Chapter 49: Alchemist’s Dungeon
Chapter 49: Alchemist’s Dungeon
The instant I heard the word “shadow,” I froze in shock. Pale-faced, I stared at the User in my arms. Unlike a moment earlier, he was looking back at me with a composed expression and tranquil eyes. That quiet gaze sent an inexplicable chill prickling over my skin.
I reflexively tried to move my shadow, but the fear surging from deep inside stopped me. A cold sensation gathered around the back of my neck. His arm encircled my body, and his hand had already reached my nape.
I'm going to die.
With my life hanging by a thread, I did not waste time on foolish questions such as Why? or How? The sharp instincts that had kept me alive warned me more clearly than ever. The instant I moved my shadow, the User rubbing his face against my chest would twist and break my neck without hesitation.
I felt the strength slowly draining from my arms around him.
*
The woman’s arms fell limply. I had researched her techniques to some extent during my first run, so I had kept Sensing trained on her shadow. Even with that knowledge, she was a User I could never relax around; at the slightest sign of resistance, I was prepared to twist her neck.
The woman didn’t push her luck. She acknowledged her error in judgment and stepped back. She had good instincts and didn’t overestimate her own abilities.
I found myself liking her more and more. She was a User who knew when to retreat. Once I decided I did not need to dispose of her here, I slowly activated Third Eye. This time, I wanted to see all of her information.
Player Status
1. Name: Ko Yeonju (Year 5 User)
2. Class: Shadow Queen
3. Nation: Barbara
4. Clan: -
5. True Name · Nationality: The One Who Leaves a Pitch-Black Silhouette in the Night · Republic of Korea
6. Sex: Female (26)
7. Height · Weight: 169.4cm · 51.8kg
8. Alignment: True · Chaos
Stats
1. [Strength 89] [Durability 90] [Agility 97] [Stamina 87] [Magic Power 93] [Luck 82]
Achievements (5)
Unique Ability (1/1)
1. Eyes of Temptation (Rank: A)
Special Ability (1/1)
1. Abyssal Host (Rank: S Plus)
Latent Abilities (3/3)
1. Shadow Dagger Arts (Rank: A Plus)
2. Presence Concealment (Rank: A Plus Plus Plus)
3. Black Shade (Rank: A Plus Plus)
Stat Comparison
1. Kim Soohyun: 540 / 600
(You have 12 stat points remaining.)
[Strength 94] [Durability 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 72] [Magic Power 96] [Luck 88]
2. Ko Yeonju: 536 / 600
(No stat points remaining.)
[Strength 89] [Durability 90] [Agility 97] [Stamina 85] [Magic Power 93] [Luck 82]
Seeing Ko Yeonju's stats and abilities made me let out a quiet gasp. Her total stats came out to 536 out of a maximum of 600 points. That meant there was only a four-point difference between us. No wonder she was able to secure a spot among the Ten Strong in the future with abilities like these.
Still, I was confident I could beat her. Except for Stamina, all my other stats surpassed hers. Furthermore, when factoring in the level and rank of my Unique, Special, and Latent Abilities, I could definitely overwhelm her.
So, I made up my mind right then and there. I would decide what to do with Ko Yeonju when I finished my business in Mule and was ready to leave. I'd try to recruit her, and if that didn't work…. My thoughts must have shown on my face, because I saw her flinch as she looked into my eyes. I immediately schooled my expression and spoke in a quiet voice.
“I like women with beautiful shadows. That’s why I like you.”
“……”
“So...”
Ko Yeonju remained silent, her face still tense. This time, I was the one caressing her face. A strange sense of pleasure seemed to wash over me as our initial roles were reversed.
“I'd appreciate it if you didn't do anything foolish.”
A User like Ko Yeonju was more than capable of understanding the meaning behind my words. Only after seeing her give a faint nod did I finally pull away from her.
Ko Yeonju's current state of mind seemed quite complicated. Her usual relaxed expression was gone, replaced by troubled eyes that betrayed her inner turmoil. Then, with a deep sigh, she spoke.
