Chapter 34: The Undead City (2)
TL: Hanguk
"What's wrong?"
After defeating the named Dullahan Kite.
As I kept staring at a corner of the walls of Hongju Fortress, Willia approached me and asked.
In response, I pointed to the place with my chin and spoke.
"I can see the entrance to an uncleared dungeon over there."
It was on the opposite side of where we had entered.
There was a semi-transparent door standing there.
That transparent door probably wouldn’t be visible to others who don't possess the ‘Exploration Skill’.
Dungeon entrances usually don’t reveal themselves openly; they’re like traps that swallow people whole when approached.
[Forgotten Mine]
- Grade: Intermediate
- Recommended Level: 30+
- Time Limit: 12 hours
- Clear Condition: Defeat the Boss within the time limit
As I approached the dungeon entrance, the Exploration Skill displayed the information of the dungeon above the semi-transparent door.
The Exploration Skill even provided detailed information, including the recommended level for the dungeon.
"Are you planning to go in?"
At Willia’s question, I had to think.
Dungeons are dangerous, but they also offer many opportunities.
There are named monsters and boss monsters that carry various rewards, hidden treasure chests scattered throughout, and even first-clear rewards.
If we succeed in clearing the dungeon, I can become much stronger.
After a brief contemplation, I asked Willia in return.
"Willia-nim, are you not feeling tired?"
"Oh, me? I just stood around casting skills while Woof-woof acted as my bodyguard. And when I get tired...”
She used Heal on herself, me, and Woof-woof while smiling bashfully.
"Like this, the fatigue just goes away, right?"
Willia seemed to show that no matter what I chose, she wouldn’t have any problem with it.
She must have sensed that I wanted to go in.
“There’s no reason to hesitate then.”
When I decided to enter the dungeon, she clenched her fists and cheered.
"Let’s give it our best!"
- Awoo!
Ah, I'm feeling energized.
When I fought alone, I didn’t realize it, but with a cheerful woman in the party, the atmosphere is so much better.
I nodded while trying to suppress my lips curling up like an idiot.
Willia’s encouragement had a stronger buffing effect than Bless (which increases stats by 20%).
‘They’re all dead.’
For some reason, I felt like I could sweep through the dungeon in one go now.
We confidently stepped into the dungeon.
[You have entered the Forgotten Mine Dungeon.]
The dungeon, true to its name ‘Mine’, had a straight, rectangular, gray tunnel extending far ahead.
Here and there, wooden supports had been placed along the walls and ceiling. The average width of the tunnel was about 5 meters, and the ceiling was around 8 meters high, making it quite spacious.
There were torches placed at 10-meter intervals along the walls, so visibility wasn’t too bad either.
But a problem arose...
[There are 20 prior entrants who entered through a different entrance.]
[The dungeon clear time limit will be adjusted based on the prior entrants.]
[Time remaining to clear the dungeon: 5 hours 52 minutes 31 seconds]
As soon as we entered the dungeon, we were greeted by an unexpected message.
Because of that, I had to frown deeply.
"What the...?"
Doesn't this mean that 20 prior entrants entered 6 hours earlier than me?
The reason such a message appeared can be roughly interpreted in two ways.
Either join them and clear the dungeon together, or hurry if you want to monopolize the rewards.
The message seemed designed to provoke competition, and I couldn’t help but sigh.
"This changes the plan..."
"What should we do?"
The prior entrants could be residents who had fallen into the trap.
But for some reason, they looked more like a hunting party that had entered to conquer the dungeon to me.
If they were just ordinary residents, surviving 6 hours in a dungeon wouldn’t be easy. But coincidentally, the number of people is exactly 20.
Not long ago, I heard something from my father.
'There are quite a few civilian hunting teams leveling up by hunting monsters aside from you. Some of those teams are hard to ignore, so be cautious.'
'Be cautious?'
'Among the civilian hunting teams, I've heard there are some that even attack other teams. Since people can loot items from each other too, if they see someone like you wearing good equipment, they might lose control.'
The fact that the hunting team consisted of survivors didn’t necessarily mean they would be friendly toward other survivors.
As these thoughts weighed on my mind, I spoke.
"Woof-woof, lie down."
- Awoo!
After getting Woof-woof to lower its posture, I lifted Willia and placed her on its back.
Then I declared firmly.
"Let's move quickly."
"Yes!"
I decided to see them as competitors and overtake them.
Just because they had more numbers didn’t mean their strength exceeded ours.
So, I immediately started running, and Woof-woof, carrying Willia, followed closely behind.
- Tatata!
Advancing quickly in an uncharted dungeon might seem reckless, but I had my reasons for confidence.
Specifically, the Silhouette Goggles I wore over my eyes and my advanced Exploration Skill.
The Silhouette Goggles wouldn’t miss any hidden traces of monsters, and the Exploration Skill could detect traps, ensuring that even while rushing through the dungeon, I could maintain safety.
"I'll take care of the zombies!"
"Okay!"
I spotted zombies buried underground that would’ve been hard to notice without close inspection.
- Groooar!
As we approached, four zombies broke through the ground and rose.
'Sword Aura.'
