EP.18 Moths Leaping into the Flas
In the dead of night, adventurers were ascending a mountain.
Leading the way was Kim Minjun, with Marcel and his team following behind.
Marcel and his team consisted of four mbers, Marcel a swordsman with a large blade, Martin a warrior wielding a massive axe, Rio an archer, and Anna who could use magic to so extent.
However, so were not entirely pleased with the current situation.
“What’s all this nonsense?”
“Yeah, it’s not like we have to be going right now, we could’ve left when the day broke.”
Anna and Rio, who were trailing behind, muttered quietly.
As Kim Minjun had suggested, they had prepared and set off in the evening.
However, they set off too late. By the ti they reached the mountain range and began the ascent, it was well past evening.
Even if an adventurer of Silver-rank organized a party, this was crossing the line, especially considering that these mountains were dangerous even in daylight, and it was already midnight.
The situation was uncertain, and the danger was real.
Kim Minjun, being an adventurer of Silver-rank, gave so reassurance.
He was a mage with decent skills, and on their way up the mountain, he had easily driven away the low-level monsters and creatures they encountered.
‘To control magic so effortlessly… he’s not just an ordinary mage.’
From his current actions, it was clear that he was more than just a magician.
So, even though they were dissatisfied with the current situation, they didn’t express their complaints out loud.
After all, they were just following along, and it was Kim Minjun’s show.
Kim Minjun glanced behind him.
This was to check if anyone was falling behind.
It’s not because he’s very considerate.
Because they were the main dish of the day.
He had stopped in his tracks.
“We’re here. Get ready, everyone.”
They had reached the location marked for the dungeon, but they couldn’t find it.
“Where’s the dungeon?”
From the beginning, there was so difficulties.
Marcel and his group were also given instructions to search for the dungeon.
After a while, Marcel’s voice ca.
“Ah, Master, I found it!”
It seed they had indeed found the dungeon, but Kim Minjun, heading toward Marcel, couldn’t feel anything unusual.
“Hmm….”
The cave from the outside looked very dark.
Even with Kim Minjun’s magic, the darkness did not go away.
“Are you sure this is the right place?”
“I looked all around, but there was nothing but here!”
He couldn’t sense any energy in the cave that was supposed to be a dungeon.
If it weren’t for the guild’s request, he might have thought it was just a regular cave.
Kim Minjun expressed his doubts. There was nothing to be felt in the cave in front of him.
“Of course, don’t expect anything from a low-rank dungeon.”
He then switched his attention from comparing it to the request.
The dungeon was a low-rank one, it had the lowest rating possible. It was so low that it didn’t even emit a distinct magic flow.
Kim Minjun realized that this place was not showing any signs because of its low rank.
‘In the end, what can you expect from a low-rank dungeon?’
He said to himself and then turned his attention back to the group.
“Alright, everyone, let’s go inside.”
Staying idle here wouldn’t change anything. As it didn’t seem particularly dangerous, he urged those following him to hurry up.
This ti, he lead his party forward, with Kim Minjun trailing behind.
‘At last.’
He herded them into the dungeon.
Now that he was at the rear, they couldn’t escape.
It was the mont Kim Minjun’s plan was finally about to unfold.
Once they entered the dungeon, they were trapped, like prey caught in a snare.
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***
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They set foot inside the dungeon.
No matter how low rank it might be, a dungeon was still a dungeon.
Therefore, they proceeded with caution, all on their guard.
“Looks like it’s a dungeon after all.”
Muttered Kim Minjun as he dispelled the magic.
Torches lined the walls, welcoming them. It was bright enough now that they didn’t need to use mana to create light.
After walking for a while, a sudden unexpected crossroads appeared.
“What’s this?”
“Hey, Master, the path splits?”
Marcel and his team were puzzled by the sight.
“I see it too.”
Kim Minjun’s expression concealed his confusion, but he was equally baffled.
‘Why did a crossroads suddenly appear?’
Typically, lower-rank dungeons had straightforward layouts.
This dungeon was the lowest rank – Iron Rank.
Why were there branching paths?
‘Ah, things are getting complicated.’
Kim Minjun grumbled. But suddenly, he recalled sothing.
“Co to think of it, Marcel.”
“Are you calling , Master?”
“Earlier, you said it was supposed to be of the sa rank.”
Marcel, who was holding the guild request, was reminded of what he said.
“Yes, Master. I said that, didn’t I?”
“Why do you think the rank was lowered?”
But Marcel shook his head. He knew the rank had been lowered, but he didn’t know the reason.
‘Useless.’
Kim Minjun muttered.
“Even if it’s a lower rank, you should know why it’s been reduced, don’t you?”
However, Marcel just shook his head. He only knew the rank had been lowered but not the reason behind it.
“Anyway, since it’s a lower-rank dungeon, I can understand this fork in the road.”
In a lower-rank dungeon, branching paths were not uncommon. In fact, it was likely that this fork represented most of the dungeon.
‘Let’s not overthink it.’
Kim Minjun made a choice and went down one of the paths.
They could have split up and gone down both paths, but that would be too risky.
After all, they were all novice adventurers. If they ended up outmatched by monsters, it would only dampen the fun.
More importantly, it was vital to eliminate the variable of them escaping. Since they were going to kill them anyway, it made no sense to divide their path and let them flee.
“Everyone, go left.”
They all understood that splitting up would be pointless.
Everyone followed Kim Minjun’s command without complaint. Even if the situation beca dangerous, they had faith that Kim Minjun would protect them.
At least, they had that much trust.
Choosing the left path, they continued walking forward.
Suddenly, a cold wind began to blow, causing the torches on the wall to flicker.
“Everyone, stop.”
Kim Minjun felt sothing and ordered everyone to halt.
