by Road Warrior
“It is important to eat well,” said Sungchul and he grabbed the half-eaten fish by the tail, then tossed it toward the ocean. It made a huge splash and made some waves. He then extinguished the fire beneath his pot and washed his dishes in the ocean. It was always wonderful to cook, but dishes were always annoying. Sungchul didn’t particularly like to do it.
“I wish I had a familiar to do my dishes,” Sungchul muttered to himself as he cleaned the pot and placed it into his Soul Storage.
“Hmph! In your dreams! I am a privileged lady who has never soiled her fingers with chores in her life!” retorted Bertelgia.
“That doesn’t really sound like something to boast about.”
“Keep a homunculus or two if you want someone around to do your dishes.”
“I don’t have a hobby of keeping those noisy things.”
“How about a Cave Elf? I think they’ll be quiet as long as they aren’t shrieking.”
“Well… Those monsters might be preferable to a homunculus when it comes to noise.”
Sungchul suddenly recalled the woman who herded around the five homunculi. She held the title of “Captain of the Exploratory Unit,” but she was simply a puppet. The actual authority seemed to be held by Willie’s son, Mikhael.
That woman. Her eyes were fierce.
He had yet to see her capabilities, but to be placed as the Exploratory Unit’s Captain by Willie personally meant that her abilities would be comparable to a court mage. Someone of that level quietly enduring insult from a greenhorn Sword Master was unheard of, and that is even after taking into consideration the characteristics of the Ancient Kingdom. That group was bound to have problems in the future. Not that he cared one way or the other.
Sungchul, who had satisfied his hunger, returned to the dungeon. However, the dungeon he returned to had changed in several aspects. The blind monsters were now present in every corner.
“…”
The monsters could not see Sungchul who stood in front of them. They had no eyes. Instead, the monsters differentiated objects through sound and smell.
“Sniff, sniff!” A monster’s upturned nose began to sniff the air. Sungchul snuck through them like a ghost and headed toward the second-floor entrance. The stone was still in the place he had left it. This meant that nothing had left through this hole.
Sungchul changed his path to descend down the stairs. There were a large number of Cave Elves lingering around the vicinity of the stairs. He slipped by them soundlessly toward the second floor. When he reached the second floor, he found out how the cave elves were able to climb up to the first. It was because the immovable black door had been flung open. There was a spherical proof of the Nahak placed in the hole. The spherical mark of the Nahak gave off a brilliant light as it sat in the alcove of the altar.
When Sungchul pulled away the symbol of the Nahak from the altar, the obsidian door immediately shut again. He put away the symbol into his pocket and began to ponder on a question.
Who opened this door?
Nothing was confirmed. It was at that moment when a sharp shriek began to chorus on the floor above.
***
Sungchul ran directly to the first floor. Sensing a presence, the blind monsters waved their arms in search for him, but Sungchul had already moved past them. He passed by them like a gust of wind and the only thing that remained in Sungchul’s eyes were the wide-eyed corpses of the Exploratory Unit. One of them was the man who had explained to Sungchul about the Cave Elves. The man had died with his eyes still open, and below his head were two Cave Elves, busily drinking his blood and devouring his flesh. The corpse of the young man shook each time the hideous cave elf moved its jaw.
“…”
Sungchul pulled out a single whip from his Soul Storage. The whip was ten meters long with steel cleats embedded along its length that gave off a red light. The Demonic Whip Cassandra. It was an infamous demonic weapon once wielded by the leader of the Balroqs. It was capable of ripping apart the armor and flesh of holy knights with a single blow and was magically enchanted with the ability to sear the enemy with the fires of hell. The reason Sungchul put away Fal Garaz for Cassandra was simple.
SWISH!
The ten-meter long whip cracked in the air and struck dozens of Cave Elves with enough force to pound them into the ground. One swing was enough to scatter them all, and the magical enchantment on Cassandra caused the corpses of the Cave Elves to burn from the fires of hell. It was a suitable ending for their evil deeds.
