"I've probably spent too much time alone since I was younger, which is why I have such an overactive imagination. Sometimes it goes completely off the rails like this. I shouldn't have said anything to you. I know you take everything I say seriously, but just let this one slide. Forget it."
Kwon Jihan patted Yoon Seo on the back as he spoke, waiting for him to calm down.
Yoon Seo couldn't figure out why he was feeling this way. Was it simply because he believed that Kangjin-hyung would never deceive him? Or was it something else entirely…?
"Forget about it, Hyung. I jumped to conclusions too quickly."
A little while later, once the nausea had subsided, Yoon Seo smiled bitterly.
"Well, I've already heard it, so how can I forget? Don't you know I have a great memory? I remember everything from ten years ago, every single detail."
"Ah, right…."
There's no way all these memories could be fake… right?
As Yoon Seo tried to convince himself, Soo Jaehee waved from afar, calling out that the speech was over.
"Let's head inside… We'll talk more once we're in."
"Alright."
Kwon Jihan made sure Yoon Seo was steady on his feet before following him.
It was time to tackle the final terrain.
Though both of them knew they had to clear their minds, their thoughts remained clouded with countless distractions.
***
The three terrains so far were exactly the same as they had been ten years ago, but the final one was different from the start. As soon as they descended the stairs leading to the temple's underground, a message appeared before all the Revengers.
[You have entered the domain of the temple's master.]
"The temple's master?"
"Is it referring to the boss monster?"
The unexpected message, absent from their strategy guide, caused a murmur to ripple through the Revengers. Yoon Seo, startled by their collective gaze, answered with the same bewilderment.
"There was no message like this back then."
"Hmm… Looks like we've encountered an unforeseen situation. So, do we halt our advance?"
Standing in the middle of the staircase, they hesitated, unsure whether to continue or stop. But there was no real reason to stop—the message alone wasn't enough to formulate a new strategy.
'The temple's master… It must be a dragon.'
Yoon Seo thought. He wondered if this message was something that should have appeared ten years ago. Perhaps the system upgrade was finally displaying it, hinting that another boss would appear after the first three monsters.
Fortunately, everything was the same as it had been ten years ago, except for that message.
The new Revengers continued advancing, avoiding traps.
Since Seo Chaeyoon only knew the traps he had triggered in the past and not all of them, there were times when he unintentionally triggered some trap mechanisms. However, no one was seriously hurt.
They couldn't leave the cultists outside the temple on their own, so they brought them along, but fortunately, they didn't get in the way.
They continued to avoid the traps and reached the underground. The temple grounds had three basement floors, and on the third floor, three boss monsters appeared simultaneously, while the first and second floors contained regular mobs. Among these mobs were parasites that laid eggs in human bodies, ate their brains, and controlled their bodies, so they had to be particularly cautious.
Sasasak.
The sound of bugs crawling came from the dark space. The parasites ranged in size from as small as ants to as big as fingers. Due to their small size, those with wide-range skills moved to the back, while those specialized in smaller-range attacks stepped forward.
['Park Kang' uses the skill
As Park Kang summoned a red and blue light, the parasites swarmed towards it.
['Yelena Ivanov' uses the skill
"Haa!"
Yelena controlled electricity with her bare hands, without a wand, and electrocuted all of them.
Kieek!
Despite their small size, the sound they emitted was chillingly loud.
[Uses the skill
Yoon Seo also enveloped Existing Spirit in electric currents and swung it wide towards the front. With crackling sounds, the swarming parasites were exterminated. However, seeing how quickly their numbers were replenished, Yoon Seo found himself wondering, *How did we clear this place in the past?* Of course, he wasn't the only one thinking such trivial thoughts in that moment.
A man wielding a red-glowing longsword passed by Yoon Seo's side.
['Kwon Jihan' uses the skill
A red light hung from the tip of Kwon Jihan's sword. He boldly jumped into the midst of the parasite swarm, driving his sword into the ground with a bang. The red light spread in all directions, and the parasites touched by it seemed momentarily confused before slamming their bodies into rocks or leaping into flames, ending their own lives.
[The God of Death praises Kwon Jihan's skill.]
[The God of Death cheers.]
Most of Kwon Jihan's skills, aside from
['Namgung Simhae' uses the skill
Boom!
Pushing through the bugs, Namgung Simhae pressed his hand against the temple wall and activated his skill. The pile of stones vanished, revealing a deep, navy-blue spherical space.
