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Chapter 566: Mountain of Swords (5)

Dalqui, Duke Izori’s younger brother; the third son of the Miras family; Ragtari’s chef; and the second son of Garn, the duel-famed clan.

Yeongwoo felt like he’d made two days’ worth of connections in this dungeon tonight.

“This isn’t possible.”

When Yeongwoo muttered that, Venura Garn, who was draped over his shoulder, lifted his head.

—What do you mean it’s not possible?

“This dungeon.”

— …?

“How can so many scions of noble families be gathered here? Statistically it makes no sense.”

Venura sighed lightly at Yeongwoo’s remark.

—You really are an idiot.

“What?”

—This is an artifact dungeon.

“Why does that matter?”

As Venura said, the dungeon’s rank was “Artifact.”

[The Aesthetics of the Circle]

| Dungeon Rank: Artifact

| Difficulty: B

| Required Players: 8

| Recommended Players: 32

*If everyone takes it easy a little, everyone can survive.

But what does the dungeon grade have to do with why the heirs of noble houses gather here?

—Those who undertake family journeys have to visit artifact dungeons at least once. If it’s below that rank, it doesn’t count as a journey.

“Seriously? There’s such a thing?”

Only then did Yeongwoo properly understand why Alden Miras had come here.

“And you? Are you also on a family journey?”

When Yeongwoo asked, Venura smiled sharply.

—We don’t do that kind of foolishness. But we do come to hunt the ones who are completing their journeys.

“You’re complete jerks.”

In short, Venura Garn had come to this place to pick fights with the noble heirs who were doing their family journeys.

—Still, I came for the thrill of dueling, not to be a thief.

“…Is he talking about me?”

—Yeah. But besides you, there are plenty of people who come to dungeons to pick the pockets of noble kids.

“That figures.”

After all, dungeons are dangerous places.

That’s why Lady Kanaph was left here in the first place.

“Then the remaining one is likely also an aristocrat or a noble child, huh?”

—Could be a bandit.

“A bandit? That would actually make things easier.”

Criminals follow the law of power more straightforwardly, and they usually have a long list of crimes.

In short, that would make them an opponent Yeongwoo could hit without worry.

“Wait. Then there must be dungeons above artifact rank, right?”

According to the universe’s equipment grading system, above Artifact are Unique, Epic, Legendary, and Mythic.

Judging by the tool-tip on one of the bastard’s special functions, “despise the weak,” it seemed something beyond Mythic existed too.

【Contempt for the weak】

|This sword's attack can only be blocked with mythic or higher equipment.

“So dungeon ranks go up the same way as equipment? Above Artifact there’s Unique dungeons and so on?”

Venura nodded.

—Probably.

“Probably?”

—I’ve seen Unique dungeons, but I haven’t seen the ranks beyond that.

Then Venura added in an undertone.

—From what I heard at the Twelve-Sword Council, Epic dungeons definitely exist.

“Then Legendary and Mythic dungeons probably exist somewhere too. Have you ever been to a Unique dungeon?”

—I only witnessed one. I didn’t go in.

“…Why? Because you were scared?”

Yeongwoo asked teasingly, but Venura avoided giving a straightforward answer.

—Let’s just say I was.

“What kind of answer is that.”

Anyway, even heirs of dueling clans wouldn’t dare challenge Unique dungeons.

A picture was beginning to take shape in Yeongwoo’s mind.

‘Even the ones who travel the universe usually only go as far as Artifact dungeons. Above that, it’s more like unknown territory.’

That family-journey requirement generally being an Artifact dungeon reinforced that idea.

“So what kind of monsters roam Unique dungeons? Or are the dungeons themselves just tougher?”

—I don’t know. I haven’t been inside.

“What? But you said you heard there are Epic dungeons at the Twelve-Sword Council?”

—People are tight-lipped about what happens inside dungeons. You risked your life to get that info, so of course you don’t share.

“Ugh. Still, if you survived you could share, couldn’t you?”

Yeongwoo could sense it.

‘Damn, this smells like a honey pot.’

Of course, that also meant it must be dangerous.

Experienced people kept quiet about dungeon details so they could have an edge the next time they challenged a dungeon.

‘But even so, given there are many dungeon types, it’s not like you get the same dungeon again… Is there some other reason?’

He’d probably have to challenge a Unique or higher dungeon himself to answer that question.

And he was sure there were dungeons those big-shot, chairman-level types entered.

‘Right — the chairman personally brought back the weapon catalog, didn’t he?’

Come to think of it, codices are usually not transferable, yet the chairman handed it out like a snack.

‘What the hell, that guy just broke the system rules.’

Precisely, he’d ignored the catalog system.

How was that even possible?

‘If you’re a level-3, can you get away with that? Or is there something else in the higher dungeons…?’

While Yeongwoo walked along the dungeon’s outer wall pondering, Lady Kanaph, who had been hanging from his shoulder, blinked.

—Hmm?

She then climbed off Yeongwoo’s shoulder and stared intently at something.

“What is it?”

—Uh…!

Lady Kanaph’s mouth opened wide.

