Chapter 552

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Chapter 552: The Aesthetics of the Circle (3)

One Hundred Forty-Five Swords Mountain.

Compared to the Chairman’s One Hundred Thousand Sword Mountain, this was hardly a “mountain”—more of a “pile.”

Still, with over a hundred blades suspended in the air, the sheer spectacle was enough to make both the mechanical being and the Lizardman halt their chase.

KWA-KWA-KWAAAT!

A hundred forty-five blades rained down from the sky, glittering like shards of steel sunlight. The Lizardman stopped first, instinctively retreating.

—What the…?

And then—

KWAAT!

The machine, fleeing from the Lizardman, felt a strange disturbance and turned around.

—Huh? Wh–what’s that?

Its metallic pupils widened as countless weapons fell from the heavens.

Startled, it stumbled sideways and hit the ground with a thud.

THUD!

—What’s going on… is this where it really starts?

Mistaking the Sword Mountain for part of the dungeon’s system, the machine looked up—and froze.

A bizarre silhouette emerged before its eyes.

—…?

A hunched back like a hunchback’s hump, limbs bent at impossible angles—arms and legs seemingly attached in all the wrong places.

—Wait… why are the legs up there?

The machine gawked.

It thought the creature’s arms and legs were all attached to its upper torso—until the figure lunged forward at terrifying speed.

KWHAAAAA—!

It was charging straight toward them.

“Don’t shoot!”

The distorted figure—Jeong Yeongwoo 07—shouted as he dashed forward.

He was yelling at the Lizardman not to shoot the machine, but the Lizardman misunderstood.

Shk—

—Who do you think you are to tell me not to shoot?

With a villainous grin, the Lizardman raised his weapon.

—At least you’ve got more limbs now.

BANG!

The laser gun fired without hesitation.

Yeongwoo dropped the severed limbs he was carrying and drew his sword—Bastard.

SHWEEEENG!

The beam reached him almost instantly—

—but he parried it.

PAZIK!

White sparks erupted as Bastard’s blade met the laser.

The light vanished on contact.

The Lizardman’s expression froze.

—…!

It wasn’t just that Yeongwoo blocked the laser—it was how fast he’d reacted.

—You bastard… who the hell are you?

And those limbs he’d dropped?

Anyone could see they were collected parts—the ones required to activate the dungeon’s escape portal.

Someone else had already been gathering them.

Clack.

The Lizardman holstered his gun and raised both hands slowly.

—H-hey… let’s talk this out. I won’t shoot anymore, alright?

Yeongwoo lowered his sword slightly and began walking forward.

Step. Step.

The machine and the Lizardman could now see him clearly.

—Huh?

—What the hell…

On his back hung Lady Kanaph, and attached to him were prosthetic arms and legs—one each.

On the ground lay another arm and another leg.

—Ah!

The machine suddenly pointed at Yeongwoo’s left shoulder.

—That arm on the ground—it’s his own!

They realized: he wasn’t a monster with limbs in the wrong places—

He was a different kind of monster altogether.

The Lizardman glanced between the limbs on the ground and Yeongwoo, horrified.

—Th-those are your arms…?

“Yeah. You need two arms and two legs to escape this place, right? So I cut mine off.”

Yeongwoo looked at his shoulder—fresh flesh and bone already regenerating.

He picked up the severed limbs and stood between the two.

“So, what’s the deal here? Why were you two trying to kill each other? Meeting the first team in a dungeon is sort of fate, isn’t it?”

The machine, cowering, quickly pointed at the Lizardman.

—N-no, sir! I wasn’t attacking him—he was trying to rip my limbs off!

“‘Sir,’ huh? Polite for a machine.”

Yeongwoo nodded approvingly.

The Lizardman, seeing that, quickly clasped his hands together and grinned awkwardly.

—Heh… what can I say? Those are the rules. You need limbs to leave this dungeon.

“And that justifies stealing your only partner’s?”

—Look, he’s a machine! Cutting off a few parts won’t kill him.

“…”

Technically, he wasn’t wrong—

someone had to lose limbs to open the portal.

If you didn’t want to sacrifice your own, you’d use someone else’s.

—If he were a living being, sure, I’d hesitate. But he’s not—he’s a machine. He can just find spare parts later.

The machine snapped, offended.

—Spare parts? You think replacement arms just fall from the sky? Do you know how long I have to work to afford one? If I lose a limb here, I can’t even do that job!

In other words—losing a limb here meant death for him too.

—Still better off than me! If I lose an arm, I’ll bleed out and die!

—That’s your lack of skill! This gentleman cut off his arm and he’s fine!

The machine jabbed an accusing finger at Yeongwoo.

Sighing, Yeongwoo decided to shut them up.

KWHAAAAAA—!

Another hundred swords rained from the air at his gesture.

Both the Lizardman and the machine instantly fell silent.

“You two talk too much. It’s all meaningless now anyway.”

He pointed the sword at them.

“You’re my hostages.”

—W-what?