“I understand what you mean. My lips are sealed, you could say.”
“Good. I like women who can keep a secret.”
Ko Yeonju, who had switched to formal speech at some point, gave a bitter smile at my words.
“I was just genuinely curious. Please don't misunderstand; I had no intention of harming you.”
“I'd like to tell you, but circumstances being what they are...”
I wanted to add, Besides, no matter how benevolent your purpose, Eyes of Temptation is still a form of mental contamination. But I decided to leave it there for today.
At my gentle refusal, Ko Yeonju looked disappointed and carefully got to her feet. I gave her a look, dismissing her, and she walked to the door without another word.
*
When morning came, the kids woke one by one, rubbing their sleepy eyes. I was pleased to see them begin Sensing training immediately even as they yawned. Normally I would have encouraged them, but because we were leaving the city that day, I called all three into my room.
“Whaddya call us togedder for?”
As Ahn Hyun mumbled through an enormous yawn, Yoojung gave him a disgusted look. Sol looked embarrassed as well. I chuckled at Hyun and began explaining things in order.
“It looks like all of you can handle Sensing reasonably well now.”
Since I'd been stingy with praise until now, the kids blinked and looked at each other. Then, with awkward expressions, they all began to straighten their backs. The occasional throat-clearing was quite a sight. A slight smile touched my lips, but I managed to suppress it.
“I felt that way after watching you all train so hard for the past week. You've worked hard.”
“Hyung. Then does that mean…?” Hyun asked excitedly. I nodded calmly. Today was finally the day we would leave the city.
“Yeah. I think it's time we left the city. It's about time we got moving.”
The moment I gave permission, a silent commotion broke out among Hyun, Sol, and Yoojung. Realizing they were finally taking their first true step into the Hall Plain, all three visibly brightened.
“But listen carefully. You need to make training a habit, something you do every day unless it's absolutely impossible.”
I added that quickly seeing how worked up they were getting, but from their half-hearted nods, I could tell their minds were already elsewhere. I was about to say more, but I decided against it. I figured I'd just wait and see if they could maintain this excited mood after facing the various incidents that awaited them outside the city.
The Ruined Laboratory. Ancient Alchemist Vivian’s Dungeon. After weighing which one to visit first, I decided the dungeon was the better choice. Their difficulty was roughly comparable, but I had gathered more clues about Vivian’s dungeon, so our likelihood of success there was higher.
To reach Vivian’s dungeon, we first had to leave through Mule’s North Gate and travel deep into the Black Forest. The enormous forest lay between the Northern Continent and the Unexplored Region, and it was dangerous enough that Barbara had ordered only its early and middle sections stabilized. In other words, once we crossed beyond the midpoint, we could regard the territory as effectively unexplored.
Still, none of that really applied to me. I had experience with expeditions into the Unexplored Region, so I didn't plan on recruiting a separate archer (Ranger). I made the tentative decision not to form a caravan. The problem of having to distribute rewards among more people would hold us back. I could barely afford to feed and clothe the kids; I had no room to worry about other Users.
Watching Hyun and Sol clap hands together in their excitement, I took out a backpack. It was a Magic Backpack carrying a temporary weight-reduction enchantment. Permanent Magic Backpacks were too expensive, so I had bought one whose enchantment would last a week. Once I sold some rewards from this expedition and added the Gold I already possessed, money should no longer be an immediate concern in Mule.
“I have gifts for all of you who trained so hard.”
At the word 'gifts,' the kids' curiosity immediately shifted to the backpack. They might have heard about Magic Backpacks at the User Academy, but this was the first time they'd seen one up close. Their eyes were shining brightly, like children waiting for gifts from Santa Claus. Ahn Hyun's eyes were practically bugging out of his head, which made me extremely uncomfortable.
Their silent gazes urged me to hurry up, and I broke into a sweat. Reaching into the backpack, I took out the gifts one by one. The gifts were weapons. I had chosen and ordered them after carefully considering each of their training styles at the User Academy.
