Dungeon Chain

I stared at the sudden mission with wide eyes. The task to defeat the boss of the secondary rift was clearly displayed. That much I understood, but... what did it mean that I'd awakened to a new genre? I glared at Lens's camera. The difficulty was one thing, but the type had completely changed. Maybe the guy's tastes had shifted, but it was still baffling since I hadn't seen it coming at all.

Plus, there was a strange item listed under the additional rewards that caught my eye. I muttered under my breath.

"An A-rank key?"

Just from the name, I had no idea what it was for. I tilted my head. If I had to guess, it might be the key to a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠treasure chest you could only get from an A-rank rift. Or maybe a key to enter a hidden chamber in an A-rank rift. Either way, it was clearly no ordinary item. And since it was something you could only obtain by taking down the boss, there was no way it could be junk.

I rubbed my chin, lost in thought. So what now? I had to admit the key as a reward was tempting. Honestly, I was curious about what it did... But right now, the real issue wasn't the reward—it was the mission's difficulty and the penalty.

If I failed, I'd lose points... five thousand of them, no less. Should I just give up?

That was when I heard Yu Hae-rin's voice.

"Ha Yeonjun! What are you spacing out at over there?"

"Huh?"

"Can you come over here for a second?"

I closed the mission window and walked over to her.

"What's with that face?"

"It's nothing."

She was sharp enough to notice the change in my expression, but I just shrugged and played dumb. Meanwhile, where they'd been standing, a passage hidden behind protruding amethysts came into view. I hadn't expected a path like this to exist here. My eyes narrowed.

Because Park Dong-su's tracks were definitely there. I crouched down and compared the length of the footprints with my fingers.

"These are Park Dong-su's footprints. He definitely came this way."

"Yeah, you're right."

Yu Hae-rin answered, then pointed down the passage.

"And look over there."

I turned my head at her words. At ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the same time, Ahn Kyung-tae shouted.

"There are two paths!"

Just as he said, two branching paths lay where Yu Hae-rin pointed. The left path, surrounded by violet amethysts and glowing softly, and the right path, filled only with deep, chilling darkness. If your eyes weren't good, you'd have trouble spotting the right path hidden in the shadows. Maybe Yu Hae-rin's eyes as an archer were better than I'd thought.

Just then, she spoke up.

"Let's split into groups here."

"What?"

Ahn Kyung-tae shouted at the sudden suggestion, but Yu Hae-rin held her ground.

"I'll take the right path alone. You two take the left. That's the most efficient way if we want to find Park Dong-su quickly."

She added that since her eyes were better than most, she didn't need time to adjust to the dark. Ahn Kyung-tae asked,

"So you're saying Ha Yeonjun and I should go together?"

"Yeah."

Her gaze shifted to me. The moment our eyes met, I remembered something I'd forgotten. Didn't Yu Hae-rin have the Directionally Challenged trait? Yeah, that's right. If I sent her off alone, who knew what kind of disaster might happen. So if I went with Ahn Kyung-tae instead, that would be a total mess. Should I stop her even now?

That was when Ahn Kyung-tae spoke up, sounding annoyed.

"Ha Yeonjun? I don't need him. He'd just be dead weight anyway. Why don't you take him instead, Hae-rin?"

He shot me a look of contempt. I could practically read his thoughts.

「Bringing a guy without a weapon won't do any good.」

This bastard. What's with that expression?

「I'd rather go alone with Hae-rin.」

Ah. So that's how it was. In that case, this worked out perfectly. I let out a sigh of relief and made him a new offer.

"Then I'll go this way alone. You take the right path."

At that moment, Ahn Kyung-tae reacted with a surprised look.

"What? You're going by yourself?"

"Yeah."

"Acting tough for a Citizen Hall guy...! You're just a porter!"

Yu Hae-rin, standing beside him, glanced at me as well.

"You sure about this?"

"Yeah. Ahn Kyung-tae's flame skill will actually be useful on the dark right path. And going together will lower the chances of getting lost."

"Don't tell me you still think I'm directionally challenged...!"

Yu Hae-rin's face started to flush, but this time Ahn Kyung-tae poured fuel on the fire.

"Hae-rin is directionally challenged? If that's the case, then I guess there's no helping it. I'll just have to be her beacon."

"What?"

Yu Hae-rin pressed a hand to her forehead, at a loss for words. Honestly, the guy became ridiculously simple-minded whenever a girl was around. Well, that made him easier to handle, at least.

Yu Hae-rin spoke again.

"Ha Yeonjun, take this."

"...?"

She handed me the dagger tucked at her waist and continued.

"You don't have a weapon right now, do you? It might not fit your hand, but use this for now."

"Ah, thanks."

I nodded as I answered. At least she seemed to trust me to some degree. Ahn Kyung-tae spoke up.

"You're the one who said you'd go alone, so don't regret it later, got it?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Then if we don't find Park Dong-su by the thirty-minute mark, let's meet back here."

Yu Hae-rin finished with that. We each entered a different passage to search for Park Dong-su. Once I was finally alone, Lens popped out.

[......]

...Come to think of it, he'd gotten a lot quieter. Probably went crazy the moment we entered the rift. Well, his condition wasn't my problem. The real issue was...

The left path I'd entered carried the greater danger. Of course, I'd chosen it knowing that. Tap, tap. I pressed forward alone, investigating the cave. In the passage glittering with violet amethysts, I followed only Park Dong-su's traces.

At that moment, the hairs on my body stood on end.

"Something's coming!"

At that moment, the Crystal Toads burst through the walls. They raised their front legs toward me. I sharpened my gaze and scanned ahead. Three of them? No, there were more! I gripped Yu Hae-rin's dagger and took my stance.

The moment a Crystal Toad leapt at me, I used its momentum against it and drove the blade straight into its jaw. Squelch! A clean hit. I tossed the twitching corpse aside and immediately slashed diagonally across the neck of the second toad. Thud! Its head came off cleanly, and the body collapsed. Right then, I felt a heavy impact from behind. I turned around. One Crystal Toad had latched onto my backpack and was gnawing at the leather. The instant I realized it, I yanked the pack off and threw it down.

"Disgusting little thing!"

Kyaaak! The toad's legs were crushed under the fallen backpack. I steadied my breathing.

"Huff, huff—"

At that moment, I sensed a strong killing intent aimed at the opening I'd left. I instinctively ducked. Thud, thud, thud! I whipped my head around in shock. Invisible spines fired from somewhere had embedded themselves in the wall. Just like all toad-type monsters, the higher-ranked Crystal Toads also launched spine attacks at their prey. And the purpose of those spines was...!

Crack! To create openings in their target's defenses. Their coordinated tactic.

"Damn it!"

One Crystal Toad had latched onto my right arm and was biting down. Intense pain shot through me, and I dropped the dagger. But it didn't end there. A smaller one hiding in a crevice between the amethysts seized the chance and raised its front legs. Kyaaak! I gritted my teeth. A little brat like you acting cocky...! When it jumped, I swung my heavy right arm with all my strength. Thwack! The Crystal Toads collided with each other and slammed into the wall. Thud! I surveyed the now-quiet amethyst cave. Was that all of them...? Warm blood began to flow from my right arm, but I paid it no mind.

"Huff, huff—"

All I felt was the sense of accomplishment from securing a perfect victory against monsters.

It felt good. The training with Robo Ball earlier had paid off. I shouldered my backpack again and looked ahead. This was the result of having 6 Strength... Just then, a faint scream echoed from nearby.

Aaaaargh! That voice... could it be? I perked up my ears. The owner of that piercing scream was almost certainly the man we'd been looking for. Park Dong-su. He was right up ahead.