Thunder Sword in the Monster's Bones
Kim Jun found himself standing there, gripping the Cheonroegeom. Turning his head, he saw Baek Seungtae scrambling to his feet after tumbling down the hill.
"What the hell was that light?"
Baek Seungtae hurried over.
Kim Jun examined the sword. Tiny sparks like miniature lightning occasionally flickered from the tip and along the blade, but the hilt felt no different from any ordinary sword.
"Th-that's the Cheonroegeom!"
Baek Seungtae jumped in shock.
"Cheonroegeom?"
"...And you're fine holding it?"
"More importantly, what's a Cheonroegeom?"
"You don't know Yeon Chung-jae? Yeon Chung-jae! The strongest tanker who led Cheonhondan, the first raider ever called a dealer-tank hybrid—a living legend. The Cheonroegeom was his weapon."
That experience just moments ago... it hadn't been a dream.
Yeon Chung-jae was a real person, and the Cheonroegeom was a real weapon.
"First time hearing about it."
Kim Jun played dumb.
"...Well, yeah, you're a carrier. Carriers wouldn't care, so that makes sense. But how are you holding the Cheonroegeom like it's nothing? Even raiders couldn't touch it. Only Yeon Chung-jae himself could wield it. Maybe it's lost its power after sitting here so long?"
As Baek Seungtae reached for the sword, Kim Jun handed it over without hesitation. The moment Baek Seungtae gripped the hilt, his mouth gaped open, and he began trembling violently. Sparks crackled from the blade.
It was an electric shock.
If Kim Jun hadn't snatched the sword back, Baek Seungtae would've died right there in that pose.
Once he finally came to his senses, Baek Seungtae could only stare at the Cheonroegeom in stunned silence. Still reeling from the shock, he backed away and tripped, then looked up and let out a gasp.
"Ah! I know where we are now."
Kim Jun just watched him quietly.
Baek Seungtae's voice brimmed with excitement as he turned to Kim Jun.
"From what I know, Yeon Chung-jae died in a dungeon. Went missing there."
According to Daily Raider's reports, the last monster Yeon Chung-jae fought was "Nuclarex."
Similar in appearance to the Nuclataurus—which triggered instant nuclear explosions when threatened—but far larger in size, Nuclarex was the beast that led to Yeon Chung-jae's disappearance.
"...This isn't a building. These are Nuclarex's ribs. I'm sure of it."
At those words, Kim Jun realized the truth about the pillars: beneath the brown dirt, they were stark white. Baek Seungtae was right. They weren't man-made structures—just the bones of a colossal monster that happened to resemble a building.
So Yeon Chung-jae got swallowed by Nuclarex. The sword was the only thing that didn't digest.
Kim Jun was stunned that the end of such a famous raider—one Baek Seungtae recognized instantly—was so anticlimactic. At the same time, it was absurd.
Even someone that incredible... no body ever recovered.
"This is an F-rank dungeon. Doesn't it seem weird for a monster that huge to be here?"
"It probably wasn't back then. Dungeon grades change over time."
Baek Seungtae eyed the Cheonroegeom from about two meters away.
Confirming the engraved characters Heavenly Thunder Sword on the blade, he began digging through the nearby dirt.
"What are you doing?"
"If there's a Cheonroegeom here, there might be other items too. The owner's dead, so finders keepers."
While Baek Seungtae dug, Kim Jun gripped the Cheonroegeom and swung it experimentally. He didn't feel any overwhelming power, but it seemed plenty usable.
Maybe I should test it out.
Kim Jun swung the sword at one of Nuclarex's rib bones.
The blade barely sank in a centimeter, but the lightning bolt that erupted from it snapped the thick, pillar-like bone in half. The shockwave even cracked the neighboring bones.
Kim Jun was startled. This kind of power!
The next instant, dizziness nearly knocked him over.
It felt like he'd just sprinted a half-marathon at full speed—in mere seconds.
This... won't be easy to use.
Then Baek Seungtae shouted.
"Jackpot!"
In his hand was a weathered ring. When Kim Jun didn't take it, Baek Seungtae rushed over.
"This is a Domoto Ring! Look—definitely!"
Wiping off the dirt revealed the signature green hue of a Domoto Ring.
It was the same type as the one Do Jin-yong had worn—now probably on Yoo Min-jeong's finger.
"If we got lucky with this, there might be a Legio nearby too?"
"Legio?"
"The compass. We don't know where the gate is in here. But find the Legio, and we can get out!"
Like Baek Seungtae, Kim Jun dropped to the ground and sifted through the dirt, searching for the Legio.
