I looked at Azraelon and thought.
‘It must be one of two things. Either he was of a high position among the demon kind… or he’s also a “Seeker” walking the path of a king.’
The King of the Undead.
I already knew from the system messages and from Master Orb that I was not the only one walking that path.
I was simply the first being to walk the path as a Skeleton Soldier, nothing more special than that.
If I thought like that, it wasn’t surprising that Azrael was also a being walking to see the end, just like me.
‘Maybe Jo Gi-man is walking his own path too…’
That might be the case.
“You can come closer! I’ve just changed a bit after my job change.”
“Uh… uh… but the atmosphere is so different from when you first changed jobs?”
“It feels very similar to the pressure when stepping into a boss fight. No, even more than that.”
“Tap…”
Startled—
When I lightly bumped my canine teeth, my companions’ shoulders jerked up.
‘Hmm… now I know why they said the danger of getting ambushed decreases.’
Anyone thinking of attacking me would struggle to put together a proper assault in such a state.
I gently closed my eyes and tried to decrease the ‘pressure’ that had significantly increased after this job change.
‘Please decrease… decrease. I’m a good Skeleton—’
Whether that effort had some effect, Noh Ha-yoon began to sneak closer to me.
Then she fiddled with my elbow and opened her mouth in surprise.
“Wow—! Now even the joints are perfect. Your hands look natural. It feels a bit like a knight of the guard? Doesn’t it have that vibe?”
“Uh… it kind of seems that way…”
“Hoo… I feel a sort of lightning energy from you, for some reason?”
‘Maybe because I’m familiar with the lightning attribute, she recognized it right away.’
Yeon-hee glanced at her stiffened companions and, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere, changed the subject.
“Today’s exploration will be a bit easier. I summoned a new summoned creature.”
“Really? What kind?”
“It’s a Water Spirit.”
“Oooo…!!”
As Yeon-hee whispered about the existence of Fibryn, the companions quickly covered their mouths and silently questioned if it was true.
(A spirit, really?!)
“Awesome…! Let’s go see it!”
“I wanna see it.”
Urged by my companions, we hurried towards the gate.
And, as usual, we entered the dungeon, but I felt a different sensation that hinted we were stepping into another world.
ZZZZZZZ- CRACK-
‘Hmm…?!’
Suddenly, an overwhelming resistance I had never felt before tried to push me away.
‘W-what?! Why is this happening all of a sudden?’
I couldn’t figure out what was happening, but I pushed against that force and tried to enter the dungeon.
CRACK- BAM!
Even the armor shattered into fragments, creating a chaotic scene.
At one moment, it felt as if I was being sucked toward Yeon-hee.
It seemed I managed to come inside thanks to the binding effect tied to Yeon-hee.
FWHOOSH—
As I entered the dungeon, a large amount of smoke billowed from my armor.
“Whoa? Why is Il-wol like this?!”
“What?! Did he get attacked or something?”
Yeon-hee and the companions were shocked to see the surface of the new Flame Armor melting and crumbling.
As I used magic power to recover my body, I fell into thought.
‘Why did this happen… there’s only one answer. Damn it.’
“The dungeon is pushing me out!”
“I’ve heard that! If someone stronger than the dungeon comes in forcefully, their body melts down.”
“Ah…”
Yeon-hee’s expression changed as she realized, and I too felt confirmed after hearing that.
‘My rank has already risen to a level that does not match this dungeon.’
Since the Sword Dragon and Castle were summoned into the dungeon without issue, I thought that summoned creatures would be free from such restrictions.
Even the Ogre had crossed over from a dungeon of a lower rank, right? So who would have thought it would be like this?
‘A being in a vague boundary that is neither a monster, a summoned creature, nor human…’
Suddenly, I remembered the Great Evil One, Bin Chi-seung.
The skill he possessed was called ‘Sanctuary of the Boundary.’
Could obtaining that lead me to another clue?
“I’ll release the summons and try summoning again, okay?”
“… Clap, Clap, Clap.”
Right, let’s just try what I can for now.
As Yeon-hee muttered a short spell, a gigantic summoning gate appeared.
“Whoa— it’s huge.”
“It looks way bigger than last time…”
Because I was always with Yeon-hee, the companions rarely saw a summoning gate, and they marveled at its shimmering bluish light.
Soon, engulfed by the gate, I returned to the Dark Space and was summoned back into the dungeon shortly after.
Well, I tried to come out.
RUMBLE—
CRACKLE—
‘Oh no… damn it!’
Even though it was less than when I previously entered, the dungeon was still trying to push me away.
BAM!
“Ah, are you okay?”
Having fallen awkwardly to the ground, I decided to focus on recovery.
Lying still, I concentrated and circulated my magic power for a while.
I finally regained enough control over my body.
‘Huh… I never thought it would come to this.’
In the midst of difficulty, a message popped up, and I stamped the expulsion order.
– ‘The Manager of Balance’ is greatly angered by the unfair competition.
‘What the hell… since when did he do such a good job with balance?’
The rules felt oddly strict to me.
– All attributes will be reduced by 10%.
‘This is insane.’
While a 10% reduction might seem bearable, watching my wisdom stat drop back below 500 after exceeding the minimum requirement for Meteor made it feel significant.
“Oof… it seems like I can’t summon while inside the dungeon. What now?”
“We’re fine regarding exploration, but wow, Il-wol has gotten this strong.”
“Since we’re mid C-rank… does that mean Il-wol is close to A-rank?”
