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Episode 5
A bait dungeon.
A decoy-type dungeon that appears to be a low grade on the surface but is actually designed as a higher grade.
It lures relatively weak raiding parties in to devour them.
“‘Retreat!'”
Park Geon-woo’s desperate shout.
All team members began running back the way they came.
“F*ck, we’re screwed.”
“Damn it. My leg…”
The problem was Park Geon-woo and Choi Min-seok.
Park Geon-woo’s stamina was drained, and Choi Min-seok seemed to have injured his leg when they collided earlier.
Still, they ran for their lives.
The passage was so small that if three people stood side by side, it would be blocked.
That was somewhat fortunate.
Because of that, the number of goblins rushing in at once was limited.
Lee Tae-jun and Park Geon-woo stopped briefly to behead the goblins charging at them.
But there was no end in sight to the remaining goblins.
There was also no certainty they could make it out alive from a path that had taken over an hour to traverse.
“‘My Lord, to the right here.'”
Just as they were running, Ellis spoke.
‘To the right?’
It looked like an ordinary wall.
Right on cue, Choi Min-seok tripped on a rock and fell, and Park Geon-woo stepped in front of him, blocking a goblin that was jumping over him.
“Leaving him behind and running away is…”
“Shut up and get up fast to grab your bow!”
“Yes.”
Irina spread out a magic circle and shouted.
“I’ll help too.”
But she ultimately couldn’t use her magic.
Because in an organized formation it might be different, but in this situation, if she fired her magic, a teammate might get hit.
That was the same for Han Do-yoon.
‘Even if I want to use an artifact, the distance between the goblins and my teammates is too close.’
Another method was needed.
Han Do-yoon remembered what Ellis had said.
‘She said to go right. But it’s blocked here…’
Huh?
The texture of the wall was different from other places.
‘This is…’
As he pushed with all his might, the wall began to open like a door.
‘A hidden passage.’
“There’s a path here!”
At Han Do-yoon’s words, Park Geon-woo glanced over and shouted, “Get in!”
“‘Hurry up!'”
“‘I got it, so take care of Lina first!'”
After seeing the other team members coming, Han Do-yoon grabbed Irina’s hand and entered together with her.
Inside was too dark to see anything.
“Lina. Please use a light spell.”
“Okay.”
That’s when it happened.
Thud.
The door closed.
It was before the other teammates had entered yet.
“Suddenly, why…?”
As he approached to open the door again, a voice was heard.
“‘Run ahead first. We’ll buy some time.'”
“That doesn’t make sense?”
“They saw this place too. You think they won’t chase?”
Park Geon-woo said with a light laugh.
“‘Go out first and call for support. I don’t plan on dying easily.'”
“Wait a moment!”
“‘We gotta send the youngest two out alive. Right?'”
‘Don’t plan on dying easily, my foot.’
Didn’t he experience it just yesterday?
In a place like this, you have to wait at least several hours for support to arrive.
He could feel his resolve.
“Lina.”
Irina didn’t answer.
Was she in shock or something?
“Getting out quickly to call for support is…”
Irina, who had cast a light spell, was staring blankly ahead.
Her arm trembled slightly.
Following her gaze was a large goblin.
The colors of its two pupils were different. One red, one white eye.
Long fingernails and a face dirty with pimples.
A monster with shamanic patterns all over its body, holding a staff made of dead wood and a skull.
Come to think of it.
There was one fact he had overlooked.
Ellis never said this place was an escape route.
“‘A Shaman Blin.'”
A predator of C-rank or higher, called the king of goblins.
This was the real boss here.
Irina exhaled sharply.
Breathing was difficult.
Under the murderous intent it was emanating.
She felt crushed by that dreadful atmosphere.
That emotion awakened her trauma.
There had been a situation like this in the past.
A common story for hunters, of surviving alone after a teammate died in a dungeon.
Except, that teammate was her older sister.
The problem was that after that incident, her body would freeze upon seeing strong monsters.
The guilt of not being able to save her teammate.
The fear that such a thing might happen again.
Fear bound her body.
“‘Still, I have to do it.'”
She didn’t want to run away like in the past and regret it later.
“‘Flame Burst.'”
It was the highest-level magic she could use.
As Irina stretched out her hand, a fist-sized ember condensed in the air.
That ember flew towards the Shaman Blin and—.
Kwaaaang!
The ember exploded, tearing the air with hot pressure waves in all directions.
“It worked…?”
But it was too early to rejoice.
Because within the black smoke, she could see the Shaman Blin silhouette standing intact.
“That’s my best…”
As the smoke cleared, the creature’s appearance became visible.
Its clothes had burned away, and its body was darkened with soot.
That was all.
Rather, with an even angrier face, it raised its staff.
“I’m sorry.”
Irina opened her mouth bitterly towards Han Do-yoon, who had approached beside her.
“It seems impossible.”
“It’s enough.”
“Huh?”
Han Do-yoon stood in front of Irina and muttered.
“‘That’s its weak point, right?'”
“‘That is correct.'”
“‘A good opponent to test artifacts on.'”
“‘Shaman Blin is a gloomy type that uses dark magic, so a light attribute artifact would be good.'”
