"I feel better now."
Kang Min-ah felt relieved when she put on her combat uniform. She was wearing a white bodysuit with colorful and red protective gear.
Originally, she was going to wear it after being treated inside the forest spring.
She looked back at the foggy webs that completely covered the city.
"Wow... Why does the neighborhood look like that?" "It'll get worse as we go in deeper."
And Kang Min-ah muttered as she looked around.
"Yeah, It looks like a mushroom forest up ahead."
As they headed toward the center of Pyongyang, huge mushrooms formed a dense forest.
"Uh... I think it's going to be really dark over there."
Then Jin-seong shook his head.
"We won't cross the forest." "Then what?" "There's an easier and faster way."
Then Jin-seong led Kang Min-ah to the subway entrance.
"We have to go down here?"
Whoosh...
At the entrance to the subway, a moist and sticky wind was blowing out.
"It'll be more comfortable than crossing the Bu-hae forest." "... This place looks scarier...…?"
Kang Min-ah sighed and held her spear in her hand. It was a red spear embossed with snake patterns.
And she strode down the stairs leading to the darkness with Jin-seong.
Passing through the ruined turnstile, she continued to walk down the endless stairs.
Kang Min-ah, who had been walking for a long time, was puzzled.
"How deep is this place? Until when do we have to go down?" "The deepest part here is about 250m." "What? Why is it so deep?" "I heard that the people dug very deep so that they could survive even if they were bombarded."
Subsequently, Jin-seong looked at Kang Min-ah and warned her.
"We can't make loud noises. Residents here will follow us." "...Residents?" "They are not human anymore." "Are they the living-dead?" "No, they're just infected with mushrooms."
Kang Min-ah, who was following the remark, stopped standing tall.
"That's a bit... gross". "Be careful. If you do something wrong, you can get infected."
Kang Min-ah looked anxious at his words and soon shook her head.
"I'm an Ekidna! Mushrooms are not contagious to me!"
Then she glanced at Jin-seong.
"... Why are you saying that?… But aren't you scared?" "……."
Jin-seong didn't answer. Currently, he was concentrating on something.
[Activate the first slot of "Queen of pentacles"]
'...That's weird.'
Before entering here, when his See-through ability was activated, it was possible to identify infected people underground, but after coming down to the basement, everything was unclear like a screen with miscellaneous signals.
It was then.
Slowly...
[You have entered the dungeon of '?? - test' ] [The dungeon owner's interference greatly reduces the ability to use 'See-through']
"... What?"
Jin-seong stopped at the phrase.
"There's a dungeon that can block my 'See-through' ability?"
According to the records, it was impossible to block 'See-through' unless it was the demon or something with demon powers.
'But the dungeon owner is not as strong as a demon.'
Here, the Pyongyang subway, located underground in the forest of Bu-hae, has become a dungeon.
It was also a place where all residents who evacuated were infected with mushroom spores as the capital was destroyed, making it a living winter solstice.
The magic mushrooms made the people infected. It was a mass of mushroom fungi that occupied the rotten body of the "Monarch of Corruption." And each mushroom fungus was closely connected, so it was possible to grow into a larger group.
In other words, the entire mushroom in the forest of Bu-hae here was a dungeon.
Of course, the only thing that had power was the "Monarch of Corruption". And all the mushrooms only released toxic spores.
Therefore, the beasts of the forest were not dangerous as long as they responded well.
But.
"??- test."
Jin-seong reflected on the phrase that came to mind when entering the dungeon.
This phrase was not something he expected.
"…… The name has changed."
The name of this dungeon was originally the Tomb of the monarch. It was the name of the dungeon that symbolically tells the place where the monarch of corruption died. The name has changed. With the first letter covered, too.
"What? You're scared, too, aren't you? It's because you're scared, right?!"
Kang Min-ah, who was not aware of the situation, suddenly appeared in front of Lee Jin-seong and laughed. Of course, Jin-seong did not respond.
"Professor, did you get the notification for entering the dungeon?" "Oh? Oh, oh. Come to think of it, I got it."
Kang Min-ah stared in the air for a while and replied.
"It says it's the Tomb of the monarch". "Well..."
Jin-seong thought.
"So, the name hasn't changed for other openers that enter the dungeon."
So Jin-seong had no choice but to make one judgment.
'……This is due to my existence.'
Lee Jin-seong now realized that he had to fight against an opponent whose information is unclear.
But he couldn't back out from here.
