episode_0035

The person standing at the doorway was Roynel. Gilshion was also there.

I heard they were exploring the tower, it seemed like they finished already.

Roynel’s eyes widened when he saw Jeong Yu-shin.

“Oh! You woke up!”

“Yes.”

Gilshion approached and tapped Jeong Yu-shin on the shoulder.

“Thank you. I lived thanks to you.”

Jeong Yu-shin shook his head.

“You’re welcome. I just did what I had to do.”

Jeong Yu-shin turned his head and looked at Roynel.

There was something he wanted to ask.

“I heard you went to the upper floors, were there any useful items?”

Roynel shook his head with a gloomy expression.

“There weren’t. All the useful items were taken a long time ago. All I got was a magic scroll for digging. I don’t even know if it works properly.”

Jeong Yu-shin’s eyes widened.

“There are scrolls in a place like this?”

Gilshion answered instead.

“Various magical tools appear from the 5th floor. Magic weapons, magic books, magic scrolls, etc. Most of them are in boxes or carried by monsters. Good magic tools can be sold at high prices, but this is the lower level, so there aren’t any great items.”

“Do better items appear as you go deeper? Why do those things appear?”

“The ‘probability’ of getting better magic tools increases as you go deeper. And don’t ask me why magic tools come out. I don’t know either. If you’re really curious, go to the Labyrinth Academy and learn.”

Jeong Yu-shin frowned.

Darmong told him last time. It costs 10 gold coins to attend the Labyrinth Academy for a year.

‘Spend 10 gold coins on the academy? Sigh.’

He didn’t have the luxury to do such a crazy thing.

Jeong Yu-shin got back to the main point.

“Did you go all the way to the rooftop?”

Gilshion crossed his arms and shook his head.

“No. I came down halfway. It was too high. I estimate it’s about 15 floors.”

Jeong Yu-shin looked around.

Ahiman wasn’t visible.

“Where is Ahiman?”

Roynel raised a finger and pointed to the wooden door on the left.

Jeong Yu-shin approached the wooden door and opened it.

There was a staircase leading down to the 2nd floor. There, Ahiman was standing with his back to him.

“Ahiman? How are you doing?”

“…Yumashuom.”

Ahiman muttered in an unintelligible language.

Jeong Yu-shin scratched his head once and replied.

“I understand.”

He returned to where Roynel was.

The party members were sitting around a torch in the middle.

“I don’t see any way to get out of here alive.”

Roynel muttered bitterly.

“If we hold on a little longer, the labyrinth investigation team might come.”

Gilshion retorted.

“…”

Karin was still depressed.

Jeong Yu-shin silently chewed on jerky.

“The Hans leader’s party is nowhere to be found, how can we expect the investigation team on the 4th floor?”

“Roynel, don’t give up hope.”

“I’m just stating the reality. Damn it!!”

Despite Gilshion’s encouragement, Roynel got angry and slammed the floor.

“Now Ahiman’s magic is also at its limit. We have to find a way somehow.”

Roynel bit his lip. Then he saw Jeong Yu-shin chewing jerky.

“Barbary, is it delicious? You’re about to die, how can you swallow jerky?”

‘Even a dog isn’t disturbed when it’s eating.’

Jeong Yu-shin took out a piece of jerky from his pocket and offered it.

“Would you like some?”

“No thanks.”

Roynel and Gilshion started arguing again.

Jeong Yu-shin got up from his seat.

Roynel looked at Jeong Yu-shin.

“Where are you going?”

“Just going to the restroom for a moment.”

“…Okay.”

Jeong Yu-shin took out a new torch and went upstairs.

It was the same as the floor below. Bookshelves covered in dust, tables, and chairs were all there was.

He went up another floor. There was nothing different.

Other fantasy protagonists ate honey like pigs with hidden pieces or something and overcame crises coolly, but he was struggling and rolling around like a puppy with a stomach ache and barely overcame crises.

But this also has its limits. This time, he couldn’t see any way to survive.

‘Shut up.’

Jeong Yu-shin slapped himself on the cheek.

But the stuffy feeling didn’t go away.

Jeong Yu-shin went up a few more floors.

He reached the 8th floor after climbing the stairs.

He opened the wooden door and went inside, shining a torch to look around.

‘There’s really nothing here.’

Empty bookshelves covered in dust and a wooden table that had already rotted were all there was.

“Huh?!”

Jeong Yu-shin’s eyes stopped at one place.

There was a wooden box in the corner.

Wasn’t this the box that Gilshion mentioned earlier?

