Chapter 9 — Guild Dungeon (2)

A room with an overall beautiful atmosphere that was neatly tidied.

The blackberry diffuser on top of the drawer was exuding a delicate scent, and a large bromide print of Yoo Sung-Eun was stuck on the wall.

Kim YooJung, who was reading webtoons as she rolled on the bed, suddenly lay down facing the ceiling.

She mumbled with an expression of annoyance.

“How could he suddenly throw me away and go? Even if he’d already called Mom. When I went to his home to tell Auntie, she’d gone out to meet a friend. Just you wait. I’ll really kill you this time.”

How could he leave her in such a crowded place when he knew she had no sense of direction?

“No wonder. He readily agreed to come to unni’s lecture just to screw me over like this?”

After she punched the pillow she had been hugging to push down her surging anger, she let out a short sigh.

phew.

After subsiding her anger, Kim YooJung slowly recalled JaeHyun’s actions that day.

‘I really can’t understand.’

Thinking about it again, there were parts she still couldn’t understand about the way JaeHyun had acted.

He who hated crowded places readily attended Yoo Sung-Eun’s lecture, and this guy who usually took her around without any problems suddenly left her and disappeared.

Even worse—

“To apply as a Magician…… what kind of nonsense is that?”

No matter how she thought about it, there wasn’t a reason for him to suddenly change his career path.

JaeHyun had continuously trained to be a combat Warrior at ordinary times. If there was a motive that could lead to changing his career path, it was something worth throwing away all of that training and suffering.

Kim YooJung nodded as she mumbled.

“The fact that he made such a decision means that there’s a reason for it.”

The JaeHyun that Kim YooJung knew had a very prudent personality. Because of his difficulty when making a choice, when they went to the cafeteria together, it would take him over 10 minutes to get something.

The personality of such a JaeHyun had changed all of a sudden.

“He became another person overnight.”

Kim YooJung got off the bed, still full of questions about JaeHyun’s actions.

Then she lifted her phone up and started to send a message to JaeHyun.
>>You haven’t forgotten how you left me behind, right? You just wait. I’ll kill you.

Grrrraaaa……..!

He suddenly felt a shiver up his spine for some reason. Was it just because of the monsters in front of him?

JaeHyun controlled his breath and looked around his surroundings.

Hoo hoo hoo.

Black smoke started to rise chaotically from between the graves.

Kyyaaaaaaaak!

A different kind of ear-splitting cry was heard, followed by a scream and the sight of a half-decomposed corpse.

JaeHyun quickly turned his eyes and analyzed the enemy in front of him.

‘Four wraiths, a skeletal soldier, and a draugr?’

It was truly a good party. One tank, four dealers, and one long-distance dealer.

Editor: Dealer is a gaming term used as a short form of Damage Dealer

JaeHyun let out a laugh at the absurdity of the situation.

‘It’s better thought out than most parties. You’re telling me to take care of this by myself?’

Of course, if he used 《 Light’s Sacrifice 》, these enemies would be defeated in an instant. But relying on just a wide-area spell would not lead to improvement.

He might also run out of mana were he to meet a stronger enemy later.

JaeHyun first planned to assess the enemies’ attack and the overall situation.

‘Thankfully, I brought this with me.’

JaeHyun smiled lightly as he looked at the staff clenched in his hand.

[Equipment]

Name: Staff Supplied by Yeonhwa Guild

Rank: C

A staff created by a blacksmith affiliated with the Yeonhwa Guild.

It was a weapon he had just borrowed from the guild because of its good quality, with which hunting such low-level monsters shouldn’t be a problem.

JaeHyun lightly poured some mana into the staff he was holding and conducted the magic.

Zziiiinng……

The staff which was filled with mana started to slowly emit magic.

With the fierce impact of the conducted magic, JaeHyun quickly shot 《 Lightning Chain 》 toward the enemy with a slight smile.

Swwwiiiiiish!

A wraith at the head of the group that had been attacking JaeHyun was struck by the chain.

一 You have killed a wraith.

一 You have received 70 experience points.

An alert from the system announcing the death of a wraith rang.

JaeHyun nodded slightly as he put more force into the staff he was holding.

If it was just this much, it was possible for even JaeHyun to hunt with his low level.

