“Why the long face?”
I answered Yaksha’s question bluntly.
“Since when were we on such cheerful terms?”
“Heh heh. A fair point. But it’s hard to tell if that’s a face or a garbage can.”
“If you’ve seen the goods, let’s make the deal. You talk too much.”
Our conversations always went like this. There was no friendly banter between us; we always growled at each other as we conducted our business. Each time, a few of his subordinates, including Bi-soo, would give me anxious looks.
Don’t get on Yaksha’s nerves if you don’t want to die. That was the gist of it. But to Yaksha, I was a rather useful business partner.
What they feared would never happen. Well, I had my suspicions, after all. A sinister Ether always flowed from his body, but I never felt any killing intent.
It meant that while his words were harsh, he was enjoying our conversation in his own way.
“The rare herbs are in good condition this time as well. The old hag offered 480 million.”
“Good.”
“Did you know? Among the individuals who visit the black market, your profits are in the top one percent.”
“How would I know? Everyone else must be terrible at business.”
“Heh heh. Is that how you see it? You’re getting a bundle of cash, yet you still look miserable. I take it the item you want hasn’t shown up?”
‘That old hag…’
At Yaksha’s words, I shot a glare at the old woman standing behind him. It seemed she had reported to Yaksha that I had asked about the Gold Eternal Flower during a previous transaction. Whether it was because she couldn’t see, or she was just pretending not to know, the old hag just stood there with a blank expression.
“No need to glare like that. I’m just trying to give you some good information.”
“Information?”
“As you know, various waves are emitted before a dungeon is formed. It’s been quite a while since Monsters started appearing, and human technology has advanced accordingly. These days, we can measure the difficulty without entering, but just a few years ago, we had no choice but to go in and test it with our own bodies.”
“Getting a history lesson in the black market, am I?”
“Not long ago, a certain company made a proposal. They had a rather tempting story to tell.”
Yaksha, the true master of the black market. He was a man whose pride reached the heavens. He wouldn’t show interest in just any trivial matter.
And indeed, the proposal was as shocking to me as it must have been to him.
“They claimed they could predict the appearance of Poison Dungeons in advance.”
“!!!!!!”
That was impossible. No, I should rephrase that. Until now, it had been impossible.
If one could know in advance where a Poison Dungeon would open, it would be possible to clear it quickly and quietly. It meant I could achieve my goals without annoying hindrances like interference from other guilds or needing permission from the Association, as had happened recently.
It was an attractive proposition not just for me, but for the denizens of the black market who delved into dungeons from the shadows.
“It’s a bold proposal, and they have some nerve. To think of making a deal with the lord of the black market.”
“A man named Do I-su. I heard he’s the representative of a fairly large company.”
“Do I-su…”
The name felt strangely familiar. I felt like I had heard it before, but where?
“To prove their claim of advance prediction, they gave me a set of coordinates. They even had the audacity to warn me to be careful. Said it was a 7-star (★★★★★★★) Poison Dungeon.”
“7-star…!!”
My eyes shot open. Just as Yaksha said, the reason for my foul mood was my failure to obtain the item I wanted. Gold Eternal Flower (金永花).
I had scoured every Poison Dungeon within the Glory Guild, but because of their low difficulty, I hadn’t been able to find a single Gold Eternal Flower (金永花). But a 7-star Poison Dungeon? That was a place worth having expectations for.
Right.
Now I understood why Yaksha had come in person today, and why he’d been making so much useless small talk. The bastard intended to use me to verify whether this Do I-su was trustworthy.
“Isn’t it a truly fair deal? You get a location where you might find a Gold Eternal Flower, and we get to confirm whether this Do I-su fellow can be trusted.”
“Fair deal, my ass. I’m the one doing all the dirty work.”
“Whether you take it or not, the choice is yours.”
Damn bastard.
Yaksha was dangling a delicious piece of bait right in front of my eyes. But even without his proposal, raiding Poison Dungeons was my job. I had my promise with Supervisor Pyo Hyeok-gyu, and more importantly, I gained far too much from being inside them.
Even if, by some chance, the dungeon I entered wasn’t a Poison-type, there was nothing to lose. If it was an easy dungeon, I would just clear it. If it seemed difficult, I could just leave immediately.
“Fine. I’ll take it. I’ll check if it’s really a 7-star dungeon.”
“A good choice. You’re not as much of a coward as I thought.”
“Do I-su is one thing, but why do you trust me? What if I give you false information?”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. We’ll be sending a monitor of our own.”
“Sending? Who.”
Yaksha’s gaze shifted to one side. There stood Bi-soo, pointing a finger at herself as if to ask, ‘Me?’
“You’re sending Bi-soo with us?”
“That’s right. She may not look it, but Bi-soo has quite a bit of experience in Poison Dungeons. And this isn’t the first time she’s accompanied you.”
“That’s not what I’m asking.”
A 7-star dungeon was a hostile environment that even a decent Knight would struggle to endure. No matter how well one prepared with antidotes and safety gear, it was a level beyond what an ordinary person could handle. But Yaksha’s response was a masterpiece of callousness.
“Don’t worry. The protective gear we make here is better than what most Guild research labs produce. And if that girl happens to die, well, that would be proof that it’s a genuine 7-star dungeon.”
Is that something you should even be saying, I was about to retort, but Bi-soo walked up to Yaksha.
“I’ll be going now. Father.”
Good grief.
Was she fearless or just thoughtless?
“Since it’s a 7-star dungeon, I trust you’ll deduct a good amount for me.”
“…!”
So that’s what it was. Seeing the resolute look in Bi-soo’s eyes, I understood her intention. The ‘deduction’ Bi-soo spoke of was likely the debt she owed Yaksha.
