The Burnt Maw's Cave

The interior of the cave felt like a sweltering boiler room. Every time I inhaled, the scent of sulfur stung my nostrils. Along the walls, mysterious red veins of ore pulsed like blood, snaking deep into the cavern.

"Haa... it’s seriously suffocating in here," Lee Seol-ah grumbled, fanning herself repeatedly with her hand. I gripped my short sword tightly and kept my eyes on the path ahead. The atmosphere is different. It definitely felt like a true dungeon. The scorching air and the taut, heavy tension were unmistakable.

"Do you see anything?"

"Not yet. This is my first time too...!" She was clutching the hem of my jacket. Her steps were cautious, and I could see her legs trembling slightly.

"Stay close. We don't know what might jump out at us."

"Y-yes... understood!"

Perhaps it was the tension, but for a while, only the sound of our footsteps echoed through the cave. The monsters weren't showing themselves as easily as I’d expected. In the midst of that silence, Lee Seol-ah spoke up cautiously.

"It’s quieter than I thought..."

"Yeah."

The silence returned. I moved forward slowly, wary of the unknown. Then, her voice drifted to me again.

"Hey... can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"How are you and Yu-ah... so close?"

It was an unexpected question. My pace slowed slightly. I didn't answer right away. Why are we so close? Is it even possible for siblings not to be? My gaze remained fixed on the path ahead. As the silence stretched, I could feel Lee Seol-ah watching me, gauging my reaction.

"Ah... no, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to..."

"Why are you curious?"

At my question, she flinched and hesitated. An awkward silence followed. Then, she took a small, steadying breath.

"Well..." She continued, her voice flat. "Actually, I... I don't have parents."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"...What?"

"...I'm an orphan."

She waved her hands hurriedly, adding, "Ah, you don't have to pity me or anything...!! Anyway, that's... that's why I asked."

"..."

"I've never had a family... so I don't really understand those feelings. Seeing the two of you look after each other so fiercely, it's just fascinating, and a little enviable... that's all."

The air in the cave grew strangely heavy. I hadn't expected her to say something like that. I let out a quiet sigh and turned my head. When our eyes met, Lee Seol-ah offered an awkward smile.

"I, I said something unnecessary, didn't I? Ahaha... just pretend you didn't hear that..."

"We don't have parents either."

"Yes...?"

Lee Seol-ah’s steps faltered. She met my gaze head-on. "Mom passed away a long time ago, and Dad is..."

Before I could even finish my sentence—

"S-Si-woo!" Lee Seol-ah grabbed my waist and yanked me back with all her might. "The ceiling! There's something red on the ceiling!"

At the same time as her shout, a shadow dropped from above my head.

—Kreeeeeaaak!

The beast’s cry rang out. I rolled backward by reflex.

—THUD!!!

Black ash scattered where I had been standing just a second before.

"...Ugh!" Lee Seol-ah swallowed a scream. It was a centipede, its body well over two meters long. Embers pulsed like a heartbeat along each segment of its body.

"That looks disgusting."

It was a bizarre monster I’d never seen before. It moved its dozens of legs and lunged at me. Immediately, text appeared in the air.

'Ash Centipede.' Even the name was unusual. The creature leaped into the air, blocking my vision. It looked like it was trying to slam its body down on me. But I already knew.

"S... Si-woo!"

—CLANG!!!

I knew this was a feint to hide the tail attack. The stinger hit my short sword and deflected away. With its body defenseless in mid-air, I rotated my waist and drove my short sword into the underside of its jaw.

—SQUELCH!

—KREEEAAAK!

A dying shriek tore through the cave. Simultaneously, black bodily fluid poured out. I pulled my sword out and kicked the creature’s body. The embers on the rolling Ash Centipede flickered out.

A message that filled me with euphoria. I let out a light breath. Double—the experience was doubled. And judging by the fight, the monsters here were different from the ones outside. The base experience must be significant too. '...Nice.' The corners of my mouth curled up. It felt like a blockage in my chest had finally cleared.

"Wow... how did you block that without even looking? That tail was bending like a real snake." Lee Seol-ah, who had approached, asked with wide eyes.

