Labyrinth Dungeon? (1)
There had been some teasing from the losers who had barely held out in the lodging, but no one in Do-hyeon’s party was bothered by it. Everyone simply ignored it.
Anyway, as they made their way back to the lodging and prepared to rest, Lee Hae-in approached and spoke to Do-hyeon’s party first.
“From today’s performance, it seems our party doesn’t need to stick together anymore. If you’re free tomorrow, feel free to go your own way.”
“Oh! Yes, of course!”
Do-hyeon happily agreed without hesitation, Hana Rin’s expression softened a little, and even Ji Yu-chan looked that way too. Lee Hae-in’s face fell for a moment, but she thought that with these kinds of people, it was perfectly reasonable.
Her own party had always been safety-oriented, so it had felt suffocating, and it just didn’t mesh with Do-hyeon’s party.
The contrast in personalities was too stark with the cool, straightforward approach of his party.
Anyway, after saying that, Lee Hae-in pulled an old scroll from her pocket. The moment Do-hyeon saw it, he immediately realized what it was.
Analyzing 『Map of the 53rd Shaft Surroundings』.
[『Map of the 53rd Shaft Surroundings』 is being analyzed.]
『Map of the 53rd Shaft Surroundings』
▶ “The map of the area around the 53rd Shaft is drawn quite in detail.”
▶ “It is a recording-type map that automatically records the passages the owner has traversed.”
‘Oh?!’
It wasn’t just a map; it was clearly an item.
The instant Do-hyeon saw it, he knew. Lee Hae-in looked at the scroll with certainty. It was an item she herself didn’t know well because she hadn’t come to the D-class zone directly, yet Do-hyeon had identified it immediately. That proved he was sharp with information.
So Lee Hae-in said, feeling certain he was a spy.
“Although you know what kind of item this is, let me explain a little. It is a map that automatically records the passages the owner has traversed. It only records around the 53rd Shaft, so the scope is small, but it will still be useful.”
“Ah, thank you. You gave us a quite rare map.”
“Haha, our party has one more like this because Jin-hyun had an extra, so I’m giving you the leftover one.”
Lee Hae-in spoke with unexpected cheer.
It almost looked like a bribe, so when she saw Lee Hae-in’s slightly trembling eyes, Do-hyeon just nodded with a smile, completely unaware of her intentions.
“Then I’ll accept it gratefully. I’ll make good use of this.”
“Yes. Then we’ll go rest too. Thank you for your hard work today.”
“Thank you.”
“We hunted really well because of you.”
“See you next time.”
“You were amazing.”
After the party split from Lee Hae-in at the lodging, Do-hyeon placed the map into his magic pouch with a satisfied look.
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan watched Lee Hae-in’s party with some vague unease.
It wasn’t bad or suspicious exactly, but when Hana Rin looked at Lee Hae-in, she tilted her head.
“It feels like she’s giving a bribe or something?”
“Hmm, I had a similar thought.”
“A bribe?”
But Do-hyeon couldn’t help but tilt his head at the words.
With just the three of them now, he asked curiously.
“What good does it do to show me kindness? Hae-in’s party is also affiliated with the Association anyway, so there’s no harm in that, right? Moreover, Hae-in’s party is basically seniors.”
“Huuu, that’s true, but……”
“There’s something a little strange about it.”
“You two are too sensitive, aren’t you? But if it’s a bribe, later we can just help them out.”
“……” “……”
When Do-hyeon said both were too sensitive, neither Hana Rin nor Ji Yu-chan could reply. After all, it was true, and they had some sensitivity in that regard.
If it was a bribe, helping them later would be enough. They would obviously refuse anything difficult, but they could probably handle something minor.
Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan nodded in understanding at Do-hyeon’s words.
With an elf around, they had become too sensitive.
After the two said nothing more, Do-hyeon returned to the room, quickly packed his clothes, and shouted.
“I’m going to shower first!”
Based on memories of living with his younger sister at home, he claimed the bathroom first.
The faster, the better with these things.
Do-hyeon rushed in that way.
Since it was a labyrinth, there was a lot of dust and stale air, so Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan, who wanted to shower quickly, were startled.
Especially Ji Yu-chan, who was the front-line swordsman, had no choice but to be splashed with blood, so he was quite displeased right now.
Hana Rin was also covered in dust and tiny spiderwebs from casting spells, making the situation quite unpleasant.
“Ah! W-wait, me first!”
“Yeah, I go first.”
Hana Rin’s words were ruthlessly rejected, and the moment Do-hyeon entered first, Ji Yu-chan asked as if trying to persuade him.
“H-how can we shower together……”
“Yeah, it’s too narrow~.”
Do-hyeon spoke like a busybody and slammed the bathroom door shut quickly.
The two staring blankly at the closed door stood quietly in the room. Only then did Hana Rin smell the monster secretions and blood scent coming from Ji Yu-chan’s body and wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“…… Yu-chan oppa, how about you step out for a bit?”
Although it hurt a little, Ji Yu-chan knew that if the stench remained in the room, it would be unpleasant on its own, so he answered while lowering his head.
“…… Understood.”
