Dungeon Breaker

Chapter 17

—–CROW—–

“Hero!”

Luciel cheered.

Spreading her wings wide in the air, she flew straight towards Cheon-ho.

“Are you alright? We won!”

She landed next to Cheon-ho, kneeling down and smiling brightly. He nodded in response while still lying on the floor.

“I’ll heal you right away.”

Luciel hurriedly generated a pink light.

They had won, but Cheon-ho was in a terrible state.

His palms were soaked in blood, and his body was covered in minor cuts and bruises from repeatedly rolling on the floor.  There were also several thin, long cuts on his arms and legs from dodging the tree vines.

‘Sigh…’

Cheon-ho closed his eyes as he received the healing.

Despite being exhausted from using martial arts consecutively and his body aching from the minor injuries, he couldn’t help but smile.

He had won. He had achieved victory.

And he had done it using his father’s martial arts, the Four Heavenly Kings of Joseon.

He had protected them.

The Holy Sword Mitra and Luciel.

And himself.

“Hero, look at that.”

At Luciel’s call, Cheon-ho opened his eyes.

Kneeling beside him, she gazed softly into the distance.

Cheon-ho followed her gaze.

It was where the wall had been destroyed by his mother’s scroll.

The sight beyond.

“Ah.”

Cheon-ho gasped in admiration. He couldn’t help it.

Originally, the world outside the tower had been completely gray.

But not now.

Limited to the area around the tower, the sky had regained its blue hue, and the earth, bathed in sunlight, had also regained its original color.

The liberation of the tower.

The purification of the surrounding area.

“The Great Labyrinth is the Demon God’s domain. The fragments of our world consumed by the Great Labyrinth are all contaminated by the Demon God’s wicked energy.”

Luciel had said something similar just this morning.

The world being consumed by the Great Labyrinth.

A world destined to become part of the Great Labyrinth and eventually vanish unless they reached the lowest level and banished the Demon God.

“If we defeat the Demon God’s subordinates and weaken his power, we can restore the world to its original form, even if only for a short time… like now.”

It wasn’t permanent.

Moreover, there were no living beings in this area.

Even if they purified the wicked energy in this area, it wouldn’t stop the world’s march towards destruction.

Just a little.

As indicated in the window of light, it only brought about a very small change.

But Luciel smiled warmly. She was grateful to Cheon-ho.

“It’s thanks to you, Hero.”

That a part of the world, however briefly, had returned to its original form.

Cheon-ho couldn’t maintain his Poker Face. He responded to Luciel’s warm smile with an awkward, foolish grin. He sat up and looked again at the purified world.

He felt like he understood.

Why his father fought for Phion.

What his father had seen in Phion.

Why he returned without hesitation when Phion asked for his help once more.

‘Someday, you’ll understand too.’

This was just a small first step.

But Cheon-ho nodded.

“[How touching. But now, wouldn’t you mind explaining things to me?]”

A low, husky, androgynous voice.

Snapped out of his reverie, Cheon-ho looked at his right hand. He saw the Heat Dagger – the Holy Sword Mitra – which he was still clutching tightly.

“Hero?”

At Luciel’s question, Cheon-ho raised Mitra and asked,

“Mitra, can’t you speak to Luciel?”

Luciel’s eyes widened at the name Mitra.

Mitra replied,

“[I can, but it’s a little difficult right now.]”

“[I’ve used up too much magic power. And I’ve lost the body I’ve used for so long.]”

“[Communicating with you isn’t too difficult, but communicating with others will be challenging.  This makeshift body is too weak.]”

‘Is it because I’m a Hero?’

The reason it wasn’t difficult to communicate with him.

The Holy Sword Mitra was a sword created for the founding emperor of the Aiter Empire – the first Hero of the Labyrinth World.

“Then, will it be alright if I find you a better sword later?”

“[I would appreciate that.  A powerful magic sword, if possible.]”

“Understood.”

Concluding his conversation with Mitra, Cheon-ho spoke to Luciel, who was looking at him with a puzzled expression.

“Luciel, this is Mitra.”

“Mitra?”

“Yes, the hilt ornament is its true form, so it has temporarily transferred itself into my Heat Dagger.  My last attack succeeded thanks to Mitra’s help.”

