chapter_0583

583 – Rule Dungeon

583 – Rule Dungeon

Gaeul struggled hard with her arms pinned, but she couldn’t overcome Ensia’s strength.

When Gaeul looked up in panic, Ensia seemed to avoid her gaze, perhaps feeling sorry.

“Thwack! Thwack!”

Gaeul shouted loudly at Ensia.

However, Ensia just kept her eyes tightly shut.

Her drooping ears and tail looked as if they had made a tremendous decision.

“Up! Up!”

“…I’m really sorry, Gaeul. I will pay for my sins after this is over.”

“…!”

Feeling Ensia’s determination, Gaeul stopped moving.

She froze in place like a broken machine.

“…Gaeul?”

“….”

Gaeul slowly closed her eyes.

Thinking everything was over, she performed a ‘play dead’ act.

Splat—

I shot a water gun at Gaeul’s protruding tongue.

Then Gaeul, with her eyes still closed, wiggled her tongue up and down.

“I caught Gaeul.”

“Hah…”

Once Gaeul’s defeat was confirmed, Ensia released her grip.

Then Gaeul sprawled out on the floor.

It seemed she was trying to play dead convincingly.

I approached the fallen Gaeul.

Then Bomi, who had followed me, shot a water gun at Gaeul’s back.

Splat— Splat—

The cold water seemed to feel good, as Gaeul’s tail swayed left and right.

“Since I caught Gaeul, now…”

Just as I decided to catch the other kids, I sensed their presence on either side of me.

Haneul jumped out from the bushes, and Levinas, who had been hiding in the pond, leaped out with a splash.

“Fire!”

Splat splat splat splat—

Haneul and Levinas shot water guns from either side of me.

Quickly checking the trajectory of the water bullets, I crouched down.

Swish—

A water bullet whizzed past my head.

Thanks to that, Haneul and Levinas ended up hitting each other instead of me.

Splat splat splat—

“Hah…!”

“…!”

Surprised that they had shot each other, Levinas and Haneul’s mouths dropped open.

Even the family members who had been Gaeul’s shields watched this with interest.

“Oh dear, they shot each other.”

“It’s something that happens among novice adventurers sometimes.”

“Are they attacking their allies?”

“Yes. Novice adventurers often panic. Our kids will have learned the fear of attacking allies this time.”

So that can happen.

Just as I thought I should be careful, Argo spoke up with shocking words.

“Right! Sometimes adventurers attack each other!”

“…Argo, who attacked you in the dungeon?”

“They do! Someone cast magic at me last time!”

“Oh dear.”

Is it because Argo’s appearance is close to that of a lizard?

It must be tough to be attacked by adventurers in various ways.

While I was pondering what to say to Argo, I heard small footsteps running toward me.

‘It’s Saebyeok.’

I gripped my water gun and aimed it at the direction Saebyeok was coming from.

My final opponent, Saebyeok, was running toward me, shooting wildly.

Splat splat splat splat—

She shot without aiming.

Among dozens of bullets, about three were heading toward me.

I could duck to avoid one and then run sideways.

Just as I calculated the trajectory and was about to act.

“Ugh, ugh…”

Gaeul, whom I thought was dead, groaned and grabbed my ankle.

Thanks to that, I couldn’t move and took a direct hit from the bullets Saebyeok shot.

Splat splat—

One hit my head, and one hit my body.

Hit by the water bullets, I collapsed onto the floor.

“Ugh. I’m dead.”

Bomi approached me with my eyes closed.

Without hesitation, Bomi shot a water gun at my stomach and said,

“Gyeoul, you have to play dead like Gaeul.”

Like Gaeul, huh.

Are they still doing that?

I opened my eyes and got up, collapsing like Gaeul.

“Play dead.”

**

“Levinas, I’m sorry for shooting you with the water gun.”

“It’s okay! We were a great team!”

“I can’t believe Saebyeok hit me.”

“Right? I shot wildly and still hit you.”

I shared the aftermath of the water gun fight with the kids.

Fortunately, there were no lingering feelings of victory or defeat.

Except for Gaeul, who had been betrayed by Ensia.

“Thwack! You traitor!”

Gaeul glared at Ensia with a face full of rage.

In that strange atmosphere, we naturally fell silent and watched the two.

“…Gaeul, I’m really sorry.”

Ensia knelt before Gaeul.

It felt as if she might commit seppuku.

“Why are you groveling?”

“I swore I would never rebel against you, Gyeoul, under any circumstances.”

“…!”

