“Look at this state. I can’t go into the dungeon.”
“Ah…”
Mia’s sigh escapes her lips.
As I pull my hand away, the cold air spreading from the stone gate begins to wane.
If I enter the dungeon, no one else can come in.
I’m probably the only one with resistance to this cold, ready to take on Yerina’s grudge.
Blood ghouls like Mi Jeong could hold on for a while, but living people wouldn’t last more than five minutes before freezing to death.
So, is there any chance if I go in alone?
Nope.
Not just “little,” but “none.”
I may have some resistance to the cold, but even I can hardly last over 30 minutes.
However, Luna’s unique dungeon descends vertically, straight down.
It’s damn long, and it takes at least an hour to get down, and I can’t even find a shortcut.
An hour? Yeah, I might make it down alive.
But by then, my whole body would be frozen and in no state to fight properly.
No, even if I somehow break through the dungeon, coming back is impossible.
It’s throwing my life away regardless of success.
“What do we do now?”
“What do you mean? You need to conquer the dungeon without me.”
“No way…!”
Mia sinks into despair.
What’s the probability of the mercenaries breaking through this dungeon without me?
Who knows?
Thinking of how many great mages bit the dust in Kali’s dungeon, it should be extremely low.
To conquer a dungeon of this level, you need superhumans.
Not just one, but several superhumans…
In the blink of an eye, three days passed.
The number of mercenaries targeting Elvenguard gradually increased.
Soon, Elvenguard was packed with 3,000 mercenaries.
Countless mercenaries charged into the dungeon.
A whole lot of them died or got injured.
Those who managed to escape repeated the same words.
“Down there is hell.”
The dungeon’s structure was so unkind that it seemed to be designed as a trap specifically for humans.
The dungeons the mercenaries had encountered thus far left at least a shred of hope for conquest.
That way, people would step into the dungeon to conquer it.
They’d need the energy from the ones they killed to pass it to the underworld.
But this dungeon was different.
From the very start, it seemed to reject any entry.
Not having even passed the first room yet, with sheer cliff paths and solid undead monsters blocking the way, along with traps stuffed so tightly there was no room to step…
Once someone entered the dungeon, no one would dare to try again.
Even mercenaries who had shown curiosity turned back with stern faces.
Those who stubbornly tried to see the second room ended up severely injured or coming back as corpses.
“What’s going on? Why is everyone leaving?”
“What’s the dungeon’s difficulty like?”
Rumors about the dungeon’s difficulty spread like wildfire.
All the famous veteran mercenaries either ended up as corpses or left Elvenguard with faces that were pretty much identical to corpses.
Many mercenary groups withdrew after losing their main assault teams.
The number of mercenaries leaving Elvenguard began to surpass those arriving.
And on the seventh day.
The number of mercenaries left in Elvenguard was only 400.
Of course, that was still a considerable number.
An excessive amount just to conquer one dungeon.
But among them, the parties willing to enter the dungeon were very few.
Everyone was just waiting and watching.
They were just hoping other parties would clear the way and remove the traps.
In effect, the dungeon conquest had come to a halt.
“The general structure of the dungeon consists of a vertical underground first floor, a slightly sloped underground second floor, and finally, the boss room on the underground third floor.”
“Is the second floor…?”
“Rougher than the first. From here, the narrow hall expands.”
“So it’s getting easier to navigate?”
“From the second floor on, tougher undead will pour out. If you haven’t wiped out all the undead hiding on the first floor, you’ll be surrounded.”
“……”
Mia’s expression hardens as she listens to the detailed explanation.
You can practically see what she’s thinking.
The mercenaries must be glad they didn’t even make it to the second floor.
Because if they did, they wouldn’t have even been able to salvage their corpses.
Even if they broke through to the third floor…
“Creating a unique dungeon means ‘that’ is also complete.”
There’s no answer.
A dungeon that can’t be solved by normal means.
A dungeon that literally requires unconventional power to breach.
“No. Could that also be a trap?”
The map made by the mercenaries as they broke a path seemed to reveal something strange.
