episode_0235

Jeong Yushin stepped down onto the cave floor.

The cool air, unique to caves, passed through the helmet and into his nose.

He could feel the breath of his party members behind him.

He quickly took out a flint and lit the torch.

Whoosh.

The torch blazed, illuminating the dark cave.

Armin immediately stepped forward and chanted a summoning spell.

[Living Armor]

[Living Armor]

[Living Armor]

Light flashed and three suits of plate armor appeared.

Armin closed his eyes and muttered something.

Clang. Clang.

The hollow suits of plate armor moved in an orderly fashion. They stood in front of Jeong Yushin, holding the torch high, and behind Armin and Kenneth.

The last one stood next to Jeong Yushin and Karin.

Jeong Yushin looked around at the summoned creatures and nodded.

“You could summon three summons? That’s reassuring.”

“Actually, I can summon about two more!”

“That’s amazing?”

Armin twitched his lips at Karin’s compliment. Kenneth’s face softened at the sight.

“Should I summon more?”

“No. This is enough. We need to conserve mana.”

“Understood.”

“Let’s go.”

Jeong Yushin slowly moved his feet.

The party members walked towards the dark cave.

* * *

One day. Two days. Three days. Four days.

A week passed and they arrived on the 10th floor.

Ash Village, a small village-like form in the cave, the place where the Saint Ezdrass first seal is located.

Explorers rest here for a while and exchange magic stones or spoils for supplies.

They also drank cheap alcohol brought in by the merchant guild to soothe their tired minds and bodies.

Jeong Yushin and his party spread out their sleeping bags outside the village and lit a bonfire.

It wasn’t quiet because there were quite a few explorer parties around.

Jeong Yushin sat down in front of the bonfire and took off his helmet.

His hair, soaked with sweat, flowed down long.

Jeong Yushin swept back his hair and glared at Armin.

“Why, why are you doing that?”

Armin looked up at Jeong Yushin with a frightened expression.

“Armin, you were a capable friend.”

Jeong Yushin reached out and ruffled Armin’s hair.

“Ugh, Uwak!!!”

Armin screamed in embarrassment.

Thanks to Armin, he easily broke through the floor for a week.

So much so that he felt resentful for having struggled so much until now.

With just one click of a summon, Armin’s summons took charge of reconnaissance, tanking, and rear defense.

And that’s not all?

If there were traps or strange objects, they could simply send a summon to check.

When camping, the summons kept watch, so there was no need to stand guard.

Anyone who knows how much fatigue night watch accumulates would applaud and be happy.

Armin wore a smug smile.

“Even though I look like this, I’m one of the promising talents of the Magic Tower!”

Indeed, he is a lower-intermediate explorer, even though he is not that old yet.

He was curious about what Matthias was thinking when he sent a young friend.

He thought he was trying to put him off guard and steal information.

However.

Looking at Armin’s actions, he didn’t seem to be trying to monitor his every move.

He was just following him out of pure curiosity.

If he were an elder of the Magic Tower, he wouldn’t have sent a foolish guy like that.

It could be a sign of reconciliation.

Could it be that he sent him because he really thought he was a talent needed to attack the 20th floor?

Anyway, he was a very capable friend.

However.

He was sorry that he was interested in Erue.

Kenneth unpacked his luggage and looked at Jeong Yushin.

“Scar.”

“I know.”

Jeong Yushin spread out his hand.

[Eternal Ark]

A huge coffin emitting golden light landed on the floor.

Thud!!!

The eyes of the campers were instantly focused.

Faces of surprise at the coffin that suddenly popped out of thin air.

Jeong Yushin didn’t care and opened the coffin and put his hand inside.

He took out a huge iron pot and ingredients.

Pork lard and jerky.

Dry bread and a little cheese.

He also took out a little bit of potatoes, carrots, onions, and tomatoes.

Kenneth received the ingredients and skillfully prepared them.

He put the pork lard on the heated pot first.

The lard was fried as if it were being fried, emitting a savory aroma.

Kenneth quickly prepared the vegetables, put them in the pan, and stir-fried them.

He added a little water, chopped up the bread and jerky, and poured them into the pot.

When the starch in the bread thickened the soup, he cut the cheese into small pieces and added it.

After waiting a while, a delicious smell wafted through the air.

Kenneth scooped up a little soup with a ladle, tasted it, and nodded.

“Not bad.”