Baek Seungtae dug randomly, but Kim Jun swept his palm over the surface, maximizing his senses. If a Legio was here, the mana leaking from its core would give it away.
Something's here.
Kim Jun stabbed the Cheonroegeom into the ground beside him and began digging with his digger. After nearly a meter, he uncovered a compass Legio clutched between finger bones.
Baek Seungtae rushed over.
"Tough break, but whatever. You knew it was buried there, right? How else would you dig in one spot and pull this out?"
Baek Seungtae's question was sharp, but Kim Jun had an answer ready.
"Contamination effect. I'm sensitive to mana now. Made it easy to find."
Baek Seungtae gave him a look of pity.
But soon, he thought of something else.
"There are other items here too. Gotta be. Think about it—this ring alone's worth over 3 billion won in raw power. If the mana efficiency's high, it could sell for even more. Find one or two more like this, and we're set for life. Raiders make bank? Bullshit—most of us barely scrape by. You know that. For a raider like me, a carrier like you... when's the next chance at this kind of payday?"
Kim Jun inspected the Cheonroegeom.
He wasn't wrong. Even one more sword like this... no, if they found Nuclarex's core? Uramata Guild's fortunes would turn around.
"Alright! Let's search!"
Kim Jun pressed his palm to the ground and began sensing. Then he jolted upright at a familiar mana flow.
"Absorption Tree!"
Grabbing the Cheonroegeom, Kim Jun scanned his surroundings. Vine-like roots were creeping in from all sides.
"Baek Seungtae, behind you!"
Kim Jun shouted, but it was too late for Baek Seungtae to dodge.
Three Absorption Tree main bodies burst from the ground, blocking Kim Jun's path to him. More emerged left, right, even behind—over ten in total, conservatively.
Damn! This is an Absorption Tree colony.
Only then did Kim Jun realize why the soil under Nuclarex's ribs had been so soft.
Baek Seungtae, bound by root vines and drained of mana, was being dragged underground without even a scream.
Kim Jun swung the Cheonroegeom at the main body in his way.
The blade didn't even touch it, but the ensuing lightning bolt split the massive eye in half and ignited the gushing sap. The sparks had met the sticky fluid.
"Hah... hah... hah."
Kim Jun felt like collapsing after felling just one. The stamina cost of a single swing was beyond imagination.
This thing's more trouble than it's worth.
Kim Jun sheathed the Cheonroegeom in his belt and approached the burning main body, its foul stench filling the air. He tore off a tentacle, trimmed it with his dagger.
It looked just like a torch, flames licking the tip.
Kim Jun exploited the Absorption Trees' fire weakness. Swinging the makeshift torch drove the main bodies back.
Soon, the ones holding Baek Seungtae retreated too.
Aiming at the onion-like main body binding Baek Seungtae, Kim Jun sliced the root vines with his dagger.
"Can you stand?"
"...What the hell are these things? The moment they touched me, all my strength vanished."
"Absorption Trees."
"Ah! These are those Absorption Trees?"
"Yeah, first time seeing them?"
"They're not that common."
Baek Seungtae groaned as he rose, nearly toppling over. If Kim Jun hadn't steadied him while fending off the main bodies with the torch, he'd have face-planted.
"Get it together! I don't have the luxury to babysit you right now."
"Got it. Just... give me a sec."
Rescued multiple times by a carrier—Baek Seungtae burned with frustration at his own helplessness. Steel yourself, he thought, focusing to recover.
How long are you gonna rely on a carrier, Baek Seungtae!
Resolving to survive, he felt his mana slowly returning.
"Can you fire a Fire Arrow?"
Kim Jun swung the torch to hold back the main bodies.
The torch had burned down by a third already. As the flames weakened, the main bodies pressed closer.
"One or two, yeah."
"They fear fire. Hit 'em with a Fire Arrow, and they'll freak. We use that gap to climb the hill. You got this?"
"...I have to."
Baek Seungtae knew failure meant death.
The sharp-eyed Haren Saurus watched from the hilltop. Ride that thing, and they could outrun the main bodies.
"Now!"
Baek Seungtae, ready at last, unleashed Fire Arrows at Kim Jun's shout.
Two fiery projectiles streaked in different directions.
Kim Jun grabbed Baek Seungtae's hand and ran.
Despite giving it everything, Baek Seungtae managed fewer than five steps. His stamina hadn't recovered from the drain.
His ankle buckled, and he fell. Despair dimmed his eyes.
Kim Jun glanced back at the straggler.
Baek Seungtae looked up at Kim Jun.
Save me!
He swallowed the plea rising in his throat. It would just mean dying together.
