Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Chapter 21: The Grave Robber (9)
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‘Like a castle gate.’
Beyond the iron door, four paths branched off in different directions.
Each one connected to stairs leading upward.
Three of the four had collapsed, leaving just one that snaked through dense rock crevices.
The entrance was hidden in a spot that wouldn’t catch the eye from outside.
That was enough to confirm this place was a bunker-like shelter.
After checking all the paths leading outside, I didn’t head out. Instead, I turned back toward the iron door.
In most cases, the entrance to a specific space carries symbolic meaning.
A hotel lobby, the main gate of an ancient palace, the reception desk at a key administrative building, and so on.
The entrance shapes the first impression of that space.
That’s why, across history and cultures, people always imbue them with some significance.
‘This place shouldn’t be much different.’
Sure enough, as I closed the massive door with my hand, a huge flower came into view.
Half on the left door, half on the right.
The embossed flower on the iron door was incredibly ornate.
‘Not a rose...’
I wasn’t great with plants, so I didn’t know flower names well.
The only ones I could name were roses and sunflowers.
I pulled out the notebook I always carried and started sketching the unfamiliar flower pattern.
I wasn’t an artist, but capturing the key features was enough to convey the meaning to someone else.
‘I’ll show it to Jordan later.’
He could help figure out what the pattern meant or who it belonged to.
After staring at the unfamiliar pattern for a bit, I opened the iron door again.
No way of knowing what dangers might lurk inside, so I couldn’t block off a space that might serve as an escape route.
It took me almost three hours that day to explore the entire bunker interior.
Thanks to that, I managed to sketch a rough overall map.
‘This could work great as an outpost.’
It’d be perfect as a Palau-exclusive rally point or supply depot.
Only Yang Tae-ho and I knew about it so far, making it ideal to claim for Palau.
‘Keeping Yang Tae-ho quiet won’t be hard.’
Setting up a base for Palau would make things a lot easier in many ways.
Of course, I wouldn’t decide alone. I planned to discuss uses with Jordan.
I skimmed through the densely filled map in my notebook, then headed back to the iron door area.
“Why’d ya come back here again?”
“There’s a big ol’ exit right there. No need to dig more tunnels, right?”
“Hey now, ya headin’ out? Ya explored every nook and cranny without a regret?”
“Yeah, for now.”
By the time we stepped outside, the sun had already set.
I checked the map—it was the area I’d cleared before entering the burrow to Volpo.
“Whoa, headin’ to the outpost?”
Yang Tae-ho’s question came as we squeezed out through the rock crevices together. I glanced at the pitch-black sky and replied.
“Yeah, business here’s done.”
I’d already cleared most of the meso on the way in.
Hardly any monsters left around.
Unless new meso popped up and drew more in, the area would stay safe for a while.
Just running without fighting, we could reach the outpost by dawn.
“Hey, then let’s hightail it! I’m dyin’ for a hot bath.”
This time, I nodded without hesitation.
Camping wasn’t my idea of fun either.
‘Mana’s built up nicely too.’
I’d absorbed over 40,000 mana on this outing—worth the time invested.
Time to head back to the outpost so the next schedule wouldn’t lag.
I zoomed out the map to check direction and said.
“That way.”
One might wonder how I knew directions without the sun.
But Yang Tae-ho didn’t ask.
He just followed when I pointed the way.
Meaning he wasn’t the type driven by curiosity in everything.
‘Not a bad trait.’
Even if skilled, a nosy questioner would’ve been annoying.
Yang Tae-ho wasn’t like that.
Despite all the weird situations, he never hounded me with questions.
He didn’t pry even when I hid system-related talk.
At some point, my slightly tilting opinion of him fully tipped over.
“By the way, what’re ya plannin’ once we’re back?”
Hunting was done, so I casually broached the topic.
“Huh?”
“Ya gonna keep goin’ with those folks from earlier?”
Just probing his intentions lightly.
“Hey now, what kinda talk is that?”
Yang Tae-ho shook his head firmly.
“Even if it kills me, I ain’t teamin’ up with those sly bastards again.”
He added that he wouldn’t have hunted with them if he’d known they were that slippery from the start.
That made it easy to bring up my pitch.
“How about joinin’ my party? We could use a tank.”
Yang Tae-ho stopped dead. He looked pretty shocked by the recruitment offer.
Truth be told, it wasn’t my plan from the beginning.
Initially, tagging along with him was just insurance.
But traveling together shifted my thinking bit by bit.
What if I officially recruited him to the party?
So I’d calmly analyzed his combat performance.
‘Objectively, the party he was with fought like a mess.’
Monsters had breached their formation’s rear—that said it all.
But it wasn’t the tank’s fault.
He’d held the front-line monsters long enough.
The party’s hunting pace got screwed because the damage dealers were too slow clearing the ones that slipped behind him.
