Chương 497: 911
[Chapter 226]
[Black Dungeon (2)]
The 10th floor where gifts can't be used and magic power is reduced.
Before regression, the conquest team that had struggled down to the 9th floor was greatly flustered by the situation of their abilities being sealed.
Experts qualified to participate in the black dungeon would inevitably become more dependent on and utilize gifts.
So it's understandable to be flustered when receiving the restriction of not being able to use gifts.
They couldn't help but be confused in a situation they were experiencing for the first time.
Moreover, the monsters lurking on the 10th floor were so strong that it was troublesome to face them without using gifts.
Because of that, the conquest that had gained speed after the 7th floor slowed down again.
The problem didn't end there.
They had already repeated antagonizing and reconciling with each other by the time they came down to the 10th floor.
In that situation, people whose abilities were drastically reduced by having their gifts sealed became targets for enemies.
Who are the enemies of the Fairy government?
Or who has defected?
The incident on the 1st floor made the conquest team unable to distinguish between enemies and allies.
Among those who became enemies of the Fairy government, some stuck to Eun-ha to survive, and those who were on Eun-ha's side turned away harboring hatred from the 1st floor.
In the end, they had to face the 10th floor conquest with enemies they couldn't identify.
As a result─
'─Who... killed Ga-yeon... Which bastard did this to a child who can't even speak─!!!'
Son Ga-yeon ended up dying cruelly.
The culprit was unknown.
No, they had suspicions but couldn't kill them without evidence.
Those bastards aren't here.
I'm not sure if they're dead or alive in this life.
I don't even remember their names.
Bastards whose faces I only vaguely remember.
Eun-ha scanned the conquest team members' faces and found Son Ga-yeon who happened to be nearby.
Then he placed his hand firmly on her head.
「?」
Son Ga-yeon raised her head.
A question mark appeared on her mask.
She was puzzled by him suddenly placing his hand on her head.
「Clan Lord?」
"Just. Make sure you always go with someone while you're here."
「Why?」
"Because this is the black dungeon. In a situation where anything could happen suddenly, it might be hard for you to alert others alone."
「Because of... speech?」
"Well, that too. Especially on this floor, you can't use your gift. So be careful." "Speech... I can do a little now..."
Son Ga-yeon slightly lowered her mask.
Then she spoke hesitantly.
Hearing her voice with unclear pronunciation, Eun-ha ruffled her hair.
In this life, Son Ga-yeon somehow became able to speak intermittently.
It was after defeating the Seven Demons.
Probably thanks to Tae-hee and the kids.
He hadn't done anything himself.
But Eun-ha could somewhat guess the reason Son Ga-yeon became able to speak in this life.
On Tae-hee and Seon Mi-ye.
And Pandora Clan members.
It was probably thanks to them taking care of her as much as he couldn't.
Nevertheless, he couldn't be completely at ease.
"Still, be careful when I say be careful. You never know." 「...Do I die here? No, did I die?」
"I don't know. I won't tell you."
「Just tell me. Meanie.」
"Anyway. Just listen to me obediently. Make sure to take Rara with you on this floor."
「...Yes, I understand. Thank you for worrying.」
Son Ga-yeon fixing her messed up hair.
She slightly furrowed her brow and thanked him.
"Rara ra♬"
"Rara, I'm counting on you too."
"Rara ra!"
Meanwhile, Eun-ha spoke to Rara who flew up from Son Ga-yeon's chest.
Gifts couldn't be used but familiars were separate.
If by any chance the same situation as before regression happens to Son Ga-yeon, she can just substitute her gift with Rara.
Well, that probably won't happen.
Fortunately, what he was worried about probably wouldn't occur.
Because the conquest team members got along well.
They had built a solid command relationship centered on Noh Eun-ha.
☆
[I'll tell you about the 10th floor mission! A door leading to the 11th floor exists somewhere on the 10th floor. The location where the door appears changes according to time. So you need to either defeat all the monsters on this floor, or find the exit while avoiding the monsters. How about it? It's quite easy compared to previous floors, right?]
Gifts can't be used.
The explanation the dungeon guide gave out at least let the conquest team members breathe easier.
Nevertheless, the difficulty remained.
Because─
[─It's too early to feel relieved. From now on, 3rd rank monsters will start appearing too. Ah, there are 17 of them on this floor alone. You should be grateful there are no overranks?]
""""...."""
3rd rank monsters appear.
The conquest team members froze.
It was fortunate they didn't have to kill all the monsters at least.
