Dungeon Floor 18
The aftermath of Esperona's brief visit to Dungeon Floor 18 was profound. Even though she hadn't done anything yet, the seventeen dungeon survivors were gripped by massive anxiety. The power she displayed in that short time was no joke.
Even as midnight passed and dawn approached, no one could easily fall asleep.
"……To avoid getting annoying, I should kill off the rest as quickly as possible."
Esperona's final muttered words had become an overwhelming terror tormenting everyone. In the end, most of the dungeon survivors only managed to fall asleep around dawn.
The only two still awake until then were Mitchell and Seol Ara.
They weren't staying up because of weak nerves—quite the opposite. They'd ended up pulling an all-nighter trying to calm everyone else down.
Those with fragile psyches, like Lisa, Diya, or Jonathan, would suddenly convulse even in their sleep. So they'd decided to stand watch a bit longer to keep an eye on things.
Mitchell brewed a precious cup of coffee he'd been saving for a weary-looking Seol Ara.
"Whoa, this treasure. Thanks. How much coffee's left now?"
"These two cups we're sharing are the last."
"What an honor. I'll savor it like it's Luwak coffee."
Slurp— Seol Ara took a sip of the hot coffee. The bitter brew slid down her throat, filling her sinuses with its refined aroma.
"Haa, this is too good."
Back when she'd first gotten into coffee, she'd wondered why anyone drank something so bitter. If it was going to be bitter anyway, why not just take herbal medicine? But at some point, she'd started craving an iced Americano after every meal. She'd thought she'd never taste coffee again after entering the dungeon, but Mitchell had a bit of instant coffee stashed away. He'd occasionally brew a cup for those who'd worked especially hard, like today. That's why Seol Ara had gotten the most cups.
"But you're amazing, Ara."
"What do you mean?"
"Honestly, I was mentally drained too after facing Esperona. My body and mind just gave out. For a moment, the fear that we'd definitely die consumed me."
"I see. You didn't show it at all—I had no idea."
"You didn't show a thing either."
"Hmm. Well..."
Seol Ara scratched her cheek and tilted her head.
"I was really totally fine."
"……Pardon? For real?"
"Yeah. I was actually surprised everyone else was struggling so much."
"Esperona's mere presence felt like the Grim Reaper herself—being in the same space made it hard to breathe. And you felt nothing?"
Seol Ara rubbed her tired eyes and nodded.
"That's why it felt weird. She just came across as a pretty, lazy big sis. But everyone was suffering so much."
Mitchell fell into thought, wondering what was going on.
'Why was Ara the only one unaffected?'
Just then, soft snoring reached his ears. Looking ahead, Seol Ara had already dozed off, her head drooping.
Esperona lay on a plush bed in a palace-like space, staring at the ceiling. An image of Seol Ara was playing there.
"A 'Demigod' bloodline in this batch, huh."
Demigod. Half-god.
Before becoming a Dungeon Guard and protecting the dungeon, Esperona had been a being with a physical form—and of demigod blood herself.
"No wonder she wasn't scared."
She hadn't shown it, but when she'd descended before the heroes, Seol Ara had stood out. She was the only one not fearing her. Curious, Esperona had peered into Seol Ara's soul with her authority and seen a golden flame burning in her heart. That flame within the soul was proof of her demigod bloodline.
It was still a tiny spark, an unbloomed bud, but depending on Seol Ara's path, that flame would bloom and grow larger.
"If she keeps surviving like this, she'll become a real pain."
The screen showing Seol Ara switched to an overview of the dungeon. Everything Han Ji-woo had shared came into view at a glance.
"Was that her doing too?"
But that seemed unlikely—Seol Ara's flame was still just a bud. She couldn't wield demigod powers yet, probably didn't even know she had that bloodline. Meaning she hadn't awakened.
A demigod's bloodline awakens when the golden soul flame blooms, granting realization of one's true nature—and the ability to use those powers.
So it was hard to say Seol Ara had caused any miracles in the dungeon yet.
"Then what?"
There were ways to check the mysteries that occurred while she slept. But they were too bothersome. She'd have to rewind footage from each floor or sift through massive message logs from the start. For Esperona, who'd ditched dungeon management right after being appointed because it was annoying, this was the last thing she wanted.
"……Yeah, forget it."
Just kill everything in the dungeon now, and things would return to normal. So Esperona started something more productive. She accessed the administrator shop and picked up a card.
It was a 10-year lifespan item: 'New Monster Addition Ticket'.
Item details appeared before Esperona's eyes.
◈ Select one hero from this batch who died in the dungeon and add them as a new monster.
