TRPM 351

chapter 351

The next day.

After returning to my neighborhood, I bought Ha-eun the parfait and combo set I had promised her at the dessert shop in front of the school, and then we parted ways.

‘…Can she really eat all that?’

It’s one thing to eat either the parfait or the combo set, but eating both together would be tough.

Thinking that, I left the dessert shop behind and started walking toward home.
I could fly, but since nobody would be at the house right now anyway, I just walked slowly.

Mother would be at Shinsegyeo, and Yeon Mirae and Sophia would already be at Iron-Blood Guild.

“…Should I just skip going home and clear a dungeon instead?”

After all, if I went home, the only thing I’d do would be absorb the mana gathered in my room through the magic circle there.
But over the past few days, Mirae had probably already absorbed whatever mana accumulated while I was gone, so there wasn’t really any need for me to hurry back.

More than that…

‘I haven’t gone into a dungeon much lately.’

Of course, I only plan to target dungeons that have been left unattended long enough to be scheduled for forced disposal.
Easier dungeons should be left for mid- to small-sized guilds or unaffiliated Awakeners who need them to make a living.

“…Maybe I should just call Iron-Blood Guild first.”

Might as well lend them a hand while I’m at it.

With that thought, I called Sophia.
Now that I think about it, at some point I’d ended up leaving all Iron-Blood-related work in her hands.

‘Well, that’s only natural, really.’

There are only three Iron-Blood members I keep in direct contact with: Guildmaster Ji Hyung-man, my disciple Mirae, and Sophia.
Sure, I run into others occasionally—like the Mutant Team or Alex—but not enough to stay in touch.

‘And Ji Hyung-man and Mirae are way too high up to be asked to do errands like dungeon-scouting anyway.’

So, naturally, Sophia ended up handling those tasks.

[Yes, Artist.]

“Got any dungeons I could clear?”

[One moment.]

She excused herself, and I could hear her working on a computer.

[There’s one dungeon due for forced disposal if it’s left unchecked. Monsters inside are Drakes.]

“…Drakes, huh.”

A subspecies of dragon—if wyverns soar through the skies, drakes, whose wings have degenerated, are bound to the ground. They’re easier to hunt than most dragon-kin… relatively speaking.
If the dungeon has cliffs or forests, though, fighting drakes as they climb with their claws becomes very troublesome.
And of course, being dragon-kin, they’re naturally tough and well-defended.

Still, for a veteran Awakener, they’re manageable prey. Which left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

“Any dragon dungeons instead?”

[Artist, you know those are always allocated straight to guilds with Aura Masters or Grand Mages.]

Yeah, I knew.

“Shame, but it can’t be helped.”

[Then I’ll reserve this one in your name.]

With that, she ended the call.

A few seconds later, my phone vibrated—a notification from the dungeon-app, confirming the reservation and sending me the dungeon’s location.

“…That’s far.”

I frowned. The dungeon was way out.

‘Well, since the low-frequency emitters stopped dungeons from appearing near populated areas, I guess it’s only natural.’

Inconvenient, but unavoidable.

Still…

“Walking there sounds like a pain.”

I checked public transit options.

‘Subway most of the way, then just grab a taxi. That’ll work.’

With a rough plan in mind, I headed to the station.

On the subway…

“Oh! It’s been too long!”

“…Weren’t you supposed to be in successor training?”

As always, Jin Cheon-ha appeared in hanbok, speaking in his peculiar archaic tone.

“Successor training is nothing much—mostly business lectures.”

“…Is that so.”

I don’t know exactly what education heirs to conglomerates receive, but surely it’s not just business lectures.

“…Sigh…”
“…Haa…”

From a short distance away, his bodyguards let out weary sighs.

‘So he skipped the rest.’

Despite all his eccentricities, Jin Cheon-ha was normally a diligent student. He probably took most classes seriously.
But with his obsession over Taoist hermits, I wouldn’t be surprised if he ditched anything that didn’t interest him.

“And where might you be headed?”

“Dungeon.”

“Oh! Might I join you?”

“No. It’s a Drake dungeon.”

I flatly refused.
If he nearly died in a goblin dungeon, I couldn’t possibly take him to one with drakes.

