Memorize

A/N:- Need reviews guys.

"Ugh… it hurts. You're so mean!"

Sol rubbed her aching backside, pouting as she complained. Hyun awkwardly extended a hand to help her up, but Sol turned her head sharply in protest, clearly displeased. Hyun's face crumpled in disbelief, as if he'd just been struck by betrayal. With a firm expression, I stepped forward and helped her to her feet. Although she continued to pout, she let me assist her without any further resistance.

"Why… Why are you only mad at me?" Hyun whined, trying to insert himself between Sol and me.

"Hmph."

Sol's cold shoulder was all the response he got, leaving Hyun looking utterly defeated. I watched his dejection for a moment before addressing Sol in a stern tone.

"Sol."

"What?"

Her tone was unusually defiant, a far cry from her usual cheerful "Yes?" Perhaps she still harbored some resentment toward me as well. But upon noticing my stern expression, she quickly averted her gaze, lowering her head in submission.

And then—

"Whaaaaat?!"

Sol's sudden scream echoed through the space.

…So much for helping her up. The effort was utterly wasted. As the saying goes, "If you're unlucky, even falling backward can break your nose"—and Sol was the perfect embodiment of that.

"Calm down. Calm down. There, good girl."

One thing puzzled me, though: why, of all places, had she managed to avoid falling into Hyun's arms, only to end up clutching onto me instead? Despite my curiosity, I comforted Sol, who was trembling and on the verge of tears.

Then, bending down cautiously, I tried to assess the situation.

Hyun and Yun-Jung also knelt down to look, but their faces quickly stiffened in shock, and they instinctively backed away.

The object beneath Sol wasn't the floor—it was a corpse.

It was the body of another player, grotesquely twisted into a horrifying, unnatural shape.

"Urgh...!"

Yun-Jung couldn't hold it in any longer and began gagging. Even I couldn't help but grimace slightly at the sight of the corpse. This was the kind of brutality I'd only seen in the worst of the Vagrant Brigade's antics in the past.

A broken bow, snapped clean in half, lay beside the body, suggesting the victim had been a player—likely a ranger. The corpse's neck and face were grotesquely twisted in agony, with bones ripped out from the root. The sheer pain and suffering that must have preceded this death were written all over the body.

Considering they'd managed to reach the middle and far reaches of the Forest of Midnight before entering this dungeon, this party must have been a fairly competent caravan. But now, seeing this, I could already guess why they had met their demise here.

"Idiots… venturing into a dungeon without a guide? Complete lunacy. Or maybe they were blinded by greed." I muttered quietly to myself, biting my lip in frustration.

While it wasn't my place to criticize, the juxtaposition between the surface's deceptive tranquility and the dungeon's sheer hostility was startling. It was like the dungeon had skipped the formalities and hurled its nastiest surprises right from the start.

As Sol shivered uncontrollably beside me, I tried my best to console her while scanning our surroundings.

The corridor ahead was a straight, dark tunnel. There were no other paths, no branching options—just forward or back. At this point, there was no longer any reason to follow the caravan's trail.

Their fate had been sealed over two years ago, and while their plight was tragic, it had nothing to do with me. Now, my priorities lay in combing through this dungeon thoroughly using my Third Eye. Every nook and cranny would be scrutinized, every secret uncovered. If the legendary alchemist really was the dungeon master here, there was a high chance of scoring valuable equipment as well.

Calculating my next steps, I glanced at the group. But as soon as I saw their faces, I frowned.

The corpse had clearly shaken them to their core. Their uneasiness was written all over their faces, and they were practically radiating anxiety. Yun-Jung, in particular, seemed ready to turn back and return to the city at any moment.

I broke the tense silence with a sharp tone.

"What's the matter? Is this your first time seeing a player's corpse? This kind of thing is common in Hall Plain. You've all killed vagrants before—what's with the hysteria over one dead body?"

My scolding made their throats bob as they gulped nervously. Still, their reluctance lingered in the air, a subtle hesitation refusing to dissipate.

I raised my voice, harsher this time.

"When did you all go from being excited about discovering a dungeon on our first expedition to tucking your tails between your legs? Do you even understand how huge the reward will be if we pull this off?"

"...."

It might have sounded cold and materialistic, but that was the reality of it. Their reaction proved they still hadn't reached the mental resilience I expected of them. In Hall Plain, you couldn't see people as modern humans. You had to treat them as players, plain and simple.

"Do you even grasp the significance of finding a dungeon on your very first expedition? If we pass this, everything will get so much easier from here on out. Are you seriously willing to throw all that away? Should we just be satisfied with finding it and head back to the city?"

"N-no, no way. Absolutely not. No, Hyung, no!"

An Hyun was the first to snap out of it, repeatedly denying the suggestion while slapping his cheeks and shaking his head vigorously. He looked like he was mentally steeling himself again. It eased my frustration a little, but honestly, it still felt pathetic.

Back when I used to run with Hyung's team or follow her lead, just keeping up with them was a constant struggle. Sure, it wasn't fair to compare these kids to seasoned veterans like them, but the impatience in me was hard to suppress.

"Listen carefully: this isn't just about you. In this world, full expeditions die all the time in places like this, and it's not rare for entire caravans to get wiped out before they even finish exploring. I don't want that to happen to us. I want to keep you all alive—I have no intention of letting us get wiped out. But I can't do it alone. I need your help."

"…Okay. I'm sorry. I get it now, Oppa. I'm sorry."

Finally, Yun-Jung seemed to regain some composure. She stood up with a determined look, though her trembling legs betrayed the fact she still hadn't shaken off the sight of that horrifying corpse. At least she wasn't retching anymore—that was progress.

