Dungeon Breaker

Chapter 13

—–CROW—–

Toilet paper.

There was one in the living room, the bathroom, and the bedroom.

Just as it was easy to find anywhere, anytime, there were many uses for it.

Of course, there was an undeniable gap between real toilet paper and the paper used to make books, but it was still better than the gap between leaves and toilet paper.

‘Its use isn’t limited to just toilet paper.’

Paper burned well.

Easy to transform, it was also easy to handle.

Its applications were truly endless.  Frankly, folded properly, it could even become a container for food.

‘That’s only possible because of purification magic.’

As expected, Luciel was capable.

Cheon-ho nodded to himself as he placed a book on the bookshelf, thinking,

‘There must be some useful books here.’

“100 Etiquette Tips for Imperial Citizens” would be useful if he ever met an Imperial citizen.

And then there were the truly practical books.

‘If you go to another world, study the history, geography, and culture of that world.’

‘Hmm, is that an extension of the teaching that information is important?’

‘That too, but it’s an easy way to gain favor.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Imagine a random blonde-haired, blue-eyed foreigner who knows a lot about Korea and praises its culture. What would you think? Especially if they speak some Korean.’

‘I’d think they’re a good person.’

‘Exactly. So study. It’s a good way to become popular.’

The more he reflected on it, the more valuable his father’s teachings became.

Unconsciously, a faint smile formed on Cheon-ho’s lips. He suddenly glanced at Luciel.

She was looking up at him with a slightly curious expression.

“Luciel?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. You seemed very happy.”

You really like books, don’t you?

Luciel smiled brightly, and Cheon-ho nodded.

“Yes, I think it was a good idea to stop by this tower. Especially… this bookshelf will be very useful.”

“You mean… the… what?”

Bookshelf?

Why the bookshelf?

For a moment, Luciel thought of the kite shield and helmet, but she decided to wait for Cheon-ho’s answer.

Cheon-ho stroked the smooth bookshelf and said,

“It won’t be easy to find boards in this good of a condition in the labyrinth.”

There were no planers.

There was no sandpaper.

Dozens of well-processed boards had appeared before Cheon-ho.

‘How nice.’

If he took these apart, he could make a bed.

It wasn’t even complicated.

He could just tear out the boards inside the bookshelf, layer the Giant Rat fur, and spread the robe-woven mat on top, and it would be complete.

And then Luciel’s wing blanket would be added.

With the inventory, transporting the bed wouldn’t be a problem.

Moreover, the bed was just the beginning.

“Hmm.”

Cheon-ho looked at the bookshelf with a meaningful gaze and then turned to Luciel.

“Luciel, do you have enough space in your inventory?”

“Uh… you want to put all the bookshelves in here?”

“If possible.”

“It… should be possible… but… I think I’ll have to discard the monster and insect corpses I put in earlier.”

“It can’t be helped. Please do.”

The reason he had collected the insect corpses in the first place was a vague collector’s instinct – the thought that the fluids, shells, etc., might be useful someday.

When Cheon-ho gave his permission, Luciel breathed a sigh of relief for some reason and poured the insect corpses into a corner of the first floor.

‘It feels like my pockets are getting cleaner.’

Books and bookshelves were much better than bugs.

Motivated, Luciel began filling her inventory with bookshelves and books.

After helping Luciel clear out the bookshelves, Cheon-ho started eyeing the carpet on the stairs.

‘It’ll be useful.’

It would be perfect for blocking the cold.

So, Cheon-ho decided to take the carpet as well. He rolled it up and tucked it into the inventory.

“Um… are we sure we’re allowed to do this?”

Instead of going up to the second floor, the first thing they did after entering the tower was loot it.

Luciel spoke with a slight worry in her voice, and Cheon-ho nodded with a charming expression.

“It’ll be fine.”

They had entered the tower to loot it in the first place.

And there was no owner.

“By the way, Luciel, will those glowing stones still glow if we remove them from the wall?”

Glowing stones embedded in the walls and ceiling dispelled the darkness of the first floor.

Luciel’s face became slightly pale as she replied.

“The light is due to magic cast on the tower… if you remove them, they won’t glow.”

“Hmm, but wouldn’t they be special stones? Like magic stones?”

“They’re the lowest grade, but… magic stones are magic stones.”

“I see. Let’s collect them on our way back.”

He didn’t know when he’d see magic stones again.

It was important to take them when he could.

Luciel reflexively nodded at Cheon-ho’s resourceful words and looked towards the stairs.

