Dungeon Breaker

Chapter 6

—–CROW—–

Luciel blinked as they arrived at the Rat Hole, following the map.  It felt like she had been doing nothing but blinking since entering the Great Labyrinth, but it couldn’t be helped.

“What are you doing?”

“Building a fire.”

The Rat Hole was literally a rat hole, but much larger than a typical one.  About two meters in diameter.  A long tunnel extended beyond the pitch-black opening, sloping downwards.

As soon as they arrived, Cheon-ho eliminated the Giant Rats roaming nearby and piled flammable materials in front of the Rat Hole. Crude weapons carried by goblins, wooden fragments found in the debris, and so on.

But it wasn’t enough kindling.

‘Tsk, it can’t be helped.’

Cheon-ho inserted a small, white solid fuel tablet among the kindling and lit it with the flint attached to the back of his combat knife.

The fire blazed up.

Cheon-ho stared at the bonfire for a moment, then extended a hand to Luciel.  “Step back. Cover your mouth and nose if possible. It’s dangerous to inhale even a little.”

Was he talking about the smoke?

Luciel was puzzled, but she did as she was told.

“Hmm.”

Cheon-ho took a short breath.  This was his first time actually using it.

‘Ancabra’s Poison.’

It was supposedly a monster that existed in Paien, but naturally, he’d never seen one. He’d only heard about its effects from his father.

He only had one pellet hidden in his table, but saving it for later wouldn’t do any good now.

Cheon-ho tossed the pellet of Ancabra’s Poison, shaped like a pill, into the bonfire. The bonfire’s smoke instantly turned purple, clearly dangerous.

“Luciel, flap your wings! Flap them!”

“Huh? Oh, yes!”

At Cheon-ho’s sudden command, Luciel quickly started flapping her wings.  Her wings weren’t just for show, it seemed, as a strong wind quickly pushed the smoke into the hole.

“Keep going.  A little stronger if you can!”

“I-I’m being pushed back!”

It was natural for her to be pushed back if she flapped her wings hard.

Cheon-ho hurried behind Luciel and stood with his back to hers, so they were back-to-back.

“Is this better?”

“Y-Yes!”

Luciel, leaning against Cheon-ho, flapped her wings diligently, sweating profusely.

The purple smoke rising from the bonfire was pushed into the Rat Hole without a trace, and after a few minutes, the effects became visible.

[Experience gained.]

[Experience gained.]

[Experience gained.]

[Level Up!]

Windows of light appeared one after another.

The Giant Rats inside the Rat Hole were starting to die en masse.

“It’s working! It’s working!”

Luciel must have gained experience as well.

Cheon-ho grinned at her elated voice.  “Just a little longer!”

“Okay!”

Luciel continued flapping her wings excitedly.

It seemed she wasn’t just excited about exterminating the Giant Rats in the Rat Hole, but also about being helpful.

[Experience gained.]

[Experience gained.]

[Experience gained.]

“Huff… huff…”

About 30 minutes after Luciel started flapping her wings, she was drenched in sweat and panting, utterly exhausted. The purple smoke from the bonfire had also thinned considerably.

“Let’s stop here.”

Cheon-ho stopped Luciel’s flapping and covered his nose and mouth with his handkerchief before kicking the bonfire to extinguish it.  After stamping it out completely, he looked at Luciel.

“Ha… ha…”

Luciel collapsed on the floor, gasping for breath, looking utterly drained.

Feeling a pang of guilt, Cheon-ho approached her and asked, “Are you alright?”

“I’m… alright…  Phew, really… alright… Just… need… to rest… Huff…”

She didn’t look alright at all, but she managed a weak smile as she continued to catch her breath.

Instead of bothering her with further questions, Cheon-ho looked inside the Rat Hole.

There were two possibilities.

One, the Rat Hole was a dead end. A closed space with no other exit.

Two, there were other passages, allowing for ventilation.

Of course, even if there was ventilation, the smoke wouldn’t dissipate easily since it was underground.

“Hmm.”

All that remained was to prepare.

Cheon-ho pulled a wire from his pocket and began his next task.

Another five minutes passed.

A commotion erupted from inside the Rat Hole.

Frantic scrambling sounds.

A swarm of Giant Rats.

They were trying to escape the Rat Hole, pushing through the now-thinned smoke.

