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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The Hidden Dungeon
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Staring at the status window that had abruptly appeared before him, Kang-jun’s brow furrowed deeply.
“What is this?”
It was because his own level, displayed on the status window, was a mere ‘1’.
“This is complete nonsense.”
Thinking about it another way, it was truly laughable.
Even Kang-jun himself couldn’t properly gauge the quality and quantity of the power he possessed.
So, Kang-jun likened his strength to the universe.
Everyone might know that the universe is vast, but no one knows exactly how vast it is.
And they were going to quantify his power and summarize it with mere numbers and letters?
‘Who dares?’
It was tantamount to claiming one could precisely calculate the breadth of the universe—in a word, it was impossible.
The proof was right there in the status window he was looking at, where all his stats were marked as ‘???’.
‘By the way, what is Divinity?’
He could overlook stats like Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Mana…
But he had never even heard of the very last stat, ‘Divinity’.
However, Kang-jun’s curiosity didn’t last long.
He was already preoccupied with examining the other entries.
‘Still, these titles are pretty interesting.’
A few titles, closely related to his past deeds and achievements, were listed in succession.
‘The title ‘Ultimate Necromancer’ must be one I gained when my black magic reached the 9th Circle.’
The other titles also had their own justifications.
First, he figured the title ‘Dimensional Invader’ was likely earned because he had destroyed or pushed several dimensions to the brink of collapse.
‘Most of them were unintentionally destroyed while I was searching for the path to Earth…’
The title ‘Demon Slayer’ was also one he would have naturally obtained.
‘I haven’t counted them one by one, so I don’t know for sure, but the number of demon *species* I’ve personally slaughtered must be in the millions.’
The next title, ‘Dragon Slayer,’ seemed to have been earned for killing the dragons of the Anux Continent…
And the title ‘Plunderer of the World Tree’ appeared to be from when he took the World Tree, which the spirits of the Spirit Realm cherished and revered as a *divine tree*.
‘I took it because the imperial garden looked empty and dull. Well, it withered not long after, though…’
In any case, among the entries on the status window, one part particularly piqued his curiosity.
[ Retainers: ??? (The player's level is too low to summon any retainers.) ]
Kang-jun tilted his head slightly. The message said the player’s level was too low to summon any retainers, which meant…
‘Does this mean if I raise my so-called level, I can freely summon the familiars I have retainer contracts with?’
Within the imperial palace of the Anux Empire where Kang-jun had reigned as Emperor, there were a total of five ‘core organizations’.
Starting with the ‘Chancellery,’ led by Crabslie, who was his strategist and had been granted the title of Grand Duke…
From the Imperial Household Department, the Palace Affairs Department, the Marshal’s Department, to the Exchequer.
The five *ministers* who commanded these core organizations were all devoted vassals who had formed retainer contracts with him.
What if…
What if he could summon the other ministers to Earth?
‘That would be incredibly convenient.’
Just then, the bald man, Lee Byeong-cheol, suddenly shouted.
“Hey, you!”
He then strode up to Kang-jun, shoved his face close, and added in a growling tone.
“We’re in a place where it’s really life or death now! Are you just going to stand there spacing out already?”
At his words, Kang-jun adjusted the heavy pack slung over his shoulder and replied.
“Let’s move out.”
The party moved with Lee Byeong-cheol, the ‘tanker,’ at the front, and the party leader, Kim Bong-gu, following right behind him.
The porters, including Kang-jun, maintained a distance of several meters from them, moving only after receiving a hand signal.
The place was not just filled but overflowing with a menacing aura.
It was a forest devoid of any sign of life, shrouded in a fog so thick one couldn’t see an inch ahead.
“Damn it, this place gives me the creeps.”
“You can say that again.”
“Let’s finish this as quickly as possible and get back.”
Everyone else seemed to shrink back, intimidated by the forest’s uniquely eerie atmosphere…
“Jugun, I know it is presumptuous of me to say, but this place seems as cozy as our home.”
“It’s nice.”
“I feel as if my weary body and mind are being healed.”
Kang-jun and Crabslie quite liked it here.
