Chapter 24: Awakening Dungeon (3)

I ran toward the only direction where no sound could be heard.

Hundreds of undead were fiercely chasing us from behind, their pursuit relentless.

“What is this, a zombie movie?!”

Even so, the longer this dragged on, the more disadvantaged we were.

Undead don’t have stamina limits.

If they wanted, they could run forever.

But there’s no way I could take on that many undead!

“There! There’s a door!”

At the end of the corridor, as if by a stroke of luck, a massive door stood.

The wide-open door seemed to beckon us inside, like a trap luring fish.

But right now, we had no other choice.

“Everyone, get inside!”

We all threw ourselves through the door.

We needed to close it to keep the undead out!

But could we even shut such a massive, unyielding door?

As soon as we all entered, the door began to close on its own, as if it had been waiting for us.

No one pushed it.

As if it had a will of its own, the door sealed shut before the undead could reach it.

“The door… it closed?”

“This place looks like an altar straight out of the Mayan era.”

There was an altar made of stone, accompanied by stairs.

As we cautiously climbed the steps, I saw dried, splattered blood scattered around.

It looked like a place where sacrifices had been offered.

“There’s a stone tablet with strange writing on it!”

Right next to the altar stood a tablet inscribed with unfamiliar characters.

It looked ancient, with parts of the text broken and unreadable.

These weren’t letters from any language on Earth.

[Translating the tablet.]

Offer the red star that lights the night sky, melted down. Those who make the offering may face ■■. Rejoice! ■■! For you stand at the sacred crossroads.

The broken parts of the tablet appeared as if mosaic-censored.

How kind of it to provide a translation.

“Melting down a red star from the night sky…?”

“You can read the writing on the tablet!?”

The people struggling to decipher it looked at me in shock.

It seemed only I could see the translated text.

“Somehow, yeah. Anyway, it says to melt and offer a red star from the night sky. What could that mean?”

“A red star… I can’t think of anything.”

No matter how much we racked our brains, no answer came to mind.

It felt like solving this would let us move forward, but we were stuck.

At that moment, an E-rank hunter reached toward the altar.

“Huh? There’s something here…”

“Wait! Don’t touch it!”

My warning was too late.

The moment the E-rank hunter’s hand made contact, the ground began to shake.

[The trial has begun.]
[Clear Conditions: Defeat all monsters or fulfill the special condition.]

Ho Chang-woo and I, with our heightened senses, noticed the anomaly immediately.

Thud, thud.

With a tremor, the stone door that separated us from the monsters began to open.

They were coming.

An army of death we couldn’t handle.

“Everyone, grab your weapons and prepare to fight!”

Hundreds—no, even more undead than before—poured into the altar.

Of course.

The system wasn’t going to give us time to leisurely ponder the problem.

[We wish you survival.]

I ignored the system’s message.

The only path for the undead to reach the altar was the stairs.

“Tanks! Hurry and block the entrance to the stairs!”

In a narrow choke point, fighting a large number of enemies worked in our favor.

But the only tank, a D-rank hunter, was frozen with fear.

“I-I can’t do it…!”

It was their first time in a dungeon like this, and they lacked experience.

They’d probably never faced this many monsters before.

“Hey! If you don’t block them, we’re all dead! Or should we use you as a meat shield instead?”

Ho Chang-woo shouted with hostility, and the tank, reluctantly, raised their shield to block the stairs.

“Ho Chang-woo! Your spear has long reach, so take out as many approaching monsters as you can! Everyone else, support him to the best of your ability!”

“Damn it! Fine!”

Ho Chang-woo’s trust in me was paper-thin.

The points I could invest were limited to the default 10 provided.

[Investing points in Ho Chang-woo significantly boosts their stats.]

I invested the remaining points in Ho Chang-woo’s stamina.

With his keen senses, he must have felt the change in his body, as he widened his eyes and looked at me.

“Who the hell are you really?”

“We’ll chat after we clear the dungeon!”

Ho Chang-woon attacked the approaching undead with his spear. Thanks to the long reach of his weapon, the undead at the front were pushed back and fell.

