Chapter 4
Chapter 4
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Chapter 1 - 1st Floor #3
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[Chapter 1 - 1st Floor #3]
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Lucille couldn't comprehend the current situation.
He was clearly a 1-star hero.
He looked young at first glance.
His age didn't seem that advanced either.
Yet he was calm.
No, it wasn't just calm.
Lucille blinked her dazed eyes.
Something wearing the guise of a 1-star hero had flipped over the bottom of the dining table. Inside, various weapons were organized with an incredibly refined touch.
Why would something like that come out from under the dining table?
What kind of life had this person lived for weapons to emerge from the dining table?
And so, without realizing it, she asked.
"Wh-what are all these?"
"Weapons."
He answered coolly and indifferently, then began gathering the weapons one by one.
And Lucille was shocked once again.
The 1-star hero—no, the hero—no, Cheon-ho rolled up his pant leg.
A knife was strapped to his ankle.
Cheon-ho added knives there one by one, then fastened a belt around his waist. It was a belt with plenty of rings, and in an instant, multiple throwing knives were hanging from his waist and thighs.
There was a bow and quiver inside the table as well.
Both were black, and at a glance, they were no ordinary items.
Cheon-ho slung the quiver on his back, gently drew the bowstring, and soon assumed an archery stance.
It was undoubtedly the skill of someone who had practiced for more than a day or two.
When Cheon-ho handled the bow, it folded with a click-click sound. It had been a collapsible bow from the start.
Cheon-ho then took a sword. It wasn't a longsword, but something a bit longer than a dagger.
He strapped that to his waist as well, and finally put a round something into a pouch on his belt.
With that done, Cheon-ho stood from his seat. He handed the remaining weapons to Lucille and said.
"Please store them in your inventory."
"Uh, y-yes."
Lucille unconsciously replied, quickly opened her inventory, and began stowing away the weapons that looked vicious at a glance.
It felt somehow strange.
And Cheon-ho, who had been watching her, picked up shoes from the corner of the table and put them on.
Weapons had poured out from under the table. Shoes didn't even inspire the will to complain.
So Lucille just watched, and soon wore a dazed expression again.
'Wh-why is a blade coming out of the shoes?!'
Cheon-ho, wearing what looked like sturdy combat boots at a glance, tapped the floor. With a sharp snapping sound, a blade sprang out from the toe of the shoe.
He kicked the air a few times in that state, then assumed a stance again. The blade that had emerged was already retracted.
'Good.'
Cheon-ho was satisfied, and Lucille experienced what it meant for a sense of incongruity to explode.
It was weird. No matter who looked, the situation was bizarre.
But at the same time, it felt reassuring.
"Lucille."
"Y-yes?!"
When Lucille startled and replied, Cheon-ho tilted his head as if it was strange, but soon spoke with his usual feigned calm expression.
"Pick one out for yourself too. You need to arm yourself."
"M-me too?"
"Just in case."
At Cheon-ho's words, Lucille wiggled her fingers in the air to open her inventory list. She pulled out a dagger that seemed the smallest and easiest to handle among the vicious weapons from Cheon-ho's table and gripped it in her hand.
"I-I'll take this one."
"Yes, don't push yourself. Just think of it as for self-defense."
"Y-yes."
Lucille nodded repeatedly and gripped the dagger tightly.
As if steeling herself, she stared straight at the dagger and swallowed dryly.
'Cute as expected.'
Thinking it only to himself, Cheon-ho strapped the bow—now folded into a short rod-like shape—to his waist and took a combat knife in hand.
"Then let's head out."
"Yes."
Lucille stood from her seat.
And at that moment, a pillar of light appeared before Cheon-ho and Lucille.
[Start of Adventure]
[Main Quest: Break through the 1st floor of the Great Labyrinth and descend to the 2nd floor.]
"Oh."
Cheon-ho let out an exclamation without realizing it.
It was because it truly felt like a game.
'No, more than that, the phrasing.'
Start of Adventure, of all things.
It sent a thrilling shiver through his chest, just like when he first heard "Hero."
"It's a quest. A system created by the five goddesses exploiting the system that rules the Great Labyrinth, to support heroes. The status window and level-ups work on similar principles."
"Hm."
He didn't fully understand, but it didn't seem harmful anyway.
"Do you get rewards for completing quests?"
"Yes, and the harder the task, the greater the reward. Think of it like equivalent exchange."
It was a story he liked.
"Good, then let's really set off. I'll take the lead, so follow behind. Don't fall too far back—about two steps away."
"Yes."
Lucille swallowed dryly and nodded.
Cheon-ho passed by such a Lucille and moved forward.
A corridor appeared around the corner.
Countless monsters likely waiting beyond.
His heart pounded.
Honestly, he was a bit excited too.
Father's stories.
Father's adventure tales.
'Let's go.'
Cheon-ho stepped forward.
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Lucille felt a strong sense of responsibility toward Cheon-ho.
After all, she was the one who had summoned him to this world.
If need be, she would throw herself in to protect him—it was sincere.
She really intended to do so.
Because Cheon-ho was a 1-star hero.
Even though vicious weapons had spilled from the table, even though he wore shoes with blades that sprang out, he was still a 1-star hero.
But ten minutes after setting out on the adventure together, Lucille's thoughts changed a little.
Just a little, but she even felt joy.
[Your level has increased.]
[Archery has reached Lv4.]
The first enemies they encountered were two goblins passing by.
The moment they turned toward them, Cheon-ho already had the bowstring drawn.
An arrow flew like a ray of light, piercing the neck of the one on the left. By the time the second one widened its eyes, the second arrow had already been fired.
[Your level has increased.]
[Throwing has reached Lv5.]
