Chapter 33
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: The Missing Mint Soboro Bread (3)
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Lush forest. The ground was thick with grass, and not a single human path could be seen.
A rectangular concrete structure, thickly coated in dark green moss that spoke of years gone by, stood there. Inside it, murky water floated with all sorts of weeds.
'Hmm.'
Some kind of abandoned fish farm, maybe?
I couldn't tell exactly what it was, but it clearly hadn't been in use for a very long time.
And beneath that water's surface churned an unstable dungeon portal.
"......"
Danyang was already sparsely populated, and a dungeon buried under muddy water in such a remote spot? No wonder it hadn't been detected.
I recalled hearing that most normal break incidents like the last one happened in cases just like this.
'Should I just report the location now?'
But the situation was urgent, and it would take considerable time to mobilize personnel all the way out here.
Wouldn't it be better if I, the great ruler of Bucheon City, just flexed a bit more power and resolved this myself?
I didn't want to hand it off to others only for something to go wrong and leave me with a bad taste. So, I created a few mini dark clouds and prepared to send them straight into the dungeon.
Whoosh!
Float.
Float.
Ting.
"......?"
I pushed the dark clouds down under the surface, but they couldn't cross the dungeon entrance. They just hovered there aimlessly.
Oh, right. I remembered hearing that interfering with a dungeon's interior from the outside was no easy feat.
Of course, if it were that simple, summoner-type classes would skyrocket to tier 1.
'Hmm.'
I got it, but honestly, it still felt kinda frustrating.
I'm a heaven-splitting genius Weathermancer, aren't I?
If it's "no easy feat," that just means someone has succeeded before. And if they could, there's no reason I couldn't.
Whoosh!
Rumble.
Rumble rumble.
I doubled the mana I poured into the dark clouds, and they morphed into cute puppy shapes, exhaling faint mana into the surroundings.
Splash!
"Kuiik!"
Startled by the powerful intruder, a bullfrog croaked wildly as it hopped around inside the structure. Insects and crucian carp in the water scurried away in panic.
Sorry for the commotion. But saving people comes first, right?
Thud!
The dark cloud puppy bounced back, so I quadrupled the mana input. When that failed too, I poured in ten times the amount.
Whoosh!
Now the dark cloud puppy had become a dark cloud tiger ruling the world. Well... more like a lynx, really.
Thud!
'Hmm......'
Daring to defy the great pharaoh's will?
After repeated failures, I prepared to slam in twenty times the mana, and the unstable portal finally began allowing my dark clouds entry.
Yeah, that's more like it. Should've done that from the start.
Float.
Float.
Splash!
Flash!
The dark clouds entered the dungeon, and for a split second, a bizarre sensation pierced through my entire body.
But the connection was so faint, it felt like groping the floor with numb hands while blindfolded.
'Can't see a thing......'
Is it because it's a secondary dimensional space that weakens the power link?
I made a few more dark clouds and sent them in, but the result was the same.
Fine. Time to try another approach.
'Hmm.'
I have plenty of mana anyway. Why not just connect everything?
With that thought, I blanketed the entire mountainside in fog so thick you couldn't see an inch ahead, then stuffed it relentlessly into the dungeon entrance, brimming with mana.
Ziiing!
It was like the dungeon was screaming for mercy, but that wasn't my problem.
Finally, as my fog filled the dungeon inside and out, my clouded vision cleared, and I felt the connection to my dark clouds restore.
"Oh."
The dungeon interior was prettier than expected. A crystal mine...?
And sure enough, colorful crystal golems made of gems began rising from the distance ahead.
Crunch.
Crunch crunch.
"G-gig, gik."
What kind of monsters are these?
They didn't look weak or shabby at all. Probably way higher rank than those mice from last time.
'Hmm.'
Skilla was pretty tough, but how many of my attacks could these guys withstand?
Rumble!
I tested with a lightning bolt from a dark cloud puppy, and one that absorbed it fired it right back in a spectacular counterattack.
