"N-No Way, Is the Dungeon Guard Trying to Wake Up?"
Ferrofero had put the Dungeon Guard to sleep just a short while ago, borrowing the Creator's power. She should have been out cold for at least a fortnight. But the way her body was twitching... that was a sure sign she might be stirring.
Gulp.
In the thick tension, the only sound filling the space was Ferrofero's throat bobbing as he swallowed hard. He waited silently for whatever message might come next.
Please. Please. Please.
The Dungeon Guard has stopped twitching and is snoring.
"Heh heh heh heh... Thank goodness."
Ferrofero let out a sigh of relief, slumping as he placed a hand on his chest. The Dungeon Guard would awaken someday, but not until Han Ji-woo had trained the 27th Heroes far more thoroughly. Enough that they could overcome any trial she threw at them!
"I can't just sit around twiddling my thumbs either!"
Ferrofero accessed the Dungeon Shop. The small room instantly transformed into a bustling store filled with all sorts of items, and he frantically searched for something.
A moment later.
"This is it!"
Ferrofero shouted triumphantly, holding up what looked like a yellow toy shovel. The item's name was Dimensional Construction Shovel, and it cost a steep 20 years of lifespan. After buying just that, he paused as he was about to leave, his eyes locking onto another item.
"Hmm..."
After a brief hesitation, Ferrofero bought that one too and exited the shop.
Most of the 27th Heroes lingering in the Dungeon Shop were sprawled out in the barracks, catching up on much-needed sleep. It was the sweetest slumber they'd had in ages. Sure, there had been occasional breaks since entering the dungeon, but nothing like this—pure, unadulterated rest where they could forget everything.
They'd partied hard into the night before, eating, drinking, and blowing off steam. So only five were up early: Seol Ara, Irene Luker, Dennis Cobitt, and a couple others. They'd lit a campfire and gathered around, sipping hot tea.
The tea bags had been in Irene's bag when she was summoned—handy little things that proved useful.
Slurp. Slurp.
Everyone was still shaking off the grogginess, sipping in silence, when an unwelcome guest shattered the quiet.
"I hope you've all been well?"
Ferrofero approached with the casual air of someone bumping into acquaintances on a morning stroll.
"What, you're back already? We just saw you. Don't get too attached."
"No handouts for you. Scram."
"......"
Two of the five—not Seol Ara—scolded him. But the bite wasn't as sharp as before. More like shooing away an annoying pest. Deep down, they all sensed it: back on the previous floor, Ferrofero had helped them. Yet without knowing why, his actions didn't add up. So they treated him with wary ambiguity.
"What brings you here, kitty?"
Seol Ara asked curiously.
"I got bored and came to visit."
The others looked baffled, but Seol Ara giggled.
"Kitty, you're lonely, aren't you?"
"Y-Yes? What do you mean?"
"I've thought so for a while. But why'd you help us upstairs?"
"Help? I never did any such thing!"
"You're so bad at being honest."
"I'm always honest! Thinking I helped is just a misunderstand—!"
"Want some churu?"
"Yes, please!"
Seol Ara pulled out a tube of churu that Kim Jung-min had handed her for safekeeping and offered it over. Ferrofero ripped it open, squeezed it out greedily, and purred in bliss.
"Enjoy. Payment for helping us before."
"I didn't help, though?"
"Why do you talk like that anyway?"
"I've always spoken this way since birth."
"How come?"
"Because of the position I was born into—serving someone."
Ferrofero hailed from a lineage of cat tribe royal guards sworn to protect princesses. His speech had settled into that formal pattern as a result.
"Were you dragged into the dungeon too?"
"Why ask that out of the blue?"
"Just a hunch."
"......"
Ferrofero was stunned by Seol Ara's sharp intuition and fell silent. Her friendly chatter was chipping away at his walls—he might spill everything if this kept up.
Not yet.
The Dungeon Guard was in deep slumber, but she'd wake eventually. If she found out Ferrofero was aiding the heroes... who knew what chaos that would unleash? He had to help subtly, without tipping his hand.
"You all look so comfy, though?"
He quickly changed the subject before his resolve weakened further.
"What mischief are you up to now?"
Seol Ara asked. Instead of answering, he pulled out the Dimensional Construction Shovel from the shop.
"A little gift for you lazy bunch!"
With that, Ferrofero slammed the shovel into the ground—thunk!
The surroundings rumbled, the Dungeon Shop vanished, and a vast, unknown plain stretched out before them.
"What the hell did this bastard do now?!"
Jonathan Yombi, just stumbling out of the barracks, bellowed.
