Chapter 167
Chapter 167
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: 39. Sleeping with the Enemy (2)
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“…Fuck.”
Young-woo checked the timer and quickly grasped the situation, prompting Jeong Gu, who had caught up late, to ask.
“What? What now?”
“It’s nothing. Like Dad said, it’s the recommended number of people, so it should be fine even if one sits it out.”
As Young-woo spoke and pointed to the book on the side table, the timer, now down to 3 seconds, appeared.
[00:00:03]
Then.
[00:00:01]
“Huh?”
With Jeong Gu’s startled exclamation, all the numbers flipped to ‘0’.
[00:00:00]
Flash!
Time expired.
The timer dissolved into thin air, and a sharp signal blared from somewhere in the Colosseum.
Beeeep!
This meant the participants were locked in.
Next, massive dungeon information materialized above the side table.
[Temple of Valor]
| Dungeon Grade: Normal
| Difficulty: C
| Recommended Personnel: 6
「Minimum personnel met. Commencing rule briefing.」
“Oh…….”
“So there is a minimum number after all.”
As the dungeon seemed about to truly begin, Tomiko from Japan, along with the ones from China and Taiwan who had been standing apart, drew near the rulebook.
「‘Temple of Valor’ will begin shortly.」
「To clear this dungeon, at least three lighters are ideally required.」
At least three lighters.
The five masters glanced at each other in turn.
Suddenly, a red laser shot up from the rulebook, pointing to the massive statue at the ceiling’s center.
「The final goal of this dungeon is to defeat the Giant God Gameta.」
“Giant God… Gameta?”
Everyone’s eyes turned to the statue in question.
Just as their ominous premonitions had suggested, they would have to fight that thing.
「Covering the spellbook on the side table will immediately awaken Gameta, who will attack you.」
「However, before that, you can weaken Gameta by lighting the dungeon’s braziers.」
“Ah…….”
Young-woo, quickly understanding the dungeon’s mechanics, eyed the three massive doors that had been bothering him.
Those were likely the entrances to each brazier.
‘That’s why the recommended number is six. Two per group, three groups total.’
Sure enough, the red laser now pointed to the three large iron doors lined up along the arena wall.
「There are three braziers total, accessible via the entrances you see now.」
Numbers from 1 to 3 appeared before each entrance, with personnel indicators below.
[0/2]
“What’s that?”
As Jeong Gu tilted his head, Young-woo explained.
“They wouldn’t make the path to the braziers easy. Probably two people per door.”
The foreign masters nodded subtly in agreement, and confirming text soon appeared.
「You must now form lighting teams for each brazier.」
「Each team is max 2 people, and no team may access another’s brazier.」
“In simple terms, one team per brazier. If one fails, that brazier stays unlit.”
As Young-woo put it, Tomiko followed up.
“With our current shortage… we have to decide: fight the boss with only two braziers lit, or push hard to light all three.”
How much each brazier weakened Giant God Gameta was key, but naturally, no details were provided.
“We’ll probably need all three lit to make it even remotely winnable.”
Whoosh.
Young-woo pointed his mythic one-handed sword ‘Orphan’ at the ceiling-bound Gameta. Tomiko, eyeing the bizarre weapon cautiously, spoke up.
“If so… then one of the three braziers means someone goes solo……?”
Around then, the final briefing appeared.
「Lighting team formation begins now. Lighters, stand before your chosen entrance.」
「Giant God Gameta awakens in 30 minutes.」
Flash!
[00:29:59]
The 30-minute timer began ticking down without delay.
“We need to hurry. This includes time to pass through the doors and light the braziers.”
Tomiko urged, glancing urgently at the Taiwanese and Chinese. Finally, Taiwan’s Ryu Man-ho peeled his back off the wall.
“Fine, but on one condition.”
Swoosh.
This time, Ryu Man-ho drew his sword.
But he pointed not at Gameta, but at the anonymous Chinese man—the Shandong Twin Evils.
“Not with this bastard.”
The Shandong Twin Evils grinned wickedly, twitching his cheek.
“Don’t think you can take me again?”
He too had planned to kill his Taiwanese partner en route if teamed up.
This finally made Young-woo bare his teeth.
“You fucking idiots.”
“……!”
“What?”
“If you don’t light the braziers properly, that monster kills us all. First dungeon?”
Of course, Young-woo’s anger wasn’t just from the foreigners bickering.
If their fighting botched the lighting, the fallout would hit him, his father, and the earnest Miyagi Sword Emperor hardest.
“I’ll solo Door 2.”
Fearless, Young-woo stood before the central door marked ‘2’. Its status updated to ‘1/2’.
High Might Sword Dragon and Shandong Twin Evils were stunned.
They’d inwardly figured Korea’s two top swordsmen meant one had to sacrifice.
“Then I’ll take 3. Care to join me?”
