Dungeon Team's First Taste of Hell

Three of them had reached the middle of the fifth region and set up the tent. There were two other teams in the Dungeon group besides them. The Dungeon team found it fascinating to watch the Kang-jun team of just three people venture into the depths. The gear and clothing made it obvious they were rookies, yet the monster bones slung over their shoulders suggested something more.

Hye-mi, however, seemed at ease upon seeing so many people present. It was probably the baseless belief that she wouldn’t be singled out and killed as long as there were plenty of others ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠around.

They pitched a one-person tent. Compared to the large tents of the other teams, it looked pitifully small. Still, Hye-mi consoled herself by telling herself that substance over flash was more important.

After finishing all the camp preparations, they were just about to start the evening meal when two people from the neighboring team quietly approached. Kang-jun instantly read their intentions. It was impossible not to know.

“We came because of the night watch duty,” one of them explained casually.

It was a common unwritten rule in the Dungeon. With so many people, there was more chance to rest, so it was never a loss.

“We’re only three.”

“So it seems you’ll need to enter the rotation.”

“Now?”

“Yes, we’re deciding right now. You should head over soon.”

Kang-jun stood up immediately and gave his buttocks a quick shake. Hye-mi said she’d prepare the evening meal. Even that small effort made her feel a little better about her share.

Soon he joined their conversation about assigning the rotation. Actually, he had nothing to say. The rule was that when the time slot was short, the hardest part of the dungeon went to the one with the least experience.

“We’ll take it at any time you wish.”

Since it was only one rotation, and it was just two hours at most, the exact time didn’t matter. And soon it was decided: from two in the morning to four. Kang-jun agreed and returned to his spot.

“When?”

“From two to four.”

Hye-mi nodded her head half-heartedly. Kang-jun accepted the disposable plate she offered. Two pieces of dried salted fish and one energy bar. The stomach might not be full, but the calories were more than enough. Oge-nam finished everything and, still looking unsatisfied, sucked his salty fingers until they were clean.

“Sleep well.”

“Yes, senpai.”

The three of them went off to their own tents. The other two, excluding Kang-jun, collapsed into sleep the moment they lay down. They hadn’t eaten much, but it seemed they had endured enough.

Kang-jun fell asleep not long after. …And then came the sound of someone knocking on the tent. Uncle, uncle. Someone was waking him. Ah, damn it. Why does it always feel like I’m back in the army?

“Yes…, I’m awake.”

Kang-jun turned on his phone. It was 1:50 a.m. He sighed deeply and stepped out of the tent. He had just closed his eyes, yet so much time had passed.

He stretched and twisted his body this way and that, then woke the others as well. Hye-mi, who had the lowest stamina stat, looked like she was about to die from exhaustion. Still, it was her turn for the night watch.

“You look really tired.”

“No, I’m fine.”

Hye-mi forced a smile. Even if it was hard, she had to do it. That mindset was something Kang-jun liked about her.

The three of them sat facing the lamp, with their backs to the darkness. Hye-mi felt a sudden horror of something leaping out from the pitch-black space. She squeezed a hot pack tightly in her ice-cold hands.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I guess I kind of zoned out.”

“It’s fine. That could happen. It’s your first time.”

The conversation ended there.

Hye-mi continued to suffer through the dreadful cold. The inflated hope that everything would be easy once they entered the Dungeon had burst like a balloon. Entering was easy, but she sensed how difficult it would be to overcome from here onward. And how foolish she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been to be a frog in a well…

She suddenly missed her parents so much. Her chest tightened painfully. Her vision blurred. She bit back her tears with all her might.

“Just one day of crying today.”

“…Nnngh. Just one day… just one day, snivel… I’ll cry, senpai.”

Her. Hye-mi covered her mouth with both hands and sobbed. It was truly unbearable. The pain she had endured for months exploded all at once.

She cried for an hour without restraint, and the remaining hour she endured the awful cold. When the night watch ended and she lay down, she realized how comfortable it felt even on the hard ground.

…And not long after lying down, the ear-splitting cry of the alarm shattered her sleep. Kang-jun woke up instantly and poured out mana. A monster was waiting on the right side, quite a distance away. Level around 140. It was just wandering around. It probably couldn’t approach because the number of people here was too great.

“What… what is it?”

Hye-mi, half-asleep, crawled out of the tent with her eyes dazed and trembled from fear and cold. Oge-nam reflexively raised his shield. Kang-jun gripped his sword tightly and braced himself.

He didn’t need to say it. Everyone already knew there was a monster nearby. Expanding mana was standard training for all of them.

Thanks to their quick response, the creature eventually wandered off and left. Disappointingly. People spat thick saliva on the ground and cursed the unlucky little monster. If only it had charged in, they could have made some money at least.

“It’s gone. Let’s go back to sleep.”

Hye-mi yawned widely and quickly crawled into her tent and fell asleep. The cold and exhaustion seemed to have beaten her. Kang-jun also entered his tent, lay down, and turned on his phone. 5:30 a.m. Each Dungeon team woke up at slightly different times, but most were around six. Kang-jun set the alarm for one more hour of sleep and to wake up.

Soon six o’clock arrived, and Kang-jun finally woke to the noise outside. The other Dungeon teams were packing up their gear. The porters who weren’t on night watch now faced another day of hell. Still, those who were part of a team received a bit of respect. Those without affiliation had no one to help them.

