Sha Wujing (5)
The curse dominating the dungeon had completely ended.
The Rat Plague is scattering!
It happened right as Kim Min-jung fired her last bullets at the swarm of rats about to crest the wall and pour into the city.
The dungeon message appeared without warning, and the rats began to scatter in every direction. It was as if they had never existed here at all.
“Is it… really over…?”
She stood frozen, still unable to believe it, when the citizens’ cheers reached her ears.
“It’s over! It’s finally over!”
“Hell yeah! We beat it! We actually beat the damn thing!”
“Uwaaaaaah!”
The citizens embraced one another, tears streaming down their faces.
Citizens are experiencing a sense of stability.
Citizens feel grateful for your help.
Clear Condition 4 — ‘Preventing the Epidemic’ — has been successfully completed.
Clear Rate: 98.1%
Only then did reality truly hit Kim Min-jung. Her legs gave out and she sank to the ground.
A hand settled on her shoulder.
She flinched and looked up to find Jang Lee-hyun smiling at her.
“You worked hard.”
“Senior Jang!”
“You must be exhausted. Get some rest.”
Just moments ago she had been ready to unload every complaint she had the second she saw him. Yet hearing his praise made every ounce of hardship feel washed away.
Her gaze shifted to the people standing behind him. They wore robes with hoods pulled low, but their faces looked young—almost like children or young men.
“Who are the people you brought with you…?”
“The missing persons.”
“……!?”
Just as Kim Min-jung’s eyes widened, a furious voice cut through the air.
“Hey, Jang Lee-hyun!!”
Team Leader Jung stormed toward them, face twisted with rage. He looked like hell. Having been trapped in the middle of the rat plague, his protective gear was completely destroyed and his body covered in wounds both large and small. The dark circles under his eyes radiated pure madness.
Status Abnormality: Mania is worsening. Immediate treatment is strongly recommended.
“It was you! You’re the bastard who caused all this!”
Team Leader Jung looked ready to tear Lee-hyun apart. He believed every bit of this nightmare had stemmed from problems Lee-hyun caused while clearing the dungeon. The other team members who had been trapped with him wore equally murderous expressions.
Kim Min-jung sensed an imminent clash and moved to intervene, but—
“Good to see no one seems critically injured.”
“You son of a bitch, you call that talking—!”
Lee-hyun only poured fuel on the fire.
Team Leader Jung felt something snap inside his head. His mania surged. His hand flew toward his sword, but at that exact moment the citizens surged between them.
“■■! Aren’t you ■■?”
“■! My son…!”
“They’re back! The children are back!”
The citizens had finally recognized the hooded curse-casters and burst into tears.
The Citizens of Hameln Have Found Their Missing Children
“……!?”
“The children…?”
“Where on earth did they—!”
The team members recoiled in shock. This meant the long-unsolved dungeon that had remained a mystery for over ten years had finally been cleared.
And sure enough—
1. Defeat the Pied Piper. (CLEAR!)
2. Locate the missing children. (CLEAR!)
3. Ensure the safety of Hameln’s citizens. (CLEAR!)
4. Prevent the epidemic. (CLEAR!)
All clear conditions have been fulfilled!
Player: Jang Lee-hyun holds 70.9% contribution.
Reward acquired — The Pipe That Charms People
Overwhelming first place achieved. Additional reward — The Skull Master’s Favor
“……!”
“……!”
“……!!”
The messages struck like a hammer. Every face went slack with disbelief. An additional reward like this was almost never given.
‘What the hell is going on?!’
‘What exactly did he do after entering the city first?’
‘How did he even break the pipe’s sound?’
The team members who didn’t know the full story could only roll their eyes in confusion. The moment the messages appeared, their minds cleared. They began staring at Lee-hyun like he was a monster.
He had solved a long-unsolved dungeon—practically by himself.
How were they supposed to explain this?
‘W-what do we do?’
‘So this is why Team Leader A dropped him in like a parachute…’
‘He seems insanely skilled. Should we try to get on his good side now?’
‘But the team leader’s watching…’
Despite their swirling thoughts, none of the team members dared approach Lee-hyun.
Because Team Leader Jung was trembling with humiliation, envy, and pure rage, glaring daggers at him.
……
You have successfully read and understood the hidden story.
A large amount of ■■■■’s karma has been acquired.
Based on ■■■■’s karma, your affinity with the Ruyi Jingu Bang has increased significantly.
You can now utilize the Fiery Golden Eyes more effectively.
Rank has increased.
Rank has increased.
All stats have risen by 10 to match your elevated rank.
Your body undergoes another transformation.
Additional reward: Aqua Sorcery Skillbook acquired.
Crack. Crunch.
Feeling his body change once again through Sun Wukong’s karma, Jang Lee-hyun moved quickly.
The dungeon will close soon. I have to finish everything before then.
“Min-jung, did you bring what I asked for?”
“Here. But why did you suddenly request this?”
When Kim Min-jung had reported the arrival of the two high-rankers through the communication device, Lee-hyun had told her he would handle that matter himself and asked her to do something else instead. The note contained the results of her investigation.
“It’s needed to wrap up the dungeon.”
“Wrap it up…?”
Hadn’t the dungeon quest already been completed? The closing messages had even appeared.
