Chapter 14: This guy’s completely insane

Sssshhhh!

After a flash of white light, the scenery around me changed.

It was no longer the Labyrinth, but a barren wasteland. The Land of Death, where not even a single trace of life could be felt.

“Gah!”

Sudden pain surged through me, and I coughed up blood.

My head drooped on its own.

I could see the state of my body at a glance.

Dozens of weapons were embedded all over me. Swords, spears, arrows, axes—you name it.

My left arm was nowhere to be seen.

My right leg was barely hanging on, half-attached.

In front of me, seven shadows appeared.

“Lord. There’s no point in resisting any longer. Just die quietly now.”

Such a miserable feeling.

Even though I hadn’t experienced it myself, a strong sense of discomfort washed over me.

Maybe that’s why.

My mouth moved on its own.

“Why?”

“Jealousy.”

“You were exceptionally strong, even among us. That’s why you rose to the position of Lord. If time had passed, you would have ascended to the Throne of God and looked down upon this world.”

“I told you I wasn’t interested, you bastards.”

“That’s exactly it. You don’t even know the power you possess. With that alone, you could become a God! A God! The Creator! The strongest being in this world!”

God?

Creator?

What the hell are they talking about?

My body wouldn’t move as I wished.

“Let’s end this now.”

“Yeah. The world will soon collapse.”

My mouth moved again in response to their voices.

“Foolish idiots. In the end, you won’t be able to handle that power and will self-destruct.”

“Don’t worry about that. That’s why the seven of us are here. If one can’t handle it, then together, we can, right?”

Step.

Step.

The shadows slowly drew closer.

I tried to lift my head, but had no strength. All I could do was watch their shadows from where my head was pressed to the ground.

“Then die for us now. We’ll make good use of your Dragon Heart.”

Thud!

A blue spear blade pierced through my heart.

Crackle!

Blue lightning erupted from the spear blade.

Flash!

My eyes squeezed shut at the blinding white light, and when I opened them again, I saw the Labyrinth.

“…Phew.”

I swept my hand over my heart, which felt no pain, and checked the message.

[You have viewed the Fragment of the First Memory.]

[Would you like to proceed with the Main Quest?]

[If you proceed, you can never return.]

The seven Dragonkin I saw in the memory.

Their betrayal, and the death of the Lord.

The one who gave me this power was the Dragon Lord, and he had clearly conveyed his will to me.

-Revenge on all Dragonkin who betrayed me.

I remembered the voice I heard when the game was updated.

If I proceeded with the quest here,

I would have to fight the Dragonkin who betrayed the Lord.

Those who killed the Lord—no, perhaps they’re even stronger now.

“What if I refuse?”

[You will lose everything and return to your former life.]

When I gained this power, I had already guessed as much.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

So I’d already made up my mind.

A life full of talent now was better than my powerless past, where I saw no future.

Even if I might die fighting.

‘I won’t die so easily.’

I’ll use this power to achieve everything I couldn’t before.

“Proceed with the Main Quest.”

A new quest appeared.

[The Main Quest has arrived.]

[Main Quest 10]

-Defeat the lowest-ranked Apostle of the Dragon God and obtain the Shard of Divinity.

-Reward: Dragon Lair rank up.

As I walked toward the Guild, I checked the skill I’d just acquired.

[Blessing of Magic (EX)]

-You gain talent for magic. By simply observing magic, you comprehend its principles.

-You can learn all forms of magic.

-Current rank: F

You can learn all magic, huh.

Just from the description, it sounded like an incredible skill.

Judging by the ‘current rank,’ it seemed to be a growth-type skill like Dragon Heart.

The most important thing was figuring out how to use it.

‘Comprehend by seeing magic?’

I drew mana from the Dragon Heart and tried using magic.

“Absolute Barrier.”

Since it was a spell I already knew, nothing particularly changed.

‘Do I need to see someone else use magic?’

There should be at least one person in the Dungeon Raid who can use magic, so I can check then.

