RE: Player again

[Chapter 086] [There's a Dungeon Under the Lamp (2)] Cheonggyecheon was severely environmentally polluted. Due to this, Cheonggyecheon, which was becoming a slum, completely transformed into a kingdom of the poor. At the time, the government tried to restore Cheonggyecheon and reduce the area of slums by making it a recreational area for citizens, but the government's intentions went astray. Cheonggyecheon was clean when first restored, but as numerous dungeons appeared in the surrounding area, citizens stopped visiting. Then people from the slums started using Cheonggyecheon as if it were their own bathtub, and when those called the women of Cheonggyecheon settled in, Cheonggyecheon was left neglected without maintenance or repairs. Year by year, Cheonggyecheon changed into an environment emitting a stench from stagnant black water. To make matters worse, small-scale distortions began occurring one after another. In Jongno-gu, the center of national administration, phantom pollution was severe, there were many dungeons, and even distortions occurred. Cheonggyecheon was nothing but a headache for Seoul City. Moreover, with no budget allocated and lack of manpower, they just kept leaving it in that state. The time when this Cheonggyecheon underwent a complete transformation was after Seoul collapsed once. The Fairy government only allocated budget and manpower to Cheonggyecheon while reorganizing the urban landscape after Seoul collapsed. In the process, several dungeons hidden inside Cheonggyecheon were discovered. Eun-ha naturally participated in Cheonggyecheon maintenance volunteer work to find those dungeons. On this hot day. With friends. "I should have known when you said let's go do something good! Of course it would be like this! What did I expect from Noh Eun-ha..." "You talk too much. Just pick up the cans floating next to you." "Aaargh! Why! Why do I have to pick up trash from the sewer on summer vacation of all times!" Min-ji lost her mind. She who was carrying a large basket on her back moved tongs with gloved hands. Now she skillfully grabbed canned drinks and threw them into the basket on her back. Who told you to put on makeup? Eun-ha clicked his tongue and glanced at Min-ji who was stirring the blackly polluted Cheonggyecheon with tongs while panting. She who said it was hard to put on makeup because it was summer had lost her face from the morning, and now had a face with sweat and black stream water faintly stained on it. The other friends were in the same state. Friends wearing waterproof pants up to their chests were picking up trash while moving their boots in the water. "It's so hot I'm dying, shit..." "...Captain, this is really too much." "...Sigh..." "I hate Eun-ha, and I hate grandfather too..." Friends grumbling with resentful voices. Eun-ha deliberately pretended not to know. Because he had lied. Otherwise, they all wouldn't have come here. I didn't want to come alone. He didn't want to do volunteer work alone looking for dungeons in a place with a stinging smell. Moreover, Cheonggyecheon was overgrown with vegetation, so it took time to find hidden dungeon entrances. He had to borrow their hands at least. "This is helpful for you guys too anyway. If you just loaf around at home during summer vacation..." "Eun-ha, will you please be quiet before I sew your mouth shut?" "...Sorry." Here, distorting mana trying to become distortions could be easily discovered. Sometimes low-tier monsters appeared too. It was also a perfect place for friends to build practical skills. But it seemed his grand intentions weren't conveyed to his friends. Seo-na aimed her tongs that had been stirring the water at him. No one stopped her. Even Eun-hyeok who used to follow whatever he said was looking with resentful eyes. And Jung Ha-yang─ "─I hate Noh Eun-ha. I hate grandfather too. I hate everyone, hate, hate, hate..." ─She was calmly scooping out 9th tier monster Extreme Disgust Rats from the water that she had been afraid of until just earlier. After pulling out those swimming freely in the water with magic, she mercilessly annihilated them. As if it was Noh Eun-ha. As if it was Min Jun-sik. I shouldn't stay next to her today. Alice Group was involved in the Cheonggyecheon volunteer work. So Eun-ha asked Min Jun-sik, Alice Group's chairman, and for some reason he discreetly said to make sure to bring Ha-yang along too. That grandfather's intentions are obvious. Perhaps Min Jun-sik judged that it was now okay to show Ha-yang a cross-section of the world that had been destroyed once. Even without that, friends could vaguely see the slums. Women watching the volunteers work from second floor windows of shabby houses along Cheonggyecheon. Foul-smelling beggars passing by the stream cursing the world while drunk. Wonderers dripping with sweat running busily somewhere on this summer day. """"....""" A different world from the one they knew was spread out in the distance. The friends were shocked when they first witnessed this scene. But that scene was just a very small part. Because there's a black market inside there. A place that is Korea but not Korea. There was a lawless area hidden in the slums where they lived. A fact everyone openly knew. Yet no one spoke of the black market. The reason was─ "─Kyaaaah!! Get lost already! Why have you been coming and going near me since earlier!" Eun-ha awoke from his reverie at the sound of Min-ji suddenly screaming. Min-ji was waving her tongs around to keep the Extreme Disgust Rat swimming nearby from approaching. 