'I'll have to move a little more carefully.'
Pyongyang. 120m underground at Yeonggwang Station.
There was a platform that was as high as 40 floors. And on the outer wall of the platform, there were pictures of farmers farming, but there were so much dust, webs, and mushroom spores that made it unrecognizable.
"Are you sure this is okay? The smell here is really strong."
At that time, Kang Min-ah looked at the mold floating inside the subway and asked Jin-seong as if she was worried.
Kang Min-ah was immune to abnormalities such as toxicity and infection through the ability of Queen Ekidna. It was bound to affect Lee Jin-seong without this ability.
However, Jin-seong silently pulled out the lion claws he was holding. The blade was emitting blue light.
[Asissi's eyes are triggering the second effect, "Rose Without Thorns." You are immune to abnormalities caused by the user's demonic abilities.]
"These mushrooms, they were in the land of decay, so I'm immune to it." "……oh…."
Kang Min-ah looked at Jin-seong's dagger strangely.
After speaking, Lee Jin-seong approached the side of the platform.
An underground route map was hung all over the wall tiles. Jin-seong looked at the route by shaking off the gray dust.
It was an "Information board" in red letters.
And Jin-seong pointed at Yeonggwang Station, which they were currently located on the information board.
"If we pass seven more stations from here, we can reach our destination. Of course, we have to get a sword in the middle." "...Sword?" "Now it's a cursed sword, but it was used to kill the monarch of corruption in the past." "Oh..."
It was then.
Click click click click click...
In the dark, the noise as if clicking a mouse button could be heard.
Kang Min-ah's blue and red eyes stared in the dark. And there was a lantern light.
They could see humans, twisting their bodies strangely. They had bent backs and grown mushrooms on their backs. They walked almost as if they were dragging one leg because of the mushrooms growing around their legs. There were even some that looked like zombies. They were walking with two bodies sticking together, and had a bunch of mushrooms.
It was the moment when Kang Min-ah tried to lift her red spear.
Slip.
However, Jin-seong lightly grabbed the spear.
"Let's leave them alone." "Why?" "The chasers will follow us soon."
Jin-seong’s 'See-through' ability was weakened, but a narrow range of detection was still possible. And Jin-seong was checking their back for any chasers.
Jin-seong went down the platform and began to walk into a pitch-dark track tunnel.
"We need to get to the spring of purification carefully."
The entrance to the Bu-hae Forest.
Temporary camp of the Awakening Management Bureau.
"Oh, my. How many people did we lose this time?" "11 people died, and 20 people were injured...…!" "What the..."
Cho Yong-ho started to grind his teeth.
"Fuck, how did he know which of them were the living-dead?"'
The director of the management bureau, who underestimated Lee Jin-seong, deeply regretted it, but it was already late. Lee Jin-seong's powers aren't weaker than Kang Min-ah's.
'If this happens, we have no choice but to use the wizards.'
Cho Yong-ho left the wizards behind so that the management bureau's pursuit team would not be swept away. However, since Lee Jin-seong's power was as good as Kang Min-ah's, he had to use all the available measures to catch them.
It was then. A member jumped into Cho Yong-ho's tent.
"Director-General!" "Hmm? What's going on?" "Oh, that's..."."
Then, following the crew, an old man came inside, lifting the tent.
"Hello! Director Cho Yong-ho!" "Huh... President Park...…?"
It was Park Moo-hae who came into the tent. Cho Yong-ho was greatly surprised by the unexpected appearance.
"Why aren't you in your residence…?"
He never imagined that the living-dead, who was supposed to be hiding, would come all the way here.
'……Did he come all the way here to escape to something…?'
But there was nothing certain yet. Contrary to his inner thoughts, Cho Yong-ho welcomed Park Moo-hae with a smile.
"CEO Park Moo-Hae! Why did you come all the way here?" "My my, I know, I came this long because I thought it could help you with what you were doing." "What?"
With the appearance of Park Moo-hae, members of the management bureau in the tent whispered. This is because Park Moo-hae is currently suspected of being a living-dead, and if Park Moo-hae was judged to be a living-dead, he had to be arrested.
Park Moo-hae, who naturally knew this, greeted the other openers.
"My my! Don't be so wary! If I were a real living-dead, why would I come here? I just want to help you guys catch Kang Min-ah."
Then he looked at Cho Yong-ho, the decision-maker, and said again.
"I want to help you with your work. Will you allow me?" "……."
