The Seokguram Grotto
Heading north from Ulsan along the national highway, you'd reach Gyeongju before long, but the industrial zones came first. And around those areas—
"Hyung, there are a lot of bandits around here."
"Yeah, there are."
They were just traveling along the road, yet an enormous number of people kept approaching them.
"Halt!"
Once again, some twenty bandits blocked the two of them.
"Again?"
"Third time today."
The bandit leader looked at the brothers and Lee Chaerin, his expression brimming with lust.
"Leave the woman behind and we'll let you live!"
It wasn't even worth answering.
"Hey, just kill them."
"Roger."
Following his brother's order, Kang Dohun dismounted his bicycle and charged at the bandits.
"Kill them!"
And so, at the bandit leader's command, a 1-versus-21 fight began.
But it was over in just ten minutes.
"Kuh..."
As the last outlaw fell dead, the battle ended.
"How was it? What level were these guys?"
"Easy. The leader was probably just over level 10, the rest didn't even reach that."
From Dohun's assessment, Dohyun could gauge the strength of people operating in this region.
"Let's keep moving. Killing bandits here probably won't even give us much Zombie Coin."
And so the group pressed on north toward Gyeongju.
As the sun began to sink lower, around four in the afternoon, the group caught sight of Bulguksa Temple. But—
"That's a Blue Barrier dungeon?"
"Yeah, we can't do this one."
A massive Blue Barrier enveloped the entire Bulguksa area. It was a Blue-rank dungeon far too difficult for the brothers to challenge at their current level.
The brothers were disappointed.
"Hyung, what do we do? Should we go back to Ulsan, clear one dungeon, and come back?"
Dohun was tempted by the achievement of being the first in the world to clear twenty dungeons, and Dohyun wanted it just as much.
"Hold on, I'll ask Chaerin."
Dohyun set down the Lee Chaerin he'd been carrying on his back and summoned a drone.
Whirr.
"I'll go scout around."
He took to the drone and began surveying the area.
The Blue Barrier swallowed the entire Bulguksa complex whole.
There's no small dungeon here.
Given that Bulguksa was a large and diverse cultural heritage site, he'd expected a smaller dungeon to exist within it, but there wasn't one.
What do I do now?
With a sigh of disappointment, he flew the drone higher to get a broader view.
Huh?
He spotted a white barrier in a somewhat distant area. He quickly maneuvered the drone over to investigate.
Seokguram. Seokguram became its own White Barrier dungeon.
He'd found a White Barrier dungeon worth clearing for the brothers.
Dohyun returned to his younger brother, who was waiting at the entrance to Bulguksa, with good news.
"Dohun, I've got good news."
"What is it?"
"A White Barrier dungeon worth clearing. I found one."
He loaded his brother and Chaerin onto the drone and flew toward Seokguram.
The drone came to a halt on a mountain at a slightly higher elevation than the Seokguram dungeon.
"Let's set up a temporary base camp here."
He found a relatively flat area and began pitching a tent. Dohun was clearing the surroundings when he caught sight of the Seokguram dungeon.
"Hyung, should we try to tackle it right away?"
"Tackle it right away?"
"Let's do it now."
He checked the time—4:20 PM. It was mid-August, so the days were still long. So—
"It'll be a bit tight, but let's do it."
The two hurried.
After finishing the tent setup, while Dohun was camouflaging the area, Dohyun placed Chaerin inside.
"Eup! Eueup!"
She was bound and gagged, suffering from a headache for over half a day, and she longed for her master to immediately thrust his cock into her ass—but—
"Hold on a little longer."
After inserting a vibrator into her ass and setting it to a moderate vibration, he left her in the tent and stepped outside.
"Will she be okay?"
"She'll be fine."
Judging that her headache had weakened compared to before, Dohyun deemed her safe, and the two flew toward the dungeon on the drone.
They arrived at the Seokguram dungeon.
"Let's go straight in."
Following his brother's instruction, the two entered the dungeon.
You have entered the Special Dungeon — Seokguram.
"This is also a special dungeon..."
"Ugh... let's be careful, at least."
At the mention of "special dungeon," the brothers grew tense and kept a wary eye on their surroundings. But—
"....."
It was quiet. Too quiet. It was a dungeon, but a quiet temple. Not a single zombie was in sight.
"Hyung? What do we do?"
"Wait a moment."
Using Presence Detection to scan the area, he found a spot with an unusual reaction.
"There's something inside."
"Where?"
"Inside Seokguram."
A special presence resided within Seokguram.
The brothers stepped into Seokguram.
Seokguram was magnificent in atmosphere. Though it had become a dungeon, it retained the same quiet, reverent feeling as before.
But as the brothers set foot in the inner chamber—the front hall—
Kuung...
The walls began to shake. And the Four Heavenly Kings who guarded Seokguram emerged from the walls.
Jijokcheonwang was a stone giant clad in enormous jade-green armor. Jeungjangcheonwang was a hybrid of dragon and human, with heat radiating from his body. Damuncheonwang was a giant wielding a massive staff, wearing diamond armor and bearing two heads. And the last, Gwangmokcheonwang, was a dark angel draped in a black cloak.
