Chapter 183 – Hardeon (15)

It didn’t take long for the situation to be resolved.

At Shin Ah-yeon’s sword, the eight assailants immediately bled and collapsed.

The guide’s pupils widened in shock.

“It seems like a deep conversation is needed, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, don’t come any closer!”

She stumbled backward.

Her legs were trembling precariously, and eventually, she tripped over a small rock and fell.

I approached her as she lay on the ground and extended my hand.

“Don’t come any closer? That’s not what a guide says to their employer, is it?”

“I’m sorry!”

“Yes. You tried to kill someone, so you are indeed in the wrong.”

“I didn’t try to kill you! I just meant to threaten you and send you back!”

“Just threaten? That’s different from what you said earlier. Do you expect me to believe that?”

She clasped her hands together and pleaded desperately, like a fly.

“I’m sorry!”

“You and these eight scattered ruffians. Whose crime is greater?”

“The eight! At least I didn’t rush at you with a sword!”

Her brazenness only provoked a hollow laugh from me.

“These guys were just playing along with your offer of a few coins. Don’t you know that the one who orchestrated the murder is worse?”

“If you put it that way, I also committed this act because someone else offered it. I don’t even know who you are! The real instigator of murder is the person who ordered me to do this!”

“Then you’re the instigator of the instigator?”

“Yes!”

“Your legs are trembling, but you speak well.”

“I have to find a way to survive, after all.”

“Alright. Then I’ll let you find a way to survive, as you wish.”

“Really?”

Her trembling legs finally seemed to calm down.

“You’ll come with me through the portal.”

“What? You’re just saying you’re going to kill me in the end!”

“When did I say that? You just need to go in and check one thing for me. To see if any of the guys in there are the ones who incited you to murder. And Ah-yeon.”

“Yes, Unit Leader.”

“Bring your sword closer to this woman’s neck. Was I too gentlemanly? She’s too noisy.”

As Shin Ah-yeon pressed her blade against the woman’s neck, her mouth no longer moved.

“Guide us properly this time. And it would be best if you pray that those guys are beyond the portal. That way, your chances of survival increase.”

Her face was already pale white.

***

The portal of Mount Morane.

According to what was known, once one passed through this portal, one could only exit after ten days.

In between, no matter how much one struggled to leave, they would be blocked by a barrier.

In short, it was a ten-day survival quest.

Moreover, the stories about the monsters inside had quite an interesting aspect.

Even creatures that appeared insignificant on the surface used fire-based attacks.

‘I should probably rate them one grade higher than their appearance suggests.’

However, in contrast to the danger, there was almost no reward, so this place was treated as barren land in Hardeon.

According to the guide, those who entered before us were on their eighth day today.

With two days remaining, if they were alive, we would encounter them.

They wouldn’t have entered without some confidence, so they were surely alive.

And if my predictions were correct, they would be warriors from the Gwangun Sword Family.

“But do I really have to go in there?”

She asked with a trembling voice.

“Ah-yeon. Bring your sword closer.”

“Alright! I’ll go in!”

A lightning-fast change of stance.

Her answer was even quicker than Shin Ah-yeon’s sword.

[Entering the Dungeon of Mount Morane.]

[Time remaining: 10 days, 00 hours, 00 minutes]

As I had heard, the heat inside the dungeon was no joke.

The flowing lava next to us was like a river, and the gas emanating from it stung my nose.

And what greeted us were avian monsters.

Though small in size, they shot towards us at incredible speed.

“No!”

The guide screamed, her eyes tightly shut, and the bird that flew at us was instantly split in two by Shin Ah-yeon’s sword.

“It probably opened its beak right before dying to shoot fire, didn’t it?”

“It seems so, Unit Leader.”

“Next time, just let it shoot. Aren’t you curious what it looks like?”

“Understood.”

Only then did the guide raise her head, looking dumbfounded.

“Y-you people. What on earth are you!”

A volcanic rock fell where the monster had died.

“If one comes out per monster, we’ll reach 50 quickly.”

Moreover, we had to stay here for ten days.

If there were enough monsters, it seemed like we could gather not just 50, but 5,000.

Of course, I had no intention of doing so.

“But what do you need this kind of trash for? Even if you sell it, it won’t fetch much money.”

“Be quiet, and pick up the fallen stones. Don’t even think about pocketing them, because I’ll be counting them.”

“I have no intention of pocketing anything that’s not worth money.”

Expanding my senses, I felt many things within the dungeon.

An enormous number of monsters.

Their types were also very diverse.

And a life form emitting an energy different from the monsters.

There were nine of them, and their aura was distinctly human.

A subtle mix of skilled and unskilled individuals.

My curiosity couldn’t help but grow.

“This way.”

“Yes, Unit Leader.”

If we walked while hunting monsters like this, we would meet them soon enough.

***

The flame attacks emitted by the monsters were truly peculiar.