9th tier monster Extreme Disgust Rat. As the name suggests, it was a monster that instilled disgust in those who saw it. Unlike ordinary sewer rats, its tail that tapered towards the end was so long it made you gasp. And how annoying its sound was. Such creatures were openly roaming around the polluted Cheonggyecheon. "Hey, hey! Kill that thing, quickly!" "...Alright, just don't cling to me." Eun-ha sighed as Min-ji ran over splashing water and clung to him. How can one say they aspire to be a Player if they can't even take down a 9th tier monster? For Eun-ha who clearly recognized monsters as beings that must be killed, he couldn't understand her or his other friends who hesitated just because they felt disgust. Eun-ha took out Black Thorn he had kept inside his large pants. "Kyaaah─! What are you doing now!" "Why again!? Didn't you tell me to kill it!?" "I told you to kill it, did I tell you to grab it with your hands!?" Eun-ha reached out and snatched its long tail the moment the Extreme Disgust Rat came close. Then he threw it over his head so it couldn't escape and pierced it with Black Thorn. Min-ji who was underneath witnessed up close its organs bursting just before its body disappeared. "I told you to stop screaming. How are you going to be a Player if you're afraid of monsters?" "It's a physiological disgust, what can I do!?" "Overcome it. You can if you try." "...Crazy." Min-ji muttered quietly. Eun-ha frowned. Regardless, she brushed off her body as if she had never clung to him and walked to where Seo-na was. I should just ignore her. Where else is there a monster as good to deal with as the 9th tier Extreme Disgust Rat? First of all, unlike its appearance, the Extreme Disgust Rat didn't pick fights with beings that looked stronger than itself. They mainly ate insects. They avoided humans. So it was insufficient to explain in words how good of a practice opponent it was for those reluctant to kill monsters. He was disappointed his friends couldn't appreciate that. We have a long way to go, so far. Eun-ha inwardly sighed. He decided to make them not be picky about monsters before graduating from the academy. For that, he first had to find a dungeon. "Oh!? Hey, there's something strange over there!" Just then, it seemed Parang had discovered a dungeon. Eun-ha approached Parang who was sticking his head into the bushes while swaying his body with difficulty. "Where? What is it?" "There, there! Doesn't that area look a bit yellowish?" "...Lucky." A drainage channel was hidden among the vegetation. Eun-ha who sensed the direction Parang was pointing pulled up the corners of his mouth. Several unconfirmed yellow dungeons existed like this around Cheonggyecheon. Since it was a dungeon, he would naturally be able to obtain good quality mana stones. "Hey, can we just break that?" "What does it matter when no one's managing it anyway." He infused mana into Black Thorn. Eun-ha cut down the vegetation so people could enter and cut the iron bars. Then he took one step inside the drainage channel. "Who wants to go into the dungeon with me?" "Me! Me! Me!" "Me too! I want to go too, Captain!" The stupid wolf Jin Parang jumping and splashing black water around. The self-proclaimed subordinate Choi Eun-hyeok with eyes sparkling at the word dungeon. Eun-ha who put the prospective hunter and dealer in his party looked at the remaining three people. "I don't want to. There'll be rats again, right?" "I pass too. I'm not afraid of rats, but I don't want to be fooled by you anymore." "I'm not going either. I want to go home!" It seemed the three people needed some education. Eun-ha smiled and manifested mana. Meanwhile, Eun-hyeok and Parang who narrowly escaped by a momentary choice wiped their chests in relief. ☆ Monsters appearing in yellow dungeons were generally 9th to 7th tier. Unlike red dungeons, it was a dungeon specialized in traps and twisting the world's principles rather than monsters. So Eun-ha forcibly dragged them along to take this opportunity to teach his friends what dungeons were in advance. """....""" Although they were dragged along as if being sold somewhere. The three girls' eyes were red. Eun-ha had made them cry. "...I said I'm sorry. Stop crying." "You really, shit..." "What did I do wrong... You're really mean..." "Too much. You're worse than grandfather, Eun-ha..." Eun-ha was aware that he had gone too far. However, it was extremely rare for friends this age to experience dungeons. Moreover, for those who couldn't kill monsters in daily life as middle school academy students, dungeons were places where they could freely kill monsters. "Did I want this!? Did I want it!" "I can already kill them..." "I miss my little sister so much... She's so much cuter than you, Eun-ha..." Hearing this, Eun-ha decided to be cruel. As someone thinking of recruiting them into the party he would create in the future, improving his friends' skills was crucial. I should train Eun-hyeok and the stupid hyung first. When it came to training, practical experience was best. Just then, Eun-ha noticed a part with a red circle drawn where Parang was walking. "Parang hyung." "Huh? What?" "Do you know what that is under your feet?" "...What? Huh? That...!" What are you saying. Parang tried to say that but made a "kuk" sound and flew up from the ground. It was a trap that forcibly changed vectors. He who had grasped the magic formula in advance judged it wouldn't be dangerous, so he let Parang step on it. "Dungeons are spaces where the world's principles are twisted. Like what Parang hyung stepped on, there are things called traps..." The friends showed a sickened look. Eun-hyeok who had been walking ahead hurriedly looked around. Everyone was