Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Dungeon
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It was a light that reminded me of a game's guide.
Like the guide that shows players where to go when they're lost.
The light scattering before my eyes was leading me somewhere, too.
Hm.
Normally, I'd be suspicious first, but right now, it was pointless.
It had only been a few hours since I'd been dropped into this world where I didn't know how things worked.
I had no other choice.
Let's follow it.
I stepped toward the shimmering path.
The light headed out of the village.
# Nowon-gu Sanggye-dong
As I walked a bit, I spotted a fallen signpost.
Sanggye-dong, huh.
A name I hadn't seen in ages.
Sanggye-dong was where I'd lived since I first started recognizing things.
I had no idea who my parents were or why I'd woken up in an orphanage.
I hadn't even tried to find out.
Maybe because I'd opened my eyes in that state from the beginning.
Looking back now, I really hadn't been like a normal kid.
Sometimes, other kids would cry about why they didn't have a mom or dad.
But I'd just calmly accepted reality without any of that.
Finding out why I'd been abandoned or who did it wouldn't change anything.
Nod.
My head nodded on its own.
Maybe I'd been born with a steel mentality.
That's how I managed to survive after being abandoned in Katabi at age ten.
Of course, it was all thanks to Master.
I rated my own mentality and adaptability highly.
But I didn't arrogantly think it was all my own power that made me who I am today.
If Master hadn't been right in front of me when I opened my eyes...
No matter how positively I thought about it, I'd have ended up as monster chow—or worse, sold off somewhere and lived out my life as a slave until death.
That was Katabi.
Heh.
I'm such a mess.
Just seeing one signpost brought back my childhood.
And before I knew it, memories of Master followed.
Probably because they were the only memories tied to the word "happiness."
They held so much weight that no matter what memory surfaced, it always ended with those of Master.
I'd always thought of myself as someone without blood or tears, but moments like this showed a sentimental side still alive in me.
Shimmer.
Anyway, is it okay to just keep following like this?
I glanced back at the receding village.
For some reason, the light was leading me farther and farther away.
Everything's really changed.
The village still held some of its old shape despite the damage here and there, but outside... not at all.
No matter how much 15 years had faded my memories, it shouldn't have been this unrecognizable.
A forest like this in the middle of Gangbuk-gu?
Debi's words from earlier came to mind.
She'd said Kalderon had merged worlds, changing the terrain a lot.
This forest right next to the village was probably a side effect of that.
Shimmer.
The light pulled me deeper into the forest.
No paths at all—it didn't seem like a place anyone would enter without reason.
Caw...! Caw...!
Listen to that atmosphere.
Perfect background noise for a darkening forest.
The mood where something could jump out any second.
A normal person would freak out and run, but I liked it.
Just being in the darkness calmed my mind.
Maybe because no one could spot me first—the darkness always brought peace.
Of course, not everyone approved of my love for the shadows.
- You gloomy bastard!
Master, shaking his head at his one and only disciple being gloom incarnate.
To be precise, it wasn't disapproval—he was worried.
- Take a break from training once in a while and go down to the village.
- No thanks.
At first, Master was brutally harsh.
A demon instructor who drove hellish training every day without rest.
But at some point, he started worrying about me.
Probably when he realized his own body was deteriorating rapidly.
- Soon you'll be on your own. You need to learn how to get along with people. That's training too.
- I was born sociable, so no worries.
I wouldn't budge even if he baited me with training talk.
No matter what Master said, I trained all day and only wandered around after dark.
Well, in the end, I died alone, just as he'd feared.
I'd trusted my innate sociability without going out much.
But fixating on the peak led to dying alone.
Oh, right—I didn't die.
I almost did.
Crunch.
How deep into the forest had I wandered while lost in thought?
Crackle... Crackle.
A campfire lit up the pitch-black woods, catching my eye.
What are those people doing?
Three men sat around the campfire.
They were eating something and chatting idly.
Behind them stretched the light from Fate of the Engraver.
They must have hidden it on purpose.
The path led into some bushes—artificially concealed ones.
Push them aside, and it'd probably reveal a cave entrance.
- Axes from the Kobold Dungeon! Take a look!
I'd heard the word "dungeon" back in Donga Village on my way out.
I'd thought about asking Debi, but figured I'd learn naturally by following the light.
Wonder if it's like the dungeons in games.
Guess I'll find out by going in.
Crunch.
I deliberately made noise as I approached the campfire.
