Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Trapped in the Hidden Stage
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“Is this actually a real dungeon?”
“Yeah.”
“No, what the…”
Lee Seojun wore a dumbfounded expression. I looked straight into his eyes and said,
“As you know, once you drop into a hidden stage, there’s only one way out. You have to clear the dungeon and take down the boss in the final room.”
Lee Seojun and Kim Sunwoo had vanished.
The academy was thrown into chaos. The dungeon exploration class was immediately halted, and all the students were sent back to their classrooms for self-study.
“What the hell happened?!”
“Bring out the person in charge of the artificial dungeon modifications!”
A swarm of teachers flooded into the dungeon control room. A meeting began on how to rescue the two missing students.
“This is a real disaster.”
“Who would’ve thought a hidden stage hadn’t been discovered yet in a dungeon that was cleared over ten years ago?”
“What about the missing students?”
But the meeting didn’t proceed properly. Everyone was in a state of confusion, just spouting their own thoughts.
It was only natural. This was a first for them too.
“Why did it have to be Lee Seojun of all people…”
“What about Kim Sunwoo?”
“What do you mean? The one who modified the dungeon should take responsibility. Hidden stages—you know once you enter, you can’t come out until it’s cleared.”
The gloomy atmosphere dragged on.
Once fallen into a hidden stage, the students had no way out unless they cleared the dungeon on their own.
But realistically, the chances of students like Lee Seojun and Kim Sunwoo—just the two of them—escaping a hidden stage were slim.
“Still, if it’s Lee Seojun, maybe he could pull it off?”
“Even if he’s the greatest genius in history, he’s still just a student.”
“Sigh. When the news breaks, it’s going to be a huge scandal. How embarrassing.”
“You think this is the time to worry about face? The students are in serious danger.”
Lee Hee-young snapped at a grumbling teacher.
That was when one teacher spoke up.
“That student Lee Seojun fell with—Kim Sunwoo. What about him?”
“His grades have been pretty good lately… but he’s still nowhere near enough to help Lee Seojun.”
Jang Ancheol, who had been quietly observing, then spoke.
“Lee Seojun and Kim Sunwoo. I’ve been keeping a close eye on both of them. They’re smart and capable kids, far beyond typical students. I’m sure they’ll make it out.”
[Numerous characters are worried about you.]
[You acquire 3,000 points as a reward.]
“What’s wrong?”
I froze, staring at the window that popped up in front of me, and Lee Seojun turned to look.
I shook my head.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.”
Lee Seojun gave me a strange look before pressing forward again.
Hidden stages were reinforced in every way compared to normal dungeons—stronger monsters, tougher traps, everything.
Our mana was already weak, making even regular dungeons hard to clear, so a hidden stage might be a bit tough for us.
But I knew the original story. I already knew the patterns of this dungeon, so I didn’t feel much anxiety.
“Man, I can’t see ahead.”
Lee Seojun squinted as he spoke.
He was right—the cave was pitch dark, with almost no light filtering in.
[Your eyes adapt to the darkness!]
But thanks to my evolution and adaptation traits, I could see decently ahead. If anything dangerous happened, I could warn him quickly.
That was when it came.
—Kieeeek!
A monster’s cry echoed from afar. Lee Seojun instantly dropped into combat stance. Soon, a massive bat monster appeared in the distance.
“Cave monster bat.”
“How do you know that?”
“Focus for now!”
It spread its enormous wings and charged at us.
Startled by its grotesque form, I gathered my mana. But just as I was about to unleash a spell, Lee Seojun swiftly sliced the thing clean in half.
—Kiek!
Thud.
The bisected monster bat hit the ground.
“Whoa. As expected of Lee Seojun.”
I figured the darkness would hinder him, but he’d relied on his senses to cut it down.
Of course. Lee Seojun had the skills for that. He wasn’t called a once-in-a-generation genius for nothing.
In the original story, he’d even beaten a B-Grade monster using only his senses in total darkness.
Lee Seojun caught his breath and looked ahead.
