CH 11

Nanny. 

[Noun] A person, typically a woman, who is employed to look after a child at home or at facilities like nurseries and daycare centres.

…I don’t need to ask her if she means ‘nanny’ as in that kind of dictionary meaning right?

Instead, I’d like to ask, 

“…Mom, I’m not a child though?”

Forget being a child. I’m a fully-functioning adult of the Republic of Korea who has aged and grown enough. 

In fact, besides this, there are a lot of things I want to ask, complain and argue about.

“And what do you mean by a nanny is in the way…? Like from where? How? A guardian can do something like that too?”

My desperate voice echoed in the silent cave and sounded pitiful. 

I can’t believe a mother ignores her son like this… 

[‘Sung Hyun-sook’ urges and says “Just break through the dungeon first!”]

“You always change the topic at times like this, Isn’t that too petty?!”

Swoosh-!

The hologram message disappeared like a powered-out monitor screen. 

Whoosh~

I could feel a cold wind blowing from somewhere. 

This was probably a signal which meant that she didn’t have even have 1g of intention to answer my questions. 

[11 hours 58 minutes 34 seconds until the nanny arrives.]

First of all, clearing the dungeon quest is an urgent priority but I’m so bothered by the nanny issue that I can’t stand it. 

I’m so anxious I can’t stand it thinking about what is coming to me after 11 hours 58 minutes 34 seconds…!

Rattle! Rattle!

[Geughh…]

The skeletons, who came back after enjoying a time of intense friendliness, patted my drooping shoulders. 

…I can’t believe I’m getting comforted by bones. My life is really…

***

To clear the dungeon, I need to find the ‘Lord of death’ who has fallen into eternal sleep somewhere in the resting place and make him surrender. 

Somewhere in the resting place. 

In other words, the exact place where the lord of death is sleeping is a secret. 

That is quite an unfriendly convention, where the invaders have to find their own destination. 

Is this place designed in a linear structure where you would reach your destination if you kept walking straight along the path like a ‘normal dungeon’, you ask? 

“It’s twisted as hell.”

The answer is no.

It was a perfect maze, so much that there was no room for a disagreement. 

In less than 5 minutes of walking, I was met with a forked path as many as three times. 

In the meantime, if I was bored the skeletons would surprise me by their appearance. 

In addition, there’s the demon-like time limit!

This has to be a dungeon that has the highest level of difficulty. 

However. 

“Lu-lu-lu~ ♬”

I walked peacefully like let’s say citizen ‘A’ taking a stroll in the garden. 

A forked path?

Not an issue because the skeletons, who mistook me for their king, kindly became my guides. 

[Geughh-!]

[Geuahh-!]

“Haha. Got it, ladies. I’m not going anywhere so you don’t have to pull me so hard.”

They even held my hands and urged me to come quickly. 

This doesn’t feel like a dungeon quest but more like going on a date with my lover?

The reality was far from it though. 

And like that, thanks to the sincere guidance of the very cute guides, I was able to arrive at my destination in just five minutes. 

“Looks like this is it.”

The open road ended and a dead-end finally appeared. 

Was the navigation wrong? 

No, these smart bones did a great job. 

The proof of that was a half-dragon half-human several times larger than the height of an adult man stood in my way. 

Lee Chan-hyuk said, 

-After a while, a strange stone statue appeared before me. It was a dragon-shaped statue that looked like it was made for a Hollywood movie. For a moment, I was wondering if I took the wrong way but suddenly a light came out of the statue’s dragon head. 

Shaaa-!

A bright light was emitted from the eyelids, which were dented like a pit, of the stone statue. 

From one to ten, things keep happening exactly how Lee Chan-hyuk testified. 

“Do I need to go visit Lee Chan-hyuk sometime and convey my regards to him?”

And what happens next is?

[The ‘king’s sign’ under your possession opens the restricted area.]

[‘King’s status’ will be activated.]

[Transitioning to ‘Fafnir’s bedroom’.]

Whoosh-!

The half-dragon, which was fiercely glaring through its eyes, began to burn the whole area with shooting flames through its mouth wide open this time. 

Every time it burnt the wall, floor and ceiling, a hidden space would gradually emerge. 

