Chapter 304. White Tower (2)
I’m tired.
The work hasn’t even properly started yet, but it sure feels that way.
Isn’t that the heart of every worker in this world?
All I did this morning was commute, and by the time noon rolled around, I was already dragging. My energy levels were bottoming out like I’d been working for ten days straight, and glancing at the calendar, it felt like a Tuesday, with days off seeming like a distant, ambiguous date.
‘Those ki-simche guys…’
Honestly, no matter how I think about it, commuting just isn’t doable.
I rolled my eyes around to check where my companion was.
‘Seriously, you have a knack for getting on my nerves!’
But looking again yielded the same results.
Today’s usual S-Class Hunter had turned into a ticking time bomb.
“Jeong Ha-seong. Jeong Ha-seong?”
Thirty seconds after entering the dungeon.
The White Tower granted the challengers effects that reversed their line of sight with the start of the first-layer trial.
‘This is confusing. Why do Earthlings call this special magical term the same thing as Esther’s awakening ability?’
This phenomenon seems to be referred to by the Korean Hunters as a Dungeon Curse…
‘Well, given they can create fake creatures, it’s not surprising they can pull off this level of trickery.’
I cautiously addressed the number one-ranking hunter.
Just in case, can you please manifest a small spell at the top right of your frame?
Woosh.
And right after this suggestion, the primitive fire mage ignited flames right in front of my nose.
For reference, I was standing to Jeong Ha-seong’s left.
“Uh, alright. I know your state well enough, so just tuck that skill away for now.”
Sweat dripped down my back.
It seemed like my opponent had completely lost their spatial awareness with their vision going haywire.
In this situation, if a primitive mage acted recklessly, it was obvious innocent aliens would just burst open.
‘How many life-threatening situations have I faced since coming to Earth?’
But there’s no possibility of avoiding battle now.
With the Dungeon Curse activated, the gate manager of the White Tower had already appeared.
“Grrk.”
‘Damn…’
Sometimes there are creatures among gate beings that are blind and deaf.
They mindlessly chase after magic as if it were their only source of sustenance, like a devolved predator from another realm.
[Steel Toad.]
This monster that appeared in the first layer of the gate was a prime example.
Roll, roll.
In front of us, a creature assumed to be a frog was formed, with eyes the size of a human head.
‘One.’
Moreover, it was fixated on the challenger that emitted mana, determinedly charging toward them.
Even if you combine the greetings of the major powers, it’s nearly at the highest level.
In terms of the amount of magic power it contained, it was like a human in the middle of a sea of creek water.
And here it was, since I had entered with none other than the hero of this country.
“Ah!”
Splash!
In an instant, something zoomed past at an incredible speed.
Jeong Ha-seong, drenched in cold sweat, barely confirmed the name [Steel Toad] with his analyzer. This wasn’t your regular amphibian from this planet.
It had a gray skin that shone like it was forged from steel, and opaque liquid that sparkled like mercury periodically filled its eyes.
Earthlings dubbed this creature with the prefix “Steel-” because its defense was exceptional.
Therefore, based on the information collected thus far, I could somewhat anticipate the enemy’s outer appearance.
But surprisingly, this monster’s insides seemed soft. Every time it opened its mouth, a pink, supple tongue appeared.
Slap!
That was the sound when Jeong Ha-seong got whipped by its tongue.
“Ugh!”
In a split second.
Seeing my disciple getting thrashed by the tongue, I yelled loudly.
Then just close your eyes and ignite with a wide range!
This was said because I sensed the temporary team member was still in shock.
But Jeong Ha-seong hardly moved.
“No, why are you just getting hit?!”
“Ugh! It’s just…!”
The hero of Korea was so overwhelmed that his initial problems resurfaced.
“I’m sorry! The skill… the skill isn’t activating properly…!”
Ha-seong, if you’re going to use your body like that, just give it to me.
How could there actually be a mage who can’t cast a skill by closing their eyes?
‘Ugh…’
I should’ve known better than to bring him along thinking it would be a kind gesture.
‘Lemming, you’ve completely lost your mind after coating your gear with a fortune!’
But what’s the point in regretting past mistakes now?
As soon as I opened my eyes, a massive metallic toad was mercilessly assaulting Jeong Ha-seong. No matter how S-Class you are, if you’re exposed to an attack one tier below, it’s going to hurt like hell.
If damage accumulates from the first layer, it’s a serious headache.
Thus, even for the sake of keeping the calculations I had in mind before entering the gate, I steeled my resolve.
‘I have to somehow incapacitate that amphibian. I need to buy Jeong Ha-seong time to adapt his vision…!’
Let’s take down the [Steel Toad].
But activating the surprise box carelessly when Jeong Ha-seong is right next to me was a worry. What if, by some slim chance, the real S-Class faints?
‘Of course, this outcome would also make the ki-simche cry. Only Jeong Ha-seong is fit to challenge this gate.’
Huff.
While brainstorming, I suddenly took a sharp breath and threw something with all my might.
The equipment I had taken out beforehand upon entering the gate.
I threw the Epic-grade [Hydra] at the monster.
Ping!
Just a trivial attack filled with F-Class mana.
So naturally, it wouldn’t yield any significant results, but…
‘What a waste. I did hit it pretty accurately, but it just bounced right off.’
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
As the longsword collided with the monster’s glowing body and spun around a few times in the air.
‘…But what if I added [Telekinesis] to this?’
I seized the weight of the sword with a transparent power as if I had been waiting for this moment.
A spell that merely moves an object can be activated without much consumption.
Originally, with this telekinesis, I intended to distract the monster’s nerves by wildly moving the sword.
