74 – 32. Sealed Devil Sword (4)
It was a clear fact that the difficulty of the dungeon, based on Neapolitan folklore, was considerable, and I had no intention of denying it.
Just by looking at the patterns, wasn’t it evident? It couldn’t be cleared just by sheer force; the problem was that one had to use their head.
“Of course, one might argue that using one’s brain isn’t that difficult… But having your head function properly in a tense situation like this is the real challenge.”
If one casually threw a remark like, “Since there are ghosts wandering around, consult the manual and avoid them on your own,” it would be natural for one’s sanity to go out the window.
“Moreover, success depends on having good luck as well.”
In summary, the difficulty level was considerable. I didn’t deny that.
However. At least Ian didn’t harbor fear or lose confidence in the fact that he had to conquer this dungeon.
Why? It was simple.
“I’ve already done a lot.”
Having experienced the ending of Heroic Academy before.
To witness the ending, one had to clear dungeons of all types, and naturally, Ian had also cleared dungeons based on urban legends.
The haunted mansion and ghosts were no issue, as facing zombies in the Brookes’ Territory had built up his courage, solving the problem.
“Anyway, there are two ways to clear dungeons filled with Neapolitan legends. The first is to avoid areas where so-called ‘death patterns’ are likely to occur and find the boss while avoiding them. For example, here, you would go in a direction that doesn’t use the stairs.”
He strategized by demolishing the dungeon itself as if piercing through the ceiling. That was the first method.
“The second is to just destroy everything, patterns or not, and get in. However, you need to find the boss as quickly as possible. It requires a bit of luck.”
Not following the manual at all could be one way.
No matter how powerful they were, weren’t those appearing in this dungeon just monsters?
They could all be defeated. However, if you violated the rules too much, they would grow exponentially, so it was better to quickly defeat the boss.
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The first route was destroying landmarks, and the second was swiftly dealing with monsters.
Ian chose the latter.
“Sure, the first one is a safer strategy, but at least here, it’s not a useful method.”
You would understand if you read the manual. Most methods to expose the patterns of the Florian Mansion dungeon involved reducing noise.
But wouldn’t noise naturally occur if you destroyed landmarks?
“After breaking through and getting in, if you encounter someone wearing a hood, you’ll immediately be caught by the pattern.”
To prevent such a mishap, choosing the second option, even if it sacrificed safety, seemed better.
“Unless you’re completely clueless… there are ways to find the boss.”
Ian recalled the demonic sword behind him.
Levrian, the demonic sword. Although he couldn’t swing it due to the seal and the hatred of the blade, using its abilities was possible.
“When an enemy is detected nearby, Levrian’s ability will activate immediately.”
Analyzing the enemy’s combat power before the battle would result in a powerful buff.
Of course, the boss of this dungeon may not be too strong. Whether it’s an advantage or a disadvantage, the activation of abilities can be detected, making it easy to discover when utilized.
‘Florian Manor has a management room from basement floor 1 to floor 3. It’s spacious, but it won’t take too long if you run at full speed.’
The plan had already been finalized. Now, there was only one remaining issue for Ian to choose.
He was someone who engaged in fearless actions recklessly, so he might not be scared even if he saw ghosts. But… isn’t that how life is? You never know.
‘Yeah… He might unexpectedly be afraid.’
Possibilities should always be kept open, and Ian didn’t forget that.
Just to confirm his state, Ian turned his head to the side.
“Save me, please!”
“Hmm? Ian, did you hear that? What’s this sound? I hear someone screaming.”
Looking towards the direction of the scream, they saw Igor with a puzzled expression.
Manual 7. The moment when the pattern of a human screaming begins.
But the problem didn’t end there.
“hehehehe… hehehehe….”
Something in a robe began to appear in the distance.
Situation with patterns 6 and 7 occurring simultaneously. Ian’s pupils dilated at that moment.
‘A pattern involving both deception and screaming from the beginning?’
According to the manual, in case of number 7, you should lie down on the floor and reduce the sound. However, according to number 6, you shouldn’t stay in one place and should pass through.
A critical moment. Ian quickly turned his head.
‘In this situation, one way or another, I have to violate one of them. First, it’s better to leave that woman alone and find the other side.’
After making the judgment, Ian tried to call Igor, but…
Regrettably, the situation with the woman was already unfolding right before Igor’s eyes.
Igor, frozen as if his body had stiffened, wondered if he was succumbing to fear.
From the lips of the woman clad in a robe, a voice escaped, as if the soul itself were slipping away.
“Why are you standing still in front of me?”
“Well… it might be a scream, but as it thins out, it becomes a voice filled with a mature charm. Judging by appearances, at least 13 years older… Perfect for a fledgling, it seems.”
“…Can you hear me?”
“I don’t know who you are, but it’s better to just continue on your way. I’m already a bit busy looking for someone. And even if you’re a homeless person, at least maintain some dignity as a human by washing up, considering the smell.”
“Huh… fine.”
The momentum of Igor, gesturing as if telling the person to go away, changed with the air of a stubborn spirit.
Due to the robe being worn inside out, the expression was not visible, but undoubtedly, there was intense anger…
At the same time, a chilling remark escaped from the stubborn spirit’s mouth.