Grraaa!

After that were two of the wraiths that attacked him one after the other.

Tap!

After JaeHyun took a leap and closed the distance between him and the enemy, he turned his body lightly to dodge a sickle.

Then—

Swwooosh!

He repelled two wraiths by moving the chain toward the wraith again.

一 You have killed 2 wraiths.

一 You have received 140 experience points.

But JaeHyun didn’t stop there. He flew toward the skeletal soldier, who was at the rear shooting arrows, using the momentum of his body.

JaeHyun put all his strength into the staff as he hit the skeletal soldier on the head with it.

Crack!

“Huh?”

JaeHyun let out an exclamation of surprise.

一 You have killed a skeleton soldier.

一 You have received 50 experience points.

He clearly succeeded in killing the skeletal soldier. But a problem had occurred elsewhere.

一 The item《 Staff Supplied by Yeonhwa Guild 》has been destroyed.
JaeHyun frowned.

No matter how he used the staff as a blunt weapon, to break like that…

A habit from his days as a Warrior that came out without his knowing had caused the staff to break.

“Damn.”

Letting out a curse, JaeHyun didn’t have time to feel sad, as he had to block and attack immediately. It was because the Draugr swung its sword at him.

A sword attack that fell cleanly from the upper left to the lower right.

But after JaeHyun lightly dodged the attack, he created some distance between him and the Draugr by kicking it.

About four steps away, the Draugr and two wraiths glared at him. JaeHyun calmed his breathing as he put some force into his legs and hands.

Although he didn’t have a staff, 《 Lightning Chain 》was a spell that was quite powerful in and of itself.

It was enough to kill a Draugr and two wraiths at once.

Grrraaaa……!

The enemies ran to him simultaneously. After JaeHyun watched their movements until the last moment, he dodged the attack with a concise action.

<The next moment>
Swoooosh!

Three chains that accurately targeted vital points hit the Draugr’s and wraiths’ chests and heads.

一 You have killed a Draugr.

一 You have received 100 experience points.

一 You have killed 2 wraiths.

一 You have received 140 experience points.

一 You have gained 1 level.

Pant… pant…

Right after killing all 6 foes,
JaeHyun exhaled loudly as he sat down with a thump.

Fortunately, the vitality and mana consumed were restored by leveling up.

Because of the level-up, all his stats went up by 1 point, and 3 points that could be distributed were obtained. JaeHyun put all the stat points into Mana.

After allocating the points, he opened his status window and checked if the points were distributed correctly.

[Personal Profile]

Name: Min JaeHyun

Age: 16

Level: 8

[Skills]

Passive: ‘One Watched by the Gods’ MAX, ‘Absolute Eye of God’ MAX, ‘Trained Swordsmanship’ Lvl 17, ‘Quick Step’ Lvl 15, ‘Flexible Movement’ Lvl 14, “Emergency First-Aid’ Lvl 19……

Active: ‘Universal Derivation’, ‘Lightning Chain’, ‘Sacrifice’

[Stats]

HP: 400/400

MP: 1000/1000

STRENGTH: 5

DEXTERITY: 6

MANA: 19

ENDURANCE: 20

STAT POINTS: 0

After JaeHyun slowly stood up, he assessed the situation he was facing.

“The place I entered thinking it was an E-ranked dungeon turned out to be Helheim. Enemies suddenly appeared, and my weapon was destroyed.”

Once he said it out loud, the situation seemed more ridiculous than he thought.

Although JaeHyun wanted to return to the entrance of the dungeon, that was impossible.

‘Suddenly being transported to someplace else in a dungeon is a pretty common thing. People call such dungeons 《 Transfer Dungeons 》.’

The problem was that those who entered a 《 Transfer Dungeon 》could not leave until they had cleared it.

Until a certain outcome happened, it was a totally closed off area which you couldn’t leave.

This place was such a 《 Transfer Dungeon》.

‘Damn. Should I use a warp stone?’

As he stamped his foot with an annoyed expression, JaeHyun suddenly felt a frightening aura from somewhere.

He furrowed his brows.

“……What is it? Where’s this terrifying mana coming from?”

JaeHyun suddenly felt a tremor from underneath the graves.