◈ The monsterized hero will appear on every floor; number of instances is randomly assigned.
◈ Overall abilities are downgraded from their living state.
She declared her intent to purchase and use it. The card dissolved into light, and a message appeared.
Which hero would you like to turn into a monster?
All information on the deceased 27th heroes flooded into Esperona's mind automatically.
"Ah, nice."
Money was the best. Paying up (with lifespan) let her skip the hassle of rewinding floor footage or combing logs, opting for a comfy alternative.
Reviving the most dangerous 27th hero as a monster would spike the dungeon's difficulty. The remaining seventeen wouldn't last long. No need for the troublesome route.
Thanks to the dungeon system's imprinted hero data, she picked the perfect candidate without thinking.
"Andra Marshall."
She named him, and the message continued.
Revive 27th hero 'Andra Marshall' (died on Floor 14 Underground) as a new monster?
"Yes."
Esperona confirmed.
'Andra Marshall' has been revived as a new monster.
And so, a new monster named Andra was deployed in the dungeon.
Dungeon Floor 19 Underground.
As people reeled in confusion at Andra's sudden appearance—
"Ughhh...!"
Jonathan's pupils suddenly dilated, and he groaned, casting Wind Cutter.
But the blade of wind wasn't aimed at Andra—it targeted a nearby ally.
A sharp gust slashing at Irene's throat! Staying put meant death or severe injury.
Fast and Slow!
Fortunately, Josh nearby boosted his agility and yanked Irene away.
Shwick—
The wind blade grazed her throat. The skin tore slightly, spilling red blood, but it wasn't serious.
"Thanks, Josh."
Josh ignored Irene's gratitude and lunged at Jonathan, grabbing his collar.
"Have you finally lost it for real?!"
Josh, who rarely got angry, bellowed at the top of his lungs.
But Jonathan's state was off. His vacant eyes stared nowhere, mouth leaking only "ugh" groans.
Then, Yui arrived like the wind and punched Jonathan.
Thwack!
She knocked him out cold with one blow, then pointed at Andra from behind him.
"That bastard's doing—Pierre said so."
"What?"
As all eyes, including Josh's, turned to Andra, Pierre continued.
"I don't know what's going on, but the Monster Encyclopedia has info on Andra now."
In other words, Andra was a monster.
"His physical, strength, agility stats are trash, but he has 'Hypnotism' skill. Targets one person at a time, lasts 5 minutes. Downgraded from the original Andra, but still dangerous enough."
He'd just controlled Jonathan, nearly killing Irene badly.
How had the dead Andra become a monster? Amid the confusion, one person always acted before thinking.
"Perfect! I wanted to beat him to death even when he was human!"
It was Yui. She rocketed to Andra's face and swung her fist—
But it stopped dead.
"Guh... you damn b...!"
Her body froze. Hypnotism again.
As Yui pushed back Andra's invading consciousness, his whisper buzzed in her mind.
—Did you think I'd go down that easily?
A eerie smile crept across pale Andra's face. The sight nearly snuffed Yui's awareness—
One Shot!
Splat!
Red burst between them. Red's fist smashed in. Andra's defenseless body pulverized, leaving only two legs.
The gruesome sight left everyone speechless in horror.
Mitchell stepped up to sort things.
"Pull yourselves together. As Pierre said, what we just killed was a monster, not Andra. This is a dungeon—we all know stuff like this can happen."
Pierre followed up.
"We hunted it without major damage this time, but if Andras come in twos or threes? Who knows what crisis that brings."
—Twos? Is that possible?
Pierre nailed it down, staring at innocently asking Kayla.
"It's a monster. No rule says only one exists."
A headache-inducing new monster had appeared before the dungeon survivors.
Early morning.
Han Ji-woo, who'd chatted with Ferrofero yesterday and unwittingly gone inside to sleep, woke up.
"Yaaawn!"
Stretching hugely, he stepped outside. The pets were already up, hard at work in the fields. Each in their position, bustling away—while Toryong trailed them, chattering nonstop.
"How's it? Isn't it great? The improved soil really amps up the farming joy, right? Oh! Using your manure as fertilizer—smart move~ Looks like you all ate well yesterday. Planting new crops here will make it even prettier, huh?"
Meanwhile, Ferrofero had taken over Lucy's chores from yesterday.
"Her Highness mustn't do such rough work! No dirt on those hands! I'll handle it!"
Han Ji-woo grinned broadly at the sight.
"You guys are the best!"
At their master's voice, all pets dropped work and swarmed him. Toryong and Ferrofero among them.
Han Ji-woo scanned their faces and said,
"Kids. Let's clear the Dungeon Tree's final quest today."