Chapter 6: The Unranked Dungeon
Dungeon ranks. The quantified subjective difficulty determined by humanity since the system didn’t define the difficulty of dungeons.
A famous ranker once said in the dia, “You want to know the rank of a dungeon beforehand? Unfortunately, there’s no such way. The only way is to go in and check the difficulty yourself.”
The system was quirky. It was kind in so aspects. Yet in other ways, it was incredibly unfriendly.
It would be convenient if it just told you the rank before entering.
“One hint I can give is to check the brightness of the color surrounding the dungeon. The lower the brightness, the higher the chance it is a high-difficulty dungeon.”
However, this was not guaranteed.
The difficulty was subjective to begin with. Many evaluated it as inadequate, relying on probability and statistics.
Thus, the World Hunter Association had to establish a standard.
The standard was simple.
“If more than five hunters of a certain rank cannot clear the dungeon, its rank is adjusted upward!”
For example, if more than five A-rank hunters participated but failed to clear it, the dungeon was considered an S-rank.
This was a rather brute-force standard, but hunters were quite satisfied. Dungeon accidents significantly decreased compared to when there was no standard. Still, this thod inevitably required sacrifices.
“What about dungeons where people go in, but no one cos out?”
“Indeed. In the end, we can only speculate until soone goes in and checks.”
“Then, who will go in?”
“So teams aiming for a jackpot do enter.”
“Hm, well… It’s their freedom, but shouldn’t a higher-level guild check it? So people are scared.”
In short, due to these issues, we call such dungeons “unranked dungeons,” which is also the type of dungeon I’m about to enter.
Ultimately, major guilds agreed to participate and verify if such dungeons were not cleared within a specific ti fra.
While it might seem obligatory as it’s designated by the association, it’s not really done out of a sense of Noblesse Oblige. High-difficulty dungeons promise high rewards. This leads to fierce bidding competitions.
However.
Even major guilds must manage safety, as sending their reserve teams recklessly could lead to massive losses in power. Therefore, they send a ‘reconnaissance unit’ before the primary exploration.
Thanks to that, I could sniff out the dungeon far earlier than other rcenaries.
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Reaper Scans
Translator – Dawn
Proofreader – BringTheRayn
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* * *
Is it a cave?
[Entering the dungeon.]
With a chilly sensation, the surroundings changed. The field type was a cave.
—Drip, drip!
Water dripped from the ceiling here and there. Fortunately, the luminescent pearls embedded sporadically in the walls made visibility easy.
“Oh, luminescent pearls? They would sell for a good price if we took them.”
“Be careful. Don’t you know hunters who recklessly touched things in dungeons and ended up dead?”
“I’m just saying.”
Unlike my tense state, Gi Soyul and her mbers chatted casually while stretching.
There were four mbers in total, excluding . Apart from S-rank Gi Soyul, they all wore purple A-rank badges.
“…”
I gulped.
The people joking and laughing next to were anything but ordinary. These were top hunters you’d rarely see even on television, hunters with aliases.
“Everyone, don’t be too relaxed. Stay alert,” Gi Soyul, the Dark Empress, said. “Swift Sword, Little Fire, you two will circle this place with .”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
As expected of her reputation as a ranker, the A-rank hunters, who looked friendly with each other, bowed politely.
“And Kang Sunwook, the Guide?”
“I’m listening.”
“Find the exit. Cover for the porter as well.”
“As expected, I knew it.”
The middle-aged hunter, Kang Sunwook, glanced at and nodded.
“Are you confident?” I asked.
“If I weren’t, my alias wouldn’t exist.”
Unlike the others, he had an alias called “the Guide”, which was sowhat unique. The na was given by the system because he was excellent at finding paths in dungeons. He was a perfect fit for the recon unit.
“Then let’s get moving.” Gi Soyul turned and ran off without saying anything more to .
Oh, did I tell her?
With no na or alias, I was only referred to by the word “porter.”
Even if I had the rare, unique ability of “necromancer” and three years of experience dominating E-rank dungeons like a king, I was just a rookie to them. That was my current position.
“Hey, porter. Nervous?” Kang Sunwook asked with a smile.
He seed to be an extrovert since he told to speak comfortably when we first t. I called him hyung, and he seed like a big brother.
“Well… I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.”
“Then stay nervous.”
“Pardon?” I tilted my head.
“For the record, this dungeon has many suspicious aspects. The ranker Dark Empress didn’t tell us to stay alert for nothing.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Co to think of it… Gi Soyul’s expression did seem sowhat urgent. Even if this dungeon was unranked, it was one that only a few amateur teams failed to clear. Why would a world top 1,000 ranker seem so rushed?
“This dungeon is excessively quiet. The structure is simple, and there are likely no monsters. In such a narrow cave, you’d expect so vibration or resonance if living creatures were here. This ans there could be unique, hidden chanisms.”
“Wow, you can tell all that before scouting?”
“Of course. I’ve been in dungeons for years.” He chuckled. “Follow . Let’s find the exit first, as instructed.”
“Yes, sir.”
I followed him.
Our direction was opposite of where Gi Soyul had gone.
Cold sweat trickled down my back and palms, but I didn’t hesitate. Being with an expert gave a reassuring feeling.
But that feeling didn’t last long.
“Man, this is unsettling.”
“Hmm, strange… No traps, no clues… This is quite a bizarre dungeon.”
