chapter 59
Rachel is the weakest among us, but that’s only because the others here are unusually strong. Objectively speaking, she’s definitely on the stronger side.
Well, technically Arthur is Rachel’s doll, so if Arthur is strong, wouldn’t that mean Rachel is strong too…?
“Rachel considers Arthur both her boyfriend and a separate being from herself.”
Anyway.
Having been hit with the blunt truth, she gritted her teeth and pulled out multiple dolls from the pocket dimension.
Unlike the dolls I had created, or Arthur, which was hardly distinguishable from a human, these dolls were obviously dolls to anyone who looked.
And unlike Arthur, who could think for himself, Rachel controlled these dolls directly.
“Geonwoo…? I’ll show you that I’m not weak.”
With that, she sent the dolls ahead and began advancing through the swamp.
Of course, we also started following Rachel, and before long, monsters that had sensed our presence began to swarm.
Burnib and Yowie—
According to Arthur, monsters from Australian legend.
(“Kill them all.”)
Rachel said it in English.
Immediately, the dolls charged at the monsters.
Some pierced the monsters’ vital points with sharp limbs, some slashed their skin with blades, and some shattered bones with their heavy bodies.
Each individual doll is weak, but considering Rachel’s skill, she could probably control far more dolls at once than she’s using now.
It was sheer numerical violence. Low-quality units compensated by quantity. Dolls treated like disposable tools. This is the typical fighting style of a puppeteer.
I thought Rachel would fight using special dolls rather than treating them as mere tools.
I had assumed that, since she had created a unique doll like Arthur, her other dolls in the pocket dimension might be similar. But it seems Arthur is the only special one.
“How’s that? Isn’t your sister amazing?”
As I thought this, Rachel, having wiped out the swarm of monsters that had charged at us, asked.
…Is she expecting praise like an elementary school kid?
“Yes! You were amazing, sis!”
Although Rachel had asked me, it was Lee Ha-eun, who was beside me, who answered.
Ha-eun’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the dolls Rachel had summoned.
Rachel’s dolls were probably fascinating because, unlike the dolls I used as an artist or Arthur, these truly looked like dolls.
And…
“Hoho… right?”
Rachel’s pride swelled at Ha-eun’s pure admiration. Originally, it seemed she wanted my praise, but thanks to Ha-eun, she had completely forgotten about that.
“Great! At this rate, we’ll wipe out all the monsters in this dungeon!”
“Waah!”
It seemed she wanted to see Ha-eun’s admiration even more, as she sent dolls in all directions and began massacring monsters.
“Uh… if she keeps that up…”
“It won’t work…”
To be clear, Rachel was definitely strong.
But the dungeon we were in had been assigned by Australia, specifically a dungeon given to Yeon Mirae, known as an Aura Master.
In other words, it was considered a dungeon that only someone of Aura Master level could tackle.
Crack!
“Ah…”
The situation now differed from earlier, when multiple dolls under Rachel’s command were piercing, slashing, and smashing monsters.
Her individual dolls weren’t that strong…
Crack…
“No… no!”
Crack…!
Scattered in all directions, her dolls were picked off one by one by the monsters.
“Haha…”
The arrogance typical of awakened individuals her age, coupled with mistakes from inexperience.
Arthur smiled wryly and stepped forward, placing Rachel behind him.
(Arthur…?)
(Rachel, if you plan to enter dungeons in the future, take note.)
He was signaling that awakened individuals don’t enter dungeons casually. Then Arthur drew his sword.
And he wasn’t alone.
“It seems the recent commotion has drawn all the monsters in this dungeon toward us.”
Yeon Mirae also drew her sword and assumed a stance.
Grrrr…
Ts-ts-ts…
The monsters swarmed around us as if surrounding us. Yeon Mirae muttered quietly as she assessed them.
“I’ll take the left.”
Arthur, hearing this, turned and said,
“Good. I’ll take the right.”
As if by unspoken agreement, they swung their swords.
Reverse Heaven Sword 3-Style: New Moon.
Arthur’s Sword Technique 5: Monster Hunt.
