## Chapter 71 – 71. Escape (2)
#71. Escape (2)
For an A-grade monster, especially a sub-boss level one, there were many valuable things besides the magic stone.
Hide, flesh, blood, organs, and so on. Each was classified as a high-end material, leaving nothing to waste.
Naturally, many people avoided undead-type monsters. It was understandable since, after all the effort, the only thing worth selling was the magic stone.
Skeleton bones or ghoul’s rotten flesh weren’t without demand, but they were cheap compared to other monsters.
Anyway, until now, I had only taken the magic stones from the monsters I caught, without bothering to collect byproducts. I didn’t want to waste time, and it was a hassle.
But this time was different.
As I said before, a sub-boss level monster had nothing to waste. Just like a cow is a versatile livestock from which even bone marrow is sold, the same was true for the Minotaur.
Starting with the large horns on its head, hide, blood, and flesh were basic, and even its balls sold for a high price.
Like orc balls, some were good for stamina, but they were also effective against hair loss, so they could fetch any price at auction.
Feeling a bit queasy, I put the Minotaur’s corpse, with its upper and lower body separated, into my inventory as it was.
After cleaning up the surroundings, I took a moment to catch my breath and looked at the screen floating in the corner of my vision.
[??? has been detected]
[Abnormal strengthening of the monster has been confirmed]
[Additional rewards will be provided]
[Selecting rewards…]
Even after seeing it several times, this screen left a bad taste in my mouth.
I don’t know who is doing this or for what purpose, but they wouldn’t strengthen monsters for no reason.
I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that Resilia, who had betrayed Iris, was behind it, but the level of interference was too weak for that.
It would have been better to wait for us to escape and then attack, so why bother doing this?
The more I thought about it, the more Resilia was moving away from being a suspect.
If that’s the case, then they weren’t targeting Iris.
‘…Me?’
It was hard to believe that someone was targeting me, who had no connections in this world other than Iris and the World Tree, but I couldn’t just relax and be at ease.
It wouldn’t hurt to be careful.
“Next time, I should just run away.”
I wouldn’t have recklessly fought the Minotaur if I wasn’t sure that I could reach the next level.
Of course, thanks to it, I not only reached the 4th Circle from the 2nd Circle in one go, but I also gained a lot of other things, so I didn’t have any major complaints.
“By the way, is this also a reward?”
I picked up the two-handed axe that had fallen on the ground.
It was the axe that the Minotaur had been using. However, the size had been slightly reduced.
Ding-
[Information on the newly acquired item is being collected]
[Bloodstained Ugin’s Two-Handed Axe]
[Grade: Epic]
[‘Berserk’ can now be used]
[‘Earthquake’ can now be used]
The axe, stained with blood, looked very good at first glance.
It might not be as good as Gillennium of the same Epic grade, but it seemed to be just below that level.
“Noel could use this.”
At first, I thought about putting it up for auction, but I felt a bit bad that Noel, who had suffered with me this time, didn’t get any reward.
I’ll ask her if she wants to use it when I can summon her again, and if she doesn’t need it, I can sell it then.
[Remaining matching time: 119:02:07]
It seemed like the minor cleanup was mostly done, so now all that was left was to go back up.
***
“…Are you going back?”
Yurein, who was observing the upper levels from the deepest part of the dungeon, watched Kang Hyun-woo heading upwards with a somewhat disappointed expression.
Of course, she understood it in her head.
No matter how much stronger he had become by breaking through the wall, it was still impossible to defeat the gatekeeper of the deep levels right away.
Now was the time to retreat and reorganize.
Yurein wore a faint smile at his ability not to overestimate his skills.
It was the appearance of the World Tree’s hero, who might be the first.
However.
“Even so, with a summon inside the dungeon…”
With a troubled heart, Yurein swiped the screen of the mirror she had been watching to the side. Then, as if rewinding time, the scene of Kang Hyun-woo and Noel on the night before entering the 3rd floor was shown.
-Hng, euung♡ Haaah?!♡
-M, Master…!!♡ Am I going again…?!!♡
-Hieuuuek?!!♡ My, my vajayjay is gonna break!!!♡♡
Yurein couldn’t take her eyes off the landscape of flesh unfolding beyond the mirror, as if she were possessed.
It was a scene she had clearly seen several times, but it was new every time she watched it.
“S, such a promiscuous…!”
Even if she said that, there was no one to point out her back, which was as focused as when Kang Hyun-woo was fighting the Minotaur.
Yurein Silvenia Olivier.
One of the few transcendents left on the ground, but still a virgin with no dating experience.
***
Going back up from the dungeon was different from simply going back the way you came.
First of all, it was difficult to memorize the path because there were no structures around to pinpoint the location, like on the surface.
I shouldn’t have bothered mapping in the 1st floor.
“…Did I come from that way?”
If Noel was by my side, it would have been different, but it wasn’t easy to find the way alone.
As proof, even though quite a bit of time had passed since I defeated the Minotaur, I was still wandering around on the 3rd floor.
Just as I was getting tired of the similar scenery everywhere I went.
Kwaang!!
-Kieeeeek!!
A giant spider popped out from around the corner.
And quite a few of them.
I frowned at their bizarre appearance, with their entire bodies stained with blood, but I didn’t back down.
I would have had to run away before, but now I didn’t feel the need to do so at all.
Mana began to circulate throughout my body.
Since the number of mana circles had increased, the amount of mana, the durability of the magic circuits, and the speed of calculating magic had all been greatly enhanced.
Naturally, the output of basic magic was incomparable to what it used to be.
