The Dragon's Grave

Tae-hyun stared at Cain with a look of utter, pathetic disappointment. Behind him, Tae-hyun's original companions also looked at Cain with equally pitying eyes. The only ones marveling at him were the Beijing Fighters players!

"As expected...!"

"That's Cain for you. Incredibly sharp!"

Hearing the players whisper in admiration, Cain felt immensely pleased. A deep sense of pride washed over him, as if he had delivered exactly what they expected! Striking his most intellectual pose, Cain spoke.

"Here is how it went down. Do Dong-su probably wanted to log out of the game the moment he saw Kim Tae-hyun. But logging out normally would make him lose face in front of you guys, so he kept looking for an opportunity and finally faked a mistake to commit suicide."

"No way...!"

"That actually makes perfect sense!"

The players nodded in unison. It sounded exactly like something Do Dong-su would do!

"So, if you see Do Dong-su next time, show him some consideration. Don't bring this up, and treat him warmly..."

*Smack!*

Tae-hyun delivered a crisp, satisfying smack to the back of Cain's head.

"?!"

"Cut the nonsense and get ready."

"Huh? Nonsense? Could there possibly be any other reason?"

"...He might have accidentally fallen into a trap, and because the trap was unusual, his skills were disabled, causing him to fall."

At Tae-hyun's words, one of the players protested, finding it hard to believe.

"That's impossible! For that to happen, a Thief ranker of Do Dong-su's caliber would first have to fail to notice a trap right in front of him in a simple, monster-free corridor. Then, he would have to be so careless that he couldn't even react to it. Even if his skills were blocked, he has items, and at the very least, he could have used his base stats to buy some time. Are you saying he couldn't even do that? It makes no sense!"

A barrage of facts that would have made Do Dong-su weep had he been there! The Beijing Fighters players nodded along, agreeing. No matter how they thought about it, the Do Dong-su suicide theory was far more plausible.

Faced with this relentless onslaught of logical facts, even Tae-hyun wavered slightly. Wait, is that actually what happened?

Just then, Lee Da-bi stepped up from behind to anchor him.

"Tae-hyun. You do realize they're talking absolute nonsense, right?"

"O-Of course."

He had almost been swayed. Shaking himself out of it, Tae-hyun spoke up.

"If he were the type to commit suicide out of fear, he would have just run away earlier. He abandoned his own teammates last time; do you really think he wouldn't abandon you guys?"

"Mmm..."

"That's also true..."

Do Dong-su's reputation among the players was truly rock-solid!

"Do Dong-su is only human, so he can make mistakes. That actually makes more sense. Sure, it was an incredibly absurd and stupid mistake, but what can you do? Everyone has those moments."

"But you don't make those kinds of mistakes, do you, Kim Tae-hyun?"

"Yeah. But Do Dong-su isn't me."

Everyone was instantly convinced!

"Here. Hold this." Tae-hyun handed an item to Cain. It was a rope.

Cain let out a deep sigh. Damn it, Do Dong-su! Why did you have to disappear!

With Do Dong-su gone, the person to handle these chores was...

Wait, hold on. Cain looked back. The players were staring at him with envious eyes.

"Do you want to do it?"

"Ah?! Is it really okay? It's such an honor to work alongside Kim Tae-hyun..."

"Oh, it's nothing. Hahaha."

"Cain! Thank you! I will never forget this kindness for as long as I live!"

"...T-That's enough." Cain's conscience was starting to prick him.

Tae-hyun spoke in a flat, uninterested voice. "I don't care who it is, just grab the rope already."

"I've got it!"

"Good. Go down."

"Pardon?"

"I said, go down."

"???"

The player looked down into the trap in a panic. A magical darkness blocked his view, rendering it pitch black.

"W-We're just going down like this?"

"How else do you expect to go down?"

"Uh..."

The players had expected Kim Tae-hyun to use some sophisticated, thoroughly tested method! They were utterly bewildered by this unexpectedly crude approach.

"T-This isn't a joke, right?"

Cain shook his head. "It's not a joke."

"D-Do you really do things like this, Cain?"

"I usually do, yeah."

In an instant, the way they looked at Cain changed. From 'envious' to 'pitying'! Cain, however, didn't notice.

"?"

"Well... here I go then."

Tug—

"Can you see anything? Are your skills working?"

"I can't see a thing... and my skills aren't working either. It says the Dragon's Curse is blocking them!"

"!"

The people above were shocked. Tae-hyun's prediction was spot on.

"So he didn't commit suicide?"

"Did a Thief ranker seriously fall into a trap just because his skills failed? That's a bit..."

"Shh. We agreed to show Do Dong-su some consideration. Watch your mouth."

Tae-hyun turned to the Secret Society members behind him. "You guys are supposed to be managing these ruins, and you didn't even know this trap existed? You should have warned us properly. It's a relief Do Dong-su was the one who fell, but what if it had been me?"

Tae-hyun clearly didn't give a damn about Do Dong-su falling in!

The Secret Society members replied with flustered faces. "Lord Kim Tae-hyun, we had no idea such a trap existed either."

"That is correct. This is the first time we have ever seen this trap."

"...?" Tae-hyun was puzzled. "The first time? What about this corridor?"

"We have passed through here countless times, but this trap has never once activated."

"!"

Tae-hyun was surprised. If that was the case...

Do Dong-su must have met the conditions to trigger it!

The Secret Society members didn't trigger it, but Do Dong-su did. What could the condition be?

The skill restriction down there was called 'Dragon's Curse'? Then is it a dragon-related condition? Since the Secret Society members didn't trigger it but Do Dong-su did, it must mean those friendly with dragons don't trigger the trap, while those with a bad relationship with dragons do.