The giant rat that ambushed from the ceiling was already dead by the time it hit the ground. A knife—thrown so fast she didn't even know when—had pierced right in the center of its forehead.
[Your level has increased.]
[Concentration has reached Lv4.]
Having witnessed all this, Lucille breathed heavily. With a face full of joy, she thought.
'A combat professional!'
He wasn't just any 1-star hero.
As expected, there was a reason for turning the table into an armory.
'Sob sob, O five goddesses. Angel Leader, I did it! I drew the jackpot!'
Lucille teared up and offered a prayer.
And Cheon-ho, standing before such a Lucille, hid his trembling hands and thought.
'F-fuck, this is thrilling.'
It was his first real combat.
He had done mock battles with his father that mimicked real combat many times, but this was his first true fight.
When the big rat jumped from the ceiling, he was so startled he thought his heart would stop.
But still, Cheon-ho feigned calm.
If he were alone, he might have screamed the moment the rat appeared, but Lucille was behind him. Instead of an unsightly scream, he maintained his poker face.
And truthfully, he was a bit excited.
'Levels really go up.'
Defeat enemies, gain experience, level up.
Though things like Archery, Throwing, and Concentration had leveled up too quickly because they aligned with his original abilities, levels had risen nonetheless.
Visible results.
Just that made his heart race.
'Next time, I'll try internal energy too.'
The martial arts taught by his father.
Four Guardian Kings Martial Arts and Heavenly Demon Divine Art.
He had learned them since childhood, but not properly.
The reason was simple.
'Unlike Phaien, accumulating mana on Earth is difficult. Same with internal energy.'
It was his father's explanation.
It was also why masters of various martial arts had died out on Earth.
So Cheon-ho himself had only learned the theory.
Of course, he had learned the forms too, but forms without internal energy were, to exaggerate a bit, just dances.
But the Labyrinth World was different.
He could tell just from breathing.
What his father had spoken of.
What this mana mixed in the atmosphere was like.
[Heavenly Demon Divine Art Lv1]
He wondered what on earth his father had done in the fantasy world to learn the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, but regardless, the shell of a technique finally began to exert real power.
He breathed.
Thereby taking in the qi from the atmosphere.
"Cheon-ho! A big one's coming!"
Lucille shouted urgently.
Nothing entered Cheon-ho's sight right away. But from beyond the corridor came thudding sounds.
As Lucille said, something big and heavy was definitely charging.
Cheon-ho lowered his stance. He reached out to make Lucille fall back, then glared straight ahead.
"Kuooo!"
The thing that appeared around the corner was big, as Lucille had said.
Its head was that of a rat, but its size was enormous—several times Cheon-ho's own. Its height easily surpassed two meters.
"It's a Rat Ogre!"
Lucille shouted.
But it wasn't particularly useful information.
Seemingly without any proper weapon, it charged like a tank with its sharp claws raised.
Cheon-ho focused.
The distance to it was closing.
Now just over ten meters.
Considering its speed, they would clash in mere seconds.
Cheon-ho kicked off the ground too.
But it was different from before.
Unlike the previous jumps where he just kicked off with all his strength, everything was different.
Internal energy was infused.
That single fact changed everything.
His internal energy was still too low.
It was his first time using it.
But it was enough.
The moment he kicked off the ground, Cheon-ho became the wind.
"Huh?!"
Lucille swallowed her breath.
The Rat Ogre lost sight of Cheon-ho.
In the accelerated world, Cheon-ho felt exhilaration.
This was internal energy.
The power that transcends humanity!
"Kuer!"
The Rat Ogre spotted Cheon-ho belatedly.
It roared savagely and swung its arm.
But it was too late. Cheon-ho's movement was a bit faster.
Palm Strike.
He infused the gathered internal energy.
He struck the Rat Ogre's side precisely.
Boom!
The moment palm met beast hide, a roar erupted. The massive Rat Ogre twisted and was pushed into the wall.
It didn't stop there—it even collapsed to a kneel.
Lucille's eyes widened. She looked not at the Rat Ogre, but at Cheon-ho. Cheon-ho, who had leaped high before she knew it, spun in midair.
Finger Strike.
Cheon-ho's bolt-like strike smashed into the Rat Ogre's head.
Internal energy was infused in this blow too.
The sound of shattering bone rang out. The Rat Ogre's head caved in, and Cheon-ho landed on the ground.
The Rat Ogre fell. It no longer moved.
"Huff."
Cheon-ho exhaled.
Lucille, who had been watching, also exhaled the breath she had held.
And at some point, she let out a cheer.
"Kyaa! Hero!"
It was a jackpot. A real jackpot.
She had drawn the super ultra jackpot from the luck-based hero gacha that was doomed to fail!
Overcome with emotion, Lucille knelt in place and offered a prayer to the five goddesses.
But it didn't last long. Because of the pillar of light that appeared above Cheon-ho's head.
[You are the first 1-star hero to defeat a Rat Ogre on the 1st floor.]
[Additional rewards are given for the challenger's wondrous achievement.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Brave has reached Lv2.]
[Toughness has reached Lv2.]
[Agility has reached Lv2.]
[Flexibility has reached Lv2.]
[You have acquired the Rat Ogre Slayer title.]
[Rat Ogre Slayer: Instills fear in rat-type monsters, reducing their combat power.]
[You have acquired the Rat Ogre's mana essence.]
[Hidden Quest: The path to 'Rat Hole' has opened.]
Unable to hold back anymore at the consecutive pillars of light, Lucille jumped up and ran to Cheon-ho, hugging him tightly just like that.
"Mm."
Cheon-ho, striving to maintain his expression, tightly hugged Lucille back.
[Lewd has reached Lv2.]
Cheon-ho fell silent.
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