Instead of slowing down, I increased my speed and charged toward them.
-Thwack!
The first zombie had its head pierced by my sword.
- Slash!
I extended my sword to the left as I pierced, slicing the second zombie’s neck with minimal movement.
- Swish!
For the third and fourth zombies, I spun my body in sync with the flow of the sword, delivering a wide horizontal slash like a whip, and their heads rolled off.
Just three distinct movements.
But those attacks flowed together naturally, as if it was one continuous motion. I only used the Sword Aura once.
The trick to slashing four monsters with a single use of the Sword Aura is simple.
All you have to do is swing the sword as much as possible within the 1 second that the Sword Aura is maintained.
"Ooooh!"
Behind me, Willia, who had been following, let out an exclamation, almost like she was watching a performance.
[You have defeated a Zombie and gained 200 experience points.]
[You have defeated a Zombie and gained 200 experience points.]
.
.
Messages awarding experience points and rewards appeared simultaneously.
But since the rewards weren’t worth paying attention to, I ignored them and continued running.
- Tatata!
How far did we advance like that?
- Click.
The appearing monsters upgraded from zombies to skeletons.
The dungeon's monster configuration wasn’t much different from the outside.
"Willia-nim, please provide backup from here."
"Yes, understood."
To maintain our pace, I instructed Willia, who had been conserving her magic, to join the fight.
Willia, catching on quickly, jumped into the battle seamlessly.
'As expected, she has good instincts.'
As I fought skeletons with her support, I realized something.
She was quick-witted, had good situational awareness, and our teamwork flowed effortlessly.
With her supporting me, swinging my sword felt as smooth as water, with no awkward missteps.
"Baek-ho-nim! I blocked the skeletons approaching from behind with a shield. Just so you know!"
"Got it!"
She also had a thorough tendency to eliminate any threats, so I never had to worry about watching my back.
Initially, I had vaguely thought that having her as a companion would reduce the risk of dying, but this was beyond that.
She observed the battlefield from a broader perspective behind me, guiding the fight in our favor.
Thanks to her, we were able to advance comfortably, again and again.
"The dungeon isn’t as challenging as I thought it would be."
"I agree."
An hour had passed since we entered the dungeon.
We had come pretty deep, but the seemingly endless tunnel still stretched ahead with no sign of stopping.
In the first 30 minutes, we only faced zombies, and in the next 30 minutes, we fought skeletons. However, with a maximum of eight monsters appearing at once, I didn’t feel like the difficulty was particularly high.
The fact that the Exploration Skill displayed a recommended level of 30 for the dungeon before entering felt a bit off. With the current level of difficulty, even a hunting team under level 20 could continue hunting without much trouble as long as they had enough members.
“Huh?”
And soon after.
I came face-to-face with the situation I was concerned about.
At last, after following the straight tunnel for a while, we encountered our first fork in the path...
[O]
On one of the walls, a red circle was spray-painted.
It was clear that this was a marker left by the team ahead of us.
“Ah, damn it…”
There were three paths.
One was the path we had just come from.
Another was the path the team ahead of us had already taken.
And the final one was the path the leading team was currently following.
In the end, if I wanted to overtake them, I’d have no choice but to cross paths with them at some point.
“Let’s go.”
There was no other option.
We had to keep move forward.
And well, we could always shake them off later.
“Huh? Baek-ho-nim, isn’t that a treasure chest?”
But that wasn’t the only frustrating thing.
As if mocking us, treasure chests began appearing one by one as soon as we entered this section of the tunnel.
“Ah, it’s empty.”
"Of course it would be."
They had all been looted, left completely empty.
Up until now, I had always been ahead of others and claimed rewards first, so it felt as if something that was mine had been stolen.
***
“What are you doing! Don’t let them through!”
- Kwoooork!
- Bang!
“Ugh! I told you, handling three at once is too much!”
“Shut up and hold your ground!”
“Take this!”
The hunting team from Hongseong University Alliance gritted their teeth as they watched the Dullahan fiercely pounding on their shields.
This was a regular Dullahan, not a named one.
Even so, considering their average level was around 15, this battle could easily be seen as a reckless challenge.
However, they had a powerful weapon.
That weapon was numbers.
“I got it! Stabbed its thigh with the spear!”
“Okay! Everyone, focus on that one first!”
They meticulously set up a wall of shields to block the enemy’s attacks.
Then, as soon as they saw an opening, the spearmen in the rear unleashed a concentrated barrage of attacks to weaken the monster.
Unlike in games, real monsters didn’t have HP bars. As long as a critical hit landed, they could die just like humans.
A flurry of spear thrusts, like rapid-fire bullets.
One of those spears even carried Aura, and there was no way a Dullahan could withstand that.
Eventually, the Dullahan fell, spilling experience points and rewards.
“Wooooo!”
A 20 versus 3 battle.
It took them 15 minutes to take down three regular Dullahans.
It was a victory of patience and persistence.
“I thought I was gonna die. From now on, let’s not take on too many at once—lure them out one by one.”
“Come on, we handled it just fine.”
“Screw you.”
