Chapter 275
Chapter 275
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 275
Chapter Title: 62. Strongman's Appeal (1)
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Equipment use disabled. And a first-time Ancient grade with a whopping B-rank difficulty.
“…….”
Every indicator was screaming ‘danger’.
But.
“How could I not try a dungeon made by the Chairman!”
Youngwoo shouted toward the sky, then boldly touched the ‘anchor’.
Clang.
The anchor immediately began to vibrate lowly.
Rrrrrumble……
Like a golden trajectory powering up.
‘So we ride this up.’
Sensing it would soon be reeled back in, Youngwoo quickly slung his body onto the anchor.
“See you later! Take care!”
He waved to the two slaves and Negig watching from afar. Popu Tenta placed his bulging hands on his belly and bowed at the waist.
And at that moment.
Whirr!
The chain connected to the anchor began winding up into the sky.
‘Here it comes.’
Then, moments later.
Whoosh!
The massive anchor Youngwoo rode shot up into the sky.
“Eup……!”
It felt like riding a thrill ride without safety restraints, so Youngwoo gripped the anchor’s pillar with all his might.
‘This is bad from the start?’
The other participants rising on their anchors must have been thinking the same.
They’d picked a seriously messed-up dungeon this time.
Fwoosh!
Piercing through the gray mist, a colossal portal loomed beyond, blanketing the sky.
“……!”
Just like when he’d dragged his father into the Temple of Valor.
‘No way, the Chairman had authority to make something like this?’
Youngwoo gaped at the endless mega-portal.
The Chairman’s cosmic law grade was 3rd class.
Meaning the dungeon creators were near 3rd class too.
‘What the hell exists out there in the universe?’
As Youngwoo felt awe at the vast world beyond Earth, the anchor carried him into the portal.
Whirr!
The chain’s harsh friction grated his ears one last time, then.
Drop.
“……?”
All sensation cut off.
Sight, hearing, smell, touch—everything.
Maybe the mutants who’d waited indefinitely in pure darkness had been here.
Youngwoo stared into the pitch-black void, consciousness alone awake.
No, he couldn’t even perceive space, so that’s what he thought.
That he was in a black nothingness where nothing existed.
‘Is this the void? The one Mara oversees?’
No external input meant stray thoughts flooded in.
Until finally.
Flash!
The dungeon system appeared in his mind.
「Welcome to entering the Ancient grade dungeon ‘Moral Lecture’.」
‘Ooh… First dungeon with a welcome message.’
Anything beat being locked in darkness, so Youngwoo eagerly read on.
‘Before the dungeon properly begins… All equipment…? Body included? What?’
「Before the dungeon properly begins, all equipment is unequipped to purify body and mind. Note that ‘equipment’ includes the body.」
Shocking notice.
He’d thought ‘all equipment’ meant his gear including the homunculus, but it included the body too.
For Youngwoo, that was mutant cornea, mutant stomach, and……
‘Spine, heart? If those are included, this is insane!’
Youngwoo freaked out, but Doggo’s dungeon system showed no mercy.
「Unequipping equipment.」
A curt command, followed by warning alarms.
―Body essential component ‘stomach’ missing. Rubber stomach temporarily inserted.
―Body essential component ‘spine’ missing. Spine model temporarily inserted.
‘W-what?’
But it didn’t end there.
―Body essential component ‘heart’ missing.
‘This……!’
―Wooden heart temporarily inserted.
―Due to incomplete state, all stats reduced by 50%.
‘These bastards are turning me into a cripple?’
As Youngwoo screamed in his blackened consciousness, the final prep notice appeared.
「Entering dungeon in 5 seconds.」
‘For real, starting like this?’
No answer to his retort, of course.
Instead.
「4」
「3」
A mechanical countdown filled his vision.
「2」
「1」
Countdown ended.
Then instantly.
Flash!
Youngwoo’s vision returned.
“Huh……!”
He could hear his own exhale too.
‘Hearing’s back. Already started?’
Regaining all senses, Youngwoo blinked.
