Chapter 58

00058 Dungeon Of Alchemist(2) =========================================================================

“Ow… It hurts. That’s too much.”

Sol rubbed his buttocks and complained. Hyun awkwardly laughed and extended his hand, but Sol turned his head away to show his dissatisfaction. Hyun’s face turned shocked. I approached with a stern face and helped her up. Sol pouted but still entrusted her body to me.

“Why… Why do you only act like this with me?”

“Hmph.”

An Hyun squeezed between An Sol and me, expressing his grievance, but received only a cold response. Seeing Hyun’s dejected face again, I spoke in a firm voice.

“Sol.”

“Why~?”

It seemed Sol also had some complaints, as she answered in a slightly challenging tone, different from her usual innocent “Yes?” However, seeing my stern face, she immediately lowered her eyes and bowed her head. Then, a sudden scream from Sol was heard.

“Hyaah?!”

…All my efforts to help her up were in vain. They say if you’re unlucky, you can even break your nose by falling backward, and An Sol was exactly that kind of person.

“Calm down. Calm down. Yes, that’s right. Good girl.”

One thing to note, why did she so skillfully avoid Hyun in front of us and cling to me? Still, it seemed she was genuinely frightened, as she trembled with tears streaming down her face. After comforting her, I calmly bent down.

Hyun and Yoojeong also bent down but then stepped back with a startled look. The object Sol was lying on turned out to be the body of a user. A rather grotesquely twisted corpse.

“Ugh…!”

Yoojeong couldn’t hold back and started to vomit. I also slightly frowned at the sight of the corpse. This was the kind of thing only the worst of the killers from the past would do….

Seeing the broken bow nearby, it seemed the user was likely an Archer (Affiliation: Ranger). After a single twist, the bones were pulled out, and the neck and face were contorted in agony. I thought this caravan, which had made it to the middle and rear of the dungeon in the Dark Forest, must have been quite skilled, but now I understood why they were wiped out.

“Stupid… Entering a dungeon without a guide? You must be crazy. Or were you blinded by greed?”

It wasn’t a situation to criticize others, but I quietly muttered to myself and bit my lip. I knew the atmosphere would be different underground, but this felt like a direct punch from the start. I comforted the shivering Sol while scanning the surroundings.

It was a completely dark, straight corridor. The only directions to go were forward or backward. Now, there was no need to follow the caravan’s trail. It was unfortunate that they were discovered two years and several months after their death, but it had nothing to do with me. After activating the Third Eye, I planned to thoroughly search the area. I also intended to capture the Alchemist. As the Dungeon Master, there was a high possibility he would drop good equipment.

After calculating in my mind, I looked at the kids with a sense of excitement. Then, I frowned.

The impact of seeing the corpse at the beginning was significant, and they all looked uneasy and anxious. Yoojeong even subtly expressed a desire to return to the city. I looked at them and spoke in a sharp voice.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen a user’s corpse? In the Hall Plane, this is a common occurrence, don’t you know? Even those who have killed vagrants shouldn’t be making such a fuss over one corpse.”

My reprimand made the kids’ Adam’s apples move. However, they still seemed hesitant, looking at each other. I continued in a stronger voice.

“Why are you all like this? You were excited about finding a dungeon on your first exploration, but now you’re already losing your spirit. Do you even know how great the rewards will be when we return after a successful exploration?”

“……”

It might seem materialistic, but this was reality and the truth. The fact that they were still showing this kind of behavior proved they hadn’t yet met the standards I required in terms of mental fortitude. In the Hall Plane, people should not be seen as “modern people” but as “users.”

“Do you still not understand the significance of finding a dungeon on your first exploration? If we endure this time, how much easier it will be in the future…. Do you want to kick away the treasure right in front of you? Are you satisfied with just finding it and returning to the city?”

“No, no. Absolutely not. No, no. Brother. No, no.”

