Chapter 211: Eternal Spire[R-18] (36)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 211: Eternal Spire[R-18] (36)
In the early hours of dawn, the sound of a knock on the door roused Kim Min-su from his groggy sleep.
Knock, knock.
“Yaaawn… Who is it?”
“It’s Lauren. I’ve come to ask for a favor.”
Kim Min-su stared blankly at the door for a moment, then let out a huge yawn and got out of bed.
“What’s so important that you’re here at this hour?”
When he opened the door, Lauren was looking at him with a serious expression.
“I’m sorry, but it’s urgent. Can you join us for a dungeon raid?”
Kim Min-su blinked, momentarily taken aback.
“What? So suddenly?”
“Yes. The tanker who was supposed to go with us got injured yesterday. We can’t cancel the scheduled raid, so… I thought you’d be more than capable of filling the role.”
Kim Min-su scratched his head and sighed.
“Haaah… Alright. Do I have time to get ready?”
“We have about an hour before we leave. Is that enough?”
“Got it. I’ll get ready and be right out.”
As Kim Min-su joined Team 3 and headed for the dungeon, he struck up a conversation with the black-haired woman next to him.
“What kind of dungeons does Team 3 usually raid?”
The black-haired woman, Kim Su-yeon, answered with a slight smile.
“We mostly tackle intermediate-level dungeons. We’re not skilled enough to take on high-level ones yet.”
Kim Min-su nodded.
“So, what’s the name of the dungeon we’re raiding?”
“It’s a place called the Ruined Cemetery.”
“The Ruined Cemetery… I’ve never heard of that dungeon before.”
Kim Min-su was puzzled. He had gathered information on many dungeons, but he’d never heard of one called the Ruined Cemetery.
“Yes, it was discovered recently, so it’s not well-known yet. Our team is conducting the first reconnaissance mission.”
They passed through the eastern forest and headed toward the wasteland. The party consisted of ten members in total.
Kim Min-su slowly sized up the party members. But something felt strange.
Wait, was this woman always in Team 3?
Kim Min-su had met Team 3 a few times before, but he didn’t remember seeing the woman next to him.
Did I just miss her? Or… is she a new member?
The thought of entering a dungeon with a stranger bothered him, but he tried to push his suspicions aside.
They traveled through the forest for several days. A reddish mist began to envelop their surroundings.
“We need to be careful from here on out. Areas with mist can be dangerous.”
At Su-yeon’s warning, everyone heightened their guard. Kim Min-su gripped his shield tightly and took the lead. His role was to protect the party from monster attacks.
As they ventured deeper into the forest, the mist grew thicker. It was a dark place where sunlight barely reached.
“It’s strangely quiet,” Kim Min-su remarked.
“Monsters will start appearing as we get closer to the dungeon entrance. Don’t let your guard down.”
It was then that Kim Min-su suddenly felt a strange presence behind him. The moment he tried to turn around—
Thwack!
A powerful impact struck the back of his head. He collapsed forward. The last thing he saw as his vision blurred was Kim Su-yeon’s cold smile.
Before he lost consciousness completely, Kim Min-su realized he had been deceived.
So-young… be careful…
His consciousness plunged into complete darkness.
As Kim Min-su fell, the women around him casually stretched and laughed.
“He’s nothing special. Captain Lauren told us to be careful, but he’s a total pushover.”
Kim Su-yeon nudged Kim Min-su with the tip of her foot and sneered.
“Hey, sis, how are things with Night Bloom these days?” another woman asked with interest.
“Well, we’re still training every day. We haven’t started any official activities yet.”
“Still, I’m jealous. You get to be trained by Seo-yun himself.”
“Hmph, is that all? If your performance is good, you can even get a penis usage ticket.”
“Really?”
The woman stared at Kim Su-yeon with envy.
“If you guys work hard, you can move up too,” Kim Su-yeon said with a smug look. The women around her gazed at her with envious eyes.
“So, what are we going to do with this guy?” one of them asked.
