“Was that the Boss?”
Cha Rui looked at the hill with a completely indifferent gaze.
The Boss hadn’t even fully revealed itself before it died, so they hadn’t been able to properly confirm what kind of monster it was.
I thought the early stage would, to some extent, follow the movie’s plot, but that was clearly a miscalculation.
As if mocking my thoughts, things had gone in a completely different direction from the beginning.
“Tch, what a bother.”
Cha Rui soon lost interest in the 1st-floor Boss and moved forward, waving his hand as if the scattered ashes were troublesome.
I wondered if this was right, but I was caught by Woo Jaehyun and followed him somewhat bewilderedly.
“The portal is open.”
When we went up the hill, a gate was indeed floating next to the Boss, which was charred black, just as Do Soohyuk said.
Perhaps because it was only the end of the 1st floor, the color of the gate was not significantly different from the one we saw in the waiting area.
I think the color changed slightly every 10 floors.
When the escape gate also opened, the three people looked completely confused.
They couldn’t seem to comprehend this situation, which was quite far from what they expected of an SS-rank Dungeon.
“Is it going to be like this the whole time? Even so, it’s too easy.”
“Do not let down your guard. We don’t know what might pop out at any moment.”
“Let down my guard? Do you think I’m you?”
“That is why I am saying this.”
“…”
I listened silently to the conversation between Do Soohyuk and Cha Rui, then shook my head and moved closer to the gate.
A reward box floating in the air caught my eye.
“I’ll open it first.”
Actually, in the movie, none of the three people were interested in the trifling rewards, so I didn’t know what was inside.
It wasn’t surprising, considering they treated S-rank magic stones like rolling stones.
But I was different.
Even while watching the movie, hadn’t I constantly complained about why they didn’t take those?
I was curious anyway, so I snatched the item box and opened it immediately.
And my high expectations quickly turned into disappointment.
I thought there might be some decent items, as it was an SS-rank Dungeon, but my prediction was beautifully wrong.
“A low-grade potion and an F-rank wooden sword?”
Despite my expectations, items that would only be seen in an F-rank Dungeon came out.
This wooden sword, apparently made from the remains of the Boss Monster, looked like it would break instantly if you put too much force into it.
It meant it wasn’t even useful as a one-time item.
“It’s all just garbage.”
As I couldn’t hide my disappointment, Woo Jaehyun, who had approached me at some point, clicked his tongue slightly.
He seemed to have checked the rewards as well, and as if he had seen something unbearable, he threw all the items behind him.
I was this disheartened, so it was natural that he wouldn’t be satisfied.
This was the first time I didn’t feel it was a waste to see items rolling on the floor.
If my item pouch wasn’t generous, I might have done the same thing.
“I’m going in first if you’re not coming.”
“No, Hyung!”
The subsequent progression, contrary to my concerns, flowed similarly to the movie.
Actually, it couldn’t be otherwise.
Not all the floors were shown in the movie, and even if I knew the path, I couldn’t kill the monsters quickly.
Of course, the level of the monsters was not much different from the 1st floor.
The only difference was that the dungeons were incomparably larger and more complex, making it much harder to find the way.
It would have been great if the structure was open on all sides for easy herding, but the situation wasn’t that favorable.
No matter how low-grade the F-rank monsters were, the task only ended when all the required numbers were filled.
The problem was not the Boss Monster, but finding the very last one that was cleverly hidden.
It would be nice if they rushed at us on their own, but F-rank monsters, excluding a few types, did not attack first.
Ironically, because of these guys, the time was delayed by more than double.
Because the situation was like this, the clear time was different for each dungeon.
It was as short as two hours, and in some places, it took over five hours.
The time was completely determined by the dungeon’s structure, regardless of the difficulty.
‘Ha.’
As a result of running non-stop from the 1st floor, by the time we reached the 11th floor, a whopping 40 hours had already passed.
This was even after I had shortened the time because I knew the way in a few places.
Although I had replenished my stamina occasionally with recovery potions, my body was slowly starting to feel heavy since I hadn’t slept for two days.
Now was truly the time to rest.
‘Damn, am I the only one this tired?’
I secretly drank a potion behind them, but following them was still not easy.
Unfairly, the three showed no signs of fatigue at all, so I couldn’t complain to them to slow down a little.
I had my S-rank pride; I didn’t want to show myself falling behind alone.
“This time it’s a cave dungeon.”
