Level Up Machine 084: Forgotten Ones' Tomb (2)
The alliance between Salvatore Guild and Leviathan Guild crossed the Northern Borderline in utmost secrecy, careful not to draw the eyes of other summoners.
With the borderline's repairs still incomplete, word of Leviathan Guild vanishing again would surely spark chaos. Park Sia led the way along a route she'd already secured.
-Thud. Thud.
"This is beyond the Northern Borderline..."
Yeong-sik muttered softly as they trudged through a forest path thick with overgrown foliage. Leaves the size of a person's body towered high, blocking the sunlight and casting a sticky darkness even in broad daylight. The air hung heavy with suffocating humidity that clung to their skin like glue. Insects buzzed incessantly.
The snap of twigs underfoot echoed like thunder.
Everyone's on edge.
Yeong-sik glanced at the Leviathan Guild members with deep, sunken eyes. Even on a route they'd supposedly secured, their tension was palpable.
Leviathan wasn't the only one on high alert. Salvatore Guild's faces were just as rigidly set.
Strangely, the ones who seemed most relaxed were Yeong-sik, A-ra, and Gil-su, who knew nothing of what lay beyond the Northern Borderline.
"Yu-jin."
"...What is it?"
Yeong-sik spoke quietly to Yu-jin walking beside him.
"Have you ventured beyond the Northern Borderline before?"
"Hm... Not frequently, but we've done a few expeditions. Any guild in the top six probably heads out once every half-year."
"Ho."
Yeong-sik nodded, intrigued by Yu-jin's words.
"Why bother with expeditions at all?"
"Plenty of reasons. Some, like Leviathan Guild, hunt for dungeons. Others seek relics of the Ingrium Empire."
"Ingrium Empire relics?"
Yeong-sik thought of the black suit he currently wore as he echoed the words.
"Souvenirs from the Eight Heroes who died in the Great War... Plenty worth chasing."
"Eight Heroes?"
"Natives who shone in the Great War. From the records, even our guild master couldn't dream of facing them."
"Huh..."
A short exclamation escaped Yeong-sik's lips. Rumor had it Park Sia's level had reached 105. For even her to say she "couldn't dream" of matching them... their power was beyond imagining.
"Beyond that, plenty go for level 100 breakthroughs or other rewards."
"For level 100?"
"Once you hit 99, monsters beyond the borderline are your only real source of exp. High level caps mean you stall out otherwise. I'm in that boat myself."
Yeong-sik's eyes widened slightly at Yu-jin's explanation.
"Your cap isn't 99?"
"Higher, technically. Just no time to grind it."
Yu-jin placed a hand over his left chest as he spoke.
"Hmm."
Yeong-sik swallowed a brief hum, eyeing Yu-jin. He'd thought himself well-acquainted with the guild by now, but clearly, there were still secrets.
After that, Yeong-sik and Yu-jin walked on in silence.
True to Leviathan's boasts, the secured route to the dungeon proved remarkably stable. A few monster ambushes along the way were laughable against the assembled might here.
This group's power could handle even Rekras resurfacing without much trouble.
Slash!
Clang!
-Kraaaargh!
A hulking cyclops crashed to the ground. Without pause, Cheon Tae-hwang charged the next, four swords trailing in the air behind him.
-Crunch. Crackle!
-Kruuuugh!
"Manticore!"
As the cyclops pack thinned, a massive roar heralded a new beast: lion's body, serpent tail, eagle wings. The manticore glared fiercely at the intruders in its domain.
"Hold formation and fall back."
Park Sia's cold voice rang out. She'd hung back directing until now, but she stepped forward at the manticore's arrival, slowly raising her right hand. Water droplets materialized around her.
"Manticore, huh? Decent warm-up."
Kang Ha-rin grinned, drawing her long sword.
A level 100 ranker struggled one-on-one with a manticore, but four rankers were here. Counting Yu-jin, Yeong-sik, and Cheon Tae-hwang as ranker-tier made seven.
Far beyond what one manticore could handle.
?Grrr...?
Oblivious, the manticore growled viciously at the approaching group instead of fleeing.
-Raaargh!