As if the curtains in a play that slowly lift to reveal what’s behind. 

“It’s shocking even if I knew about it beforehand huh…”

Soon the dark cave disappeared and what appeared before me was, 

-A red world. Everything was as red as blood…

“Wow.”

If the whole earth is submerged in fire, will it look like this? 

Fiery flames were engulfing the whole area. 

“…Seems quite spicy to be used as a bedroom.”

Somewhere in this burning world the owner called Fafnir or whatever must be sleeping soundly but that wasn’t important.

What is important is the thing behind me right now. 

[‘Sung Hyun-sook’ frowns and says “I’ve witnessed all sorts of things in my life but this is the first time I’m seeing such a disgusting looking lake!”]

It looked so bad that mom started to exercise the right to remain silent to express her disgust.

“Yeah, it does look pretty bad.”

A dark, murky stream of water flowed as if it were a shadow but can this really be called a lake?

If I were to judge it based on universal human aesthetic then it would be more appropriate to call it a ‘deep pit.’

Though the real problem came after this. 

“Eugh…”

Splosh-

I tried to ignore the physiological disgust that was slowly rising from the pit of my stomach and dipped my feet into the pit.

Just then. 

Geuohh-!

Geuahh-!

“Euaaah….What the fu…”

I almost swore and chills ran down my spine. 

I mean, how can I not swear when hands that have been decomposed till the elbow suddenly burst the surface of the water and grabbed me?

Lee Chan-hyuk that bastard, what was he thinking when he decided to put his legs inside this?

He seems braver than the first human in history to think of drinking cow’s milk. 

Amidst my thoughts, the rotten hands crawled up like earthworms and covered my whole body. 

Then, I could see a message pop up while I was desperately enduring the urge to throw up. 

Di-ring!

[‘Lake of destiny’ detects the ‘king’s status’]

[The king who has entered the lake will be given an offering.]

‘Eureka-!’

I clenched my hand that was holding the sword without even realizing it. 

Disgust? That’s just a fleeting emotion compared to a thrilling sense of accomplishment!

[‘Lake of destiny’ is preparing for the offering.]

[While the offering is being prepared, do not let go of the king’s mark.]

[Time left until the offering is presented 60 seconds…59 seconds…58 seconds…]

I don’t know what this ‘lake of destiny’ is about. 

I’m sure the visionary Lee Chan-hyuk doesn’t know about it either. 

But I’m sure about two things. 

One, the lake recognizes me, who holds an old rusty sword, as a ‘king’ and presents me with an offering. 

And that offering is a Holy sword that put Lee Chan-hyuk, who was once a nobody on the road of success at once!

‘It was really something else.’

I still clearly remember the video where the qi of the sword was swirling around it and it killed the monsters like falling leaves. 

While the owner of the sword stood in a daze, the sword showed a single-handed rampage on its own. 

Ironically it can be said, it wasn’t Lee Chan-hyuk who was wielding the sword but the sword was wielding Lee Chan-hyuk. 

‘Well, it’s my turn to enjoy that benefit now.’

I kind of feel sorry though. Mr. Lee Chan-hyuk, I’ll at least gift you a fruit basket later, haha.

’10 seconds remaining!’

Mr. Lee Chan-hyuk said that when he wielded the holy sword, the ground and sky split in half and the exit of the dungeon appeared. 

Let’s see if it’s really true or if he was simply sprinkling sugar on his words. 

“Shall we begin the countdown now? Ten…”

Crash-!

“Ten…?!”

At that moment, the sky crashed down. 

Like literally. 

***

5 minutes ago. 

“That damn guild leader bastard! Does he think his life is so precious but treats the life of others like bugs?! Why did he tell us to go in? Ugh, I’ll literally slash his head with an axe!”

“Once we’re safely out of here, let’s all hand in our resignation, hyung*.”

*T/n: honorific used by younger males to refer to males older than them.

“Count me in! I’ll definitely throw my resignation letter on that jerk’s face!”

<Bolt>’s sub-leader and his underlings vented out their anger after being pushed to their extremes. 

The reason why they’re thinking of this dungeon where there isn’t even a single monster as a ‘deadly place’ is no surprise.. 

