Episode 195: Desert of Sacrifice (4)
-Paju-si, Gyeonggi-do, Seongsim Guild Camp
-Stop-
“Their weakness is <Fire>…? Are you talking about the <Fire> I know?”
Geumgangcheol, who was wearing his own full-body armor, turned his head when he heard the story of a magician belonging to the Tower of Truth coming from behind.
“Yes, it is indeed that <Fire>. It is a 1st class magic, <Fire>.”
“… … .”
<Fire>, a first-class magic that only creates a faint flame.
From Geumgangcheol’s perspective, it was hard to believe that such basic magic was a weakness to the undead.
‘To begin with, those guys must have had the unique characteristic of magic resistance… .’
After that, Geumgangcheol, who had been thinking carefully, asked the magician a question to confirm the unbelievable fact once again.
“… Are you sure about that information? The lives of everyone here depend on that information.”
“… Honestly, this is information that I also find hard to believe. However, it is also information that our guild leader’s younger sister, Aurora, asked us to relay to all the guilds.”
At that moment, the wizard’s words made Geumgangcheol think of the woman with crimson hair who had been talking affectionately with Jeong Dabin in the VIP audience for the past two days.
‘Sebin’s younger siblings… . Then it’s highly likely that it’s true… .’
So, in the end, Geumgangcheol decided to believe the information that Aurora had conveyed and asked the magician in front of him.
“Assuming that <Fire> magic is indeed their weakness, I’d like to hear your opinions on how to utilize it.”
“… Aurora recommended <Enchant>ing each player’s weapon. And I agree with that.”
“<Enchant>?”
“Yes, the <Fire> magic is not very useful as a direct attack magic. <Enchant> doesn’t take as much time and effort as high-level magic, so I think it’s the best method.”
“… I understand. Then please engrave the <Fire> magic on my armor. Oh, and also on the weapons of my guild members.”
“Yes, I will pass this on to the wizards.”
A little while later.
-Clang clang clang-
After finishing all the <Enchantments> on his armor, Geumgangcheol came out of the temporary barracks with his helmet tucked under his side and stood in front of the members of the Holy Spirit Guild lined up outside.
-Swoosh-
And after looking around at the faces of the guild members in front, Geumgangcheol was able to find them naturally after a while.
Their faces were all different in size, but they all had the same fear of the impending war with the undead.
“… … .”
After that, Geumgangcheol, who was observing the expressions of each and every guild member standing at the very end, soon opened his mouth and brought up a story that happened in the past.
“… 8 years ago, when the SS-rank gate appeared in Yeouido, there was a man. He was a strong man who led a huge guild among S-rank players.”
Meanwhile, the members of the Sacred Heart Guild could easily tell that the main character of the story was the Geumgangcheol standing before them.
“But as soon as the man came face to face with the demon that came out of Yeouido Gate, which was on a different level than before, he felt extreme fear and despair. Just looking at it felt like the blade of death was touching his Adam’s apple, so he couldn’t move even one step from that spot.”
““… … .””
“In the end, the man was too scared to do anything and just watched as his two precious friends killed the guy at the cost of their lives.”
In an atmosphere that is becoming increasingly solemn.
Separately, the members of the Holy Spirit Guild were absorbed in the story that Geumgangcheol was telling in a serious voice.
“The man regretted his choice that day so much. But at the same time! From that day on, he engraved it in his soul and vowed that he would never again be tied down by such absurd fears and lose those precious to him in vain.”
-Clang-
Within, Geumgangcheol put on the helmet he had placed on his side and quietly expressed his determination.
“So don’t worry too much. I won’t let you die before I die.”
““… … .””
After that, as soon as Geumgangcheol finished speaking.
The feeling of fear had disappeared from the faces of the members of the Holy Spirit Guild.
And in that empty space… .
“I don’t want to regret anything either! So I will fight with all my might by your side, Guild Leader!”
“You cheeky newbie! The seat next to the guild leader is mine!”
“You guys! The guild leader is protecting you! But are you still going to be scared like this?”
“Yeah, that’s right! Let’s have a heated fight and then go get some bread to celebrate!”
““Wow~!!””
All that remained was a firm resolve to protect those precious to me.
-Shh-
‘You guys have nice expressions. I wish I had been like that back then…’
Thus, the knight of the Holy Heart, Geumgangcheol, who had completed all his battle preparations… .
