In the dead of night, adventurers were climbing a mountain.
Kim Minjun walked at the head, while Marcel and his party followed behind.
Marcel’s party was composed of four people in total.
Marcel, who used a sword.
Martin, a warrior who wielded a huge axe.
And Rio the archer, along with Anna, who could use a little magic.
But in the current situation, some of them were full of dissatisfaction.
“What the hell are we doing?”
“Seriously. We could’ve left at daybreak, so why the hell are we going now?”
Anna and Rio, who were following at the rear, grumbled quietly.
As Kim Minjun had said, they finished their preparations and set out in the evening.
But they had departed far too late.
By the time they arrived at the mountain range and began climbing, evening had already passed.
Even if a silver-grade adventurer was joining their party, this was going too far.
Mountains like these were dangerous even when climbed in broad daylight, and now it was already the middle of the night.
They had no idea what they might run into.
At least they were relieved by the fact that Kim Minjun, worthy of an adventurer with a silver badge, was quite skilled.
Kim Minjun was a silver-grade adventurer and a mage. And he seemed to be fairly capable at that.
On the way up the mountain, he drove off every wild animal and low-level monster like goblins they encountered with just a wave of his hand.
‘To use magic so freely like that…’
Just from the way he looked now, they could tell that he was no ordinary mage.
That was why, even though they were unhappy with the situation, they did not bother voicing it aloud.
Above all, were they not simply following along?
Even now, as they climbed the dark mountain, Kim Minjun lit the surroundings with magic.
It was only a faint light, but it was certainly better than nothing.
To shine a bright light at night, especially in a mountain range adjacent to the Demon Realm, was the same as asking to be killed.
Knowing that, Kim Minjun had adjusted the intensity of the light appropriately.
‘Tch.’
Perhaps because it was night, they were running into monsters frequently.
Most of them were small fry, so he only used enough magic to drive them away.
There was no need to waste his strength in advance for no reason.
Kim Minjun glanced behind him.
He was checking to see if anyone was falling behind.
Not because he was considerate.
Because they were today’s main course.
Kim Minjun, who had continued climbing, stopped in place.
“This should be around the spot. Everyone, get ready.”
They had arrived at the location marked as the dungeon.
But perhaps because it was dark, they could not find the dungeon.
“Where’s the dungeon?”
They were in trouble from the very beginning.
He gave instructions to Marcel and his party as well, making them search for the dungeon together.
A short while later, Marcel’s voice rang out.
“Ah, brother! I found it!”
It seemed they had somehow found the dungeon after all.
When Kim Minjun headed to where Marcel was, there was a cave there.
It had been hidden among dense trees, making it hard to find.
“Hmm…”
The cave, as seen from the outside, looked extremely dark.
Even Kim Minjun’s magic did not push back the darkness.
“You’re sure this is the place?”
“We searched the surroundings thoroughly, but there was nothing else except this place!”
Was it really a dungeon?
I don’t feel anything in particular.
Kim Minjun expressed his doubt.
He could not sense anything from the cave presumed to be the dungeon.
Kim Minjun was both a Hunter and an adventurer.
And he possessed an A-rank trait called Mana Sensitivity.
Mana Sensitivity was an ability that allowed him to feel and read mana well.
Every dungeon or monster he had encountered until now had possessed a unique flow of mana, however small.
That was why he could tell.
The cave before his eyes had no presence whatsoever.
If not for the request form he had received from the guild, he might have mistaken it for an ordinary cave.
“Well, what can I expect from a low-grade dungeon?”
Kim Minjun, who had been comparing it with the request form, soon stopped caring.
Of course, artifacts or magic that blocked mana also existed.
But this dungeon was iron-grade.
In effect, it had received the lowest possible evaluation.
Just how low was its grade that he could not even feel any mana?
Because of that, he excluded all other variables entirely.
“Now then, let’s all go in.”
Nothing would change if they just stood there.
Since it did not look particularly dangerous, he urged the ones following him to move.
This time, he put the party members in front and moved with Kim Minjun hanging back.
‘Finally.’
He had driven them into the dungeon.
Now that he was holding the rear, they would no longer be able to run away.
It was the moment Kim Minjun’s plan was finally about to be put into action.
The moment they entered the dungeon, they were nothing more than prey caught in a trap.
* * *
They set foot inside the dungeon.
No matter how low-grade it was, a dungeon was still a dungeon.
Because of that, everyone remained on guard and carefully moved forward.
