[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 737: White Rank (1)
Epic Dungeon.
A place that only those who had achieved remarkable results in lower-ranked dungeons could enter after receiving an invitation.
In most cases, even the children of prestigious families knew absolutely nothing about Epic Dungeons, while those who entered Epic Dungeons were reluctant to divulge any information about them.
Though the reason for that was unknown.
‘But I’ll find out soon enough. The entrance to the Epic Dungeon is right in front of me.’
A silvery-white sphere signifying that an invitation to an Epic Dungeon was contained within.
Yeongwoo stared at it for a moment before stepping on it to activate it.
Kwaak!
Unlike before, when an ashen space had spread out, silvery-white light now radiated outward and pulled an enormous cylindrical structure up from the ground.
Kwadadadadeuk!
-Kiiit?
The startled golden goblin fell from atop Negwig, but Negwig merely remained in place, snorting harshly.
That was because his master, Jeong Yeongwoo, had not left the area.
“This is enormous.”
As he looked at the dungeon soaring endlessly into the sky like the Tower of Babel, Yeongwoo glanced at the empty space behind him.
“Actually, if I’d brought Sevio here, I might have been able to enhance the Catalog.”
Of course, the probability that Sevio would have died before they could gather all three Codices in one place was far higher.
The methods of progression varied too greatly from dungeon to dungeon, so there was no guarantee that using the same entrance would result in them being assigned to the same group.
Kugugung!
Once the silvery-white tower had completely settled into place, a massive portal opened in front of it, revealing the dungeon tooltip.
[Keen Intuition]
|Dungeon Grade: Epic
|Difficulty: C
|Required Participants: 12
|Recommended Participants: 24
*Are you wise?
After carefully examining the tooltip, Yeongwoo could not help but furrow his brow.
“What is this……? It’s asking whether I’m wise?”
It was an utterly baffling phrase.
Even the difficulty was ‘C.’
“Now that I look at it, this must mean the difficulty within the grade itself.”
Even if this was his first Epic Dungeon, there was no way a dungeon of this grade would be easier than a Relic or Hero Dungeon.
“Whatever it is, I’ve already used the sphere, so I can’t exactly not enter.”
As Yeongwoo muttered this and inspected his equipment, Negwig saw him off by releasing steam through the gaps in his armour plating.
Chiaaaaaat!
“Right. Let’s see each other alive again.”
* * *
An Epic Dungeon he was entering for the first time.
Even the portal’s colour was an unusual silvery white, and the moment he stepped through it, a spacious corridor appeared along with a brief sense of incongruity.
“……?”
Contrary to his expectations, no one else was in sight.
As Yeongwoo scratched his cheek, a system message soon welcomed him.
「You have entered the Epic Dungeon, ‘Keen Intuition.’」
This was his first time encountering a dungeon that began in this manner.
So, as Yeongwoo waited calmly, a single white circular mark soon appeared above his head.
Paat!
「This is your current rank.」
“One mark? Does this mean I’m Level 1?”
「Your rank will rise whenever you achieve a meaningful result in an Epic Dungeon, and this rank mark will be visible to every participant within the dungeon.」
“So that means I’ll be able to see everyone else’s rank too. The more marks someone has, the more experienced they are with Epic Dungeons.”
However, there would also be those who possessed sufficient strength despite not frequently entering dungeons.
Therefore, he could not judge an opponent’s martial prowess based solely on their rank marks.
Of course, anyone with enough rank marks to be immediately noticeable would undoubtedly have a reason for possessing so many, so he would have to be cautious.
“I think I understand. Either way, every participant is going to look down on me, right? That isn’t too different from the previous dungeons……? No matter where you go, newcomers have it rough until they prove their worth.”
As Yeongwoo said this, the system issued another set of instructions as though it had been waiting for him to finish.
「We will now explain how ‘Keen Intuition’ proceeds.」
It was also his first time hearing the dungeon’s rules while being completely isolated from the other participants.
「The method of escaping ‘Keen Intuition’ is simple. Preserve as many of the three tokens you are about to receive as possible, then leave through the exit.」
“Tokens?”