When Cho Yong-ho said that, he looked back at the group brought by Park Moo-hae.
'Park Moo-Hae and his secretary might be useful...….'
There stood a group of 12 people with the same expressions as if they were photographed while covering their whole bodies with a cape.
'You brought all the giants too.'
Cho Yong-ho was not very happy with the appearance of Park Moo-hae at first, but he thought that if there were giants that belonged to the Demon of greed, they would be enough to deal with Lee Jin-seong.
'It would be perfect if the wizards set Park Moo-hae as the bait.'
Cho Yong-ho thought so and smiled again.
"If Director Park joins me, I can do anything.…! It's my pleasure!"
Park Moo-hae also reached out with a smile.
"My my, thank you! I'm so happy that I can help you even if it's small!"
Of course, Park Moo-hae was also reading Cho Yong-ho's thoughts clearly.
'Cho Yong-ho, it won't go your way.'
Slip. Park Moo-hae laughed as he looked back at the giants.
A few hours later. Under the 120m subway track.
Kang Min-ah asked Lee Jin-seong, who was walking ahead.
"Oh, what are these mushrooms?"
Kang Min-ah was amazed to see the mushrooms shining blue on the wall.
"It's a kind of ghost mushroom." "Interesting name."
And Kang Min-ah tried to touch it.
"It's shining because of the radiation, so don't touch it." "That is crazy!"
Surprised, Kang Min-ah caught up again.
"There are so many things...… Ouch!"
Then, she bumped into Jin-seong's back.
"We're almost there." "Huh? Already?"
In front of Jin-seong, the subway tracks were cut off. There was a cliff carved at a right angle. And when they lifted their eyes and looked up, the sun was shining slightly through various mushroom forests.
"Well, what's that…?"
Said Kang Min Ah. She was shocked to see the red egg bag in the dense mushroom forest. The large egg bag hung among the giant mushroom trees, wrapped in frozen vines and spider webs.
Jin-seong spoke quietly.
"It was the heart of the corrupt monarch." "Wow..."
Kang Min-ah swallowed her saliva while looking at the monarch's heart. The heart of the corrupt monarch looked like an egg bag.
And there was a black sword that looked like a stake driven to kill a vampire. There was a 'Tyrping' sword launched inside the heart.
"I feel better now."
Kang Min-ah felt relieved when she put on her combat uniform. She was wearing a white bodysuit with colorful and red protective gear.
Originally, she was going to wear it after being treated inside the forest spring.
She looked back at the foggy webs that completely covered the city.
"Wow... Why does the neighborhood look like that?" "It'll get worse as we go in deeper."
And Kang Min-ah muttered as she looked around.
"Yeah, It looks like a mushroom forest up ahead."
As they headed toward the center of Pyongyang, huge mushrooms formed a dense forest.
"Uh... I think it's going to be really dark over there."
Then Jin-seong shook his head.
"We won't cross the forest." "Then what?" "There's an easier and faster way."
Then Jin-seong led Kang Min-ah to the subway entrance.
"We have to go down here?"
Whoosh...
At the entrance to the subway, a moist and sticky wind was blowing out.
"It'll be more comfortable than crossing the Bu-hae forest." "... This place looks scarier...…?"
Kang Min-ah sighed and held her spear in her hand. It was a red spear embossed with snake patterns.
And she strode down the stairs leading to the darkness with Jin-seong.
Passing through the ruined turnstile, she continued to walk down the endless stairs.
Kang Min-ah, who had been walking for a long time, was puzzled.
"How deep is this place? Until when do we have to go down?" "The deepest part here is about 250m." "What? Why is it so deep?" "I heard that the people dug very deep so that they could survive even if they were bombarded."
Subsequently, Jin-seong looked at Kang Min-ah and warned her.
"We can't make loud noises. Residents here will follow us." "...Residents?" "They are not human anymore." "Are they the living-dead?" "No, they're just infected with mushrooms."
Kang Min-ah, who was following the remark, stopped standing tall.
"That's a bit... gross". "Be careful. If you do something wrong, you can get infected."
Kang Min-ah looked anxious at his words and soon shook her head.
"I'm an Ekidna! Mushrooms are not contagious to me!"
Then she glanced at Jin-seong.
"... Why are you saying that?… But aren't you scared?" "……."
Jin-seong didn't answer. Currently, he was concentrating on something.
[Activate the first slot of "Queen of pentacles"]
'...That's weird.'