Rumble!
Sizzle!
Sizzle sizzle!
"Oh......"
A monster that counters? And with such flashy effects—pretty entertaining to watch.
Nodding in satisfaction, I extended my sensory range carefully to check their status.
'Engraving?'
Some kind of magical treatment? It was blatantly lightning-resistant, which was annoying, but still pretty decent.
I sent a dark cloud lynx to fire a bolt, and the golem activated its internal circuits, poised for a stylish counter.
But.
"Gigik?"
Rumble!
Boom boom boom!
Making a mockery of its earlier performance, the crystal golem hit by the lynx's lightning shattered completely, scattering fragments everywhere in death.
Aah... I get it now. Your level.
Disappointed by their middling defense, I immediately deployed the lynxes to slaughter every golem in the area without mercy.
Boom!
Boom boom!
"Weaker than I thought......"
Or maybe I'm just too strong and genius?
Well, dark cloud lynxes were siege weapons fueled by ten times a puppy's mana, so they might feel a bit hard done by.
'Hmm.'
No fun fighting these anyway. Better smash them quick and rescue Mint Soboro Bread.
With that resolve, I consumed massive mana to summon fog, turning the entire surroundings into my domain.
Crunch.
Crunch crunch.
Mint Soboro Bread—Woo Ji-hoon—glanced sidelong at the golems patrolling endlessly around him, then dropped his head with a weary sigh.
'Screwed......'
It had been a week since he'd been dragged into this dungeon.
But he had no idea how much longer he could hold out before rescue came, and there were no signs of a break yet.
As the holder of the Food Ghost class—with the ability to devour minerals—Ji-hoon had somehow managed to replenish energy and endure. But his limit was fast approaching.
'Haa.'
Death. Those chilling two syllables were slowly creeping into Ji-hoon's mind.
Crunch.
Crunch crunch.
"Gigik."
By continuously consuming minerals and altering his mana's nature, the crystal golems didn't see Ji-hoon as an enemy.
But at a glance, these golems were rank 4 or 5 powerhouses.
The moment his mental strength hit its limit and he couldn't use his devouring ability anymore—that would be the end of his life.
'...I'm losing it.'
He wanted to open the Archive like usual, post some nonsense, or call for help. But even that was impossible now.
The golems reacted sensitively to even the tiny mana leak from activating the Archive.
'If I'd known, I should've trained to become a combat Hunter......'
Ji-hoon was an Awakener scouted by a mineral research lab for his unique ability, so naturally, he had almost no experience fighting monsters.
Even one-on-one against those crystal lumps? He'd probably last less than ten seconds before collapsing.
The situation was that hopeless.
But then.
Float.
Float.
Slither.
"......?"
A lynx-shaped dark cloud appeared from a corner, and at the same time, the surroundings began filling with thick mist.
This wasn't the golems' doing.
Rescue? But no human presence could be felt anywhere.
'A long-range combat Awakener? But that won't be easy......'
Ji-hoon knew from devouring minerals himself. Their strengths were rock-solid defense and explosive resistance and absorption of mana.
Normal magic or ranged attacks wouldn't land meaningful hits easily.
'Right! Absorption and reflection! Forgetting that could be disastrous......!'
He tried desperately to relay the info he'd figured out, but no matter how hard he focused, he couldn't detect any human presence.
Tense, he watched. Finally, lightning shot from the dark cloud lynx, pummeling a golem poised for reflection.
Rumble!
Boom boom boom!
"......?"
A thunderous roar like divine punishment echoed, and stone and crystal shards flew everywhere.
He'd been dead wrong. This cloud's master wasn't some average Hunter like he'd thought!
A casual lightning spit, and a golem with such powerful resistance exploded into pieces.
'This is insane......'
An overwhelmingly powerful Hunter. At least top B-rank, maybe even A-rank.
After a week of torment, witnessing this ray of hope, Ji-hoon's eyes filled with deep envy.