Chapter 49
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: A Song of Encouragement
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A few minutes passed.
Ugh.
Yuhyeon, the first to come to, barely managed to open his eyes and assess the situation.
Warning!
You have 3 health remaining!
You are currently under the 'Debuff: Concussion'.
If you do not recover your health quickly, you will die.
Ah, I get it. I get it
Is this what a real concussion feels like?
His vision was hazy and disoriented, as if he'd lost all sense of direction.
However, he felt no headache or nausea whatsoever.
It seemed that even a game system as realistic as this hadn't implemented such details.
Phew, its getting a little better now that Im waiting.
After concentrating for a few seconds, his body slowly began to move, as if adjusting to the concussion.
Potion, I need a potion.
His senses returning, Yuhyeon immediately took out a potion from his inventory and drank it.
Ding!
You drank a Medium Potion. Health restored by 20.
You drank a Medium Potion. Health restored by 20.
You drank a Medium Potion. Health restored by 20...
.
.
.
Your health has been fully restored!
The effect of 'Debuff: Concussion' has disappeared.
Clatter!
Phew, Im alive.
Yuhyeon murmured, letting out a sigh of relief.
Looking around, he saw the ground was littered with empty potion bottles.
It meant he had only managed to survive by chugging that many.
Cedric, Cedric!
Realizing there was someone else he had to save, Yuhyeon shot to his feet.
Cedric, where's Cedric? Surely he's not dead, is he?
After looking around for a long while.
Ugh
Cedric!
He finally spotted Cedric collapsed in the distance.
He was groaning in pain, pinned under a rock from the aftermath of the Elder Trent's area-of-effect attack.
Yuhyeon hurried over and began to pull away the rocks crushing his armor.
Ding!
Health decreased by 1 due to the rock.
Health decreased by 1 due to the rock
Health decreased by
Notification windows popped up every time he removed a rock.
But Yuhyeon paid them no mind, focusing on rescuing Cedric.
Finally, by the time his recently refilled health gauge had dropped by nearly 10.
Cedric, are you alright!
I-I-I'm alright
He had managed to free Cedric from under the rocks.
Cough, cough. I can't move my body
Cedric was also suffering from a concussion.
Perhaps because he was wearing the knight's armor, his health was nearly 30 higher than Yuhyeon's had been.
Just lie still for now. Drink this potion first.
Ughhh. Gulp, gu-guzzle!
Ding!
Mercenary 'Intermediate Knight: Cedric's health has been fully restored.
The effect of 'Debuff: Concussion' has disappeared.
I-I'm alright now. Thank you
Cedric said, finally coming to his senses and clutching his head.
Phew
His expression was one of utter confusion.
Relief at being alive coexisted with despair at having failed the mission.
Overwhelmed with guilt toward Yuhyeon, he hung his head low.
Lift your head. The most important thing is that it's not over yet, isn't it?
Despite the sincere comfort, Cedric showed no sign of raising his head.
Yuhyeon decided not to press him, leaving him be for a moment.
Sometimes, it was better to let someone get back on their feet on their own.
Phew, where are we.
Anyway, where in the world is this place?
Yuhyeon's gaze moved quickly, scanning the interior.
Collapsed stone walls, the vast interior of the dungeon, and in the distance, a door with the word Exit written on it.
Exit
Yuhyeon's eyes narrowed.
An exit?
Yuhyeon muttered in disbelief.
This is unbelievable.
In an Elite Dungeon, everything that appeared was random.
The location and number of monsters, the traps, and even the exit.
This was why the number one ranking in the hard dungeon, set by Ghost, had remained unbroken for the past three years.
I heard most rankers cleared it but wasted all their time looking for the exit.
Befitting their reputation as an E-sports powerhouse, the skill level of Korean users was generally high.
And yet they still hadn't managed to break a three-year-old time attack record?
It was all because of the randomly appearing exit.
Not because they lacked skill, but simply because they were unlucky.
If the exit is over there, then the dungeon's boss room is
He turned his head and saw the boss room on the opposite side of the exit.
Vwoom. A door from which an ominous, dark aura billowed.
It seemed the exit had been located right behind the boss room.
Could the teleportation trap have sent us here?
Just before being hit by the Trent, Yuhyeon had deliberately activated the teleportation trap inside the boss room.
- That's called a teleportation trap. It moves whoever activates it to a random location within the dungeon
He remembered what Cedric had told him right before they entered the boss room.
I activated the trap on purpose because I judged it was impossible to get out with Cedric
Considering the death penalty and experience loss, he figured it would be better to return to the entrance.
Even if we ended up back at the dungeon entrance, it's better than dying.
To think the place they teleported to was right between the exit and the boss room.
In any case, I've managed to find both doors.
He couldn't help but think he'd been lucky in many ways.
The problem was Cedric.
Cedric. Are you alright?
I'm sorry, haah, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault.
Cedric berated himself, hitting his head with his gauntleted hand. Thump, thump.