Kihihi.
Kiii.
Kihi.
With eerie laughter, tentacles… no, white, thin, and extremely long hands reached out from the space, grabbing the bugs by the handful and pulling them inside. That space seemed to be the abyss.
['Lee Jungin' uses the skill
[The monster obeys Lee Jungin's command. Time remaining 00:04:59]
It seemed Lee Jungin had equipped a power-boosting item, as the effect duration was longer than before.
Seeing everyone fighting steadily put Yoon Seo at ease.
Of course, not everyone was calm.
"Ahh! It's on my clothes!"
"Damn, it's burrowing into my skin. Get off!"
['Kim Jinhae' uses the skill
Those who had briefly worried Yoon Seo were quickly healed by Kim Jinhae's swift skill, reassuring him once again.
'The temporary team members weren't chosen without reason.'
Yoon Seo took his eyes off his comrades. He didn't need to watch over them.
He called out to Alec.
"Alec, we need more light!"
"Got it."
['Alec Switch' uses the skill
Alec created a
"Ugh, disgusting."
"Damn it, can't we just turn off the lights?"
"Shut up and fight, idiot!"
"Give me a potion!"
"Get it out and drink it yourself!"
Even in the midst of this, the hunters joked around.
'They're not really the ones I need to protect.'
Despite the tense situation, the jokes going back and forth made Yoon Seo think.
It's really different from ten years ago.
Had there ever been jokes like this back then? Sure, they exchanged light banter after the battles were over, but… during the battles? That was unthinkable.
So many people died here…
Now there's no risk of starving to death… nor do we have to burn the corpses of comrades who were controlled by parasites…
This place evoked more emotions than any other terrain.
***
The first battle on the underground first floor had ended. Checking the dungeon map, they had covered 53% of the first floor, and it seemed that after repeating this for one more day, they'd be able to proceed to the second floor as the boundary would disappear.
A few people had parasites enter their bodies, but the healers' quick response ensured that the parasites only managed to gnaw on their organs.
Ten years ago, the underground of the temple was a cold place, but now heaters were set up everywhere, and warm air circulated. Yoon Seo sat at the outskirts of the group. On top of a warm heater, Riceball, who had transformed into a cat, lay sprawled.
Thinking about things like mind control and
There were 31 injured, but they would recover with enough rest.
No casualties.
Food was plentiful, and the heater was even warm.
If it had been before, he would have been filled with resentment and grief thinking, 'If only it had been like this back then…' But the current Yoon Seo was different. He smiled and said:
"It's easier than I thought. I worried for nothing."
"What? Easy? Did you just say easy? This is—"
Hong Euiyoon, who was being treated by Park Soobin for a parasite in his wrist, shouted. Park Soobin slapped Hong Euiyoon's arm, telling him to stay still. Hong Euiyoon tried to say something more, but Soo Jaehee quickly covered his mouth.
"Y-Yes, Hyung. It went smoothly. It's a relief."
Soo Jaehee smiled awkwardly.
In reality, it hadn't been smooth at all… There were several moments when they were on the brink of death, and they barely survived by the time the battle ended. Thinking about how much harder the second and third underground floors would be made them feel daunted. The Great Dungeon was a place far tougher than they could have imagined. But to someone who had survived the dire conditions of ten years ago, it probably felt easy now.
"Hyung, let's eat."
Kwon Jihan, having received his meal from Do Deungsoo, sat next to Yoon Seo.
"Ah, this kimchi is perfectly fermented."
"Isn't it a bit sour?"
"Maybe. I think I'm just really hungry."
While eating a big spoonful of kimchi fried rice, Yoon Seo thought about how much he wanted to eat the kimchi stew from 'Love in Han River.'
Peep.
He offered some to Riceball, but after taking a bite, it spat it out.
[The God of Life says they want to eat.]
[The God of Death is curious about the taste of the food.]
Can the gods even eat food?
Yoon Seo imagined the God of Life and the God of Death eating kimchi fried rice. Surprisingly, he thought the God of Death would eat well, while the God of Life probably wouldn't. They might spit it out, saying it's too sour.
Soo Jaehee, Hong Euiyoon, and Park Soobin also got their meals, sprawled out, and started eating the kimchi fried rice. The smell of rice and kimchi filled the air.
Yoon Seo slowly blinked.
This place, right here.
So many people had starved to death here.
