🔊 TTS Settings
Gyeol arrived at the Mapo Dungeon. Even though it was a dungeon where the level change had been confirmed, quite a few hunters had gathered. Humans who feed on danger.
Hunters are such beings. The greater the danger, the greater the reward. As a hunter, it was impossible to ignore that.
An employee from the Hunter Management Agency was present. If the danger level exceeds C, the government manages entry. The flow of mana was certainly turbulent.
It was a dungeon that had changed from level D to level B in succession. A double change. The dungeon was getting crazier.
Most of the hunters had gathered after detecting level D or C. By the time they arrived, the dungeon had jumped to level B. Had this ever happened before?
The hunters shook their heads and looked at each other. They all seemed hesitant.
The Hunter Management Agency employee recognized Gyeol and ran over.
“Sir Kang Gyeol, what brings you here?”
Kang Gyeol was someone who only stepped in when a portal opened. If it wasn’t a situation where another world was connected, he rarely got involved. The employee examined Gyeol’s face.
“Could there be a rift forming inside?”
If Kang Gyeol was here, there was a possibility.
“That’s not it. I came because the level change was a bit unusual.”
“It’s more than unusual. This is the first time a dungeon change has progressed like this. I still can’t believe the level changed twice in a row.”
“Did any guilds come?”
“A team from the Hwanryong Guild entered two hours ago.”
Hwanryong. A guild with a bad reputation. They were known to be very interested in the Demon World, and he had been thinking of investigating them anyway.
Gyeol walked to the dungeon entrance. It was a huge dungeon, a rare sight. In front of the entrance, a hunter in barbarian attire shouted.
“Recruiting a mage who can use Fireball! We’ll manage your health and guarantee 15% of the magic stones.”
It seemed he had made up his mind and was gathering companions. Next to him, a hunter with a sword stepped forward and shouted.
“Any healers? We’re going in right now. You won’t die. I’ll be responsible for protecting you! Newbies are welcome.”
A slender healer was standing at the dungeon entrance, biting her lower lip. The hunter with the sword spoke to her.
“Are you a healer? What are you worried about? You can’t do anything alone anyway. If you come with me, it’s a win even if you just gain experience. Will you come with me?”
The healer ignored him and glanced at Gyeol. Then she strode past him and entered the dungeon.
After calmly examining the entrance, Gyeol entered the dungeon. The inside was no different from other dungeons. However, the level of the monsters that popped out was different, as if to prove that a change had occurred.
The dungeon’s mascot, the cave rat, was nowhere to be seen. As expected of a danger level B dungeon. Two hunters were fighting a cave centipede, pressed against the wall. It was a creature that was over 5 meters long when it stood up.
It was a troublesome type to hunt because it spat venom.
He had to break the dungeon heart quickly. If the level changed once more, all the hunters in the dungeon would be in danger.
As the cave centipede spat venom, the hunter who was wielding a staff covered his face and collapsed. The healer he had seen at the entrance ran towards him and threw her mana.
The mana she threw created a dome like a soap bubble and enveloped the hunter. The inside of the dome was filled with healing energy. It was a high-level heal.
The hunter next to him thrust a spear into the cave centipede’s body. The centipede’s body contorted, and it collapsed. The hunter, who had been healed, stood up, walked out of the dome, and shattered the cave centipede’s core with his staff.
The centipede’s body scattered and disappeared, leaving behind two small magic stones.
“I underestimated it and almost got into big trouble. I was lucky to meet a healer. Thank you.”
The hunter with the staff handed her one of the magic stones.
“Would you like to come with us, if you’re okay with it?”
The healer took only the magic stone and turned towards the inside of the dungeon. The hunter with the staff approached Gyeol.
“Are you the hunter who carries a baby? That’s right! This is an honor. Can I take a picture? My wife is also a fan of yours.”
“Leave.”
“Pardon?”
“Another dungeon change could happen. If a third change occurs, you won’t be able to handle it.”
If he was struggling with a dungeon centipede, he wouldn’t survive in an A-rank dungeon. This dungeon was suspicious. The heart was writhing as if it were mad. The hunter read Gyeol’s expression and understood the situation.
“I thought something was strange. I’ve experienced dungeon changes before, but it wasn’t like this.”
The hunter looked at the traces of the cave centipede and shook his head.
“We’ll be content with this. It’s my dream to visit your restaurant once, but I haven’t had the courage to set foot in Jongno 3-ga yet. I’ll definitely visit someday.”
The hunter turned towards the dungeon entrance with his companion. Gyeol placed his hand on the dungeon wall and examined the flow of mana. The rhythm was irregular.
Dungeons like this were increasing. Dungeons where the mutation couldn’t be predicted. A tricky type to handle.
Could he break the heart before the third mutation began?
He quickened his pace and headed inside. Ignoring the monsters that popped out, he turned a corner and saw the healer he had met earlier. A man with a tiger tattoo on his chest was talking to her. The tiger’s front paw was on her neck and its right cheek.
“I’m lucky today! To meet a healer here. I was thinking of going back to the entrance to find one.”
The man with the tiger tattoo rubbed his palms together and examined her face.