Vision was back, but the surroundings were still pitch black.
Though the ceiling straight ahead suggested.
‘I’m in a dark room.’
Lying somewhere in what felt like a fairly large room.
‘Hard. Marble?’
Cold, smooth something pressed against his back and palms.
Youngwoo tried to sit up for a better look.
“Hn.”
But.
“…Huh?”
His upper body wouldn’t move.
Precisely, his waist and back wouldn’t respond.
‘No way.’
―Body essential component ‘spine’ missing. Spine model temporarily inserted.
‘No, this is actually crazy.’
Youngwoo finally realized.
The ‘spine model’ the system inserted instead was literally a model.
No motor function—just a damn prop.
‘So I have to clear the dungeon as a paraplegic?’
The moment Youngwoo sensed ominous vibes, a presence stirred at his feet.
Swish.
“Huh……?”
He tried to prop his upper body with his arms, but.
‘F-fuck.’
Arms wouldn’t move either.
With his spine basically gone, limbs couldn’t work.
‘I’m screwed.’
Swish, swish.
Meanwhile, the presences at his feet multiplied rapidly, and Youngwoo caught on.
◇ Upon waking, Doggo found his bedroom filled with assassins.
That weird phrase from right before entry.
The scenario it described was this dungeon’s opening.
‘No, the Chairman back then had a proper spine, right?’
Meaning where Youngwoo lay now recreated Doggo’s bedroom.
So the presences were naturally.
‘Assassins!’
As Youngwoo’s eyes widened, one approached his side.
‘H-hiiik.’
He rolled his eyes to peer at the figure in the dark.
Faintly making out its form.
-…….
The assassin prepped by Doggo’s system: a tall figure in a black hood.
At least 4 meters tall, implying the room’s scale too.
‘H-how big is this place?’
As Youngwoo’s mind reconstructed the room, the assassin raised its blade.
“Huh? Huh?”
Clear assassination attempt.
“W-wait! I’m a cripple who can’t use his limbs! Don’t you know morality!”
Youngwoo desperately appealed his vulnerability, but the foe swung mercilessly.
Whoosh!
Blade straight for his chest.
And without fail.
Crunch!
“Gahk!”
The blade plunged into his chest with an ugly groan.
“Uwaaaah!”
Youngwoo desperately glared at the blade piercing his chest, then realized.
“Huh?”
It didn’t hurt.
“Huh?”
As half-confused Youngwoo blinked a third time.
Crunch!
The assassin yanked the blade free.
Probably to stab again since he wasn’t dead.
Simultaneously, rough presences surged from all sides of his bed.
The bedroom really was packed with assassins.
“Y-you fucking bastards!”
As Youngwoo raged at the ceiling, blood fountained from the hole in his chest.
Splash!
‘O-overbleeding……!’
At the absurd blood volume, Youngwoo gaped, and the second-stabbing assassin suddenly staggered back.
Sizzle!
Its body melted upon being drenched in Youngwoo’s blood.
【Corrosive Blood】
|Blood becomes corrosive.
One of Youngwoo’s hearts, the ‘Poison Dragon Heart’ effect, still held.
‘…No.’
Only now did he notice the icons in his vision: bleeding status, and body defects at max.
「Body Defect」 - Saga Chestplate
【Power increases up to 80% based on limb defect level.】
‘Codex! The codex works!’
But his body still wouldn’t budge an inch, and meanwhile the other assassins charged the bed.
Slash!
Youngwoo reflexively shouted.
“Y-you lot don’t know morality? Too few heads—bring more……!”
For some reason, sensing the horde triggered the Chairman’s line.
And as soon as he recited it.
Shiiiing!
A massive chill swept the room, turning the swarm of assassins to smoke.
“…Huh?”
Youngwoo still couldn’t move a muscle on the bed.
“Ch-Chairman?”
Calling out to the possible watcher, a system message appeared instead.
「Problem solved.」
‘Huh?’
「Fastest among participants to solve, +1 morality point.」
Then his vision showed the score.