‘Even with those guards of his tagging along…’

It’s not that they were weak, but drakes were out of their league.

“Ah, I see.”

Thankfully, he didn’t push it.
If he had, I’d have had to push him back—literally, most likely.

“And you? Why the subway?”

“I’m off to train in Taoist arts upon the mountain.”

“…A mountain?”

“A Taoist must endure the waterfall to temper himself, no?”

…Leaving aside the Taoist nonsense, waterfall training actually is effective.
The pounding water stresses the body, and enduring it while training has benefits.

But…

‘Modern training halls can replicate the same thing, can’t they?’

Gravity adjustments, pressure manipulation to mimic strong currents—plenty of options.
Sure, expensive, but far more efficient than a natural waterfall.

‘Cheon-ha probably knows, but insists on the Taoist way anyway.’

Who knows where that whole “Taoist hermit under a waterfall” image even started.

“…Good luck.”

“Mm! Once school starts again, you’ll see the fruits of my training!”

“……”

I couldn’t help but pity his bodyguards.

After getting off the subway and catching a taxi to the dungeon, I stretched lightly.

“Uh… student? Is it okay if I just leave now?”

“Hm? Ah, sure, go ahead.”

The taxi driver sped off as if waiting for my permission.

Maybe there have been Awakeners who got angry at drivers for not waiting until they finished clearing a dungeon?
If so, the Association would’ve cracked down fast.

Still, ordinary taxi drivers probably don’t know the details.
They just think fists are closer than the law—and get scared off.

‘Well, taxis are being used by more Awakeners these days anyway.’

Unlike before, when dungeons popped up even in cities, now—thanks to the low-frequency devices—they only appear outside urban areas.
But not every dungeon location is reachable by subway or bus, so more and more Awakeners resort to cars or taxis.

‘A curse for taxi drivers, though.’

Sure, more customers, but they have to drive people to dangerous places right next to dungeons.
Of course they’d be afraid—they’re just civilians.

Which explained why that driver bolted like he did.

“…Anyway.”

I turned to face the gate.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a Drake dungeon?”

Using Samādhi, I examined the gate.
With that, I can roughly tell what monsters and layout a dungeon will have.
I’m not the only one—anyone with analysis-oriented skills or equipment can do the same.

Because gates follow certain patterns.

‘Before regression, we could even predict where the next dungeon would appear, despite no outward signs.’

Hardly anyone knows this yet at this point in time, though.

Anyway.

“…The Drake pattern’s there, but…”

Something else showed, too.

“This is… something I’ve never seen before.”

Even with all the kinds of dungeons the Black Fog had produced before my regression, this pattern was unfamiliar.

“……”

After a moment’s thought, I decided to call Sophia again for more info.

[Yes, Artist?]

“I’m at the supposed Drake dungeon, but something feels off. Any special notes on it?”

[Special notes? From what I saw, it was just flagged for forced disposal if left uncleared… Hold on.]

She asked for time, and I heard typing.

[Hmm… Sorry. There is something, but my clearance doesn’t let me access it.]

“Your clearance?”

[Yes. Officially I’m just a civilian, not even registered as an Awakener. If I can’t access it, it’s probably restricted from civilians altogether. Give me a moment.]

…Her status as a non-Awakener bothered me a little, but I let it slide.

[I just borrowed Mirae’s account—with permission, of course. Let me check again.]

Borrowed her account in that short time… Well, they’re in the same office, so not too hard.

[…Ah. It’s a Concealed Dungeon. Since it can’t be found by normal means, they classified it as confidential to prevent public panic.]

Sophia passed me the information.

“Good work.”

I pocketed my phone and recalled what an Association officer had told me a few days ago:

[Phew… Honestly, Artist, we’re lucky you were here. Another Concealed Dungeon, of all things…]
[Yes. They’ve been appearing worldwide for about a week now. They can’t be found with existing methods, only once they start spewing monsters—causing all kinds of trouble.]

New dungeons appearing worldwide…
I’d left that research to Arthur.

Since he hasn’t contacted me yet, he must not have found much.

“Didn’t think I’d be the first to stumble onto a Concealed Dungeon.”

I studied the strange pattern closely again.
If a device could be built to detect it…

‘Then these so-called Concealed Dungeons would no longer be concealed at all.’