Chapter 385

After hearing Yeo Juno's words, Choi Kyung-sik's arm, still holding me back, tightened slightly.

On the other hand, Woo Ragi, who had been gazing at the splintered debris that was once his ornament, glanced at me momentarily. His blazing gaze soon calmed down.

"[Sword Emperor]." In lieu of answering, Woo Ragi raised his sword.

Yeo Juno's eyebrows lifted up, as if he hadn't expected the other's tranquility, before quickly extending a chain-entwined arm. "If you think I'm bluffing... you'll regret it." Yeo Juno continued to make threats until the very end.

Woo Ragi gave him a wry, chilling smile, "Whatever you've done, I'll just do the same to you. That's that."

"Haha. You seem so relaxed."

"......"

"Well, I suppose it's no fun if you lose that fighting spirit." With that said, Yeo Juno slowly raised his extended arms.

The two faced each other without averting their gazes. Then, after a few seconds, Yeo Juno attacked with his chain first. "[Poison Technique]."

The chain crawled across the floor as if it were alive, rushing towards Woo Ragi. Woo Ragi avoided it with dexterous movements, launching counterattacks of his own.

At that moment, as Woo Ragi flung a dark-blue sword energy wave at Yeo Juno, he mouthed something. I tried to figure out what he was saying, but I clearly wasn't his intended recipient.

"It'd be better for us to rescue Garam-ie in the meantime," Choi Kyung-sik said.

Woo Ragi must have instructed Choi Kyung-sik to do something. The Alchemist nodded towards Woo Ragi before suddenly jumping back. Before I could react, the Alchemist stomped his foot on the place we had been sitting just earlier.

Boo-Boom-!

Then, with a loud noise, the ground beneath us began to sink, similar to when the Holy Statues were buried earlier. The speed at which the ground sank was quite dizzying, and even though I was securely held in Choi Kyung-sik's arms, I felt an eerie sensation of rapidly falling, as if I were free-falling down a well.

When my body became stiff, Choi Kyung-sik tried to soothe me, "Were you startled? To be honest, we're in a bit of a hurry. It'll be troublesome if Garam-ie stays in there." He gently pressed on my stiff back to calm me down. My heart was tickled by that affectionate gesture, but I was more relieved when it felt as if my paralyzed arm muscles were loosening.

I began to exhale calmly; Choi Kyung-sik kindly and patiently asked, "Do you see the circuit?"

Only then did I look around and notice the large space underneath the perforated soil ceiling.

Below the ground, there was an empty space-a bit like a subway tunnel. Perhaps this foundation was constructed when creating the dungeon.

Moreover, beyond the light seeping through the perforated ceiling, a subtle glow emanated from the walls. That light was what Choi Kyung-sik was pointing to.

'This... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before.'

I frowned at the deja vu, but no memory surfaced. However, Choi Kyung-sik didn't seem to expect a response and immediately touched the wall with his hand.

Then, a strange scene unfurled before my eyes. Complex letters and runic symbols appeared, carved intricately into the wall. Orange light flooded the gaps. "This is the circuit that supports the dungeon. It's connected to an energy source that powers and makes this dungeon operational."

"... En...ergy?" My rigid tongue slowly relaxed, and I was able to somewhat respond.

He nodded, understanding what I meant, "Yes. Normally, you can't 'enter' this area like we just did."

"...Then, how..."

"If you follow this path, you'll probably reach below where Garam-ie is being buried."

At those words, I could guess what was happening, "Don...Don't tell me..."

"That's right. When you're trapped in one of those cages, you become an energy source for the dungeon."

"What...?" As soon as I heard that, I recalled the withered body Woo Ragi had stuffed into his inventory. After becoming a werewolf, she was squeezed for energy-her magic power...

Choi Kyung-sik shook his head as if to calm me down when my eyes widened in shock, "He's already dead-it can't get any worse than that."

"H-How could you say something like that..."

"No, I mean... At worst, Garam-ie just won't be able to move, so don't worry too much."

"......"

