opened the book but couldn't understand the letters. The composition of the letters was shorter than the other books I had.
First... I looked at the letters that occurred most often. Once I figured that out...
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Text Decryption: The ability to decrypt letters and passwords of unknown language systems. Thinking power and insight has slightly increased.]
[Talent has been acquired.]
[Talent - Tellan (Reading, Writing): The ability to read and write Tellan will rise according to the level. There is a slight increase in Planning.]
[Tellan (Conversation) will be corrected according to the level.]
Then fragments of information entered my head. I had figured out the word 'Ebun' as well as the way of pronouncing the syllable 'e'. If this was the case, it might not take too long to understand and read the language!
"Haha..." I smiled as the clue was solved more easily than I thought. Then I realized that I had forgotten one thing. I pulled out a book from my bag.
[4,000 Essential Swahili Vocabulary]
"You said that you know English and French?"
"Yes..." It seemed possible to have a fairly natural conversation, since she had been learning it since childhood. Yang Su-jin looked at Yoon Ji-hee with disbelieving eyes.
"Then memorize this. I will give you two hours to memorize as much as you can. Please remember at least 40 characters. Otherwise, you won't be able to eat the packed food."
"Huh?"
"The time will start from now." I turned on the timer on my cell phone.
Yang Su-jin, who was staring blankly, suddenly interrupted. "I want to try!"
"There is only one book."
"Can I tear out the page from another chapter and memorize it?" I didn't think much of it as I nodded and engrossed myself in the book again. I figured out how to read eight words. I had just realized that the language used punctuation in a different way when the timer rang.
[Reading Comprehension. Lv 3. 244/400]
[Text Decryption Lv 1. 81/100]
[Tellan (Reading, Writing) Lv 1. 56/100]
Yang Su-jin had a confident expression on her face. "I memorized 80 of them!"
"Is that so?" I answered casually and didn't talk any more for a few minutes. Yang Su-jin's expression turned impatient.
"Aren't you going to ask?" Although the talent had gone up, word memorization was an area where people would forget as soon as they stopped reading. I had seen it in a few students who I had tutored. I needed to distinguish between true memorization and cramming.
"-Shona."
"W-when? Ah... No, wait."
Yang Su-jin remembered 34 characters. If I subtracted those that she said, "Ah! That is wrong!" then it would only be 29.
"Then it's your turn."
"I... I read...Up to this page." There were 15 words on a page. She read eight pages for a total of 120 words. Yoon Ji-hee had memorized 104 of them.
"It's okay."
"..." Yang Su-jin's face wrinkled as Yoon Ji-hee received some positive words. Considering that she had learned English, I stayed away from languages with common etymologies such as French or Russian. Her basic memorization ability wasn't bad, rather it was quite high.
Although I had already expected it… "Compared to what you look like, your head is surprisingly good when you study."
"I-I, not, studying..." It wasn't just a condescending act. She was flustered due to the praise. In actuality, her grades weren't bad. Based on the messages from my friends about her academic record, she never got anything below an A.
"You must have done quite well in high school."
"I-I didn't. I was almost yanked out of classes… That... I went to an international school." It was a place where parents who were crazy about education in East Asia sent their children. They couldn't just have wealthy parents, but the students had to study well. It would be difficult for students of general high schools like me to follow their classes.
"Even if you entered through a special screening, it is great that you managed to keep up with the classes. I heard quite a bit about it while studying in a public school."
"..."
"Well. It isn't good or bad, just a little surprising." While we were speaking, the outside was becoming dim. The sound of the locusts' flapping wings also cut off. I should take a look around this place.
"Yoon Ji-hee, wait here."
"B-by myself?"
"If a locust pops up, then you will have to run back. Do you still want to follow?" I threw the hot pack to Yoon Ji-hee. My hand pointed to the chapter she was holding. "You keep reading. I don't think it will take that much longer to memorize. Well, you shouldn't waste your time while waiting."
Things were going well. Honestly, it was more than I expected.
I exited with Yang Su-jin. The sun on the ceiling was covered. Just like eyelids covering the eyes, a giant cover surrounded the artificial sun. Before it became completely dark, I stored as much of the scenery into my mind map as possible.
"Let's focus on the ears rather than the eyes. Go over there..."
"..." At that moment, I noticed that Yang Su-jin's cheeks were puffed out.
"What is it?"
"Nothing."
"If you have a complaint then say it."
"I'm sorry. Yes, I am stupid."
"What?"
"Yes. I am unemployed. I don't even know where an international school is. In addition, I only managed to memorize 34 words in two hours."
What was this...? It was actually 29 instead of 34 words, but it wasn't that good. "I don't think you are stupid."
"... It was only 34. In two hours." It was actually 29. "If she is so clever with just memorization skills, my position with Yoon Ji-hee should be reversed. Isn't that right?"
"..." As I paid attention to my surroundings, I muttered. "Being good at studying and having a good head is different."
"What is different?"
"Among the high school friends that I have, there is one who dropped out of school and delivered jajangmyeon. He created a good, quick service delivery app and received several investments. He's a great friend. I personally think he is very smart."
It was the difference between having a talent and using the talent in the right place. However, most people didn't realize their talents and weren't satisfied. "So what if you can't memorize an African language in a few hours? She can't even survive one hour here alone. Isn't that right?"
"That's right."
"Then what is the problem? You can do it." That was enough. Anyway, they would have to face quite a lot of people who came down to this place. For most of them, their actions would be no different.
"Anyway, you still haven't tried to stab me in the back. That alone is good enough."
"... What if I do so in the future?"
"It isn't a high possibility. Now stop whining and listen carefully." In the meantime, the surroundings were quiet. The streets became completely dark and the street lights turned on. However, the street lights only brightened the middle of the road. The outskirts and side buildings were completely dark.
Yang Su-jin and I stuck closely to the outer walls of the buildings. As we moved out of the light, we could only see within our original field of view. "Well, there is something I don't know." Yang Su-jin spoke in a low voice.
"What is it?"
"Did you keep that woman alive for her language abilities? If you don't teach her how to fight and just let her read a book, then we can kill her whenever we want."
