Players

Chapter 8

—–CROW—– 

Knoll.

A monster with a dog-like head.  Usually a bit larger than a human, but since it hunched over, their eye levels were about the same.

Strong and agile, but with a tendency to focus only on the enemy directly in front of it, making it vulnerable to flanking or combined attacks.

The information he had crammed into his head resurfaced.

The Knoll opened its mouth. In what felt like slow motion, he saw yellow teeth, brown fur, and saliva spraying through the air.

“Khyung!”

The sound accelerated time.  He lowered his center of gravity, dodging the greatsword the Knoll swung horizontally.  He propelled himself forward, pushing off the ground, and placed his left hand, the one not holding the sword, on the floor.

In that instant, his left hand became his axis.  He spun his body, using his whole form like a blunt weapon. The Knoll, its legs swept out from under it by Kang-seok’s low attack, which carried both his weight and centrifugal force, tumbled backwards.

That was the end.  Already back on his feet, Kang-seok plunged Durandal into the Knoll’s chest, which hadn’t yet recovered from the impact of hitting the ground headfirst.

The sensation of the blade piercing through leather, flesh, and bone.

The Knoll, which had been trembling, went limp.  Its eyes lost their light, turning into glass beads.

“Haa.”

He exhaled a long breath he hadn’t realized he was holding.  The metallic scent of blood stung his nostrils.  Tearing his gaze away from the two Knoll corpses sprawled on the floor, he looked to the side.

Sung Yoo-jin was on top of another dead Knoll, Almas piercing its chest. She was crouched low, covered in blood.

“Ugh…uh…”

Dry heaving, Sung Yoo-jin finally vomited next to the Knoll’s corpse.  Fortunately, the blood covering her seemed to be all the Knoll’s.

Before approaching her, he moved his fingers in the air, summoning the characters of light with practiced ease.

[Kron Acquired: 150]

The amount of Kron gained from defeating three Knolls—two by him, one by Sung Yoo-jin.

Dismissing the characters of light with a shake of his head, he untied the waterskin from his waist.  Approaching Sung Yoo-jin, with whom he had become close enough to drop honorifics over the past two days, he asked, “Are you okay?”

“I’m…ugh.”

Trying to answer, Sung Yoo-jin lowered her head again.  She didn’t have much in her stomach, so nothing came out, but she looked incredibly distressed.

But this was a necessary process.

To replenish their dwindling Remaining Survival Time, they needed Kron, and to get Kron, they had to fight monsters. Sung Yoo-jin had to get used to fighting as well.

When she seemed to have calmed down somewhat, Sung Yoo-jin wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and stood up.  He offered her the waterskin he had prepared.

“Here’s some water.”

“Haa…thanks.”

Sung Yoo-jin stumbled towards him and quickly drank the water. She drank so urgently that almost half of it spilled down her chin.

She was wearing thin chainmail beneath her coat.  She had a shield on her arm and, instead of her large officer’s cap, she wore a Knoll’s leather helmet, turned inside out.

She didn’t look very stylish, but it was all for the sake of increasing their chances of survival.

Keeping his eyes on Sung Yoo-jin, he moved his fingers. New characters of light appeared.

[Party Member Kron Acquired: 135]

Two days after obtaining Leif Erikson’s strategy log.

He had learned the following:

One, Kron was distributed evenly among party members.

Two, the amount of Kron gained from the same monster decreased as their levels increased.

The difference in their Kron acquisition was due to the second reason.  Sung Yoo-jin, having experienced several actual battles, was now level 7.  While she had become slightly stronger with the level increase, the amount of Kron she gained had decreased.

‘The higher the level, the stronger the monsters we’ll have to fight to survive…’

It might be looking too far ahead, but it was the future that awaited Sung Yoo-jin.

‘The problem is me.’

Unlike Sung Yoo-jin, he didn’t have levels.  Could he continue to accumulate Kron without any loss?

It would be nice if he could, but he felt uneasy.

He didn’t know *who* was behind all of this.

Why had they been given the same appearance and abilities as their game characters?

What was the Remaining Survival Time and the characters of light?

Nothing was clear, but he could be certain of one thing.

‘It’s rational.  No, more like…it feels like someone paid attention to game balancing.’

When they formed a party, the Kron earned in battle was distributed evenly.  That made sense.

The amount of Kron gained from the same monster decreased as their level increased.  This also made sense.

It was a common setup in RPGs.  It was no different if Kron was replaced with experience points.

A system that encouraged players to fight increasingly stronger enemies instead of grinding weaker ones.

Whoever designed this system—there was no guarantee it was even a person—wouldn’t give him an unfair advantage.  There had to be some kind of penalty.

“Here, thanks.”

Sung Yoo-jin’s outstretched arm and waterskin interrupted his thoughts.

Taking the waterskin, which was about a third full, he took a sip and said, “Let’s go back for today. Let’s not be too hasty.”

