NOVEL NEXT Chapter 50
‘A Large Dungeon, huh…’
Basically, compared to small or medium-sized dungeons, a dungeon classified as large is immensely massive.
No matter how big it is, while smaller dungeons only require ten members, a large dungeon needs at least thirty or more participants.
Otherwise, finding the boss room before the Break and clearing the dungeon becomes almost impossible.
Thus, quite a number of adventurers joined together for this dungeon expedition.
“Did you say there are thirty-four of us?”
“Yes. The main force of Hanul Guild consists of sixteen. And there are three small parties like ours.”
In such situations, it’s common to divide the members and explore different directions for the boss room.
Because of that, we could somewhat predict our assigned roles.
After finishing all the preparations, the strategy team gathered at one point to hold a brief departure ceremony.
“After we enter, we will first assess the surrounding terrain before giving precise instructions.”
And so, we finally stepped into the B4 Rank Large Dungeon.
Whoooosh!
“This place….”
“A, a snowy field?”
“Whew, it’s really cold.”
As soon as we entered, perplexed voices emerged among the strategy team members.
Whooooo!
Swoosh!
The snowy field was so covered in white that everything looked completely white.
In front of us stretched a dense forest, and from the sky, snow was swirling around accompanied by strong winds.
It was quite different from the expected landscape. At the very least, it was a terrain that wasn’t commonly found in dungeons.
“…This is troublesome. It’s not an environment conducive for long-term activities.”
These were the words of Yoon Byung Ho, the A Rank Hunter from Hanul Guild and the overall leader of this expedition.
As he said, the combination of a large dungeon and such an environment definitely raised the difficulty level.
“There are no signs of monsters around!”
“There are no unusual occurrences on this side!”
“In that case, let’s set up our base camp here first.”
After establishing our base, we embarked on our serious exploration.
“The reconnaissance results from the advance team indicated that there’s just a steep cliff behind us. So, we decided to divide the front into three directions to explore.”
At the words of the Hanul Guild strategy team hunter, we teamed up with another party to explore the left path.
“I’m Kim Kyung Sik. It seems I’m joining a rather lively party these days. Nice to meet you.”
“It’s us who should be thankful.”
The leader of that party was a middle-aged man with a large sword on his back, indicating he was a front-line fighter who wielded a great sword.
Since we hadn’t practiced together beforehand, we decided to keep a certain distance and maintain formation as we moved through the snowy forest alongside the porters hired by Hanul Guild.
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
Crackle.
“Ugh, my feet keep sinking!”
“Why did we even come to a dungeon like this?”
Even though we had prepared for warmth, Song Ha Yeon and Kwak Min Ji, who were particularly sensitive to the cold, were grumbling.
“Indeed, in such an environment, it might be difficult for me to perform well in battle. We need to be cautious.”
We had been walking for an hour now, yet we hadn’t encountered any monsters or anything at all.
To be honest, this was not a good omen.
“Is it usually this rare to encounter anything?”
“It’s likely just a matter of luck so far. But…”
If this situation persists, it indicates the vastness of this dungeon.
It was quite concerning.
‘….’
Since it had been a while for me in such an environment, I wasn’t particularly thrilled. I already felt like heading home.
Thump.
“Monsters up ahead! White Pangs!”
I don’t know if I should say it was fortunate, but as if breaking the silence, a horde of monsters ambushed us.
Giant wolves with pure white fur. B5 Rank monsters, the White Pangs.
“Let’s split up the pack and take them on. I’ll take half of them.”
“Understood.”
In an instant, the two party leaders made the call, and we were faced with a total of eight White Pangs.
“Undead Call!”
Whoosh!
[Rawr!]
[Growl!]
Under the constant nagging, Song Ha Yeon had finally learned a new ability, and her Phantom Wolf engaged the enemies while the other party members smoothly assumed their formation and initiated battle.
While I was watching from behind, Song Ha Yeon asked me.
“What are you doing without summoning anything?”
“…I already summoned it.”
