Chapter 37: Buffalo Dungeon (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 37: Buffalo Dungeon (1)
After a two-hour ride on the limousine bus for Joaquin Academy cadets, we arrived in Cheorwon County, Gangwon Province, where the Buffalo Dungeon was located.
If it were up to me, I would have preferred to warp there in an instant using a subspace gate, but we weren't allowed to use them for personal business.
Even if we could have, my teammates probably would have objected—especially Speed Weapon, who got terribly motion sick.
Stepping off the bus, I gave a long stretch. Behind me, my party members began gathering their luggage and stepping off one by one.
‘We got here early.’
Even considering how short the trip felt thanks to the comfortable, smooth ride of the bus, I hadn't expected it to take only about two hours to get from Seoul to this place at the very edge of Gangwon Province.
Then again, Cheorwon—which was treated as a remote backcountry of Gangwon Province back on Earth—was a famous hotspot among the heroes of this world.
Farming dungeons had sprouted up here like mushrooms after a rain.
Their origins were unclear, but according to what I heard in mythology class, it all started during the Mythological Age—before humanity had even evolved from apes—when magical beasts nested here to avoid the sanctuaries.
That was why it used to be called a demon lair in the old days, though in modern times, it had been downgraded to a mere farming hotspot.
It was a place filled with so-called "cost-effective" dungeons that weren't too difficult to clear but offered decent rewards.
Since high-tier heroes frequently visited, the asphalt roads were neatly paved, and a few high-rise buildings that looked completely out of place in a rural village caught my eye.
I rolled my neck to stretch, then turned to scan my party members. Chloe had her usual katana slung across her back, and she was twirling a small crossbow in her hands. I had thought she only specialized in melee weapons, but as expected of an assassin, she didn't seem picky about her choice of armament.
I shifted my gaze to Saki Ryozo. She had an armament wrapped tightly in cloth, roughly the same height as her, slung over her left shoulder. Looking at her blank, half-open eyes, I couldn't help but think how consistent she was.
When I stared at Saki Ryozo's armament for a moment, Chloe pouted, puffing out her cheeks. Then, muttering that we had a long way to go, she took the lead with brisk, energetic steps.
"Since I'm always the vanguard, I'll lead the way!"
I let out a small chuckle at the sight. Just a month ago, she had been a timid, petite girl, but now she was confidently taking the lead.
Without a word, we followed behind the yandere girl.
"Geomma, why do you have so much luggage?"
Walking beside me, Weapon glanced at my backpack.
The clattering sound coming from the backpack slung over my shoulders with every step must have bothered him. Without saying anything, I unzipped the bag to show him the contents.
Inside the bag, a coping saw and bundles of sashimi knives were tangled together. These were the Daixo sashimi knives I had bought with the ten million won I swindled from the blacksmith.
"...Did you come here to sell knives?"
Weapon asked in a half-joking tone. I let out a low chuckle.
"Better safe than sorry."
"...You sound like an old man. Well, since you prepared them, I'm sure you have your reasons."
Turning my head, I saw Saki Ryozo resting her hands on her knees, catching her breath. She locked eyes with me and suddenly spoke.
"I'm tired."
"You look it."
"I think some sweets would give me some energy..."
I let out a deep sigh, grabbed a handful of candies I had packed as snacks from the front pocket of my bag, and handed them over.
"...Candy is a bit meh. Do you have any yanggaeng?"
"Did you leave your stash with me? You should have brought your own."
"I'm saving those for later, hehe."
Grinning like an idiot when it didn't suit her at all. I clicked my tongue and kept walking.
At that, Saki Ryozo drooped her eyebrows like a puppy tucking its tail and reluctantly popped a candy into her mouth. Despite her initial complaints, her eyes sparkled as if she actually liked the taste.
After chatting like that for about ten minutes while walking along the path, we quickly arrived at the entrance of the dungeon.
At the checkpoint, which looked like a highway tollgate, stood two sturdy employees. One of them, who had tanned skin, scanned our school uniforms before speaking in a low voice.
"Ah, you're from Joaquin Academy. Please write down all four of your names in the visitor log here."
Starting with Chloe, my party members wrote their names in the log. The employee checked their names out of the corner of his eye. Finally, the moment I wrote down the three characters of my name.
I clearly saw the employee's pupils tremble—subtly, but unmistakably.
