Chapter 28
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Changed Boss Room
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‘It looks like the boss room…’
No way the boss itself had changed too.
I glanced around at the others. They were doing the same, tapping at the invisible walls. When I looked to the side again, my brother was biting his lip, even more flustered than me.
‘We prepared items for taking down the boss, even went as far as getting an S-Rank magic stone.’
If the boss changed, those would be useless.
‘…Damn.’
I let out a deep sigh. If the boss had changed and we just wasted the items, that’d be a real disaster. It was something we couldn’t have predicted, so there was no helping it, but it still sucked.
“The whole dungeon’s just one big glitch…”
Clunk! A sound that wasn’t mine rang out, and I whipped my head around. The others did the same, having heard it too.
We were divided by transparent walls, sliced up like a pizza. In the center, beyond the barriers, something had dropped down.
‘A statue.’
An orrery with a praying child statue on top. A familiar shape.
‘The boss hasn’t changed.’
Relief hit me the moment that thought crossed my mind. I glanced at my brother, who looked relieved too, but his face soon darkened again. Same for me.
‘There weren’t any transparent walls like this before. Why’d they appear now?’
Creak. The praying child’s head lifted, swiveling around grotesquely as if scanning all of us. Up to here, it was the same.
Soon, the raised platform began to spin, filling the space with bouncy music.
‘Everything’s been the same so far, so why…’
Before I could dwell on the question.
Creak, creak.
A strange noise came from behind, and I spun around.
“…Huh.”
The wooden puppets from the theater were right in front of me. The difference? There were a lot more this time, and they were wearing tutus.
“So this is how you wanna play it?”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Looking around, monsters in all sorts of getups were entering each person’s section.
My brother’s section had puppets with instruments, Ryu Cheon-hwa’s had cute dolls that didn’t suit him, Yoo A-han’s had puppets holding brushes, pencils, and canvases, and Seung-hyeon’s had puppets dressed like firefighters and cops.
What should’ve been one at a time was now all at once, splitting us up.
‘At least it’s the same overall.’
I focused back on my section and eyed the puppets. They untangled themselves, gracefully posed, spun around, and charged at me.
Clang! My scythe clashed with a puppet, but instead of metal on wood, it was metal on metal. What the hell was the wood like around here?
I swung my scythe, blocking the puppets spinning toward me endlessly. They bounced off like tops, refusing to break, coming back again and again until—slice. A puppet’s straight arm grazed my arm, tearing cloth and slicing flesh.
‘It’s ridiculous no matter how many times I see it.’
I couldn’t fathom how those blunt hands could cut like that. They wouldn’t even nick you from Yoo A-han’s punches.
“……”
Figured it was time for the act. I glanced around. The others were struggling against monsters that reformed no matter how many times they shattered them, but they were gaining ground bit by bit.
‘One wound’s enough, right?’
The ballerina puppets in front of me had a weak point: the wind-up key on their backs. Who’d think to yank that out mid-fight? Seung-hyeon had figured it out.
Poof, pop-pop. Stars appeared around me, attacking the puppets. The moment one lost balance from an exploding star, I rushed in, planted my foot on its back, and yanked out the key.
The puppet collapsed limply, then scattered into the air and vanished.
‘Gotta grab the key.’
I crammed it into my inventory and attacked the others the same way. They were mindless clones, so the method worked every time.
Or it should have.
‘Last one?’
Thud. I fired my final star and charged. But contrary to expectation—
Thwack! The puppet deflected the star aside. Stunned, I blankly watched its attack coming—swish!
“…What.”
Its hand grazed my cheek. I felt the blood welling up, but ignored it and swung a fist at the puppet. Seizing the moment it lost balance, I pulled the key.
‘What was that just now?’
It was dead now, so I’d never know, but whatever.
Humm. A faint vibration hummed, and I turned to see the transparent wall glowing faintly orange.
‘Opening the sections?’
Ryu Cheon-hwa was to my left, my brother to the right. Usually, only one side opened.
“……”
Ryu Cheon-hwa looked like he was having fun solo, so I’d go to my brother.
I lightly touched the right wall. It rippled visibly, then—crash! It shattered, connecting to his section.
‘He’s already done anyway.’
One last monster. It was finished before I even got close.
My brother, having killed it, looked at me as I approached.
“Kill ‘em all, and the walls open.”
He glanced around at my words. Invisible to me, but he must’ve seen the walls in different colors, nodding slightly. Then he touched the wall connected to Seung-hyeon.
After that, it was just smash walls, help out, repeat. No idea why it changed, but whatever.
We saved Ryu Cheon-hwa’s wall for last, but he smashed through first, ruining the plan.
“You looked like you were enjoying it.”
“……”
“Pfft.”