Yeon Mirae’s sword traced arcs like a crescent, and the energy from her blade flew out, slicing through all the monsters.
Arthur’s sword struck precisely at monsters’ vital points, hunting them down with lethal accuracy.
“……”
“Waaah…”
Rachel was speechless at the sight, and Ha-eun simply admired them.
I gestured subtly behind me.
Shing…!
Monsters approaching from directions unreachable by Yeon Mirae and Arthur fell instantly.
Hopefully they’ll take care of the ones coming from behind us too…
Rachel and Ha-eun could be in danger otherwise. Of course, they were focusing only on the monsters before them, assuming I would protect them.
After a while of cutting down the monsters…
Huff…
Yeon Mirae was the first to sheath her sword. Arthur cleaned his bloodied blade and sheathed it, then asked us,
“Who killed more?”
“…I think Mirae killed more.”
“Really? That’s a shame.”
Rachel answered, though the sense of regret was meaningless—Yeon Mirae had overwhelmingly slain more monsters.
Yeon Mirae freely used her internal energy, while Arthur couldn’t fully utilize his magical power.
Arthur relied on his dolls’ physical abilities and Aura Master-level sword skills, but it wasn’t enough to match Yeon Mirae’s sweeping attacks.
Still, leaving them as rivals would likely benefit both of their growth, so I didn’t comment.
Anyway…
“Is this the reward? Amazing…”
All eyes turned to where Ha-eun was looking. White light gathered, forming an object—it was an artifact.
An artifact meant the dungeon had been cleared.
Almost all monsters in the dungeon were dead.
But something seemed off.
…Why is there only one light?
Normally, each awakened individual would receive a reward. With five awakened in this dungeon, there should have been five separate rewards.
Yet the system was producing only a single artifact. While this increases its quality, it could lead to disputes over ownership.
“This artifact is yours, Yeon Mirae.”
Arthur said.
“We should be grateful just to experience such a high-level, comfortable dungeon in Australia; we can’t be greedy for the artifact.”
Rachel and I had plenty from the monsters we just killed. Arthur began storing the monster corpses in the pocket dimension.
Rachel, surprised that Arthur spoke without consulting her, helped store the corpses—showing no desire for the artifact herself.
“….”
Seeing them relinquish the artifact so neatly made me feel like the odd one out.
Hmm…
The completed artifact was now in Yeon Mirae’s hands, and she examined it carefully.
Though she possessed magical knowledge, it would normally be difficult to understand an artifact just by looking at it…
“Where… protective type? A barrier?”
Oh?
Contrary to my expectations, Yeon Mirae correctly discerned the artifact’s effect.
So she used samadhi.
She had been experimenting with ether through samadhi for some time, which allowed her to at least discern the artifact.
More importantly…
“Let’s move on, sis. We’re not just clearing one dungeon today.”
Taking a plane and helicopter just for one dungeon felt wasteful. Time to head to the next.
Others seemed to agree, and Yeon Mirae put the artifact back into the pocket dimension as we headed toward the entrance.
“Amazing…”
Laura genuinely admired Yeon Mirae and her team, who had cleared multiple dungeons without showing fatigue.
Although Australia had powerful Aura Masters and Archmages, such individuals rarely moved freely.
Even so, expectations were high for Yeon Mirae as an envoy from abroad…
To think she cleared eight dungeons in one day.
Considering the delayed start and travel time, that was impressive. Some of these dungeons were reportedly too difficult even for Australia’s top-tier Aura Masters and Archmages to clear alone.
She didn’t go alone either—bringing disciples and friends with her.
Gulp…
Laura swallowed and said,
“All the dungeons assigned to Yeon Mirae have been cleared.”
“Oh, really?”
Yeon Mirae smiled at Laura’s words, indicating she could now return to Sydney and simply enjoy her remaining deployment without issues.
“Of course, if you want to clear more dungeons…”
“Let’s go back for now. I’m a little tired.”
Laura held back her questions, opened the helicopter door, and the group, now familiar with the routine, boarded. Laura instructed the pilot to head to the airport while silently pondering:
How can I make Yeon Mirae want to tackle at least one more dungeon…?