Gilshion said not to expect much, but you never know. It could be a magic tool to overcome this dark situation.

Maybe it’s a hidden piece.

Or a box that only appears when a person is alone.

Or it could be a box that only shows pity.

Jeong Yu-shin approached with a pounding heart and opened the box.

Squeak.

The box opened with a creaking sound.

‘Huh.’

Inside the box was parchment sealed with a green seal.

A magic scroll.

It looked the same as the sealed parchment Carlton handed him.

With trembling hands, he picked up the magic scroll and quickly went down to the 3rd floor.

He wanted to go up the tower more and search the next floor, but Karin’s words bothered him.

She said that there wasn’t much time left for Ahiman to stop them.

Roynel’s eyes widened when he saw Jeong Yu-shin running in frantically.

“What is it?! Are monsters coming down from above?!”

“No.”

“Then why are you running like that?”

“Look at this. I found a magic scroll.”

Everyone’s attention was focused.

Roynel approached and looked at the magic scroll before frowning.

“It’s garbage.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a random teleportation scroll. Isn’t this the one that was on the 8th floor?”

“Isn’t it a good thing? We can all escape from here together!”

Jeong Yu-shin shouted excitedly.

Roynel sighed and said.

“Don’t talk crazy. This is a 1st generation scroll. It is impossible to move between floors, and the transfer coordinate designation method is also old-fashioned. Let me tell you in a nutshell. If you open a portal and go inside, you’ll immediately become one with the wall or dirt. Even if this is a city, it’s lucky if you only get your butt stuck in the wall.”

Jeong Yu-shin’s shoulders drooped. He started thinking again.

He remembered what Karin said at the inn.

She said that monsters avoid portals?

Jeong Yu-shin raised his head abruptly.

“Can’t we use this to block the entrance?”

“The portal duration is short. It won’t last long.”

“Haa.”

It was a dead end. No matter how he turned his head this way and that, there was no suitable method.

‘No. There’s definitely a way.’

He sat down and closed his eyes.

Jeong Yu-shin desperately thought in the midst of the gloomy silence.

He can’t die in a place like this.

‘Even if the sky falls, there’s a hole to escape through.’

Wait.

Jeong Yu-shin’s eyes flashed open.

‘Falls?’

‘Hole?’

Jeong Yu-shin opened his mouth.

“I have a plan.”

“…Tell me.”

Gilshion said as a representative.

Jeong Yu-shin explained his plan.

As the party members listened to Jeong Yu-shin’s plan, their faces became strange as time passed.

“…How about we do it like this?”

He finished the explanation.

“…”

Silence fell.

Roynel mumbled blankly.

“Are you crazy?”

“…”

“Does this make sense? You’ve completely lost your mind.”

Roynel raised his voice. His hysteria was full inside.

‘He’s been nitpicking since earlier.’

Jeong Yu-shin, who was uncomfortable, said bluntly.

“Are elves usually this scared? Is it a racial trait?”

A vein on Roynel’s forehead turned red.

“Hey, you.”

“Let’s not swear. It’s degrading.”

Roynel laughed in disbelief and looked around.

The party members were seriously considering Jeong Yu-shin’s plan.

“It’s reckless, but it’s doable.”

Karin opened her mouth.

“I agree. Of course, it would be nice if it goes according to plan, but I’m a little uneasy.”

Gilshion also agreed.

“Haa.”

Roynel shook his head.

“Okay. Let’s do it once. There really isn’t a normal person among the Barbarians.”

Jeong Yu-shin went to Ahiman and explained the plan.

Ahiman, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.

“Umtaku.”

“Do you agree?”

“Hadopua.”

“If you agree, please nod your head.”

Ahiman nodded.

All preparations were completed. Jeong Yu-shin packed his bags.

He held the one-handed sword Roynel lent him.

Gilshion looked back and said.

“Let’s go.”

The party members nodded silently.

Ahiman released the barrier magic.

Screams were heard from below.

Kwaaaang!!!

Gilshion took the lead and broke through the stairs.

Golden light emanated from the letters engraved on Gilshion’s greatsword.

There was no place for the face centipedes to avoid because it was a narrow staircase.

Everyone was cut down as soon as the sword was swung down.

In an instant, they broke through the 2nd floor and went down to the 1st floor.

The 1st floor was teeming with face centipedes.

“Haaaaap!!”

Gilshion gathered strength and swung his greatsword.

Puaaaaaak!!!

As the greatsword swept away the face centipedes all at once, space to stand on the floor appeared.

