Episode 69 No.104 Black Sand Room (1)
Even though it was only the entrance, the security in the depths was extremely tight.
There are outposts for faculty and staff at regular intervals, and the number of crystal balls embedded in the ceiling is more than twice that of the basement.
Besides, there are only two third-year leaders who stand out right away.
It seems to be patrolling, moving regularly around a certain area.
Can we get through here?
‘I think those two would be fine.’
If it’s Dang Gyu-young and Chae Da-bin, there’s a high chance of success.
At the time of the temporary storage facility invasion, it was difficult to even break through one third-year leadership group, but the situation is different now.
That hell-dead senior was standing guard in front of the storage room door, but they didn’t know that we were going to invade here tonight, and that our target was number 104.
If you keep an eye on all the dungeons lined up in a wide space, there will inevitably be gaps.
For someone as skilled as Dang Gyu-yeong, it wouldn’t be difficult to exploit such a gap.
but,
‘It’s difficult to do it with a stick.’
Of course, the target of the attack is the first-year students, including me.
I don’t have any skills or traits that can kill the presence of others besides [Thief’s Step], and Go Hyun-woo goes without saying.
Shin Byeong-cheol may have learned a few things, but his overall level is low.
If you have three of these bruises, it’s too much even for the leader of the thieves’ club.
‘So, we have to put in the wart.’
If it’s Dang Gyu-yeong, he’ll have that method.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Dang Gyu-yeong and Chae Da-bin compared the prepared map with the scenery before their eyes and talked through the shapes of their lips.
It seemed as if he was observing the movements of the two leaders and immediately supplementing his strategy on how to shake them off.
As soon as the short conversation ended, Cha Da-bin’s hands began tapping away at the tablet like crazy.
– Dadadadak,
It’s so fast you can’t see your fingers.
It seems like things have gotten twice as busy as the number of modifications has doubled.
Dang Gyu-yeong also gathered mana and prepared a fairly large-scale magic.
The shadows beneath my feet are getting darker and darker.
Shin Byeong-cheol approached Dang Gyu-yeong and gestured to us.
‘Come together, this way.’
In the meantime, Cha Da-bin’s hand stopped moving as if she had neutralized all of those crystal balls.
And as a signal to say a short word,
‘Okay.’
Dang Gyu-yeong also released the drinks he had prepared.
[Shadow Pouch]
Shadows erupted from beneath my feet, creating a large pocket of shadow.
The pouch opened its mouth like a living creature and swallowed us whole.
The field of vision was covered with pitch-black shadows.
Only Koh Hyun-woo and Shin Byeong-cheol, who are right next to me, can be vaguely seen.
Soon I felt my body shaking from side to side.
It seems like Dang Gyu-yeong is moving while putting us in a shadow pocket.
Go Hyun-woo tried to feel around the wall because he was curious, but I stopped him.
‘Stay still.’
‘Ahem… … .’
If you make a fuss for no reason, it might affect Dang Gyu-yeong and Chae Da-bin who are moving outside.
It’s best to stay quiet as much as possible.
After a while, we felt the shadow pocket spit us out and our vision returned to normal.
The first thing that came into view was,
[No.104] [Black Death Room]
It was the dungeon portal we were aiming for.
I pointed to the entrance while nodding to Koh Hyun-woo and Shin Byeong-cheol.
‘Just go in.’
There was no time to hesitate.
You have to get in right away because you never know when the leaders will storm in.
Dang Gyu-young and Chae Da-bin each said a word using their mouth shapes.
‘Let’s see each other alive.’
‘Good luck.’
And one more word to Shin Byeong-cheol.
‘A gift when you come.’
‘Snacks on the way.’
‘… Yes, Sister.’
We nodded in greeting and immediately stepped into the teleportation portal.
* * *
The first place I set foot in was a place that looked like an old house.
The floor was covered in thick dust, as if it had been abandoned for a long time.
The sunlight coming through the window gives a warm and cozy feeling.
For some unknown reason, Go Hyun-woo looked around with a hazy expression.
I left him to be absorbed in the sentiment for a moment and looked at Shin Byeong-cheol.
“… … .”
His usual playful expression was gone, and his face was filled with concern.
It seems like he’s starting to feel like he’s finally entered a B-class dungeon.
It’s not that I don’t understand that it’s actually a dangerous place, but if you keep hunching over like that, even a successful operation will fail.
There was a need to boost morale.
In this case, there is one very effective method.
“Shocked?”
Stimulate the spirit of manliness with one word.
The effect was excellent.
Shin Byeong-cheol immediately controls his expression and smirks.
“Hey, what are you talking about? Who said you were scared?”
“My legs are shaking so much?”
“It’s a habit, a habit. I used to tremble even when I stood up.”
“There’s nothing you can do about habits.”
I pretended to understand and just moved on.
Anyway, seeing that Shin Byeong-cheol’s expression has relaxed significantly, I can say that the stimulation of his manly spirit was successful.
I came out of the house and continued walking along the road.
The road gradually became wider and the number of people passing by increased.
I entered the market.
Soon we were overcome by a strange sense of discomfort.
