Dungeon Team's First Raid
To form the dungeon team, a lot of paperwork was required. It wasn't anything particularly grand—just enough paperwork to make a passport. The dungeon belonged to the zone, but anyone with an entry pass could enter freely. In short, it meant you could go in and die or not, at your own discretion.
Of course, there was a tax on whatever bones or items you brought out, based on their weight. Since it was a kind of business, it meant they managed it directly.
Sales had two routes: selling to the official company in the zone, or using a private sales outlet. The latter naturally left more profit, but without a dedicated management company for just the sales side, it was quite a hassle. In Kang-jun's current situation, the former was far more convenient.
Creating the entry pass and confirming they could enter the dungeon wasn't the end of it. The dungeon team also needed their own equipment to survive in the dungeon. Naturally, the gear was insanely expensive, and few could even afford it. Still, whether you had it or not determined if you could survive in the dungeon, so it couldn't be skipped.
“…You, that's pretty expensive, right?”
Kim Hye-mi took one look at the price tag, saw it was good stuff, and dropped it in surprise. How many zeros were on that number? Kang-jun caught the reaction and smirked.
“The real good stuff doesn't even make you say the number.”
“It was a ten-million-won item just now.”
The staff performance enhancer on the staff was garbage-tier. It was made by reprocessing bones, which was why the price jumped so high. The clerk started complaining immediately.
“Everyone comes in with at least this much by default. This is the sweet spot for beginners, really.”
It wasn't just the staff. The store was fully set up to outfit someone head to toe. Adding a few nice pieces and you'd drop a few tens of millions.
Of course, from Hye-mi's perspective, where next month's rent was already tight, her hand was trembling just at the price of one belt. The cheapest items still started at a few hundred thousand won.
“Just buy it. The organization lends money at low interest.”
“How am I supposed to pay all this…?”
“Just go to the dungeon. Trust me.”
Kang-jun gave her a grin and patted her shoulder. Hye-mi felt like she was sinking deeper into debt and gulped down her fear. Of course, Ogre-nam, who didn't know any of that, had swept up every item he liked.
“Leader, how does it look?”
“You little shit. Why do you even need that? Put it down right now!”
Even with zero economic sense, Ogre-nam was a bit much. Kang-jun immediately threatened to make him return everything.
“U-um… then I'll take this one.”
It was the ten-million-won staff from earlier. She had looked pretty determined. Her hand was shaking, though.
Kang-jun allowed it. He had already borrowed thirty million won from the 41st zone before entering the dungeon. In fact, the training instructor had helped, making the borrowing surprisingly easy.
Ogre-nam had returned everything and brought only one shield. It wasn't a great one, but it was made of steel base with thin monster-bone reinforcement on top. Still, the price tag hovered around ten million. Kang-jun briefly recalled the overpriced junk he had bought in the past.
While browsing, Kang-jun picked up a sword. It claimed a certain percentage of monster bone content, but he had no idea how helpful that would be. Grinding up whole bones into a weapon easily crossed into the hundreds of millions range, which was far beyond his current wealth. Still, since it could have mana infused into it, as long as it didn't break uselessly, it could be used.
Altogether, three special luggage bags, three vests, and various other items added up to thirty-two hundred. When Hye-mi heard the total, she jumped. Thirty-two hundred! For someone with only a hundred thousand in her account, it was an astronomical number.
Of course, Kang-jun paid coolly and carried the goods out. It was a bit of a shame he hadn't bought more safety gear, but this was all he could handle for now.
- Equipment -
**Monster-bone steel sword: Physical Strength +2**
'Damn, that's trash.'
It wasn't even regular steel; it was monster-bone steel, yet it only raised physical strength by two. …He could have boosted Grandjo's strength by twelve.
He rationalized it reasonably. After all, it was just picking up a shabby sword. Still, Hye-mi seemed genuinely happy to have gotten the ten-million-won staff. Even though it was all debt.
“Does it suit you?”
“Yes. The moment I saw it, it felt right.”
“How much Intelligence and Mana does it give?”
“Intelligence +2, Mana +1.”
Her staff didn't seem particularly outstanding either. …In fact, it was barely enough to call it a mana enhancer. Still, she looked satisfied with it.
With the equipment complete, only entering the dungeon remained. She seemed noticeably calmer than before. Since she knew Kang-jun was strong, her trust had grown.
“Um, but how do we pay the money…?”
“You can pay it back slowly. There's no need to dodge.”
“Of course! I'll definitely pay it back somehow. …Thank you so much for helping me, senior.”
Hye-mi bowed her head to Kang-jun in gratitude. She knew receiving help like this wasn't common, even as a healer.
“Then pay me back with your body.”
“…Y-yes?”
“Work hard in the dungeon. That's how you pay me back.”
Hye-mi's face flushed slightly. Her eyes darted left and right for a moment. It was from the embarrassment of misunderstanding. A pure little girl. Of course, Kang-jun had meant it in that suggestive way.
“I'll do my best!”
“Good… Then after your shift tomorrow, come straight to the 37th Zone. Got it?”
“Yes, senior.”
Hye-mi greeted them multiple times and headed to the subway station. Of course, the staff would stay with him for a bit. After all, she might find it a burden to carry. She had to work morning shifts too.
“Hey, Kumbu. How's the meat today?”
“I'm good. Always good, boss!”
“Then let's buy some. I have to run my ass off tomorrow, so I need to eat well today.”
