Chapter 61
Chapter 61
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 061
Chapter Title: Dungeon Exploration (4)
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A little while ago. Passage 3.
The passage had collapsed due to the earthquake, splitting up Team 3, which included Han Gyeoul, just like Ryu Tae-hyun's team with Kang Ha-neul. The difference was that while only Kang Ha-neul had been isolated on Ryu Tae-hyun's side, four people were isolated on Han Gyeoul's team.
The silver lining was that one of her companions had earth-manipulating abilities. They could clear the rubble or dig a tunnel. That was the plan, but unfortunately, the ground in the collapse area was too unstable to make it feasible.
Still, they didn't give up. If bypassing the rubble was impossible, they could head to the deepest part and escape through another passage. All four gathered there were top students even among those at Green House. Their ability to cope with crises was on a whole different level from typical twenty-year-old college students.
And so, the four of them, including Han Gyeoul, turned toward the deepest part.
-Clang. Clang.
Soon, they encountered unknown enemies blocking their path.
"Distance: fifty meters. Living Armors. Four of them."
Silver armors with a blue sheen approached slowly from afar. The students halted, staring at them.
There was no sense of crisis in their demeanor. To them, D-Rank monsters like Living Armors posed no threat. These shone without a speck of rust, unlike the previous ones they'd faced, which was a bit unusual, but surely a clean suit of armor didn't make it stronger.
That was what the students thought, but their judgment turned out to be a massive mistake.
"No time to waste. Let's end this in one go."
Han Gyeoul, at the front, unleashed a massive blaze.
-Roar!
Scarlet flames raced down the passage. Like a dragon's maw gaping wide, the fire engulfed the four armors. The intense heat would melt their surfaces and fuse their joints, rendering them immobile in seconds.
Or so they thought.
"Huh?"
When the flames died down and the armors emerged unscathed, the students finally realized something was wrong.
-Thud thud thud thud thud thud!
With heavy echoes, the armors began advancing. Shing! They drew their swords amid sharp metallic rings. Eerie chill and white frost clung to the razor-sharp blades.
'Not ordinary Living Armors.'
Han Gyeoul quickly issued orders to her teammates.
"Ma Seok-do, Kang Seung-hee—you two up front. Yoon Sung-won, use your ability to create barriers so they can't surround us. Make it a narrow chokepoint if possible."
At the same time, scorching flames began compressing in her hands.
"When I give the signal, everyone fall back. This attack will be stronger than before. You two buy time for the flame compression."
"Got it, Gyeoul."
"Don't singe the back of my head."
"...That depends on how well you dodge."
"I'll put up the wall first!"
Yoon Sung-won touched the ground as the armors closed in.
-Rumble!
The floor split, and earthen walls rose on both sides of the passage. In an instant, the dirt walls filled the sides, forming a narrow chokepoint about ten meters long and just wide enough for two people.
At the entrance, Kang Seung-hee and Ma Seok-do braced with mace and gauntlets.
-Clang! Clank!
One armor charged into the tight space toward them.
"Hup!"
"Ha!"
Two silver flashes gleamed. The heavy gauntlet slammed toward the armor's abdomen, while the vicious spiked mace swung to shatter its helmet.
-Clang! Thud!
But the armor's sword deftly parried both strikes.
The coordinated attack foiled in an instant. While the two staggered from the counter, the armor was already winding up for the next. Even with limited movement from the earthen walls, its swordsmanship was artistic perfection.
"Ah."
-Swoosh!
A sharp thrust. Kang Seung-hee's face paled. She barely blocked with her mace, but couldn't halt its momentum. Like being hit by a car, her body flew back into the distance.
"Uwoooo!"
Ma Seok-do charged to fill the gap, guard up. It was instinct, not reason. These foes were clearly exceptional. If they broke through the chokepoint, disaster was inevitable.
-Thud!
He narrowly dodged a slash at his neck and struck the abdomen. His shockwave ability exploded on contact.