“Everyone, put <Fire> on your weapon.”
“”yes!””
-Hwaruk-
So that I never have such regrets again.
His full body armor was covered in a soft red flame.
“From now on! All members of the Seongsim Guild! We will do our utmost to destroy even a single one of those evil undead bastards and prevent them from ever setting foot in this Republic of Korea!”
““Wow~!!””
Together with his guild members, he began to charge fiercely towards the approaching undead army.
***
-Yeoncheon-gun, Gyeonggi-do, Shipping Guild Jinyeong
“Hmm… <Fire>? What is that… Are you talking about the 1st class magic <Fire>?”
“Yes, that’s right. Aurora, Jeong Da-bin’s younger sister… … .”
“That’s ridiculous, Guildmaster. The undead are resistant to magic in the first place, so if guild members fall for such false information and suffer damage… … .”
“Wait a minute! So you’re saying that our Truth Tower is lying right now?”
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“Huh, you wizards might be able to use your magic from the rear, but from our perspective, one mistake can cost us our lives… .”
“Hey! It’s Kkaljak-ee?! Are you done talking?”
“Okay! I’ve said it all! It wasn’t even a proven fact in the first place, and if you suddenly announce it like this, who would believe you…!”
-Swoosh-
“Enough, Aide. Calm down, Miss Wizard.”
Jeong Sang-hoon, the leader of the Shipping Guild, stretched out his copper-colored arms and calmed down the Shipping Guild’s operations officer and the magician from the Tower of Truth, who were glaring at each other and growling.
-Bam-
And then within.
“Oh my… It’s so sad that the young people are so full of energy. Save that energy and use it for the battle later. And this old man will solve this problem right away.”
Jeong Sang-hoon got up from his seat, came out of the temporary barracks he had set up, and opened his mouth while looking at the undead army that filled the distant horizon.
“Leviathan.”
At that moment, King of Spears Jeong Sang-Hoon shouted the word ‘Leviathan’.
-Pfft!-
A magnificent spear of blue and green hues appeared in his hand.
“Miss Wizard, cast the <Fire> spell here.”
“… Ah, yes.”
After that, at Jeong Sang-hoon’s request, the wizard quickly <enchanted> the window with the <Fire> magic with just a simple spell… .
-Hwaruk-
“Hmm… That went well and quickly. Okay, then both of you, check it out with your own eyes.”
Jeong Sang-hoon, who had been smiling in satisfaction at the sight of Leviathan with faint flames flowing, soon puffed out his muscular arms… .
-Kwakwakwa!!-
He charged his spear with violent magical power, like a rough wave, and fired it straight at the undead army.
-Waaa …
Then, the spear that Jeong Sang-hoon shot out began to cut through the wind at a fierce speed… .
-Kwaaaaang!-
Soon, with a tremendous explosion.
In an instant, dozens of undead soldiers were reduced to tiny pieces of bone.
“Well, the effect is very good. Alright, let’s hire him. Miss Mage, please quickly cast the <Fire> spell on all of our guild members.”
““… … .””
And in response to Jeong Sang-hoon’s words that followed, the operational staff and the magician, whose opinions had been sharply divided until just a moment ago… .
-Glance-
Soon they faced each other and each began to have exactly the same opinion in their heads.
“That doesn’t seem to have anything to do with <Fire> magic…”
***
-Inside the desert dungeon where Kim Baram and 5 others were sucked in
Together with Baek A-rin, immediately after reaching the location indicated by the compass.
‘Huh? What’s that?’
My eyes immediately caught sight of something huge, so I moved my tail and tried to land a little ways away from it.
-Knock knock-
Immediately after that, it was scary to put my feet on the sand.
Baek A-rin’s sweet voice is heard through my ears.
“That’s… a sand worm… .”
“Oh, is that it?”
What came into view was none other than a Sand Worm, boasting a long and huge body.
To put it simply, the creature looked like a magnified earthworm, except that its head was covered in extremely vicious teeth.
‘That guy was also a B-class lieutenant, I think… .’
It was a demon that was mentioned not only in the original work, but also in the Academy’s theory class, Introduction to Demonic Mathematics.
Another characteristic of this creature was that it could swim through the sand as if it was underwater, and it could detect vibrations from above to hunt for prey.
