Chapter 49: Dungeon Of Alchemist |
00049 Dungeon Of Alchemist
The moment I heard the word ‘shadow,’ I was utterly shocked. With a stunned expression, I looked down at the user in my arms. Her expression, unlike before, was now composed, and her calm eyes were fixed on me. For some reason, her tranquil gaze sent a shiver down my spine.
I instinctively tried to move my shadow, but a surge of fear from deep within stopped me. A chill ran down my neck. Her arms were wrapped around my body, and her hand had somehow reached the nape of my neck.
I’m going to die.
In a life-or-death situation, one doesn’t ask foolish questions like ‘why’ or ‘how.’ The sharp senses that had kept me alive until now were warning me more clearly than ever. The moment I moved my shadow, the user nuzzling her face against my chest would, without hesitation, snap my neck.
I felt the strength draining from the arms that held her.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The woman’s arms went limp. I had already been on guard against her shadow, as her techniques had been somewhat researched back in the first timeline. However, knowing about it didn't mean I could let my guard down. I was prepared to twist her neck at the slightest sign of trouble.
But the woman didn’t push her luck. She acknowledged her misjudgment and backed down. Her innate senses were sharp, and she didn’t overestimate her own abilities.
⚔ PLAYER STATUS ⚔
1. Name:
Go Yeon-ju (5th Year) 2. Class:
Shadow Queen (Queen Of Silhouette Master) 3. Nation:
Barbara 4. Clan:
- 5. True Name · Nationality:
One Who Leaves a Jet-Black Silhouette in the Night · Republic of Korea 6. Sex:
Female (26) 7. Height · Weight:
169.4cm · 51.8kg 8. Alignment:
True · Chaos
STATS
⚡ Strength: 89
🛡️ Endurance: 90
💨 Agility: 97
💪 Stamina: 87
✨ Magic Power: 93
🍀 Luck: 82
Achievements (5)
Unique Ability (1/1):
Lure Eyed (Rank: A) Special Ability (1/1):
Abyss Crowd (Rank: S Plus) Potential Abilities (3/3):
Shadow Dagger Arts (Rank: A Plus) Presence Erasure (Rank: A Plus Plus Plus) Black Shade (Rank: A Plus Plus)
STAT COMPARISON
1. Kim Su-hyeon: 540/600(12 stat points remaining.)
[Strength 94] [Endurance 92] [Agility 98] [Stamina 72] [Magic Power 96] [Luck 88] 2. Go Yeon-ju: 536/600
(No stat points remaining.)
[Strength 89] [Endurance 90] [Agility 97] [Stamina 85] [Magic Power 93] [Luck 82]
Seeing Go Yeon-ju’s stats and abilities, I couldn't help but be impressed. Her total stats were 536 out of a possible 600, only four points less than mine. No wonder she would later become one of the 10 Strongest.
Still, I was confident I could beat her. Except for Stamina, all my other stats surpassed hers. Furthermore, considering the level and rank of my unique, special, and potential abilities, I could definitively overpower Go Yeon-ju.
So I made up my mind right then and there. I would decide Go Yeon-ju’s fate after I finished all my business in Mul. I would try to recruit her, and if that failed… My thoughts must have shown on my face, because I saw Go Yeon-ju flinch as she looked into my eyes. I immediately composed my expression and spoke in a quiet voice.
"My shadow likes beautiful women. That's why it likes you."
"..."
"So..."
Go Yeon-ju’s face remained tense, and she didn't answer. This time, I was the one caressing her face. The reversal of our initial situation sent a strange thrill through my body.
"I hope you won't try anything foolish."
A user of Go Yeon-ju’s caliber would surely understand the meaning behind my words. After seeing her give a slight nod, I finally pulled my face away from her embrace.
Go Yeon-ju's current state of mind seemed quite complicated. Her usual relaxed demeanor was gone, replaced by eyes filled with complexity that spoke volumes of her inner turmoil. She then let out a deep sigh and opened her mouth.
"I understand what you mean. My lips are quite sealed, you know."
"Good. I like women who can keep a secret."
Go Yeon-ju, who had switched to formal speech, gave a bitter smile at my words.
"I was just genuinely curious. I had no intention of harming you, so please don't misunderstand."
"I'd like to tell you, but circumstances being what they are."
And Lure Eyed, no matter how good the intention, is a form of mental contamination. I wanted to add that, but I decided to leave it at that for today.
At my polite refusal, Go Yeon-ju looked disappointed and carefully rose from her seat. I gestured with my eyes for her to leave, and she walked to the door without another word.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Morning came, and the kids woke up one by one, rubbing their sleepy eyes. I felt a sense of pride watching them yawn and immediately begin their sensory training. Normally, I would have encouraged it, but today I planned to leave the city, so I called the three of them to my room.
"Whashappened, why'd you call ush?"