“But, Hero. I think this tower is somehow related to the Empire.”

“The Empire?”

Now that she mentioned it, the title of the first book he pulled out was “100 Etiquette Tips for Imperial Citizens.”

Luciel nodded and continued.

“Yes, the Empire. Before the world was consumed by the Great Labyrinth, it was the largest human nation. Its official name was the Aiter Empire.”

“It doesn’t exist anymore?”

“When the world was swallowed by the Great Labyrinth… the Empire suffered the greatest damage. It was split into dozens of pieces and scattered throughout the Great Labyrinth.”

“Then its lineage must still be maintained.”

“That’s true, but… it’s understood that the imperial line has been severed. Some of the surviving influential figures of the former Empire are using the Empire’s name, but there’s no central authority.”

In fact, the Empire wasn’t the only nation that collapsed in this way.

Almost all the countries swallowed by the Great Labyrinth met similar fates.

“The world is still being consumed by the Great Labyrinth. And someday… when the entire world is swallowed… then it will truly be the end. Our world will disappear, and the fragments of our world and the people consumed by the Great Labyrinth will lose their roots and vanish. They will be devoured by the Great Labyrinth in the truest sense.”

Luciel’s voice was laced with fear.

Cheon-ho took her hand firmly and said,

“We must stop it before that happens. We can stop it. No, we will stop it.”

“Hero.”

Luciel looked at Cheon-ho with sparkling eyes.

And a window of light appeared.

[Perverted has become Lv3.]

‘Wait, why?’

But that wasn’t important right now.

Recalling his father’s words, Cheon-ho said to Luciel,

“So, as a first step, let’s conquer this tower.”

“Yes, Hero.”

Luciel smiled brightly, seemingly regaining her energy, and Cheon-ho was satisfied.

He reluctantly released Luciel’s hand.

“Hmm, anyway, it seems this tower is a building related to the Empire.”

“Yes, the emblem engraved on the bookshelf and the floor is the emblem of the Aiter Empire. It seems that part of the Empire… specifically, the Imperial Palace, was consumed by the Great Labyrinth and took the form of this tower.”

The Empire.

And the Imperial Palace.

As expected, the Hero’s intuition was correct.

Just hearing it made it sound like a place filled with money – no, a place that seemed to hold something significant.

“What kind of place was the Empire?”

“A place where both swordsmanship and magic were highly developed. As the largest country on the continent, it was home to various races, not just humans.”

It wasn’t very helpful information, but it seemed difficult to obtain any more.

Therefore, Cheon-ho decided to act instead of continuing the conversation.

“I understand. Let’s go up to the second floor. We might be able to find more information there.”

“Yes, Hero. And be careful. Unlike the first floor, I sense the presence of monsters on the second floor.”

“You too, Luciel.”

Readjusting his grip on his kukri, Cheon-ho ascended the stone stairs, now bare of the carpet.

And as he reached the entrance to the second floor…

“He-.”

Luciel started to speak.  At the same time, or rather, slightly faster, Cheon-ho moved. He stretched out his left arm to shield Luciel while lowering his stance and focusing on what was ahead.

He sensed a presence from the front.

But it was different from before.

It was different from the presence of wild animals or poachers he had encountered several times while camping in the mountains with his father.

It was also different from the presence of the monsters he had encountered in the labyrinth world.

A foreign presence.

But a sensation he could clearly feel.

[Presence Detection Lv1 acquired.]

[Presence Detection Lv3 acquired.]

Cheon-ho naturally breathed according to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

And he could intuitively grasp what this foreign presence was.

It was like internal energy.

Magic power.

Magical energy.

He could feel Luciel drawing up her magic power behind him. At the same time, he could sense the magical energy approaching from the front.

And one more thing.

‘There’s no killing intent.’

He didn’t feel any hostility.

But Cheon-ho didn’t let his guard down.  This was the labyrinth world, where everything was unfamiliar.

Moreover, he wasn’t alone now. He had to protect Luciel.

And after a few seconds…

The identity of the magical presence was finally revealed.

[Oh… I give thanks to the Five Goddesses.]

[How long I have waited for a living being to visit this place!]

A blue, translucent, human-shaped figure appeared at the doorway.

Luciel spoke quickly and quietly.

“Hero, it’s a pure ghost. Not a ghost-type monster, but a human soul that has become an earthbound spirit.”

“Hmm.”

Cheon-ho looked at the ghost again.

A man, an old man.

The clothes he wore looked comfortable because they were loose-fitting, but they seemed inconvenient for movement.

