Chapter 128
Inside the natural cave filled with stalactites.
Splash, splash.
Fully armed knights were walking through the puddles on the uneven ground. Following behind them, soldiers periodically set up torches to secure their visibility.
“Set up camp here.”
When Raul reached a suitable open space, he gave the command.
“This is as far as we go. We wish you success, master.”
The knights placed a fist to their chests, showing their respect to Raul, and then directed the soldiers.
“Now, the attack team, this way.”
Only two people gathered in response to Raul’s call. It wasn’t exactly a grandiose lineup deserving the name of an attack team.
“We are ready, master.”
Ken, who was equipped with a short spear and buckler for dungeon exploration, stepped forward in black armor. The armor was made of a unique material that was neither leather nor metal; it was crafted from the shell of an Armored Scorpion they had faced during a gate attack.
Despite being much lighter than leather armor, it was stronger than metal armor, receiving high praise from knights who had tried it on. Unfortunately, due to insufficient materials, it couldn’t be mass-produced yet. However, if the materials could be reliably sourced from dungeons, it was planned to be adopted as official equipment.
“To be able to explore the dungeon again with the master! It is truly an infinite honor!”
The other team member was a very energetic individual. Having persistently hovered around Raul since entering the cave to make an impression was Josh. A former C-rank mercenary who had joined the First Knight Order, Josh had shown remarkable growth, fitting his title as a former candidate for Mercenary King.
Moreover, thanks to the guidance from Jake, who had taken a keen interest in him, Josh had advanced from an intermediate-level sword user to the initial stage of an expert.
However, due to his free-spirited and peculiar personality, he preferred missions outside rather than internal duties even after joining the knight order. Thus, he was currently acting as the commander of the Thurium branch forces and the dungeon attack team.
“It’s been a while, Sir Josh. Has it been a couple of months since your knight order?”
“It’s been two months and three days! I have been eagerly awaiting the next time we would meet, and I never expected you would actually come! I, Josh, will give my utmost to serve you today, Master!”
Josh patted his chest confidently. He then discreetly took something out.
“Here, I have kept the magic lamp you entrusted to me safe and sound. I will light your path brightly today as well, Master!”
Raul couldn’t help but be impressed. To think that there would be a character with maxed-out social skills in Connect.
Had Josh only been good at flattery, Raul would have lost interest, but surprisingly, Josh had a very good reputation. His superior, Jake, had already melted under his charm, and he had considerable trust from his subordinates.
At first glance, he seemed clumsy, but perhaps due to his quick wits, his situational judgment and response speed on the battlefield were swift. And having gone through the life of a mercenary, he took good care of his subordinates, ensuring he had a good reputation.
“Haha, Josh is full of energy today as well. But this time, I think we’ll need more than your lamp.”
As Raul said this, a dozen magical lights rose simultaneously, illuminating the entire cave.
“How’s that? Is the lighting sufficient?”
“Yes. Thanks, Rabel.”
Rabel, wearing a black office dress today, appeared over Raul’s shoulder.
“This, this can’t be! Is Rabel-nim accompanying us today? I, Josh, am blinded by your beauty! I would never let…”
“Josh, are you going to be this noisy during the exploration too?”
“No, sir!”
Josh zipped his mouth shut. However, his expression showed inexplicable happiness as he looked at Rabel.
‘It’s a bit quieter now.’
Ken slightly bowed her head to Rabel and then quietly waited for Raul to speak.
“Then I’ll briefly explain the attack strategy.”
As Raul continued his explanation, Josh kept nodding as if it was obvious, but Ken’s expression gradually darkened. When the explanation ended, Ken spoke with a slightly displeased expression.
“But if we do it that way, it’s no different from the Master attacking alone. I don’t want to be a burden to you, Master.”
‘I expected this kind of reaction.’
It was only natural for an expert-level knight to be dissatisfied when tasked with dealing with the stragglers at the rear. That’s why I discussed it in advance yesterday….
“Ahem. Sir Ken?”
At that moment, Josh cautiously spoke up.
“What is it, Sir Josh?”
“Is this your first time attacking a dungeon with the Master?”
“Yes, it is.”
Josh then smiled lightly and said, “Then just follow the Master’s instructions for now. You’ll understand soon enough once you experience it yourself.”
“… What do you mean by that?”
But before Josh could answer, Raul interrupted.
“Let’s set off. If we want to complete the attack today, we need to hurry.”
“Yes, Master.”
And so, Raul’s party, consisting of three humans and a fairy, began their attack on ‘Zeinak’s Dungeon.’
* * *
Schwaaar! Swish!
Brilliant golden lines decorated the air.
“Kiaaaak!”
Transparent specters were sliced into dozens and hundreds of pieces by those golden lines, letting out high-pitched screams.
Whir. Ting!
As their bodies disintegrated into small particles, small gem-like objects fell to the dungeon floor, sparkling.
‘What, what is this?’
Ken was dumbfounded, mesmerized by the dazzling spectacle of golden light before her eyes. Her short spear, hanging limply towards the ground, reflected her state of mind.
The infamous entrance of the dungeon, known for traps and labyrinths, was virtually a free pass. Leading the group at the front, Raul navigated the dungeon with proficiency as though he had designed it himself.
