Chapter 87

00087 Ruined Laboratory

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When I lifted the creature by its hair, I could see its hollow eyes glaring at me. What can you do by glaring at me, you piece of trash? I wanted to crush it to death on the spot, but there were things I needed to do first.

Since I knew nothing about the ruined laboratory, I needed to extract as much information as possible from this creature. I immediately activated the Third Eye and looked at it.

"The monster in front of me can be identified as a Wraith. However, unlike ordinary wraiths, they possess both physical form and emotions. During the time when the ancient Hollow Plane was flourishing, the arrogant residents conceived an experiment. It started with the idea of becoming gods and creating new humans..."

After scanning through the information that came to mind, I gently let go of the creature's hair. Thud. As I looked at its head hitting the ground, I slowly lifted my foot.

"Vivian."

"Yes."

Vivian answered calmly to my call. Her gaze on the wraith was indifferent. Among our group, only Vivian had maintained her composure from the entrance of the dungeon to now. It seemed that her own tumultuous life experiences made this nothing to her.

"Do you remember anything about this laboratory? Anything at all."

"Hmm…."

Vivian's face showed a moment of contemplation, but she soon glanced at the wraith and spoke.

"I don't remember clearly, but they seem to be people who were experimented on."

"Experiment?"

She nodded a couple of times in response to my question. By now, everyone in the group was paying attention to her. The wraith that had initially appeared with such bravado was now pushed to the background.

"Yes. There was a time when magic engineering and alchemy were both flourishing. I vaguely remember hearing that a laboratory was established to create new humans."

"And then?"

"I don't know. It seems to have been closed and buried for some unknown reason. I can't remember clearly. This creature is probably one of the unfortunate humans who were sacrificed in those experiments."

"I see."

Vivian concluded her words neatly. I brought my raised foot down. With a sound of a skull cracking, the corridor was instantly stained with blood. Bending down to check the creature, I saw that it had died instantly, with no further movement.

The others had various expressions on their faces. However, Jeong Hyeon and Shin Sang-yong, who were seeing this side of me for the first time, looked bewildered. They seemed surprised by my bold actions, having only seen my quiet demeanor before. Ignoring their reactions, I turned to Sol.

"An Sol."

"Yes…."

Sol answered in a meek voice. But when I frowned, she quickly lifted her head. From experience, she knew that once in combat, I would act differently from my usual self.

"Have you practiced divine spells to some extent?"

"Restraint, protection, and healing…"

Sol's voice was getting softer and softer. If there were a Holy Striking spell, it would be very useful. I smacked my lips in disappointment and turned around. Sol seemed to have something more to say, but I didn't have the time to listen to her babbling.

"We will proceed further into the interior. Be prepared for any traps or ambushes. Our first goal is to secure an escape route and explore the building based on the current passage. And Jeong Hyeon?"

"Yes."

"Can you maintain a light spell continuously?"

"Yes, but in that case, I won't be able to use double casting."

Rapid incantation and double casting. It seemed she had learned almost everything necessary as a mage. Even with just rapid incantation, it was enough. I nodded and continued to move forward, maintaining the formation.

*

"Come forth! Queritatus! The Fatal Scream that rules the 14th Legion!"

"───. Cone of Aqua!"

The deep, wailing scream of the abyss filled the hall above the floating magic circle. This was Vivian's Chimera Hand summoning spell. At the same time, dark red water masses in the shape of cones rose from the blood of the wraiths on the floor, courtesy of Jeong Hyeon.

The wraiths, perhaps annoyed by the continuous spells from the mages behind, were pushing forward. My defenses were so tight that eventually, some of the wraiths who were being pushed back began to flank us. I immediately raised my voice.

"An Hyun. Wraiths are gathering in that direction. An Sol, Shin Sang-yong. Provide support."

"Ugh. Again? Damn it! What kind of creatures are these!"

"Understood. Leader. ───."

As I heard An Hyun's frantic shouts and Shin Sang-yong's calm response, I immediately let my sword hang loosely to one side. The sensation of cutting through something solid came through the blade. It seemed they had taken advantage of the moment I turned my head.

