Dungeon Studies Research Institute 2
"Peter. Who the hell is this Kim Taehoon guy?"
After I'd repeated "From today onward... I request entry" about twenty times to the four guards, an East Asian-looking man appeared. I wasn't sure if he was Korean exactly, but I heard my name in what he said. That's when I realized he was the one who'd come to pick me up.
"This guy's been asking for Ms. Choi nonstop. He's got an official entry permit from the research institute, so should we let him in or what?"
"Yeah, I'll take care of it. Thanks for your trouble."
The guard and the man exchanged a few more words before he approached me—and sure enough, he spoke Korean.
"You're Kim Taehoon, right?"
Relieved to finally find someone I could communicate with, my face lit up as I replied, scanning around for Choi Kyunghee.
"Yes, that's me. Where's Ms. Choi Kyunghee?"
"She's out sick today with a cold. I'm Park Seongyeol."
I'd been a bit annoyed just moments ago that Choi Kyunghee hadn't shown up, but that irritation vanished the instant Park Seongyeol mentioned sick leave.
"She's not feeling well? Is it bad?"
"Bad flu—has to rest for a few days. Anyway, let's head inside."
Seeming in a hurry, Park Seongyeol led me in. The interior opened into a vast space with an elevator. It only had buttons for 1 and B1, and he hit B1 right away.
When the doors opened again, I was stunned by the sight before me. From the outside, it looked like a small building, but this underground area left me slack-jawed. Easily the size of a soccer field, with a massive bookshelf in the center. The rest of the space was filled with desks spaced appropriately apart, and hundreds of people hunched over them, poring through Dungeon Books.
As I gawked at the underground expanse, Park Seongyeol lightly tapped my shoulder.
"Professor Pagnichen is presenting the results of his Dungeon Book research right now. We need to hurry before it ends."
He was already striding off before he finished speaking, and I hurried to catch up.
Research results presentation? Did they actually manage to decipher it?
Before coming to the Dungeon Studies Research Institute, I'd heard there were zero actual results yet. I didn't know much about linguistics, but that made sense to me. Without knowing if the script was phonetic or ideographic, or even how consonants and vowels were distinguished, or what words meant, how could anyone translate a book? It seemed impossible.
So a "results presentation" sparked my expectations. These were some of the world's top linguists, after all—maybe they had a method I didn't know about.
Lost in such thoughts, I noticed Park Seongyeol had stopped. Around forty or fifty people clustered near a desk, listening to an elderly professor—presumably Professor Pagnichen—explain the results.
Every time the old professor spoke, the crowd murmured in admiration, and Park Seongyeol joined in with his own "ah"s and "oh"s.
About twenty minutes after we arrived, Professor Pagnichen's presentation finally wrapped up. I turned to Park Seongyeol.
"Uh... what the hell did he even say?"
Yeah. I hadn't understood a single word from Professor Pagnichen this time either.
Damn. No interpretation skill among the NPC abilities besides translation? Just speaking and listening?
Looks like I was destined to study after all.
But studies aside, curiosity about what Pagnichen had said prompted my question, and Park Seongyeol's response made me grimace and tune out midway again.
"He presented his grammatical analysis of the A03 Dungeon Book. Starting with morphology, the principles of word formation in the book..."
It was definitely Korean, but I couldn't follow Park Seongyeol at all. Still, it seemed even Professor Pagnichen didn't know what the book's content meant. Without knowing the words themselves, translation was impossible. At best, they'd analyzed the language's structure and grammar to classify nouns, verbs, particles, and so on.
I ignored the parts I couldn't grasp and asked about the first thing that came up.
"What's A03?"
"Oh, that! It's an arbitrary code we assigned based on similarities in the scripts from Dungeon Books, assuming they come from the same dimension. The 'A' is the dimension code, and '03' means the third script type in dimension A."
Park Seongyeol finished explaining, then continued.
"First, we'll register you as a researcher. Then I'll briefly cover the institute rules and systems."
1,500 books to read...
After registering me as a researcher, Park Seongyeol explained the institute's rules. There were 1,545 Dungeon Books in storage—not many for twenty years of collection, but I was relieved the reading load was lighter.
I wanted to devour books 24/7, but I needed time for potion-making, so I'd spend twelve hours at home. Matching my mana recovery, I aimed for twelve books a day—four months total.