‘By the way, looking at the fact that it’s still out there, did Han Su-yeon already hunt it?’
Anyway, I didn’t know because I mostly just flew around in the sky, but it seems like there are Sand Worms as well as Bold Eagles in this desert dungeon.
“Judging by the sand line drawn on the back that is the same size as the sand worm, it looks like it was caught somewhere else and then dragged here on purpose.”
“Oh, that’s right. But why did you bring it all the way here? Are you trying to use it as food?”
Oh, by the way, I just thought of something because it’s food.
Jung Da-bin and Baek A-rin, who had subspace, had no idea that they would be trapped in a dungeon like this, so they did not prepare any food separately in the subspace.
‘The drinking water issue will be resolved with Jeong Da-bin’s magic or the Oasis cup I have…’
Of course, since I owned something similar to subspace, I did have something I could eat.
That’s right, a modern-day wall-crawler with absolutely no taste whatsoever, a whopping 19 energy bars.
‘If it’s Cheon Yoo-ha, I might like it because it’s full of perfume… .’
Meanwhile, while my thoughts were wandering elsewhere for a moment.
“Both the Bold Eagle and the Sand Worm are poisonous, so you can’t eat them without a resistance skill. And when I tried them, they tasted so horrible that I would have been better off eating sand.”
Baek A-rin replied that it didn’t seem like it was meant to be used as food.
He continued, pointing to a part of the sand worm with his slender finger.
“I think he brought it to write like that.”
And upon hearing Baek A-rin’s answer, I immediately followed her fingers and was able to find it.
“… Ah, I understand.”
Han Su-yeon and three others were resting in the shadow created by the corpse of a sand worm.
“Shall we go and talk about it first? Oh, and let’s keep the situation outside a secret.”
“Is it because of Baek Yoo-seong?”
“That’s the biggest point. The fact that Cadet Baek Yoo-seong finds out about Cadet Wind’s communication skills, and that he might notice Cadet Heuk-ik’s intentions and intentionally interfere to delay the clearing time.”
“Hmm… That’s right. Besides, we already know that Seoul will be hit by disaster anyway, so we still need to clear the dungeon quickly, so there shouldn’t be a problem.”
So Baek A-rin and I decided to hide the situation outside.
– Doctor, Doctor –
I approached the group and started talking to them based on the information I had acquired.
And a little later.
‘There is no special information… .’
Was it because I had a glimmer of hope that I might have discovered something peculiar?
After hearing the information they had gathered, I couldn’t help but feel a bit of disappointment rather than anticipation.
‘Well, it seems like it’s the same over there too… .’
The information that Cheon Yu-ha and Han Su-yeon, the Salvation Team, brought was not much different from that of our Baekhwa Team.
The only difference is that they found sand worms instead of bald eagles, and they also said they found no structures or vegetation other than sand.
And Team Jinri, which included Jung Da-bin and Baek Yu-seong, was just sitting there, so there wasn’t much information to be gained.
-Glance-
We brought some good news, but not good news, that Baek Yu-seong, who had been injured, had recovered enough to be able to control his body.
‘Did Jeong Da-bin make that ice ball on your forehead? You look so lonely.’
Anyway, in conclusion.
The results of my hard work exploring the dungeon were quite shabby.
‘I have absolutely no clue as to how to attack…’
So the three leaders of each team are still the same to this day.
We were sharing our opinions and discussing how to conquer the dungeon.
‘Hmm…, I feel frustrated….’
And I also tried to recall the original content in my own way and find out if there was a similar type of dungeon.
I couldn’t find any dungeon that was even remotely similar to this desert dungeon.
‘Either when the special conditions I discussed with the Master earlier are met, some kind of singularity appears, or there really is something buried somewhere in this sand. These two seem the most likely… .’
But as I said before.
That could have been more of a problem in its own right.
In the former case, it would obviously take time to find conditions that we can’t even guess what they might be.
In the latter case, it was impossible to dig up all the sand.
‘But I can’t just sit here and waste time like this… … .’
At that moment, I found myself frowning without realizing it because I was so frustrated.
-Stop-
‘… Wait, Han Soo-yeon, didn’t you notice something?’
Suddenly, I turned my attention to our main character, Han Su-yeon.
The reason was simple.
