Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Study Room Dungeon (1)
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Liquor house, Old Soldier.
It was a small liquor house tucked away in a remote alley, frequented almost entirely by regulars.
Perhaps due to the muggy weather, fewer drunks showed up than usual today.
As the night deepened, the scattered patrons finished up and left one by one.
Having tidied everything away, Jang Geum-seon poked her head into the kitchen. There, Cho Hong was diligently washing dishes at the sink.
"Hong."
"Yes?"
Jang Geum-seon gazed at her prized disciple and smiled faintly.
"I feel like closing up early tonight and sharing a drink with you. What do you say?"
She tilted the liquor pitcher.
Clear liquor poured into the transparent glass.
On the table sat skewer dishes steaming invitingly alongside a bowl of clear soup.
After a few rounds, Jang Geum-seon spoke with a benevolent smile.
"What happened?"
"Pardon?"
"You seem in low spirits."
Jang Geum-seon was the foremost possessor of mental-affinity skills in the country.
Realizing she couldn't fool her master's eyes, Cho Hong gave a bitter smile.
"I stopped by the Association today."
"Was it Manager Kim summoning you again?"
"Yes."
"What for this time?"
"That one-eyed monster horde that appeared. They told our Special Response Team to handle it."
Jang Geum-seon pondered for a moment, then blinked.
"Well, it can't be easy... but it's not something to get so down about."
She was one of the few who knew just how exceptional Han Manjae, Yoo Eunho, and Shin Chaeyoung were.
"Well..."
Cho Hong poured her master another glass of Three Blessings Brew, her expression gloomy.
"My skill usage approval came through."
"Oh?"
"There's apparently a separate monster controlling the one-eyed ones. It seems to have some kind of mental-affinity passive skill—one that monsters use."
"That's actually a good thing, isn't it?"
Even as Cho Hong grumbled, Jang Geum-seon smiled broadly.
"If you stabilize your skill and resolve this, you'll make a proper impression at the Association. Then even Manager Kim won't be able to push you around."
"Even so, they'll still keep me on a leash like this—tightening and loosening it at will."
Cho Hong's biometric data was reported to the Association in real time.
It was to monitor any unauthorized skill use. The silver lining was that it only sent biometric info—no location data, video, or audio.
"Hong."
"I just can't understand it."
Cho Hong's voice was forlorn.
"Why tell me not to leave the Association? They pushed you out, and now they're restricting my skills too..."
"It's so you don't follow in this master's footsteps."
Jang Geum-seon fell silent for a moment, gazing up at the dimly flickering bulb.
"Someone with skills like ours can never blend in, even among the compliant. Leaving half-heartedly would only bring more suffering."
She gave a wry smile, downed a glass of Three Blessings Brew, and continued.
"Better to endure and keep enduring until you rise high. Rack up merits, become indispensable. Climb to a position where no one can restrict you."
It was the hard-earned lesson from Jang Geum-seon, who had cast everything aside like so much chaff and walked away.
Cho Hong couldn't fully grasp those feelings, but she nodded reluctantly at her master's bitter expression.
* * *
Sunday, Variable Dungeon boundary zone.
The area swarming with one-eyed monsters had been crawling with news cameras and Awakeners, but it had grown quiet, deserted.
The Association had declared it a temporary hazard zone, erected barricades, and barred entry to Awakeners and media alike.
The one relief was that the one-eyed horde stuck to the boundary zone, so they hadn't sealed off the safe dungeon areas.
Whoosh.
The Heavenly Demon executed lightness skill between abandoned buildings and dungeon structures, effortlessly bypassing the Association Awakeners standing solemn guard at the barricade.
There were detection specialists among them, but none spotted him.
Realizing the guards' abilities were no joke, the Heavenly Demon had invoked his Heavenly Demon Supreme Ability: ultimate Hidden Shadow Stealth Technique, Four Emperors Stealth Shadow Form.
"None today."
The one-eyed monsters that had been camped right at the boundary's edge were nowhere in sight.
The Heavenly Demon slipped through the foggy boundary zone like a ghost.
As he released the stealth and prepared to deploy lightness skill anew, a chill killing intent washed over the back of his neck.