“Wow… so you were talking to Mitra all this time.”

“Yes, say hello to Mitra.”

“[Hmm… that’s appropriate, but it’s a bit embarrassing.]”

If Mitra were human, its face would probably be red.

Chuckling softly, Cheon-ho handed the Heat Dagger to Luciel, and she smiled brightly and greeted Mitra.

“Hello, Mitra. I’m Luciel, the angel who serves the Five Goddesses.”

“[Nice to meet you.]”

But Luciel couldn’t hear it.

Luciel, who had been waiting for a reply, smiled awkwardly and looked at Cheon-ho, and he nodded slightly.

“It says it’s nice to meet you. It seems it’s still difficult for it to speak outwardly.”

“I understand. Mitra, thank you for helping the Hero.”

“[You’re welcome.]”

“Thank you too. I would have failed the last attack without you.”

“[Ahem, it’s also thanks to your excellent skills.]”

“[And Mitra is enough.  You don’t need to call me Mitra-nim.]”

It seemed to be quite shy.

It was strangely cute how it sounded embarrassed with its low, husky voice.

“[Anyway, what in the world happened?  With all this commotion, what are the imperial knights doing?]”

Cheon-ho suddenly remembered his first conversation with Mitra.

How Mitra had spoken as if all of this was a dream.

“Mitra, were you asleep this whole time?”

“[Yes, until I was awakened by some powerful magic. By the way, what kind of magic was that?  If such a powerful mage infiltrated the Imperial Palace… the imperial family might be in danger.]”

Mitra’s voice turned serious. He could clearly sense its concern for the Empire and the imperial family.

So, Cheon-ho bit his lip and looked at Luciel.

“Luciel, can you explain the situation to Mitra? It seems it was asleep the whole time.”

“Yes, Hero.”

Nodding with a heavy expression, Luciel looked at Mitra.

She began to speak slowly, in as gentle a tone as possible.

And when she finished, Mitra let out a low sigh.

“[So that’s what happened.]”

Mitra’s voice was subdued.  A mixture of sighs, resignation, and countless other emotions.

“[So that’s how it is.]”

The Empire had practically collapsed.

The imperial line had been severed.

Mitra’s title was the Imperial Guardian Sword.

Since Mitra had a self, it might have made some kind of promise with the founding emperor.

‘Protect the Empire. Protect the human nation you and I built, Mitra.’

Mitra remained silent for a moment.

Cheon-ho and Luciel understood, so they waited without saying a word.

And after some time…

“[I understand.]”

“[You are the Hero, she is the Angel, and I am the Holy Sword, so what the three of us must do from now on is clear.]”

“[I will join you.]”

“[To avenge the Empire, to rebuild the Empire, and to liberate this world.]”

Conquer the Great Labyrinth.

Banish the Demon God and liberate the world from the Great Labyrinth.

Cheon-ho nodded. Gripping the Heat Dagger, which housed the Holy Sword Mitra, he replied,

“I will join you.”

“I will join you too.”

Luciel quickly added her agreement.

Their party of two had now become three.

And immediately after, Mitra spoke in a very small voice,

“[Ahem. This is a bit embarrassing.]”

“Hmm.”

Actually, Cheon-ho felt the same way.

He had gone along with the atmosphere, but it was so embarrassing that he didn’t think he could do it again.

But Luciel seemed different, her eyes still sparkling as she clenched her fists.

‘It’s 3:50…’

Cheon-ho briefly checked his wristwatch and looked at the scenery outside the tower again.

It was still daytime.

Since the purified area included the stairs to the second floor, if they hurried, they could reach the second floor by today.

But Cheon-ho shook his head.

‘We should rest when we can.’

The environment and situation on the second floor were unknown.

It would be reckless to go down there without recovering their stamina.

‘Let’s rest sufficiently and reorganize.’

Having made up his mind, Cheon-ho turned his attention to something higher up, something he had put off checking despite its importance.