Jeong Yushin received a bowl full of soup first.

Hot steam rose from it.

A luxury that he could not have dreamed of as a rookie explorer.

It was a luxury that would have been difficult to enjoy if it hadn’t been for the golden coffin he received from the Elf Queen.

Even though he got caught up in several incidents in the labyrinth city, he was not stagnant.

He was definitely getting better in every way.

Jeong Yushin scooped up the soup and put it in his mouth.

Delicious.

A soup with a good combination of well-baked vegetables and the salty broth from the jerky.

Eating warm food relaxed his tense body and mind.

He slowly ate the soup and looked at Kenneth.

His cooking skills were amazing.

Was it because he honed his cooking skills while running an orphanage with a small budget?

It didn’t seem like a lie.

Eating warm food reminded him of the Tarman party.

Ann, Mary, Carl, and Dean.

The party he was with when he first entered the labyrinth.

Friends who stayed in the labyrinth city to work for Dean, who went to the Magic Tower after suffering a mental breakdown.

Through fate, they ran an inn together.

He gave them money and sent them to the city where the Magic Tower was to see Dean while on vacation.

How are they doing?

“Armin.”

Armin was eating hard with a spoon and raised his head.

“Yes!”

“Do you know Dean?”

“Ah! I know him! Isn’t he the man who had a mental breakdown?”

“How is he doing these days?”

Armin scratched his head.

“He’s just living.”

“Tell me more specifically.”

Armin frowned and tilted his head from side to side.

“He’s doing the same as usual. Most of the time, he sits blankly with a mental breakdown. What more needs to be said?”

“That’s right. But there must be other people around Dean?”

Armin nodded.

“That’s right! They come to see and take care of Dean every day. That red-haired sister and the gruff-looking uncle are extremely devoted! Ah! And there’s also a pretty priest sister.”

If she has red hair, it’s Ann.

The gruff guy is Tarman.

If she’s a priest, it’s Mary.

I sent them on vacation, but they’re taking care of a sick friend.

He vowed to raise their salary when they returned from vacation.

“But, how do you plan to overcome the ‘law’ of the mountain area?”

At Armin’s question, Jeong Yushin scratched his head.

The law of the mountain area.

Gaze.

He read the book, but it was vague.

In the mountain area, a ‘monster’ floats in the sky for a certain period of time, and if you look at it, you go crazy and become disabled.

He racked his brain, but it was hard to imagine.

It was a distinctly different form from the ‘laws’ of the labyrinth he had experienced so far.

Until now, the laws had only forced certain actions without appearance.

However.

On the 20th floor, the ‘law’ had an appearance.

He went back and forth to the central library several times to repeat the research.

Because he had no idea what that ‘monster’ looked like.

He did find illustrations of the ‘monster,’ but most of them were as messy as a child’s scribbles, making them difficult to identify.

Still, he found one thing in common in several pictures.

The ‘monster’ was in the shape of a black sphere and had a huge eye.

Jeong Yushin paused for a moment and opened his mouth.

“As long as you don’t look at that ‘monster,’ you don’t go crazy, right? I don’t think we need to worry too much.”

“That’s difficult.”

Kenneth shook his head and continued.

“As you know, the monsters that appear in the mountainous area are all tall. They are big and strong, and there are many monsters that fly in the sky.”

“That’s right.”

“What if the monsters pop out and attack when the monster appears in the sky? It’s not a minor attack. Most of them are fatal attacks that separate bone and flesh with one hit.”

Jeong Yushin nodded at Kenneth’s question.

That makes sense.

“First of all, when that monster or whatever appears in the sky, we have to hide in a shelter with a roof. When there isn’t one, we move forward to the floor. We plan the route around the shelter and end the battle quickly. That’s my plan.”

The mountainous area is several times larger than other areas, so it takes a long time to move.

No matter how well you plan, the key is how quickly and safely you fight.

“Leave the navigation to me. I’ve prepared everything in advance, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

Karin said with a confident smile.

The party members finished their meal while having various conversations and spread out their sleeping bags in their respective places.

Jeong Yushin loosened his walker laces and the clasps of his armor, then lay down in his place and closed his eyes.

The sound of explorers chattering echoed around him.

They were drinking and chatting, arguing over compensation distribution, and looking for people to replace the dead explorers.

The voices of the people tickled his ears like a lullaby.

Jeong Yushin closed his eyes and entrusted his body to the darkness.

