Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: I'm Going to Survive and Go Back. (2)
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"Finally hit a wall, huh."
"About two hours in. Good. Let's take a short break and head back."
"Yes."
Just like you can't keep pushing forward endlessly in an open-world game, dungeons have their limits too. There's a point where you run into an invisible wall, blocking any further progress. After confirming we couldn't break through or push past it—no matter how much we tapped on it, all we got was a dull thud—we decided to rest first. Since this way was a dead end, we'd have to try the opposite direction.
"What a barren landscape."
"If this weren't a dungeon, the forestry service would've hauled us off."
We spread out a mat and sat down to survey the devastation we'd wrought. It looked nothing like when we'd first entered. All those trees were now charred skeletons, and the ground was carpeted in ash that billowed up with every step. Our uniforms and faces were filthy because of it. Using water just to wash up would be a luxury, so I pulled out some wet wipes and cleaned my face instead.
"We've taken down around thirty contaminated wolves so far. Not as many as I thought."
"The terrain made it tricky."
"Exactly. That's probably part of why they called me in."
In our case, we'd burned away every obstacle blocking our view as we went, but fighting zombie wolves in a dense forest—ones that don't even show up on detection—ambushing from just outside your sightline wouldn't be easy. You couldn't just chug mana potions and torch everything like we did.
"I'd rate the appropriate difficulty as upper B-rank. Unless you've got detection specialists or undead specialists."
Those long-dead, rotting corpses were surprisingly agile. If you didn't pierce the head in one strike, you'd just end up giving them space to counter. Luckily, bites didn't turn people into zombies, but coming in half-prepared would mean casualties for sure. And since they didn't feel pain, they were way trickier than typical monsters.
Still, fire magic made it a breeze. Early on, I'd been too complacent, and since it was my first dungeon, I panicked a bit. But once I got the hang of it, I could see why I—no, why Lee Seo-woo—excelled at solo clears. The smell of burning flesh was still something I couldn't get used to, but I'd have to.
"We've rested enough. Let's move. We need to push until nightfall and start prepping camp."
"Yes."
We packed up the mat and retraced our steps. As we walked across the wasteland with embers still flickering in the wind, Lee Sun-young, trailing behind me, suddenly asked a question that felt totally out of place in this atmosphere.
"So, Vice Guild Master-nim... what's your exact relationship with the Guild Master-nim?"
"Huh? Why do you ask?"
"Well, when you told me, you said it was like sisters... but the way you talk about her sounds so formal and businesslike."
"We just keep things professional inside the guild."
"But I've heard the other guild members talking, and they say you two are... you know, like that..."
Her face flushed red as her voice trailed off smaller and smaller. I was stunned. She already knows about that? What were they telling a newbie recruit?
"You've already heard about that?"
"The noona in the room next to mine at the dorm told me."
"No point denying it. It's true."
"So... are you two dating?"
"Nah. We're just really close."
That much I could say for sure. Our relationship with Yoo Soo-jung was purely physical—friends with benefits, basically. It was the same as it had always been with the original Lee Seo-woo. I didn't hate it or anything, but I didn't want to get more entangled, so I tried to draw a line.
Though honestly, Seo Ji-hyun might be better than Yoo Soo-jung.
Would she? A fling felt a bit burdensome, to be honest. Seo Ji-hyun would probably be easier. Not that we were close enough to date—or that I wanted to. I'd be going back home anyway. Right now, I was just keeping her alive to stay alive myself.
"Don't waste energy on chit-chat. Prep up."
"Yes..."
She pouted, disappointed like she wanted to hear more, but I had nothing else to say, and we were reaching the end of the cleared section anyway. Time to get back to work.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "One more coming that way! Left rear!"
"Got it!"
Since I'd brought her along, it felt wasteful to just use her for burning forests, so I intentionally let a few slip past to give her some training. She reacted quickly every time I called out, which impressed me a little. She sliced their necks clean in one stroke, then swiftly retreated, resetting her stance for the next threat.
And I realized I'd underestimated her. It wasn't just enhanced cutting power with extra damage on the wound—it actually ignited the spot on contact. Watching the decapitated contaminated wolf's head and body burn separately was a bit eerie. Of course, since they were undead, I had to clean up afterward, but against a living creature, it would've been over the moment it caught fire.
"Even with their heads separated, they don't die right away. Tricky."
"Well, even humans twitch for a few seconds after decapitation."
"At least they fall over and can't get back up."
"That's normal. No matter how undead they are, losing the head messes up their balance. Not sure if these things even have that left, though."
We chatted while burning the wriggling corpses that couldn't rise. That made forty-eight now. I didn't know how big the dungeon was, but since we'd torched everything in sight, the deviation shouldn't be too high. Records were based on entry points anyway, so once we found and destroyed the core in the center, future raiders could optimize the shortest route.
"By the way, what does destroying the core even mean?"
"Usually something physical. Sometimes it's a sphere, other times it's fused with a dungeon boss monster. The latter's a pain."
"There are non-physical ones too?"
"Ruins-related dungeons sometimes need specific conditions. Luckily, whatever system this world has translates the hints into our language for basic decoding."
"That's amazing."
"People breathing fire is already amazing enough."
To this world's people, it might be normal, but for me, living out novel tropes was surreal. Staring at the fireballs I conjured still gave me complicated feelings.
"That sounds like an old-fashioned mindset."
"Yeah... maybe."
It had been a while since gates first appeared, per the setting. Awakeners were everywhere now, so people accepted most things as "huh, weird" or "figures." With ability users integrated into society, my thinking might seem outdated. Felt kinda bad, like I couldn't keep up with the times.
As we talked and advanced, detection pinged something. I approached and tapped—same invisible barrier as before. I clicked my tongue.
Thud. Thud.
"Tch."
"Ah."
"Not this way either."
"Yeah..."
"It's getting late too. Wanted to wrap up today, but luck's not on our side. Let's camp here."
"Got it."
We cleared the area, then I pressed the button on the camping gear. It inflated instantly into a mattress big enough for three or four people.
"Not a tent?"
"Can't respond quickly if we're boxed in. It's an open bed for instant readiness."
"You put up barriers anyway."
"Prep for the unexpected."
"What if the tent material was tougher?"
"Then why not bring a container? Needs to be portable."
"True."
"Shrinking tech would be nice, but we're not there yet."
As I answered Lee Sun-young's questions, I planted sentry artifacts a short distance from camp. Mana shot up five meters, linking into a wall—alarms would blare if anything crossed. I gathered half-burned wood, lit a fire, and returned to find her already asleep under the blanket. First dungeon must've drained her physically and mentally.
Dinner first, then sleep, huh. It was just calorie bars anyway. Not wanting to wake her, I quietly set up a folding chair by the bed, pulled a bar from my bag, and ate. The chocolate-nut flavor filled my mouth—better than expected.
But the more I ate, the more I missed Seo Ji-hyun's dinners. She'd been making them as a given these past few days; I'd gotten used to it.
I shook my head to dispel the thought.
No. Can't go there. It's a temporary connection anyway. If you're gonna pine over this, why not just stay in the novel forever, idiot? Abandon your real life completely.
"Hoo."
I'd been resolute just that morning. But for some reason, Seo Ji-hyun kept lingering in my mind, so I ended up smoking a cigarette, watching the flames die down through the night.