“Hey, porter. Do you feel heavy, or is it just ?”
“…”
The further we walked, the stranger Kang Sunwook’s expression beca.
The air grew thicker, weightier; as he said, my body felt heavier. A sticky and dense sensation dragged my body downward.
A chill ran down my spine.
“This feels creepy. Are we sure about continuing this way?”
“Not sure. This feeling is new to . I didn’t feel like this even when facing a ranker.”
“Pardon?”
“It feels like there’s so unbelievable presence in here. Damn, you said you’re a necromancer, right?”
“Yes.”
“Summon sothing for now. I’ll help as much as possible, but you should be ready to protect yourself.”
“…”
His words were terrifying. But I had to follow the expert’s advice.
[‘Bonehead 1’ summoned.]
[‘Bonehead 2’ summoned.]
[‘Bonehead 3’ summoned.]
[‘Bonehead 4’ summoned.]
[‘Bonehead 5’ summoned.]
—Creak, creak!
Using 50 energy, I summoned all available skeletons.
I then positioned the shield-bearing Boney 4 in front. I placed the archer Boney 3 and mage Boney 5 on the flanks. And I put Boney 1 and Boney 2 in the rear.
Damn, did I na them too casually?
I didn’t know they would grow this much when I first got the unique authority and nad them. I didn’t expect to use those nas until now.
“Oh, skeletons? Got any better ones?”
“No, just these…” I grumbled at his question, my pride taking a stab.
But I couldn’t…
“Ugh?”
…Because an unpleasant aura engulfed the space.
The pressure was imnse, making it hard to breathe. It felt like being in a sauna for over 10 minutes; my insides began to heat up.
“G-Guide hyung?”
“Damn it! Keep walking! There’s an open area ahead!”
“Ugh… What’s different if we reach the open area?”
“I don’t know! But I feel several presences there! If soone’s there, it ans it’s habitable, right?”
“Presences?”
“Who knows! It could be the previous teams. Or monsters. Just move!”
Damn it, I don’t know anymore.
I couldn’t even open my mouth, couldn’t open my eyes. My eardrums felt clogged, my knees buckled under the pressure.
Boney 5 used its skill at that mont.
[‘Bonehead 5’ used the skill ‘Air Shield’ (Lv.1).]
[‘Air Shield’ (Lv.1) is shattered.]
“Gah?”
Blood spurted from my mouth.
Unbelievable. The pressure was enough to shatter a skill the mont it was cast!
I instinctively yelled, “Damn it, Boney 1!”
I needed the help of the skeletons to get out of this passage. It was my only option now.
Besides, Kang Sunwook was already far ahead of .
“Ugh…”
Is this for real?
A newly appeared dungeon in Paju turned out to be a super high-difficulty dungeon that made even a ranker tense.
After being given a half-assed unique authority, there seed to be another reason the holy transcendent disliked .
Damn it. I want to live. Rankers were whatever. First, I needed to survive to achieve anything!
As I muttered frantically to myself…
“Huff!”
The suffocating pressure disappeared like it never existed. I finally reached the open area Kang Sunwook ntioned.
[You have reached the stage ‘An Elderly Man with White Hair Filled with Deep Resentnt.’]
What the hell? ‘An elderly man with white hair filled with deep resentnt?’ What is this now?
* * *
The open area was about three tis the width of the previous passage. The floor had so sort of pattern drawn on it, and a pitch-black artificial ‘door’ was embedded in the center of the left wall.
And then a ssage popped up.
—Ring!
[Stage: An Elderly Man with White Hair Filled with Deep Resentnt]
[His resentnt is so deep that icy frost forms in his hair.]
[Enter the room and defeat the old man.]
“Huh?”
I could tell instinctively that the old, white-haired man inside that artificial ‘door’ was the boss of this dungeon. The pressure I felt ca from that ‘door’. The closer we got to this open area, the stronger the pressure was.
But the fact that we can breathe in this open area must an…?
I looked down at the pattern on the floor. Hmm, could this be so sort of magic circle blocking the aura?
No, more importantly…
“P-People!”
“Finally, hunters have arrived! A-Are you the reinforcent team?”
About ten n and won were gathered in the open area. Judging by the colors of their badges at their waists, most were C-rank (green) or D-rank (yellow) hunters.
They looked at and Kang Sunwook and cried out.
“A purple badge! An A-rank hunter!”
“And skeletons? A necromancer! It’s a rescue team! Please save us and get us out of here,” they sobbed.
“But first, give us so food… or water. We’re so thirsty.”
Different ages and genders, but they all had one thing in common. They were all extrely emaciated. It made sense since there was no food or water in this area. It made sense for them to have such appearances if they had been trapped here for a long ti without an exit.
“Phew, let’s distribute ergency food first.” Kang Sunwook looked at .
“…”
I was slightly upset at seeing him run away alone to save himself. But I had to understand. He warned beforehand, and that’s how dungeons work.
I nodded and handed out so chocolate bars and water bottles to them. As a porter hired by a major guild, I had ergency supplies for potential survivors.
“W-Water!”
“Food!”
They rushed like zombies in an apocalypse, devouring the food ravenously.
“…”
My chest felt tight. Could this be my future if things went wrong?
“Everyone, please eat slowly.”
Middle-aged Kang Sunwook stroked his beard and stepped forward. After a while of watching them finish their al, he spoke slowly. “Could you explain what happened here?”
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