"You're the one who noticed it. There wasn't even a sound when it was hanging from the ceiling."

"Ah, about that." Lee Seol-ah shrugged and pointed at the air. "Maybe it's because of my 'Explorer' trait, but I could see these bright red lines moving on the ceiling behind your back, you know? So I was watching them, thinking, 'Ew, what is that?' and then it suddenly dropped right onto your head."

"...You saw red lines?"

"Yes. Well, maybe it's something that warns of danger? Since I'm an Explorer, after all?"

I swallowed a short exclamation at her words. It was similar to 'Spoiler', yet different. 'This is F-grade...? It’s way more useful than I thought.' As I nodded to myself, Lee Seol-ah spoke up again, sneakily.

"Hey... Si-woo."

"What."

"About what you were saying earlier... about not having parents..."

"Ah, that." I wiped off my short sword and replied indifferently, "I'm not going to talk about it."

"What? No, you said 'Dad is...' and then just stopped! You can't just leave people hanging!"

"Just because. I don't feel like talking about it anymore."

"Ugh, you're so mean. I thought we’d reached a point where we shared deep things..."

I let out a dry laugh. If anyone heard that, they’d get the wrong idea. She pouted, but there was no changing my mind. '...Parents.' I’d let the atmosphere get to me and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠brought up something unnecessary.

"Just lead the way. Before something else weird drops on us."

"Tch, fine."

Even while grumbling, she didn't pry any further. She was still quick to read the room. In that strange atmosphere, Lee Seol-ah’s true value began to shine.

"Wait! Don't step there! You have to walk along the right wall!"

Lee Seol-ah stopped me urgently. She pointed to a patch of rock floor that looked perfectly normal. "Why? Is there a trap?"

"No...! It's super thin underneath! I can see something bright red below the floor, and if you step on it, you'll fall right through!"

I picked up a pebble from the ground and tossed it where she pointed.

—Clack! CRASH!

It was just a small stone, but the floor that had looked perfectly fine crumbled like dust. Beneath it, molten lava revealed itself.

"...Good job. You're earning your keep."

"Hehe, right? I told you to trust me."

At the single word of praise, Lee Seol-ah puffed out her chest. She really was simple. However, the warm atmosphere didn't last long. We arrived at a junction where the cave widened, and with a disgusting stench, new enemies appeared.

"...They really all look so unique."

I nodded quietly. They had human-like shapes, but their entire bodies were charred black like charcoal.

[Burnt Ghoul]

There were four of them in total. They twisted their broken necks and shrieked at us.

—Grrrrrrr...!

"Lee Seol-ah. Get back."

I gave a short order and charged forward. I swung my short sword hard at the collarbone of the first ghoul to rush at me.

—CLANG!

"What the."

My wrist throbbed. It didn't feel like cutting through bone. It felt like hitting solid steel. —KRAAAAR! The creature took advantage of the opening and swung its claws. I ducked to avoid it and slashed at its waist. But even then, I couldn't land a fatal blow. The remaining three were closing in from all sides.

'Their skin is too hard. Normal strikes will just drag this out.'

Just as I frowned and stepped back, Lee Seol-ah’s sharp voice rang out from behind.

"Si-woo! Their whole bodies are red, but there's one spot! Just below the left side of their necks, it’s glowing white!"

'Below the left side of the neck?'

My gaze locked onto the ghouls' necks. There was no reason to hesitate.

Their movements were mapped out in an instant. I dove into the center of the ghouls. The first one lunged with its arms spread wide. I slid into its embrace, ducked, and slipped behind its back. Then, toward that tiny gap below the left side of its neck—

—SQUELCH!

I gripped my short sword in a reverse grip and drove it down. It wasn't like their hard skin. The blade sank in smoothly.

I vaulted off the head of the enemy attempting the tackle. I rotated my body in mid-air and drove my blade precisely into the neck of the third ghoul watching me.

—SHICK!

I turned my body toward the remaining two. At that moment—

"S... Si-woo! Watch out! The red stuff inside them is suddenly swelling up like crazy!"

At Lee Seol-ah’s scream, the text in the air updated simultaneously.

