Chapter 45
Chapter 45
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 45
Chapter Title: City of the Dead
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-------------[Entering the Dungeon]-------------
[You have entered 'City of the Dead.']
-----------------------------------------
The scenery before my eyes completely changed.
An asphalt road stretching across a barren plain, like an American highway.
At the end of the road, the faint shape of a city came into view.
The temperature was a bit low.
Somewhere between winter and spring.
It was tolerable enough.
I unfolded my spear and locked it in place.
One side had a long blade, making it suitable for both slashing and thrusting.
Srrrng.
The others drew their swords as well.
"I'll pull aggro from the front, so hit-and-run from behind to deal damage."
I decided to assign roles to everyone.
I was the most experienced here, after all.
"Okay."
"Nya!"
I looked at Park Ha-yeon and said,
"Ha-yeon, you tank too."
She still lacked growth, but thanks to her 'Guardian of the Species' skill, she could handle tanking.
She nodded with resolute determination.
Park Ha-yeon and I took the lead and moved forward.
"Looks like a modern setting. They say modern backgrounds are rare."
Lee Sang-hyeon muttered while looking at the asphalt road.
As he said, dungeon terrains were usually caves or forests, and signs of civilization like this were uncommon.
But it wasn't exactly modern—this was a civilization more advanced than Earth's.
This dungeon was themed around a city of a fallen civilization, and the monsters were...
That was when the ground began to rumble.
Rumble rumble.
Black geysers erupted from spots across the plain.
On closer inspection, they weren't geysers but swarms of countless insects.
"Hell Ants!"
I shouted loudly for the benefit of my party members who didn't know what they were.
There were more than expected.
In a chaotic melee, numbers would favor them, so I needed to narrow the engagement area.
I had already planned how to fight upon entering.
"Laura. Can't you make a wall of fire or something? To narrow the combat zone!"
A barrier would be ideal, but since Laura was themed around fire skills, a fire wall was the best I could ask for.
She seemed a bit hurt by my commanding tone but followed without complaint.
"Fire Wall."
A fierce wall of flames, three meters high, encircled us broadly.
A ring of fire with an opening just wide enough for one Hell Ant at a time.
The strategy was for Park Ha-yeon and me at the front to meet the ants that slipped through that narrow gap.
Being close to the small gap and the flames made it scorching hot for Park Ha-yeon and me.
Without being Awakeners, we might not have lasted long.
"Let's go as planned!"
"Got it!"
"Understood."
My vision filled with a black wave.
The 'Hell Ants' surged toward us like a tidal wave.
The silver lining was the firewall acting as a breakwater.
One ant leaped at me.
It was about the size of a large dog.
Unless it bit properly, it wouldn't pierce my skin, but getting fully surrounded would be dangerous.
I thrust my spear at it.
It dangled limply from the spear tip.
I shook the spear to fling off the corpse.
Park Ha-yeon was being pushed back slightly.
She was taking minor hits, light scratches forming.
It was a problem stemming from her sword's short reach.
Whenever it looked like she'd take a big bite, she zapped it with lightning to stun the ant.
Isia and Lee Sang-hyeon finished off stunned ants or stabbed those engaging us, aiding the fight.
Their main role as dealers wasn't raw damage but supporting us vanguards to avoid encirclement.
"Fire Ball."
As Laura finished her spell, massive fireballs flew toward the rear of the ant legion.
"Kieee!"
Any ants caught in their path burned pitch-black.
Truth be told, sticking to a fixed position and limited role felt a bit stifling.
But in party play, going solo was discouraged, so I held back.
Save that for moments of crisis.
Our party wasn't in dire straits yet.
We had plenty of trump cards left.
Worst case, Isia could transform into 'Magnus Cat.'
Another ant charged at me.
I slashed it in half with my spear.
Bodily fluids splattered everywhere.
Occasionally, winged ants flew over the firewall.
I repelled them with telekinesis, shoving them back into the flames.
"Kieeek."
The ant writhed in agony and died.
We clashed for over 30 minutes like that.
