Chapter 95
Chapter 95
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Mimic Sanctuary (1)
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Bio looked dumbfounded.
“What penalty did I give you…”
“Really? I wonder who it was that took my weapon?”
“…So I just need to help this child adapt to her power?”
See? Bio always gets it.
“Oppa?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. Let’s go see Mijeong-nunim.”
“Huh?”
“I have to tell her I’ll be taking you with me.”
I was planning on spending the rest of my time in the Labyrinth helping Ha-young anyway.
Just then, Mijeong-nunim approached us.
“Are you two not done talking yet?”
“Ah, Nunim, would it be alright if I took Ha-young with me?”
“Huh?”
“The reason Ha-young’s level jumped so suddenly is actually because of me.”
She looked a little flustered, so I gave her a summarized explanation.
She wouldn’t gain any experience with the new party members, and if she joined the Golden Lion Guild’s main force, it could be dangerous for her since she lacked the fundamentals.
“That’s true, but… Hmm, Hyeon-ung, could we talk for a moment, just the two of us?”
I thought I’d explained the situation well enough, but Mijeong-nunim looked slightly troubled.
“Yes.”
I stepped aside with Mijeong-nunim.
“You know my skills. Ha-young won’t be in any danger.”
“It’s not that…”
“If this is about Brother Tae-soo…”
“No, who in our guild doesn’t know you and the Guild Master are close? I also heard you healed Ha-young, but… Ha-young is a girl. And she’s still a minor. Even if it is you, Hyeon-ung.”
Ah… I thought it was something serious.
“I understand your concern, but I have my own companions with me, and Ha-young and I are like brother and sister. I don’t think you need to worry about that.”
I was about to mention we’d already spent a night together outside, but I held my tongue, thinking it might cause a strange misunderstanding.
“Ah, if that’s the case… I’ve brought up something unnecessary. But if the Guild Master says anything later…”
Should I tell her he even told me to call him Father-in-law instead of Brother?
No, that’s a bit…
“I’ll explain it to him myself. It’ll be fine. And I might even see him before the end. What floor is he on now?”
“Really? I think he should be on the 45th floor by now.”
Oh, it feels like just yesterday I helped him take down the Elemental Drake on the 42nd floor. He’s climbed up quite a bit.
“Anyway, you’ll allow it, right?”
“Yes. To be honest, Ha-young’s growth was so fast that the other rookies were having a bit of a hard time keeping up with her on this floor.”
I see.
In any case, since things were settled, I was about to go back and get Ha-young, but then I realized there was a problem.
Bio had already used up his teleports for the day, and my Thousand-Mile Horse skill needed a day to cool down.
“Ah, on second thought, it’ll be difficult to travel today. Would it be alright if I joined you for about a day?”
“Oh, really? I’d be grateful if you would.”
I thought she might be a little hesitant, but she readily nodded.
“It’s not every day they get to travel with the number one ranker. Please teach the rookies a thing or two so they can watch and learn.”
She seems to have high expectations, but I wonder if there’s really anything I can teach them.
I haven’t spent much time on the lower floors, unlike the higher ones.
Well, since she said the other rookies were struggling because of Ha-young’s explosive growth, I do want to help them out a bit.
And as it happens, this 9th floor is…
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to our rookies.”
“Okay.”
I rejoined the group and Mijeong-nunim introduced me to the new party members.
The man with the large shield was Kim Yeong-cheol.
The short-haired woman with a wooden staff was Ju Ha-min.
The woman with a longsword was Yoon Min-seo.
Kim Yeong-cheol was twenty-eight, while the other two were twenty-two and friends of the same age.
“Um, Party Leader, does that mean he’s not from our guild?”
A faint wariness was visible on the new guild members’ faces as they watched me; they clearly didn’t know who I was.
The other guild members I met while looking for Ha-young seemed to know at least a little about me…
I guess it’s because they’re rookies.