“Ahiman!!”

Ahiman took his place and immediately chanted a spell.

Jeong Yu-shin stuck next to Gilshion and assisted.

Tsuaak!!

He cut and stabbed with his sword. There wasn’t much he had to do.

Gilshion was standing firm and sweeping away the enemies with overwhelming force.

‘As expected of a lieutenant explorer.’

Karin also moved nimbly and swung her daggers.

She didn’t collapse at once like last time.

[Abyss Strike]

Ahiman cast magic.

Tentacles popped out.

The tentacles that looked like they were about to strike the face centipedes suddenly struck the pillars of the tower.

It was the plan Jeong Yu-shin had explained.

Even if the tower collapses, there is a hole to escape through.

Also known as the Tower Hole Plan.

Clang!!

Clang!! Clang!!

The tower began to shake. Stone dust was falling from above.

Roynel tore off the seal on the scroll.

Earth Digging Magic obtained from the tower.

[Dig]

The floor on the 1st floor was dented.

Roynel went in first.

Clang!! Clang!! Clang!!

The vibration was getting worse and worse.

Rumble.

Larger and larger boulders were falling.

Karin retreated and went into the hole.

Then Gilshion swung his greatsword greatly and threw himself into the hole.

Right at that moment.

Ahiman’s magic stopped.

The tentacles disappeared and the shaking of the tower stopped.

It was because Ahiman’s magic power ran out due to the long magic casting.

Cold sweat ran down Jeong Yu-shin’s back.

Roynel’s scream was heard from the pit.

“Hey!! Ass!! You son of a bitch!!”

Jeong Yu-shin quickly grabbed Ahiman by the collar and threw him into the pit.

“Pulldaaaaaaa!!”

Ahiman let out a strange scream and disappeared into the pit.

There was a sound of tumbling over and curses and groans.

Jeong Yu-shin gritted his teeth.

One shot was not enough. Just one shot to knock down the tower.

[Sacred Weapon]

‘If it doesn’t work, I have to make it work.’

What he wanted was a hammer.

Magic particles gathered in his hand to create a huge warhammer.

It was a warhammer of a different dimension than what he had made so far.

“Hwaaaaaap!!!”

He used all his strength to strike the pillar.

Kwaaaaaaaaang!!!

The pillar was completely smashed and the tower began to collapse.

Jeong Yu-shin rolled his body to avoid the falling pieces of wood and rocks, then shook off the face centipedes that were sticking to him and went into the hole.

“Kkueeek.”

Ahiman, who had caught Jeong Yu-shin’s body, let out a pig-slaughtering sound.

He took out a random teleportation scroll from his pocket.

When he tore off the seal, a portal was created above Jeong Yu-shin’s head.

[Random Teleportation]

Huuuuaang.

It was a portal that scattered yellow light.

Roynel screamed from the very bottom.

“Is this for sure?!”

Annoyance suddenly soared and he shouted a word.

“I don’t know!!”

“You crazy Barbarian!!!”

Roynel screamed.

A huge boulder fell from above.

‘Please.’

The wish came true.

The portal created above Jeong Yu-shin swallowed the boulder.

But the size of the portal was not large enough to completely cover the hole. Small trees and stones squeezed through the hole and fell.

The party members wriggled like a tangled mass of larvae in the hole, shifting their positions to adjust their positions.

Then Jeong Yu-shin and Karin’s bodies stuck together.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

Karin kept staring at Jeong Yu-shin’s face without answering.

Many people stood behind her. Few stood by her side, and very few showed their backs, taking the lead.

As the daughter of the representative of the beastman union, she had been fighting while leading people along the borders of the Eastern Union, so perhaps it was a natural thing.

She had seen many people, but there was no one like this man.

Despite his weakness, he had strength.

Even in desperate situations, he didn’t run away and protected the party until the end.

The sight of him confidently wielding his sword in front of numerous monsters was still vivid in his mind.

What should this feeling be called?

Yes.

A man she can rely on.

Karin lowered her head and took a breath in Jeong Yu-shin’s arms.

The thick scent of this man, which pierced her heart, could not be blocked by dirt and dust.

A comfortable and reassuring scent.

A sexy smell that makes her heart race.

Is this what her father, who died before she was born, smelled like?

Karin’s face turned red at the absurd thought that came to her mind without realizing it.

Karin lowered her head even deeper because she couldn’t lift her face.

Jeong Yu-shin looked down at Karin’s crown.

‘Why the sudden face plant?’

