Chapter 276

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 276: The Strong and the Weak (2)

“Ah, a team member?”

Ottavio’s eyes wavered.

It was true that the memory of Jeong Yeongwoo’s virtually one-man show in “Iria’s Pain” was as vivid as if it had happened just yesterday.

But...

“Why are you still lying down? Don’t tell me...”

Ottavio stepped into the room.

Step.

Despite this, his eyes widened immediately when his counterpart didn’t respond.

“…Yeongwoo?”

“Yes. I’m completely paralyzed.”

“What?”

Ottavio let out a scream-like exclamation and quickly covered his mouth.

Because...

「Seven participants have entered the hallway.」

In the meantime, the number of people who had passed through the bedroom area and entered the hallway had increased.

They were competitors who could ambush and potential team member candidates at any moment.

Additionally, since only a team of up to two could be formed, it had to be now if he were to recruit a member.

Coming out into the hallway meant they had somehow dealt with the assassins in the bedrooms, implying strength.

“Y-Yeongwoo. If your body is in that condition, in this dungeon...”

“I know, the best team member candidates are in the hallway right now.”

“......”

“But do you know this?”

“Know what?”

“I’m the one who first dealt with the assassins.”

“......?”

At Yeongwoo’s words, Ottavio chuckled but soon changed his expression.

Come to think of it, the doors to each bedroom only opened after dealing with the assassins.

So the fact that this room’s door was open meant that this Asian man had dealt with all those assassins.

Even in a paralyzed state.

“…How is that possible?”

「Nine participants have entered the hallway.」

“There’s no time, so help me up first.”

As Yeongwoo rolled his eyes urgingly, Ottavio reversed his grip on his sword and approached Yeongwoo.

“Should I just lift you up?”

“Yes. I need to use the store too.”

This meant Yeongwoo had also earned moral points, and Ottavio began to take Yeongwoo seriously.

“I’m always amazed whenever I see you.”

“I didn’t expect to end up like this either.”

“But if you can’t walk, how will you find and exit...”

Of course, Ottavio could carry Yeongwoo, but then how would they fight?

It was an unfavorable team formation in many ways.

However, Yeongwoo remained calm.

“Wait, there must be a way.”

No matter how harsh it was, Yeongwoo thought they wouldn’t leave a participant in such an absurd situation.

‘There must be a new spine or something.’

Finally, with Ottavio’s help, Yeongwoo touched the store emblem, and soon he saw the store interface appear in his vision.

Flash!

[Random Weapon]

=One melee weapon will be given.

|Moral Points: 1

[Random Armor ×2]

=Two pieces of armor, excluding shields, will be given.

|Moral Points: 1

*Participants with lost body parts, please refer to the ‘Aid’ section below.

One weapon for 1 point and armour had the same price, but you got 2 pieces.

It was a fairly reasonable setup.

‘And I can steal someone else’s weapon, right? If you’re confident in your strength, you could buy armor first and then go looking for someone with a weapon.’

But no method could apply to Yeongwoo.

He couldn’t move properly in the first place.

So, following the separate guide, Yeongwoo moved his gaze to the ‘Aid’ section at the very bottom of the store interface.

“......”

Then additional items, not normally visible, appeared.

[Crutches]

=They won’t break and can be used as weapons.

|Moral Points: 2

[Wheelchair]

=With 5 moral points, you can use a miracle to restore your body.

|Moral Points: 2

‘They’ve lost their minds.’

Although Yeongwoo clicked his tongue, he instinctively knew he would soon rely on a wheelchair.

Since he couldn’t move his body properly, buying crutches would be useless unless he handed them over to Ottavio.

“Mr. Ottavio.”

“Yes. Did you find something in the store?”

“You’ll need to push a wheelchair for me.”

“......?”

Ottavio made a peculiar expression again.

It was hard to tell if this crazy Asian man was joking or being serious.

“...Are you serious?”

To confirm, Ottavio asked, and Yeongwoo answered by purchasing the wheelchair.

Swoosh.

When the wheelchair appeared next to the sprawled Yeongwoo, Ottavio’s face twisted as if he were about to cry.

“Stop joking. This is a very unreasonable request.”

Even though they had a connection, it was hard to accept pushing someone else’s wheelchair in this deadly dungeon.

“So, are you just going to leave me here to be stabbed by anyone passing by?”

“......”

Ottavio, the Guardian Sword of Sicily from the Mediterranean.

He not only thought his actions in this dungeon represented his country but also inherently wasn’t a mean-spirited person.

That’s why, seeing Yeongwoo with his limbs not fully functional, he couldn’t just leave.

“You can only take one team member.”

“You’re really lucky then, because you’ve got the chance to be my only team member.”

“......”

Ottavio was at a loss for words again.

Then he glanced around.

It seemed he heard the sound of blades clashing at the end of the hallway.

“Can’t you push the wheelchair yourself?”

“No, I can’t. But.”

“But?”

“I can stand on my own when the time comes.”

“When?”

“When I gather 5 points.”

“…Damn.”

The sound of clashing blades had gotten a bit closer.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Ottavio bit his lip, resigned, and slipped his arms under Yeongwoo’s armpits.

“I’ll help you. But I have a condition.”

“Anything, just say it.”

“No team formation. I’ll find my own team member. At least someone with all their limbs intact.”