She sounded like she had found the answer. I didn't answer. Regardless of my answer, it was important that she find an answer she could understand. She wasn't academically smart but her head wasn't bad.
... Even so, 29 words were disappointing.
[Stealth. Lv 3. 244/400]
"..."
"...!" I held my breath as the letters surfaced. Yang Su-jin did the same as if she saw the letters. The experience of Stealth had gone up. In other words, there was something else in the area. Before long, there was a sound in the darkness.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 29 - Day 7, 7th Floor Language
The first thing that appeared in the darkness was the face of a man.
"Pant! Pant!"
After that, I saw the companions running beside him. There was the same emotion on everyone's faces: Fear.
"Kyak!" The foot of a woman running in the back caught on a broken stone in the road and twisted. The woman fell to the ground in a tricky position. It was impossible to get up and run away, "Help me!"
The five companions all looked back. But no one reached out to help the woman. "Ho-jin! Please!" Only one man stopped while the others ran down the road. The price of his hesitance came straight away.
Quark!
A spear flew through the darkness and pierced the man's belly before sticking into the ground. "... Keok." Blood flowed from the man's mouth. Disbelieving eyes glanced down and both hands grabbed the spear in his belly. However, he didn't pull out the spear.
The woman screamed. She got up and moved with a limping left leg... Only, the pursuer was right behind her.
[Small Sun Knight - Spearman. Type: Golem Rank B]
[A top of the line golem soldier that forms the Talia Army. They are charged by the 'small sun' of Talia and when it is not on display, they act as night guards to protect the citizens of the city from the invasion of barbarians. If you aren't an enemy then you have nothing to fear, even if you're not regular citizens of Talia. It is their job to defend civilized people within the city, regardless of nationality.]
Indeed, like the name, the golem looked like a guardian of the city. It was four meters tall and there was armor wrapped around its body. The golem reached out one hand and grabbed the woman's body. Without any resistance, the woman was raised up to the golem's eye level. Then it quickly struck.
Bam.
It passed through the bloody pudding remains of the woman and approached the still struggling man. It grabbed the spear and pulled it out, causing the wriggling of the body to stop.
"...What? That..." Yang Su-jin squeaked in a voice that was 20 times smaller than before. From the time that the spear flew, we entered a building on the outskirts. We looked at the situation through the window.
"Oppa, can you win against that?" Just as I was about to answer, the party that ran away earlier came back to this side. They screamed as the saw the two bodies and the golem. Another golem walked out from the direction they appeared from. This time, it wasn't a spearman but a swordsman.
"I can't say for sure." I said while looking at the slaughter. "But now I can't win." I thought I could catch one of them with Elmer's Dummy Destroyer but it was different when there was two. One man threw something and caused a pretty intense explosion at the face of a golem. It was like a grenade.
Unfortunately for him, the statue wasn't affected. Although the struggling group had fairly good movements, the golems were much stronger and faster. I waited quietly with Yang Su-jin. Soon, all of them became corpses and the golems disappeared with their bodies.
At that time, I heard a crying noise not far from us.
Hak!
I immediately activated Limiter Release. There was a moaning sound but I blocked the person's mouth. It was a man. Rather than running away like the earlier party members, he slipped over here and survived.
"What is that stone statue?" He made a face like he didn't understand. I kept his mouth shut as I twisted his fingers. There was an expression of pain on his face, but he regained his spirit. I asked again. "Answer in a low voice. What is that stone statue?"
"I-I don't know... They appeared all of a sudden..." The main stuttered in a quiet tone. "I-I found a building. It contained items like a museum... All of a sudden, they appeared on the street."
"So?"
"It tried to speak to us."
"Speak?"
"They speak, but it sounds like a foreign language... It repeated the same words several times before suddenly attacking."
"Is your party all dead?"
"I-I don't know... Perhaps." I lifted the man's body. I had listened to his story and now it was time to eat him. It was time to go. I turned and looked at Yang Su-jin, but her face was stiff. I followed her gaze to see a golem watching us from the middle of the road.
"Hiik!" The man screamed. I was also surprised. I had been listening closely but couldn't hear any footsteps. It had the ability to kill all sounds. I tried to act immediately.
"Tecka nop ka seb qu?" A gentle voice that sounded like it would come from an Arab man emerged, and the voice didn't seem to go with its size. "Tecka nop ka seb qu?" After saying that, it slowly stepped towards us. "Tecka nop ka seb qu?"
The third time, I realized something.
[Talent has been acquired.]
I didn't answer. I just, "Ack!" I gave a hard push to the man's back. There was the sound of something breaking and the man fell to the ground. But he wasn't dead.
"Hey. Run."
"Yes!" I ran away with Yang Su-jin. I could hear the scream of the man I'd used as bait behind me.
Tecka nop ka seb qu. I didn't know the meaning. But using the two syllables at the end, I was able to understand one syllable. It was a marker to indicate a question. I perceived it.
[Talent - Tellan (Conversation): The ability to understand and speak Tellan will rise in proportion to the level. Planning and eloquence will slightly increase.]
I acquired this talent. The screams of the male bait echoed behind them. I scanned the map that I had drawn in my head. I remembered the path by using the arrangement of the street lights and the broken roads as signs. As soon as I entered the building that we were originally in, I heard a small scream. It was from the surprised Yoon Ji-hee.
"So there isn't just one or two guards? The explanation says there is an army..." Yang Su-jin asked nervously. I nodded. I wasn't focused on that part. The man had said a 'museum.'
Yes. If I thought about it, this was a 'city.' It was reasonable to have a museum or library in a city. Groceries or wood would obviously be rotten and gone, but things that were commonly called 'treasures' wouldn't age so easily.
"Locusts during the day. Guards at night. However, it is possible to hide to a certain extent at night... Every time we meet something dangerous, a bait can be used." Yang Su-jin looked at Yoon Ji-hee as I said the word 'bait.' Yoon Ji-hee trembled at her gaze.