“So it really is a dungeon.”
Kim Minjun muttered as he dispelled his magic.
Torches densely fixed along the walls greeted them.
Now that it was no longer dark, there was no need to use mana to create light.
How long had they walked?
Suddenly, an unexpected fork in the path appeared.
“What?”
“Huh? Brother, the path splits here.”
At that sight, Marcel and his companions began murmuring.
“I can see that too.”
He spoke calmly, but in truth, Kim Minjun was just as bewildered.
‘Why did a fork in the path suddenly appear?’
Usually, the lower-grade a dungeon was, the simpler its internal structure.
Moreover, this dungeon was the lowest grade, iron-grade.
And yet the path split to both sides.
‘Ha, things are getting complicated.’
Kim Minjun’s expression twisted.
He had only intended to subjugate the dungeon moderately and have a little fun, but things were turning strange.
As he pondered, Kim Minjun suddenly recalled something.
“Come to think of it, Marcel.”
“Yes, brother!”
“You said earlier, didn’t you? That it was originally a copper-grade dungeon.”
He remembered what Marcel had said when he picked up the request form at the Adventurers’ Guild.
“Yes, brother. I did, didn’t I?”
Marcel answered as if wondering what the problem was.
“Do you know why its grade dropped?”
But Marcel shook his head.
He only knew that the grade had dropped, not the reason why.
‘Useless bastard.’
Kim Minjun thought it over.
“If it was copper-grade, then this does make sense…”
If it were a copper-grade dungeon, a fork in the path was understandable.
Of course, this fork was probably practically the entirety of the dungeon.
‘Right, let’s not be too sensitive about it.’
Kim Minjun soon chose one path.
There was also the option of splitting into two groups, but that was dangerous.
They were novice adventurers.
If they died to monsters for no reason, it would only reduce his fun.
Above all, it was important to eliminate the very variable of them escaping.
They were going to die anyway, but it would be troublesome if they split up and managed to run away.
“Everyone, we’re going left.”
They, too, knew that splitting up here would bring no benefit. Everyone decided to follow Kim Minjun’s words without complaint.
Even if it became dangerous, wouldn’t Kim Minjun protect them somehow?
At the very least, they had that much faith.
Having chosen the left path, they continued walking forward.
Then a chilling wind began to blow.
Whoooosh—
Because of the wind, the flames on the walls flickered.
“Everyone, stop.”
He sensed something.
Kim Minjun gave the order to everyone.
But the wind grew even stronger, and all the flames went out at once.
Pitch-black darkness returned.
“Huh? Brother.”
Marcel called for Kim Minjun in surprise.
“Fuck. Nothing’s going right.”
Even as Kim Minjun grumbled, he hurriedly used magic.
A small sphere rose above his palm and soon emitted light.
The darkness retreated again, and the inside of the dungeon brightened.
But Kim Minjun’s expression did not relax.
‘Something’s strange.’
He felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort.
At the same time, he saw Marcel before his eyes.
As soon as the surroundings brightened, Marcel approached his companions ahead.
All three of them were standing still in place.
“……”
“Hey!”
Marcel called out to them.
“……”
“Did you guys get scared? Kehahaha.”
Marcel approached them while jeering.
“The lights just went out. What are you getting scared over that for?”
Just as Marcel was about to place his hand on the muscular Martin’s shoulder.
“Stop!”
Kim Minjun shouted at Marcel.
“Yes?”
“Come here right now!”
Marcel turned back and looked puzzled.
He could not understand why he was suddenly acting like this.
“What’s wrong? Broth—”
Slaaash—
However, Marcel’s words did not continue to the end.
His companions, who had been silent, suddenly swung their weapons at Marcel.
In particular, Martin’s axe struck Marcel’s heart.
The force was so powerful that it pierced his armor with ease.
“Guh!”
Marcel vomited blood and collapsed to the floor.
He looked at his companions with eyes full of disbelief.
“What… are you doing…”
Marcel’s words failed to continue, and he died on the spot.
“Fuck! Why the hell is there a banshee in a copper-grade dungeon!”
Kim Minjun cursed and began chanting magic.
A banshee was an undead monster.
It was not a high-grade monster, but it was somewhat troublesome to deal with.
Because it had no physical body, it could only be dealt with using divine power or magic.
A banshee was a being closer to a ghost than a monster.
And banshees had another, even greater problem.
Mental control.
The most terrifying aspect of a banshee was its ability to control human minds.