Before entering here, when his See-through ability was activated, it was possible to identify infected people underground, but after coming down to the basement, everything was unclear like a screen with miscellaneous signals.
It was then.
Slowly...
[You have entered the dungeon of '?? - test' ] [The dungeon owner's interference greatly reduces the ability to use 'See-through']
"... What?"
Jin-seong stopped at the phrase.
"There's a dungeon that can block my 'See-through' ability?"
According to the records, it was impossible to block 'See-through' unless it was the demon or something with demon powers.
'But the dungeon owner is not as strong as a demon.'
Here, the Pyongyang subway, located underground in the forest of Bu-hae, has become a dungeon.
It was also a place where all residents who evacuated were infected with mushroom spores as the capital was destroyed, making it a living winter solstice.
The magic mushrooms made the people infected. It was a mass of mushroom fungi that occupied the rotten body of the "Monarch of Corruption." And each mushroom fungus was closely connected, so it was possible to grow into a larger group.
In other words, the entire mushroom in the forest of Bu-hae here was a dungeon.
Of course, the only thing that had power was the "Monarch of Corruption". And all the mushrooms only released toxic spores.
Therefore, the beasts of the forest were not dangerous as long as they responded well.
But.
"??- test."
Jin-seong reflected on the phrase that came to mind when entering the dungeon.
This phrase was not something he expected.
"…… The name has changed."
The name of this dungeon was originally the Tomb of the monarch. It was the name of the dungeon that symbolically tells the place where the monarch of corruption died. The name has changed. With the first letter covered, too.
"What? You're scared, too, aren't you? It's because you're scared, right?!"
Kang Min-ah, who was not aware of the situation, suddenly appeared in front of Lee Jin-seong and laughed. Of course, Jin-seong did not respond.
"Professor, did you get the notification for entering the dungeon?" "Oh? Oh, oh. Come to think of it, I got it."
Kang Min-ah stared in the air for a while and replied.
"It says it's the Tomb of the monarch". "Well..."
Jin-seong thought.
"So, the name hasn't changed for other openers that enter the dungeon."
So Jin-seong had no choice but to make one judgment.
'……This is due to my existence.'
Lee Jin-seong now realized that he had to fight against an opponent whose information is unclear.
But he couldn't back out from here.
'I'll have to move a little more carefully.'
Pyongyang. 120m underground at Yeonggwang Station.
There was a platform that was as high as 40 floors. And on the outer wall of the platform, there were pictures of farmers farming, but there were so much dust, webs, and mushroom spores that made it unrecognizable.
"Are you sure this is okay? The smell here is really strong."
At that time, Kang Min-ah looked at the mold floating inside the subway and asked Jin-seong as if she was worried.
Kang Min-ah was immune to abnormalities such as toxicity and infection through the ability of Queen Ekidna. It was bound to affect Lee Jin-seong without this ability.
However, Jin-seong silently pulled out the lion claws he was holding. The blade was emitting blue light.
[Asissi's eyes are triggering the second effect, "Rose Without Thorns." You are immune to abnormalities caused by the user's demonic abilities.]
"These mushrooms, they were in the land of decay, so I'm immune to it." "……oh…."
Kang Min-ah looked at Jin-seong's dagger strangely.
After speaking, Lee Jin-seong approached the side of the platform.
An underground route map was hung all over the wall tiles. Jin-seong looked at the route by shaking off the gray dust.
It was an "Information board" in red letters.
And Jin-seong pointed at Yeonggwang Station, which they were currently located on the information board.
"If we pass seven more stations from here, we can reach our destination. Of course, we have to get a sword in the middle." "...Sword?" "Now it's a cursed sword, but it was used to kill the monarch of corruption in the past." "Oh..."
It was then.
Click click click click click...
In the dark, the noise as if clicking a mouse button could be heard.
Kang Min-ah's blue and red eyes stared in the dark. And there was a lantern light.
They could see humans, twisting their bodies strangely. They had bent backs and grown mushrooms on their backs. They walked almost as if they were dragging one leg because of the mushrooms growing around their legs. There were even some that looked like zombies. They were walking with two bodies sticking together, and had a bunch of mushrooms.
It was the moment when Kang Min-ah tried to lift her red spear.
Slip.
However, Jin-seong lightly grabbed the spear.
"Let's leave them alone." "Why?" "The chasers will follow us soon."
Jin-seong’s 'See-through' ability was weakened, but a narrow range of detection was still possible. And Jin-seong was checking their back for any chasers.
