Collapsed Root Cave (3)
The first floor of the Collapsed Root Cave.
The moment we stepped inside the dungeon, a strangely stifling air prickled at my lungs. Compared to the air outside, the mana density was far higher, and on top of that, a damp, earthy smell laced with an eerie chill seemed to burrow straight into my nose. It was a sensation unmistakably different from the dungeon we'd entered during the entrance exam.
"Whoa, the atmosphere in here is something else..."
Han Sora, who like me had never set foot in a dungeon outside of the entrance exam, was looking around with an oddly thrilled expression.
"Doesn't it feel like a B-grade horror movie? So atmospheric."
"...Keep it down, Han Sora. We're inside a dungeon now."
"Ah, oh... right."
Do Yoonchae cut her off rather curtly as she chattered away in her excitement. It came off a little rude, but she wasn't wrong. Having made frequent use of the Cheongun Do family's private dungeons, she would naturally understand the dangers lurking in a place like this.
After all, Do Yoon-sung's death—and her becoming him—had stemmed from a moment of carelessness inside a dungeon. A heightened sense of vigilance was only to be expected.
"It's a D-rank dungeon, so I doubt it'll be all that dangerous, but we should still be careful."
"Mmm, true enough."
"How do you plan to search this place, Lee Seonho? Are you just intending to wander around with no plan at all?"
"Hmm, well. Today's goal is just a light exploration, so..."
Because I had to keep the plan I'd drawn up in my head hidden while still naturally guiding our search toward the place where the item was waiting.
At the first fork in the path—the very first thing visible upon entering the dungeon—I pretended to mull it over, then carefully steered the two of them toward the left passage.
"Let's try the left side first."
"The left? Oh, there's a path here too. The trees were hiding it, so I didn't see it."
"...Isn't that far too much of a forest trail? It looks dangerous."
"It does, but with just the two of you—Sora and Yoonseong—I figure you can handle anything a D-rank dungeon throws at us. Yoonseong, you were first in the Swordsmanship Department, weren't you? And Sora's first in Archery and top of the entire year."
"Th-that was only because your plan was so good back then, Seonho. I just kind of... ended up in first place..."
"...Well, fine. With a combination like this, nothing should go wrong. We do have the illustrious second rank of the whole year with us, after all."
"Ah, Seonho. Still, just in case—could you put that buff on me like last time?"
"Sure. Head over here, Han Sora."
Truthfully, I would have loved to press our bodies together and guide her shooting the way we did during training, but even I wasn't far gone enough to try something like that inside a dungeon.
Besides, Do Yoonchae was watching, so Han Sora wasn't going to meekly fall into a trance. Maybe if we happened to end up alone together, but that was another matter.
Today, I'll just grab the item quickly and head back.
I hated the idea of my plan going off the rails and stirring up unnecessary trouble.
Apart from the entrance, which was the first floor, the Collapsed Root Cave was a tiered dungeon spanning the underground first through third floors. So, careful not to alert the two of them, I guided our footsteps toward the spot where the hidden passage down to the third floor awaited.
-Squish, squish.
"......"
"......"
"......"
The three of us moved in silence through the still depths, mouths closed, watching each other's steps.
It was called the Collapsed Root 'Cave,' but since the dungeon's interior was essentially the root system of a colossal tree hollowed into cavern form, it had the structure of a marsh forest even underground.
-Halting.
"Wait. Stop."
"Why? Don't tell me the path's block—"
-Thwap.
"Mmph—!"
"......"
I'd spotted a faint, damp mark on the ground ahead, so I stopped and clamped a hand over Han Sora's mouth.
Probably a trail of monster urine. Judging by the scale, it was likely from a pack of Poison Spike Wolves—but there was no harm in being careful.
Not that I want to waste time on pointless fights.
I wanted to descend to the third floor today, retrieve the item, and get out. If we got bogged down in battle at every turn, we'd never accomplish what we came for.
Grrrrrrr...
Quiet. Walk slowly.
-Nod, nod.
"......"
Keeping clear of the faint wolf howls drifting over from the other side of the cavern, the three of us pressed deeper. Wading through the damp, tangled vines inch by inch, I even caught the occasional glimpse of the traps Lim Yujin had taught me to spot.
"Here. Watch out for this one, guys."
"Hm? The vines?"
"This vine's a slightly different color from the one next to it. Look."
"Oh, you're right. It does seem to have a bluish glow or something."
"That glow comes from the mana flowing through it. It's the trigger mechanism for a trap. Trip it the wrong way and it might activate, so keep your eyes open as we walk."
"Ah, okay. Will do."
"......"
Han Sora nodded obediently at my words, while Do Yoonchae stared at me quietly for a moment before turning her gaze away without a word. It was the reaction of someone who'd learned I at least knew the basics—and seemed oddly reassured by it.
It wouldn't hurt to show Do Yoonchae, on this occasion, just how I'd climbed to second place in the entrance rankings. Setting aside the fact that my Combat Support position itself was an insurmountable handicap, I'd never had the chance to prove to her that I was actually useful in real combat.
About thirty minutes had passed since we began moving deeper into the dungeon, checking the traces left on the ground as we went.
