Event Dungeon (3)
I stood there, pondering how to snatch that treasure away. The method I’d used before—sending Dong-seok as bait and having Ji-soo swoop in to steal it—wouldn’t work this time. Unlike when only six people had guarded a single treasure, thirty or so were now packed tightly around one person holding two treasures, forming a living wall.
While I was still mulling over what to do, a sudden flash of light erupted from the person carrying the treasures. Two figures who had been approaching them appeared out of thin air. There had been nothing there a moment ago. Where the hell had they come from?
The two newcomers looked visibly flustered the instant their presence was revealed. Then—
Several members of the treasure-holding team burst forward and hacked the two intruders to pieces. The person carrying both treasures shouted in a clear, youthful voice.
Ah, so those two who had suddenly appeared had been using a skill like Stealth to get close. The team guarding the treasure must have had some way to detect it. They’d prepared thoroughly.
But who was the owner of that sharp, youthful voice? It sounded like a rather young girl. Could a girl that young really be leading such a massive group?
I couldn’t see her face because she was completely surrounded. Each of the thirty people encircling her looked formidable. Just the ones who had spotted the stealth users, exposed them, and cut them down seemed to possess considerable skill and stats. If all thirty were on that level… this was one hell of a powerful faction.
While I was lost in thought, a shouting match broke out between the group of thirty and the crowd surrounding them. A burly man who appeared to be one of the crowd’s leaders stepped forward and bellowed.
The girl answered in her crisp, youthful tone.
The burly man could only bite his lip. He had no comeback.
Of course, the crowd surrounding the thirty was several times larger. But could they truly unite and attack as one? These were all survivors who had been through hell and back. Could they really trust people they’d only just met today?
Absolutely not. Even I had been hanging back, playing it safe, waiting for another team to snatch the treasure so I could strike from behind and steal it. I doubted I was the only one thinking that way.
In the end, the crowd wouldn’t be able to join forces. So how long was this standoff supposed to last? Some people already seemed to think it was hopeless and were starting to leave in search of other treasures. If the crowd’s numbers visibly dwindled, the thirty might turn the tables and attack instead. I needed to end this quickly.
I already had a rough plan for stealing the treasure. It involved using my ridiculously overpowered Gate of Rest skill.
I stepped back, gave Ji-soo a quick explanation of the plan, then sent her into the Cradle of Rest. After that, I slowly moved forward, blended into the crowd, and summoned the Gate of Rest.
‘How’s the distance?’
I sent a telepathic message to Ji-soo. Her reply came from inside the Cradle of Rest.
‘A little farther forward. About three meters?’
Three meters. That meant I’d be popping out all by myself. Well, nothing I could do about it.
I slowly moved forward. Both groups, locked in a tense standoff, turned wary eyes toward me as I suddenly stepped out.
Ugh, I really hate being the center of attention.
I ignored the stares and summoned the Gate of Rest again.
‘How about now?’
‘Just a tiny bit more… one meter…’
I moved forward another meter and summoned it once more.
‘Now?’
‘Perfect! The treasure is right on the other side of the wall!’
Good. Ready.
I opened the Gate of Rest and stepped inside. The wary gazes that had been fixed on me instantly turned to confusion as I vanished.
The fastest reaction came from the treasure-holding team.
So the girl with the crisp voice who was carrying the treasures really was the leader. Guild Master, huh? Well, clans had already formed, so guilds weren’t surprising. And Insight? That was an incredibly useful skill. Stealth-type abilities wouldn’t work on her at all.
But I hadn’t used Stealth in the first place.
I strolled leisurely through the Cradle of Rest. The people packed tightly around their guild master weren’t obstacles at all. I could simply walk straight through them.
When I reached the farthest wall—the one where the Gate to the Underworld was located—Ji-soo was already waiting for me.
“Right here, Master. This spot has the best position.”
Just as Ji-soo said, on the other side of the wall I could see the two treasures lying on the ground, and right in front of them stood a girl holding a sword in a defensive stance. Long, straight black hair. A small, delicate frame and youthful face that looked like a high schooler. Flawless, porcelain skin and a pretty face—she probably drew a lot of attention.
So this girl was the guild master. She looked quite young, but her abilities were impressive. Maybe she was…
“Master?”
Ji-soo’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts. Right. For now, I should focus only on the treasures in front of me.