I could understand why 4th Circle mages were treated like quasi-nobility in many countries.
[Flame Lance x5]
The flame spears that appeared in an instant headed towards the spiders.
Perhaps feeling threatened by the sight, the spiders rushed towards me all at once, but there was no way a 3rd floor monster could move faster than magic.
The spears of fire, which flew in the blink of an eye, pierced the bodies and heads of the spiders. The spiders writhed in extreme pain and heat, looking grotesque, and eventually turned to ashes.
Feeling nauseous from the smell that made me feel sick, I roughly collected the coins and magic stones. Then, I hurried back on my way.
I wasn’t sure, but I felt like if I went a little further, I would find the way to go up.
As I expected, I was able to find the stairs leading up not long after.
I felt a little better, but the thought of having to do this twice more soon weighed me down.
This is all my fate.
The only good thing was that since Noel wasn’t here, there was no one to complain even if I pushed myself a little harder.
But this silence felt strangely awkward.
I should be used to being alone.
“…If Noel was here, I wouldn’t have to suffer like this to find my way.”
Leaving behind that regret, I continued to climb the endless stairs and walk through the vast 2nd floor.
Even if it took a little longer, I didn’t avoid battles by using mana detection. It wasn’t as dangerous as before, and I could earn a decent amount of coins.
As time went on.
I endured even when I was hungry, and I made do with meditation when I was sleepy.
As I continued to push myself, something I couldn’t have imagined when Noel was with me, it didn’t even take a day to reach the 1st floor.
Since I had the mapping data I had done before from the 1st floor, it was practically all over once I got here.
Moreover, there was no way that the monsters on the 1st floor could be my match, so I practically ran.
[Remaining matching time: 72:37:14]
Having started from the 3rd floor, it took me a little over a day to reach the stairs leading up to the underground complex.
Considering the time it took to go down to the 3rd floor, it was true that I arrived relatively early, but I was a little concerned that there were only three days left.
[Coins held: 4,150 coins]
On the other hand, I was somewhat comforted by the fact that the treasury, which had been depleted by buying dice and potions, had become rich again, thanks to actively hunting while coming up here.
It was clear that strong monsters were the worst as a source of coins. Catching several moderate monsters was much more efficient in terms of coin acquisition.
Of course, that didn’t mean that catching strong monsters was just a stupid thing to do.
Even with just this Minotaur, considering the two Epic grade items, the various byproducts that would enrich my bank account, and the rewards that the app would give me additionally, there was enough merit in catching strong monsters.
Rather, if you didn’t need coins, there was no need to catch weak monsters.
“By the way, I don’t even know how long it’s been since I last saw Iris.”
That’s how long it felt like we had been apart. It could be because I had suffered so much during that time.
Anyway, this time, I put on auxiliary magic and went straight up the stairs. Until now, I had been going up while taking small breaks in between, but now I didn’t have time for that.
After climbing the tiresome spiral staircase for a long time, the light began to come in little by little from above.
It was clearly the light from the lighting I had installed before going down into the dungeon.
I felt strangely nervous at the thought of seeing Iris after a long time. I slowed down a little, wiped off the sweat, and tidied up my clothes.
As I carefully went up, the familiar temple greeted me.
However, the inside of the temple was very dark because the golden tree, which served as a light source, was not functioning properly. It would have been much darker if it weren’t for the lighting I had installed.
Still, I felt good at the thought of escaping the damn underground dungeon.
But no matter how much I looked around, I couldn’t see Iris.
I wondered if she was sleeping, so I headed towards the tent, and then I heard someone’s breathing.
However, the breathing was a little irregular and rough.
Like that of a patient.
With impatient steps, I almost tore open the tent door and went straight inside.
“Haa, haa…”
“Iris?”
As expected, inside the tent was Iris, breathing heavily and struggling.
As soon as I put my hand on her forehead, I felt a much hotter heat than I had expected on the palm of my hand. It seemed to be at least 39 degrees.
“Hyun-woo…?”
I heard a voice that sounded like it was cracking slightly.
“Iris, can you hear me?”
“I’m glad… you came back safely…”
Even as she smiled at me, Iris coughed several times and tossed and turned, as if her condition was very bad.
I couldn’t keep watching her like that, so I took out the last remaining holy water and health potion in a hurry.
“Drink slowly.”
I gently supported her back and fed her slowly so that she could drink comfortably.
Only after she had emptied the potion and holy water did she seem to feel better, and the cold sweat that had been pouring down like rain stopped.
“Hyun-woo… are you hurt anywhere…?”
I was so grateful that she was worried about me first, even though she must have been having a hard time herself.
“I’m fine, but what the hell happened?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Iris didn’t seem to want to talk about it, and she turned her head slightly and avoided my eyes.
I didn’t ask any more questions persistently, and I raised the temperature of the tent so that Iris could rest comfortably, and put a wet towel on her forehead.
“It’s cool…”
Iris fell asleep not long after, as if she liked the feel of the cold towel.
I was relieved to see that, but I couldn’t just be happy because I had an idea of why Iris had become like this.
‘It’s probably because of the blessing.’
The World Tree’s blessing that Iris had given was so great that it easily surpassed the effect of the holy water made by a bishop-level priest.
However, there was no way that such a blessing could be given without any cost.
It was clear that Iris’s poor condition was a side effect of giving the blessing recklessly.
Feeling a sense of guilt in my heart at the sight of Iris like that, I didn’t leave her side for a moment until she woke up.
Unlike last time, it was a return that made me feel uneasy in my heart for no reason.