The Four Heavenly Kings radiated an overwhelming presence. Dohyun and Dohun watched them warily and held their ground for now.
"Mortals, we welcome you for having the courage to come here."
"This is a place where a noble being resides."
"Only those who are qualified may meet the noble one."
"The trial may endanger your lives, so if you are afraid, you may leave."
The Four Heavenly Kings spoke with an intimidating tone, yet they explained things clearly enough for the brothers to understand.
"Hyung? What do we do?"
Dohun asked his brother, but—
"Of course we do it. You're fine, right?"
"If you're fine, I'm fine."
And so the two resolved to take the trial.
Jijokcheonwang called out in a loud voice.
"I shall begin the trial!"
And the Four Heavenly Kings took up their weapons.
Fortunately, the trial was a 1-versus-1 battle.
"Let the one who will be tested first step forward."
Dohyun naturally stepped forward first. Then—
"I shall test you."
Jijokcheonwang stepped forward.
Dohyun carried both an axe and a shotgun, giving him a unique combat style that covered both close and long range.
Jijokcheonwang possessed powerful defense while also being capable of long-range attacks, firing beams from his eyes. He too could fight at both close and long range.
So the two stood facing each other.
Dohyun looked at Jijokcheonwang, pondered for just a moment, and then—
Swish!
He pulled the Chungmu Soul Sword from his inventory and raised it in his hand.
"Hah... what a strange object."
"A sword that distorts the will of its master."
"A contradictory thing."
"An evil sword that converts the owner's life force into power."
The Four Heavenly Kings alternated between admiration and lamentation as they beheld the Chungmu Soul Sword.
"Your trial... would cost you your life force, so it seems meaningless."
Jijokcheonwang did not wish for Dohyun to undergo a trial that would drain his life force. Besides, a human wielding such an object had no reason to take the trial at all.
Dohyun's trial ended absurdly. And the next trial was—
"Dohun, do your best."
His brother patted his shoulder, and Dohun stepped forward.
"I shall be your opponent."
Jeungjangcheonwang stepped forward.
If Dohun was a martial artist who fought with fists and feet, Jeungjangcheonwang was a dragon-human hybrid possessing the finest physical form.
The two faced each other.
"I will not yield three moves."
Dohun nodded slightly in acknowledgment, then—
Whoosh, crack! Whoosh, crack! Whoosh, crack!
He unleashed his most confident three-hit combo of punches and kicks, but Jeungjangcheonwang blocked them effortlessly.
Then Jeungjangcheonwang counterattacked with martial arts, and Dohun's trial began.
The duel between Dohun and Jeungjangcheonwang showed an overwhelming gap to anyone watching. Jeungjangcheonwang was like a master teaching a disciple a lesson, just as a senior martial artist would.
"For a human, you have worked hard."
"A martial artist of this level is rare."
"But it is a pity for your physical abilities."
"You are one chosen by the God of Movement, yet you cannot fully manifest your abilities."
The other Heavenly Kings observed the sparring and evaluated Dohun, though their assessment was somewhat ambiguous.
After thirty minutes passed—
"Let's stop here."
"Yes."
Jeungjangcheonwang stopped first, ending Dohun's trial.
With both brothers' trials complete, the Four Heavenly Kings announced the results.
"One human is the master of a cruel yet special object."
"The other is diligent, though his abilities are somewhat lacking."
"We shall open the path for now."
"The noble being will judge you upon seeing you."
The brothers bowed respectfully to the Four Heavenly Kings and passed them to enter deeper inside.
They passed the stone tablet guarded by the Four Heavenly Kings in the front hall and entered the round chamber.
Inside the round chamber, the noble being—the statue of Sakyamuni—awaited them.
"I have been watching your trials and waiting."
At the noble being's words, Dohyun found himself speechless, and his brother was no different. The presence was so overwhelming that they were completely dominated.
And it spoke to Dohun first.
"You are a person whose dedication is commendable. There is someone who wishes to meet you. Please converse with that one."
With those words, Dohun was seated in the lotus position against his will and found himself facing another being in the realm of consciousness.
Next was Dohyun.
"Through your trials, I have seen your past. You are living a second life."
At the mention of a second life, Dohyun flinched. He had many things he wanted to ask, but he could not bring himself to open his mouth.
"I shall gift you a steadfast spirit."
You have obtained the trait "Steadfast Heart."
"I hope you continue to walk the path you believe in."
After hearing those words, they waited a moment.
You have cleared a Special Dungeon.
The party composed of Kang Dohyun and Kang Dohun has cleared the 20th dungeon.
With a very long series of messages, the dungeon vanished.
"....."
The two brothers stood inside Seokguram. The main statue, the Four Heavenly Kings, and all the other Buddhist statues that had surrounded them were gone.
"It's over, right?"
At Dohyun's words, his brother nodded.
"Let's head back to base camp for now."
The two brothers had successfully cleared the Seokguram dungeon and returned to their base camp.