Squad Three: The Rule of the Dungeon
They were running full speed when a flaming bird swooped in from the right.
Ki-chan thrust his staff toward it, and an Ice Snake shot out, colliding with the bird. Both vanished in a burst of energy.
It was the third interference from the newly arrived squad moving alongside Seowoon's group.
By now, five squads—including Seowoon's—were all charging toward the same destination.
"There's a witch in the squad on the right! Be careful. If you get hit with a debuff, it's a nightmare."
A woman flying low on a broomstick, clutching a crystal orb, with her hair wild and disheveled—she looked just like the witch they'd encountered in a previous round. Bad memories resurfaced instantly.
"Hyung, wouldn't it be better to take that team out first?" Ki-chan asked.
Lyle shook his head and waved his staff.
A Wind Hammer shot out from his staff, shattering the incoming Ice Lance. Cold air exploded outward, but in the heat of the desert, it felt more like a refreshing breeze.
"The force field's contracting abnormally fast. I think it's accelerating. At this rate, we might not make it."
"Lyle's right. And we don't know how far that damn barrier's going to shrink. Until we understand the situation, we need to conserve our strength."
The squads continued sprinting, watching each other cautiously in a tense standoff. Then, all at once, they stopped at the crest of a massive sand dune that blocked their view ahead.
Seowoon found himself momentarily stunned, lost in the breathtaking sight before him. It felt like he had stepped into another world.
And he wasn't the only one. Everyone who reached the top stopped to take in the view.
"I've never seen it in person, but... is that what Niagara Falls looks like?" Ki-chan murmured.
Heads nodded unconsciously in agreement.
A towering waterfall—but instead of water, it was an avalanche of sand pouring endlessly down a cliff.
The way the sand cascaded down, driven by the wind, gave off an immense, almost overwhelming pressure.
The first to break from the spell were the squad with the witch. They rushed forward toward the sandfall, and the rest followed.
At one moment, when the wind died down slightly and the sand thinned out, everyone caught a glimpse of a black cave hidden behind the sand.
And behind them, the force field was closing in fast.
Anyone with a brain could tell: if they didn't go in, they would die.
Seowoon abruptly stopped and called to Ki-chan and Lyle.
While other squads were fighting tooth and nail to enter second, they fell behind.
Ki-chan nervously glanced back at the approaching field.
"Hyung!"
But Seowoon simply turned to Lyle.
"Get the gold scroll ready. Whatever happens, if we're beside you the moment we go in—use it immediately."
Ki-chan's eyes widened. "Don't tell me..."
"Better safe than sorry."
At that, Ki-chan called up the survivor list.
54 / 400
The moment he saw the number, unease crept over him.
There were still that many survivors left—so where were they?
And why, after barely decreasing for so long, had the number suddenly dropped so fast?
"Run!"
With the force field practically at their backs, Seowoon dashed forward once again.
Lyle and Ki-chan, both with tense faces, followed close behind.
"Kaier Barrier."
The moment they plunged into the torrent of sand, the pressure lifted, and they began falling underground.
—BOOM!
Mana surged below, and a fierce aura blazed up to meet them.
"New enemies incoming!"
They had no time to adjust. Spells and arrows immediately rained down on them.
Prepared in advance, Lyle and Ki-chan threw up barriers. Seowoon punched through the magic, clearing a path and sticking close to Lyle.
Just a quick scan of the surroundings told them they needed to get out—fast.
Around them were bloodstains and over a dozen supply boxes. The squads that had raced in alongside them were struggling, having already lost teammates.
As a second wave of attacks targeted Seowoon's group, Lyle ripped the gold scroll.
"Damn it! They slipped through!"
"Clean up the rest of them—now!"
The remaining players turned their full attention to those who had lost comrades in the ambush.
"Ah!"
A water droplet dripped from the ceiling and slid down Lyle's spine just as they teleported. He flinched and reached out into the air, looking around.
"We're fine. Looks like we were warped pretty far."
Before he could finish his sentence, the map activated—and an unfamiliar one unfolded before them.
Everything except their entry point and current location was pitch black.
"This..."
"Yeah. We've entered the dungeon."
Hearing that, Lyle grew excited.
"There was never anything like that sandfall in the Desert of Bulga. What is this place...?"
It made sense Lyle was confused. This was his world, after all.
But for Seowoon, a seasoned gamer, this wasn't a strange concept at all.
"A dungeon that appears under special conditions—it's a common trope."
"Huh? Common trope and structure? What does that mean?"
Apparently, the word "trope" didn't translate well through Cloyd's interpretation system.
"Just think of it that way. What matters is, there's still teaming going on."
"Yeah. Can't believe they were camping the entrance... How did you know?"
"Simple. If I'd gotten in first, I would've done the same. It's too good an opportunity."
It was a classic PK strategy—Player Killing. Wait at the entrance of a dungeon and ambush unsuspecting players as they enter.
Even Ki-chan, who wasn't much of a gamer, had to nod.
Because in actual combat, the tactic clearly worked.
Just a dozen or so players—a three-to-four squad alliance—had wiped out four other squads in an instant.
"What now...?"
"First, we scout the map and get our bearings. There's no way this dungeon shift is just to trap us. There's more to it. And we need to watch out for monsters. In these types of dungeons, there's always something."
—Ssshhhhh...
—Hyaaaaah...
Ominous cries echoed in the distance, cutting off Seowoon's words. Lyle's young face turned pale.
The noise sounded somewhere between the wail of the dead and eerie laughter—it sent chills down their spines.
Ki-chan started to raise his staff, but Seowoon stopped him with a raised hand.
