Chapter 114

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 114: Night Dungeon (2)

[Tocantins Leopard]

The final party member, bearing a rather peculiar title, appeared in a significantly worse condition than the two who had arrived earlier, sporting wounds all over their body as if they had experienced particularly harsh days.

After glancing around with a terrified expression as the portal disappeared, they spotted the other two and immediately brandished their sword.

“What, what’s this? These guys…!”

One could see the multitude of injuries covering their body, indicating they had endured quite rough times.

With deep wounds on their face, just their presence alone stiffened the atmosphere.

“Huff!”

At the sound of the ‘leopard’s’ breath, as if about to charge forward, Sicilia’s Guardian Sword gestured for calmness, stepping back a few paces.

“Oh, calm down! We didn’t gather here to fight each other!”

On the other hand, Yeongwoo’s eyes widened as he noticed a new fact.

‘The Dragon’s Legacy….’

The Dragon’s Legacy, which hung from his belt, serving both as a Epic-grade weapon and a means to assess the opponent’s grade, had finally started to heat up.

「Dragon’s Legacy」 – Epic One-Handed Sword

【Classism.】

|Increases power against targets of Grade 2 and below.

Which meant…

“….”

Yeongwoo’s gaze fell upon the European who was earnestly trying to calm the third participant.

‘He was a Grade 1 human.’

Although it seemed the man wasn’t the protagonist, judging by the fact that the achievement “Ending Maker” hadn’t been completed.

But it was also a fact that he wasn’t an ordinary person.

Swoosh.

As Yeongwoo belatedly turned his gaze towards ‘Tocantins Leopard,’ the opponent flinched and aimed the sword towards Yeongwoo.

“Are you… Chinese?”

“…I’m Korean. Where are you from?”

As Yeongwoo, towering at two meters tall, took a step forward with the torch behind him, a massive shadow covered the ‘leopard’s’ feet.

“Why do you ask such things.”

The man realized Yeongwoo’s size and, emitting a more murderous gaze than before, assumed a combat stance.

“Strongest Sword… or whatever you are, you’re probably the strongest in this area right now, yet you seem to have little patience. Shall we put down our weapons and have a conversation first?”

As Yeongwoo spoke and placed the black sword he had been holding onto the ground, the ‘leopard,’ who had been watching, flinched.

They refrained from attacking instinctively upon seeing the opponent lower their weapon.

Because…

[3/3]

They too had just noticed the numbers on the torch.

The number of people needed to explore this dungeon, three.

If they fought and even one of them died, most likely, that number would return to 2/3 again.

“If fighting leads to even one death, the number will probably return to 2/3.”

“Ah, the world has become so dangerous lately that even exchanging greetings can be quite difficult, don’t you think?”

Gradually, Sicilia’s Guardian Sword intervened between the two strong individuals, nudging its way in.

Then, with his right hand, he tapped his chest and slightly bowed his upper body, greeting them.

“I am Ottavio Simorelli from Sicily. Strictly speaking, I am Italian.”

At this, the ‘leopard’ finally grasped the situation and stared blankly.

“I… Italy?”

Didn’t that Easterner earlier say he was Korean?

Italy, Korea, and…

“…I’m Ricardo Da Silva Tabares… I came from Tocantins Brazil.”

Brazil.

In other words, here they had representatives from East Asia, Southern Europe, and South America, each one.

“I’m Jeong Yeongwoo from Korea.”

Continuing with his self-introduction, Yeongwoo approached Ricardo.

Clank, clank.

As Yeongwoo made metallic noises approaching, Ricardo’s blade menacingly rose again.

However, Yeongwoo paid no attention and closed the distance with the opponent to about three meters.

Then.

Swish.

He extended his right hand into the air.

Which meant.

“If you want to continue this dungeon, shake hands with me. You were the only one pointing your sword here.”

As Yeongwoo requested a handshake, Ricardo looked bewildered, and Ottavio from Italy gazed at Yeongwoo as if he were very interesting.

Amidst this, the number displayed on the torch continued to indicate that there were still three people alive.

