Chapter 5: The Forest of Blade Trees

Ding-dong!

<You have entered the instance dungeon “Forest of Blade Trees”!>

The clear notification sound snapped me back to reality.

It even tells me the dungeon’s name? That’s helpful.

Ever since I awakened, the world felt like it had turned into a game.

But the notifications weren’t the important part.

The critical issue was that I was now standing in the middle of a dungeon.

I scanned my surroundings, tense with apprehension.

The dungeon’s interior was unlike anything I’d ever seen—a bizarre, otherworldly landscape.

How could I describe this place?

It felt like an entire world crafted around the theme of blades.

The sand covering the ground was made of shattered blade fragments, and the trees, bushes, and leaves sprouting from it were all formed of sharp, gleaming metal.

In the distance, beyond the horizon, seven massive blades were embedded in the earth, looking like mountains from afar.

Even the scattered pits around me bristled with rusted blades, ready to turn anyone who stumbled into them into a pincushion.

“Wow, just brushing against this would give you tetanus…”

Thank goodness I was wearing the thick work boots from the warehouse.

I took deep breaths, continuing to survey the area.

A dry, desolate land.

This place, filled with rusted, cold blades, felt like a battlefield ravaged by war.

“Wait a second. Didn’t it say ‘instance dungeon’ earlier?”

From what I knew, a “dungeon” and an “instance dungeon” were different beasts.

Both typically housed countless magical beasts or treasures, but there was one key difference.

The cause of their creation.

“I vaguely remember learning about this in a college general education class…”

Dungeons are fragments of the Lokpia continent’s terrain transferred to our world through otherworld interference.

Thus, exploration teams of hunters are sent into dungeons.

They conduct geological or ecological surveys to predict what magical beasts inhabit the dungeon, where their original habitat might have been, their weaknesses, and so on, developing strategies to conquer them.

…However.

Some dungeons don’t transfer from Lokpia but are newly generated in our world.

These rare cases are called “instance dungeons,” or “instanced dungeons,” and are typically created by powerful magical beasts that distort space-time with their immense magical energy.

In other words, an instance dungeon means the presence of a high-tier magical beast capable of warping space-time.

To sum up this situation in one word…

I’m screwed.

I was in an extremely, extremely dire situation.

At the same time, bits of information from that college class flooded back to me.

“Regular dungeons allow free entry and exit, but once you’re inside an instance dungeon, you’re stuck for at least 24 hours. And once someone enters, the gate automatically locks.”

“There are only two ways out within those 24 hours: either kill all the magical beasts and clear the dungeon, or everyone inside the dungeon dies.”

I should’ve paid more attention to that passionate female professor.

I thought it had nothing to do with me and just yawned through the lectures…

“What do I do now? Should I hide somewhere and wait out the 24 hours?”

Easier said than done—there have been cases where instance dungeons remained sealed for up to three years.

“Should I use my skill? Who knows, there might be something useful in the warehouse.”

But the “Open” skill icon in my status window was grayed out, disabled.

It seems there’s a cooldown period after each use.

They should’ve written critical information like this on the first page of the guidebook!

At that moment.

Clatter—

A strange sound came from behind me.

I turned to see something emerging from behind a tree made of blades.

Step—step—step—step—

A humanoid silhouette covered in black feathers.

Its face was adorned with a beak-like mask, reminiscent of medieval plague doctors, and its hands gripped a massive scythe larger than an adult man.

What the hell is that?

I’d never seen a magical beast like this in my life.

Not that ordinary people often see magical beasts in person… but still, I had no idea what it was!

Just then.

Flutter—

A page from the guidebook appeared before my eyes.

<Crowman>  

– Danger Level: C  

– Location Discovered: Sangdo-dong, Dongjakgu, Seoul, South Korea, “Forest of Blade Trees”

“C-rank magical beast!?”

My limbs began to tremble uncontrollably.

An ordinary person couldn’t even defeat an F-rank beast, and this was a C-rank!

For all I knew, a single Crowman could slaughter an entire school of students or every employee in an office building with ease.

[Cawwww!]

The crow-like humanoid swung its scythe and charged at me with ferocious speed.

Whoosh—

The curved scythe, its blade gleaming blue, came slashing toward me.

By some miracle, I ducked, avoiding it. 

The scythe clipped a few strands of my hair and struck the tree behind me.

Clang!

The collision of blade and tree produced a metallic sound, sparks flying everywhere.

I collapsed to the ground.

The sand, sharp as thumbtacks, pricked my backside, but that was the least of my concerns.

That guillotine-like scythe was now aiming for my neck.

…!

I shut my eyes tightly, bracing for the death that was coming.

But then.

Rip—

Something unexpected happened.

My coat pocket tore open, and something fell out.

Clink—

It was one of the gold coins I hadn’t sold.

