＜ 3. Enter the Dungeon (6) ＞
“So… let me explain as I understand it. This is a hunting ground separated from the outside world, and only you and other selected hunters can explore it, right?”
“No, it’s ambiguous to say that it’s a hunting ground… Come to think of it, it could be seen as a hunting ground.”
Andrea didn’t say that this was the world inside the game, and that she was a gamer from the outside world. It’s information that you wouldn’t even be able to figure out anyway. It was much cleaner to tell only about the dungeon and the challengers.
“And what are the hunters exploring here, those hard paperbacks, the cards? Fighting with a talisman called card?”
For some reason, I feel like I’m being nagged at by an adult laughing and asking if I’m playing with paper tickets when I’m old. Andrea nodded, feeling strangely bitter.
But it was nothing compared to Marco’s despair.
“And now instead of dodging the incinerator, I became that paper ticket, you mean?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Marco’s complexion darkened. He slumped down and pulled his head as he did.
“I, I don’t have time to be like this. Even while I’m doing this, I don’t know what will happen to my daughter… my daughter.”
He was even prepared to eat the corpse of his colleague in order to find his daughter. Andrea had a complicated feeling that was both compassionate and at the same time disgusting.
‘This person seems to be a selfish person who only cares about his family, but seeing as he gave me fish and strictly kept his promises, I don’t think he’s a bad person at all.’
Anyway, it is a monumental number 1 summon for Andrea. Climbing the dungeon without Marco right now would be ridiculous, so I had to ask for your cooperation.
Andrea pondered for a moment whether she should say ‘that’. If the purpose was to properly control the summons so that they would not violate orders, it was a very effective threat.
But intimidation is a double-edged sword. It might be effective right now, but I didn’t know what would happen at the decisive moment if I harbored a grudge.
Marco is essential to getting through the lower levels. Rather, it would have been a better way to build trust step by step. Andrea also decided not to say ‘that’.
‘If I remove a summon card from the deck, the summon in it will disappear forever.’
Since we decided not to threaten, we had to resolve it through dialogue. Fortunately, Andrea had one piece of information that could convince Marco.
“Marco, calm down. Your daughter will be fine. Don’t worry unnecessarily.”
“How do you know that!”
“Oh, of course I don’t know. Chances are you’re in a bit of a bad situation. But if we move quickly, there won’t be any more misfortunes, at least until Mr. Marco finds his daughter. because···.”
Andrea’s index finger stirred the air once. Marco’s eyes follow the end as if possessed.
“The deeper you go into this dungeon, the slower time passes in the world outside.”
‘Challengers who explore the infinite dungeon sometimes fall into worry. Even if you get everything you want by looking at the end of the dungeon, what if too much time has passed? If my beloved fiancée, my co-worker with whom I have decided to share life and death, my terminally ill daughter, and all the people I love have turned to white bones and fallen asleep in the dust… what use is all this?’
‘But in fact it is all worry in vain. If you’ve been wandering through a dungeon and happened to see a mirror reflecting the world outside, you’d know. Time outside is passing much slower than here. The deeper the dungeon, the slower it goes…’
It must have been around the 80th floor, it was information I had seen on a note stuck in a crack in the wall sometime. I don’t know if that’s true, but it was enough to motivate Marco.
“Is that really true? How do you know all of that…? I don’t know how many times I’ve asked this question. What is your true identity?”
‘The deceased.’
Honest but incomprehensible answers were suppressed. Instead, Andrea decided to respond with lines like the main character of a mystic boy’s cartoon.
“Let’s just say he’s a challenger who already knows a lot about the dungeon.”
Marco’s face was still unsure of what he was talking about. It wasn’t even an explanation I could understand in the first place. Andrea was embarrassed that he had brought it up, so he circumscribed his words.
“Okay, now that the explanation is over, I ask that you cooperate with me in the future. We are now a team. The common goal is to get deep into the dungeon and escape as quickly as possible. Did you know? Oh my God, summon time is up! Now you have to go back to the card!”
“No, wait a minute…”
Andrea pressed the ‘Summon Marco’ card again. The summoning circle reappeared under Marco’s feet and sent Marco back to the card.
In fact, it didn’t matter if you summoned an infinite number of summons on the cleared floor. Andrea was just annoyed with Marco, who would constantly ask questions, so he made an excuse to send him back.
It was time to go down to the third floor. Although the most enjoyable and important thing remained before that. Andrea hurriedly left the room with the corpses of the imps on her back.
Again, the treasure chest was in front of the stairs going down. Andrea opened the wooden treasure chest without much expectation.
What came out was a normal card and 35 gold.
‘[Normal] Leap (1 cost): After jumping, step on the air and jump one more time.’
In short, a double jump. It was a useful mobility device that could be used in quite a variety of ways. Although the effect is a bit boring, it is a card that pays for itself at a specific moment.
If there’s one thing I regret, it’s that it becomes useless towards the latter half. If you’ve decided to build a specific concept deck, deck compaction becomes important, and cards like this used to be a nuisance.
‘But I’m not in a position to cover that up.’
