Pretending Not to Know
Tom and Danny returned safely, and the rangers greeted them warmly. “Your faces were a sight for sore eyes, but it’s good to see you back.”
“Yours too. What do you mean by ‘back,’ though?”
“The party that went into the Undead Dungeon first still hasn’t returned. Since it’s the Undead Dungeon…”
From what the rangers said, it seemed the party that had entered the Undead Dungeon hadn’t come back yet. “Didn’t they go in a day before us? Then we still don’t know. We found another path, but we came out quickly because we wanted to see sunlight again.”
“Isn’t the Green Dungeon a place with light, so it doesn’t matter?”
“No. It’s different. Sunlight really has a big effect. Ah, would you like to go with the mage for the exploration report?”
“Sure.”
Jinwoo and the rangers went to submit their report, while the others rested in the tents the rangers had set up, trying to soak up as much sunlight as possible.
***
“So the only monsters that appear are Ents, forest rats, and slimes?”
“Yes. There are also top-beaked birds, but none of them dropped anything worthwhile. Since they’re tree monsters, we mainly used fire magic to deal with them, which meant we didn’t get proper magic stones either.”
Count Shulman frowned at Tom and Danny’s report. “You also found a path to another place? Does it connect to another dungeon?”
“We haven’t confirmed that yet. We plan to go back in after resupplying.”
At Jinwoo’s words, Count Shulman seemed to think there was still a chance. “As stated in the exploration request, if that path connects to another dungeon, I’ll grant you a knight title.”
“Yes. I hope so too.”
“Then you may go. Ah, the two of you stay.”
Count Shulman spoke privately with his subordinates Tom and Danny, likely receiving a more detailed report of what had happened inside the dungeon.
Three days later, as they prepared to enter to confirm the path connected to the dungeon, Tom brought a properly drawn map. “A cartographer redrew the map we sketched by hand. We’ll move according to this map.”
Thanks to the accurate map, they easily reached the third floor and followed the connected path. “Huh!”
After walking for a while, the distinctive purple, blue, and violet hues of the Green Dungeon suddenly vanished, and the dungeon grew dark. Relying on dimly glowing luminous stones, they moved forward until a bright light appeared in the distance. “This seems to lead straight to the surface.”
Danny glanced at Jinwoo and spoke, knowing there would be no additional reward if it didn’t connect to another dungeon. “Can’t be helped. Once we’re outside, check where we are.”
Following the light, the passage gradually narrowed until the exit was so small they had to crawl on their hands and knees. Thick thorny vines covered the entrance, with no signs of anyone having passed through. “Looking at it from outside, this doesn’t seem like a dungeon entrance—it looks more like a beast’s den.”
“Yeah. That explains why so many animals died on the third floor—they must’ve wandered in here. So where are we? If the exit is close, I’d rather just walk.”
“Cave narrow. Don’t want to go back in. Can’t even hold shield.”
Meni and the others all grumbled about having to crawl through the narrow cave. “W-well…”
Tom trailed off, his face turning serious, and Danny looked the same. “That large rock on the ridge is called Eagle Rock. It marks the border of the Numero Mountains. And the eagle’s beak should be facing right… but it’s on the left.”
“Huh? Does that mean we crossed the mountains to the other side?”
“It seems so. This is Redecup Kingdom territory. We must’ve crossed the disputed mountain range underground. To think there’s a path that leads straight to the rear like this…”
“We need to get back into the dungeon immediately. If they find out we’re here, we’ll be attacked right away.”
At the news that they were in enemy territory, everyone quickly retreated into the cave. Tom, entering last, gathered thorny vines to cover the entrance as best he could. “We should return and report this quickly. If word gets out that there’s a path to the enemy’s rear, the entire situation will change.”
Tom and Danny, both rangers, moved with urgency, as if this discovery was even more significant than finding a new dungeon. “What? Why are you coming back up after just a day? Is the dungeon boss chasing you or something?”
“No, we need to see the count right away.”
Tom and Danny rushed off to report to Count Shulman, while Jinwoo’s group prepared to leave after a day’s rest, their exploration of the Green Dungeon complete. However, Pyutel entered the tent with a grave expression and spoke quietly. “Lord Jinwoo. The atmosphere outside is strange. The way the rangers are moving… it looks like they’re preparing for war.”
“Isn’t that because this is a disputed area with the Redecup Kingdom?”
“That’s part of it, but something feels different. I think it’s because they’ve realized the path on the third floor leads to the rear of Redecup.”
“They’re planning to strike from behind. Well, we’ve completed our request, so we can just leave. Everyone rest as much as you can—we’re heading out tomorrow morning.”
But late that evening, Tom and Baron Mitchel, the ranger brigade commander, came looking for Jinwoo. “The count is busy, so I came instead. I’d like to make another request.”
“Does it have anything to do with what the rangers are preparing? If it’s related to war, I don’t accept war requests.”
“Hahaha. Sharp as ever. Since we found the hidden path, we’re planning to strike soon. But we don’t want your group involved in the war either. Only our ranger assault unit will infiltrate the rear.”
“Then what’s the request?”
“I could just order the mercenary group to stay, but since you’ve done good work, I’m making it a formal request. It’ll take about twenty days to prepare for the rear infiltration. During that time, I’d like your mercenary group to remain here.”
It seemed they wanted to prevent Jinwoo’s group from leaving and potentially spreading word about the hidden path. “So the request is to wait here for about twenty days?”