Not her debt, but the one her father had incurred. Until that debt was paid, Bi-soo could never be free from Yaksha. Her gaze, filled with resentment, longing, and anxiety, was fixed on him.
Yaksha saw her expression, then grinned, baring his teeth.
“Of course. My deals are never false.”
“Please take care of me, Clan Leader!”
“Ah. Well, I…”
At any rate, her friendliness was top-notch. As soon as she met Iron Arm at the dungeon entrance, Bi-soo linked her arm with his and clung to him.
“Don’t worry too much. The antidotes you’re taking, Clan Leader, they’re all made by our company. If things get rough, poof, I can just hide.”
“Even so…”
Iron Arm clearly wasn’t at ease. It was only natural. He’d said that even he, a B-ranker, had lost sleep at night ahead of a 7-star dungeon raid.
But this red-haired woman was not even a Knight, but a ‘civilian’ without a Hunter license. She had the unique trait of being able to use Stealth, but that wasn’t much of an advantage in a Poison Dungeon.
“I said I’m fine, really. This place hasn’t been confirmed by the Hunter Association yet, so even if I die, there’s no one to hold responsible.”
“Haha. Well…”
Iron Arm seemed to find dealing with Bi-soo quite difficult. He was fidgeting, not even knowing where to look. It was understandable, with a stunningly beautiful woman in a form-fitting tracksuit pressed right up against him.
“Don’t mind her, Clan Leader. She’s here to do a job for her side. We should just focus on our own work.”
“Our work…”
“Yes. Isn’t it an important job?”
It seemed Iron Arm was thinking of someone. He bit his lip hard and looked Bi-soo straight in the eye.
“I will do my best to protect you. Don’t die.”
“Oh my… You’re so dependable, Oppa…!”
Give me a break. Bi-soo covered her mouth with both hands as if she were deeply moved. For me, who knew her usual personality, the scene was hard to endure.
“Let’s begin.”
I didn’t want to break the cheerful mood, but today’s dungeon was a place that would be difficult to clear without considerable resolve. To pay off a debt. To secure a Core.
To protect a family. A man and two women, each with a different purpose, finally opened the gate to the 7-star dungeon.
We call it ‘poison’ as a general term. But within it, there are countless varieties. Some have a fishy smell, while others give off a pungent sensation.
“Well, Do I-su was at least half right.”
“Right?”
The moment we entered, my nose and mouth felt scratchy. It was like inhaling a whole dust storm that had crossed the sea. A substance like chalk powder filled the air.
“Hunter Cheon Hae-seon. Are you really going to be okay?”
Iron Arm asked me, his own protective gear already on. He seemed genuinely worried about me standing there unprotected in this unbelievable atmosphere.
“My eyes sting a little, but it’s not a problem.”
“Clan Leader. You don’t need to worry about him, he’s not human.”
“Bi-soo. Don’t be like that, and stand behind me.”
Even a non-expert could tell this was a Poison Dungeon. The only question left was the dungeon’s difficulty. It would be a problem if only mediocre Monsters appeared.
The Gold Eternal Flower only appeared in high-rank dungeons. I needed Monsters of a sufficiently high ‘class’ to have any hope.
Thud. Thud.
“Oh. Is that an earthquake?”
The ground rumbled with a heavy, low sound. Soon, large shadows began to appear through the thick fog. Their massive bodies made it awkward to even call them living creatures.
Their limbs were angular and looked hard at a glance. Giant monsters covered in gray were walking towards us.
“…Right. This is the class I was hoping for.”
There was no need to worry about the ‘class’ being too low. The creatures that appeared in a group were none other than ‘Gray Golems.’
<Gray Golem / type - poison, Combat-class / Difficulty: 6-star (★★★★★★) / Physical Level: ‘A’ / Other Attributes: ‘C’ / Special Skill – Spatial Erosion: It forms a highly concentrated poison zone in the battle area. The longer the battle, the more rapidly the poison’s concentration increases.>
I guess this was to be expected of a 7-star dungeon. The normal Monsters here had a higher rank than the bat boss I faced when I was digging for the Copper Eternal Flower.
‘Spatial Erosion,’ huh.
Somehow, I felt like I understood it without needing an explanation. Even as they lumbered towards us, a chalky substance was spewing from their bodies. It would probably get worse during battle.
Ssh.
When I took a chemical out from my pocket, Iron Arm looked like he was about to faint.
“Hunter Cheon Hae-seon!! That’s too dangerous!! You won’t be able to handle that number alone!!”
“Have you already forgotten our promise?”
“?!”
Throughout our time in Poison Dungeons, Iron Arm had kept his promise well. The terms of the promise were simple. Do not doubt my abilities.
And focus on our respective roles. As always, my role in this 7-star dungeon was to beat the Monsters to death, and Iron Arm’s was to focus on mining minerals.
“Wow! They’re so huge! Clan Leader! Come over here!”
Seeing Bi-soo jumping up and down with excitement, the Clan Leader looked as if he’d seen a ghost. A healer who wielded a sword and went into battle. A Knight who spent his time mining.
A civilian who was too busy observing the Golems as if she were at a zoo. He must have thought this was some kind of ‘otherworldly dungeon’ team. -Gooooooooo! As soon as I applied the chemical to my body, the Golems roared and charged at me.
The reason Iron Arm was so startled was because of this chemical. He probably never imagined it could lure even those Golems to one spot. Thump thump thump thump.
‘Five… six…’
A quick count revealed about ten of them. From my perspective as a Poison-type, Monsters with high physical levels were relatively tricky opponents. But my experience fighting the Purple Scorpion in the past gave me clear direction for this battle.
“Come on, you dust bunnies.”
Fwoosh.
From the very start, I cast ‘Poison Step’ at maximum output and leaped into the midst of the Gray Golem pack.