Regardless of their size, even sparrows-sized creatures could spout fire from their tiny bodies.

Even though these creatures didn’t possess much mana, they demonstrated quite efficient destructive power.

This time, seven Lizardmen blocked our path.

FLAME!

Their fire attacks, shot from a distance as a threat, seemed almost cute.

“Ah-yeon, I’ll handle this one.”

“Yes, Unit Leader.”

After consuming the Yeti’s core, my body felt incredibly light.

While it hadn’t significantly increased my mana, it had normalized my contaminated body.

That was a huge advantage.

I had no hindrance in mana manipulation or recovery.

WHIZZ!

Seven daggers, which I had thrown, floated gracefully in the air.

Each dagger, imbued with mana, emanated a fiercer energy than ever before.

‘It’s the effect of the Yeti’s core.’

The nature of my mana had become cold.

The guide, needless to say, and Shin Ah-yeon as well, merely stared upwards with open mouths.

WHOOSH—

WHOOSH—

The seven daggers simultaneously shot towards the Lizardmen.

Each dagger emitted a chilling cold.

The lizard creatures looked at the incoming daggers and hastily opened their mouths to spew fire.

Thus, two forces collided.

CRACK!

CRACK!

CRACK! CRACK!

The result was exactly as expected.

The extreme cold contained within the daggers froze the fire shot by the lizards.

Then, they entered the creatures’ mouths and tore through their bodies.

THUD—

The lizards began to fall one by one.

Dealing with these minor mobs was no great feat, but gaining a new method of mana operation was a considerable harvest.

The ability to imbue mana with cold at any time I wished.

The Red Dragon. Its breath had been a real headache, so this was a fortunate turn of events.

“What are you! Are you perhaps a mage?”

It was understandable for the guide to have such a misunderstanding.

“Have you ever seen a mage who handles swords this well?”

“No. Actually, I’ve never seen a mage at all.”

I had forgotten.

The fact that mages had disappeared from Hardeon a long time ago.

And also, that this guide was prone to talking nonsense.

“Just pick up the stones. If the guiding is over, you should at least do that.”

“Is there extra pay? This task wasn’t in the contract.”

“Stabbing me in the back wasn’t in the contract either.”

“I’ll go pick up the stones.”

Before I knew it, a considerable amount of volcanic rock had accumulated.

At this rate, we would reach the target of 50 before the day was over.

WHIZZ!

The seven daggers that had massacred the lizards rose into the air again.

With an abundance of monsters inside the dungeon, there was little time to rest.

‘Good.’

As my body normalized, mana recovery became much faster.

Although this normal state felt unfamiliar because my poor physical condition had been the default for so long, I would quickly adapt.

Compared to my past life as Johan Raven, my mana was still far from sufficient, but there were noticeable achievements in terms of enlightenment.

I had broadened my horizons by learning the Haewon Sword Style and other unique sword arts from Earth.

And in the process of surviving with this meager body, I had become more efficient in using swords and mana.

Furthermore, I was in the process of gaining new insights through the sword art manuals written by the Blue Dragon.

Now, if I could just restore my past mana, I would be able to experience a higher realm than in my previous life.

Whether that would be enough to face the Red Dragon, I couldn’t say.

CRASH!

CRASH CRACK!

The launched daggers massacred the monsters.

This time, they were fire-breathing Trolls.

The daggers pierced their hearts, giving the Trolls no chance to unleash their signature regenerative abilities.

At this sight, Shin Ah-yeon was almost spellbound.

“I think I misunderstood you, Unit Leader.”

“Oh, really?”

“I thought you would soon surpass the other direct descendants of the Haewon Sword Family, but I was mistaken.”

“Yes. Your misunderstanding was quite severe.”

“I can no longer even guess where your limits lie, Unit Leader.”

Still, Shin Ah-yeon had vaguely sensed my realm.

Now, finding worthy opponents had become difficult.

Even those known as the Three Sword Gods would now be beneath me, and only the elderly Heo Gyeong-woo might be able to contend with me.

‘What about Rosie?’

Honestly, I couldn’t be certain about Rosie.

I didn’t fully know the extent of her power.

In this situation, the guide was spouting more nonsense.

“I’m surprised. With your skill, you wouldn’t be out of place in the capital right now, would you?”

Not out of place,

I could only let out a hollow laugh.

Even if this was an Empire of Swords, I didn’t expect to hear such words.

“Thank you for evaluating me so highly.”

“I was so foolish not to know you had such skill, and to have sent eight local ruffians to ambush you.”

“Then I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“The group you brought here eight days ago is still in this dungeon, aren’t they?”

“They are?”

“Which side do you think it’s wiser to be on?”

“Yours.”

“You’re answering quite mechanically.”

“It’s the basic rule of self-preservation. But why are you suddenly asking that?”

We had become quite close to them.

If we walked along this path, we would meet them within five minutes.

The crucial point was whether they were indeed the people from the Gwangun Sword Family.

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