“Strictly speaking, yes, but Hyeon-ung here is like family to the Golden Lion Guild. He and the Guild Master are like brothers, and he’s been very generous in his support for our guild.”
“Haha…”
“He and my father knew each other outside, too. And my Oppa Hyeon-ung has the highest level and has gone the deepest of any Summoned, so he’ll have a lot to teach you.”
As soon as Ha-young finished speaking, the way they looked at me changed 180 degrees.
“I-Is that true?”
“Then, what floor are you on now…?”
“I just finished clearing the 65th floor and came down.”
“Wow, that’s incredible, Party Leader. Didn’t you say the main force is on the 45th floor?”
“You must be someone amazing. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
They were all looking at me with reverence, which was a bit burdensome in its own way.
“I have about a day free. I don’t have much to teach, but if it’s here on the 9th floor, I can…”
“Oppa?”
“Hyeon-ung? Why did you stop talking?”
“Nunim, could we step aside for a moment?”
I probably wouldn’t be coming back to the 9th floor, so I was going to say it in front of everyone, but something was bothering me.
Everyone here was a member of the Golden Lion Guild, but they could leave later or tell other guilds.
I called Mijeong-nunim over and explained it to her privately.
That if you hunt Mimics on the 9th floor, you can get an item called a Secret Dungeon Access Crystal.
“A secret dungeon? It’s not that I don’t trust you, Hyeon-ung, but I’ve been in the Labyrinth for over two years and I’ve never heard of such a thing…”
She tilted her head, clearly finding it hard to believe.
“A hidden piece is called a hidden piece for a reason, right? I had no idea either. And it seems to drop more often if your Luck is high, so I’d appreciate it if you’d let me take the Mimics here. I’ll give you all the items and money.”
“No, you don’t have to go that far…”
“You know I’m rich.”
She gave me a look that said I was being a bit smug.
“Alright. It’s not like we hunt Mimics for the experience anyway. But Hyeon-ung, that crystal? Can you really get it again? Weren’t you just lucky that time?”
“My luck is even better now.”
She gave me that smug look again, but it was true that my stats were much higher now than when I’d gone to the secret dungeon on the 9th floor.
Besides, I now had Ha-young by my side, who could multiply my already high Luck stat by five.
She still looked like she thought I was being smug, but when I spoke with confidence, she gave her permission.
“From now on, Hyeon-ung will take care of the Mimics. We’ll just clear out the trash mobs.”
The new guild members tilted their heads in confusion, but no one objected.
“Ha-young, leave your party and join mine.”
“Huh?”
I motioned for the bewildered Ha-young to lean in close.
“There’s a hidden piece here on the 9th floor. The higher your Luck, the better the chances. I’ve already told Mijeong-nunim.”
I formed a party with Ha-young and started hunting.
****
“Oppa, aren’t you going to have dinner?”
“Ah, I don’t really have an appetite. You go on and eat, Ha-young.”
To be honest, I was a little hungry, but I just couldn’t bring myself to eat.
Four hours had already passed since I partied with Ha-young and started hunting only Mimics.
The truth is, Mimics aren’t exactly common monsters, even on the 9th floor.
Still, since Mijeong-nunim’s party was holding two prime spots, we were able to catch one every twenty minutes.
Blue Mimics, Green Mimics, and even Gray Mimics, which had dropped the crystal before.
But this time, not a single Mimic dropped a Secret Dungeon Access Crystal.
It wasn’t like they were dropping good items either—just one rare item that only low-level Summoned could use, and the rest was all magic items and gold.
Of course, I heard they were dropping much more gold than usual Mimics.
But the crystal itself just wasn’t appearing.
I’d talked such a big game, and now I felt like a liar. It was frustrating and unfair.
The rookie party that had been clearing trash mobs went to eat, so I called my companions to handle them.
I could have done it alone, but it would be faster with my companions’ help.
[You have defeated a Giant Bat.]