But the wind grew stronger, and all the torches went out simultaneously.
Darkness returned.
“Huh? Master.”
Marcel looked around, startled.
“Damn it, this can’t be happening.”
Kim Minjun grumbled but urgently used magic.
A small orb appeared above his palm and emitted light, dispelling the darkness within the dungeon.
However, his expression remained grim.
“Sothing’s not right.”
He felt an unknown unease.
At the sa ti, Marcel and the others ca into his view.
Marcel approached his fellow adventurers as the surroundings brightened.
All three of them were standing still.
“……”
“Hey!”
Marcel called to them.
“……”
“Did you guys get scared? Haha.”
Marcel taunted them as he approached.
“Just because the lights went out, there’s no reason to be scared.”
Marcel was about to pat Martin’s muscular shoulder when Kim Minjun shouted.
“Stop!”
“Yes?”
“Co here imdiately!”
Marcel turned around, puzzled about why he was being called.
“Why are you acting like this, Master?”
Crash!
But Marcel’s words were cut off.
Suddenly, his companions, who had been silent, began attacking him.
Martin’s axe pierced Marcel’s heart effortlessly.
“Argh!”
Marcel fell to the ground, coughing up blood, shocked by his comrades’ betrayal.
“What… is this…”
Marcel’s words remained unfinished as he succumbed to death.
“Damn it! What kind of Banshee in a dungeon of the sa rank!”
Kim Minjun cursed while starting an incantation for a spell.
Banshee were undead monsters.
They weren’t high-level, but they could be tricky to deal with. They lacked a solid physical form, making them vulnerable to divine power and magic.
Banshee were more like ghosts than monsters.
They had one major issue, ntal control. The most terrifying aspect of Banshee was their ability to manipulate the minds of humans.
It wasn’t foolproof, and it didn’t work on individuals of equal or higher rank than the Banshee.
Usually, a party would have a junior cleric to counter it. But now, they were too complacent.
“Thunder Storm!”
Kim Minjun urgently cast the spell.
Lightning struck the ground in front of him.
The target was the three adventurers who had been in front of him.
No, they had been adventurers. They were electrocuted by the lightning Kim Minjun summoned and died. The sll of burning flesh filled the dungeon.
“Haah… Haah… Damn.”
Today, curses frequently left my lips as I gazed at the lifeless bodies of Marcel, whose heart had been pierced, and those who had been electrocuted.
Originally, I had intended to kill them myself, but I hadn’t expected this outco.
Except for Marcel, the others had their minds stolen by the Banshee.
I don’t know why, but the Banshee here were different from the usual ones.
It gave a peculiar feeling.
“Could it be that there are monster buffs here?”
If that was the case, it was a highly dangerous situation. I shouldn’t have set foot in this place in the first place.
“Let’s get out for now.”
Even if the dungeon’s rank had dropped, it was originally a dungeon of the sa rank.
But the fact that Banshee appeared right from the start ant that the adventurer’s guild had provided incorrect information.
‘As soon as I leave, I should kill the receptionist.’
How dare they put in danger like this? I almost died. I needed to vent my current anger on soone.
As I turned my body to leave, I suddenly heard clapping from ahead.
“Truly impressive!”
Soone expressed amazent in their voice.
The voice belonged to a woman.
It was unusual; she was wearing a maid’s uniform, but that wasn’t important.
Moreover, judging from the horn on her head, she was probably a monster.
“Who are you?”
I beca cautious.
She was a formidable presence, and it was a trendous presence.
Why couldn’t I detect such a significant aura before?
‘This is dangerous. I should run.’
If I cast magic frantically and fled, I might at least escape the dungeon. But my thoughts were already read.
“Are you trying to escape?”
Goblins suddenly rushed into the passage I had entered.
“What the…!”
They were even mixed with Hobgoblins and Goblin Shamans.
That was still manageable. They were just Goblins.
If I did my best, I could break through. But my gaze shifted to the very back of the Goblin horde.
There, a Goblin Lord stood with an arrogant expression. He wore a crown made of gold, making him easily recognizable even to those who had never seen him before.
The problem was that the Goblin Lord wasn’t an ordinary Goblin. The Goblin Lord’s power was quite formidable.
On Earth, a party with at least an A-rank Hunter was required to subdue one. This was absurd.
“This is… unbelievable.”
Haha.
I began to laugh like I had lost my mind.
“There’s no way out of here, is there?”
An unknown woman smiled sweetly.
At this point, I should probably eliminate this woman.
It might be easier than dealing with the Goblin Lord, wouldn’t it?
‘Damn it. I should wipe out the Adventurer’s Guild the mont I get out.’
This was beyond the Silver rank. It had even surpassed the Gold rank and beco a Platinum rank dungeon.
Just when I decided to eliminate the monster in front of …
Clank, clank.
Clank.
The sound of sothing tal striking sothing echoed. Suddenly, nurous skeletons were approaching from behind the woman.
“Insane!”
I shouted unconsciously. It wasn’t just skeletons.
“Why are Death Knights here…”
Among the skeletons was even a Death Knight.
I can’t win this.
Even if I die and wake up, I won’t be able to escape.
What on earth is going on? What kind of dungeon is this with these monsters? Countless thoughts raced through Kim Minjun’s mind.
“I have to face such an end… I didn’t go through all this just for…”
He had suffered so much until now. Kim Minjun wept in despair.
However, the woman in front of him, as if she didn’t care, spoke.
“Frivolous human emotions are of no concern to .”
She extended both her hands upwards.
“But you’re still lucky. You can smile. I’ll give you the honor of becoming a special offering to my master!”
Her deanor exuded madness.
“You are more than qualified.”
Her sinister grin sent shivers down his spine.
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