Chapter 18
Chapter 18
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Moths Flying into the Fire
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Midnight had fallen, and adventurers were climbing the mountain.
Kim Min-jun led the way at the front, with Marcel and his group trailing behind.
Marcel and his party totaled four members.
Marcel wielded a sword.
Martin was a warrior swinging a massive axe.
Then there was the archer Rio and Anna, who could use a bit of magic.
But in this situation, some of them were brimming with dissatisfaction.
"What the hell is this nonsense?"
"Yeah, we could've waited till dawn. Why head out now of all times?"
Anna and Rio grumbled softly from the rear.
As Kim Min-jun had instructed, they'd finished preparations and set off in the evening.
But they'd left too late.
By the time they reached the mountains and started climbing, it was well past dusk.
No matter that a Silver-rank adventurer was guiding their party—this crossed the line.
These mountains were dangerous even in broad daylight, and now it was the dead of night.
Who knew what they might run into.
At least Kim Min-jun seemed skilled enough for a Silver badge, which was a small comfort.
Kim Min-jun was a Silver-rank adventurer and a mage to boot. A pretty capable one, at that.
He'd chased off wild animals and low-level monsters like goblins they encountered on the ascent with a mere gesture.
'To wield magic so freely...'
His performance now made it clear he wasn't just any mage.
That was why, despite their gripes about the situation, they kept their complaints to themselves.
After all, they were just tagging along.
Even now, climbing this dark mountain, Kim Min-jun illuminated their surroundings with magic.
It was a faint glow, but better than nothing.
Shining a bright light at night—especially in mountains bordering the Demon Realm—was like begging to be killed.
Knowing that, he'd dialed the light's intensity just right.
'Tch.'
The night brought frequent monster encounters.
Most were small fry, so he just drove them off with minor spells.
No need to waste energy prematurely.
Kim Min-jun glanced back briefly.
Checking if anyone was lagging.
Not out of kindness.
They were the main course tonight.
Kim Min-jun halted as they pressed on.
"This seems about right. Everyone, get ready."
They'd reached the spot marked for the dungeon.
But in the darkness, they couldn't spot it.
"Where the hell's the dungeon?"
Trouble from the start.
He directed Marcel and his crew to fan out and search together.
Moments later, Marcel's voice rang out.
"Ah, bro! Found it!"
They'd located the dungeon somehow.
Kim Min-jun headed to Marcel and saw a cave mouth hidden amid dense trees— no wonder it'd been hard to find.
"Hm..."
From outside, the cave looked pitch black.
Not even Kim Min-jun's magic pierced the gloom.
"You sure this is it?"
"We scoured the area—nothing else around!"
Was it really a dungeon?
He felt nothing special.
Kim Min-jun voiced his doubt.
No energy emanated from the presumed dungeon cave.
Kim Min-jun was both a hunter and adventurer.
He possessed A-rank trait Mana Sensitivity.
Mana Sensitivity heightened his ability to detect and read mana flows.
Every dungeon and monster he'd encountered so far had some distinct mana signature, however faint.
That's how he knew.
This cave ahead felt utterly devoid of any presence.
Without the guild commission, he'd have dismissed it as an ordinary cave.
"Well, what can you expect from a low-grade dungeon."
Comparing it to the commission, Kim Min-jun shrugged it off.
Certain artifacts or spells could block mana detection, of course.
But this was an Iron-rank dungeon.
The lowest of the low.
How pathetic did a place have to be for its mana to be undetectable?
He dismissed other possibilities.
"Alright, everyone in."
Standing around wouldn't change anything.
It didn't look dangerous, so he urged the followers onward.
This time, he let the group take the lead while he brought up the rear.
'Finally.'
He'd herded them into the dungeon.
With him guarding the exit, escape was impossible now.
Kim Min-jun's plan was coming to fruition.
The moment they entered, they were trapped prey.
They stepped into the dungeon.
Even the lowest rank was still a dungeon.
Everyone stayed alert, proceeding cautiously.
"Guess it really is a dungeon."
Kim Min-jun muttered as he dispelled his magic.
Torches lined the walls, welcoming them with steady flames.
No need to waste mana on light now.
After some walking...
A sudden fork appeared.
"What?"
"Huh? Bro, the path splits!"
Marcel and his group murmured in surprise.
"I see it."
Kim Min-jun replied flatly, though inwardly he was just as startled.
'Why a fork all of a sudden?'
Low-grade dungeons usually had simple layouts.
This one was Iron-rank, the bottom rung.
Yet here was a branch.
'Damn, things are getting messy.'
Kim Min-jun scowled.
He'd planned a quick clear and some fun, but it was turning serious.
As he pondered, a memory surfaced.
"By the way, Marcel."
"Yeah, bro?"
"You said earlier it was originally same-rank as something."
He recalled Marcel mentioning it when picking up the commission at the guild.
"Right, bro. That's what it said."
Marcel answered like it was no big deal.
"Do you know why the rank dropped?"
Marcel shook his head.
He knew only that it had dropped, not why.
'Useless bastard.'
Kim Min-jun stewed.
"A Copper-rank would make sense for a fork..."
Copper-rank dungeons could have branches.
Though this fork might be the whole dungeon.
'Yeah, don't overthink it.'
Kim Min-jun picked the left path.
Splitting up was risky.
They were novice adventurers.
Best not let monsters pick them off and spoil his fun.
Above all, it's to prevent any escape variables.
