Episode 373
Episode 373
Diret casually brought his palms up to Lee Han's ears. Lee Han pushed him away with a displeased expression.
"Isn't it dangerous to lure undead from another dimension?"
"Cough. Well, it usually is."
Professor Mortum readily acknowledged Diret's point.
One of the common mistakes talented mages made was entering another dimension and acting as usual, only to meet a miserable end.
Using Black Magic and summoning undead in the realm of the undead was akin to slathering honey on yourself and walking toward a swarm of starving insects.
Out here, no matter how much Black Magic one used, it rarely caused any major repercussions. But in a dimension with different rules, a mage could never predict what unseen changes might occur.
At worst, if luck was truly against them, casting a single curse could attract the attention of an archdemon who took particular offense to the mana disturbance.
And beyond that, herding undead into one place was simply dangerous behavior.
A mass of undead gathered in one spot would grow like a snowball rolling downhill, swelling uncontrollably until no one could stop it.
"But there is a way."
"What...?"
"By using this Wardanaz here... No, by borrowing his power."
Lee Han gave a bitter smile at Professor Mortum's words, which sounded just like something Professor Verdus would say.
'I went out of my way to bring you to the gathering, and now you're showing your true colors.'
"Cough. The fact that undead avoid Wardanaz here... means, inversely, that we can guide their movements. No need to use complex magic to lure enemies."
Professor Mortum planned to use only a few simple spells.
Just enough to detect the positions of enemies and undead and relay them telepathically to Lee Han.
With Professor Mortum's level of skill, he could completely conceal the outward flow of mana, and since it wasn't Black Magic, the risk was negligible.
"What about the danger of the undead gathering in one place?"
"It's fine. Senior."
Lee Han answered in his stead. Diret looked puzzled.
"Why?"
"The enemies will fight them first anyway. If things seem off, we can just stop then, no?"
"...Ah. Right."
Diret wondered if his junior was angry.
"You're not mad, are you?"
"Huh? No?"
"Chase them down and finish them off."
"Yes!"
As the enemy vanguard, stubbornly holding their ground with shields and heavy armor, finally crumbled, Bakdugul fiercely barked his orders.
The terrified enemy party turned tail and scrambled away in panic.
Now, all that remained was the time for slaughter...
Grrroooaa—
"Damn it, how many undead were lurking around here?!"
"Hungry Ghosts from the side!"
The subordinates, about to give chase, erupted in frustration as undead burst out from the adjacent passage.
They'd already been fighting undead nonstop, prolonging the battle, and now more were showing up?
"Deal with them. If we leave them chasing us from behind, they'll just become a nuisance."
"Understood!"
The subordinates prepared to sweep through the undead as they had before and resume pursuit.
But before that fight could even end, another horde of undead appeared from behind.
"Zombie lizards!"
A massive, crocodile-like monster with elongated legs thudded toward them from the rear, drawing exasperated groans from the subordinates.
Taking on a large monster like that was no ordinary task.
"Permission to use potions!"
"You think we have potions to spare?"
"But..."
"Tch. Fine, just one!"
Bakdugul eventually relented.
He had intended to ration their supplies, given how much work still lay ahead, but it was clear his men were growing exhausted.
Clink—
Whoosh!
As the potion vial shattered in the passage, azure flames erupted. The approaching undead hesitated, not daring to advance.
Bakdugul and his subordinates had prepared accordingly for their venture into the undead realm. The Flame Potion of Evil's Bane was worth every penny of its exorbitant price.
"Deal with them— Wait, what the hell?!"
The subordinates shouted in alarm.
The undead, who normally wouldn't even dare approach the flames, suddenly began charging forward as if they'd eaten something wrong—even enduring the pain of burning in the fire.
It was as though something far more terrifying than the flames was chasing them from behind.
"I'll kill that damn alchemist bastard!"
"Split into two groups and hold them off!"
Cursing and yelling, the subordinates fought the monsters with everything they had.
An hour later.
Park Deok-gul's subordinates, drenched in blood, filth, and sweat, trudged forward.
"...This isn't working. Let's step outside for a bit and then come back in."
"Thank you!"
Normally, they wouldn't have had the luxury of time to spare, but the battle had been far too intense.
If they kept pushing forward like this, even the most loyal subordinates would inevitably start to rebel.
Park Deok-gul reluctantly decided to take a short break outside.
"Let's rest—"
"Drop your weapons and raise your hands, adventurer scum! Resist, and we attack!"
"?!?"
Park Deok-gul and his subordinates were stunned by the deadly encirclement that had formed near the entrance.
Not only knights but even the surrounding soldiers had been called in, forming a tight perimeter around the entrance.
'What the—?!'
The sight of crossbows and bows already drawn and aimed at them was anything but ordinary.
This was on a completely different level from a standard arrest.
"W-we don't know what this is about!"
"You are accused of arbitrarily attacking others within the dimensional space. Drop your weapons!"
"It's a misunderstanding! We were only acting in self-defense—!"
Park Deok-gul had every reason to feel wronged.
Attacking another party inside a dimensional space or dungeon was, strictly speaking, a crime.
But in practice, such accusations were usually meaningless.
How could anyone prove what happened inside?
Even if there were investigations or interrogations, parties who caused trouble like this were often cunning enough to provoke their opponents first.
They would push until the other side attacked, then claim self-defense.