Eventually they felt inwardly relieved.
But it was still too early to feel at ease.
Finding a randomly appearing door is quite difficult.
And dangerous too.
There was something the conquest team members were misunderstanding.
The concept of door they were thinking of and the concept of door the dungeon guide spoke of were different.
Eun-ha raised his hand.
"Dungeon guide."
[Yes, what is it?]
"What exactly is the door you're talking about?"
[A door is a door. Don't you know doors?]
"So, I'm asking because I don't know. There are various types of doors, and if you approach abstract ones, it becomes endless, right?"
[...]
"Hinged doors, sliding doors... And passages or entrances leading to other places could be called doors in a way too. What kind of door are you talking about exactly?"
Eun-ha pressed the dungeon guide.
The conquest team members made expressions like they were in thought hearing his words.
To this, the dungeon guide split its mouth.
[You, you're really annoying.]
"Nevermind that, just answer the question. As a dungeon guide, don't you have an obligation to speak honestly to us who entered the dungeon?"
Eun-ha sneered.
The dungeon guide clicked its tongue.
The dungeon guide's reason for existence was to kindly explain about the dungeon to beings who set foot here.
Lies were not allowed.
For the dungeon guide made of will, lying was no different from denying itself.
So it had to respond to questions as much as possible so conquerors could smoothly conquer the dungeon.
Eun-ha's question belonged to the realm it could answer.
[Here. This is a door.]
""""...."""
Eventually the dungeon guide created a door that was easy to understand.
The conquest team members' eyes opened wide.
It was different from the door they imagined.
A subspace that looked just like something's throat, like a black vortex.
It seemed somewhat difficult to find in a space where darkness had settled.
[A door that looks like this will be hidden somewhere in the dungeon. I don't know what concept you'll think of doors as, but at least I think of them like this. Moving to a different space by entering beyond the door. That's a door.]
""""...."""
The conquest team members clicked their tongues.
They almost spent a long time looking for something that looked like a door.
[Well, it turned out different from my intention, but I wish you good luck! I'll start the 10th floor mission from now!!]
The dungeon guide flew around sprinkling light particles noisily.
The mission started with that.
The conquest team members tensed.
On the other hand, they waited for Eun-ha's words.
"Seo-na, convey my words."
"Okay, got it."
The presence of monsters draws near.
As the dungeon guide started the mission, monsters that keenly detected the conquest team members' voices and smells moved.
"The door moving to the next floor is likely inside the monsters' mouths." "What?"
"You saw earlier, right? That's not a subspace but a throat." "That means..."
Jin Seo-na's voice lowered.
Eun-ha nodded.
Then he spoke the words she was concerned about.
"Tell the conquest team members to closely examine inside the monsters' mouths. If possible, don't just try to kill them recklessly, but look if there's a door inside the monsters' mouths." "..."
"If we kill a monster with the door, the door will move to another monster. So we should end it as soon as we find it if possible."
In the previous life, the conquest team wasted meaningless time and stamina looking for the door.
Then they fell into despair after discovering the door inside a monster's mouth.
Because he remembered that time, Eun-ha wasn't deceived by the dungeon guide's intentionally vague words.
Back then, after completing the 10th floor, the dungeon guide said.
The random location where the door appears is inside the mouths of monsters on the floor.
So Eun-ha guessed the door would be inside monsters' mouths in this life too.
There were rules in the black dungeon.
The dungeon guide couldn't arbitrarily change the dungeon for its own amusement.
So the conquest method he remembered should apply in this life too.
He grasped two swords.
"Too bad. If we could just use Twenty-five's gift, we could have tracked it with his gift when the dungeon guide showed the door earlier."
Eun-ha muttered softly.
Twenty-five's gift <Shadow Step> would certainly have helped in finding the door.
It was regrettable they couldn't use gifts.
But it couldn't be helped.
It was something he knew from the start.
Eun-ha conveyed words to Jin Seo-na.
"Everyone prepare for battle."
[Everyone prepare for battle.]
"From now on, lure monsters within a manageable range and search for the door hidden inside their mouths."
[The door is inside monsters' mouths. So prioritize suppression over subjugation, and please lure monsters to an extent that doesn't disrupt formation. Monsters where the entrance isn't found will be moved to a separate location to be subjugated.]
Monsters roared from all around.
Jin Seo-na quickly conveyed the situation, and Jeong Ha-yang quickly established tactics.
Soon the battle began.
