Novel Toon
Chapter 6
Chapter 6: The Unranked Dungeon
Dungeon ranks. The quantified subjective difficulty determined by humanity since the system didn’t define the difficulty of dungeons.
A famous ranker once said in the media, “You want to know the rank of a dungeon beforehand? Unfortunately, there’s no such way. The only way is to go in and check the difficulty yourself.”
The system was quirky. It was kind in some aspects. Yet in other ways, it was incredibly unfriendly.
It would be convenient if it just told you the rank before entering.
“One hint I can give is to check the brightness of the color surrounding the dungeon. The lower the brightness, the higher the chance it is a high-difficulty dungeon.”
However, this was not guaranteed.
The difficulty was subjective to begin with. Many evaluated it as inadequate, relying on probability and statistics.
Thus, the World Hunter Association had to establish a standard.
The standard was simple.
“If more than five hunters of a certain rank cannot clear the dungeon, its rank is adjusted upward!”
For example, if more than five A-rank hunters participated but failed to clear it, the dungeon was considered an S-rank.
This was a rather brute-force standard, but hunters were quite satisfied. Dungeon accidents significantly decreased compared to when there was no standard. Still, this method inevitably required sacrifices.
“What about dungeons where people go in, but no one comes out?”
“Indeed. In the end, we can only speculate until someone goes in and checks.”
“Then, who will go in?”
“Some teams aiming for a jackpot do enter.”
“Hm, well… It’s their freedom, but shouldn’t a higher-level guild check it? Some people are scared.”
In short, due to these issues, we call such dungeons “unranked dungeons,” which is also the type of dungeon I’m about to enter.
Ultimately, major guilds agreed to participate and verify if such dungeons were not cleared within a specific time frame.
While it might seem obligatory as it’s designated by the association, it’s not really done out of a sense of Noblesse Oblige. High-difficulty dungeons promise high rewards. This leads to fierce bidding competitions.
However.
Even major guilds must manage safety, as sending their reserve teams recklessly could lead to massive losses in power. Therefore, they send a ‘reconnaissance unit’ before the primary exploration.
Thanks to that, I could sniff out the dungeon far earlier than other mercenaries.
* * *
Reaper Scans
Translator – Dawn
Proofreader – BringTheRayn
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* * *
Is it a cave?
[Entering the dungeon.]
With a chilly sensation, the surroundings changed. The field type was a cave.
—Drip, drip!
Water dripped from the ceiling here and there. Fortunately, the luminescent pearls embedded sporadically in the walls made visibility easy.
“Oh, luminescent pearls? They would sell for a good price if we took them.”
“Be careful. Don’t you know hunters who recklessly touched things in dungeons and ended up dead?”
“I’m just saying.”
Unlike my tense state, Gi Soyul and her members chatted casually while stretching.
There were four members in total, excluding me. Apart from S-rank Gi Soyul, they all wore purple A-rank badges.
“…”
I gulped.
The people joking and laughing next to me were anything but ordinary. These were top hunters you’d rarely see even on television, hunters with aliases.
“Everyone, don’t be too relaxed. Stay alert,” Gi Soyul, the Dark Empress, said. “Swift Sword, Little Fire, you two will circle this place with me.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
As expected of her reputation as a ranker, the A-rank hunters, who looked friendly with each other, bowed politely.
“And Kang Sunwook, the Guide?”
“I’m listening.”
“Find the exit. Cover for the porter as well.”
“As expected, I knew it.”
The middle-aged hunter, Kang Sunwook, glanced at me and nodded.
“Are you confident?” I asked.
“If I weren’t, my alias wouldn’t exist.”
Unlike the others, he had an alias called “the Guide”, which was somewhat unique. The name was given by the system because he was excellent at finding paths in dungeons. He was a perfect fit for the recon unit.
“Then let’s get moving.” Gi Soyul turned and ran off without saying anything more to me.
Oh, did I tell her?
With no name or alias, I was only referred to by the word “porter.”
Even if I had the rare, unique ability of “necromancer” and three years of experience dominating E-rank dungeons like a king, I was just a rookie to them. That was my current position.
“Hey, porter. Nervous?” Kang Sunwook asked with a smile.
He seemed to be an extrovert since he told me to speak comfortably when we first met. I called him hyung, and he seemed like a big brother.
“Well… I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t.”
“Then stay nervous.”
“Pardon?” I tilted my head.
“For the record, this dungeon has many suspicious aspects. The ranker Dark Empress didn’t tell us to stay alert for nothing.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Come to think of it… Gi Soyul’s expression did seem somewhat urgent. Even if this dungeon was unranked, it was one that only a few amateur teams failed to clear. Why would a world top 1,000 ranker seem so rushed?
“This dungeon is excessively quiet. The structure is simple, and there are likely no monsters. In such a narrow cave, you’d expect some vibration or resonance if living creatures were here. This means there could be unique, hidden mechanisms.”
“Wow, you can tell all that before scouting?”
“Of course. I’ve been in dungeons for years.” He chuckled. “Follow me. Let’s find the exit first, as instructed.”
“Yes, sir.”
I followed him.
Our direction was opposite of where Gi Soyul had gone.
Cold sweat trickled down my back and palms, but I didn’t hesitate. Being with an expert gave me a reassuring feeling.
But that feeling didn’t last long.
“Man, this is unsettling.”
“Hmm, strange… No traps, no clues… This is quite a bizarre dungeon.”