An Hyun was the first to regain his composure, repeatedly saying “no” while slapping his cheeks and shaking his head, as if rearming himself mentally. I felt a bit relieved, but still found it disappointing. When I used to follow Yu Hyun’s group or Han So-young, it was really hard to keep up. Of course, they can’t be compared, but I couldn’t help feeling anxious.

“You’re all the same. It’s not uncommon for caravans to be wiped out, even without casualties. Of course, I want to save you all. I don’t want a total wipeout. But I can’t do it alone. I need your help.”

“…Yeah. Sorry. I understand. Big brother, I’m sorry.”

After I continued to urge them, Yoojeong finally regained her composure and stood up with a determined face. She clenched her teeth and was still trembling, but it was much better than vomiting.

“…Sigh. Anyway… Sol, let’s head to the center. Yes, yes. Good girl. Let’s start. Everyone, form up.”

Seeing the kids nod and take their positions, I sighed and turned around. From behind, I heard Yoojeong mutter, “You always favor Sol.” But I didn’t say anything.

Objectively and subjectively, Yoojeong’s words were not wrong.

*

We slowly moved forward in a triangular formation. There was a slight difference from the triangle we formed in the forest: the positions of Hyun and Yoojeong, who were responsible for the left and right flanks, were each pulled in by 45 degrees. It was quite dark inside, but the light spell maintained by Sol provided enough visibility.

We walked through the dark underground, keeping a watch on all sides. Of course, there were no traps or monsters detected yet. The occasional things we found were monsters turned to ash or already triggered traps, likely dealt with by the caravan that entered before us. I was secretly grateful for the easier path.

I wondered if this would change the future and they would receive all the exploration rewards, but it didn’t matter. I could secretly kill them all and take everything back. Thinking about the impressive thoughts the users who entered before us would have, I didn’t stop advancing.

Sol’s light spell was still unstable, and the orb was quite erratic, floating around. It was quite annoying, and Yoojeong, irritated by the orb constantly hovering near her, waved it away with a nervous gesture. The orb immediately moved to the side.

I didn’t understand why they were having a silent conflict, but I decided to ask later and expanded my senses even more.

“Hmm.”

After walking for a while, I suddenly stopped and swallowed, and the kids also tensed up, raising their weapons and expanding their senses. Feeling that we were finally getting into shape, I felt a bit satisfied. Sol was also muttering a spell even though no enemies had appeared. I raised one hand to ease the unnecessary tension and spoke in a calm voice.

“I feel something ahead. It’s a bit strange. We need to get closer.”

Seeing the kids’ hands quickly rise again as they relaxed, I couldn’t help but smile bitterly. It would be nice if they showed a bit more consistency. Their actions varied too much depending on the situation, making them hard to predict. After clearing my mind of these trivial thoughts, I immediately enhanced my vision and hearing.

We were still some distance away, but what I sensed was not a monster but a user. The user was too small to be a typical user, but I could hear occasional moans. I gestured for the kids to follow and immediately ran forward.

“Ugh….”

The closer we got, the clearer the moans became. Could the caravan have been wiped out so quickly? But it seemed unlikely they would be wiped out so easily. Various thoughts ran through my mind, but the most important thing was to confirm if anyone was still alive. If they were, I might be able to extract some information.

“Haa… Ugh….”

I could see it. A user lying on the ground came into view. I ran over and immediately knelt down. The kids, who followed without understanding, soon gathered behind me and gasped at the sight of the fallen user. The first one was an Archer, and the next one, lying in front of us, was a Priest. The problem was that his upper and lower body were torn apart and scattered on the ground.

“…Impressive that you’re still alive.”

A faint white light was emanating from the detached upper body, indicating he was desperately casting a healing spell. After checking the user’s condition, I instinctively activated the Third Eye.

< User Information (Player Status) >

1. Name: Park Namheon (4th year)

2. Class: Normal Priest Expert

3. Nation: Babara

4. Clan: -

5. True Name · Nationality: - · South Korea

6. Gender: Male (27)

7. Height · Weight: 177.8cm · 79.1kg

8. Alignment: Lawful · Neutral

[Strength 36] [Endurance 57] [Agility 31] [Health 47] [Magic 81] [Luck 41]

* Suffered a critical injury.

