Chapter 6

Rank Unknown Dungeon

Dungeon rank.

Because the System didn’t assign it.

A subjective numerical value of difficulty that humanity had to establish.

A famous Ranker said on the media.

“Do you want to know the dungeon rank in advance? Unfortunately, there’s no such method. You have no choice but to go in and check the difficulty yourself.”

The System was eccentric.

Kind in some aspects,

Yet unkind in others, to the point where you wonder if it’s really necessary.

It would be convenient if they just told us before entering.

“Here’s a hint, check the brightness of the color surrounding the dungeon. The darker it is, the higher the probability of a high-difficulty dungeon.”

However, this isn’t accurate either.

In the first place, difficulty is subjective.

And it was widely criticized as a weak rumor relying on probability statistics.

Therefore, the World Hunter Association had no choice but to set a standard.

The standard was simple.

“If more than five hunters of the corresponding rank cannot clear it, the rank will be adjusted upwards!”

For example, let’s say more than five A-rank hunters participated but couldn’t clear it.

Then the rank of that dungeon is judged as S-rank.

It was a truly ignorant judgment standard, but the hunters were quite satisfied.

Because dungeon accidents decreased significantly compared to when there were no standards… Well, anyway, this too.

It was an inevitable method that required someone’s sacrifice.

In short, it’s because of these problems.

‘In the first place, how do you judge a dungeon where people have entered, but no one has come out?’

‘That’s right. In the end, you can only guess until someone goes in and checks.’

‘Then who goes in?’

‘They do go in. The so-called teams aiming for a jackpot.’

‘Hmm, well… It’s their freedom to enter, but shouldn’t a higher-level guild check it out? Some people are scared.’

The dungeon I’m about to enter.

We call these dungeons “Rank Unknown Dungeons”-

Eventually, those dungeons.

When they aren’t cleared after a certain period, large guilds agreed to participate directly to check.

You might think it’s mandatory because the association designates it.

But it’s not a concept of noblesse oblige.

High-difficulty dungeons promise high rewards.

Because of this, there is fierce bidding competition.

‘However.’

Even at the large guild level, safety management is essential.

If they recklessly send the second or third string and they are annihilated, it’s a huge loss of power.

Therefore, they.

Prior to the exploration, send a ‘search party’.

Thanks to that.

I was able to smell the dungeon much earlier than other mercenaries.

‘Is it a cave?’

[Entering the Dungeon.]

With a tingling sensation, the surrounding scenery changed.

The field type is a cave.

Drip, drip!

Water was falling from the ceiling here and there.

Fortunately, there was no difficulty in securing visibility thanks to the luminous pearls sparsely attached to the walls.

“Oh, luminous pearls? If you take those off and sell them, they’ll be worth something.”

“Don’t, be careful. Don’t you know about the hunters who messed with things in the dungeon and got screwed?”

“I’m just saying.”

Unlike me, who was nervous.

Gi So-yul and her members stretched leisurely and opened their mouths.

A total of four members excluding me.

Except for the S-rank Gi So-yul, all of them were wearing A-rank purple nameplates.

“…….”

Gulp, I swallowed.

These people laughing and chatting like neighborhood uncles were definitely not ordinary people.

Top-ranked hunters that you could barely encounter on TV.

And.

Hunters with epithets.

“Everyone, don’t be too relaxed and stay alert.”

First, Dark Emperor Gi So-yul said.

“First, Speed Sword and Small Fire will go around here with me.”

“Yes.”

“Understood.”

Is it truly the reputation of a Ranker?

The A-rank hunters, who seemed friendly among themselves, bowed politely.

“And Guide Kang Sun-wook?”

“Yes, please speak.”

“You should look for the exit. While covering the porter too.”

“As expected, I thought so.”

The middle-aged hunter, Kang Sun-wook, glanced at me and nodded.

“Are you confident?”

“If I’m not confident, wouldn’t my epithet cry?”

Unlike the others, a slightly unique epithet, Guide.