Tomiko beamed, extending a hand to Shandong Twin Evils.
The middle-aged Chinese man had no choice but to comply.
His alternatives were the Korean swordmaster’s father or the Taiwanese.
“…Fine. No choice.”
With Shandong Twin Evils joining Tomiko at Door 3, Young-woo relaxed slightly.
Neither Taiwan nor China appealed, but if pairing his dad with one, Taiwan was lesser evil.
China’s title was Twin Evils, after all.
‘Wudang has Five Heroes, so why Shandong Twin Evils?’
Five Heroes vs. Twin Evils—numbers didn’t match.
Whether regional flavor or final selection count, unclear.
“Then I guess I’m Door 1 by default.”
Jeong Gu stepped to Door 1.
High Might Sword Dragon Ryu Man-ho grumbled alone, then took position behind him.
Click.
All five now stood at their doors. Then.
Beep!
Another signal sounded, followed by system text.
「Lighting teams confirmed.」
The three iron doors began grinding open.
Rumble rumble rumble!
[00:27:42]
About 27 minutes left.
But no one checked the timer.
Because.
-Roaaar!
-Hungry! Smells delicious……!
-Coming! It’s coming! I sense it!
Left, center, right.
From deep within each of the three long passages, countless bloodcurdling voices echoed.
The passages were pitch-black, visibility near zero.
‘Those ghouls are here too.’
Young-woo swallowed hard, recalling last night’s ship ordeal.
Yesterday had two guarding his back; today, he was alone.
His father’s plight—navigating that darkness with a stranger—must be equally daunting.
“…….”
Young-woo glanced at his father, who happened to look his way too.
Jeong Gu worried for his son facing it solo.
“Damn.”
“Fuck… how many and what’s in there?”
As the five voiced unease in their ways, feeling the chilling presences, the silent middle-aged man finally murmured.
“Zhang Zahan.”
“……?”
“One of Shandong Twin Evils, Zhang Zahan.”
Facing possible death inside, he finally gave his name.
Tomiko smiled warmly in response.
“Nice to meet you, Zhang Zahan. Let’s do our best in there. Won’t be easy.”
Using greetings as excuse, they hesitated—time now under 25 minutes.
[00:25:13]
Young-woo switched to polite speech, intoning gravely.
“Any more delay, and it wakes before we light the braziers. Let’s go.”
With that, Young-woo stepped into Passage 2.
Clank!
The others peeked toward Door 2 as if by cue.
But Jeong Young-woo was already deep inside, out of sight.
“Let’s go.”
“…No choice.”
The remaining four steeled themselves and advanced into their passages.
* * *
Boom boom crash!
Charging headlong into Door 2, Young-woo traversed a long, utterly dark passage.
Unlike expected, no monsters attacked.
Just vast, empty space stretching on.
‘A straight passage, as expected. The real challenge lies at the end.’
Likely designed to prevent peeking from outside.
No timer here, so Young-woo sprinted blindly onward.
Then.
“……!”
The passage ahead began faintly brightening.
Still dim, reddish glow flickering—darkness lingered.
But the problem was.
-Roaaar!
-Coming! Almost here!
-Chaaarge!
The ghoulish voices from outside resumed.
‘Crazy.’
Pressing on amid the terrifying din, the wide passage narrowed gradually in one direction.
Far ahead loomed the true entrance—not exit—to the brazier.
A rectangular maw, mid-sized building huge, beyond which swarmed the gray ghouls from last night’s dungeon floor.
Every one fixated greedily on him—Young-woo.
The giant entrance seemed a barrier of sorts.
Meaning: crossing meant hundreds charging at once.
But something else caught Young-woo’s eye.
“What… is that?”
Beyond the rectangular maw, the ghoul-packed space evoked outer space—a void.
No ground, just massive stone fragments floating amid emptiness.
The ghouls stood on one right before the entrance.
This was an obstacle course: leap fragment to fragment.
Worse, the target brazier loomed dizzyingly high.
‘Dodge charging ghouls while finding a path up there.’
Young-woo now understood why this dungeon outranked last night’s.
Time was tight too.
‘How long’s passed? About 10 minutes?’
Glancing at his watch to gauge, he saw the display scrambled.
Participants couldn’t check time here.
‘Gear should still work, though.’
At the rectangular entrance’s edge, Young-woo activated ‘Thousand-Mile Eye’ on the distant brazier.
「Thousand-Mile Eye」 - Mutated Earring
【Vision amplified up to 5x.】
Flash!
Then.
“These bastards, what’ve they done now.”
A brazier-like structure sat atop a massive floating boulder. Opposite it.
「1」 - 「3」
Buttons marked 1 and 3 on another structure.
Unclear purpose, but unrelated to the brazier.
Young-woo’s hunch:
‘No way it’s for Teams 1 and 3? If so, not buffs for them, surely.’