"Don't use magic unless we absolutely have to. No need to give away our location before we understand this place. Lyle, calm down. I know it's scary, but—"
"I-it's a Specter!"
Lyle, terrified, widened his eyes and looked past Seowoon's shoulder.
Before Seowoon could even turn his head, his body reacted first—his oddly twisted hand shot out reflexively.
—Hyaaaah.
A pale white glow passed through the bone-reinforced strike as a translucent Specter drifted by.
It soared upward with an eerie screech that sent a chill through the air. Everything about the creature was unsettling.
—"It has high resistance to physical attacks. Without a weapon coated in holy water or some kind of magic, it's nearly impossible to destroy."—
Hamit's voice made Seowoon frown.
Using magic would expose their position to any nearby players, and they hadn't brought any holy water.
"Is there another way?"
—"Specters themselves aren't especially strong monsters. But... there's no other option."—
Gritting his teeth, Seowoon watched as the Specter brushed past him, its ghostly blade suddenly solidifying as it swung at his side.
In the same instant its form sharpened, Seowoon's bone-reinforced hand grabbed the Specter's arm and ripped it apart.
—Kyaaaaaah!!
The Specter screamed as it flew upward, its severed hand—still clutching a sword—disintegrating midair.
—"That only makes it angrier."—
"We can't get holy water now. Ki-chan, let's just use magic to take them down fast and get out of here."
"Got it!"
Ki-chan raised his staff without hesitation—only to freeze when Lyle's innocent voice cut in.
"If it's holy water... I have some right here."
With a blank, childlike expression, Lyle pulled a glass vial out of his subspace pocket. Both Seowoon and Ki-chan were momentarily speechless.
"Why...?"
"How'd you get that...?"
Maybe sensing the judgment in their eyes, Lyle shyly lowered his head and muttered,
"I found it in the cathedral with my team... I figured it might be useful later, so I took some just in case. Holy water's supposed to be really valuable."
Without another word, Ki-chan stowed his staff and poured the holy water onto his fists. Seowoon did the same, smearing it across his hands as another Specter clad in rusted armor charged at them.
As the creature rushed in, its recovered hand gripping a sword, Seowoon struck forward. His hand split the creature's head in a single blow.
—Kyaaaargh!
With a piercing shriek, Specters began flying in from every direction.
—Clang!
—Clang!
After wiping out a dozen or so Specters wielding swords and spears, Seowoon's eyes were drawn to the ground—where occasionally, an item would drop with a soft chime.
"A Soul Crystal?"
"It's a rare drop from Specters. You can sell them to alchemists for around 500."
Hearing that, Seowoon quickly gathered the fallen crystal and stored it in his subspace.
Ki-chan added, "If you pack them into a leather pouch, ten of them can be exchanged for one coin."
One coin was worth 50 million won.
"Phew... well then, shall we start hunting?"
Seowoon's relaxed grin gave off a strange glint. Ki-chan couldn't help but feel like Seowoon's eyes were turning into dollar signs.
[Ding! The Wraith will revive in 24 hours. Surviving players, do your best!]
At the same time, all three of them received the notification. The playful look vanished from Seowoon's face.
"Hyung... I think you were right. Something big's coming."
"The Wraith's revival. The countdown. I can guess what's about to happen... but whether it's a blessing or a curse, I don't know yet."
Ki-chan's face hardened.
"Let's move. We need to get a better look at the terrain."
Even though they were underground, the area was dimly lit like a moonlit night—clear enough to see nearby.
Not far-reaching, but not pitch-black either.
It felt like a massive chamber, or perhaps a vast cave. There were artificial walls ahead and narrow passageways branching off.
As they explored, trying to map out the dungeon's layout, a sudden burst of mana and the sound of combat rang out from nearby.
None of them had heard it a moment ago—yet suddenly it was loud and clear. They exchanged wary glances and took a cautious step back.
"This isn't a player-triggered spell," Ki-chan said.
"Maybe... the terrain has sound-masking or distortion effects," Seowoon replied, nodding.
He then unslung the bow from his back, eyes sharp.
"You planning to intervene?" Ki-chan asked.
"We'll see... Let's check the survivor count."
48 / 400
The number, which had hardly changed for a while, had suddenly dropped in a single day.
Eight more eliminations to reach the reward bracket. If they could reduce that number, it was worth taking the initiative.
With the Wraith's revival looming, ending the game before that variable kicked in was the best option.
Specters kept spawning at random. The dungeon map was too big. The surviving player count was low.
Too many variables. But if he saw a clear opportunity, Seowoon wasn't about to let it go.
—KAGAGAK!
A thick single-edged blade scraped against a shield, sending sparks flying. Spells whizzed through the air from every direction.
A magician, a knight, and a martial artist were fighting with everything they had, slamming into each other in an intense melee.
Seowoon, wearing a cloak of concealment, observed the battlefield quietly from the shadows.
"Eight people... A three-way fight?"
From the way the battle was playing out, it was clearly a triangle skirmish.
He recognized a magician, a martial artist, and a knight—he'd seen them before.
"So they're still alive. Looks like they lost the alchemist somewhere along the way."
Seowoon retrieved several piercing arrows from his subspace and attached three of them to his belt.
Then he readied his bow.
"Hamit."
—"Got it, master."—
Hamit, coiled around his hand, transformed into Tong-Ah, the bow. Seowoon nocked an arrow and drew the string back.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]
IF YOU WANT TO BUY THE REST OF THE CHAPTERS IN ONE GO, YOU CAN USE OUR DISCOUNT CODE : WSS15