Dungeon Breaker

Chapter 8

—–CROW—–

His father had told him:

‘Son, you absolutely must learn to cook. Men who cook well are popular.’

‘More so than Heroes?’

‘What a foolish question.  Become a Hero who cooks well!’

‘Ahh, ahhh!’

His father, a seasoned Hero, was always right.

And Cheon-ho, looking at Luciel happily eating the meat, reaffirmed his belief.

‘Indeed.’

The way she chewed the meat with her small mouth was truly lovely.

‘I want to keep cooking for her.’

Though, for nutritional balance, he wished he had some vegetables.

Cheon-ho continued grilling the meat, lost in thought.

About an hour passed.

Luciel, her hand resting on her full stomach, wore a drowsy expression and began to doze off, her tension finally easing.

Cheon-ho asked Luciel to clean the griddle—the kite shield—and prepared for his next task.

‘The canteens aren’t enough… It can’t be helped.’

They couldn’t stay here forever, so he had to take as much water as possible.

Cheon-ho extracted the bladders from the Giant Rats, the Rat Ogre, and the Mad Crawler, cleaning them thoroughly.

[Tailoring has become Lv3.]

Using the needle and thread from his survival kit, he crudely fashioned water pouches.  With Luciel’s Purification Magic, they should be usable.

‘I should rest for a bit, too.’

Cheon-ho sat down next to Luciel in a lotus position, preparing for any unexpected events.

He circulated his internal energy according to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art, a method that allowed him to cultivate internal energy even while relatively still, although less efficiently.

Internal energy accumulated in his dantian.

—–CROW—–

“Cheon-ho, are you awake?”

Luciel’s voice was the first thing he heard upon opening his eyes.  He must have dozed off while cultivating his internal energy.

‘About two hours have passed.’

Cheon-ho checked his wristwatch and stood up.

Luciel also got up energetically, dusting off her backside.

Cheon-ho washed his face in the spring water and handed the makeshift water pouches to Luciel for purification.

Luciel froze for a moment when she saw the bladder canteens but quickly recovered and cast Purification Magic on them with trembling hands.

“Now that we’ve eaten and rested, let’s explore the Rat Hole.”

“Yes, Hero.”

Luciel clenched her fists as usual at Cheon-ho’s words.

Cheon-ho handed her a small leaf.

“This is an Ancabrai Leaf. An antidote to Ancabra’s Poison.  Just in case, keep it in your mouth.”

His father had taught him never to use poison without an antidote.

Luciel put the blue leaf in her mouth as instructed, and Cheon-ho, after a slight hesitation, asked, “Luciel, would it be alright if I cut a bit of your skirt?”

“Mmm?”

Her voice was muffled by the leaf in her mouth.

Cheon-ho explained, “I need some cloth to cover our noses and mouths.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

She nodded, seemingly agreeing.

Cheon-ho handed her scissors, and Luciel cut her skirt herself.  She cut generously, shortening the hem, which had reached her ankles, to around her calves.

Cheon-ho put an Ancabrai Leaf in his own mouth, wetted a piece of Luciel’s skirt in the spring water, and wrapped it around his face to cover his nose and mouth. He did the same for Luciel and then lit the torch he had prepared.

“Let’s go.”

He retrieved the wires and entered the Rat Hole. Since the hole was two meters in diameter, he could walk upright without much difficulty.

‘I’m 180cm tall, so… Luciel is probably around 160cm?’

As expected, the Rat Hole—the cave—was filled with thick smoke.  The corpses of Giant Rats, poisoned by Ancabra’s Poison, lay scattered everywhere.

After walking for a while, the mostly straight passage began to slope upwards, leading to a fairly large chamber.

“Mmmmph!”

“You’ve had the Ancabrai Leaf in your mouth long enough, so it should be safe to spit it out now.”

“Huff… huff… J-Just a moment.  Let me catch my breath…”

Luciel, who seemed to have had difficulty breathing, took a few small breaths and then pointed to a large altar at the end of the chamber.  “That’s the Plague God’s altar.  The statue in the middle is the Plague God’s idol.”

Instead of approaching recklessly, Cheon-ho narrowed his eyes and observed the altar.

A dark green statue, about the size of a child, stood in the center.  It depicted a slender monster with a rat’s head.

“If we destroy the altar and the statue, the quest should be complete.”

Cheon-ho nodded again at Luciel’s words and looked around.  Several rat-headed monsters in robes lay sprawled around. Judging by their attire, they seemed to be priests of the Plague God.

Cheon-ho walked towards a pile of miscellaneous items on the opposite side of the altar.  His eyes were drawn to a large hammer, the kind used at a construction site.

“Is there a curse or anything on it?”

“No, it’s clean. But just in case, I’ll cast Purification Magic on it.”

A pink light emanated from Luciel’s fingertips and enveloped the hammer.

[Well-Smashing War Hammer]

Gripping the crudely named war hammer, Cheon-ho steeled his resolve and walked towards the altar.

“I’m going to destroy it.”

“Yes!”

Luciel replied, gulping.

Cheon-ho channeled internal energy into his arms and swung the hammer at the statue’s head.

*Crash!*

The head shattered instantly.  With continued hammering, the body crumbled, and the wooden altar splintered into pieces.

