The next day, Seo Jun-Ho waited on a bench in front of the western gate from dawn till now. He was dressed similarly to the day before when he had gone hunting for the whip wolves.
‘But my mindset is different…’
He was filled with a similar determination when he entered Gates. According to most Players, Dungeons were on a similar level to Gates, after all.
“I’m sorry, I’m late.” Hakan looked completely different from yesterday. He had leather armor, a crossbow, and a quiver of arrows were even strapped to his back.
“Let’s go.” Seo Jun-Ho breathed in the early morning air as they left the gates. “Is Shafirim’s Tomb far from here?”
“Not very. People never see what’s right under their noses, but it’s just around two hours on foot.”
“That’s not too bad. Do you know what level the monsters are?”
“…The ones at the entrance were in the 60s. The ones deeper inside could be higher.”
“What species are they?”
“Kobolds.” Hakan’s face darkened. “I’m not sure if you’ve heard the rumors, but the hordes of kobolds near Gilleon have been multiplying recently.”
“I heard.” There was even going to be a kobold-hunting contest.
“But there was something different about the kobolds that I encountered in the tomb.”
“What do you mean?”
“Their skin was as red as blood, and they were about twice as big as normal kobolds. If it hadn’t been for their unique appearances, I wouldn’t have recognized them. I thought that they were orcs at first.”
“Blood kobolds.” Seo Jun-Ho nodded in understanding. They had been mentioned in the monster guide that he had received from Labyrinth. “Not only are they physically powerful, but they also go crazy at the sight of blood… They’re not easy to fight.” They wouldn’t even slow down despite their injuries; they were just like zombies. Although they were only level 60, they would be hard to deal with even for Players who were over level 80.
“Can we really defeat them with just the two of us?”
“Yes.” He looked deep into Hakan’s fearful eyes and spoke confidently, “It doesn’t matter how many there are.”
Hakan didn’t know why, but he somehow felt reassured after hearing Seo Jun-Ho’s words.
***
“This is the place.”
“Geez,?this would be hard to find even if you put it on a map.”
The entrance of Shafirim’s Tomb was hidden within the bushes of a bog. It would’ve been nearly impossible to find if they didn’t know what they were looking for.
“Let’s go in.”
They descended down the stairs, with Seo Jun-Ho naturally taking the front. “I’ll lead the way. It might be dangerous.”
“Thank you. I’ll carry the light.” As Hakan lit and carried the lantern, the area glowed around then. Seo Jun-Ho started to walk down the tunnel.
“Rather than a tomb… It’s more like a cave.”
“It has been quite a while since the kobolds started inhabiting this place. Their stench is suffocating.”
“Still, it’s a good thing that it’s spacious here,” Seo Jun-Ho muttered, taking out Cruel Executioner. There was more than enough space to swing the halberd around. Since the tunnel only had one path, there wouldn’t be any problems in protecting Hakan either. “Actually, it’s not as bad as I expected…”
He trailed off when he spotted a pair of glowing red eyes through the darkness. They were around 20 meters away. “It really isn’t bad. There’s only one.”
“How strange. There were two of them the last time I came…”
“Maybe the other one went to the bathroom?” Seo Jun-Ho raised his halberd.
“Wait. Leave this one to me.” Hakan carefully placed the lantern on the ground and slipped the crossbow off his back. He nocked an arrow into each bowstring and closed one eye as he aimed. The two arrows shot into the darkness, piercing the kobold’s head and heart. It couldn’t even scream.
“Wow.” Seo Jun-Ho was impressed. “You’re quite skilled with the crossbow.”
“I’ve used it for 30 years. This is the least that I should be able to do.” Hakan smiled and picked up the lantern again. “We’re off to a good start. Let us proceed.”
They kept walking until they approached the corpse of the kobold. Seo Jun-Ho’s eyes widened. “It’s huge. I get why you first thought that it was an orc now.” ．
The average kobold was about 130 centimeters tall, but the blood kobold was more than 160 centimeters. In addition, thanks to its prominent muscles, it would really resemble an orc when seen from behind.
‘Interesting…’
Seo Jun-Ho pressed on, eager to fight them. “Let’s keep going.”
Around five minutes later, they entered a clearing. It was quite large, considering that they were underground.
“Hm…” Hakan raised the lantern. The tunnel split off into ten different paths. “I’m not sure which way to go.”
“We have plenty of time. Let’s go through each one.”
The moment he spoke, the cavern started to vibrate. The two of them frowned as they looked at the ground.
“Did you feel that too?” Hakan asked.
“Yes…”
“Strange. There has never been an earthquake around these parts…”
“It wasn’t an earthquake,” Seo Jun-Ho mumbled. He stared into the dark tunnels.
Hakan quickly put down the lantern and readied his crossbow. “Is it them?”
“Yes…”
Seo Jun-Ho’s face darkened as the vibrations got stronger.
‘If it’s vibrating just from their movements, then…’
There had to be a lot of them. He turned to Hakan. “Don’t leave my side.”
“Alright!”
