Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Dreamland (2)
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Dungeon exploration, day 2.
Drip...
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
The leader of the hobgoblin pack, Hob, wiped the slime from his head.
Sniff sniff.
The liquid on his head was colorless and odorless.
Hob licked the liquid with his tongue.
It was just plain water.
Is it raining? No, that can't be in a dungeon.
Water leaking from the ceiling suggested the corridor wasn't in perfect shape.
The corridor's appearance looked perfectly normal, though.
To the ignorant Hob, the sprinkler was just some strange device.
So far, the oddities he'd noticed were the corridor walls being soft and springy like rubber.
And they wriggled now and then.
Nothing else noteworthy had turned up yet.
"Hurry."
"Hurry!"
The hobgoblins quickened their pace.
Dungeon exploration, day 3.
Crunch!
Squelch!
Hob ripped a mechanical device off the wall.
"Hoo."
That had been close.
Hob let out a sigh of relief after stumbling upon and destroying a trap right before taking a break.
The maze was already a complex, massive labyrinth.
If he'd gotten hit with a status effect on top of struggling just to move forward, things would've looked bleak.
Dungeons were usually full of traps and minions, with the Dungeon Master guarding the mana stone at the end—or so he'd heard.
They hadn't run into a single minion yet.
And traps? This was the first one he'd smashed.
Something was off.
Nothing was threatening their lives right now.
But it felt wrong.
The hobgoblins, staring at nothing but pristine white corridors for days, fought to suppress the rising unease in their guts.
This dungeon was bad for the mind.
It would've been better to fight honestly for their lives amid traps and minions.
How big was the interior?
Would they ever find the exit if they kept walking diligently?
All the intersections looked identical.
It made the place feel like an endless void.
"Rest."
"Rest."
The hobgoblins hunkered down in the corridor like that.
When they woke, they walked again.
Was it Hob's charisma?
Despite the regrets and complaints bubbling up, the warriors followed silently.
Drip...
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Looking down, a puddle had formed below.
Dungeon exploration, Day ■.
"The exit!!"
"Found it!! Found it!!"
The manticore had been telling the truth.
No matter how complex a maze's layout, it was ultimately one continuous surface.
Wall-following covered every section without overlap, guaranteeing escape eventually.
Not the most efficient method.
But.
It was the only maze-solving algorithm hobgoblins could manage.
A door leading to another room.
Something shiny glimmered beyond.
A massive purple gem entered the hobgoblins' sight.
Its size rivaled a troll's bulk.
"Mana stone!"
"Mana stone! Mana stone!"
The one thing that could elevate them to greatness.
Undoubtedly the most valuable treasure in the world.
Facing the dungeon's heart, the hobgoblins grew excited.
Their week of hell would finally pay off.
"Hm?"
That was when it happened.
Someone emerged from behind the door.
He wore a white gown.
His height matched a human's.
Black hair, ghostly pale skin, and deep black eyes that looked somehow eerie.
Hands in his pockets—human? No.
The thick disinfectant smell permeating the corridor marked him as the dungeon's master.
"Combat ready!!"
"Ready! Ready!"
The hobgoblins drew their weapons.
The Dungeon Master merely wiggled his fingers like typing on a typewriter, unfazed by their stance.
The hobgoblins charged.
The dungeon's master waved at them slowly.
Like bidding farewell.
BOOM—
A vibration rocked the place.
The goblins witnessed something incomprehensible.
The corridor walls writhed.
Like living snakes slithering across the ground.
The dungeon's walls shifted.
The exit vanished.
No more mana stone. No more eerie man.
Drip...
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Looking down, the water sloshed.
Dungeon exploration, Day ■.
Dreamland's true nature was a maze that shifted in real time.
No.
Not quite—it was too soon to say for sure.
If it could rearrange walls anytime.
It could've changed midway without showing the mana stone at the end.
Unlike the calmly assessing Hob, the warriors despaired.
They'd lost the exit and stone right in front of them—and now the path too.
Wall-following was useless now.
How were they supposed to proceed? That thought dominated the hobgoblins.
