Shun POV:
“I think I need an early night to digest all of this.”
“Y-yeah. Me too.”
“...Me three.”
Phoebe, Gerard and Aiden said goodnight before making their way upstairs. I ignored the busy evening atmosphere in Yeongyeol and waited for Katherine to finish drinking her tea.
“Is something the matter?”
She placed the empty teacup down on the saucer.
“...Am I really that weak?”
It was a question that I didn’t intend to ask, but the moment Katherine’s gaze rested on me, that was all I could say. Her lips formed a smile so caring that I was positive I saw a faint white glow wrap around her for a few seconds.
“You are, but you’re also alive. If you’re alive, then you can work toward a better tomorrow. That hope will fan the flames of growth as long as you don’t let it consume you.”
“...Right. So tell me why you really agreed to enter the dungeons with me, Katherine Brightfield.”
I couldn’t have been the only person to invite her to join a party. Why else would a Water Elementalist be a regular at a smithy? Was she running errands for Adventurers or those in similar professions?
Someone of her status had declined everyone else’s invitation, and I wanted to know why. Katherine’s smile waned before her eyes fell to the empty teacup.
“I, too, need to further myself. Before I meet my master again, I want to reach Boukyaku. I have been stuck at upper Enryo for the past two years now. Perhaps this change will spur unforeseen growth and understanding that will lead to the breakthrough I need.”
This explained the failure outcome of the mission; Katherine didn’t plan on making that change in Chunhae. It seemed likely that she had a better place in mind. Then was this a stroke of luck?
No.
Once the guild refused to give me higher-ranked dungeons, I had my eyes on recruiting Katherine, but it didn’t have to be her.
I wanted it to be her.
Kibo’s description formed the basis of my recruitment plan. If an Elementalist like Katherine had yet to join a party, then perhaps they couldn’t meet her standards. It was contradictory given Katherine’s personality, so using the word ‘requirements’ was more accurate.
Was that why she was running errands in Kibo’s Smithy? To make up for the fact that she couldn’t join their parties?
It was plausible.
Either way, by deliberately using the Water Ki Nature, I wanted to create a sense of familiarity in the struggle to improve and better oneself. The likelihood of that resonating with an already established Elementalist seemed high, even more so if the level was near her own.
That was the purpose of Wizard.
I added Katherine’s information to the appropriate categories and examined the Ki Stages I was aware of. They were in this order so far: Irini, Nagi, Uso, Shin, Monzen, Jikki, Enryo, and Boukyaku. That was 8 out of the 9 Ki Stages.
‘…’
I got up from my seat and shifted my gaze toward Katherine.
“Then I hope you achieve your goal. I look forward to working with you, Katherine.”
I bowed my head and walked off before she could reply. My hands balled into fists as I clicked my tongue.
‘I need to work even harder. It’s... not enough.’
***
[Mission: Crushing Waterfall of the Dead (5/30)
Difficulty: B-
Boss Monster: Crazy Deadmin.
Floor Bosses: 50.
This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.
Floor Number: 20.
Party Requirement: 1~300.
Do the dead fall, or do they rise? My predecessors gave you sweet words, but I will give you the truth. This is my abode. Step into it, and I will show you why they call me crazy. Min, Min! Rise! Min, Min! Fall! Min, Min! Die!!
Rewards: 500 gold + Random Loot Drops.
Failure: Death.
Scout Report:
Experienced Scout Byeol reporting for duty! I’ve listed my findings below. Please tell me if you have any additional questions!
• This Dungeon has seen an increase in Floors compared to 5 years ago. Thus, Lady Jipo increased the bi-monthly clear rate from 20 clears to 30 clears, which seems to have stabilised its growth.
• Surprisingly, I came across 3 Ki Artifacts: Zero Sword (Legend), Super Atlas V2 (Super Rare), and Wake-Wake Clock (Rare). All are sealed in Hidden Rooms, but the positions of these rooms are very likely to change once you enter. However! I have marked them down on the map I recorded below. Please be aware that these Ki Artifacts will probably be unavailable in future clears, and who knows when the Dungeon will reveal them again?
• From Floors 1-10, expect Floor Bosses (Bloodied Deadmin)(Monzen) to show up early. They move around in large groups and occasionally set up traps in different locations.
• From Floors 11-20, expect Floor Bosses (Little Crazy Deadmin)(Mid Monzen) to conduct guerilla warfare. They specialise in whittling down your HP, running off to lure Adventurers into traps, and long-range attacks from hidden areas around the Floor.
• The Boss Monster should be at the upper Monzen Stage based on the Ki leaking out of the Boss Room, but he can summon empowered Little Crazy Deadmin that are all at upper Monzen as well!
