Acquired the Scam Rune in the Academy

Doing Well Even if Scattered (1)

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I scratched my head and looked around.

I was trapped in a maze.

A maze where I had to find the exit while facing monsters.

“……”

The incident started suddenly.

I was happily slaughtering the undead legion with my divine sword when suddenly, the ground beneath my clan members started to concentrate magical power and collapse.

The special terrain change began swallowing the rear personnel first, slowly engulfing the entire area, and eventually even encompassing the warrior-class clan members who had been outside the affected zone.

In short, all clan members present ended up falling into the maze.

At the time, I was riding on Tyrbon, so I was free from that change, but I immediately dismounted and walked into the center of it.

It was impossible to tackle the <Land Touched by Death> area alone, and I couldn’t just stand by and watch as my lovers and clan members all fell into an unknown realm.

[You set foot in the Maze Touched by Death. This is a special area created by the zone’s owner. You can only escape by finding the focal point of magical power that activates the area.]

That’s how I was pulled into this maze.

I tried to fall as close as possible to where my lovers’ 4th team was, but the result wasn’t good.

Not only did I fail to reach where they were, but there were no other clan members around me either.

Perhaps you had to be in the same place when the terrain changed due to the concentration of magical power to go together. As I had entered alone, I was also alone in the maze.

Needless to say…

This was not at all a desirable structure.

“…I’m worried about the clan members.”

Being alone isn’t a problem for me.

I’m a Holder who’s used to playing solo, and my actual abilities are diverse, covering various roles as a Multi-Holder.

But the other clan members, especially Team 4, were the problem.

The other teams had finished regrouping and fell together as teams, but Team 4 was in the final stages of battle and couldn’t gather together.

The warrior classes fell with other warrior classes, and the rear personnel fell separately.

It became a challenge just to form a typical party composition.

“This is complicated.”

Actually, I thought it was resolving too easily.

The <Room of the Deserter> is a dungeon of unprecedented scale among those conquered by Holders so far.

It’s a dungeon ‘adapted’ and entirely owned by a specific group called the Ludenark School.

Countless areas are set within it, and even after conquering these areas, the end of the dungeon doesn’t appear.

We don’t know how many more areas remain or what traps might be hidden.

Even the Ludenark School must have noticed that humans have invaded the dungeon by now, but there’s been no response to that.

We’ve been smoothly conquering each area and hunting the undead… But this process has been progressing too easily.

“We’ve really been hit hard this time.”

In that sense, the <Maze Touched by Death> was a trap that hit us hard.

A sudden trap in the midst of an overly smooth conquest.

It was like a development straight out of a novel.

Moreover, this maze is likely a trap created by combining the special magic of Dave, the area’s owner, with the geographical characteristics of the area itself.

It’s unlikely to be a trap made of simple magical power, considering that all members of the <Evil Hunter> clan, composed of high-ranking Holders, fell into it.

It could be regarded as a kind of ‘Area Gimmick’.

“…And the level of the monsters suddenly increased dramatically too.”

I muttered, looking around.

When I came to my senses, I was suddenly surrounded by undead.

Their appearance and level of armament…

Anyone could tell they were ‘Death Knights’.

-Traitor of Termen!!

-I’ll kill you myself…!!

-Execute the traitor!

Their uniform dialogue makes me chuckle involuntarily.

It seems all the gathered ones are from Termen.

That Kelbilid bastard.

As expected of someone who borrowed divine power, he had a lot of enemies.

“Alright. Let’s take them down first and see.”

I said, wielding the divine sword, [Kelbilid’s True Repentance].

Anyway, only our drop points were different; the maze should be connected as one.

This is a guess possible because the magical transformation phenomenon occurred simultaneously.

Because of that, I set an immediate short-term goal.

That was to defeat these damn undead as they came and gather the scattered clan members together.

***

Ippotranslation

***

“Is everyone alright?”

Park Jin-woo spoke, trying to maintain his composure as much as possible.

The suddenly changed terrain and space.

<Maze Touched by Death> is likely a special trap.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t surprised, but he was now the leader of a hunting team.

Even in a crisis, taking care of his team members was the priority.

“No problems here.”

“All good, team leader.”

“I’m fine!”

The members of Team 5 responded with trusting looks in their eyes.

In fact, among the hunting team leaders, Park Jin-woo was the youngest A-grade Holder and the only student Holder, so he was treated as a sort of junior leader in the clan… But the trust of Team 5 members in him was absolute.