-Grrk, grrguk!
A screeching, scraping noise—something hard and sharp dragging against the cavern wall—echoed down the narrow passage.
At the same moment, monsters emerged from between the tangled roots.
...So they finally showed up.
No matter how carefully you walked, you couldn't avoid every single fight.
Having identified them from the howls and the faint shapes stirring in the dark, I quickly relayed the situation to the other members.
"A pack of Poison Spike Wolves! Battle ready!"
"Ah—right!"
"......"
The instant she heard my voice, Han Sora hurriedly drew an arrow from her quiver and nocked it, and Do Yoonchae—before I'd even said a word—had already drawn her sword and taken her stance.
Reading the overall battle situation and issuing orders was the role of Combat Support, so I swept my gaze around to assess the monsters.
"Two on the left, one on the right! And one more behind us!"
-Twiing!
The moment I shouted out the layout, the twang of a bowstring releasing rang through the cavern.
Han Sora's arrow, loosed like a bolt of lightning, punched clean through the skull of a wolf lunging in from the wall.
"One down! I'll take out the other one right away!"
"...I'll cover the rear."
Han Sora nocked a second arrow without missing a beat, while Do Yoonchae let sword energy flow down her blade to meet the wolf charging in from behind.
Her body shot forward alongside her sword like a gust of wind, and the belly of the Poison Spike Wolf bearing down from the rear was pierced and split by her blade.
-SHLUKK!!
Skreeeee!
...I'd never actually watched her fight before, but her skill was undeniably the real deal.
She didn't even seem to be putting much strength into it, yet she cleaved through the wolf's notoriously tough hide like it was tofu—a fresh reminder that she really was a Physical Enhancement Type.
Grrrrrrr!!
"......"
It was a rare battle event, but I had no leisure to sit back and admire the heroines' swordwork. Three of us, four monsters.
Even if Han Sora and Do Yoonchae drew one or two of the aggro each, I would still have to face one myself.
...Granted, the very idea of the Combat Support Department taking on monsters was absurd on its face—but the current me had one game-breaking item that made monster slaying possible even in this weak body.
KRAAAAANG!!
"S-Seonho, look out...!"
Do Yoonchae, only now registering the Poison Spike Wolf charging straight at me, sprinted toward me in a hurry.
But I calmly thrust my right fist into the gaping maw of the wolf bearing down on me.
Ring of Samsara : Spear
-SHLUKK!!
In the same instant, I transmuted the ring inside the wolf's snout, running it clean through the beast—piercing the crown of its skull and its jaw in a single stroke, top to bottom.
"...Huh?"
Do Yoonchae froze mid-stride, her face slack with bewilderment as the head of the monster that had been lunging for me burst apart before her eyes.
-SHLUKK!!
"Phew—S-Seonho!"
Han Sora, having finished off the last remaining Poison Spike Wolf, came rushing over as well, and the battle wrapped up more or less neatly from there.
"Seonho, are you okay?! You let one slip past earli—huh?"
"...What was that technique just now, Lee Seonho?"
"Wait, what? Is that the one Seonho killed? Seriously?"
Do Yoonchae eyed me with unmistakable suspicion at the sight of me wielding the Ring of Samsara, while Han Sora tilted her head, still catching up to what had happened.
I dodged the question about the item itself, keeping things vague. With an artifact like this, letting word of it spread outside was nothing but a liability.
"Someone I know gave me an artifact. They said even a Combat Support student needs some means of protecting himself."
"Really? What kind of artifact is it?"
"That's a secret."
"...Huh?"
"I need a trump card of my own too, you know. Besides, it's a bit complicated to explain here, so I'll tell you later—outside the dungeon."
"Ahh, fair enough. It might be a little much to talk about in here."
Scattering your focus on idle chatter inside a dungeon where you're supposed to be exploring was practically suicide.
Artifacts were a hunter's livelihood, after all—prying about them from someone who didn't want to share was bad manners. Maybe that's why Han Sora didn't dig any deeper.
"......"
Do Yoonchae, on the other hand, carefully averted her gaze with an expression that said she was somehow unsatisfied.
Her eyes still held that lingering suspicion—as if she hadn't quite accepted that I really was second in the year.
Of course, there was too much to do to waste time bickering over it. Harvesting materials from monsters after a fight was hunter basics.
"Everyone brought their material pouches, right? For Poison Spike Wolves, the hide and the venom fangs are the main materials, so you only need to carve those out."
"I know that."
"......"
"Oh, and if you don't know how to skin one, feel free to ask me. I learned from a club senior, so I know roughly how it's done."
"Th-then could you help me, Seonho? The only thing I know how to extract is the heart—skinning is still new to me..."
"Sure, alright."
Honestly, the only thing I'd ever done myself was skin goblins, learning from Lim Yujin—but the technique was probably similar.
After all, the knives the academy issued boosted their cutting power using the wielder's own mana, so with the right knack, it wasn't all that difficult.
...Besides, I had a self-directed Suggestion I could put to use in this arena too.
Suggestion: Delicate Touch※ Target: Lee Seonho
It was an unfairly cheated ability, being unusable in combat—at the very least, I intended to milk it for all it was worth in ways like this.