"Hmph."
The Heavenly Demon spun like lightning, thrusting a fist.
With a thud, a pitch-black shadow flew into the air, shattered into two by the Heavenly Demon's punch, and crashed to the ground.
[It's a Larva.]
A skeletal figure with charred black wings lay twitching at the Heavenly Demon's feet, smashed to pieces. An undead monster: Larva.
"Why is this bag of bones here?"
As the Heavenly Demon frowned, Nameless replied.
[This is Variable Dungeon territory. Any kind of monster wandering outside wouldn't be unusual.]
-Rumble.
Then came a bizarre vibration, followed by eerie killing intent from all directions.
It seemed the Larva had called in a swarm.
[Heavenly Demon, best to avoid them for now.]
At that, the Heavenly Demon shot Nameless an incredulous look.
"You mean because of those bones?"
[Remember last time? A massive Larva swarm appeared, and then the Larva King showed up. We're here to check the Study Room Dungeon, not fight monsters.]
Nameless pleaded earnestly.
[The goal is that high-grade chandelier inside the Study Room Dungeon, right?]
"Hmm."
The Heavenly Demon turned away reluctantly. Nameless spoke up again.
[Larva are shadow-affinity undead. Hiding your form isn't enough—you need to erase your presence completely.]
"I know."
The Heavenly Demon calmly invoked the pinnacle Hidden Shadow Stealth Technique: Four Emperors Stealth Shadow Form.
At its extreme realm proficiency, his body turned transparent, then even his presence vanished.
Swoosh.
Blending seamlessly with the surroundings, the Heavenly Demon resumed lightness skill toward the Study Room Dungeon.
Unaware of something clinging to his right sleeve, where he'd smashed the Larva.
Variable Dungeon, Study Room.
The dungeon interior, partially wrecked by the Heavenly Demon's earlier strike, had fully restored its antique library grandeur.
[It's been reconstructed already.]
Ignoring Nameless's exclamation, the Heavenly Demon stepped slowly into the entrance.
A vast study room stacked with books came into view, crowned by a chandelier resembling scattering leaves.
"It's still there."
[Can you disassemble it?]
Nameless sounded worried.
Harvesting plants or monster byproducts from dungeon interiors was common.
But dismantling and taking dungeon fixtures—especially from a Variable Dungeon—was rare. They weren't worth much anyway.
"Have to try."
The Heavenly Demon pulled a toolbox from his large sack, grabbed a hefty screwdriver.
Tap.
Scaling the tall bookshelf like a ladder, he reached out with both arms.
"Huh."
As he fiddled to dismantle the chandelier, he let out an exclamation.
One bulb, intricately carved like fine artwork, continued glowing even after he'd unscrewed and held it.
[The bulb... it's glowing on its own.]
Nameless, watching from below, was equally astonished.
[How does a bulb glow by itself?]
"Hmm."
The Heavenly Demon peered at the sparkling bulb in his palm and said flatly.
"This dungeon seems to copy the exterior of existing buildings."
[Just the exterior?]
"Who knows."
[How do you know that?]
"I don't. Just this Lord's intuition."
After a moment's thought, he screwed the bulb back into the chandelier.
"Even if I disassemble this light, it won't work outside."
[Why not?]
"This Lord's gut."
He couldn't fathom the mechanism, but the Heavenly Demon sensed it.
This self-illuminating fixture functioned only within the dungeon—take it out, and it'd lose its power.
Nameless knew the Heavenly Demon's instincts were eerily spot-on.
[Does that mean nothing from any dungeon interior can be taken outside?]
The Heavenly Demon snorted at Nameless's curious question.
"How would this Lord know?"
This world's rules were a jumbled mess to begin with.
Some monsters left meat and hides; others dissolved into light upon death.
"Let's head back."
Sadly, his plan to dismantle the chandelier and plug the pay gap was scrapped.
As the Heavenly Demon smacked his lips, Nameless chirped brightly.
[Still, it's a relief. Those one-eyed swarms from the news don't seem related to you. If they did, trouble would've started the moment we entered the dungeon.]
"Not my concern."
