The Underground City of Nodranche
"Is... is there really something here?" Even Cain, the owner of the land, looked like he couldn't believe it. There was actually something beneath his territory! He had thought it was just a garbage dump of a fief...!
"L-luck is finally on my side, right? Right???"
"Cain, honestly, if we're talking about luck, I think you might be the luckiest person in Pan-On..."
Who else is as lucky as you!
"Hey, Cain's crying. Stop it." Choi Sang-yun stopped Jeong Su-hyeok. It was true, but Cain was literally tearing up!
"First, we need to check what kind of ruins they are."
"If there's a decent dungeon, won't people flock here just for that?" Cain was already burning with dreams of development.
In Pan-On, a single decent dungeon was enough to draw a massive crowd! Just look at The Valley. Once the portal to the Demon Realm opened, the number of players coming and going multiplied dozens of times over.
"Well, that's true."
"I knew it...! I'm finally going to have a respectable lord's title! A lord's title I can actually brag about to others!"
If he said, "I am the Lord of Nodranche," at a gathering of lords, he would be laughed out of the room! While others exchanged pleasantries like, "I am the Lord of Pinelle," and "Oh, that port city...! You possess a wonderful place!" his territory's name was perfect for freezing the atmosphere instantly.
"No, Cain. I'm telling you, check what's inside first before you celebrate."
"My era is coming! My era is here!"
What is he going to do if some weird monster pops out? Tae-hyun stopped talking and led the party forward.
Up above, the giant beast was still raging from hunger. There was no point in lingering nearby. To that thing, they would probably look like a buy-one-get-one-free lunch box!
By the way, can't we capture that beast and put it in a zoo?
Carbanog asks if you have lost your mind.
Hey, that's a bit harsh.
Carbanog firmly states that it is not harsh at all.
The zoo would be completely demolished!
"Pant, pant. It's not chasing us, right?"
"We retreated safely!"
Upon entering the temporary fortress, the pioneer players let out sighs of relief. Though it fell short of a proper fortress, nothing felt more reassuring than this right now.
"Why isn't Cain back yet?"
"...D-did he really die?"
They had abandoned him and run, but now that he wasn't showing up, it felt ominous in its own way!
"We can do without Cain, but we need Kim Tae-hyun..."
"Kim Tae-hyun's party has incredible combat power."
"Did you see Kim Tae-hyun earlier? He was taking it on alone. That's not a monster you can solo."
The players suddenly looked at each other. And they thought:
...Can I really trust these guys?
Wow. There is absolutely zero trust here.
How could the difference be so vast with and without a single person, Kim Tae-hyun? When Kim Tae-hyun was around, the expedition felt incredibly strong. A party of diverse high-level players capable of anything! But without him, they felt like nothing more than a selfish, disorganized rabble.
Should I run?
We don't know when Kim Tae-hyun will return... and waiting while relying on these bastards is terrifying. Can this fortress even completely block those bear warriors?
"Ahem. I'll go do some scouting."
"W-wait, that's off the path—"
"?"
Boom! Crash!
"...!!!"
Indeed. Except for the narrow path they had just fled through, the entire surrounding area was a minefield of traps!
"What the hell...! Just how many traps did he set up?!"
Since Tae-hyun couldn't bring the Archisus Artillery, he had brought a ridiculous amount of bombs instead! The result was this very forest.
...Wait a minute. Then there's nowhere to run?
"Rwaaaaah! You bastards who set these damn traps! I'll kill you all!"
Right on cue, the Ancient Bear Warriors came charging down the narrow path!
The HP of the Ancient Bear Warriors has fallen below 50%. They can now use their skills.
They are transforming into bears!
The Ancient Bear Warriors were terrifying enough as they were, but when they transformed into their bear forms, the players panicked.
"Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!"
"C-can't we just run?"
"You crazy bastard! Cain isn't even here, who's going to block them for us?! Do you want us all to die?!"
"Yeah! Let's fight together!"
A quick-witted player said that and tried to slip away to the back. But the other players weren't fools either.
Shring—
"Hey, buddy, where do you think you're going? You're a melee dealer, your weapon won't even reach from back there!"
"N-no, wait. I was just checking my weapon."
"If anyone backs out, you're dead! I have absolutely no intention of dying alone! Who do you think I am, Cain?!"
"If anyone falls back, we're taking you down with us!"
The pioneer players here knew each other all too well. They knew that if there was even a sliver of an opening, they would bolt! Because they had zero mutual trust, they kept each other in check surprisingly well.
"Fight, you bastard!"
"Don't push me, you piece of trash! Your HP is higher than mine!"
"Are you going to use your new gear to make soup?!"
"Use the traps! Push them into the traps! They're too sturdy to damage normally!"
"Inflict confusion! We need to curse them first if we want to last!"
When cornered, people always find a way to make do. Tae-hyun was right. With this many high-level players, even if they wanted to collapse easily, they wouldn't! All he had to do was eliminate their escape routes.
Did that bastard Kim Tae-hyun leave us here on purpose, anticipating this?! The players suddenly felt a chill run down their spines. Just how many steps ahead had he planned?!
Thud— Thud—
Feeling the distant tremors of the earth, Tae-hyun's party descended into the underground.
It's wider than I thought! Map sizes varied wildly, but Tae-hyun possessed an intuition born of experience. This scale felt like it occupied almost the entire island!
If... if it's on this scale, this might actually be a massive jackpot...? Tae-hyun didn't like making a fuss. That was why he had tried to hold Cain back when he was shouting about "reversing his life!" But right now, he truly felt the signs of a massive jackpot.
