“Hey, was that explosion of black flames just now Il-wol’s ability?”
“I feel like I’ve seen something similar before, back in Nargul’s dungeon. Like when that gigantic skeleton popped up!”
“Wait, now that you mention it?”
“Hmm…? Ah, do the others still not know that the Flame Explosion is my ability?”
Thinking back, I realized I hadn’t used this technique right in front of my companions.
Since there were no other hunters around, it was a dead giveaway.
Although Ah-rin was there when I used it on the Great Beast a while ago, she was at a distance, so she wouldn’t know it was me.
“…Yes, that’s right.”
“So that little flame that popped up on Pastiche’s shoulder earlier was you too, Il-wol?”
“…Yes.”
“Oh, that explains why I was staring at it, curious about what it was.”
“Did Il-wol get chosen by some fire god? Those flames were no joke. But was there ever a god who controlled black flames? As far as I know, there isn’t.”
“Hmm…”
Though everyone tilted their heads in confusion, they weren’t neglecting the cleanup from the boss battle.
They could have asked more questions, but I knew Yeon-hee always tried to cut short anything about me, so it seemed she wasn’t going to elaborate.
But Joo-ah kept mumbling “Black Flame” while glancing at me.
“Let’s just brush this off, okay?”
It seemed Joo-ah understood the meaning of my gaze and nodded slightly.
I knew she would probably dig through anything related to fire gods when she got home.
“Whatever, it’s ridiculous to keep hiding this now.”
I hadn’t fully made up my mind, but slowly revealing secrets about myself might be beneficial for the future.
“I can’t fend off all those orc legions on my own.”
To prepare for whatever might come next, I needed to inform them about this one way or another.
“It seems natural to involve the leader in this…”
Of course, it was just a thought for now.
I pushed my musings aside for a moment and flew over the river, where remnants of the boss’s body were scattered chaotically.
Mana Stones and runes swirled above the water as if they were fixed.
I gathered five runes in total from defeating the Golden Pastiche.
This time it was all Breath Runes again, but all five were of high grade.
High grade grants five resistance points and one hour of breath.
Three of the five were recognized as Yeon-hee’s, but it seemed the gap grew a little after I intervened at the last minute.
The remaining two were claimed by Noh Ha-yoon and Bae Joo-ah.
Yeon-hee also distributed runes to Ah-rin, who had performed minimally due to the dungeon’s characteristics, and Eun-young, whose contribution was slightly lower than the others.
“I transferred the ownership.”
“Sniff… Thank you, Yeon-hee.”
“Thank you…”
“Didn’t we say not to say such things?”
Ah-rin pretended to wipe her tears while snuggling up to Yeon-hee affectionately.
Though Ah-rin would earn more than an average office worker’s salary once entering the dungeon, this was her unique way of socializing, requesting care moving forward.
“Ahhh, my stomach’s getting faster! We’re dropping. We’re dropping.”
“Uuhhh… everyone, hold on tight!”
Whoosh─
As soon as the boss battle ended, our small boat began speeding forward as if possessed.
And when it tipped 90 degrees at a section where the river plummeted like a waterfall, my companions let out a collective scream as though they had rehearsed beforehand.
Waaaaahh!!
And there I was, enjoying the feeling of freefall as if I were at an amusement park, until I suddenly sensed something odd.
“Why… am I the only one okay?”
Turning my head sideways, I noticed that the other companions, all clutching their bellies, had already lost consciousness.
Not falling out of the boat is quite the feat.
“Even Yeon-hee…?”
It felt as if my body was there, yet my soul had detached, leaving me hollow inside.
‘……’
Even though my companions were unconscious, the boat kept falling for quite some time, and I couldn’t gauge where the ground was at all.
Just then, I caught a glimpse of something watching me from below—a round object that spun like an enormous eye.
“A giant eye… I don’t remember anything like this from my last life.”
At first, I thought it must be blue-eyed but found it wasn’t blue. There wasn’t even a trace of malice emanating from it.
“What are you?”
[······.]
However, the eye quickly vanished, replaced by swirling pitch-black darkness of a black hole.
And then, a message appeared.
– An aura of emptiness has been detected.
– The second channel to another dimension has been discovered!
– Would you like to challenge a hidden quest?
‘…What quest all of a sudden?’
In an instant, my head was in a whirl, but I reflexively asked.
“Can I challenge this next time I come here?”
– Challenges can be attempted at any time.
‘Oh… any time is okay?’
The job change quest only offered three tries, so is this a different type of quest altogether?
If so, losing could mean a risk to my life, unlike the job change quest.
‘This dungeon’s probably ranked higher than the first channel… Which means a stronger opponent than the residue of chaos is likely to appear.’
Even if retries are possible at any moment, the chances of losing my life are awfully high now; I didn’t think it was worth the challenge just before a job change.
‘For now, let’s deal with the residue of chaos first. I’ll come back here later for the challenge!’
As soon as I shouted that, I felt the familiar sensation that comes with crossing a gate, and darkness enveloped my mind for a moment.
*
“Whoa──!”
“Kugh- cough!”
Right after we exited the dungeon, my companions were coughing up water and sputtering for quite a while.
“Ugh… what a terrible dungeon.”
“Ah… so this is the sensation of death they talked about?”
“Though, I think it was kinda fun…”
“No way… this is fun? Yeon-hee, you’ve got a strange side to you.”