A blow that would pulverize most monsters' innards. The armor staggered back a couple steps. But the suspiciously skilled foe used even that retreat as a runway. It lunged, swinging its sword down hard.
-Boom!
He blocked with his fist. Crack! The gauntlet cracked, but his hand inside was fine. His joints ached from the force, but so what?
"Uwaaaah!!!"
Roaring, he grabbed the sword with one hand and rammed his shoulder into the armor. To keep them from breaking through. To buy just a little time.
"Now!"
The moment she shouted, Ma Seok-do bolted back toward Han Gyeoul without looking.
As he vanished, the armors clanged through the dirt walls in pursuit. A chase unfolded through the narrow path between Ma Seok-do and the pack.
"Not yet! Don't fire!"
"Get out already!"
Ten meters was five steps for a superhuman. The instant he burst out, the armors hot on his heels—
"Everyone down!"
A red beam erupted from Han Gyeoul's hand.
-Whoosh!
The compressed flames unleashed in a rush. An explosive surge of fire blasted toward the armors just emerging. Sucked into the narrow chokepoint, the blast hurled their bodies tumbling amid ringing metal.
-KABOOM!
The flames used Yoon Sung-won's chokepoint as a barrel, spewing a massive explosion opposite. His makeshift walls had long crumbled. Searing heat and thick dust rose.
Faint smiles touched the students' lips at the overwhelming sight. Kang Seung-hee, flung far; Ma Seok-do, barely escaping; Yoon Sung-won, weapon ready just in case—all reacted the same.
"...Yoon Sung-won. Dig a hole in the floor. As deep as possible."
But only Han Gyeoul's expression darkened as she commanded.
"A hole? Why a hole all of a sudden—"
"No chatter. Dig fast. We'll use it as a bunker."
"Bunker?"
"Full power this time. Can't fine-tune it, so shield us from my flames with your ability."
Red flames bloomed in her hands, compressing smaller and smaller, just like before. Sensing the ominous aura, Yoon Sung-won asked anxiously.
"Why? We took down the Living Armors—"
"We didn't. And they're no ordinary Living Armors. What D-Rank monster has abilities like that?"
Han Gyeoul nodded toward the opposite side. The three turned. Blue light leaked through the settling dust.
As it cleared, four relatively intact armors stood there. Scorched and melted in spots, but operational.
Faint blue light and ice shards floated around them.
"Wh-what the—"
"Some special ability, probably. They blocked the flames with a huge ice wall the moment it hit. Likely did the same for the first attack."
In this era of magic-like superpowers, monsters had fantastical abilities too. The floating ice adhered to the armors, reinforcing damaged parts.
"See? Hurry and dig the bunker. Our lives depend on your ability."
-Fwoosh!
Flames rose from Han Gyeoul's body unintentionally. The over-compressed fire leaked out despite further compression.
The others paled. They all recalled the same scene.
Han Gyeoul and Ryu Tae-hyun's first ranking match. Her unleashing full power for the first time.
"Hole..."
Kang Seung-hee muttered blankly, staring at Yoon Sung-won.
"D-dig a hole! Deep as you can! Now!"
"Uh, okay!"
"Han Gyeoul, are you insane?! Using that in this tight space?! We'll all burn!"
"Depends on Yoon Sung-won. Three, two—"
"W-wait! Hey!"
"Three!"
"You maniac!!!"
Yoon Sung-won touched the floor as the armors charged simultaneously. The brick floor cracked, forming a deep pit instantly. Blood spurted from his nose from overexertion. But anything shallower couldn't withstand Han Gyeoul's flames.
The three leaped in. Han Gyeoul hooked her foot at the pit's edge, smirked bitterly at the foes ahead.
"...Even that guy dodged this attack instead of blocking."
She dove in.
The next instant—
-KABOOOOOM!!!