It was an aura that he couldn’t quite name.

JaeHyun quickly got ready for a fight as he looked around his surroundings.

Coo hoo hoo hoo……

The surroundings became monotonous for a moment, then a bluish-black mana with a disturbing aura slowly seeped out from around him.

JaeHyun’s face was filled with horror.

‘Something… is coming!’

Sssssshhhhh……

Magic was suddenly felt from the ground. At the same time, JaeHyun’s body toppled over.

‘Damn! I can’t…… breathe!’

What was this?

What on earth was approaching?

To forcefully stop the suffocating feeling, JaeHyun stretched his hand out toward a piece of the broken staff.

In that position, he forcefully stabbed the piece of the broken staff into his thigh.

“Keuhk!”

He blocked the cry that impulsively came from his mouth with his hand.

JaeHyun decided that whatever was approaching, making his presence here known was the wrong choice.

pant….

Finally able to breathe again, JaeHyun’s sight began to return to him.

Then—

JaeHyun’s pupils narrowed.

‘This is…… a shadow?’

Surprised, JaeHyun straightened his body and moved his gaze.

“Ah……!”

With an expression full of horror, JaeHyun let out an exclamation of shock.

A demonic shadow creature shaped like a giant was in front of his eyes.

Soon, a shocking name slowly fell from JaeHyun’s lips.

“……Night Shade.”

一 The dungeon boss 《 Night Shade 》 has appeared.

一 The degree of difference in level with the user is 《 Danger 》.

一 Warning! Quickly escape from the dungeon.

一 Warning! Quickly escape from the dungeon.

The warning alert came twice.

While looking at the Night Shade exuding a dark aura, JaeHyun let out a dazed laugh.

He bit his lip as he felt his whole body tremble.

‘Damn…… What is a Night Shade doing on the field of an E-ranked dungeon?! That was a monster that appeared in a dungeon at least C-ranked. I have to escape right away.’

“Inventory!”

Quickly opening his inventory, JaeHyun reached out to use the warp stone.

However, at that moment—

JaeHyun’s pupils moved furiously. His wandering gaze looked around his surroundings dizzily.

The Night Shade’s shadow had suddenly disappeared.

“Huh?”

A sound of bewilderment left JaeHyun’s mouth.

<And at that moment>

Crash!

The Night Shade that had appeared beside JaeHyun without his knowledge struck him accurately in the stomach.

“Keuheuk!”

Bang!

At the unbelievably fast attack, JaeHyun’s body flew far and hit a wall behind him.

“Cough!”

Blood spurted out of JaeHyun’s mouth.

The warp stone in his hand fell from his hand and rolled on the ground without his notice.

‘Damn.’

一 Caution! The amount of HP remaining has fallen to a dangerous level.

一 Immediately use a recovery item!

Almost all of his vitality had disappeared in a single hit. He only had 40 HP left.

Boom! Boom!

The sound of domineering footsteps resounded. JaeHyun tried his best to focus his shaky gaze and looked at the enemy approaching him.

At the blazing, fierce purple gaze of the demonic creature, his whole body was trembling.

What should he do?

What should he do to survive?

A situation where even the last bit of strength to move was leaving his body.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

In that desperate crisis, the Night Shade finally stood in front of him.

Then, it slowly lifted its massive fist and swung it violently.

Whoosh!

‘I can’t dodge it.’

JaeHyun clenched his own fist as he stared at the fist that was rapidly headed his way.

It was coming at a speed he couldn’t dodge. In the end, the Night Shade’s attack hit him directly on the head.

“Huh?”

No, he had just thought it hit directly.

‘……what the hell? The Night Shade’s movement……has stopped?’

“That won’t do. No. That kid is an important guest I brought to this place personally, after all.”

The next moment, he heard the sound of a woman’s enthralling voice.

JaeHyun forcefully gathered up his remaining strength and turned to look at where the voice was coming from.

Then—

There, he saw a woman with half of her body covered smiling with her eyes.

The eerie face of the woman, half of which was so beautiful one couldn’t dare to meet her eyes while the remaining half was so disfigured one couldn’t dare look at it, entered his sight.

She smiled toward JaeHyun.

“So it’s you. The child who carries the fate of the ‘Adversary’.”