Gaeul’s ears perked up at Ensia’s words, which revealed her conviction.

Gaeul’s eyes sparkled as if to say, “When did I get angry?”

“Traitor?”

“Yes. I am a loyal hound.”

“…!”

Is there something shared between the family and the Beastmen?

Gaeul giggled and patted Ensia’s head.

“Thank you for understanding.”

Has the conflict been resolved?

Seeing Gaeul brighten up, I approached Ensia.

“Ensia.”

“Yes?”

“It’s okay to be hostile to me during play. It’s just a game.”

“It’s not okay even as a joke.”

“Uh…”

Does that mean it’s not okay even as a joke?

That was hard for me to understand.

“Is there a reason it can’t be?”

“Um… It’s better to say it’s instinct.”

“Instinct?”

“Yes. I suppose my body rejects betrayal.”

“Ah…”

If that’s the case, then I can’t help it.

Ensia has her own way of life.

There was no need to force my way here.

“It sounds knightly and cool.”

“Thank you for seeing it positively.”

I cheered for Ensia’s conviction and turned back to the kids.

Before I knew it, the revived kids were shooting their families with water guns.

“Everyone attack!”

Splat splat splat—

Everyone attacked Sophia with their water guns.

Sophia, hit by the water bullets, just stood there.

“Did we take her down?”

Bomi, who had shot the most bullets, approached Sophia.

Then Sophia, who had been still, moved and grabbed Bomi’s cheeks.

“A shark woman can’t possibly be defeated by water.”

“Huh?!”

That’s right.

Sophia, who lives in water, couldn’t be defeated by it.

Realizing this too late, the kids began to back away.

“Everyone run away!”

Pitter patter—

The kids, holding their guns, ran far away.

I followed suit after finishing my conversation with Ensia.

From now on, I was on the same side as the kids.

**

The next day.

I decided to go to the dungeon with the kids.

Since it was the highest level dungeon I could enter, I made sure to prepare thoroughly.

“Is everyone ready?”

“Yeah! All set!”

“Did you pack snacks?”

“Hah…!”

The kids took out their supplies for me to check.

Levinas brought carrots as snacks, and Gaeul showed me a bunch of one-won coins.

It meant they would buy snacks at the supermarket on the way.

“What did Saebyeok bring?”

“A lot of anchovies.”

“A lot?”

“Yeah.”

Saebyeok showed me her snack bag.

Inside the bag were a whopping ten dried anchovies.

That was more than enough for dungeon snacks.

“Bomi and Haneul, are you ready too?”

“Yes!”

“Yep!”

After checking the kids’ gear, I finally gathered the Divine Beasts.

The Divine Beasts joining us in the dungeon today were Gubugi, Seol, and Kkamang.

“Shall we go?”

“Yeah.”

After finishing our preparations, we all moved toward the dungeon.

The portal to the dungeon was a blood-red color.

I was the first to leap toward the portal.

Since the dungeon portals appear in safe places, there was no danger as soon as we entered.

Whoosh—

The space warped, revealing a new world.

It looked like the inside of a building, with broken furniture and only one door, without any windows.

It was dark and damp, giving off a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

‘What kind of place is this?’

It felt like a place where ghosts might appear.

With the portal’s color and all, could it be a horror dungeon?

While I was looking around the cement building’s interior, the kids started to enter the dungeon one by one.

“Hah! This place is!”

“Levinas, do you know what it is?”

“No! I have no idea!”

“Ah ha.”

Should I just open the door and go out?

As I placed my hand on the doorknob, Saebyeok grabbed my wrist.

“Gyeoul, I don’t think we should open the door.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Here.”

Saebyeok pointed between the broken furniture.

There lay a piece of paper that read [Survival Rules].

– Creatures roam inside the building.

To survive, you must follow the rules.

– Never open the door by yourself.

Never open the door, huh.

What are we supposed to do if we can’t open the door and can’t get out of the dungeon?

Just as I tilted my head in confusion, Levinas clapped his hands.

“This is it!”

“Do you understand?”

“Yeah! It’s a dungeon where bad things happen if you don’t follow the rules!”

“Is there such a dungeon?”

“Yeah! They said it happens sometimes! They said terrible things happen if you don’t follow the rules!”

So there is such a dungeon.

Then we must definitely follow the rules.

As I picked up the paper buried in the debris.

Boom—

A tremendous noise erupted nearby.

“Yikes!”

Startled, I turned to see where the sound came from.

What I saw was a broken wall and Saebyeok with her fist raised.

She had smashed the wall instead of not opening the door.