Chapter 32

“I think it’s about time we head to the dungeon.”

As he ate the chicken salad served for dinner, Amon spoke to Sonia, who was sitting across from him.

Sonia’s reaction was calm.

She had always known this day would come.

In this world, there are two main ways to become stronger.

One is to undergo enhancement procedures like magic tattoos, mechanical enhancements, or genetic modifications.

But Amon and Sonia had no intention of doing so.

Each enhancement procedure has fatal weaknesses.

Magic tattoos constantly drain energy just by breathing, making daily life inconvenient.

Mechanical enhancements are too vulnerable to hacking and EMP attacks.

Genetic modifications cause one’s appearance to deviate from human form and can lead to specific allergies.

If Amon and Sonia were ordinary humans, they might have accepted these weaknesses and undergone the procedures. But they were bearers of divine power.

Since their potential was already high, there was no reason to embrace such drawbacks.

That left only one way to grow stronger.

Obtaining essence from dungeons.

Of course, unlike enhancement procedures, this method doesn’t guarantee stable results, and the boost in power is much smaller compared to enhancements.

Moreover, the mortality rate is much higher.

So, generally, the standard approach is to undergo enhancement procedures to obtain essence.

But Amon was different.

He had already proven his combat prowess in the Hixen Group dungeon.

So, it was no surprise to Sonia that he would aim to obtain essence by exploring dungeons.

Since it was something she had anticipated, her reaction was calm.

However, there was one thing she wanted to clarify before he left.

“How long will it take? You’re not planning to stay out overnight, are you?”

Dungeons in this world aren’t that deep.

They’re usually just failed research labs or company buildings, so a round trip can be done within a day.

But that’s only if they’re newly created.

Depending on the type of boss, most dungeons grow deeper over time.

Bosses aren’t idiots; they won’t stay at a depth that can be cleared in a day.

Most bosses, like queen ants, gradually expand their nests, making them more complex and deeper.

“I heard it’s about four days round trip?”

Her golden eyes fixed on Amon.

Meeting her gaze, which was dripping with disappointment, Amon forced a bitter smile.

“Don’t worry. It won’t take that long. This time, I’ll just dip my toes in and come right back.”

Amon definitely wanted to grow stronger.

But at the same time, he wanted to live a long and happy life.

So, he had no intention of recklessly charging at a dungeon boss and risking a game over.

There was no rush anyway.

Always prioritize safety.

That was his motto.

Only after hearing Amon’s assurance that he’d return within a day did Sonia let out a sigh of relief.

At the orphanage, she had always slept with her siblings.

Even after graduating, though they no longer shared a room, she had grown accustomed to living under the same roof as Amon.

But being left alone at home… she still wasn’t used to it.

Maybe it was just the idea of Amon staying out overnight that bothered her.

Either way, she felt reassured by his answer.

“Take care of yourself. Don’t get hurt.”

Amon nodded.

If the mood had been right, they might have kissed, but even as lovers, kissing while eating felt a bit off.

So, they settled for holding hands instead.

Sonia’s silver bracelet and Amon’s gold bracelet glinted on their wrists.

Under the soft lighting, the two silently prayed for each other’s safety.

***

The next day.

Amon headed to the dungeon.

Cash didn’t follow.

Unlike mercenary requests, Amon didn’t have the luxury of looking after her this time.

They had agreed that Amon would first adapt to the dungeon, and she would join later.

For now, she would be on her own.

Arriving at the street where the dungeon was located, Amon entered the building facing the dungeon.

<Explorer's Guild>

It was a different place from the usual mercenary agency.

The mercenary agency connected mercenaries with clients, but it wasn’t a place to find party members.

Dungeons weren’t places you entered because someone hired you; you went in because you wanted to.

So, if you needed a party, you had to find a space specifically for explorers.

Whoosh

The automatic doors opened, and Amon stepped inside.

People’s eyes turned toward him.

Their gazes swept over him from head to toe.

Whether using mechanical eyes or magical ones.

Each person began assessing Amon in their own way.

Most explorers quickly lost interest in Amon.

‘What’s this? A rookie who hasn’t even undergone any enhancements.’

What good is fancy gear?

It didn’t seem like he could fully utilize it.

They assumed he was just some spoiled rich kid and turned their attention away.

However, some still kept their eyes on Amon.

They weren’t focused on his physique but on his equipment.

They believed that equipment reflected the user’s skill.

They paid close attention to the sword at his waist and the clothes he wore.

‘Is he a ninja or a bodyguard?’

Top-tier gear that only high-ranking corporate fighters would use.

Someone wearing that couldn’t possibly be weak.

Thus, opinions about Amon were split.

Amidst the starkly divided assessments, Amon approached the reception desk.

