episode_0149
by fnovelpiaThud.
I passed through the red portal and landed on the floor.
Holding a torch, I quickly scanned the surroundings.
‘This is…’
How should I describe it?
It was like a corridor in an old castle.
Torn tapestries hung like rags on both sides of the walls.
The carpet on the floor was so damaged that it was difficult to recognize its color or shape, looking like a rag.
The stone walls, which should have been gray, were a dull black.
Was it due to the passage of time?
Or was it due to the influence of the maze?
It was difficult to know for sure, but one thing was clear.
‘I came to the right place.’
The Corridor Zone.
Like the 5th floor city, Ingraved, the origin of the Corridor Zone was unknown.
Even the elf scholars who lived long lives shook their heads and gave up, so I, who lived a life close to mortal, didn’t bother to dig into it.
That’s enough with the musings.
The rule of the Corridor Zone is ‘fear’.
If an explorer feels fear, madness surges.
If it is an explorer party without a priest, they take psychoactive drugs to forget the fear.
But if there is a priest in the party, the story is different.
Yu-shin Jeong stopped thinking.
Party members appeared one by one from the red portal.
Fallen Young Lady Glutton Delia.
Guide Karin.
Empty Armor Priest Barion.
The party members who came out of the portal immediately grabbed their weapons and guarded their surroundings.
Karin paused while taking out a map from her backpack.
“Enemies. 11 monsters in front.”
“Prepare for battle.”
As soon as Yu-shin Jeong opened his mouth, Delia stepped forward.
Clang.
Delia held up her shield, placed her mace on her shoulder, and took a stance.
Creak, creak.
Karin took out her crossbow and notched an arrow.
Barion began to chant.
“…”
No sound was heard. It was only felt that Barion’s magic was flowing out little by little.
Clatter. Clatter.
From the dark depths of the corridor, humanoid monsters with only bones left were walking.
Some had a little flesh attached, and some were skeletons.
Skeleton Soldiers.
The main culprits that made the Corridor Zone notorious.
Undead.
Those who cannot die even if they die.
The aura of death emanating from the undead makes the living feel ‘fear’.
No matter how strong-minded people are, there was something in the aura of death that made the living wary.
Some knowledgeable scholars were calling this phenomenon ‘mental contamination’.
‘I’ve heard it all though.’
I was grateful for Teacher Mion’s thorough education.
Clatter. Clatter.
The Skeleton Soldiers were getting closer.
Yu-shin Jeong was able to see the appearance of the undead monsters in detail.
Green light shone from the empty eye sockets of the skeletons.
The skeletons that appeared from the darkness were holding various weapons.
From wooden clubs to daggers, axes, maces, and crossbows.
They were not of good quality because they were rusted.
If you were accidentally cut, and there was no proper treatment, tetanus would develop and further lead to septicemia with complications, taking you straight to the afterlife.
The skeletons seemed to have found Yu-shin Jeong’s party and rushed straight at them, their eyes glowing.
Clatter! Clatter!
Was it impossible for them to tolerate the living?
There were no screams, but I could feel a blind fury from their actions.
Yu-shin Jeong slung his longsword over his shoulder and took a stance.
Just before the Skeleton Soldiers rushed in.
Barion cast a spell.
[Mind Protection]
There was no sound. I could tell by the effect.
A divine magic that prevents mental contamination from the undead.
It was the reason why Yu-shin Jeong chose the Corridor Zone.
A sacred light scattered like fragments over the heads of the party members.
As the Skeleton Soldiers who saw the scene stopped running.
“Haaah!!!”
Delia shouted and pushed her shield forward with her weight.
A shield bash that firmly held its stance and pushed forward.
Crash!!!
The kite shield shattered four Skeleton Soldiers rushing in at once.
Overwhelming power. Is that truly the Glutton Engraving?
Crackle!!!
The bones of the Skeleton Soldiers hit by the shield flew through the air like bowling pins.
Not to be outdone, Yu-shin Jeong stood next to Delia and took a stance.
He grabbed the sword slung over his shoulder with both hands and lifted it slightly.
Diagonal slash.
Whoosh!!!
