Chapter 50: This is more than 4000 words… (1/2)
[This chapter is more than 4000 words…]
Siheung 8 Dungeon (3)
“I was actually here to offer Bill Russell a scouting offer.”
What?
“It’s a great honor to be here with Nicole Thompson, too. Then, I will take this opportunity to explain Celestial Dragon’s proposal to the two of you.”
Nicole asked, even before Han-seol could finish speaking.
“Me too? Are you serious? Are you sure?”
“Yes, you did a great job today. Thanks to your unique skill, we managed to stay together, and we did not even need to use my [Battlefield Command] skill. There was no one left behind, as well. Besides, I’m sure you’re at the top of the ranking.”
She was only called a support-type, but she was not an SS-Rank Hunter for no reason. Nicole took an active part in the battle and slaughtered many monsters.
“Stop it. Your guild can’t hire me based on your finances. You don’t have to praise me.”
Han-seol laughed. “Was that too much of a face-saving gesture?”
“The real purpose must be for Bill Russell over here.”
“I can’t deny that.”
But I shook my head, too, and voiced out the answer that I prepared. “I’m going to retire after getting my share of this expedition.”
“Oh, as expected.”
Some of the Hunters who pretended not to listen should have heard me as the distance between us wasn’t much. “That’s why you didn’t register as an SS-Rank; all this was on purpose.”
Nicole stepped in. “I’d like to ask you a question which is sudden and a bit different.”
She spoke while looking at Han-seol. “Actually, I was thinking about retiring after finishing this expedition. I’m not as determined as Russell. By the way, what about you, Han-seol? Have you ever thought about retiring?”
Why was she asking her that all of a sudden?
“If a Hunter is of your level, your income must be fine. Don’t you want to take a break?”
“For me…”
Han-seol answered, “I don’t think money and retirement are related. I’m just fulfilling my responsibilities as an Awakened. I don’t intend to retire. As long as my body allows, I will continue.”
Nicole looked dumbfounded when she heard those words.
“Responsibility? What, like a given duty or something? Do you have a religion?”
“No, it’s not like that, but…”
Han-seol looked straight at Nicole and replied, “The day I Awakened, I thought to myself. I don’t know what beings will affect this phenomenon…”
Han-seol’s eyes stared at a distance. “I thought that I was chosen because I had a mission in the world to accomplish.”
“What’s that mission?”
Han-seol shut her mouth for a while. It was the longest silence since this conversation had begun. Her lips opened again just before Nicole tried to hurry her.
“Wouldn’t the mission be to eventually prevent the dungeon from collapsing and prevent the world from falling into greater chaos? In other words, contributing to the continuance of existence of humanity for a long time without destruction or decline,”
Nicole frowned. “You…do you have an obsession with becoming a hero? Are you enjoying the praise and support of others too much? Do you want to enjoy the public’s attention by vowing to save the world, am saving it, will save it, and will continue saving it in the future?”
There was no change in Han-seol’s expression after hearing the sarcasm that Nicole had used against her. A gentle smile was simply plastered on her face.
“I don’t care about how other people judge me.”
“Will you still be satisfied?”
“Yes, my satisfaction is not affected by other people’s evaluations or interests in me. I’m the one who makes the decision and who evaluates and acknowledges my actions.”
“You’re quite an odd type, aren’t you? So, on the contrary, it doesn’t matter if everyone in the world criticizes and curses you? As long as you’re satisfied?”
Instead of answering, Han-seol suddenly stood up from her seat. “That’s a long line of boring words from me. I’m sorry that neither of you is interested in the proposal. I won’t take any more time off of your break.”
She greeted us and turned away.
As I was looking at her back, Nicole spoke in a much smaller voice than she used in the conversation that we three were just having.
“Are you really going to retire?”
“Yes.”
“Isn’t it a waste of your skill to do so?”
The real Bill Russell, who lent me his identity, really decided to retire. Only he would know the reason in his heart. I then changed the subject.
“Why did you suddenly get involved in the conversation? You don’t look like someone who moves around aimlessly.”
“Well, you are both the most unusual and conspicuous of the Hunters here.”
“Unusual?”
“Yes.”
Nicole nodded and spoke. “I’m telling you again. I have a good hunch. Regardless of the skills, I was just born with them.”
That must be her way of talking.
“By the way, my gut keeps whispering that Han-seol is suppressing her skills.”
She has noticed the same thing, one which I had already seen. However, Nicole’s words did not come to an end there.
“Of course, it’s not something in comparison to the power you’re hiding.”
The sword exclaimed. ‘Oh? She has some eyes! She’s clever, isn’t she?’
This raised a question in my mind. Was this keenness pure gut feeling?
