Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Another Path Found Inside the New Dungeon
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Leyzon looked up as he entered the new path discovered within the dungeon.
He sensed a presence ahead.
Clack—.
Then, from beyond the corridor, the sound of something approaching echoed through.
The moment Leyzon shifted his gaze to check it out.
There, something dressed in a maid outfit was walking toward them.
He called it "something" for a reason.
The maid had no face.
And sprouting from her back were four arms.
Clearly, a Phantasmal Beast he'd never seen before.
A chill ran down his spine!
An eerie sensation emanated from the maid.
Before he knew it, Syria had stepped in front of Leyzon.
She aimed a bloodflow spell at the tip of her fingers toward the maid.
"How rude, radiating killing intent like that before even knowing who you're facing."
A murderous aura poured from Syria's eyes.
Soon after, the blood bullets she fired shot toward the maid.
They were so fast that even Leyzon couldn't track them with his eyes.
Yet the maid dodged them with acrobatic flair.
Shing!
Her wrist split open, revealing a blade.
With the blade extended, the maid charged.
She had evaded Syria's blood bullets to close the distance.
But Syria was level 19 in corruption.
She wasn't someone a mere maid could handle.
Kwachik!
A shadow erupted from the floor, skewering the maid in an instant.
It shot up to the ceiling, pinning her there.
The maid's body trembled violently.
Drip, drip—.
A white liquid dripped from her, soaking the floor.
Despite her appearance and the color of her "blood," she looked remarkably human-like.
"This isn't a mid-tier dungeon."
She had dodged Syria's blood bullets.
At this point, it was at least a high-tier dungeon.
Leyzon hurriedly pulled out a scroll to check.
And sure enough, the rating appeared.
'High-tier Dungeon.'
Without Syria, they would've been screaming their way to death here.
'High-tier dungeons require at least 10 ascensions to enter.'
Dungeons had entry requirements based on ascension levels.
The higher the tier, the stricter the ascension threshold—fail it, and you couldn't enter.
Even with an undead like Syria.
That was why Leyzon hadn't ventured into high-tier dungeons before.
But this was a special dungeon.
'The entrance was mid-tier.'
They'd slipped through without being repelled.
Leyzon's eyes slowly lit up.
"Leyzon, what now? Should we head back?"
Leyzon, gazing at Syria, finally spoke.
"Syria, can you protect me and Hanok while we push through this dungeon?"
Syria blinked.
Then she smiled with her eyes.
"I'll protect you no matter what, even if it means throwing myself in harm's way."
Reliable as ever.
"Your safety matters too, so prioritize that. I'll handle my own defenses."
Leyzon turned to Hanok.
"...A high-tier dungeon. I've always wanted to see one."
Hanok's eyes sparkled.
The moment he heard "high-tier dungeon," his motivation surged.
With Syria around, advancing shouldn't be an issue.
Time to trust the undead he'd created himself.
"Syria, bring that maid down."
The maid's limbs were already shattered.
Yet she still twitched faintly—she was clinging to life.
Syria lowered her.
The maid couldn't even move on the floor.
"This is a puppet."
Leyzon recognized the form.
No puppeteer in sight.
It moved on its own volition.
Dressing puppets in maid outfits was some twisted taste, but that didn't matter now.
"Poison Spread."
Leyzon injected poison into the maid.
As a puppet, it wouldn't take much damage.
But this would suffice.
"Hanok."
"Yeah?"
As Leyzon called him over, Hanok approached.
"Smash this thing."
Hanok blinked.
Then he caught on to what Leyzon meant.
The maid puppet was a new Phantasmal Beast from this new dungeon.
Naturally, it carried ascension experience.
Hanok obeyed and struck down the puppet.
In that moment, both felt the influx of experience.
"Leyzon!"
Hanok turned with a shocked face.
"I... I got ascension experience."
Leyzon's eyes widened at his next words.
The experience from that strike had filled Hanok's ascension gauge.
The Sword-Tooth Clan ascended by 2 levels at a time.
Now Hanok could reach 8 ascensions, effectively.
"Hanok, you get what this means now, right?"
"Let's keep going—nonstop!"
Hanok showed fierce determination.
He realized there was no better hunting ground than this.
'Alright, let's go.'
Time for some high-level grinding passed down through generations of Alfie folk.
The half-smashed maid puppet.
"Hya!"
A figure swung a hand axe down on its head.
The wielder was Leyzon, the Poison Necromancer.
He split the maid puppet's head clean in two, then gripped and released the axe.
"Not quite my style."
With recent incidents piling up.
He figured a sub-weapon might come in handy, so he'd given it a test run.
But the feel just wasn't right.
"Guess it's my mage build."
Melee weapons were only for emergencies, it seemed.
People should use their heads, not their bodies, after all.
"...Leyzon, no first-hunt experience this time either."
Meanwhile, Hanok looked glum after smashing the maid puppet.
He'd tried funneling kills through Syria for optimal grinding.
But they were all the same type of Phantasmal Beast.
In other words, grinding only counted meaningfully on the first kill.
Leyzon smacked his lips in disappointment.
