Chapter 55
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Dark Sorcerer Bahn (1)
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"...This is the place."
After arriving at the cave entrance, Yun Yeon fell silent for a moment before speaking up.
"It definitely... doesn't look like a normal-grade or rare-grade dungeon. You made the right call rejecting the request on your own. If you'd gone in anyway... it probably would've been dangerous."
Yun Yeon began praising us for not getting greedy over the reward and trying to push through the request.
"...Thank you, Myth Clan Master."
"No need to thank me. We're about to head in anyway, but what about you, Seo Yu-ju?"
"I'm in agreement as well. Then... let's enter."
The moment we stepped into the cave, an alarm blared.
[Dungeon - You have entered the laboratory of the mad Dark Sorcerer Bahn.]
I could hear the Myth Clan members talking.
"...Another Dark Sorcerer this time? Wasn't our last dungeon related to dark magic too?"
"Dark Sorcerers are hardly ever sane. The Holy Nation executes all of them except trainees, you know."
'...No wonder Dark Sorcerers have such a terrible reputation.'
Whether foreigners or natives, if the Dark Sorcerers themselves were pulling this crap, how could their image not hit rock bottom?
'Damn...'
Even at the training facility, I was the only Dark Sorcerer.
"More importantly... who's this Bahn guy?"
"Sounds like this dungeon's boss... Are the ghouls outside from his experiments too?"
"Anyway, stay sharp. The clan master said it's at least hero-grade."
It had to be tense for them too. Hero-grade dungeons were tough for first-year players to clear.
Normally, it took at least second- or third-year players to tackle hero-grade ones properly.
Once inside the dungeon, no monsters ambushed us right away. The only thing that stood out was the beggar-like decorations plastered all over the cave walls.
"Hold up."
After advancing a bit, Yun Yeon stopped everyone.
"...Is something wrong, Myth Clan Master?"
"Look up, everyone."
Following Yun Yeon's words, we looked up—and a horrific sight met our eyes.
'What the hell is this...?'
Human faces were plastered everywhere, as if fused right into the ceiling.
The cave was dim, and the ceiling was high, so we hadn't noticed until now.
"Mi-madness...!"
"Gaaahhh!"
Most reactions were just curses, but the more faint-hearted screamed, fell on their asses, and collapsed.
Even I almost yelled, so there was no need to explain how gruesome it was.
Yu-hyeon, faced with this insane scene, sat frozen, stammering and unable to pull himself together.
"Uh... uh... ah...!"
"Yu-hyeon! Don't look up! Okay?!"
"S-sis..."
It was too horrifying for a 15-year-old kid to see.
One of the Myth Clan members spoke to Yun Yeon.
"C-clan master... They look like they're alive and moving."
Sure enough, upon closer inspection, the faces couldn't speak, but they twisted through various expressions.
"Urk... bleeech!"
Some were puking. Our party was no exception.
"Hey, Cha Hyun-jin! You okay?"
"Bleeech...! J-just... urk... sis..."
"Ha-eun!"
"Urgh... urk... s-sorry..."
'This isn't good.'
Getting crushed by the dungeon's atmosphere from the start was bad.
Yun Yeon frowned and spat out,
"Ha... I don't know what this Bahn bastard's deal is, but he's clearly off his rocker."
I agreed. Most Dark Sorcerers were lunatics, but this one seemed even worse.
If the entrance was this bad, the depths would be unimaginable.
A little further in, and sure enough, monsters with mind-breaking appearances started attacking us.
"...Is this a chimera?"
The monster was bigger than a person—about two meters tall and wide, a lump of flesh with human faces embedded in spots.
- Save me! Save me! Please save me!
"Fuck!"
The curse burst out naturally. Unlike the ceiling faces, these ones attached to the flesh were talking.
Combat broke out immediately, of course. Seo Yu-ju thrust her spear into the monster's body, and the faces started screaming.
- Kyaaahhh! It hurts! Stop! Stop it!
"Fuck, what is this?"
Kang I-seo, who hadn't expected something like this, spat curses with a dazed look.
Bam!
Yun Yeon punched out a few times, and the monsters' bodies exploded.
"Hoo... Everyone, snap out of it and fight. They're only gross-looking. Not strong at all."
"..."
"My clanmates? Don't disappoint me."
"S-sor... sorry..."
When the Myth Clan members couldn't get it together, Yun Yeon barked.
"Get your heads in the game. It's been a year since you got here. Got it?"
"Sorry, clan master! We're good now!"
"...That's more like it. Anyway, pushing deeper. Everyone, stay close."
The deeper we went, the more outrageous the dungeon got. Other monsters appeared, but none had normal forms.
Earlier it was flesh lumps with human faces; now, these had human bodies topped with bull heads, wielding weapons as they charged us.
"Ha... fuck, these things look like absolute shit...!"