As An Hyeon mumbled with his mouth wide open, Yu-jeong shot him a disgusted look. Sol looked embarrassed as well. I chuckled at Hyeon’s state and began to speak calmly.
"It seems you all have a decent handle on mana sensing now, don't you?"
Since I had been stingy with praise until now, the kids blinked and looked at each other. Then, with awkward expressions, they all started to straighten their backs. The occasional coughs they let out were quite a sight. A slight smile formed on my lips, but I managed to suppress it.
"I felt that way watching you all train hard for the past week. You've worked hard."
"Hyeong. Does that mean..."
Hyeon asked with an excited voice, and I nodded calmly. Today was finally the day we would leave the city.
"Yes. I think it's fine to leave the city now. It's about time we started moving."
The moment my permission was given, a silent commotion erupted between Hyeon, Sol, and Yu-jeong. The thought of finally taking their first true step into Hall Plain brought a distinct look of excitement to all their faces.
"But listen carefully. Training should become a habit, something you do at all times, except in unavoidable situations."
I added that quickly as they were getting too excited, but from their half-hearted nods, it was clear their minds were already elsewhere. I was about to say more but decided against it. I would wait and see if they could maintain this same excited mood after experiencing various incidents outside the city.
The Ruined Laboratory. The Dungeon of the Ancient Alchemist Vivian. After weighing which to visit first, I decided the dungeon would be better. Both the laboratory and the dungeon were about the same in difficulty, but I had more clues about the alchemist's dungeon, which increased our chances of success.
To get to Vivian's dungeon, we first had to exit through Mul's north gate and venture deep into the Obsidian Forest. The Obsidian Forest was a massive forest located between the Northern Continent and the unexplored regions. Even Barbara had only ordered the stabilization of its early to middle sections, which meant it was no easy place. In other words, crossing the midpoint of the forest was as good as entering an unexplored region.
But none of that really applied to me. I had experience participating in expeditions into unexplored territories, so I didn't plan on hiring an archer (ranger). I tentatively decided not to form a caravan. More people meant the problem of distributing rewards would hold us back. I didn't have the luxury to worry about other users when I could barely feed and clothe the kids.
Watching Hyeon and Sol, who were so excited they were holding hands and playing patty-cake, I pulled out a bag. It was a magic backpack with a weight reduction spell on it. A permanent magic backpack was too expensive, so I bought one with a spell that lasted a week. After this expedition, selling some of the rewards and combining it with the gold I currently had would ensure we wouldn't be short on money in Mul, at the very least.
"I have a present for all of you who trained so hard."
At the word 'present,' the kids' curiosity immediately shifted to the backpack. They might have heard about magic backpacks at the User Academy, but this was the first time they were seeing one up close. Their eyes sparkled excessively, like children awaiting gifts from Santa Claus. An Hyeon, in particular, was staring so intently it made me extremely uncomfortable.
Their silent gazes urged me to hurry up, and I broke into a cold sweat. Reaching into the backpack, I took out the presents one by one. The gifts were weapons. I had carefully considered and ordered them while watching the kids train at the User Academy.
One long spear. Two daggers. One wooden staff.
"Oh."
"Huh?"
"Woooow..."
Seeing the weapons on the floor, Hyeon, Yu-jeong, and Sol let out cries of admiration in turn. When I gestured for them to take them, they all rushed forward and picked up their weapons. Of course, Hyeon had mentioned GP before, but I had told him to save it for now. I didn't want to waste money on things we didn't need to buy.
An Hyeon, who had picked up the spear, thrust it into the air a few times and looked satisfied. His stance had some form to it, suggesting it felt right in his hands.
"Wow. This feels pretty good in my hands. It sticks to me with every thrust."
An Hyeon's spearmanship was developing in a completely different direction than I had initially expected. I thought he would focus on slashing if he used a sword, but I often saw him concentrating on thrusting exercises instead. That's why I chose a spear with a tip sharpened like an awl.
"Your spearmanship is more specialized for thrusting than slashing. That's why I chose a spear with a sharply honed point. As you can see, it's a Long Spear, so it's not made for throwing. It's useful for creating distance, so you'll need to pay close attention to maintaining your range in combat. Defense is up to you."
"Hye-hyeong. To think you were thinking about me that much... You're making this difficult for me."
Hyeon spouted nonsense with a moved expression. I immediately averted my gaze. He must have been joking, as I heard him start to chuckle. Yu-jeong, who had been quietly fiddling with her daggers, chimed in as soon as Hyeon and I finished our conversation.
"Oppa. What about me? These daggers, they both only have one sharp edge."
"That's how I ordered them in the first place. Ah. Yours was a special custom order, Yu-jeong..."
"Really?"
As soon as she heard it was a custom order, Yu-jeong's face lit up, and she cut me off.
"The design of your daggers is based on a katana, a Japanese sword. That's why the blades are longer than normal daggers. You can think of them as about half the length of a regular katana."