Seo Jun-Ho spun the halberd in his hands and took his place in the center of the clearing. A moment later, the kobolds came pouring out of one of the tunnels.
—Grrrrr!
—Awooo!
Kobolds resembled bipedal dogs, but the blood kobolds had bright red fur and drooled like they were rabid. They were carrying crude weapons with them.
“That’s ten…n-no, twenty…?” Hakan started to tremble as they kept pouring out. The kobolds easily numbered over fifty. His jaw dropped. “H-how?”
He had considered their party to be lucky for only running into one at the entrance, but his celebration had been too hasty.”
“…Your scent,” Seo Jun-Ho whispered. “They must have recognized your scent.”
Hakan paled. Kobolds had a strong sense of smell because they were dogs, but it had already been a month since he had entered the tomb. As such, he hadn’t expected that they would still remember his scent. He bit his lip. “I’m sorry…”
Because of his stupid mistake, he had put a young Player in danger. He wasn’t sure if they would make it out alive anymore, let alone clear the Dungeon.
But when Seo Jun-Ho turned to him, his expression remained unyielding. Magic started to pool within him. “Do you remember what I said earlier? It doesn’t matter how many there are.”
***
Hakan closed his eyes and tried to pull himself together. There was nothing he could say. It had been his own foolish mistake.
‘Even after spending the past thirty years a mercenary… I’m pathetic.’
From the age of seventeen to his current age of forty-seven, he had lived as a mercenary. As a result of his experience, he had never doubted his veteran status.
‘But…’
He smiled bitterly. Ply had been right. He had only realized it once he stood face-to-face with death.
‘I’ve gotten old…’
He was now too old and too weak to be a mercenary. He didn’t have the sharp intellect and decisiveness that he had when he was younger anymore, and his strength and stamina were also starting to fall. He was the only one who hadn’t realized this.
‘Sophia, you were right.’
His wife kept insisting that he give up. How could he find the statue on his own when they had so little success while working together? She had told him that she was okay and that he should give up.
But it was easier said than done…
‘Sophia… I can’t give up.’
He had fallen in love with her ever since they started traveling the Empire together, hunting monsters and completing Quests. He loved her cute and chubby cheeks, her boyish, lively personality, and the way she could handle his own stoic self. Whenever he dreamed of a life without her, he would wake up in a cold sweat.
‘I know.’
He heard?her groaning in pain in the middle of the night, even when she pulled the blanket over her head and buried her head into the pillows to try and muffle her groans so that he wouldn’t have to worry about her.
‘The only thing I can do for her is…’
No matter how he thought about it, the only thing he could do for her was to find the Five-Colored Goddess Statue.
‘Then… ‘
Hakan made his decision, a newfound determination glowed in his eyes. He aimed his crossbow at the rushing kobolds. “Run! I’ll buy time!”
“…?” Seo Jun-Ho whipped around in surprise.
They had only known each other for a few hours, but Hakan knew that Seo Jun-Ho was a good man. After all, the latter didn’t blame him, and he even stood stubbornly at the front to protect the two of them. Hakan’s eyes softened. “Go back and gather people you can trust. And…Clear this Dungeon and give the statue to my wife, Sophia. Please…” His voice was old and worn, but it was filled with the fearless resolve of a veteran.
‘The paths are split here, but the tunnel behind us only has one path. I can buy at least a minute so that he can run.’
“Go! Hurry!”
“…”
Seo Jun-Ho didn’t move an inch. Instead, he seemed to be observing him with interest.
“What are you doing?” Hakan yelled, and he was starting to panic. Any longer and they would run out of time.
“I don’t want to.” Seo Jun-Ho shook his head.
He felt something break inside him. Seo Jun-Ho was his only hope. Even if he died here, he would die happy knowing that Sophia would be able to recover.
“W-why…?”
“I don’t want to do that.” Seo Jun-Ho turned toward the mob of kobolds and raised his halberd. His feet were planted firmly in the ground, and his posture exuded confidence.
‘Does he have no regard for his own life?’
The blood kobolds were strong. They were twice as big as normal kobolds, and they were smarter and faster than their ordinary counterparts. Most Adventurers or Players would have trouble taking down a single one.
“If you want her to get better, bring her the statue yourself. I’m sure that’s what your wife would prefer.”
Jet-black armor folded out across his body, and his halberd started to pulse with a dark, powerful aura. He swung it high and brought it down on the head of a blood kobold, cutting it cleanly in half as blood and brain matter splattered into the air.
A sharp scent filled the air as the warm blood splashed to the ground, and the blood kobolds started to growl. Their eyes started to glow even brighter and they started to drool even more.
“C-careful!” Hakan yelled and reached out.
But Seo Jun-Ho swung his halberd casually, seemingly in no rush. It cut in a crescent arc, leaving a glowing afterimage behind.
And then blood rained down the cavern floor…
“I’ve already said this twice, why won’t you trust me?”
He had cut down fifteen blood kobolds with a single strike. Hakan opened his mouth, but no words would come out.
Seo Jun-Ho turned around and grinned. “I’m telling you, it doesn’t matter how many there are.”