NOVEL NEXT Chapter 5
Meanwhile.
The first raid team of the Cheongbaek Guild, to which Baek Seo Ha belonged, was smoothly conquering the B3 Rank Dungeon.
“It’s going faster than expected. At this rate, we might finish by tomorrow!”
“The scouting team said they’ve already finished exploring the boss room, so let’s recover our stamina and wrap this up.”
The exploration revealed that the boss of this dungeon was a Puppet Spider. It was a monster with a difficulty level that was neither particularly easy nor difficult.
With the map reading completed, there were essentially no elements to be wary of.
Soon, the leader’s orders were given, and Baek Seo Ha began to stow away her equipment, ready to finish the day’s conquest.
Just at that moment, the gem on the item around Baek Seo Ha’s neck shattered.
“Uh, Seo Ha. You…?”
Cha Hwa Ryun, who understood the implications of that, gasped in shock, and Baek Seo Ha clenched her fist unknowingly.
‘Dungeon? Am I trapped in a dungeon now?’
As the gem broke, the item’s effect allowed her to pinpoint Baek Eun Ha’s location.
It was near their home; it seemed she got caught up in the proximity of the dungeon seed’s activation.
Baek Seo Ha made a quick judgment.
‘…What can I do if I go right now?’
That was a reasonable thought, given the circumstances. The B Rank Dungeon’s assault wasn’t even completed yet.
The likelihood of rescuing her brother through direct action was slim.
However, even while having such thoughts, Baek Seo Ha’s body was already dashing solo toward the dungeon’s boss room.
For her, who had already lost her parents due to the dungeon incident, there was no longer a realm where reason could take charge.
“Baek Seo Ha! Where are you going? Stop right now!”
Caught off guard by the sudden event, the guild members hurried after her, but Baek Seo Ha was exceptionally fast.
Kieek!
Kieek!
‘Annoying.’
Even though she knew the location of the boss room, there were still monsters blocking the way.
Two Poison Spiders and three Spider Halos. Each belonged to the B Rank and were definitely not to be underestimated.
But Baek Seo Ha knew.
‘I can take them all down.’
She was aware that if she used her full power, they would not pose a threat.
Kwang!
Bam!
Boom!
With every muscle in her body tensed, she leaped for a moment and lunged at the vital spots with her spear.
The Poison Spider, which was about to spout poison, received three large holes in its body and fell dead immediately.
It probably didn’t even understand how it met its demise. It was that fast.
Around that time, her companions, who had barely caught up with her, could only watch in awe at the skill that seemed to reach the realm of the gods.
Boom!
With poisonous gas spewing from two directions and diving into the gaps of the web aimed at her back, she charged forward.
Swish!
She slid to a halt, faking out the Spider Halo, narrowly dodging its forelegs in a breathtaking manner.
Boom!
Swish—!
And with a swift jab, as if a bomb had exploded, the body of the Spider Halo burst apart.
Such acrobatics would never be attempted by someone in their right mind, yet the effectiveness was undeniable.
As this process continued repeatedly, the only monsters remaining were the ones she had cut down. It was a literal massacre.
“W-wait, was she this strong?”
“……”
The companions of Baek Seo Ha, who were frantically chasing after her, could only look on with their mouths agape.
They had never seen such a wild and brutal side of her before.
Pursuing Baek Seo Ha, who was making a headway toward the boss room, Cha Hwa Ryun thought to herself.
Perhaps, her true strength already matched that of the S Rank.
#
As I realized I was dragged into the Undead Dungeon, I was welcomed by a shabby skeleton wielding a sword.
“……”
It seemed it wasn’t a warrior.
It was just a skeleton with a sword.
Basic. Standard option. Virgin purity akin to a 500-won soft serve ice cream.
“…This isn’t such a high-rank dungeon, is it?”
At least, this was somewhat fortunate. Against this level of opponent, I honestly felt I could take it on barehanded.
Creak!
The skeleton, perhaps recognizing me as an enemy, began to move its short legs toward me.
For some reason, it felt rather pathetic.
“…You’re crossing the line.”
This was not something even a heavenly senior could overlook!
Hoo…
With a calm demeanor, I easily dodged the skeleton’s sword strikes, grabbed its arm and neck, and flipped its body over.
Boom!
