Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: The First Tomb of the Forgotten One
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Dungeon.
Originally, it meant an underground prison.
But in games, the meaning was a bit different.
A den where monsters gathered.
Or places with complex structures that could be conquered and explored—they lumped all those together and called them dungeons.
Exploration, excavation, riddles.
Traps, mazes, gatekeepers, bosses, and so on.
It was a staple element that never missed its mark in RPGs.
The flower of fantasy and adventure.
That was a dungeon.
And he'd just discovered one like that.
A hidden underground dungeon, no less.
Commonly known as a hidden dungeon.
It was one of the hidden pieces that any Agas player coveted.
'I figured it might lead somewhere else, but...'
Seeing it for real felt entirely different.
Even back when his infamy was at its peak, he'd never discovered—let alone entered—one.
And now, after reclassing as a Great Thief, he'd found one.
'My first hidden dungeon in life!'
The corners of his mouth crept up.
His very first hidden dungeon.
And he'd be the first to discover it, with a chance to monopolize it.
Of course, Luke's lips split into a wide grin.
'Reclassing as a Great Thief was the right call!'
If he hadn't robbed the village chief's safe, he never would've gotten this map.
Luke clenched his fist and cautiously stepped forward.
Reveal the dungeon?
What kind of ridiculous nonsense was that?
For whose benefit?
"Nope!"
Of course it was no.
Unless someone else had a compass like his, finding this dungeon would be tough.
The only real possibility was a player who'd completed the prerequisite quest.
'Of course, I have the map that'd be given to that player.'
Even if there was another way, the questline would get tangled, forcing a massive detour.
Meaning, by the time they got here, it'd be after burning a ton of time.
'I'll snag it first, obviously.'
Sell it off to someone.
Or devour it solo.
One or the other.
Now he'd explore the dungeon and decide.
"Whew, alright then. Shall we?"
"Poko."
"Stick close so you don't get lost."
"Poko poko!"
Poko bounced along on its adorable little paws.
Seemed like it was ready too.
So Luke headed down the stairs.
An unknown space hiding who-knew-what.
Into the underground dungeon.
[Entered: The First Tomb of the Forgotten One!]
He descended all the stairs.
Soon enough, the dungeon's basic info popped up.
'First Tomb?'
Luke narrowed his eyes.
First one.
Did that mean there were second, third, and more tombs?
'The description suggests as much.'
Well, yeah.
This was a hidden scenario, after all. Ending with just one dungeon would be too stingy.
'No surprise, Developer Yong Hoseop. The guy's infamous for dragging players around, so he probably designed this to be a long, grueling slog.'
Designs that drove people insane.
As a second-year player, Luke knew Hoseop's reputation all too well.
So he'd move with that in mind.
First up: recommended level and difficulty.
Luckily, the level was manageable.
And D-rank difficulty.
Dungeons ranged from F to SSS, so D wasn't that high.
Pretty low for a hidden dungeon, even.
Of course, he couldn't let his guard down.
Because D-rank among hidden dungeons didn't mean D-rank overall.
So he couldn't judge it by regular Agas dungeons.
'Still, on its own, it's clearable.'
Even factoring everything in, it was doable.
The real issue was not knowing the clear condition.
Was it killing the boss?
100% exploration?
Or some other specific requirement?
No way to know without reaching the end.
Whoosh!
Flickering flames.
Torches on the walls lit the dark path.
'Won't get lost in the dark, at least.'
Small mercy.
'And I've got all the essentials prepped.'
Return stone, potions, food, portable sleeping bag, etc.
He'd stocked up.
'Even splurged on this bad boy.'
Luke eyed an item tucked in his inventory corner.
Bought at auction for emergencies.
His ace in the hole.
All that was left: figure out the clear condition and reach the end.
Then he'd know whether to solo the hidden scenario or sell it.
A sudden chill hit him.
The hairs on his body stood on end.
"Po, Poko?!"
Poko, following carefully behind, whipped its head around, sensing it too.
'Undead.'
Yeah.
The classic underground dungeon monster that never failed to show up: undead.
And this chill was hinting at their presence.
'Hope it's not skeletons.'
They resisted poison, electrocution, bleeding—tons of status effects.
