Chapter 18: Dungeon Exploration (3)

TL: Hanguk

The reason dungeons are frightening is that they forcibly transport any humans who approach nearby to a space filled with monsters.

To escape from a dungeon, one must either find an exit or endure until the entry time is over, which is not easy.

That's why many people who fall into the dungeon never come back.

I couldn't understand this system.

'Even if I'm serious about leveling up, if I fall into a dungeon with an excessively high difficulty without warning, I won't be able to survive.'

It would be more accurate to describe this as a trap rather than a dungeon.

The only way to avoid it is not to go near the safe zone where the shrine is, but this is not a fundamental solution.

Why would they create such a trap where the harder you work to grow through leveling up, increasing ability stats, item farming, etc., the more dangerous it is?

The more I look at it, the more contradictory it seems.

'If they had thought about it, they should have created a system to overcome these contradictions.'

Therefore, I had no choice but to judge that there might be a solution that we just don't know yet.

It seems overly optimistic, but we're still adapting to the changed world and there's a lot we don't know.

*

“Woof-woof, dodge!”

-Awoo!

“This bitch.”

The last area on the first floor, with the second floor of the Mongma's dungeon right in front of us.

The Woof-woof and I are engaged in a battle with a slightly special succubus.

So far, the succubi have swung their nails like blades, but this succubus attacked like a fencer with a rapier and a small sword.

Her outfit was luxurious and neatly arranged, as if proclaiming that she was different from other succubuses.

-Ching! Ching!

Its terrifying stabbing speed and long reach were so intense that it was hard to breathe.

But maybe because I had some experience in swordsmanship?

Or is it because I've experienced many actual battles with monsters?

Despite facing a new type of enemy, I was leading the battle pretty well.

"Damn!"

I was concerned about Woof-woof's condition after it had been hit and knocked back, but...

I couldn't take my eyes off the enemy's thrusting sword, slithering like a snake looking for an opening.

As someone who has learned several martial arts, what I'm most confident in is observing the opponent calmly and responding.

I used my sword mainly for defense and tried to get used to her attacks.

‘I shouldn't be impatient in such a battle. Let's stay calm.’

-Ching! Ching! Ching!

The intense movement of the succubus who seemed to be dancing and my simple swordplay formed a great contrast.

As time passed, the number of minor scratches from her attacks increased.

But there were no fatal hits, so I didn't care much and kept my focus on her intensely.

Was it thanks to that?

The succubus, who had been smiling as if she had the upper hand, looked startled when our eyes met.

'I roughly get it.'

And a little later.

Finally, I figured out how to respond to the succubus's thin sword.

'It's the footwork. Its footwork is more pronounced than mine.'

If I watched its feet, I could predict its next move to some extent.

So, I waited for a certain footwork from the succubus to come out.

‘Now!’

The moment I spotted it taking a big step forward.

I threw my body diagonally.

It was a move predicting the bullet-like linear stabbing that was coming.

-Whoosh!

I was no longer in the straight line.

Predicting that swinging a sword now would only miss greatly, the surprised succubus quickly changed the path of her sword.

Trying to force a straight-out sword back with strength, only made it lose speed.

My sword easily deflected the crescent-shaped thrusting.

- Clang!

The result was clear.

I entered into its embrace as if inviting it to dance, wrapping my arm around its waist. The succubus was greatly surprised by this unexpected situation, too close for either of us to swing our swords.

"Hello."

-Huh?

Surprised by the sudden greeting, the succubus wore a foolish expression, and I grinned, and then...

"Yah!"

I slammed her head to the ground with a German Suplex¹.

- Thump!

- Crash!

With strength and agility beyond a human level, the succubus twitched her limbs like a fainted frog and then died on the spot.

"All right, you bitch."

Each and every succubus possesses beauty that captivates men.

But to me, wearing silhouette goggles, it was nothing more than a monster.

Of course, even through the goggles, it's clear she's a beauty, but because silhouette goggles fundamentally show monsters in red, it felt hideous as if she was coated in blood.

“Whew.

Then, when I took off the silhouette goggles, I could see a message that had popped up loudly.

[You have defeated the named succubus Melia and gained 2,500 experience points.]

[Your level has increased.]

[Your ‘injuries’ and ‘status abnormalities’ are all healed as your level has increased.]

[You are awarded for the subjugation of named Succubus Melia.]

-You have acquired 552 coins.

-You have acquired 3 basic healing potions.

-You have acquired the skill book 'Exploration'.

I knew she was a somewhat special creature, but I didn't know she was a named monster.

Is it because of the uniqueness of being Named?

Both the experience and rewards were different from a regular succubus.

But instead of focusing on the rewards, I checked on the Woof-woof, that had been hit by the knife and had fallen back.

"Are you okay?"

- Awoo!

It had a penetrating wound on its shoulder.

I took out a basic healing potion from my inventory and treated Woof-woof.

There are still over two hours left before we can leave the dungeon.

There's no need to save potions unnecessarily; if the Woof-woof dies, it would be a greater loss, so I used it without hesitation.

- Awoo, awoo!

[Woof-woof's injuries have all been healed.]

The healed Woof-woof got up briskly and rubbed against me.

Being big, it felt like I was being hit here and there.

I petted Woof-woof's head, and then finally checked the skill book, which could be considered the main reward for killing the named succubus.

[Exploration / Advanced Skill book / Passive]

-Displays people's names and levels above their heads.

-Displays NPC names and levels above their heads.

-Displays monster names and levels above their heads.

-Searches for hidden dungeons within 50 meters.

-Searches for hidden fields within 50 meters.

-Searches for hidden herbs within 10 meters.