Having glanced at the number, Ricardo finally placed his weapon on the ground and took a step forward.

Then.

Thud!

Yeongwoo grabbed his outstretched hand vigorously.

“I apologize for earlier, friend.”

* * *

The time difference between Korea and Brazil is 12 hours.

The time difference between Italy and Korea is 8 hours.

The time difference between Brazil and Italy is 4 hours.

However, the moment they set foot inside the dungeon, not only did the time difference disappear, but time itself merged.

How, why does that happen?

After a while of futile discussion, the three agreed that they couldn’t come to a conclusion.

Then, they decided to focus on the fundamental purpose of coming here: exploring the dungeon.

“Well… for now, all the people are here.”

Ottavio stroked his chin and looked around.

In this stone chamber that gave off an ancient ruin vibe, there seemed to be no separate exit.

The portal would open if you knocked on the wall twice, though.

“I thought the dungeon would automatically start once everyone was here, but it seems that’s not the case.”

If Ottavio, the first in the dungeon who had been waiting, said this, it meant there weren’t any special physical mechanisms involved.

Upon this, Yeongwoo stared quietly at the numbers on the torch and then shifted his gaze to the flames that were burning incessantly.

“Hey, is it hot for everyone?”

“Yes?”

“….?”

Observing the reactions of the two, Yeongwoo walked straight up to the torch without hesitation.

Then, before anyone could stop him, he reached into the flames.

Whoosh.

“Ouch!”

“What… what are you doing?!”

Even Ricardo from the rugged Brazil was astonished by this bold move, but Yeongwoo’s expression remained calm.

“The fire isn’t hot. Come on, try putting your hand in here.”

It sounded so absurd that they might have thought he’d lost his mind, but both the South American and the European approached the torch as the Asian instructed.

I don’t know why, but I thought it might be right to go against common sense, at least in this dungeon.

After all, it was a space where time from all over the world merged, so could anything illogical exist?

Swish.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Finally, the other two also put their hands into the flames.

In fact, this was possible because each of them represented large regions.

Before the reset of Tocantins population, there were about 1.5 million people, and Sicily had a population of nearly 5 million.

Sizzle!

With all three participants placing their hands in the flames, an alarm sounded, and the dungeon format appeared where the number of participants had been displayed.

[Pain of Iria]

|Dungeon Grade: Normal

|Difficulty: D

|Required Personnel: 3

“Pain of Iria…”

“I was worried about this even before entering. What could it mean?”

“Whatever it is, it probably means a painful time awaits us.”

Ricardo offered a pessimistic outlook.

Then, a new message appeared on the torch.

「The required personnel have been gathered.」

「The dungeon will start shortly.」

Upon hearing this sentence, familiar to anyone who survived after the reset, the attention of the three individuals was drawn.

「Get ready.」

“….!”

“Oh?”

“…Fuck”

Ricardo’s curse seemed to signal something, as the entire floor of the room began to shake.

Clunk!

“Huh.”

“What, what’s going on?”

However, the real problem occurred next.

Screeeeeech!

Somewhere, the sound of gears turning could be heard, and then the floor sank downwards.

Aaaaah!

It felt as if they were riding a giant elevator.

The only difference was that the walls were moving rapidly upwards, and the speed was dangerously fast.

“Madness!”

“Aaaaah!”

“This damn…!”

In reality, the descent speed was almost comparable to freefall, giving the three individuals a sensation akin to riding a perpetual drop tower.

Squaaaaaaa…!

In addition to this, the flames of the torch left long trails as if being sucked up into the air, allowing them to see the vertical passage they had just traversed.

It was a long, distant passage, so high it seemed the ceiling was already out of sight.

‘How, how far down are we going?’

It was clear they were not on Earth anymore.

They must have descended at least a kilometer, judging by their perception.

Squaaaaaaa…!

Despite this, the insane floor of the room didn’t know when to appear, and when it seemed they had descended about twice the depth they had already descended, Ricardo, who had been biting his lips, finally spoke as if he was sick of it.

“Where the hell are they taking us?”

As he said this, he helplessly looked up.