I stared straight into his eyes. He quickly averted his gaze and composed his expression.
My eyes narrowed at the strange sensation. Meanwhile, my teammates, who had already entered the dungeon entrance, waved at me to hurry up.
I forced myself to look away and walked toward the entrance. After taking a few steps, I turned my head halfway back.
Through the gap of the slowly closing dungeon entrance, the employee was peeking out, watching me out of the corner of his eye. Suppressing the rising sense of unease, I clutched my coat closer.
I could feel the blade tucked inside my chest pocket.
Murasame's sword cry resonated faintly alongside my heartbeat.
* * *
Shattering the common prejudice that dungeons would look like dark caves, the interior was well-maintained like a tourist attraction.
It had high ceilings, a spacious cavern, and cool air that washed away the early summer heat as if an air conditioner were running. Just looking at the environment, it felt more comfortable than the outside.
However, since it was a dungeon frequently visited by cadets, childish graffiti like 'So-and-so was here' and 'Chulsoo ♥ Younghee' was scrawled all over the walls like posters.
Still, it was a dungeon after all, so instead of fluorescent lights, rows of flickering torches hung along the walls, casting a somewhat eerie atmosphere.
After walking for a few minutes, Chloe, who was in the lead, suddenly flinched and stopped. She pressed her ear flat against the ground and muttered in a low voice.
"Three... no, about five magical beasts are rushing this way from two hundred meters out!"
Having detected their presence, Chloe lifted her ear from the ground and spoke. Weapon nodded.
"Let's just stick to the plan. They won't be dangerous if we do. Saki, Chloe, I'm counting on you. I'll make sure to give you plenty of buffs."
Weapon thumped his chest confidently. Saki rolled the candy in her mouth as she unwrapped the cloth from the armament slung over her shoulder. My eyes widened.
The S-rank Armament, Red Bow, White Arrow.
A magnificent composite bow with a crimson body and gold leaf wrapped around its string like a ribbon. Even to someone like me who knew absolutely nothing about archery, it looked extraordinary.
However, the fact that she still looked half-asleep even after entering the dungeon made it hard to trust her. Though it was probably proof of how relaxed she was... Still, she was my teammate, so I had no choice but to believe in her.
Saki Ryozo, looking ready, pulled and released the bowstring a few times with a lazy expression, then suddenly paused.
"Ah, wait a second!"
Saying that, she pulled a piece of yanggaeng out of her skirt pocket and peeled off the wrapper. Watching her, the trust that had built up just a few seconds ago instantly evaporated.
She took a large bite, then gave Weapon the OK sign. At the same time, Weapon brought the recorder hanging around his neck to his lips and began to blow vigorously.
Pee~ee~ree~ree~k!
The off-beat notes pierced my ears. I shook my head at his playing skills, which seemed to have deteriorated since last time.
Saki Ryozo didn't seem to care, as if she was used to it. She then calmly took a long, deep breath.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
Terrifying hoofbeats echoed from the darkness ahead. The roar vibrated through the wide cavern.
"Buffalo herd, one hundred meters ahead!"
Chloe shouted at the top of her lungs. Soon, five buffaloes burst through the darkness, snorting wildly as they charged toward us.
They looked almost identical to normal cattle, but they were about twice the size, and the horns on their temples branched out like a deer's antlers.
Their eyes glowed with a trailing red light as they charged with a speed that defied their massive bulk. Indeed, they were magical beasts of a far higher tier than those fish-brained mermen. Having finished his buff, Speed Weapon shouted toward Saki and Chloe.
"Take down those buffaloes!"
At his command, Chloe leaped into the air, gripping a crossbow in each hand, and fired at the buffaloes.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Mooooooo—!"
One buffalo, blinded in its left eye by a bolt, lost its sense of direction and crashed into the side wall. However, the remaining four took no damage. Perhaps because she wasn't used to the crossbows yet, Chloe's expression didn't look very satisfied.
Even in the midst of this, the buffaloes accelerated and charged.
Chloe, leaping high, kept firing her crossbows, but the buffaloes shook their horns to deflect the incoming bolts.
Chloe clicked her tongue and gripped the hilt of the katana on her back.
"I'll slow them down from the front."
"Chloe, don't get close to them!"
Weapon, who was still playing his recorder, stopped her.