What kind of a reaction would the rest of the Cave Elves have to the smell of their burning kin? Sungchul wondered as he kicked away two Cave Elves that were dumbly searching around his feet. The monsters had their skulls caved in and died a distance away before they could even scream.
“…”
Sungchul gazed into the darkness. Dozens of Cave Elves were drawn by the sounds and smells to his location. Sungchul sharply struck the ground with Cassandra for them to hear.
WHAP!
The sharp sound echoed in the dungeon, and the mass of Cave Elves began to reveal themselves. Cassandra split the air with one sharp motion. A single strike struck down dozens of Cave Elves like blades of grass. Not even five minutes had passed before corpses of the elves were burning all around Sungchul. It was at this moment the Cave Elves realized that the man with the whip was not someone they could mess with.
“Shiiik! Kahiiik!” A Cave Elf let out a sharp shriek from the rear. It caused the other Cave Elves to abandon the corpses of their kin and flee into the darkness. Sungchul who had just finished a round of massacre stood still to focus on the sounds in the cave. He could hear the faint sounds of a battle raging on nearby.
Sungchul immediately headed over there. The Swordsmen of the Ancient Kingdom were engaged in a fierce fight against the Cave Elves. The Cave Elves had oppressive numbers, but there was a Sword Master on the side of humans. Mikhael swung his blade which emitted its bluish sword aura as he drove into the center of the formation of the Cave Elves.
“3… 2… 1… Go! Shoot!”
He spun like a top and began to blindly slaughter the enemy leaving nothing but chunks of corpses in his wake. However, the Cave Elves didn’t take the assault lying down. An elderly cave elf with bone piercings around its face waited until the moment Mikhael's spin grew weaker to fire a bone arrow toward him. It flew with a terrifying force toward his neck like lightning.
At that moment, a man appeared protectively and knocked away the arrow with a staff.
Quite a skilled fellow. Sungchul’s eyes lit up with curiosity.
He had wondered who it was, and it turned out to be the man in his forties in the attire of a butler.
“Young master. The winner is he who captures the final five seconds. Please do not forget.”
“I appreciate it, Odrias.”
After expressing the proper formalities, Mikhael prepared for the final assault with his subordinate Sword Adepts. The battle ended the moment the old cave elf with the piercings died.
The elves ran away, never to attack again.
Mimi revealed herself once the battle was over by ripping off the veil covering her and her homunculi and walked over to where Mikhael stood.
SLAP!
Her hand struck Mikhael’s cheek. The moment Mikhael's eyes were about to show hostility, Odrias kept him in check. He was already standing behind Mimi and shaking his head.
“Why did you open the door?” asked Mimi. “Just why did you open the door?” she aggressively pressed on.
“It was a door that had to be opened anyways.” Mikhael answered as he rubbed the cheek that had been struck.
A bone chilling hostility rose from Mimi’s eyes. “Can you even call that an excuse? Can you be so shameless after looking at the tragedy you’ve caused?”
“Tragedy? What tragedy? The real tragedy hasn’t even occurred yet.” Mikhael spat on the floor as he turned around. He peered at Mimi who was glaring at him through the corner of his eyes as
he spoke in a frosty tone.
“It appears that you’re not familiar with my father, Willie Gilford. You shouldn’t interpret his words so literally.”
“… what does that mean?” asked Mimi.
“My father said thus: ‘Secure the area around the dungeon for a week.’ But was that really all that he wanted? I don’t think so.”
“…”
“My father probably desired us to finish exploring the deeper areas of the dungeon, rather than wasting our time for a week doing nothing,” continued Mikhael.
“I don’t understand why we have to follow orders that weren’t even given?”
“This is the proof that you don’t truly understand the social conventions of the Ancient Kingdom.” Mikhael treated her as though he was scolding a child. Mimi gazed at Odrias who now stood behind Mikhael. The man in a butler attire met eyes with Mimi, then spoke in a low voice with a nod.
