Dungeon Breaker

Chapter 11

—–CROW—–

The Great Labyrinth, having swallowed half the world, was vast.

The 1st floor of this Great Labyrinth.

Luciel wasn’t the only angel who’d made an emergency escape from the Radiant Hall.

Angel Auriel opened her eyes.

Her mind snapping back to awareness, she bolted upright and quickly surveyed her surroundings.

A narrow, dark space.

A cold draft blew in from a broken window, and a bonfire, its embers barely protected by a makeshift windbreak, flickered weakly.

She seemed to be inside a building—a tower-like structure.

“Are you awake?”

The voice came from below.

Auriel, breathing heavily, lowered her gaze.  A blonde angel sat crouched by the bonfire.

Unmistakable fatigue lined her face, but her eyes, set amidst delicate features, shone brightly as always.

Angel Raguel.

Auriel’s comrade.

Seeing her calm face, Auriel’s breathing calmed as well.  She looked around once more and then sat down heavily.

“More or less…”

Auriel replied softly, closing her eyes against a throbbing headache.

Memories flooded back.

The fierce battle against the invaders of the Radiant Hall.

Herself and her comrades forced to abandon their headquarters and flee into the Great Labyrinth.

She’d lost consciousness immediately after arriving in the Labyrinth.

Raguel must have found her.

Auriel opened her eyes again. Raguel was still calmly adding dry twigs to the bonfire.

Glancing around, Auriel saw a young angel curled up asleep on the floor.

Azel.

Younger than even Luciel, the youngest angel of the branch.

“Where are the others?”

“We’re all that’s left.”

Raguel replied softly, closing her eyes.  A short sigh escaped her lips, her face etched not only with fatigue but also with unconcealed grief and pain.

Auriel bit her lip. She didn’t want to upset her weary comrade, but the name on her mind slipped out.

“Luciel?”

They hadn’t escaped together.  Naturally, she wasn’t here.

Raguel exhaled slowly and looked directly at Auriel. “It seems she escaped.  But… I don’t know where she is or if she’s safe.”

Auriel cherished Luciel like a younger sister.

She bit her lip again.  She was relieved that Luciel had escaped, but the uncertainty weighed heavily on her heart.

Luciel, alone somewhere in the Great Labyrinth.

How scared that sweet, young angel must be.

Was she even alive?

“Eat.  Don’t waste your energy on pointless thoughts.”

Raguel offered her a small box from across the bonfire.  It was filled with hard, dried emergency rations in the shape of sticks.

“These are the emergency rations we managed to bring. I’ve already divided them equally. That’s your share.”

Auriel accepted the box.  As a battle angel, she understood the importance of food.  Strength was needed to fight. And to maintain strength, one had to eat.

Auriel put one of the rations in her mouth.  It was bland and tasteless, but she forced herself to chew and swallow.  Her empty stomach craved sustenance.

“Luciel… she must be starving, right?”

“Probably… She escaped practically empty-handed.  Her Inventory must be empty as well.”

Raguel replied softly, her gaze fixed on the bonfire.

Auriel looked at Raguel, then at the fire.  The image of Luciel, trembling with fear, cold, and hunger, filled her mind.

‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry, Luciel.’

*Forgive your useless older sister.*

Auriel chewed on the ration.  It was bitter, but she continued to eat.  Luciel wouldn’t even have this.  She would be clutching her empty stomach, shivering in the cold, and crying.

‘Luciel.’

Auriel’s eyes welled up.

—–CROW—–

“Burp.”

*Oh dear.*

Luciel, having burped involuntarily, quickly covered her mouth, her face red.

Cheon-ho politely pretended not to notice.  It was a manner he’d learned from his father.

Luciel smiled slightly at his consideration, then patted her slightly distended belly.  “Ha, I can’t eat anymore. I’m so full.”

The food had been both delicious and plentiful.

‘I’m sleepy.’

Feeling warm and full, she naturally felt drowsy.

Cheon-ho smiled faintly and said, “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“I really, really enjoyed it. Thank you so much for preparing such a delicious meal.”

Luciel bowed her head gratefully, then smiled brightly again.

And at that moment, Cheon-ho realized once again that his father’s words were true.

‘Son, there’s another reason why I’m obsessed with food.’

‘What is it?’

‘Seeing you and your mother enjoying a delicious meal fills my heart… why are you making that face?’

Back then, he’d made a disgusted face, but now he understood.

Cooking and seeing the happy faces of people enjoying his food.

It was truly rewarding.

He felt like he’d understood the heart of a chef, not a Hero, but it didn’t matter.

Cheon-ho looked at the griddle and pot and said, “Let’s clean up and… begin the night work.”

“Night work?”

“Yes, something we need to do before sleeping.”

“Okay. I’ll help as much as I can.”

The Luciel who had felt uneasy at the word “work” was gone.  After all, every time Cheon-ho “worked,” their quality of life improved!

Seeing Luciel’s enthusiasm, Cheon-ho smiled slightly.  “Then I’ll ask you to do the dishes.  I’ll start working.”

