Breen.
One of Ret’s harem members suddenly appeared asking for help. After the battle on the fifth floor, I thought we had all gone our separate ways, but that wasn’t the case.
Putting aside the happy dungeon exploration, there was only confusion.
“…Suddenly popping out and asking for help like this, what exactly…?”
Jeong Yusin stopped speaking mid-sentence and shook his head.
There was no time to converse with this woman right now.
“Hold on. Checking the status of the party members comes first. Wait.”
Jeong Yusin got up from his seat and walked towards his backpack.
He opened his backpack and pulled out a white cloth and a small leather pouch.
He opened the leather pouch and took out some black powder.
“Is…this what it is?”
Breen, who had approached without him noticing, asked.
“Charcoal powder. I heard it’s useful in removing toxins, but I’m not sure if it actually works.”
He had prepared it after hearing about it during an old chemical warfare training.
Would it be effective?
He didn’t know. Still, he had no choice but to try.
He sprinkled a generous amount of the fine charcoal powder on the cloth and wiped his body clean.
He meticulously wiped away the bodily fluids from every gap in his armor, paying attention to every single detail.
The white cloth quickly became dirty from all the toxins absorbed after the intense battle just moments ago.
He wiped himself clean from the helmet down to his toes.
He was fine, but he was concerned that other party members who came into contact with him might have been poisoned.
After finishing the detoxification, he took out antidotes and potions and approached Mars.
Mars’ face was a mess.
His swollen face from punches was smeared with demon ichor and the black liquid vomited during possession.
Jeong Yusin pulled out a fresh piece of cloth, sprinkled it with charcoal powder, cleaned the filth off Mars’ face, and made him swallow the antidote by slightly parting his lips.
With a strange groan, Mars gulped the antidote down.
Taking off his gloves, Jeong Yusin smeared the potion on his hands and applied it thickly on Mars’ face.
“Grrrekk…”
Mars groaned and twisted his body.
“This is a healing potion. Drink it.”
Jeong Yusin poured the remaining potion into Mars’ mouth.
Only then did Mars stop writhing and began to breathe comfortably.
Standing up, Jeong Yusin approached the Dwarf Priest.
The Iron Mask was diagnosing the Dwarf’s condition. Since he was only in his underwear, it seemed easier to handle than Mars.
“Is Kubo alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Iron Mask asked, but Kubo answered.
Jeong Yusin scanned the Dwarf Priest from top to bottom.
Though he wasn’t interested in appreciating the Dwarf’s half-naked figure, he couldn’t help but focus because it was a matter of life and death.
‘Amazing.’
The Dwarf had definitely fought a giant spider as big as a person, with sharp fangs, yet somehow there wasn’t a single scratch on him.
Was this the power of the Naturalist Mark?
There was a reason for walking around naked. It offered more defense than most armor.
“How did you avoid even a single wound on your body?”
“There is a scratch.”
Kubo spun around and revealed his back.
“There it is.”
Near Kubo’s neck was a small wound. Two tiny punctures, likely from the sharp teeth.
Small as it was, it could have led to poisoning.
“You should drink the antidote just in case. Do you need any potion? I have some left.”
“I’m fine. Since I have both, I’ll handle it myself.”
“Alright.”
Jeong Yusin straightened his bent waist and faced the Iron Mask.
“Scath, I’m sorry. You were fighting alone, huh?”
Jeong Yusin shook his head. He didn’t want to hear another apology from their leader.
“It was my duty as the vanguard. If anything, I’m sorry. Even though it wasn’t severe, our party priest got hurt, which is embarrassing.”
“Scath, isn’t that a bit too humble? It sounds like something worth boasting about.”
Iron Mask looked around as he spoke.
The forest path was a complete mess.
Decapitated and torn remains of Mushroom Men were scattered everywhere. The ground was gouged and upturned. Toxic ichor and fungus-filled flesh were strewn across the trees and the path.