I used Gate Shift to move the Gate of Rest to the exact spot Ji-soo had indicated. Then I opened it. Ji-soo reached out with just her arm, grabbed the two treasures on the ground, and pulled them into the Cradle of Rest.
Done.
This was exactly why I’d said the third dungeon would be the hardest. The synergy between the Gate of Rest skill and this dungeon was just too good.
Meanwhile, chaos had erupted outside.
The guild master’s sharp cry of panic spread through her group and reached the surrounding crowd.
The tension between the two groups grew even thicker. A treasure that had been right there had suddenly vanished. Who would believe that?
The crowd growled like they were ready to charge at any moment. The guild master, whose treasures had been stolen right under her nose, could only stomp her feet in frustration, having no idea what had just happened.
The burly man who had stepped forward during the earlier argument shouted, and people who agreed with him began charging toward the group of thirty all at once.
The guild master’s eyes, which had been filled with helpless panic, turned sharp. She stretched her hand toward the people in front of her group and said,
A white energy flowed from the guild master’s hand and flew toward the five people in front, sinking into their bodies.
The five men who had received the white energy let out massive roars and charged like lightning at the incoming attackers.
The man who rushed out wielding a massive greatsword cut the burly man—who had been leading the charge and inciting the crowd—cleanly in half with a single vertical strike.
Whoa, what the hell was that? That was definitely Ji-soo level power.
And it wasn’t just him. All five of them displayed Ji-soo-level strength as they began slaughtering the enemies. Every swing of a weapon dropped another body to the ground. As the number of corpses piled up, the attacking crowd lost their will to fight and began fleeing the battlefield.
Screams filled the air. Only after about twenty people had fallen did the massacre finally stop. Everyone else had already run away.
The five men responsible for the slaughter were breathing heavily. Once they confirmed all the enemies were gone, they collapsed to the ground.
The guild master spoke urgently.
Her voice was bitter. Several people rushed over to the five fallen men. A young, slender man and a glamorous-looking woman approached the guild master.
The slim young man asked,
The guild master shook her head.
Leaving the confused man behind, the glamorous older woman who looked like a mature beauty asked the guild master,
The guild master nodded.
Yeah, it was that guy. Though it wasn’t a stealth skill.
And that guy is standing right next to you, listening to every word of your conversation.
Long live the Gate of Rest. Seriously.
The guild master shook her head at the glamorous woman’s question.
The guild master shook her head again.
Hmm. Having an unremarkable face sure comes in handy at times like this.
The glamorous woman nodded as if she agreed.
She really was a guild master loved by her people.
In a gloomy voice, the guild master said,
The guild master nodded. At that moment, a middle-aged man who had been swinging a greatsword earlier approached, supported by others. The guild master looked at him with an apologetic expression.
“I’m fine, Guild Master. I didn’t use the buff for very long. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”
“I’ll be better by tomorrow. We repelled that many enemies without taking any damage. If the only aftereffect is this much, I’m grateful.”
“Understood. Ah, and this…”
The man called Uncle Yu Seong held out his hand. A large pile of gold was stacked on his palm.
“What would we spend money on? The guild feeds us, clothes us, and gives us a place to sleep. Don’t say such things and use it for the guild. The bigger the guild, the bigger I become. The guild must live for me to live. Isn’t that right?”
Uncle Yu Seong smiled warmly as he handed over the gold. The guild master looked at him with warm eyes and accepted it.
They really seemed to share a close, almost sticky bond.
After receiving the gold, the guild master spoke to the glamorous woman beside her.
As soon as she finished speaking, the guild master collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. The glamorous woman caught her and spoke to those around them.
The guild members immediately began watching the area. The guild master returned quickly. She opened her eyes, slipped the ring onto her finger, and spoke to the glamorous woman.
The guild master nodded and said,
After finishing their conversation, the guild master and the glamorous woman gathered their people and left.
I had listened to every single word without missing anything. As I watched them walk away, I spoke to Ji-soo.
“Let’s call it a day too. The sun’s going down.”
“Yes, Master. Shall we rest here then?”
“Yeah. We can just rest right here.”
With that, I flopped down onto the mattress. I had gathered a lot of information today and needed time to organize it all. I gazed at the setting sun visible through the skylight of the Cradle of Rest and began sorting through everything I had learned.