‘In other words, he held out that long even with subpar damage dealers.’
He gritted his teeth and silently guarded the front even when they failed to cover the rear.
His response to the evolved species I’d lured was spot-on too.
Instead of pulling back, he raised his shield to protect the formation.
A textbook tank move.
‘Fundamentally, tanks aren’t direct combatants in hunts.’
They’re the ones keeping the party safe so the hunt can continue.
Just look at the role of shield bearers, the tanks’ predecessors.
Some might say that’s obvious, but sadly, most tanks today fall short.
‘Most are amateurs who just swing shields around wildly.’
Tank players were especially unskilled.
The tank role requires a different mindset from damage dealers, who simply wield weapons to kill monsters.
Yet most just grab a shield and shove monsters—recipe for amateur hour.
About eighty percent of the tanks I saw in contaminated zones were that sloppy.
Puppets holding shields without knowing their job.
Harsh, but that’s my honest take on most tanks.
Yang Tae-ho, though, had solid fundamentals.
If I had to pick a flaw, maybe he was a bit too soft-hearted?
‘I got a hint when he offered potions.’
Even tangled in this insane game, he hadn’t lost his kindness.
‘Honestly, impressive.’
No punishment for killing fellow players here.
Once someone learns that once, it usually gets easier next time.
‘Cruelty has no regression.’
Step by step, you shed humanity and turn into a ruthless monster fast.
PK specialists are spotted regularly now, their code names shared among survivors.
That’s why I saw Yang Tae-ho’s goodness as a strength, not a weakness.
Sticking to your moral code no matter what takes conviction and grit.
‘If his soft side ever becomes an issue, I’ll rein him in tight or cut loose as needed.’
That conclusion had me leaning heavily toward him.
No standout brilliance, but he exceeded average across the board.
‘People like him are rarer than one-trick prodigies.’
My party needed a tank like Yang Tae-ho.
I’d been thinking it was time to form one anyway.
‘Higher contaminated zones will open soon.’
Not announced yet, but decided in the Seven Sects’ leadership meeting.
Rashar tipped me off, so it’s certain.
No avoiding dives into upper contaminated zones ahead.
And those 3- and 4-star ones are dozens of times deadlier than 1- and 2-stars.
Even with paladin escorts for scouting, solo clear was impossible.
‘Monster strongholds artificially packed with meso.’
Felt like strategic hubs for advancing into ain territory.
Right when I was mulling party formation, a solid tank candidate appeared.
Hesitating would be stupid.
I made the offer. Now it was just his answer.
“Why me? We ain’t known each other long.”
After a long silence, Yang Tae-ho spoke.
“I can’t figure why a player like you’d wanna drag me along. Why me of all people?”
He asked seriously, so I laid out the facts straight.
No reason to lie, and starting a team with a falsehood on the first button was a bad idea.
Maybe my praise sounded too good to be true?
“Still, I got shortcomings... My mana’s way less than yours.”
He brought up his own flaws first.
“Plenty more lacks if ya look. Like, I don’t know much about this history stuff... Just been thinkin’ simple money-makin’...”
“I won’t say ya got no flaws or lacks... but honestly, not big issues.”
“How come?”
“I’ll fill in the gaps.”
My instant reply, without a second thought, left his face blank.
Mine stayed calm. Just stating facts.
Take the mana gap he mentioned, prime example.
His attribute mana couldn’t keep up with my hunting pace.
We’d paused for breaks multiple times when his ran dry.
But that wasn’t a real problem.
‘Max five days.’
Cramming contaminated zone missions would boost him fast.
I’d already planned to level him up near mine.
That’s why the recruitment offer.
Just needed his yes.
“What d’ya say?”
Urging his answer, he suddenly burst out laughing.
“Ha ha ha!”
Then he started slapping my shoulder.
“Confidence off the charts!”
After his hearty laugh, he stuck out his hand with a grin.
“Ya won me over! If you’re good with it, no reason for me to say no. Let’s do this!”
Before gripping his hand, I added one thing.
“But on one condition.”
“Huh? What?”
“Party composition is my call entirely.”
“Hmm?”
“Even if ya personally don’t like someone, if I accept ’em as a member, that’s final.”
I wouldn’t force personal chats or emotional bonding to get chummy.
But no tolerating private grudges stirring discord.
Had to make that crystal clear.
Lucky for me? Yang Tae-ho showed no resistance.
“I trust yer skills, so I’ll trust yer eye too.”
Only then did I clasp his hand, brimming with confidence.
“Ya won’t regret it.”
Not a chance he would.
「Contacting Gamma. Detecting corrupted mana.」
[Would you like to purify Gamma’s corrupted mana? (Y/N)]
The moment I hit yes on the window, Yang Tae-ho’s eyes went wide as saucers.
‘Yeah, no regrets.’
Joining an Alpha party with self-purification? What’s to regret.
Goddamn system