Yet it seemed that the magic power contained within the superior equipment was far more stimulating than I expected, and soon the toad reacted violently.
Swish!
It stretched out its long tongue and snatched the sword away.
‘Hydra!’
Oh no!
I rushed to unleash telekinesis in a panic, fearing I’d lose the Epic artifact known colloquially as Treasure No. 1.
But then I thought, isn’t this really the right time to recover my weapon?
‘Oh.’
In any case, wasn’t I aiming for that one spot over there?
“Grrk.”
Thunk.
The [Steel Toad] finally swallowed the object it had seized.
It stubbornly closed its mouth, seeming to refuse to return the weapon it had just ingested.
The amphibian soon underwent a transformation.
Roll, roll, roll, roll.
Its eye, which had been relatively quiet just moments ago, suddenly began moving without a break. Moreover, if you listened closely, a strange vibration echoed from somewhere.
Grrr…
As if it were an enormous bell, the metallic body resonated.
Yet inside there surely appeared to be flesh and organs of a creature, as soon after, this otherworldly being opened its eyes wide in astonishment and displayed this reaction.
“—————!”
Gurgle, gurgle.
Even an immortal being might choose death when facing intense poison that spread through their being, suffering as they writhed in pain after ripping open their bellies.
[Hydra] is an Epic-grade weapon.
Therefore, the conductivity, a unique feature of magical tools, was exceptionally good, and just like that, an A-Class being was coiling its tongue around it.
‘What an idiot?’
Of course, the tongue would get hurt and the poison would spread.
Provided it was a mindless beast!
‘Hmm.’
But even after experiencing a fight without lifting a finger, I couldn’t easily celebrate.
‘At least I’ve successfully put out a fire for now!’
The opponent was a boss-level entity that was still alive even after exposure to such a deadly poison.
And it would be an understatement to say we’ve committed mistakes of our own while criticizing others’ actions.
As you can see, I’ve entered a gate I didn’t even need to, and here I am, suffering through this pointless ordeal…
*
Dum dum dum dum dum….
A few minutes ago.
To be exact, about thirty seconds had passed since they entered the dungeon.
‘Drum sounds.’
With the bizarre music ringing out in the air, Jeong Ha-seong thought.
Drum sounds in a dungeon, just like that.
‘I feel like I’ve heard this sound when tackling some kind of gate before…’
He accurately sensed it.
This was a sound that foreshadowed disaster, like a trumpet of angels that appears in prophecies.
[In this space, the up, down, left, and right vision are reversed.]
After a few more seconds passed, just as he expected, the dungeon caused a strange disaster…
‘Yeah. This is just like what I experienced before. This is the sound that comes right before the Dungeon Curse activates!’
Could it be that the gate was like the planet’s self-purification process, as some doomsayers claimed?
Was humanity, like a beast in the face of natural disasters, merely enduring it every time?
The young man with black hair let those thoughts drift through his mind.
What followed was a bizarre experience as the scenery before him abruptly flipped and transformed.
‘Damn!’
Jeong Ha-seong was a figure overwhelmingly superior in terms of adventures through gates compared to others.
So, this wasn’t the first time he’d experienced such a phenomenon.
Yet, no matter how many times he endured the Dungeon Curse, it was simply impossible to adapt.
‘I’m already feeling nauseous…’
It wasn’t just motion sickness from the reversed vision.
It was unsettling enough that his own senses had been transformed by an unrecognizable disaster.
“Ugh.”
Jeong Ha-seong was disoriented, stumbling from the long-absent encounter of disorientation.
There were others in this gate, so he tried to pull himself together as quickly as possible, but it was no easy feat.
“Jeong Ha-seong! Jeong Ha-seong!”
“Ugh…”
Normally, using skills was akin to moving a certain set of muscles.
A bit of targeted intent.
And if there was no will to move the energy within his body, the awakening ability was likely to fail.
But currently, Jeong Ha-seong was floundering in the waves of confusion to the point that he couldn’t even properly move a single one of the legs he’s handled for 26 years.
‘My eyes.’
The hero strained his eyelids shut.
He vividly felt why this phenomenon was referred to as the Dungeon Curse.
“No, why are you just taking hits?!”
Kim Gi-ryeo, who was right next to him, exclaimed in frustration at his state.
When he opened his eyes, a distorted and messy abstract image was reflected back at him.
Yet, if he just covered his eyes with a thin layer of leather, the opponent was an A-Class boss, and this space felt constrictively small like a quadrangle arena. In these conditions, how could he fight with blind vision?
‘I may not be able to control the range… Perhaps in this way, I might burn down my whole house, just to catch that one monster!’
But at that moment.
While Jeong Ha-seong was struggling, unable to adapt to the shift in sensation, someone next to him took action.
A blond hunter, the one he had also seen in the Nest of the Grass, threw his weapon towards the monster.
Pong!
With that sound, Jeong Ha-seong recalled.
The object that had just been thrown was the [Hydra], and although it was thrown by another S-Class Hunter, it barely bore any scars, implying that the blond hunter had thrown it very gently.
Yet the result of such a light action led to efficient success.
The monster, struck by the blade, seemed to be drawn towards it before it swallowed the human object that piqued its interest whole.
[Hydra] is a poisonous weapon.
So, the first-layer ruler, having touched it with its tongue, was about to face a nasty end shortly.
Furthermore, the upside-down view that swirled in front of Jeong Ha-seong was quite shocking.
‘Huh…?’
For reference, his mentor was in a state unaffected by the status anomaly at all.
‘How in the world could he have already thrown something and hit it…?!’
Jeong Ha-seong was left baffled.
