Chapter 238: The Tutorial Floor (10)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 238: The Tutorial Floor (10)
Ding—
「You have defeated the 139th avatar of the Constellation, ‘Mysterious Beast’.」
「3,000 WP has been awarded.」
「You have acquired ‘Sphinx’s Heart’.」
「Sphinx’s Heart
Classification: Item
Rank: C+
One of the treasures of the desert, used as a crafting material.
※Can be upgraded by combining it with a higher-grade Sphinx’s Heart.」
Splat.
A heart, dripping with blood, fell from the air. The foul stench made me grimace.
This is supposed to be a treasure of the desert...?
A hamster that had been rolling around in a sewer for a few days would probably smell better.
Though I was reluctant, I stored it in my inventory. It might come in handy later.
It'd be even better if I could sell it.
But that wasn't the only notification that appeared after I dealt with the Sphinx.
Ding—
「The trait ‘Demonic Resistance (D-)’ has been created.」
「Demonic Resistance (抗魔力)
Classification: Trait
Rank: D-
Resists things related to the demonic (魔).」
I even got an unexpected bonus.
Well, considering the Desert Curse just now, and how that snake bastard had hurled curses at me last time, it made sense that I’d eventually get a trait like this.
Ding—
[A new curse has been recorded.]
[Desert Curse]
The Curse of Corruption, the Curse of Erosion, the Curse of the Soul, the Curse of Chaos, and now the Desert Curse.
That brought the number of curses recorded in ‘Lelia’s Little Key’ to five.
Of course, just because they were recorded didn't mean I could use them right away. Like any other magic, I had to research them to understand their mechanisms.
That was also the reason I hadn't been learning any new curses.
I was already short on time for my existing magic research and martial arts training, so I didn't have the luxury of delving deep into curse magic as well.
Not that I had completely abandoned it. I still needed a basic understanding if I was going to research them when I had more time.
By the time I finished cleaning up, the Sphinx's corpse had already turned to dust and vanished.
Well, I had expected as much, so I wasn't surprised.
That snake bastard had a part of its Constellation's Star Soul dwelling within it, but this thing was just one of 139 avatars.
The premise was different from the start, so it was only natural the outcome would be different too.
Still, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
Swallowing my disappointment, I focused on the screen that had been blocking half my vision.
「The ‘Dancing Destroyer’ praises your exhilarating swordsmanship.」
「The ‘Dancing Destroyer’ sponsors you 5,000 WP.」
「“Haha! So you’re a practitioner of Buddhist martial arts!”」
「The ‘Saintess of Uruk’ glares at the Dancing Destroyer with displeasure.」
「The ‘Saintess of Uruk’ sponsors you 5,000 WP.」
「“Do not forget. What a man with the qualities of a hero needs is a beautiful goddess.”」
「The ‘Dweller of the Swamp’ is satisfied with the avatar’s death.」
「The ‘Dweller of the Swamp’ sponsors you 5,000 WP.」
「“Kehehe, they must live in the sandpits, because the stench of their blood is foul.”」
The Constellations' reactions were the same as ever, but the amount they sponsored had changed.
15,000 WP at once. Just as I expected, taking down one strong magical beast was better for getting a reaction out of them than killing dozens of low-level ones.
Of course, not all the Constellations were friendly.
「The ‘Eye that Guards the Throne’ is watching you.」
「The ‘Mysterious Beast’ furrows its brow.」
It was no surprise they'd react like that. One had its front yard invaded, and the other had its avatar killed.
Not that I cared.
I'd already made enemies of them. It would be weirder to actually care.
As proof, the system remained silent even when the Sphinx unreasonably tried to kill me.
It was hard to see it as an extension of what happened on the 6th underground floor. Unlike back then, there was a clear audience watching here.
It was more reasonable to assume that the Sphinx's main body, the Mysterious Beast, had paid a price for this.
Otherwise, there was no way a mere avatar could have acted so brazenly.
But no matter how I thought about it, I couldn't understand.
Willing to take a WP penalty just to kill a single human?
The cost was too high for the potential outcome.
Why did it go to such lengths to try and kill me?
