Key Replication
"Thwack!"
"Guh...!!"
The moment a clear, crisp sound echoed through the dungeon, all the men who had been watching the fight with bated breath clutched their legs together and shuddered. Not just the Red Hawk Clan members, but even Yuseong's own comrade, Rikar.
"Hm? What's up?"
The only one who didn't get it was the sole woman present, Kir.
"Krrrk..."
No matter how much like a raging bull Haren had been, even he couldn't withstand that blow. His eyes rolled back as foam bubbled from his mouth, and he passed out cold.
I poked at the fallen Haren a few times, screaming internally all the while.
Fuck. It's rock-hard down there...!!
Was it because he was wearing armor, especially that groin guard protecting his vital spot? My instep throbbed like mad from the full-force kick. If my boots weren't thick leather made for rough terrain, I bet my bone would've cracked.
"H-Haren...!"
With the fight over and Rikar and Kir stepping aside, the Red Hawk Clan members rushed over in a panic to check on him. One of them glared at me, face flushed with anger, about to protest.
"What the hell do you think you're—"
"Are your eyes just for show? Didn't you see that bastard swing his sword at me out of nowhere?"
"...Urk."
No matter that he was their clanmate, anyone with eyes could see whose fault it was. They fumed but couldn't bring themselves to argue back. If anything, they eyed me—the guy who'd effortlessly taken down their superior—with a hint of fear.
I figured they'd act tough relying on their clan's rep, but they're not that brainless, huh.
Unlike the Hunting Team 2 idiots we'd run into earlier, these guys—minus Haren—were all probably D-rankers. That had to play a part.
Makes sense. Even a big clan like Red Hawk wouldn't have C-ranks spilling out everywhere.
Plus, from what Haren had blabbed, the clan was tackling the dungeon's third floor right now.
"If you get it, take that... guy? Whatever. Just get him and fuck off."
"Kuh..."
Avoiding my gaze and subtly squeezing their legs together, the Red Hawk grunts hurried to Haren's side. They hoisted him up, pulled a potion from their pouch, trickled it into his mouth, and backed off.
Lucky they're just small fry.
I kept my face neutral while sighing inwardly in relief. Thank god the Red Hawk Clan we'd bumped into were such low-level mooks. We'd been avoiding them hard since finding that weird crystal... and the ones we ran into weren't mana users. Their one mana user had gone berserk solo and gotten knocked out by me.
Truth be told, there were other ways to take him down besides the nuts shot. But deliberately targeting his balls was partly to knock out the party's only mana user.
That was what we'd been wary of, after all.
...Okay, ninety percent was just me venting after that cheap shot ambush.
"...Bit awkward timing, but have you seen a glowing blue crystal...?"
And sure enough, even in this tense aftermath with Haren out cold from his solo rampage, one clan member kept his cool and asked about the crystal.
Of course, we...
"Nope, never seen it."
...played it straight-faced and lied our asses off.
The D-rank clan grunt tried reading our expressions, but a regular human without mana sense had no shot at spotting the fib.
"I-I see. Sorry to bother you."
He watched us a bit longer, like he suspected we were bullshitting. When I stared him down and glanced pointedly at his crotch, he flinched, squeezed his thighs, and hightailed it.
Kir, watching the whole thing, tilted her head.
"Why's everyone crossing their legs?"
"...You don't wanna know."
Some things only guys get, Kir.
"Now fuck off if we're done."
"Um..."
I nodded at the grunt carrying the potion-fed Haren, signaling them to scram. They hesitated, glancing between their spot and me.
Wondering what the holdup was, I overheard as the next-in-line guy urgently rallied his buddies and bolted like rabbits.
"B-Bro. Should we really bail...? We were told to guard that spot, right?"
"Fuck that. Haren's out cold—what, you wanna hold it with just us? "
From the snippets as they fled, their job was guarding this passage.
What's with that crystal that they're posting guards at chokepoints to hunt it down?
"Just guard a bit further up. Block the path rough-like and shake down passersby for the crystal or whatever."
"B-But they said stay right there, no exceptions."
"Didn't you see that guy's eyes? Telling us to beat it while eyeing our balls. Stay if you wanna get neutered too."
"Eek...!"