"Let's take a little rest. Eat this." I pulled out some kimbap and a water bottle and handed it to Yang Su-jin. Yoon Ji-hee stared at me. I also threw a kimbap to Yoon Ji-hee. "Here. I still remember my promise from earlier."
"T-thank you." She seemed like a little girl as she accepted it. I instructed Yang Su-jin to investigate the back of the building and the surrounding alleys to see if there was any way to escape. Meanwhile, I monitored the front windows. Yoon Ji-hee was reading the Swahili words when I beckoned to her.
She came right away. "What did you do while you were waiting?"
"Words... I've been memorizing them." Thought it was obvious that she was memorizing the words, Yoon Ji-hee added something unexpected. "More than 10 pages... I remembered."
She avoided my gaze as I stared at her. It seemed she was embarrassed to say that she memorized words like a child. "Really? Great. It wouldn't have been easy to concentrate." I completed praised her and pulled out the introduction to Tellan.
"This... The words written on the wall..." She knew what it was?
"Ah, just... I was looking at the letters written on the walls as I came down... Then I got a skill. A-Although it is only level two..."
"That's amazing. I killed a lot of people but none of them had such talent. I didn't know about it until now. You must have some talent on this side. You should have gone to a language course instead of management."
"... In fact, even in high school... I liked foreign languages..." Yoon Ji-hee's expressions and words were brighter than before.
She was this type. I had seen a lot of them. In order to fill out my scholarship, I worked in the city hall every summer vacation. I often tutored low-income high school students.
Although the material wealth wasn't comparable, I saw Yoon Ji-hee's exact response from some of the children there. She wasn't lacking in intelligence. There were many whose average, or rather, their academic achievements were very high. However, their self-esteem and confidence were low.
It wasn't simply because of material poverty. It was often the case for those who grew up receiving physical or verbal violence from their parents, or if they grew up in a fairly high-pressure educational environment.
"Now, read this book instead of the Swahili."
"Thi...s?"
"You've learnt two foreign languages and I think your language ability is several times better than mine."
Even if it was to receive the scholarship, I taught the children with everything I had. I also advised the high school students. It was acknowledgment that they most desired. Someone who listened and showed interest in their specialties.
I also grew up in a house that I wasn't comfortable with, so I reflected on some of my experiences and gave confidence to the students. Not only did it help them, I felt more confidence and it encouraged me to take control of my own life.
As a result, almost all the children I taught improved considerably in personality and confidence. They went to a good university and still occasionally called me to have a meal together. If there was something difficult, then they would consult me first.
"This is something we will need to get through here in the future. I want Yoon Ji-hee to take over this role."
"..."
"You're good, So I'll leave it to you." When I helped the students, I also got some psychological comfort. We have a healthy relationship with each other. But this wasn't a voluntary activity.
"I-I understand."
"Then work hard."
When I first saw Yoon Ji-hee, I misunderstood that she was the spoiled daughter of a chaebol. I thought she would be so adored in her family that she would treat people as stupid. I didn't realize that she was the same type as the low-income students I knew.
But then Yoon Sang-ah and Yoon Sang-min had appeared. I realized I was mistaken after hearing them talk. This girl was needy. She wasn't treated 'properly' in the environment she grew up in. Her father, the son of the chairman, died and left his wife and daughter to suffer from uncertainties.
That's why she thought she was a failure despite entering an international school. Therefore, she would crave and desire someone's recognition. Finally, the door to this dungeon opened in front of her.
"Yes, I'll work hard." Originally, I didn't think she would have any use. If I succeeded, then I would get a resource that was hard to obtain, but she was useless in the dungeon. In any case, if she didn't betray me then I wouldn't betray her.
I desired success as much as she wanted recognition. This was good as I could give that to her. However, this wasn't a volunteer activity, but a method of control. So far, she was mentally independent from me.
Well, I didn't need it in the first place. "Fighting." I smiled at Yoon Ji-hee for the first time. Yoon Ji-hee hesitated but then she smiled back. There was no pretense in the smile. I turned and looked out the window.
I had already figured out how to clear the 7th floor.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 30 - Day 7, 7th Floor Key
If someone was watching us, then the view would be quite frustrating. The three of us hadn't moved for hours. Yoon Ji-hee was reading the introduction to Tellan while I was flipping through another book I had about Tellan. As expected, the words were different but I could march some characters. I learned how to read the letters one by one.
"I'm bored." Yang Su-jin complained. She had put together the tools she collected from the fourth floor and the potions she gained so far, and was immersed in experimentation. The academic atmosphere was good. In fact, although there was nothing material to be gained from the seventh floor, time itself was a valuable resource.
Even if it was dangerous outside, it wasn't the least bit dangerous inside this building. In other words, we could stay in here until the limit. Of course, that limit was coming a little bit closer. As the sun finally rose, I looked at the two women.
It was the end of the day when we came down here. The night was quite long. Our tired eyes looked up at the light. Our food also showed signs of running out.
We felt hungry during the night and had one more meal. As a result, there were two energy bars and one triangle kimbap left. In addition, there were two 500mL bottles of water. I pulled out a piece of paper from my inventory.
[Return Ticket: 5th floor.]
[For explorers, this scroll containing the power of is best for spatial movement. The function will be activated when torn by hand. The explorer is forcefully moved to a facility on the 5th floor and will stay there for 12 hours.]
I didn't have just one. On the 6th floor, I had captured four tickets from Kim Ha-jong and Kwak Yu-han along with the coins that they dropped. "Uh, you are using that now?"
"Yes." I nodded and ordered. "Keep on eye on your backs. If you're hungry, then eat the remaining food."
I tore the ticket.
[You are moving to the 5th floor.]
The space in front of my eyes changed quickly, and then I was standing on the fifth floor. This... The movement was instant, so it was possible to use the ticket for avoidance. In a crisis situation, I would disappear immediately if I tore the ticket. However, in an environment like the sixth floor where the stairs were collapsing, it was just an act of suicide.
"Hey! Where did you come from?" People were shouting towards me.
The people on the fifth floor were divided into groups of five or six. Looking at the numbers, there was a minimum of 10 groups. It was difficult to see them as those heading down to the sixth floor.
"Zenda is this way!'