Simply speaking, in terms of dungeon conquering experience, there was no one here who could keep up with Han Su-yeon.
‘There are quite a few dungeons that were only vaguely mentioned in the original… .’
Moreover, unlike me, who had only experienced dungeons through imagination through novels.
Han Su-yeon had personally experienced the dungeons by rolling her body, so her experience, know-how, and senses were unique.
After that, I decided to talk to Han Su-yeon and immediately turned my gaze towards her.
-Swoosh-
Then, there was Han Su-yeon, who had taken off her cadet uniform, unbuttoned her white shirt, and was glaring at Baek Yu-seong, who had an ice ball on his forehead, as if she was envious.
‘… Oh, it must be really hot.’
Come to think of it, Han Soo-yeon actually has a setting that she is quite weak to heat.
I guess it’s because my body is full of fire.
Han Su-yeon had a constitution full of fire energy in her body, so much so that she could use fire attribute magic as her main magic power.
It was set up that he could withstand hot things, but was weak to heat.
‘Just ask Jeong Da-bin to make one… .’
Considering Han Soo-yeon’s family relationship, Jung Da-bin could be considered Han Soo-yeon’s aunt.
If Han Soo-yeon asked, Jeong Da-bin would definitely make that ice ball right away.
‘There may be many reasons why I didn’t ask you…’
As the last reader who watched Han Soo-yeon until the end, I guess.
The first reason was pride, and the second reason was that I thought it might be awkward to ask for help first since we weren’t very close.
‘Come to think of it, Jung Da-bin left early every time, so she barely had any contact with Han Soo-yeon during the 999 episodes…’
Anyway, from my perspective, I thought it was a good opportunity to talk to Han Soo-yeon in a discreet manner.
‘It’s also a chance to repay the debt I owed you for patting me on the back when I first entered the dungeon… .’
– Doctor, Doctor –
So I went straight to Han Su-yeon and spoke to her.
“Is it very hot, Han Soo-yeon?”
Immediately after that, perhaps because of the heat, Han Su-yeon answered me in a rather irritated voice.
“…not really.”
“Really? Then can I sit next to you?”
“… … Or something like that.”
I assumed that the reason Han Soo-yeon’s answer was a little slow just now was because she hesitated for a moment because it would get hotter when I sat next to her.
-dump-
Anyway, I sat next to Han Su-yeon and moved my eyes slightly to look at her face.
‘It really is hot… .’
When looking closely at Han Su-yeon’s face, there were a few hints of redness due to the heat.
At that time.
“…What are you looking at?”
As if she noticed my weary gaze, Han Soo-yeon opened her mouth and glared at me with annoyed red eyes… .
“Oh, sorry.”
I immediately apologized to her at the same time.
He brought up a story that would tickle her.
“I’m feeling a little hot. I was wondering if I could take some special measures to combat the heat….”
“… … What action.”
Then, Han Su-yeon immediately reacted by pricking up her ears.
I swallowed a laugh inside, thinking that her appearance was a little cute, and soon I created ice attribute magic throughout my body.
-Saaaa-
That’s how scary it is for me to generate ice attribute magic.
Sky blue ice attribute magic flowed out softly from my entire body, and thanks to it, the temperature around me and Han Su-yeon suddenly dropped.
“… … .”
And at the same time.
Han Su-yeon’s sharp expression softened in an instant and she smiled faintly.
But that rare and hard to see expression only lasted for a moment.
-Shock-
Han Su-yeon, who immediately started to control her expression, soon returned to her usual chic expression and muttered something softly.
“Big… Well, not bad…”
Meanwhile, I was barely able to hold back my laughter after seeing Han Soo-yeon’s relaxed expression… .
‘Heh heh… Calm down, Kim Baram. This is not the time to laugh.’
After trying hard to calm down the corners of my lips that were about to go up on their own.
“Phew… .”
“Why are you sighing?”
“No, it’s just that the heat has gone down a lot… haha… .”
Come back soon for your original purpose.
I tried to sneakily ask her if she had any idea what this dungeon was all about.
“Ah, by the way, this dungeon, even when viewed from the sky, there’s nothing there. All I can see is sand… … .”
***
A little while later.
After talking with Han Su-yeon about this dungeon,
Contrary to my expectations that experienced Han Su-yeon would know something.
Unfortunately, she also seemed to have no clue as to how to attack.
