13
“Soldier Haesol, any issues?”
“…No, sir.”
If we really wanted to nitpick, the problem started with being asked to lift 200kg as if it were a mere stone, but I simply sealed my lips. It was absurd, but what could I do, this was Eternity.
Inwardly sighing, I quietly gathered my strength.
Although it was a physical measurement that had to be done purely on raw strength, there was no choice. If not, I would end up collapsing before finishing the measurements.
The instructor wasn’t just talking big; he genuinely believed that around 200kg was light, so any safety precautions were out of the question.
Fortunately, since using strength was different from using magic, the instructor didn’t realize I was employing my strength.
“Haesol, B+.”
After using strength to the brink of death, we completed all the measurements, resulting in a B+.
Despite using strength, it was still a pretty decent score.
“Being only at this level as the top student, hmm. Seems like you relied on talent alone and neglected physical training.”
The instructor murmured as he checked the measurements.
“······.”
Listening to the sounds that didn’t seem like the instructor’s voice, Amelia returned to her seat, looking surprised.
“It seems like everyone over there is doing well.”
“Noisy.”
Casually ignoring Amelia, who seemed to have a grand delusion, he gazed at the ongoing measurements in the auditorium.
‘Did they eat rebar for breakfast?’
Watching the trainees effortlessly lift a 200kg barbell like it was a baton, it was doubtful if they belonged in the same human category as me.
That’s when I absentmindedly watched the beastly performances of the other trainees.
“Park Yoocheon. F-Rank.”
“······Yes.”
The trainee known as Park Yoocheon bowed deeply and returned to his seat.
The trainees gossiped, staring at him as if he were some rare animal.
“Oh, he’s an F-Rank, huh?”
“How did Eternity let him in?”
“800 in the big three? Wow, is that guy even human?”
I looked at Park Yoocheon, who was sitting in the corner, known as ‘F-Rank.’
The only F-Rank trainee within the school, renowned for not catching a single demon properly since the first day of training.
But even if he wasn’t an F-Rank, I knew Park Yoocheon well. He was a ticking time bomb, ready to explode at any moment.
‘That guy is going to blow up soon.’
As you can see, Park Yoocheon is an F-Rank trainee laying the groundwork for Eternity.
His abysmal grades could lead to his expulsion at any moment.
The problem is that due to the stress, he’s likely to awaken as a “Mine” soon.
And not just any “Mine,” but a Mine that provides a character’s “Death Line.”
In Eternity’s electrical system, each main character has a “Death Line,” and if the character dies before crossing it, the game’s difficulty level increases. And the first to experience this “Death Line” is······
“Eunga, it’s a physical assessment. Come on.”
***
Decorating the first week of the semester was a dungeon exploration in the field.
While the field’s dungeon was less dangerous than regular ones managed by Eternity, it had the advantage of housing a variety of monsters with different attributes.
“In the field’s dungeon, you’ll be able to gain a more diverse experience than outside.”
Alongside Instructor Ha Jinwoo’s words, it was also useful from an experiential perspective.
The dungeon with a gaping mouth of a giant cliff looked dangerous at first glance.
“For safety, we’ll move in groups of 4.”
Ha Jinwoo, standing in front of the dungeon, called out the groups one by one.
“Group 1: Cheon Woojin, Shin Yuhak, Kale, Amelia.”
Cheon Woojin was called to Group 1, fearing he might be the protagonist.
Luck seemed to favor whoever was hit hard by it, as even the team members were all top elites.
“Group 2: Eunga, Park Yoocheon, Lee Sooncheol, Nam Minwoo.”
As Group 1 entered the dungeon, Group 2 was called next. In reality, this team was the biggest issue.
“Oh, we’re doomed.”
“···We’re on the same team with Oh Frank.”
Ishuncheol and Nam Minwoo openly grumbled about the fact that they had become teammates with Park Yoocheon.
It seemed like Eungaye was not interested in the members, or she was just good at pretending.
I gazed intently at Park Yoocheon.
In the game, the timing of Park Yoocheon awakening as a Mine was ‘random’ with no set schedule.
Truly a time bomb that could go off at any moment. That’s why I was watching him closely, waiting for when it would happen······
“The bomb has detonated.”
The moment I saw Park Yoocheon, I knew.
He had already awakened as a Mine.
[Park Yoocheon has awakened as a Mine.]
[Warning! Death line has appeared.]
Because his awakening notification and death line popped up on the status screen.
I called out to Eungaye, who was about to move.
“Eungaye.”
“Yeah?”
“Be careful of Park Yoocheon.”
“Me? Why him?”
“He might attack you.”
“Hey, what’s that about······”
As Eungaye was about to frown and ask back, Hajinwoo shouted.
“The designated Team 2, step forward.”
“In any case, be cautious, you won’t suffer any losses. Take this.”
“Why this······”
“I’ll tell you later.”
I forcibly handed Eungaye a handful of Gram’s beads before she entered the dungeon.
With that, even if our paths diverged in the dungeon, I could find her. It was a kind of insurance.
Following Team 1, Team 2 entered the dungeon, and not long after, my team was called.
“Team 3. Lee Haesol, Han Seyeon, Oh Jinhyuk, Kim Hayoon.”
Just one team behind. Fortunately, the order didn’t change. If I hurried, I could catch up. Han Seyeon, the class president, greeted me with a smile.
“We’re in the same team? Nice to meet you.”
“Yeah, same here.”
As we were sitting next to each other in the classroom, we chatted comfortably. But the other two were different.
“···Oh, I’m Oh Jinhyuk. Nice to meet you.”
