IF Chapter 31

Chapter 31

 

[DUNGEON GUIDE] You have entered the second dungeon, [Abandoned Mansion]!

Having fallen without even a single S-rank in this new dungeon, I first walked wherever my feet took me. Rather than staying still and continuing to know nothing, it would be better to at least figure out what structure this dungeon had.

Well, after walking for about five minutes, I learned that this dungeon resembled an ‘underground prison’.

There were tightly closed walls on all sides made of very solid-looking stone, cold corridors, torches scattered on the walls presumably to illuminate the surroundings, and ceilings stained with moss and cobwebs.

At least it wasn’t the wilderness, but what good was that?

‘The people I managed to make my companions are gone!’

I couldn’t feel more dejected and desperate.

‘Perhaps the three of them returned to their original world.’

I sighed at the most likely thought. Even our Mungchi was gone.

Since Mungchi was originally met in the dungeon, or more precisely, was one of the influences of that sorcerer guy, I couldn’t even be sure if he had come here with us.

Just as I was starting to feel scared at the thought of being left alone…

[SYSTEM] Sub Quest-3 [Scattered Companions] has arrived!

[SYSTEM] Confirming Sub Quest-3 [Scattered Companions]!

▸You’ve been separated from your companions while entering a different dungeon! How about trying to find your companions again?

▸Time limit: None

▸Failure: None

▸Reward: Reunion with companions

A sub-quest popped up.

As if there were people I knew here. I couldn’t tell if this was meant to comfort me or just to make me move.

I looked at the hand holding my sword and sighed.

It really seems like I’ll have to survive on my own. Still, fortunately, all my existing skills and items were safe.

As I was swinging the SSS-rank sword that still felt good in my grip…

“Hey! Didn’t you hear me?”

A voice was heard from far away.

‘A person…?’

I was glad. I couldn’t help but be. At least it meant I wasn’t alone here.

I hurriedly ran towards the direction of the voice. And there…

“I asked if you didn’t hear. Give me your points!”

“I, I don’t have any points…”

“You’re really being frustrating. When you clear the first dungeon, you get a basic 1,000 points, so there’s no way you don’t have any!”

“Ah, I told you. Let’s just kill her.”

“Miss, just give it up. It’s better to give than to die, isn’t it?”

There were three men busy snickering and one woman caught between them.

‘Are they crazy?’

Even from afar, it wasn’t difficult to grasp the situation. But the problem was that my circumstances weren’t good enough to help others.

With no S-rank beside me, and no Mungchi. What more could I, an F-rank, no, now an E-rank, do here?

‘I should look for other people first.’

From what I heard, it seemed like those four weren’t the only ones here. I needed information too, and as I was about to move quickly, one phrase pierced my ears.

“No, she’s pretty. Should we keep her for a while to play with?”

…What?

“Oh, that’s a good idea.”

“W-wait a moment. I really don’t have anything. Really-“

“Enough. Come along.”

One of the three men gripped the woman’s shoulder tightly. It must have hurt because the woman frowned, but the men forcibly made her stand up.

“Let’s go to the room.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Where do you think you’re going?”

I couldn’t just leave it be.

The three men turned almost simultaneously at the sound of my voice.

“What’s with this girl now.”

The one in the front frowned. I smirked, still holding my sword at my side.

“What are you saying, looking like a squid.”

“W-what?!”

The squid-face seemed to be stung, jumping up.

“Who are you! You crazy b*tch!”

“Let’s just take her too! She came on her own feet, what can we do?”

One of the group said. The other two seemed to like that idea, their eyes sparkling as they turned to me.

“Catch her before she runs away!”

And the guys came running as if leaping from the ground. Watching the man rapidly approaching me, I opened my mouth.

“No need for long talk…”

[Using the skill, ‘As I Wish (SS)’!]

“All three of you, stop.”

Screech!

The feet of the three squid brothers, who were running with sparkling eyes, slammed on the brakes.

The three who stopped right there opened their eyes wide.

“What the, f…”

“You, you crazy! What did you do!”

The guys struggled in panic, but those movements were not allowed.

Though they seemed to be using all their strength, veins even popped on their faces, but…

“Hey! Let us go! I said let us go!”

“You crazy b*tch. Do you want to die? Do you know who I am?!”

“Shut up. You’re noisy.”

Thud. Unfortunately, even that chance was taken away.

“Mmm, mmmm? Mmmmm!!”

“Mmmphmm!!”