No sooner had Yeongwoo repeated the word than three objects resembling grey coins appeared opposite his rank mark.
「These tokens may be traded, and they may also be seized by killing another participant.」
「If you lose all your tokens, you will die immediately. Your reward will be determined by the number of tokens you possess when you make contact with the exit.」
“It’s simpler than I expected.”
「However, the exit will only activate when two living participants make contact with it simultaneously.」
“What?”
「Therefore, before the dungeon formally begins, you will undergo a partner-selection stage. We will refer to this as the ‘interview.’」
“An interview? What a ridiculous bunch.”
「Once you open the door at the end of the corridor and leave, you may enter the interview room. There, you will meet a randomly selected partner candidate from among the participants, and you may redraw your candidate up to three times.」
It meant that if he did not like the first partner candidate he met in the interview room, he could replace them with someone else.
「All acts of violence, including duels, are prohibited within the interview room. Only token transactions are permitted.」
“……?”
Why were token transactions allowed?
That question was immediately answered.
「Once you have chosen your partner, one party must hand over one token to the other.」
“Ah.”
The moment a team was formed, one party would begin the game with four tokens, while the other would begin with two.
「You will be given a total of twenty minutes to select your partner. If you fail to choose a partner within this time, the system will forcibly assign teams at random and retrieve one token from each participant.」
In other words, if he failed to select someone he liked during his three redraw opportunities, or if they could not decide who would lose a token, the system would pair them however it pleased.
‘And it’ll take our tokens too. It’s telling us that, whether we like it or not, we have to choose a partner.’
「We repeat: you have a total of three opportunities to redraw your partner. Once you redraw, you cannot summon a candidate you previously met again.」
Along with that final piece of advice urging him to use his redraws carefully, a white door truly did appear at the very end of the corridor.
“My precious companion is waiting beyond that door……?”
As Yeongwoo walked towards the door with an inexplicably trembling heart, the sound of a door opening came from somewhere on the opposite side at precisely the right moment.
Creeeak.
The other participant had also arrived at the interview room.
In fact, from the other participant’s perspective, they had likewise come to meet a partner candidate.
‘I suppose they’ll inevitably be the more disappointed one. This is my first Epic Dungeon, after all.’
In the meantime, Yeongwoo reached the white door assigned to him and glanced at the rank mark above his head.
Then he flung the door open with force.
Hwaaak!
Contrary to his expectations, the interior that entered his view had an extremely calm atmosphere.
In the centre of a circular room covered in navy-blue wallpaper stood a rectangular table made of smooth white stone, with a chair positioned at either end.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
And someone was already sitting in one of those chairs.
-Oh dear.
The partner candidate who had arrived first and taken a seat let out a sound close to a groan.
He had seen the white rank mark above Yeongwoo’s head.
Yeongwoo shifted his gaze away from surveying the room and looked at his counterpart.
‘It’s a fly.’
His first partner candidate was a fly-man.
A fly-man who sat in the chair with his legs crossed in a strangely haughty manner, yet appeared to be quite the veteran, judging by the four white marks above his head.
-There doesn’t seem to be any need for a lengthy conversation. Sit down for now. We can’t redraw immediately anyway.
He was even remarkably polite.
After thinking for a moment, Yeongwoo addressed him just as politely.
“Why can’t we redraw immediately……? And why are you already thinking of moving on without even having a proper conversation with me?”
The fly-man gestured with a glossy, pitch-black finger.
-Because… there’s no middle ground, is there? You’re either unexpectedly strong, or, as is usually the case, not particularly useful. It has to be one or the other.
The fly-man then examined Yeongwoo with his enormous compound eyes.
-You might be unexpectedly strong, but I would still prefer to find a partner with a more reliable expected value. This is only my first interview, after all.
The fly-man seemed accustomed to dungeons that began with an interview like this.
“It seems this isn’t the only dungeon where partners are chosen in this manner.”
-Correct. So before we part ways, I’ll give you one piece of advice.