"Talia? Are you from Talia?"
"Rikare!"
Aha. They were city names. Even though my city was wide, it wasn't big enough to hold all the people in the dungeon. I slowly walked towards the group that said 'Talia.'
"No, you should quickly answer when I call! It is really frustrating." I waved my hand to the middle-aged man who seemed impatient and look at the faces of those he gathered. There were some familiar faces. Two of them.
"We meet again." Both of their expressions were different, but Yoon Sang-min and Yoon Sang-ah were looking this way with gleaming eyes. "If both of you came at once, it seems like you still have tickets left."
"That is none of your business." Yoon Sang-ah was smiling, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"I'm well aware of what you did to Sung-tae oppa."
"I'm glad."
As we exchanged greetings, the frustrated middle-aged man made a confused expression. "That... You know each other?"
Before Yoon Sang-ah could answer, I laughed and lowered my hand. "Nope. I have nothing to do with those people over there at all. I just act according to how I am treated. Ajusshi"
"..."
"Crazy bastard." I heard Yoon Sang-ah mutter.
The quiet Yoon Sang-min opened his mouth. "It isn't just those gathered here, but the ones below us. We are on the same seventh floor, yet we ended up meeting for the first time on this fifth floor."
Was that so? Yes,the atmosphere made it seem like a tacit relationship had already been formed. Except for the impatient ones, the rest were still watching the situation. Were they leading with money? Or...
"My sister and I have found the answer."
"The answer?"
"It's the way to clear the seventh floor. There's a building in the center of the city. There's a door inside on the floor."
"Oppa! If you say that..." Yoon Sang-min restrained his sister from intervening.
"I checked using the light of my cell phone. There's a device in the building that's charged by 'light'. The roof of the building can be opened manually. Use the sunlight gathered during the daytime to open the door."
"I'll be eaten by locusts after I open the door."
"It seems so. But it isn't just the energy of the sun that can activate it." Yoon Sang-min pulled something out from his inventory. It seemed to be a translucent battery that was 20 times bigger than normal ones. The insides were shining with a yellow fluorescent colour.
"This, I got it from the city guards."
"... Did you kill it?"
"Yes. Fortunately, I have one person with a 'technique' that matches the guards. Originally, there were two batteries but I already put one in the generator. It said 1/10. After night has come a few times, I can open the door."
A door that opened with light. Similarly, the light energy that moved the guards could also open the door. It was a plausible idea. Perhaps it would actually work.
"Of course, the reason I say this is that I don't think it is impossible for you."
"That is tremendous confidence."
"There is a basis for the confidence." Yoon Sang-min pointed to the gathered people.
"Sung-tae told me of your talents. It wasn't a nice surprise, but he said he won't be beaten by the same method twice."
"Thank you."
"But I want to let you know. Those guards aren't things that can be caught with the power of a human. If you don't have anyone with the key technique, then it will be pretty damaging."
It reminded me of the speech contest I watched in elementary school. The power in Yoon Sang-min's voice became even stronger. His hands gestured like he was immersed in what he was saying.
"In that state, 'we' will be waiting at the door for you to come. Everyone here has decided to become companions. We will wait in front of the door for as long as possible. As you know, the seventh floor is quite a useful development time."
In the end, if I didn't want to die, then I should quietly join his side? Yoon Sang-min finished with a laugh. Yoon Sang-ah, who was listening next to me, applauded.
"And?"
"And?" Yoon Sang-min repeated my words stupidly. I knew it. I stealthily stepped back.
"If that is the end of it..."
"... Don't you understand?" Yoon Sang-ah raised her voice like she was frustrated. "Checkmate. Checkmate!"
"Maybe it is... Why don't you ask your brother? See if he gained any experience in Persuasion."
"What?"
"He tried to deliver an intense speech, but I wasn't convinced at all." Not just Yoon Sang-ah, but Yoon Sang-min's face also twitched.
Aigoo... They accidentally showed the curses they were feeling in their hearts. Even if this was the dungeon, if they got into the habit of cursing then it would be hard to break in reality. They tried to say something nice. It was nonsense.
"Frankly speaking, I was trying to..."
I pointed at Yoon Sang-min. "Hey, don't open your mouth. It would be more helpful if you keep it shut." When looking at martial arts novels, the characters were able to see what was in the depths of a person's heart. Honestly, this wasn't wrong even in reality.
However, none of these guys were worth having a witty conversations with. "Frankly, I thought your younger sister was terrible, but she seems decent just by waiting quietly in the back. Actually, I've been having some fun so I guess I'll eat it all." I brought a hand to my mouth and made a rude gesture.
"Let's try to cut down on that perfect image. It makes my mouth itch."
[The level of a talent has risen.]
[Taunt. Lv 4. 14/800]
[Eloquence has exceeded the limit.]
[Eloquence: 11]
I hadn't intended to do this. Yoon Sang-min's expression was completely distorted. Indeed, there were a few people with pretend faces in reality. But if they were scratched even a little bit, their true expressions would be revealed. Their true substance was usually sloppy.
"In fact, didn't you send four people after me in the middle of the night?"
"This b*stard is totally crazy!"
Rather, Yoon Sang-ah's mental state seemed better. "Hey! What is so good about you!? You're just someone who buzzes around and shakes your tail when sucking up to someone..."
I literally turned around. As the stone statue said on the fifth floor, this place was decorated with many facilities. There were tables for meals and beds for sleeping. Of course, I didn't intend to sleep leisurely. I headed to a corner of the wall. There was a human sized stone statue with a sign.
['s Stone Statue]
Was it the one from the fifth floor? I wanted to check.
[Welcome. Explorer.]
I was able to tell after hearing it talk. It was the same 'type,' but a different personality. "I want to see the goods that you're selling." It was literally a resting place, so there wasn't a lot in the store.
A meal for one person cost five silver. One 500mL bottle of water was one silver. Clothes or a blanket were sold for 10~30 silver. "... Is this the same price or money as the original world?"
[You are very sharp.]
This stone statue was more brusque than the previous one. However, their expressions when amused were the same.