“First, let’s drag him into the Ruined Cemetery dungeon. We just need to drop him into a deep enough pit there. It’s full of vampire worms. They’ll take care of him naturally.”
Kim Su-yeon smiled coldly. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion. The women chatted as they moved the unconscious Kim Min-su.
“So Park So-young will become a cocksleeve just like us, then?”
“Probably, right? It seems like they’ve been putting a lot of effort into her lately.”
“I’m so jealous. Some of us were kidnapped and conditioned…”
“Oh my? You don’t like it?”
“No, that’s not it. I just mean I want to enjoy a sweet romance with the master and then get betrayed, just like her.”
“You crazy bitch.”
Giggles echoed through the forest. The woman carrying Kim Min-su’s body briefly set him down on the ground and sighed.
“This bastard is heavier than he looks. Give me a hand.”
Another woman came over and lifted Kim Min-su’s legs. Together, they hoisted him up and carried him deeper into the forest. A man in a black robe followed them silently from behind.
The women dragged Kim Min-su into the dungeon and threw him into a pit.
“Shouldn’t we finish him off before we throw him in?”
Kim Su-yeon shook her head at the woman who asked.
“There’s no need. The bottom of this pit is swarming with vampire worms. They’ve caught the scent of blood, so they’ll take care of him for us.”
She looked down into the pit and smiled cynically. A squirming sound could be heard from the darkness below. The women tossed Kim Min-su into the pit. After confirming he had disappeared into its depths, they left.
Once the women were gone, the robed figure appeared. He stretched a hand toward the pit, and Kim Min-su’s body was lifted into the air. Seeing a few vampire worms squirming on his body, the robed figure waved his hand. The worms burst into flames and turned to ash.
He carefully laid Kim Min-su on the ground and took a potion from his robes, pouring it over Kim Min-su’s wound.
“Ugh…”
“Min-su-hyung!”
Kim Min-su blinked a few times, his face contorted in pain, trying to focus his eyes.
“Who…?”
“It’s me! Jae-ho…”
“Yoon… Jae-ho? How are you…”
“There’s no time to explain. We have to get out of here first.”
Yoon Jae-ho helped Kim Min-su up and led him deeper into the dungeon. The two walked in silence through the dark passage.
“How are you here, anyway? After you suddenly disappeared, So-young and I were looking all over for you…”
Yoon Jae-ho’s expression darkened.
“I’ll… explain that later. Right now, getting you to safety is the priority.”
They continued deeper along the dungeon’s dark corridors. It felt strange to be heading in the opposite direction of the exit, but Kim Min-su trusted Yoon Jae-ho and followed.
“There’s a secret passage just a little further. We’ll be safe if we go through there.”
When they reached a deep part of the dungeon, Yoon Jae-ho placed his hand on a wall and muttered something. The wall slowly moved, revealing a secret passage.
“We can go this way. It’s a secret escape route I found. No one knows about it.”
Kim Min-su looked at Yoon Jae-ho with questioning eyes.
“How do you know all this?”
“I’ve been hiding and operating in this area… I’ll explain the rest later. Let’s go.”
They walked for a long time through the dark passage. It gradually sloped upward, and they finally emerged into a small cave in the forest.
“Where are we?”
“This is a good distance north of the Ruined Cemetery. We should be safe for a while.”
Kim Min-su leaned his exhausted body against a rock and sat down. The effects of the drug were wearing off, but his body still felt heavy.
“Jae-ho, tell me now. What happened to you?”
“I’m sorry… I can’t tell you that myself.”
“Is it… related to Si-yeon?”
Yoon Jae-ho silently turned his head away. From his reaction, Kim Min-su could guess the general situation.
“I won’t ask anymore… And thank you for saving me. I’m going to go save So-young.”
“Hyung, it’s dangerous to go in your current state. If you rush in like this, it’s suicide!”
“So, you want me to just give up on So-young?”
“I have a plan.”
“A plan?”
“Yes… Austin will help us.”
Kim Min-su frowned.
“Austin? That guy who’s supposedly starting something called the Holy Cross Knights?”
