Jin-woo opened his eyes.
[Weak guy.]
He saw the swordsman sitting in front of him, with his legs crossed.
[You’ve been unconscious for a day after using the Red Moon method for three minutes.]
He smiled weakly.
Isn’t it a miracle to use it for three minutes?
[I once handled ten thousand swords at once!]
Really?
Jin-woo looked at him as if he was bluffing.
[What?! You think I’m lying?!]
Jin-woo stood up and looked around.
Am I in a tent?
[Once I get my strength back, I’ll show you. Let’s see if you can still look at me like that.]
He walked out of the tent with the swordsman nagging above his head.
He saw people moving in a row. Some of them were familiar.
They were in the main search team.
“Oh, Jin-woo!”
He turned to see Kim Dae-sung running towards him.
“When did you wake up?”
“Just now… Is everyone safe?”
“Although there have been casualties, the majority are safe. When the Labyrinth was cleared, the survivors of the Noblesse Guild have been found as well.”
Jin-woo nodded, looking at some faces which were unfamiliar.
They looked like they have suffered a lot.
Kim Dae-sung followed his glance.
“Because they have been trapped in the labyrinth for nearly two months, they weren’t able to eat properly.”
Not everyone was saved.
Only about 300 people survived.
The Noblesse Guild raid had 1,200 members.
“Ji-joon and Yu-ra went to a meeting and left me here to wait for you to wake up.”
“I see.”
“The Labyrinth was cleared shortly after Jin-woo fell. I heard people say that their swords suddenly flew up and cut the Minotaurs. They have been on the lookout for quite a long time to see if there were ghost monsters.”
Ghost monsters. They might think so.
From their point of view, the swords were moving at will.
“Perhaps…” Kim Dae-sung trailed off.
“Yes?”
“Did you do it?” Dae-sung asked him carefully.
Jin-woo understood the tone.
Skills were the players’ main weapons.
There was no reason to expose your weapons to someone who was not a close friend.
It doesn’t matter, Jin-woo thought.
“Yes,” he answered, then went back inside the tent.
From behind, Kim Dae-sung was yelling in amazement.
“Oh oh oh!”
He ignored it.
He needed to rest. He’s becoming nauseous again.
[Ah, your mental strength is too weak.]
Yes… yes…
Jin-woo was too weak to speak anymore and crashed down on the cot.
***
Main camp.
The meeting is over, and most of the people left the room.
Han Yu-ra remained with Park Tae-sung.
“I’m glad there wasn’t much damage,” she said.
“We lost Hao-jun.”
Hao-jun is a player whose level is on the high 300s. It was a blow to the guild.
“Because he’s from Lin Xiao’s side, it could be beneficial to you, Master.”
“All players are precious. Especially the high-level ones. We’ll need them in the future.”
Park Tae-sung got up from his seat, before continuing.
“What about the video?”
“Oh, here it is.”
Han Yu-ra took off her glasses and placed it on the table.
When she pressed a small groove on the frame, a holographic image was projected.
The video contained the movement of Jin-woo’s team as it went through the Poison Bog and the Labyrinth.
It contained everything, even the scene where Jin-woo stayed in a sitting position without moving.
Park Tae-sung took another pair of glasses from his pocket and projected the holographic image from the main team.
He quickly fast-forwarded the video, and upon reaching a certain section, he paused it.
Then, he played the two images simultaneously.
In the video taken by Han Yu-ra, Jin-woo was sitting with his eyes closed.
In the video, he took was the scene against the Minotaurs.
Then, in the video, Jin-woo reached out.
At the same time, the swords of those who were facing the Minotaurs soared into the air.
When Jin-woo moved his hand, the swords attacked the Minotaurs.
“What… did Jin-woo do it?” Han Yu-ra gasped.
“I think so,” Park Tae-sung’s lips curled with delight.
The evidence was clear.
It had been a long time since Han Yu-ra saw her Master look that way.
“Let’s continue keeping an eye on him.”