“That wasn’t much. We’ve been through this kind of thing countless times. By the way, did you really cut that leather slab?”
At Jeong Yusin’s question, the Iron Mask shook his head.
“No. I turned back after starting to walk. Even if Kubo’s words were right, I judged it too dangerous to leave the party and wander off.”
Jeong Yusin nodded.
Thinking it over with a clear mind, it made no sense.
Even if they were walking slowly, Jeong Yusin’s party had been advancing for hours.
The expectation that Iron Mask could have reached the watchtower in just a few minutes was close to delusion.
Hold on.
“…”
A shiver ran down his spine.
He immediately turned around, grabbed Kubo’s shoulder, and shook him.
“Kubo, you said the possession was lifted, right? But Iron Mask says he didn’t cut the leather slab. Why are you just standing there listening?”
“Whaat?! Bu—but the possession was lifted.”
Dwarf Priest Kubo, with a brief look of bewilderment, stiffened his face and declared.
What was it?
Jeong Yusin looked at his own fists.
‘Could I really have the talent to exorcise demons?’
A slap to the face and the possession was gone.
Could it be because of the purity of the life I live?
His heart raced.
“Kubo, did I really drive out the evil spirit?”
“Yes… hard to believe, but it’s the truth. Goodness, how did the Barbaroy…?”
Kubo looked like someone who’d been hit in the cheek while sleeping.
“I am kind of divine.”
“…”
As Jeong Yusin boasted, the rest of the party fell silent, staring blankly at his face.
Kubo continued.
“…Still, it’s strange. The ritual to drive out demons is a task only priests can perform. Aren’t you not a priest?”
“Why couldn’t you drive it out, Kubo?”
“It’s tough. I’ve only been serving the Fire Elemental Deity for a short while. Besides, exorcism is a dangerous ceremony where the possessed might lose their life. It’s something that requires a seasoned expert.”
Jeong Yusin crossed his arms.
“Did my Sacred Weapon drive out the evil spirit?”
“That’s not enough.”
Kubo cut him off with a decisive tone.
Jeong Yusin plopped down on the ground, removing his helmet.
“Well, what was it then?”
He opened his water vessel and sprinkled water on his eyes. The lukewarm water washed off the toxic liquid from around his eyes and trickled down.
“Scath, have you ever steadily touched something divine?”
“Like what?”
“Something like a relic filled with divine power?”
Jeong Yusin picked up a white towel and wiped his eyes clean.
Having finished all the tasks, he thought carefully.
‘Divine power. Divine power.’
He had listened to Mion’s lectures at the Dejimoseon Temple and even tutored privately.
But that was it. Nothing special had happened. Mion had never told him to believe in Dejimoseon.
‘An object filled with divine power?’
It was incredibly hard to grasp.
Had Mion secretly placed some holy magic on him?
The kind-hearted Priest Mion might have done it.
But that was purely speculation.
There wasn’t a definite answer. Judging by the naked priest’s expression, this wasn’t something solvable right now.
Jeong Yusin pushed back his sweat-soaked hair.
“Kubo, are you certain that the evil spirit possessing Mars is gone?”
“Absolutely. I’d stake my life on it.”
Kubo responded with a solemn expression. If only he wasn’t in his underwear, it would have been more trustworthy.
“Alright.”
He decided to trust the priest.
Jeong Yusin stood up and looked down at Breen.
One of Ret’s harem party members.
A timid-looking young woman with brown hair, who seemed a bit on the young side.
“Your name’s Breen, right? Speak honestly. Appearing out of nowhere and asking for help without context—do we look like such good-hearted people? Don’t think that just because we have a priest, we’ll listen to unreasonable requests.”
“Uh… that…”
Breen hesitated, unable to continue. Jeong Yusin’s eyebrows furrowed.
“What? Are you asking us to rescue your party? Look, we just finished a battle…”
Breen cut him off.
