003. Jo-ryeokja Summoning
I'd gotten a rough idea of what the Jo-ryeokja Summoning ability entailed. First off, Jo-ryeokja weren't like "ally summons" that physically dragged bodies into the labyrinth to help out. When I'd seen that phrase 『Now Broadcasting Live!』, it was obvious—they were beings watching me leisurely from a safe place, offering support.
Like some kind of internet personal broadcast...
It was tricky. Support from Jo-ryeokja wasn't mandatory. That meant I had to win their favor to get any help. Should I butter them up and beg? Nah, that didn't feel right. I didn't have the knack for performing like some trained monkey. And threatening them was out of the question—they'd be watching from somewhere my hands couldn't reach.
...Hmm. No point worrying about it yet. Getting support wouldn't be easy, but if I could persuade them or plead desperately enough, it'd work out somehow.
More importantly, how does the support actually work?
This time, I racked my brain guessing at the mechanics. They couldn't gift me some magical special ability. The Jo-ryeokja helping me were definitely ordinary humans—nothing special.
How did I know they were ordinary? No way I couldn't tell. The invitations went out via SMS to people in my contacts.
Maybe they send survival supplies or something.
That was the best I could come up with. And even that would be welcome with open arms—modern supplies weren't something to scoff at.
...Well, everything will become clear once a Jo-ryeokja shows up. For now, just keep waiting.
I sat cross-legged on the cold stone floor, waiting endlessly. Honestly, I wasn't expecting much, but I hoped at least one person might click out of curiosity.
I had 155 contacts in total. Pathetic compared to the so-called popular crowd. About a hundred were from school—just superficial number swaps with classmates. The rest were army buddies or people I'd met working part-time jobs.
It made sense I had few social connections. I'd spent half my twenties in another world.
At least I never cleaned out my phonebook...
Most people in there were basically ghost friends. I had their numbers, but we never talked. Calling them acquaintances was a stretch.
Even close friends might hesitate on a weird message like that. No way someone I haven't texted in ages gets a click.
Roughly two hours since the messages went out, and still nothing. No disappointment yet—the invites lasted 24 hours total, so 22 left. Plenty of time.
For now, pin hopes on the three I occasionally texted.
While waiting, might as well do something.
I brushed the dirt off my pants and stood, slowly scanning the scattered pebbles on the floor. One with a sharp edge caught my eye—I picked it up and gripped it tight.
Let's see... the path I came from...
Out of the eight passages, I strode to the narrowest one.
Passage 1
Then, moving right, I carved markers from 2 to 8 on each passage wall using the stone.
The reason? To avoid confusion. With eight passages, clear labels were essential for identification.
Shapes and sizes vary enough to tell apart anyway... but numbering them can't hurt. Easier to remember numbers than memorize shapes.
I returned from Passage 8 to Passage 1 and carved below the marker:
Passage 1
○ First path taken.
○ High chance of giant skeleton monster and Min Hyung-seok's monsters remaining—avoid for now.
How much time had passed? Felt like four hours? Five? Maybe more. My sense of time was numbing.
Expected in a sunless cave—no day or night.
Need to find something to track time later.
Lying spread-eagle on the floor, I stared blankly at the stalactites. Glowing stones emitted their own light—thankfully scattered evenly, since no sunlight penetrated. Without them, it'd be hopeless.
They were vital resources here—our only way to navigate the endless dark.
But...
I sat up after resting, scanning the chamber slowly.
No monsters coming here? With all these passages, not one has shown up.
Were the others besides Passage 1 all dead ends? Had to check. This was my base now—needed to map every path.
Let's do it now.
Slowly standing—something I'd do eventually anyway.
No agonizing over which. No way to judge danger by shape or size. Just go in order.
I headed straight to Passage 2. Unlike Passage 1's organic curve, this was artificially precise—a perfect square.
A bit tense.
Deep breath, swallowed dryly, clenched sweaty palms.
If I run into a monster, no heroics—just bolt.
Right now, I was a normal guy. Few monsters an average adult male could handle. Even small ones demanded caution—they wielded bizarre powers, not like Earth's animals.
Ready... time to go.
Gripping moderate tension, I stepped into Passage 2.
Deep into Passage 2.
[Squeak, screee!]
[Squeak!]
Ear-piercing noises ahead, around the corner. I pressed against the wall, peeking carefully without turning fully.
[Screee.]
[Screeeee?]
Spider-type monsters entered view. Size of small dogs. Appearance straight out of a kids' cartoon—adorably round.
Why are spiders this cute?
Seen plenty of spider monsters, but these were new. Unlisted in my isekai monster encyclopedia—unknown species.
Seemed docile, harmless even. But I knew better—they ranked high in strength.
Thanks to my special sense.
B-grade, maybe.
It gauged enemy strength relative to mine. More survival instinct than ability—innate, not isekai-acquired. Not pinpoint accurate, but close enough.
By my instincts, these spiders were B-grade equivalents.
Trouble. That last bunch too—what's with the high-level labyrinth? B-grade is high adventurer tier; no way my body wins.
Observing closely, I spotted something odd.
...Huh? Red spots?
The three visible spiders each had mismatched red circular spots.
New ability effect? Instinct told me instantly—these were the Taming spots, where hands go to tame.
Positions random: back, face, side. Even same species varied. Sizes too.
Just press hand there...
No trying now. Back to base first, plan approach. They wouldn't take kindly to touches.
Cute ones often vicious—play safe.
Exploration ends here. Confirmed monsters—time to retreat.
As I turned—
Wait, what's that?
Spider eggs in the corner, missed before. Squinting: about twenty, egg-sized-plus. One had a red spot.
Why just that one? Hatching soon? Didn't matter—spot was key.
Safer to tame than adults.
Smart to target low-resistance prey like eggs. Taming time unknown—could be minutes, not seconds.
Still risky—sneak past guards.
Scrap return plan. Camp here, wait opportunity.
They hunt in groups, but some guard eggs.
One chance: sleep time.
Hope no sentries—low intelligence.
Patiently watching—
RED-grade Jo-ryeokja 'Unknown-001' has swooped in like a comet to watch over you.