They were doomed anyway—splitting might let some flee.
"Everyone, left."
They knew splitting gained nothing. They followed without protest.
If danger struck, Kim Min-jun would handle it, right?
They trusted that much, at least.
Choosing left, they advanced.
Then a chill wind began to blow.
Whoooosh—
The torches flickered in the gust.
"Everyone, stop."
Something felt off.
Kim Min-jun commanded them.
But the wind intensified, snuffing all flames at once.
Darkness returned.
"Bro?"
Marcel called out in alarm.
"Fuck. Nothing goes right."
Kim Min-jun grumbled, hastily casting a spell.
A glowing orb rose from his palm.
Light banished the dark, revealing the dungeon once more.
But Kim Min-jun's face stayed grim.
'Something's wrong.'
An inexplicable unease gripped him.
Marcel appeared before him.
As light returned, Marcel approached his comrades.
All three stood frozen in place.
"......"
"Hey!"
Marcel called to them.
"......"
"You guys scared? Heh."
Marcel sneered, closing in.
"It was just the lights going out. What're you freaking over?"
As he reached for Martin's muscled shoulder...
"Stop!"
Kim Min-jun shouted at him.
"Huh?"
"Get over here now!"
Marcel turned, puzzled.
What the hell was this about?
"Why, bro...?"
Slash—
Marcel's words cut short.
His silent comrades suddenly swung weapons at him.
Martin's axe plunged into his heart.
The blow shredded his armor effortlessly.
"Guh!"
Marcel spat blood and collapsed.
He stared at his comrades in disbelief.
"What... the hell..."
His words trailed off as he died.
"Fuck! A banshee in a Copper dungeon?!"
Kim Min-jun cursed, beginning a spell chant.
Banshees were undead monsters.
Not high-rank, but tricky to handle.
Intangible, vulnerable only to holy power or magic.
More ghost than monster.
And they had a nastier trait.
Mind control.
Their scariest ability: manipulating human minds.
Not foolproof, though.
It failed against equals or superiors.
A novice priest in the party usually countered it.
But they'd been too careless.
"Thunder Storm!"
Kim Min-jun unleashed the spell.
Lightning crashed from above onto the three adventurers.
Or what had been adventurers.
Electrocuted, they died.
The dungeon filled with the stench of burning flesh.
"Hah... hah... fuck."
He swore more than usual today.
He eyed Marcel's pierced corpse and the electrocuted trio.
He'd planned to kill them himself, but not like this.
Minus Marcel, they'd already fallen to the banshee's control.
These banshees felt different from normal ones.
'Some buff-type monster nearby?'
If so, this was dire.
They never should have entered.
"Let's get out."
Even downgraded, it was originally Copper-rank.
A banshee right at the entrance meant the guild gave bad intel.
'Gonna kill that clerk the second I'm out.'
Daring to put him in danger?
He lmost died.
He had to release this anger on someone.
As he turned to leave...
Clap clap clap—
Applause echoed from ahead.
"You are truly impressive!"
Someone spoke in admiration.
The voice belonged to a woman..
What was peculiar was that she was dressed as a maid, but that wasn't important.
Moreover, judging by the horn on her head, she might be a monster.
"Who are you?!"
Kim Min-jun tensed.
Gulp.
An overwhelming presence.
Her aura was no joke.
Why didn't he detect such a strong presence?
Unaware of Dungeon Stealth, Kim Min-jun despaired.
This was bad.
'Yeah, let's run away.'
Blast magic while fleeing—could he escape the dungeon?
But his thoughts were already anticipated.
"Are you really trying to run away?"
Goblins had suddenly appeared in the passage he had entered.
"All of a sudden...!"
There were even hobgoblins and goblin shamans mixed in.
That was okay.
After all, they were just goblins.
If he did his best, he might be able to break through.
However, Kim Min-joon's eyes turned to the back of the goblin horde.
There stood Goblin Lord with an arrogant expression.
Because he wore a crown made of gold, even those who saw him for the first time could easily recognize him.
The problem was that Goblin Lord was not just a simple goblin.
The power of the lord was truly remarkable.
Even on Earth, it would take a party including A-rank hunters to be able to subdue him.
"This is... unbelievable...."
Haha.
Kim Min-jun laughed madly.
"No way out, huh?"
The nameless woman smiled sweetly.
At this rate, it would be better to just get rid of that woman.
Wouldn't it be easier than dealing with Goblin Lord?
'Darn. I should wipe out the adventurer guild the moment I get out for real.'
This wasn't even Silver-rank.
By continental standards, It should be Platinum-grade dungeon at least.
As Kim Min-jun resolved to eliminate the woman...
Clank— clank—
Clank—
Metal clashed.
Skeletons marched behind her.
"Insane!"
Kim Min-jun yelled involuntarily.
Not just skeletons.
"Why's there a death knight here...?"
A death knight lurked among them.
No winning this.
Not even revived.
What the hell?
What kind of dungeon housed three such monsters?
Thoughts raced through Kim Min-jun's mind.
"To meet such an end after all this..."
It wasn't worth the suffering.
Tears welled as despair hit.
But the woman before him spoke indifferently.
"I couldn't care less about a human's petty emotions."
She raised both hands skyward.
"Still, you're lucky. Laugh if you want. You get the honor of being offered to Master!"
Madness gleamed in her eyes.
"You're more than qualified."
Her sweet smile sent chills down his spine.