They tried to pack the junk in a way that didn’t generate more garbage, but any trash that did appear was casually gathered and burned. There had been a problem before when too much accumulated, so they now agreed that whenever a decent amount gathered, it would all be burned. A few people warmed their hands by the fire and laughed cheerfully, as if having a camp fire.

While the other teams were making a big fuss and packing up, the Kang-jun team only folded one tent. With no other gear, that was the end of it. Fewer people made it simple.

“Swoosh… swoosh…”

Hye-mi carried the hot pack like a treasure and pressed it against her numb body part to warm herself. Breakfast was the same as last night’s dinner: two pieces of dried salted fish and one energy bar. Still, having something in her mouth gave her a boost of energy.

“Let’s go.”

Kang-jun saw no need to linger. He didn’t want to waste time any further. At least he wanted to catch two more monsters. The carrying capacity was just about right for that number.

The three of them headed toward the seventh region. It would take about an hour and a half to get there. The path wound in a slight spiral like a snake. Occasionally, a foul stench so bad it made noses wrinkle hit them. It was definitely monster secretions. Hye-mi gagged several times from the stench.

Kang-jun had hoped to run into the monster from the morning approach, but it seemed to have retreated far away. When he felt they might be in vain again, his instinct caught one. A monster. It was the same one from before.

It was hanging from the ceiling. The outline was roughly spider-like.

“Prepare.”

Kang-jun said only that. Still, the team members understood at once and slung their bags aside. Unlike before, a somewhat proper formation was formed.

The creature charged at them without hesitation this time. Ah! Hye-mi startled at the horrific form of the monster and took a few steps back. However, this time Oge-nam drew its attention well.

The monster hung from the ceiling, stood on its rear legs, and suddenly shot out something with a puff. It was yellow liquid. Oge-nam quickly raised his shield to block it. At the same time, a burning smell rose. It was acid. It would be extremely deadly for someone like Hye-mi with low stamina and mana.

Still, because Oge-nam had pulled the aggro well, Kang-jun bought some time to leap. He bent his knees slightly upon confirming it was acid and then sprang up like a rocket.

The strike was a blur of light as he swung the sword. It split the monster’s head in one go. However, the monster’s life force was so thick ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that even after losing its head, it continued to thrash for a while.

It dropped from the ceiling and sprayed acid with its rear. The yellow liquid fell here and there, sizzling and burning.

The dead monster lay sprawled on the ground with its spider legs folded. Kang-jun approached and poked it here and there with his sword before retreating. It was an arthropod type with no valuable parts to sell. Using the words of the Dungeon team, it was a useless catch.

Kang-jun checked Oge-nam’s shield. A small area where the acid had hit was melted. Fortunately, the patched monster bone wasn’t pierced. It looked a bit ugly, but neither Kang-jun nor Oge-nam cared. As long as it could be used somehow.

Hye-mi had also experienced it, so she didn’t panic like before. She was scared, but she showed effort to overcome it.

…And in just one hour, they encountered two more monsters. Oge-nam’s arm bone broke from a monster’s body collision, but it was repaired by Hye-mi. No special accidents occurred. Still, they were adapting quickly to fighting monsters.

The amount of gear the two men carried increased. Kang-jun felt the need for porters even more acutely. Since his hands were full, the lamp ended up in Hye-mi’s hands.

At ten in the morning, they finally reached the seventh region. This was the destination Kang-jun had set as his goal. If they had more time, they could have gone deeper, but then it might disrupt later plans. This much was fine. They should have gained some experience by now, so there was no need to push themselves.

“I’ve raised my stats appropriately too…”

While catching four monsters in total, their stats had risen considerably. Level gaps had appeared, and the fewer they ate, the more they gained. Strength +2, agility +1, stamina +1, mana +1.

The numbers that would normally take weeks of hard training were raised in just two days. The Dungeon really was the answer.

Hye-mi, who had no notable achievements, had an extremely low level and rose quickly with even a little experience. Checking her status window, her stamina had risen to 2, intelligence to 1, and mana to 1. Oge-nam had also gained agility +1 and mana +1.

Despite the hardship, her face looked refreshed as if she felt she had gained an appropriate reward. …Of course, she couldn’t relax until they left the Dungeon.

“We’re not done yet. Don’t get complacent until we completely exit the Dungeon.”

“Yes, senpai.”

The three of them went a little deeper. Not as deep as the third region, but the seventh had puddles in spots. From the sound of the water snake, Hye-mi avoided going near them out of fear.

They encountered and defeated one more monster, then began dissecting the corpse. Hye-mi wanted to help, but the poison made it impossible for her to touch it.

Now the limit of what they could carry had been reached. They couldn’t bring more monsters. Still, this much would surely be enough to comfortably earn a thousand each. The thought of earning a lot of money brought a hidden joy to Hye-mi’s eyes. After all, who wouldn’t want to make money?

Because Kang-jun’s bag was heavy, she carried it for him instead. The blood smell was strong, but she had grown accustomed to it and felt nothing now.

The three of them started retracing the path back. Passing the seventh region sign, they entered the fifth region again. Perhaps because they were finally returning home, their footsteps felt lighter.

…The first experience in the Dungeon was slowly coming to an end.