He then looked at the Bastard hanging from Yeongwoo’s waist.
-That is quite a fine sword, isn’t it? Unless you meet someone you are absolutely determined to take as your partner, however, it would be best to conceal it whenever possible. After all, if you do not become partners here, you may encounter each other as enemies once you enter the dungeon.
Come to think of it, the fly-man had not left a single weapon exposed.
He had made it impossible for others to determine in advance even how he might attack them if they later encountered him inside the dungeon.
-Ah, and the redraw.
Before Yeongwoo could ask, the fly-man returned to the question he had previously left unanswered.
-At least two vacancies must appear before you can redraw and switch rooms. So until negotiations in another room collapse, using a redraw ticket will only leave you waiting here.
“You’re extraordinarily kind. You have no obligation to reveal this much information.”
-Although I have no intention of taking you as my partner, I’m placing a small wager on the possibility that you might be strong. Since I’ve treated you this kindly, there will now be a chance that you’ll show me mercy if we meet inside the dungeon.
Even his polite attitude from the beginning had served a purpose.
Of course, once they entered the dungeon and he confirmed that Yeongwoo was weak, it was obvious that he would immediately attack him for his tokens, regardless of how polite he had been.
The four white marks displayed prominently above his head were proof of that.
Although he appeared outwardly to be nothing more than a polite fly, there was a high probability that he was actually a powerful individual equipped with both exceptional social cunning and martial prowess.
‘I’m starting to think there might not be a single easy opponent in this place.’
While Yeongwoo resolved to remain alert, the fly-man looked into the empty air.
-It seems enough time has passed, doesn’t it? Use your redraw ticket.
“What did you say?”
-You heard the explanation, didn’t you? Partner redraws. You can do it up to three times. Since it seems unlikely that the two of us will overcome these hardships together, let us each find another partner.
With those words, the fly-man tapped the table, causing a red button to appear in front of each of them.
“…….”
Yeongwoo silently stared at the button before raising his head and looking at his counterpart.
“You said it yourself earlier. That you use a redraw ticket to switch rooms.”
-…Pardon?
“Then if I don’t redraw and simply wait here, won’t I be able to meet a new candidate in this room without spending one of my redraw tickets?”
When Yeongwoo glanced at the white door behind his counterpart, the fly-man began working his elongated mouth.
-I don’t know how strong you are, but you appear to be a quick-witted newcomer, at the very least.
“Right. So either form a team with this quick-witted newcomer or use your redraw ticket. From now on, this is my room.”
With those words, Yeongwoo sank deeply into his chair, and the fly-man shook his head.
-Was I not the one who showed you goodwill? Morally speaking, I believe it would be right for you to spend your redraw ticket.
“So, just as I suspected, only the one leaving the room has to spend a ticket. Thank you for confirming it again.”
-…….
Jeong Yeongwoo had immediately succeeded in baiting his counterpart.
The enraged fly-man began trembling all over.
-You will regret this choice before long.
“I do intend to repay you for the goodwill you showed me. If I encounter you inside the dungeon, I’ll spare you once.”
When Yeongwoo said this, the fly-man snorted.
-When I first stepped into the White Rank, I also believed everything would go according to my will. But the universe is vast, and the strong are many.
“Right. The problem is that I’m a new powerhouse who came from that vast universe. Hey, time’s passing. Stop wasting it and get lost already.”
The maximum amount of time given to select a partner was twenty minutes.
In other words, all three redraw tickets also had to be used within those twenty minutes.
-Damn it.
In the end, the fly-man decided to save time and struck the red button with his fist.
Kuuuuung!
The fly-man, who had practically assaulted the table, vanished while enveloped in white light.
A short while later, a presence could be felt beyond the white door in front of Yeongwoo.
Swaaak!
Someone who had used a redraw ticket to switch rooms had appeared inside the corridor.
And then.
Click, clack.
Along with the sound of dress shoes, the door flew open.
Hwaat!
And what Yeongwoo saw next was—
“Oh dear.”
Eleven white marks, stacked so high that they almost resembled a tower.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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