Crash!
“Ugh.”
It was a bit heavier than expected, letting out a sound as I gasped, but the attack was clean.
I snatched the sword from the broken skeleton’s grasp and finished it off.
Thud!
“Nothing special.”
I honestly didn’t expect to win so smoothly, but it felt somewhat satisfying.
At that moment, I realized something strange.
‘I’ve been thinking about this for a while, but…’
It seemed I didn’t experience any of those unique mental side effects against monsters.
“Hmph.”
Then, the story became simple.
Against such a dungeon where only a skeleton appears, my mental state was stable. There were no debuff totems called human beings around.
“Hehe.”
Isn’t this literally a walk in the park?
“This chilly and heavy sensation…”
The sword was quite shabby and poor, but thanks to that, it was easy to wield with my strength.
It seemed now was the time to show off my swordsmanship skills, which overshadowed even that of the swordsman.
Dread!
Creak!
Creak!
Just as an enemy seemed to approach.
I walked forward with a confident face and moments later, upon confirming the enemy’s identity, I bolted away.
Pat pat.
“Hah!”
Three Warriors, two Archers, and even a Mage.
It seemed like this wasn’t a low-rank dungeon after all.
“Hah. Hah. Phew.”
Only after running until my lungs were on fire did I barely escape the monsters’ line of sight.
While running, I noticed that this dungeon was quite spacious for not being high rank.
And perhaps because it was an Undead Dungeon, the monsters seemed to cluster rather than spread out.
If it weren’t for that, I wouldn’t have been able to flee like this.
“This is troublesome…”
It didn’t seem like an extraordinary dungeon, but it was difficult to believe that a weakened me could clear it.
I had only brought one magic stone, not all three.
“Just wait.”
If it was a dungeon of this rank, nearby hunters would gather and clear it out quickly. Enduring that much shouldn’t be difficult.
Just as I was about to squeeze into a hiding spot between the pillars of the corridor, I spotted a guest there.
“Eek! Ah, um, you!”
The girl who let out a shrill scream upon seeing me was the same student I followed with the rookie hunters earlier.
Oh great. A debuff totem.
I resisted the surge of emotions that arose and pulled my hood down further. With a frigid aura, I asked.
“Um, er, what happened to the others…?”
This was truly maddening.
#
The girl’s answer was quite unexpected.
Shivering, she recounted everything that had happened up until now. According to her, the rookie hunters and everyone else had either died or were in an unknown state.
‘It can’t be that dangerous of a dungeon. How did they all fall so suddenly?’
It was a story difficult to comprehend within my common sense.
Of course, while a mere skeleton series might be a threat to the local hunters, it wouldn’t be unusual for even a few ordinary people wielding weapons to struggle against them.
It was a matter of experience, not physical specs.
However, the rookie hunter from earlier looked sufficiently knowledgeable about the dungeon.
How could a party led by such a person be wiped out instantly in this spacious, tranquil dungeon?
It was clearly not something to be taken lightly.
“Something terrifying appeared…”
“…”
“A gigantic skeleton soldier suddenly attacked…”
Hearing her words, I furrowed my brow at the thought.
A gigantic skeleton soldier?
If that were true, it was most likely a Skeleton Giant.
But even the Skeleton Giant was a B Rank monster. It couldn’t appear in a lower dungeon.
‘Could it really be… not a lower dungeon?’
If that were the case, what about the original Skeletons and Skeleton Warriors I saw earlier?
Those were undead that appeared in lower dungeons, unlike the Skeleton Giant.
However, if they gathered together and appeared in a higher dungeon…
‘There are High-Ranking Undead.’
That was the only explanation.
From Skeleton Soldiers to Giants, if they weren’t originally monsters meant to be in this dungeon but summons of another being, it would make sense.
In other words, it meant that there existed a being summoning all those monsters within this dungeon.
‘Things are taking a strange turn…’
If that were truly the case, there wouldn’t just be hunters in the vicinity assembling a rescue team.
At the very least, a properly prepared force would be required to enter the dungeon.
The girl and I held our breath and hid in place as time passed slowly.
After two hours without any news of a rescue team, I was finally certain.
‘This isn’t a lower dungeon.’
Boom!
Boom!
At that moment, the heavy thudding footsteps began to resonate.