“No… it’s not about the party. I just want you to help me. Help me escape from here…”
“Huh?”
Jeong Yusin was momentarily at a loss for words.
Was this what they call a plot twist?
It felt like he’d been hit on the back of the head, leaving him dizzy.
“Uh… so, just ‘you’ individually? You’re asking to join our party?”
“Y-yes… I won’t cause trouble. Just let me follow quietly.”
“Aren’t you one of Ret’s girlfriends?”
Jeong Yusin asked cautiously.
“Sh-shit. Don’t you see with your own eyes?”
Suddenly dropping a swear and revving up, Breen took off.
“…”
The entire party, including Jeong Yusin, stared open-mouthed at Breen.
Thinking she was shy and stuttered, they’d assumed she was introverted.
What a huge misunderstanding.
She turned out to be realistic and spoke her mind.
“…If you didn’t like Ret, couldn’t you have avoided forming a party with him?”
“I… I was tricked too.”
“By whom?”
“By the guide at the Explorer’s Guild in the southern district. With an annoyed expression, he pushed me into this party.”
“You could’ve said no. There was no need to force yourself to join.”
“I… I’m the type who can’t express my feelings easily because I’m timid.”
“…”
Is she really? She’s openly saying everything without hiding anything. This friend probably has some odd self-awareness.
Jeong Yusin scratched his head.
‘Nothing to say comes to mind.’
He had thought there was no time during his dungeon runs in the labyrinth city where someone outtalked him. But that was misjudged. This was the first time he couldn’t think of anything to say from the start.
Where does someone like this come from?
He was extremely curious about her identity.
“So, you want to travel with us. How can we trust you?”
“I… I’m Breen Calliope. A student at the Dungeon Academy.”
Jeong Yusin’s eyes widened.
The Dungeon Academy?
The school that Different Mong briefly mentioned when he first tried to learn how to read. They said one semester alone costs outrageous amounts of money.
Several questions popped up, but he pushed them down.
“Can you prove your identity?”
“Y-yes, here…”
Breen fiddled inside her robe and handed over a gold-plated badge.
Jeong Yusin took the badge, showed it to the party members.
“Is this legit?”
“It’s correct. She’s indeed a student. A fourth-year, so she’ll graduate soon.”
The Iron Mask nodded in confirmation.
So that’s that.
Next question.
“How did you end up here alone? What happened to Ret’s party members?”
Breen opened her mouth to speak, but the Iron Mask interrupted.
“Since we’ve confirmed her identity, let’s move to a safe place to hear the rest of the story.”
Jeong Yusin looked at the Iron Mask.
It seemed like he was advocating for Breen. He treated her as if he already knew her.
“…Alright.”
Jeong Yusin put his helmet back on and approached Mars.
Mars, having regained consciousness, rolled his eyes to look at Jeong Yusin.
“Can you stand?”
Jeong Yusin asked.
“It’s tough. My body feels weak.”
A raspy voice came out of Mars’ mouth.
“I’ll carry you.”
“Anyway, what exactly happened? Where are we?”
“Still in the forest level. You were possessed when you saw that leather scripture.”
Mars’ face turned pale.
“Wh-whatever happened, why am I fine?”
“I drove it out.”
“Wha… how did you?”
“I disciplined it properly.”
Mars stared blankly at Jeong Yusin for a moment and spoke again.
“…My face hurts. It feels like I got bashed with a sledgehammer.”
Upon closer inspection, the swelling on Mars’ face hadn’t fully subsided.
“You fell down.”
“And it’s strange…”
Strange? He had so many questions despite the long road ahead. Mars, lying there and chatting idly, made Jeong Yusin’s temper rise.
“What? Speak up.”
“Looking at you…”
With a perplexed expression, Mars remained silent for a while before speaking.
“…My body shakes, and my heart races uncontrollably. What is this feeling?”
“…”
The quiet forest path.
Everyone stood silently, staring at Jeong Yusin.