* * *

Jeong Yushin, who had a good night’s sleep for the first time in a while, got up from his seat.

Kenneth was already preparing breakfast, and Armin was still wriggling in his sleeping bag.

Karin was nowhere to be seen.

Jeong Yushin pushed aside his sleeping bag, got up, and stretched his body.

Even if he leveled up and improved physically, it was hard to camp in armor on the bare floor for a week.

He asked while loosening his stiff body.

“Where’s Karin?”

Kenneth raised his head at Jeong Yushin’s question.

“She said she was going to the village pub for a while to gather information.”

“Is that so?”

Jeong Yushin shook Armin awake and started breakfast.

Karin approached from afar.

“Was there any news?”

Karin sat down next to Jeong Yushin.

“No. There wasn’t really any noteworthy rumor.”

Jeong Yushin and the party members finished their meal, cleaned up their surroundings, and headed towards the transfer stone.

When they reached the end of the village and put their hands on the transfer stone, a red portal and a blue portal were created.

“Tsk.”

Jeong Yushin looked down at the bracelet of bond on his wrist once.

The bracelet of bond he bought from the Explorer Guild headquarters.

He checked it several times just in case. Still, he was uneasy.

The memory of suffering in the swamp area made him grind his teeth involuntarily.

Karin came over and held Jeong Yushin’s hand tightly. There were no words, but he felt reassured.

“Let’s go.”

Jeong Yushin and the party members arrived in the swamp area.

Contrary to Jeong Yushin’s worries, nothing major happened.

Not even a single crisis showed itself.

Armin’s summons massacred the swamp ghouls, sweeping them away.

11th floor.

12th floor.

13th floor.

14th floor.

The party members moved forward without hesitation and stood in front of the 15th floor transfer stone.

Armin wore a dumbfounded expression.

“Scar-nim.”

“What?”

“How do you know so much about the swamp area?”

“I learned it naturally while struggling to survive.”

Armin’s expression became absurd.

Some of the knowledge that Barbaroi knew was not in books.

He used various herbs to prevent poisonous insects from living under the swamp.

He chewed on strangely shaped tree roots.

He fearlessly moved forward despite the thick blood-colored fog.

Even the guide, Karin-nim, looked at Barbaroi with a surprised expression.

Was the rumor that he survived alone in the swamp area true?

It was terrifying.

Whether he knew Armin’s thoughts or not.

Jeong Yushin tilted his head.

It was like a dream.

‘Are we breaking through the floors this easily?’

Karin’s overwhelming navigation skills.

In addition, Armin’s versatile summons.

Kenneth, who has the ability to detect monsters that Armin’s summons could not detect, and even has good cooking skills.

They didn’t encounter monsters often, their luggage was light, so they didn’t waste energy and their condition was not bad.

Could they be this lucky?

Even a free-riding party wouldn’t be this good.

In particular, Armin’s summoning magic was a great help.

Jeong Yushin stood in front of the 15th floor transfer stone and put his hand on Armin’s shoulder.

“Armin.”

“Yes, yes!”

Armin, who was nervous about the mountain area ahead, made a squeaking sound.

“Let’s form a fixed party. You have talent.”

“Huh?!”

“Is there something you don’t like?”

“No, no! There isn’t! It’s an honor!”

Jeong Yushin smiled and put his hand on the transfer stone.

“I’ll tell the Magic Tower when I get back.”

Whoosh.

A red portal and a blue portal were created in front of the transfer stone.

Jeong Yushin stepped forward first.

A flashing view and a sense of floating.

And.

A huge mountain range and a high sky unfolded before his eyes.

Jeong Yushin summoned the golden coffin, set it up, pulled out the Black Iron Greatsword, and looked around.

A terrain with scattered trees and weeds like a plateau that would be found in Northern Europe.

It was a place covered in damp fog.

The sky was dark, but there was no ominous energy.

Party members began to emerge from the opened portal one by one.

“Wow!”

Armin exclaimed and turned his head from side to side.

It’s a wide area.

Karin immediately took out a map from her backpack and looked at it for a while.

Jeong Yushin checked the floor first.

It was sloped. There were small stones, rocks, and grass.

Even if he was wearing walkers, there was a high probability that he would slip during battle. Of course, it was not as restricted as the swamp area.

Jeong Yushin got up from his seat and looked up at the sky.