“Hehe… Is that so?”
“Phew… should we go straight to the next dungeon?”
Even Joo-ah, who always advocated for pacing ourselves in dungeons, expressed a desire to rush straight to the next one due to how unpleasant that experience was.
Still, we decided to stick to our previous policy of clearing at least three times.
“It seems that the last boss battle served as some practice too.”
“It was more doable than I expected. Experience points came flowing in. I’m happy.”
‘Gotta gather materials for Killbard too…’
Joo-ah’s leveling up had become much more rapid, and this place was beneficial in many ways.
Thinking about how Joo-ah and Ah-rin were now both in the 70s, additional exploration wouldn’t hurt.
We parted ways with plans for tomorrow, and once home, I explained the job change quest to Yeon-hee.
“Wow— at least this time we’re not dying to change jobs, so that’s a relief, right?”
*Clap, Clap, Clap!*
Thinking back, aside from the first time, it felt like I was always attacked and thrown into the dark space when trying to change jobs.
“Anyway, take your time and come back. Don’t worry about me this time. I won’t do anything silly!”
*Clap!*
Determined not to frantically chase a group of evolved creatures again after getting shaken up last time, Yeon-hee made a solemn expression and expressed her resolve.
She added that I shouldn’t be too disheartened even if I failed this time.
Of course, the chance to fail this quest was still there, but I felt somewhat confident.
‘There’s no reason to lose.’
Still, just in case, I planned to enter the dark space and get to work again.
“Woof, woof!!”
Wang-wang waved his arms at me energetically while being held by Yeon-hee.
At the same time, I felt that familiar sensation as a massive door engulfed me.
Once inside the dark space, I hastily stopped myself from rushing towards Rainy, as was my habit.
“Let’s start with the job change.”
– Challenging the job change quest…
I agreed to the message that had been tormenting me incessantly.
– You are being transported to the quest location.
Just like that, I was instantaneously moved to a different spot, as if not allowing me to change my mind.
*
‘…Hmm? This isn’t the black hole, is it?’
I found myself in an arid, desolate place, reminiscent of a desert, without a single hint of green.
I had expected to be moved to the underground area of Lizard Swamp, but it seemed I went directly to another world instead.
‘Once a channel is opened, does it allow for immediate movement based on conditions?’
Right now, I could only enter this world through quests, but surely there must be other ways.
After all, it seemed that the guild Maeng Seong-yong joined had figured out some alternative method.
– Kwoooaahhh──!
As I was lost in thought, a monster’s roar suddenly echoed.
‘A strange sense of déjà vu…’
Wasn’t I in a similar situation last time? Am I challenging the same timeframe?
A tingling sensation surged through me as if I were shocked by electric currents with that single cry from the monster.
However, the fear I initially felt during my first encounter faded considerably now.
“Hahaha- I’ve got a feeling! I can do this.”
Without hesitation, I headed towards the source of the noise.
And while running, I realized something.
‘This isn’t the same place from my first challenge, is it? The path is paved!’
Last time, only a demolished village had been left behind, with no retraceable path in sight, but now, the place where the monster was roaring was a fairly-sized town, surrounded by small walls.
Inside the wall, there were nearly a thousand people of various types trembling, clutching each other tightly, while many were fleeing through the back gate of the town.
‘…… Something feels off here… Hmm- let’s check it out.’
I initially felt an unpleasant sensation, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why.
Upon arrival, I saw a monster roaring and wildly smashing the fortified walls that I had seen last time, though it looked a bit different from before.
It was a sturdy wall reinforced with significant magical power, and yet, as this monster’s massive fists pounded on it, the entire structure threatened to collapse.
‘Did that guy always have such strength?’
Standing at 5 meters tall, with a body approaching a deep blackish navy hue, its grotesquely twisted sharp fingers contrasted with the monstrous look.
Its lower jaw was still absent, replaced by a thick tongue drooling ominously.
The solid body, coupled with two horns, remained unchanged, but unlike last time where it had a horn on its neck, this time it sported massive horns on both the front and back of its head.
‘Even after seeing it again, it’s still just as repulsive.’
– ······!!
– Kwoooaahh!!
Every roar from the monster caused the shoulders of the people within the walls to shake violently.
In a state of panic, they seemed to be praying feebly, lost in fear.
– Please, Lubuya! Grant us strength!
– Light… drive away the darkness…!
Though their prayers were futile, I was surprised I could understand their words.
“Oh… how am I understanding what they’re saying?”
Last time, it seemed I wasn’t able to hear them properly… This was oddly fascinating.
Whatever the reason, it was a good thing.
‘Can the people understand my words when I mimic them as well?’
As I indulged in thoughts of exploring this new world, I redirected my gaze to the walls.
On top of the walls stood tall soldiers, 2 meters high, with red hair and blue eyes, brandishing spears to threaten the monster.
Remarkably powerful and magically equipped, these soldiers impressed me yet again.
However, their attacks barely seemed like mere pinpricks to the monster, which would occasionally pause its assault but went right back to demolishing the walls after a moment’s resistance.
[Mutated Crawlers]
– Can move quietly and stealthily, without making a sound.
I activated both [Mutated Crawlers] and [Stealth] simultaneously, crawling low towards the monster.
Ssssss-
Unlike last time, it didn’t seem the monster noticed my approach at all.
Though crawling wasn’t my preferred method, the effectiveness of this strategy made it worthwhile.
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