I put it out of my mind for now and looked ahead.

A cluster of tall buildings.

The Guild Complex, the heart of the Republic of Korea.

Most Guild headquarters were in the Guild Complex near the Association.

Since the Association managed the Labyrinth entrance,

Guilds naturally gathered around it. That’s why property prices around here were so high.

“So tall. So tall.”

Each building bore the symbol of its Guild.

The five top Guilds in our country.

Cheongcheon, Bulmyeol, Hwarang, Undying, Sword Pavilion.

If you had to pick just one, most people chose Undying.

They possessed the 23rd floor of the Labyrinth, allowing them to supply high-grade Dungeons on their own. Their combat power was greater than other Guilds.

Above all,

As a Dungeon supplier, they played a key role in the market economy.

Kim Muhyeok, the Swordmaster’s Disciple, belonged to Undying Guild.

‘He was always with Undying Guild!

He was chosen as the Swordmaster’s Disciple, but when working externally, he wore the Undying Guild’s symbol.

That’s how popular the place was.

“Guildmaster, come out!”

“Undying Guild, take responsibility for us!”

“Please… At least give us the Dungeons we contracted for!”

“Hey! Because of you guys, our Guild’s about to collapse!”

Undying Guild collapsed overnight when Kim Muhyeok and the Guildmaster of Immortality defected to China.

The greater the expectations, the greater the sense of betrayal.

The first floor of the Guild building was smashed.

Employees, blindsided by it all, came out to calm the crowd.

But it was all in vain.

The top of Undying Guild was already empty. They weren’t coming back. Probably never.

‘Traitors. Hope you all go down.’

Cursing Kim Muhyeok and the Guildmaster of Immortality, I walked on.

Picking up the pace, I soon reached my destination. The sign for Kim & Choi Guild came into view.

Inside the first floor of the Guild building, Hunters were preparing for a Dungeon Raid.

I walked over to Kwon Yeok-i, who was among them.

“Hyung.”

“Yongje, you’re here? Come here for a sec. Let me introduce you. This is the mercenary who’ll be joining us as a Porter this time. His name is Cheon Yongje.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Cheon Yongje.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Jin-sol, the party’s Tank.”

“I’m Park Chan-mi, the Ranged Dealer. Looking forward to working with you.”

I subtly checked their specs with the Golden Dragon Eye.

Kim Jin-sol was an E+-rank Tank.

With decent defensive skills, she could probably handle even D-rank monsters.

Park Chan-mi was a D-rank Mage.

She had learned ice magic.

‘These two alone won’t be enough to take down the Rock Giant.’

We’d need someone in the Supporter role, or at least one more Dealer.

“Oh, the last spot is over there.”

Where Kwon Yeok-i pointed, I saw a familiar face. The guy who got beaten up by a Desert Orc and knocked out a few days ago.

Park Chanseong.

He approached with a friendly smile, unlike his usual self.

If you didn’t know his real personality, you’d just think he looked gentle.

“Everyone’s here. Did you introduce yourselves?”

“Just now. How’s your condition? If you’re not up for it, we can wait a bit longer.”

“I’m fine. Staying home only makes me depressed. It’s better to just go into the Dungeon.”

Even his tone was calm.

Strange.

Very much so.

They say people don’t change easily,

but going through something dramatic can change you.

‘Did he come to his senses?’

After surviving a near-death experience, Park Chanseong had every reason to.

But for some reason, I felt uneasy.

“You’re the party leader?”

“Yeah.”

“You used to not even look at D-rank Dungeons. What’s up?”

“Getting smacked by an Orc woke me up. I’m sorry about that day. I went too far with my jokes.”

Park Chanseong awkwardly smiled and reached out his hand.

A strange sense of déjà vu hit me.

A picture flashed through my mind—someone smiling brightly while offering a hand, but holding a knife behind their back.

Well, that was just my gut feeling.

‘Let’s check.’

I took his hand and used the Golden Dragon Eye.