Because of this, even if there were testimonies about fights breaking out or being attacked, the response was usually lukewarm at best—a warning or expulsion for both parties.
But this time, the knights seemed to have lost their minds, bringing in every available soldier to make a definitive arrest.
This wasn't normal.
'Should I just kill them all?'
Park Deok-gul felt murderous intent stirring within him.
The knights were pushing his patience to the limit—what the hell were they thinking?
"Final warning! Drop your weapons, or we attack!"
"...Let's drop our weapons."
Park Deok-gul gritted his teeth so hard his gums bled as he spoke.
The encirclement was too tight and well-organized—if a fight broke out, at least half his subordinates would die.
It was better to get arrested, pay the fine, and get out as quickly as possible.
"Confiscate their weapons and bind them tightly! Keep them separated so they can't conspire, then place them under strict surveillance!"
"U-um, Sir Knight... I have a question. Why are you locking them up like this?"
A soldier who had been called in from another area tilted his head in confusion.
From what he'd heard, these guys didn't seem like the type to warrant such an extreme response.
At worst, there were just one or two testimonies about them being violent or starting fights inside the dimensional space...
"You clearly don't understand justice yet. Suspicious individuals must be subdued in advance to protect the innocent citizens of the empire. To me, they look highly suspicious!"
"O-oh, is that so?"
'They didn't seem that suspicious to me...'
The soldier thought so but didn't press further.
Since the knight was, well, a knight, he figured there must be something he wasn't seeing.
"You even asked the knights for help?"
Diret asked in surprise.
"Yes. They seemed quite violent, and I figured nothing good would come from staying with them, so I requested the knights' assistance."
"You did well. But it won't be very effective. They might get warned in advance, but keeping them detained has its limits."
Just having testimony about starting a fight had its limitations.
In places like this, trying to determine who was at fault first usually led nowhere.
"They'll probably be questioned for a few hours and then released."
"I thought even that much would be fine. If they keep being a nuisance, they might get annoyed and back off, right?"
At Lee Han's words, Diret let out a quiet chuckle.
"Yeah. Let's hope so."
Neither of them imagined that the knights outside had outright decided to detain them.
"Second zone. Is everyone ready?"
At Professor Mortum's words, the students nodded and stepped forward.
Fwsh!
The sudden shift in the air's feel made Lee Han understand why the seniors had said, 'You'll know when the dimensional zones change once you experience it.'
Even the color of the soil beneath their feet had changed. The previously white soil had turned gray.
"The dark element's strong mana will gradually make everything darker."
"Wow, it's huge!"
The student who passed through the passage first let out an exclamation of joy.
The narrow, winding cave path ended, revealing a vast open wasteland. The starless sky rippled with dark, swirling currents.
Crack!
The sound of someone stepping on and crushing a bone fragment echoed. Bones were scattered everywhere like weeds.
"Cough. Lucky. It's just bones."
"Is there something unlucky about that?"
"If there were poison instead of bones, it'd be quite troublesome."
"Ah."
Lee Han nodded in understanding, then paused.
'Wait, wouldn't poison be more convenient for me?'
"What's wrong?"
"Ah. I was just thinking it's lucky it's bones."
"Cough. Don't get too comfortable. Bones can be troublesome in their own way. Now, let's all get moving."
Professor Mortum planted his staff into the ground. It then grew like a massive tree before transforming into a marker.
"As you all should remember, I'll say it again. Don't rush, don't make noise, cough. Don't use too much magic, and don't go too far."
"We'll keep that in mind."
The seniors, seemingly accustomed to this, each picked up their staffs and baskets and began moving.
The seniors who had ventured into the second zone, not just the first, were students with some confidence and experience.
Unlike the group activities in the first zone, they were confident enough to handle themselves alone, so they began searching for the materials they wanted.
"You come with me."
"Thank you."
Lee Han expressed his gratitude for Diret's kindness.
To think he'd go out of his way to protect a junior...
'...Wait, am I the one who's supposed to be protecting him...?'
Diret momentarily faltered at Lee Han's words.
If an enemy appeared that this junior couldn't handle, would he even have the ability to protect him? The thought made him uneasy.
"...I might not be much of a protector, but I can teach you how to navigate the Undead Dimension. Just trust me, junior."
"Wait, what do you mean you might not be much of a protector...?"
"Oh my god! Look at that, junior! A bone graveyard! We're really lucky, huh?"
"I see."
"A poison swamp!! There's even a poison swamp nearby? Is this for real?"
"Is that so?"
"That's...! That terrain itself is cursed!"
Diret, who had been excitedly exclaiming to himself, belatedly came to his senses.
To a junior who didn't understand what he was seeing, he must have looked like a weirdo.
"Ahem. What that is—"
"Senior. There's a monster over there."
Lee Han pointed across the poison swamp with his finger.
A Venomous Predator—a massive creature the size of a troll, seemingly formed from several undead types intertwined—was sluggishly swallowing poison slime.
'So those things exist here too.'
He'd heard Venomous Predators were quite strong monsters, but he hadn't expected to see one like this.
No wonder this wasn't just any other dimension.
'How do seniors deal with creatures like that?'
"What should we do?"
"Big..."
"?"
"Big trouble...!"
Diret paled and whispered.
This wasn't the kind of monster you were supposed to encounter in the second zone.