“Wh-when I think of the bodies of our members we saw at the entrance, I still feel nauseated. I don’t have a good feeling about this, hyung.”

“You punk, stop speaking so ominously! If you’re going to keep whining like that then why don’t you wait here all by yourself!”

The first scene they saw after entering the dungeon was the horrifying corpses of the first team lying like dog poop on a road. 

The torn flesh was as if they were attacked by dozens of hunting dogs. 

Just thinking about it again gave me goosebumps.

“Damn it. That dude named Hwang Jae-min or whatever. What is he up to? Earlier he didn’t look strong enough to be able to defeat our members…”

“More than that, the fact that there really was a dungeon inside the hole is more surprising to me. How do you think bastard knew about it?”

“You think I would know? Let’s just catch him and torture him later. I’m sure he came here because he’s after something.”

Is it because they were trying to put aside their fear? The bulky guys took reluctant steps while chatting with each other. 

The inside of the dungeon was an abnormally twisted maze, but it wasn’t that hard to follow the target. 

Because of the tracking skill, <Search the target> made the faint footsteps on the ground shine brightly like lanterns.

They just had to follow it. It was a piece of cake. 

“If it wasn’t for that bastard, Hwang Jae-min then we wouldn’t have to enter this place in the first place. Just wait. After I’ve tortured him, I’ll peel off his skin alive.”

They weren’t sure what tricks Jae-min, the target used to destroy the first team but…

They didn’t have any intentions to be beaten down so easily!

The guild sub-leader and his underlings moved forward and walked courageously.

[Geughh…?]

[Geuohh..?]

…For about 5 minutes.

What did they see after putting their footsteps to a halt, you ask?

“F*ck. What the…?!”

“Oh my god! Why are all the skeletons coming this way?!”

“And that too they are half-human half-dragon skeletons!”

The dragon-headed skeletons started uniting in front of an unidentified stone statue. 

Blood dripped from beneath their blackish skulls as if to say,

We’re the ones who killed your first team members.

“Where is that bastard Hwang Jae-min?!”

“H-his footsteps definitely end here and ahead of us seems like a different path!”

Now, this was a situation that you would call a bolt from the blue. 

Here, the guild sub-leader made a very unwise decision. 

“Everyone get ready for batt-!”

“Wouldn’t it be better to run away?!”

“Run away my ass, after how far we’ve come! Fight like you’re ready to die, you punks!”

The henchmen who had no choice but to listen to the order started to arm themselves on the verge of tears. 

[Geuohh-!]

[Geuahh-!]

The skeletons who discovered the intruders came rushing like beasts. 

Rattle-!

“This son of a bone…!”

The sub-leader who was standing on the forefront quickly threw a fireball towards the skeletons.

The fireball ball filled with the incredible man-power of the sub-leader flew through the air with great force and…

Tilt!

The skeletons avoided it easily just by tilting their head sideways.

But to be precise, it was actually a plain mistake. 

[Geuohh…?!]

“Huh…?!”

On both the parties’ sides. 

When the skeleton who just dodged the fireball looked behind.

Baang-!

The fireball that was shot out like a shotgun exploded right in the middle of the statue. 

The dragon-headed statue burnt and broke at the same time due to the violent explosion. 

If it had been an ordinary statue, then it could simply be seen as an accidental aim from the sub-leader’s side, however, 

[The golden seal has been attacked from outside!]

[The camouflage field collapses.]

[Restricted area, ‘Fafnir’s bedroom’ appears.]

[Fafnir wakes up again after hearing the commotion!]

The reality is always harsh. 

Crash-!

“Wh-what…?!”

“Uwaaahh-~”

Thud thud thud-!

Like a demolished building, the whole area suddenly began to collapse. 

The ceiling filled with stalactites collapsed creating dents in the ground which was a huge mess. 

“………?!”

The skeletons fell along with the gravity under their empty feet after suddenly losing a place to stand. 

Ablaze-! Ablaze-!

The world of bright red fire greeted them. 

“Be prepared for the fall-!”

Just before they collided with the ground, the bulky men hurriedly wrapped themselves around their bodies. 

Thanks to this, most of them landed safely without major injuries. 

Splash-!

Some failed to do so. 

