Dungeon Breaker

Chapter 5

—–CROW—– 

“Ha… ha… I’m sorry. I got a little too excited.”

“Hmm.”

*No, it’s alright. Please get excited often.  You can get even more excited.  Feel free to be bolder.*

Of course, he only thought those words.

Luciel, her cheeks flushed, looked up at Cheon-ho, then glanced back at the Rat Ogre.  “Catching a Rat Ogre on the 1st floor… and in just two hits! Rat Ogres are among the strongest monsters on this floor. You’re truly amazing!”

“Hmm, I see.”

It did seem incredibly strong.

Honestly, he’d been lucky.

It was his first time using internal energy.

If he’d been even slightly off, things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

‘But…’

Cheon-ho clenched his fist.  His heart pounded.  He thrilled at the power of the internal energy he’d used for the first time.

The truth was, Cheon-ho hadn’t attempted the internal energy-infused martial arts because he was caught up in the moment.  He’d done it because he wasn’t confident he could incapacitate the creature quickly with ordinary arrows or throwing knives.

Even if he’d landed dozens of arrows, it probably would have gone berserk.  Throwing knives wouldn’t have been much different.

But with internal energy-infused martial arts, he could subdue it.

‘Father.’

He now understood the expression his father had worn while teaching him about internal energy and magical power.  He must have felt sorry for his son, who couldn’t cultivate internal energy due to Earth’s environment.

“Um…”

Just then, Cheon-ho, about to slip into reminiscence mode, shifted his gaze at the sound of Luciel’s voice. She was fidgeting with her clasped hands.

“C-Cheon-ho.”

“Yes?”

“Um… what did you do before…?”

‘As expected.’

He had anticipated this question. So, Cheon-ho answered as he had planned in his simulations.

“I was a student.”

Because his father had told him so.

A Hero should be shrouded in mystery.

That’s what makes them look cool.

“I-I see.”

Luciel smiled awkwardly and thought, ‘He’s… not normal.’

He was definitely a good person, a dependable Hero, but he didn’t seem normal.

Hiding weapons in his kitchen table and all.

“By the way, a Hidden Quest has appeared.”

“O-Oh, right! The Hidden Quest!”

Luciel clapped her hands and her eyes sparkled again.  “Cheon-ho, first, take the Rat Ogre’s Magical Essence. Absorbing it will increase your magical power.”

“Magical power?”

“Yes, hold it tightly in your hand and imagine absorbing it.”

Luciel picked up the black marble-sized orb lying in front of the Rat Ogre and handed it to Cheon-ho.

‘Is this like an item drop?’

The Rat Ogre’s corpse remained, but the Magical Essence had separated from it.

In any case, he should absorb it first, as Luciel had instructed.

Cheon-ho tightly grasped the Rat Ogre’s Magical Essence in his hand.

*Absorb.*

As he thought it, it happened.

And Cheon-ho realized something.  His father had been right. Magical power and internal energy were the same. The only difference was where it was accumulated.

Perhaps because Cheon-ho had already used internal energy, the Rat Ogre’s essence accumulated in his dantian.

‘Ah… ahhh…’

The amount of his internal energy more than doubled in an instant. Although the amount he had accumulated initially was minuscule, it was a significant improvement.

‘A-Amazing.’

So this was what an inner core was like.

Since the Rat Ogre dropped a Magical Essence, other monsters would likely drop them too.

If he absorbed them all, he could accumulate internal energy much faster than simply cultivating the Heavenly Demon Divine Art on his own.

And if he did that—

‘True martial arts.’

It was impossible right now.

But if he accumulated enough internal energy, he would be able to use them.

The ultimate martial arts he’d learned from his father.

The Four Heavenly Kings of Joseon and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art!

“Cheon-ho, how do you feel?”

“Hmm.”

Luciel asked, her face flushed, as if she were more excited than he was. Cheon-ho, maintaining his composure, replied, “I absorbed the magical power.”

“No adverse reactions?”

“No, it absorbed just fine.”

“That’s a relief.”

Luciel breathed a sigh of relief and explained softly, “The magical power of monsters is often impure. Seeing as you absorbed the Rat Ogre’s magical power without any problems, you should be able to absorb the magical power of most monsters.”

“I see.”

It seemed to be thanks to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.  After all, it was a martial art that arrogantly suppressed the energy of all things in the world and transformed it into the power of the Heavenly Demon.

“Then I’ll explain the Hidden Quest. Oh, dear. I’m so excited.  Just a moment. Let me calm down a bit.”

“Take your time.”

Luciel pressed her hand to her chest and took deep breaths, while Cheon-ho took deep breaths inwardly.

After a while, Luciel, having regained her composure, spoke.