Rustle.
"Who's there!"
The men jumped up at the sound of footsteps.
One with an axe, one with a staff, one with a small cross.
"Hello, I got lost."
I raised both hands to show I meant no harm and approached slowly.
Maybe because I was alone and only had a wooden stick, their guard seemed to ease a bit.
"Thought you were a monster—scared me!"
The big guy with the axe patted his chest.
He looked the least scared, but his reaction was unexpected.
"Coming into the forest as the sun sets? You've got guts."
"Sit here."
They put away their weapons and made space, maybe buying my innocent smile.
"Where you from? Donga Village? Never seen your face."
I gave the same story as with Debi—unconscious till now—and they exchanged glances.
They looked dubious, but maybe didn't see the point in questioning further.
The big guy spoke first.
"Rough time, huh. I'm Sang-cheol. Kim Sang-cheol."
"Kang Hyuk."
"I'm Oh Myung-yoon."
"Kim Gil-sang."
The staff guy and cross guy followed with introductions.
All around mid-30s.
Thud.
As I sat where Oh Myung-yoon indicated, I noticed something skewered on the fire.
Fish on hastily made sticks, long and roasting.
Gulp.
Come to think of it, I hadn't eaten since arriving from Katabi.
I wasn't used to proper meals in the mountain cabin anyway, so hunger was familiar.
But seeing those golden, crispy fish made my stomach rumble.
"Lost and starving, huh."
Kim Sang-cheol pulled a skewer from the fire and handed it over.
"Ah... Thank you."
Oil dripping from the fish gave me a strange feeling.
When I thought I was a dead man walking, nothing appealed.
But now that I was alive again, my body craved food fiercely.
Crunch.
I took a big bite of the well-cooked fish.
"How's it? Nice and done?"
"Delicious!"
Not just politeness.
It was ridiculously good.
Maybe because it was real food after so long.
"What are you three doing out here?"
As I chewed and asked, the Sang-cheol trio exchanged guilty looks.
Seeing them deep in thought, I decided to help.
Whoosh.
I pointed at the Fate of the Engraver light, sloppily hidden by bushes.
"That?"
"!!"
Bingo.
All three startled and stared at me.
"H-How'd you know?"
"I told you! Too sloppy!"
The other two sighed, blaming Kim Sang-cheol.
The dejected Kim Sang-cheol spoke up.
"It's a dungeon. We found it this morning."
The word I'd been waiting for—he spilled without hesitation.
"Can you tell me about dungeons? I don't know much."
Kim Sang-cheol nodded.
"Exactly what it sounds like—places where monsters live. Dangerous, but full of opportunity."
Dungeons could have pricey equipment materials or rare ores.
He said the value of a newly discovered one was immeasurable.
Functions like in games.
"Even if it's deep, it's close to the village. How'd it stay hidden till now?"
"Probably just popped up. Kalderon creates new terrain and spots outta nowhere. Gates open in apartment complexes sometimes."
"Gates are a bit different from dungeons. When a gate opens, brand-new monsters or whole landscapes appear. Massive rifts—no one knows why."
Oh Myung-yoon added an explanation, assuming I knew nothing about gates.
That's why they hid it with bushes.
"Haha... For weak hunters like us, it's like striking gold. Could change our lives."
Kim Sang-cheol explained hunters were those who hunted monsters for bounties or materials to make a living—excluding combat-haters or those with production classes due to disabilities.
Not everyone got fixed.
Kalderon had healed my 95% body damage, but it seemed unique to me.
"Then why hide it and not go in? Other hunters might find it."
Even deep in the forest, a campfire screamed "come find us." Didn't make sense not to rush in.
"Well..."
"We're not sure if we can handle it alone. Don't know what's inside."
Quiet Kim Gil-sang spoke, and Oh Myung-yoon scratched his head.
"We're all level 5. Wondering if it's over our heads."
That didn't click either.
They'd been under Kalderon for 10 years—why so low-level?
"You too, right, Hyuk? You just awakened."
"Yeah, level 1."
More extreme than expected—they jumped.
"Makes sense for you, haha. We have our reasons."
"No excuses—we're just weak. No money, no backing, and we're cowards."
"Y-Yeah..."
I was about to ask more, but the mood soured, so I raised a hand slowly.
"Bit sudden, but..."
"Huh...?"
To their puzzled looks, I carefully spoke.
"Want to go into the dungeon... with me?"