☆
[This is a message from Navigator Jeong Ha-yang. Based on the monster's external appearance, it's confirmed to belong to the phylum Chordata and shows the ability to instantly recover severed parts. So I judge this monster to be a subspecies of the axolotl, commonly called wooper looper line. From this time, I'll name this monster 4th rank Abyss Axolotl!! This was Telepath Jin Seo-na.]
It was a series of grueling battles.
Terrain like a jungle.
However, countless monsters lived in a place where day didn't exist.
The conquest team members lured monsters, checked inside their mouths, and quickly proceeded with subjugation.
The door inside monsters' mouths keeps changing location.
So they reduce the number of monsters while increasing the probability of encountering a monster with the door in its throat.
That wasn't easy at all.
"Is this side a dud?"
Eun-ha clicked his tongue facing giant lizard monsters.
They couldn't find the door easily.
3 days had already passed.
Fighting in terrain close to wetlands, they grew more exhausted as time passed.
Due to the jungle area characteristics, there were so many places for monsters to hide.
Moreover─
"─Amazing regeneration. How many times is this now?"
The monsters they faced for 3 days were so tricky.
Abyss Axolotls that recover wounds not long after receiving attacks.
Yoo Nam-hoon clicked his tongue facing those covered with semi-transparent, black skin.
We shouldn't just kill those guys.
We need to aim for the core stone inside their bodies.
Eun-ha thought while luring those that came up from the swamp to land.
He had experience fighting them before regression.
Besides their excellent regeneration, they weren't something to be particularly cautious about.
They were on the weaker side among 4th ranks.
"Bae Su-bin, Bong Gu-rae, Son Ga-yeon."
He had already confirmed there was no door in their mouths.
There was no more business with them.
He signaled to clan members waiting in the rear.
Mountain God's Eyes
Bae Su-bin activated her artifact.
She swung her red staff that looked like a spear widely.
She targets the monsters' mana stones through Mountain God's Eyes.
Even if magic power is reduced, monsters surely won't withstand if hit directly.
Moreover, their bodies were semi-transparent, with blue light peeking through their skin.
Snipers like Bong Gu-rae and Son Ga-yeon aimed at the monsters' mana stones.
───!!
Starting with Bae Su-bin's magic.
The snipers pulled their triggers.
Their attacks pierced through the monsters' skin and penetrated their mana stones.
[Confirmed annihilation of Abyss Axolotls. 2nd group in sight in 45 seconds!!]
There was no time to rest.
Rangers quickly moved their bodies to collect mana stones and skill stones that fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, the conquest team turned their bodies in another direction.
Conquest team members who went scouting were luring new monsters.
"They really appear endlessly."
"Are you tired already?"
"Tired, as if!!"
Jin Pa-rang clicked his tongue.
When Mok Min-ho provoked, Jin Pa-rang snorted and retorted.
Eun-ha put them at the front and checked the approaching monsters.
It was then.
[It's a message from Tempest Clan. They found the door.]
[What kind of monster?]
[A monster like a purple hippopotamus.]
Finally the door revealed itself.
Eun-ha received contact from Jin Seo-na and searched for the monster among the group.
A monster mixed with purple and pink colors.
A monster that looked like a hippopotamus was waddling at the very back.
Soon the conquest team members heard the news and cheered.
As the distance shortened, they could see the door inside its mouth.
Beyond the tongue, a huge subspace was open.
[This is a message from Navigator Jeong Ha-yang. Confirmed existence of monster with door. This monster is estimated to be a subspecies of the 3rd rank Tusk Hippopotamus. Detailed information hasn't been confirmed yet, but please be cautious of the possibility it's a 3rd rank monster. I'll tentatively name it 3rd rank Abyss Hippopotamus.]
The ground shook with each step the monster took.
And matching that sound─
─Kirruk!!
Monsters appearing additionally from left and right.
The conquest team members' faces crumpled.
Judging by the aura they emitted, they were undoubtedly 3rd rank.
"Three 3rd rank monsters..."
The conquest team members' fatigue reached its peak.
They could barely handle one, at most two.
Moreover, they had to face the legions those led too.
Eun-ha frowned as the battle situation tilted instantly.
[What will you do?]
Jin Seo-na came seeking judgment.
Eun-ha fell into thought.
Retreating was the answer.
But if they retreat like this, they would have to search for the monster with the door from the beginning again.
[We have to proceed.]
[...Understood.]
The deliberation wasn't long.
Eun-ha made his decision.
