Trap (2)
“As you can see, I’m in this state. I can’t enter the dungeon.”
“Ah······.”
Mia let out a sigh.
As I removed my hand, the cold air that had spread as if it would freeze the entire stone door subsided again.
If I enter the dungeon, no one else can enter.
Perhaps I’m the only one who can withstand this cold air, as I’m confident that I can withstand Yerina’s resentment.
A bloodsucker like Mijeong might be able to endure it for a while, but a living person wouldn’t be able to last even 5 minutes before dying.
So, if I go in alone, do I have a chance of winning?
No.
Not ‘slim’, but ‘none’.
Even though I’m resistant to the cold air, it won’t be easy for me to last more than 30 minutes.
However, Luna’s unique dungeon is a vertical structure that goes straight down.
It’s ridiculously long, and it would take at least an hour to go down, and there’s no way to cut through it.
From Noble mtl dot com
If it takes an hour, I’ll somehow manage to arrive alive.
But my whole body will already be frozen, making it impossible to fight properly.
No, even if I somehow manage to destroy the dungeon with brute force, it will be impossible to return.
It’s like throwing away my life, regardless of whether I succeed or not.
“W, what should we do?”
“What do you mean, what should we do? You have to conquer the dungeon without me.”
“That’s impossible······!”
Mia sat down in a daze.
What are the chances that the mercenaries will be able to defeat this dungeon without me?
Well.
Considering that the Archmage died in Kali’s dungeon, I’d say it’s extremely low.
To conquer a dungeon of this level, you need a superhuman.
And not just one, but several superhumans······.
Three days passed in an instant.
The number of mercenaries aiming for Elvengard’s territory gradually increased.
Before long, Elvengard was filled with 3,000 mercenaries.
Numerous mercenaries stormed into the dungeon.
Countless people died or were injured.
Those who came out of the dungeon kept repeating the same thing.
It’s hell down there.
The structure of the dungeon was not just unfriendly, but it seemed to be a trap designed specifically for humans.
The dungeons that the mercenaries had experienced so far had at least some possibility of being conquered.
That’s why people would set foot in the dungeon to conquer it.
And that’s how they could deliver the energy they gained from killing them to the other world.
However, this dungeon was different.
This dungeon seemed to refuse entry from the very beginning.
They hadn’t even passed the first room yet, and there was a steep cliff-like path, tough undead monsters, and traps everywhere······.
None of those who had entered the dungeon once tried again.
The mercenaries who had been curious and approached turned back with hardened expressions.
Those who tried to see the second room by force came back with serious injuries or as corpses.
“What the hell? Why are they all leaving?”
“What’s the difficulty of the dungeon?”
Rumors about the difficulty of the dungeon spread like wildfire.
All the veteran mercenaries who had entered the dungeon left Elvengard as corpses or with faces that were no different from corpses.
Several mercenary groups that had lost their main force withdrew.
The number of mercenaries leaving Elvengard began to exceed the number arriving.
And on the seventh day.
The number of mercenaries remaining in Elvengard was only 400.
Of course, this was still a large number.
It was an absurdly large number for a force to conquer a single dungeon.
However, only a very small number of parties among them entered the dungeon.
Everyone was just watching.
They were just waiting for another party to clear the way and remove the traps.
In fact, the dungeon conquest had come to a standstill.
“The rough structure of the dungeon consists of the first floor, which is a vertical underground floor, the second floor, which has a slight slope, and the third floor, which is the final boss room.”
“By any chance, the second floor······.”
“It’s more difficult than the first floor. The narrow passageways from here on out will widen.”
“Then wouldn’t it be easier to get through?”
“From the second floor onwards, even tougher undead will pour out. If you haven’t eliminated all the undead hiding on the first floor, you’ll be surrounded.”
“······.”
Mia’s expression hardened as she listened to the detailed explanation.
It was obvious what she was thinking.
She must be thinking that it’s fortunate that the mercenaries haven’t reached the second floor yet.Indeed, that’s true.
If we had reached the second floor, we wouldn’t have been able to retrieve the bodies of the mercenaries.
Even if we had broken through the second floor and reached the third floor…
‘Creating a unique dungeon means that ‘it’ is also complete.’
There is no answer.
A dungeon that cannot be destroyed by normal means.
Literally, a dungeon that can only be broken through by brute force.
