Jackpot in the Jewel Dungeon
Namgung Seojun's party was navigating the maze of the 17th floor. The atmosphere among them was far more relaxed than before. Thanks to Seojun's mapping, the party's stability had improved even further. In the past, they'd relied heavily on his Super Sense, reacting hastily to any shift in feeling. Now, with mapping, they could grasp situations more reliably. It wasn't just Namgung Seojun who'd grown stronger. As his detection abilities sharpened, so had his offense and defense. The main attacker, Lee Guho, had become a powerhouse. Multicasting allowed him to unleash more spells faster than ever. Gisohee's long-range archery had grown deadlier too, boosting the party's firepower overall.
Jo Jaehun had acquired a rare-grade defense skill, and Dmitri's prowess had risen, bolstering their defenses. Isu-yeon, the tailbind specialist, had grown adept at her role, while Yuki's healing skills enhanced their recovery. The porters now followed Kim Hoon's directions without needing oversight. The party's combat strength had surged, and their coordination was falling into place.
Like that, they moved through the dark maze of the 17th floor with a touch of leisure—until Seojun raised his hand.
‘Stop!’
At the signal to halt, the party instantly tensed and froze. Using his Super Sense, Seojun examined a wall emanating a strange aura. He spotted a hidden button.
‘Press.’
The wall shuddered as he pushed it.
‘Scrrrk.’
It slid open to both sides, revealing the entrance to a hidden instance dungeon.
Leaving the instance dungeon entrance for a moment, Namgung Seojun, Gisohee, Lee Guho, Jo Jaehun, and Kim Hoon stepped aside for a private talk.
"We've found an instance dungeon. What do you think? Should we challenge it?"
Gisohee glanced at Seojun first, followed by the others. Their gazes conveyed their natural deference to his decision.
"Then let's go in."
With Namgung Seojun's go-ahead, the rest nodded in agreement. The entrance descended in staircase form, so he ordered single-file formation as they began their descent.
"Narrow stairs—watch your step."
Seojun warned them that a slip on the tight stairs could send someone plummeting off a cliff.
"Take it slow, even if we're a bit late."
As they descended the cramped stairs, they realized it spiraled in a wide circle. Straying just inside meant an endless drop.
"Circular descending stairs... hugging the cliff."
Lee Guho's observation drew nods from the group, and they proceeded cautiously down the spiral. After many steps, the stairs mercifully widened enough for three abreast, letting the party shift to two columns for better visibility.
"Entering the main dungeon. Stay extra sharp."
Moving on, Namgung Seojun felt a chill. He raised his hand again.
‘Stop!’
The party halted at the signal. Scanning around, Seojun shouted,
"Shields up!"
The guards instinctively raised their shields. Something slammed into them.
‘Clang! Clang! Clang!’
Crude arrows and stones bounced off the shields. Namgung Seojun yelled,
"Goblins on the cliff! Advance slowly and counter with ranged attacks!"
Goblins assaulted from the opposite cliff—the side the party couldn't reach—high up. Lee Guho and Gisohee, with their long-range capabilities, responded.
"Magic Missile!"
"Power Shot!"
Several goblins dropped dead from the spells and arrows. Still, the barrage continued, forcing the party to shield up as they inched down the stairs. After descending far enough, the attacks ceased. Then Li Zhangwei spotted something.
"Master, check the floor here."
Seojun looked down. A small emerald lay there—tiny, but worth at least three gold.
"An emerald?"
He examined it, then glanced up. It seemed to have fallen from where Lee Guho had killed a goblin earlier, though no corpse remained. Scanning further revealed more gems, including a ruby.
"This is a Jewel Dungeon."
Smiles lit up every face. Among instance dungeons, Jewel Dungeons were top-tier. The reason? Slain monsters dissolved into gems. Scale varied profits, but the yields were always massive—hence the "jackpot" label.
"Light another lantern and sweep the area again."
At Seojun's order, they collected the fallen gems, adding more fuel to check surroundings. They pocketed a few more small stones.
"Moving out. We'll take it slow in this dungeon—kill every monster we see."
Everyone nodded. Then,
"Quek!"
More goblins appeared from the opposite cliffside stairs. Seojun called,
"Everyone hold! Defend and wipe them all out before advancing."