‘Did he say undead-type monsters appear here?’
This place had properties similar to the ‘Dead Lands,’ the site where his empire had stood tall and which was classified as a *forbidden zone* on the Anux Continent.
A desolate energy, so strong that not a single blade of grass could grow in the entire area, overflowed, and the aura of death blossomed everywhere.
The foundation of Kang-jun’s power lay in darkness and death, so to put it simply, this place was a perfect match for him.
‘Anyway, it’s refreshing and nice for a change.’
How long had they been walking?
“Hold on, everyone stop.”
Lee Byeong-cheol said, slowly raising his hand.
Everyone held their breath and began to peer into the distance.
As they emerged from the dense fog that blanketed the forest, a massive cemetery came into view.
It was a graveyard of enormous scale, seemingly holding thousands of bodies, and beyond it…
“Kieeeek…”
“Kieek…”
“Kieeeek…”
Gaunt skeletal soldiers, armed with crude swords and shields, and wearing rusted or cracked helmets and armor.
A few so-called ‘Skeletons’ were roaming the cemetery with slow, shuffling steps.
“Time to work.”
Finishing his words, Lee Byeong-cheol turned his head slightly to look at Kim Bong-gu…
“Yes.”
After a brief, solemn reply, Kim Bong-gu immediately began to focus ‘mana’ in his hand.
The mana gathered in Kim Bong-gu’s hand formed a shape similar to an arrow and spun in place for a moment…
“Hah!”
With a shout, the mana arrow shot forward at high speed and pierced the chest of a Skeleton.
“Kieeeeeek!”
The Skeleton struck by the mana arrow collapsed helplessly in a clatter of bones.
Only then did the other Skeletons spot the group, and letting out bizarre cries of “Kieeeek—,” they began to approach.
“Magic?”
Kang-jun muttered softly and smirked.
‘Interesting.’
Most of the Skeletons were struck down by Kim Bong-gu’s magic like falling leaves before they could even get close.
Of course, there was a limit to his casting speed, so occasionally one or two Skeletons would get within striking distance and swing their swords wildly…
Clang, claaang-!
But all they managed was to strike Lee Byeong-cheol’s large, raised shield, producing a few metallic sounds.
‘Pathetic, but they’ve got the basics down.’
After the first battle concluded.
“Haa, haa…”
Kim Bong-gu, drenched in sweat, panted as he spoke.
“Let’s collect the magic stones first, then we’ll move again.”
The Gate conquest proceeded smoothly after that.
Kim Bong-gu and Lee Byeong-cheol at the front would take down the Skeletons, and the porters, including Kang-jun, would collect the magic stones and other byproducts.
Not long after.
The party was in the middle of a fierce battle with another group of Skeletons they had encountered.
“Baldy, you’d better be careful.”
“There are some archers mixed in.”
Clang-!
After blocking another attack from a Skeleton, Lee Byeong-cheol whirled around like a meerkat and snapped back irritably.
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Just then, from the dense fog in the distance, several arrows came flying through the air at lightning speed.
“Damn it!”
Lee Byeong-cheol immediately readjusted his grip on his large shield.
Thud, thud-thud-!
It seemed that most of the incoming arrows were blocked by Lee Byeong-cheol’s shield and fell harmlessly to the ground…
“Uh, uh-oh…?”
Lee Byeong-cheol and Kim Bong-gu’s faces turned white as if on cue.
It was because one arrow they had failed to block was headed straight for the porters.
And of all people, it was flying directly toward Kang-jun.
“Ah…”
In that moment, the two men foresaw the young porter’s death.
The arrow was aimed precisely at the space between Kang-jun’s eyes, and with a normal person’s reflexes, it would be impossible to dodge an arrow flying at such a high speed.
But.
In the very next moment, as if swatting a mosquito, Kang-jun casually flicked his hand and snatched the arrow just as it was about to embed itself in his forehead…
“Ugh, what the hell is this?”
He stared at the arrow in his hand with a bewildered expression for a moment.
Then he slammed it onto the ground and started complaining irritably.
“Hey, are you two going to get your heads in the game or what?”
“H-How…”
“What do you mean, how? I was just lucky.”