It was the first time the warriors looked so listless.
Hob bit his lip.
Supplies were ample.
Their legs still worked fine.
Think positively.
This dungeon lacked minions and traps unlike others.
That meant.
Overcome this, and the mana stone was theirs for sure.
With unwavering resolve and passion, what couldn't they do?
Get the stone, become far greater than now.
Not just human-level wisdom.
Maybe troll-subduing strength and regeneration too.
Hob soothed the warriors with such tales.
Their dead eyes sparked back to life.
Steeling themselves, they pressed on.
This maze was flat.
No complex structures or teleport traps.
It might take time.
But they could do it.
Dungeon exploration, Day ■.
They couldn't destroy the walls.
Not even trolls could, so no chance for them.
Walk.
Mark walls with spears at intersections.
To avoid retracing paths.
They'd learned this in their dire straits.
The maze wasn't infinite.
They'd seen the exit—nothing to fear.
Nothing to fear.
Nothing to fear.
Definitely nothing.
They brainwashed themselves.
Otherwise...
Drip...
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Looking down, water reached their ankles.
Dungeon exploration, Day ■■.
Hope was gone.
No, it never existed.
Not since entering Dreamland.
Not since spotting the core room again.
The maze writhed once more, delivering despair.
This damned dungeon had mocked them from the start.
Tempting escape, mana stone victory.
Planting hope, then snatching it as they reached—
Like flipping the table.
No path in sight.
Endless identical scenery.
Are we even moving forward?
Mana stone? Whatever now.
Why did we foolishly dream of greatness?
Want to go home.
Please let us go back.
Don't want this creepy corridor anymore.
Crave blue sky desperately.
Not flickering white lights.
Want warm sunlight.
Splash, splash.
Sounds like walking a beach, not corridor.
Drip...
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Looking down...
Dungeon exploration, Day ■■.
Couldn't sleep lying on the floor anymore.
Exhaustion meant drowning.
Their firm green skin had wrinkled up.
One wrong step, and they'd squish flat.
Dungeon exploration, Day ■■.
They started swimming.
It was more efficient for progress.
Most weren't used to water, mountain dwellers.
But survival instinct kicked in strong.
Most learned by feel.
Some never adapted.
Too slow—they abandoned them.
First time ditching comrades.
Dungeon exploration, Day ■■.
Ceiling devices dripped water endlessly.
Droplets kept falling.
Not rain.
Yet half the corridor was submerged.
Incomprehensible.
Even so.
They advanced.
Regretfully advanced.
The only choice left for fear-eaten goblins.
Skin split, bones exposed.
Long in water rots flesh—first realization.
Drip
Drip
Drip.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Looking down, my terrified face stared back clearly.
Dungeon exploration, Day ■■.
Foolish.
Led warriors to death on desire's whim.
Water kept rising.
Soon no air pocket left.
Only grim future ahead.
No hope left to rally warriors.
Besides the drowned.
Some took own lives fearing watery death.
Scary.
Don't wanna die.
Go home.
Hungry.
Escape this place.
"Ah."
Drip...
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Hob looked up.
Dungeon exploration, Day ■■.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Liquid dripped from the sprinkler.
Hobgoblins are so pitiful... Newbie evil spirit...
Can't go against Newbie-nim...
Satisfactory handling this time too.
Anomaly theme performance is nuts.
If intruders don't break the maze in time, guaranteed instant death lol
How's the trap called Living Maze lololol Intruders gotta figure out you can't leave without feeding it?
Structure shifting is totally kickass...
Those sprinklers?? Feel unbreakable f**k total cheat
Hmm... Reminds me of a living thing's digestive organ, the "stomach".
Steampunk still has more romance tho
That's kinda lol
What the f**k
Newbie so handsome ㅠㅠㅠ
Agreed...
Honestly a bit surprised. Thought he'd look shady...
Newbie-nim's face makes me wanna get pregnant... ㅇㅇ...
Dude
Watch it, don't flirt with my drool-covered Newbie
?
What the hell does "wanna get pregnant" mean.
Ridiculous.