He didn’t know when the monster would appear.

First, he had to find a shelter and move quickly.

Karin folded the map and put it in her arms.

“The shelter is quite close from here. Let’s go quickly and finish reorganizing.”

“Okay.”

At that moment.

Thud!!!

Thud!!! Thud!!! Thud!!!

“Kkueoooeeeeeee!!!”

Two huge monsters roared and ran from afar.

He recognized them at a glance.

Mountain Troll.

Unlike ordinary trolls, they boast overwhelming defense thanks to their skin as hard as stone.

Thud!!!

Kenneth lowered his iron bow and fixed it on the floor.

“Is it finally a battle? I’ll take the left side.”

He took out a huge arrow from his back and notched the bowstring.

Jeong Yushin grabbed the Black Iron Greatsword with both hands and stepped forward.

“Okay. I’ll take the right side. Armin, protect Kenneth with your summons. Karin, stick to my side.”

Armin glanced at Jeong Yushin’s Black Iron Greatsword.

“Understood! But, Scar-nim?”

“What?”

“Can you use that greatsword?”

“I can.”

“Really?”

Not only Armin but also the party members looked suspicious.

Jeong Yushin smiled.

“I’ll show you. Don’t worry and focus on the battle.”

“Yes!”

Kenneth immediately pulled the bowstring all the way back and released it.

Thwooooom!!!

A huge arrow roared and flew towards the mountain troll’s head.

Paaaaaaa!!!

Bbeooooooo!!!

The arrow struck the troll’s forehead. It pierced through the skull and rummaged through the brain.

The thick end of the arrow protruded from the back of the troll’s head.

The mountain troll collapsed on the spot.

Instant death.

Jeong Yushin immediately ran towards the remaining mountain troll.

The troll struck down a huge tree trunk.

Whooooong!!!

A tree trunk coming down towards his head, tearing through the air.

If he got hit properly, it would be over.

Still.

There’s no fear.

‘This isn’t scary unless you do it once or twice.’

Jeong Yushin quickly stepped aside to avoid it.

Kwaaaaaang!!!

Dirt, weeds, and shattered pieces of stone flew into the air.

Taddadang!!!

It also hit his helmet.

Jeong Yushin stopped breathing and gripped the Black Iron Greatsword with all his might.

The target is the troll’s right leg.

He firmly planted his feet on the ground and twisted his waist with all his might.

Eudeudeudeuk!!!

The weight of the sword made him grind his teeth involuntarily.

He swung it with all his might.

From bottom to top.

Diagonal cut.

Whooooooooo!!!

Kkeujejijijijik!!!

The black pillar-like sword crushed and tore the troll’s leg bone.

It was truly overwhelming destructive power.

The party members’ eyes widened.

Thung!!!

The leg, torn off along with the bone, rolled on the floor.

A tremendous amount of blood gushed out from the cross-section.

Puhwaaaaaak!!!

“Kkueoooeeeeeee!!!!”

The mountain troll screamed and twisted its body, but lost its balance and fell to the floor.

Kwooooong!!!

The floor vibrated violently at how heavy it was.

Karin quickly jumped out and stood on the head of the writhing troll.

[Weakness Identification]

An engraving he obtained from the last labyrinth.

The troll’s eyeballs and the back of its neck glowed red.

Karin swung her dagger and stabbed deep into the inside of the troll’s eye, poking its brain.

The troll waved its hand, Karin dodged here and there, and then stabbed the dagger again.

Once. Twice. Three times.

The dagger continuously dug up the same spot.

The troll, with its eyes pierced, flailed a few times and then stopped moving.

Death.

The battle had only started for less than 5 minutes, but it ended in an instant.

Jeong Yushin patted his aching waist and smiled.

“It’s doable?”

“Isn’t that a crazy greatsword? No, it just cut off a troll leg the size of a tree trunk.”

“You really swung that?”

The party members gathered and gaped their mouths.

Jeong Yushin smiled and stroked the greatsword.

“Did you think I said quick decision for nothing? I’m saying I’m all prepared.”

At that moment.

Tinggang.

The blade, which was broken diagonally, rolled on the floor.

Tenggeureureu.

The Black Iron Greatsword broke in half.

“What…?!”

“Gasp.”

Jeong Yushin was dumbfounded and stared blankly at the blade of the Black Iron Greatsword.

“What is this?”

Damn it.

Did I get scammed?