The slash, trained with thousands of swings, shattered the skull of the Skeleton Soldier holding the mace.
Crack!!!
The light disappeared from the skeleton’s eyes, whose head was split in two.
He quickly snatched the mace dropped by the skeleton and swung it at another one with a dagger rushing in.
Whoosh!!!
Crack!!!
The heavy mace cut through the wind and shattered the Skeleton Soldier’s chest bone.
The Skeleton Soldier staggered.
Without stopping, he slammed the mace down on its head.
Bang!!! Bang!!!
The head cracked in one blow and crumbled on the second.
He kicked the slowly falling Skeleton Soldier.
The Skeleton Soldier that flew backwards collided with the others and tumbled.
Thump!!!
Without stopping there, he tried to charge forward with his sword in the middle stance.
Thwack!
The sound of a string snapping was heard. And the sound of cutting through the wind.
Whoosh!!!
The target was his head.
He reflexively raised his sword.
Clang!!!
The bolt fired by the Skeleton Soldier hit the sword and bounced off.
Yu-shin Jeong’s eyes shone coldly above the raised sword.
He looked for the Skeleton Soldier with the crossbow, but it was falling backwards with a bolt stuck in its head.
He didn’t know when Karin shot the bolt, but it accurately hit its head. Her eyes are good indeed. Her skill in handling ranged weapons as well as daggers was outstanding.
Barion rushed in and swung his warhammer.
Whoosh!!!
Crash!!!
Three Skeleton Soldiers that were blocked by Delia and could not move forward were shattered and scattered on the floor.
The last remaining one rushed at Yu-shin Jeong.
It had a helmet and armor on.
But that was all.
He swung his sword horizontally.
Whoosh!!!
Slice.
Yu-shin Jeong’s sword cut through the neck bone between the skeleton’s armor and helmet.
The skeleton’s head flew into the sky. The poorly written helmet had been removed long ago.
Thud.
The body that lost its neck knelt in front of Yu-shin Jeong.
He roughly kicked it with his foot and walked towards the skeleton’s head.
The head that had fallen on the floor was still clattering.
He lifted his foot.
The skeleton’s head opened its mouth.
Boom!!!
Crack!!!
The iron plate attached to the sole shattered the head. Fragments of broken bones scattered on the old corridor floor.
Suppression complete.
It was so easy that even a yawn wouldn’t come out.
This is a mid-level maze?
“Too easy, isn’t it?”
Karin’s face hardened.
“Sky, don’t be careless.”
Even looking at Karin’s face, which was sternly warning him, he couldn’t understand.
Not very strong defense.
Its strength was weaker than the mushroom humans in the forest area.
He didn’t even think of using a Sacred Weapon.
Delia opened her helmet cover.
“Sky, Karin is right. Don’t take it too lightly. It hasn’t even started yet. And this isn’t the time to stand comfortably and talk about this. We have to earn money.”
“Could it be collecting monster bone fragments?”
Delia nodded at Yu-shin Jeong’s question.
“That’s right. The undead’s bone fragments.”
The party members each took out thick leather pouches from their backpacks.
Yu-shin Jeong bent down and picked up a bone fragment.
“This makes money?”
Delia shrugged her shoulders.
“It seems to be used as a catalyst in magical research. I don’t know the details.”
The party members squatted down and picked up the bones one by one.
Yu-shin Jeong couldn’t just watch, so he squatted on one side and unfolded the leather pouch.
A familiar scene.
Only the people had changed, but the work was the same.
‘This is completely…’
It was similar to the request to cut off hobgoblin ears and deliver them.
The only difference was.
The former was the minimum welfare policy created by the association for novice explorers.
The latter was literally a request for materials that had demand and usefulness.
Yu-shin Jeong thoroughly searched the area and put the bone fragments into the pouch.
“Wow!”
Delia screamed happily.
“What is it?”
“It’s a magic stone! It was embedded in the Skeleton Soldier’s skull!”
Delia lifted up the magic stone. The red stone was as small as a finger.
“It’s a bit of a shame. The size of the magic stone is small, so it will be difficult to get a high price.”