I got cocky after taking down a few Trents! I thought I'd overcome my fear, but in the end, I couldn't do anything. What an idiot!
Stop it.
Yuhyeon stopped him with a firm tone.
You don't have to blame yourself like that.
Huh?
Cedric responded with a dumbfounded expression.
Don't blame myself? Is he just trying to console me?
In the end, you stood your ground, didn't you?
Yuhyeon said with a gentle smile.
!!
Yuhyeon already knew everything.
Cedric had clearly been facing a life-or-death crisis.
He knew that taking a hit from the Trent would mean certain defeat.
You could have run, but you didn't. Am I wrong?
And yet, Cedric didn't run. He stood his ground.
Even knowing that extreme fear was reducing all his stats.
To achieve your dream, to protect your honor.
Th-that's
Cedric gestured hastily, as if to deny it.
You did well.
Yuhyeon cut him off firmly as Cedric was about to make an excuse.
At least you made a better choice than you did in the past.
Although he hadn't defeated the boss, it was clear that Cedric had made a significant breakthrough.
Cedric, you can go back now.
G-go back? You mean you're going to face the Elder Trent alone? Th-that's absurd!
I'll be fine. You still have a dream you haven't achieved, don't you?
A thought had once crossed Yuhyeon's mind.
A user can just respawn after dying, but
When users die, they drop items and lose experience, but they are revived by the system.
But what about NPCs? What happens to the NPCs who live in this world when they die?
So far, no one has figured it out.
This was something that hadn't been discovered by users in the past three years.
The developers had dismissed the question vaguely, saying it was part of the game's hidden fun.
In other words, no one knew what would happen to the NPCs.
Cedric has finally made it to the next step. I don't want to ruin his dream because of a quest.
Of course, he might have been getting too immersed in the game.
Someone might ask Yuhyeon why he was thinking so deeply about it.
Because Wonderland, which is just a game to some, gave me a dream again.
But this was Yuhyeon's way of enjoying the game.
By always approaching it with sincerity, he had been able to walk a different path from others, and in the end, he had even been able to change his reality.
I want to protect your dream.
That was why he wanted to protect Cedric's dream.
So that he could ultimately achieve his goals as a knight.
However, contrary to Yuhyeon's intentions.
I refuse.
What?
I will stay here as well.
Cedric said with determined eyes.
Cedric, there's no need to be stubborn
It's not stubbornness. If I go back now, it will only be a half-success.
He pushed himself up with his sword, getting to his feet.
I must defeat the Elder Trent. Only then will I feel at ease.
Just as Yuhyeon wanted to protect Cedric, he too wanted to protect Yuhyeon.
I will do my best to protect you.
That was the image of the knight he aspired to be, the knight he had dreamed of since he was a child.
The image of a gallant and noble knight, returning honorably after completing his mission
It was then.
Ding!
Mercenary 'Intermediate Knight: Cedric' ignites his desperate resolve.
Cedric fights against the fear that had captivated him.
.
.
.
I can do it. I can do this!
His eyes burned with fiery determination.
At the same time.
Ding!
Success!
The rank of Coward (S) has increased, lessening the stat reduction. (Current Fear Level: 70)
However, as the current Fear Level is over 50, the debuff can activate at any time.
Hah, hah.
Cedric gasped for breath, as if he had shaken off some of the fear that tormented him.
Yuhyeon's eyes widened in surprise as he watched him.
He can lower his fear level?
A thought suddenly occurred to Yuhyeon.
In that case, could it be
That perhaps he could use his own abilities to heal Cedric's trauma.
- When creating sheet music directly without using the score creation skill, a special magic is imbued.
Through the mythic skill, 'Magical Score Creation'.
It was the same when I made the work songs.
It was the same when he composed the work songs for the farmers.
They had properties that reduced fatigue and mental stress. It even lowered the probability of heatwaves and heavy rain
That was the point that Ned, the high-end manager at the auction house, had noticed.
That his scores were special because, unlike those of other bards, they could affect mental states and even the weather.
There's no guarantee of success, though.
Of course, there was no guarantee it would work.
After all, he hadn't composed the work songs for farmers, weavers, and carpenters with the specific intention of changing the weather.
But it's still worth a try.
But no one would know until he tried.
It wouldn't be too late to decide after giving it a shot.
Cedric, let's wait a little before we go.
Yuhyeon said, looking at Cedric who was ready for battle.
Huh? I'm fine, but
No, something's come up for me to do.
Yuhyeon took out a piece of parchment and a pen from his coat.
Good thing I didn't throw these away.
It was a relief that he still had the five pieces of parchment left over from the last time he'd composed.
If he had sold or discarded them, he would never have been able to compose a song in a situation like this.
Soon, he unfolded the paper and placed his pen upon it.
Why the sudden parchment
Cedric finally asked, unable to hide his confusion.
I'm going to write a song.
A song you say?
Despite the situation, Yuhyeon gave a warm smile.
Yes.
For Cedric, who had come this far thanks to a little help.
Scribble!
A small song of encouragement.