Chapter 252

‘What the hell…’

I couldn’t help but curse under my breath.

Just like with Ha Yu-ri, I was interrupted during my time with Wi Ho-yeon, and it made me want to vomit.

‘Why is Kang I-seo…’

Kang I-seo, who seemed like she wanted to tell me something, stiffened her expression when she saw me with Wi Ho-yeon.

“Lee Yun-seong, you…”

It seemed like she noticed the strange atmosphere between me and Wi Ho-yeon.

But that was just a fleeting moment, and Kang I-seo, her face pale, immediately spoke to me.

“…We’re in big trouble.”

“Big trouble?”

I could sense something unusual from Kang I-seo’s demeanor.

‘What the hell is going on?’

It was because Kang I-seo’s overall appearance looked anxious the entire time.

“…We just received a distress signal from the dungeon.”

At Kang I-seo’s words, my boiling heart instantly turned cold.

Even Wi Ho-yeon’s expression hardened in an instant.

‘…A distress signal?’

A distress signal. It’s a signal sent using a magical tool to inform the clan that something has gone wrong.

While it’s impossible to send a signal from inside the dungeon, those who manage to escape can send one.

‘…Does this mean something happened inside the dungeon?’

Sending a distress signal means that the dungeon exploration team has encountered a problem so severe that they can’t return normally.

For example, a monster that doesn’t match the dungeon’s level might have appeared, or they might have been attacked by an external force.

‘The chances of it being the former are… almost none, right?’

We didn’t send Lee Jae-hyo for no reason. Since they went to conquer a normal-grade dungeon, even if a higher-grade monster appeared, it would only be rare-grade.

‘Even if a variable caused a higher-grade monster to appear, it would still only be hero-grade.’

In other words, the probability that the dungeon team sent a distress signal due to a monster-related issue is slim.

‘Especially since the Mardan Clan probably sent high-level players too.’

“Kang I-seo, what about Yoo Ju?”

“She’s… gathering other members right now. We’re planning to assemble a team and head out immediately.”

‘Sigh…’

This isn’t the time to overanalyze the situation.

When a distress signal is received, you have to rush to the rescue as quickly as possible to save as many lives as you can.

‘Damn it.’

Now I understand why Kang I-seo was so anxious.

‘Uncle Ho-won.’

Uncle Ho-won is like a father figure to Kang I-seo.

Kang I-seo is restless because she’s worried something might have happened to him.

For now, we need to set everything else aside and head out immediately.

******

After contacting the Mardan Clan, Eternity immediately set out.

The Mardan Clan probably already knows about the situation too. They must have received the distress signal as well.

To get there as quickly as possible, we took the fastest carriage and used a warp gate.

After using the warp gate, we rushed to the dungeon at full speed and finally reached the entrance leading underground.

‘What the hell.’

Everyone’s expression turned serious without exception. That’s because there were a few corpses at the entrance.

‘This is no ordinary trouble.’

Among the dead, one was a member of the Mardan Clan.

‘It seems this person sent the signal… and this…’

The other two corpses were Beastmen.

Given the animal ears and tails, they were definitely Beastmen.

‘Why are Beastmen here?’

As far as I know, only a handful of Beastmen exist in the neutral country of Baronia, and most of them reside in Tayos.

Yoo Ju also examined the corpses and seemed to reach the same conclusion as I did, as she opened her mouth to speak.

“…It seems the Mardan Clan member sent the distress signal. They probably barely escaped the dungeon to send it, and the two Beastmen chased them outside the dungeon to kill them but ended up dying together.”

As soon as Yoo Ju finished speaking, Wi Ho-yeon spoke up with a puzzled expression.

“That’s strange. Why would Beastmen come all the way here…”

“I don’t know either. But it seems clear that the Beastmen attacked.”

‘Didn’t I hear that Beastmen are divided into two factions?’

As far as I know, one faction values strength and plunder, while the other values sorcery and harmony.

‘I heard the faction that values strength was pushed out in a power struggle. Are these guys from that faction?’

Glancing around, I noticed Kang I-seo and Song Ha-eun looking anxious.

“Unnie, calm down first. Uncle Ho-won will probably be fine, okay?”

“Damn it… If anything happens to him… I’ll kill every last one of these bastards.”

It seemed like Hyeon-jin was taking care of Kang I-seo, so I approached Song Ha-eun to calm her down.

“Ha-eun.”

“Ah… Y-Yoon Seong oppa.”

“…Are you okay?”

“W-well… J-Jae-hyo oppa…”

‘Sigh, she seems really shaken.’

Given her feelings for Lee Jae-hyo, it’s understandable.

“It’s okay. Calm down first. You know how skilled Jae-hyo is, right? He’ll probably be fine. We need to stay calm to increase the chances of saving them. Got it?”

“…Yes. I understand.”

After calming Song Ha-eun down, Yoo Ju spoke up.

“…Let’s head in. Our top priority is rescuing Eternity and the Mardan Clan members.”

******

[You have entered the dungeon – Designer Quiro’s Labyrinth]

‘…A labyrinth.’

The inside of the dungeon was exactly what you’d imagine when you think of a labyrinth.

I sighed internally. That’s because a closed-off dungeon like this is the worst-case scenario.