"Kraaaaaa!"

I managed to cut the shoulder, making the creature stagger. But it was tenacious. Even with one arm nearly severed, it kept coming at me. It seemed I would have to crush their heads, like with the Deadmen in the initiation ritual.

However, it was difficult for the others to aim for the heads. The Deadmen were slow compared to the wraiths, making it easier to target their heads, but the wraiths were not. With a human-like build and much more agile movements, they kept rushing at us without a break, making it hard to find an opening to strike their heads.

The formation where An Hyun and Yu Jeong were positioned was gradually being pushed back, but they were holding their ground. This was because all the support from Jeong Hyeon, Shin Sang-yong, An Sol, and Vivian was focused on them. I, on the other hand, was facing the largest number of wraiths without any support.

The sword danced. Having reached the highest level of sword and body as one, each stroke was filled with extraordinary intent. After blocking an attack from a wraith with the flat of my blade, I deflected it slightly, causing it to strike the face of another wraith nearby. I then cleanly cut through both of them as they stared at each other in confusion.

With each swing of my sword, two or three wraiths fell to the ground, but their places were immediately taken by others. I had already taken down over thirty on my own, but the number showed no sign of decreasing, which was starting to irritate me. We were fighting in the hall of the first floor of the laboratory, against a number of wraiths that was at least twice the 100 Landmols we fought before.

"───. Shackles!"

As An Sol cast her spell, I heard something crumbling on the left. I wanted to turn my head to check on the others, but I had to stab a wraith's throat first as it lunged at me with its mouth open.

"Ugh! Ugh!"

I also heard Yu Jeong's excited moans. Though they sounded a bit suggestive, she always performed admirably when she made such sounds. Especially in chaotic battles like this, Yu Jeong was more suitable than An Hyun. Encouraged by her spirited sword sounds, I also accelerated my sword's speed.

Swish. Swish. Swish. Swish.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

But it didn't last long. I cut through the wraiths with a bored expression. With each strike, the wraiths' heads split the air and fell to the ground in sequence. It was inevitable. My current sword skills and stats were so high that I couldn't use anything else.

In the latter part of the first cycle, I lived each day intensely. During battles where a moment's lapse in attention could mean death, there was no boredom, only continuous thrills and tension. Being accustomed to such a lifestyle, the battles I was currently facing seemed like mere child's play in comparison.

Since we planned to apply for a formal clan immediately after this exploration and then leave the city for the final exploration, there was no need to hide my abilities anymore. The fact that 0-year users had discovered and cleared two dungeons in less than two months was already a significant achievement.

I planned to leave the city immediately after applying and expected the approval to come through by the time we returned from the Cave of Scream. Even if it didn't, it wouldn't matter. The possibility was low, and adding the Cave of Scream to our achievements would ensure a 100% approval.

When the time came, hiding myself again would be a foolish and regrettable act. Everything has its time. Instead of hiding, it would be more beneficial to reveal my abilities while riding the wave, enhancing the clan's value and piquing the interest of talented individuals.

"Huh?"

While I was lost in thought, I felt my sword cutting through the air aimlessly. Startled, I looked up to see the wraiths, who had been relentlessly attacking, now retreating step by step. Though they had emotions and could feel fear, why now?

I suddenly realized. While thinking about the future, I had not been paying attention to my sword skills. I had been trying to hide my true skills and leave room for improvement, but during my distraction, my natural skills had come out automatically.

As a result, there were now piles of wraith corpses in front of me. The clean, precise cuts left no room for doubt. I turned my head, worried that they might think something was strange, but fortunately, my concerns were unfounded.

"Phew. Thanks to Vivian, we survived."

"Phew…."

Yu Jeong and An Sol were wiping their cold sweat and looking up. I followed their gaze and saw a terrifying presence. It was the Fatal Scream, the ruler of the 14th Legion, summoned by Vivian. It seemed to be a powerful creature, ruling over a legion in the 10th tier.