"Go on ahead! Hurry! I'll catch up!"
"Bullshit. Like you could."
Then Kim Jun spat a curse and turned back.
Baek Seungtae felt joy and shame collide. Joy at the chance to live, shame that after scorning carriers, he was relieved by this one's sacrifice.
"I'm not dying!"
Kim Jun, having drawn the Cheonroegeom from his belt, swung it horizontally.
Flash!
Rumble!
A blinding light exploded into thunderous roar as a massive lightning wave surged toward Baek Seungtae's rear like a tidal front.
Twisting his head, Baek Seungtae watched the arc of lightning shred the oncoming main bodies. Mere contact with the white energy sliced them clean; flames erupted inside, blazing crimson.
Kim Jun knelt on one knee, gasping, barely holding the sword.
Baek Seungtae staggered to his feet and approached.
"...Go on up first."
Kim Jun's sweat-drenched face managed the words.
"What about you?"
"One more time... gotta block 'em once more."
Kim Jun's pallid face broke into a grin.
"No way... together..."
"Don't be ridiculous—go!"
Baek Seungtae was speechless.
"Get that thing and bring it here..."
Only then did Baek Seungtae realize Kim Jun could barely move.
"Hang on! Be right back!"
Tears streaming, Baek Seungtae turned and sprinted up the hill. Lungs burning, he didn't stop once. Reaching the Haren Saurus, he doubled over, exhausted.
Forcing himself upright, he climbed onto its back. Gripping its mane as if he were Kim Jun, he yelled.
"Let's go save your master!"
The Haren Saurus didn't gallantly charge down the slope. It yawned instead.
"You idiot, your master's in danger!"
No reaction, even to shouts.
"...Please. I beg you."
Baek Seungtae wept.
He couldn't bear leaving Kim Jun to die alone.
"Fuck... this is it, then."
Steeling himself, he dismounted and ran back toward Kim Jun.
A swift gust whooshed past.
The Haren Saurus.
It snatched Baek Seungtae by the collar, hoisted him onto its back, and bolted downward toward its master.
"Kim Jun!"
Baek Seungtae reached out, screaming.
Kim Jun looked up, gripped the Cheonroegeom in his left hand, seized Baek Seungtae's with his right, and kicked off the ground. The recoil launched him onto the beast's back. The Haren Saurus charged faster than ever, breaking through the encirclement.
Up the hill raced the Haren Saurus.
Behind it, Absorption Tree main bodies slithered like giant octopuses, tentacles writhing.
The Haren Saurus's breaths grew ragged.
The main bodies accelerated.
Thankfully, they crested the hill first.
But what Kim Jun and Baek Seungtae saw atop it... was a sea of snakes. Thousands of anacondas writhed, flicking their tongues.
Snakes ahead, Absorption Trees behind.
Baek Seungtae looked at Kim Jun, realizing this was the end.
"...Sorry for everything. And thanks. For saving my ass so many times. If some miracle lets us live, I won't look down on you just 'cause you're a carrier."
"Don't forget it."
Kim Jun's eyes still burned bright, defiant against death itself.
What the hell is this guy?
The snake horde advanced.
The Absorption Trees climbed.
Kim Jun spurred the Haren Saurus along the hill's ridge.
The pursuing snakes and Absorption Trees spotted each other where the slope steepened.
The Absorption Trees struck first.
Root-tentacles lashed out, paralyzing contacted snakes into stiff husks.
The snakes fought back fiercely, fangs ripping into the trees' eyes.
In seconds, the two swarmed into chaos.
After racing the ridge awhile and escaping danger, Kim Jun glanced back.
"Which way?"
"...Huh?"
Baek Seungtae blinked, dazed.
"The Legio."
"Oh, right."
He quickly infused mana into the dungeon compass and pointed the needle's direction.
Kim Jun rode that way. After a brief rest for the Haren Saurus, Baek Seungtae asked.
"...How'd you know?"
"Know what?"
"That the trees and snakes would fight each other."
"The snakes dogged us relentlessly. But they never came down that ravine. The Absorption Trees must be their natural predator. Otherwise, thousands waiting on a hill makes no sense."
"Ah! Yeah, that tracks now."
"We got lucky. Wrong timing, and we'd be dead first."
Kim Jun spoke matter-of-factly.
Baek Seungtae stared at him.
This guy's a carrier?
Even veteran raiders rarely survived solo outside team protection. Ninety-nine out of a hundred died.
No raider had outrun that many snakes, nearly been devoured by monster plants, and escaped like this.
"You're not a carrier."
"Then what am I?"
"Dunno. But you're no carrier. You're... a raider."