“Yes, Hero!”

And the work began.

Cheon-ho first stopped Luciel from washing the dishes with cold water and boiled water in the pot again.  Without any detergent, hot water was the best way to remove the grease.

‘Luciel’s hands would get cold too.’

He hadn’t made any rubber gloves yet.

‘The pot is truly the best.’

Cooking, boiling water…

Cheon-ho offered another silent tribute to the previous Hero and began his actual work.

Sewing.

He laid out the robes worn by the Plague God’s priests.

They were surprisingly clean, considering they’d been worn by rats, thanks to Luciel’s Purification Magic.

‘First, the cutting.’

He needed leather and cloth, not rat clothes.

After cutting the cloth, Cheon-ho skillfully began to sew the robes together.

[Tailoring has become Lv4.]

He was making a blanket.  Not for covering, but for laying on.

It was important to have something underneath you when sleeping outdoors, to block the cold from the ground.

After quickly finishing the sewing, Cheon-ho strung wires along the wall and hung the Giant Rat hides on them, to dry them with the heat and smoke from the bonfire.

‘I’d like to remove the fur as well, but let’s be satisfied with this for now.’

He had plenty of dry branches he’d collected along the way, enough to keep the fire going all night.

Cheon-ho created a small gap in the blocked window for ventilation and then looked at the wooden staircase and the partially collapsed second floor, which could be accessed directly from the first floor.

‘It’s better to sleep on the second floor.’

If they went upstairs and broke the staircase, there would be no risk of being attacked during the night.  Skeletons didn’t seem to be able to jump.

“Hero, I’m finished.”

Just then, Luciel handed him the clean griddle and pot.  She must have scrubbed them diligently, as the griddle’s surface was clean despite the lack of detergent.

“Good work.  Then let’s wash up before bed and… go upstairs.”

After explaining his plan to sleep on the second floor, Cheon-ho went upstairs with Luciel and smashed the staircase with the war hammer.

“Luciel, is there an alarm spell or something?  Something that alerts us if someone approaches?”

“Yes, there is. And I’ve already set it up.”

Luciel replied with a confident smile. She wasn’t careless.

‘That’s a relief.’

With an alarm spell and sleeping on the second floor, they wouldn’t need to keep watch.  Keeping watch with only two people would be incredibly tiring.  They couldn’t afford to waste energy unnecessarily, especially with the uncertain journey ahead.

Eat when you can, rest when you can.

That was the mindset of a dungeon explorer.

“Hmm, then let’s get ready for bed.”

“Yes, Hero.”

While Luciel set up the alarm spell around them, Cheon-ho laid the robe blankets on the floor and built a new bonfire between them.

But then, Luciel blinked and asked, “Cheon-ho, are you sleeping separately?”

“Huh?”

“Sleep with me. I’ll do something nice for you.”

“What?!”

For the first time since meeting Luciel, Cheon-ho openly showed his surprise.

He couldn’t help it.

*Sleep together.*

And *something nice.*

Those were dangerous phrases that sent the mind of a high school senior, especially a male one, into overdrive.

But Luciel, oblivious to his inner turmoil, smiled brightly.  “My wings. They’re so warm to sleep under.  We can’t afford to catch a cold, right?”

She flapped her wings slightly, and they did look warm.

“I-I see.”

*As expected, right? We’re just sharing a blanket, right?*

‘Holy crap! We’re sharing a blanket!’

19-year-old Park Cheon-ho’s mind went into overdrive again.

But it was pointless.

Luciel gathered the blankets Cheon-ho had laid out and lay down first.

“Hero, come here.”

“Hmm.”

Luciel, half-lying down, spread one wing and spoke gently.

And Cheon-ho thought of his father’s words, as always.

‘Son, do you know the most important virtue of a Hero?’

‘Courage?’

‘No, courage is a basic requirement. The most important thing is patience. The patience to overcome extreme pain, anguish, and worldly desires!’

Cheon-ho lay down next to Luciel in a stiff, at-attention position. Luciel curled up beside him and spread her wings, covering both of them.

“Hmm.”

It was indeed warm.  Cozy and comfortable.

“Goodnight, Hero…”

Luciel’s voice trailed off, and she seemed to fall asleep almost instantly.  Soon, he could hear her soft snores.

“Hmm.”

But Cheon-ho couldn’t sleep.  He *couldn’t* sleep.

‘Even your worldly desires can become your strength! Son!’

Even his father’s words, which he’d never heard before, began to echo in his mind.

Worldly desires.

Patience.

Soft snores.

Luciel’s pleasant scent.

The rhythmic beating of her heart.

Cheon-ho tried his best not to look at her.  He squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and began to circulate his internal energy according to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

Even worldly desires could become strength.

His father was right, once again.

Cheon-ho cultivated the Heavenly Demon Divine Art throughout the night.

—–CROW—–

[Heavenly Demon Divine Art has become Lv2.]

[Patience has become Lv3.]

—–CROW—–