“If he were A-rank, he wouldn’t have been able to come in. But since he did, at least he’s B-rank top-level. Wow, we’ve got to treat Il-wol with respect now.”
Everyone looked at me with a mix of concern and surprise.
As I scratched my chin, I noticed the ‘Wandering Ship’ in the distance and nonchalantly headed there.
While trying to act indifferent, I felt a strange distance from my companions, making it an awkward situation.
Moreover, having reached this point, there was no guarantee that I’d be able to enter this dungeon again.
That would mean I’d have to challenge the dimensional portal that appears after the boss fight immediately, significantly increasing the risk of losing my life.
Originally, I planned to return and challenge again after growing stronger, but now, establishing a tunnel to another dimension was the priority.
If I opened it just once, I could challenge directly next time without going through the vortex.
‘If I’m lucky, I might achieve something on the first try, but I guess that won’t be easy.’
Looking at that giant eye, it was highly likely to be a monster of a different dimension compared to the Residue of Chaos.
I suspected that it was a fragment of a ‘Seeker’ completely tainted by chaos, deepening my worries.
CRACK—
As I brought the ship to shore, the companions seemed to be enchanted, following me.
Yeon-hee was staring blankly at the ship.
It was clear that she was lost in complicated thoughts.
But she didn’t remain in a daze for long.
After whispering a spell, she summoned the newly joined Water Spirit.
“Fibryn, Fibryn!!”
– Oh my!! So cute!!
– Kyaa! Is this adorable creature really the Water Spirit? Sooo cute!!
– Ran is cute, but this kid has a different kind of cuteness…
– C-cute… but still, Azra is the best.
(Hmph… what a trivial spirit.)
‘……’
The ones who were just worried about me were nowhere to be found, completely absorbed in Fibryn’s cuteness.
Emerging from the water, Fibryn exposed her body, except for her tail, striking a beautiful pose before diving back into the river.
(Even though the water is a bit murky, it’s not bad. Master. However, there are many inferior beings around. Do the great Master need to pass through this mediocre boat in a place like this?)
It seemed Fibryn thought this place wasn’t worthy of Yeon-hee.
Yeon-hee smiled briefly at Fibryn’s words, explaining that she was adventuring for her own growth.
In response, Fibryn showed a shocked expression, then tightly closed her mouth as if making a decision.
‘Yes, please do your best to protect Yeon-hee.’
As I guessed her intention, Fibryn suddenly turned her head and said.
(You are a Messenger of Goddess Irmana— please teach me a lot!)
‘Messenger…? No, I’m not that much—’
(Ah~ I can’t believe such a day would come. A Messenger of Goddess Irmana full of her power is still here. I’m so overwhelmed.)
‘No, I’m not a Messenger—’
(Master! Please walk this way.)
‘……’
The spirit seemed to ignore my denial, pretending not to hear me. I guess she really wanted to believe it.
A Messenger, huh.
I haven’t even properly seen her face, so what’s with that?
Regardless, we set off again to explore the dungeon.
Even though we entered two hours late, there were quite a few who departed around the same time as us.
‘…… They’re watching us.’
Of course, there were not only those who entered the dungeon with pure intentions.
Though I didn’t know their affiliations, there were three groups following us from a distance.
Another faction of the White Knight Guild, Hyeon Woo-seok from the Ilseom Guild, the Apex Guild, the Guardian Guild, and others bearing a grudge against us.
Thinking back, there were always many who wanted to obtain our information; this might also be an information agency on a mission.
‘Well, let them look all they want.’
After all, I wouldn’t need to use any core skills at the level of this dungeon.
“Hmm… there are people intentionally following us.”
A few minutes later, Ah-rin also noticed the tail.
“They said they felt no malice at all.”
“Il-wol?”
“Yep.”
“It must be an information group~ They should be getting bored by now. I guess I’ll drop them.”
Noh Ha-yoon said, yawning while telling me not to worry.
‘Why do I worry more when you say that?’
Did she sense the line of my gaze, or was she scratching the back of her head?
Then again, it was not long since I had lost to Kim Gunseob from the Ilseom Guild, so as a person, she should know about feeling embarrassed.
Swoosh—
The small ship glided forward.
The chirping of leisurely birds.
It takes about 20 minutes to reach the place where the first battle will occur, but even while being chased, our party remained calm.
I practiced changing between Flame Armor and Lightning Armor while in stealth mode, while Yeon-hee and the companions were entranced by Fibryn gracefully moving along the river.
“So cute…”
“I just want to touch her ears once.”
And with each compliment thrown towards Fibryn, her watery body gradually turned red.
It seemed that Fibryn, feeling the need to show something, slowed down her movement and then unleashed her powers.
– Breathing time in water will double.
– Movement speed in water will double.
– Incoming damage in water will be reduced by 20%.
──?!
While this didn’t immediately affect us out of the water, I quickly realized the extent of Fibryn’s abilities.
– Whoa!!!
– Breathing time and movement speed double?
– Spirits are the best!!
Despite not being in a situation to benefit from the effects, everyone was buzzing enthusiastically, and Fibryn seemed pleased with their reaction, turning even more red.
Shortly after, we encountered the Assault Turtles.
They charged through the water without hesitation, but when they got about 30m close, they suddenly stopped.
“Uh? Why did they stop?”
“The range is still lacking. Hey! Bring it on, you pigs!”
Even as Noh Ha-yoon provoked them, the Assault Turtles tried to turn and flee instead.
“Uh?! Why are they doing that?”
‘…… Could it be because of me? Is it because of the pressure?’
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