“‘I thought the same.'”
Nodding, he spoke to Irina.
“Please step back for a moment.”
“It’s dangerous.”
“It’s okay.”
Irina couldn’t hear the conversation between Ellis and Han Do-yoon.
But strangely, watching him made her feel at ease.
How could he not tremble with an enemy like that in front of him?
She was surprised by his demeanor, the polar opposite of her own.
His very aura made her have the illusion that he, an F-rank, might even be able to win.
Of course.
It was an act.
‘…He looks utterly menacing.’
Han Do-yoon lightly touched the Ring of Folding on his left hand with his right.
“‘Chalice of Radiance.'”
【Bring out the Chalice of Radiance (B-grade)?】
“Yes.”
As he answered the system window, a golden chalice appeared in his hand.
The chalice was full, but the liquid was so transparent it looked almost non-existent.
Right on cue, the Shaman Blin slammed its staff on the floor.
Black flames flew fiercely from the mouth of the skull adorning the staff’s head.
“Do-yoon”
Irina’s scream was drowned out by the sound of the cold sea.
As he stretched the chalice towards the Shaman Blin, the water inside shot up in a straight line, piercing through the black flames.
The water that pierced the flames shattered the core on the Shaman Blin right shoulder in one go.
Just one shot.
【Chalice of Radiance (B-grade) Remaining Uses: 2】
【Destroyed a C-grade core.】
【Absorbing the C-grade core.】
【Exceeds the original target of D-grade cores. The dungeon’s level increases.】
【Dungeon Lv: 1 → Lv: 2】
【You can raise the Boss’s stats. Stat Distribution Points: 10】
【Dungeon Lv 3 Target: Five C-grade cores or One Hundred and Fifty Human Souls】
“‘Wow, the performance is good.'”
“‘Aiming accurately for the core is also impressive.'”
“‘You’re the one who told me the location.'”
“‘Knowing and being able to do it are two different things.'”
Even Ellis was surprised by the scene.
Watching the spectacle, Irina almost mistook it for a dream.
“Do, Do-yoon
“Ah.”
Amidst the flowing silence, his eyes met Irina’s squarely.
Honestly, he didn’t want to be found out.
If he said he used an artifact, they would ask about the source, and if he said it was his ability, that wouldn’t make sense either.
While nothing else might be discovered, it was true he was cautious now that his race had changed from human to Boss.
If caught, he’d be dissected, right?
“That power, just what…”
“”Lee, it seems magic must have been a critical hit, I guess. For it to fall that easily.”
He cut off Irina’s words and answered.
Her gaze turned towards the dead Shaman Blin. The magic that had precisely pierced its shoulder.
The creature turned to ash and disappeared.
It was an obvious lie.
She knew it too.
“You were still here?”
That’s when.
The door opened and Park Geon-woo and the others entered.
“Glad you’re safe.”
“Suddenly, the goblins all disappeared. Did you break the core or something?”
Just as he was pondering how to answer.
Irina spoke first.
“Yes, there was a core here.”
Han Do-yoon didn’t know.
Just how perceptive she was.
And that was the best excuse.
As you can see from the Dark Divine Palace, there are two cores in total.
One in the Boss’s body and one deep within the dungeon.
The Boss and the dungeon are a unified entity.
Destroying just one means a successful raid.
Because of that, there even exist special forces that target only the dungeon’s core.
“‘Wow, we were really lucky. I really thought I was dead. Good work.'”
Irina looked at Han Do-yoon and winked.
“The hard work was done by all of you. Fighting all those goblins.”
“What nonsense! No matter what anyone says, you who found this room are the number one contributor.”
Only then did Han Do-yoon smile slightly.
“I’ll talk to the Association to get you promoted from F-rank. It doesn’t make sense for talent like you to be F-rank.”
“No, no.”
He says something that would make laughter vanish completely.
That same night.
Lying in bed looking at his stats, Han Do-yoon asked.
“‘Entering weird dungeons twice in a row. I might as well play the lottery.'”
“‘My Lord, your ripple effect is large, you see.'”
“Huh?”
“‘It wasn’t a statement of great meaning.'”
“What’s that.”
He didn’t ask further. There was something more important.
“‘Ellis.'”
“‘Yes.'”
“‘In your opinion, what is the most important stat?'”
Name: Han Do-yoon
Age: 28
Race: Boss Monster
Skills: Adaptation, Sovereign’s Heart
Stats
Strength: 5 (F)
Agility: 5 (F)
Stamina: 5 (F)
Intelligence: 5 (F)
Spirit: 10 (D)
Luck: 10 (D)
10 points available!
“‘I think they’re all important. But the one that suits you best, my Lord, is Strength.'”
“Hmm, okay!”
He should resemble the Boss to some extent, right?
Han Do-yoon immediately put all his points into Strength.
It wasn’t just a judgment based on Ellis’s words.
This sword here.
[Proof of the Sovereign – Stat Requirement Strength 80 + Only usable by the Boss of the Dark Divine Palace]
With the [Adaptation] skill, he could hold it, but drawing out its effects was still impossible.
‘To even imitate the Boss, I’ll have to keep putting points into Strength for a while.’