[Certainly, the value of silver coins were different in those human societies. That market price has little meaning here.]
"It is a nominal currency." I looked through the list that the stone statue showed me. There were only two items that weren't so-called necessities.
[Tellan Introduction: New Edition – 15 gold coins (= 300 silver)]
[Ticket: Return to 5th Floor – 10 gold coins (= 200 silver)]
[Improved Leather Travel Bags - 5 gold coins]
I was able to buy the introduction to Tellan for a few silver coins from the hidden store on the fourth floor. Of course, there was a difference between the 'old' and 'new' editions, but there were few changes in the language of the book itself. "Has anyone purchased this book yet?"
[I can't tell you...]
I see.
[...Just.]
The stone statue showed some signs of playfulness.
[There is nobody who had purchased it so far.]
"... Can you tell me that?"
[Won't it be okay? Anyway, autonomy is allowed to some extent. Besides, there was no other human in this room who asked me this.]
Even so, usually this wouldn't be done for no reason...
[Nope. It is my personal interest.]
It asserted. Then it spoke in a coy voice.
[Incidentally, I have already sold 10 of the return tickets. Six of them were purchased by explorers in the same city as you. Yes. Like Kim Hee-chul, there are those who worried about buying the book. Maybe they had no money left.]
"..." I pointed to two of the improved leather bags. "These two. I will spend the rest of the money on food and water."
[Your purchase has been completed.]
I turned to leave. I might be able to get more information but... It was worrisome. My back always felt cold from the gazes of those other brats on the fifth floor.
[I know why Iphos felt regret. Since the sixth floor, you have come into the area that I'm responsible for.]
"I'll see you later."
[I am looking forward to it. Ah, you can leave early by taking advantage of that scaffold over there.]
The stone statue said from behind me.
[Hopefully you will have a good stay in the city.]
Yoon Sang-min and the others were heading towards the scaffold.
"..." Based on their expressions, it seemed like they were preparing to say something.
"Listen carefully." I would show them what real persuasion was. I placed both hands in my pocket, then completely removed the smile from my face and spoke sincerely. "If you want to live, then give me all of your items and stay in your current position. That would be safer than becoming my meal."
"..."
"..."
"..."
[Induce Fear Lv 1. 88/100]
Who was this guy? One person came up to me.
I said, "I'm telling you the truth. This b*stard. Don't get in my way. Okay?"
"You will regret..."
"Thank you for the information." Without looking back, I climbed onto the scaffold. My vision changed and the seventh floor appeared.
"Eh? You're already here?" Yang Su-jin, who welcomed me, was a bloody mess. Eyes. Nose and mouth. Blood was pouring out from every hole in her body.
"What is this?"
"I tasted just one drop of the mixture. This is really a huge effect." I sighed as Yang Su-jin gave me a thumbs up. I threw one leather bag at her.
"Next time, bring a change of clothes." Then I checked on my 'key.' The condition was perfect.
Now was the time for the flower to bloom.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 31 - Day 7, 7th Floor A Different Class
Another night. Day. Then night again. Just before the end of the next day, I was able to be certain.
"Kao to..." I spoke.
[Text Decryption. Lv 4. 566/800]
[Tellan (Reading, Writing) Lv 3. 312/400]
I could already read Tellan at a reasonable level. I learned hundreds of words from the introduction and mastered some essential verbs and adjectives. But, I wasn't the only one to memorize the language.
"Uo mek ru gike ger bu." The words flowed seamlessly from Yoon Ji-hee's mouth, just like the original spoken language. I couldn't know for sure since I didn't know the words, but it was clear that Yoon Ji-hee was speaking Tellan very naturally.
Yoon Ji-hee mastered the method of pronunciation that was written in the introduction, so she was several steps ahead of me. As her pronunciation became more natural, it became harder to hear what she was saying.
Maybe it would be the same if I met someone who spoke the actual Tellan language. It was just like how people who learned English from books couldn't talk to Americans.
"Excuse me. Are you even saying it properly? Will you tell say if it isn't correct?" Su-jin grumbled.
"Cor... It is correct." Yoon Ji-hee responded to the grumbling Yang Su-jin. It was worth it. Even if she was shown the books, Yang Su-jin couldn't understand the structure of the verbs properly. Actually, this wasn't a matter of making fun of Yang Su-jin.
I had checked Yoon Ji-hee's intelligence related stats. Obviously, some of her stats were lower than Yang Su-jin's, who had eaten Yoo Su-jeong. But the thing I paid attention to was the speed at which her talents were rising.
My Text Decryption was now at Level 4. Tellan reading and writing was at Level 3.
But Yoon Ji-hee's Text Decryption was at Level 2. Her Tellan reading and writing? Surprisingly, it was Level 5 and on the verge of becoming Level 6. I didn't understand why her Text Decryption was lower, but she had spent longer reading the introduction to the language.
This was also true of Yang Su-jin. Apart from mixing poisons and wielding her dagger, Yang Su-jin read the English book I brought, but her talent lagged behind my rise on the fifth floor. It seemed like I had a talent for talent acquisition.
Even the process of getting the talent was funny, because it reflected the quality that I had. Fortunately, it wasn't that important. There was another way to get talents here, by 'eating' a person who had talent in this field. I wouldn't think too deeply about it right now.
"Go." I ordered when it became dark. I dragged the two people onto the streets. We didn't walk down the dim paths but in the centre of the street lights. I could hear Yang Su-jin nervously swallowing her saliva.
We only walked for a few minutes. "Kyaaak!" Yoon Ji-hee screamed. A golem stood before us. Although Yang Su-jin stiffened, she didn't take any action. I placed my hand on Yoon Ji-hee's shoulder to calm her down.
She looked at me with terrified eyes.
I laughed as, "Tecka nop ka seb qu?" The golem asked this question.
It was a good feeling. "Now we definitely have over 30 people, Oppa." Yoon Sang-ah spoke happily but Yoon Sang-min wasn't pleased. It was because the previous words were still ringing in his ears.
He was told to shut his mouth. He was hiding stupidity behind his image. Those were the words.