[Ho Chang-woon defeats an enemy.]
[Strength +1]
[Experience points gained.]
[Level up.]

The points gained from leveling up were reinvested into Ho Chang-woon. My own stats kept rising as well.

Right now, what Ho Chang-woon needed most was stamina to buy as much time as possible.

After evacuating the kids to the safest spot, I slashed at the undead with Yormungandr’s Fang.

Cutting through undead made of bone and rusted armor was no easy task.

‘I need to decipher this damn tablet.’

Before Ho Chang-woon’s and my stamina run out.

“Offer the melted red star…”

No matter how much I racked my brain, the answer didn’t come easily.

There’s no way an actual star would be here!

As time passed, my anxiety only grew.

“Damn it! Their numbers aren’t decreasing! Are we still not done!?”

Ho Chang-woon and the other hunters’ faces were drenched in sweat. Everyone looked utterly exhausted.

My arm muscles ached, and sweat dripped down my face.

When a monster came up, we’d step back slightly. While the tank blocked their attacks, we’d rush in again to take them out—a repetitive cycle. It felt like hours had passed.

We were getting tired, but our enemies weren’t.

Our bodies trembled with the fear of death, but they felt no emotions at all.

The bones of the defeated undead piled up into a mountain.

No matter how many we took down, more kept pouring in from beyond the door, relentless and overwhelming.

“Just a bit longer…!”

“Argh! I’m sorry!”

A hunter who’d been holding on finally broke and fled the formation.

It was all too easy for the undead to break through the gap left in our ranks.

“You bastard! What are we supposed to do if you run off alone!?”

Even for an A-rank like Ho Chang-woon, covering the gap was impossible.

“The undead are flooding in!”

‘What do I do…!?’

Think!

One moment too late, and we’d all be wiped out.

At that moment, the bloodstains stuck to the floor caught my eye.

‘Red star… Could it be…?’

A hypothesis flashed through my mind.

“Everyone, buy me three seconds!”

“What!?”

I turned and sprinted toward the altar.

I’d heard it once before: a high-quality ruby, when illuminated, shines with six rays of light, resembling a star.

So, do I need to melt a ruby?

No, in this place, a ruby is just a symbolic metaphor.

The only thing here that’s liquid and evokes a ruby is one thing.

The offering the altar demands is human blood.

The bloodstains on the stairs and altar were the hint for the offering.

I grabbed the sharp edge of the altar and sliced my hand across it.

A deep gash opened in my palm, and red blood splattered onto the altar.

“Teacher!”

“Stay back!”

‘Please…’

This was the only option left.

All I could do now was pray my guess wasn’t wrong.

[You have made an offering.]

The undead breaking through our formation suddenly collapsed, their bones scattering across the floor.

Breathing heavily, I clenched my wounded right hand.

It hurt, but the joy of surviving was greater.

‘Damn system, I’ll never trust you again.’

Unlike the High Orc incident, this time, the sensation of death had come terrifyingly close.

If it weren’t for the dried blood on the altar and stairs, we’d all be dead.

“Teacher! Is your hand okay?”

The kids approached with worried eyes.

Ugh… the wound was deeper than I thought.

I’d cut too hard in my haste, leaving a scar-worthy gash.

I pressed a cloth against it, biting my lip against the unbearable pain.

“It’ll be fine once I stop the bleeding.”

I forced a smile to reassure the kids.

Tearing a piece of my shirt near the shoulder, I wrapped it around the wound.

Once we got out of the dungeon, I’d probably need stitches at a hospital.

“You bastard! Do you even have a brain!?”

Ho Chang-woon was grabbing the fleeing hunter by the collar, shoving him angrily.

Judging by the veins bulging in his neck, he was genuinely furious.

“I… I was scared…”

“Would you use ‘I was scared’ as an excuse if your cowardice got your comrades killed!?”

If the others hadn’t intervened, Ho Chang-woon might’ve thrown a punch.

A blow from an A-rank hunter’s rage would likely kill a lower-rank hunter.

“Get out of my sight once we’re out of this dungeon. If I see you again, you’re dead.”

Ho Chang-woon flung the terrified hunter aside.

Still, all things considered, the outcome wasn’t bad.

