Chapter 6

Blind courage ignored the fear of failure and pointed only to the sweetness of success. Ivan did not object either. The completion of a side quest connected to the main story, its reward. Though the type was different, he too had developed a desire. 'Is it bravery or recklessness?' Ivan looked up at the sky. The presence of the divine, which he had felt so clearly when slaying enemies, was now nowhere to be found. The party, having entered inside the castle walls after leaving the forest, packed their belongings as discreetly as possible. When people asked if they were already back, they laughed and explained that their coordination was off and they would soon head inside.

They repurchased the lost items and replaced their equipment with ones better suited for dealing with the undead. Ralph and Sven, having made a bold decision, even bought weapons plated with silver. On the weekend, they would go to the temple to get holy water, not the plain water they usually sprinkle, but properly blessed by a cleric with divine power. They managed to get a few bottles.

"Damn, those temple bastards. They sold it at an outrageous price, just for dipping their hands in water a few times. If it doesn’t work, I’ll storm the temple and smash the heads of those priests."

Ralph grumbled as he carefully tucked the holy water into his side. Despite his words, it seemed he believed in the holy water very much. Two days passed. They completed a very brief preparation. They wanted to leave as soon as possible, not knowing where information might leak from.

"If we stay in one place for too long, the undead will notice us. We have to move even at night, though it’s dangerous. We must change our location at least twice during the night if we rest."

This meant they had to sleep in intervals while continuously moving. It was the worst, as they couldn’t even rest properly.

"If that’s the case, it might be better to sleep during the day and move at night."

Ralph grumbled, and Sven sharply retorted.

"Don’t underestimate the dark forest. It’s reckless to wander where undead might jump out at any moment. We won’t be able to move much."

"We need to move a lot during the day when the undead don’t jump out. We’ll set up base camps while moving during the day and return the same way at night to rest."

They would have to go back and forth on the same path, which would slow them down, but they couldn’t venture into unknown paths at night.

"Any other opinions?"

When Ivan asked, the others just shrugged, indicating their agreement. If they could avoid fighting the undead with just a bit of inconvenience and fatigue, there was no reason to refuse. Swish! Thud! The party moved quickly through the forest. As before, Sven led the way, and Ivan, recognized for his tracking skills, followed behind, scanning the area as they advanced.

The forest they visited again after just a few days was not much different from before. This meant there were no signs of living monsters. 'Not all the creatures here are dead. They must have fled to other places because of the undead.'

It was unclear when this started. All traces from the day of the heavy rain had disappeared.

'Not good. This means the undead have grown powerful enough to dominate the eastern forest.' Ivan, moving while checking the traces from behind, glanced at Sven, who was leading the way. As a ranger from the eastern front, he must have noticed all of this.

What did he think of the current situation? Was his desire blinding him to the danger? Regardless, their strategy of securing a safe route during the day and retreating a bit each evening to rest seemed to work well. They could feel the undead moving from a distance but managed to leave before being directly attacked.

However, Ivan felt uneasy. He couldn’t tell if it was because their strategy was good or if the enemies were luring them in. Despite this unease, they managed to reach the lake where the ruins were supposed to be before the fourth day. The undead were now more densely hidden, making it impossible to pass quietly.

"It’s certain. The closer we get to the ruins, the thicker the evil aura becomes. The current outbreak of undead is definitely due to the ruins. Good heavens, there really is an undiscovered ruin here?"

While Emin was marveling, Yulia quickly asked.

"How do we enter? We can’t deal with all those undead."

"We need to break through the shortest path. Once inside the ruins, the external undead won’t be able to enter."

"Instead, we’ll have to face something waiting inside."

"Heh, you knew the risks, right? You die if you’re unlucky, and you survive if you’re lucky. With a fortune in treasure."

"We don’t know if there’s treasure inside yet."

"There will be. My sense, which finds gold like a ghost, tells me so. Heh, so, Mr. Mage, when are we entering?"

"Tomorrow morning. We’ll enter when the undead can’t move properly. Let me give you a final briefing on the ruins."

Hundreds of years ago, this place was home to monks. They built a temple in the remote forest, cut off from the outside world, and devoted themselves to their faith.

However, over time, the number of monks visiting here gradually decreased.

It was extremely difficult to endure the highly secluded life of the monastery, which relied solely on faith.

"They were followers of the God of Light, Arun, but eventually left, leaving the abandoned monastery as a ruin."

Emin’s detailed historical account was interrupted by Ralph.

"We don’t need to know all that. So, this place was originally a monastery dedicated to the God of Light, Arun? But how did it become a den of undead? That’s the important part. What will we face inside?"

Emin, who had been happily recounting the history, reluctantly answered, more concisely this time.

"In some of Arun’s temples, there are places where old demons or monsters are sealed. It seems this place was one of them, though no one knew."

