The A-Class Key's Hidden Secret (3)

About ten minutes had passed. During that time, I'd been hiding in the men's locker room, waiting for the right moment. Finally, sounds began to drift from beyond the door—light chatter from the girls. It was the voices of Ju Si-eun and Oh Ha-yul, who had just entered the women's locker room to change into their swimsuits.

Though I couldn't see them, the sound of their footsteps told me they'd finished changing. Bare feet padding across the floor, the soft, quick rhythm of their steps echoing faintly. Once the two sets of footsteps faded into the distance, I carefully cracked open the locker room door and peeked out, scanning both sides of the hallway.

Empty…?

Confirming no one was around, I finally stepped out and let out a long breath I'd been holding. "Phew." My shoulders ached from staying tense the whole time. I'd been terrified of getting caught.

Soon enough, I found myself standing in front of the women's locker room again. The key hovering above my palm pointed straight ahead. Even after double-checking, it was definitely indicating this spot. The key trembled slightly in the air. I swallowed hard.

Gulp.

To prepare for any unexpected trouble, I activated my skill.

After confirming the women's locker room was empty, I slowly turned the doorknob and pushed the door open. Creaaak—

A space completely different from the dusty men's locker room appeared. The women's locker room had a distinctly luxurious feel. Rose-scented diffusers placed throughout filled the air with a pleasant fragrance—though I couldn't imagine why they'd need them here.

Rows of large, single-person steel lockers lined the walls. Following the direction the key pointed, I moved slowly until I stopped in front of the locker marked with the number 77. It was firmly shut, clearly in use by someone. Just in case, I tried the handle anyway.

Click…

As expected, it wouldn't budge. Locker 77 was completely locked. Hiding my frustration, I bit my fingernail. Hmm, what now? This hadn't been part of my calculations. Each locker key was personally owned, so without a spare, opening this door seemed impossible.

Then a thought struck me.

Wait… what if I use the key I have?

I looked down at the A-Class Key in my hand. Maybe this was the answer. Deciding to give it a shot, I inserted the A-Class Key into the locker's keyhole. To my surprise, it slid in perfectly, the key's grooves meshing with the mechanism like gears.

"Oh."

I twisted my wrist. With a soft clunk, the handle turned smoothly. The tall locker door began to open bit by bit. When I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠peered inside, my eyes widened in shock.

What… is this?

A breeze brushed past my hair—impossible in a sealed space. A low woooong hummed in my ears. A dark, swirling vortex filled the inside of locker 77. No, it wasn't exactly a rift. It felt different. A dry, acrid wind blew out, carrying tiny grains of sand that crunched between my teeth. It wasn't unpleasant—just the raw taste of nature itself. Something no ordinary rift could produce.

But before stepping through, I hesitated. I had no idea what lay beyond. Still, judging by the Maestro of Beatings' reaction, this couldn't be a bad deal. After all, it was supposed to be a reward. Would they really give me something worthless?

With that thought, I took my first step into the locker.

The world inside the dark rift was bone-dry. So arid it made my throat sting. It felt like stepping into some hidden ruin, perhaps what entering a pyramid would feel like. Hieroglyphs carved into the walls added to the mysterious atmosphere.

It wasn't dark. Yellow particles of light floated in the air, drifting and swirling with the wind blowing from the passage ahead. When I poked one with my finger, it gave no sensation—just hovered silently, emitting a faint glow.

The space was quiet. Then, a familiar voice echoed in my mind. It had been a while since I'd heard it.

A Golden Goblin? And I had to hunt it? I rubbed my chin while reading the additional reward section. A reward, huh.

Footsteps echoed from somewhere ahead, accompanied by a dragging sound. I quickly dismissed the mission window and looked forward. What appeared next was a white figure—human in shape, but completely devoid of life force. Mummies wrapped tightly in bandages.

Two of them approached me, arms outstretched. Though their movements seemed slow, they covered ground faster than expected, gliding forward without bending their knees, like they were on a moving walkway.

"Huuuuh…"

"Huuu…"

The two mummies groaned as they shambled closer. Dark, decayed skin peeked through gaps in their loose bandages, carrying a waxy, rotten smell. Their eyes were wrapped, but their jaws and teeth were exposed, clicking together with an eerie sound.

Right. Got it.

I pulled the dagger from my pocket. The key to this mission was dealing with whatever got in my way while finding the Golden Goblin. And these mummies were clearly the first obstacles.

Shing. As I channeled power into my hand, a hazy sword aura rose from the blade.

Thanks to the skill, the aura was far sharper and more vivid than before. White smoke-like energy traced endless loops like a chainsaw, extending long enough to be called a proper longsword. I bent my knees, lowering my stance. My eyes locked onto the mummies as power surged through my thighs.

The mummies drew closer. I lunged forward in an instant!

Whoosh! My blade cut straight toward them. My movement was fast—undeniably so. Just as the tip neared the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mummy on the right, both creatures opened their mouths wide.

Bzzzzzz!

Though sluggish, the mummies possessed a special defense. From their ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠mouths, swarms of blood-sucking flies burst forth along with toxic gas.

"Ugh!"

I reflexively shut my mouth and swung my sword upward, blasting the flies toward the ceiling with the wind pressure. But the spreading poison was unavoidable. A sour stench stung my nose as green toxic mist rapidly filled the entire passage.

I already knew that. But right now, my focus lay elsewhere. Covering my nose with my left hand, I brought my sword down and cleanly severed the nearest mummy's neck.

"Huuuuurk!—" Slash!

From shoulder to torso, the blade cut through smoothly. With a low death rattle, the mummy split in two and collapsed. As expected of undead monsters, their durability wasn't particularly high. Viscera and maggots spilled from the severed section along with a foul stench, but no blood—making it more disgusting than gory.

I raised my head and glared at the remaining mummy. It lifted both arms high, its sharp claws poised to strike down at me.