'Damn it.' I kicked off the ground to put distance between us and raised my arms to cover my head.

—BOOOOM!

A hot blast and a black explosion erupted. I rolled on the ground to absorb the shock and stood up.

"Ugh..."

As the dust settled, the charred floor came into view. The remains of the ghouls were scattered across it. I breathed heavily and wiped off my short sword.

The notification sounds followed one after another. And finally—

'Finally...' It really wasn't easy to level up past 10. It felt like I’d caught dozens of them, and I was only at 13. This was also an achievement I could only reach thanks to the dungeon. 'Hunting is definitely about quality over quantity.' I immediately checked my stats. It was time to invest for faster hunting. 'Since the ghouls' skin was relatively hard...' I invested 3 points each into Strength and Agility. I kept the remaining 3 in case of an emergency.

Taut tension flowed through my entire body. My muscles condensed, becoming even firmer. My vision grew sharper. I clenched and unclenched my fist and looked back.

"Whew... hey, the 'Explorer' trait is pretty good, huh?"

Lee Seol-ah, who had been huddled behind a rock, peeked out sneakily. "Are you hurt? Ugh, I was so surprised when they exploded."

"Thanks to you, I'm perfectly fine."

It wasn't just empty flattery. It helped more than I could have imagined. It was similar to 'Spoiler' but different. If my trait told me the enemy's weak point was the neck, Lee Seol-ah’s trait told me where on the neck. Combined, we could predict their actions while also striking their exact weak points.

"Keep doing what you're doing. You're more than earning your keep."

"Really? Then you won't nag me about eating too much, right?"

"Yeah. When we get out of the dungeon, I'll buy you that special meal I promised."

"Yes! Long live Seongsu-dong!"

Lee Seol-ah cheered, swinging her iron pipe around. I chuckled and adjusted my grip on my short sword. "Alright, let's move quickly. We've still got a mountain of work to do."

The real hunt was just beginning. We moved into the depths of the cave without delay. The heat grew progressively more intense. The monsters were no longer a threat.

"Two behind the rock on the left!"

"Got it."

—SHICK!

The sword that sliced through the air struck the weak point perfectly. Once I knew the weak point, there was no difficulty in hunting.

The notification sounds rang out incessantly. The monsters crumbled the moment my blade touched them. About twenty minutes later, as we delved deeper—

"Hah, hah... Si-woo, I, I can't breathe..."

Lee Seol-ah stopped, gasping for air. Her face was drenched in sweat. I, too, had sweat dripping from my chin. The air was completely different. I looked down at the panting Lee Seol-ah. 'Her stamina is a bit lacking, maybe because her level is low.' I asked, as if tossing the question out.

"Hey, you're level 4 ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠right now, how did you distribute your stats?"

At my question, Lee Seol-ah wiped the sweat from her forehead and answered proudly.

"Me? Obviously, I dumped everything into Intelligence!"

"...What?"

For a moment, I doubted my ears. "You said your trait was 'Explorer'. Not Stamina or Agility, but Intelligence?"

"Exactly! To explore, you need to be smart to find paths and memorize traps, right? Since I raised my Intelligence, my head spins so fast I feel like a total genius!"

She puffed out her chest and smiled. I stared at her, speechless. Terrible durability. It was no wonder she couldn't breathe.

"...Right, you definitely need to raise your Intelligence."

"Right? I was a huge help today, wasn't I?"

'Level might not be the problem.' I clicked my tongue at the incoming headache. "Ugh... let's go for now. It looks like we're almost there."

We left the narrow passage and finally arrived at a massive, dome-shaped plaza.

"Wow..."

A bubbling lava lake filled the center of the plaza. Every time the lava boiled and erupted, sulfur gas surged toward us.

—Gurgle, gurgle...

That was when it happened. The center of the lava lake began to swell. A massive shadow rose, parting the lava. And then, with the sound of magma dripping, it revealed itself.

"Ah, aaah..."

Lee Seol-ah immediately hid behind me.

It was the size of a house. It had the shape of a toad, its entire body covered in lava and black rock. As its maw gaped open, the scorching heat boiling from within its belly was laid bare.