'Well, that's how it goes. It's not like dungeons like this haven't existed before.'
Dungeons spawning only one type of Phantasmal Beast weren't unheard of.
Still, they often compensated with generous rewards instead of experience.
Leyzon decided to stop hunting and aim for those instead.
"Syria, smash whatever comes our way from now on."
"Got it! I'll wreck them all!"
Syria charged at the puppets.
In the meantime, Leyzon looked up.
His eyes caught a painting in a frame.
Thanks to those wall paintings, he'd pieced together the dungeon's nature.
They depicted a single castle.
That castle was from the unified empire that predated the current Niflheim Empire.
'Kaltura.'
Paintings of Kaltura Empire landscapes adorned the walls everywhere.
"...So a dungeon from back then only got discovered now."
As Leyzon stroked his chin, Syria tapped the wall.
"Leyzon, it looks like the magic sealing this place wore off, revealing it."
The Kaltura Empire had fallen 10,000 years ago.
No matter how skilled the mage who cast the spell.
After so much time, it was bound to unravel.
'Of course, they probably layered extra traps anticipating that.'
A gamer's instincts had helped spot them.
"So all these Phantasmal Beasts were made to guard this place back then."
"Smells like antiques."
Hanok now wore a convinced expression about the scent's origin.
What could someone from 10,000 years ago have wanted by leaving this behind?
The dungeon was full of mysteries.
At that moment, Hanok's ears twitched.
"Leyzon, more are coming."
Maid puppets swarmed again.
Syria's shadows and bloodflow magic danced through the air, painting it vividly.
The maid puppets couldn't resist her spells and were destroyed.
The level gap with Syria was too vast.
"Leyzon, another fork ahead!"
Syria reported after clearing them all.
True to her word, another split path appeared.
This was already their eleventh fork.
It was practically a maze.
Normally, Leyzon would navigate flawlessly.
But this was his first time here too.
Of course he didn't know the way.
So Leyzon rummaged through his bag and pulled out a jar.
"These'll run out fast at this rate."
Inside the jar fluttered several fluorescent butterflies.
Special gear: Lantern Butterflies.
Excelling at danger detection, they made perfect guides.
They instinctively led to safe paths.
The catch? Once they avoided danger once, their light faded.
They were magical creatures—disposable ones at that.
Crafted by the mage towers for thrifty utility.
'Didn't think I'd need 'em this much when I bought a bunch.'
Who'd have guessed a new dungeon would burn through them like this?
'But hey, better to have prepared.'
This was no time to lament shortages.
His foresight had gotten them this far.
Leyzon thought positively and released a Lantern Butterfly.
It pointed out the safe path.
Following it, they finally reached a different area from the previous corridors.
"Looks like a dining hall?"
At the center of the vast hall stood a massive dining table, with maid puppets at every chair.
Unlike before, these didn't move an inch.
As if waiting for orders.
Paintings hung in frames here and there too.
They all depicted the glorious civilization of the Kaltura Empire.
An odd place.
The lighting was bright, yet.
An inexplicable gloom hung in the air.
'Feels like we've stepped into a haunted house.'
What exactly was this place?
A creepy sensation kept prickling him.
Yet it also sparked his curiosity.
"Leyzon, there's a book here!"
While he pondered, Syria found one.
A single book on one of the chairs.
Leyzon approached and took it from her.
The worn book was the only thing covered in dust.
He brushed off the dust carefully to avoid tearing it, then opened it.
"Hmm."
Leyzon glanced at the text and thought, as expected.
"Can't read it."
It was written in the script of the fallen Kaltura Empire.
Of course he couldn't decipher it.
But Leyzon didn't get discouraged.
Who was he?
A loaded tycoon who'd saved up for a century through auto-hunting!
Money was meant to be spent.
So he invested wherever it made sense.
'You think I carry this top-grade subspatial bag for nothing?'
The unprepared can't cope when trouble hits.
Leyzon had learned that the hard way.
His occasional boldness stemmed from such preparedness.
He knew how to maximize what he had.
That's why he bought as much as he could afford.
He hadn't hoarded info and gear for show.
Leyzon pulled out a magnifying glass.
Language-Decoding Magnifier.
Bought for deciphering ancient texts or unreadable gear.
He'd figured it'd come in handy eventually.
"Leyzon, your bag's got everything."
Hanok eyed the bag in wonder.
"More than you think, Hanok."
"E-even food?"
"Hungry, huh."
Yeah, they'd come a long way.
And this was a dining hall, perfect timing.
Leyzon handed Hanok some jerky.
Hanok wagged his tail as he took it.
To Syria, he gave a vial of Phantasmal Beast blood he'd bought specially.
As the two munched away.
Leyzon tore into his own jerky and began decoding.
The book's contents resembled someone's diary.
'Equality? Saving the world?'
Leyzon blinked at the out-of-left-field words.
Then he flipped to the next page.
The entries skipped months in a flash.
'Research starts, dungeons multiply.'
Curious, but Leyzon turned the page again.
"...What the hell are they making here?"
The Kaltura Empire was a bunch of lunatics unlike any before.