Ryu Cheon-hwa grimaced at my words, Yoo A-han let out a tiny laugh, and even Seung-hyeon shook with a chuckle.
“…Focus next time.”
We all turned to the center. The praying child orrery was still there.
Creak. Praying hands and forehead touched with a squeak, then parted. The child on the orrery stood up. It creaked around, spotted us, and smiled brightly. The statue stepped down and charged.
“Wait…!”
What pattern was this? Before I could panic, my equally startled brother silently swung his black sword—thunk. The charging statue’s head rolled across the floor.
“Bro! You can’t just smash it without knowing what—!”
Crack-crack. Cracks spiderwebbed under the statue’s feet. It walked back to the center, shattered—boom!
“…Whoa.”
“Impressed?”
“Monsters are just endlessly fascinating.”
Yoo A-han finding the half-formed clay lumps fascinating was the real mystery.
Luckily, only the prelude had changed. The rest was familiar.
“Everyone, get ready—”
Boom! Before Seung-hyeon finished, clay lumps shot out, attacking us fiercely. We scattered fast; no one got crushed or hit.
Ice spears formed around Seung-hyeon and launched at the clay. But—crash! They shattered on contact, dealing no damage.
“What the…?”
Yoo A-han approached, trying something, but nothing happened. Her brow furrowed briefly before she dodged an incoming attack.
“Attacks aren’t working.”
My brother said it first.
“Looking closely, there are holes in its body for inserting something. Probably parts from the monsters we killed earlier.”
Ryu Cheon-hwa grabbed some cotton balls from who-knows-where and charged the clay lump’s center, where seams had burst open, trying to stuff them in.
But before he touched it—splat! It knocked him flying at blinding speed. He landed properly, at least.
“We’re screwed.”
Yoo A-han muttered. No one had even noticed the attack coming. Meaning even top S-Ranks couldn’t track it.
I scanned around and spoke up.
“How about I draw its attention, and you guys try then?”
Seung-hyeon nearby nodded and pulled out what looked like a riot baton. Probably what needed inserting.
At his response, I charged the clay lump, firing stars wildly. Boom, bang. As it went berserk on me, Seung-hyeon dashed behind to insert the baton—
Boom!
Seung-hyeon flew back this time.
‘Time to suggest a plan—’
As I opened my mouth, my brother beat me to it.
“Ji-eon, got any binding items?”
“Huh? Yeah, I do. How’d you know…? No, wait.”
Whoosh. Black smoke from my palm turned instantly into the item. A glass orb like a bomb, filled with swirling strange liquid.
My brother confirmed it and nodded. Then he shouted to the others.
“Ji-eon’s using a binding item! The second it hits, everyone insert your parts!”
I inhaled, exhaled, and hurled it—flick!
It hit the clay lump—shraa! A net deployed. The lump thrashed in panic. Clay bits poked through the net, but slower now.
People leaped in, jamming their items into the holes. But stray attacks slipped through, wounding several.
‘Too fast.’
Normally, only a few would’ve been hit, but it accelerated, nicking everyone inserting. Plus, the net was tearing from the top.
‘Mine… ah, here.’
I gripped my wind-up key tight and jammed it in. Relief hit as it clicked—then thunk. Another sound.
“…….”
Something stabbed my side at an angle.
Thud!
I tumbled into the wall. Even tumbling, I saw the others—looks like I was last.
Seung-hyeon fired ice spears again—thunk, easily piercing the clay. It melted into liquid in seconds.
“Han Ji-eon, you okay?”
“Uh… yeah, I guess.”
Yoo A-han spoke to me as the clay behind her burst and shredded. It was getting obliterated; no need to worry.
My body was fine. I’d dodged vitals, and this physique wouldn’t die from a gut stab anyway.
Her hand neared, blue light enveloping the wound. I looked away from the healing gash and scanned around. Everyone was spraying potions on their injuries, boss corpse behind us.
“Without that binding item, inserting would’ve been impossible. Where’d you get it?”
“Dungeon drop.”
“Lucky break.”
Pain faded fast under her blue light, mobility returning.
“Even S-Rank bodies can have issues. Get a checkup later.”
“Sure.”
An exit had opened where the boss died. My brother gave me a weird look, but turned away before I could tilt my head and ask what.
‘What?’
Ryu Cheon-hwa spoke up next.
“We don’t know what’s outside, so let’s get out fast.”
Killing the boss should’ve ended the spread gate, but the hunters’ ominous words about sudden patterns had us hurrying out.
Light filled my vision, then faded. Familiar sky greeted us.
Outside, Ji Hwa-yeon stood with a crumpled expression. We didn’t need words.
“Something happen?”
At Yoo A-han’s question, Ji Hwa-yeon sighed and turned it back on us.
“I should be asking you that. What happened in the dungeon?”