Chapter 119
Th i s w as c o p i e d fr om k in g m t l . o rg
The Korokoro Tribe’s Village (2)
Over a thousand years have passed since the dawn of the magical era. However, there are still vast, uncharted territories that mages have yet to conquer.
‘What lies beyond the sky?’
‘Is it theoretically possible to turn back time with magic?’
‘Can mana particles truly be observed?’
…and so on. Even now, countless magical scholars are delving into these mysterious fields, but as expected of the so-called ‘unknown realms,’ answers remain elusive.
Among these unknowns, one particularly enigmatic phenomenon baffled even the magical society: ‘dungeons.’
What exactly is a dungeon?
Unlike the Persona Gate, which borrows power from the other world, dungeons are a peculiar phenomenon that occurs ‘naturally.’
Some dungeons were created by ancient mages, while others formed due to spatial distortions, turning into dungeons.
Despite the variety of dungeons, they all share one common feature:
‘Once you enter, you cannot escape until you destroy the core that maintains the dungeon’s form.’
Unlike the Persona Gate, which requires achieving a special objective, the purpose of dungeons is straightforward.
Clearing a dungeon often grants permanent stat increases or expands the maximum capacity of mana, offering rare rewards that money can’t buy. Hence, every mage in this world is keen on dungeons.
I am no exception.
Although I lack mana, I can still aim for the other stat increases.
Moreover, there’s a chance to obtain ‘artifacts’—ancient relics different from the ‘items’ developed in this era—making it worthwhile to enter any dungeon if possible.
Of course…
Dungeons don’t just appear whenever you want.
A place that was an ordinary empty lot yesterday might suddenly have a dungeon entrance appear at dawn, or specific conditions might need to be met for one to open, making dungeons quite random.
As such, even professional treasure hunters often struggle to find them, so it’s not too unusual for a student from the prestigious Stella Academy to discover one.
“A dungeon, huh. So there are just the three of you?”
Instructor Lee Han-wol asked as he carefully reviewed the ‘dungeon exploration application form’ I submitted. Ma Yuseong, Hae Wonryang, and I nodded.
“Yes.”
“Three of the most notable individuals are going on an outing. Be mindful of paparazzi.”
I hadn’t experienced anything like that in the game, but apparently, somewhat famous mages are as popular as celebrities, and paparazzi might follow them.
Likely, both Ma Yuseong and Hae Wonryang received tremendous attention from the first year due to their genius and almost sculpted beauty, which seemed to defy human standards.
“Especially you, Baek Yu-seol.”
T hi s w as c o p ie d f r o m king mtl . o r g
“Yes?”
“You need to be particularly careful.”
“Why?”
“Didn’t you hear what I just said? Don’t get caught up in unnecessary scandals by the paparazzi; just quietly clear the dungeon and come back.”
“…Don’t you usually give a proverb in situations like this?”
“What proverb? Just take care of yourselves.”
He used to be a bit cold, but I recall he’d worry about us more in the past…
“Anyway, try to return by the weekend. If three days pass, I’ll send a rescue team.”
“Understood.”
From the second year onward, students could receive special missions, allowing them to skip classes for an entire week, but first-year students couldn’t do that yet. We were still considered rookies.
Hence, the three of us were allowed to leave for dungeon exploration.
During the weekends, both staff and students crowded for outings, so we departed early in the morning, quickly escaping via a warp hole gate.
The warp hole was a convenient means of transportation, but unlike Earth’s KTX, it wasn’t everywhere, so Aether World’s primary means of transport remained airships and trains.
Given that our destination was quite remote, we had to transfer trains frequently, where Hae Wonryang proved invaluable.
“With a Black Members ticket, we can go directly from the 17th Red Line to the Adel Station platform without transferring trains.”
“Really? Let’s do that then.”
“The current train doesn’t go to the final stop, so we should skip it. It might be better to book seats separately since the ride quality is much better with another company.”
“Uh… let’s do that.”
Riding the trains in Aether World made me realize how incredibly convenient and simple South Korea’s subway system was.
Aether World’s train system was a tangled web, to say the least.
Unlike modern apps, which tell you the train’s arrival time, transfers, and the shortest routes, Aether World’s trains required extensive knowledge for even the most basic navigation.
But Hae Wonryang seemed to understand the train system exceptionally well.
Out of curiosity, I checked Hae Wonryang’s information through the Bulbul Glasses.
One particular trait stood out.
[Secretly a train enthusiast]
…He was quite an interesting fellow. Though he didn’t show it, he secretly enjoyed a peculiar hobby. Showing him ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ would probably drive him wild.
The information recorded in the Bulbul Glasses varied by gender.
Th i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i ng m t l. or g
No matter how much veterans enjoyed battlefield combat and monster hunting, the game’s essence remained a ‘female-oriented romance simulation,’ hence the male characters’ profiles included many of their personal interests.
Hmm…
While waiting on the platform to transfer trains, we fell into an awkward silence.
Naturally, the three of us weren’t close.
Ma Yuseong and Hae Wonryang were rivals and barely engaged in private conversations, and without Aiselle, Ma Yuseong and I were quite awkward as well.
Using the Bulbul Glasses’ information, I tried to ease the tension.
