Descent into the Death Swamp
The final floor, presumed to house the Death Swamp, required descending even deeper than any of the other levels. An endless feast of stairs stretched on without end. No matter how diligently he walked—and walked some more—Taejeong couldn't catch a glimpse of the space below.
It was an underground depth so profound it defied even estimation. As he descended endlessly like this, boredom set in, and Taejeong summoned Gerard.
"We've come this far. Anything you're picking up on?"
Not yet.
"Should we try the radar?"
Summoning a unit here may make movement impossible. Moreover, considering the underground structure and detection range, the radar will likely be useless.
"I know that much. Look, the space doesn't even show up."
Then why...
"Just talking shit. It's too damn boring."
Taejeong had hoped to use Gerard as a conversation partner, but he quickly gave up on the idea. The AI lacked too much emotion. It felt like chatting with a computer—the limitation of first-generation artificial intelligence.
He kept his mouth shut and descended the stairs for a good while longer. Then, something different caught his eye below.
'We made it.'
Hurrying down, he found no more stairs. Before him loomed a vast space. Actually, it was too dark to tell if it was truly vast. He could only gauge as far as his light reached; beyond that lay pitch-black abyss.
Drip, drip, drip.
"Huh? What's that sound?"
As Taejeong scanned the space from the entrance, a familiar sound of running water made him shine his light on the floor. There it was—water flowing. Paths flanked both sides, with a wide channel of unknown liquid running down the middle. It resembled a sewer.
And this structure wasn't in his mental map.
"No mention of something like this..."
It was odd. None of the strategies he'd pored over all day—or any intel—mentioned this. Right after descending, there should be a pond-sized swamp with a Hydra. So what did this dark sewer environment mean?
He even asked Gerard, just in case, but the AI had never seen this space either.
"Something's off."
Taejeong realized the information was starting to deviate bit by bit. The depth of the underground didn't make sense either. What should have taken a minute had taken nearly an hour.
Naturally, he had to ponder. Should he proceed? Or go back and gather more intel?
The rule was: don't go without solid info. But after coming this far?
The dilemma didn't last long.
'What good's turning back now? I've seen all there is to see. Let's go. Time to crash into it head-on.'
Deciding to push forward with his body, Taejeong mounted a light on his shoulder and summoned his night-vision goggles. His field of view widened dramatically, forming a decent sight picture. Not 100% ideal, but sufficient for responsive shooting.
"Alright, let's head in."
Taejeong began moving along the wall-side path. Progress was slow and cautious. With info not matching reality, anything could happen anytime. Recklessness was forbidden.
'Feels like something's gonna pop out from there.'
His eyes, vigilant in all directions, mostly stayed on the adjacent water. In this sewer(?), the central channel was the only spot monsters could emerge from.
How long had he traveled like this?
A group presumed to be monsters is approaching rapidly from the front.
"How many?"
Roughly a dozen. No, twenty... it's increasing.
"Got it."
Taejeong fired one straight-fire rocket and one curved rocket from his shoulder-mounted launchers into the darkness.
Boom!
The explosion burst with light, illuminating the interior in an instant. The sewer teemed with bizarre bugs. They surged forward relentlessly—over walls, through water, everywhere.
Their grotesque forms made him yank the machine gun trigger instinctively.
Rat-tat-tat! Rat-tat-tat! Bang!
Light rounds sprayed wildly from the 9.62mm large-caliber barrel.
Splat! Gack! Splash!
You have defeated Keira.
Experience gained: 550,000
You have defeated Keira.
Experience gained: 550,000
Spider-like monsters plummeted, spraying emerald-green fluids. Some reached his face, exploding like fireworks. Splattered fluid smoked on his upper body, assaulting his nose with a foul stench.
Sizzle!
His exoskeleton's upper plating corroded like acid exposure. Face paling, Taejeong summoned boosters and backpedaled while resuming fire.
Mixing in grenades sporadically, he retreated and hunted until Gerard reported no more sightings. Releasing the trigger, he checked the plating—large sections melted away.
"That was close. Nearly fucked."
The damaged plating wasn't the issue. What if the fluid had hit his face?
Horrifying to imagine. He had no head protection.
Sighing deeply, he examined the channel again. Safe play: use a mech? But space was tight.
Still, proceeding like this felt uneasy.
'Let's try. Worst case, dismiss it.'
After a moment's thought, Taejeong summoned the mech. It appeared without issue. He asked Gerard,
"How much headroom? Can we mount multiple rocket launchers?"
Impossible.
"Rocket launcher?"
Mounting on the right hand risks scraping the walls. Vulcan cannon is viable.
"So, just flamethrower and Vulcan? Right?"
Affirmative.
In the confined space, he had two weapons: super Vulcan cannon and flamethrower. Far superior to human form, minimizing repeat incidents.
Summoning the flamethrower too, Taejeong throttled up. Boosters on the back glowed, propelling the massive mech forward powerfully.
What followed was a massacre unworthy of the term "hunt." Radar pinged, infinite fire sprayed— he couldn't even make out their shapes. Everything melted on contact. His earlier worries seemed laughable.
The precautionary flamethrower became mere decoration—a testament to drastically improved combat power.
You have defeated Keira.
Experience gained: 550,000
You have defeated Keira.
Experience gained: 550,000
Acquired Keira's Venom Fang.
Watching monsters vanish like falling leaves—or dust in flames—Taejeong regained confidence. Unforeseen events had shrunk him back, tempting retreat.
But he'd chosen to advance, adapting as he cleaved through.
How much time passed? Light appeared ahead.
"Almost there?"
The bright yellow pierced the dark. He slowed, coming to a gradual stop. Entering cautiously revealed lined torches and a massive chamber.
And in the center: a huge statue.
"What's that?"
Another unmentioned structure. No longer surprising. Up close, it wasn't standing—it hovered, bound by chains from the ceiling. A human-shaped stone figure, familiar...
"Isn't that the old man from the wall paintings?"
The statue depicted the elderly man from every floor's murals—clad head to toe in armor, helmet, all. Eerily lifelike, as if the gear was real.
"Why's this here? What is it? Know anything?"
Unknown.
"Feels like you know less than you don't."
Apologies.
"Not your fault. But this looks like real gear. Who dressed it up?"
Questions piled up. Statue aside, what of the massive equipment? Structurally bizarre to wear it like that.
"Welded on? But where's the Hydra? Why this instead...?"
Muttering, he spotted another entrance inside.
"That way."
The mech headed there naturally. Entering brought acrid smells and earth-covered ground. Nameless grasses and branches sprouted—jarringly mismatched with the space.
'This leads to the swamp.'
Undeniably the path to the Death Swamp. High humidity, moisture-laden wet soil—proof of a nearby bog.
Feeling he'd entered the enemy's lair, Taejeong tensed, advancing slowly. Eyes flicking to the radar, finger hovering on the flamethrower.
Thus cautiously, he reached a dead end.
"What? A wall? Nothing here?"
Mistake? Then—
Gurgle. Gurgle.
A strange noise from below. Glancing down, the mech's lowest parts were submerged—when had that happened?
A unfamiliar alert chimed in his ear.
Mechanic class exclusive quest has begun.
Heigran Temple has been sealed.
All external contact has been severed.
All surface entrances have closed.
You have entered the Death Stage.
"Severed? Sealed? What the..."
Muttering unconsciously, a chill hit as surroundings darkened.
Grrr. Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
Killing intent from behind, radar alarms blaring madly. Something dangerous was in extreme close range.