An arrow that suddenly flew at him. It was the feeling of someone penetrating his weak point that he hadn't even be aware of. He didn't know how that man, Hee-chul, knew about the matter. But... It was the truth. Unlike the image on the surface, Yoon Sang-min's grandfather only gave him a 'medium' evaluation.
He received a worse evaluation than his younger sibling Yoon Sang-ah, so it was natural for him to feel bad. The only ones lower were his five year old brother, who didn't enter the dungeon, and Yoon Ji-hee.
The other two above him… Yoon Sang-min couldn't beat them. It had been like that since childhood, so he had to admit it. They were 'real.' They weren't fakes reigning over mediocre people. One of his female cousins came to mind. She was the one who told his grandfather about the existence of the dungeon.
Yoon Sang-min had arrived earlier than the other grandchildren and was the only witness. He saw the evidence she used to convince their grandfather. It was two days before the end of the fifth floor.
She had a relaxed and interested expression. He realized it again after a few years. She was a special existence. Life was unfair. He couldn't reach the sky, while they had already transcended the sky. The other two people above him.
"...But... It will be different from now on."
"Eh? What did you say? Oppa?"
"Never mind. Jin-tae?"
"He is controlling the guard. It uses a club, so a little bit of practice is needed to manipulate it." Yoon Sang-min nodded. His key was Kim Jin-tae. He was a good friend of Kim Sung-tae and someone who followed Kim Sung-tae since childhood.
No, a friend who was a hound. After clearing the 'special dungeon' on the fourth floor, he got a technique called 'Doll Possession.' Although it put him into a comatose state, he could control a golem or doll of a certain rank. He used it to control a golem and then joined forces with the others to hunt the golems.
It wasn't a method without sacrifices. There was one person who was seriously injured in the fight against the golems, and once a third golem was added to the fight, one person had to be left as bait while the others retreated.
However, this loss of personnel could be compensated from the fifth floor. The other groups couldn't catch the locusts or golems and tore their tickets one by one, so it wasn't hard to obtain them.
"Sang-min hyung." Kim Sung-tae came up with 12 tickets. They were the tickets of the group members who joined this time.
This was the condition that Yoon Sang-min gave to those who wanted to join.
"There is no need to sacrifice items or your lives. If you want to come with me, then hand me all the tickets you have and follow me." As a result, he had accumulated approximately 60 tickets. Those idiots seemed to be unaware, but these tickets would be precious from now on.
They had already stayed on the seventh floor for more than two days. Tickets were the only means of securing food, supplies and safety. It might not be as good as items or lives right now, but in the end, Yoon Sang-min would be able to reign if he had the tickets.
'I will remain until the end and become the successor.' As that man said, he was no different from someone pretending to be a genius. Based on his chaebol background, he was able to get followers like Kim Sung-tae and Kim Jin-tae.
There was only one sky. Yoon Sang-min was a strong leader. Someday, he would be able to beat that sky. The dungeon would make this possible, even if he wasn't as perfect as his other two cousins. Now he had 60 tickets in his hands and things were just starting.
The knowledge of the power of the guards had already been gathered in abundance. Due to a considerable number of guards being hunted, there wouldn't be many guards that would pass by tonight.
"Someone is coming?"
".." Yoon Sang-min stood up as he received the report he heard outside the building. After going to the fifth floor several times, he realized that almost all of the groups on the seventh floor had joined him or died.
There was only one group left. It was like he expected. Three people. Yoon Ji-hee, a man, and a female in her late teens. "I never told you my location. Yet you managed to come."
However, in the process, there must have been a severe loss of manpower. There were only three of them left. Even if Kim Jin-tae didn't borrow the golem's power, he now had dozens of people to suppress them.
"I won't ask you to give me your items or your lives. Do you have any tickets? I will allow you to join if you give all of them to me."
"Hey, Oppa." Yoon Sang-ah approached and knocked on Yoon Sang-min's back.
"Can't we just take it?" She was smiling but she seemed unhappy. Of course, Yoon Sang-min wouldn't spare them even if he had the tickets. Even though Hee-chul was trouble, he was a person with great combat power, so Yoon Sang-min would be able to make great progress if he killed him.
"The day is cold. The golems might come. It is better to make a decision quickly."
"..." The man, Hee-chul, walked forward with the two people. Then he looked at the golem behind Yoon Sang-min. "You can control this."
"Didn't I tell you? I have a talented person. Besides, look at these people. It is the power of cooperation that can't be achieved through violence."
Hee-chul nodded and placed his hands in his pocket. Victory.
Feeling excited, Yoon Sang-min held out his hand before the other could pull out the tickets. But... What came out of Hee-chul's pocket wasn't an item. It wasn't something that could be passed over.
A fist. The fist stopped just in front of Yoon Sang-min's face. "Indeed. You don't have the talent for a poker face. I was right." The man said.
His face was distorted in anger, but Yoon Sang-min had enough sense to move back.
In a voice that had no volume control, he ordered Kim Jin-tae who controlled the golem. "Catch him!" Kim Jin-tae moved immediately. He was used to controlling the golem for two days already. The golem quickly flew towards Hee-chul.
Kwang!
There was the sound of stone hitting stone. People noticed the sound and carefully looked. It was another golem. It came from the direction of Hee-chul's party and held a club.
"T-this..." Did the woman with Hee-chul have the capability to control the golem?
It didn't matter. Yoon Sang-min calmed himself. Even if they each had a golem, Yoon Sang-min had dozens of allies. Before Yoon Sang-min could give any instructions, Kim Sung-tae was already leading the others into combat postures.
"Give it up!"
"... Hey. There are a lot of you." Hee-chul said as he looked at all the people who came out of the building. This was it. At that moment, Yoon Sang-min stiffened.
"..."
Now the sight of Hee-chul was remarkably similar to his female cousin that he saw before. It was the atmosphere, rather than the outward appearance.
What the? Come to think of it, Yoon Sang-min hadn't focused on the words that came from the mouth of the golem.
"Tecka nop ka seb qu?" Do you need help, Citizens? The golem asked in a gentle tone.