“More coming.”
—Kieeeek!
—Kiek!
—Keeek!
The cries of cave monster bats rang out again. Not just one this time—at least five, from what I could make out.
With numbers like that, I couldn’t leave it all to Lee Seojun. I gathered the mana in my body and manifested a spell.
A pure white magic orb emitted light, brightly illuminating the dark surroundings.
At the same time, the grotesque bat monsters revealed themselves.
With the area lit up, Lee Seojun moved with far more confidence than before, slashing them down.
The fight was over in a flash. All the monsters fell to Lee Seojun’s sword. I’d manifested my spell but hadn’t even fired a single shot.
“……Whoa.”
I dispersed the mana in my hand.
At this rate, I didn’t even need to shoot—just light up the area with magic, and Lee Seojun would handle the rest.
Lee Seojun shook the blood off his sword and said,
“Much easier with the light. Keep the visibility like this.”
“Got it.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Yeah.”
Lee Seojun and I pressed on.
Three hours had passed since we fell into the hidden stage.
Thanks to Lee Seojun’s prowess, we advanced without a hitch. I occasionally manifested magic during key fights to light up the area, fulfilling my role as the vision support.
“Phew… This never ends. How much farther?”
Lee Seojun wiped his sweat and muttered.
“Hidden stages usually take about two days to clear, so probably around that for us.”
That’s what I said, but I had no intention of spending two days here. I planned to use my dungeon-clearing knowledge to shave off at least a full day.
“Hmm…”
Lee Seojun nodded at my answer. I casually said to him,
“Hey, you’re not hungry?”
It had been three hours since we entered the dungeon. Time to start feeling peckish.
“I am hungry. But there’s nothing to eat.”
I opened the small pouch at my waist. Pretending to pull something from it, I took out jerky from my subspace and offered it.
“…”
Lee Seojun stared at me in bewilderment.
His face said, *Why the hell do you carry this around?*
“Eat. You’re hungry, right?”
I already had a piece in my mouth. Jerky I’d bought from the vending machine yesterday. A bit tough, but chewy and tasty if you work it.
“Uh… thanks. I’ll eat well.”
Lee Seojun put the jerky in his mouth. He chewed quietly. In the original story, he ate monsters at this point, so this was way better.
“Tastes good.”
“Have a bit more.”
I snapped the piece I was eating in half and gave it to him. He waved his hands.
“Hey, no need. You eat it.”
“Nah. The one doing the heavy lifting needs more fuel. And I’ve got plenty left.”
“…Really?”
Only then did he start eating the jerky I’d given him.
He glanced at my eyes now and then, looking guilty. Making me uncomfortable for no reason.
“Just eat. I’ve got more besides that.”
“Got it.”
I pulled out a bread roll from my subspace and handed it over.
“Here, this too.”
“What kind of food do you have stuffed in that bag?”
“You never know when something might happen. Always be prepared.”
[The character ‘Lee Seojun’ feels bewildered toward you.]
[You acquire 1,000 points as a reward.]
“I’ll eat well, then.”
After about ten minutes of short meal break, we got back up.
I stretched and said,
“Man, I’m sore. Let’s clear this quick and get out.”
Lee Seojun laughed at my relaxed tone.
“You know this is a real dungeon, right?”
“What’s a real dungeon? With your skills, we can clear it no problem.”
“Every time, I wonder—what makes you trust me so much?”
“Obviously because you’ve got what it takes. Oh, there’s a path over there. Let’s go that way.”
I took the lead assertively, and Lee Seojun followed without a word.
As the dungeon deepened, more complex patterns emerged.
It wasn’t just monsters anymore—barriers, traps, all sorts of intricate mechanisms blocked our path.
Of course, with my knowledge from the original story and the perks of being an outsider, I dismantled the dungeon’s obstacles with ease.
“Amazing every time. How do you disarm traps that fast…”
Lee Seojun muttered as he watched another trap dismantle in front of me. A new path opened up.
I pointed at the space ahead with my hand.
“Next room.”