“That’s right. So please, trust me.”
Kim Min-su let out a deep sigh and slumped to the ground.
“Haaah… Why would Austin help us?”
“He wants to kill Jin Seo-yun.”
Kim Min-su fell silent. It wasn’t that strange, when he thought about it. Austin had long been trying to build his own power base, and a colossal figure like Jin Seo-yun would have been standing in his way.
“Alright, let’s say he helps us. But what about So-young in the meantime?”
Yoon Jae-ho paused for a moment before speaking quietly.
“Two days… We just have to wait until then.”
Kim Min-su gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.
“…Just two days.”
His fist slowly clenched on his knee.
“I won’t wait any longer than that.”
*
Park So-young was out in the training grounds early in the morning, swinging her sword alone.
She recalled what Kim Min-su had told her the night before.
‘He said he thought he might have misunderstood Seo-yun, right?’
Only then did her heart feel a little more at ease. A wave of guilt for her needless suspicion and relief washed over her simultaneously. Perhaps because of that, her sword movements felt particularly light today.
Swoosh!
The tip of her blade cut through the air, moving smoothly. Though the movements were repetitive, she could feel her body responding with much more flexibility.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
As the morning sun streamed into the training grounds, it glinted off her sword. Beads of sweat trickled down from her forehead.
Just then—
“You’re out early again today.”
At the familiar voice, Park So-young jumped and turned around.
“How long have you been there?”
Leaning against the entrance to the training grounds, Jin Seo-yun smiled faintly.
“I just got here. I was watching you practice for a bit.”
He slowly walked into the training grounds, his steps as leisurely as ever.
“Your movements look even better today. Did something good happen?”
Park So-young held her sword upright and smiled.
“I just feel like a needless worry has been resolved.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“By the way, Seo-yun, have you seen Min-su? We were supposed to train together this morning, but I don’t see him.”
Jin Seo-yun seemed to think for a moment before answering.
“He left early this morning. A tanker from Team 3 got injured, so he’s filling in for them.”
“Oh, really? He could have at least told me before he left.”
“It was probably a last-minute decision, so he likely didn’t have time to contact you.”
“I see. And here I thought he was just sleeping in.”
Jin Seo-yun smiled slightly and shook his head. Then, as if hesitating for a moment, he spoke quietly.
“More importantly, So-young. Are you free tonight?”
Park So-young blinked at the unexpected question.
“Huh? Yeah, I’m free. Why?”
“Can you come to my room tonight? There’s something I need to talk to you about.”
Park So-young froze for a second.
“To your room…?”
“Yes. It’s important, so I thought it would be better to talk somewhere quiet.”
Meeting Jin Seo-yun’s serious gaze, Park So-young’s heart began to pound.
Is it finally happening?
She rubbed the back of her neck and avoided his eyes.
“So suddenly…?”
“If you feel burdened, you don’t have to come. I just wanted to talk quietly.”
“Oh, no. I’ll go. What time should I be there?”
“Around seven would be good.”
“Alright… I’ll see you tonight, then.”
Park So-young tried her best to act nonchalant, but she could feel her face growing hot.
Jin Seo-yun looked at her and smiled gently.
“Yes, I’ll see you tonight, So-young.”
With a soft smile, Jin Seo-yun left the training grounds.
Left alone, Park So-young stared blankly at his retreating back before a thought suddenly struck her.
“Underwear!”
With her sword still hanging at her waist, Park So-young sprinted back to her room at full speed.
Bang!
The moment she threw the door open, she started rummaging through her closet.
“Did I have anything decent…?”
She quickly opened her drawers, checking them one by one.
“White? It looks too innocent!”
“Red? Too intentional!”
“Not this one, it’s too slutty!”
Park So-young ruffled her hair in frustration and sighed.
“I can just go dressed comfortably. It’s no big deal!”
Even as she thought that, her hands had already picked out a set of underwear that was simple yet looked like she had put some subtle thought into it.
In the end, she put it on, looked at herself in the mirror, and muttered.
“…This is just in case, yeah.”