“Do we need to? I know for sure he had nothing to do with Lin Xiao, and he hadn’t been in contact with other guilds…”
“You misunderstood. It’s not about surveillance, but about watching him.”
Han Yu-ra’s brows furrowed. Isn’t that the same, she thought.
She wanted to clarify, but she couldn’t because Park Tae-sung suddenly turned away.
In that state, he won’t answer questions anymore.
She knew him well.
“Hoo… I see.”
She sighed and made her way out of the tent.
* * *
It took two days before his condition returned to perfection.
No more headaches.
[My disciple is so weak…]
He continued to ignore the swordsman.
[Hey!]
“Ugh?”
Jin-woo raised his face, surprised at the swordsman’s reaction.
[Why do you act as if you don’t hear me?]
If you keep doing that, I’ll change the wi-fi password.
[Hmm… stop your useless talk and check the sword.]
Sword?
[Yes! The level would have risen.]
[Sleeping Sword]
[Level: 101]
[Attack Power: 120]
[Durability: ?]
[A sword that grows with you. Obtain 10% of the user’s experience.]
[Special Skill: Ultimate Sword]
A new skill…
He checked the information.
[Special skill: Ultimate Sword]
[To express the full power of the swordsman. The power that can be used by the sword is determined in proportion to the user’s inner air ability.]
What does that mean?
[It means that my sealed power can now be unleashed.]
Oh, does it mean you’re not sealed anymore?
[Yes.]
Shall we try?
[Foohahaha! The man who only lasted 3 minutes! You can’t take it.]
He made that suggestion with good intention. Jin-woo looked offended as the swordsman continued laughing.
Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice.
“Jin-woo, are you inside?”
“Yes, come in.”
Familiar faces came inside the tent.
Han Ji-joon, Kim Dae-sung, and Han Yu-ra.
“The meeting is done, we wanted to check on you and share the results.”
“Is this another meeting?”
“I have something to discuss with you,” Han Yu-ra said as she sat down.
“What’s going on? Aren’t we going home now?”
The goal has been achieved.
They have found the Noblesse Guild.
Although they weren’t able to rescue everyone, Oliver, the Noblesse Guild Master, was one of the survivors.
“Well, things are now a little different,” Kim Dae-sung looked away as he spoke.
Han Yu-ra continued.
“Master Oliver said that now the Labyrinth has been cleared, the dungeon is almost 80% clear. If we go a little further, we will be able to conquer it.”
“Well, can the Noblesse Guild, who owns the right to the dungeon, be able to attack again? They lost a lot of core manpower.”
“The Noblesse Guild side has proposed collaboration.”
“What?”
“I’ll discuss the details, but the main thing is that we’re going to clear the dungeon.”
“Why? Everyone must have been very tired.”
The search period alone took over a month.
It has been two months since the Noblesse Guild entered the Labyrinth.
The situation has been physically and mentally devastating for everyone.
Still, the Noblesse Guild wanted to clear the dungeon?
“It’s their only chance…” Han Yu-ra said.
“What do you mean?”
“With this attack, the Noblesse Guild lost its core power. The damage can’t be undone. If they returned without conquering the dungeon, there would be nothing left for them but to shut down the guild.”
“Will clearing the dungeon make a difference?”
“Yes. It would give them a powerful title. Master Oliver has one purpose. To take the title of being the first guild to conquer a level 400 dungeon, and regain the support of the British Government and other companies who might sponsor them.”
“For the reconstruction of the guild?”
“It may be the reason now. Over time, there may be a lot more benefit to him.”
Jin-woo’s head hurt as Han Yu-ra discussed the politics behind this dungeon.
[Simply think about it this way. You gained enormous wealth just because you were the first who had a legendary skill in this world.]
Well…
[Humans are obsessed with being the first.]
The swordsman’s explanation helped Jin-woo understand.
“So, we’re not going home yet?”