“Hey, porter. Do you feel heavy, or is it just me?”
“…”
The further we walked, the stranger Kang Sunwook’s expression became.
The air grew thicker, weightier; as he said, my body felt heavier. A sticky and dense sensation dragged my body downward.
A chill ran down my spine.
“This feels creepy. Are we sure about continuing this way?”
“Not sure. This feeling is new to me. I didn’t feel like this even when facing a ranker.”
“Pardon?”
“It feels like there’s some unbelievable presence in here. Damn, you said you’re a necromancer, right?”
“Yes.”
“Summon something for now. I’ll help as much as possible, but you should be ready to protect yourself.”
“…”
His words were terrifying. But I had to follow the expert’s advice.
[‘Bonehead 1’ summoned.]
[‘Bonehead 2’ summoned.]
[‘Bonehead 3’ summoned.]
[‘Bonehead 4’ summoned.]
[‘Bonehead 5’ summoned.]
—Creak, creak!
Using 50 energy, I summoned all available skeletons.
I then positioned the shield-bearing Boney 4 in front. I placed the archer Boney 3 and mage Boney 5 on the flanks. And I put Boney 1 and Boney 2 in the rear.
Damn, did I name them too casually?
I didn’t know they would grow this much when I first got the unique authority and named them. I didn’t expect to use those names until now.
“Oh, skeletons? Got any better ones?”
“No, just these…” I grumbled at his question, my pride taking a stab.
But I couldn’t…
“Ugh?”
…Because an unpleasant aura engulfed the space.
The pressure was immense, making it hard to breathe. It felt like being in a sauna for over 10 minutes; my insides began to heat up.
“G-Guide hyung?”
“Damn it! Keep walking! There’s an open area ahead!”
“Ugh… What’s different if we reach the open area?”
“I don’t know! But I feel several presences there! If someone’s there, it means it’s habitable, right?”
“Presences?”
“Who knows! It could be the previous teams. Or monsters. Just move!”
Damn it, I don’t know anymore.
I couldn’t even open my mouth, couldn’t open my eyes. My eardrums felt clogged, my knees buckled under the pressure.
Boney 5 used its skill at that moment.
[‘Bonehead 5’ used the skill ‘Air Shield’ (Lv.1).]
[‘Air Shield’ (Lv.1) is shattered.]
“Gah?”
Blood spurted from my mouth.
Unbelievable. The pressure was enough to shatter a skill the moment it was cast!
I instinctively yelled, “Damn it, Boney 1!”
I needed the help of the skeletons to get out of this passage. It was my only option now.
Besides, Kang Sunwook was already far ahead of me.
“Ugh…”
Is this for real?
A newly appeared dungeon in Paju turned out to be a super high-difficulty dungeon that made even a ranker tense.
After being given a half-assed unique authority, there seemed to be another reason the holy transcendent disliked me.
Damn it. I want to live. Rankers were whatever. First, I needed to survive to achieve anything!
As I muttered frantically to myself…
“Huff!”
The suffocating pressure disappeared like it never existed. I finally reached the open area Kang Sunwook mentioned.
[You have reached the stage ‘An Elderly Man with White Hair Filled with Deep Resentment.’]
What the hell? ‘An elderly man with white hair filled with deep resentment?’ What is this now?
* * *
The open area was about three times the width of the previous passage. The floor had some sort of pattern drawn on it, and a pitch-black artificial ‘door’ was embedded in the center of the left wall.
And then a message popped up.
—Ring!
[Stage: An Elderly Man with White Hair Filled with Deep Resentment]
[His resentment is so deep that icy frost forms in his hair.]
[Enter the room and defeat the old man.]
“Huh?”
I could tell instinctively that the old, white-haired man inside that artificial ‘door’ was the boss of this dungeon. The pressure I felt came from that ‘door’. The closer we got to this open area, the stronger the pressure was.
But the fact that we can breathe in this open area must mean…?
I looked down at the pattern on the floor. Hmm, could this be some sort of magic circle blocking the aura?
No, more importantly…
“P-People!”
“Finally, hunters have arrived! A-Are you the reinforcement team?”
About ten men and women were gathered in the open area. Judging by the colors of their badges at their waists, most were C-rank (green) or D-rank (yellow) hunters.
They looked at me and Kang Sunwook and cried out.
“A purple badge! An A-rank hunter!”
“And skeletons? A necromancer! It’s a rescue team! Please save us and get us out of here,” they sobbed.
“But first, give us some food… or water. We’re so thirsty.”
Different ages and genders, but they all had one thing in common. They were all extremely emaciated. It made sense since there was no food or water in this area. It made sense for them to have such appearances if they had been trapped here for a long time without an exit.
“Phew, let’s distribute emergency food first.” Kang Sunwook looked at me.
“…”
I was slightly upset at seeing him run away alone to save himself. But I had to understand. He warned me beforehand, and that’s how dungeons work.
I nodded and handed out some chocolate bars and water bottles to them. As a porter hired by a major guild, I had emergency supplies for potential survivors.
“W-Water!”
“Food!”
They rushed me like zombies in an apocalypse, devouring the food ravenously.
“…”
My chest felt tight. Could this be my future if things went wrong?
“Everyone, please eat slowly.”
Middle-aged Kang Sunwook stroked his beard and stepped forward. After a while of watching them finish their meal, he spoke slowly. “Could you explain what happened here?”