Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Dungeon Investigation
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Balak was focusing on his training again with the help of the other floor bosses.
This time, to resolve the dungeon incident, Balak had appeared in the first room.
Plus, the gods had stepped in to prevent a massive earthquake in the mid-world, putting on quite the spectacle.
Shaaaaaa—!
"Aaahhh! The stars!!!"
"Gods!!!"
Countless divine powers descended from the sky at the dungeon entrance, allowing the priests to reaffirm their faith.
So, what was the natural thought upon witnessing this incident?
"We must investigate this incident immediately!"
"C-Cardinal, please calm down."
"Something is happening inside that dungeon."
"The shockwave was strong enough to crash the sky island inside the dungeon. Yet why didn't that power leak out? What do you think, dwarf sir?"
"We don't know either."
"Urgh... What in the world is going on."
"The portal to the sky island suddenly vanished?!"
"GyaAAAAH!!"
"The spirits!!"
Ignorance breeds fear.
Opinions poured in that the Abyssal Pit needed immediate investigation.
But how could the hero party, knights, various races, and even the great nobles' personally trained subordinates investigate a place where even a single 'oops' could mean death?
In the end, the job had no choice but to go to those certain beings who threw parties in the tavern every day.
"So you're giving this request to us?"
"Yes, yep!"
"Hah, they really have no talent around here."
"If we die doing this, won't the world be in big trouble?"
"Tsk, kids these days..."
"We just wanted to challenge that place at our leisure."
It's a universal truth: when you're trying to study and your parents nag you to do it, you suddenly hate it.
They had just wanted to enjoy the dungeon's content casually.
But the Bunny Squad, who suddenly got saddled with dungeon investigation work, were extremely displeased.
However, shortly after, an imperial edict came down ordering a thorough investigation of the dungeon's interior. With the vested interests—who had so much to protect—begging earnestly, they reluctantly accepted the job.
But due to the Bunny Squad's threat that they would select the investigation members themselves, the vested interests couldn't insert their subordinates into the team, making it impossible to get any of the dungeon's byproducts from the investigation.
And so, for the dungeon investigation, the Bunny Squad went back to the young ones they had planned to bring along.
"No, we'd love to..."
"Captains, are you sure you're okay with this?"
"Eric, Serkan. Right now, you're the only ones we have to go in with us."
"Right now, those vultures are circling us, trying to leech off anyone entering there. What do you think happens if their subordinates join the investigation team?"
"...The investigation would take a backseat."
"Yeah, they'd turn it into a mess fighting over the meat chunks we saved."
Having acted alongside the vested interests for so long, the Bunny Squad knew all too well what would happen—unless it was those eccentric adventurers from their first try whose bonds had lasted.
Of course!
"Please take us too!"
"Y-Yeah! We want to investigate inside to find things like that centaur golem!"
"Just bring in powerhouses from your own races."
"Exactly. Aren't you being a bit too greedy for freebies?"
"We're truly sorry!"
"I know exactly what happens the moment I accept this. I want to live a long life..."
The elves and dwarves were desperate to hitch a ride on the Bunny Squad's bus, which led to them trying to work the Bunny Squad—and even the adventurers.
But with an imperial official staring right at them, their attempts sadly fell through.
If they only brought adventurers, the other vested interests would surely throw a fit.
So, the Bunny Squad had no choice but to add some blatantly fair and impartial members to the investigation team.
"Pleased to meet you! I'm Lowell!"
"No way, to adventure with Hero Lowell... Anyway, I'm Martin."
Thus, the Bunny Squad—who found Serkan and Eric extremely reliable—invited Lowell and Martin, the original party members of those two adventurers, to join the investigation team and accepted no more.
Their second try began.
Afterward, the traps placed in the first room, the Land of Madness, did nothing to harm the Bunny Squad, so they progressed without issue.
The second room, the Iron Labyrinth, had so many of its sentinels cleared by the Bunny Squad that to those who had mastered countermeasures, it was just a maze with shifting paths.
As the Bunny Squad investigated dungeon anomalies all the way to the end of the Iron Labyrinth, they decided to split into two teams to challenge the mid-boss.
"We've got exactly 16 people, so eight each should work."
"Then we'll take Hero Lowell and Serkan."