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
As Han Gyeoul entered, Yoon Sung-won sealed the pit with his ability. An earth-shaking boom deafened them.
-Rumble rumble rumble!!!!
The labyrinth quaked. Dragon-breath-like ultra-hot flames melted walls, floor, and ceiling into bubbling yellow lava.
"Urgh!!"
Yoon Sung-won groaned at the power. He constantly pulled earth from below to reinforce the bunker as its walls eroded.
'Our lives depend on your ability.'
Han Gyeoul's words flashed. One slip, and they'd drown in falling lava.
"Han Gyeoul, you crazy bitch!!!"
He screamed in rage, but the explosions drowned it.
......How much time passed?
"Huff. Huff. Huff."
When vibrations and booms ceased, silence fell. Yoon Sung-won collapsed. Nosebleed gushed endlessly. Kang Seung-hee staunched it with gauze from the first-aid kit.
"Good work. Rest now."
But he shook his head. He was still maintaining the bunker. If the ceiling gave now, the superheated air would cook them instantly.
"Impressive bunker. Even a dragon's breath might not breach this."
"Hey, Han Gyeoul. What the hell were you thinking? We almost died!"
"If we didn't drop them like that, they'd have killed us all. Retreat's blocked by rubble anyway."
"D-did we get them?"
Han Gyeoul sighed at anxious Kang Seung-hee.
"We'd better have. No options if max power fails."
She was convinced her strike felled them. No D-Rank from a D-Rank dungeon could survive that.
"No way they shrugged it off. D-Rank trash."
"B-but those were different from other Living Armors. The quake too—if something's wrong in the dungeon..."
"We got 'em. Listen—no sounds from above. We'll find them melted in a corner soon."
"Yeah... probably."
Kang Seung-hee sighed in relief at Ma Seok-do and Yoon Sung-won's words.
That instant—
-Crack!
An odd noise from the ceiling. All four heads snapped up.
"What was that? I wasn't imagining?"
"No, I heard it."
"No way they survived that...?"
Tension gripped them. The crack crack continued.
Like digging with a shovel.
Something above clearly sought them below. Fear shook the students. Even Han Gyeoul paled. She had no way to beat foes enduring her max flames.
"I-I'll reinforce the ceiling."
Yoon Sung-won thickened it with his ability. Mere stalling, but all they could do.
That moment—
-...there? Everyone... okay? Inside...!
"...Huh?"
Han Gyeoul gasped at the sudden voice from above.
"P-people? Human voices?"
"Rescue team? But outside's full of heat—how?"
"Humans mean the armors are dead! Right?!"
"No. M-maybe not... They could be luring us..."
Kang Seung-hee's grim guess darkened faces. Talking monsters existed. What if they mimicked voices to draw them out?
Gloomy imaginings spread. Surviving her flames and human intelligence? Shoulders trembled.
"...No. It's people."
Han Gyeoul spoke calmly.
"H-how do you know...?"
"Familiar voice. Real people—so open the lid."
A voice she couldn't forget despite wanting to. They'd met recently, but crossed paths oddly often.
-Rumble.
Yoon Sung-won removed the cover. As expected, the face she anticipated appeared.
"Rescue team! Everyone okay? Any injuries?"
Ahn Su-ho's urgent question. Seeing his Academy Security Force uniform, students sighed in relief.
"Ha."
Han Gyeoul let out a disbelieving laugh.
"You really show up wherever I am."
Yet subtle gladness tinged her curt words.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Huff. Huff. Huff."
Kang Ha-neul panted raggedly, creeping down a side path. Every movement cautious, stifling even footsteps and breaths. But her body trembled uncontrollably.
-Clang...
"!!"
She froze at distant metal. Whenever it rang, she halted everything. Low clangs tickled her ears.
She desperately pinpointed it. Ahead? Behind? Or...
-...Clang...
"...Haa."
Confirming it from beyond the wall, she sighed in relief.