With so many people, it should naturally be lively and noisy, but strangely, the atmosphere was calm and there was little noise.
Also, the facial expressions on people’s faces were full of negative emotions such as discontent, sadness, fear, and resignation.
It is not difficult to infer the cause.
When bad incidents and accidents happen continuously in the neighborhood, this phenomenon often follows.
For example, the tyranny of a sect or faction that rules over an area is severe, or people disappear every day, or corpses are being disposed of.
And needless to say, the breakwater
‘Black Death Room.’
A large pavilion stands tall in the distance.
The mastermind behind all the incidents that occur in this area and the core of the dungeon.
The goal of this dungeon is to destroy the Black Sand Room and defeat the Ark and the Sub-Ark.
‘That was the original goal.’
It’s impossible with our current capabilities.
Therefore, our goal is to just extract the essence and leave.
So, we continued walking down the street in search of the first kernel.
Until I discovered a small, shabby inn tucked away in a corner.
The faded sign is hard to read, and the half-closed, worn wooden door makes you wonder if the place is even open for business.
But without hesitation, I opened the door wide and stepped inside.
Because I was sure this was the place.
The interior of the store, like the exterior, was old and shabby.
As I had guessed from outside, there were no other guests besides us.
I sat down at a table without paying any attention.
As I waited, Jeomsoi popped her head out of the kitchen.
When you see the surprised look on the face of a customer, you can tell how poor business is.
Still, in order to fulfill his duty as a salesperson, he comes and takes orders.
“What do you want?”
“Duck soup set with dumplings.”
“Yes, just a moment.”
Jeomsoi went into the kitchen and came out with a plate of hot dumplings.
“I just gained weight.”
I put the plate in the middle of the table and go back into the kitchen.
Shin Byeong-cheol stared at the back of her head and then asked me.
“You’re coming to catch him?”
“uh.”
Shin Byeong-cheol also memorized the strategy book semi-forcibly, so he was aware of everything that would happen in the future and what he had to do.
The reason we came to this guest house is because the next target of the Black Death is that Jeomsoi.
It’s not that I’m aiming for something special.
The Black Death simply takes the young men away one by one periodically, like a carnivore eating a meal.
Coincidentally, it is now Jeomsoi’s turn.
The three of us waited leisurely while eating dumplings.
When the plate was almost clean,
An old wooden door opened, signaling the arrival of a new guest.
But these guests did not come in, but just stood by the door and looked inside.
Two men wearing dark-colored uniforms that were almost black.
A black snake tattoo on the back of their hand tells of their affiliation.
‘A low-ranking warrior of the Black Death Division.’
One of the warriors made a sharp move as if he was trying to probe us, but we didn’t react for the time being and just finished eating the remaining dumplings.
Just then, Jeomsoi popped her head out of the kitchen, spotted them, and froze stiffly.
The Black Knight opened his mouth with an eerie smile on his face.
“Is business going well? Why do you have customers?”
Jeomsoi answered, flustered.
“Hey, I already paid all my dues this month.”
“No, I came today for something different.”
“… … !”
As if he had guessed what that other thing was, Jeomsoi’s expression turned fearful.
On the other hand, the smile on the lower-ranking warrior’s lips grew deeper.
“Come with us.”
“That, that is… … .”
“No!”
A middle-aged man who looked like a housekeeper ran out of the kitchen, gasping for breath, and shouted.
It wraps itself around the dot as if trying to protect it.
“… … .”
However, when the Black Sand Knight glared at him with a high spirit, he did not dare to meet his gaze.
It is extremely difficult for ordinary people to overcome the pressure exerted by unmanned vehicles.
Still, the middle-aged man was desperate.
Because, among the young men who were dragged into the black market in this way, not a single one returned.
I opened my mouth with great difficulty, trembling,
“My, my son is not okay. Father, please—”
– Phew!
Before the middle-aged man could even finish his words, he was struck by an outstretched kick from a lowly warrior and rolled on the floor.
The low-ranking warrior glanced at the middle-aged man groaning on the floor, then sent another sharp blast towards us.
A warning to not get involved in this matter.
Then he tells the point.
“Follow me.”
“… … .”
“If you keep on hesitating, I’ll cut you down.”
As he spoke while gently stroking the sword on his waist, the powerless Jeomsoi had no choice.
If you resist any further here, you’ll end up cleaning up the corpse of a middle-aged man, so you have no choice but to quietly be dragged to the Heuksabang.
“iced coffee…….”
The appearance of the Black Death Warriors and Jeomsoi disappeared outside,
The middle-aged man sat there in a daze, looking down at the floor.
Because my son was in a situation where he could never return.
I approached him slowly.
As I was looking down in silence, a middle-aged man noticed me and looked up.
I asked with a grin.
“Shall I go and get it?”
A glimmer of hope appeared on the middle-aged man’s face.
Although he didn’t have high expectations since his opponents were the Black Death Warriors, he seemed determined to grab onto even a shred of hope.
“If you would just do that… … .”
“If you do it for me?”
“I’ll give you anything. Anything.”
I smiled brightly.
“There’s no changing your mind later.”
