[You have entered the Dungeon.]
The party members were gathered in front of what looked like the Mine Entrance.
“Let’s check our equipment first.”
At Park Chanseong’s instruction, Kim Jin-sol and Park Chan-mi nodded, checking their weapons and spare potions.
“All good here.”
“Me too. No problems.”
Park Chanseong glanced over at me.
“You know what your job as the porter is, right?”
The role of the porter wasn’t anything special.
Just as the name implied, the porter.
All I had to do was carry the party’s supplies around. The bags were already packed, so as long as I managed them well, that was enough.
“You don’t have to try anything. Just stick close and follow along. I’ll handle the rest.”
That sounded like he was saying he’d take care of killing me.
“Alright.”
“That’s right. Don’t worry too much. Even if I look like this, I’ve never failed a D-rank Dungeon Raid.”
Kim Jin-sol tapped her shield and smiled.
“That’s when accidents happen. Remember what Kwon Yeok-i oppa said.”
“Yup!”
“Then, looks like we’re ready. Let’s go.”
Kim Jin-sol, the party’s tank, took the lead with her shield raised. Park Chanseong was in the middle, and Park Chan-mi and I took up the rear.
A textbook formation.
We entered the mine just like that.
As darkness closed in with not a single ray of light, Park Chanseong switched on a luminous light.
Click!
A red glow lit up the cave brightly.
“Alright, let’s get moving.”
We started walking again, heading deeper into the abandoned mine.
I could see rails, broken carts, supports barely holding up the ground, and crumbling torches.
It was the very image of a typical abandoned mine.
As silence settled in, Kim Jin-sol was the first to break it.
“But, did you all see it?”
“Yeah, I saw it. Even seeing it with my own eyes, I couldn’t believe it. Korea is now a Red Dungeon holder country. Honestly, I still can’t believe it.”
“What do you think, noona? Do you think the Hidden Piece Discoverer will stay in Korea?”
“They said the Association President got a definite answer.”
“Come on. You believe that? The whole world is going crazy trying to find that Hidden Piece Discoverer, but no one has found them.”
“Maybe someone did, but got rejected.”
“Huh? Why?”
“Could be someone with a strong sense of patriotism.”
“No way. If they just went to the United States of America, they’d be living large with hundreds of billions. They’d really give that up?”
“Not everyone moves for money.”
Kim Jin-sol looked at Park Chanseong.
“Hyung, what do you think?”
“The Korean Hunter Association probably offered more money. Just having a Red Dungeon would take the country’s prestige to another level.”
“Now that you say it, that makes sense.”
Now it was my turn.
Kim Jin-sol’s gaze turned to me.
“Yongje hyung, what do you think?”
“Me? I’m just curious when the first Red Dungeon will appear in our country.”
That’s when the money will start rolling in.
“Oh, right. Who do you think will raid Korea’s first Red Dungeon? Bulmyeol is probably out. Sword Pavilion seems tough, too. Cheongcheon? Bulmyeol? Hwarang?”
“Let’s talk about that later.”
Park Chanseong cut off the conversation and focused straight ahead.
Kim Jin-sol and Park Chan-mi also lost their playful attitudes and readied their weapons.
Thud!
Thud!
Something was moving, the sound echoing loudly along the cave walls.
Heavy footsteps.
If you heard that sound in here, there could only be one thing. The monster that appeared in this Dungeon: the Rock Giant. Soon after, it revealed itself.
A Rock Giant, made of massive stones.
Its violet eyes gleamed as it charged toward us.
Thud!
Thud!
“I’ll handle that one.”
Park Chanseong strode forward confidently. He fiddled with his gauntlets, then used mana to kick off the ground.
In an instant, Park Chanseong vanished and reappeared in front of the Rock Giant.
Crackle!
Thunder crackled in the spot where he moved.
With that, he swung his lightning-charged fist with all his might. He struck the mana stone at the Rock Giant’s heart.
Boom!
The thunder exploded, shattering the mana stone.
The Rock Giant crumbled like a toy, collapsing into a pile of rocks.
