Without any warning, I was suddenly transported into the Dungeon.
[You are the First Discoverer of the Hidden Dungeon]
[Your Reputation has increased]
Aside from the notification, there was absolutely nothing to suggest that this was the Dungeon’s Gate.
“Looks like the Bear Kingdom didn’t know about this place either.”
Judging by the title of First Discoverer, that seemed to be the case.
And it didn’t seem like Taylor had lied about anything, either.
“Well, I wouldn’t go around checking every nook and cranny like this myself…”
Anyway, even if this was a Dungeon, nothing about what Jaeho needed to do had changed.
All he had to do was look at the Map and move toward the planned destination.
But it wasn’t long before he realized how careless he’d been.
“…This shouldn’t be splitting off here, should it?”
At a place that was supposed to be a single path, it had split into four separate branches.
And right in front of those forks was a single piece of paper left behind.
[For those who have lost their History, there is no tomorrow.]
“Not ‘forgotten,’ but ‘lost’?”
As he read further down, he began to understand what that meant.
[I am Jul-kan, royal scribe of the Kingdom of Deran. Our family has served the royal family of Deran for generations, and we are the very History of Deran itself.
Our ancestors recorded the prosperity and glory of the Kingdom of Deran, but I have been forced to record its end, and the unbearable grief weighs on me.
As long years have flowed by, the dull-witted king and nobles have forgotten their legitimacy, and Deran’s History has been lost.
So I came here alone, seeking the Legend of the Deran royal family.
And I found it.
The slumbering Guardian of Deran.]
“Could it be a Dragon?!”
Once again, Tina’s dragon obsession flared up.
“I heard from my grandfather! In kingdoms with long histories, there might be a Dragon watching over them!”
It was a very fantastical imagination.
But there was a critical flaw in that theory.
“Then when the Kingdom of Deran fell, why didn’t it show up?”
“Uh…”
It seemed the one who left this record had found something.
And yet the Kingdom of Deran had still crumbled and been replaced by the Bear Kingdom.
“I can’t really believe in things like Guardians, either.”
Maybe… the so-called Guardian was actually a demon in disguise.
After all, there was precedent with the “Mountainside Hermit.”
Jaeho continued reading the rest of the note.
[But it was far too late to turn things back.
So I made my decision.
I would burn all records of this place, erasing it from History.
After all, the History of the Kingdom of Deran has ended.]
That was all there was.
“In the end…”
Jaeho stared blankly down at the Map in his hands.
“So this was a Fake Map.”
In the end, it meant they’d have to find their way from here on out with nothing but their bare senses.
“What should we do?”
At Tina’s question, Jaeho looked around.
It was so dark, he couldn’t see an inch in front of him.
“Should we split up to search? There are four paths and four of us.”
At her words, Jaeho shook his head.
“In creepy places like this, splitting up is the surest way to die. The one unbreakable rule is to stick together.”
He had no intention of making the same foolish choices as the movie protagonists he’d seen.
“Let’s start with the furthest path.”
— Are you sure…? Wouldn’t recklessly charging in like that make it even more likely for us to die?
Jingjing-i carefully offered a reasonable opinion.
— Hmph, only cowards say things like that. You’ll just run away again anyway.
— What? Hey, I haven’t run away once since coming this far!
“Enough. Let’s get moving.”
“Dragon…”
He pretended not to hear the last, barely-audible whisper.
***
There was definitely something beneath the castle.
But as for what it was, he had no way to guess, nor was it Jaeho’s objective.
His top priority was, as always, rescuing Wansik.
The problem was that the Map had become useless.
“Well, we’ve made it this far, so we have no choice but to search.”
If he could just find a place that matched the location indicated on the Fake Map, he’d have to try there.
Krrrrr—
“?”
At that moment, a low, rumbling growl echoed nearby.
“A monster?”
“Dragon—”
Their reactions were similar, but subtly different as everyone drew their weapons.