Waiting twenty days was better than being silenced to keep the secret. “Hahaha. We can’t waste high-quality personnel like that. There’s a request you can do without leaving this place—the exploration of the Undead Dungeon.”
They intended to keep them occupied in the Undead Dungeon so they couldn’t talk elsewhere. “But didn’t another party already enter? And our mercenary group doesn’t have any priests or clerics.”
“We can provide two priests. They’ve already been secured and are on their way to the Undead Dungeon.”
With two clerics, the Undead Dungeon shouldn’t be too difficult. “The request is to conduct a full exploration of the Undead Dungeon and investigate the situation of the missing mercenaries.”
The conditions weren’t particularly difficult. However, the fact that the party that had entered first—with priests—still hadn’t returned was concerning. “I’ll accept the request on the condition that there’s no penalty if we abandon it midway due to danger. It’s the Undead Dungeon, after all.”
“Good, I accept. Then follow Tom and wait for the priests at the entrance of the Undead Dungeon.”
***
“Jinwoo, a big package arrived. What did you buy that’s coming from America?”
When he logged out, his mother was waiting in front of the capsule. “Ah, I bought some equipment for YouTube.”
Down in the yard, several large boxes had arrived—the gas melting furnace he’d purchased through direct import. Now that he knew he could bring items back and forth between worlds, he planned to bring gold coins, melt them down, and sell them. Of course, he’d only do that the first couple of times; after that, he could just bring gold bars. But that would raise questions about where the gold came from, so the furnace was necessary to cover his tracks. “Mom, I’ll be out for a bit.”
“Hey, are you just going to leave all this stuff in the yard?”
“I’ll clean it up before it rains.”
He went out and bought a sports SUV with a cargo bed at the Daejeon used car market, handling the insurance and registration. The next day, he stopped by a KT branch to get a fiber optic service map and searched for a house on the outskirts with a usable yard. The house he found was a single-story building with three rooms, over forty years old. Though old, it was a proper Western-style house with a spacious yard. Most importantly, it was far enough from other houses that whatever he did in the yard wouldn’t be easily noticed. He confirmed with KT that fiber optic service was available. Through a real estate agent, he immediately signed the contract and transferred the payment without a loan. “Why buy an old house on the outskirts of Daejeon with no investment value? Do you have money rotting away? If you’ve got that much, give some to your mom!”
When he said he was moving out, his mother nagged, sounding hurt. “For YouTube, I need a wide yard and to avoid noise complaints, so I have to go to the outskirts. I can’t help it.”
“Still, it hasn’t even been that long since you moved in.”
“I bought a car too. I’ll visit often.”
“Then when are you taking that capsule thing?”
“That depends on the company’s equipment team schedule—probably tomorrow or the day after. I’ll move the other stuff first.”
After loading everything except the capsule into the SUV’s cargo bed and moving it, he called Secretary Kim. “Secretary Kim, I’m moving, so I need the capsule relocated.”
-You’re moving again?
“Yes. It’s convenient being at my parents’ house, but they stand guard in front of the capsule while I’m connected, and they even try to enter it when I’m not around. I’m worried something might go wrong, so I decided to move out.”
-Ah, if that’s the reason, it’s better to relocate. Please give me the address. I’ll come tomorrow afternoon, timed with your logout.
After giving the address and hanging up, he felt a certain conviction and wanted to ask, “Is this really a game?” But he didn’t. He had taken photos with his phone inside the game world and could view them in reality. In other words, he had proven that the other world existed through a digital device. If it were truly just a game, he wouldn’t have been able to bring his phone in and take photos. In the end, he concluded that he was accessing another world through the capsule connection device. He wanted to confirm this conclusion with Secretary Kim, but since he had already received slingshots and seeds through the inventory from the other world, it was practically confirmed. Changing’s headquarters also knew the other world was real. And they were lying to the testers, calling it a game. He wanted to ask Elon Busker directly what Cliché World was and how this was possible, but doing so would likely cost him more than he’d gain, so he had no choice but to hold back. Lacking power, he had to pretend not to know as much as possible. He needed to gather more information and find a way to ensure his safety.
***
After arriving at the Undead Dungeon and waiting another day, the priest Baron Mitchel had secured approached the dungeon entrance under ranger escort. “Huh? Master. Isn’t that the symbol of God Lecherot on his clothes?”
“The overlapping circular and other shapes do seem to match. Then the priest they mentioned is Priest Lepe?”
It seemed they were meeting Priest Lepe again, the one they’d encountered after defeating the Sabel Tiger. But as he drew closer, it was someone else. “I am Louis, a servant of the Father of a Hundred Beasts, Lord Lecherot. May the diversity of beasts bring you fortune.”
“Nice to meet you, Louis. I know someone among Lecherot’s priests—do you know Priest Lepe? The one with narrow, slanted eyes.”
“Pardon? Lepe? The one with narrow eyes? How do you know someone like that?”
Priest Louis spoke of Priest Lepe as if discussing someone he despised, and both Jinwoo and Yanne were surprised by his reaction. “Isn’t Priest Lepe a priest who serves Lord Lecherot?”
Something felt off, so Jinwoo asked again, and Priest Louis’s expression hardened. “Do not speak the name of a traitor. He is one who abandoned his god.”
Jinwoo was shocked to hear that Priest Lepe had abandoned his god.