[You cannot gain experience from monsters of a significantly lower level.]
[You have defeated a Brown Orc.]
[You cannot gain experience from monsters of a significantly lower level.]
“Huh? Mister, isn’t that the Floor Boss?”
I looked where Rina was pointing and saw a red rock, about the size of a small child’s head, that hadn’t been there before.
Its base was red, but it shimmered with a faint blue light mixed in. It seemed to be the Floor Boss.
I’d heard the 9th floor’s boss, the Mimic King, spawns randomly throughout the floor. Luck was on my side.
I considered calling Mijeong-nunim, but she seemed to still be eating, so we decided to take it on ourselves.
“Hyeon-ung-nim, I’ll take care of it.”
Before Hanna, who was closest to the Mimic King, could even finish her sentence, a golden flash erupted.
*Swish—*
Along with the sound of a clean slice, a notification window appeared.
[You have defeated the 9th Floor Boss, Mimic King Balant.]
[You cannot gain experience from monsters of a significantly lower level.]
[You have acquired the ‘Mimic King Slayer’ achievement. Luck +1]
Mimics usually transform, but the level difference between it and Hanna must have been so great that it died in a single blow.
I got an achievement, too, but that wasn’t what I was after… No, wait a minute!
“Everyone, grab Geumyong!”
I shouted urgently as I saw a golden object flying rapidly toward the Mimic King’s corpse.
It usually picks up items, but since we were hunting low-level monsters, it hadn’t eaten anything and was moving sluggishly, so I’d let my guard down.
Fortunately, Hanna caught Geumyong.
“Kkyuing! Kkyuing!”
“Nice one, Hanna. You little rascal, you want this one?”
“Kkyuuuiiing…”
Held by the scruff of its neck by Hanna, Geumyong looked at me with sparkling eyes, but I simply looked away.
If Geumyong coveted it, it had to be at least Unique-grade.
Even if the crystal didn’t drop, I thought I could at least save some face with this. I placed my hand on the corpse of the Mimic King, which was split in half.
[You have acquired 1x Blessed Weapon Enhancement Scroll.]
[You have acquired 1x Blessed Armor Enhancement Scroll.]
[You have acquired 1x Orb of Traits.]
It was all just junk… there’s no way… It’s here!
[You have acquired 1x Mimic Sanctuary Access Crystal.]
Wait, a sanctuary?
I’m sure it was the Mimic’s Grave last time…
I immediately opened my inventory, took out the crystal, and checked its information.
[Mimic Sanctuary Access Crystal.
Unlike ordinary Mimics, Mimic Kings have a much longer lifespan.
When they face death, Mimic Kings do not go to the graves of common Mimics; a separate place exists just for them.
A secret dungeon access crystal that allows entry into the Mimic Sanctuary, where only Mimic Kings rest.
*Mimic Sanctuary can be entered by a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 10 people. (10 people recommended)
How to use: Destroy the crystal.]
The moment I read the description, I got goosebumps all over.
I was puzzled by the different name, but according to the description, the Mimic Sanctuary had to be a higher-tier dungeon than the Mimic’s Grave.
The rewards from the Mimic’s Grave were amazing last time.
Part of that might have been due to good negotiation, but to think I got a Legendary item, Ashtar’s Cloak, from a secret dungeon on the mere 9th floor.
Of course, it was lost in the fight with the Lord of the Martial Alliance…
“Mister, did you get some good gear?”
“If it’s equipment you can use, Hyeon-ung-nim, we’ll pretend we didn’t see anything.”
I was grateful that both Rina and Hanna were thinking of me, but swallowing this all by myself just wouldn’t be right.
The truth is, I was trying to get the crystal for the Mimic’s Grave to help Ha-young and the rookies who had struggled because of her, not for myself.
But maybe, just maybe, I could recover some of my own items in this Mimic Sanctuary.
“I can’t do that. I’m going to tell them, and we’ll all go together.”