Ogre-nam perked up instantly at the mention of meat. A simple kid. Still, since Ogre-nam had no other agenda, Kang-jun liked him. He was a hundred times better than the scheming protagonist type.
· · ·
“Senior-nim!”
Kang-jun turned his head toward the voice. Hye-mi with her rat's tail came running and bowed deeply to him.
“You're a bit late.”
“No, I timed it perfectly. You wouldn't have come right after finishing, right?”
He had told them to eat something before entering. Ogre-nam, standing there like a boulder, started talking about meat again.
“You ate a lot yesterday.”
“Still, I want more.”
“I'll buy you as much as you want after we finish the dungeon. Sound good?”
The three of them entered a nearby restaurant. They devoured a bowl of meat rice soup and came out. Ogre-nam still wasn't satisfied. Still, they couldn't afford to waste any more time. They had to finish the dungeon exploration from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon.
They headed to the entrance of the 37th Zone Dungeon, each carrying their luggage bag. After walking for a while, the crowd thinned out noticeably. The difference between restricted zones was clear. There was almost no reason for ordinary people to come here unless they were part of a dungeon team.
As they got closer to the entrance, the crowds swelled again. Hye-mi looked surprised at the sight for the first time. Stacks of goods piled up like mountains, and there were hordes of workers carrying them. Huge trucks came and went. The reason there had been so few people on the way there earlier was because you couldn't walk here. Serious dungeon teams all had their own vans.
She looked a bit intimidated by it all. Of course, Kang-jun, who had zero fear, walked straight to the dungeon entrance without hesitation. A staff member asked for the entry pass. He showed the one in his pocket.
“Only three registered… right?”
“Yes.”
After double-checking with the computer, the three of them entered the dungeon. It was a massive underground tunnel with a barred gate. They spiraled down the circular staircase. In an instant, sunlight vanished. They relied on the bare bulbs strung along the path below.
*ha… ha…* Hye-mi's breathing grew rougher. The air underground was colder than on the surface. Already, the damp chill was seeping through her thick clothes.
At the bottom, there was another bright light. It felt like a final waiting room. Not as bright as above, but this place had a pretty solid setup for dungeon teams. They glanced at the three who had come down and lost interest. It was like they assumed the newcomers were just some amateurs from another team.
“Check if anything's missing.”
“Yes, we have everything.”
“No problems, boss.”
Kang-jun nodded and slowly entered the dungeon. The formation was Kang-jun at the front, Hye-mi in the middle, and Ogre-nam at the rear, carrying a medium lantern to light the surroundings.
At first the passage was narrow, but it widened the deeper they went. Hye-mi looked up at the ceiling that kept getting higher and opened her mouth in amazement. It felt like exploring an ancient cave.
Kang-jun carefully examined the electronic map. The dungeon map wasn't complete. Only the first fourteen zones had been created. Beyond that, it was still unexplored territory.
Of course, Kang-jun already knew that all the dungeons eventually connected. Some he had memorized the geography of entirely. Still, he didn't know the 37th Zone's layout well. Since it was a low-rank dungeon, he had never been there many times.
‘If it's rank 3, the average monster level is around 130.’
That was the estimated level of the monsters that appeared. Groups were rare, so four level 110 monsters would be a good target for this level.
Of course, as you went deeper, the monster levels rose sharply. According to the info, the estimated level of monsters sighted in zone 14 was around 200.
In fact, zone 14 had been cut off because a new passage went underground from there. There were some records of people going deeper, but the details weren't included.
Kang-jun decided to aim for only the first seven zones this time. There wasn't enough time or supplies for more. A little taste of the dungeon wasn't a bad idea. Both of them were on their first full dungeon exploration.
Hye-mi was shivering from fear and cold. Colored steam rose with every breath she took. She was more anxious about the smell coming from the dungeon. It smelled like blood and also like rotting meat.
There was quite a bit of garbage in the dungeon. It was what dungeon teams had discarded on the way. They were advised not to, but without anyone watching, many teams just dumped their trash and left.
Of course, Hye-mi didn't have the luxury to complain about manners right now. She could barely even sniff her own nose.
They walked for about an hour until they reached zone 2. No monsters had appeared yet. Maybe the dungeon space was just that vast.
“Can you hold up?”
“Yes, for now.”
“You?”
“I'm fine too.”
You couldn't get tired just from fighting monsters. Still, since Hye-mi's stamina was over ten, walking for a few hours wouldn't be a problem at all.
They took a short break and started walking toward zone 3. Of course, each zone had its own peculiarities. Zone 3 had a sign for a large pond.
*plop, plop.* Kang-jun had been hearing the sound of dripping water from far away. Hye-mi suddenly backed up after a while.
“What's that sound!”
“It's water dripping. There are lots of ponds in zone 3.”
“Oh.”
Even then, no monsters appeared, and Hye-mi relaxed a little. She must think they had to go deeper to meet something.
“Snakes live in the ponds. You have to be careful.”
It was called a water snake, but of course it was a monster. They were called water snakes because they were snake-like monsters that lived in the ponds. Since they were annoying to fight, no dungeon team had ever bothered to hunt them. The money didn't make sense either. Even though their skin sold for a pretty penny, there was no real point in hunting them.
That's why the ponds always had water snakes. Since they weren't hunted, they just kept swimming around. That's why some clueless newbie would occasionally get too close by accident and get dragged in and killed.
Hye-mi imagined it in her head and shivered a bit. She hated snakes that much.
“Really?”
But later, she would have to watch them plenty.
Of course, she hadn't said that part yet.