“Why do you have to come in front of me and tell me that instead of keeping it to yourself?”
“I told you I could have a good hunch.”
Nicole whispered. “My feeling is telling me that it’s better to talk to you about this.”
And she added one more thing.
“Also, for me to return from this dungeon in one piece… I’d better stay close to you.”
“Then I’ll ask the hunch. The story that we just heard from her…”
I referred to Han-seol, pointing with my chin. “Do you think she’s genuine?”
The answer came right back, and there was no hesitation in that period.
“Wouldn’t she have mixed truth and falsehood in moderation? She had some parts kept hidden, purposely not saying everything there is to tell.”
Then she stood up and spoke. “That is the same as you.”
At this, Nicole giggled and laughed and went back to her tent. She had light and upbeat steps, like a dance.
*
Since our previous encounter, there had been several battles, and we arrived at the destination led by Nicole a week after we entered the second phase.
“It’s a portal artifact!”
Although it was not working yet, it was similar to what we had seen on the island. In the first stage, the Hunters had to assemble themselves, but this time, it was already set up. However, to point out the problem, the portal was not a safe area. After we cleared the herd of monsters, we gathered around the artifact again.
“If we turn that on, we’ll move on to stage three,”
Finishing off all the monsters in the third stage was the Clear condition of the entire dungeon. This was the last step ahead of us. But then.
“What is this? How the hell does it work?”
Hunters began to put their heads together around the artifact.
“The artifact on the first stage had a controllable button, but there’s no such thing here.”
‘It’s a kind that is seen a lot in maze-type dungeons.’
We had to make certain patterns with Mana to solve puzzles. The hint was left on top of the artifact, and it only took some time for them to interpret it. Of course, I didn’t mean to waste such time.
‘No matter how I move Mana from here, no one else can see it.’
“Can I see it, too?”
I imbued the thing with Mana, pretending to touch the artifact. And then, I added a bit of control to it. So that even after I took my hands off, the Mana would stay inside the artifact to slowly make the shape I wanted. Even after the work was done, I wriggled more meaninglessly and let it go from my hand.
“Hey, I don’t know.”
When I gave up and backed off, other Hunters rushed in and tried to solve it in many ways. After a few minutes…
Weeeng!
Suddenly, the artifact began to give off a subtle glow.
“Huh? Uh!”
Then, a familiar portal suddenly appeared in front of us. The system message sound was heard loud.
-This is the door to the third stage of the dungeon.
-Limited personnel: 3 persons
-Door closes when exposed to an unstable environment.
“Gasp!”
At last, a Hunter, who was fiddling with the artifact, made eye contact with other Hunters with a look that he did not know what kind of situation this was.
“What?! How the hell did you do that?”
“I don’t know!”
While everyone was confused, Han-seol’s face, as she once again checked the system message, stiffened.
“Fortunately, the portal was activated soon, but this isn’t going to be easy.”
“Wait. I didn’t misunderstand, did I? An unreasonable message saying something about limited personnel of three… Wait, it’s real?! What the heck?!”
Unlike the second stage, this portal of the third stage had a limit to the number of people—only three people. Only three out of twenty of us could enter the third stage.
“Oh, damn bastards!”
Nicole spoke urgently. “Wait, I don’t think the only thing we need to worry about right now is the limited number of three. If the same pattern goes on here as before…”
A terrible sound echoed from the far side of the mist before she could finish her words. “Argh!”
The cry of an Earth Dragon echoed, but it wasn’t just one or two.
“Damn bastards, I’ll knock you guys out myself if I get to see you!”
The earth vibrated. Waves began here as we experienced on the portal to the second stage.
*
“Pant! Pant! Sons of bitches!”
After the end of the battle, there were bodies of torn and crushed Earth Dragons all around. The monsters’ reactions were similar to that of a herd of Flying Dragons from the island trying to break down the portal. They were desperately after the artifact. However, this time, fortunately, the portal was not closed according to the monster density. The rules seemed to have changed since the boundaries were different in width, and there were already many monsters in the boundaries Phase 1 and Phase 2 that were linked, but they were various dungeons with distinct boundaries.
“Well, we’ll have to proceed the same way here.”
“The 17 remaining people here have to protect the portal.”
Yes, that was why I kept exposing my power that was considered more than a normal S-Rank, to be selected within three people who would move on to the third level.
“Let’s have a quick discussion.”
Who was going to be left, and who was going to go over? All the explorers put their heads together. It was Nicole who spoke first.
“Naturally, I have to be included, right? Considering the unique skill, too. Since I’m the only SS-Rank out of 20 people. If you have to select a few, it is right that I should go ahead.”