Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Ameris's Night
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'Where...?'
Consciousness was hazy.
I looked around, but fog shrouded everything, making it impossible to see clearly.
'Looks like a cathedral...'
But it was different from any ordinary cathedral.
Whatever it was, it had to be a place dedicated to some divine, god-like being.
I stood there dazed for a while when, without realizing it, my gaze drifted on its own.
"What the hell is that...?"
A pack of ghouls was ravenously tearing into flesh, smearing themselves in blood.
"A little girl...?"
The cathedral interior filled with the piercing screams unique to a young girl.
And soon, those screams faded into the distance.
It was a brutal scene too horrific to watch with eyes wide open.
Then, a voice emerged from amid the ghouls.
"I want to live."
At that sound, nausea churned in my gut without warning.
"Haa... haa..."
I wiped the cold sweat dripping from my forehead with my sleeve.
What kind of bullshit dream was this first thing in the morning?
It was making me nauseous just thinking about ghouls.
No, ghouls were disgusting to begin with.
I'd done my best to manage my condition during training.
But having nightmares like this meant it wasn't enough.
Suddenly, a clutching sensation gripped my chest.
"Wh-what?"
I looked down at where the pain throbbed.
But there was nothing visible.
'Just my imagination?'
As I tried to brush it off, my eyes caught the necklace stored in my coat's inner pocket.
It was in its usual beautiful form.
But for some reason, it felt off.
"That's weird."
As I fiddled with the necklace, Baek A-rin approached and asked,
"You're awake. You looked tired and sleepy, so I didn't wake you."
"Thanks."
She must have been considerate.
Looking up at the sky, it was already growing dark.
'Night of day three.'
The cathedral was still quite a distance away.
But we'd gained enough of a lead on Lee Seong-hyeon to claim victory in this race.
Plus, we'd reached closer to the goal than expected.
No one else should be around here except us.
'Well, except maybe Hwa-yeon.'
Just in case, I'd tipped off Yu Nara.
If she listened, Hwa-yeon should be heading to the cathedral by now too.
As I pondered what came next, Erina walked toward me.
"Oh, Si-woo, you're awa..."
Before Erina could finish, an inexplicable roar echoed.
"Wh-what is this?!"
It shook like an earthquake.
And with it, massive walls rose, blocking every direction.
"Erina, Baek A-rin! Get over here!"
The two, flustered, ran toward my voice.
"Wh-what's going on, Kim Si-woo?!"
"No idea. Just don't get separated."
"G-got it!"
With a massive rumble, the walls bursting from the ground soon sealed off the sky completely.
"Kim Si-woo, you there?"
"Y-yeah, I can't see a thing!"
"Don't let go no matter what."
"I won't, even if you don't say it!"
It was clear.
Ameris's Night had begun.
'Skillbook.'
I recited it in my mind.
A familiar blue panel appeared before my eyes.
A few swipes of my finger brought up the text.
[Tutorial: Ameri /
'The tutorial's the same.'
The tutorial still looked torn and ragged.
Nothing had changed.
At least that meant the tutorial itself wasn't part of Ameris's Night.
'Guess you can't get something for nothing.'
Even with Ameris, I probably had to see her with my own eyes.
Either way, I had to stop Lee Seong-hyeon from getting Ameris's heart.
That would be a disaster.
So, three options.
First: Persuade Ameris.
Convince her not to die before she hands her heart to Lee Seong-hyeon.
Ameris wanted death.
So, make her believe I could give her that.
For me, just preventing her death at his hands was enough.
'Not a lie, either.'
I actually knew how to kill her.
Unlike Lee Seong-hyeon, it would just be harder here.
Second: Fulfill Ameris's wish myself. Kill her with my own hands.
Not sure if possible, but a last resort if persuasion failed.
And third.
The least feasible.
Find and kill Lee Seong-hyeon right now.
I'd be the corpse in that scenario.
No need to think.
Discard the third, and I had to find Ameris first.
'Good thing we're close to her now.'
As I mulled it over, a chilling sensation crept in.
"Wh-what?"
"Si-woo, something's wrong! It's shaking!"
A massive roar accompanied a blinding light that forced our eyes shut.
"Agh!"
"M-my eyes! My eyes are burning!"
"Damn it, my eyes...!"
Sudden light, like broad daylight.
We covered our eyes with both hands. After a while,
an odd feeling surrounded us.
"People's voices...?"
Opening my eyes, the surroundings had transformed into an unbelievable scene.
"This is... a village."
It had definitely been night moments ago.
Now, the sun hung overhead.
Cicadas chirped, a sound we hadn't heard on the way.
Elders rested in chairs, children laughed and ran about.
Some lined up at a shop for ice cream.
Baek A-rin said in astonishment,
"This is reality, right?"
Erina poked a nearby person, then shrieked in horror.
"Th-this is real!"
Stunned by the absurdity, Erina's voice snapped me alert.
"Calm down. Probably an illusion."
"But I can touch it!"
A thousand-year vampire's dungeon.
Even illusions could feel real.
Yeah, that made sense.
As I nodded, convincing myself, huge letters appeared before us.
Dungeon Clear Condition – Chase the girl.
"Wh-what is this?!"
"I see it too. Did you do this, Kim Si-woo?"
"No way."
I'd been waiting for it.
This was the clear condition for the internal dungeon of Ameris's Night.
We had to complete it to proceed to the next.
'Feels like some tower-climbing story.'
The clear condition stood out.
In the original story I remembered, there was no dungeon described like this.
Or maybe not.
Lee Seong-hyeon's first action upon being trapped in Ameris's Night?
Kill everything around him first.
I'd assumed it meant dungeon monsters when reading.
But reconsidering now sent chills down my spine.
'No way.'
Shaking off the grim thought, I scanned the area.
"The girl..."
No clue whatsoever.
A girl. No specifics on who.
As I rubbed my chin in thought, Erina pointed somewhere and shouted,
"Si-woo! That kid's being chased!"
Turning to where she pointed, a child fled clutching bread.
"Damn it, I didn't steal it!"
My eyes locked on the necklace around her neck.
Instinct told me.
That's her.
"Erina, Baek A-rin. Let's run!"
For safety, Kim Do-hoon Hunter had briefly entered the ghoul field.
He witnessed a phenomenon beyond shock—something awe-inspiring.
No time to marvel; he rushed back to the command tent.
Before him unfolded chaos.
Measuring devices spewed errors on screens; the tent filled with beeps.
Kim Do-hoon Hunter asked in confusion,
"What the hell happened?"
At his voice, a staff member replied in a trembling tone.
"A d-dungeon appeared."
"A dungeon? What does that even mean?"
As Kim Do-hoon shouted, the female superior, biting her nails in the corner, approached.
"Th-this isn't your concern."
"What? Explain properly..."
"Seriously! Who are you to boss me around?!"
At her poor judgment, Kim Do-hoon let go of his last thread of patience.
Pointing outside, he yelled,
"Can't you see that?! It's visible from here! You better explain exactly what happened!"
Veins bulging as he shouted.
The superior flinched in surprise.
She bit her lip, speechless.
Frustrated, Kim Do-hoon asked her subordinate again.
"Tell me in detail what happened. From now on, hide nothing from me."
To his cold voice, the subordinate replied shakily.
"An A-rank dungeon appeared in the middle of the ghoul field. That's the minimum we detected; upper limit unknown. Possibly quasi-S-rank..."
At "quasi-S-rank," Kim Do-hoon swallowed dryly.
"Any students caught in it?"
"Inferno, Hwa-yeon, Predator, and Black Unit. Four teams total. And Professor Kang Geom-seon too..."