Dungeon Cleaning — Part 1
—
“So, this bastard’s our new recruit?”
Roe Deer gave
a once-over, clearly unimpressed.
Didn’t like what he saw? Well, the feeling’s mutual.
“Don’t mutate. If you do, I’ll kill you.”
With those words, he closed his eyes.
I shrugged and found a seat near the front of the bus.
Behind , the other n started whispering.
“Think he’ll mutate right away?”
“He’s a newbie, but he should last a few rounds. After the job’s done, who cares?”
“As long as he takes the suppressant, he’ll be fine.”
“We just need to get paid.”
“Damn it. All this for a few hundred thousand… What the hell are we doing?”
“People like us don’t get jobs that pay this well often. If you hate it so much, why not try becoming a superhuman?”
“Hah… I envy Roe Deer.”
The n cast glances at Roe Deer.
Their situations were all similar—each had a part of their body either mutated grotesquely or replaced with strange prosthetics.
One guy had hedgehog-like quills instead of hair. Another had eight tal tentacles instead of legs, like so kind of octopus. One was half-zombified.
But there was one key difference.
One man, looking envious, muttered.
“I heard Roe Deer took a mana reflection scan last ti, and you could faintly see the mana circuits.”
“No way, really?”
“Yeah, that’s what he said.”
“It wasn’t fully visible, though?”
“If it was, he’d be at the Superhuman Tower, getting his Level 1 certification.”
“Lucky bastard.”
“Even if he’s not Level 1, being 0.9 is sothing to brag about.”
“Life’s unfair. So of us spend months in this hellhole just to ruin our bodies, while others slowly get stronger.”
“You’re just realizing life’s unfair now? You should’ve studied your ass off and gotten into a magic university, dumbass.”
“What was I supposed to do if I wasn’t smart enough?”
When your mana circuits are fully established, and you unlock traits, that’s when you beco Level 1.
I glanced at Roe Deer with renewed interest.
‘He really is sothing.’
According to the lore of Arcane Seoul, a Level 1 superhuman has a total combat power equivalent to a trained rifleman. A Level 2 superhuman is on par with heavily ard special forces.
So, that skinny guy up there is just a bit weaker than a soldier with a rifle.
Doesn’t sound impressive?
You’re dead wrong.
Having the combat power of an assault rifle with just your bare hands ans you’re already a walking weapon.
And it’s not like superhumans go into battle unard.
They load up with all kinds of magic-tech gear and firearms.
‘Once he soaks up so mana and unlocks his traits, he’ll definitely be a superhuman.’
No wonder he’s an R-tier character.
A mont later, the driver entered the bus. He glanced at
in the front seat, wrinkling his nose before tossing a plastic bag my way.
“You’re the rookie, right? This is the suppressant. Make sure to inject yourself at the end of each day. If you don’t, you’ll die.”
People at the bottom of the barrel sure don’t waste words.
I didn’t bother replying and took the bag.
Inside were two 1cc syringes and a 2cc ampoule of dicine.
The suppressant.
The labor office manager had explained it to
yesterday.
‘We’re working three days straight, right?’
Three days of continuous purification.
For ordinary people, that’s enough to cause serious damage.
That’s why, at the end of each day, you inject the suppressant to keep the mana contamination in check until you can deal with it after the job’s over.
Whether you rush to a temple for purification, drink holy water, or find so other way, that’s up to you.
‘But I won’t need it.’
Thanks to my combination of Contamination Resistance and Vigor traits.
If it ever gets too dangerous, I can just swap in a few more relevant traits for extra protection.
That’s the beauty of Trait Switch.
I shoved the plastic bag into my backpack.
The pack was already stuffed with water bottles and kimbap, but I made it fit.
The driver took his seat.
Vrrrm!
The bus’s engine roared to life.
It sounded more like a tractor than the sleek magic-tech cars we’d seen whizzing by earlier.
It’s running on a diesel engine.
Roe Deer, sitting right behind the driver, grumbled.
“When are they going to get a new bus? How many years have we been using this antique?”
“You know how our boss is. He won’t even part with a 100-won coin without whining about it.”
“I just need to beco a superhuman and renew my contract already.”
“Oh, absolutely. Once you beco a superhuman, the boss will set you up with an apartnt and even get you a personal assistant. He promised.”
“You swear that’s true?”
“Of course! Just hurry up and level up!”
The driver was practically kissing up to Roe Deer.
His attitude toward
and the other n was completely different.
Roe Deer snorted and closed his eyes again.
—
After a while, the truck pulled up in front of a massive concrete structure.
[tropolitan Landfill No. 1]
A rusty sign clung to a skeletal iron tower, creaking in the wind.