‘It can’t be helped… . There’s almost no information that could be a hint in the first place… .’
-Glance-
‘… It looks like the three of them haven’t come to a conclusion yet.’
Of course, apart from my anxious mind.
It was completely understandable that their discussions took a long time.
That’s why the most important thing when conquering a dungeon is to choose a sure and safe method.
It could be said that it was natural to be very careful.
‘If I had accidentally made a mistake, it would have been a waste of time and energy…’
But maybe it’s because I know the situation outside.
It was also true that if I just stayed still, I would become increasingly impatient.
‘Should I just go and look around alone one more time…?’
At that moment, I thought that I should go on an ill-fated [flight] and thoroughly explore all the areas I had not been able to see before.
When I thought about it calmly, I decided that those three people, especially my teacher Baek A-rin, would not allow it.
‘It’s dangerous because of the Bold Eagle. Even if I try to convince him that he has a spirit attribute magic that allows him to hide, he will absolutely not allow him to scout alone… … .’
At that time.
-Stop-
‘Wait a minute, reconnaissance in hiding…?’
When I thought of the keywords ‘stealth’ and ‘reconnaissance’, I suddenly remembered a guy who was related to these.
‘Besides, if there’s a problem, I can just [summon] you right away, so your safety is guaranteed… .’
And after thinking about the various situations in my head, I immediately blurted out one word.
‘Inventory.’
-Tiring-
<Inventory>
[Casa’s Perfume, 7/10]
[Detective Watson’s Glasses]
[Lucky Four Leaf Clover Card]
[Strange Candy x5]
[Lake: I’m bored and hungry. I think I’ll listen to your request if you give me food.]
The guy that came to mind was none other than Hosu, who could be called my pet.
When I read the description written in the inventory, it seemed like it was a waste of effort to convince the lake.
-Glance-
‘Han Su-yeon is… … .’
Moreover, fortunately, Han Su-yeon, who was sitting right to my left, was wondering if it was because of the ice attribute magic that I was emitting in real time.
Unlike when he was in sensitive mode earlier, he was resting comfortably with his eyes closed and his back leaning against the sand worm’s corpse.
‘Okay, then… .’
Immediately after that, I decided to take the lake out of my inventory right away, so I secretly put my right hand into my inventory and took the lake out.
-Swoosh-
Then it was scary to take the lake out.
[Good job, Master! I’m hungry!]
The lake welcomed me and immediately cried out that it was hungry… .
‘Shh. Okay, I’ll give you food. Try using [Stealth] first.’
I put my finger to my lips and asked the lake to use [Stealth].
[Communication] We started to secretly convey the current situation through the function.
And a little later.
[Huh, it’s my body’s turn to be active.]
Contrary to my expectations, I thought he would be bothered by the heat.
The lake was truly bored, as described in the inventory, and readily agreed to my request.
[Then let’s eat first!]
‘Okay, eat as much as you want.’
-Swish!-
-Tsk-tsk-
After that, the lake sinks its teeth into my right wrist and begins to suck my blood vigorously.
[Hmm! The rice is cold today! It’s hot outside, so this is a good choice of rice, Master!]
‘Haha, I’m glad you’re satisfied.’
I looked down at the blood-sucking lake with affectionate eyes for a moment, then tried to raise my head to see which direction to send the lake in.
-Swoosh-
But at that moment.
I’m afraid to look forward.
‘Hmm…? Who…?’
I could sense that someone was standing in front of me without me even knowing… .
-Snap-
“Hmm? What is this guy?”
[… Ugh, let go! What the heck, you little punk!]
As I continued to walk towards the lake where he had been hiding and sucking blood, I was able to immediately identify the person by the uniquely harsh tone of voice I heard.
“Hey, that kid over there…!”
That person is.
Cheon Yu-ha, the leader of the Salvation Guild and a reincarnation.
one side.
While I was flustered by Cheon Yu-ha’s sudden actions.
“… Hoo, when you use the transformation spell, your appearance is like that. What you were doing just now is also very similar.”
With a voice filled with a gentle anger that echoes through the sky
-Shooaaaak!-
Suddenly, it started to emit a dark purple magical energy filled with a strong murderous intent, and soon began to press me and the lake without mercy.
“The blood demons, and those extra-human beings that belonged to the blood cult.”