“Hueeeeek!!! I’m going to die!!!”

The tower collapsed with a roar and Roynel’s screams were buried.

Kurururung.

Kwaaaaang.

In the northern part of the Forgotten City, Engrave, a huge tower collapsed.

* * *

Puuk.

An arm suddenly popped out of the ruins of stones and trees.

After a while, a face emerged.

“Puhaat! I thought I was going to die.”

A pale-faced elf crawled out of the debris. Soon after, Ahiman, Gilshion, Karin, and finally Jeong Yu-shin came out.

As soon as he came out, Jeong Yu-shin took out a flint from his pocket and lit the torch he had prepared in advance.

The surroundings were quiet.

It was because most of the face centipedes were crushed to death under the ruins of the tower.

The few remaining ones seemed to have run far away or scattered and moved to other places.

The party members, who were covered in dirt and looked like beggars, sat huddled together on the rubble, half out of their minds.

“Hehehe.”

Suddenly Roynel started laughing.

“What’s so funny?”

Jeong Yu-shin asked.

Then Roynel stopped laughing and started shedding tears.

Thick teardrops fell on the rubble floor.

‘What is it?’

“Domuta.”

Ahiman looked at Jeong Yu-shin and raised his thumb.

“Do you mean I’m the best? Thank you.”

Ahiman shook his head, but Jeong Yu-shin turned his head and pretended not to see.

Karin was staring blankly at Jeong Yu-shin’s face.

Gilshion got up from his seat.

“Let’s go. We have to get out of the labyrinth first. It’s dangerous to stay here any longer.”

At Gilshion’s words, all the party members got up from their seats.

The party members walked through the quiet streets.

There were no attacks. The group arrived safely in front of the transfer stone in the north.

“Karin…”

Gilshion looked at Karin. He gave her a look that said he couldn’t go any further.

Karin nodded.

“Let’s go back to the labyrinth city and get ready.”

Gilshion touched the transfer stone.

A blue portal and a red portal opened.

Jeong Yu-shin and his party went into the blue portal.

They passed through the light and came out of the labyrinth’s exit.

Warm sunlight and refreshing air greeted them.

This was the first time they came out unharmed.

His heart was pounding and a sense of liberation shook his body.

He could tell instinctively.

An engraving.

He had obtained an engraving.

His heart was pounding.

Jeong Yu-shin turned his head and looked at each of the party members’ faces.

The mission failed, but they survived anyway.

No one died. Jeong Yu-shin was happy about that fact.

Could he join Karin’s party with this much?

He was confident that he could overcome even big crises if he was with them.

Just as Jeong Yu-shin was about to open his mouth, an anomaly occurred.

“Oh!!”

Roynel suddenly shouted. Light began to emanate from his whole body.

‘Could it be an engraving?’

The light flashed.

Roynel disappeared, leaving only his clothes behind.

Jeong Yu-shin’s eyes widened. A trembling voice leaked from his mouth.

“…Duck?”

A duck crawled out of the pile of clothes, wriggling.

“Heot!!”

Ahiman also shouted. And light began to emanate from his whole body.

“What the hell?!”

The light flashed.

Ahiman also disappeared, leaving only his clothes behind.

After a while, a small lizard slowly crawled out of the pile of clothes.

“Quack quack!!”

“Cheerup. Cheerup.”

Jeong Yu-shin looked at the two and quickly turned his gaze.

Gilshion was standing quietly.

“…Hey, Gilshion?”

“…”

He called out to Gilshion, but there was no response.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Jeong Yu-shin approached and lifted Gilshion’s helmet’s cap.

“Heh…”

Thick saliva dripped from Gilshion’s mouth. His pupils were unfocused.

Thud.

He closed the lid.

“Karin?”

Fortunately, Karin seemed to be fine.

Karin sighed and scratched her dusty hair.

“Haa. This has become really annoying. I’m going to quickly go smell the Sky towel and sleep…”

Karin stopped talking and quickly covered her mouth. Her face turned as red as a ripe apple. Then she suddenly ran off somewhere.

“Hey. Where are you going?”

Jeong Yu-shin muttered in a weak voice.

“Quack quack!!”

“Cheerup. Cheerup.”

“Heh…”

Jeong Yu-shin couldn’t bear to see the party members’ appearances and collapsed on the floor.

Priests and guards were running from afar.

But Jeong Yu-shin just stared blankly at ‘things’ that were once his party members.

I wonder if this is a lucky day.

“…I’m not confident about this.”

Really.