He scowled and grumbled again.
“Whatever, just pull yourselves together and do your jobs right. Don’t you know I almost died a dog’s death because of you? Geez, why is making a living so hard and scary…”
Kim Bong-gu and Lee Byeong-cheol stared at Kang-jun, their expressions half-dazed.
‘What? Was he really about to die?’
Something was off.
‘No, more importantly…’
Could catching an arrow with your bare hands really be explained away as just being ‘lucky’?
However, their contemplation didn’t last long.
“Kieeeeeek-.”
“Kieek—.”
“Kieeeeeek-.”
It was due to the Skeletons that continued to emerge endlessly from the thick fog.
And so, while the two men at the forefront were engaged in a fierce battle.
Kang-jun, to alleviate his boredom, was in the middle of a game of ‘rock-paper-scissors forehead flick’ with Crabslie.
Thwaaack-!
A sharp crack echoed through the air as Crabslie hastily covered his forehead with both hands.
“Ugggh, Jugun…”
“Let’s go again.”
“P-Please, stop…”
“Why? Isn’t this fun?”
“I-I would rather you kill me.”
“Again. If you don’t play, you lose…”
An ‘F-rank Hunter’ who had been watching Kang-jun with a blank expression put his hand into his coat pocket, fiddled with the hilt of his dagger, and began to ponder.
‘That bastard has been strangely annoying from the start…’
The guy had been a thorn in his side in many ways for a while now.
Before entering the Gate, his cocky attitude, as if he knew something, had gotten on his nerves…
After entering the Gate, it was his overly relaxed demeanor, and finally, his nimble hand movements when he caught the arrow just now, that bothered him.
‘Could he be someone sent by the Bureau?’
Just as his thoughts reached that point.
“Hey, what are you gonna throw next?”
“Jugun. P-Please, let us play fair and square…”
“What? Are you saying I’m being a coward?”
“That is not what I meant, it is just…”
“Whatever, I’m throwing rock.”
“Then I have no choice but to throw scissors…”
The Hunter, who had been silently watching Kang-jun and Crabslie, shook his head once.
‘There’s no way the Bureau would send nutjobs like that.’
Having sorted out his thoughts, he took a deep breath.
The great cause was just a few steps away from being achieved.
‘We’re almost there…’
His eyes glinted with a terrible *madness*.
A Skeleton, lying helplessly on the ground, was twitching its bony fingertips, as if mustering its last ounce of strength.
“Looks like this is the last one.”
Muttering to himself, Lee Byeong-cheol stepped up to the Skeleton, raised his large shield with both hands, and slammed it down hard.
Crunch-.
The moment the last Skeleton’s skull was crushed.
The space directly above began to crack with a loud, “Craaack-,” sound.
“It’s over.”
Having met the clear conditions for this Gate, a dimensional rift leading back to Earth began to open.
As if to prove it, the scenery of Earth started to become faintly visible through the Gate.
Kim Bong-gu let out a deep breath, “Hoo…,” and looked around at the party before speaking.
“Everyone worked really hard.”
Lee Byeong-cheol planted his shield in the dirt and spoke in a boastful tone.
“Yeah, you all worked hard just watching.”
He then added with a broad grin.
“Anyway, today’s haul seems pretty successful. We got a good amount of byproducts, and I gained quite a bit of experience.”
The porters’ packs were filled with finger-sized magic stones and the weapons the Skeletons had used.
Kim Bong-gu nodded a few times, looked over the party, and asked quietly.
“Shall we head back now?”
Just then, the ‘F-rank Hunter,’ who hadn’t said a word until now, started to ramble while looking into the distance.
“Huh? O-Over there…”
As the thick fog in the cemetery began to lift…
A building resembling a ‘monastery’ began to appear about a few hundred meters away.
At first, the building’s form was as hazy as a mere illusion, but as time passed, it grew clearer and more distinct.
“Hmm…?”
Simultaneously, a translucent window appeared in the air before Kang-jun’s eyes once again.
[ The hidden dungeon, ‘Monastery of the Demon Worshipers,’ has been unlocked. ]
