Episode 278 No.50 The Labyrinth of Transfer (4)
Its true identity was, of course, a dimensional crow.
The creature circled the air and landed on a branch of a tall tree.
For those who travel across space, space-related dungeons are like home and a vacation home.
The same goes for the Labyrinth of Changes, where people create their own hideouts in a few very remote rooms among the hundreds of rooms, stopping by every now and then to rest.
Of course, this time he didn’t come to rest, but rather to check on the fact that someone had set foot in his villa.
The guy in front of me looked a little different from the ‘tailor’ I met at Rainbow Lake.
He wore an old conical hat on his head and carried a crooked wooden cane in one hand.
‘The Great Sage of the Crow.’
Among the many types of dimensional crows, this is the most magical one.
If I were to rank it, I’d say it’s S+ or higher, maybe EX.
However, the Great Sage’s reaction to me was not much different from that of the tailor.
He flaps his wings as if he is interested and asks.
“Caaak. Young monarch, how did you know about this place and come here?”
“I didn’t come here on purpose.”
I replied calmly.
In times like these, it is more advantageous to maintain the concept of mystery rather than revealing that you came to express your regrets.
“I was just passing by and saw something so I stopped by for a bit.”
“Oh, really? Even the young monarch is a monarch!”
The crow’s great sage seemed easily convinced.
A minor advantage is that even if he does something special, he can just brush it off by saying, “He can do it because he’s a monarch.”
I decided to hit the player before he could ask another question.
He looks at the old tree with interest and asks.
“So what are we doing here?”
“This is where magic is studied, kaak.”
The crow tapped the branch on which he was sitting with his stick.
Then the original appearance of the old tree, which had seemed ordinary, was revealed.
A contradictory appearance that is translucent, black, and faintly shiny at the same time.
It’s like looking into the night sky.
‘It’s like a medium for space magic.’
They planted things like that not only here, but also in other hidden rooms and other dungeons.
This is a part where you can get a glimpse of the power of the dimensional crows.
But I nodded indifferently.
“It kind of looks like that. But I think the location here is a bit off.”
“Caaah, it was good until recently. Now it’s not good.”
“Because of the witch?”
“Yes.”
This dungeon must have been abandoned for quite some time.
Because it is an A-rank level, the difficulty is extremely high, so unless you gather a group of truly skilled players, you won’t be able to even think about conquering it.
‘It’s a labyrinth, so it’s even more to be avoided.’
For a Corruption Witch to suddenly invade such a peaceful place and unleash a horde of Ooblecks is not a very welcome thing for a Dimensional Raven.
I asked, as if to ask what was bothering me.
“Why don’t you just blow it up? You can do it.”
“Kka-ak. Young monarch, you speak harshly. That is not our way.”
Dimensional crows are neutral.
If you fight the Witch of Corruption with determination, you won’t be able to hit her even with one punch, but you won’t attack unless the other person crosses the line first.
The Witch of Corruption also knows this fact, so she doesn’t touch the hidden room.
“But I still find it annoying.”
“That’s right. Can you help me solve it?”
“There is nothing I can’t do. As long as you pay a sufficient price.”
Isn’t there a price to pay for doing annoying tasks for someone else?
He asked if even the crow great sage acknowledged it.
“Kkaak, what do you want me to do for you?”
“Nothing more, nothing less. Let’s settle on a stick. It would be better if you pay in advance.”
The guy flapped his wings in place, perhaps because the words coming out of my mouth were unexpected.
And then he asked, seeming even more interested.
“How did you find that out?”
“Who do you think I am?”
Since I couldn’t reveal that I was a veteran of this game, I cast ‘Crush the Monarch and Move Over’ again.
This time too, the crow great sage seemed to readily agree.
“Oh, is that so? But, young monarch, don’t you think that your greed is excessive?”
“I hope you think of it as an investment. I think we’ll be seeing each other more often in the future.”
“… … .”
The guy looked down at me for a while, lost in thought.
I looked into his eyes, maintaining an attitude of “I’d like it if it happened, but I wouldn’t.”
After a while, as if he had made a decision, the guy’s beak opened.
“Okay, I understand. I’ll invest.”
Then he slowly moved to the tip of an old tree, snapped off a branch with his beak, and threw it in my direction.
A bare, unsightly tree branch, two palms long.
But when the great sage waved his staff, it was no longer an ugly branch.
Like an old tree, it is filled with the starlight of the night sky.
[Crow Branch (S)]
▷Kka—ak—!
▷Usage Restrictions (1/1 time)
The first S-rank item you obtain when entering the game world.
Its power and value are both enormous.
However, in order to maintain the monarch concept, I kept it a secret until the end and took care of the branches in a daily manner.
“Thank you, I’ll use it well.”
“I will watch over you, young monarch!”
“Think of it as something that has already been resolved.”
“Kka—ak—”
Soon, the crow great sage jumped up, circled the air, and disappeared.
It has moved to another space.
Only then did I tell Dang Gyu-yeong and Jegal So-so, who had been bystanders the whole time.
“He’s gone.”
“… … .”
Then the corners of Dang Gyu-yeong’s mouth slightly went up.
It’s so playful that I can already anticipate what the next line will be.