The most likely possibility was that it was forced to do so by someone else. If that hypothesis was correct, there was one prime suspect.
The Constellation that had been watching me since the moment I entered the dungeon: the Eye that Guards the Throne.
Horus, the master of this temple.
But I couldn't recall ever making an enemy of a Constellation from that pantheon. I hadn't even been in the Tower that long.
Did he hide some embarrassing past in the inner sanctum of the temple?
Even so, I had no intention of turning back now.
If he really didn't want me to clear the dungeon, he should have sponsored me 100,000 WP and asked nicely. How dare he try to kill me?
That's solicitation of murder, with an added charge for being a complete bastard.
Just as I mentally added the two beasts to my kill list and turned to leave...
“Kang Hyun-woo!”
“Hyun-woo!”
“...?”
Lucifer and Lee Serin were running toward me from a distance.
The moment Lucifer saw me, she closed the distance in a flash. The panic on her face was plain to see.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?!”
“Uh...?”
I was a little surprised by her intense reaction.
She'd never been like this before.
My confusion lasted only a moment before I figured out what must have happened.
The shockwave from the Sphinx's rampage must have reached where they were, and Lucifer, sensing the disturbance, must have grabbed Lee Serin and rushed over.
...I'm actually a little touched.
Seeing her sweating, a smile escaped my lips before I could stop it.
I never thought she'd worry about me this much.
“Me? As you can see, I'm perfectly fine.”
Except for my right arm being torn to shreds, I was fine.
“...And you expect me to believe that?”
Lucifer pouted and poked my arm with her fingertip.
“Ugh...!”
The pain was worse than I expected, and my body reacted instinctively.
I'd thought it was strange that my arm wasn't moving well. It seemed the muscle was torn.
“How on earth did you manage to get so wrecked just from scouting?”
“...I wouldn't say I'm wrecked, would you?”
It wasn't fair. I hadn't been hit once, not when fighting the mummies or the Sphinx.
“You wouldn't?”
Displeased with my answer, Lucifer glared at me with a murderous look in her eyes. Then, before I could react, she hugged my right arm with all her strength.
Naturally, I writhed and screamed in agony.
The pain continued until Lee Serin, who had arrived shortly after, managed to pull her off.
Once things calmed down, I explained the whole story to them—how I'd met the Sphinx, solved its riddle, and how the sore loser had attacked me when it couldn't accept the result.
But contrary to my expectations, when Lucifer heard I had faced a Constellation's avatar alone, she flew into a rage and once again hugged my arm with all her might.
I desperately pleaded with Lee Serin for help, but she completely ignored me.
*
To be honest, a torn muscle would heal quickly if I just performed the Small Heavenly Cycle like before.
But due to the two's strong opposition, I was temporarily removed from combat duty.
To be precise, I was only allowed to cast magic from the rear.
“Hyun-woo, aren't you hungry?”
“A little?”
At my answer, Lee Serin gave a radiant smile—the kind that would make any man go crazy.
She took a small berry from her pouch and brought it to my lips.
“I picked these earlier today. They taste like something between a grape and a strawberry, you know?”
If she picked it in that forest, doesn't that mean it's poisonous?
The suspicion crossed my mind for a second, but with living proof right in front of me, I obediently ate it.
It was less sour than I expected and quite sweet, tasting more like a wild raspberry.
“Don't worry. Lucy told me it's not poisonous.”
“...?”
I was a little surprised.
I thought she didn't like Lee Serin.
“What.”
Lucifer, noticing my gaze, answered curtly.
“Oh, nothing. It just seems like you two have gotten closer.”
Lucifer frowned at my smile. It was an expression I was now quite used to.
She made that face whenever she was in a bad mood, but also when she was embarrassed or shy.
“I can open the door myself, you know.”
“Don't bother.”
The moment Lucifer stepped forward to open the door the Sphinx had been guarding...
Rumble—
The stone door began to open on its own, kicking up a cloud of dust.
「You have cleared the first trial.」
「1,000 WP has been awarded.」
I opened my status window.
「WP Owned: 32,600」
It was a decent amount, but I was still hungry for more.