Jin-seong went down the platform and began to walk into a pitch-dark track tunnel.
"We need to get to the spring of purification carefully."
The entrance to the Bu-hae Forest.
Temporary camp of the Awakening Management Bureau.
"Oh, my. How many people did we lose this time?" "11 people died, and 20 people were injured...…!" "What the..."
Cho Yong-ho started to grind his teeth.
"Fuck, how did he know which of them were the living-dead?"'
The director of the management bureau, who underestimated Lee Jin-seong, deeply regretted it, but it was already late. Lee Jin-seong's powers aren't weaker than Kang Min-ah's.
'If this happens, we have no choice but to use the wizards.'
Cho Yong-ho left the wizards behind so that the management bureau's pursuit team would not be swept away. However, since Lee Jin-seong's power was as good as Kang Min-ah's, he had to use all the available measures to catch them.
It was then. A member jumped into Cho Yong-ho's tent.
"Director-General!" "Hmm? What's going on?" "Oh, that's..."."
Then, following the crew, an old man came inside, lifting the tent.
"Hello! Director Cho Yong-ho!" "Huh... President Park...…?"
It was Park Moo-hae who came into the tent. Cho Yong-ho was greatly surprised by the unexpected appearance.
"Why aren't you in your residence…?"
He never imagined that the living-dead, who was supposed to be hiding, would come all the way here.
'……Did he come all the way here to escape to something…?'
But there was nothing certain yet. Contrary to his inner thoughts, Cho Yong-ho welcomed Park Moo-hae with a smile.
"CEO Park Moo-Hae! Why did you come all the way here?" "My my, I know, I came this long because I thought it could help you with what you were doing." "What?"
With the appearance of Park Moo-hae, members of the management bureau in the tent whispered. This is because Park Moo-hae is currently suspected of being a living-dead, and if Park Moo-hae was judged to be a living-dead, he had to be arrested.
Park Moo-hae, who naturally knew this, greeted the other openers.
"My my! Don't be so wary! If I were a real living-dead, why would I come here? I just want to help you guys catch Kang Min-ah."
Then he looked at Cho Yong-ho, the decision-maker, and said again.
"I want to help you with your work. Will you allow me?" "……."
When Cho Yong-ho said that, he looked back at the group brought by Park Moo-hae.
'Park Moo-Hae and his secretary might be useful...….'
There stood a group of 12 people with the same expressions as if they were photographed while covering their whole bodies with a cape.
'You brought all the giants too.'
Cho Yong-ho was not very happy with the appearance of Park Moo-hae at first, but he thought that if there were giants that belonged to the Demon of greed, they would be enough to deal with Lee Jin-seong.
'It would be perfect if the wizards set Park Moo-hae as the bait.'
Cho Yong-ho thought so and smiled again.
"If Director Park joins me, I can do anything.…! It's my pleasure!"
Park Moo-hae also reached out with a smile.
"My my, thank you! I'm so happy that I can help you even if it's small!"
Of course, Park Moo-hae was also reading Cho Yong-ho's thoughts clearly.
'Cho Yong-ho, it won't go your way.'
Slip. Park Moo-hae laughed as he looked back at the giants.
A few hours later. Under the 120m subway track.
Kang Min-ah asked Lee Jin-seong, who was walking ahead.
"Oh, what are these mushrooms?"
Kang Min-ah was amazed to see the mushrooms shining blue on the wall.
"It's a kind of ghost mushroom." "Interesting name."
And Kang Min-ah tried to touch it.
"It's shining because of the radiation, so don't touch it." "That is crazy!"
Surprised, Kang Min-ah caught up again.
"There are so many things...… Ouch!"
Then, she bumped into Jin-seong's back.
"We're almost there." "Huh? Already?"
In front of Jin-seong, the subway tracks were cut off. There was a cliff carved at a right angle. And when they lifted their eyes and looked up, the sun was shining slightly through various mushroom forests.
"Well, what's that…?"
Said Kang Min Ah. She was shocked to see the red egg bag in the dense mushroom forest. The large egg bag hung among the giant mushroom trees, wrapped in frozen vines and spider webs.
Jin-seong spoke quietly.
"It was the heart of the corrupt monarch." "Wow..."
Kang Min-ah swallowed her saliva while looking at the monarch's heart. The heart of the corrupt monarch looked like an egg bag.
And there was a black sword that looked like a stake driven to kill a vampire. There was a 'Tyrping' sword launched inside the heart.