And just then…

Sensing a change, Cheon-ho’s eyes widened, and he looked up.  He raised his left arm to protect Luciel, who gathered pink magical power behind him.

Green smoke billowed upwards.

Erupting from the destroyed altar, it coalesced into a shape.  A giant rat’s head.

[The Five Goddesses’ lapdogs!]

[You lowly, cursed wretches!]

The chamber reverberated with the voice.

It wasn’t just loud; it was a chilling, terrifying voice.

The Plague God.

The evil god of the depths, who controlled disease!

[I will remember you!]

[I will never forgive you for killing my apostle and destroying my idol!]

[I will give you the most gruesome death!]

[I will make you beg for a painless death!]

The Plague God glared at Cheon-ho and Luciel.  His fiery gaze seemed ready to incinerate them.

Cheon-ho, his lips pressed tightly together, faced the Plague God, while Luciel shouted courageously, “D-Don’t be ridiculous! The H-Hero will punish… no, defeat you!”

The Plague God’s eyes burned even brighter at her defiant cry.

At the same time, Cheon-ho thought, no, screamed inwardly, ‘W-Wait.  H-Hold on!’

*Why am I being called out here?!*

Cold sweat trickled down his back, but Cheon-ho didn’t show it.  Showing fear wouldn’t do any good.

He simply faced the Plague God with a facade of calmness, and the Plague God narrowed his eyes.

[You’re quite the formidable pair.  But remember.  Always be afraid.  For I will not forget you!]

“Hmph!”

Luciel shouted again, and Cheon-ho seriously considered stopping her but decided against it.

The damage was done, and judging by the way things were going, the Plague God would disappear soon.

[Wait. Death will find you!]

The green smoke that formed the Plague God’s head dispersed explosively.

A few seconds passed.

Luciel’s legs gave way, and she collapsed.

Cheon-ho wanted to do the same, but he managed to stay standing.

Luciel gasped, “I-I’m sorry. I acted on my own…”

“No, it’s alright.”

Cheon-ho didn’t scold her.  It wouldn’t have changed anything.

‘He’s our enemy anyway.’

Moreover, the Plague God had been spewing curses even before Luciel had said anything.

It might have been better that she’d shown some spirit, even if only verbally.

And that thought became reality.

[Completed the Hidden Quest ‘Rat Hole’.]

[Thwarted the wicked Plague God’s scheme.]

[The Labyrinth World has become slightly safer.]

[The Labyrinth World remembers your glorious achievement.]

[Created the Chronicle Quest ‘Adversary of the Plague God’.]

[The God of Healing, an enemy of the Plague God, favors you and your angel for not only thwarting the Plague God’s scheme but also showing defiance against him.]

[Receiving the Blessing of the God of Healing.]

[Blessing of the God of Healing Lv1]

[1. Healing speed increased by 1.2 times.]

[2. Resistance to various diseases increased by 1.2 times.]

[Level Up!]

[Acquired Disease Resistance Lv1.]

[Hidden Quest Reward:  Burning Kaibes’ Heat Dagger]

Light windows appeared one after another.

A shower of blue light poured down on Cheon-ho and Luciel, and a glowing symbol appeared on the back of their right hands.  The Blessing of the God of Healing.

“C-Cheon-ho! It’s a Rare grade dagger!”

Luciel picked up the dagger that had fallen to the floor, her eyes shining.  It was a dagger with a crimson blade, and the orange gem embedded in the hilt resembled a snake’s eye.

[Burning Kaibes’ Heat Dagger]

[A dagger that can imbue its blade with the heat of flames.]

[1. Sharpness]

[2. Heat Generation]

[3. Automatic Repair]

It was indeed a pretty—no, an undeniably good dagger.

Satisfied, Cheon-ho sheathed the dagger in the accompanying leather scabbard and equipped it on his right hip.

But the rewards didn’t end there.

“Ah!”

Luciel suddenly exclaimed and approached the destroyed altar. Cheon-ho followed and saw a helmet and armor inside.

Luciel said in a somber voice, “These belonged to a summoned Hero.  It seems they were sacrificed as an offering to create the Plague God’s altar…”

“Summoned… like me?”

“Yes.  When summoned Heroes die, their bodies don’t remain. They turn into light and disappear.”

He wondered when this Hero had been summoned.  What world, what era had they lived in?

Luciel clasped her hands together and prayed, honoring the soul of the deceased Hero.

Cheon-ho stood beside her in silent tribute, then examined the helmet and armor.  After finishing her prayer, Luciel said, “Let’s take them.  The Hero would want that.”

Those summoned to the Labyrinth World were mostly those who had been called Heroes in their own worlds.  As Luciel said, they would likely want their equipment to contribute to the liberation of the Labyrinth World, even in death.

Cheon-ho nodded heavily and reached for the helmet and armor.  The helmet was square, and the armor was Western-style chainmail.

Cheon-ho focused on the helmet.

A square steel helmet.

It was too big for him.  The inside was lined with leather, which was quite soft.

“Cheon-ho?”

Hearing Luciel’s call, Cheon-ho closed his eyes for a moment, sketching a rough blueprint in his mind.

‘I can do this.’

Remove the lining, dent the nose guard, and with some modifications, create a handle.

And thus, he obtained…

‘I’ll put this to good use.’

Cheon-ho acquired a pot.

—–CROW—–