The Dungeon (1)

The Sky Tower had dungeons.

What, exactly, was a dungeon?

It was a place where monsters and all manner of resources appeared.

In other words, one of the reasons people aspired to become Ascenders was to claim the wealth and byproducts that poured out of dungeons.

Because those things were worth money.

You might think that with so many people flocking to dungeons, you'd have to pull a number ticket and wait in line like at the bank—but that wasn't the case.

First of all, each floor held countless dungeons, too many to count. And even if everyone entered at the same moment, each party found itself in a separate space, like an instance in a game.

So running the same dungeon over and over with a team was far more efficient than soloing it—whether for the growth points needed to level up, or for the byproducts gathered along the way.

But I had to run them alone.

My situation was just too peculiar for anything else.

"Finally!"

Emerging from the dungeon, I pumped my fist into the air.

After a full week of grinding through dungeons, I had finally managed to reach Level 3.

"That was rough."

You've earned your rest.

This time, even Ellaon humored my complaining. That was how far from smooth my leveling process had been.

Why? Because of the problem I'd worried about from the start—my woefully undersized mana pool.

"It would've been so much better if the monsters gathered in packs."

The dungeons of the 1st Floor were kind to Ascenders. The monsters inside almost never moved in groups; instead, they sat scattered across the field one or two at a time.

That, I figured, was the Tower's will—and its mercy—meant to help new Ascenders get comfortable with combat in the early going.

But still.

For me, packed-together monsters would be a thousand times better!

Mythic-grade skill. Thunderbolt.

It carried the chain effect of Chain Lightning, a 4-Star spell—which meant the more enemies clustered together, the better the situation for a mana-leaker like me.

But picking off monsters one and two at a time had ground my dungeon-clearing speed down to an agonizing crawl. Every few casts of Thunderbolt, I had to sit and rest forever just to recover my magic power.

The silver lining is that I didn't even need the mana recovery from the Sage's Tome, or Sage's Aura at all.

Even without Sage's Aura, the destructive force of Mythic Thunderbolt was more than enough to one-shot Level 1 and 2 monsters. And on top of that came the Tome's lofty mana recovery.

If not for the Sage's Tome, reaching Level 3 would have taken at least twice as long.

"They say Level 3 dungeons have lots of Nolls, right?"

Nolls. The creatures from that sacred ritual.

If I found a situation where they all charged me at once, like back then, wouldn't leveling up get a whole lot easier from here on out?

I entered the next dungeon with that hope in my heart.

And after clearing several more Level 3 dungeons—

"Damn it!"

I finally lost my temper. Why? Because the Level 3 dungeons were exactly the same.

The growth points required to level up had already spiked sharply upon reaching Level 3, and now I couldn't even guess how long it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠would take to hit Level 5.

Apparently ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠most people grow quickly up to Level 5. At this rate, it was going to take me over a month.

Hmm. Even reaching just Level 5 should improve things considerably. I suspect this is your greatest hurdle, is it not?

Ellaon sounded just as frustrated as I was.

After long deliberation, I finally made the decision that would save the nation.

"Nothing for it. I'll find a team."

Just until Level 5. And for that—

"I need another magic skill."

Mythic Thunderbolt drew far too much attention. And despite its 40% mana reduction, it inevitably demanded more magic power than a common 1-Star spell. For someone drowning in mana shortages like me, I needed a skill that sipped magic rather than gulped it.

Who would've thought my Magic stat wouldn't budge a single point all the way to Level 3.

I glanced at my status window and clicked my tongue under my breath.

Across those two level-ups, I had gained Strength 2, Agility 2, Vitality 2, Magic 0, and Spirit 4.

Legendary. Just legendary.

Not a single point of Magic, of all things. As if my mana pool hadn't already started at 1 and left me flailing from shortages.

I supposed I should be grateful Spirit had gone up by 4, at least. Before I knew it, my magic amplification factor was closing in on elevenfold.

That's right—Spirit, you're the only one I can count on!

"Getting a common skill means I'll have to dig into my savings."

Skills were usually learned through skill cards obtained in dungeons, but they were far from common drops. As a result, skill cards carried staggering price tags—and for versatile, popular skills, the price climbed to the very heavens.

So I decided to sell off all the dungeon byproducts I'd been hoarding and break open the savings account I'd been building penny by penny since I turned twenty.

"Ugh."

Five years of steady deposits. I'd been saving that for a honeymoon with Yeon-hee!

Choking back the tears, I closed the account—and fifteen million won landed in my hand. Selling the byproducts added another three million.

And honestly, that part is legendary too.

A freshly awakened, bottom-tier Ascender had earned three million won in just a few days. No wonder people said Ascenders and non-Awakened lived in different castes.

Anyway, cash in hand, I bolted for the Ascender Exchange and managed to snag a "[Common] Mana Bolt (1-Star ★)" listed there for eighteen million won.

"God, that's obscenely expensive."

And that was only after a long round of haggling. It had been listed at nineteen million to begin with.

"Whew."

My hands trembled at the biggest purchase of my life. Honestly, how embarrassing. The man destined to command the entire world, quaking ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠over a sum like this!

Muttering that I still had a long way to go in cultivating my composure, I tore the skill card in two.

Flaaash!

The white light pouring from the card flowed straight into me.

Yes!

I conjured Mana Bolt on the spot and nodded in satisfaction. It definitely burned less mana. At this rate, I could chain it together at least ten times in a row.

Which meant I could pull my own weight in a team.

And that was all thanks to the Sage's Tome bumping my Magic stat by 5. Long live the Sage's Tome!!