Karin said, looking at the magic stone.
Yu-shin Jeong squatted on the floor and opened his mouth.
“We’re going to deliver it to the explorer’s association anyway, so what’s the point of the size?”
“Still, isn’t it nice to get a big one?”
‘Is that so?’
Yu-shin Jeong ignored Delia’s words and rummaged through the bone fragments.
Delia put the magic stone in her pocket. Seeing her cherish it so much, he felt sorry for her.
“How many slime breads is this one worth? Hehehe.”
Delia swallowed her saliva and Karin smiled as she picked up the bone fragments.
Barion silently swept up the bones.
Yu-shin Jeong looked at Delia with absurd eyes, shook his head, and continued to pick up the bone fragments.
The party members were diligently collecting bone fragments like digging for clams in a mudflat.
“If we fight a few more times, we can fill the request quota.”
Karin wiped her forehead as she put the leather pouch filled with bone fragments into her backpack.
Yu-shin Jeong also stood up from his seat and rubbed his thighs.
“Hoo. This is also work.”
It was something he felt every time, but moving and fighting were not the only things that were difficult.
All actions such as carrying and unpacking a backpack, squatting down, and collecting herbs or materials were close to labor. He didn’t show it, but he was more tired because his nerves were on edge.
“Shall we rest a bit? There’s a shelter a little further from here.”
Karin said without even looking at the map.
“Let’s do that.”
The party members packed their things, got up from their seats, and walked.
The corridor was dark, so a torch was needed.
Guide Karin took the lead, followed by Delia, then Yu-shin Jeong, and finally Barion followed behind.
The party members slowly moved forward in the corridor.
Had it been about 3 hours?
A wooden door was visible on the right side of the corridor.
Karin raised one hand.
Everyone stopped walking in accordance with the stop sign.
Karin handed the torch to Delia and carefully approached the doorknob.
An unknown pattern was engraved on the old, worn surface of the door.
Karin, who was examining the doorknob, sent a hand signal.
‘No traps.’
Karin put her ear to the door and remained still, then sent another hand signal to the party members.
‘No one in the room.’
Karin grabbed the doorknob and sent a signal.
‘Delia in the lead. Then Sky.’
At Karin’s gesture, Yu-shin Jeong and Delia attached themselves to the door and took their positions.
Karin opened the door.
Creak.
Delia pushed her shield forward and entered first. Yu-shin Jeong immediately stuck to Delia’s back.
“Nothing unusual…?”
Delia stammered as she entered the room.
Yu-shin Jeong realized why Delia was hesitating.
A gloomy room.
Something strangely shaped was in the center of the room.
How should I describe it?
There was an orb that looked like a large bead that fortune tellers often carry around.
The wriggling flesh rose up like tree branches, supporting the dark red bead.
It was the first time he had seen such a bizarre sight.
The party members were also staring blankly, not even making a sound, as if they had never seen such a bead before.
As he was admiring the bead, he heard a rustling sound from one side of his head.
An image unfolded of wriggling tentacles crawling out of the darkness and embracing the brain.
Should he call it a sensation like brain cells popping?
As he was enjoying the fresh feeling, the red bead looked even more beautiful.
Somehow.
He felt like if he touched that bead, he would return to his beloved hometown.
“Wh-what is it?”
Unlike Yu-shin Jeong, Delia made a rare trembling voice.
“Everyone, step back!!!”
Karin quickly shouted and grabbed Yu-shin Jeong and Delia’s shoulders.
Yu-shin Jeong and Delia were led out of the room by Karin’s hand.
Yu-shin Jeong raised his helmet cover. Annoyance surged.
“Karin, what’s the problem?”
Karin looked at Yu-shin Jeong and took out a handkerchief from her pocket.
“Sky, you have blood in your eyes.”
Yu-shin Jeong made a blank expression. Come to think of it, his eyes were wet.
He took off his gloves and wiped his eyes with his bare hands.
Black blood was smeared on it.
And in the blood, he saw small, wriggling larvae-like things.
His heart sank for a moment.
Yu-shin Jeong’s expression twisted fiercely.
“What the fuck. This goddamn maze.”
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