"Hmm~ It feels a little awkward, but I think this will be better once I get used to it."
"The Mercenary class, being a close-combat type, has many abilities specialized for chaotic battles. Anyway, try using them. Finding the right weapon for you is also part of your training."
"Okay. But oppa, custom-made weapons are more expensive than regular ones, right?"
"They tend to be. But why do you ask?"
When I casually agreed, Yu-jeong flashed a triumphant smile and turned her head toward An Hyeon. She shot him a smug look and twirled her daggers. I didn't even have to ask to know why she was acting like that. Yu-jeong then turned her gaze from Hyeon back to me.
"So my present is the most expensive one, right? Hohoho. My, my. Oppa, if you like me, just say so. Must you always be so indirect?"
An Hyeon, who had been listening quietly to Yu-jeong, suddenly looked dumbfounded. Sol was sending me a somewhat wronged look. The one who was truly wronged was me, but these kids were the epitome of childishness. I had expected this kind of happening, so I just stared at Yu-jeong with a pathetic expression. However, I couldn't withstand the provocative wink she sent me.
I sighed and continued in a low voice.
"Unfortunately, the most expensive gift isn't your daggers, but Sol's staff."
"...What? Why? That stupid wooden stick?"
Yu-jeong's voice immediately dropped. And hearing her staff called a 'stupid wooden stick,' Sol's lips pouted. I shrugged my shoulders once.
"Of course. The weapons of mages and priests are mostly magical items."
"Huh? Magical?"
At the mention of a magical item, Sol's eyes widened as she asked. I nodded once and explained what kind of magic was enchanted on it.
"Yes. They said it helps to calm the caster's mind and increases the efficiency of mana control. It's the lowest grade, so you can't expect a huge effect, but it's better than nothing. I figured you don't need something that increases your mana pool right now. Is that okay?"
"Yes!"
I smiled slightly as I watched Sol answer energetically, clearly very pleased. For a moment, I thought it would be wonderful to have such a kind and cute little sister.
Though it was just for a split second, I caught the triumphant glance Sol sent toward Yu-jeong. When I discreetly looked at Yu-jeong, I saw her face contort slightly, having noticed Sol's gaze.
I suddenly remembered hearing that Sol had been obnoxiously showing off recently. I had dismissed it, thinking there was no way Sol would do that, but now I felt it was a matter I needed to reconsider.
============================ Author's Notes ============================
* Setting Change for Chapter 5. Jin Su-hyeon's appearance is adjusted from 3 years later → 1 year later.
* I've heard from a few authors that there are places where you can pay to get a cover illustration. I would be grateful if anyone could recommend a good site.
Hello, this is Royujin.
The Shadow Queen has made her appearance. As a user who occupies a spot among the <10 Strongest> in the mid-game, she is a very powerful character. Now you might be able to get a slight grasp of where Su-hyeon currently stands.
And finally, Su-hyeon and the kids are leaving Mul. Their first destination is the Alchemist's Dungeon. Please look forward to Su-hyeon's journey as he continues to hit one jackpot after another. Now for the replies. :)
『 Replies 』
1. Saram-insaeng: You've finally recreated your past glory. Congratulations on 1st place! You were on a roll yesterday haha.
2. Blami: Yes. For example, to see Seraph, you have to go through the temple. There are exceptions, but that's the general method. Evil gods exist too. :)
3. Kagyu: Yes. This is a remake of the one I posted in March of '12.
4. Toranoanal: Romance, huh. I can somehow strongly relate to what you're saying. Ah. The title uses special characters, not English capital letters. (It's the Hangeul character ㅍ with Hanja key.) I put them all together, but they still come out a bit spaced.
5. Bong-indoen-Tolstoy: That's right. The reliable oppa will eventually... huhuhu.
6. jinny1003: Correct. But they are still fresh sprouts. Hahaha.
7. Baek-in-Timothy: Thank you. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. Su-hyeon is, of course, a man. Hahahaha. I'm sure you know what I mean.... :)
8. Lephil: Wow. To be honest, I was surprised by your comment. There are many similarities to the initial settings for Su-hyeon and Han-byeol. You've made a very sharp judgment. You're correct. How did you know? I did put in a hint that Han-byeol and So-young overlap, but I didn't think anyone would pinpoint such a complex detail so accurately. :)
9. Choi-gang-seongnyeo: Comment on this chapter too ㄱㄱㄱㄱ. :)
10. Lizad: It would be a huge problem if he ate it now. Hahahaha.
I always read all the comments repeatedly. Please don't be too sad if your comment isn't in the replies. If you have any questions you're really curious about, you can send me a message and I'll answer! (Please leave lots of comments! And recommendations too... ☞☜)
Well then, I'll take my leave for today.
I hope you can always read with a comfortable heart.
Favorites, recommendations, comments, critiques, and questions are always welcome.