Jin Seo-na didn't oppose Eun-ha and spread it to the conquest team members.
"...I tried not to use it as much as possible, but it can't be helped here."
Eun-ha stepped forward.
His body was covered in flames.
Myth Manifestation
Revival
Even if he couldn't use gifts.
He still had myth.
Eun-ha spread his will.
Sparks gradually covered the world.
Before they knew it, the monsters had entered a world of flames.
Whoosh!
Eun-ha swung the Twilight Sword.
The flames covering the world shook.
The charging monsters hesitated.
Walls of flame rose up on the left and right, creating a single path in front.
The monster with the door stood at the end of that path.
"Chang-jin hyung, Twenty-five." "Yeah, Eun-ha." "Yes sir."
"Make that thing open its mouth. I don't think I can hold out for long."
The moment Eun-ha's order dropped.
Han Chang-jin and Twenty-five ran down the path towards the monster.
The conquest team members followed behind them.
Is it because I used it in the dungeon?
Using myth is quite burdensome.
Han Chang-jin and Twenty-five stepped on shadows to block the monster's movements.
The conquest team members attacked the monster while making it open its mouth.
Hunters and Guardians made sure the monster that opened its mouth couldn't close it.
Eun-ha blocked monsters from breaking out of the flames on the left and right.
Meanwhile, manifesting myth was becoming a burden.
His will wasn't moving as he intended.
[That's only natural! To borrow your knowledge, the will of this dungeon isn't yours. We're the masters here, you know? Besides, we're not curious about what myth you achieved in the outside world.]
"Shut up."
[Tch, it's a problem even if I tell you.]
The dungeon guide popped out.
It chattered on.
Eun-ha whose concentration was disrupted for a moment showed an irritated expression.
[The condition for showing that power could be said to be when the will that mediates that power is gathered around. It's an amazing power, but it won't work on us? Moreover, that power doesn't seem complete yet.]
"Kuk..."
[How strange that it seems complete yet incomplete.]
His myth is incomplete.
Eun-ha was indignant at hearing those words from the dungeon guide after Baek Seo-jin.
"I know that too, you know?"
His myth is still incomplete.
Eun-ha knew that too.
He still hadn't found some crucial thing that forms the core of his myth.
But being abruptly pointed out by the dungeon guide made him angry.
Whoosh!
Eun-ha raised the output of his myth.
Crimson flames burned the monsters, turning the area into a sea of fire.
Thanks to that, a situation was created where conquest team members could easily jump into the door.
The price came accordingly.
"...!!"
The myth bit into him.
He was inevitably exposed to the price by manifesting myth in a situation where gifts couldn't be used.
Eun-ha clutched his chest.
The momentum of the flames weakened rapidly.
[Only you're left now? But do you have the strength to move now? Counting those two over there as already successful.]
The dungeon guide mocked.
Eun-ha took his hand off his chest.
As the momentum of the flames weakened, monsters were invading the path from left and right.
They glared at Eun-ha.
Meanwhile, Han Chang-jin and Twenty-five barely sealed the hippopotamus's movements.
They were also in a state where it was difficult to keep stalling time like this.
Familiar Transformation
Liger Chain
Eun-ha put strength into his toes.
He jumped with all his might at that moment.
He jumped once more in midair, stepping on the air as if stepping on the ground.
His feet were imbued with light.
Lightning Step
The myth hadn't disappeared yet.
He maximized magic power using the power of myth.
Eun-ha was able to move directly to the position Twenty-five had marked.
"Whew, glad I wasn't late. We really almost left without Master. Now, let's go in."
"Eun-ha, you..."
"Sorry, help me up."
"Master!"
He overdid it too much.
Eun-ha fell to his knees on the ground.
Han Chang-jin and Twenty-five were startled and supported him.
"There's not much time left."
"Master, are we jumping in right away!?"
"...Please."
Not much time remained.
The three people jumped into the hippopotamus's mouth, avoiding the chasing monsters.
The black subspace sucked them in.
[Hmm, 10th floor completed. But it seems you're running out of strength now? Can you really face us waiting in the deepest part at this rate?]
The hippopotamus closed its mouth.
The dungeon guide flew around the monsters that feared it, giggling.
[By the way, it was a bit unexpected. The myth built in the outside world shouldn't work here, so how did that much firepower come out? Did you build a myth in this dungeon... But wasn't this your first entry? Strange.]
Well, whatever.
You won't be able to conquer it anyway.
The dungeon guide decided to dismiss it as nothing important.
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