"Couldn't stand watching you slack off. Time to toughen up in my dimension!"
With those parting words, Ferrofero vanished.
"What?! What's going on?!"
Ishihara Yui burst out of the barracks at the commotion, followed by the others one by one. The dungeon survivors gawked at the sudden change in scenery.
Then, a quest window appeared in midair.
48-Hour Survival
📍 Objective: Survive as long as possible for 48 hours.
🎁 Reward: Varies based on time survived.
Low-grade monsters began swarming from all directions. The survivors snapped into combat formation.
"Thought we'd get a real break... Yawwwn!"
Josh McConnell yawned, still half-asleep.
"Th-there's a lot of monsters."
Lisa Simpson's frightened words drew a smirk from Ishihara Yui.
"Just low-grades. They're a joke now!"
"But this timer... it's pretty long."
Pierre Rasbon murmured as the quest window faded, replaced by a countdown.
The 48-hour timer meant they had to hold out for two full days in this space. No info on monster waves, whether they'd stay low-grade or escalate—frustrating uncertainty.
"That damn cat bastard, what'd he do?!"
Someone growled through gritted teeth.
Soon, heroes clashed with monsters. Most cursed Ferrofero, but Seol Ara couldn't shake the feeling he'd done this to help them, in his own roundabout way.
Back in Hidden Space, Han Ji-woo's grin stretched ear to ear. He'd dumped a pile of dragon bones and gems in front of Osgeelro Haiban.
"By the gods... Am I dreaming? Dragon bones? You actually got dragon bones?"
"Want me to pinch your cheek if it feels like a dream?"
Osgeelro stared at Han Ji-woo, his eyes equal parts shock and ecstasy.
"What the hell happened in Dungeon Prison? That fat lizard vanished—related?"
"Doesn't matter. Point is, top-tier materials. How many gear pieces from this?"
Han Ji-woo pointed to a massive pillar-like dragon bone.
"Hmm... Fifteen, easy."
"Huh? That's not many."
"Want more? Quality drops."
"Plenty of gems too."
"Those are just decorations for armor! Need ground diamonds for real boosts. Pretty junk otherwise."
The gems from the griffin were useless. Darn.
"Well then... Need to figure out how many survivors there are."
Han Ji-woo didn't know how many had reached the Dungeon Shop. To equip as many as possible, he needed a headcount. Then, inspiration struck.
Ferrofero lounged in his room, rolling around while peering into a crystal orb. It showed the 27th Heroes battling monsters in some unknown place.
Come on, you got this! My instance dungeon will make you grow like crazy!
Instance dungeon—a virtual space he'd created. He lacked the power alone, but the Dimensional Construction Shovel, bought with lifespan, made it possible.
It was a one-use item for crafting custom instance dungeons, where the user set monster difficulty, rewards, etc.
Whoops, forgot to mention death here isn't real death. But that makes 'em train harder, right?
His tail swished excitedly when a system message popped up.
Han Ji-woo has displayed 10 items in the Dungeon Shop.
Ferrofero dashed to the Dungeon Shop. Han Ji-woo's new items were lined up: all Dark Flame Letters.
The first read:
Hello, everyone. I need to gauge survivor numbers, so I've added these Dark Flame Letters. Each has a number from 10 to 90 in tens.
Ferrofero checked the rest: 10, 20, 30..., up to 90, as stated.
Buy the one matching your survivor count in tens. I'll then stock ones for units.
"Master's so clever. But they're all rolling in another dimension—no buying now. ...No choice."
Ferrofero glanced around furtively and bought the "20" letter. The others vanished, replaced by 0-9 letters.
He bought "0." More vanished, and a new one appeared.
20 survivors correct? Buy this if yes.
Dark Flame Letter sold. Acquired 1 Dungeon Coin.
Han Ji-woo's mouth twisted bitter at the message.
"Twenty."
From a hundred, down to a fifth. More than he'd feared—he'd underestimated the dungeon's brutality.
Osgeelro, watching, gnashed his teeth.
"No more casualties on my watch. I'll forge the ultimate armor!"
His hammer blazed with fervor.
Two days later, upon returning from the other dimension, 14 identical sets of armor—shared by Han Ji-woo—lined the shop.
The moment they checked the stats...
"......!"
"......!"
"......!"
Everyone froze in shock, speechless. Even Mitchell Hoff blanked out at the absurd stats and bonuses. Calming himself, he bought all 14.
Then, something incredible happened.
Han Ji-woo's influence on the Dungeon Shop increases.
Possibility of Han Ji-woo manifesting in the Dungeon Shop begins to sprout.