He would push the wheelchair, but that meant that Yeongwoo had to gather the 5 points needed for the miracle on his own.

“You won’t regret it later? If that’s what you want, fine.”

Yeongwoo agreed to be a one-man team.

Click!

Finally, with Ottavio’s help, Yeongwoo sat in the wheelchair.

But he still felt more like an object than a participant.

Even sitting in the wheelchair, he couldn’t move unless someone pushed him from behind.

“Let’s go. Let’s avoid any combat zones as much as possible.”

Ottavio quickly pushed Yeongwoo’s wheelchair down the hallway outside the bedroom.

Without any map or basic knowledge of the structure, running along the path seemed the best option for now.

Meanwhile.

「Thirteen participants have entered the hallway.」

A notification announced that most participants had passed through the bedroom section and spilled into the hallway.

“Hmm.”

Ottavio made a sound indicating his burden, and Yeongwoo encouraged him.

“Don’t think you’re alone.”

“I didn’t think that. I thought you might be worse than alone.”

From Ottavio’s perspective, he now had to protect Yeongwoo while fighting, making it an additional burden.

But Yeongwoo remained calm.

“I’m sure I’ll be helpful. Don’t worry too much.”

“If you have any amazing skills, tell me quickly…”

While Ottavio was speaking, someone appeared in the hallway ahead.

“Ah…!”

Ottavio hesitated and stopped the wheelchair, while the other participant turned his head at the distinct sound of the wheels.

“What?”

“...A wheelchair?”

The two opponents were also in a pair.

In other words, they had already formed a team.

“Entering here without being able to walk?”

One of them said seriously, while the other stood threateningly with a sword, blocking the hallway.

“Let’s take them down quickly before others come. We might not get another chance like this.”

They were thinking of one of the dungeon’s main rules: earning moral points.

「Ways to earn moral points include killing other participants, defeating elite monsters, and hiding exits from the fortress.」

Since it was impossible to gauge how strong the elite monsters in this dungeon would be, the only thing that could give a sense of the difficulty was killing other participants.

After all, without equipment, it would essentially be a battle of abilities.

“Let’s go! It’s basically two against one!”

As the participant blocking the path shouted confidently, Yeongwoo quickly rolled his eyes and spoke to Ottavio.

“Stab me.”

“Huh? Who?”

“Me. My blood can melt people. So, stab me three times in the chest. Hurry!”

Although Yeongwoo gave clear instructions, Ottavio only gaped and couldn’t bring himself to stab him in the chest.

Being particularly sensible and conservative, even among the strong ones of the world, Ottavio couldn’t wrap his mind around Yeongwoo’s strategy.

“What... what happens to your blood?”

While Ottavio hesitated, the two participants occupying the other end of the hallway approached.

“Kill the European first!”

“Let’s go...!”

The two, who were lucky to get easy points early on, swung their swords enthusiastically.

Swaaash!

Of course, Ottavio, who had passed the bedroom section with a high rank, wasn’t an easy target either.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

He skillfully used the narrow hallway, where at most three people could stand side by side, to establish a 2-on-1 battle.

Clang clang clang!

With Yeongwoo in the wheelchair behind him, three blades clashed continuously in the air.

“Ottavio! Why are you taking the hard way...!”

Yeongwoo exclaimed, alarmed at the precarious situation, but, facing away from him, Ottavio only shouted back.

“I don’t prefer such strange methods!”

“It’s better than dying! And if you die, I’ll be in trouble too!”

If Ottavio died from being reckless, who would push the wheelchair?

‘Damn it. If I had a coordinate tracker, I’d wipe them all out.’

Yeongwoo considered jumping into the battle using the explosion of his trap.

As long as his head wasn’t severed or his skull wasn’t crushed, he thought he could somehow recover.

‘There’s no other way for now.’

Just as Yeongwoo was about to attempt self-destruction, a swift presence emerged from behind the wheelchair.

“What...!”

Another participant had appeared from the rear.

‘Right, there were over a dozen people in this hallway alone.’

They must have run over after hearing the loud sounds of Ottavio’s battle.

‘What the hell kind of dungeon is designed like this?’

Reaching the limits of his patience, Yeongwoo gritted his teeth and looked up at the ceiling.

Just then, something flashed brightly in his vision.

Flash!

[Dogo] “Beginnings”

[Mission] Don’t forget the support from Dogo.

[Reward] 5 Morality Points

It was a quest from Dogo, the dungeon master.

Whether the quest issuer was the president or the company itself was unclear, but the blatant mission content made one thing certain: the company was trying to tighten discipline.

‘These bastards, this was all set up.’

Enraged, Yeongwoo’s eyes rolled wildly.

Despite his anger, his mouth diligently continued its task.

“Dogooo!”

At that moment, the wheelchair supporting him began to shine brightly.

Whoooosh!

― Since morality points have reached 5, the miracle of the cripple is activated.

It really started to restore Yeongwoo’s body.

“Aah...!”

Already feeling strength in his legs, Yeongwoo kicked off the wheelchair and stood up.

Immediately, he sensed a blade flying towards him from behind.

Swaaash!

The participant who had appeared from behind had already launched an attack.

“These crazy bastards, I’ll kill you all!”

With that, Yeongwoo grabbed the opponent’s blade with his bare hand, broke it, and then threw the remaining shard at the ceiling.

Crash!

“President, always take care of your health so you don’t go insane...!”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]