‘No. Is that a trap too?’
The map the mercenaries made as they cleared the path.
As I looked at the big picture, something strange seemed to appear.
I’ve only been to Luna’s unique dungeon once.
Even then, I was so scared that I ran away without thinking.
But I remember one thing at least.
‘There’s no way this wall is blocked?’
This dungeon.
The structure has changed.
Normally, the structure of a dungeon does not change, even after several regressions.
It’s always the same and there’s no reason to change it.
But that doesn’t mean it can’t be changed.
For an unusual reason.
It’s clear that the dungeon has been intentionally altered.
The intention is clear.
‘It’s a trap.’
This.
This is not a dungeon to summon an undead army.
I was shocked by the realization and froze for a moment.
Mia taps me on the shoulder next to me.
You can just call me.
“The information you asked for. I brought it.”
“Thank you.”
A small crystal ball is handed to me.
There is a video inside it.
When we fought Kali at the roots of the World Tree.
It’s a video recording of the situation at that time.
“Yes… But where are you going to use this?”
“There’s a guy who doesn’t remember what happened then. I’m going to help him remember.”
“Aha…”
Mia claps her hands as if she understands and looks at Mijung.
In fact, it’s not Mijung, but Kali, but Mia has no way of knowing that the tiny girl is the spider monster from that time.
‘With this, I have almost all the ingredients.’
To bring back Kali’s memories.
It may seem useless at first glance.
In reality, it’s an essential preparation step.
‘With this, I can erase Luna from this world.’
Until now, Luna has been an ethereal being, unable to be physically touched or killed.
However, there is a way to kill Luna, or rather, to seal her.
Luna and Kali can be made sure to never be resurrected again.
If we’re lucky, we might even be able to neutralize Belpegor.
“Priestess. We have arrived.”
“Yes…!”
At that moment, the attendant’s announcement is heard from outside.
It looks like they’re here.
.
.
.
A dungeon on the outskirts of Elvengard.
In the basement of the dungeon, which was closed under strict guard, the undead resurrected by Luna’s necromancy were swarming.
Their basic strategy is to move in groups.
They hide or run away when they are at a disadvantage.
The undead army, which even learns over time and is strengthened by magic.
Their fear lay in their contagiousness.
Corpses eaten by them are automatically resurrected and join the undead army.
In this way, the undead army that has been raised increases in number and strength over time.
A runaway train that doesn’t stop until it slaughters all intelligent life in the world.
It was the ultimate weapon of the necromancer Luna.
However, the third basement floor of the unique dungeon for the cultivation of the undead army.
It was a room that looked like an ordinary boss room on the surface.
But what was embedded in the wall was not a dungeon core, but an ordinary magic stone.
Instead, there was another hole leading underground.
There was another dungeon inside the dungeon.
-You wouldn’t have expected a double dungeon, would you…?!-
Luna, in her ethereal form, chuckled.
It was the perfect trap.
They would think that the outer dungeon was all there was.
Especially since it’s a dungeon with a high difficulty level, they’ll think so even more.
They’ll believe that the intelligent, growing undead army that will greet them is their greatest enemy.
But that’s wrong.
The undead army is certainly powerful, but it’s too late to pull it out as the ultimate weapon now.Within this dungeon, I may reign as the most fearsome monster, but the moment I step outside, I’ll be slaughtered in an instant and forced to flee. As the newly resurrected undead, it was impossible to create a powerful legion. What good is strength in the distant future? Right now, the Holy See and the mages are glaring at me with murderous intent, ready to exterminate me as an otherworldly being.
-I abandon the undead legion!-
That’s why Luna chose to use the undead legion as a sacrifice. The price of abandoning a legion that theoretically possesses infinite power and will not cease until its destruction is enormous.
-And! I will finally obtain transcendence!-
In exchange, Luna will gain transcendence, a state that surpasses the limitations of living beings. A body that is alive but transcends the limitations that all living beings inevitably possess, such as lifespan and basic needs.
Now, the creation of that body is nearing its final stages. Soon, she planned to disband the undead legion and use its magic power to complete the transcendent body.
-Magic, swordsmanship, martial arts, and more…! This body will be superhuman in every way! There’s no way I can lose, no way! Uhuhu…!-
An eerie, distorted laughter echoed through the dungeon.