I’m in a hurry to survive right now, but the concept deck is a concept deck that freezes to death. No matter how bad it was, it was better than a stack of 20 basic cards. Andrea opened the deck and put in a jump card.
Even after going down to the third floor, the fork in the road did not appear. As I walked along the long aisle, a door soon appeared.
It was an ordinary door with no special features. This time, I couldn’t get any hint of what would come out of the inside.
Those who only worry cannot get answers. Recalling the old adage, Andrea pulled the doorknob and entered.
Unexpectedly, there were no monsters in the room.
‘It’s finally the first event room.’
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Normal dirt floor, not tiled stone floor. In the center of the room was a bubbling purple swamp, and in the middle was a round platform like an isolated island.
A treasure chest with a silver rim on top of the platform. It looked like it would contain much better rewards than the treasure chest Andrea had just opened. And a random tree by the swamp.
‘It’s a puzzle room.’
Andrea slightly dipped the sleeve of her dress into the swamp. The sleeves melted away as if someone had eaten them off. It was an intuitive puzzle that left no room for thinking.
‘Cut down the tree and cross the acidic swamp to get the treasure chest.’
It was the most basic puzzle among the basics that I had cleared hundreds of times.
It was a place that shined even more among the monsters with damn patterns and trap rooms that mercilessly ate blood, and it was practically a bonus stage.
The problem is that we met too soon. Now, to Andrea, a tree looked like an iron pillar.
In the puzzle room, you can freely take out cards from the deck and use them. Andrea first tried hitting a tree with a stick using ‘Strike’.
Right.
My palms were tingling. It seemed that with a little effort, I could break the stick.
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Next, it was my turn to use ‘leap’. The distance from the swamp to the scaffold was about 4 meters. Andrea first tried jumping on the dirt floor instead of a swamp.
Run with all your might, then jump one step high, then use leap again into the air.
As I landed, I felt a tingling sensation in the soles of my feet. Jump cards do not have the ability to absorb shock. Even after working so hard on the soles, it was only about 2.5 meters. Andrea’s leg strength did not disappoint.
‘No matter how strong I am in real life, a difference of 1.5 meters is a bit excessive.’
All that was left was ‘Summon Marco’. I had no idea how to use it, but I felt like I would regret it forever if I threw away that treasure chest. Andrea used ‘Summon Marco’ with a feeling of desperation.
Above the summoning circle, the figure of Marco, the question fairy, rose again.
“Where else is this?”
“Marco, I have to cross that swamp now. Would you like to lie down on the swamp for a moment so that I can use it as a stepping stone?”
Even if the summoned beast was seriously injured, all injuries were completely healed when summoned again. Convincing Marco of that was a matter of a completely different dimension. Andrea didn’t mean it anyway.
Marco looked at the swamp. The bubbling purple bubbles did not look like a healthy open-air bath. When I put my finger on the foam, my skin was stained red with a tingling pain.
Marco asked Andrea with an absurd face.
“I’m better at long jumps, so how about doing the opposite?”
It was an attractive offer, but Andrea politely declined.
Andrea asked Marco if he had any good ideas because he must open that treasure chest. I didn’t say it with a different expectation, but the outline of a breakthrough was unexpectedly caught.
“How about I throw you over there? Since you’re light enough… um… no matter how far you are, it’s a bit far.”
It felt like my eyes were opening. As Marco said, it was impossible for Andrea to fly 4 meters no matter how light she was.
But what if you use leaps together?
“Miss Marco. Let’s try it. Throw me as hard as you can.”
“Are you serious? It’s not that I’m weak, but I think it’s impossible to reach there.”
“It doesn’t matter if the distance is a little short. Instead, just adjust the direction carefully. I don’t want to be taken for granted.”
“Something to eat?”
“Ah, there is such a thing.”
Marco had a suspicious expression, but he lifted Andrea up as he was told. Lightly, as if lifting a piece of paper. Even though I haven’t seen him fight properly yet, he was a man with an amazing physical ability.
Marco spun around with Andrea between his arms. It felt like I was on a ride, so I thought I would get a little motion sickness. How many laps did it take, and Andrea gave a signal when the centrifugal force reached its peak.
“Now!”
Marco threw Andrea with the strength of his forearm. A low parabola cutting through the air. Andrea crouched down and took the card in her hand.
As expected, the distance was a bit short. But there was no problem.
“Leap from here!”
Use a Leap card, float back into the air, and land safely. My feet landed on the footrest properly. Andrea wiped her forehead for no reason, not even sweating.
“arrival!”
“Excellent!”
Marco exclaims and claps with a satisfied face. Andrea turned around and gave Marco a thumbs up.
Andrea approached the treasure chest with excitement. From here on out, I had enough expectations.
Silver-rimmed treasure chests had an overwhelmingly higher probability of yielding better rewards than wooden treasure chests. Useful artifacts, decent gear, and high-tier cards. Almost certain to get one of the three.
I wiggled my fingers to open the lock, and tried to calm my excitement as I opened it. As soon as it was opened, a blue glow covered Andrea’s field of vision.
Andrea carefully picked up the card. The blue border that shines satisfactorily, and the appearance of the item within it.
It was a rare equipment card.
＜ 3. Enter the Dungeon (6) ＞ End