“Yes. I don’t know how Master Park Tae-sung would decide, but I think the decision-making alone will take a few more days.”
“I see.”
Jin-woo was worried about his brother alone at home.
Sun-woo is a smart kid, but he couldn’t help worrying about him.
“Wouldn’t it be better to leave now, regroup, and attack it later? I don’t know why we have to collaborate with Noblesse,” Kim Dae-sung asked.
Han Ji-joon answered him.
“Look closely at the dungeon report. This is a reset-type dungeon.”
“Ah…”
Reset-type dungeon.
It is a type that occasionally appears in dungeons above level 300.
The Dragon’s Nest is one of them.
If there is no boss attack after a certain period, the terrain will be reset, and the monsters will respawn.
There will be a high probability that the casualties would only increase if they postpone the attack.
“And Master seems to be focused on another thing rather than the strategy,” Yu-ra said.
She works with Park Tae-sung closely, so her words had credibility.
“Another thing?”
“I’m not sure what it is, but I noticed he’s not entirely focused…”
A strange voice suddenly came from outside the tent.
“Mr. Kang Jin-woo, are you there?”
When they opened the entrance, a man was standing outside.
“I’ve been sent by Master Park Tae-sung. He wants to talk to you.”
* * *
Main camp.
When Jin-woo entered the tent, he found Park Tae-sung and a white man.
The man who looked handsome shook his hand.
“I am Oliver of the Noblesse Guild.”
He knew. He had seen this man’s face on various media.
“I’m Kang Jin-woo.”
“It’s an honor to meet a legendary skill holder. I definitely wanted to meet you.”
“Let’s sit down and talk,” Park Tae-sung said.
When each of them was seated comfortably, Park Tae-sung went straight to the main subject.
“You may have heard about it, but the Noblesse Guild is asking for a collaboration. We will be finishing the dungeon attack together.”
“I heard.”
“I want this to be quick. I want to check certain information before deciding on the collaboration. According to Yu-ra, you can know the monster’s information through your ring. Is that true?”
“Yes.”
“What? How is that possible?” Oliver’s eyes were wide open.
It seemed to Jin-woo that it’s best to show him than explain.
“Open the map!”
The ring projected a 3D map.
“Huh… it’s so detailed.”
Oliver laughed. They spent a lot of manpower and money to create a map of the dungeon.
Jin-woo manipulated the map and zoomed in to a large red dot.
When he touched it, a window popped up.
[Can not read information]
It was unexpected. It’s the first time he received that notification.
The Minotaur, the guardian of the Labyrinth, had detailed information.
Park Tae-sung asked him, “Had it ever done this before?”
“No, it’s the first time. The Minotaur’s information was immediately available. Strange.”
“I don’t think it’s strange.”
“Yes?”
“It could be the final boss of the dungeon, or where the mana stone is kept.”
“Well… whatever it is, it seems dangerous.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. When the Minotaur of Madness appeared on the map, it is marked by a black dot of this size…”
Jin-woo made a small sphere with his index finger and thumb.
It was about the size of a grape.
“But this red dot here…”
He pointed to the glowing dot on the map.
“It’s almost the size of an apple.”
It was several times larger than the Minotaur.
“So,” Jin-woo added, “if you decide to attack, we must prepare thoroughly.”
Park Tae-sung smiled.
“Thank you for the information. It was a great help. You can go back and rest.”
“Yes,” Jin-woo stepped out of the tent.
As he headed towards his tent, he looked up at a mountain far away.
It was where the red dot was located.
Master.
[Yes?]
What is in there?
[You are taking it for granted.]
What?
[What is the name of this dungeon?]
Dragon’s Nest… an elemental dragon?
[I’m excited to see it. Dragons look different in my world.]
Huh, I just want to go home.
Jin-woo felt his heart beat faster.
Is he nervous?
Afraid?
He didn’t know.
But he started running.
[Clap! Go!]
The swordsman urged his steps, smiling meaningfully.
Jin-woo ran into the night.