“As young master has said, we must hurry. If Master Gilford discovers that we didn’t manage to gain any results by the time he returns, he’ll write us off. I hope you’ll keep this in mind as we progress from this point on.”
Mimi did not speak any further. Even as Mikhael and gang disappeared deeper into the dungeon, she stood blankly staring at the floor with an expression that showed that she didn’t quite understand the situation around her. Sungchul didn’t disagree with her sentiment, but the Other World was full of irrationalities such as this. There were bound to be one or two psychotic organizations.
“Miss Mimi, are you upset?” a homunculus lingering around her feet carefully asked the question.
“…”
She didn’t reply.
The other homunculi who had been keeping quiet began to speak. “You do not have to worry! Miss Mimi, as long as you have us, completing this dungeon is nothing too difficult!”
“Since things have gone this way, let’s complete this dungeon and take the prize for ourselves!”
“And then you’ll make us into real fairies, not homunculi!”
At that moment, a man stepped out from the darkness in front of her. It was none other than Sungchul. Mimi was momentarily shocked, but she regained her calm expression and spoke in a soft voice. “You. You’re still alive?”
“…”
Sungchul brushed past her and took in her face, expression, the emotions in her eyes, the magic hidden within her thick robe, and each of the homunculi huddled beneath her feet.
She definitely is not someone to be taken lightly.
She was ready. In many different ways. He couldn’t see her stats, but regardless, he could clearly see that Mimi was an experienced mage even without having to see them. The sparkling eyes of the Homunculi beneath their iron masks further reinforced the idea.
After finishing his cursory observations, Sungchul opened his mouth to speak. “I won’t die to something like Cave Elves.”
“I see. Also, it seems that you are quite capable in stealth seeing as even my little guys couldn’t detect a thing.”
Sungchul didn’t respond to unnecessary inquiries. Instead, he moved on to the reason he’d revealed himself to her.
“What’s that about? That thing your homunculi were speaking of.”
A look of surprise appeared briefly on her face. “Did you come here not knowing about it? Or are you sizing me up?”
“…”
“Well, it’s fine either way, considering that you and I have different circumstances. I’ll tell you what they were talking about because allies can be found in all kinds of circumstances.”
Mimi created a small sphere and sent it toward Sungchul. It was a marble of knowledge. Sungchul snatched the marble and accepted the information within. His eyes were soon filled with bright letters.
[Crown of the King of the Nahak]
The mighty avian race, who commanded the heavens and the earth, were buried underground and annihilated. The sole survivor, the king of the avian race, had sacrificed the entirety of his species in exchange for a magic power never before seen in history, but he too succumbed to ruin. Find his final resting place. And obtain his crown. The one who obtains the crown will experience a small fragment of reality only the Nahak knew.
Reward – Indeterminate
Sungchul, who read the long message, looked back at Mimi with a cold gaze and spoke bluntly. “Is this what you all are looking for? The crown of the Nahak race?”
Mimi nodded. “The crown commands an incredible amount of magic power. There is a legend that tells us that whoever obtains the crown will be granted that incredible strength.”
“Why are you telling me this, I wonder.”
“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because there is no way you’ll get your hands on it even if I tell you.” Mimi spoke as such and then lightly tapped her head with her finger. “If you don’t have the knowledge I have, that is.”
She made a meaningful smile, then spoke again. “You. You’re hiding your strength, aren’t you?”
It was a straightforward question. There was no reason to hide it now. Sungchul nodded. “A bit.”
“I like your honesty. Why not be a bit more honest at this point?”
The atmosphere around her shifted slightly. The cold hostility in her voice warmed up, and the wariness in her eyes went away. Mimi spoke in an indifferent tone. “How strong are you?”
Sungchul didn’t hesitate in answering her question. “I’m probably the strongest human in this dungeon.”