Splash, splash—
With the sound of footsteps splashing through the puddles on the ground, a massive creature revealed itself.
[Fleshless, Rotten Giant Wolf]
With chunks of rotting flesh missing, the zombie-like beast gazed at them with hollow eyes, drool dripping from its jaws.
“So it’s not a Dragon…”
Tina mumbled quietly, her excitement deflating.
“Is this really the time to say that?”
Jaeho gripped the Legendary Sapling Shovel tightly, tense.
[You have chosen <Spirit of vitality> and selected the <Elbo Spiritization> .]
Since it looked like an Undead, he’d have to rely on Fonda’s power.
KRAAAH!!!
With a deafening roar, the beast charged them. Despite its size, it was frighteningly fast.
WHAAM—!
Its forepaw, swinging sideways, smashed into the wall, sending debris raining down from the ceiling.
CRASH, CRASH—
Simultaneously, dozens of sword wounds opened on its outstretched foreleg, blood spurting out.
RAAAAH!
Tina’s rapier shone elegantly in the darkness, and with each swing, the beast thrashed in pain.
THUD—
Fonda also joined the battle aggressively.
Unlike Jingjing-i, he really could fight—no empty boast, as they’d already confirmed plenty on the way to the Bear Kingdom.
And with the new passive skill unlocked during combat, both Fonda and Jingjing-i could now grow stronger in the future.
If only Jingjing-i had fought earlier, he could have gotten this skill <Summon training> much sooner.
Thanks to this, Fonda’s level was now at 25—a decent improvement.
If only the ones summoned through the Sand Hourglass could level up as well, that would be even better, but unfortunately, as bound items, it wasn’t possible.
Truth be told, the Mirage Soldiers—despite being called “soldiers”—were closer to gardeners in reality.
The only time they’d been useful in combat was during the Bulgeom Guild’s invasion. Other than that, they were strictly non-combatants.
And yet, even less useful in battle than them was Jingjing-i.
Up to now, Jaeho had never seen this cowardly fellow fight properly.
No wonder his level was still only 1.
Even now, he was nowhere to be seen—probably running away somewhere.
— Where did that useless brat run off to again?!
Fonda, firing off bursts of light with both hands as he flew, finally noticed and shouted.
“Forget it! Just focus on what’s in front of you!”
Jaeho lunged at the beast’s hind leg with his shovel, stabbing with all his might.
<Pulling ginseng>
But the damage numbers that popped up were pitifully low.
“Huh…?”
[This is an inappropriate target.]
The answer to his confusion came soon enough.
“?!!!”
Seriously?
“So it only works on actual humans?! How cruel is that naming?!”
Now he understood why Crocus, the opponent back in Embay Forest, <Pulling ginseng> hadn’t been affected by either.
Still, the Legendary Sapling Shovel itself was powerful, and with Fonda’s help, it was dealing enough damage to the Undead.
Plus, they had a Named NPC like Tina on their side.
THUD—
Knocking the beast down wasn’t too difficult.
It just meant Jaeho received a little less experience.
[You have acquired Giant Wolf’s Fang.]
[You have acquired Giant Wolf’s Rotten Hide.]
[Giant Wolf’s……]
[You have acquired a Piece of the Hidden Sewer Map of Ederan Royal Castle.]
Among the loot that poured out was a map fragment.
“This is…”
When he unfolded it, he saw the corners had been deliberately torn off.
It was definitely a different drawing from the one he’d originally had!
“Are we supposed to collect all of these?”
— Hmm. Looks like it.
Jingjing-i, appearing in response to Jaeho’s muttering.
— Useless brat.
Fonda immediately shot back.
— Hey, I was doing my part too!
— Oh, sure you were~ Some people are out here fighting monsters, and others are running away without looking back~ You must’ve worked reeeally hard~
With Fonda’s mockery, the already-red Jingjing-i turned an even deeper shade of crimson.
“But really, why do you always avoid fighting like that?”