"Old demons? Monsters? Can we even deal with them? If the temple of Arun couldn’t handle them, they just sealed them away."

"Those creatures must have already been destroyed. Otherwise, there would be no reason for the monastery to be abandoned. The seals are managed by the main temple, so there’s no chance of a mistake in the succession. The Arun sect is not that sloppy."

Ivan suppressed a hollow laugh as he listened to Emin’s firm words.

'Not sloppy? Nothing in this world is 100% certain.' His memory was hazy until now, but seeing it with his own eyes, he was certain. The abandoned monastery. An instance dungeon he had once cleared in a frenzy.

It was a common story. The monks who devoted themselves to their faith in the monastery fell into corruption and tried to summon a demon. They were caught by the main temple, and the Inquisition and the Holy Knights swept through, but they missed the incomplete demon gate hidden underground. Later, a player discovered this and finished the story of the abandoned monastery. 'Can we clear it with this party?' Ivan crossed his arms and looked at the others. They were all skilled, but he wasn’t confident. This wasn’t a game anymore.

The dungeon, now a reality, was a space more dangerous than he could imagine. There was no way it would follow the game’s strategy so conveniently.

Unlike the game, where the story only progressed with player intervention, this was moving on its own. They were a bit early compared to when the dungeon was supposed to be cleared. Whether this would be an advantage or a disadvantage, Ivan couldn’t tell. 'It’s a low-level dungeon, and in the game, it could be soloed. Since I’m higher level than the recommended level, it should be fine...'

Something didn’t feel right. Was it the uncertainty of visiting the dungeon early, or something else?

"We need to rest well today and fill our bellies. We’ll need a lot of energy starting tomorrow morning."

"Whoa, charge!"

Swish! Bang! The shockwave spread. Ralph’s Shield Charge broke the sluggish undead, and Yulia’s Thunder Strike followed, pushing the undead back. Sharp ice arrows pierced the air, freezing the already slow undead, making them stop completely.

The magic was clearly different from the clumsy Magic Missiles of before. A properly prepared mage’s attack was like a cannon.

"Nice, Mr. Mage!"

Whoosh! Crack! Sven’s arrows pierced the hearts of the frozen undead, shattering their command cores and causing them to collapse. There were more of them than the ones that attacked them at night, but they were much easier to handle due to the sun’s suppression of their dark powers.

The party easily broke through and entered the abandoned monastery.

The ruins, long abandoned and untouched, had a corner that had collapsed, revealing a hidden entrance. Sinister magic flowed from there, brushing against their bodies.

"We found the entrance! We’re going inside!"

They quickly headed there, avoiding the slowly approaching undead. In the midst of the urgency, Ivan inadvertently leaped in.

Jumping was a concept in the game. Even in reality, the habit had stuck.

Whoosh! Thud! After passing through a shimmering space, he landed on the ground. Despite descending via stairs, there was no sign of an entrance when he looked back.

"This is a dungeon. We can leave once we destroy the core."

Emin explained while looking around. He had never been in a dungeon, having spent his life studying magic in the tower. He explained what he had learned, but he must have found it fascinating.

"Stop looking around and focus. Anything can happen in a dungeon."

Ivan had cleared a few dungeons before. They were much more terrifying and dirty than in the game, and any lapse in attention could cost a life.

Of course, he was much stronger now, but the level of this dungeon was also much higher than before. It wasn’t a low-level dungeon to be underestimated. Even in the game, his legendary achievements of slaying demons and hunting dragons were dismissed as low-level.

"A dungeon is another world. Long-dead heroes can appear as enemies, and long-lost monsters can still roam."

Hearing Ivan’s low mutter, everyone raised their weapons. They put aside their curiosity and heightened their tension. Sharpening their senses, they cautiously moved forward.

Thud!

"Ouch!"

Ralph, who was moving while shielding himself, was pulled back. Ignoring Ralph’s confused gaze, Sven lay flat on the ground.

After examining something for a while, Sven cursed.

"Damn, didn’t we say this was a monastery? Even if it’s a dungeon, why is this here?"

Clank! Thud! Throwing a nearby rock, a sharp metal spike shot up from the ground. If he had taken one more step, it would have pierced Ralph’s groin.

"Too bad. It was a chance to discover your hidden sexual preferences."

Ralph’s forehead was drenched in cold sweat as he shrugged and joked. He pretended to be calm, but he was quite shaken.

"Even if it was a normal monastery, undead wouldn’t jump out, no matter how ruined it was. It’s obvious, so avoid it and move on."

"Damn, I’m weak against these traps..."

While Sven grumbled and looked for a way forward, Ivan quietly examined the metal spike. There were no bloodstains or fragments, but there were faint marks where something had been scraped.

Ivan’s eyes narrowed.

'There were others here.' Undiscovered ruins were extremely dangerous, and the rewards were uncertain.