Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Dungeon Picnic (2)
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At the same time, blaring alarms rang out, accompanied by the voices of Association Awakeners and teachers.
“Everyone! Get to the exit quickly!”
“A Hidden Monster has appeared!”
At the loud shouts, the students ran toward the exit in perfect order.
Some students sank into the crumbling ground, but with help from teachers and Association Awakeners, they escaped unharmed.
‘Too far!’
Han Hojo gritted his teeth as he pushed through the overgrown plants toward the exit.
They had come all the way to the deepest part of the dungeon, making the exit look distant.
‘Danger!’
Han Hojo’s All-Seeing Vision activated once more.
His pupils dilated as he spotted the ground about to collapse in an instant.
“Janghoon! Jinsol, stop!”
At Han Hojo’s shout, Hwang Janghoon, who had been running, let out an “Huh?”
But due to his heavy body, Hwang Janghoon couldn’t stop immediately.
“Uwaa!”
Rumble.
With that short cry, Hwang Janghoon was swallowed by the earth, and the hole vanished without a trace.
Crack.
At that moment, a crack appeared in the ground where Lee Jinsol stood.
“Jinsol!”
“Hojo…”
“Don’t move. You’re safe there.”
“S-Scary…”
“It’s really okay. Trust me. Stay right there.”
But as cracks spread across the ground, Lee Jinsol teared up and ran forward again.
“It’s gonna collapse!”
“Jinsol, no!”
Before Han Hojo could reach out, a rumble sounded, and Lee Jinsol sank into the ground as well.
Han Hojo looked down at the spot where Hwang Janghoon and Lee Jinsol had fallen, gritting his teeth.
‘There’s space below!’
Activating All-Seeing Vision again.
The pit seemed bottomless, but surprisingly, the slope was gentle, leading to a vast lake and a long underground tunnel.
“There!”
Spotting another hole forming in the ground, Han Hojo dashed toward it.
-Rumble.
The moment he fell, Han Hojo held his breath and closed his eyes. He slid endlessly downward like on a waterslide.
Splash!
A massive impact hit, followed by the sensation of plunging into cold water.
Opening his eyes underwater, Han Hojo swam up to the surface without hesitation.
“Janghoon! Jinsol!”
On the lake surface, Lee Jinsol floated with eyes closed, seemingly unconscious, while Hwang Janghoon flailed about, swallowing water.
“Wait.”
Han Hojo pulled Lee Jinsol and the thrashing Hwang Janghoon ashore one by one.
“Haa. Haa.”
Having rescued them consecutively, Han Hojo panted heavily.
Even in the heart-pounding situation, Han Hojo suddenly felt something odd.
‘Why am I so good at swimming?’
Lee Jinsol being unconscious was one thing, but Hwang Janghoon, over 70 kilograms, would be tough for an adult man to rescue.
Yet Han Hojo had pulled them out swiftly, like a skilled lifeguard.
“Hojo, did you learn swimming?”
Han Hojo chuckled at Hwang Janghoon, who lay clutching his bloated belly like a jar.
“I learned it at school once.”
“Hojo. Looks like it’s blocked up there.”
Then Lee Jinsol, who had struggled to sit up, pointed upward.
The once-open ceiling was now sealed, with only faint light seeping through.
“Since it’s inside the dungeon, my phone isn’t working either.”
Lee Jinsol tapped the watch-shaped phone on her wrist and pouted.
“What do we do?”
After a deep breath, Han Hojo pointed to the tunnel ahead.
“It’s fine. There’s a path stretching straight ahead.”
“A path?”
“Yeah. It’s like a maze with branches, but some lead upward gradually. We can find a way out by climbing.”
Lee Jinsol gazed at Han Hojo’s mysteriously gleaming eyes.
“You saw it with Detection skill?”
“Yeah.”
Then Hwang Janghoon, who had been lying down, sat up and said,
“Weird. F-grade Detection can only find simple objects within skill range.”
Han Hojo, momentarily speechless, waved his hands.
“Sometimes I get lucky and spot rescues or whatever. Oh, right. Come to think of it…”
As he quickly changed the subject, goosebumps rose all over Han Hojo’s body, and something approaching from hundreds of meters away entered his vision.
‘Around 400 meters.’
From the many forked paths like water streams, something ambled into view.
Zooming in, he saw a mole-like bipedal monster. Its gaping mouth revealed saw-like teeth, and its claws were razor-sharp.
‘There’s a monster?’
Its pitch-black eyes gleamed with malevolent evil.
Gulping, Han Hojo entered the darkness-shrouded tunnel and said,
“Let’s hurry.”
“Go? Where?”
At Hwang Janghoon’s question, Han Hojo hesitated before replying,
“We need to find a way out.”
