CH 10

Rustle rustle….!

The thickly grown bushes over the mountain path rustled. 

Several leaves from their stems fell down. 

Judging from how my arms and legs are tingling as if electricity was passed through them, it was not simply because of nature’s wind. 

‘Mana?’

A sensation created by mana’s flow! 

Just as I was stretching my hand inside the whole, something caught me by surprise and I turned back. 

Over there, 

“Hehehe. Got scared to death weren’t you, you bastard?

Bodies of people who seemed to be in their twenties suddenly surrounded me. 

Their bodies, which gave off a wild animal-like impression were translucent enough to clearly see their backs. 

‘Stealth skill?’

It is a skill that makes the user’s body transparent and also eliminates any sound, in other words, it’s a skill specialized for assassination. 

‘Damn it, I was followed.’

If my sensitivity to detect the flow of mana was high then I could’ve easily detected their presence. 

But since I was not able to do so, that means my current stats must be in terrible condition. 

[‘Sung Hyun-sook’ comforts and says “You’ll continue to grow, so stay strong my son!”]

“If you’re going to comfort me, then comfort me about this sudden disastrous situation…”

“What’re you talking on your own about, you punk? Can’t you guess what situation you’re in?”

The bodies of the people, which were translucent like a hologram, became clearer. 

Thanks to that I realized the depressing fact that the number of people was much more than I thought. 

The man who appeared to be the representative of the crowd took a step forward with a smile.

“You cocky bastard. Is this the second time since the morning? We owe you a lot for earlier. Thanks to you, our guild has become a laughing sto-”

“Who are you?”

“We met this morning, you punk! Don’t tell me you already forgot?!”

“R-really?”

I’m not kidding, really who are they?

Though it’s true they seem familiar.

Do you know, mom?

[‘Sung Hyun-sook’ frown and says “I don’t know who they are but they’ve sure not learned any manners!”]

Seeing how even mom doesn’t know, that means they’re probably arguing with the wrong person. 

“We’re from the <Bolt> guild, whose work you stole this morning! You must be shameless enough to have no conscience and forget our faces so soon after all you did, you bastard?!”

“…Ah!”

“Cut your bullshit! Took you long enough to remember!’

My memory capacity isn’t large enough to remember each of those faces. 

“You still want to rant about me stealing your work? I thought we were done talking on this?”

“Hah!  Who are you to decide we’re done talking or not about this on your own? From now on, I’ll tell you two options you can choose from so listen up carefully. The first one is to simply get fucking killed by us, and the second one is crouch down, walk through between my legs, bark like a dog and apologize, then-”

Instead of continuing to listen to more of his dogshit, I started racking my brain.

Just by a glance…I could tell there were about ten people. Maybe even close to twenty. 

For now, it was obvious the biggest disadvantage on my side was the number of people. 

In addition, the fact that all the members know how to use stealth skills means that their basic stats are much higher than mine.

Do I fight them with my talent?

If I do that, then I’ll lose my life, in other words, it’s going to be a real waste of talent. 

So I’ve decided on a conclusion. 

“And then join our guild and clean the bathroom without skipping a day. If I think you’ve done a good job then I might sometimes take you to the dungeon as a porter and-”

“See ya.”

“Hm? Huhh?! Hey!”

I stretched my arm through the hole. 

Immediately, the variant gate sucked me in with a tremendous suction force. 

From my head to toe!

In a whoosh!

***

-When the cross-shaped hole I thoughtlessly touched sucked me in, I was really…really shocked.

I remember very clearly. 

[You have entered the hidden dungeon, ‘The Lord’s resting place’.]

[Revealing the conditions you need to clear.]

-And before I could even digest what happened, the system started sending messages. It’s common when a Guardian deity presents a trial to the player and gives sponsorship in return. But I’ve never heard of a dungeon presenting a player with a quest. Oh…was it just me?

Lee Chan-hyuk. He, who suddenly become successful one day, said these things explicitly in front of the reporters’ cameras. 

I, who was suffering from a huge case if inferiority complex at the time, envied him. 

He was a lowest-class player with no head or tail just like me, but his whole life changed 180 degrees just because he got an amazingly lucky opportunity and I was very envious of his life. 

That’s why even after so long, I still remember everything he said. 

Di-ring-

=====

<The Lord’s resting place>

Conditions to clear: Find the ‘Lord of Death’ who has fallen into eternal sleep somewhere in the resting place and make him surrender!

Time limit: 30 minutes.

*In case of not being able to escape within the given time limit, your soul will forever be trapped in the resting place. 

Reward: None

=====

Tick!

[Time remaining: 29 minutes 59 seconds]

A sense of floatiness came over me after I crossed the gate. 

I slowly opened my eyes.

Ugh, my stomach hurts. 

The first thing I saw, was a place too creepy and dark to be called a resting place. 