“Hey, there’s a tteokbokki stand over there. Feeling hungry? Want to grab a bite?”
One of Hae Wonryang’s traits was a strong liking for street vendor food, but he seldom indulged due to his elite self-awareness.
“…I’ll pass.”
As expected, Hae Wonryang coldly refused, trying to convey, ‘I don’t eat such cheap food,’ but Ma Yuseong smiled broadly and nodded.
“I’d like that. I’ve been curious about such food.”
“See? He’s interested.”
At Ma Yuseong’s response, Hae Wonryang shook his head in disdain but said,
“Since the majority agreed, I suppose I have no choice.”
He was probably the most excited of us all.
We ordered tteokbokki, soondae, and fish cakes, having quite a feast.
It was not a peaceful meal. There was a minor dispute over ‘what to dip the soondae in.’
“Soondae should be dipped in tteokbokki sauce. Don’t you have taste buds? How can the heir of the Great Tower of the Full Moon have no sense of taste? The heavens must be lamenting.”
“Soondae should be dipped in salt. That’s how it was meant to be eaten.”
“Hey, guys. Soondae tastes great with chogochujang…”
“Shut up.”
“You shut up.”
“Ugh.”
In any case, Hae Wonryang’s cool attitude and rigid mannerisms didn’t mesh well with me.
We eventually managed to board the final train.
[Mestel Transcontinental Train]
[Tozmik Ho]
[Last Car]
Finally, we reached our destination.
The entrance to the dungeon was connected to the last car of the Tozmik Ho.
As mentioned before, dungeons spawn spontaneously and unpredictably. No one knows why the entrance to the ‘Korokoro Tribe’s Village’ dungeon appeared in the last car of the Tozmik Ho.
In the game, it was just a hidden piece, but in reality, it was accepted as a natural phenomenon.
‘I can finally rest.’
T h i s wa s co p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l. or g
Since there was still some time before the dungeon entrance opened, I closed my eyes for a short rest.
* * *
The Tozmik Ho consisted of nine cars. It wasn’t a particularly large train, and since the transcontinental trips via Mestel had low ridership due to the poor ride quality, few people boarded the Tozmik Ho.
“Humming~”
Azmick Costalin hummed as she applied black nail polish to her nails. The man sitting next to her, Calavin, spoke irritably.
“Azmick. That smell is awful.”
“Just bear with it for a little while. I had to use seven of my nails hunting a magic warrior the other day, so I have no choice.”
“You always find the most bothersome things to do…”
Azmick and Calavin.
At first glance, they appeared to be a human and a dwarf, respectively, but they were, in fact, Dark Mages who had given their souls to the other world.
Azmick was in an unusually good mood.
Since infiltrating human society, she had especially enjoyed human culture, and ‘traveling by train’ had become one of her hobbies.
Though her partner, Calavin, found it all quite annoying.
“I wouldn’t mind catching and devouring a magic warrior.”
T h i s w as cop ie d f r om k i ng mtl . org
“Are mages that tasty?”
“They’re tastier than beasts. Even while being eaten, they use their brains and mana to survive. Do you understand how fresh that living mana tastes?”
“Hmmm, I don’t know!”
Not that she cared.
Azmick was a vegetarian.
Zing-!
Azmick’s pocket buzzed as she carefully applied her nail polish. Since she couldn’t put down her nail polish, she asked Calavin.
“Could you get that for me?”
T his wa s c o p i e d f r o m k i n gm t l .or g
“I don’t want to touch your disgusting body.”
“Aww, you’re so mean.”
She had no choice but to set down the nail polish after finishing only five nails. Azmick pulled out a small, square box from her pocket.
Click! Opening it, space twisted, and letters appeared in mid-air.
-Azmick, Calavin.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m ki n g m t l . o r g
“Yes, yes, checking in!”
-Report your current location.
“Hmmm, let’s see.”
Azmick peered out the window and said,
“I see trees and mountains outside!”
-…Stop joking around.
“I told you we’re on a trip to Mestel.”
-Then you must be on the Tozmik Ho. What’s the exact train number?
Th is w a s c op i ed fr o m k i n g m t l . o rg
“1097.”
This time, Calavin answered. Satisfied, the message flickered a few times before updating.
-You’re in luck. Sorry to interrupt your trip, but this is an order from the Moonshadow Church. Immediately detach the last car of the train.
-Three Stella cadets are on board.
“Really? But the Moonshadow Church issued a mission just to catch some Stella cadets?”
-We don’t know either. There might be a special cadet among them.
Anyway, if you successfully complete the mission, you’ll get an additional week of vacation. Good luck.
This w as c op i ed f r o m k i n gm tl . o r g
Click!
As soon as the connection was cut, Azmick excitedly turned to Calavin.
“Did you hear that? A week-long vacation!”
“No extra pay?”
“A week-long vacation!”
“Ugh, I hate doing free missions… those kids won’t even taste good.”
“A week-long vacation!”
“Fine, damn it. Let’s just get this over with quickly.”
Calavin cracked his neck and stood up.
T his w a s co p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l.o rg
No matter how talented the Stella cadets were…
In the end, they were just cadets.
They probably wouldn’t even make a decent snack, but hopefully, they’d taste okay, thought Calavin as he headed to the back of the train with Azmick.
End of Chapter