-Searches for hidden treasures within 10 meters.

"What is this?"

And when I read its content, my eyes widened.

I was surprised not only because it was the first advanced skill book I had acquired, but also because it contained elements that could solve the questions I had.

'Right! You need something like this to roam the field with ease!'

With this skill, cases of falling into dungeons for no reason and being doomed will disappear.

I thought there was no countermeasure against dungeon ambush kidnappings, but if there is such a skill, it changes the story.

If people who learn the exploration skill search for the dungeon in advance, there won't be any cases of getting caught up unexpectedly.

Also, since the level of the monster is displayed, it will help survival in various ways as it allows one to avoid unnecessary battles.

'Searches for herbs and treasures?'

The last two lines also caught my attention.

Perhaps the herbs might include things like the elixir my father mentioned.

Hidden treasures, too, will need to be properly handled later.

[You have acquired the Exploration skill.]

Having learned the skill, I wore a satisfied expression.

This further enhanced my survival ability.

"Let's go, Woof-woof."

I approached the door to the 2nd floor of the dungeon that the named succubus had been guarding.

[Would you like to enter the 2nd floor of Mongma's dungeon? YES/NO]

And without hesitation, I headed to the 2nd floor.

The scary thing about dungeons is that you never know when and where something will come out, but this doesn't apply to me.

Because I already have the map of the dungeon.

'The map I obtained when I got the 11th piece of the main scenario last time.'

Thanks to that, the dungeon exploration went smoothly, and the danger during the battle was greatly reduced thanks to Woof-woof attracting aggro adequately.

It did get easily beaten by a mid-boss-like named monster just now, but there's no reason why Woof-woof should be pushed back when facing a regular succubus.

"Woof-woof!"

The number of monsters appearing on the second floor of the Mongma dungeon was just a bit more, but since we were dealing with low-rank succubuses, we moved forward without much trouble.

***

Colonel Seo In-ho, the father of Seo Baek-ho, called his son, but frowned when he couldn't connect.

"He must have gone into the dungeon again."

He figured out the situation immediately because the same thing had happened two days ago.

Of course, he was worried about his fearless child, but he also found it hard to scold him because every time he called, his son's level was increasing rapidly.

He was a careful person, who always took appropriate precautions, so he believed that the boy must have some proper safety measures in place.

'He is also excellent in swordsmanship and martial arts.'

Not because he was his son, but Colonel Seo In-ho knew that Seo Baek-ho was very special.

Especially in sports, every teacher, regardless of the sport, said he should be made an athlete, as he was born with a natural sense.

'Baek-ho is the real deal. He might even surpass Akira², who is considered a god in Japan.'

Colonel Seo In-ho, recalling what Baek-ho's kumdo teacher had once said, shook his head.

It wasn't just about kumdo.

He heard the same story from various sports teachers, including taekwondo, mixed martial arts, and judo.

Thanks to that, Colonel Seo In-ho thought that perhaps the current world might suit his son even better.

"No, no. That's going too far. Other people are barely surviving, not dying; I must be getting ahead of myself.”

Of course, he immediately denied it.

He then stared at the smartphone he had used to call his son, realized it was time to attend a headquarters meeting, and stood up.

"Colonel Seo!"

That's when it happened.

Colonel Seo In-ho had to stop in his tracks when a close Lieutenant Colonel ran up to him, creating a commotion.

"What's going on?"

“Communication across the country has gone down. And electricity won’t last for more than an hour.”

"What? Why?"

Colonel Seo In-ho, who had just called his son, was surprised and took out his smartphone.

Then he confirmed that the communication on his smartphone had been cut off.

In response to Colonel Seo Inho's puzzled question, the major gave an unexpected answer.

"Monsters are targeting infrastructure. There are even reports that sea monsters seem to be cutting undersea cables."

"This is insane."

He thought that the infrastructure would lose its function someday, but he never dreamed it would be like this.

Monsters moving in an orderly manner as if following orders.

Colonel Seo In-ho swallowed his dry saliva.

'Baek-ho.'

He also thought of his son, whom he could not contact easily, biting his fingernails.

***

"Could we beat it within the time limit?"

The second floor of the Mongma's dungeon was, as expected, more difficult than the first floor.

Basically, the number of monsters that appeared was 1.5 times more.

[You have defeated the Named Succubus Tieri and gained 2,500 experience points.]

[You will receive a reward for defeating Named Succubus Tieri.]

- You have acquired 524 coins.

- You have acquired 2 basic healing potions.

- You have acquired Tieri's sword.

Named monsters had also popped out twice.

If I fought with only physical abilities on the first floor to improve my sense of the sword, I had to pour out all my skills from the second floor.

After hunting and exploring like crazy for about two hours.

Woof-woof and I were standing in front of a space that looked like a boss room.

"Hmm..."

I briefly pondered in front of the boss room.

Whether to go in or to watch the situation a little longer.

But the hesitation was not long.

I decided to challenge the boss with a mindset that if it gets tough, I would escape.

However, I decided not to go in immediately, but to complete personal maintenance first.

[Tieri's Sword / One-Handed Sword / Grade: Premium]

- This is the sword of the Named Succubus Tieri.

- All stats +1

This was the sword I got just after defeating the named Succubus just now.

All the named Succubus monsters used swords, but the shape of the sword was different for each.

But among them, the sword dropped by one of them fit my hand too well.

Finally, I got a long sword to replace the wolf sword.

The additional option even raises all stats by 1.

"Getting a new weapon just before entering the boss room."

Doesn't it seem like a sign that I should clear the dungeon quickly?

*****

TL Notes:

1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suplex

2) I don't know who the author is trying to reference/compare the MC with.