It seems you are coming to appreciate just how magnificent my Three Sacred Treasures truly are, Ellaon said, his voice smug with pride. Once you reach Level 5, you must prepare to promote the Sage's Tome to 2-Star as well.

"Oh."

I could already raise the Tome's grade? I raised both hands in welcome.

"Excellent."

Man. Now I wanted to hit Level 5 even faster. Get a new perk skill, prepare the Tome's promotion—

I drifted off to dreams of spare parts and re-entered the Tower.

This time, let's try the Goblin Dungeon.

Goblins. Monsters that first appeared in Level 3 dungeons—the very goblins everyone knew and loved. They operated with far more coordination than Nolls, and were considered top-tier threats even among Level 3 dungeons.

"Let's see…"

When I found the district dense with Goblin Dungeons, a thick crowd was already milling about—most of them there to run the same dungeons.

"Looking for a Level 3–4 close-range dealer for a Goblin Dungeon run!"

"Five-person team heading to a Level 3 normal Goblin Dungeon! One spot left. Anyone Level 3 or above, come on down!"

"Goblin Dungeon, let's go! First come, first served!"

All around me, strangers were throwing together impromptu teams ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and heading into the dungeons. Figures—popular dungeon, so finding a team shouldn't be hard.

You could recruit right there at the dungeon gates like this, or find teammates online through the major Ascender communities.

Where should I try?

Too many options—I didn't know where to start. Just as I was scanning my surroundings—

THOOM!!

With a deep, resonant sound, a cluster of bright lights rose into the air and shaped itself into glowing letters.

A performance that seized everyone's attention at once. And beneath the glowing letters stood a woman with her arms crossed.

She must be the one who did that.

Tall and slender, dressed in black tights, the lower half of her face hidden behind a black mask as well.

Oho. A remarkable beauty, to be sure.

Huh? How can you tell?

Look at her eyes and the shape of her face. Is that not the very image of a classic beauty?

Well… he had a point. The pair of eyes visible above that black mask were beautiful enough to pull you in.

But you can't truly know a face until you've seen all of it. Why else did the term "mask mage"—for someone whose looks only worked behind a mask—get coined back when masks were all the rage?

Still, my interest in her wasn't about her looks.

"Whoa. Isn't that stuff crazy expensive?"

"Probably? I heard each one of those goes for over thirty million won."

"What, that expensive?"

"I heard that's what it costs to maintain a shape hanging in midair that long."

That rich-folk aura wafting off her in waves.

Burning thirty million won just to recruit teammates—her money must be rotting.

Curiosity pricked at me. What did this woman actually do?

Looking closely now, I noticed she wore any number of ornaments and accessories—and I recognized them as high-grade artifacts I wouldn't even dare price in my head.

Definitely a rich family's daughter.

I made up my mind. With artifacts like those equipped, our dungeon clears would be that much faster.

Alright. Let's try her group.

But joining her team proved anything but smooth.

"I'd like to join your team!"

"Could you tell me what bracelet you're wearing?"

"Show us your face at least!"

While I'd been lost in thought, a crowd of every description had swarmed around her—people genuinely hoping to join the team, and others who cared nothing for the expedition and only wanted to feast on what scraps they could.

Hmm… maybe I should just give up on this one.

Too chaotic. I'd find another team.

Just as I turned my head away, she looked in my direction—and our eyes met.

"Are you joining the team?"

Her voice was like jade beads rolling across a marble floor. What a lovely voice.

"Oh—yes."

When I nodded, she accepted me onto the team.

What? Why? Out of all these people, me?

I couldn't fathom the reason, but that was how I came to form a four-person team with her.

"Let's do quick introductions before we head in. I'm Park Changwon, Level 4. See this? It's a spear."

The oldest-looking of the four of us—an uncle whose circular baldness had taken a direct hit, leaving the crown of his head bare. He wagged the long spear in his grip as he spoke.

"…I'm Han Su-yeon. Level 3. Daggers are my main weapon."

The team leader, that woman, introduced herself next.

Oho. Daggers, hm? Her trait must be an agility-based close-combat type. So that's why she wore tights.

"I'm Lee Naksu. I'm also Level 3, and Fireball is my main skill."

A nerdy guy who looked about my age—apparently another magic-class like me.

Ah, my turn now.

"I'm Kim Hajun. Also Level 3, and I use Mana Bolt."

The moment my introduction ended, Park Changwon put on a smile, feigning sympathy as he spoke.

"Oho, Mana Bolt! Isn't that the very bottom-rung skill among magic-class 1-Star spells? I heard it's tough to pull your weight with that one. Ah! Of course, I'm not saying you can't pull your weight, Hajun-ssi. You must be confident to have come to the Goblin Dungeon, so I'm sure you'll manage. They say when your first skill roll comes up Mana Bolt, most people just grind slimes over and over until they get their next skill. Haha."

This bastard… Oh, I'm watching you.

Grinning ear to ear while "accidentally" picking at me on purpose. That's what this looked like.

Look at that upturned corner of his mouth. It's exactly as you suspect—deliberate. What a snake of a man!

Just as Ellaon said. The guy let his lip curl slightly as he glanced my way, needling my nerves.

Is he deranged? Why would anyone act like this toward a total stranger?

"Let's head in, shall we?"

Just as I opened my mouth to respond, Han Su-yeon cut in first.

Fine, fine. Let's see just how well this guy swings that spear of his. Although—he wouldn't actually end up contributing more than me, right?

Fear not. This time I shall assist you actively.

Good. With Ellaon's help, I could outperform that guy with Mana Bolt alone.

And if all else failed, I could always give him a little demonstration of Thunderbolt.

Shaking off my earlier plan to coast lazily through the dungeon, I resolved to run this one for real—and hurled myself into the dungeon's portal.