A mansion filled with traps.
Those who climbed the central staircase began to talk amongst themselves.
"Why did the iron bars suddenly lower?"
"I've heard of dungeons that only start when a certain number of people gather. This might be one of those."
"Ah..."
So there are dungeons like that too.
Having adventurers gathered together ant I got to hear lots of useful information.
Wondering if there might be even better information, I naturally found myself listening more intently.
"Damn, there's a reason when dungeons gather people like this."
"Hey Trebon, watch your language. There are kids here."
"Ah, sorry. I got too excited."
The Black man Trebon rubbed his face with dry hands.
More concerned about what he had just said than his rough language, I couldn't help but ask:
"Is it bad when dungeons gather people?"
"Generally, yes. It ans this many people are needed to clear it."
"I-I see..."
There were fifteen people gathered in the dungeon.
The fact that fifteen people were needed to clear it ant the difficulty was quite high.
At this rate, it could be considered the most difficult Level 4 dungeon.
"We might have casualties if we're not careful..."
"...Let's do our best."
As a strange tension flowed among the adventurers, a white man who appeared to be with Trebon lightly clapped his hands.
He had introduced himself as Milton.
"Is there anyone who can tank at the front?"
"."
Saebyeok raised her hand without hesitation at Milton's question.
Milton's pupils trembled slightly as he looked down at Saebyeok.
"Uh... it's kind of awkward for us to hide behind you..."
"I'm really strong and sturdy."
"I can see that from earlier, but..."
Milton and many other adventurers showed hesitation.
Were they worried about putting Saebyeok, a child, at the front?
They all seed like good people, but I decided to trust Saebyeok.
"They say you shouldn't assign roles by age in a dungeon."
"That's true, but..."
"Please trust Saebyeok. She's an excellent adventurer regardless of her age."
At my request, adventurers from various countries looked at each other.
The adventurers seed to exchange so signals, and then Milton nodded.
"Alright, but if it doesn't work out, you co back, okay?"
"Okay."
"Good, so the tank is decided. Is there anyone with detection skills?"
"."
We arranged our formation according to everyone's talents.
And so, a proper exploration of the dungeon began.
**
We went up to the second floor and examined the corridor.
The corridor was square-shaped, allowing us to go all the way around, but the right passage was blocked by iron bars.
"That key..."
"Yes. It seems to be the key for this door."
A massive door with a red jewel embedded in it, visible right as we ca up to the second floor.
It seed we needed a key with a jewel to open this door.
The problem was that to get the key, we would have to go all the way around the left corridor.
Apparently, we would have to navigate through the maze-like corridors, passing through various doors along the way.
"It looks like we'll have to go all the way around to get the key."
"...I don't like the feel of this. Is there no way to get it through the bars?"
"No. The spaces between the bars are also blocked by magic."
"Sigh... it's right there..."
People looked at the left corridor that wasn't blocked by bars.
To get the key, we had no choice but to go the long way around.
But I kept looking at the right corridor with the iron bars.
I didn't feel the need to go all the way around.
'Can't I just use spectral form to get it?'
When I used my ghost ability, things like clothes or bags would beco spectral with .
I should be able to extract a small key easily with my spectral form.
'Let try.'
While the adventurers were planning their exploration, I approached the iron bars and used my spectral form.
The children followed right behind .
"King, couldn't the Dark King just smash this?!"
"Yes. We could do that, or use Gaeul's portal. Or like this..."
Using my spectral form, I went through the bars and brought back the key.
Fortunately, I wasn't blocked by any magic.
"Wow! You did it!"
Clap-clap-clap-
Just as Levinas was applauding:
Bang-!
The nearest door beyond the bars opened, and a giant with an axe appeared.
It was a ghoul, twice as big as Trebon.
"Grrrk?"
The ghoul with the axe looked around.
After hesitating in the empty hallway, it shifted its gaze toward us beyond the iron bars.
"Uh..."
"Geurk...?"
I ended up making eye contact with the ghoul through the iron bars.
Confusion blood on its face when it saw us.
I didn't know ghouls could feel confusion, but it was certainly making that kind of expression.
"Grrrk?"
An expression that seed to ask how I was holding the key from over there.
Was I supposed to have fought that massive ghoul the mont I grabbed the key?
Looking at the bewildered ghoul made feel a bit sorry.
It felt like I'd cleared a ga using a wall-clipping bug.
"What was that loud noise..."
Adventurers who heard the sound ca and stopped in their tracks when they saw the ghoul.
The ghoul also stood still, staring at us, perhaps because of the iron bars.
"That's a crazy ghoul."
"A crazy ghoul...?"