The coin, radiating brilliant golden light, rolled down the slope.

At that moment.

[Caw?]

I had my eyes squeezed shut, but sensing the presence retreating, I cautiously lifted my head.

The Crowman lowered its raised scythe and began chasing the gold coin, as if entranced.

“What… what’s happening?”

Only then did I examine the page that had appeared.

<Crowman>  

– Danger Level: C  

– Location Discovered: Sangdo-dong, Dongjakgu, Seoul, South Korea, “Forest of Blade Trees”  

A crow-like humanoid covered in sword-proof feathers.  

It lacks flight capability but wields a large scythe with rapid charges to cut down enemies.  

It tends to follow and serve higher-tier magical beasts, scavenging the scraps they leave behind.  

It is also extremely fond of shiny objects and will immediately pick up and swallow anything that glitters.  

The last line caught my attention.

“Hmm…”

Extremely fond of shiny objects and will immediately pick up and swallow anything that glitters… That’s it?

“This could be useful if I play it right.”

Knowledge is indeed power.

This guidebook is seriously helpful.

***

[Caw caw caw—]

A horde of Crowmen gathered together.

They lived in a pit as deep as a monster’s throat.

Just then.

Something fell from above.

Clink!

A shimmering golden droplet.

It was a single gold coin.

And then.

Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!… Clink!

A torrent of gold coins began pouring down like a waterfall.

The Crowmen, spotting the cascade of coins, leapt to their feet.

[Cawwww!]

Flapping their feathers frantically, they scrambled to the bottom of the pit.

They greedily devoured the coins scattered across the ground, producing metallic clinks.

Meanwhile.

“They’re eating well.”

I stood at the edge of the pit, looking down at the scene.

It seemed every Crowman in the area had gathered at the bottom.

I continued to pour the gold coins from the sack into the pit.

Clatter clatter clatter—

The wealth amassed by the tycoon Rozchild over a lifetime poured out endlessly.

Each time, the Crowmen let out delighted screeches as they pecked at the coins.

Of course, they had no idea.

<The Reckless Tycoon’s Rawhide Sack>  

– Storage Number: MRG-1689  

– Storage Grade: Safe  

…Rozchild, unable to bear his resentment, placed a curse on the sack.  

If anyone other than him used the wealth inside, they would inevitably experience misfortunes, big and small.  

Just as Rozchild had the misfortune of crossing paths with the incognito Sorcerous Emperor.  

The fact that using the sack’s wealth would inevitably bring misfortune, big or small!

Just like me, caught in a dungeonization event rarer than winning the lottery.

The Crowmen, greedily devouring the coins, wouldn’t escape this misfortune either.

And so.

“Your misfortune is me, you bird-brained bastards.”

I turned the sack upside down with gusto.

Whoosh!

A massive flood of gold, treasures, and gems poured into the pit.

From small treasures like coins and jewels to gold bars, golden toads, and golden calves.

Even various swords and crystal statues kept spilling out endlessly.

At that moment.

Crack!

A Crowman struck in the head by a golden calf let out a scream as its eyes popped out.

[Cawwww!]

A golden sword that fell next pierced another Crowman’s heart.

Some Crowmen, realizing the danger, tried to scramble upward.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh~!!

But they couldn’t move, overwhelmed by the torrent of gold and treasures.

The Crowmen, chasing the glittering hoard to the pit’s bottom, never imagined they’d be crushed by the very golden rain they sought.

I gritted my teeth and shook the sack vigorously.

“Please! Let there be enough money in this sack!”

But that worry was unfounded.

The treasures pouring from the sack were more than enough to crush the countless Crowmen and completely fill the deep pit.

Normally, one or two might have escaped.

“Too bad. You guys were unlucky.”

Rozchild’s curse didn’t let a single one slip through.

Meanwhile, having used Rozchild’s treasures, I now had to brace for the misfortunes that would come my way.

And I didn’t use just a small amount.

Sure enough, Rozchild’s curse struck immediately.

Ding-dong!

<WARNING!>  

<WARNING!> 

<WARNING!>  

<WARNING!>  

<The venom steeped in the blades is growing stronger!>  

<The boss of the instance dungeon “Forest of Blade Trees” has appeared!>

My limbs, which had just calmed down, began trembling again.

I slowly turned my head.

Far in the distance, beyond the towering blade-mountains, a black silhouette rose.

The sight made me feel a faint dizziness.

I had braced myself for something, but I didn’t expect my luck to be this bad.

The black silhouette stepped forward, treading on the sharp, tack-like gravel.

Clank clank clank—

A cold, metallic clatter echoed from its pitch-black armor.

The boss of the Forest of Blade Trees stood boldly before me.

Ding-dong!

<Death Knight>  

– Danger Level: A+  

– Location Discovered: 10,000 meters below the Mariana Trench, Western Pacific  

No way, this is just unfair.