Mimi looked a bit surprised, then asked with a bit of mischief in her tone. “Even more than Willie Gilford?”
Sungchul opted to remain silent on that question.
Mimi made a bitter smile. “That last question was a joke. Although I’m a bit surprised that you’re stronger than those idiot Sword Masters.” She held a soft smile as she led her homunculi forward.
“I don’t think we were done speaking,” said Sungchul as he glared at her back.
Mimi turned slightly and answered with a smile in her eyes. “If you’re as strong as you say, we’ll meet again at some point. We’ll pick up the story where we left off then.”
Mimi disappeared into the darkness with her homunculi while Sungchul gazed at her fading figure with indifference.
It looks as though this dungeon is definitely hiding something beyond my expectations.
Something within him began to ignite once again.
Chapter 5 – Tomb Of The Avian King
After a bit of preparation, Sungchul proceeded to clear the second-floor basement. The large number of Cave Elves weren’t a problem.
FWISH! FWISH!
After a couple of massacres, the Cave Elves fled in a panic at the mere sound of Cassandra flicking in the air. They seemed to possess a certain degree of intelligence as they launched a mass attack with hundreds of individuals hiding in ambush and a traditional upfront assault with a smaller group of elite soldiers. But no matter what tactic or strategy they employed, it was all for naught in the face of Sungchul and his demonic weapon Cassandra.
FWAP! FWICK!
The blind creatures began to tremble at the sound of death itself that this intruder wielded, and did not dare approach him.
“… You’re quite experienced at this.” Bertelgia who had been silent during all this spoke quietly.
“You shouldn’t be careless while dealing with primitive races. They are cunning and savage to the point of fairness. You’ll be fighting them forever if they think you’re weak or if you give them an inch.”
SLAP!
Sungchul spoke as he slapped the whip across the floor once again.
“I guess you’ve done this a lot,” replied Bertelgia.
Sungchul nodded at her comment. “I’ve been around a few dungeons and mazes.”
Memories of dungeons he could barely even remember flashed before his eyes. There were some that made him feel nostalgic at the mere sight of them, while others were just nightmarish.
“Anyways, this dungeon. There is a plentiful amount
of mana flowing in here, unlike the outside. Do you feel it?” asked Bertelgia.
“A bit,” responded Sungchul.
A much more dense concentration of mana existed here in the Underground Palace of the Nahak compared to the outside to be exact. Plentiful environmental mana meant that the same spells would be cast with more power and lost mana would be recovered much more quickly.
“While we’re in this situation, why not use spells to break through instead of the whip? Wasn’t your goal magic proficiency anyways?” suggested Bertelgia.
“That is something to consider.”
It was definitely more convenient to proceed using the demonic equipment Cassandra, but it was more appealing to use magic for training as magic, like the body, improved with use.
“The environment is also good for Alchemy because high-level Alchemic Items require a lot of mana. You should be able to make up to level 5 Alchemic Items without chugging down Mana Essence like before,” said Bertelgia.
“You make a good point.”
Bertelgia flew up and down at Sungchul’s rare compliment while pretending to clear her throat in pride. “Of course. Who do you think Bertelgia is? I am the embodiment of knowledge itself!”
Sungchul placed the whip into his Soul Storage as he continued the exploration. He saw a group of Cave Elves loitering about. Sungchul used Glare on the Cave Elves; the beam of light tore through their flesh, burning away their innards.
“Kiiiii!” The Cave Elf that was struck directly with Glare flailed about wildly before falling. The rest of the Cave Elves determined Sungchul’s location and lunged to attack.
Sungchul leisurely dodged their attacks while piercing their vitals with Glare without error. Every time a beam of light sprouted from his fingertips, a Cave Elf fell.
“Kiii!” The only one who remained looked like the boss of the lot. Unlike others, it wore a metal armor over its chest and held a weapon and shield made to look like claws by using what appeared to be interwoven beaks.
He looks like an adequate opponent to test my current level of strength.