"That's what we call them in xico. If it attacked everyone here, at least five people would die."
"...If that thing is guarding it, how are we supposed to get the key?"
"Grab the key and run."
Tsk.
The adventurers swallowed hard as they looked at the ghoul.
I showed them the key.
"I already got the key."
"Huh?"
"How did you get it...?"
The adventurers showed a different kind of bewildernt from when they saw the ghoul.
As I hesitated montarily under the attention of so many adventurers, Levinas shouted to them on my behalf:
"King can do anything!"
"That's right."
Gaeul nodded next to Levinas.
Ryuko, the Japanese adventurer who saw the two children, chuckled.
"Must be a hidden skill."
"It's not polite to ask about soone's trump card."
"Well, as long as we have it. I really didn't want to experience being chased by that thing."
Uuugh.
The Latino adventurer shuddered.
They called it a crazy ghoul, and it did seem like a truly terrifying monster.
"Grrrk..."
After looking at the ghoul standing blankly in front of the iron bars, we approached the massive door on the second floor.
We decided to quickly open the door and leave before the ghoul could chase us.
Click-
As I was about to insert the key and turn it, Ryuko grabbed my wrist.
I could instinctively tell it was a signal not to turn the key.
"There's a trap behind the door. This is... a primitive trap."
"A primitive trap?"
"Yes. The mont you turn the key, the door will push out."
The door pushing out?
I couldn't even begin to understand what kind of trap that was.
"What does it an for the door to push out?"
"It ans exactly that—it will spring out like a spring and throw away whoever is turning the key."
"Why would they make a trap like that...?"
"Probably designed with the assumption that soone would be chased by the ghoul. It buys ti by pushing away with the door."
"Ah..."
So it's a door specifically designed for dealing with the ghoul.
I looked back at the ghoul behind the iron bars.
Bang-! Bang-!
After hitting the iron bars with its axe a few tis, the ghoul seed to give up and just stood there blankly.
"How do we disarm the trap?"
"See that groove on the floor? If you insert sothing sturdy there, it will prevent the door from springing out."
"Sothing sturdy...?"
I looked down at the floor.
Indeed, there was a groove where sothing could be inserted.
Do we have to find that too?
Just as I was sighing at the maze-like mansion, Saebyeok started stretching her shoulders.
"Don't turn the key, just ram it."
"Huh...?"
What did she an by ramming it?
Just as I was about to question, Saebyeok charged toward the door.
Crash-!
Saebyeok ramd the door with her shoulder.
Gubuki's protective barrier was clearly spread around Saebyeok's body.
The collision between Saebyeok with Gubuki's barrier and the door.
The result was Saebyeok's victory.
Boom-!
The massive door exploded into fragnts and flew backward.
Beyond it was a staircase leading even higher.
"..."
If we could break it like this, I fetched the key for nothing.
I just stood dumbfounded like the other adventurers.
**
Kirisawa Ryuko.
She was an expert in trap-based dungeons.
Her common sense was crumbling in real ti.
"Ah... there are more iron bars here..."
Crack-!
Saebyeok, a young beast-kin child who barely reached Ryuko's chest.
Saebyeok ripped apart the iron bars with her bare hands.
These were bars that would normally have required going all the way around for over an hour.
"We need to get the key from up there..."
The key was already in the children's hands sohow.
Gaeul had brought it with her portal, but Ryuko and the other adventurers didn't know that.
"This is a maze. We need to morize the path... or should we just break through...?"
"Yes."
Bang-!
Saebyeok created a straight path through the massive maze room by breaking through the walls.
The children seed delighted at the walls being destroyed and ran through with laughter.
'So this is Yeomyeong...'
They say Yeomyeong is full of monsters, and it's really true.
The adventurers continued through the dungeon with such thoughts.
"This is..."
There was a wooden box at the place they arrived.
It looked like a box containing an important item.
"Can't we just break it? Do you want to try breaking it yourself?"
Ryuko said to Gyeoul.
Though much younger than her, Gyeoul seed to be the leader of these children who were essentially demolishing the dungeon.
"Is it okay if I break it?"
"Yes. It's just a box. You should be able to break it with a strong punch."
Since Gyeoul looked like she might be the twin sister of that super-strong child.
Gyeoul should be able to easily break an ordinary box too.
Ryuko thought this, but unfortunately, Gyeoul wasn't the possessor of super strength.
'Can I break it too?'
Gyeoul struck the box without doubt.
Since Ryuko had detected all traps in advance, there was trust in her.
Knock-
With a small sound, Gyeoul's ears and tail fur stood straight up.
The box remained intact, and Gyeoul clutched her hand with a pained expression.
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