From a dungeon-conquering perspective, it’s not a big deal since the dungeon’s level isn’t high. But…

‘Rescuing will be tough.’

In a labyrinth-style dungeon, rescuing is incredibly difficult.

Not only can’t you see beyond a single wall, but the biggest issue is the sheer number of branching paths.

‘Damn it, the conditions are too bad.’

We could even be ambushed. Of course, considering our squad…



At that moment, the probability of the opponent getting completely wrecked is absolute, but still.

‘Ha, is Shin Han-sol alive?’

The most important thing is the survival of Ho-won and Lee Jae-hyo, but Shin Han-sol is also a valuable resource for Eternity.

It would be great if all three were alive and in good condition, but in the worst-case scenario…

‘Someone might have died or been seriously injured.’

“…It seems like the dungeon is some kind of maze. The dungeon’s name and what we’re seeing right now suggest that.”

“Yoo Ju, what should we do then…?”

In response to Hyeon-jin’s question, Yoo Ju gave orders to the group.

“Kang I-seo, please look for traces while moving. And let’s set the basic movement path toward where there are corpses of people or monsters, or where there’s a smell of blood.”

“Wait a second, Yoo Ju.”

I stopped her as she was about to resume moving.

“Ah… yes?”

“I think it would be better to split into two groups for exploration.”

‘We need to divide the group.’

In this maze-like dungeon, moving a large group down a single path is inefficient.

Of course, there’s some risk when encountering enemies, but…

‘It’s fine. The enemies will also be divided.’

For now, the only thing we know about the enemy is that they’re beastmen.

But I was certain. The dungeon exploration team that entered first must have also split up, and the enemies must have divided their numbers as well.

‘They wouldn’t be stupid enough to move all at once.’

Yoo Ju nodded after hearing my words and replied.

“…Alright. It does seem unreasonable for all of us to move together here. Let’s split up as Yoon Seong suggested. Then Yoon Seong and I will…”

“I’ll move with Ho-yeon, Kang I-seo, and Charis.”

“…Huh?”

Yoo Ju looked like she couldn’t understand what I was saying.

She probably hadn’t even considered the idea of separating from me.

‘Yoo Ju and Wi Ho-yeon need to be split up.’

The biggest firepower in Eternity is undoubtedly Yoo Ju and Wi Ho-yeon.

If Yoo Ju and Wi Ho-yeon are grouped together, the other group will be relatively weaker.

However, Yoo Ju seemed unconvinced and pulled me aside for a moment.

“Yoon Seong, you need to stay with me! Why on earth…!”

“Don’t worry. You’ll be safe with Ho-yeon and Charis.”

“No! I can’t accept that! What if something happens to you while we’re apart? What am I supposed to do then!”

‘Tsk… there’s no time for this.’

I don’t have the luxury to argue with Yoo Ju right now.

And besides the reasons I mentioned earlier, there’s a clear reason why I want to separate from Yoo Ju.

“We need to be apart. That way, if something happens on my side, I can send a signal.”

“A signal? What are you… oh…”

She finally seemed to understand what I was saying.

“Even if I get ambushed, I’ll send a signal through the ring immediately.”

“But…”

Yoo Ju still seemed to want to stick with me no matter what.

‘I get it, but this is more efficient.’

At the very least, if Yoo Ju and I are separated, we can send signals if something happens on either side.

‘Yoo Ju can’t send a signal to me, but… there’s no other way.’

Only my ring can send signals.

But to be honest, Yoo Ju is on a completely different level, and no matter how dangerous the enemies are, I can’t imagine her losing.

“Yoo Ju, there’s no time for this. You know that.”

“……”

Yoo Ju bit her lip, closed her eyes tightly, and then made me promise.

“…Just promise me one thing. That you won’t push yourself too hard.”

“I promise.”

After returning to the group with Yoo Ju, she spoke up.

“…We’ll split up as Yoon Seong suggested. When we reach a fork, we’ll immediately separate and explore.”

******

‘What kind of bastards are they?’

The thought crossed my mind while we were moving.

The attackers are beastmen, but there’s something I don’t understand.

Why did they attack Eternity and the Mardan Clan?

‘What do they gain from this?’

Of course, there might not be a big reason, but…

‘They probably knew and attacked us.’

At the very least, it’s highly likely that these guys confirmed that Eternity and the Mardan Clan were entering this place before attacking.

‘Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.’

Assuming that the beastmen randomly chose us as targets for plunder doesn’t hold up, given their abnormal strength.

While moving, I casually spoke to Kang I-seo.

“Kang I-seo.”

“…What?”

“…Don’t worry too much. Ho-won will be fine.”

“…Yeah.”

‘Sigh…’

I know. Saying something like this won’t really calm anyone down.

‘Ha, this is so different from usual.’

But seeing her like this, I couldn’t just stay silent.

“…Sigh, hold on a second.”

At my words, everyone stopped moving.

“Why, why? We need to move quickly…”

“Don’t worry. We’ll keep moving. But I’m thinking of a more efficient way.”

“…What do you mean?”

“You’ll find out soon.”

I turned my gaze away from Kang I-seo and spoke to Wi Ho-yeon.

“…Ho-yeon, I’m really sorry, but could you carry me for a bit while we move?”