"Alright, Sol, let's move toward the center. There you go—good. Let's go. Everyone, form up."

As the others nodded and fell into formation, I let out a deep sigh and turned back toward the path ahead.

From behind, I could hear Yun-Jung mutter under her breath, "He's always spoiling Sol."

I decided to let it slide.

Objectively speaking, and subjectively as well, Yun-Jung's words weren't wrong at all.

*

We were advancing slowly in a triangular formation. There was one noticeable difference compared to the formation we had used in the forest: the positions of Hyun and Yun-Jung, who were responsible for the left and right flanks, had shifted slightly, now about 45 degrees closer to me. The interior was quite dark, but thanks to Sol maintaining a light spell, we were able to see clearly enough.

Walking through the dim underground, we remained alert, constantly scanning for any potential threats. So far, we hadn't detected any traps or monsters. The few things we did find were either monsters turned to ash or traps that had already been triggered. It seemed like the caravans that had ventured here before us had dealt with most of the dangers. I was quietly grateful for the convenience, but at the same time, a thought crossed my mind: what if the future changed and they ended up getting all the treasure? It didn't really matter though—I could always just kill them all in secret and take everything back. The thought amused me as I kept moving forward without hesitation.

Sol's light spell was still unstable, the orb flickering uneasily. She couldn't keep it still, and the light floated aimlessly. Yun-Jung, irritated by the drifting light, waved her hand with an annoyed gesture, causing the orb to float in the opposite direction.

I didn't understand why they were bickering, but I figured I'd ask later. For now, I focused on expanding my senses.

"Hmm."

How long had we been walking? I suddenly stopped, sensing something and spitting to the side. The others tensed up immediately, sensing my unease, and raised their weapons while activating their own senses. At that moment, I felt a slight satisfaction—it seemed like the group was starting to get into formation. Even Sol, despite there being no visible enemies, was muttering under her breath, casting a spell. I raised one hand to signal for calm, lowering the unnecessary tension, and spoke in a soft voice.

"There's something up ahead... It feels strange. We should get closer and check it out."

As soon as I signaled for them to lower their guard, I couldn't help but let out a bitter smile as I watched the others quickly raise their weapons again. I wished they'd show more consistency. Their reactions were so situational that even I couldn't predict their behavior at times. After shaking off those useless thoughts, I heightened my focus and hearing.

We were still some distance away, but the presence I sensed wasn't that of a monster—it was a player. Though the figure seemed too small to be a typical player, I could clearly hear faint groaning sounds. I motioned for the others to follow and then rushed forward.

"Ugh..."

The closer I got, the clearer the groans became. Could the caravan have been wiped out this quickly? No, that didn't seem possible. Too many questions filled my mind, but for now, the priority was to confirm if the person was alive or dead. If they were still alive, we might be able to extract some useful information.

"Ugh... hha..."

I could see them now. A player lying on the ground. I quickly ran up and knelt beside them. The others, who had followed behind me, gasped when they saw the figure on the ground. The first person I noticed was an archer. But then, the player in front of us, wearing priest robes, caught my attention. The troubling part was that their upper and lower body had been violently torn apart, lying sprawled on the ground.

"...Impressive that he is still alive."

A faint white light was emanating from his fallen torso. It seemed like he had been desperately casting a healing spell. After confirming the player's condition, I instinctively activated my Third Eye.

< Player Status >

Name: Park Namheon (4th Year)Class: Normal Priest ExpertNation: BabaraClan: -Real Name · Nationality: - · South KoreaGender: Male (27)Height · Weight: 177.8 cm · 79.1 kgAlignment: Lawful · Neutral

[Strength 36] [Resistance 57] [Agility 31] [Vitality 47] [Magic Power 81] [Luck 41]

Suffered fatal wounds.

Requires Great Healing level recovery spell. Can still be saved.

Requires an Elixir-level healing potion. Life can still be saved.

There's no value in saving him. Considering he's been here for 4 years, I quickly gave up on the idea of saving him. As soon as I checked his stats and other details, I came to the conclusion that he wouldn't make it.

For a male player, it was impressive that he had managed to stay alive with this level of injury. He must have used self-healing spells or relied on some special, potential ability. Still, with injuries of this magnitude, survival was impossible...

"U-player... how...?"

"What happened? When did you enter this dungeon? And where are your companions?"

"Th-Thank... cough..."

"Oppa, l-let's save him first..."

I stopped myself just in time, almost blurting out something that would have been a mistake. There was no point in trying to save him. The better choice was to extract any useful information before he died. I quickly realized the need to be cautious with my words. Sol had started chanting a healing spell, and Yun-Jung was already handing me a potion. Even though it felt like a waste of both the spell's mana and the potion, I reluctantly opened the bottle and poured the potion into his mouth.

"You idiots. What gave you the courage to enter the dungeon without a guide? Anyway, open your mouth."

I whispered cautiously into his ear, then supported his head to pour the potion into his mouth. At first, he seemed to drink a little, but soon he coughed up a mouthful of blood. Sol, shocked by this, caused her healing spell to falter. When I tried to force him to drink again, the priest weakly shook his head in refusal. It seemed like he had already accepted his fate, knowing that he couldn't survive.

Then I felt something unsettling. Despite his calm acceptance of death, he was still trying to hang on. He seemed to want to endure, just a little longer. But once he saw us, the player gave up on life. This meant he had something to say to us, something important.

Eventually, after spitting out a mouthful of blood, the male player opened his mouth with great difficulty.