Yeongwoo instantly guessed she’d spotted a participant — probably the dungeon’s last entrant.

“Where?”

When Yeongwoo tilted his head to look where she pointed, she indicated to the right with a finger.

—I think I saw something there.

“You think you saw something?”

—My vision felt off for a moment. Maybe it’s an illusion.

“Seeing things suddenly isn’t a good sign.”

But Yeongwoo moved slowly toward the direction Lady Kanaph had pointed.

If she suddenly sensed something at this moment, it very likely meant there really was something there.

“Be careful. This is a dungeon where you need to gather four limbs to get out. If someone’s been walking alone until now….”

There were two possibilities.

Either they were an incredible coward, or they were a skilled person waiting for the decisive moment.

“Of course I don’t need to be careful. The one who needs to be careful is….”

She was about to finish with “everyone,” when something flickered into Yeongwoo’s sight.

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“…!”

The space ahead had just warped for an instant.

At almost the same moment, Venura screamed and rolled off Yeongwoo.

Thwack!

—A cloaking field…!

“A cloaking field?”

Before Yeongwoo could ask, the warped space parted like the flap of a tent.

Swoosh.

From inside, a gray metallic object sped out with incredible velocity.

Skkk!

‘A spear…!’

Before Yeongwoo could fully register what the object was, the holographic guide drew a red line across his forehead and warned him.

It meant the projectile was about to pierce his skull.

“Fuck, who the hell is this?”

But what was Jeong Yeongwoo07 known for?

His right eye was filled with the Void.

「Ominous Eye」 – Void Eyeball

【Insight ability increased by 50%.】

【Sensory stats increased by 40%.】

【Ashen Gaze】

“Huah!”

Yeongwoo, who could accurately read the path of the ultra-high-speed projectile, let out a short cry and successfully batted the spear aside.

Clang!

Then the very space that had been quivering lifted as a whole.

Thwack.

“Eh?”

When Yeongwoo saw that, he couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

The opponent had been wearing an invisibility cloak.

Underneath the cloak revealed a gaunt blue-skinned, three-eyed figure; a thornlike beast-claw tattoo spread across the bare chest revealed under the cloak.

—Oh?

Recognizing the figure, Venura, who was lying on the ground catching his breath, made a surprised sound.

The three-eyed one glanced at Venura, then looked at the emblem on his shoulder and murmured.

—Garn…? What are you doing there?

As expected, distinguished noble families recognized each other.

“Those jerks… acting like they all know each other?”

Irritated at the nobles’ private little society, Yeongwoo tightened his grip on Bastard, and the three-eyed figure aligned the twin swords he was holding in both hands.

Clack!

‘What the—how does that combine?’

Then he awkwardly shifted his body backward and, holding the aligned twin blades in one hand, the blades at both ends extended in huge arcs.

Sssss!

“…”

As the familiar shape took form in an instant, Yeongwoo’s eyebrows twitched.

What the three-eyed man had just made was a large bow.

A warbow whose limbs were made of blades.

Creak!

The three-eyed one drew the transparent string taut, and the holographic guide began spitting out an emergency warning in Yeongwoo’s field of view.

It indicated a highly concentrated energy bolt was about to pierce the chest.

“Ah, shit.”

Since the three-eyed one’s preparation seemed complete, Yeongwoo didn’t charge in but instead shouted to Lady Kanaph.

“Hold on tight!”

—Wh-what…? Hold on to what?

Before the flustered woman could answer, Yeongwoo grabbed Lady Kanaph’s chunky waist and shoved her forward hard.

Thwack!

Like a basketball pass.

—Whaaa?

Thanks to that, Lady Kanaph and the Aratubank were launched like cannonballs and at almost the same moment the three-eyed one released the string.

Thwack.

The energy arrow the bow produced collided with the launched Aratubank and exploded.

Boom!

—Aaaaargh!

Amid the explosion, Lady Kanaph’s scream was heard.

She was already being flung far away with the Aratubank.

—What in the…?

The three-eyed one looked bewildered by the unexpected scene, and Yeongwoo, who’d closed the distance rapidly, grabbed the bow.

Smash!

While the Aratubank and Lady Kanaph collided with the arrow, Yeongwoo had already closed in.

“Don’t worry about the lady. Screaming means she’s alive.”

—…What?

They were so close their breaths could be felt, and the three-eyed one hastily dropped the bow and tried to slip backward.

Whoosh.

But Yeongwoo’s Artari knee moved faster than the three-eyed one could withdraw.

Thwack, wham!

—Ugh!

The blue body of the three-eyed one folded up.

Because he was still wearing the invisibility cloak, the space around him looked oddly bent.

Yeongwoo hooked the opponent’s leg to trip him and shoved the bastard forward.

Whap!

“Stop right there. If you move any further, I’ll assume you’re offering me money.”

—W-what are you talking about?

The three-eyed one looked confused by the nonsensical remark, and Venura, who was regaining his legs nearby, quietly advised.

—First, survive so you can avenge yourself later. I think you should take off that cloak quickly.

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