He was speaking to himself as much as to Sung Yoo-jin.  Even though their Remaining Survival Time was continuously decreasing, they had earned Kron through hunting over the past two days.

They could buy Survival Time with Kron.

He had actually tested it last night, buying a small amount of time.

He didn’t want to put themselves in danger by rushing things.  For now, the best they could do in this uncertain situation was to gradually get used to combat and accumulate Kron.

Nodding slightly in agreement with himself, he blinked.  He had suddenly felt a gaze on him.

Sung Yoo-jin, her arms crossed, was looking up at him with her head tilted slightly.

“What?”

Feeling somewhat self-conscious, he tried to act nonchalant.  Sung Yoo-jin widened her eyes and continued, “No, I’m just…amazed.  And impressed.”

Both he and Sung Yoo-jin had started in the same situation.  But there was a significant difference in how they had progressed.

How could he be so calm?

If she had been alone, without him, she would probably still be huddled in a corner, trembling.

No, she would have definitely been killed by that bull-headed monster.

It was nothing short of a disaster, yet watching him handle things so calmly was amazing.  And, well, a little…cool.

Reading the emotions and thoughts in her gaze, he cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Any guy who’s been in the military could do this much.”

“Don’t be modest.”

Sung Yoo-jin laughed, and he shrugged.

They returned to the large room, which served as their current “base camp.”

The Labyrinth was a dungeon consisting of eleven levels.

The 11th floor, the lowest level, was where he had first woken up. It contained only the final boss’s room—that’s what he called it, anyway.

The “large room” where Leif Erikson and his companion had collapsed was, naturally, on the 10th floor.

The strategy log didn’t mention anything about Leif and his companion.  It only contained information about the monsters they encountered and the routes for each level.

Leif and his companion had died on the 10th floor.  If the skeleton lying with the final boss on the 11th floor was also Leif’s companion, then they had technically succeeded in clearing the dungeon.

That gave him hope.

This dungeon had already been “cleared” once.

The powerful monsters were likely already eliminated, and since this was the lowest level, there was a high probability that the difficulty would decrease as they went up.

Their first priority was to escape the dungeon.

If Leif and his companion weren’t “Players” like him and Sung Yoo-jin, it meant there was a world outside this dungeon.  Once they got out, they would be able to obtain information, one way or another.

“I’ll wash up first.”

As soon as they returned to the large room, Sung Yoo-jin slumped her shoulders and placed her shield and coat on the floor.  He replied absentmindedly, still barricading the door with materials they had gathered, “Yeah, sure.”

“No peeking.”

“I won’t, I won’t.”

Waving his hand dismissively, he sat down next to the partially sealed door.

He watched Sung Yoo-jin disappear into one of the smaller rooms attached to the large room, then took the strategy log out of his pocket.

‘They don’t approach the large room, do they?’

The Knolls wandering the 10th floor didn’t come near the large room.  It wasn’t that they were physically prevented from approaching, but more like lower-ranking individuals avoiding a path meant for their superiors.

He looked around the large room.  He had moved all the monster corpses outside, and Leif and his companion’s bodies were respectfully placed in one of the smaller rooms.

There were four smaller rooms attached to the large room.

Three were just small, empty rooms, while the other one was special.

The room Sung Yoo-jin had entered was connected to a waterway.

A stone wall running along one side of the room and a stream of water flowing within it.

In a typical game, it was normal for monsters to be placed within a dungeon.  There was no problem with such an arrangement.

But if this wasn’t a game, but reality, it was a different story.

The monsters placed in the dungeon also needed food, water, and shelter.  It was reasonable to assume that a unique ecosystem existed within the dungeon.

‘The waterway supplying clean water is proof of that.’

Putting the strategy log away, he covered his face with his hands.  He focused on the weight he felt in his other pocket, opposite the strategy log.

It wasn’t just their Survival Time that was limited.

Food, another resource necessary for survival.

They were currently subsisting on tiny combat rations found in Leif’s belongings.  They were like the mythical “辟穀丹” (bigokdan) from martial arts novels; a single pill could stave off hunger for half a day.

Since it would be impossible to bring ordinary food into the dungeon, Leif and his companion must have also relied on combat rations.

If they ate two pills a day, they had enough for about fifteen days.  But considering nutritional balance, they would need to find another solution after that.

[Remaining Survival Time: 660 hours 01 minute 07 seconds]

He waved his hand, dismissing the characters of light.  Closing his eyes, he waited for Sung Yoo-jin to come out of the room.

* * *

About a week later.

The 6th floor of the Labyrinth dungeon.

Thud!

A crossbow bolt struck the wall with a dull sound, cleanly piercing the empty space where his head had been just a moment before.

Sung Yoo-jin, who had been crouching, quickly stood up and drew Almas instead of screaming at the surprise attack.  He was already running towards the direction the bolt had come from.