His perception did not miss a single trap, and with the combination of system mapping, Rabel’s orientation-detection magic, and Josh’s intuition, the labyrinth turned into an ordinary alleyway.
The group, having breezed through the entrance, was met by a small room with two statues and a rectangular corridor beyond it. This corridor was notoriously known as the ‘No Return Passage,’ which had claimed numerous adventurers.
It was the official entryway into the dungeon. One of the statues in the room had a name inscribed on it – ‘Zeinak,’ the namesake of the dungeon.
Zeinak stood with his bare hands clenched into fists, while the statue beside him held a broken spear. Despite the statues being weathered and worn over the years, their forms were still easily recognizable.
Ken couldn’t take her eyes off the statues for a while, but they remained lifeless, having witnessed countless adventurers before. Passing through the corridor, the terrain reverted to a natural cave-like appearance, and the real assault began from that point.
“From now on, we’ll be moving properly. Don’t fall behind. Josh, you know what to do, right?”
“Of course, Master! Leave the rear to me!”
Ken was puzzled as the tempo of the two suddenly changed.
‘Weren’t we already moving fast enough?’
As if mocking her thoughts, Raul began demonstrating his true skills. Nearly a hundred palm-sized throwing knives spread out around Raul, slicing through everything that approached the group.
The difference from their past gate attacks was the sheer number of throwing knives he controlled. Additionally, the energy imbued in each blade was now far more potent than before.
While the throwing knives used to contain a small amount of mana, now the energy was so intense that it formed a visible aura, like mana blades.
‘As expected of the Master! He gets stronger every time I see him. I must stay by his side for my own genius to shine too….’
Josh’s eyes were filled with admiration and longing. Meanwhile, his hands swiftly collected the falling gem-like objects faster than the eye could follow.
Whack, cling.
If it weren’t for the fact that his hands held tongs and not swords, anyone watching would have thought him a peerless expert. Josh noticed Ken standing dazedly. Despite being a top-level knight to him, her lack of experience was evident, and he needed to guide her well.
“Sir Ken! If you stay dazed like that, you won’t be able to keep up with the Master. Put away that useless short spear and start collecting the fallen items quickly!”
Josh’s shout brought Ken back to her senses. She glanced at the tongs in his hand and asked, “Are you telling me to use tongs?”
“Are you just going to watch? Surely you aren’t thinking of joining the battle after witnessing this scene, are you?”
Ken looked up at the golden throwing knives surrounding them and then down at her short spear, sighing deeply.
‘I didn’t come into the dungeon for this….’
Seeing Ken dejectedly putting her weapon back into her inventory, Josh nodded understandingly and handed her an extra pair of tongs he had prepared.
“Unless you’re a top-level knight, it’s difficult to assist the Master in battle. Instead, if we collect the loot like this, the attack speed increases, which pleases the Master.”
Raul had other reasons for bringing Ken, but Josh, unaware of these, naturally misunderstood that Ken, like him, was there to collect loot.
Regardless, it was true that Raul found it much easier with the two of them collecting the ‘Spirit Stones’ dropped by the specters.
‘The locations are slightly different, but the inside of the dungeon hasn’t changed.’
Meanwhile, Raul leisurely moved through the dungeon, examining various spots as if he was reminiscing. If not for the throwing knives surrounding him, one might think he was out for a casual stroll.
Zeinak’s Dungeon.
Located near the capital of the Ruben Kingdom, this dungeon was the first one Bae Dohyun had cleared in his previous life. Despite being quite well-known, countless adventurers and noble families’ forces had attempted to conquer it but tasted defeat in this highest-difficulty dungeon.
The reason why solo player Bae Dohyun could conquer such a dungeon was because it was a special dungeon designed exclusively for ‘psychokinitics’.
Zeinak, known as an ancient Fist Master or Combat Master, was, in reality, a psychic.
This dungeon was a kind of testing ground he had prepared for future psychokinitics, and due to the disappearance of psychokinitics from the Connect continent for various reasons, no one had been able to clear it.
‘And the protagonist of the other statue, who was known to be a close friend of his, is the ancestor of the Marquis Greer’s family.’
In his previous life, Bae Dohyun didn’t know this, so he could only retrieve Zeinak’s legacy. But this time, things were different. The reason Raul had specifically brought Ken along was precisely because of this.
‘It would be much faster to attack alone, but I can’t just leave the treasure in front of me behind, can I?’
In her previous life, Ken had found the dungeon later yet still managed to obtain her ancestor’s legacy, which helped her reach the rank of Spear Master.
But this time, Raul planned to guide her to the legacy much earlier.
By doing so, the benefit Raul would gain was not merely turning another subordinate into a master.
‘The Greer Marquis family. A hidden dragon family that’s currently biding its time, waiting to rise again—bringing them to our side would be invaluable.’
However, all this hinged on Raul’s plans proceeding as intended.
Feeling a bit anxious, Raul’s walking pace began to quicken.
‘Ugh, Master! You’re too fast!’
Sweat continuously dripped from Josh’s forehead as he hurriedly followed, clutching the tongs.
(To be continued)