"But..."
Chloe stared at the fiercely charging herd of magical beasts.
She could feel the murderous aura radiating from them. They had to be stopped before they got too close. Otherwise, they would be impaled on those horns or trampled to death under those hooves.
Regret was written all over Chloe's face. However, she bit her lip and retreated behind Saki Ryozo.
‘...I'll have to step in if things go south.’
I opened the backpack slung over my shoulder and pulled out a few sashimi knives. Since my usable weapons were limited, I intended to use them as throwing knives.
I turned my head to look at Weapon and Saki.
Weapon was completely absorbed in his own performance, while Saki Ryozo was catching her breath.
Her eyes didn't waver in the slightest, and in her right hand, four arrows were nocked on the bowstring in a neat vertical row.
The childish side of her—the one that was always dozing off or whining for yanggaeng—had completely vanished from her face.
She took a long, deep breath and closed her right eye. Then, she slowly drew the bowstring.
Creak.
The string of the Red Bow, White Arrow pressed against the center of her pale pink lips. Her half-open left eye was locked onto her target. Saki Ryozo remained perfectly still in that posture for several seconds.
Having drawn the string to her chest, her pursed lips curled into a faint smile. A sharp, brilliant light flashed in Saki's eyes.
"Right between the eyes."
As Saki's fingers twitched, a refreshing breeze swept through.
Her sky-blue hair fanned out behind her.
Thwip!
Simultaneously, the four arrows released from her right hand flew and pierced the space between the beasts' eyes with pinpoint accuracy.
"Mooooooo—!"
One buffalo let out a screaming bellow, losing its balance and stumbling. This broke their formation, and the remaining buffaloes soon tripped over their own feet and began sliding across the ground.
‘Ranged carry.’
They say a skilled ranged dealer is unstoppable, and this was truly worthy of applause.
"Phew."
Saki wiped the sweat from her forehead with her sleeve. Dazed, I was about to raise my hand to give her a thumbs-up, but stopped. She was already munching on a piece of yanggaeng with a goofy expression, unable to even wait a single second.
When I stared at her for a moment, Saki quickly shoved the rest of the yanggaeng into her mouth as if afraid I would steal it. Dumbfounded, I was about to say something, but just shook my head.
Besides, she had practically taken down all five buffaloes by herself, so I wasn't really in a position to complain.
Suddenly, one of the buffaloes I thought had collapsed sprang back up and charged straight at Saki Ryozo.
"Saki—!"
It was as if it was determined to drag her down to hell with it.
Caught off guard, Saki looked startled and tried to quickly nock an arrow, but the buffalo snorted violently and kept charging.
Just as the buffalo, with an arrow still sticking out from between its eyes, closed the distance and was about to gore Saki with its horns, I unsheathed my sword.
Slash!
The bovine magical beast instantly stopped in its tracks. A vertical red line appeared between its eyes, and its body split cleanly in two.
Thud!
Blood gushed like juice from the clean cut. After wiping the blood off my sashimi knife, I turned my gaze toward Saki Ryozo.
"You okay?"
Saki stared at me with wide eyes.
"Hic!"
She tried to nod, but ended up hiccuping involuntarily.
"Hic!"
* * *
After confirming that the herd of magical beasts showed no signs of getting back up, my party members took a break to wet their throats. I walked over to the fallen buffaloes.
Excluding the one that had been split in half, the other four buffaloes lay limply, their nostrils flaring weakly. Their pupils were turning a cloudy gray. They blinked their long-lashed eyes as if trying to say something.
‘......’
I felt no particular emotion. After all, they were just materials to upgrade my armament.
Looking down at them with a cold gaze, I pulled out the coping saw I had packed. This was the reason I came here: to harvest materials from the magical beasts.
Saw, saw.
With just two strokes of the saw, the buffaloes' horns were sliced off like tofu.
As I kept sawing, Saki quietly approached and squatted down beside me. Then, she suddenly spoke in a soft, quiet voice.
"Thanks for earlier."
I silently nodded while continuing to saw.
"This is in return."
Saki suddenly held out a piece of yanggaeng. As I took it in a daze, she flashed a strange smile and walked away.
‘......’
I took a bite of the yanggaeng. It was so sweet my tongue felt like it was melting.
Why the hell does she eat this stuff?