“Serin, did you get WP too?”
“Ah, yeah. I have a little over five thousand. Do you want it, Hyun-woo?”
“That's a bit...”
Did she take me for a gigolo?
I patted Lee Serin's head and started toward the door. As I did, my eyes met Lucifer's, who was leading the way. She looked very displeased.
But that was all. She didn't approach me or say anything.
...Is she embarrassed because of Lee Serin?
Her tone, her personality—so many things had changed since we first met, but she was still as dishonest with her feelings as ever.
That was part of her charm, though.
Swallowing a laugh, I headed through the doorway.
Contrary to what I expected, the path wasn't complicated. It was just a single, straight path that continued onward.
Mummies occasionally popped out to block our way, but they were nothing more than low-level undead that couldn't overcome their weakness to fire magic.
The smell of burning rotten flesh stung my nose.
I helped Lee Serin, who had a weak stomach, and we continued forward.
After dealing with who knows how many mummies and turning who knows how many corners...
“Oh, over there!”
The second gate finally came into view.
Unlike the first gate, there was no guardian like the Sphinx.
There was only a door at the end of a 500-meter-long straight course.
“It's a trap.”
Detection magic didn't work, so I couldn't pinpoint the exact locations of the traps, but it was so obvious there was no room for doubt.
They could have at least tried to hide the arrow holes in the ceiling.
“What should we do?”
“There are two options.”
Either destroy the traps or run through them.
Of course, the first option was impossible. We couldn't destroy the corridor itself.
By process of elimination, only one option remained.
“I'll carry Serin and run.”
Carrying one woman was something I could do even with one arm. Besides, it was almost healed.
Lee Serin blushed and nodded silently.
It wasn't the first time she'd been in my arms, anyway. I had carried her down when we first entered the dungeon.
Just as we seemed to have reached a conclusion, a third party voiced her opposition.
“I'll carry her.”
Lucifer suddenly appeared, stepping between me and Lee Serin. She looked more serious than ever.
“Are you serious?”
“It's more logical than having an injured person do it.”
“I'm almost healed...”
Crunch. The heel of her shoe pressed down on the top of my foot.
There was no pain, but the psychological pressure was immense.
When I said nothing, Lucifer immediately swept Lee Serin into her arms. Since Lucifer was tall for a woman, they actually looked quite good together.
Lee Serin, however, looked thoroughly displeased.
「The ‘Saintess of Uruk’ munches on popcorn at the love triangle.」
In any case, aside from the little squabble before we started, the second trial ended without incident.
Did it take about three minutes?
「You have cleared the second trial.」
「2,000 WP has been awarded.」
Countless traps shot out from the walls, ceiling, and floor, but that was it. The trial ended without a single trap even grazing our clothes.
After passing the second trial, we decided to spend the night nearby. Pushing forward without knowing the size of the dungeon wasn't a good idea.
While I set up a barrier, the two of them pitched a tent and prepared dinner.
I had initially planned to just eat packed meals, but their opposition shot that down. A wave of anxiety washed over me, but I couldn't overturn a decision made by democratic process all by myself.
And, to my great and unsurprising dismay, both of them were terrible cooks.
...Should I not have given them the sugar?
No, mixing up sugar and salt was one thing, but burning the food was a separate issue entirely.
Crunch.
Is this rice or a rock?
“...How is it?”
“...Just hurry up and eat.”
But faced with their expectant gazes, I couldn't dare to complain.
I silently gave them a thumbs-up.
After that bizarre dinner, it was time for bed.
It was a little early, but considering we had to move at dawn, we needed to get to sleep as soon as possible.
Returning to the tent, I gently rubbed my slightly aching stomach and closed my eyes. It had been an eventful day.
...I'm not going to have an upset stomach tomorrow, am I?
For now, all I could do was hope not.
˙
˙
˙
I don't know how much time passed.
A strange weight on my stomach and a rustling sound made my eyes flutter open.
The moment they did, my eyes met a pair of glowing purple ones.
The heavy silence was broken by a strangely subdued voice.
“You slept well, I see?”