Episode 12
Indeed, it wasn’t a lie that there were only handsome men and beautiful women among elves.
The woman in front of him now was more beautiful than any woman Kang Jin-hyeok had ever seen.
She frowned, perhaps sensing the piercing gaze.
“What are you looking at like that?”
Realizing that his actions were rude, Kang Jin-hyeok quickly looked away.
Kang Jin-hyeok asked her a question while maintaining an awkward gaze.
“Excuse me… Are you an elf?”
Although it may seem like a somewhat odd question.
There were dwarves in this dungeon, so it wouldn’t be too strange if there were elves as well.
Her response to Kang Jin-hyeok’s question was neither positive nor negative.
“You’re only half right. I’m half.”
She added that they only resemble elves in appearance, but their eating habits and lifestyle are no different from humans.
“Half-elf, you’ve probably heard of Lucia, right?”
“No, I haven’t heard of it.”
“Oh, really? I thought you were somewhat of a celebrity, but I guess you’re not that famous yet.”
Lucia scratched her cheek with an awkward face.
As much as I spoke proudly, shame came back as a backlash.
“Anyway, that’s my name. I’m a platinum-rank adventurer.”
What she held out along with her self-introduction was a platinum medal with ornate decorations.
Kang Jin-hyeok didn’t know what that meant.
Considering that it was made with precious platinum, there was a high chance that it was something extraordinary, so Kang Jin-hyeok pretended to be impressed.
“Wow, that’s amazing.”
“… … If you’re going to act, why don’t you do it properly?”
Lucia sighed and put the medal back in her bosom.
“Even if you don’t know my name, you definitely aren’t from around here since you don’t even know what this sign means.”
“That’s why I told you. It’s a different world from the one you know.”
Lucia became interested after hearing Kang Jin-hyeok’s words.
“How different is it specifically?”
“First of all, the language used is completely different.”
“I’m having a nice conversation with you.”
“It’s probably because of this.”
Kang Jin-hyeok took the necklace he was wearing out of his clothes and showed it to me.
Lucia immediately frowned when she saw that.
“Could it be that the dwarf man who lives upstairs made that?”
“Huh? You two know each other?”
“We know each other, right… .”
Lucia spoke in a shaky voice, her discomfort blatant.
“Don’t mess with that dwarf. You’ll get tired of it.”
“Yes? Why?”
“Why, why? When we meet, he’s the kind of guy who just swears at me like I’m his enemy.”
Kang Jin-hyeok felt strange when he heard those words.
“He did swear a bit, but it wasn’t that bad.”
“That’s because you’re human. Even I, just because I have half elf blood mixed in me, get treated like a fool and get cursed at… …!”
Lucia’s face began to flush slightly as she recalled the events of that time.
Just before she was about to launch into a lengthy tirade about dwarves, she realized she was digressing and exercised patience.
Lucia took deep breaths repeatedly to calm her emotions that were starting to build up.
“Anyway, it doesn’t really matter if we can’t communicate. We can just use magic.”
“In the world I live in, there is no such thing as magic. There are no elves like Lucia either.”
To be exact, it was ‘half-elf’, but now was not the time to point out such trivial matters.
Lucia’s eyes widened as she questioned the credibility of the information she had heard.
“There are no elves? Then how do you know about elves?”
“That’s… … I should say I saw it in a book… … .”
“The race that appears in books doesn’t exist in reality? Did they go extinct?”
“Well, well.”
Kang Jin-hyeok was at a loss as to how to explain this.
How could they describe a race that exists in another world so accurately?
I felt like asking fantasy novel writers directly.
While Kang Jin-hyeok was mumbling and unable to answer, Lucia reasoned about the situation in her own way.
‘It must have existed in the past, so it must have been written down in a book. Then, if they found out that elves had reappeared, it would be a big problem.’
Lucia imagined herself being captured by researchers from another world.
Since they had rediscovered an extinct species, it was obvious that they would be subjected to all sorts of experiments and investigations.
Lucia, whose complexion grew darker the more she imagined it, shook her head with a shudder.
“I think we should hold off on going outside. It seems too dangerous.”
Lucia thought that for her own safety, she should refrain from going out impulsively.
I knew I needed to go out at least once to investigate, but I felt like I needed to prepare a little more.
“Anyway, there is a dimension connected to this dungeon, right?”
“Is that so… … ?”
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Although I’m not sure, it seems like this dungeon wasn’t an isolated place, considering it was connected to the attic.
Lucia looked relieved and relieved after hearing Kang Jin-hyeok’s answer.
“Thank goodness. That crazy wizard’s magic trick worked for now.”
“Huh? What does that mean?”