“There’s a half-dead hobgoblin in that cave over there. Holding a sack full of treasure. But our warriors are injured, so we can’t finish it off.”
The man with the tiger tattoo licked his lips and continued.
“I, the one in the best condition, came out to find a healer. Warriors are troublesome. They might betray us and run off with the treasure. We definitely need a healer, so it would be great if you could help. The reward is guaranteed! I’ll give you half of the treasure.”
The healer glanced at Gyeol.
The man with the tiger tattoo followed her gaze and looked at Gyeol. Then he grabbed her arm and led her inside.
“Shall we go? It’s that cave right there. Very close.”
The ploy was too obvious. It was foolish to follow without knowing, and suspicious to go in knowing.
The healer was led by the man with the tiger tattoo towards the cave. The man with the tiger tattoo pushed her into the cave and glanced at Gyeol. His expression said, ‘Don’t butt in, just go on your way.’
As the man disappeared, Gyeol slowly approached the cave. The healer didn’t matter. In a dungeon, everyone was responsible for their own choices.
The problem was the man with the tiger tattoo. He had sensed a strange unease from him. It wasn’t demonic energy, but… it felt like it.
He enveloped his body in ether, concealed his presence, and moved forward, sticking to the wall. The healer’s actions were also strange. She seemed to be following him even though she knew it was dangerous. Why?
A small hall appeared inside the cave. The space was quite large. He pressed his body against a stalagmite and used his senses to read the situation. Six? No, seven? Hunters were surrounding the healer. The man with the tiger tattoo’s words were a lie. There were no injured. And of course, no hobgoblin.
The man with the tiger tattoo laughed.
“Brothers, it’s a jackpot! A super-class beauty! It’s a shame to use her as a sacrifice.”
“Then try to seduce her. You’re so horny.”
“I can’t seduce a woman before a sacred ritual.”
“Do you think she’d be seduced by you, after you brought her here as a sacrifice?”
“You never know! There’s also Stockholm syndrome!”
“This crazy bastard is unnecessarily smart. We don’t have time. Hurry up and put her on the altar.”
A sacrifice? An altar?
He needed to listen a little longer to get more information, but judging by the atmosphere, there was no time for that. Gyeol strode into the dungeon hall. The hunters glared at him.
“Who are you!”
“Huh?”
There was someone who recognized him.
“Well, well, if it isn’t a celebrity. Aren’t you the hunter who carries a baby? But you came to the wrong place. There’s nothing here.”
“That’s right. The cave with monsters is that way. This is a dead end.”
Their tone was polite, but their expressions were threatening. It was a clear hint to not interfere and get lost. A sacrifice. A cave stalagmite, cut in half to resemble an altar, caught his eye. Gyeol looked at the man with the tiger tattoo.
“You.”
“Me?”
The man with the tiger tattoo flinched and looked at his companions. Since he was shirtless, his chest muscles were clearly visible. He was a timid man, despite his size.
“Explain what you’re doing in three seconds. Or you die.”
“Three seconds is too short!”
A hunter next to him slapped the back of the man with the tiger tattoo’s head. And he took off his shirt. A dragon tattoo covered his entire body.
“It’s none of your business what we do, right? Just go on your way.”
Gyeol ignored the man with the dragon tattoo and continued.
“Speak. You have two seconds left.”
“We’re offering a sacrifice to the Demon King! We need to gather mana to open the gate to the Demon World!”
Slap!
The man with the dragon tattoo slapped the back of the man with the tiger tattoo’s head again. The man with the tiger tattoo whimpered and stepped back.
“Why do you keep hitting me!”
“You idiot. You’re already scared before we even fight?”
“How are we supposed to beat the hunter who carries a baby!”
“We’ll know when we fight. Rumors are always exaggerated.”
“Really?”
The man with the dragon tattoo raised his hand, and the man with the tiger tattoo covered his head and ran away. The man with the dragon tattoo shook his head and approached Gyeol.
“I’ll have a go with a famous person. If you’re bothered, you can go back now.”
He might learn a thing or two. If he could keep his consciousness while being beaten. The man with the dragon tattoo raised his mace. It was a watermelon-sized mace covered in rust.
“Now, my attack is… huh?”
Thud
Gyeol stomped on the dungeon floor. The man with the dragon tattoo was thrown back. The others who were watching also fell and rolled on the floor. The man with the dragon tattoo’s mace fell and hit his own shin.
He screamed and clutched his leg. What on earth had just happened? He had just stomped his foot once, hadn’t he? The man with the dragon tattoo was half-conscious and looked around.
Some had lost consciousness before they even hit the floor. Even as he saw it with his own eyes, he couldn’t understand what had just happened.
In the space that had been cleared as if swept with a broom, only the man with the tiger tattoo was standing. And the healer. As Gyeol stomped his foot, he had pulled her and thrown her back. The healer flicked her long hair and looked at Gyeol.
“Aren’t you being a little too rough with a lady?”
“What lady in a dungeon.”
“Why are you so late?”
“What?”
“I almost died because you were so late.”
What was this now? Gyeol slowly turned to the healer.