“Kiak!”

It was a Knoll, the same kind they had faced countless times on the 10th floor.

Although it was larger than a human, its hunched posture made it about the same height.

They were skilled with crossbows and greatswords, and they often traveled in packs.

Startled when he dodged the first shot, the Knoll hurriedly tried to readjust its aim. But he was faster.

The distance between them was about five meters.

Since it was a narrow corridor only about two meters wide, dodging left or right was practically impossible.  So he chose the option of not getting hit at all.

Lowering his body so far forward that he almost seemed to be falling, he shot forward with incredible speed.  After the initial push off the ground, he didn’t move his feet again, yet he moved forward quickly and smoothly, as if something was propelling him from behind.

Double Dash.

The distance he could cover was only a few meters, but the speed was incredible.

By the time the Knoll registered his approach, Durandal, already drawn from his back, was ripping through its chest.

Flying Swallow Slash – Up, following the dash.

There were no openings in the non-stop action, and the Knoll collapsed with a grotesque shriek.

He immediately looked around.  The Knolls on the 10th floor always traveled in packs of at least three.

As expected, as soon as he looked, two more Knolls, armed with shields and greatswords, emerged from around the corner.

In the narrow corridor, the only option was a head-on clash.

Thinking so, the Knolls charged towards him.  He quickly glanced up at the ceiling, which was about five meters high.

His body shot upwards. He propelled himself forward, kicking off the air, and spun his body mid-air.

The backs of the Knolls’ heads came into view.  He descended, executing Flying Swallow Slash – Down.

A blue flash, and another Knoll met its end. Only one Knoll remained, and by the time it turned around in surprise, Durandal had already been swung.

“Just looking at your movements, fighting game players are totally broken, totally broken.”

Sung Yoo-jin, holding her shield, said this with a mixture of exasperation and admiration. In terms of “mobility,” as a fighting game player, he was, as she put it, practically broken.

‘No, is it more like innate talent?’

Over the past few days, Sung Yoo-jin had also experienced numerous battles, not just him.  She was now level 7 and, while still a little shaky on her own, she could hold her own against monsters.  But he was on a different level.  He had just taken down three Knolls in an instant.

Responding with a shrug, he turned around instead of retrieving Durandal.  Moving his head from side to side as if loosening up, he said, “More are coming.”

Knolls traveled in packs.  Since their screams had echoed through the corridor, it was natural for them to come investigate.

Hearing the approaching footsteps from beyond the corridor, Sung Yoo-jin frowned.

“That sounds like…a lot.”

It sounded like the corridor itself was shaking.

He bit his lower lip and adjusted his grip on Durandal.

“Let’s break through.  Stay close!”

When Knolls gathered in large numbers, some of them would inevitably use bombs or firebombs.  Being trapped in a narrow, dead-end corridor when those area-of-effect weapons were used would be disastrous.

Sung Yoo-jin had also had her fill of fighting Knolls on the 10th floor.  Knowing that a forced breakthrough was their only option, she quickly ran towards him and activated her passive skills.

[Iron Wall Lv1]

[Endurance Lv1]

Tank skills that increased defense and resistance to various status ailments.

Although her character had originally been a damage-dealing tank, given their current situation, prioritizing survival meant she had no choice but to focus on tanking.

He rounded the corner first.  Two Knolls were visible in the corridor leading to a large room.

He charged towards them as they ran towards him, drooling like rabid dogs. He didn’t jump this time.  Sung Yoo-jin was with him.

[Provoke Lv1]

Sung Yoo-jin, rounding the corner slightly behind him, flashed with a white light, and the Knolls’ attention, which had been focused on Kang-seok, momentarily shifted towards her.

Originally, in the game, this skill was used to draw the monsters’ aggro, forcing them to attack only the tank, but perhaps because of her low level, or perhaps because this was reality, it didn’t have such an absolute effect.  It only diverted their attention for a brief moment.

But that was enough.

In that instant, Durandal drew a sharp arc, decapitating both Knolls in a single, fluid motion, as if it were a single technique.

“Haa.”

As the Knolls collapsed, spewing dark red blood, Sung Yoo-jin let out a sigh of relief.  But he frowned.

He had clearly heard the sound of multiple Knolls approaching.  Yet, there were only two?

“It’s not us.”

He said suddenly.  As if in response to his words, the enraged cries of Knolls echoed from beyond the wall.

The Knolls were fighting someone.

Then who?  Could it be that the monsters were fighting amongst themselves?

Their eyes met.  They both had the same thought at the same time.

He moved first.  Sung Yoo-jin quickly followed, pushing off the ground.

The large room.  To the right.  The room with the stairs leading to the 7th floor.

Individuals with excessively flamboyant appearances were struggling against a group of Knolls.

Players.

He didn’t hesitate any longer.

—–CROW—– 

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