He was thinking of the Earthbound portal they had placed above.

“At this rate, we’ll…”

Just as Sicilia’s Ottavio, who had been the embodiment of optimism, was about to express his concerns, a mechanical sound, rougher than before, of the gear teeth resounded, and the descent speed of the floor, which seemed endless, gradually slowed down.

“Oh.”

“Wow.”

“This fucking…”

Had they finally reached their destination?

As the three individuals caught their breaths and blinked, the passageway that had surrounded the room disappeared in an instant.

Whoosh!

Or rather, it was more appropriate to say that the passage segment had ended.

Now the three of them were suspended hundreds of meters below ground.

Except for the stone floor beneath their feet, there were no structures around.

Just endless blackness and vast emptiness.

“…Unbelievable.”

“Where in the world…”

“Look up.”

At Ricardo’s gesture pointing upwards, everyone shifted their gaze there, soon seeing it.

It was a gigantic stone structure with intricate patterns carved on its surface.

Part of a massive rectangular prism, this structure had several tiny square holes punctured into it, one of which seemed to be the passage they had just traversed.

“How… how big is this…?”

Ottavio asked, but no one could provide an answer.

The edge of the structure wasn’t even visible in their immediate field of view.

Only a fraction of this structure was visible to the eye.

Kwaaaaa…

Gradually, the stone floor beneath them slowed down even more.

And by this time, the mysterious space that had been nothing but darkness began to reveal itself, albeit partially.

This was solely thanks to the torch in the center of the stone floor.

Its light began to illuminate the “ground.”

“There’s a floor! We’re almost there.”

Ottavio exclaimed as he drew his sword.

He, who hadn’t made a single threatening gesture since entering the dungeon, was now preparing for battle on his own.

It was a sign that he felt threatened in this space.

Swish!

Then Ricardo drew his sword from his belt, and Yeongwoo pulled his black sword closer to his body.

And just as the stone floor met the bottom of this vast space.

Kuwoong!

“Phew.”

“Ugh, ugh.”

“Shh…”

The three of them tried to calm their nerves while regulating their breathing in their own ways.

However, since the torch didn’t illuminate far, the area around the stone floor remained dark, and they couldn’t relax completely.

“It’s too dark. We wouldn’t even know if someone else came here.”

Where is this life heading?

Yeongwoo recalled the shock he felt on the first day of the reset when he stabbed someone with a knife.

At that time, he thought his life was undergoing an unstoppable change.

But compared to now, that time seems…

Beep!

Suddenly, a sharp warning sound emanated from the torch, causing everyone, including Yeongwoo, to pause their thoughts and turn their gaze.

「Shortly, ‘The Pain of Iria’ will begin.」

「To pass this dungeon, you will need one handler and two marksmen.」

“A handler and marksmen… What does that mean?”

As Ottavio asked this question, two iron chains shot out from one side of the stone floor.

Shoooloot!

Then, faint lights began to illuminate one by one on the ground in the direction where the chains were shot.

Tap, tap, tap.

Toward the darkness beyond.

So, this was some sort of guide light.

“Surely not.”

Sensing something, Yeongwoo’s expression twisted, and soon the dungeon system’s explanation followed.

「From now on, the handler will pull the chains to move the boat, and the two marksmen must protect the torch and the handler from intruders.」

“Ah…”

“What?”

Having faced numerous combat situations, the three individuals could imagine a lot from just that explanation.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

「Rule one, only the handler can touch the chains.」

「Rule two, only the handler can be outside the boat.」

『Iron rule one, anyone who violates the above rules will be disqualified.』

『Iron rule two, at the moment of disqualification, one survivor will be eliminated.』

“What does this mean?”

The three individuals didn’t even have time to be astonished, let alone time to familiarize themselves with the rules.

By the time Yeongwoo finished reading the second rule, a holographic text appeared above the torch.

「The one wishing to be the handler, please grab the chains.」

「Time limit, 10 seconds.」

And just as everyone horrifically anticipated, the numbers began to decrease immediately.

…9.

…8.

…7.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]