The rules were pretty lax. Researchers could read any book freely. For those without mana, mana-blocking gear prevented contamination while handling books. He covered a few other things, but nothing major.
Once done, Park Seongyeol returned to his research, leaving me alone. I glanced around: researchers from every corner of the globe, a rainbow of races. Methods varied too—some read solo, others debated in groups.
And as Park Seongyeol said, no one paid anyone else any mind.
Alright, first up: find that lord's diary.
The thousand-plus books were sorted into fourteen dimensions, A through N, by script similarities—convenient for me. I went to the shelves, pulling books one by one.
In dimension J, I found a book with the same script as the lord's diary I'd read before. I activated translation immediately.
Kaiser Calendar, Year 133, May 19th. Our first battle with the Drilton Earldom was a perfect victory.
Found it.
A thrill shot through me as I read the first line. I'd come to the Dungeon Studies Research Institute hoping Dungeon Books held dungeon secrets, but I hadn't been sure the diary continued. I'd already considered it a huge win just learning dungeons and hunters existed in another world.
Finding the literal sequel ignited real excitement.
As I read on, Heo Jinhyuk crossed my mind briefly.
Heo Jinhyuk. I can keep watching him for now, right?
Before heading to Switzerland, I'd gathered the guild and explained the situation. I rarely left the guild building, let alone Seoul, so worry was natural. Bang Taegeuk, Kang Jeonghun, and Ha Yeji kept insisting on coming with me.
Choi Taesu joining eased my mind. After sorting guild affairs, I met Heo Jinhyuk one last time.
Thanks to him, I'd discovered the translation skill and dungeon secrets. Without his Dungeon Book, who knows how long it would've taken.
My original plan hadn't even included Dungeon Books. Without that coincidence, I might've ignored translation and books entirely.
So before leaving for Switzerland, I felt the need to settle things with Heo Jinhyuk and met him. What baffled me most was his sudden attitude shift.
I got that he wanted a new life, but after trying to kidnap me, flipping like that didn't add up. When I asked why, he said:
"It wasn't sudden. You might not believe me, but I'd wanted out for a long time. China's eyes were everywhere. And with a spy in Baekya Gate unknown, I couldn't gamble."
"Even so, the Cheonmang Guild stuff doesn't add up. The Lee Sehyuk incident too. For someone seeking a new life, too much of the old you lingers."
I pointed out the inconsistencies, but he replied without hesitation, like he'd prepared.
"Sounds like an excuse, but China's surveillance left no choice. To prove unwavering loyalty, that was the only way. Not that it's everything—or that I'm justifying it. That side is my true nature. But I never wanted guild leadership. Somehow, I ended up there. With no interest and lacking talent, I had to delegate to smart underlings. You know the rest."
The talk ended there. No lies detected, but not enough for instant trust. Grateful for the Dungeon Book revelation, I decided to observe longer.
I gave him all the cash from Ga Gyeonglim's secret vault and told him to be my eyes and ears until I returned to Korea. I'd decide later, then parted ways.
Recalling Heo Jinhyuk only briefly, translation time was ticking down, so I refocused on the diary. Mostly battle reports—like reading a novel, fun but disappointing.
Too little on dungeons. The lord used them to boost hunter forces and swell his army—then endless war.
Before I knew it, the last page.
Kaiser Calendar, Year 135, June 23rd. I, once a baron's lord, have finally ascended to the throne.
Ending with him becoming king deepened my regret. I grabbed the next book from the shelf—same script. Activated translation again.
But this time, it was different.
Would you like to translate this book using 500 mana?
[Yes / No]
Insufficient mana to translate this book.
I hadn't checked my mana and hit Yes—then the insufficient mana warning popped up. That's when I realized this book needed 500 mana.
Mana varies by book?
Caught off guard. Good thing 500 was manageable—my max was 695. But if a book required more, I'd be stuck.
Damn. How to fill mana gaps? And why no reaction from the NPC all-purpose tool?
I knew it was a skill, not an NPC ability, but it felt unfair. Confirmed my biggest weakness again: stat growth too limited.
If unsolved, it'd hobble me forever.
I waited for mana recovery, then translated and read on. Soon after finishing, the book slipped from my shocked hands.
The dungeons vanished?
To be continued in the next chapter…