“A Hidden Quest is, as the name suggests, a hidden quest.  It’s a quest you can’t find by simply descending through the Great Labyrinth.”

“Are the quests fixed?  Like… do they remain hidden until someone discovers them?”

“It’s a little different. Quests aren’t prepared in advance. They occur in real-time, depending on the situation.”

“Hmm.”

He understood roughly.

The Labyrinth World was very game-like, but it wasn’t actually a game.  There weren’t quests prepared by a developer for the players.

Quests were generated based on the situation, and rewards were given accordingly.

‘The Five Goddesses created this by utilizing the labyrinth system.’

The purpose was to support the Heroes.  It made sense.

“In any case, Hidden Quests must be rare, right?”

“Yes, and the rewards are often good.  It’s best to complete them if possible.”

“Hmm, I see.  Then let’s check it out.”

He couldn’t tell what kind of quest it was just from the title.

“Yes, Cheon-ho.”

Luciel replied brightly, clearly excited, and moved her fingers in the air.

[Hidden Quest: Rat Hole]

[The Mad Crawler, apostle of the wicked Plague God, has created a large lair between the 1st and 2nd floors.]

[You must exterminate the monsters in the Rat Hole and defeat the Mad Crawler to thwart the Plague God’s wicked scheme.]

[Purge the Rat Hole and destroy the Plague God’s altar.]

“Hmm.”

He’d defeated a Rat Ogre, so he was given a rat-related quest.  Textbook.

‘But what exactly is this wicked scheme?’

He didn’t know, but he decided to move on. The objective of the quest was clear.

“Indeed, a Hidden Quest… it won’t be easy. Since it’s a lair, there will be a lot of Giant Rats.  There might even be several Rat Ogres.”

Luciel’s expression darkened.  Just a moment ago, she’d insisted on completing the Hidden Quest, but now she looked like she’d suggest avoiding it if he pressed her.

“Let’s at least try. Can we find the location of the Rat Hole?”

“Just a moment.”

Luciel moved her fingers again, and a rough map made of light appeared in the air.  It showed the path they had taken so far and the path ahead, with the location of the Rat Hole marked in red.

“It’s not that far.  Looking at the map, it seems there’s a hidden path.”

“Let’s copy it down.”

Maps were crucial in unfamiliar places, especially inside a labyrinth.

Cheon-ho quickly sketched the map in a notebook Luciel retrieved from her Inventory.

[Cartography has become Lv3.]

Although he seemed to be sketching roughly, it was so precise it was almost as if he were tracing it.

Naturally, Luciel’s eyes widened.

After finishing the map in silence, Cheon-ho asked one last question. “By any chance, can bodies be stored in the Inventory?”

“Um… if they’re dead, yes. Time stops inside the Inventory, so they won’t decompose.”

“I see. Then let’s put the Giant Rat’s body in the Inventory.”

Cheon-ho said, turning towards the Giant Rat he had just killed.  It was dozens of times larger than a regular rat, almost the size of a large dog.

“Y-You can put it in, but what are you going to use it for?”

“Food.”

Luciel’s face paled at Cheon-ho’s answer.

He was talking about eating a monster, a rat at that.

But there was no other choice. They had to eat to survive.

Luciel opened her Inventory with trembling hands, and Cheon-ho placed the Giant Rat’s body, as well as the Rat Ogre’s, inside.

“Let’s go.”

“Ah, before that, Cheon-ho, there’s something I forgot.”

“What is it?”

“A party. You’ve reached Main Level 5, right? Then you can form a party.”

“Um… you mean form a group?”

“Yes, it’s usually formed between Heroes, but it’s also possible with an angel. I’ll receive a small portion of your experience, but in return, my Healing Magic and… other support will be more effective. And as the party lasts longer and the party level increases, there will be more things we can do.”

“Then let’s form one.”

“Yes, just a moment.”

Luciel quickly manipulated her fingers and created a new window of light.

[Do you wish to form a party with 9th Rank Angel Luciel?]

[Yes / No]

‘So she was 9th Rank after all.’

He didn’t know much about angel ranks, but it didn’t seem high.

“Cheon-ho?”

“Yes, let’s form it now.”

As he touched the window of light, the party was formed. There weren’t any noticeable changes, but he felt strangely connected to Luciel.

“Good.”

“Hmm, let’s go then.”

“Yes, Cheon-ho!”

Luciel replied energetically, clenching her fist as if mustering courage.

Cheon-ho smiled slightly and started to lead the way.

—–CROW—– 

Arriving in front of the Rat Hole, following the map, Luciel blinked.

It felt like she’d been blinking constantly since entering the Great Labyrinth, but it couldn’t be helped.

“What are you doing?”

“Building a fire.”

—–CROW—–