Their chatter faded into the distance. Rikar sighed in relief and approached me.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine. You saw."
"Heh. That guy seemed like a mana user. Taking down a C-rank adventurer without a scratch..."
Ever since teaming up with Rikar, it felt like all I got was praise. Embarrassed, I looked away. He glanced after the retreating clan and muttered.
"Still, lucky break. Haren's freakout kept them from grilling us long about the crystal."
"Kinda shocking, yeah. Blocking a chokepoint to interrogate people."
"Outrageous. Gotta report this to the guild."
Chatting idly with Rikar, something nagged at me.
Where's Kir?
Was she eavesdropping on those guys again? She'd gone quiet all of a sudden.
"Mm... Hm!"
"Kir?"
It wasn't just quiet—she'd vanished from my side. Scanning around, I spotted her pressed close to the wall, poking and prodding nooks and crannies.
"...What're you doing?"
"Huh? They said they were guarding here, right? Figured maybe they hid something!"
Hidden stuff? As if...
...Wait. Come to think of it, when those guys were bailing...
Her words jogged my memory of their whispers.
Orders to guard this spot "no exceptions." Seemed too pointed for just shaking down travelers.
If it was only about searching for the crystal, they'd block the exit instead.
But if they'd hidden something here, would small fry like them abandon it so easily...?
"Just looking! Dungeons sometimes have hidden rooms anyway, right?"
"True."
I'd heard that. Dungeons occasionally warped to form secret rooms or special areas. Places with mana-hungry beasts, or housing artifacts that spawned the dungeon itself...
But...
Those are usually deep in, not on layer one.
That's probably why Red Hawk monopolized layer three's exploration rights.
No point hunting layer one for...
"Hey! Found something!"
"...?"
...jack shit.
"Did you find something?"
Even Rikar—probably thinking the same—rushed over with a baffled look.
Kir beamed proudly, pointing at a rocky crevice in the wall.
"Look!"
"What... is that?"
Our faces twisted in unison at what she pointed to.
"Holes?"
Three perfectly round holes, arranged in a triangle. Too smooth and evenly spaced to be natural erosion.
"Why are these here?"
"Dunno! Doesn't seem like a trap, though?"
Even Kir, who'd found them, just sensed they were odd but had no clue what for. Fearless as ever, she stuck her hand in one and fiddled around.
Rikar scolded her for it. Curious, I placed my hand in one too.
Mana?
A complex mana flow emanated from it—faint, but artificial. Not the wild chaos of natural mana.
Huh? The size feels...
Stroking the hole, a familiar sense hit me.
To confirm, I pulled the crystal I'd pocketed from the kobold's stomach.
"Perfect match!"
"Yeah."
It fit the holes exactly. Like it was meant to slot in.
"Wanna try? No traps, and I didn't hear any monsters or people."
"Don't. Who knows what'll happen."
Kir urged me on with sparkling curiosity; Rikar shot it down, uneasy.
But we didn't need to debate.
-Whoosh!!
"What?"
Comparing sizes up close with the crystal in hand, a weird pull yanked it right into the hole.
Shit. It auto-inserts if you get too close...!
Heart pounding, I whipped out my black iron sword and braced. But nothing happened beyond the pull.
"...Huh?"
Tugging experimentally, it came out easy enough. And every hole pulled equally, like any would do.
"Gotta fill all three!"
"Right. Red Hawk had one too—they were hunting these to fill the holes."
No change from one crystal. Recalling their behavior, the party pieced it together.
"Hm. Too many guards here might draw eyes, so they posted light scrubs instead?"
"Keys, right? So this is a door or lock? Fill 'em all and something opens?"
Tension eased with no boom, so Kir and Rikar bantered.
Meanwhile, I slotted and unslotted the crystal, studying the mana flow. Felt like good practice just sensing it.
Flow shifts no matter which hole. Three identical keys unlock it, like a combo lock.
"Wonder why it's here? So cool!"
"My guess: the dungeon absorbed nearby ruins or artifacts during formation. Either the structure manifested here, or the dungeon mimicked its security."
"Rikar, you're smart!"
"A-hem! It's been ten years since I came to Terra's capital..."
I ignored their goofy exchange, crystal in hand, lost in thought.
...This flow.