[Spoils of War]

[Casablond’s Essence]

[Casablond’s Root]

[Imperial Knight’s Armor Set]

[Hidden Quest Reward: Holy Sword Mitra / Fragment of the Imperial Guardian Sword that housed the Holy Sword Mitra]

[Hidden Quest Reward: Demonic Tree Seed]

[Sub Quest Reward: Librarian’s Belongings: Librarian’s Hat, Librarian’s Robe, Librarian’s Notebook]

[Sub Quest Reward: Maid’s Belongings: Maid’s Dress, Maid’s Sewing Kit (Already acquired)]

[Sub Quest Reward: Knight’s Belongings: Royal Guard’s Crest, Imperial Knight’s Sword]

“Hmm.”

Just looking at them made him feel content.

Among them, what particularly caught Cheon-ho’s attention was Casablond’s Essence.

The red, glowing Casablond’s Essence.

It was about the same size as the Mad Crawler’s Essence, but its color was brighter and clearer.

“Ah… ah…”

As he absorbed the essence, an indescribable pleasure washed over him once again.

Not only did his empty dantian fill up instantly, but the dantian itself expanded.

“Haa…”

It felt like his maximum internal energy had almost doubled.

With immense satisfaction, Cheon-ho looked at the other items – the ones that caught his attention after Casablond’s Essence.

“It’s the same dress as Noir’s.”

Luciel said, unfolding the maid’s dress.  As expected of a dress worn by imperial maids, it was closer to a modest dress than the maid outfits Cheon-ho usually imagined.

“Hmm.”

What a waste.

Expressing his regret inwardly, Cheon-ho unfolded the Imperial Librarian’s robe, the same one Notrang had been wearing.

It was a little small for him, but since it was a loose-fitting garment, it was wearable.

‘A change of clothes is precious.’

With only one set of clothes, he couldn’t wash them properly.

‘If I remove the cumbersome decorations, it would be good for pajamas.’

After examining the librarian’s robe, Cheon-ho folded it neatly and handed it to Luciel.

‘The Imperial Knight’s Armor… I’ll have to think about that later.’

He could equip it, but since it was full plate mail, it seemed too heavy and cumbersome.

After examining the Imperial Knight’s Helmet, Cheon-ho drew the Imperial Knight’s Sword.

It was a typical longsword.  It wasn’t a magic sword, but its center of gravity was well-balanced, and the blade was sharp.

‘The symbol of the Empire is a lion.’

Pocketing the palm-sized Royal Guard’s Crest, which depicted a roaring lion, Cheon-ho picked up the Demonic Tree Seed.

“Hmm, will a demonic tree grow if I plant this seed?”

He asked, looking at the black seed, the size of a ping-pong ball, and Luciel and Mitra each answered.

“Probably. The nature of a demonic tree depends on how its master raises it, so if you raise it well, it will become your loyal subordinate.”

“[Demonic trees are trees, so they need to take root.  If you plant it somewhere like a base, it will act as a guardian.]”

“Hmm.”

It meant he couldn’t use it right away, but it seemed useful nonetheless.

‘I can make a flowerpot if necessary.’

Nodding lightly, Cheon-ho finally picked up the Imperial Guardian Sword, Mitra’s former body.

It was broken in two, but the material of the blade was clearly extraordinary at a glance.

“[It’s a sword made of True Silver.]”

Mitra said in a bitter tone.

Feeling slightly apologetic, Cheon-ho carefully wrapped the broken sword in a waterproof cloth.

It was impossible now, but someday he might be able to repair it or melt the blade down to create something else.

“Hero, you leveled up a lot, right?”

“Yes, I’m level 23 now.”

It was an incredible leveling speed, considering it had only been two days since he entered the Great Labyrinth.

His physical abilities, which had been at the level of an Olympic gold medalist, had become even stronger, and he felt like he was approaching the limits of human potential.

‘Anyway, now that the spoils of war are sorted…’

Cheon-ho looked around.  The fifth floor, with its gaping hole in the wall, was out of the question, and so was the fourth floor, which had become a sea of fire.

The second or third floor, which had the spring, seemed like a good place to sleep.

“Luciel.”

“Yes, Hero.”

Luciel’s eyes sparkled with a strange vitality.

It seemed she knew what he was going to say.

So, Cheon-ho grinned and said,

“We’ll rest in the tower today. So let’s get to work.”

“[Work?]”

Unlike Mitra, who expressed confusion, Luciel’s eyes sparkled, and she nodded.

Work.

What would he make this time?

Just hearing the word “work” made Luciel’s heart pound with anticipation.

—–CROW—–