NOVEL NEXT Chapter 33
The inside of the dungeon was unexpectedly cozy.
The characteristic stuffy air and cool atmosphere didn’t seem to be felt here at all.
Yoon Sol Ah, who joined the Logistics Team at the request of the Association, kept her guard up while surveying her surroundings.
“The air is warm, and the corridor is tidy. It’s not ordinary.”
Perhaps it’s the special nature of this place; the atmosphere was clearly different from the generic dungeons scattered around.
Creak.
Creak.
Having summoned skeletons from the entrance of the dungeon for logistics delivery, they couldn’t completely hide their presence.
From now on, every action had to be carefully considered.
“Which way should we move?”
In response to Jeon In Taek’s question, Baek Eun Ha silently began heading to the leftmost corridor among the many paths.
Just as the two were about to follow, Baek Eun Ha hesitated and spoke up.
“U-um, can we keep a distance of ten meters…?”
“…Understood.”
Although I had heard beforehand about Baek Eun Ha’s personality, various worries and anxieties floated in the minds of the two at that moment.
‘Is this really right?’
‘…Are we going to end up all dead if we trust her?’
To be honest, I felt uneasy ever since Choi Seong Cheol was left behind due to Baek Eun Ha’s firm refusal. Excluding personal feelings in an operation organized by the Association—does that even make sense?
However, the situation was already irreversible. Jeon In Taek and Yoon Sol Ah followed Baek Eun Ha with subtle expressions.
Creak.
Creak.
Thud.
Thud.
After walking for a while, they began to sense the presence of monsters up ahead.
“…There seem to be quite a few of them.”
“Should we block the corridor and take a detour?”
Jeon In Taek, channeling his mana and preparing a skill, stepped forward.
However, Baek Eun Ha raised her hand to stop him.
“…It’s fine.”
[Scratch.]
What appeared was six kobolds. Judging by their threatening size and muscular build, they seemed a bit stronger than your average kobold.
Yoon Sol Ah, flustered, began preparing her magic.
“We can’t engage in a frontal fight without the front line!”
From the very start, Baek Eun Ha had already summoned a dozen skeletons for the logistics, so it seemed unlikely she would have any energy left.
Yet Baek Eun Ha remained unbothered, reciting the spell flatly.
Whoooosh.
“Undead Call.”
Boom!
[Scratch.]
[Scratch.]
What emerged from the ground were two gigantic skeletons made entirely of red bones.
They were none other than Skeleton Mashers summoned through Song Ha Yeon’s linkage.
Crunch!
Crack!
[Keek!]
Soon, a fierce battle began between the kobolds and the Skeleton Mashers, but the outcome was swift.
It was a crushing victory for the Skeleton Mashers.
Boom!
[Kehek─!]
It wasn’t even a fierce fight.
The kobold hordes were utterly obliterated by just two Skeleton Mashers.
‘…What is this? How is this possible?’
Jeon In Taek and Yoon Sol Ah in the back gawked at the scene with blank faces.
Typically, a summoned creature from a C Rank Hunter can just barely gain the upper hand against monsters of the same level.
Yet with only two, they wiped out a group over double their size?
That was completely nonsensical.
‘Moreover, didn’t she already use a considerable number of skeletons for logistics?’
The eyes of the two, once filled with anxiety, now pointed at Baek Eun Ha with a distinctly different light.
‘…Something’s different.’
‘Is she really the same C Rank as us?’
Jeon In Taek and Yoon Sol Ah glanced at each other, their faces reflecting their bewilderment.
Thus, their party’s first battle came to an end.
#
In fact, I had no intention of aiming for a Break as per the Association’s request from the very beginning.
‘You expect me to hold out for over a week trapped between twelve Debuff Totems?’
That was obviously impossible. It wasn’t even worth considering. It would be better to just find a way to clear the dungeon somehow.
Because of that, I didn’t intentionally avoid combat. I had to assess the enemy to some extent first.
And the result could be described as quite positive.
‘It’s more manageable than I thought.’
Since entering the dungeon, they had already wrapped up three battles in total.
The difficulty was C3 Rank, and with eight hunters not being able to clear it, I had been careful after all, yet the monsters I had directly faced in the dungeon weren’t all that powerful.