Oh Jinhyuk, who seemed out of place with his stature, awkwardly greeted us.
Contrary to his rugged appearance, he seemed like the type who kept a lot to himself.
On the other hand, Kim Hayoon was different.
“Wow! Han Seyeon! Nice to meet you! I’m a huge fan! Oh, there’s Hyesol too.”
······She seemed to be trying to greet me but hesitated.
Anyway, perhaps because it was the first week of the new semester, everyone seemed a bit reserved.
“Nice to meet you all.”
Han Seyeon greeted with a smile that didn’t seem to detect any gloom. Her friendliness was no joke. On the other hand, I felt uncomfortable, like sitting on a bed of thorns.
“Why be awkwardly formal among peers? Just relax.”
“Um, well, should I? Please take care of us.”
It was when Oh Jinhyuk awkwardly started speaking that we began to break the somewhat awkward atmosphere.
“Squad 3! Stop the chitchat and enter the dungeon quickly!”
“Let’s talk while we walk in.”
At Hajinwoo’s shout, we hesitantly moved our steps into the darkness of the dungeon, opening our mouths in unease.
***
Our squad was quite well-rounded.
Warrior Oh Jinhyuk, healer Kim Hayoon, archer Han Seyeon, and myself.
Two long-range attackers, one support in the middle, and a warrior in the front.
With Oh Jinhyuk at the front, Kim Hayoon in the middle, and Han Seyeon and I at the back, our positions were perfectly set.
The dark corridor was illuminated by Kim Hayoon’s magic, so there were no obstacles in our sight. However…
“Ugh, it’s so muddy. My shoes are soaked.”
Kim Hayoon complained, lifting her foot to put her shoe back on. It wasn’t just her; the dungeon was designed like a swamp.
Because of the shoes sinking deeply with each step, we were walking uncomfortably through the corridor.
“Eek!”
Oh Jinhyuk, who was leading the way, suddenly stepped back in fear. Startled, Kim Hayoon looked surprised.
“What’s wrong? Why are you like that?”
“T-There!”
Oh Jinhyuk pointed shakily at the ground.
A tentacle with a suction cup at the end was wriggling in front of Oh Jinhyuk’s foot.
“Ugh… What is that?”
Kim Hayoon grimaced.
At the end of the tentacle, a grotesque octopus with big eyes was staring at us.
“An Octopus.”
I muttered indifferently.
An Octopus, also known as an Octopus Head.
In this damp place, it was a common Grade 1 monster.
“The forehead and temples are its weak spots. Its reactions are subtly fast, making it tricky to deal with…”
Bang! Bang!
Before I could finish my explanation, two gunshots echoed through the dungeon.
The octopus, with holes in its forehead and temples, collapsed helplessly.
“…”
I turned around. Han Seyeon was smiling mischievously, blowing on her gun barrel.
“Wow! Seyeon is amazing! How did you defeat the octopus so easily?”
Even Kim Hayoon, who looked delighted as if she was under a spell, praised. On the other hand, my expression stiffened awkwardly.
“Um, can you stand in front of me?”
“Why?”
“Do I have to explain?”
Han Seyeon smirked. I sighed and said, “I’m nervous because I might miss my shot.”
Even with that smile, if she pointed the muzzle at me like that, my heart would surely shrink.
After a firm request from me, we repositioned and walked through the dungeon passageway again.
For the next 10 minutes, we caught four octopuses and three snail monsters.
Pffft!
When the octopus pierced by Gram’s rapier fell, Kim Hayoon looked amazed.
“Wow, it’s my first time seeing someone catch monsters with a rapier.”
Since rapiers were almost obsolete in Modern Eternity, Kim Hayoon must have found it quite fascinating that I made it my main weapon.
Han Seyeon also gazed at my rapier like a child finding a new toy.
How many miles had we walked, treated like ancient relics in a museum? A fork in the road appeared ahead.
“Which way should we go?”
“To the right.”
Without hesitation, I answered Oh Jinhyuk’s question. Kim Hayoon looked puzzled.
“Why the right?”
“Just because. I have a good feeling about it.”
Since I couldn’t say that I knew the way because of Eunga’s guidance with Gram’s rapier, I vaguely mentioned intuition. And going right turned out to be the right choice in many ways.
“Now it feels like we might survive.”
The swamp-like sinking ground suddenly flattened out fearfully as we entered the fork in the road.
The humid air became somewhat drier, making it easier to breathe.
Oh Jinhyuk looked amazed.
“Wow, does the environment change so drastically with just one direction change in a dungeon?”
“Of course, because the arranged demons are different.”
In a single dungeon, having multiple environments coexist naturally was rare, but in this artificial dungeon field, it was different.
Since the attributes of the demons placed in each passageway were different, the environment became chaotic accordingly.
By the way, this dungeon was designed as a multi-dungeon, where the dungeon boss would change depending on which path you chose.
Anyway, in the improved environment, we enjoyed some comfort, although it was a bit dark.
······Huh? Dark?
I suddenly felt something odd and tilted my head. Could it be dark even with the magic light on?
It was too unnatural to simply attribute the dungeon walls darkening to shadows. Was the boundary with light too distinct? Such a thing only happened when shadow-type demons clung to the walls.
My guess was a Grade 1 demon, Shadow Raven.
It would startle you if it suddenly popped out, but its combat power was weak.
But why were the walls so dark? And without any gaps. It was as if dozens of Shadow Ravens were clustered together.
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······Insane.
“Run!”
“What?”
Without waiting for a response, I ran forward recklessly.
At the same time, countless hooks sprang out from the walls of the passageway.