* Requires a major healing spell to save his life.

* Requires an elixir or higher to save his life.

There’s no point in saving him. Considering he’s a 4th-year user, I immediately gave up on saving him after checking his stats and other details. The male user, sensing our presence, opened his eyes with great effort and looked at us.

It was impressive that a Priest with these stats could still be alive with such injuries. He must have cast a self-healing spell or had some special or latent ability. However, with such critical injuries, he couldn’t avoid death.

“What… What happened…?”

“What happened? When did you enter this dungeon? And your other companions?”

“Th… Thank… Cough!”

“Big brother. Let’s save him first….”

There’s no point in saving him. Don’t waste time; it’s better to extract any information we can. I managed to hold back the words that almost slipped out. I still needed to be careful with my words. Sol started casting a healing spell, and Yoojeong had already handed me a health potion. The mana for the spell and the potion were too precious, but I reluctantly uncapped the potion.

“Stupid. You entered the dungeon without a guide. Anyway, open your mouth.”

I whispered carefully in his ear, supported his face, and poured the potion into his mouth. At first, he seemed to drink a little, but then he spat out a mouthful of blood. Sol gasped, and the spell she had been casting was nullified. When I tried to force him to drink again, the Priest weakly shook his head, refusing. He seemed to have accepted his death calmly, knowing he couldn’t be saved.

At that moment, I felt a sense of unease. Despite accepting his death, he was still trying to survive. He wanted to hold on a bit longer. But upon seeing us, he gave up on life. This meant he had something to tell us.

Finally, the male user spat out the blood in his mouth and struggled to speak.

============================ Author's Note ============================

Hello, I’m Ro Yujin.

Today, I was dazed for a while and finally snapped out of it in the afternoon to check the comments. When I saw the comment, “You need to be strong. The people around you need to be strong for the patient to be strong,” my mind suddenly cleared. Feeling that wallowing in sadness would only bring more sadness, I decided to try to live brightly and energetically again. If I do, I’m sure a bright and energetic result will come. It will definitely happen.

Thank you to everyone who left comments. With the support of so many people, I’m sure I will get back on my feet. Definitely. Really. I sincerely appreciate it. (__)

1. Halmaline: Congratulations on being number one. :)

2. Personinlife: Haha. Thank you. I read all of them. I’m really grateful. (__)

3. Yeye: Jump! Jump! Jump! And jump!

4. GradeRown: Huhuhuhuh. (?)

5. EvilLawyer: Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to change my mindset. I realized that even if I act like I’m dying, my relatives wouldn’t be happy. I’m sure I will recover. For that day, I will also live as I used to, without change, and work hard. Thank you!

6. CriaSen: Oh. The last moments… I felt a chill thinking I couldn’t be there. I’m sure I will recover! :)

7. Toranoanal: My father went down immediately after receiving the call. I also said I would go, but he told me to wait… I might go down soon. Of course, I hope it’s for good news. Thank you for the comment!

8. WuxiaNovelFan: Yes, I plan to go down soon. Thank you. :)

9. Sonaguiyeowo: Thank you for the comment. My relative’s bone was broken, and it pierced an organ (lungs, etc.). I also need to believe. I think if I feel sad, sadness will come, and if I feel happy, happiness will come. ^^

10. Demodex: Thank you so much. With the support of so many people, I’m sure I will get back on my feet. Definitely. I will get up and greet you with a gentle touch and a smile, as always. Thank you. (__)

I always read all the comments repeatedly. Please don’t be too disappointed if I don’t reply in the replies. If you have any specific questions, feel free to send me a message, and I’ll respond! (Please leave more comments! And recommendations…☞☜)

That’s all for today.

I hope you always read the story with a comfortable mind.

I always welcome pre-reads, recommendations, comments, reviews, and questions.