“What are you talking about? You’re saying there’s a crazy guy who sent this dungeon to your dimension.”
Kang Jin-hyeok looked at Lucia with a surprised expression.
“Why on earth?”
“Don’t you know?”
The wizards’ thoughts were incomprehensible to a sober mind.
The higher the level, the more.
“Once it’s a successful technique, it’s possible to reverse it… … . Now it seems like I’m finally starting to see some signs of life.”
Kang Jin-hyeok felt his stomach drop when he heard Lucia’s monologue.
It seems like this woman’s goal is to return the dungeon to its original dimension.
“Oh, is it possible to go back right now?”
“I think I’ll have to look into that a bit more. That’s what I came here for in the first place.”
“What is here?”
“There is a hidden place that is blocked off from the outside world.”
“Hidden place?”
“Yeah, it’s a place I discovered recently too.”
After Lucia finished speaking, she stared at Kang Jin-hyeok.
Kang Jin-hyeok felt uncomfortable with the sudden gaze and took a step back without realizing it.
“You seem like you could be quite useful. Could you help me out?”
“You need help? What?”
“Catching boss monsters.”
“Boss monster… … ?!”
Kang Jin-hyeok’s mouth started watering when he heard the word boss monster.
Boss monsters were several times stronger than monsters of the same level.
They were difficult to hunt, but they were sought after by hunters because they offered great rewards.
Lucia noticed that Kang Jin-hyeok had taken the bait by looking at his reaction.
“I can do it by myself, but it’s annoying because there are a lot of little guys on the way there.”
“So you want me to take care of the leftovers?”
Lucia smiled faintly, saying that it was good that she understood quickly.
“I’ll give you a reward, so help me investigate. What do you think?”
Of course, it was an offer that there was no reason to refuse.
Lucia’s skills were proven by my own eyes, and it seemed that if I walked around with her, I would be able to learn more about her purpose.
“Okay, I’ll help you.”
“Okay, that’s how it should be.”
* * *
After promising to cooperate with each other.
Lucia took the lead and guided Kang Jin-hyeok into the inner part of the labyrinth, inside the temple.
At the center of the crumbling temple was a statue of a goddess with both arms broken.
When Lucia pushed away the statue that resembled Venus, a staircase hidden underneath it was revealed.
“You have great strength.”
“Are you saying that to a girl as a compliment?”
Lucia went down the stairs first with a pouty face.
Kang Jin-hyeok, who followed her, was surprised at the fact that there was such a wide space in the basement of the temple.
Stone statues of knights lined up in a row and ornate patterns decorating every wall.
As expected, it was a place where a boss monster was hiding.
“Is there a boss in front of here?”
“No, we have to walk a little further. This place is bigger than you think.”
“If it’s a little longer, maybe 1~2 hours?”
“day.”
“yes?”
“If you take your time and rest, it will take about a day.”
Kang Jin-hyeok opened his mouth wide when he heard that.
“It’s not like it’s a march, so why does it take a whole day?”
“I told you. There are a lot of monsters that appear on the way. There are also separate stages that need to be dealt with.”
Since it is a boss monster, it took a lot of effort to meet it.
Lucia explained that it might be delayed even further, considering the time and distance they would have to devote to hunting.
Kang Jin-hyeok, who was momentarily shocked, decided to accept the situation positively.
“Since we came here to level up anyway, it can’t be bad.”
Since I had prepared thoroughly for staying in the dungeon for a long time, I didn’t have to go hungry.
“But how do you know that? Have you ever been here?”
“Two days before flying to another dimension.”
“Then why again now… … ?”
“There’s a high probability that the magic spell left behind by the wizard remains here.”
Kang Jin-hyeok prayed that there was no such thing as magic or anything like that here.
It was unfortunate for Lucia, but Kang Jinhyuk didn’t want her to return the dungeon to its original dimension.
* * *
The abilities Lucia displayed while advancing towards the boss monster were truly amazing.
Suddenly, I felt like I was pulling the bowstring alone, and every time I shot an arrow, at least two monsters lost their lives.
Even if it was a monster wearing armor, the result was no different.
Her arrows hit the vital spot, precisely targeting the gap in the armor.
There was no way for the monsters to block arrows flying from an invisible distance.
If it weren’t for the abilities enhanced by the enchantment, Kang Jinhyuk wouldn’t have even noticed what Lucia was shooting.
I wish I could continue to rely on her, but unfortunately the number of arrows is not infinite.
I tried to recover and use the arrows that were as good as possible, but due to the nature of arrows, it was impossible to return 100% of what was shot.
Lucia pulled out her rapier, which was at her waist, and only had ten arrows.