“hehehe… isn’t that right? I know who you’re looking for!”
“If that’s true, it’ll save me some trouble.”
“But what about this? You can never find that woman. Do you know why? Because I’ll make sure you stay here…”
“I told you not to open your mouth due to the smell, right? And who said I can’t find her? I’ll make you spill until you beg for mercy.”
“What?”
In an instant, the stubborn spirit’s expression was dyed with bewilderment.
Who the hell is this guy? He had seen numerous people until now, and they all tried to pass by while desperately holding their breath.
He had seen countless people running in a panic, trembling… but what is this guy?
Sometimes there were those who didn’t even know the topic and would blabber on, but it ended there. Usually, if they showed any sign of rushing in, they would cower in fear.
However, this guy was a bit different.
“Come here! I’ll twist your neck!”
“Ugh!”
It was clearly visible in his eyes as he rushed forward, driving the ground.
The madness of an endlessly dark abyss and his unreadable thoughts!
“aaah!”
Seriously! He’s a crazy guy trying to catch a ghost to make it speak.
This is not the time for this. The decision to run away immediately came to mind, but…
“Sabakgwe!”
“Kwaaah! What the hell is this! Let go! I said let go!”
“Do you want to live? If so, speak! Tell me where you’ve hidden it!”
“Kuuh! I-I need to release this first….”
Already, with a speed suitable for processing, Igor jumped out and seized her back position.
Squeezing her neck strongly, like a vice on the forearm muscles and biceps. A groaning sound escaped from the ghost’s mouth.
Ian chuckled at the sight.
‘I worried about nothing.’
It was the moment he realized he was dealing with someone crazier than he could imagine.
***
“… Did you take care of it? It’s a shame we couldn’t extract the information.”
Though Ji Bakryeong tried hard, it was not enough to stop Igor, who was like a runaway tank with a malfunctioning steering wheel.
A gruesome scene of shattered bones and a neck seemingly crushed.
Under Igor’s relentless grip, the specter of the revenant could only hold on for so long before losing consciousness and beginning to dissipate.
Ian approached, staring blankly at the disappearing figure swept away by the wind.
“Sabakgwa… Why use such a name instead of sticking to Choke, which is a good name.”
“After telling you the name, are you coming here to make a fuss?”
“I clearly said it was a joke back then.”
Sabakgwa, a technique name that may sound grand, but in reality, it wasn’t anything extraordinary.
“Just a White Choke… If I knew it would be like this, I should have just called it Choke from the beginning.”
Seeing Eri, who had recently started learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and had whined about wanting to learn some techniques, he had taught her a few.
At that time, the basic technique mentioned jokingly as “Sabakgwa” was just a White Choke.
Despite being corrected, Igor seemed to prefer sticking to that name.
Although Ian considered pointing out the proper technique name now, he felt there was no need for it.
“He likes it, so what.”
Whether it’s White Choke or Sabakgwa, what difference does it make? After all, there’s probably no one in this world who knows that technique.
Even if the name of the technique changes casually, it wouldn’t be thought of as strange. That’s what Ian thought.
With the belief that there was no need to pay attention to it, Ian turned his head.
“Leaving that aside, I never thought I could defeat this guy with just a choke.”
Ian stared through the spot where the revenant had dissipated.
He still couldn’t understand how it happened.
“Without accumulating mana and simply killing with a choke, was that really possible?”
Even though it’s a ghost, if a dungeon monster takes a certain amount of damage, it dies.
But what Igor did was just a simple chokehold.
It’s not an attack with stored mana, and he didn’t crush it purely with strength… And a ghost gets taken down by that?
He’s not human, and he’s already dead, so he doesn’t need to breathe.
Just how much did he level up during the vacation to reach the point of killing monsters with just a chokehold?
“Could it be that Igor has some talent in holy power?”
Attribute transformation. I had such a thought in an instant.
In reality, there were those kinds of individuals.
Those who possessed an attribute, but their level was so weak that it didn’t stand out. Or those who didn’t bother to check because they thought it wouldn’t happen in the first place.
In a way, Igor could be one of them.
In the original work, he was randomly added as an enemy, and since he wasn’t a playable character, there was no information about him.
“His personality might suit dark attributes more than holy attributes… Still, attributes are innate, so I wouldn’t know.”
Beings with holy power have the ability to deal fatal damage to demons and monsters.
If a sufficient amount is inherent, it was entirely possible.
When should I look into it? I thought in that moment.
“Ugh… Am I feeling so painfully because I got hit?”
Swish!
“What’s that?”
“Huh? Why, Ian? Why are you staring so intently at my pendant inside my clothes?”
Igor had taken out the pendant he had hidden in his clothes.
It was a pendant adorned with an elaborate pattern that didn’t quite suit him. White background, embellished in gold. In the middle, there was a hinge, perhaps to allow for a photo to be inserted.
Of course, Igor wearing the pendant wasn’t a problem in itself. It wasn’t something worth bothering about, even if he were to wear a wedding ring casually.
The real issue was that Ian also knew the identity of that pendant.
“That… it’s something the high-ranking officials of Elysian Church have. Why does that guy have it?”