He walked up to a receptionist who had a warm, motherly vibe and looked like someone you could trust.

“Hello, explorer. Do you need any assistance?”

Jackpot.

Such kindness was rare in this cyberpunk world.

“I need a party.”

“What’s your main position?”

Her gaze shifted to his waist.

A sword and a shotgun.

Clearly a frontline attacker, but she asked just to be sure.

“Frontline, swordsman.”

She nodded and entered Amon’s details.

The matching process didn’t take long.

“There are two parties looking for a frontline attacker. One plans to go only to the dungeon’s entrance, and the other plans to go as far as they can. Which one would you prefer?”

“The entrance party, please.”

“Table 21. Wishing you a safe exploration.”

Amon tipped the receptionist as a gesture of gratitude for her kindness and headed to table 21.

When he arrived, a group of rough-looking men greeted him.

Most of them had over 30% of their upper bodies covered in machinery.

“Hello, I’m Amon.”

“…”

The party members scanned Amon up and down.

They exchanged glances and then nodded.

“Welcome. I’m Paul, the leader of this party. Nice to meet you, frontline.”

Despite having his neck covered in machinery, his voice was surprisingly normal.

Paul quickly introduced the rest of the party.

Even. A yellow-haired man with a scruffy look. Rearguard and rifleman.

Hail. A burly man with blue buzzcut hair. Firepower specialist, uses a machine gun.

Tori. A long-haired, black-haired frontline. Thought to be male, but actually a trans woman and Paul’s partner. The only frontline in the party.

“And finally, I’m the mage. I may look like this, but I’m a college-educated guy.”

“Nice to meet you all.”

Amon bowed his head slightly.

There was no healer in the party.

Healers with divine power were only found in high-tier parties.

A party planning to only go to the entrance wouldn’t have one.

There was also no hacker.

The dungeon they were heading to was created from a failed magitech experiment.

Hackers were useless there.

With Amon’s addition, the party was complete and immediately headed for the dungeon.

The area in front of the dungeon was packed with people.

“Whoa~ There are more explorers than monsters here, huh?”

Even, the yellow-haired man, joked as he fiddled with his rifle.

Hail, the blue buzzcut giant, shook his head.

“Do you even know how many monsters are in this dungeon? This place is over 20 years old, and the boss is a lich. From the outside, it’s just a building, but if you include the underground spaces, it’s as big as a city.”

“Yeah, yeah. Take a joke, will you?”

“Sorry. My humor circuits are turned off because they interfere with ballistic calculations.”

“Who asked?”

“Sorry about that too—”

The two bickered but still seemed quite close.

Meanwhile, Paul was flirting with his partner.

Seeing the slender mage and the muscular trans woman flirt made it feel like this was truly a cyberpunk world.

Amon briefly turned his attention to the endless line of people.

At the end of the line was the entrance to what was once a world-leading magitech company.

To stay ahead, you can’t just follow others.

They always had to forge new paths.

Even knowing that it could turn into a dungeon.

The <Howling Darkness> dungeon was one such place.

When they fell, no citizens mourned them, and the government made no attempt to rescue them.

It just became another dungeon, and mercenaries flocked to it, with an explorer’s guild established around it.

All they did was manage the dungeon entrance and collect tolls.

What was once someone’s grave was now just another workplace in this world.

Amon offered a silent prayer for the victims.

Noticing Amon’s prayer, Paul, the party leader, placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Hey. You’re a devout one, huh?”

He pointed to the cross hanging from Amon’s neck.

Amon responded with a slight smile.

“Don’t worry. I don’t force my beliefs on others.”

“Haha. Well, if I ever need to find God in the dungeon, I’ll count on you.”

“Leave it to me.”

“Next group!”

Their turn came quickly as they chatted.

The party entered the dungeon.

Near the entrance, it felt like a cave tour due to the crowd.

But as they went deeper, the building’s interior became unrecognizable, and branching paths appeared.

“Did the lich create this too?”

“Yeah. Probably to scatter explorers as much as possible.”

Should they go up, down, or take the elevator?

Unlike a fantasy dungeon, it wasn’t a one-way path, making it a headache.

The boss must have planned this too.

But Amon and the party had a clear goal.

“Let’s go underground. We’ll look for a magic recipe there.”

Even though many people had passed through, it was still a big corporation.

They could expect decent rewards even at the entrance.

They didn’t need to worry about others having looted everything.

For some reason, recipes kept appearing as they defeated monsters or explored.

There were many theories, but the most plausible was that the lich deliberately created them to delay dungeon exploration.

Regardless, what Paul’s party wanted was a magic recipe.

“We’ll quickly clear the way to the last point.”

““Yeah!!””

With a loud cheer, the party moved toward their goal.

“..Yeah.”

Amon’s quiet cheer was just an afterthought.

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