"I've probably spent too much time alone since I was younger, which is why I have such an overactive imagination. Sometimes it goes completely off the rails like this. I shouldn't have said anything to you. I know you take everything I say seriously, but just let this one slide. Forget it."
Kwon Jihan patted Yoon Seo on the back as he spoke, waiting for him to calm down.
Yoon Seo couldn't figure out why he was feeling this way. Was it simply because he believed that Kangjin-hyung would never deceive him? Or was it something else entirely…?
"Forget about it, Hyung. I jumped to conclusions too quickly."
A little while later, once the nausea had subsided, Yoon Seo smiled bitterly.
"Well, I've already heard it, so how can I forget? Don't you know I have a great memory? I remember everything from ten years ago, every single detail."
"Ah, right…."
There's no way all these memories could be fake… right?
As Yoon Seo tried to convince himself, Soo Jaehee waved from afar, calling out that the speech was over.
"Let's head inside… We'll talk more once we're in."
"Alright."
Kwon Jihan made sure Yoon Seo was steady on his feet before following him.
It was time to tackle the final terrain.
Though both of them knew they had to clear their minds, their thoughts remained clouded with countless distractions.
***
The three terrains so far were exactly the same as they had been ten years ago, but the final one was different from the start. As soon as they descended the stairs leading to the temple's underground, a message appeared before all the Revengers.
[You have entered the domain of the temple's master.]
"The temple's master?"
"Is it referring to the boss monster?"
The unexpected message, absent from their strategy guide, caused a murmur to ripple through the Revengers. Yoon Seo, startled by their collective gaze, answered with the same bewilderment.
"There was no message like this back then."
"Hmm… Looks like we've encountered an unforeseen situation. So, do we halt our advance?"
Standing in the middle of the staircase, they hesitated, unsure whether to continue or stop. But there was no real reason to stop—the message alone wasn't enough to formulate a new strategy.
'The temple's master… It must be a dragon.'
Yoon Seo thought. He wondered if this message was something that should have appeared ten years ago. Perhaps the system upgrade was finally displaying it, hinting that another boss would appear after the first three monsters.
Fortunately, everything was the same as it had been ten years ago, except for that message.
The new Revengers continued advancing, avoiding traps.
Since Seo Chaeyoon only knew the traps he had triggered in the past and not all of them, there were times when he unintentionally triggered some trap mechanisms. However, no one was seriously hurt.
They couldn't leave the cultists outside the temple on their own, so they brought them along, but fortunately, they didn't get in the way.
They continued to avoid the traps and reached the underground. The temple grounds had three basement floors, and on the third floor, three boss monsters appeared simultaneously, while the first and second floors contained regular mobs. Among these mobs were parasites that laid eggs in human bodies, ate their brains, and controlled their bodies, so they had to be particularly cautious.
Sasasak.
The sound of bugs crawling came from the dark space. The parasites ranged in size from as small as ants to as big as fingers. Due to their small size, those with wide-range skills moved to the back, while those specialized in smaller-range attacks stepped forward.
['Park Kang' uses the skill
As Park Kang summoned a red and blue light, the parasites swarmed towards it.
['Yelena Ivanov' uses the skill
"Haa!"
Yelena controlled electricity with her bare hands, without a wand, and electrocuted all of them.
Kieek!
Despite their small size, the sound they emitted was chillingly loud.
[Uses the skill
Yoon Seo also enveloped Existing Spirit in electric currents and swung it wide towards the front. With crackling sounds, the swarming parasites were exterminated. However, seeing how quickly their numbers were replenished, Yoon Seo found himself wondering, *How did we clear this place in the past?* Of course, he wasn't the only one thinking such trivial thoughts in that moment.
A man wielding a red-glowing longsword passed by Yoon Seo's side.
['Kwon Jihan' uses the skill
A red light hung from the tip of Kwon Jihan's sword. He boldly jumped into the midst of the parasite swarm, driving his sword into the ground with a bang. The red light spread in all directions, and the parasites touched by it seemed momentarily confused before slamming their bodies into rocks or leaping into flames, ending their own lives.
[The God of Death praises Kwon Jihan's skill.]
[The God of Death cheers.]
Most of Kwon Jihan's skills, aside from
['Namgung Simhae' uses the skill
Boom!
Pushing through the bugs, Namgung Simhae pressed his hand against the temple wall and activated his skill. The pile of stones vanished, revealing a deep, navy-blue spherical space.