• Deadmin use the Deadmin Style, which specialises in poison, powerful Elemental attacks(Fire/Wind), and long-range techniques that grow in power over the distance travelled. There’s a limit, but still, watch out!
• Floor 15 has a Safe Zone that is triggered after the Floor has been completely wiped of monsters. It’s possible to leave the dungeon without causing any adverse effects. However, it’s impossible to leave if you have acquired a Ki Artifact from the dungeon.
• Locations: Caves, Plains, Castle floors, Dense Jungle, Volcanic areas (I know. Crazy, right?)...
I’ve listed the others below with all dungeon monsters that appear, ranging from the common Deadmin to Goblins, Goblin Leaders and Little Crazy Deadmin.
• The average time to complete the Dungeon should be around 7 days. Finally, I’ve added some monster-hunting strategies that have been verified by the guild!
...
]
I observed a young woman blushing. Her eyelashes fluttered whenever she made eye contact with Gerard. He seemed to enjoy their conversation despite the slight shyness radiating off both of them. The heavy armour he wore suited his frame, in addition to the way he most likely fought.
“What’s up?”
I shifted my gaze toward Phoebe wearing light armour. She stretched her arms and loosened her muscles.
“Who is Lady Jipo?”
Her eyebrow rose in response, hinting that the answer to my question was common knowledge.
“She oversees Chunhae. I heard that she wasn’t born here though.”
‘...’
No missions were triggered, but to oversee a city meant Lady Jipo was either a noble or had connections within the aristocracy. I sorted the new information out before examining the extreme amount of detail in Scout Byeol’s report.
“Do you use a Scout for every dungeon run?”
“Of course we do, Shun.”
Phoebe let out a soft chuckle that had an amicable sound to it. However, it was an answer I didn’t want to hear.
“What a waste of time.”
“...I heard the rumours, but have you really been going into dungeons blind?”
“...”
Her smile lessened, and she turned her body in my direction. The seriousness in Phoebe’s amber eyes made the corners of my mouth rise. The soldiers guarding the dungeons had similar reactions, but I didn’t care then and I didn’t care now.
“Do you think I have all day to wait for a Scout to get information I can obtain myself?”
Her eyebrows quivered, but before she could respond, Katherine approached the two of us.
“Shun, are you the leader of this party?”
“No.”
The blunt answer to her polite inquiry thinned the smile across her lips. Katherine wasn’t the type of person to take her word back, so I didn’t need to go through the effort of being accommodating toward her.
“It’s his party. My party. Your party and our party, right?”
Phoebe grinned, and Katherine’s face brightened. Her lips formed a pleasant smile before parting.
“That is wonderful.”
“Phoebe’s a lot more comfortable now since Miss Katherine’s not interested in Shun.”
“...Seems like it.”
Aiden wore loose armour but carried a long spear in his hand. Judging by his grip and posture, he appeared to be more than proficient in wielding it.
“A-anyway, let’s hurry up and enter the dungeon. Byeol’s already briefed us and spent some time with Gerard.”
Phoebe’s blush turned into a slight smirk. Gerard went several shades darker and looked away before whistling in defeat.
Once the soldiers finished following procedure, they let us through.
A giant waterfall crashed down on the stone entrance. It cut the area in half, flooding the area till its overflow spilt back into the surrounding streams. We passed the first barrier when Katherine splayed her hand and manipulated the water to part ways around us. What stood behind the waterfall was a small cave with a thin barrier blocking any entry.
Phoebe checked everyone was ready before placing her hand on it and teleporting us inside.
***
[You have entered the Crushing Waterfall of the Dead.]
I walked toward the dungeon gate, on the other side of the safe zone, when a window flashed in front of my vision.
[Phoebe Kurzman has invited you to join her party.]
[Accept/Decline.]
[Your current understanding of the system is abysmal. The Dungeon System’s suppression will be actively applied.]
I clenched my teeth and smashed the ‘Accept’ button. Everyone’s HP and KP appeared in my view, allowing me to increase or decrease their size as well as move them into assigned positions that could be saved as presets.
‘It’s similar to virtual reality.’
“How shall we handle the privacy of information? I have no issues with revealing my own.”
My body stiffened. I knew Katherine would ask this question but hearing those words leave her mouth still froze me in place.
“We don’t bother with that. Let’s party up and go for it.”
‘...Good.’
Phoebe’s cheeks went a light shade of red once we made eye contact. I contemplated on whether or not her answer was deliberate, since Phoebe seemed like the curious type. However, she did admit that she liked me, so it was possible that she prioritised how I felt over her curiosity.
‘Whatever. I despise Status Windows.’