Of course, it was not omnipotent.
As long as one was on the same level as a banshee, it would not work.
And normally, even having an apprentice priest in the party would be enough preparation.
But right now, they had been far too careless.
“Thunder Storm!”
Kim Minjun urgently shouted the spell.
Lightning began to strike down from the air onto the floor.
Its targets were the three adventurers before him.
No, the beings who had once been adventurers.
They were electrocuted by the lightning Kim Minjun fired and died.
The inside of the dungeon filled with the smell of burning meat.
“Haa… haa… fuck.”
He had been cursing often today.
He looked at the corpse of Marcel, whose heart had been pierced, and the bodies of the ones who had died by electrocution.
He had intended to kill them with his own hands from the beginning, but this was not the ending he wanted.
Aside from Marcel, the others had already had their minds taken by the banshee.
He did not know why, but the banshees here were different from ordinary banshees.
He had that feeling.
‘Could there be some kind of buff-type monster here?’
If that was the case, this was truly dangerous.
He should never have set foot in this place to begin with.
“First, I need to get out.”
Even if its grade had dropped, it had originally been a copper-grade dungeon.
But the fact that a banshee had appeared right at the entrance meant the Adventurers’ Guild had provided incorrect information.
‘The moment I get out, I’ll kill the receptionist first.’
They dared put him in danger?
He had nearly died.
He needed to take this anger out on someone.
The moment he turned around to go back.
Clap, clap, clap—
The sound of applause came from ahead.
“You truly are an impressive person!”
Someone spoke in a voice full of admiration.
The owner of the voice was a woman.
If there was anything unusual, it was that she was wearing a maid outfit, but that was not important.
Moreover, judging by the horns on her head, she was probably a monster.
“Who are you!”
Kim Minjun raised his guard.
Gulp.
She was an incredible being.
At a glance, her presence was no joke.
Why had he failed to sense such an overwhelming aura?
Kim Minjun, who had no way of knowing the true nature of the dungeon’s concealment, fell into despair.
This was dangerous.
‘Right, let’s run.’
If he fled while firing magic wildly, wouldn’t he at least be able to escape the dungeon?
But even that thought of Kim Minjun’s had already been read.
“Surely you aren’t trying to run away?”
The passage he had entered through was suddenly flooded with goblins.
“When did they…!”
There were even hobgoblins and goblin shamans mixed in among them.
Up to that point, it was fine.
After all, they were still goblins.
If he gave it his all, he should be able to break through.
But Kim Minjun’s eyes moved to the very back of the goblin horde.
There stood a Goblin Lord with an arrogant expression.
Because the Goblin Lord wore a crown of gold, even those seeing it for the first time could easily recognize it.
The problem was that a Goblin Lord was not a mere goblin.
The power of a Lord was truly tremendous.
Even on Earth, it required a party that included an A-rank Hunter to subjugate one.
“This… makes no sense…”
Haha.
Kim Minjun began laughing as if he had lost his mind.
“There is no path for you to leave, you see?”
The nameless woman smiled brightly.
At this point, it would be better to just get rid of that woman.
Wouldn’t the woman be easier to deal with than the Goblin Lord?
‘Fuck. The moment I get out, I’m really going to tear the Adventurers’ Guild apart first.’
This was not even silver-grade.
Even by this continent’s standards, this dungeon was more than enough to be gold-grade, or even platinum-grade.
Just as Kim Minjun made up his mind to eliminate the female monster before him.
Clank— clank—
Clank—
The sound of metal striking metal began to echo.
Before he knew it, countless skeletons were walking up behind the woman.
“Insane!”
Kim Minjun shouted without realizing it.
And it was not only skeletons.
“Why is a Death Knight here…”
Among the skeletons was none other than a Death Knight.
He could not win this.
Even if he died and came back to life, there was absolutely no way he could escape.
What the hell was this?
What kind of dungeon was this, for there to be three monsters like that?
Countless thoughts flashed through Kim Minjun’s mind.
“For me to meet such an end after all I…”
This was not what he had struggled until now for.
Kim Minjun fell into despair and shed tears.
However, the woman before him opened her mouth as if she did not care.
“The petty emotional games of humans are no concern of mine.”
With that, she stretched both hands upward.
“Still, you were lucky. You may rejoice. I shall grant you the special honor of becoming a sacrifice offered to my master!”
There was madness in her appearance.
“You are more than qualified.”
The sight of her smiling brightly was truly chilling.