The Bottom of the Dungeon and Three Strange Women

Kang Taesan felt his body suddenly suspended in mid-air as he sank beneath the quicksand. "Argh!" As the swamp of quicksand ended, his body plummeted toward the hard ground.

Thud!

"Ugh!"

Messages announcing the recovery of his injuries poured in like spam. Taesan muttered as he looked at the notifications. "Ugh! I'm lucky I didn't die instantly."

As Taesan lifted his head to survey his surroundings, he realized he had fallen into a massive hall enclosed by rock walls. 'Where am I?' Although the area was filled with rocks, scattered here and there were bones that appeared to be from monsters, along with human remains. Seeing this, Taesan couldn't help but murmur, "This place really is a graveyard."

Just then, he heard the sound of human presence, followed by a voice. "Someone else fell here!" It was the clear, ringing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠voice of a young woman. Soon, the source of the noise appeared—but it wasn't just one person; there were three women. One was a female swordsman in armor, and another was a mage in robes. The last one was dressed in casual clothes, making it difficult to guess her class. All three appeared to be young women in their mid-twenties.

The woman in casual clothes approached Taesan. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"You fell from such a height—are you really okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"That's amazing. You must have a high rank." The woman in casual clothes examined Taesan's wrist. "But you don't have a Hunter Band?"

"No, I'm unregistered."

"Pardon?"

At those words, the gazes of the three women shifted instantly. A wariness that hadn't been there before surfaced. "Look... there's no need to be on guard. I'm not with the Awakening Sect, nor am I a Night Wolf."

"But... the only unregistered hunters who are strong are either from the Awakening Sect or the Night Wolves..."

"I'm not unregistered because I'm strong; I'm unregistered because of my criminal record."

"What?!"

At that, the women grew even more wary of Taesan. "W-what kind of criminal record?"

Taesan realized his mistake as he saw their expressions. 'That was careless. If I say I have a record for attempted rape in this situation, they'll treat me like a real villain.'

When Taesan didn't answer, the women became even more defensive. Just then, a man's scream echoed from a distance. "Ugh!"

The women's gazes turned toward the sound in unison. "The senior must have woken up!" The woman in casual clothes ran toward the man. There, a man in armor lay collapsed. Unlike the three women, he appeared to have sustained serious injuries.

"Senior, I'll cast a heal on you!"

"It's fine... you'll just faint again."

"It's okay. I recovered quite a bit of mana while resting. Heal!"

As the woman cast the spell, the man's expression eased significantly. He slowly closed his eyes, as if overcome by drowsiness. However, the remaining two women remained wary of Taesan. The female swordsman pointed her blade at him. "Don't come any closer!"

The woman who appeared to be a mage also pointed her wand at him. "Stay right there!"

Taesan had no choice but to stand still and ask, "By the way, why are you three perfectly fine?"

"That's because Sejeong cast a levitation spell on us."

"Sejeong?"

The swordsman looked at the woman holding the wand. "So you're Sejeong."

"Don't go around saying my name so casually!"

"I apologize. But why is only that person in such a state?"

The swordsman replied again. "Sejeong's levitation spell can only be cast on a maximum of three people. That's why, even as he was falling, the senior told us to cast the spell only on ourselves..." As she spoke, the swordsman's eyes reddened.

Sejeong snapped at her, "Why are you telling a stranger all that!"

"He asked."

"If someone asked, would you tell them your three sizes too?"

"Is your name the same as your three sizes? Your three sizes are a woman's pride."

"That's what you think. Usually, a name is more important than three sizes."

"Then you could've just told him my name too. By the way, my name is Song Rajin."

"Are you an idiot? Why are you telling him your name?"

"Then you could've told him Jiseon's name too."

"Oh, seriously... with a chest that big, is your head just there for decoration?"

"What? Are you done talking!"

"Besides, this guy is a criminal!"

"Just because someone is a criminal doesn't mean they're a bad person."

"But there's a high probability they are!"

"That may be true, but..."

While the two bickered, the healer who had been casting spells on the man suddenly collapsed. "Jiseon!" The swordsman, who called herself Song Rajin, ran over to support the healer. Taesan asked the mage named Sejeong, "Why is she like that?"

"Can't you tell? She fainted because she used up all her mana."

"Do you faint when you run out of mana?"

"Of course. Mana is mental energy. If it hits rock bottom, you lose consciousness for a while."

"I see."

Just then, Song Rajin, who was supporting the healer, shouted, "Sejeong, we've got a big problem!"

"Why now?"

"The senior's condition is looking bad!"

Taesan observed the man's condition from a distance. As the swordsman Song Rajin said, the man's right calf was severely fractured, with the broken bone piercing through his skin. "What do we do... Jiseon is unconscious, too..."

"Don't look at me! I'm not a healer!"

Watching them, Taesan spoke up. "I think that person needs a splint ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠more than a heal."

"A splint?"

"I know how to make one."

"No! How can we trust you and leave the senior to you?"

"If you leave him like that, he could be crippled. You need to apply a splint before the broken bone damages his nerves."