They formed up around Lee Guho and Gisohee, who unleashed hell.
"Magic Missile. Magic Missile. Magic Missile."
‘Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh.’
With every visible goblin slain, the party pressed on, reaching the base of the opposite stairs to hunt gems.
"Got one here."
With Kim Hoon leading, they scoured for gems. Their small pouch was already over half-full of stones—an enormous haul already, with more to come. Namgung Seojun led them further down the stairs. Two more goblin ambushes followed, but they dispatched them gleefully, gathering gems as they went. Finally, the stairs ended at solid ground.
"Proceed slowly from here."
Following their leader, they advanced along the single path. The monsters they'd been waiting for appeared.
"Specters! Magic attacks ready!"
Six specters—immune to physical strikes—emerged. Luckily, they had mage Lee Guho.
"Magic Missile! Magic Missile!"
His multicasts tore through them effortlessly. The specters crumpled without landing a hit.
"Wow."
Even Li Zhangwei, a Tower veteran, was impressed by the clean sweep. Gems littered the specters' spots, of course.
"Hyungnim! Hyungnim! Check out this gem size."
Lee Guho fetched a thumb-sized topaz for Seojun. The others had dropped similar rubies, emeralds, and diamonds.
"This is insane..."
One slave blurted it out—the rewards were staggering.
"Short break."
Seojun called rest, and everyone settled comfortably.
"Hyungnim, lemme peek in the pouch."
Lee Guho gawked at the gems.
"Whoa! Hyungnim, this alone is four hundred gold... no, easy five hundred!"
Appraisal would confirm, but as he said, they'd already earned enough for over a hundred gold per party member—a massive win.
"Seojun, you planning to clear the whole dungeon? There's that saying about getting greedy in Jewel Dungeons and dying."
Gisohee referenced the famous adage: grab what you can and bail. Deeper levels ramped up monster strength dramatically. Goblins were cake, but specters right after? Most parties would've wiped. Theirs lucked out with Guho's magic.
Namgung Seojun nodded at her question.
"That's why we'll take out the next monster and head out."
He knew the dungeon's risks and had already decided. Break over, they delved deeper.
"Anything could pop up anytime. Stay alert."
Leading, Seojun entered a crystal cavern.
"Whoa."
Even stoic Jo Jaehun gasped at the vast crystal grotto. Seojun deemed it dangerous.
"Battle ready—move!"
Sensing the shift in his tone, they followed warily.
‘Boom!’
"Above!"
‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’
Seojun dodged falling crystals nimbly; shieldbearers barely blocked overhead. No casualties. Ahead loomed a crystal golem—their foe.
"Golem! Defense focus! Guho, Magic Missiles only."
High physical and magic resistance made it a nightmare for this floor. But Seojun's specialty—Super Sense exploiting weaknesses—shone.
The golem stomped again.
‘Thud!’
Resonance shook crystals loose from the ceiling.
"Sylph!"
Buffed for speed, Seojun closed in. The golem swung limbs.
‘Whoosh. Whoosh.’
Domain Insight and Prediction let him evade. Perfectly timed, Guho's missiles flew.
‘Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!’
The golem swatted them, but in that split-second gap, Seojun stabbed its sole weak point: the heart core.
‘Squelch!’
"......"
The golem froze, its majesty shattered. It toppled, crystallizing into a massive chunk.
"Oh..."
A fist-sized premium crystal. The party marveled.
"Hyungnim, this has to be two thousand gold? More?"
Guho lowballed it. Seojun stowed it quietly.
"Everyone okay? Then we're pulling out."
The party hesitated. Especially Guho, excited:
"Hyungnim, we're turning back here?"
"Leader... the profits are too good."
"Chances like this don't come often. Next could drop ore—mithril or titanium, legendary stuff."
Guho, Jo Jaehun, even Gisohee's eyes gleamed. But Seojun was firm.
"As party leader, that's an order. We're leaving."
Regret lingered, but trust in him won out. Seojun pushed harder than usual—his Super Sense screamed danger ahead. Retreat it was.
"Backtrack now. Search for any dropped gems on the way up."
Thus, from the jackpot Jewel Dungeon, the party withdrew with fortunes in tow.