“Wow… Hyung, what happened to you while you were away? You’re a completely different person. You’re not the Park Chanseong I used to know.”
“Time to move up.”
“That’s freaking awesome.”
Kim Jin-sol looked at Park Chanseong with eyes full of admiration, and he smiled with a raised lip.
“You need to come with us, too.”
“Holy… I’m touched.”
“Alright. Here comes another one. I’ll take one, so Jin-sol and Chan-mi, you two handle the rest.”
“Okay!”
“Got it.”
Before he even finished speaking, more Rock Giants surged in. The passage was too narrow for all of them at once, so only about two could get through.
Park Chanseong took one.
The remaining one was left to Kim Jin-sol and Park Chan-mi.
“Noona, I’ll block it!”
Kim Jin-sol raised her shield, blocking the Rock Giant’s swinging fist.
Thud!
Thud!
She didn’t budge an inch, holding her ground. Meanwhile, Park Chan-mi, standing in front of me, pointed her staff at the Rock Giant.
“Ice Spear!”
As she chanted the spell and used mana, a magic circle formed at the tip of her staff, and a spear of ice appeared.
Screeeech!
The Ice Spear flew at the Rock Giant.
Crack!
The spot where the spear struck began to freeze, and soon the entire Rock Giant was frozen solid. Cracks spread, and the Rock Giant shattered.
The moment I saw that, a strange sensation spread through my whole body.
I could see the flow of mana.
The patterns and formulas of the magic circle became instantly clear to me.
The principles and structure of Ice Spear took shape in my mind.
[With Blessing of Magic (F), you understand the principles and structure of the Ice Spear spell.]
[Your Understanding of magic has increased.]
[Your Understanding of Attribute is low.]
[You have acquired Ice Spear (D).]
Insane.
‘So this is what it means to be able to learn all magic?’
It truly is a Blessing of Magic.
I wanted to try using magic right away, but since I was hiding my identity, I held back. Anyway, there would be a chance soon.
Instead, I watched Park Chan-mi closely.
If she used any other magic besides Ice Spear, I planned to make those mine as well.
“Noona! Get ready!”
“Got it!”
The Dungeon Raid was going smoothly!
By facing the Rock Giants in controlled conditions, we could quickly reduce their numbers without much fatigue.
Boom!
Park Chanseong grinned at the thrill he felt each time he threw a punch.
I didn’t think it’d be this easy.
The power he received from that person was beyond imagination.
Normally, he would never have been able to take on a monster like this alone, but now he could tear them apart like paper.
He wanted to get even stronger.
He wanted even greater power.
To do that, he needed to offer a sacrifice to that person.
‘Just wait a little longer. I’ll bring them to you soon.’
Grin.
Park Chanseong laughed inwardly as he finished off the last remaining Rock Giant. Dusting off his hands, he looked over at his party members.
“Is it over now?”
“Seems like it?”
“There’s no raid complete message. There must be one hiding somewhere. Let’s finish up and head back.”
“Okay.”
Park Chanseong took the lead.
The party members followed without suspicion.
Every so often, he pretended to check if the party was keeping up, but really, he was making sure Cheon Yongje was following.
‘Stupid bastard.’
Watching him follow along cluelessly made Park Chanseong’s lips twitch.
Just wait a little longer.
I’ll do the same to you.
At last, they arrived at the Sanctuary.
“Uh…? Isn’t this the Boss Room? We checked when we came in, and there wasn’t a boss. Why is there a Boss Room now?”
“Jin-sol, something feels off.”
Park Chanseong covered his mouth with his hand to hide the smile that kept creeping up.
“Looks like it’s an irregular Dungeon. But the three of us can handle it. Let’s just do as we always do.”
“Okay.”
“Got it. Cheon Yongje, it’s dangerous, so stay back.”
At this point, with everyone inside, there was no way to escape to the outside.
Rumble!
The whole cave shook as the wall behind the Sanctuary collapsed. Soon, a Rock Giant the size of a small villa emerged.
“I’ll block it!”