"I'll turn on the lights." Lee Da-bi's voice trembled slightly. She was also someone who couldn't possibly fail to recognize the signs of a jackpot!
"Yong-yong. Light it up, please."
"Understood, Master."
Yong-yong immediately cast his magic. Glowing spheres materialized, illuminating their surroundings.
You have discovered the forgotten city of the Ancient Empire, the Underground City of Nodranche!
This will attract significant interest from NPCs interested in the history of the Ancient Empire!
Your Reputation has increased significantly!
Your knowledge of the Ancient Empire has increased!
An entire city was actually here! Though it bore heavy signs of ruin and decay, it was undoubtedly a city.
"Tae... Tae-hyun..."
"What's wrong?!" Tae-hyun was startled when Lee Da-bi suddenly sank to the ground.
"My legs are shaking because I realized how massive of a jackpot this is..."
"I understand. Take my hand."
"What?"
"Take my hand."
Tae-hyun grabbed Lee Da-bi's hand and pulled her up. When people encountered a true jackpot, it was only natural for their legs to give out. Lee Da-bi stood up, her face flushed red.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah, yes."
"Should I hold it a bit longer?"
"Ah, yes."
Watching them, Cain was filled with admiration. Oh...! That looks so cool somehow...!I-I should try that later. Cain diligently jotted it down in his notes.
—First, go to a dark map and make the other person trip.
...Isn't there something wrong with that? Watching from the side, Jeong Su-hyeok looked bewildered. Was Cain taking notes on assassination tips?
Choi Sang-yun looked at Yu Ji-soo and asked cautiously, "Are you okay?"
"? Oh. I'm fine."
She had known for a long time that the relationship between Lee Da-bi and Tae-hyun was unusual. She wasn't going to be surprised by it now.
"It's just a bit annoying to see them do that in front of others... Oops."
"...?!?!"
"I mean, it's a bit irritating. Hehe."
"R-right. Sorry for asking."
It was good that she had sorted out her feelings and felt lighter, but she seemed to be taking after Tae-hyun in the strangest ways. There was absolutely nothing good about resembling him!
You have discovered the Ancient Workshop.
Just because it is ancient does not mean it possesses great technology. Your Blacksmithing Skill is currently too high, so there is nothing to learn.
...Are you mocking me? With a sour expression, Tae-hyun inspected the buildings one by one.
Since an entire city was underground, he wanted to see if they could use these facilities as they were. Building a territory from scratch was a monumental task. Just looking at The Valley gave him the answer! It required pouring in insane amounts of gold over and over just to make it look habitable, and he had no idea how long Nodranche would take. But if they could utilize what was already here, it would be much easier.
"H-how is it? Does it look good? It looks good, right? It's definitely good, right?" Cain asked, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Tae-hyun shook his head. "We still need to look around more."
"D-don't tell me... it's a bust...?"
"Just having a city of this scale intact is a jackpot. Do you have any idea how hard it is to build something like this?"
"Well, that's true, but..."
Still, Cain couldn't let go of his lingering hopes. Since it was an ancient city, he was expecting some special building that didn't exist in other cities. True, if there is something like that, it really would be a jackpot.
An undead presence appears!
"Prepare for battle."
"Okay."
The moment Tae-hyun spoke, the party immediately began casting buffs. Fighting inside a city made it harder to react. Unlike a wide-open plain, there were many surrounding buildings they had to watch out for.
"!"
From an alleyway beside the city's main street, an undead monster dressed in luxurious attire emerged. Wraith-type monsters were usually weak, but that depended on the individual. As long as their level was high, even a wraith could be a terrifying foe.
"Are you... are you intruders?"
"...?" Intruders? Tae-hyun paused at the unexpected question.
"Aren't we intruders?"
"Shut up, dude."
"Aren't we technically not intruders? We came here as the lord."
"Oh. Right, I'm the lord."
A lord who only realized he was the lord when someone pointed it out!
"...??" Even the undead looked bewildered.
"Ignore him. We are not intruders. We have come here by rightful authority."
"What rightful authority do you speak of?"
"The authority over this territory, granted by the King of the Erangs Kingdom."
"Where is this Erangs Kingdom?"
"It is a kingdom located on the Central Continent." As he spoke, Tae-hyun prepared to fight immediately if the opponent attacked. If words failed, they would fight!
Your Supreme Eloquence skill is active.
Your Reputation is extremely high!
You currently hold a status equivalent to a King. The target believes your words.
"The Empire? What became of the Empire?"
"The Asbian Empire?"
"Not those barbarians living on the sand dunes!"
...If Lee Se-yeon heard that, she'd be clutching the back of her neck in outrage!
"Our Empire."
"I think he means the Ancient Empire...?"
"The Ancient Empire fell."
"As expected... so it has fallen. Seeing unheard-of upstarts like the Erangs Kingdom, I figured as much..."
The Wraith is deeply disappointed.
The people of the Erangs Kingdom would absolutely love to hear that!
"Then, do you have nothing to do with those beastmen from the north?"
"Nothing. In fact, we are currently fighting them."
"Excellent. You may roam inside."
Entry to the city has been permitted.
Flash—
The moment those words were spoken, dozens of soldier wraiths poured out from the walls and departed. They had been lying in wait to attack if a fight broke out!
They had us surrounded?! To think they had surrounded them without making a single sound. It had been so quiet that he thought nothing was there, but he was wrong. Then again, it would have been harder to believe if a city of this scale had absolutely no enemies in it...