"Yeah. We'll automatically go with Eric and Priest Martin. By the way, that place ahead is called the Heroes' Graveyard, right? Could you explain that doll again?"
"Think of the doll ahead as a walking weapon rack."
"Weapons, magic, holy power—none of it works. And if you try wheel tactics, a powerful barrier generates around the doll."
"Hmm... So it's a brawler type?"
"A brawler with a body tougher than steel, so we absolutely can't let our guard down."
"But if you hold out for a set time, you can head to the dungeon rest area."
"Hm? Just survive long enough?"
After compiling info on the doll ahead, the team with Hero Lowell challenged the mid-boss first.
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Whoa, amazing!
I can't even see the knight captains or the doll because they're moving so fast!
"Hero Lowell, don't forget our role!"
"Ah, got it, Serkan!"
Serkan's right. While the knight captains are buying time, I need to investigate this room quick!
Claaang!!
Clang!
"Hahaha!!! To think there's another golem-like thing like this!"
"I'm impressed there's talent like you lot. Heroes!"
For some reason, they're so busy cheering each other on they aren't paying attention to us—this is the perfect chance to investigate this small room.
But then the doll, mid-fight with the knight captains, suddenly turned toward us.
It floated into the air, touched something at its waist, and a voice echoed through the entire room.
[ Clock Up ]
"Time accelerates."
Piiiiing!!!
W-What's happening?!
The doll suddenly vanished from the room!
No, something's moving insanely fast inside the room.
As everyone gripped their weapons and scanned around, the doll's voice rang out in the room.
"Heroes! Did you think busing was allowed in this dungeon!"
"No way?! Damn, it's targeting the young ones!!"
"Block it!"
The captains rushed to protect us and tried attacking the moving doll, but it was too fast!
Whoooosh!!!
"Damn!! Too fast!"
"It has a trick like that?!"
"Hmph, basic magic tool. And pay the price for trying to run a bus here."
That's a basic magic tool when it moves that fast?!
The room filled with tension like a river overflowing at the overwhelming ability.
But the fast-moving doll suddenly stopped at one wall.
And—
[ ONE! ]
Something like a short warning sounded, and red light flashed in the doll's eyes as one wall shattered.
[ TWO! ]
The second sound came, and the doll's body flashed repeatedly, creating multiple afterimages like clones.
The afterimages spread everywhere, so precise you couldn't tell which was real, and everyone widened their eyes, holding their breath.
[ THREE! ]
At the third sound, the afterimages merged into one, and the doll raised its leg high toward us in midair.
Crimson-black mana gathered at its toes, blazing fiercely.
As murderous intent filled the room to the brim—
[ Rider Kick ]
Piiiiing!!!
With a sound like air tearing, the doll's leg shot across the room like a black-red lightning bolt, slamming down.
The captains gathered to block it, but it wasn't enough against that power.
Soon, with blazing mana, everything flashed pure white—and those of us who challenged the doll awoke in the church.
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A signal came that someone was challenging the mid-boss, so I paused training and turned on the video magic tool...
This is a total letdown.
I thought they were decent, but to think they'd try busing.
Punishing freebie hunters is justice, after all.
A perfectly fair punishment.
Anyway, I prepared that finisher for the mid-boss precisely for situations like this, so no big deal.
Now, what to do...
I sat in the training room, pondering the current dungeon situation.
With powerhouses like that entering my dungeon, a lot of issues have surfaced.
"The traps not working is the biggest problem."
Honestly, the first room's concept doesn't faze powerhouses like them at all.
Back when I played that hardcore game that inspired the concept—
In the first playthrough, traps make you curse up a storm in certain sections. But on the second? With maxed stats and gear, those same traps aren't threatening anymore—just annoying.
That section is meant to weed out the weak to prevent raids, so it's working as intended...
But them clearing it so easily feels so unsatisfying.
Like that famous game from my past life—after years of dev, they release an RPG, only for Korean gamers to blitz every difficulty so fast the devs felt empty?
And later, powerhouses like that will multiply exponentially, so I need countermeasures.
Shouldn't have just gotten mini-dungeon consulting from Karian?
Running a dungeon everyone loves is seriously tough.
But I won't give up!
So, heroes! I'll keep giving you reasons not to quit the game!