“There are so many forks. Which way?”
Lee Jinsol, frowning with her round eyebrows, pointed to the split paths in the darkness and shook her head.
“Janghoon’s right. Multiple paths. We could get lost wandering.”
“I can find the exit.”
“How? Better to wait for rescue here. Association Awakeners will come soon.”
Lee Jinsol’s judgment was reasonable.
Without All-Seeing Vision, and unaware of the approaching monster, Han Hojo would have agreed.
But knowing the hideous monster was coming via All-Seeing Vision, he couldn’t stay.
“No. We can’t just wait forever.”
“So we just charge into some path? What if it collapses?”
As Lee Jinsol shook her head again, Han Hojo bit his lip.
“It’s dangerous here.”
400 meters ahead, mole-like monsters approached.
Above, Association Awakeners clashed fiercely with the Hidden Monster.
In this situation, waiting underground for rescue was impossible.
“Dangerous? What do you mean?”
As Lee Jinsol frowned, Han Hojo scratched his head.
“Well… monsters could show up.”
“That’s more reason to hold out here.”
Looking down at the lake, Lee Jinsol glanced up at the pitch-black ceiling.
“We don’t know where those forks lead. Better to stay here. At least there’s water.”
‘No way to convince her.’
Realizing half-hearted excuses wouldn’t sway Lee Jinsol, Han Hojo said gravely,
“Monsters are heading this way.”
“What?”
“An enormous monster from the fork 400 meters ahead is coming toward us.”
Han Hojo spoke with utmost fear.
“If we stay and it comes, we have nowhere to run.”
“Hojo, you okay?”
Lee Jinsol looked worried instead.
She thought Han Hojo was babbling from fear.
“Seeing 400 meters ahead? That’s not F-grade Detection.”
Alternating glances between Lee Jinsol and Hwang Janghoon, Han Hojo took a deep breath.
Hwang Janghoon might buy it, but fooling sharp Lee Jinsol with nonsense was hard.
“Actually, my skill is…”
About to say ‘All-Seeing Vision,’ Han Hojo shook his head. They wouldn’t believe it. It might backfire.
“Truth is, I have multi-skills. C-grade scouting skill, ‘Hostility Detection.’”
“Hostility Detection?”
“Yeah. It senses monsters’ killing intent or attack will.”
Recalling the book *Century’s Awakener* from before the picnic, Lee Jinsol looked baffled.
“You have a scouting skill too? Don’t joke.”
“J-Joking?”
“Why would a C-grade multi-skill Awakener transfer to F-Class? Makes no sense.”
“What? Han Hojo, you were pranking?”
Even serious Hwang Janghoon wrinkled his nose, making Han Hojo clutch his forehead.
Why were elementary kids so suspicious lately?
Forgetting he was one too, Han Hojo sighed. Only one way to convince them now.
“Anyway, no physical awakening yet, so they told me not to join higher classes. That’s why F-Class.”
Shaking his head helplessly, Han Hojo continued.
“My dad’s an Association Awakener.”
“An Awakener? What grade?”
“3rd, 3rd Grade.”
“What? Really?”
Lee Jinsol and Hwang Janghoon’s eyes widened simultaneously.
“But why didn’t you say?”
Han Hojo smiled, poking Lee Jinsol’s arm.
“Dad does secretive work. Even school doesn’t know much.”
“Wow, your dad’s a high-rank 3rd Grade Awakener! Jealous, Hojo!”
Hwang Janghoon shook his shoulders grinning, so Han Hojo urged quickly,
“So let’s go. We need to escape fast.”
“But Hojo.”
Lee Jinsol put a finger to her lips, blinking.
“With scouting skill, how do you know the monster’s big?”
‘Lee Jinsol, seriously!’
Han Hojo sighed inwardly.
She looked elementary but was more suspicious than a grandma haggling over bean sprouts.
“Do what you want. Believe it or not.”
Giving up persuasion, Han Hojo walked toward the fork with a resigned expression.
“By the way, the monster coming this way looks like a huge rat.”
“Rat?”
Lee Jinsol, who hated rats, jumped, and Han Hojo nodded.
“Size of a kid, walks on two legs. Sharp claws and nails, saw-toothed teeth.”
Turning to Hwang Janghoon, Han Hojo added,
“And rats love plump people. Might get torn apart whole if caught.”
With that, Han Hojo headed into the dark tunnel.
Lee Jinsol shuddered violently, then hurriedly followed, muttering,
“…Not fully believing you.”
Rustle rustle.
Soon catching up with quick steps, she clung to Han Hojo’s left arm.
“Not letting you wander alone. Dangerous. Coming with you.”
Rustle rustle.
Hwang Janghoon was now stuck to his right arm.