Eventually, no more ants came.
But the strange stench from their deaths lingered heavily.
Even as Awakeners, 30 minutes of combat was exhausting.
Everyone collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.
"So tiring..."
"Insane."
Only Laura and I could still stand somewhat steadily.
I rummaged through the ant corpses.
No proper items from insects—just occasional 'Orbs of Growth.'
I distributed the collected 'Orbs of Growth' to the party.
"Th-this many?"
"Don't worry. I ate some while picking them up."
I gave Park Ha-yeon even Laura's and my shares.
We all consumed our 'Orbs of Growth' and headed toward the distant city.
Park Ha-yeon spoke in a slightly worried voice.
"What do you think is in that city?"
"If there's a boss, we take it down and leave. If not, we'll have to spend the night there."
Lee Sang-hyeon offered advice.
"According to what we learned at the Academy, if there's an obvious place you have to go, it's probably not a field-type dungeon. Something's likely in that city."
Sharper than expected.
This dungeon did end in that city.
But the boss wouldn't appear just by entering the city.
After about two hours, we reached the city outskirts.
Signs written in unknown alien script.
Judging by the shape, something like [Welcome to City].
We advanced with anticipation.
The city was devoid of any signs of life.
Some buildings were crumbled here and there, as if from past battles.
Vehicles were abandoned, some rusted, others burned to husks.
The city seemed built on rebar and concrete, much like Earth.
But the architectural style and road layout felt alien.
Definitely another world.
'Still, being a city makes it less creepy.'
The previous 'Gigantic Ancient Forest' had been honestly scary.
Dim sunlight and vast expanse.
In the city center stood an enormous skyscraper.
Roughly 200 stories high, by my estimate.
I pointed at it and said,
"Shall we head there? Feels like something's bound to be inside."
"Sure."
"Nya nya."
We walked along the wide boulevard.
The atmosphere was eerie.
Crunch.
Lee Sang-hyeon jumped in surprise at the sound of stepping on bone fragments.
"Wh-what is it?"
Looking around, the area was littered with damaged military vehicles and bone shards.
Signs of fierce combat here.
He picked up a pistol from amid the scattered bones on the ground.
"Think this works?"
Lee Sang-hyeon aimed at the sky and pulled the trigger.
Click. Click.
Unfortunately, no ammo.
Soon, we arrived right in front of the massive building.
Barricades surrounded the entrance.
Inside were heaps of skulls resembling human bones.
Wearing identical uniforms, likely soldiers.
In the center lay a toppled 3-meter-tall robot.
Spider-like with multiple legs, its upper body equipped with recognition cameras and dual machine guns.
"This dungeon... not as bad as I thought?"
"Yeah. Way more manageable than that weird one I did with Noda last time."
Park Ha-yeon and Lee Sang-hyeon relaxed, sheathing their swords.
Probably heavy to carry around constantly.
'Saying stuff like that is a bad omen...'
The moment I thought that.
"Grrooowl."
"Graaa."
Beast-like roars echoed from somewhere.
"Wh-what?"
"What was that sound?"
We scanned our surroundings warily.
Soon, human-like figures began emerging from afar.
They filled the wide boulevard.
An overwhelming number.
"Groooan."
"Grroowl."
Undead with missing body parts or exposed dangling entrails.
Zombies.
They shuffled slowly toward us.
The zombies tightened their encirclement from all sides.
"Zombies...! What do we do?!"
Park Ha-yeon's anxious voice.
"What if we go inside?"
Lee Sang-hyeon pointed toward the giant building's interior.
At that moment, a familiar sound came from inside the building.
"Groooar."
"Graaaah!"
Zombie howls reverberated through the building like echoes.
"Shit. Looks like zombies inside too! Noda, what now!"
"Nya..."
Everyone stared at my face, awaiting orders.
I stayed calm and pondered a way out.
We could fight like before, but everyone was tired—risk of injuries high.
A hidden gimmick.
Time to use it.
I spoke to Isia in a forceful tone.
"Isia sunbae. For now, don't ask questions—just do as I say."