This room hinted at no special pattern otherwise, but murals of monster hordes lined both sides of the corridor. In the center of the room, a pattern on the floor looked like a summoning magic circle.
I had a rough idea of what kind of room this was.
Boom!
As we entered, the door slammed shut hard.
The summoning circle on the floor glowed, and monsters began appearing on top of it.
Monster bats, monster wolves, giants, tentacles… an endless variety.
“Get ready for battle.”
I pulled a mana elixir from my pocket.
Honestly, Lee Seojun could clear this room solo without it, but my survival was the issue.
In a cramped room facing a horde of monsters, I had to look out for myself.
Gulp gulp.
Same nasty taste as always. I glanced at Lee Seojun—he was glaring at the monsters, prepped for combat. He didn’t seem to care much, probably thinking I was just drinking plain water.
“They’re coming. Get ready!”
The moment Lee Seojun finished speaking, the monster horde overwhelmed us.
“Huff… huff…”
After about five minutes of combat,
Kim Sunwoo sat on the floor, catching his breath.
“What’s with these endless monsters.”
“…Yeah.”
Then Kim Sunwoo pulled out water from his bag and chugged it before handing it to Lee Seojun.
Lee Seojun blankly accepted the water.
Where’d the water come from…? Weird. How much stuff was in that little bag?
“Let’s rest here for 30 minutes.”
Kim Sunwoo leaned against the wall, exhausted, and closed his eyes.
“30 minutes?”
“My mana’s tapped out right now.”
“Oh.”
Lee Seojun nodded. Nothing to do if his mana was empty.
As they rested briefly, Lee Seojun recalled Kim Sunwoo’s performance in the fight just now.
He hadn’t expected much, but Kim Sunwoo showed far better skills than anticipated, taking down plenty of monsters.
Even fighting mainly with manifestation magic instead of his usual reinforcement spells, he sustained the battle without much issue.
‘His mana wasn’t actually low, huh.’
Curiosity struck.
With that much mana, why had mana discharge happened during the school’s first public test?
“Hmm…”
Then he suddenly remembered his last conversation with Yoo Ara.
-He’s kinda special, isn’t he?
Yoo Ara had definitely been paying attention to Kim Sunwoo.
It was the first time he’d seen her, with talent not far below his own, care that much about anyone else.
‘There was a reason Yoo Ara was interested.’
The performance he’d just witnessed was leagues beyond what Kim Sunwoo showed at school.
He’d guessed Kim Sunwoo was around 15th in school strength before, but now it felt like he’d underestimated him.
“What’re you thinking about?”
Lee Seojun snapped out of his thoughts at Kim Sunwoo’s question. He shook his head and said,
“Nothing.”
Plop.
A droplet from the ceiling hit his forehead, waking him from sleep.
“Ugh.”
—W…
How long had he slept? He checked his watch—it was 8 a.m.
Being in a cave messed with his sense of day and night. It still felt like night.
“Ow, my back.”
Sleeping on the stone floor was no joke. A dull ache radiated from his hips and back.
Next time, he’d bring a blanket at least.
Memo to shopping list for essentials…
Then he slowly got up. He stretched and glanced to the side. Lee Seojun was sleeping soundly, looking utterly comfortable.
“Lee Seojun, wake up.”
“Mmm…”
He shook him a bit, and Lee Seojun woke.
Bedhead stuck up on his hair, and his face was a bit puffy. Still ridiculously handsome.
“What? Where are we?”
He was talking nonsense too.
“The dungeon.”
“Oh, right. Heh.”
Lee Seojun grinned like an idiot. Then he got up and stretched long and hard. Twisting and turning—energetic from the morning.
“Sleep well?”
“Pretty decent, I think. You, Sunwoo?”
“The floor was uncomfortable, so I woke up a few times.”
“Yeah, it was rough.”
Lee Seojun nodded. I tossed a bread roll at the stretching Lee Seojun.
It flew off at a weird angle from a wrist flick, but he caught it with his signature agile move.
“Whoa…”