“It’s just like Lee Chan-hyuk said.”

I was worried that whatever he said might be false. 

Because I only came here trusting of whatever Lee Chan-hyuk said on the media. 

But I guess that was just meaningless worry. 

Because I see nothing different. 

…is what I thought but suddenly. 

Whoosh-!

“Agh!”

“Ow!”

“Fuck!”

…I think an uninvited guest has come in?

The guild leader of <Bolt> who was messing with me earlier…Hm, since I don’t know his name let’s just call him head*. 

T/n: He literally calls him a ‘head’ as in the part of the body and not head as in the head of a management.

Five henchmen of that head broke through a vortex-like entrance and rolled on the floor.

Are they supposed to be like an advanced team sent by the head?

“That freaking nuts guild leader!  How dare he throw us like this just because he’s scared to go?! See what I do once I go back!”

“Oh, damn…There’s really a dungeon here. Hey, aren’t we really fucked in in that case?”

“Ah, I don’t even know. For now, we’ve got an order to fulfil so let’s find that punk first and- huh?!”

The guys who were getting up while holding their heads pointed their fingers towards me. 

I’ll literally just break off those fingers. 

“You bastard, you were here huh?!”

“Stay still. We’ll kill you in the least painful way possible as long as you don’t fight back.”

“Our moods are fucking bad right now okay? So you better follow us.”

It’s not even a musical or something but why can I feel a rhythm from every word they’re spewing while taking turns. 

I scratched my ear with my pinky because it got itchy due to their whiny voices. 

“I don’t think your guild leader would have ordered you to kill me out of all things? Didn’t he tell me to choose between the two options?”

“Fuck, that’s none of your business. I can just tell him that we had no choice but to kill you because you were being rebellious. We’re stuck in this dungeon because of you!”

“Seeing how he sent over henchmen who don’t even listen to him, the head dude probably has a hard time too.”

He looked to be lacking in the hair department just like my uncle, so don’t tell me?

After hearing my sarcasm, the henchmen growled and took out their weapons. A knife, spear, axe…they’re all hideous things huh. 

“You just kicked over your opportunity to die comfortably by yourself.”

[Guardian deity ‘Sung Hyun-sook’ urgently looks for an item that can turn the tables around!]

I guess mom has already decided that me winning is not likely to happen soon. 

Well, true I guess, even if there’s talent, all I have is a rusty old sword. 

On the other hand, my opponents have the advantage of their headcount and weapons. 

I’ll probably not lose but it’s clear that it’s not going to be an easy fight. 

But. 

“I don’t need any sponsorship right now, mom”

There’s no need for you to waste your hard-earned God coins like this. 

“What? Mom? This bastard, is he looking for his mommy right now? Quit dreaming! You’re soon about to die and you’re calling out-”

[Geughh-!]

“Your mom…Did you hear something just now?”

Yup, I did well and clear. 

Crash-!

People screaming horribly burst out of the cave wall. 

They were the people who have been trapped here, in the ‘Lord’s resting place’ for a long time. 

The ‘Skeletons.’

Rattle, rattle!

-Skeletons came rushing out. When I say skeleton, you must be thinking literally a bony skeleton with a skull right? But that’s completely wrong. Because that’s the case of a skeleton based on ‘humans’ like us. 

[Geughh-!]

[Geughh-!]

-Whereas, they were skeletons of ‘Half-dragon’ people.

A white skull resembling a dragon’s head roared loudly. 

Bones of its whole body shook and rattled due to that. 

“…….”

“Huhh?!”

Not only the henchmen, whose complexions turned pale, but I, who was already aware of this, couldn’t help but frown and flinched my shoulders. 

Dragon fear!

The roar of the old dragon, which terrorizes its listener and makes them unable to fight back, was raging in the cave. 

[‘Sung Hyun-sook’ shouts “The dragon fear of a skeleton can easily be lifted by a ‘fear resistance potion’!”]

“I said I don’t…need it…!”

My limbs were losing strength as if the muscles had disappeared. 

I was frightened to my wits and I could feel the goosebumps on my back. 

Flop!

“D-da…da-damn…”

“W-we shouldn’t have come… See… I told you it didn’t feel right…!

“E-euahh…”

They already lost their fighting spirit and put their weapons down.

I would probably be like that too. 

If I didn’t trust myself!

“Hmph…!”

Veins popped up on my neck because of the fear and I desperately stretched my hands while shaking. 

Towards the metal case lying next to me. 

Clank!

As soon as I pushed the button in the middle of the case, the body of the case opened from both sides and the rusty sword rose from it like bread in a toaster. 

At the same time.

[Geuahh-!]

A herd of skeletons rushed towards me like a swarm of bees that found honey. 

Maybe they’ve decided on me as their first prey because I came in first. 

‘I need to hurry…!”

Pull.