But as if to crush that hope, stone coffins soon appeared ahead.
Square stone sarcophagi.
Of all things, the ones housing skeletons.
'Damn my mouth.'
Luke cursed his lips and drew Braincleaver.
One step.
Another.
Closing the distance slowly, probing.
Ready to lunge at any moment.
'They'll wake once I'm in their action radius.'
Undead could sense noise and vibrations.
'Come on, who's first?'
Left coffin?
Right one?
Or the third one back there?
Didn't matter which.
Shatter the first to rise, seize the advantage.
'Hurry up!'
Come out, you damn boneheads.
Luke closed in more, urging silently.
But...
'What, are they all in eternal sleep?'
No matter how close he got, no sign of stirring.
Just dead silence.
'Ha, these ridiculous bastards... Huh?'
Then it hit him.
A skill popping into mind: Shadow Step.
'Is that why?'
No other explanation for zero reaction.
Presence and footsteps erased.
That was the result.
'...Makes sense. Wild animals sense sound and presence better than people, so slower skeletons would eat Shadow Step even harder.'
Way different from the mountain animals he'd met.
'Plus, Poko's footsteps are quiet anyway.'
Tiny and light.
"......"
Luke turned, looked down at Poko.
Hand to lips: stay quiet.
Message delivered.
Nod nod!
As expected of a spirit beast—Poko got it and nodded.
'Might get a free pass if I play it right.'
From then on, Luke moved like a spy infiltrating enemy lines.
Slowly.
Silently.
Every step, full focus.
Sarcophagi everywhere he looked.
Here, there—dozens passed already.
But could he really freebie the whole way?
Soon, a vast cavern opened up.
"Grraaah."
"Grrooo."
Filling it: zombies.
Level 70 vampire zombies, hordes of them.
'Insane.'
Over a hundred visible at a glance.
'Instant death if I drop down.'
Stairs leading down.
Zombies blanketing the bottom.
Opposite stairs far off.
'Poison's low too.'
And not enough to kill many zombies.
'No other paths visible...'
Then.
On the cavern wall, no footholds in sight.
A clear Parkour marker gleamed.
Hand out.
Body sideways.
Hanging from a precarious wall crack his fingers barely fit.
Shifting slowly along the wall.
Groooaaar!
Zombies' grotesque forms visible if he glanced down.
Fall, and he'd be chow instantly.
Including Poko on his shoulder.
'Never tackled a dungeon like this before.'
No, not tackling.
Just sneaking in.
Hence the absurdity.
'...Well, before, even Stealth couldn't hide me like this.'
No footstep or presence nullification.
No terrain tools.
Stealth always got busted by noise or vibe; wall-clinging to cross was unthinkable.
'Thief skills pulling their weight again.'
High utility.
'Good, before stamina drops... Huh?'
How far had he gone?
A narrow gap in the wall.
Just wide enough for one person.
Suspicious as hell.
'Would've ignored in a field, but in a dungeon...'
Second-year gamer senses tingling.
Check it out.
'Alright, let's go.'
Recover some stamina too.
Luke dove in.
'Ugh, tight!'
Tighter than expected.
But passable.
Just uncomfortable, body squeezed.
"Po, Poko..."
Poko too—one cheek squished, struggling behind.
Thud!
"Phew, thought I was done."
Luke collapsed, catching his breath.
"...Poko poko."
"Yeah, you did great too."
"Poko."
"Alright, what's hidden here... Holy shit."
Breath caught.
Two chests far off.
Gold-trimmed treasure chests.
Large.
At least Rare items guaranteed.
Luke, knowing, clamped his mouth with both hands, flailing.
'Dream or reality? Large treasure chests, two side by side!'
Worth a hidden dungeon.
Heart pounding already.
"Poko?"
"Yeah, shocking, right?!"
"Po, poko!"
"Kuhahaha, shocking as hell, you little rascal!"
Madness that startled even the spirit beast.
Luke eyed the chests with bloodshot stare.
"Which first?"
Left.
Right.
"Ah, tough choice."
What happier dilemma?
Not locked, no issue.
He'd open both anyway, but savor the fun.
"Alright, left it is!"
Decision made, hand stretched to the left.
And.
Crunch!
The greedy chest chomped his hand with its massive maw.