Of course. This place.
The very spot I had in mind from the beginning.
Back in the early days of the ga, before Jirisan or Baekdusan dungeons were available, I used to send my grinding Warrior Kim party here for auto-farming.
“Here we are again, huh.”
“I can’t believe I’m back.”
“Money is the real enemy.”
The driver pulled out his smartphone and made a call.
A long while later, a man stepped out of the concrete structure.
“Yaaawn.”
He was wearing an ID badge, clearly a governnt employee.
He lazily scanned the group, then handed a keycard to Roe Deer.
“You’re from Manager Choi’s team, right? Thanks again for the hard work.”
A small Post-it note was stuck to the card.
Roe Deer took one look at it and frowned.
“Five zones this ti?”
“Isn’t more work a good thing?”
“I guess so, but…”
“Don’t worry about it. Should be smooth sailing as always.”
The governnt worker walked off with all the enthusiasm of a slug.
Roe Deer scowled at the Post-it note, then glanced around.
When his gaze landed on , he sighed heavily. When he looked at the other n, his expression turned even more serious.
Finally, he glanced at Hedgehog Head, and his face twisted in disgust, like crumpled tissue paper.
“Mr. Kim.”
“Yes, Roe Deer, sir.”
“You’re staying behind.”
“What? What do you an, ‘staying behind’?”
“It’s too dangerous. Be honest with —did you skip your last purification? You’re too contaminated. One wrong move, and you’ll be done for. Not just a mana illness, but full-blown mutation.”
Everyone’s faces turned grim.
The mood darkened, but Hedgehog Head just chuckled.
“Heh, Roe Deer, you know my situation.”
“I do, but is it worth risking your life?”
“Roe Deer, what I’m scared of more than mutating is the debt collectors coming for
on Saturday. You know what happens if I don’t pay up, right? They’ll crack my skull open and take it.”
Hedgehog Head thrust his head forward.
His unusual hair was likely fused with his skull.
That’s why the debt collectors wanted it.
Roe Deer crossed his arms, scrutinizing Hedgehog Head.
“So, you’re going in no matter what?”
“Yes. With five hundred thousand, I can pay off so of the principal and interest, and still have enough for a drink. If I lose my skull and get screwed over, what kind of life is that? Even if it kills , I’ve got to do this.”
“It really might kill you.”
“I knew the risks when I signed up for this job.”
Hedgehog Head tried to laugh it off, but his trembling hands betrayed him.
The other n cursed under their breath.
“Goddamn.”
“Screw this world.”
“I wish it would all just go to hell already.”
“Fine. Do whatever you want. If you die, that’s on you, not . Anyone else want to back out?”
Roe Deer’s gaze flicked to
for a second.
The question in his eyes was clear.
‘You’re really not leaving?’
I ignored it.
I was in just as much of a bind.
If I didn’t pay my rent or credit card bill, who knew what would happen to ?
If the landlady was right, forced labor might be the least of my worries. Things could get much worse than that.
“Let’s go.”
We passed through the small door.
Darkness greeted us.
Drip, drip.
The inside was like a massive bunker, entirely encased in concrete.
It was damp. Water dripped steadily from the ceiling, forming puddles here and there. Mold covered most surfaces, and mushrooms grew in the corners, making it feel more like a natural cave than a man-made structure.
And the sll—it was unbearable. It was like walking into a decaying garbage dump. The stench of rot and filth was thick in the air, making it hard to breathe.
“J-13 Zone…”
Roe Deer took the lead, guiding us with a sense of familiarity.
We walked down narrow corridors, turned sharp corners, and eventually arrived at our destination.
[J-13]
A rusted tal plate marked the zone, and beneath it, a dim red light flickered weakly.
“Ugh, the dust…”
Huff!
Roe Deer blew on the control panel, sending a cloud of dust flying into the air.
As if on cue, the other n started rummaging through their bags, pulling out gas masks and scarves.
Hedgehog Head, halfway through strapping on his gas mask, glanced over at .
“You didn’t bring anything?”
“No.”
“Hmm, should I lend you sothing?”
“I’ll pass.”
“Pfft, suit yourself. You’re going to regret it. This stuff’s lethal.”
“A gas mask isn’t going to stop mana contamination.”
“Well, yeah, but it makes people feel better… Ah, forget it. Do what you want.”
Mana contamination isn’t like poison gas. There’s no way a cheap gas mask or scarf would make a difference.
Roe Deer and the others heard what I said but chose to ignore it. They wrapped themselves up in their makeshift protection, even though it was pointless.
Beeeeep!
Roe Deer swiped the keycard, and the door slowly groaned open.