Geuohh-!

“Euaagh…?!  Mmph-?!”

Unfortunately, the ones who fell into a pit that can’t be differentiated whether it’s a lake or a swamp had to go through a rough time. 

Geuohh-!

The rotten hands started to tear the bodies of the intruders. 

The guild sub-leader who heard the desperate screams of his dying members looked towards the pit in horror.

And, 

“Why, Why are you here?!”

“I’d like to ask you the same thing, you jerks! Things were almost done and you come and rain on my parade?!”

Jae-min, who shouted unfairly while trying to hold on to the old sword again, was there. 

***

“Damn it!”

The sky suddenly collapsed and people fell through it, so I let go of the sword without realizing it. 

If I didn’t do that then I would be crushed under the butt of an unknown dude and be bleeding by now. 

After how I regressed, I can die like that, it’s not even something to laugh about. 

“Fufu…Well whatever it is, things have turned out great. Hwang Jae-min, you bastard, good that we meet. You better-”

“Can you please shut your goddamn mouth? Can’t you see I’m about this close to losing my shit?”

You should’ve come at least 10 seconds later, you freaking potato-heads!

I, I hope I won’t be sent something like ‘You cannot try again’…

I’ve grabbed onto the sword handle again but why is there no message popping up?

Please, mom, god…!

[‘Lake of destiny’ is preparing for the offering again.]

[While the offering is being prepared, do not let go of the king’s mark.]

[Time left until the offering is presented 60 seconds…59 seconds…58 seconds…]

“Phew…!”

For now, my destiny hasn’t abandoned me. 

My heart almost stopped beating. 

The issue is the fact that it can’t be continued. 

I can’t believe I need to wait all over again…

Ah, those freaking…My blood pressure is rising. 

But there was another bigger problem. 

“You still don’t understand the situation you’re in? I’ll rip that mouth of yours. Come here this instant!”

It was these potato heads. 

Will I be able to withstand 60 seconds without any distractions from those guys?

I want to fight back somehow, but I’m in a situation where I can’t let go of the sword in my hand, so I can’t do anything…

It’s driving me crazy, damn it. 

“Look at this bastard ignoring what I just said? You don’t wanna come? Then stand there still. Because I’ll have to grab that arrogant head of yours myself.”

Ablaze-!

Flames burned in both the hands of the potato-head. 

Looks like he’s planning to attack me from a distance without coming into the lake. 

[Guardian deity, ‘Sung Hyun-sook’ is nervous about ‘My son ♡’s’ situation!]

[Guardian deity, ‘Sung Hyun-sook’ sends sponsorship to ‘My son ♡’!]

[Sponsorship list: Skill Ball -<Active: ‘Advanced Force Shield (C-level)>’]

“Mom…!”

Just then, a skill ball fell from the sky like a rope. 

As expected of my mom!

“If it’s a C-level protection skill, I can withstand for a minute!’

And it’s not even a minute now. 

The countdown in front of me was past 40 seconds. 

I gulped down the skill ball and deployed the force shield without any delay. 

Bzzz-!

At the same time, a translucent wall started to block me,

“Die-!”

The potato head screamed with a loud voice and threw the fireball in his hand. 

More like, try to throw it. 

Ba-ng!

Because suddenly a red lightning strike fell behind his henchmen. 

A shock wave started to erupt around the area where the lightning struck. 

Crash-!

“Eek…?!”

However, that alone was enough to shatter the C-level protection shield.

The potato head who was about to throw a fireball also paused for a while and looked back in the direction in which the lightning struck. 

And, 

<Do you know what I hate the most?>

It was an eerie voice that made my heart tight.

At the place where everyone’s attention was focused, there was a giant who slowly stood up by removing the thick soil from the ground. 

<Do you know what I despise as much as the approaching doomsday?>

The flames that filled the sky and ground intensified as if they had been met with the wind to make them stronger. 

To me, it seemed as if the flames were trembling in fear.

The trembling of the flames soon led to the trembling of the sky and ground.

The whole world was shuddering. 

By a giant with the head of a dragon.

<It’s to be woken up from sleep.>

The Lord of death, who is recognized by the system.

It was the moment when Fafnir descended.