“I believe you, Hojo. You’re weird, but don’t spout nonsense.”
Looking between them, Han Hojo slumped his shoulders.
“Y-Yeah.”
After a minute in the underground tunnel, a fork appeared.
Light was gone, leaving pitch darkness ahead.
“Too dark.”
Hwang Janghoon hesitated, so Lee Jinsol raised one hand and shouted,
“Ifrit!”
With her clear cry, a flame slightly larger than a lighter sparked in her palm. Ignition-type F-grade skill, Flame.
“Not Ifrit, it’s Flame.”
At Hwang Janghoon’s jab, Lee Jinsol snorted.
“Someday I’ll use Ifrit.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
As Hwang Janghoon nodded laughing, Han Hojo’s eyes flashed.
“We need to run.”
“What?”
Hwang Janghoon’s eyes widened as Han Hojo shouted,
“The monsters are tracking us precisely. Numbers increased too.”
“What?!”
Lee Jinsol’s eyes rounded.
Moles had keen smell and hearing over sight.
If the monsters had similar senses? No escaping.
“What if they track by scent? Keep chasing no matter what?”
Guessing Lee Jinsol’s thought, Han Hojo replied,
“It’s fine. I have a plan.”
Han Hojo nimbly navigated the forks.
Darkness everywhere, but All-Seeing Vision made it effortless.
The problem was Hwang Janghoon. Clumsy and with Lee Jinsol leading, dim light made him stumble without proper illumination.
“Ahh.”
Finally, his foot tangled, and Hwang Janghoon fell.
“Come on!”
Han Hojo and Lee Jinsol supported his shoulders to lift him. But then.
-Kieeeek!
A screech echoed with thudding footsteps. Monsters were really charging.
“R-Real monsters.”
Suddenly alert, Hwang Janghoon sprang up and bolted like the wind.
“Hojo! What now!”
“It’s fine! A hole will open in the ground ahead soon.”
As Han Hojo answered, a rumble preceded a large hole in the ground.
“Hojo! I’m jumping first!”
“No! We jump together.”
“Huh?”
Grabbing Lee Jinsol’s hand mid-leap, Han Hojo positioned beside Hwang Janghoon.
“Remember how we fell? Hole seals right after someone drops in.”
-Kieeeek!
Mole-like monsters now charged from behind. Exchanging glances, the three leaped into the hole together.
Splash.
Below was no deep lake but a small pond reaching their waists.
Scrambling out, Han Hojo looked up.
“As expected, sealed.”
“Hojo, how… even knew where the hole would open?”
Facing suspicious looks, Han Hojo grinned.
“F-grade object detection range is 40 meters. I kept ‘hole’ as the target object.”
Only then did Lee Jinsol seem to believe Han Hojo.
“With multi-skills, you could move to C-Class at least. Gonna transfer now?”
At her words, Han Hojo shook his head gloomily.
“Nah, staying put. Don’t wanna live as Awakener.”
“Then why transfer to our school?”
“Was forced. Got caught sneaking into a dungeon last time.”
“What? Dungeon alone?”
Lee Jinsol and Hwang Janghoon exchanged looks.
Sneaking into a dungeon as an elementary kid? Mild-mannered Han Hojo was a reckless troublemaker?
“Had circumstances. Had to go.”
Looking embarrassed at them, Han Hojo said,
“Not causing trouble. Really. Just had a reason.”
“Okay, I believe you.”
Hwang Janghoon patted his shoulder.
“But next time, take me dungeon sightseeing. Deal?”
“Janghoon, saying that now?”
Irritated, Lee Jinsol snapped, and Hwang Janghoon bristled.
“Joking. Don’t feel bad on our account, Hojo.”
“Got it. I’ll ask Dad next time.”
Han Hojo smiled, making Hwang Janghoon, insisting it was a joke, grab his chubby cheeks and yell,
“Really?”
“Yeah. So first, let’s get out.”
But everywhere was sealed. Looking around, Lee Jinsol blinked.
“But it’s blocked all around here?”
“Yeah. No choice.”
“What?”
“Checked: underground full of mole monsters. This was the only sealed spot.”
Having scanned the tunnels with All-Seeing Vision, Han Hojo knew.
This underground connected to some dungeon teeming with mole monsters.
“If we hadn’t dropped here, we’d be surrounded and dead.”
“So how do we get out?”
“W-What do we do?”
As the kids frowned.
Boom! Boom!
An explosion sounded somewhere, and Han Hojo felt hairs stand on end.
All-Seeing Vision activated forcibly again.
‘Huh?’
100 meters away loomed a vast space dozens of meters high.
There, a monster coiled its black body, and a man in tattered martial robes stood.
‘It’s Heavenly Demon Uncle!’