"De fork Te mei, joo re." It was asking the man. Hee-chul replied with a pretty awkward pronunciation. And she, Yoon Ji-hee who was Hee-chul's key, responded as the controller.
"Re Iooy Ewe Kee De Grefeb." Catch all the barbarians threatening us. It was a neat pronunciation and accent.
Yoon Sang-min realized with irritation. It wasn't Hee-chul, but Yoon Ji-hee who resembled his cousin. Her face was filled with confidence. The atmosphere was exactly the same. Something he wanted but always failed at. The atmosphere of a genius was absolutely impossible for him to reach. She was the same type of human.
Yoon Sang-min's eyes shook. In the darkness, 200 golems had surrounded them without a sound. Then they faithfully followed the words of the citizen.
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
Chapter 32 - Day 7, 7th Floor Change
'Citizen. How can I help you?' That was the question that the golems always asked before they struck. Although I didn't see it myself, most people would have either replied in Korean or ran away. Thus, they were recognized as 'barbarians.' This was a fact that I heard directly from the golems.
"Ack!"
"N-no!"
It was pandemonium as the golems started attacking people. A golem ignored the flames blowing from a staff and crushed the hand that held it. A woman shrieked. A man struck a golem's leg with a hammer, causing the golem to pause for a moment. However, the man's legs were destroyed by another golem.
Yoon Ji-hee's order wasn't to 'kill' but to 'catch' them. Indeed, the golems didn't kill anybody. This was possible due to the overwhelming difference in power.
"... Oh my god." Yang Su-jin watched with an expression of incredulity. She gazed at the mess, Yoon Ji-hee and then back towards me.
'Excuse me. Oppa.' Yang Su-jin spoke with her eyes. She nodded towards Yoon Ji-hee. There was slight unease on Yang Su-jin's face. 'That woman, isn't she dangerous?'
Yoon Ji-hee was the only one who could control 200 golems. If she wanted to eat us then Yang Su-jin and I wouldn't be able to escape death. Yang Su-jin was worried about it.
I just smiled and shook my head. I approached Yoon Ji-hee, raised a hand to her shoulder and instructed her in a soft voice. "When it is over, make them kneel down in that building. Have a few golems watch over them." Over the last two days, my relationship with Yoon Ji-hee had changed a lot.
Was it a little strange to say there was a relationship? At least, her attitude towards me was definitely different. She didn't have the timid attitude anymore. Instead of gazing elsewhere, she now looked into my eyes from time to time.
I didn't tell her to do it, but she would occasionally come up to me to report on her learning or ask a question that seemed quite basic. Of course, her intentions in doing so were obvious.
'Know me. Praise me more. Recognize me.'
No one had ever praised Yoon Ji-hee. Despite being the granddaughter of a chaebol, she was always treated as rabble. She always received praise from those 'under' her. She wouldn't hear the praise of a person in that position.
Parents and grandparents. The prestigious teachers and her cousins all ignored her. She wanted to receive a compliment from them. Until an hour ago, I was her lifeline. Whether it was in reality or the dungeon, she was always overwhelmed.
The act itself was a calculation, but my words of praise were sincere. She wasn't stupid, and she knew it as well. In addition, she knew that I knew it.
Yoon Ji-hee responded to my instructions. "Yes." She nodded with a firm expression. In fact, she only spoke a few words because she was busy concentrating on her task.
It took less than 10 minutes to subdue the other group. A total of 31 people, including Yoon Sang-ah and Yoon Sang-min, were kneeling down in the building. There were originally 36 people, but some died due to unfortunate incidents.
"I'm sorry... I should have given my orders more carefully..."
"Don't blame yourself. This is good enough." I counted the ratio of males and females. Out of 31 people, nine were females. There were 22 males. "I will eat the men. The females will be handed over to Ji-hee. I think that men and women will have talents that suit that their respective genders well."
This was obvious to Yoon Ji-hee. Yoon Ji-hee nodded. She didn't show any signs of resentment for being unfairly deprived. Rather, she was surprised at the share she was given.
Hrmm. I looked towards Yang Su-jin and smiled. "W-What?" She asked.
"Looking at this situation, Yang Su-jin didn't do anything but..." In my case, there was a clear justification in eating more of the profits. "Still... Should there be some distribution to you? If Ji-hee is willing, then it would be good to divide your share with Su-jin."
Yoon Ji-hee nodded a few times before I finished speaking. "Yes, I will." It felt like it was her own decision, rather than her paying attention to my reaction... It wasn't a bad thing.
Yang Su-jin approached me and whispered in a puzzled voice. "What is this?"
"Don't you like it? She is giving it freely."
"No..." Until one hour ago, Yoon Ji-hee was just excess baggage to Yang Su-jin. That excess baggage suddenly became the core of the seventh floor.
"Even though pride is important, it is useless in front of everything else."
"..."
"Well, let's split it in two." His experience for Persuasion seemed to rise a little bit.
I didn't intent to intervene directly but… "Don't do this Unni! Please!" I looked back to see Yoon Sang-ah on her knees before Yoon Ji-hee. She was begging with a face full of tears and a runny nose. "I'll apologize, huh? I really didn't know what I was doing... I apologize for the whole thing."
"..."
"T-that, we are still family! Yes? I really don't want it to end here, I don't want it. Unni, please... Please..." If she was an ordinary person, then it would already be too late. I would have yelled 'bad girl!' but Yoon Ji-hee just looked down with a miserable expression.
I approached her from behind. She turned to me. "That... How...?"
"If you want her to live then I will allow it." I said, despite it being contrary to my thoughts.
"Still... Are you sure?"
"Like I said, didn't I entrust the females to Yoon Ji-hee? The method of disposing of them is up to you." Hope flashed through Yoon Sang-ah's eyes. I continued speaking.
"But if I had to add my personal opinion, remember the words and actions that this person did to Ji-hee not long ago. Honestly, humans don't change that much. Ji-hee's mind will simply become easier. That is it. Of course, Ji-hee's autonomy is what matters most. Unfortunately, I can't insert my intentions."
"..."
"I want you to make a choice that you can accept." Yoon Ji-hee's mood changed subtly. I said it. She had autonomy.