Kihihi.
Kiii.
Kihi.
With eerie laughter, tentacles… no, white, thin, and extremely long hands reached out from the space, grabbing the bugs by the handful and pulling them inside. That space seemed to be the abyss.
['Lee Jungin' uses the skill
[The monster obeys Lee Jungin's command. Time remaining 00:04:59]
It seemed Lee Jungin had equipped a power-boosting item, as the effect duration was longer than before.
Seeing everyone fighting steadily put Yoon Seo at ease.
Of course, not everyone was calm.
"Ahh! It's on my clothes!"
"Damn, it's burrowing into my skin. Get off!"
['Kim Jinhae' uses the skill
Those who had briefly worried Yoon Seo were quickly healed by Kim Jinhae's swift skill, reassuring him once again.
'The temporary team members weren't chosen without reason.'
Yoon Seo took his eyes off his comrades. He didn't need to watch over them.
He called out to Alec.
"Alec, we need more light!"
"Got it."
['Alec Switch' uses the skill
Alec created a
"Ugh, disgusting."
"Damn it, can't we just turn off the lights?"
"Shut up and fight, idiot!"
"Give me a potion!"
"Get it out and drink it yourself!"
Even in the midst of this, the hunters joked around.
'They're not really the ones I need to protect.'
Despite the tense situation, the jokes going back and forth made Yoon Seo think.
It's really different from ten years ago.
Had there ever been jokes like this back then? Sure, they exchanged light banter after the battles were over, but… during the battles? That was unthinkable.
So many people died here…
Now there's no risk of starving to death… nor do we have to burn the corpses of comrades who were controlled by parasites…
This place evoked more emotions than any other terrain.
***
The first battle on the underground first floor had ended. Checking the dungeon map, they had covered 53% of the first floor, and it seemed that after repeating this for one more day, they'd be able to proceed to the second floor as the boundary would disappear.
A few people had parasites enter their bodies, but the healers' quick response ensured that the parasites only managed to gnaw on their organs.
Ten years ago, the underground of the temple was a cold place, but now heaters were set up everywhere, and warm air circulated. Yoon Seo sat at the outskirts of the group. On top of a warm heater, Riceball, who had transformed into a cat, lay sprawled.
Thinking about things like mind control and
There were 31 injured, but they would recover with enough rest.
No casualties.
Food was plentiful, and the heater was even warm.
If it had been before, he would have been filled with resentment and grief thinking, 'If only it had been like this back then…' But the current Yoon Seo was different. He smiled and said:
"It's easier than I thought. I worried for nothing."
"What? Easy? Did you just say easy? This is—"
Hong Euiyoon, who was being treated by Park Soobin for a parasite in his wrist, shouted. Park Soobin slapped Hong Euiyoon's arm, telling him to stay still. Hong Euiyoon tried to say something more, but Soo Jaehee quickly covered his mouth.
"Y-Yes, Hyung. It went smoothly. It's a relief."
Soo Jaehee smiled awkwardly.
In reality, it hadn't been smooth at all… There were several moments when they were on the brink of death, and they barely survived by the time the battle ended. Thinking about how much harder the second and third underground floors would be made them feel daunted. The Great Dungeon was a place far tougher than they could have imagined. But to someone who had survived the dire conditions of ten years ago, it probably felt easy now.
"Hyung, let's eat."
Kwon Jihan, having received his meal from Do Deungsoo, sat next to Yoon Seo.
"Ah, this kimchi is perfectly fermented."
"Isn't it a bit sour?"
"Maybe. I think I'm just really hungry."
While eating a big spoonful of kimchi fried rice, Yoon Seo thought about how much he wanted to eat the kimchi stew from 'Love in Han River.'
Peep.
He offered some to Riceball, but after taking a bite, it spat it out.
[The God of Life says they want to eat.]
[The God of Death is curious about the taste of the food.]
Can the gods even eat food?
Yoon Seo imagined the God of Life and the God of Death eating kimchi fried rice. Surprisingly, he thought the God of Death would eat well, while the God of Life probably wouldn't. They might spit it out, saying it's too sour.
Soo Jaehee, Hong Euiyoon, and Park Soobin also got their meals, sprawled out, and started eating the kimchi fried rice. The smell of rice and kimchi filled the air.
Yoon Seo slowly blinked.
This place, right here.
So many people had starved to death here.