Her body slid down the wall, slumping to the floor. Calming her pounding heart, she peered down the path.
Fourth time already. Stopped four times by metal sounds, luckily avoiding foes each time. But mental wear was inevitable.
Regaining composure, she stood, hand on wall, creeping silently onward.
Cold sweat dripped from her clenched fists.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Exiting the makeshift bunker thanks to Ahn Su-ho, the students beheld Han Gyeoul's devastation.
The uniform brick labyrinth was unrecognizable—walls and ceiling melted away. The floor showed half-cooled, blackened lava.
"How..."
Han Gyeoul sensed oddity. A sealed space at max power should be unbreathably hot. Yet the air was muggy but bearable. The lava surface cooling so fast was weird too.
"How's this possible? The whole passage was ablaze."
Security Force eyes turned to her.
"This is Passage 3. All isolated students here confirmed safe. Status of other passages?"
Ahn Su-ho radioed urgently at the group's focal point. Noticing, he turned.
"What's up?"
"How'd you handle the flames and heat?"
"Pushed them out."
He pointed down the cave. Nearby, thick black smoke billowed, filling the passage. Dense as ink spilled on a landscape.
"Pushed... out?"
"Yes. With my ability."
To enter the flame-filled space, Ahn Su-ho's method was simple and brutal.
Using talismans for max-power Black Smoke, he shoved out the flames and hot air wholesale. The smoke starved oxygen, extinguishing fire and cooling lava. Remaining hot air was physically isolated behind the smoke wall—that black barrier opposite.
Even with talismans, one blast wouldn't suffice. He fired repeatedly. Bodily strain was heavy, but urgency demanded it. Han Gyeoul's safety was life-or-death to him.
"No way that's possible."
"...Insane."
"Whoa..."
Another officer explained, and students gaped at Ahn Su-ho. Even Han Gyeoul.
But he ignored them post-safety check, clutching the radio tensely.
Static crackled soon.
-Static. Passage 1 here! Engaging monsters—not original dungeon ones, seems new dungeon breed! Students secured, but combat blocks retreat! Request immediate support! Over!
-Passage 6: All students secured! Evacuating via side path! Handing off outside, then supporting Passage 1! Over!
Other passages didn't matter. He cared only about Passage 8 with Kang Ha-neul.
-Static static. Uh, Passage 8.
Marco's voice from Passage 8 blared. Ahn Su-ho gripped the radio crushingly.
'Please be safe. Please...!'
-As expected, main path blocked by collapse. Side paths collapsed too—no crossing. Isolated student not found yet. Will detour via adjacent Passage 7. Over.
"Damn it!"
Ahn Su-ho stomped, splashing uncooling lava droplets.
He checked the quest map. Kang Ha-neul had gone north from the blockage toward the core. Red dot moved—alive. Pace suggested not fleeing. He sighed relief.
'No, too early.'
Fine now, but monsters lurked. Original dungeon ones, maybe fine—but A-Rank new dungeon? She'd be defenseless.
'Damn, damn, dammit!'
His face twisted scanning the map. Han Gyeoul survived alone. Should've gone to Kang Ha-neul. Regret twisted his chest.
'To reach 8, via core. 8 blocked—pass. 7 too. Then 6...'
Staring long, he looked up. His black smoke wall caught his eye.
Passage 3—only here, where he stood, led unblocked to the core.
Problem: blocked by a wall of hundred-degree air.
To the core, punch through boiling air.
No superhuman survives that. Even heat-resistant Han Gyeoul lasts under a minute. Diving in was suicide.
'Possible...?'
But only Ahn Su-ho here could do the insane feat.
'Same as Heavenly Ground Dungeon. Constant smoke coating blocks heat. Breathing? Leave air pocket in smoke? Possible? Half-ass it and hot air seeps...'
He bit his lip. He'd blocked his own path, but regrets useless. Fix his own mess.
"...Su-ho."
