Dungeon Breaker

Chapter 2

—–CROW—– 

It was a peaceful, quiet afternoon. Two days after the CSAT (College Scholastic Ability Test).  Park Cheon-ho blinked, having just poured hot water into his cup ramen and sat down.

“Hmm.”

The kitchen table was the same. The cup ramen on the table, the kimchi in the airtight container, the chair, and even the smartphone he’d planned to use while eating – everything was exactly as it had been.

And yet, everything else was different.

For starters, he wasn’t at home.

The ceiling, walls, and floor had all changed. It was a space resembling the medieval European underground passages he’d seen in movies and documentaries. A high ceiling and a wide corridor. A cold, stone floor.

It wasn’t just the background that had changed.  An unfamiliar woman stood before him.

Pink hair.

That stood out more than anything else, so it was the first thing he noticed.  An angel with bright pink hair and a pale face.  White wings on her back and a halo above her head – definitely an angel.

Dressed in flowing white clothes, she clasped her hands together and prayed.

“Please, a 5-star! Please, a 5-star! If not, even a 4-star will do…!”

Having heard something both familiar and strange, Cheon-ho glanced back at his ramen. It still needed a little more time to cook.

“Hmm.”

Cheon-ho thought again.

An unfamiliar place.

An unfamiliar woman.

And one who, at first glance, was clearly not an ordinary human, but someone nine out of ten people would identify as an angel.

‘Is this it, then?’

Four years had passed since his father had revealed his (supposed) birth secret.

An event he’d imagined countless times in his spare time.

“Please, please, Goddess! Please!”

The angel continued to pray fervently.

Cheon-ho peeled open the lid of his cup ramen. It was cooked, and he intended to eat it before it got soggy.

*Slurp, slurp.*

He swallowed the noodles and turned on his smartphone.

As expected, the internet wasn’t working.  No Wi-Fi, not even LTE.

‘Hmm, as expected.’

*Slurp, slurp.*  He took a sip of cola.

‘The day has finally come.’

His heart pounded slightly.

Still, Cheon-ho didn’t stop eating his ramen. This might be his last cup ramen, after all. He intended to finish it all before it got soggy.

But just then…

“Eh?”

Following the dazed sound, he turned his gaze to the angel, who was blinking.  She seemed to have just noticed him.

“Um, hello.”

Cheon-ho greeted her first.

Although the words the angel had muttered during her prayer weren’t Korean, he could strangely understand what she meant.  So, he figured the reverse would probably be true as well.

The angel blinked again at his greeting.  She stood there, flustered, before hurrying towards him.

“Uh, um… H-Hero?”

“Hmm.”

Cheon-ho feigned composure. He’d felt an indescribable thrill the moment he heard the word “Hero.”

If his father had seen him, he would’ve said, “Like father, like son.”

“First, I’d like to hear what’s going on.”

Cheon-ho had run simulations of being summoned to another world dozens—no, hundreds—of times. He’d already thought about how to react when meeting a friendly and, well, pretty summoner.

“Uh… Yes. I-I’ll explain.”

The angel seemed flustered by Cheon-ho’s calm demeanor. She pressed a hand to her chest and took a deep breath, while Cheon-ho finished his ramen.

*Slurp, slurp.*

After about ten seconds, the angel, who had been staring blankly at Cheon-ho eating, shook her head and spoke with a slightly more composed expression.

“M-My name is Luciel. I’m an angel serving the Five Goddesses… and I’m the summoner who summoned you, Hero.”

“Hmm, I see. Please continue.”

“Uh… Yes. W-Well, that is…”

While the angel—Luciel—muttered things like, “T-This isn’t right…,” as she searched for the right words, Cheon-ho finished his cola.

The familiar taste and coolness of the cola going down his throat filled him with both satisfaction and regret.

Another ten seconds passed.

Luciel, finally regaining her composure, clasped her hands together again and explained.

“T-This is the Labyrinth World. A world that has become a giant labyrinth due to the Demon Lord’s invasion. We’re summoning Heroes to conquer the Great Labyrinth, liberate the world, and… rescue the Five Goddesses.”

“Hmm, I see.”

It was textbook.  The fact that it was a Labyrinth World, not just a fantasy world, was a bit concerning, but so far, it was within his expectations.

“My headquarters was destroyed in an attack by the Demon Lord’s subordinates.  I barely escaped thanks to the Archangel’s sacrifice… and I summoned you, Hero, with the last remaining Summoning Stone at the branch…”

Luciel started to weep as she spoke.

Cheon-ho thought as he drank his cola.

‘This isn’t good.’

The situation was more serious than he’d anticipated. He’d have to recall the worst-case scenarios from his simulations.

“Hero! Please, I beg you! I’m sorry to summon you so suddenly like this, but, no, summoning you so suddenly like this is truly something I apologize for! But please save our world!”