I’ve only entered Luna’s unique dungeon once.
At that time, I was too busy escaping to pay attention.
But I remember one thing.
“This wall should not be blocked!”
This dungeon.
The structure has changed.
Typically, the structure of a dungeon doesn’t change after several regressions.
It’s always the same, and there’s no reason for it to change.
But that doesn’t mean it can’t change.
For reasons that are not ordinary.
Someone intentionally altered the dungeon.
That intention is clear.
“It’s a trap.”
This isn’t a dungeon designed to summon an undead legion.
Just as that realization hit me, Mia pokes me lightly.
She could have called me with words.
“Here’s the material you asked for.”
“Thanks.”
In my hand is a small crystal ball.
Inside, a certain video is reflected.
It captures the moment we confronted Kali at the roots of the World Tree.
“Yeah… But what are you going to use this for?”
“There’s someone who doesn’t remember the events back then. Just a little reminder.”
“Oh…”
Mia looks over at Mi Jeong, clapping as if she’s realized something.
It’s not Mi Jeong, it’s Kali, but there’s no way Mia would know that small girl was that spider monster back then.
‘With this, I’ve almost gathered all the materials.’
Restoring Kali’s memory might seem unnecessary at first glance.
But in reality, it’s an essential preparation stage.
‘With this, I might be able to erase Luna from this world.’
Until now, Luna had existed as a spiritual being, and physically touching or killing her was impossible.
But there is a way to kill her—no, to seal her.
Luna and Kali could be ensured never to resurrect again.
And with a bit of luck, I might even neutralize Belphegor.
“Priestess, we’ve arrived.”
“Yes…!”
Just then, the notification from the attendant resounds outside.
Looks like the time has come.
.
.
.
In the outskirts of Elvenguard’s dungeon.
Under strict guard, the dungeon’s subterranean levels were crawling with undead, revived by Luna’s necromancy.
Their basic strategy was to move in legions.
When outnumbered, they could hide or flee.
They even learned and grew stronger with time, absorbing demonic energy to fortify themselves.
Their terror lay in their infectivity.
Corpses that were devoured would automatically resurrect and join the undead horde.
With this, the undead legion would grow in number and strength over time.
A rampaging machine that wouldn’t stop until all intelligent life on earth was slaughtered.
Luna, the necromancer’s ultimate weapon.
Yet, the space on the third underground level meant for nurturing that undead legion appeared to be a regular boss room at first glance.
What shone embedded in the wall was not a dungeon core, but a simple mana stone.
Instead, beneath it was another tunnel leading underground.
In the dungeon, there was another dungeon.
|I bet they never saw the double dungeon coming!|
Luna, in her spiritual form, chuckled.
It was a perfect trap.
They would surely think the outer dungeon was all there was to it.
Especially with the high difficulty, they’d believe even more so.
The intelligent, evolving undead legion would undoubtedly be seen as their greatest enemy.
But that was incorrect.
The undead legion was undoubtedly powerful, but right now, it was far too late to pull out as the ultimate weapon.
While they could reign as the worst monsters inside this dungeon, once outside, they’d be swiftly slaughtered and have to flee.
These newly reborn undead would find it impossible to build a strong legion.
No matter how strong they became in the far-off future, what difference would it make?
The church and mages would be ready to hunt them down like interdimensional pests.
|Abandoning the undead legion!|
Thus, Luna’s choice was clear.
She would use the undead legion as a sacrifice.
The price of giving up this never-ending, theoretically infinite power legion was enormous.
|And finally! I will acquire a transcendent being!|
In exchange, what Luna would gain is a body that transcends the limits of living creatures.
Alive but surpassing the limits of lifespan, basic desires, and so on.
That body’s creation was now nearing its final stage.
Soon, she planned to dismantle the undead legion and use their magic to complete the transcendent being.
|Magic, swordsmanship, martial arts, everything…! This body will be superhuman in every way! I can’t lose, I cannot! Mwahahaha…!|
An eerie laugh echoed through the dungeon.