One long spear. Two daggers. One wooden staff.
“Oh.”
“Huh?”
“Woah...”
Hyun, Yoojung, and Sol exclaimed in turn when they saw the weapons on the floor. At my gesture, they hurried forward and picked them up. Hyun had mentioned spending GP, but I had told him to save it. There was no reason to waste GP on items I could purchase normally.
Ahn Hyun picked up the spear, gave a few thrusts into the air, and looked satisfied. His thrusting form looked decent; it seemed to suit him.
“Wow. This feels great in my hands. It sticks to them every time I thrust.”
Ahn Hyun’s spearmanship had developed along a completely different path from what I first expected. I had assumed that, if given a sword, he would train mainly in slashing, yet he repeatedly concentrated on thrusts instead. That was why I chose a spear with an awl-sharp point.
“Your spearmanship is more specialized for thrusting than slashing. That's why I picked a spear with a sharply honed point. As you can see, it's a Long Spear, so it's not made for throwing. It's good for maintaining reach, so you'll have to pay close attention to your spacing in combat. Defense is up to you.”
“H-Hyung. To think you were thinking about me that much... This is making things difficult for me.”
Hyun spouted the silly line with a touched expression, then immediately began chuckling, confirming it had been a joke. Yoojung had been quietly turning her daggers in her hands; as soon as our exchange ended, she slipped into the conversation right on cue.
“Oppa, what about me? These daggers, they're only sharpened on one side.”
“That’s because I ordered them that way. Ah, yours were specially made, Yoojung—”
“Really?”
Yoojung's face lit up and she cut me off as soon as she heard 'special custom order.'
“The base design for your daggers is a katana. A Japanese sword. That's why the blades are longer than normal daggers. Think of them as about half the length of a regular katana.”
“Hmm~ It feels a little awkward, but I think it'll be better once I get used to it.”
“Mercenaries, being a melee class, often get abilities specialized for chaotic brawls. Anyway, give them a try. Finding a weapon that suits you is part of the training process.”
“Okay. But Oppa, custom-ordered weapons are more expensive than regular ones, right?”
“They tend to be. Why do you ask?”
When I agreed, Yoojung smiled triumphantly and turned toward Ahn Hyun. I did not need to ask why she was twirling her dagger and giving him such a smug look. She soon looked away from Hyun and back at me.
“So my gift is the most expensive one, right? Hohoho. Geez. Oppa, if you like me, just say so. Do you really have to be so indirect about it?”
Ahn Hyun, who had listened in silence, looked utterly dumbfounded. Sol sent me an aggrieved look. I was the one being wronged, but the kids were reaching the height of childishness. I stared at Yoojung as though she were pathetic, yet I had no defense against the provocative wink she returned.
I sighed and continued in a low voice.
“Unfortunately, the most expensive gift wasn't your daggers, but Sol's staff.”
“...What? Why? That stupid wooden staff?”
Yoojung's voice immediately sank. And hearing her staff called 'stupid,' Sol's lips jutted out in a pout. I shrugged.
“Of course. Weapons used by Mage- and Priest-class Users are usually magical items.”
“Huh? Magical?”
Sol's eyes went wide as she repeated my words. I nodded once and explained what kind of magic was enchanted on it.
“Yep. They say it calms the caster's mind and increases their efficiency in controlling magic power. It's the lowest grade, so you can't expect a huge effect, but it's better than nothing. I didn't think you needed one that increases your magic capacity right now. Is that okay?”
“Yes!”
Seeing how energetically Sol answered, clearly delighted, I smiled. For a moment, I thought it would be wonderful to have such a kind and adorable younger sister.
It was only for a split second, but I caught Sol shooting a gloating look at Yoojung. When I secretly glanced at Yoojung, I saw that her face was slightly distorted, as if she had caught Sol's gaze.
I suddenly remembered hearing a while back that Sol had been obnoxiously showing off. Of course, I had dismissed it, thinking there was no way Sol would do that. But now, I had a feeling I needed to reconsider.