The hunting team from Hongseong University, leading the charge through the Forgotten Mine, fully utilized their numerical advantage.
When they first encountered the Dullahans, they worried they might have to retreat.
However, because the team ahead of them had attracted the monsters’ attention, they were forced into the fight.
But once the battle started, their strategy worked.
With a 20-on-1 group assault, they managed to bring down the Dullahans.
The battle may have been messy, but the spoils of victory were sweet.
They claimed the first-clear reward for defeating the Dullahans and even managed to obtain a Sword Aura Skill.
With just one Sword Aura skill, their combat power skyrocketed.
As a result, even though progress was slow, they could continue hunting Dullahans steadily.
Though they couldn’t handle more than three at a time and had to resort to luring tactics, the Hongseong University Alliance was steadily growing stronger, bit by bit.
“Coming into this dungeon was the right choice.”
“Yeah, it’s easier to hunt here than I thought.”
Smooth battles, rapidly accumulating experience points.
“Whoa! The Dullahan dropped a shield! It’s a Premium grade!”
“Wow! The treasure chest had a Premium ring with 2 uses of Shield option!”
As the team continued farming items smoothly, everyone became so excited that they forgot they were fighting for survival in reality, not playing a game.
Their original plan wasn’t to clear the dungeon but to hit and run strategically.
They should have stuck to that plan, but their complacency led to disastrous consequences.
"Huh?"
[You've made it this far, you worms. My name is Cruder. I am the reaper who will claim your necks.]
The university hunting team found themselves face-to-face with a named Dullahan, Cruder.
Cruder’s sword aura and various combat skills tore through their once impenetrable shield wall, scattering their formation.
“R-run!”
Their moment of triumph turned into a desperate retreat.
“Damn it! Damn it!”
Kim Kyung-soo, the leader of the hunting team, stopped running, panting heavily, and glanced back.
Fortunately, the Dullahan Cruder wasn’t pursuing them.
But the problem was that only two others had managed to escape with him.
“Huh? Where are the others?”
“I-I don’t know.”
He didn’t dare imagine the situation of the remaining 17 members.
As the cold reality began to settle in, the three survivors flushed with a mix of shame, anger, and grief.
“Sh-shouldn't we go back and try to save them?”
Someone timidly suggested, but Kim Kyung-soo couldn't bring himself to answer.
The reason was simple.
Going back wouldn’t help anyone.
Now, they only had two choices: go back and die a heroic death while trying to save their comrades, or hide and wait for the dungeon’s time attack to end, triggering an automatic escape.
He wanted to say, "Let’s just stay here", but no one could muster the courage to speak. Instead, silence filled the dungeon.
"Excuse us, we're passing through."
At that moment.
The three of them witnessed an unbelievable sight.
A man and a woman walked right past them, as if they were strolling through a park.
The man had an ordinary appearance, while the woman was a breathtaking beauty who could put celebrities to shame.
They passed by so casually, even politely saying, "Excuse us", that Kim Kyung-soo found himself replying instinctively, "Yes, go ahead."
Wait, isn’t this a dungeon?
“Huh?”
Kim Kyung-soo and his companions stared at the duo with dumbfounded expressions.
“Uh, H-hey!”
Finally snapping out of it, Kim Kyung-soo called out to them.
- Grrrr!
However, he couldn’t approach them easily because the large wolf carrying the beautiful woman growled as if it were ready to tear him apart.
The wolf looked similar to a Grand Dire Wolf, but it was much larger.
"Woof-woof, stop it."
- Kking.
However, that wolf loosened its expression and made a whimpering sound at just one word from the passing man.
What struck Kim Kyung-soo more than the strange name ‘Woof-woof’ was the sight of their high-end equipment, which he only noticed now.
The woman riding the giant wolf also looked anything but ordinary.
Kim Kyung-soo swallowed nervously and warned them.
"There's a named monster ahead in the dungeon."
"What kind of monster?"
“A Dullahan.”
"Is that so? Mind if we take care of it?"
The man’s nonchalant response left Kim Kyung-soo and his team with one clear impression.
These people could probably handle the named monster that they themselves couldn’t defeat.
“I-I’m sorry, but could I ask you a favor?”
He knew it was shameless to ask for help after running away.
But at that moment, there was no one else they could rely on.
So Kim Kyung-soo and his companions looked at the man with desperate eyes.
However, the reply was cold.
It was probably the obvious response.
Considering the world they now lived in.
"We don’t even know each other. And you’re asking for favors in a dangerous dungeon?"
“I-I’ll give you coins as a reward if you help us…”
“……”
The man looked at the three of them with a cold expression, then continued on his way, as if the conversation had never happened.
Crushed by the man’s indifference, Kim Kyung-soo was about to lose hope when...
“I know who you are!”
Suddenly, one of Kim Kyung-soo’s companions did something unexpected.
As if making a public announcement, he raised his hand and shouted that he knew who the man was.
"Me? You know me?"
Kim Kyung-soo, about to scold his companion for such reckless behavior, was stunned by what happened next.
“Yes! Aren’t you Baekho-nim from BaekhoTV?”
“...Are you a subscriber, by any chance?”
*****
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