The Heavenly Demon exited the Study Room Dungeon with a sour expression.
As he lightness-skilled onto a ruined building top with a whoosh—
Zing.
A crimson beam like a sci-fi ray gun shot skyward.
"What is that?"
[Combat's broken out.]
Focusing his gaze, the Heavenly Demon spotted a clearing 100 zhang (about 300 meters) away, flames spewing forth.
Amid them flickered three shadows in black Nano Suits.
"Hmm."
Interest sparked in the Heavenly Demon's eyes.
The flames weren't from the endless-charging one-eyed monsters toward the Nano Suit Awakeners—no, the beasts were spewing them at each other.
The Special Response Team stood in a line, merely watching.
"Intriguing."
Normally he'd ignore it, but monsters self-destructing piqued rare curiosity.
Tap.
In a flash of lightness skill, he perched atop a tall, lamppost-shaped dungeon.
Zing.
An inexplicable tremor pierced his mind.
His nape prickled cold; darkness seemed to swarm from all sides, illusory.
[Heavenly Demon?]
Nameless queried, sensing his spiking heartbeat.
[Are you alright?]
The Heavenly Demon frowned down at the scene and murmured low.
"Someone's deployed Subduing Heart Great Law."
[Pardon?]
"That law's influence is making the beasts self-destruct."
In murim existed the Subduing Heart Great Law, which eroded and controlled souls.
A master of demonic arts, the Heavenly Demon instantly recognized the eerie vibrations saturating the area as the law's signature aura.
"I see. So it was that chef woman."
[What do you mean?]
"The one controlling the monsters."
The Heavenly Demon pointed to the translucent shadow behind the Special Response Team.
Click.
Nameless's round head parted, deploying various orb sensors.
Activating UV, it outlined Cho Hong in stealth Nano Suit, mental manipulation skill active.
[Cho Hong, 29. Team leader of the Association's Special Response Team, living next door. They handle special ops, so no detailed profiles in the Awakener database...]
Swallowing 'Hacked the Association network for her profile,' Nameless continued, eyeing the translucent Cho Hong emitting odd waves.
[Surprisingly, she wields mental manipulation skills. Just lists 'Link Field.']
"Mental manipulation."
The Heavenly Demon smirked faintly.
"So, they have Subduing Heart Great Law users here too."
[Mental manipulation skills are the riskiest and most potent. Even S-Rank only tweaks a couple minds...]
Nameless eyed the eyes-closed, stealthed Cho Hong.
[But she's manipulating a horde. 'Link Field' must enable area-wide mental control.]
As Nameless finished—
Boom.
A low thud; most charging one-eyed monsters collapsed.
-Shrrr.
From their midst emerged a blue-glowing Iron-Eater-shaped monster.
"That's the one controlling the one-eyed freaks!"
Han Manjae yelled upon spotting it.
Yoo Eunho halted high-speed movement, drawing a sword-shaped monomolecular cutter from his back.
"I'll take it!"
-Rumble.
But grotesque noises echoed from all sides.
The sky grayed; hundreds of monsters converged on the clearing. Larva.
"What the hell?"
As Yoo Eunho gaped—
"Ugh."
A scream burst from Cho Hong, mid-stealth skillcast.
Her skill: Link Field.
As Nameless surmised, it dominated all creatures' minds in an area.
But hundreds?
"Uuugh."
Domination relied on the user's mental strength.
Mental skills tied directly to the caster's psyche.
The sudden Larva influx rapidly drained hers.
"Chaeyoung!"
Yoo Eunho whipped around, shouting.
Sensing Cho Hong's dire state, Shin Chaeyoung nodded and injected Healing Factor.
This miracle cure worked even on immaterial minds.
"Uuugh."
But too many Larva.
Hundreds invading her mental domain felt like needles stabbing her skull.
"We need to retreat!"
Han Manjae eyed the sky-swarming Larva.
Meanwhile, the Iron-Eater monster, freed from mental grip, had vanished.
Fresh one-eyed hordes closed in again.
-Boom. Boom. Rumble.
Hundreds of Larva overhead, one-eyed on the ground—the Special Response Team was surrounded.