[Golden Dragon Eye activated.]

[Park Chanseong (D)]

-A promising Hunter of Kim & Choi Guild, and Deputy Apostle of the Dragon God.

-He’s extremely excited at the thought of killing Cheon Yongje.

-Overall stats: D

-Potential: ???

-Possessed items: Black Tiger Gauntlet (D), Loneje Leather Armor Set (C)

-Possessed skills: Swift Movement (C), Punch Enhancement (D), Lightning Step (B)

The moment I saw his status window, chills ran down my spine.

‘He’s excited to kill me?’

This guy’s totally insane.

I quickly let go of his hand, and Park Chanseong gave a strange smile.

“What’s got you so spooked? Why? Is it that creepy to see me change?”

“…Yeah. Gives me the chills.”

I even considered dropping out of the party.

Going into a Dungeon with a lunatic who wants to kill me? I’d rather wait and join another party later.

But then a word caught my eye.

‘Apostle of the Dragon God.’

There were Apostles of the Dragon God in the game too.

They regularly raided the Dragon Lair. From the lowest-ranked Apostles to elite ones. I got sick of fighting them.

And sure enough,

The Main Quest said the same thing.

Defeat the lowest-ranked Apostle of the Dragon God and obtain the Shard of Divinity.

At just the right time, someone related to the quest showed up.

‘If he’s a Deputy Apostle, there must be an Apostle behind him…’

If I followed Park Chanseong, there was a high chance I’d come into contact with the Apostle of the Dragon God.

‘Park Chanseong can’t kill me anyway.’

Not only do I have defensive magic that even D-rank Orcs can’t break through, I can also escape to the Dragon Lair.

Plus, after clearing the 4th and 5th floors of the Labyrinth, I’d picked up two more spells with hidden pieces.

I had no reason to avoid Park Chanseong.

The ones who should be afraid are Park Chanseong and the Apostle behind him.

‘Let’s settle this cleanly this time.’

If he’s really targeting me, I won’t just sit back. If I leave things as they are, he’ll end up hurting the people around me too.

Might as well take care of the Apostle while I’m at it.

“So when are we leaving?”

Park Chanseong answered my question.

“Now.”

The Dungeon we’d be raiding was in a small mountain in Icheon.

My assigned role in the party was Porter.

With a bag full of supplies needed for the Dungeon Raid, I hiked up the mountain.

The others climbed with their weapons in hand.

“This way.”

Kwon Yeok-i pointed at a shelter sign and led the way. We arrived at the shelter, where the Dungeon was located.

Everyone went up to the Dungeon entrance to check the information.

“Destroyed Mine. This is the one with the Rock Giant, right?”

“There’s no boss monster, so it shouldn’t take too long. Shall we go in right away?”

“Everyone be careful. Even if it’s the same Dungeon, it’s different every time.”

At Kwon Yeok-i’s warning, Kim Jin-sol nodded.

“Yes. Understood.”

“Then, we’ll head in first.”

Kim Jin-sol and Park Chan-mi entered the Dungeon first. Park Chanseong followed after, and finally, it was my turn.

“Yongje, don’t be too nervous just because it’s your first time. Don’t worry too much. Chanseong’s got good skills, even if he doesn’t look it.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Chan-mi and Jin-sol both have some experience, so this Dungeon shouldn’t be too dangerous.”

“Would you send me somewhere dangerous, hyung?”

I smiled lightly, reassuring Kwon Yeok-i, who was more nervous than me.

“Stop worrying. I’ll be fine.”

“Alright.”

As I walked into the Dungeon, I used the Golden Dragon Eye to check the Dungeon’s information.

Special details only I could see.

[Destroyed Mine (D)]

-Rock Giants created for mining ores are lurking everywhere.

-The lowest-ranked Apostle of the Dragon God is hiding inside the Dungeon.

-Rewards: Core of the Rock Giant, Various Ores, Magic Stone (D).

Just as I thought.

The Apostle of the Dragon God.

Heh.