Chapter 32: Dungeon Black Hole (2)
〚Time Remaining Until the First Wave〛
〚Time Left: 01:15〛
Ssssssk!
With the sound of ants crawling through the passageways in all four directions, a message appeared, showing we had only 1 minute and 15 seconds remaining.
“Damn it! I’ll take the left and front! Big guy, you handle the right and back!”
“…Understood!”
Only two of us could fight. The dungeon had probably pulled in four people based on its estimated capacity, but unfortunately, my sister wasn’t in any condition to fight, and Min Chorong was better suited for support rather than direct combat.
“Min Chorong! No matter what happens, protect the patient!”
“Don’t worry! I’ll protect her, no matter what!”
Swallowing nervously, I began to prepare with a tense focus.
“Get ready! I’ll give you buffs!”
Min Chorong focused for a moment, activating her skills, and the massive buffs from someone who could be the next Saintess flowed through me.
〚Skill: Holy Hymn of Heaven increases all stats by +10 temporarily!〛
〚Skill: Shout of Valor and Morale grants 100% additional damage on all attacks temporarily!〛
〚Skill: Unyielding Judge bestows the state of indomitable will temporarily!〛
〚Skill: Undying Sacred Flame adds divine power to all attacks temporarily!〛
〚Skill: Radiance of Brilliance temporarily amplifies the power of unique abilities!〛
The buffs truly lived up to the title of “next Saintess.” She was still only a candidate and had just begun her training, so her skills were few, and the effects were not overwhelming, but her potential was immense.
An increase in all stats, extra damage, the state of indomitability, divine power infusion, and an enhancement of unique abilities.
“Interesting.”
I drew my Fire Sword and dashed towards the ants that were already closing in.
-Screeeech!
-Crrrack!
For the first wave, there weren’t too many of them—only one ant came out from each passage.
But…
“This is insane!”
The wide chamber and large passageways now made sense—were these even ants? Clacking their hard, shiny black shells and snapping their sharp jaws, they were nearly as big as the Sphinx.
〚Unique-Rank [E+] LV 15: A Ganggwi Ant Scout has appeared!〛
A Ganggwi Ant, or a Mighty Giant Ant, lived up to its name.
Whether it was luck or misfortune, the ants, upon entering the chamber and spotting the queen’s egg glowing brilliantly in the center, became frenzied.
Their eyes turned black as they charged toward the egg, ignoring us completely.
“Stop them! We must stop them at all costs!”
“…Leave it…to me!”
The solar energy revolving within me coursed through my hands and into my Fire Sword, and I sprang towards the charging ants.
‘Don’t aim for the shell!’
It was possible to pierce their shell with enough effort, but why bother?
With a better attack route available, there was no need to aim for the shell.
I went directly for the three pairs of swiftly moving legs, specifically targeting the joints, which were the only parts not protected by the shell.
As I slipped between the towering legs, the solar energy surged, and my sword traced a swift arc.
The front pair of legs were severed cleanly, causing the ant that had been rushing madly towards the queen’s egg to collapse.
There was no time to hesitate. Taking advantage of the moment, I ran beneath the massive body, slicing through the joints of the remaining legs, rendering the ant immobile.
“One down!”
I quickly moved on to the next ant, disabling it by severing its legs. This strategy was only possible because they had lost their sanity.
-Screeeech!!!
-Crack, crack, crack!!!
Even though the ants were in agony and unable to run, they still crawled madly towards the egg, ignoring their pain. Watching them, I climbed onto one and slashed down at its neck.
Crunch!
Knowing their weakness, the ants had a protective shell covering only their neck joints.
Testing the shell’s strength, I swung down, and in just three strikes, I shattered the shell and sliced through its neck.
〚Unique-Rank [E+] LV 15: Ganggwi Ant Scout has been defeated!〛
〚Contribution: 100%〛
〚Reward: Navy Coin ×10, Unique-[E+] Magic Stone ×1, Ganggwi Ant Shell ×3〛
〚Experience: 1,000〛
The Ganggwi Ant was strong, and the massive experience points and rewards poured in. I immediately moved on to attack the next one’s neck.
“Hurry up!”
Time was running out. Though Big Guy said he’d hold off the Ganggwi Ants, I didn’t know how long he could last!
Jumping off the corpse, I turned to see Big Guy facing off against two more Ganggwi Ants, and the sight left me speechless.
“What the…?”
He stopped them. The two Ganggwi Ants that had emerged from the passage couldn’t advance a single step beyond where Big Guy stood.
-Screech!
-Crunch!
They clawed, snapped, and rammed into him with their jaws, but Big Guy stood his ground, unmoving, blocking their path to protect what lay behind him.
Behind Big Guy, an enormous, holy entity emerged, shielding him.
This structure, both a sacred body and fortress, was a unique ability that would later earn him the title of Divine Fortress, establishing him as the world’s top tank.
It finally clicked. His voice had felt familiar because I had heard of the Divine Fortress, although he always wore an iron mask to conceal his face.
“Wow, I’ve come across two amazing people here.”
The fortress was still small and unimpressive, yet it was strong enough to block these massive Ganggwi Ants, indicating just how vast its potential was.
Leaping over his fortress, I sliced through the Ganggwi Ants, leveling up as the first wave ended.
“You… with that kind of power, why are you just working as a guard?”
“Yeah! It’s amazing! With power like that, it’s hard to believe the Guild Leader wouldn’t have known about it!”