Jaeho asked, genuinely unable to understand.
— I’m not the weird one—you guys are! Who in their right mind charges at a monster with fangs that big?!
A brutally realistic answer that he hadn’t considered.
But it was an answer that didn’t quite fit with New World.
— I really am scared…
At last, Jingjing-i confessed his true feelings, which even left Fonda momentarily speechless…
— And yet you kept acting all tough? No wonder the Fire Spirits look down on you.
— Wh-why’d you have to bring that up?!
There was no more to be said.
After enduring Fonda’s sharp tongue as if being stabbed by a poison needle, Jaeho finally stepped in.
“That’s enough. Let’s leave it there.”
Any further, and Jingjing-i might really start crying.
“So, what were you trying to say earlier? About collecting all the map pieces?”
— Ah, while you guys were fighting, I checked out the inside.
— You mean you ran away.
— But there weren’t any more paths deeper in. Just a place that looked like the monster’s den.
— So it was a dead end.
“Hmm. Still, we should check just in case.”
Jaeho thought it was best to look around in case there was a hidden device or passage.
— So in the end, what you did was pointless?
Fonda had to get in the last word.
***
Sure enough, there was no other passage inside.
No hidden devices, either.
Returning the way they’d come, Jaeho’s party went back to the original fork in the path.
They set out down another passage and, as expected, encountered another monster.
Defeating it yielded more loot, and another map fragment.
After clearing the third and fourth passages and their monsters, Jaeho finally had all the map fragments.
[You have completed the Map of the Hidden Sewer of Ederan Royal Castle.]
A map detailing every nook and cranny beneath the castle.
With it, he could pinpoint the location of the Prison where Wansik was being held.
But at the same time, a question arose.
“Why are all the monsters Undead?”
All four types of monsters they’d faced had been Undead.
That couldn’t be a good sign.
For the dead to be moving even now could only mean some dark power was at work.
“So this so-called Guardian of Deran… maybe it really isn’t a Guardian after all.”
“Could it be a Black Dragon?”
Tina’s tireless Dragon talk continued.
By now, Jaeho could simply ignore it without missing a beat.
“There are plenty of places on the map that seem interesting…”
But he had no intention of poking around.
That sort of thing was nothing but courting death.
Retracing his steps to the place where he’d broken in through the iron bars, Jaeho headed off in a direction completely different from the one shown on the first Map.
It looked like the one Taylor had given him was the one rewritten by the scribe Jul-kan.
To make sure anyone unprepared would fall into a trap.
“Hmm, is it here?”
After winding his way along a completely different path, Jaeho finally stopped in the middle of the sewer.
According to the Map, the underground Prison was directly beneath this spot.
— Taylor. I think I’ve arrived.
— What? What took you so long?
— There were reasons.
He didn’t feel the need to explain every detail to Taylor—they weren’t that close.
— So, how are you going to rescue them? Do you really have a way?
— I’ll handle it. You just take care of the guards.
Cutting him off, Jaeho pulled out the Sand Hourglass and summoned four Summoned Workers.
“Is this the place?”
As if they already knew, the skilled workers pulled out their tools and asked Jaeho.
“Yeah. And here, take these.”
He handed out four potions from his inventory.
[Miner’s Energy Drink]
[Grade: High]
[Usage requirement: None]
[A drink for those who always work in dark places.]
[Effects: 1. Greatly increases mining efficiency.
- Greatly reduces fatigue from labor.]
A potion brewed using Bright Stalactite Flower and various other blossoms!
Instead of boosting combat abilities, it massively increased efficiency for hard labor—a trump card of Jaeho’s.
Gulp—gulp—
“Ooh!”
“Wow, I feel energy surging through me!”
The effects of the potion kicked in immediately after drinking!
“Alright. Let’s get to work!”
Jaeho, too, grabbed a pickaxe and downed a potion.
Gwangwangrang—
Jaeho and the soldiers began digging rapidly into the ground.