“You’re going to have to help me out from now on. I want to save my arrows until I get to the boss.”
“Please leave it to me.”
Kang Jin-hyeok confidently held the bat and stepped forward.
At that moment, my body was starting to feel tense as I was just watching Lucia’s activities.
The opponent was a ‘ghoul’, a half-rotten corpse even though it was wearing armor.
It wasn’t that difficult to deal with, as it was a monster that wasn’t much better than a skeleton.
“Come on!”
Kang Jin-hyeok hit the head of the ghoul that was walking towards him with a bat.
The ghoul’s head, hit by the bat, was crushed along with the helmet.
“Ugh… … .”
Unlike skeletons, ghouls could no longer move if their heads were destroyed.
Only the ability value increased slightly. In this respect, it was easier to deal with than the skeleton.
“It’s pretty good.”
Even though the armor the ghoul was wearing looked like this, it was actually made of high-quality iron.
It would have been difficult to crush it in one blow with just any object.
A normal person would have thought it was Kang Jin-hyeok’s ability, but Lucia was different.
“That bat, did the dwarf uncle strengthen it for you?”
“Did you know?”
“Yeah, you were bragging about it last time you went there.”
A weapon made from orichalcum and enchanted by a dwarf.
It was something anyone would covet.
That’s why Kang Jin-hyeok was worried that Lucia might also aim for his baseball bat.
Lucia noticed Kang Jin-hyeok’s feelings first and smiled as she spoke.
“Don’t worry. I heard that it belongs to you, so I don’t plan on doing anything about it.”
“Are you saying that you would have looked at it if it hadn’t been confiscated?”
“Of course. How much does it cost?”
It was more scary to speak honestly without erasing the smile.
It seemed like this woman had never learned what a white lie was.
“… … .”
Kang Jin-hyeok couldn’t stand the worry about his back after hearing those words.
Kang Jin-hyeok slowly moved forward, worried that someone might find a way to follow him.
Lucia felt the eyes glancing at her and chuckled to herself.
‘What a cute guy.’
Being a platinum-ranked adventurer was a testament to strength, but it was also a testament to trust.
Since it was a badge given only to good adventurers who had not committed even a small crime, it could be used in place of an ID anywhere in Lucia’s world.
Although she had flown to another world along with the dungeon, Lucia had no intention of breaking that trust now.
Because the Platinum Badge was a proud title that proved her life as an adventurer.
However, Kang Jin-hyeok was unaware of this fact and was really suspecting that Lucia might be after his things.
The sight of him rolling around like a scared rabbit gently stimulated Lucia’s sadism.
“I suddenly became curious about something.”
“What, what is it?”
“That bat. Will the binding effect remain even if you die?”
“… … I’ll just go alone from here.”
“Hahaha, I’m just joking, don’t be so scared.”
As Kang Jin-hyeok walked ahead at a quick pace, Lucia hurriedly followed after him.
While walking at a speed that made it hard to tell whether she was running or walking, Lucia discovered something and grabbed Kang Jinhyuk by the back of his neck.
“Ouch!”
Kang Jin-hyeok, whose neck was suddenly choked by the sudden grab, let out a dry cough and looked back.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m not trying to kill you, so calm down and look at this for a moment.”
There was a large door where Lucia pointed with her finger.
The door with the lion’s emblem engraved on it looked unusual at first glance.
“What is this? Are we here already?”
“No, this is the first step to meeting the boss monster.”
“Step one… …? What is that?”
“Catch the guy guarding the seal beyond this door.”
In short, it was said that he was a mid-boss.
Lucia took out the arrow that she had been saving even for the boss monster and hung it on her bowstring, not wanting to take it lightly.
“I want to finish it in one go, so I run forward as soon as I open the door.”
“You’re not going to shoot me from behind after saying that, are you?”
“That’s a good idea, but I don’t want to do it now. There’s still a lot of work left that’s difficult to do alone.”
“That’s fortunate.”
As Lucia pulled back the bowstring and signaled with her eyes, Kang Jin-hyeok opened the door with all his might.
Behind the open doors on the left and right, there was a blue glowing magic circle and a golem in the shape of a knight guarding it.
“It’s now.”
Even before Lucia finished speaking, Kang Jin-hyeok was running towards the golem.
The golem swung the sword he was holding at the intruder approaching him.
But Lucia’s arrow was faster than the giant sword that was over 2 meters long could reach.
Her arrow struck the golem squarely in the joint.
When the golem, with its balance off, stumbled and was left defenseless, Kang Jin-hyeok instinctively realized what he had to do.
His gaze was directed to the core embedded in the center of the golem’s chest.