frightened by the sight of Parang suddenly flying up. "Don't worry too much. I'll warn you in advance about dangerous traps." "...That means you won't tell us about traps that aren't dangerous, right?" The fox Seo-na perked up her ears. As she pouted, the other friends also changed their expressions and glared at him. Eun-ha shrugged his shoulders. "Understanding with your head and understanding with your body are different." In other words, he meant to experience it with their bodies. Parang who had suddenly drunk black water and come up was also glaring at him with dagger eyes. "...Fine, I got it." Then Min-ji opened her mouth representing the group. Those who knew Eun-ha's personality knew that no matter how much they struggled, they had no choice but to do as he said. "─But, I'm going to tell Eun-a unni as soon as we get home, so keep that in mind." "Hey, that's not fair!" "You should get scolded by Eun-a unni once. Understanding with your head and understanding with your body are different, right?" "..." Eun-ha became a mute who had eaten honey. Only then did the friends who had finally landed a satisfying blow on him smile brightly. "Ha-yang, do you think you can detect traps?" "I'll try detecting. ...Ah, I think I roughly know what traps are!" "What kind of magic are the traps?" "Hmm, that too... It should be okay." Min-ji ignored Eun-ha and assigned roles to the friends. The role of navigator to Ha-yang. Hunter to Parang. Dealer to Eun-hyeok. Telepathist to Seo-na. Ranger to Min-ji herself. Looks like they don't need my help. Eun-ha decided to watch them forming a party even without him telling them from afar. After grasping the situation that there were no dangerous traps or monsters nearby by deploying detection nets. "Doesn't seem like we can get good quality mana stones here." The yellow dungeon's range was narrow. It seemed to be a dud this time. All the monsters caught in the detection nets were insignificant ones too. Eun-ha decided to look for another dungeon after conquering this one. "Parang hyung! Don't go out too far!" "Huh? Sorry! I'll be careful next time!" Dealers and hunters were relationships that complemented each other. Basically, when the dealer attacked to deal a fatal blow to monsters, the hunter would take the dealer's place so the dealer could regroup. Sometimes they would also cover the dealer while keeping monsters in check. But Parang who should match steps with the dealer had rushed forward trying to face monsters. Eun-hyeok couldn't even swing his sword as he was being attacked by monsters. The formation couldn't help but become messy. This is how they learn. The two were now intuitively feeling. The correlation between dealer and hunter. Eun-hyeok was requesting support from Parang while gripping the device Eun-ha had borrowed from Bruno. Min-ji and Seo-na are doing well too. Ha-yang has no shortcomings. Eun-ha observed his other friends. Min-ji who was somewhat away from where the battle was taking place was throwing magic while giving instructions to Seo-na. Then Seo-na would relay the contents to the two fighting in front via telepathy. Ha-yang at the very back was in the middle of identifying and disabling traps with detection nets. Disabling traps in a low difficulty yellow dungeon didn't seem to be a difficult task for her. Moreover, for traps she couldn't reach, she would also inform Seo-na of their location via telepathy. "Well, it's not that difficult." Parang, who had killed a 9th tier monster with Blue Claw, boasted while wiping blood from his nose. Min-ji was the same. She was teasing Eun-ha with her shoulders squared. Eun-ha just smiled. Because his friends who had achieved their first victory at the dungeon entrance were cute. "In dungeons, you shouldn't let your guard down until you're out. You think it's all over just because a monster died?" "...What?" "Guys, wait." "...Quickly manifest mana!" Min-ji who was about to retort. Just then, Seo-na perked up her triangular ears. It seemed she had detected a sound coming from far away with her Ein senses. And Ha-yang who realized something was wrong hurriedly deployed detection nets. "─See." """""...""""" "After causing such a commotion in the dungeon, you think the monsters would stay still?" Eun-ha calmly chided them even as he saw the swarm of rats rushing in from afar. But his friends were frozen, not even hearing that. They became frightened as red eyes appeared in the darkness and squeaking sounds approached. "...There are too many." Parang quietly retreated. One would have been fine, but multiple was too much. "I wonder if those are about 8th tier?" Those are 8th tier? They couldn't come to their senses at Eun-ha's voice tilting his head looking at the creatures gradually closing the distance. There seemed to be over 10 at least. Yet he said about 8th tier. "...Wait, aren't those Disgust Rats?" "Not Disgust Rats, but Extreme Disgust Rats." "A-Anyway! Noh Eun-ha, you told me earlier! That these guys don't touch beings stronger than themselves." "That's right. Usually when there's just one, they don't touch humans." He calmly said to Min-ji who was shouting urgently. "But do you think you'll be seen as strong beings in the eyes of those that have formed a group?" """""...""""" There was no one here who could assert otherwise. Because that swarm of rats was running towards them showing a fierce aura. "Come on guys, you can do it." Nevertheless, Eun-ha still decided to be a bystander. His friends holding weapons almost simultaneously harbored the same thought. Noh Eun-ha, you...! They say other expletives that can't be put into words also burst out.