"Sis... did the Dark Sorcerer here do human experiments or something?"
I answered Hyun-jin's question.
"These are all chimeras."
"Chimeras?"
"Yeah. Mixing monsters with humans, or monsters with monsters, to create freakish things—that's chimera synthesis. This Dark Sorcerer was experimenting with making chimeras."
"Th-then..."
"...He probably mixed living humans with monsters."
Everyone's faces turned like they were about to puke at my words. Depending on how you looked at it, it meant some of the monsters we'd killed so far might've been people.
'...The question is, where did he get the humans if he used them as materials?'
As far as I knew, no one had gone missing in this territory. Just the ghouls showing up.
If this many people vanished or got kidnapped locally, it wouldn't have ended quietly. The incident would've blown up.
'Or... maybe he brought them when setting up the lab?'
Either way, one thing was clear: the people used in Bahn's experiments weren't locals or from nearby.
And as the fights dragged on, I realized these things were grotesque but weak in combat.
As the battle died down, Yun Yeon looked at our party and let out admiration.
"...Impressive. Hasn't even been three months since you left the training facility? No wonder the rumors are flying."
"Hoo... The monsters... aren't that strong, so..."
"Nonsense. After seeing you fight, Seo Yu-ju, no one would say it's because the monsters are weak."
"...Thank you. And feel free to drop the formalities."
"...Yeah?"
"It's fine. You're our senior. Well, more like... you seem annoyed by the polite speech."
"...I like your straightforward personality."
"You've been casual with Yun-seong too from the start..."
Rumble—!
As Seo Yu-ju spoke to Yun Yeon, the cave wall crumbled, and a massive monster emerged.
"...Is this an ogre mix?"
Yun Yeon's words brought back memories of an ogre illustration from a monster book.
'It matches the book. But...'
This new monster looked like the book's ogre, but with differences.
'Why the tail? And four arms?'
It had a tail and four arms.
One thing was certain: it looked way stronger than anything our party had faced.
"Sh-shit... bro, can we even take this...?"
As Hyun-jin got crushed by the monster's presence, Seo Yu-ju yelled to the whole party.
"Stay calm! No rash approaches for now. Focus on ranged attacks, and melee, be careful when engaging!"
Yun Yeon reacted to Seo Yu-ju's orders.
"Good call. But... I'll take point this time. Looks too tough for the rookies."
With that, she charged straight at the ogre-like thing.
Judging it a threat to everyone, she kicked its leg—and one leg exploded off.
'Insane... On another level.'
"Grroooaaarrr! Leg! My leeeeg!"
'It talks?'
Yun Yeon seemed briefly startled that it spoke human language.
From her reaction, normal ogres apparently couldn't.
With one leg gone, it collapsed, and everyone unleashed ranged attacks.
"Everyone, fire! Mages, spells too!"
"Grrooo! Hurts! Buraka! It huuuurts!"
"...Tch!"
Thwuk—
"Grroooaaarrr! Who! My eye! Who, who, whiii?!"
Kang I-seo's arrow hit one eye, and it went berserk.
"Huh?"
A nearby Myth Clan member was about to get whipped by its tail.
"Guardian Shield!"
Yu-hyeon threw up a shield just in time.
Shatter!
Boom!
"Gahk...!"
The shield broke instantly, and the tail sent the man flying. The impact exceeded the shield's absorption.
"You... idiot...!"
Yun Yeon dashed in and caught him before he hit the wall.
"Kgh... hack... c-clan... master..."
"...You idiot. That's why I said approach carefully. Not something you can handle."
"Cough... sorry..."
"Forget it. Shit happens. Priest, heal him! He'll live."
"Y-yes...! S-sharp eye...!"
The priestess rushed over and started healing the man.
"You won't die, don't worry. Your boyfriend's fine. The kid's shield softened the blow enough."
Thanks to Yu-hyeon's timely shield, the injuries weren't fatal.
"Groooaaarrr! Kill! I'll kiiiill!"
The ogre crawled toward Kang I-seo on its four arms.
"F-fuck...! This bastard's pissed at me!"
'Of course, idiot. You shot its eye.'
But legless, it was helpless. The Myth Clan's melee fighters closed in and finished it.
"Hoo..."
Our party looked mentally drained from our first high-tier monster fight.
"...Amazing. I lost all will to fight the moment I saw it... Fear got to me..."
"...It's fine, Hyun-jin. No need to blame yourself. It was just too strong for us."
"...Thanks, bro."
"No thanks needed... Truth is, I froze up too, didn't know what to do. Everyone did, so don't worry."
"Yeah, bro."
Once everyone calmed, Yun Yeon spoke.
"...We'll keep pushing. Everyone..."
Seo Yu-ju cut her off.
"Hold on."
"...What is it?"
"How about we check where the ogre came from? Might be items."?