“Mph?! Mmph!!!”

Somehow they’re still noisy even with their mouths closed.

After sealing their mouths and bodies completely, I approached them while roughly digging my eardrums. Then I asked.

“Now then, whose life should I permanently close first?”

“Thank you!”

I looked down after watching the three squid-faced men running away as if their lives depended on it.

“Thank you so much. I was really in trouble because I truly didn’t have any coins…”

The woman smiled sheepishly as she thanked me.

‘Yeah, I could have been in trouble too.’

[SYSTEM] The usage time for the unique skill ‘What’s Yours is Mine (-)’ has expired.

[SYSTEM] The skill ‘As I Wish (SS)’ from the target ‘Twilight Sorcerer (BOSS)’ has been released.

There was really just a little bit of time left on the ‘As I Wish (SS)’ skill I used in the previous dungeon.

The squid brothers had already run away scared, but if it had been released in the middle of a fight by a hair’s breadth, the situation would have become even more difficult.

As our eyes met, the woman grinned. I looked at her and reached out my hand.

“Ah, thank you!”

The woman saw it and, with a touched expression, grabbed my hand and stood up. Is helping someone up really that touching?

“It’s fine. I couldn’t just stand by and watch anyway.”

“Still, I’m really grateful. I’d like to repay you somehow, but I’ve already given all my coins to a passing child…”

I learned something I wasn’t particularly curious about.

I don’t know what coins are, but in this dungeon where everyone’s busy trying to survive, she gave them to a child…

‘At least I can tell she’s an extremely naive person.’

As I was nodding vaguely, that’s when she quietly asked:

“Are you perhaps Yoo Yi-joo?”

“…Pardon?”

You know me?

For a moment, I blinked in confusion.

Have I seen this person before? No, this isn’t even the world I used to live in to begin with.

As I was at a loss for words, unable to answer, the woman’s eyes sparkled.

“I saw you a bit on the live broadcast!”

Exclaiming that, she held out something. No, rather than holding out…

[There! Block there!]

[I’ll go! On the right!]

She was showing me her system window floating above her hand.

[Confirming the participants in the <C-1343> area.]

▸Participant 1: Kim Chan-woo

▸Participant 2: Lee Suha

▸Participant 3: Yoo Yi-joo

“That’s…”

On that blue window, there were unfamiliar people fighting. Just like before I came here.

I stared at it blankly before turning my head.

“What’s your name?”

“Oh, it’s Da-in. Gi Da-in.”

Gi Da-in…

“Da-in-ssi.”

As I said her name, Da-in smiled brightly. Looking at her gentle face, I asked what I had been wanting to ask.

“I fell here alone. If you’ve been watching me through this broadcast, do you perhaps know where my companions went? Did they escape from the dungeon?”

If they did indeed leave, if I was the only one who fell here, I might feel lonely for a moment but I would gladly be happy.

‘It’s better if even one more person escapes from this dangerous dungeon.’

Da-in blinked for a moment and then said,

“Ah, you mean those S-rank people? I know. Many people were interested because there were three S-rank individuals.”

However… Da-in trailed off. She seemed to hesitate for a moment before shaking her head.

“They probably couldn’t have escaped.”

A firm answer came back.

“I heard this dungeon is huge and there’s still a long way to go until it’s cleared. Your companions probably all fell in different places.”

“Ah…”

Is it strange?

If I say that here, I felt relief before a complicated feeling.

‘Maybe…’

Mungchi might be here too, right?

I didn’t ask about that.

It seemed unlikely that Da-in would know about that, and I didn’t think I could handle my disappointment if the answer was ‘no’.

“You said you were grateful to me.”

“Yes?”

“You said you wanted to repay me somehow, right?”

“Yes, yes!”

Instead, I made a different request.

“Then explain to me.”

“Explain? What…”

“Everything. From where this place is to how to survive here.”

Information.

Give me the information to survive here.

💎

So…

“First, the dungeon we just cleared was the very first dungeon. Second, the people who cleared the first dungeon are surviving here according to the rules of this dungeon. Third, everyone gathered here came voluntarily on their own feet. Is that right?”

I summarized the conversation we’d been having for nearly 30 minutes and asked finally.

Da-in nodded with an impressed look in her eyes.

“That’s right! Those who survived the first dungeon can come here.”

It was utterly disheartening.

After struggling so hard to survive, that dungeon was just the first one?

And we have to do more of these survival challenges?

💎

Thank you for reading! ♡