“…It’s… thanks to the buffs… It’s because the level of my unique ability… increased that… I could use it.”
I nodded. My intervention had caused a butterfly effect.
By admitting my sister to the Miracle Guild, I had crossed paths with these people, and due to my Curse of Misfortune, they were caught in this dungeon.
Because of this, Big Guy likely awakened his potential for his unique ability earlier than he would have in my previous life.
When the buffs faded, I asked him to try using his unique ability again.
The newly formed fortress was… modest. It was so small that it didn’t even cover Big Guy’s shoulders, revealing why he hadn’t realized his potential and why he was just working as a guard.
“…Still… thank you… Because of you… I discovered… my potential!”
I clicked my tongue in regret. I had encountered another future SS-rank monster, only to help him without gaining anything for myself.
‘Not that I have any plans to travel with others, anyway.’
I just kept getting tangled up with people by chance, but remembering what my parents’ so-called comrades did to them, I didn’t want any comrades myself.
‘That’s why I’ve already chosen the profession I’ll get from the Abyss.’
Among the hidden rewards I planned to obtain, there was one particularly powerful and overpowered job that would make me a one-man army.
Erasing all thoughts of regret, I introduced myself formally to Big Guy.
“My name is Shin Juha. Circumstances made our introduction a bit delayed.”
“…They call me Gundan.”
As I thought, that was the name I expected. Having seen his incredible power, I knew this cursed dungeon would be easier to clear.
〚Time Remaining Until the Second Wave〛
〚Time Left: 23:57:32〛
We had a day before the next wave of Ganggwi Ants would attack.
“How should we proceed? Are we just going to wait here until the next wave?”
“No, with you and this guy here, we’re changing plans. I’m going to scout the dungeon through the passage. You two stay here and guard in case of any unforeseen danger.”
Honestly, I couldn’t even consider this plan before, not knowing what power they had.
But with two people who have the potential to grow into SS-rank in the future, wasting time would be meaningless.
To clear this dungeon as quickly as possible, it was essential to scout through the passage and get a sense of what we were dealing with.
“Shall I apply another buff? Earlier, I spread the buffs over several abilities, so the duration was short. But if I give only one to one person, it’ll last for at least an hour. I’m sorry, my skill is still limited.”
“That’s enough. Please cast Hymn of the Holy Sky.”
To be honest, the unique ability enhancement that greatly benefited Gundan didn’t do much for me.
The skill that was enhanced was Equivalent Exchange, but because it’s such a high-grade ability, there wasn’t any change. I wasn’t planning on using Equivalent Exchange anyway.
If anything, strengthening Curse of Misfortune by accident would be a nightmare, so I asked for a straightforward buff that increases all stats.
With the buff applied, my Mugeuk stat reached 81, surging my power once again.
‘I’ll invest my spare points immediately.’
I used the extra points I gained from leveling up to further raise the Mugeuk stat. It was so close to surpassing the next grade.
Recalling that feeling from my single fight against Ra, I couldn’t help but smirk.
“Alright, I’ll be back before time runs out.”
Without hesitation, I leapt into the passage ahead.
***
Crash!
The guild master’s fist smashed down on the meeting table, breaking it as his rage filled the room.
“Is that supposed to be an excuse? You didn’t know the system malfunctioned because you went out to lunch? Team leader, did you actually think you could say such a pathetic excuse out loud?”
“I… I’m sorry!”
“Save it. I knew complacency would set in with no recent incidents, but I didn’t think it was this bad. Not just the team leader, but the entire security team better be prepared to take responsibility. The money you were paid was meant to prevent and, if necessary, take full responsibility for incidents like this.”
The security team leader’s face paled, but he had no defense.
This was a serious incident.
A Dungeon Black Hole had opened in the VIP room, pulling in the patient, their guardian, and even the guild master’s niece and candidate for Saint.
To make matters worse, this was Miracle Hospital. If news of this got out, the reputation they’d worked so hard to build would be destroyed.
“Now… what’s the current situation?”
“As you know, Guild Master, the dungeon with a black hole phenomenon has an entry restriction. Entry is only possible if all four people inside are confirmed dead.”
“So, unless they all die, there’s nothing we can do?”
“…That’s correct.”
“What’s the dungeon’s rank?”
“It’s classified as Unique-level, with a D+ rank.”
The guild master brushed off the splintered table fragments and fell into thought.
“What’s the skill level of the guardian and the guard? A Unique-level D+ dungeon would be equivalent to almost an SSS-rank regular dungeon. Could they clear it with Chorong’s buffs?”
“The records we have on Gundan, the guard, indicate he’s mediocre at best. He can stall as a tank, but that’s it.”
“And the guardian?”
“Well… I requested information from the Association President, but he immediately shut me down. He refused to answer, saying the individual’s information is classified and not to pry further.”
“Is this a high-security individual?”
“Yes, at least a Tier-1 security clearance.”
Sigh…
With a deep sigh, the guild master stood up.
“Make sure to keep this under wraps as much as possible. The VIP room is a secured area anyway, so ensure the reporters don’t catch wind of anything. If this incident leaks out, I’ll assume it’s one of you. And… if anyone sells information on this, they’re considered a heretic.”
The term “heretic” implied they would be placed on Miracle Guild’s kill list.
All the key guild members bowed their heads and left the room, while the guild master remained, sighing at the misfortune that had come so suddenly.
—
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