With those words, Ji Yu-chan left in a shuffle, and Hana Rin shook off the dust clinging to her clothes, then took the chance to pack her belongings.
Sharing a room with the opposite gender was new, but it felt oddly exciting, like living in a guesthouse or boarding house.
As Hana Rin was preparing her clothes, she suddenly noticed the cute character pajamas she had bought and hesitated for a moment.
“……”
She had already seen Do-hyeon’s character pajamas before, so it didn’t matter, but why?
Hana Rin placed the pajamas deep in her carry bag and pulled out a T-shirt and shorts from her more comfortable everyday clothes instead.
She thought she had well packed everything just in case, then hid her underwear among the clothes and stacked them when suddenly—
“The next person, shower.”“LT__/p>
“Next person, shower.”
Do-hyeon came out faster than expected and startled her. Hana Rin hurriedly closed her carry bag, and Do-hyeon looked around and asked her.
“Hm? Where’s Yu-chan?”
Hana Rin glanced at his slightly wet appearance and quickly looked away to answer.
“Ah, the smell was too strong, so I sent him out.”
“Too strong, huh? That’s the way it is. Then go shower.”
“Yes.”
Hana Rin gathered her clothes and rushed into the bathroom. Ji Yu-chan, hearing Do-hyeon’s words late, opened the door and entered.
“I, I smell……”
“You’re here? I went in first.”
“……Haa.”
Hana Rin, who looked like she would take a long time no matter who watched, had wanted to shower first, but Ji Yu-chan lowered his head deeply because he was late.
Looking at that Ji Yu-chan, Do-hyeon frowned as if he smelled something and said,
“I’ll tell Hana Rin when she comes out. Go on.”
“…… Understood.”
Ji Yu-chan was chased out again and left in a shuffle, and Do-hyeon smiled happily to himself. He lay on the bed he had claimed, pulled out the novel he had brought to read when bored, and opened the magic pouch.
It was a slightly ordinary daily life, but Do-hyeon smiled contentedly. The first night in the D-class zone had passed that way.
***
The second day in the D-class zone was much smoother than the first.
With the map and the amazing navigation from Analysis, there was no hesitation left for Do-hyeon’s party.
While sweeping through the labyrinth goblins, they cleared everything in an instant. Do-hyeon looked at Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan and asked,
“The D-class zone really is tough.”
“……?”
“The person who just swept away ten goblins by himself shouldn’t be saying that?”
Hana Rin nodded at Ji Yu-chan’s point, and Do-hyeon looked at them with an exasperated expression.
Then he said,
“Even if I hadn’t thought of the goblins as annoying, without Will Magic or Gold Sword style, it would have been pretty tough?”
“Ah. That’s true.”
“Hmm, the leather has quite a resistance feeling from the start.”
As Ji Yu-chan said, unlike E-class, D-class monsters had developed resistance to mana and their bodies became much tougher, so they showed an unexpectedly tough vitality.
Moreover, not only tough vitality but strength too that exceeded E-class by far. That was what he said.
Even for weak goblins, they usually roamed in groups of seven to ten, and sometimes more than fifteen. The solo monsters were much stronger, so Do-hyeon was right.
However, the context of his next words felt a bit off.
“Still, the first floor seems to have adapted. Shall we move on to the second floor slowly?”
“……” “……”
Do-hyeon’s attitude had flipped like the palm of his hand, but it wasn’t like a day or two.
Both of them shook their heads and sighed in response.
“Sigh, you don’t have to say it that way. I’ll go down to the second floor too. Actually, the adaptation was already over yesterday.”
“I’m in agreement too. It looks like it’s hard to grow here.”
Either way, both Hana Rin and Ji Yu-chan agreed with Do-hyeon’s words.
The hunt had gone smoothly, but something still felt lacking, so they both consented, and Do-hyeon nodded contentedly.
Honestly, he was tired of hunting here, so Do-hyeon guided the way satisfiedly.
“Well, follow me well, everyone.”
He led them, and they soon found the stairs down to the second floor. The navigation performance of Analysis really was top-tier.
While moving, Do-hyeon had left the unnecessary map to Hana Rin to learn the Find Path skill with it. She said with a strange expression,
“Hm? There’s a door over there that isn’t on the map leading down?”
“Eh?”
“It’s real.”
Do-hyeon and Ji Yu-chan reacted to Hana Rin’s words, and they all looked at the newly appeared door with wonder, realizing it was oddly familiar in some way.
The pitch-black door looked like the Black Gate, so they were puzzled when Do-hyeon’s eyes alone showed information.
Analyzing 『Distorted Fragment of the Black Gate』.
[『Distorted Fragment of the Black Gate』 is being analyzed.]
『Distorted Fragment of the Black Gate』
▶ “A fragment of the Black Gate born from the birth of the Black Gate, distorted by influence.”
▶ “Inside, it is a new crack due to the distorted fragment; entry is possible.”
▶ “Placing your hand on it allows entry for the party.”
▶ “If all distorted things inside are corrected after entry, the fragment is removed and rewards are obtained.”
▶ “Only one party can enter at the same time.”
Do-hyeon showed the two and said,
“A dungeon entrance?”