At that moment, a powerful beastly roar erupted from behind.
Grrrooooar!
It was my Phantom Wolf, which I had sent ahead for reconnaissance due to sensing another enemy in advance, starting the battle.
I clicked my tongue while glancing at Song Ha Yeon, who looked at me with admiration.
“Tsk, tsk. Keeping an eye on summoning is basic.”
“No, ordinary people wouldn’t notice even if they focused! We’re that far apart…”
With the battle concluded, the leader of the opposite party expressed his gratitude to us.
“Thank you. If we had been ambushed from behind, it could have turned dangerous.”
We retraced our steps for precautions to identify the identity of the assailant.
After seeing it, Kim Kyung Sik’s party stared at me in awe.
“T-That’s an Ice Troll! How did you take down a B3 Rank large monster by yourself…?”
“H-how on earth did you manage it when it would be tough even for three to tackle it…?”
“Wow, this isn’t a joke. How did you catch it?”
While feeling a bit smug about their reaction, I slowly distanced myself, feeling somewhat weighed down by their gazes.
The members of Kim Kyung Sik’s party seemed to recall something they had heard earlier, apologized, and moved back to maintain formation.
And so a few hours passed.
Swoosh.
Swoosh.
Thump.
“It seems we have reached our target point.”
After that, we did have a few more battles, but no special anomalies were discovered.
The monsters we encountered were all just White Pangs, Ice Trolls, and a B4 Rank creature called Rock Boar.
“…Let’s return for now.”
As the porters had already gathered the mineral and materials, we returned to camp to report our exploration results.
“Thank you for your hard work. After compiling the information, I will issue further instructions tomorrow, so please go and rest.”
On the first day of exploration, there wasn’t much difference between any of the parties.
We mostly encountered similar monsters, and nothing particularly noteworthy stood out. We would have no choice but to head further in the same direction.
“Let’s keep advancing our exploration while setting up base camps.”
Thus, the second day passed.
Though one of the other teams reported the appearance of a new monster, there was still nothing special.
“…No results again today.”
Continuing into the third day, then the fourth day, supplies and personnel noticeably began to dwindle.
People were suffering from the harsh environment or getting injured from repeated battles.
“How are the injured doing?”
“We’re managing them carefully, but due to the circumstances, recovery is slow. It will take at least two more days for them to rejoin the ranks.”
Time kept flowing without pause, and soon ten days had passed since we entered the dungeon.
No matter how large the dungeon was, this much time should typically be enough to spot and clear a boss room.
Just as anxiety began to seep into the expedition team’s hearts, we finally received good news from the advance team.
“W-we found the endpoint! We can see the edge of the dungeon!”
We hurriedly prepared and moved, only to find ourselves blocked by an endless wall.
A location commonly referred to as the dungeon’s wall, indicating the outer point of the dungeon and a structure only found in dungeons larger than large size.
In other words, it meant that the space in front of us did not exist, so the boss room was surely nearby. It was undoubtedly hopeful news.
However, it didn’t take long for that hope to morph into despair.
“It’s not visible from here!”
“Neither is this side!”
The boss room that was supposed to exist, for some reason, could not be found anywhere.
We even deployed exploration hunters and used the mages’ detection magic, but the outcome was the same.
“…What on earth is happening?”
The strategy team fell into chaos. We hadn’t missed any points while exploring, so a boss room had to be found somewhere.
There couldn’t be a dungeon without a boss room.
While we investigated near the wall once more, one hunter, who had been maintaining a somber expression, hesitated and finally spoke.
“…Th-there’s one place we haven’t explored.”
Everyone hurriedly turned their gaze at his words. The expedition leader Yoon Byung Ho inquired, puzzled.
“What do you mean?”
“Behind the starting point of the base camp. Do you remember?”
Of course, I did. Behind it was nothing but a steep cliff.
As soon as the hunters had thought that far, their expressions suddenly went stiff.
“…We’re talking about that cliff.”
This was a statement that sent despair to the hearts of the expedition team.