Kim Min-jung looked puzzled, but Lee-hyun simply answered with a light smile and moved on.
If my prediction is correct, this story won’t end with just a single fragment.
The place he headed toward was where the hidden boss waited.
Lee-hyun quickened his steps.
Unlike the other children who were awkwardly reuniting with their old families, the hidden boss stood alone, gazing at the city with a bitter expression. His eyes toward the adults were still filled with a complicated mix of love and hatred.
“What are you staring at like that?”
“You—”
“Take this.”
“What is it?”
The hidden boss frowned as he accepted the note Lee-hyun held out. When he unfolded it, he found a map drawn from the city’s back gate.
“The location of the pipe owner’s grave.”
“……!?”
The hidden boss’s body stiffened.
“It’s proof that not every adult you hated so much was a bad person. After he was unjustly killed, a few residents secretly made a grave for him.”
“Go see it. And…”
At the quiet whisper Lee-hyun added, the hidden boss nodded silently. All kinds of emotions flashed across his eyes.
And then—
“…Thank you.”
The hidden boss clutched the note tightly, his eyes turning slightly red.
Lee-hyun gave a small laugh.
“You’re welcome.”
“……?”
“From now on, greet adults like that.”
“……!?”
The countdown reached zero. A curtain of light descended from the sky between the two of them like a veil.
Beyond the curtain of light, the hidden boss let out a hollow laugh.
“What the hell. You’re such a damn boomer.”
The dungeon began to collapse along with the final message.
From the fading world, Lee-hyun thought he heard a faint “Thank you.”
At the same time—
The world twisted violently, and he was completely ejected outside the gate.
Lee-hyun barely regained his balance and immediately searched for messages.
Did it work?
But the message he wanted didn’t appear. Only the logs he had already seen. He wondered if his prediction had been wrong when—
The children successfully located the pipe owner’s grave using the map you provided.
The children erected a stone monument on the nameless grave. They expressed deep regret for not finding it sooner and vowed to visit every year from now on.
The children resolved their long-held misunderstandings with the adults…
They will live happily ever after and never forget the help you gave them.
You have reached a beautiful ending.
Congratulations! You are the first Earthling to learn the System’s unique authorities, Writing and Editing.
Achievement unlocked.
The Logos related to literature and writing have begun to pay attention to you!
Lee-hyun clenched his fist tightly at the nonstop stream of messages. It seemed the concept of a “new ending” held far greater meaning than even he had anticipated.
But what he had been waiting for finally arrived.
All stats have increased by 10.
Rank has increased.
Rank has increased.
Additional reward: Random Box (SR) acquired.
The contents, however, were rather strange.
A random box?
Lee-hyun’s expression turned odd as he read the description.
◈ A box wrapped tightly in packaging. Impossible to guess what lies inside.
◈ However, it is certain to contain something you need right now.
◈ Type: Gacha Item
◈ Origin: Urban Legend
It was a type of reward he had never seen before, but the description “something you need right now” was enough to satisfy him for the moment. At the very least, it probably wouldn’t give him anything weird.
At that moment—
“Hey, Section Chief Jang.”
Team Leader Jung suddenly stepped in front of him with a savage attitude.
Lee-hyun narrowed his eyes.
Right. This guy was still here.
The dungeon had ended, but the process of separating the wheat from the chaff in Z-Team was still ongoing.
Using Hwaan Geumjeong, the opponent’s condition has been analyzed.
Due to the aftereffects of the Black Death, ‘Status Abnormality: Mania’ has become critical. Failure to treat immediately may result in danger.
The opponent is currently blinded by jealousy and envy toward you and is filled with murderous intent.
It seemed being trapped in the rat plague had left him firmly in the grip of the curse. And it looked like an extremely vicious mental interference curse at that…
“You shove all your comrades into the gutter, then leisurely complete the quest by yourself and hog all the contribution points. Does that feel good? Huh?”
Team Leader Jung jabbed Lee-hyun’s shoulder repeatedly with his finger. The area under his eyes was pitch black. His skin was covered in dark spots. Anyone could see he had been thoroughly marinated in a powerful curse.
Black haze swirled ominously around him.
“T-Team Leader!”
“What?! What is it?!”
“Team Leader, the curse is—!”
The curse is beginning to leak out.
The team members jumped back in alarm, quickly widening the distance.
Team Leader Jung’s mental corruption had reached its peak.
What should I do?
In any case, Lee-hyun had never planned to take the man with him. His original intention had been to simply ruin the man’s magic circuits with the curse and force him into early retirement from the industry.
But now, after seeing the messages, he had decided to amplify the curse even further using curse scripts, pushing the man toward sudden death.
Golden Arhat’s Mask activated. Two curse scripts — ‘Murderous Impulse’ and ‘Paranoia’ — have strengthened the target’s curse.
“What curse?! Fuck! You bastards are looking down on me too, just like this guy, right? Do you know who I am? I’m the rookie even President Jang Chen acknowledged! Just die, all of you—!”
Team Leader Jung’s eyes rolled back. The dark red flames of Gwiyeol’s Red Lantern erupted violently.
It was the flame of a ghost—more sinister than hot. The killing intent behind it was unmistakable.
The moment the team members hurriedly tried to activate defensive skills—
Whirr—
An axe flew faster than any of them could react and buried itself in the top of his skull.
THUD!