It’s said that the System gave him that name because he’s incredibly good at finding dungeon paths.

He was the perfect person for the search party.

“Then let’s hurry and depart.”

Gi So-yul turned her back and ran off without saying anything to me.

‘Ah, did she say anything?’

No name, no epithet.

Just the word porter.

No matter how rare my Unique Ability, Necromancer, is.

Even if I had a career dominating E-rank Dungeons like a king for three years.

In their eyes, I’m a newbie.

That was my current position.

“Hey, porter. Are you nervous?”

Kang Sun-wook asked with a grin.

Since he was older, I told him to speak comfortably during the first greeting.

He was so outgoing that he told me to call him ‘hyung’ from the first meeting.

“Yes? Well… It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t.”

“Then keep being nervous.”

“Yes?”

I tilted my head.

“Just so you know, this dungeon has more than one or two suspicious things. It’s not for nothing that the Ranker Dark Emperor told you to be alert.”

“Ah, is that so?”

Come to think of it.

Gi So-yul, her expression did seem a bit urgent.

Even if it’s a Rank Unknown Dungeon, it’s just a dungeon that a few mediocre teams have failed.

But a Ranker in the top 1,000 in the world is in a hurry?

“This dungeon is too quiet. The structure is simple too. There’s a high probability that there are no monsters. If a living thing lives in such a narrow cave, there should be some echo or vibration. Hmm, that means there might be a different gimmick hidden…”

“Wow, you can tell that right away before even searching?”

“Of course, Inma. How many years have I been eating dungeon rice?”

He chuckled.

“Follow me for now. Let’s find the exit as we were told.”

“Yes.”

I followed him.

The direction was opposite to where Gi So-yul was heading.

Cold sweat was forming on my back and palms, but I didn’t hesitate.

Still, it felt somewhat reliable to be with a pro?

However, that feeling didn’t last long.

“Haa, this is uneasy, uneasy.”

“Hmm, that’s strange…? No traps, no hints… Ha, it’s quite a bizarre dungeon.”

“Hey, porter. Don’t you feel like your body is heavy? Is it just me?”

“…….”

The more we walked, the stranger Kang Sun-wook’s expression became.

An unpleasant smell permeated the air, and as he said, my body became heavy.

It felt like something sticky and thick was pulling my body down to the floor!

My spine tingled.

“I’m getting a little creeped out? Guide hyung… Are we really going the right way?”

“Well, I’ve never felt like this before either. I didn’t feel like this even when facing a Ranker.”

“Yes?”

“It feels like there’s some unbelievable being here. Damn it, you said you’re a Necromancer, right?”

“Yes.”

“Summon something, at least. I’ll help you if possible, but you never know? If the situation gets urgent, you have to take care of your own life too.”

“…….”

It was a very scary thing to say.

First of all, I should follow the pro’s words, right?

[‘Bone One’ appears.]

[‘Bone Two’ appears.]

[‘Bone Three’ appears.]

[‘Bone Four’ appears.]

[‘Bone Five’ appears.]

Creak, creak!

Using 50 mana, I summoned all available Skeletons.

After that, I placed Bone Four with the shield in the front.

Bone Three, the archer, and Bone Five, the mage, were placed on the sides.

Bone One and Bone Two were placed in the rear.

‘Damn it, did I name them too carelessly?’

When I first received my Unique Ability, I didn’t know they were Skeletons that could grow, so I named them carelessly.

I didn’t know I would be using those names until now.

“Oh, Skeletons? Anything better?”

“I don’t have anything like that…?”

I was about to grumble and answer the question that pierced my heart.

But I couldn’t.

“Ugh?”

The unpleasant energy seized the space as if it were welcome.

It became difficult to breathe due to the tremendous pressure.

Like being in a sauna for more than 10 minutes, the inside of my whole body began to heat up.

“G, Guide hyung?”

“Damn it! Just walk a little further! There’s an open space ahead!”