With a bellow, it lunged. Water bullets pelted it like gunfire. A streak of light—Kang Ha-rin—slammed her sleek leg into its jaw.
-Kiiing?!
The manticore yelped cutely, staggering back. Cheon Tae-hwang and Yeong-sik charged in tandem.
"Draw Blade. Severing Strike."
"All-Out Strike."
Yeong-sik's Blade and Cheon Tae-hwang's sword carved the manticore's flanks. It roared in agony.
"Rift."
Slash!
Yu-jin's spell finished it—a spatial tear severed its neck, dropping it limp.
"Ha... Overwhelming."
Short gasps rose from the summoners, awe at their display. Morale surged.
"Maintain formation. The dungeon's close."
Park Sia's chill voice doused the rising heat instantly. Her words tensed Leviathan Guild further.
"You cleared up to just before the lowest floor last time, right?"
Yeong-sik wiped manticore blood from his Blade and approached her.
Park Sia nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"How tough was it?"
"Very. Heavy casualties among our guild. Monsters so fierce we nearly quit multiple times."
Yeong-sik's expression hardened.
"But if you cleared to the bottom floor, shouldn't monsters be gone?"
Tiriya, who'd overheard, chimed in.
"No. We didn't fully clear them out."
"Hm... Stay sharp, then."
"Still, with Salvatore's aid this time, it'll be smoother."
Park Sia stated it flatly, no flattery intended. Salvatore had proven their mettle in the ambushes en route.
If only we could recruit them...
Park Sia eyed them greedily. Absorbing such talent would make Leviathan the East's strongest effortlessly.
Impossible, though...
She sighed inwardly at their family-like bond. Such cohesion wasn't easily absorbed.
"Then, we'll open the entrance."
At Park Sia's word, Kang Ha-rin and Park Sang-jun stepped up to two unremarkable boulders, placing hands on them.
Grrrrrind!
The rocks glowed blue.
That's...
Yeong-sik's eyes gleamed at the massive stone. An angel in prayer was engraved atop it.
The ground split, revealing the dungeon entrance.
How'd they even find this?
Yeong-sik tilted his head at the boulders that screamed "not an entrance."
Park Sia continued.
"Let's head in."
She strode inside calmly. Yeong-sik followed Leviathan in.
"Whoa..."
Yuna gasped. Yeong-sik scanned the interior, equally stunned.
Thought it'd be a dank cave... or abandoned mine.
Far from the grim Forgotten Ones' Tomb he'd imagined, it felt bright—reverent, like a grand cathedral.
White marble floors. Warm beige walls. Chandelier-like magic lamps overhead.
Too beautiful for a dungeon.
"Not what I expected..."
Tiriya looked around, surprised.
Then, her eyes caught a motif on the wall, glowing faintly.
"This...?"
"Something wrong?"
"Oh, Yeong-sik... This motif. Matches one on an old item from my family home."
Yeong-sik tilted his head at her pointed emblem: an angel with twelve wings.
"Your house had this?"
"Yes. Saw it in the storeroom. But why here...?"
She couldn't fathom her family's crest on a dungeon wall. Yeong-sik stared blankly too.
Too little info to guess now.
"Problem?"
Park Sia approached as they paused.
Tiriya waved awkwardly.
"No, just... caught my eye."
"Caught your eye?"
Park Sia tilted her head. Tiriya explained halting at the motif.
"Hm."
Park Sia's eyes sharpened knowingly as she nodded.
"Why the face?"
Tiriya asked curiously.
Park Sia replied evenly.
"I'll explain at the bottom floor. Not enough info for certainty yet."
"?"
Tiriya tilted her head, baffled. Park Sia averted her gaze.
"Let's move."
She returned to the lead. Tiriya stared silently at the motif.
Yeong-sik murmured beside her.
"We should go."
"Ah, yes..."
As she spoke, her hand unconsciously reached for the motif.
Then—
?Fwaaash!
Intense light from the emblem enveloped Tiriya.
"What?!"
"Y-Yeong-sik!"
She reached desperately. Yeong-sik grabbed her hand.
In that instant, Yeong-sik and Tiriya melted into the air and vanished.