No one died, and everyone only had minor injuries.

Name: Kim On-yu
Rank: E-rank
Status: Exhausted
Remaining Points: 12 points
[Stats]
Strength: 29 | Agility: 31 | Stamina: 21 | Magic: 23 | Sense: 33
Investment Limit: (Locked)
Current Investment Points: (Locked)

My stats had risen significantly.

By investing points earned from defeating undead into the hunters, my own stats had grown impressively through the returns.

‘Though at some point, my stats stopped increasing.’

It made sense—my stats had gotten high enough.

Thinking about it, I’d raised them too easily.

In my current state, I could probably take down a High Orc with ease.

“…But why hasn’t the dungeon clear message appeared?”

An association staff member’s question broke the silence.

A chilling sensation spread from my fingertips through my entire body.

Normally, a dungeon is considered cleared once the clear message appears.

No clear message meant the dungeon wasn’t over yet.

Damn it! What was the second part of the tablet’s inscription?

“Those who make the offering may face…”

A shiver ran through my senses, and the hairs on my neck stood on end.

The dungeon wasn’t over.

The blood I’d spilled on the altar began to ripple and rise.

It started forming a shape with the red blood.

It didn’t take long for the form of a Minotaur with a bull’s head to appear.

The oppressive magical pressure froze everyone in place.

Even Kokko, with the strongest instincts here, let out a strange cry.

“Argh!”

An E-rank hunter gripping a sword charged at the still-unstable Minotaur.

Driven by fear, he’d lost all reason.

“Stop!”

Before his sword could reach, the Minotaur fully manifested.

A prickling sense of overwhelming fear coursed through my skin.

With a single swing of its menacing arm, the E-rank hunter’s body was sent flying, crashing into the wall.

“…Teacher, isn’t there something we can do…?”

Ho Chang-woo let out a hollow laugh, clinging to me for hope.

A Minotaur.

A monster that appears in A-rank dungeons.

It was far beyond what we could handle.

The Minotaur snorted hot breath and approached with heavy steps.

Its massive axe, dragging across the ground, screeched with a metallic sound.

My heart pounded wildly.

The closer it got, the stronger the psychological fear became.

[You face the Minotaur.]
[Experience points gained.]
[Level up.]

The overwhelming gap in power.

Just facing it was enough to level up.

I glanced at the hunter embedded in the wall, unconscious.

He was still alive, but without immediate help, he’d die.

“Everyone, slowly fall back and reform the line…”

A head-on fight would put us at a disadvantage.

We needed to regroup and find a way to turn the odds in our favor.

[Shin Ahyeon attempts to influence.]
[Influence fails due to the opponent’s high stats.]
[Minotaur’s stats are significantly reduced.]

Like she did with Kkokko, Shin Ahyeon tried to influence the Minotaur but failed.

It was a clean failure, but the Minotaur’s stats dropped significantly.

As I stepped back, the Minotaur let out a guttural roar, its force shaking the ground like an earthquake.

Its gaze locked onto Shin Ahyeon.

It had found the one responsible for lowering its stats.

The Minotaur stomped the ground so hard it cracked, charging like an enraged bull.

Despite its massive size, its movements were swift.

“Get out of the way!”

Ho Chang-woo met its first strike.

He gathered all his A-rank magical power, but blocking was the best he could do.

The clash of magic sent shockwaves through the air.

“Damn it…”

It might’ve looked like he was holding his own, but the Minotaur’s sheer strength was pushing him back.

Gritting his teeth, Ho Chang-woo breathed heavily.

Even as an A-rank hunter, Ho Chang-woo was still an inexperienced fighter with little real combat experience.

The Minotaur put strength into both hands, and Ho Chang-woo’s spear snapped in half.

“Damn it!”

A thick hand grabbed Ho Chang-woo’s face and slammed him into the ground.

The impact sent shockwaves, disorienting everyone’s senses.

Boom!

The ground split, and debris flew everywhere.

“An A-rank… in one hit…”

It had defeated a high-ranking hunter known for overwhelming strength.

And it did so brutally, crushing him like an insect, dominating the battlefield with sheer power.