Jeong A-young called, watching him stare opposite. Worry on her face.
"You're not thinking of going in there, right?"
"..."
"Stop. Suicide."
"...My ability can hold briefly."
"No need for you to go that far. Pass to others. Team Leader handles heat—"
"Too late then."
He turned, face anguished.
"I'd regret if too late."
Regretting already, but if Kang Ha-neul died? Unbearable.
Penalty minor if she died. Yet why obsess over her safety? He couldn't grasp why.
Moral sacrifice? Hero complex? Guilt for not going first?
Unable to abandon a girl who liked him?
Or faint feelings for her?
Unclear, but resolve firm.
"Radio Marco—have him head to core via Passage 3 immediately. Only bypass left."
"..."
"I'm off."
Last words, he dashed at the black wall. Talisman activated; thick smoke enveloped him. Black smoke mass crossed, piercing the wall.
"..."
Han Gyeoul watched his back blankly.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ -Hummm.
Vast plaza. Eight passages in one wall. Glowing blue gate at center.
Similar to entrance plaza at a glance, but this was the core—not entrance. Passages were exits, not entries; plaza hosted the original boss.
The rippling gate wasn't the exit, but a new erosion dungeon gate. Unlike closed ones, erosion dungeons corrupt surroundings from the gate. Beyond: not outside, but the boss monster.
Thus, core resembled entrance deceptively. Ironic.
"Huff. Huff. Huff."
A woman with waist-length black hair appeared in this ironic place.
Kang Ha-neul.
Navigating alone, she was at peak tension and stress. Breathing ragged, heart racing, drenched in cold sweat.
"Ah, aha."
She scanned the plaza, face brightening faintly.
No use denying: Kang Ha-neul mistook this for the dungeon entrance.
Multiple factors: no map; winding side paths to avoid monsters; extreme stress impairing judgment; core plaza mimicking entrance eerily.
"F-found it."
With any leeway, she'd note the passage position opposite the entrance—but class's weakest had none.
Unsuspicious, she headed for the gate and stepped in.
-Whummm.
Resonant hum warped scenery. Barren winter forest appeared. Fate's joke: matched outside perfectly.
"Huh? Where's everyone...?"
No fellow students or guards waiting outside as expected, but exhausted Kang Ha-neul chose forest path inward over exiting. Even rested, she'd avoid re-entering monster-filled dungeon.
-Step. Step.
She advanced slowly. Cool breeze pleasantly cooled sweat. Eerie yet peaceful silence loosened her tension.
'...Huh?'
Resulting calm and reviving reason sparked doubt. But she never suspected deepest-of-cores.
"Huh?"
Full realization five minutes later.
Sudden vast clearing mid-forest; mossy half-ruined white altar center; pure white knight seated on altar steps.
'That armor...'
Something wrong. Kang Ha-neul instinctively stepped back.
-Clang.
The knight, gazing ground endlessly, lifted its head.
"Eek!"
She activated avatar in panic. Acceleration avatar. Hair shifted from long black to blue bob.
Flee. But legs froze. The seated knight's gaze pinned her. Instinct screamed: turn back, and it takes her life.
Unable to flee or fight, she trembled frozen.
The knight finally spoke.
-...Not yet time, yet why wake me.
Its head tilted sideways oddly.
-...Hm? Outlander?
Outlander. Yes—she was intruder from monster's view.
But bluntly asking? Surprising. She figured such intelligence shouldn't appear yet.
-...Strange one. Unlike normal humans, chaotically mixed. Yes, court mage brought such occasionally. 'Hero's qualities to save world' et cetera. Mostly pompous fools who couldn't fight...
Confusion crossed her face. Expecting attack, the monster monologued alone.
'Is it even a monster?'
Armored like Living Armor, but manner and speech human-like. If dungeon monster with that intellect, dialogue possible. Hope flickered.
"Um, excuse me. Could we talk a bit...?"
Maybe no fight needed.