Tae-hyun quickly deduced the situation. Although he couldn't ask about Do Dong-su's class in detail now that he was gone, it was clear that his titles, class, or quests had put him on bad terms with dragons.

"I see. Do Dong-su triggered it because of his usual bad behavior..."

"To think! Did the great Dragon lay a curse upon him!" The Secret Society members gasped in shock.

"All the dungeons in this vicinity are under the care of the great Dragon. To receive a curse in such a place... he must be an incredibly wicked and evil scoundrel."

"Well, that's true."

"For such a scoundrel to fall into a trap and die! As expected, the great Dragon knows right from wrong!"

"Oh! Long live the Dragon! Long live the Dragon!"

The Secret Society members excitedly gathered around Yong-yong and began chanting praises.

-Master! Get these guys away from me!

-Just stay like that for a bit.

Tae-hyun fell into thought. Seeing this, the players hesitantly spoke up.

"Kim Tae-hyun. It's unfortunate about Do Dong-su, but there's nothing we can do, is there? The rest of us should continue clearing the dungeon."

Losing a party member midway was a common occurrence. They couldn't just give up because of it.

"Ah. I wasn't worrying about that. I was just debating whether we should go down there or not."

"What?!?!"

However, Tae-hyun's dilemma completely surpassed their expectations.

"Kim Tae-hyun! No matter how good-natured you are, you don't need to go that far to save Do Dong-su...!"

"What kind of nonsense is that? I'm going because it's a hidden dungeon."

"Ah. I-I see."

"Huh? Isn't it too dangerous?"

"It's dangerous, which is exactly why we must go."

"?"

"??"

Tae-hyun's way of thinking was fundamentally different from the players'.

Dangerous → High difficulty → High rewards, so we must go!

Dangerous → High difficulty → We might die, so we must avoid it!

What kind of absurdly positive thinking is this?

Is this why Kim Tae-hyun is so strong?

"I usually can't find high-difficulty hidden dungeons even if I look for them, so since one practically presented itself... we absolutely have to go. Besides, I've got reliable bombs—ahem, allies—with me now."

"Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Kim Tae-hyun!!!"

The Beijing Fighters players stared at Tae-hyun with deeply moved expressions. To think he would trust them so much when they had only just met!

"We will follow you to the end!"

"What is there to fear from a death penalty! W-Well, of course it's scary, but we believe in you, Kim Tae-hyun!"

"Great. Then let's go!"

"How do we get down?"

"Huh? We jump, of course."

"......."

"......."

A message window that sent a chill down his spine the moment he entered! He didn't know what the Dragon's Wrath was, but it certainly didn't look good.

His past quests, class, and title—all three had marked Do Dong-su as a prime target for the dragon's hatred right from the start!

-Hey! You're coming to help me, right?

"...I'm doomed."

Do Dong-su realized. He had no choice but to escape on his own. There was absolutely no way the bastards up there were coming to help him.

"Unless Kim Tae-hyun and Cain have gone completely insane, there's no way they'd come down to help... Damn it. I have to solve this myself."

Do Dong-su drew his weapon and activated a skill. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Because it was a pitch-black cave, his field of vision was drastically reduced.

Don't underestimate me, Do Dong-su! I'm a ranker too!

All his previous carelessness and idle thoughts vanished instantly. Tensing up, Do Dong-su began to move forward.

"Whoa... these buffs are insane."

The buffs welcomed him the moment he arrived! Tae-hyun landed lightly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and looked around. It was pitch black, so he was about to use a skill...

"!"

Is this a beginner dungeon?!

The sheer kindness of it left even Tae-hyun flabbergasted! Usually, giving buffs, lighting up the map, and guiding you along were things you only saw in beginner dungeons. Providing all kinds of help and bonuses so beginners could clear it easily...

Of course, there was no way this was a beginner dungeon. It was undoubtedly a high-difficulty dungeon designed to slaughter anyone who had incurred the dragon's wrath, like Do ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Dong-su.

"Oh...! To think the great Dragon created this space in anger! We are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sorry! We are so sorry! We should have done better...!" The Secret Society members fell to their knees and began bowing frantically.

Tae-hyun ignored them and spoke. "Let's leave those guys be and move. But where on earth did Do Dong-su go in the meantime?"

"Could he have died..." one of the players said cautiously.

"But what if he really is dead?"

"Well, the living must go on living, so we should clear the dungeon."

"True."

Overcoming grief in a single second! Listening to their conversation from behind, Cain was horrified. Are these the monsters spawned by capitalism?

"Aaaagh! Ugh! Aaah!"

Do Dong-su was locked in a bloody, desperate struggle. The difficulty was truly insane. If he blinked or made a single mistake, he felt like he would be instantly overwhelmed and killed. How long had it been since he had fought on such a razor's edge!

—Shadow Blade Storm! Consecutive Pulverize! Shadow Surge! *Crunch! Crack!*

Even after defeating the monsters, they unleashed additional skills as a final struggle before dying! A wide-area curse cast over the entire dungeon! On top of that, his skills were being forcibly canceled!

Furthermore, the level of the monsters appearing was staggering. It was Do Dong-su's first time seeing a warning message indicating that a Skeleton Shaman was casting a wide-area spell.

Is this... is this the end!

"Ah, this dungeon's difficulty is absolute garbage. Who designed this?" Tae-hyun grumbled. The dungeon was simply too easy.

Clatter—

Skeletons that collapsed with a single hit! A Skeleton Shaman that failed to cast even the simplest spells!

"Tae-hyun. I heard that monsters made from dragon bones are incredibly powerful, though."

"I know, right? I need to level up my skills..." Tae-hyun felt disappointed, but he didn't miss a single item drop. Dragon bones! Although they were heavily decayed and damaged, they were still a rare material that was incredibly hard to come by.