The group probably thought the wraiths were scared by the Fatal Scream, but most of their eyes were still on me. Nonetheless, thanks to Vivian's timely intervention, I also breathed a sigh of relief and reorganized our formation.

"Huff. Huff. Sol, heal me during this break."

"Heal? Take a potion first."

An Hyun, who had some difficulties in close combat, was breathing heavily and grabbed An Sol. Sol quickly handed him a potion and began to chant a spell.

The battle entered a temporary lull. Jeong Hyeon still looked fine, but the fatigue from casting numerous spells was visible on her face. Using Cone of Aqua to pierce the wraiths' legs and entangle their path was a brilliant move.

I hadn't seen Shin Sang-yong in action, but from how well he supported Yu Jeong, his performance must have been commendable. If I had come here without meeting them and only brought the kids, how would it have turned out? I chuckled at the thought.

Vivian, who had been staring at me blankly, spoke softly.

"Suhyun. Suhyun."

"What?"

"What do we do?"

She pointed at the air. She was also a powerful enough to wipe out the wraiths in one go. When we first left the city, I had given her a heads-up. Not to act recklessly and to let the kids develop their skills, and to use her full strength only if it became too difficult.

Her judgment this time seemed a bit different from mine. I thought we could still handle it a bit more, but since she had already summoned, I could only nod slightly. Vivian's face brightened, probably feeling uncertain herself.

She then smiled coldly and gave her summon a command.

"What are you doing? Queritatus. Wipe them all out. Leave not a single one."

In response to Vivian's command, Queritatus let out a wailing scream that shook its entire body. I watched with interest as it emitted a dark fog around it. Being a class that didn't appear in the first cycle, it piqued my curiosity. If well-raised, two Chimera Alchemists could rival the powerful Secret Class, Spirit Summoner.

While I was thinking, the wraiths' mournful screams filled the hall. The kids seemed to have adapted to some extent, as they no longer frowned at the gruesome scene. An Hyun, who had a strong fighting spirit, even cheered on the summon occasionally.

In less than two minutes, Queritatus had wiped out the remaining wraiths.

============================ Author's Afterword ============================

Hello, I'm Ro Yujin.

Ah, why is today so tiring? I guess it's because I'm getting older (??) and my body isn't as good as it used to be. I feel stiff all day. From now on, I'll never go out in the early morning again. Ah, I've updated the afterword for Chapter 85. I've also registered a new reply. I couldn't ask a friend to write a reply for me while I was outside. Hahaha.

『 Replies 』

1. Person's Life: Congratulations on being number one. Here's a healing reply disguised as a reply. I hope you recover quickly. :)

2. Suya17: I'm also often surprised. I definitely clicked to post, but the comments came in one after another. Wow?

3. dddfaaaf: Oh, I had a lot of thoughts while writing, but it seems to have resonated well. Thank you. :)

4. Latydoll: Yes, with the ability to perceive all phenomena in the current world through higher-dimensional thinking, even the information of a pebble on the road can be obtained. Hahaha.

5. GradeRown: The Hollow Plane actually has a hell-like underground space. The protagonist once fell into that hell due to certain circumstances. He's a tough guy who crawled back up from that hell. Haha.

6. CheonjiPaehwang: Yes, the ghost was just unlucky. To think it would attack Suhyun... ㅜ.ㅠ

7. Face Value: Thank you. I'll continue to provide more substantial content. Thank you for the coupon.(__)

8. 3d33d: Rather than a sequel, I'm aiming for around 600 episodes. Well, considering I'm aiming for 600 episodes for the first part, is there a possibility of a second part? Hahaha. We'll see.

9. Amishu: Yes, he grabbed the jaw and tore it off. For the ghost, it was a bolt from the blue. ㅜ.ㅠ

10. Such a Man: Yes, I hope you enjoyed this episode. Thank you for the comment.

Your recommendations and comments are the driving force behind my daily writing. (This is a fact.)

I always read all the comments repeatedly.

Please don't be too disappointed if you're not in the replies.

If you have any specific questions, feel free to send me a message, and I'll respond!

I'll end here for today.

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

I welcome pre-reads, recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions.