Chapter 46 - Burning Dungeon (1)

It was unknown how long the Burning Period that opened in Ujangsan would last, but all the prominent sword families and guilds in the country had each gotten a turn to bid on a Burning Dungeon.

The Haewon Sword Family was one of them.

In a moment, we were scheduled to enter a C-grade Burning Dungeon with a 25-person limit.

“Are you all ready?”

“Of course! Unit Leader!”

Come to think of it, there weren't many cases as lucky as the ones who joined Chamryongdan.

After all, they got to participate in a Burning Dungeon raid right after joining, having beaten all the other sword units in the competition.

Generally, dungeon rewards were limited to only three types.

Mana Stones, Mana Runes, and Abyss Runes.

But in Burning Dungeons, items were sometimes given as rewards, which was an exception.

Of course, it was a matter of possibility, but that possibility was by no means small.

For that reason, the members standing in front of the dungeon portal all wore excited expressions.

This was not limited to just Chamryongdan.

Seo Ji-won’s Myeongundan, scheduled for a joint raid with us, was the same.

Since they were a much more experienced sword unit than us, they were maintaining stern expressions, but I knew that for most of them, it was also their first Burning Dungeon.

“Seo Ji-han.”

“What?”

“I’ve said it several times, but I will not allow you guys to hold our Myeongundan back.”

“Why are you worried about that?”

“Because Chamryongdan is full of rookies.”

“But I hope you keep this one thing in mind, brother. Our Chamryongdan came to this place as the reward for winning the competition fair and square.”

At these words, Seo Ji-won seemed at a loss for words for a moment.

To be honest, it was a contradictory statement.

It wasn't that Chamryongdan had won the competition, but that I alone had done well.

But since Seo Ji-won wouldn't want to point that out and admit it, it was just the right comment to shut him up.

“Anyway, even if Chamryongdan falls into a crisis, our Myeongundan will not step in. So I’m telling you to do well on your own.”

“That goes for both of us.”

The war of nerves between the unit leaders ended there, and the 25 members of the expedition began to enter the dungeon portal one by one.

Seo Ji-won was in the vanguard, and I was last.

The new world inside the dungeon was a dark coastline.

As an unexpected background unfolded, everyone seemed to be in a state of confusion.

“Why is it so dark!”

“It’s the middle of the night!”

The poor visibility was a constraint that could add a plus-alpha to the C-grade dungeon difficulty.

Of course, it didn't apply to me, but it was also true that it wasn't a pleasant environment for most.

And the dungeon message that was delivered to everyone.

[Annihilate the Skeleton army.]

[Upon annihilation, a boss room will be created, and only 2 people can enter the boss room.]

[Skeletons remaining: 200]

Compared to the E-grade dungeons I had experienced twice, the scale had grown significantly.

On top of that, there was a boss monster, so there was no need to mention the difference in difficulty.

“The personnel limit for the boss room is quite exquisite. What do you think, Chamryongdan leader?”

Seo Ji-won wore a satisfied expression after hearing the message.

The final boss room was a perfect setup for just the two unit leaders to enter.

His intention must be to overwhelm me splendidly there.

“I think so too.”

There was no need to ask what that thought was.

“Good. Then let’s have the two of us take care of the boss room, and we should leave the rest of the skeletons to the members.”

I also agreed.

Because a dungeon was a place where rewards were settled based on contribution.

Clatter!

Clatter!

Already, skeleton soldiers were walking towards us through the darkness.

There weren't many.

Only two of them.

They were probably sentries.

“I think it would be fine to send one person from each sword unit. What do you think?”

I nodded at Seo Ji-won’s words.

“Baek Ji-ah. Go and take care of it.”

“Understood, Unit Leader!”

Although it was a joint operation, it would definitely take on the aspect of a competition, so it was necessary to suppress Myeongundan’s spirit at the beginning.

Sending Choi Ho-joong or Shin Ah-yeon would be the most certain, but Baek Ji-ah was not a bad card either.

She had the most outstanding skills among the regular members.

‘The problem is that Seo Ji-won also sent a pretty competent guy.’

In fact, considering only the power visible through my ‘Mana Eyes’, Baek Ji-ah was slightly behind.

But combat wasn't always determined by mana capacity alone.

If that were the case, I would have died hundreds of times more after reincarnating as Seo Ji-han.

Clang!

Clang!

The battle began amidst everyone’s focused attention.

The skeleton soldier held a sword in one hand and a shield in the other, using both hands in a balanced way.

It was especially impressive how it exquisitely protected its body with the large shield.

Also, the loud clattering sound that rang out every time its joints moved was a part that revealed how busily the skeleton soldier was engaged in battle.

Clatter!

Clatter!

Thwaaaack!

The skeleton soldier neutralized Baek Ji-ah’s vertical slash attack by raising its shield.

Baek Ji-ah wore a slightly weary expression.

As expected, mana was not everything in battle.

The skeleton guys were showing more than what their possessed mana would suggest.

“They’re a bit different from the boneheads we’ve met so far.”

Seo Ji-won was just as surprised.

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, brother, but the grade assessment was wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

“Literally. This isn’t a C-grade dungeon.”

The grade assessment is done by the size of the mana detected from the dungeon portal.

It seemed this place was judged to be C-grade because of that, but the performance shown by the skeletons surpassed it.

“I’m not saying you’re right, but if that’s the case, it’s actually a good thing. C-grade was a bit disappointing.”

“Well, I agree with that.”

Just because the skeleton soldiers’ power exceeded expectations didn't mean it was a crisis.

Although it might take a little longer to clear.

Thwaaaack!

Once again, the dull sound of a sword and shield colliding echoed.

It wasn't just Baek Ji-ah who was struggling.

The Myeongundan swordsman was also unable to inflict any significant damage on the skeleton soldier.

This was a problem.

Right now they were only facing two, but if a large number of boneheads were to rush in, the aspect of the battle would change considerably.

“Baek Ji-ah, what are you fumbling around for? If the shield is bothering you, just break it.”

She narrowly dodged the skeleton soldier’s sword and asked.

“How, sir!”

“Don’t try to slash it, just pick one point and pierce it. The shield that thing is holding looks like it has poor durability.”

“Understood!”

But Seo Ji-won, who was listening from the side, just smirked.

“They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. Do you have any basis for saying that?”

“Do you think I, as a unit leader, would be spouting nonsense?”

“We’ll find that out soon enough.”

Seo Ji-won leisurely crossed his arms and watched the battle.

Thwaaaack!

Baek Ji-ah’s piercing attack was once again neutralized by the skeleton soldier’s shield.

The corner of Seo Ji-won’s mouth twitched once more.

An expression of someone holding back something they wanted to say.

On the other hand, there was not a hint of wavering in Baek Ji-ah’s expression.

She faithfully carried out my instructions.

This time too, it was another piercing attack.

Thwaaaack!

But the skeleton soldier once again raised its shield and perfectly blocked Baek Ji-ah’s attack.

And once more.

Thwaaaack!

“Still, you’ve trained your members well. To think they listen to their unit leader so well.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“But sometimes that can be poison. One can fall into danger by blindly trusting the leader’s words. If she keeps repeating only that monotonous piercing attack, the bonehead might read her pattern.”

Seeing as he was talking a lot, Seo Ji-won must be in a good mood now.

After evading the skeleton soldier’s sword, Baek Ji-ah once again thrust her sword without hesitation.

I liked it.

A firm belief in me. That would surely be rewarded.

“Tsk tsk.”

At the repetition of the same scene, Seo Ji-won clicked his tongue.

It was then.

Craaaaaack!

A refreshing sound that hadn’t been heard until now rang out.

The wooden shield, which had been so sturdy until now, shattered, spewing out fragments.

Baek Ji-ah’s sword, having penetrated the shield, pierced the bonehead’s chest.

Clatter!

The skeleton soldier, having allowed an attack, staggered for the first time.

“Huh!”

Seo Ji-won let out a gasp and said no more.

He no longer tried to meet my gaze.

So I added a word.

“Blind faith doesn’t seem so bad, what do you think, brother?”

I didn't really ask expecting an answer.

He wouldn't have anything to say anyway.

“...Let’s just watch for now.”

In fact, there was nothing to watch.

After being stabbed once by the sword, the bonehead’s mana began to fluctuate, and now it had become an ordinary low-grade monster.

Craaaaaack!!

In the end, Baek Ji-ah’s finishing blow caused the skeleton soldier to crumble, and it fulfilled its function as a monster.

[Skeletons remaining: 199]

Thinking she had completed her mission, Baek Ji-ah looked at me with eyes full of joy.

But this was a bit of a problem.

“What are you doing, Baek Ji-ah.”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t tell me you think it’s over? There’s one more left.”

The Myeongundan swordsman was still dealing with the skeleton soldier, but ownership of the monster had not been decided.

Seo Ji-won and I had only given the order to dispatch one person each according to the number of skeleton soldiers.

“Yes! I will finish cleaning up!”

Baek Ji-ah gripped her sword again and began hunting the bonehead, and Seo Ji-won did not put a stop to it.

With this, an unspoken rule was established.

“Don’t get cocky. You’ve only killed one first.”

“I know. It’s only one.”

Craaaaaack!!!

At that moment, Baek Ji-ah, who had ambushed the skeleton soldier from behind, succeeded in another hunt.

Once she got the momentum, there was no stopping her.

“Ah! Let me correct myself. We’ve only killed two first.”

I looked at Seo Ji-won and gave a slight smile.

***

Rattle!

Rattle!

Rattle!

The sound of the skeletons rushing in echoed loudly.

It was not a level of just a few.

The number would be on par with the 25 people who came on this dungeon expedition.

The real game had begun.

Still, one thing I liked was that we didn't need to go out of our way to find the skeletons.

“This time, you decide. How many to dispatch from each sword unit.”

Seo Ji-won was a gentleman in this aspect.

Even though he was the overall leader of this expedition, he never made decisions unilaterally.

Although he occasionally sneered, he recognized me as an equal, and this time he was passing the decision-making authority to me.

In that case, there was no reason to refuse.

“I think two from each sword unit would be appropriate.”

“What? Did you just say two?”

“Why? Not confident?”

Rattle!

Rattle!

The skeleton soldiers, charging with a loud noise, began to reveal their silhouettes.

As expected, the number was around thirty.

Seo Ji-won wore a serious expression.

“Is your opinion still unchanged?”

“Yeah, two is enough.”

Even if I couldn't say it would be a piece of cake, there wouldn't be much difficulty.

Those two would have pretty good chemistry, too.