Creeeeeak!
A foul stench hit us the mont the door slid apart.
Thick, black smoke curled out from inside, making everyone recoil.
“Shit!”
“Damn it, that’s bad!”
“This is going to be rough!”
It was mana contamination.
Ever since rapid urbanization and industrialization took off, mana contamination has beco a serious issue.
In gacities like this one, negative emotions, lower-dinsional mana, and pollutants rge together to create sothing toxic. If left untreated, it could escalate into a full-blown disaster.
Modern urban planning had evolved to focus heavily on mana contamination control, and this landfill, which would’ve been just a garbage dump in the real world, was now repurposed as a mana waste processing facility.
“This is gonna be hell. Everyone, get ready.”
The n pulled out their shovels.
I did the sa.
I had spent a good chunk of my remaining money on this gear—my bag, water, kimbap, and this shovel. My bank account, already low, was now dangerously empty.
“Let’s do this.”
Clang!
Roe Deer swiped the keycard again at the second control panel, and the massive steel door screeched open.
Whoosh!
Imdiately, a cloud of dense mana contamination spewed out, so thick it almost looked like fog.
Visibility dropped to barely an arm’s length.
Through the haze, I could see dark, slimy forms oozing out from the shadows.
Contaminated Slis.
Their combat ability was laughable, barely on par with a stray cat, but they were terrifying for a different reason.
The n began to panic.
“Hold your breath! Hold it!”
“Hnngg!”
“Hurry up! Get to work!”
“Let’s go! Shovel hard!”
The n at the front started shoveling frantically.
The contaminated slis jiggled and quivered under each strike.
There was no real damage being done. Instead, they were simply shoveling away chunks of the sli’s body, scattering it in every direction.
“Nothing yet!”
“Keep going!”
“Get the mana core! Hurry!”
There’s only one way to kill a contaminated sli.
You have to find and destroy the mana core inside its body.
Obviously, this is easier said than done.
The sli’s body is as black as tar, and the mana core is no bigger than a fingernail, making it nearly impossible to find.
That’s why we used shovels.
By shoveling away enough of its body, you’d eventually scatter the mana core. Once the core gets displaced, the connection breaks, and the sli dies.
Splurt! Slosh!
The n grunted as they swung their shovels, struggling against the slimy ss.
Sweat poured down their foreheads, turning black from the mana contamination.
I even noticed Hedgehog Head’s quills growing sharper and starting to take on a tallic sheen.
Was I imagining it?
“Raaaah!”
Roe Deer was going wild with his shovel.
He was faster than the others, easily twice their speed.
But that was it.
He wasn’t a warrior-type or even a reinforced-type. Roe Deer, a pre-awakening agility-based mutant, wasn’t cut out for this kind of work. He wasn’t even Level 1 yet.
“Step aside.”
At this rate, we’d be here all day.
Seeing no other option, I stepped forward.
Roe Deer glared at .
“What do you think you’re doing, rookie?”
“Shut up and watch. You ever been in the army? You call that shoveling?”
As a forr sergeant with construction experience, this was child’s play.
I gripped the shovel firmly and drove it deep into the sli’s body.
“Gurrrgle!”
The disgusting squelch that followed made my skin crawl.
Ignoring it, I stomped down, driving the shovel even deeper until it disappeared up to the handle.
Then, with a grunt, I yanked it out and flung the sli forward.
“Whoa!”
“Holy crap!”
With precise, efficient movents, I flung a massive chunk of sli far ahead, almost five tis more than the others had been able to manage.
The awe in the air quickly turned into shock.
Fwoosh!
The sli began to collapse in on itself, dissolving into black smoke.
“What the—”
“No way!”
“He killed the sli in one hit!”
Of course, I did.
With the Treasure Hunter trait, I could clearly see the faint blue glow of the mana core inside the sli’s body.
Sotis, I could even spot hidden loot or consumable items mixed in with the debris. Not often, but it happened.
“No freaking way…”
“Is this real life?”
“Must be beginner’s luck.”
“Yeah, no way a newbie like him could pull that off intentionally.”
Wrong.
I could wipe out slis all day long.
But instead, I chose to pretend I was just a lucky rookie.
Even though I could see the blue glows of the mana cores all around , I deliberately avoided them, half-heartedly shoveling sli chunks away.
‘No need to show all my cards just yet.’
Still, my pace was fast.
I was doing the work of five n by myself.
Wham! Wham!
Sli debris scattered like water under my shovel.
Thanks to my efforts, the contaminated slis in J-13 were wiped out in no ti.
It took us just 30 minutes.
That was several tis faster than normal.
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support
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