“You’re starting again.”
“Young~ King~ Yaa! Foodduck foodduck~”
Dang Gyu-yeong flapped his hands like wings.
Zhuge Liang also seemed to be having fun, as he and Dang Gyu-yeong began to attack from both sides.
“Young monarch~”
“Young~ King~”
“Young~”
Until now, I thought he was a calm, bookworm type, but this senior also has a secretly mischievous side.
I decided to stop here because I thought it would be like this all day if I left it.
“Let’s stop. It’s making me dizzy.”
Then, Zhuge Xiaoxiao put away his playfulness and returned to a gentle expression.
But both eyes still sparkled with curiosity.
“What item is that? Judging from the fact that it was given to me by the Dimensional Crow, it doesn’t seem to be an ordinary item.”
“This item will play a decisive role in this attack.”
“Really? What’s the effect?”
“It’s difficult to tell you everything right now, but it’s about space.”
So, even though it is disposable, it cannot help but be powerful.
This time, Dang Gyu-yeong asked a question.
“You got that as compensation for clearing the dungeon?”
“That’s what it is.”
“But aren’t you going to clear the dungeon anyway?”
“That’s true too.”
“… … A completely creative economy?”
Even though they fell into the witch of corruption’s trap, the bachelor’s side’s power is still strong.
There are more than just one or two faculty members.
Even if I don’t help with the strategy, there is a high probability that it will succeed.
When the dungeon is cleared and reset, the Ooblecks that were scattered around will be cleanly deleted.
In fact, it was a business selling water from the Daedong River.
Of course, I had my own things to say.
“As you may have heard, it’s half an investment. And since it’s a dungeon that’s going to be cleared anyway, it’s better to be efficient.”
“Yeah, that makes sense too.”
Dang Gyu-yeong nodded coolly.
The current punitive force is scattered and fighting the Oobleks, and casualties could occur at any time during the process.
If you clear the dungeon more efficiently by using the crow branch, the damage will also be reduced.
Zhuge Xiaosu asked the next important point.
“How can I write that?”
“There are no special conditions, but since it is a one-time thing, it is best to use it at a really crucial moment.”
“They say it’s written in the boss’s office.”
“That would be best.”
Now that we’ve collected the crow branches, it’s time to focus back on our original goal.
Reach the boss room as quickly as possible.
* * *
After finishing the maintenance, we left the hidden room.
And then I started to continue to navigate the maze.
As before, thanks to Dang Gyu-yeong’s stealth, we were able to get through most of the room without fighting.
But tricks are bound to fail someday.
Let’s take the teleportation portal and step into the next room,
– Crunch,
The giant Oobleck knight suddenly turned towards us.
It has six arms, probably because it swallowed several knights, five of which wield longswords and one wields a staff.
‘There’s a wizard mixed in.’
Also, even though Dang Gyu-yeong’s hiding continued, the bastard was walking straight towards me.
Dang Gyu-yeong asked casually.
“… … Do you think I got caught?”
“I got caught.”
An entity capable of detecting stealth.
Soon the Oobleck Knight judged that we were within striking range, and he swung his five longswords madly.
– Wedge wedge wedge—!
Black auras poured down in droves.
We dodged by flying in all directions.
Zhuge Xiaozhu dodged several of the flying sword energies and struck back at some of them as he asked.
“Are we tied up again this time?”
“Yes, this time too.”
Just like when dealing with the sword-bow combination, the strategy is for Dang Gyu-yeong and Jegal So-so to tie him up in one place while I stab him with Inferno Fist.
‘I think it’ll be a bit difficult this time.’
This is because, unlike before, the type of this guy is closer to the long-range series.
Longswords are used not for close combat but to send out blows of sword energy, while at the same time controlling the distance by moving around the room at incredible speed.
– Wedge wedge wedge—!
The number of arms is also greater than the snow, so the intervals at which the black energy flies are very close together.
The staff is assumed to be a support type, as it grants buffs such as increased swordsmanship and movement speed.
Zhuge Xiaozhu avoided the sword attack by following the secret method and closed the distance with the Wubleck knight.
And I gently stabbed and cut with my sword, but the bastard only staggered for a moment, then quickly walked away again.
Next, at Dang Gyu-yeong’s gesture, the ground beneath the bastard’s feet began to shake and shadowy thorns began to pop up.
However, because the creature was moving so fast, the thorns barely managed to scrape past its armor.
“It’s not easy.”
“Let’s go calmly.”
“I know.”
Zhuge Liang continued to follow me, I tied him up with wind magic, and Tang Guiying increased the number of shadow butterflies one by one.
So, while the three of us were slowly putting pressure on the Ublek Knight,
– Paaaaat!
Suddenly, a corner of the room lit up brightly, and three people walked out of it.
One faculty member, Jeong Jong-myeong, and Kim Gap-du.
Luckily, the teleportation portal they rode through seemed to lead to this room.
– Wedge wedge wedge!
As the blinding black energy flew towards him, Jeong Jong-myeong calmly blocked it with a translucent curtain.
Then, Kim Gap-doo looked back and forth between the Ubleks and us, quickly grasped the situation, and took a step forward.
“There are passengers. Let’s join.”
The supporters ate it all