—Excuse me?

Both blinked in disbelief.

Yeongwoo hugged his severed limbs and twirled Bastard lazily.

“Now, shake hands. Actually—you apologize first.”

He gestured toward the Lizardman.

—You want… me to apologize?

“From where I’m standing, you’re the bad guy. So apologize—unless you’d rather lose a limb.”

The Lizardman could tell—he meant it.

A man who willingly cut off his own limbs wouldn’t hesitate to cut off someone else’s.

Shk.

Yeongwoo turned his sword toward the machine.

“You—accept his apology.”

—Uh… how should I do that?

“He’ll offer his right hand. You offer yours. That’s called a handshake.”

[Translator - Night]

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He forced the alien pair into Earth-style reconciliation.

The Lizardman, ever the survivor, extended his right hand first.

The machine hesitated, then followed suit.

Their hands met.

“That’s a handshake,”

Said Yeongwoo.

“It means you’re not holding a weapon.”

Then he smiled faintly.

“So now—hand over your weapons.”

—…?

—Huh?

“Did I stutter? All of them.”

He waved his sword impatiently.

The machine blinked.

—C-can I at least let go of his hand?

“…Of course.”

With permission, the machine quickly released the handshake.

Clack!

He opened a compartment in his right arm and dropped a massive blade to the floor.

THUD!

He’d been hiding it inside his forearm.

“That’s it?”

—Y-yes, sir. That’s all I’ve got. Just my fists now.

He raised his hands defensively.

Yeongwoo sighed.

“Why do broke people even come to dungeons?”

The Lizardman grumbled as he set his gun down.

—Because we’re broke. Who else risks their life for fun?

“What? You came here for money?”

—It’s insane, yeah. But if you find a Bestiary Catalog or a legendary item, you’re rich. Even a rare epic gear could feed you for months.

“And if you die?”

—That’s why you pick dungeons you’re confident in. You know the theme of this one was ‘Concession,’ right?

“And you got stabbed in the back instead.”

Yeongwoo stroked his chin thoughtfully, but the Lizardman shook his head.

—No. I knew exactly what this would be.

“What?”

—That’s why I came in first—to stab him in the back.

It had worked, too—he’d chased down the naive machine until Yeongwoo showed up.

“Heartless.”

—We all live like this. Don’t act pure—you reek of villainy yourself.

The Lizardman sniffed the air with his slit nostrils, tongue flicking.

Yeongwoo didn’t deny it.

“Well, I’m good at betrayal, sure. Just not against small fries.”

First, he didn’t want to rack up unnecessary evil karma.

With the Burning Ice achievement still active and the Planetary Tribunal already watching him, he had to keep his good–evil balance in check.

“You’ve got more, don’t you?”

He glanced at the laser gun on the ground, then at the Lizardman.

With a sigh, the creature pried open a chest scale and pulled out a hidden dagger.

—Can’t believe I’m being mugged inside a dungeon.

“Think of it as paying for your life. Cheap, right?”

The machine stammered.

—Y-you’ll… spare us?

“If you behave, I don’t need to kill you. Maybe I’ll just take an arm or a leg.”

He eyed them both carefully.

The Lizardman already had a prosthetic arm.

The machine had none—since for him, every limb was a replaceable part.

‘Alright. I’ve got enough parts to open the exit.’

But it wasn’t enough.

That only fulfilled the bare minimum.

To earn the hidden reward, he needed something more.

‘No explicit mission this time… so what counts as over-completion?’

He stared at the timer floating midair.

On his back, Lady Kanaph finally spoke.

—So, even you can worry about things.

“I’m not here for pocket change.”

—Then what?

“Every dungeon has a hidden reward. Usually, you get it by going above and beyond the mission… but here, there’s no clear goal.”

—You mean, you don’t know what to do?

“Exactly. You’re new to this, but I’ve done a lot of dungeons—and I’ve got no clue this time.”

She tilted her broad head.

—Really? There’s no mission here?

“Not unless you count ‘escape before time runs out.’”

Kanaph suddenly clapped his shoulder.

—Maybe you’re not seeing it because you’re too greedy.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

—When those bastards threw me in here, I saw what was written on the wall.

“What did you see?”

—‘Concession.’

“Oh.”

The word hit him like a spark to the brain.

That line in the dungeon briefing—

‘If everyone concedes just a little, everyone can survive.’

“‘If everyone concedes a little… everyone can live.’”

—Exactly. Isn’t that the real goal? For everyone to leave alive?

“But the hidden reward only goes to one person. If everyone lives, who gets it?”

Kanaph pointed at the timer.

—The one who concedes the most, obviously.

“…?”

—The one who lets everyone else leave first—and walks out last.

“But… you need two arms and two legs to escape.”

As he said it, Yeongwoo realized he’d already answered himself.

“…That’s not ‘a little’ concession, that’s insane.”

—Not just your turn—you’ll have to concede your limbs too. Just like you said. That’s your over-completion, isn’t it?

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