“Ugh… What will change if we go to the open space?”

“I don’t know! But I feel some energy there! Isn’t it better to have someone there?”

“Energy?”

“I don’t know! It could be the advance team that came in first. Or it could be a monster. Let’s move first!”

Damn it, I don’t know.

Now I can’t even open my mouth, and I can’t even open my eyes.

My eardrums were blocked as if they were completely sealed, and my knees buckled from the pressure.

It was then that Bone Five used a skill.

[Using skill, ‘Air Shield'(Lv.1).]

[‘Air Shield'(Lv.1) is shattered.]

“Cough?”

Blood spurted from my mouth.

I couldn’t believe it.

The pressure was so great that the skill shattered as soon as it was created!

I shouted instinctively.

“Damn it, Bone One!”

I have to get out of this alley by borrowing the power of the barely moving Skeletons.

That’s the only means I can do right now.

Besides, Kang Sun-wook is already far ahead.

“Ugh…”

Does this make sense?

The dungeon that suddenly appeared in Paju City is a super-high-difficulty dungeon that even Rankers are nervous about?

You even threw me a half-baked Unique Ability!

Is there another reason why the holy Transcender is looking at me badly!

Damn it.

I want to live.

Ranker or whatever.

Isn’t it something you can achieve once you survive!

The moment I was desperately chanting inside.

“Haaack!”

The stuffy pressure disappeared like a lie.

I had finally reached the ‘open space’ that Kang Sun-wook had mentioned.

[Reaching Stage ‘A Deep White-Haired Old Man’.]

Damn it.

A deep white-haired old man?

What is this again?

The open space was about three times wider than the existing cave.

Also, some kind of pattern was drawn on the floor, and a black artificial ‘door’ was hanging in the center of the left wall.

And then a message appeared.

[Ding!]

[Stage: A Deep White-Haired Old Man]

[The ‘Han’ is so great that cold frost has formed on the old man’s hair.]

[Enter the room and defeat the old man.]

“Heo?”

I could tell instinctively.

The white-haired old man in that artificial ‘door’ is the boss monster of this dungeon.

And the pressure I’ve felt so far was coming from that ‘door’.

That’s why the pressure increased as I got closer to this open space.

‘However, it’s livable inside the open space, which means…?’

I looked down at the pattern drawn on the floor.

Hmm, is this some kind of Magic circle that blocks energy?

No, before that.

“S, someone’s here!”

“A hunter has finally arrived! A, are you reinforcements?”

About 10 men and women were gathered in the open space.

Looking at the color of the nameplates attached to each waist.

Most of them were C-rank (green) or D-rank (yellow) hunters.

They looked at me and Kang Sun-wook and screamed.

“Purple nameplate! An A-rank hunter!”

“And a Skeleton? There’s also a Necromancer! You’re the rescue team! Please save us, please get us out of here. Sob sob.”

“No, before that, some food… No, please give us something to drink. I’m so thirsty.”

They were different in age and gender, but they had one thing in common.

That is, their whole bodies were dry.

Well.

There is no drinking water or food on this pattern.

What if they had been trapped here for a long time without an ‘exit’?

I can understand that appearance.

“Hoo, let’s release the emergency rations for now.”

Kang Sun-wook looked at me.

“…….”

I was briefly sulking at the sight of him running away alone to survive.

Well, I have to understand.

He told me in advance, and that’s what dungeons are originally like.

Nodding, I handed them a few chocolate bars and bottles of water.

It’s okay because I, as a porter hired by a large guild, brought emergency rations for possible survivors.

“W, water!”

“Food!”

They rushed in like a zombie horde from the apocalypse and devoured it greedily!

“…….”

My chest felt stuffy.

If I’m not careful, wouldn’t that be my future self?

“Okay, okay, eat slowly.”

The middle-aged Kang Sun-wook stroked his beard and stepped forward.

After waiting for a while.

He looked at them, who had finished their meal, and said slowly.

“Can you slowly explain what happened?”