[Morality Score: 2]
Base completion 1 point plus 1 for speed.
「From now, participants form teams of up to 2 to escape Besedel Citadel.」
‘Besedel……?’
Familiar word, but key rules followed, shifting focus.
「Two main rules.」
「1. Find and exit citadel within 4 hours.」
「2. Maximize morality score at escape.」
‘Ah, straightforward at least.’
Youngwoo mentally nodded his unnodding head.
Simply gather max morality points and escape in 4 hours.
「Morality points gained by killing other participants, elite monster kills, hiding citadel exit, etc.」
“……?”
「Participants failing to escape in time limit will die. Take note.」
With that eerie final warning, the bedroom door opened.
Whirr, boom!
The thick stone door filling one wall slid away entirely.
‘Uh-oh, that’s trouble.’
Killing others gained points.
Dungeon layout forced participant encounters.
They’d even allowed 2-person teams.
Compatible partners got duo parties.
‘Starting unequipped… teaming up is advantageous for sure.’
So everyone would cautiously seek allies first.
‘…Meaning I’m prime target material.’
He tried moving again—nothing.
He’d either get found and killed, or expire immobile till timeout.
‘Shit.’
Grinding his teeth, blue light glowed near the door, and a system message appeared.
「Shop open. Touch emblem to purchase.」
‘Knew there was more.’
Youngwoo rolled his eyes max to see Doggo’s wedge emblem by the door.
That was the ‘shop’.
Currency for purchases.
‘Morality score.’
Maybe they sold proper spines, so Youngwoo maxed his brainpower.
Not the best, but a way to avoid worst case.
Namely.
「Self-Destruct」 - Mutant Bracelet
【Causes strong explosion.】
【Durability +300.】
‘Explode to launch my body!’
Might reveal his position to all nearby, but better than dying bedridden.
“Morality! All who know morality, come to me! I’ll handle you all!”
Half-mad, Youngwoo triggered self-destruct.
Boom!
As expected, the blast flung him off the sturdy bed.
“Woo……!”
His cheer as loud as the explosion.
Rolled opposite the door, but progress nonetheless.
Boom!
Bang!
Youngwoo exploded on cooldowns, and meanwhile.
Pop.
[Morality Lecture]
|Participants: 16
|Deaths: 1
Participant status revealed.
One death already.
‘Yeah, unequipped against that assassin horde? Tough.’
Bare-handed too.
Hence the shop for buying weapons with morality points.
But the system showed status for another reason.
「4 participants entered corridor.」
‘C-corridor?’
Obvious.
Halls connecting assigned bedrooms.
‘Please no.’
Sweat beaded his forehead.
Staring at the wide-open door, Youngwoo triggered another blast.
Boom!
Flash!
“Huh……!”
Shockingly, the airborne Youngwoo smacked the wall and rolled opposite—to right before the door.
‘Y-yes!’
Now just 30cm to the Doggo emblem.
Next blast would touch it.
‘Most start with 1 point, I have 2—can buy decent stuff.’
Top priority: new spine.
‘Just a bit more time.’
Waiting for next activation, staring at the door—footsteps echoed from beyond.
Step, step.
‘Eek.’
One of the corridor entrants heading here.
‘Time? How long till next blast?’
Desperately trying to use, 16 seconds to reuse.
But time left for Youngwoo.
Clack!
None.
Clunky feet and blade tip entered his vision.
Another participant found his room.
“Uh.”
Opponent sounded surprised; Youngwoo twisted eyes to glare up, scheming defiance.
Then mirrored the shock.
“Ottavio……?”
Ottavio Simorelli.
The Sicilian harpooner from the first dungeon boat Youngwoo led.
Titles confiscated here too—no ‘Sicily’s Guardian Sword’ above his head.
“Uh… Jeong Young-woo?”
Ottavio recalled his name.
“What are you doing there?”
Ottavio eyed the corpse-like Youngwoo on the floor curiously.
Youngwoo rolled his eyes to point at the wedge emblem.
“Team… haven’t found one yet?”