The reason was simple.

Park Jin-woo’s inherent power of always standing at the forefront and demonstrating overwhelming combat ability, the solid leadership he had built up since his days as vice-captain of the <Ripple Raid>, and his ability to carry out clan tactics with certainty.

Except for his young age, Park Jin-woo lacked nothing as a team leader.

Above all, the battle in the First Zone’s <Abandoned Laboratory>.

When all team members were hesitating at the sudden appearance of a ‘human chimera’, his decisiveness in boldly stepping forward and eliminating the enemy.

That intense image had definitely strengthened the cohesion of Hunting Team 5.

“That’s a relief.”

A sigh of relief escaped involuntarily.

Although some team members showed slight dizziness from the sudden magical fluctuation, fortunately, it seemed that no one had injuries severe enough to hinder combat.

If so, there was no reason to delay.

Park Jin-woo immediately issued new orders to his team members.

“It seems this maze is a trap area constructed within the 6th Zone. According to the information window, we need to find a specific point to escape, so everyone prepare to move immediately…”

No, he was about to move.

Until he saw a man he encountered when he turned his gaze.

“…Dad?”

“I’m just a cooperating Holder, Team Leader Park Jin-woo.”

S-grade Holder and his father, Park Ji-hwan, is right beside him.

No, why is this person here?

He looked at him with a bewildered face, but the man scratched his head with an awkward expression and explained.

“I came to Team 5 for a moment to see if Team Leader Park Jin-woo was leading well. As you know, the situation was a bit relaxed at the time. But suddenly, this anomaly…”

“……”

In short, he came to watch how his son was doing, and got caught up in the trap.

“That’s an incredibly convenient setup.”

“That’s how things go in this world.”

“If you wish, I’ll hand over the command to you.”

“Oh no! What are you saying? Carry on as you were, as you were. I’ll assist Team 5 in my usual free role.”

Park Ji-hwan waved his hands, using awkward formal speech.

Park Jin-woo, who had been staring at him blankly…

Eventually sighed and issued orders again.

“Then we’ll depart immediately. First, the archer-type, Holder Yoo Hyun-seok…”

However, this time too, the order didn’t reach its end.

“Team leader! A magical attack from behind…!!”

The urgent cry of the clan member skilled in magic detection.

The surprise attack was instantaneous.

Kwa, kwaang-!!

Kwaga- kwagaga-!!

An enormous explosion engulfed Hunting Team 5.

Although <Maze Touched by Death> boasts a size and length that could be considered ground level, it’s still essentially a room with walls.

The power of fire-attribute magic attacks and explosions occurring simultaneously was beyond imagination.

“Arghhhh!!”

“Hyun Seok-jun! Damn it…!!”

“Holder Ji Eun-mi! Cure quickly…”

“I’m doing it now!”

Most team members quickly deployed defenses and dodged attacks, but quite a few couldn’t escape the flames.

One of the mage-type members was even injured so badly that they couldn’t move their legs.

The divine-type clan members quickly attached themselves to attempt healing, but all team members were confused by the destructive attack they encountered right after entering the maze.

“Damn it…”

Park Jin-woo bit his lip hard and placed his hand on his sword.

He intended to cut down in one swoop those undead bastards who dared to nearly kill his team members.

But.

Tak-.

A rough and blunt hand grabbed his wrist.

In his turned gaze, a familiar face was caught.

It was his father, Park Ji-hwan, with none of the earlier playfulness.

Park Ji-hwan spoke with a stern face, not taking his eyes off the front.

“It’s a Lich.”

“A Lich?”

“Yes. The only undead that can unleash this level of magic attack in a short time is a Lich. So don’t move rashly. If you’re not careful, you, the team leader, could be taken out.”

After saying that, Park Ji-hwan glanced behind.

And there.

Death Knights, undead as dangerous as a Lich, were gathering.

“Jin-woo, you deal with those Death Knights in front. Your swift sword should be able to buy enough time.”

“Then the Lich…”

“I’ll handle it. And Jin-woo.”

Park Ji-hwan met his son’s eyes even in this urgent moment.

He spoke with eyes full of conviction.

“Don’t forget the power of the seeker you possess. In the worst crisis, it will always be the key to breaking through the situation.”

S-grade Holder Park Ji-hwan.

Before being an S-grade Holder, he was a Holder who had first awakened the ‘power of the seeker’ that Park Jin-woo had awakened to.

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