“Squeak! Squeak, squeak!”

*Right there! Just a little further! We can all survive! Together! Like!*

Of course, he had no ability to understand rat language, so these were mere guesses.

“Squeal?!”

The first rat shrieked, and the others followed suit.

Their path was blocked by something thin.

Wires arranged in a grid pattern, sealing the Rat Hole.  It wasn’t dense, but the gaps weren’t large enough for the large dog-sized Giant Rats to pass through.

Cheon-ho threw throwing knives in rapid succession at the rats clamoring at the entrance.

“Squeal! Squeak!”

The Giant Rats, already weakened by the smoke, died one after another.

Their bodies blocked the entrance, and the Giant Rats behind them were trapped inside the smoke-filled Rat Hole.

[Experience gained.]

[Experience gained.]

[Experience gained.]

[Level Up!]

[Massacred an enormous number of Giant Rats in a short period of time!]

[Acquired the title “Rat Exterminator”.]

[Rat Exterminator: Attacks against rat-type monsters are amplified by 1.1 times.]

His second title.

But it was too early to celebrate.  Cheon-ho focused. He felt vibrations. Intense vibrations, incomparable to those caused by the swarm of rats.

“Luciel! Get back!”

Startled, Luciel quickly retreated.

Cheon-ho looked at the Rat Hole again.

The Rat Hole, easily two meters in diameter.

Even though Giant Rats were large, they were only the size of large dogs.  They didn’t need such a massive Rat Hole.

So why?

The reason was simple.

There was something bigger.  Something that needed a Rat Hole this size!

The ground trembled.

The piled-up corpses of Giant Rats were torn apart.

Ripping through the wires, *it* revealed itself.

The Mad Crawler.

A monster.

Its head resembled a rat’s, but far more monstrous. Several horns protruded from its forehead and skull, and its teeth, jutting out from its lips, were razor-sharp.

Its crouched body filled the Rat Hole.  It hadn’t fully emerged yet, but when it stood up, its head would undoubtedly reach four to five meters high.

Luciel stifled a scream. The creature, poking its head out of the Rat Hole, rolled its yellow eyes and looked at Cheon-ho.

And Cheon-ho swung the kukri he had on his thigh.  He cut the wire, activating the trap he had set beforehand.

*Thud!*

The pile of debris he’d secured with the Rat Ogre’s corpse slammed vertically onto the creature’s head.

The debris shattered. At the same time, the creature’s legs buckled.

For a moment, its head touched the ground, and its movements ceased.

Cheon-ho knew instinctively.

This was his chance.

His only chance.

He ran.

Gripping his kukri, he leaped. He held his breath as the creature, its eyes unfocused, raised its head.

Their gazes met.

Cheon-ho’s reflection appeared in the creature’s yellow eyes.

The kukri plunged into the creature’s neck.  It sliced through flesh and hit bone.  But he couldn’t stop. He had to keep going.

Cheon-ho put all his strength into his arms.

Rat Ogre Slayer suppressed the creature slightly. Rat Exterminator amplified his attack power.

Sever.

Cut.

Slice!

*Thud!*

The kukri’s blade hit the floor.

A moment later, a massive chunk of flesh landed on the ground with a *splat*.

The Mad Crawler’s head.

Another dull thud echoed as the headless body of the Crawler collapsed.

Cheon-ho raised his head.  He stared at the Crawler’s head, not letting his guard down, as Luciel gasped from a distance.

A few more seconds passed.

The moment Cheon-ho finally confirmed the Crawler’s death…

[Defeated the Mad Crawler!]

[First 1-star Hero to defeat a Named Monster on the 1st floor.]

[Additional rewards are given for this remarkable achievement.]

[The Plague God roars in fury at you for slaying his apostle.]

[The Labyrinth World remembers your glorious achievement!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up-!]

Cheon-ho exhaled.

He looked away from the succession of light windows and glanced at Luciel.

“Hero!”

Luciel jumped up and ran—practically flew—towards Cheon-ho, embracing him.

The First.

Remarkable.

‘Thrilling, always new.  First place is the best.’

His father’s words.

They weren’t wrong this time either.

Embracing Luciel, Cheon-ho felt truly alive.

He closed his eyes, savoring the thrill of victory.

—–CROW—–