Luciel pleaded with a fervent tone, tears streaming down her face.

Cheon-ho finished his cola.  And he thought.

‘Well, I’m screwed.’

He’d been summoned to a Labyrinth World.  But the ones who summoned him weren’t an empire, a kingdom, or some powerful group, but a failing one.

Moreover, the angel in front of him, while pretty, seemed weak.  She might even be a low-ranking angel.

And the angel had said she’d summoned him with the last remaining Summoning Stone.

No allies.

No supporting forces.

All he had was a possibly low-ranking angel, whose abilities were questionable.

‘I’m really screwed.’

But he didn’t show it on his face.  Crying and complaining wouldn’t improve the situation.

‘Even if I ask to be sent back, it probably won’t happen right away.’

There weren’t any magic circles or anything on the floor.  Even if there was a way back, it would be impossible to return immediately.

“Hmm.”

Cheon-ho tried to calm himself.

Luciel looked at him with trusting eyes.

“Hero, please tell me your name.”

Luciel said, moving her fingers in the air. A window of light appeared, as if she was trying to do a search.

Cheon-ho spoke in a low voice.

“Park Cheon-ho. Park is my last name, and Cheon-ho is my first name.”

“Yes, Hero Cheon-ho.”

Luciel replied with a bright smile and moved her fingers on the window of light again.

A few seconds passed.

Luciel blinked.  Her smile faded, and her eyes widened in shock.

“Y-You’re a 1-star!”

His name didn’t appear in the search.  This only happened to 1-star heroes, the so-called “unknown heroes.”

“Hmm.”

“‘Hmm’ is not the answer! You’re a 1-star! A 1-star! Why are you so calm?!”

“Because panicking won’t do any good?”

“W-Well, that’s true, but…”

Luciel blinked a few more times and then took a deep breath. After finally calming down, she spoke in a rush.

“W-Well, you see, we summon heroes with the Summoning Stone, right? Usually, people who have already passed away come. Heroes who have achieved great feats in the world.  Based on your world, Hero Cheon-ho… think Romance of the Three Kingdoms.  Yes, like Lu Bu or Guan Yu.”

“Hmm, so you’re saying I’m like Yan Baihu?”

“You *are* Yan Baihu! No, you’re not even Yan Baihu! Your name doesn’t even show up in the search!”

Luciel’s face flushed red. She took another deep breath before continuing.

“The number of stars is determined by the achievements you made in your world. A 1-star hero is practically no different from an ordinary person.  Waaah. We’re doomed. It was the last draw, the last draw the Archangel left us…”

Luciel collapsed and began to sob.

And Cheon-ho understood.

‘Indeed.’

He was, after all, an ordinary high school student, aside from being the son of a hero.

It was only natural that he would be a 1-star.

Cheon-ho took a handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to Luciel.  It was a high-quality handkerchief he’d prepared for a day like this.  He’d even sprayed it with cologne, as his father had advised.

Luciel stared blankly at the handkerchief before carefully accepting it.  After wiping her tears, she bit her lip and looked at Cheon-ho again.

“I-I’m sorry.  You must be the most bewildered and distressed right now, Hero Cheon-ho.”

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

What could he do? He’d already been summoned.

Perhaps because he’d imagined this scenario hundreds of times, despite the thought that he was screwed, he felt it was simply fate.

“I’ll be honest with you.”

Luciel looked directly into Cheon-ho’s eyes.  Her blue eyes were filled with firm resolve.

“There’s no way for you to return other than by conquering the Great Labyrinth and liberating the world. Yes, of course, it’s unreasonable.  It’s practically impossible for a 1-star hero.”

Luciel tightly grasped Cheon-ho’s hand. Her eyes now held a sense of responsibility.

“I summoned you, Hero Cheon-ho.  So… I’ll do my best. I’ll do my best to protect you!”

“Hmm.”

Luciel was sincere.  Perhaps because she was an angel, she seemed to have a truly kind heart.

So, Cheon-ho tried to maintain his composure.  Instead of blushing, he simply nodded and helped Luciel to her feet.

“Alright.  Since things have turned out this way, let’s work together.”

“Hero…”

Luciel’s face, deeply moved, filled with tears again.

Cheon-ho looked directly at her and asked,

“But is there really nothing? Like, do I get any special abilities when I’m summoned as a Hero…?”

“T-There is!”

Luciel quickly nodded, and Cheon-ho breathed a sigh of relief inwardly.

“Since you’ve come to the Labyrinth World, you should be able to use the system.  Try calling up your status window. If you focus your mind and say ‘status window,’ a window of light should appear.”

System and status window.

Cheon-ho smiled unconsciously and looked up at the empty air, while Luciel covered her eyes with her hands as if she was afraid to look.

Smiling again at her reaction, Cheon-ho said, looking up,

“Status window.”

A window of light appeared.

—–CROW—–