‘…So it’s rather suspicious.’
Although he couldn’t match the flashy gaming skills, Kim Seung Min’s abilities as a hunter were by no means poor.
Assuming the remaining seven were of similar caliber, they should absolutely be able to clear a dungeon of this level.
There were certainly obstacles they hadn’t discovered yet.
And if they could overcome those hurdles, clearing the dungeon wouldn’t be impossible.
“U-um, just wait a second…”
I mumbled as I slowly approached the two trailing behind and pulled out a small flask from my pouch.
“Undead Call.”
Summoning the various small insects I’d prepared in advance, I once again boosted morale and recited the spell.
Whoooosh.
“Berserk.”
Swish.
Swish.
The bugs sprang to life inside the flask, shaking themselves loudly.
Without hesitation, I brought it over to Yoon Sol Ah.
“Yikes! Wh-what’s going on?”
“U-uh, the speed buff…”
Yoon Sol Ah grimaced at the sight but, under my firm request, cast her magic on the bugs.
“Breath of the Wind Fairy.”
Whoooosh.
Pitter-patter.
Patter.
Now the insects were flailing around as if in a frenzy. I wasted no time and opened the lid of the flask.
Clink.
“Yikes!”
Swish!
As soon as they were released, the bugs disappeared down the corridor. Now all that was left was to wait.
“What exactly have you been doing since a while ago?”
“…M-map reading.”
I avoided Yoon Sol Ah’s gaze as she took two steps closer, taking four steps back myself.
Having two people with me was indeed burdensome. I missed my two-person party with Song Ha Yeon at that moment.
“T-this place feels off somehow…”
“What do you mean by that?”
Being with clueless newbies was really frustrating. Shouldn’t they notice something like this immediately?
At that moment, one of the bugs reacted quickly.
It was indicating north-west, and underground. There was something peculiar there.
“…A nest?”
“Excuse me?”
I led the party straight toward that direction.
#
Yoon Sol Ah and Jeon In Taek followed Baek Eun Ha’s lead, even in the unclear situation. And there, they faced something.
Wriggle.
Wriggle.
[Keek…]
A structure that seemed to be a massive lump of flesh, or perhaps something that had given life to part of the dungeon and was breathing.
It was a Plant, known as a monster’s nest.
“What the hell.”
“Wh-why is there a Plant in a C Rank dungeon…?”
Upon seeing it, Jeon In Taek cursed vehemently. Yoon Sol Ah instantly fell into despair.
“…What the hell is happening?”
It wasn’t particularly strange.
Plants were known to emerge only in dungeons ranked B or higher, and those recognized as large.
The real problem was the high-ranking monsters that were said to accompany the appearance of a Plant.
“Everyone, over there.”
Even now, past the Plant, atop a rocky cliff, a monster radiating a strange aura was blissfully asleep with its eyes shut.
A horde of monsters being spawned in real-time from the Plant, and a powerful Watcher as well.
There was no way this could be dealt with by such a small party.
“…Let’s fall back. We need to hurry and regroup with the main force. We won’t have even the slightest chance if we don’t gather together.”
“We need to leave before the enemies notice us.”
The thought of engaging in a fight had already left the minds of both.
Their only goal was to join the main force as quickly as possible and buy time until the break.
However, Baek Eun Ha glanced casually at the direction of the Watcher and took a step forward.
“Are you crazy?”
Seeing that, Yoon Sol Ah, wide-eyed, grabbed Baek Eun Ha’s shoulder.
That was the mistake.
“Yikes!”
Crash!
Even in such a terrifying situation, Baek Eun Ha, who had maintained a blank expression, suddenly shrieked and collapsed onto the floor.
The noise that resulted filled the corridor, and both of them instinctively recoiled.
“Ugh. I told you not to touch me…”
Tears welling up, Baek Eun Ha protested, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.
Yoon Sol Ah and Jeon In Taek’s faces turned completely pale as they held their breaths.
“…Shit, we’re all dead.”
The monsters sprawled around the Plant and the Watcher atop the cliff.
The murderous gazes of all those enemies were now aimed straight at the party.