Kim Jin-sol dashed forward and raised her shield. The giant Rock Giant’s fist came crashing down on her shield.
Boom!
With a heavy blow, a shockwave rippled out.
Stone dust rained down, and the spot where Kim Jin-sol stood was deeply dented.
“Urgh… Something’s wrong!”
“Hold on! Ice Spear!”
Park Chan-mi’s spell targeted the giant Rock Giant, but as soon as it hit, it bounced right off.
Meanwhile,
The giant Rock Giant swung its massive fist.
Blood spurted from Kim Jin-sol’s mouth as she strained to withstand the blow with her shield.
“Kuheeeek! Chanseong hyung! What are you doing!”
“Park Chanseong!”
Ignoring their desperate calls, Park Chanseong let out a small laugh.
At that moment,
The giant Rock Giant’s palm struck Kim Jin-sol. She flew like a deflated balloon and slammed into the wall.
The rear dealer, now defenseless.
The Rock Giant didn’t even look at Park Chanseong, instead targeting Park Chan-mi in the back. The Rock Giant
raised its fist high and brought it down.
“Kyaaaaaa!”
Boom!
Her scream was drowned out as dust billowed into the air.
When the dust cleared, there was a fist-shaped crater in the ground, and Park Chan-mi lay bleeding and collapsed.
‘…Is there just one left now?’
Park Chanseong no longer bothered to hide his emotions.
With a twisted smile, he stared at the only one left standing: Cheon Yongje.
Maybe he was so terrified he couldn’t run.
He just stood there, frozen. Park Chanseong watched, wanting Cheon Yongje to feel the same fear as himself.
‘Let’s see how you like getting hit.’
It would be on a whole different level compared to an Orc’s punch.
“…Drrrrr!”
The giant Rock Giant raised both fists with all its might, scraping the ceiling and sending stone dust falling.
Then, it brought both fists down toward Cheon Yongje.
Boom!
The thick dust made it impossible to see anything.
But even if he couldn’t see, the outcome was obvious.
“Kuhuhuhu… Kuhahahahaha.”
Park Chanseong laughed loudly and stepped forward, eager to see Cheon Yongje’s face twisted in fear as he died.
“This is what happens when you act tough, you bastard. You died because you didn’t know your place. Got it?”
“Is that so?”
A voice he shouldn’t have heard made Park Chanseong flinch.
“…Don’t mess with me.”
“You started this.”
“Kill that bastard! Kill him!”
As Park Chanseong screamed in rage, the giant Rock Giant swung its fist again.
Boom!
The wind from the giant fist blew the dust away. As the dust cleared, a translucent shield was revealed.
Standing at its center was Cheon Yongje.
Completely unharmed.
“Looks like it’s my turn now?”
Was this the smile of a Reaper holding a scythe?
With a chilling smile, Cheon Yongje spoke.
“Ice Spear.”
In an instant, the air turned frigid.
Like standing in the middle of winter, the cold swept the area and gathered in Cheon Yongje’s hand, forming a massive spear of ice.
Screeeech!
The lightly thrown Ice Spear pierced the giant Rock Giant’s heart. It stopped moving instantly.
Crack!
From the heart outward, in a single moment,
A giant ice flower bloomed.
‘At least D-rank magic…’
But the magic didn’t end there.
“Gravity Hand.”
Boom!
Another spell smashed the giant Rock Giant’s head. All that remained where the shattered giant had stood was a hand-shaped mark.
He did it.
A solo hunter who could defeat a D-rank boss monster alone.
The overwhelming power made Park Chanseong’s mouth twist.
“Don’t tell me you were hiding your true strength?”
“Now it’s your turn. Orc Summon.”
Shuaaak!
With a white flash, that Orc appeared.
The same Orc that had once struck terror into Park Chanseong.
“Uwooooooo!”
Just seeing its face was enough to bring terror flooding back, and Park Chanseong’s body trembled at the sight of the Orc.
“…You, you son of a…”
As Park Chanseong stared in horror, Cheon Yongje spoke.
“Crush him.”
“Uwooooooo!”
Orc PTSD lol