Though his words were meant to reassure me, my tense expression didn't relax. Choi Kyung-sik looked at me before muttering, half in disbelief, half in admiration, "It's amazing that you're worried about Garam-ie at your level."

"I know, but..." I tried to retort-I wanted to protest on an emotional level. However, Choi Kyung-sik paid no mind and was already scanning our surroundings.

I followed Choi Kyung-sk around the underground passage we infiltrated. The path made by the shining walls ended in darkness, and there were no other threatening or suspicious structures along the way.

Nevertheless, Choi Kyung-sik didn't move on. There was a sense of wonder in his expressions as he looked around. "You know, it's suspicious. There's usually security where the circuitry is, but..."

"......"

"Maybe they don't have the resources? In anycase, that's good for us." Choi Kyung-sik carefully took what seemed to be a round marble out and threw it.

The marble made a heavy thud as it fell to the ground-it must be heavier than I expected. And, though we weren't on an incline, the marble began to slowly roll forward.

I looked in the direction of the marble as it rolled off into the distance. Though I didn't ask, Choi Kyung-sik explained what the item was to me, "The bead will alert us to any traps that react to movement. It's rolling well and hasn't stopped yet."

"......"

"They even made the ground level and uniform. Hmm... Why would they do something so foolish?"

That is to say, Choi Kyung-sik thought it was idiotic to make the direct road leading to an important device like an energy source easily traversable. Any complex dungeon could easily be damaged and rendered obsolete if intruders like us could easily access the energy cell.

'So easy...'

...Could we really approach our goal this easily?

I also had the same suspicions Choi Kyung-sik had. However, if we rethink this, perhaps they didn't expect us to reach this place. Perhaps they cleaned and organized this road for their own convenience. After all, this was the first time someone made a dungeon.

"In anycase, we have no choice but to look around. And the marble just reached the end. It seems like there's some locked off area not too far from here."

"......"

"Shall we go?" Choi Kyung-sik intended to continue carrying me. I wriggled my fingers and pushed at his shoulder.

He tilted his head for a moment but soon gently placed me down. Then, with a shameless smile, he asked, "See? You recovered quickly, right?"

"...You scammer."

"I think I'll be getting compliments from Guild-master-nim."

I shot him a glare at his cheeky comment but, to be honest, his actions allowed me to overcome our most recent crisis without any major injuries. So, I merely hurried to follow when his steps accelerated.

We walked towards the maw of deep darkness that stretched out before us; though Choi Kyung-sik walked half a step ahead of me, his slender back looked somehow strong and reliable today.

* * *

'...We arrived quickly...'

Less than ten minutes after we began to walk in the dim light created by the mana circuit, we were able to reach the device that we suspected was trapping Garam-ie.

Upon arrival, there were no other suspicious machinery or guards. Just a long, vertical passageway in this empty space, and above that transparent passage, I could see Garam-ie stuck in the ground, motionless, from below.

However, a large lock hung on the door connecting to the passageway and the cage.

Choi Kyung-sik, who left me at a distance from the lock, looked carefully at it. Then, after his eyes glinted momentarily, he spoke as if he couldn't comprehend something, "Is it really this easy...?"

"What is it?"

"They've made this so sloppily. It only has seven locking mechanisms... Isn't this too conventional?"

"......" I thought to myself whether or not seven locks was really such shabby security. Then, frowning, I called out to him, "Enough-hurry up and solve it."

"It feels weird..." Choi Kyung-sik, looking incredibly dubious, agonized before eventually taking out a flask covered with skull stickers.

As he dropped a few drops of the liquid from the flask, the lock froze and turned transparent, as if made of glass. When white vapor rose from the lock, Choi Kyung-sik flicked his finger.

Cr-r-r-ack-!

Then, soon, cracks appeared all over the lock.

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TL: "He's already dead, it can't get much worse than that."

Honestly, Choi Kyung-sik would normally be so valid, but like I feel like this world can create some crapshoot "fates worse than death" situations for its characters.

Case in point: being an immortal werewolf battery for a dungeon.