My hand dripping wet with cold sweat grabbed the sword.

At almost the same time, the skeleton that was going to strike me on the head with its scimitar stopped mid-air. 

[Geuh…?]

In a minute, a bunch of skeletons started to stumble back leaving me, holding the sword behind. 

That moment. 

The after-effects of the dragon fear, which dominated my whole body, disappeared in an instant too. 

“Phew.”

I almost died. 

-As soon as they saw my sword, they became scared. No, should I say extremely frightened…? That’s right. A more precise expression would be, I was left in awe. I was blank because didn’t know what was going on, but just then a message popped up. 

Di-ring

[The subjects of the resting place show their loyalty to the ‘King’s sign.]

[The subjects of the resting place mistake you, who is holding the sign, as their king.]

-A message saying that I suddenly became their king.

An old rusty sword. This terribly worn-out sword is a symbol of the throne for those monsters. 

And generally speaking, a king is someone who can wield command over his loyal subjects. 

“You guys live all alone in a cramped cave. Don’t you think you’d be happy if you had a few more friends beside you?”

Nod nod!

The skeletons nodded vigorously as if they were going to break their neck bone. 

How cute. 

Though they were a bit scary before. 

After becoming a young king by possessing the sword, I ordered the skeletons. 

“Go and make those guys your friends. You understood what I meant right?”

[Geuohh-!]

As I glanced at the henchmen shivering in the corner, the skeletons roared. 

Perhaps they’re not able to control their excitement at the thought of meeting new friends? 

They say that friendship and love are meant to be secured by your own hands!

The skeletons that took the initiative and ran in a hippity hoppity way towards the panic-stricken dudes. 

“Eu-euahhh-! D-don’t come!”

“P-please save me-!”

“Mommyyy-!”

The dude who was asking if I’m really looking for my mom when I’m about to die was crying out for his mom himself. 

Through this opportunity, I hope you will realize the importance of your parents as you die.

Crash-! Thud-!

The skeletons, which violently flooded towards them, exterminated the henchmen. 

Some sliced their heads with a scimitar like slicing a watermelon, while others ignorantly tore their flesh and chewed their bones directly with their fangs. 

Their expression of friendship is quite gruesome. 

That’s why I suddenly felt sick in my stomach. 

“Whoomph…”

This might sound funny but…

Even though I’m a player, I was not familiar with witnessing a person die.

Talented players with high ranks probably must have seen it as often as eating food.

Because they live on a battlefield that is close to death more than anybody else. 

But I was an F-class. I was someone with nothing much to see. 

That’s why it was only natural for me to be so unfamiliar with death. 

I’m used to seeing a monster die, but it’s different if we’re talking about a ‘human’ like me. 

Furthermore, it was none other than me who drove them to death, so the uneasiness and the weird feeling as if a worm turned the insides of my stomach upside down started to grow. 

Even if it’s the skeletons that killed them, I’m the one who caused it. 

‘…I need to get used to this.’

Those guys tried to kill me. 

For a petty reason, they treated my life as nothing, it was unfair. 

If you plan on killing someone then you should be ready to die yourself. 

Outside of here is the 21st century, where the rule of law is firm, but this place is an uncivilized and primitive dungeon. 

‘Get a hold of yourself.’

And don’t throw up and ruin your image. 

[Guardian deity, ‘Sung Hyun-sook’ gives a penalty to ‘My Son ♡’!]

[‘Physical damage filled with love’ will be given to the representative!]

Wham-!

“Ahck!”

A mass of unseen energy hit me on the back painfu-….I think something similar happened this morning too?

I protested back with tears in my eyes. 

“Mom?! I almost threw up! Why’d you suddenly do that?!”

[‘Sung Hyun-sook’ is angry and says “If that was your plan, you should’ve told me earlier!”]

[‘Sung Hyun-sook’ finds it unfair and says “I was going crazy because of the anxiousness!”]

“….Ah.”

…That was definitely my bad. 

From mom’s point of view, it could be seen as a situation where I was really going to die without being able to do anything. 

Hm, maybe I should’ve explained everything to her before entering the dungeon. 

“S-sorry…I’ll make sure nothing like this happens in the future and explain everything to you beforehand.”

[‘Sung Hyun-sook’ turns her head around and says “It’s too late to apologize!”]

[‘Sung Hyun-sook’ thinks that this incident was too disgraceful to be overlooked and presents a miracle with the authority of a Guardian deity!]

“M-mom?”

Wait. Calm down. There’s a message which keeps appearing. 

Miracle? No what’s that?

You can do things like that if you’re a Guardian deity? 

No I mean, if that was possible then you should’ve sent over one when I was about to die earlier. 

…Really, what’s going on?

[The miracle has been successfully presented.]

[A nanny is on the way.]

[11 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds until the nanny arrives.]

…A nanny?