The mage was shocked. "Is that true?"

"Yes. So please, let me do it."

Song Rajin shouted urgently, "Nam Sejeong, let him do it! If we leave him like this, the senior is really in danger!"

"But...!"

"We can just watch him from behind to make sure he doesn't try anything funny!"

Nam Sejeong asked in a trembling voice, "C-can you really do it?"

"Yes."

"Then do it."

As Nam Sejeong lowered her wand, Taesan began looking for tools to use as a splint. However, there were no trees around. Sejeong's wand looked too thin and weak to serve as a splint. Just then, some unidentified bones caught his eye. They appeared to be the remains of a monster. Taesan picked out two large, sturdy bones from among them. He then tore his jacket to create cushioning to place between the splint and the leg. After wrapping the man's leg with the padding, he began to secure the bones. The key was to fix it long enough, from the calf to the thigh, so that the knee joint couldn't move.

Nam Sejeong, watching from the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠side, asked, "Why are you tying it like that without setting the bone?"

"If non-experts like us try to force the bone into place, we could end up damaging blood vessels or nerves. That's why we have to fix it in its current state."

"I see..."

As Song Rajin nodded, Nam Sejeong glared at her. "What are you doing not pointing your sword at him!"

"Oh, right!"

Song Rajin belatedly pointed her sword at Taesan's back. However, it was a sword that carried absolutely no intimidation. Taesan firmly secured the splint so the man's leg wouldn't shake. Once the treatment was finished, Taesan asked, "But why isn't the bone knitting together even though you used a heal?"

Song Rajin replied, "That's because... Jiseon's heal level is low."

"Heal level?"

"Yes. Jiseon is an E-rank healer, so she can recover minor injuries, but she can't treat major ones like fractures. The senior's injury is only being kept from getting worse."

"I see."

Nam Sejeong thrust her wand at Taesan. "Alright, you're done, so step aside."

"Don't be like that. He helped the senior."

"How do we know if those aren't crocodile tears? Step back, now!"

"Understood."

Taesan had no choice but to move away from the man. "Stay at least 10 meters away from us. If you don't approach, we won't attack."

"Fine."

Gurgle—

Suddenly, a loud sound came from Song Rajin's stomach. Gurgle. At the same time, a sound came from Nam Sejeong's stomach as well. Both of their faces turned beet red as they looked at Taesan. "Do you... happen to have anything to eat?"

"Something to eat?"

Taesan searched his pockets. Two candies came out. Because Taesan suffered from hypoglycemia, he usually carried candy to prepare for shock. "This is all I have."

The two were delighted to see the candy, but soon hesitated. "If there are only two, what about Jiseon and the senior?"

"That's true..."

In the end, the two didn't eat the candy. "Those two need this candy more than we do."

"You're right."

Taesan thought as he watched them, 'These people are truly kind. They're completely different from the Scavenger Guild.'

Convinced that they were good people, Taesan asked something he had been curious about. "By the way, how did you four end up falling here?"

"We were performing a quest at the Incheon Gate when we fell here."

"Incheon Gate? Isn't this a dungeon connected to the Seoul Gate?"

"Hahaha."

"Hehe."

As soon as the question ended, the two burst into laughter. Taesan asked with a puzzled expression, "Why are you laughing?"

"You really are a newbie, aren't you?"

"Is there a problem with my question?"

"There are five gates in the country, but no matter which gate you enter, it's all the same dungeon."

"Ah..."

"We were commissioned for a quest at a club in Itaewon called 'Mother Earth's Milk' and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fell here while performing it."

At those words, Taesan's eyes widened. "Wait a minute, where did you just say?"

"'Mother Earth's Milk' in Itaewon."

"Actually, I was performing the same quest when I fell here."

"Is that true? Then did you fall from the 'Hall of the Dead' too?"

"Yes."

"Then why are you alone?"

With a bitter expression, Taesan told them about how the Scavenger Guild had backstabbed him. Hearing his story, Song Rajin was furious. "How could they! They really are bad people. I'd heard that there were many low-quality people among the labor-exchange guilds, but I didn't know it was to that extent..."

This time, Taesan asked them, "Then did your entire party fall into a trap?"

"Yes. As soon as the senior picked up a mask made of bone, we all fell into the quicksand."

"When was that?"

"April 7th."

"Then you fell four days before I did."

"Has that much time already passed..."

As Song Rajin sighed, Taesan looked around and expressed his doubt. "But how did you survive for four days? I don't see any water or food here."

"We survived on the water and food we brought. The food ran out that very day, and now there's only half a bottle of water left."

"Then you've been starving for three days?"

"Yes."

"Then we need to find an exit as soon as possible."

"But with the senior in that state..."

The two lowered their heads with heavy expressions. Just then, the healer who had fainted began to move her body little by little. "Jiseon! Are you awake now?"

"Ugh..."

The healer, who had barely regained consciousness, discovered the splint on the man's leg and her eyes went wide. "But... what happened to this splint?"