With his glasses and all, he looked like a scholar.

“I am Park Cheon-ho. This is Luciel-nim, the angel who serves the Five Goddesses.”

As Cheon-ho spoke, slightly lowering his hand holding the kukri, the old man’s face brightened.

[Oh, an angel has come!]

A favorable reaction.

He had mentioned Luciel on purpose after seeing the old man praying to the Five Goddesses, and it seemed to have worked perfectly.

Cheon-ho gestured to Luciel, and she, quickly understanding, stepped forward.

“I am Luciel, the angel who serves the Five Goddesses. To Eos, the Goddess of Death, Darkness, and Dawn, why does one who should have passed on linger in this land?”

As Luciel spoke calmly, emitting a holy light, the old man knelt down in a prayerful posture.

Cheon-ho also inwardly admired Luciel’s unusual demeanor.

The old man replied to Luciel.

[I am Notrang Paynot, the librarian of the Imperial Palace Library.]

The following story could be summarized as follows:

When the Empire was swallowed by the Great Labyrinth, the Imperial Palace was also consumed.

As Luciel had guessed, part of the Imperial Palace became this tower and was left here. Unfortunately, it wasn’t humans who discovered the tower first, but monsters.

[I lost my life then.]

But Notrang’s soul remained in the tower.

Part of it was due to the mystical power the tower gained when it entered the Great Labyrinth, but it was also due to his sense of duty to protect the Imperial Palace, even if only in part, as the imperial librarian.

[Wicked monsters occupy this tower. Angel, I beg you, please eliminate the monsters and protect the Empire’s treasure left on the top floor.]

“The Empire’s treasure?”

When Cheon-ho asked, a smile spread across Notrang’s face. He continued, his face full of pride.

[Indeed. The treasure of our Aiter Empire… the greatest treasure of the Imperial Treasury is on the top floor. This is because part of the Imperial Treasury, along with the Imperial Library, became this tower.]

“What kind of treasure is it?”

[Hmph… Don’t be surprised.  It’s none other than the Imperial Guardian Sword – the Holy Sword Mitra!]

“Oh!”

Cheon-ho was impressed.

He had never heard of such a sword, but it was the Imperial Guardian Sword, the Holy Sword!

“The Imperial Guardian Sword is here?”

Luciel asked, her eyes wide, and Notrang’s face brightened even more.

[Indeed, Angel.  The Imperial Guardian Sword is on the top floor of this tower.  But unfortunately, the wicked monsters have occupied the tower and… Oh my!]

Mid-sentence, Notrang abruptly stood up. He looked down at the first floor with a horrified expression.

[The… the bookshelves! The library’s collection!]

Nothing remained.

The first floor was completely empty.

[These… these wicked monsters have finally! Finally!]

Cheon-ho broke out in a cold sweat, while Luciel simply perspired profusely.

Luciel asked Cheon-ho with her eyes.

‘What should we do, Hero?’

‘Hmm.’

Cheon-ho pondered.

But unfortunately, Notrang didn’t give him time to think.

[Ugh, my blood pressure… my non-existent blood pressure…]

[Angel, please, please protect the Empire’s treasure…]

Clutching the back of his neck and groaning, Notrang began to ascend – no, disappear – after his last words.

It seemed that the bookshelves of the Imperial Library, his greatest attachment to this tower, had vanished.

Luciel stared blankly at the spot where Notrang had disappeared.

Cheon-ho felt the same, but unlike Luciel, he maintained a sharp expression outwardly.

[Poker Face has become Lv2.]

“Hmm.”

Cheon-ho took Luciel’s hand, her expression still dazed. He spoke to her as she reflexively looked at him.

“Let’s pray for Notrang.”

“Uh… Yes, Hero.”

Luciel sincerely prayed for Notrang.

Since an angel had directly offered a prayer, Notrang would have no regrets.

“Hmm.”

He felt incredibly guilty, but it was resolved, right?

[Hidden Quest: Imperial Guardian Sword]

[Eliminate the wicked monsters occupying the tower and protect the Imperial Guardian Sword.]

[Sub Quest: Ascension]

[Liberate the souls trapped in the tower’s curse.]

[Imperial Librarian Notrang 1/1]

[Imperial Maid Noir 0/1]

[Royal Guard Catlan 0/1]

Just then, the window of light appeared.

The Imperial Guardian Sword.

The Holy Sword Mitra.

Cheon-ho raised his head and looked up at the ceiling.

He felt his heroic spirit burning brightly.

—–CROW—–