What choice would she make? There was no way to figure out what Yoon Ji-hee, who was timid, would choose. Moreover, her complicated relationship with her cousins made it hard to decide if she would kill them or not.
It wasn't hesitation that filled her eyes now. She made a decision, so it was filled with the intent to act. She desperately made a decision. After coming to a conclusion, there was a slight chill in her eyes as she watched her cousin.
"Unni..."
"D-Do you remember? The winter vacation in high school... W-what did you say to my friends who visited South Korea...?"
"I was immature at that time. Unni! You know. I seriously..."
"S-S-Shut up!"
Squash!
Yoon Ji-hee slapped Yoon Sang-ah's cheek. Tears flowed down from Yoon Ji-hee's eyes. She could barely speak properly as she let out all the things that had piled up in the meantime. It was just like the bullies commonly seen in dramas, or even worse.
I wasn't the one who tapped on the shoulder of the agitated Yoon Ji-hee. It was Yang Su-jin. "Can I help?"
"... Yes?"
"A hit like that isn't really good. Watch."
There was no need for my intervention, so I turned away. I stood in front of one of the golems outside the building. Due to Yoon Ji-hee's instructions, they recognized me as a civilized person. I wanted to try an experiment.
I picked up a broken sidewalk block and scratched some letters on it. I wasn't sure with speaking or listening, but I was quite used to reading and writing.
I wrote the following words to the golem. "I can't speak or listen. Would it be possible to talk in writing?"
I didn't expect it, but the statue responded to the words! "That's right." To my surprise, it used a slate as a notepad. The letters were small and neat like a person had written it.
"The monsters during the day, can you handle them?"
"That's right."
"Why haven't you handled them so far? Because there are no citizens?"
"No. Even if it is an act to protect the citizens, we can't move during the day without any instructions. This is because there is room to be exploited as a weapon."
The purpose of this question was because I didn't think the right method was to force the power from the golems. If the locusts could be eradicated, then the device would be able to receive pure sunlight after the building's roof was opened.
"The locusts lay their eggs deep in rocks. So once a year, we receive orders to work."
"From the citizens of this place?"
"That's right."
"... Where did they go?" It was a question of pure curiosity. Unlike the other questions, the golem took a long time to reply. It seemed like the machine was running through some difficult answers.
The moment that the golem was about to reply...
"Oppa." I turned my head. Yoon Ji-hee and Yang Su-jin were covered with blood. "We have finished."
"..."
I looked at Yoon Ji-hee. Was it due to the shock from the murder? She was shaking a little bit, but I didn't see any pain or guilt on her face. There was only one thing she needed right now. "Well done. That was a difficult decision and you handled it very neatly. You have more determination than I thought."
"This unni, she learns very fast." I wouldn't ask what Yoo Ji-hee had learned.
I told Yoon Ji-hee about my communication with the golem. I told her to instruct the golems to hunt the locusts once it was daytime. It was just a guess, but I felt like there was something more behind the eradication of the locusts.
I went back into the building in order to finish off my share. "Indeed." The violent trail of the two women was still left behind. Compared to the other eight women who died quite painlessly, Yoon Sang-ah's body... No, I wouldn't say it.
I smelt urine from the 21 men still kneeling. "Don't worry. I don't have any personal feelings towards you. If you place your head on the floor, I promise that I will try to finish this as painlessly as possible."
Come to think of it, my words sounded quite bloody in its own way. However, I was becoming more and more used to killing inside the dungeon. My spirit was focused. The line in the dungeon and the line in reality… If I kept going on, I had to maintain these lines or else I would become a monster.
Bam!Bam!Bam bam!
One by one, I killed them with as little pain as possible. I ignored the words that popped up, to the point of hurting my eyes, as I took 21 lives one by one. Although it wasn't intended, the last person remaining was Yoon Sang-min.
"I'm sorry."
"No... Strangely, I don't really care." He had a detached expression on his face. He would have seen his sister due in a dreadful manner. "Even if it wasn't you, I think that I would eventually meet my end here. The world is wide."
"..."
"A life without greed. That might be okay. As you said, it might be just right for a person like me." There were tears in his eyes as he spoke. I understood it to a certain extent.
We were the same type of people, and there was no guarantee that anything positive could be gained from this. I knew it through experience. No matter how I tried to mentally heal myself, the bitterness echoed deep in my heart.
I wondered why I was here. Why couldn't I go up higher?
Bam!
I finished off Yoon Sang-min. From behind me, I could hear footsteps as Yoon Ji-hee and Yang Su-jin walked in. As I turned my head, I could see that the outside was already becoming brighter.
I needed to collect the items. Money and tickets. I looked at the two women to command them, but wasn't able to say anything. It was because the two females were looking at me with expressions of severe shock.
I immediately looked behind me, but there was nothing. I could only see the corpses. "Why...?"
Burst.
From my mouth, blood flowed down like a waterfall. It was my blood. Then I realized something: the blood was even flowing from my eyes and nose.
Crunch.
"Ugh!"
"Oppa!" It felt like something invisible was holding me as my bones and muscles twitched and twisted. My right arm stretched and bent at an impossible angle. Among my cracking skin, there was blood as well as a dark black liquid.
Yang Su-jin ran over and barely supported my collapsing body. "W-What do I do? Just hold on. Oppa. I..." Yang Su-jin's voice and face became blurred. At that moment, the words that had continuously been updating suddenly became clear.
[Health: 18]
[Muscle strength: 20]
[Agility: 17]
[Reflexes: 18]
I barely opened my mouth, but my voice didn't come out. My mouth was empty. I realized that it was because all my teeth were missing as I moved my tongue.
[Your physical abilities have exceeded the limits of modern human beings.]
[Constitution, aptitude and other variables are being calculated.]
[There is a probability correction due to the function of the unique talent - Atlas.]
[Probability of success: 42%]
What? What had a 42% probability of success? I didn't consider myself that lucky. Finally, I read the last words that emerged.
[Physical Reconstruction Protocol - Metamorphosis begins.]
If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know report chapter so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report chapter