While I quietly caught my breath, Woo Jaehyun walked around and surveyed the surrounding terrain.
We hadn’t even had a proper conversation all day from running, but at some point, the three of them were taking turns in charge of the dungeon.
It was so natural that I only realized it belatedly.
It seemed they were trying to conserve their energy as much as possible, but this was an action they had never taken in the movie.
They were always busy rushing out on their own; cooperation was impossible for the three of them.
“…”
‘Could it be because of me?’
We had finally entered the E-rank section, but it was too dark to see the surroundings well.
Of course, since I possessed S-rank eyesight, I wasn’t completely blind, but it was difficult to properly identify subtle movements.
Since no light entered, only the softly glowing gate was the sole source of light illuminating the cave.
“It’s much narrower than the place we went to with Hyung, isn’t it?”
Woo Jaehyun smiled faintly and subtly wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close.
The place he was referring to must have been the S-rank Dungeon where I experimented with my skill.
Compared to that place, which made me feel so refreshed from the moment of entry, this was rather…
“It looks similar to the uninhabited island dungeon.”
As he said, a long, narrow and complex cave extended ahead.
At that moment, I felt Chirpy, who had been quiet, wriggling in my pocket.
He peeked his head out to look around and then popped out as soon as the word ‘uninhabited island’ was mentioned.
Sure enough, Chirpy began to emit a dazzling light.
As it flashed with various colors, the inside of the cave was colored vividly, as if it had a mirror ball attached.
I don’t know whose child he is, but he is truly smart and incredibly perceptive.
Actually, I had packed several flashlights and light source items, but since this happened, getting Chirpy’s help didn’t seem like a bad idea.
Chirpy had been noticeably glum because, except for finding the brick initially, there wasn’t much reason for him to step up.
The only things he had done for two days were sleeping soundly and looking around.
At times like this, it was important to boost his confidence and lift his spirits.
‘Hmm?’
As I looked up at Chirpy with a contented smile, countless faint green dots on the ceiling suddenly caught my eye.
The brightness was so faint that I hadn’t noticed them until now.
“Are those emerald ores?”
Upon closer inspection, they were emeralds about the size of a fingernail.
Thousands of gems were studded like stars not only on the ceiling but also on the walls.
It’s just that the three people were not at all interested in such things.
Since they were always busy rushing in without hesitation the moment they entered the dungeon, even I didn’t have the leisure to look around.
‘It might be nice to take one as a souvenir.’
As I naturally recalled my father, who was delighted to receive jewels, I felt a presence quietly following me.
When I looked back, Cha Rui, who seemed to have figured out my intention, approached my side.
“Taking this kind of thing won’t be of any use.”
“Why?”
“It’s an F-rank dungeon; it’s obvious.”
He carefully examined the wall, then pulled off a small fragment and lightly crushed it with his fingertip.
The emerald, which broke at once, lost its faint glow and scattered onto the floor.
At that moment, an unidentified sound began to emanate from the deep cave.
It was a chilling sound, like thousands of steel wires scratching a blackboard.
I had experienced a similar situation before, so I unconsciously flinched and backed away.
If I couldn’t see, like before, it would be different, but now I could see too well, and that was the problem.
Sasasasasak—!
With glossy black bodies, numerous legs, and antennae.
Giant ants were quickly crawling, making bizarre sounds, regardless of whether it was the floor or the ceiling.
There were so many of them that the entire cave looked completely black.
Given that they reacted immediately when the emerald was touched, the ore seemed to have acted as a trigger.
The moment someone with greed touched the jewel, a monster wave would begin.
“Did we fall into a trap?”
Woo Jaehyun walked past Cha Rui, who scoffed in disbelief.
Just by his slow gait, his annoyance was palpable.
He looked indifferently at the monsters rushing in with frightening momentum and then shifted his gaze upwards.
Perhaps because he had passed through so many dungeons, he now habitually checked the conditions first.
The number [0/700] was marked in white letters on the cave ceiling.
They had to catch 2,000 monsters on the 10th floor, so the number seemed to have been adjusted downwards again as the stage rose to E-rank.
Woo Jaehyun, who didn’t know that fact, briefly tilted his head and then shrugged his shoulders.
“I was too lazy to look for them, so this is good. Shall we set off soon?”
He then lightly motioned towards me and accelerated his pace.
This time, as seen, Woo Jaehyun was in the lead.
All I had to do was diligently follow behind him as he handled the monsters.