With the flow clear and its purpose grasped, a hunch said I could replicate it now.
The mana sense did it.
Felt like leveling up comprehension in a new field. Maybe I could even replicate those failed one-use magic tools from before.
Needs three. I can spare one.
Party chattering behind me, oblivious. They'd clocked the three-key need and tuned out, figuring they couldn't help.
Seemed like now or never to feel this mechanism's flow. In their blind spot, I activated it.
Replicate.
The familiar ability kicked in smoothly. Replication power drained, forming shape...
And—
-Pop.
"......!!"
As expected, the fresh crystal duplicated perfectly. Two identical ones now sat in my palm.
It worked...?
Even I was stunned at my own success. Familiar shape or material? Sure. But this unknown-stuff mystery crystal on first try?
Mana, gotta be.
I knew why. My new mana sense had read and grokked the flow inside it.
-Humm!!
Slotting the dupe for kicks, the flow shifted subtly in approval. Crystal glowed faintly.
Functions replicate too, then...
Using replication for non-combat, non-horny stuff felt refreshingly novel. Duplicating a "key," no less.
Fitting, really.
Grinning at this new trick, my eyes hit the last empty hole.
........
Checked my reserves. Plenty left for one more.
With replication...
No need for Red Hawk's third key. I could unlock whatever solo.
Wonder swelled: what lay beyond? Why was Red Hawk breaking every adventurer rule to find it?
...Nah, dangerous thoughts.
Curiosity bubbled, but I shook it off. I'd just beat a Red Hawk C-rank. Snagging their prize first? Suicide.
But...
But still...
Why does it feel like...
A gut instinct screamed: don't pass this up.
My instincts are solid.
They'd saved my ass plenty—sewer corpses hinting at the necromancer, sensing raiders before leaving Rivil.
Now, faintly urging: don't abandon what's behind this lock.
No, gotta play safe...?
"...Ah."
Shaking off dumb ideas and standing, I saw Kir's face—mid-giggle with Rikar—freeze. Her perky ears twitched faster now.
"...Ten...? Yeah, heading this way?"
"Damn. The ones we chased off called backup?"
Kir pointed the way we'd come—the Red Hawk retreat route—saying a bunch were approaching.
I ditched any lingering temptation and backed from the wall.
"Let's bail."
"Agreed. They struck first, but no proof. Even if guild buys it, Red Hawk'd back their guy. Messy."
Consensus hit. As Kir's ears caught noise opposite our exit path—the way out—we turned.
Then Kir's sunny grin shattered.
"Kir? What's wrong?"
"...Ah... Augh...!"
Ears flicking wildly, tail stiff as a board. Golden pupils quaking as she stared toward the exit, voice trembling.
"M-M-Monster...?"
"Monster? You mean a magic beast?"
"D-Dunno. Something insanely strong like a monster from the exit... Ahh! Coming this way...!"
"....!!"
Kir—who'd stayed chill against Red Hawk—tensed hard. Her scouting was top-tier; no doubting her.
"So... Red Hawk squad behind, mystery monster ahead?"
"Y-Yeah...!!"
Shit.
Hearing her, I squeezed my eyes shut and sighed. If there's a god who dragged me here, they cursed me for sure. What's with my luck?
"Kuh... Battle prep... No, flee. But which way?"
Rikar, the elder, scrambled for a plan but froze at Kir's dread, undecided.
Me too, brain spinning—till my eyes hit the two-keyed wall.
...Better than fighting Red Hawk and whatever Kir sensed.
In Rikar's blind spot from watching Kir, I replicated once more.
Blue crystal in hand, I jammed it into the last hole.
That instant—
-Rumble!!!
"Wh-What!?"
"The wall?!"
The slotted section quaked. What looked like normal wall slid open, revealing the hidden space.
"Wh-What's this...? Didn't need three keys?"
"Dunno, but... Rikar! Hide in there?"
I hid the replication, urging quick. Kir sniffed blindly inside.
"No traps or beasts!"
"...Kuh. No idea why it opened, but... In there, now!!"
Rikar decided. Dodging the pincer, we slipped through the secret door.
The moment we three entered—
-Groooan!!!
Heavy grinding echoed as the door sealed, leaving only ordinary cave wall behind.