Chapter 112

Chapter 112

It was one hour after the Dungeon Break occurred.

Clank- clank-.

The golems sent to rescue people returned.

The arriving golems disappeared one by one into the pre-opened sub-space.

‘Looks like most of the people in critical condition have been rescued… Hunters are starting to gather too.’

Dojae turned around and looked toward the opposite side.

Monsters swarmed the land, bathed only in the moonlight under the dark night sky.

‘But deeper down here… the aura of Gelahan is stronger than anything I’ve encountered so far…’

Dojae looked forward again, staring at the wide pit.

From within, the cries of monsters echoed upward.

– Kyaaaah!

– Grrrrr!

The night was already pitch-black.

The pit, where nothing could be seen, resembled a highway leading straight to hell.

Thud-thud-.

But Dojae headed toward the pit without a second thought.

With each step he took, stones rolled down from the surrounding walls and climbed up his legs.

And the moment he reached the bottom of the pit.

The most familiar and mana-efficient basic form of Stone Golem Armor was complete.

Plop-!

Doja fell unhesitatingly into the pit.

Worries about the height?

Fear of monsters?

Dojae had already assessed the situation through the golem’s senses.

The pit’s height was easily cushioned by the golem armor’s defense, and the monsters’ aura felt low-tier.

He had to descend further down, deeper into the depths, without delay.

Thud-!

Whoosh-!

Landing with a loud thud, Dojae stepped out of the wide hole created by the impact.

“Squeak!”

“Kyaaah!”

The pit’s interior resembled a cave, a completely separate space from the outside, with torches lit in a row along the path.

Like a dungeon.

Whoosh-!

Blue mana formed around Dojae.

The mana took shape, instantly forming dozens of arrows made of mana.

Skill: Magic Arrow Lv Max.

Having returned from another world, Dojae had continuously studied magic books and invested all his stats into his spirit. This allowed him to create this many Magic Arrows without even chanting.

This wasn’t merely using a simple skill; it was the fundamental understanding of mana and magic that maximized the skill’s performance.

Just as physical hunters’ skill levels rose and effects grew stronger with repeated training, magic too increased in skill level naturally, even without use, the more it was understood.

Shashashak-!

“Kreeek!”

“Kiiiiik….”

The fired Magic Arrow flew at tremendous speed and embedded itself in the monster.

The magic arrows struck precisely at vital points—the crown of the head, the heart, the brow, the Adam’s apple—and the monsters died instantly.

“Kyaaah!”

The monsters that had luckily survived approached Dojae, letting out vicious cries.

But Dojae already held the ‘Black Scale’ in his hand.

Swoosh-!

Swoosh-!

With each swing of the Black Scale, monsters fell one after another.

The speed was so swift that the monsters’ bodies only separated and blood spurted out after they had already fallen.

Not a single drop of blood stained the Black Scales, of course.

‘There are too many. Fighting them alone is a waste of time.’

The number of monsters was endless, both inside and outside the pit.

Hunting only these low-level monsters was a waste of time and stamina.

It was better to leave these low-level monsters for hunters who would enter later and descend deeper himself.

***

Thud!

The second pit.

Unlike the first floor ahead, a wide, bright space appeared.

‘This isn’t just a simple dungeon break.’

Dojae had clearly entered underground.

While torches illuminated the previous floor, this place was bright enough to pass for broad daylight.

If this were a field-type dungeon, it would make sense.

But this place had a ceiling.

Even a weak signal could be picked up.

It felt as if a section of another world had been torn out and transplanted underground.

‘Has the boundary between dimensions collapsed?’

Gugugung-!

A horde of monsters charging through a sandstorm.

Dojae opened his pocket dimension and pulled out a golem.

Kaboom-!

As the golems forming the wall collided with the swarm of monsters, a thunderous sound echoed, as if the castle walls were crumbling.

Unfortunately, only the frontline golems suffered minor damage. Instead, the monsters charging fiercely were crushed upon impact, leaving only sticky liquid behind.

[Level (Golem) increased.]

[Level (Golem) has increased.]

[Level (Golem) has increased.]

…….

The golems, having dispatched a massive number of monsters, instantly gained several levels.

Especially the golems made from low-grade magic stones gained a lot of levels. While it wasn’t bad that they leveled up, it wasn’t something to be overly happy about since they were going to be turned back into magic stones anyway.

‘As expected, the four remain at their original levels.’

The four black golems that absorbed Gelahan’s mana directly.

Since their levels were higher than the others from the start, they remained unchanged in the mid-90s.

Dojae had realized something while traversing dungeons: there was a level cap for golems.

Excluding the golems that received Gelahan’s mana, those made from D-grade magic stones capped at level 50.

C-grade ones capped at level 60, B-grade at level 70, and finally, A-grade magic stones wouldn’t go beyond level 80.

Of course, Doja regretted this limitation, but in truth, even alone, he could muster combat power surpassing that of most mid-tier guilds.

Of the 100 golems obtained from the Temple of Elatra, 90 were made from A-grade magic stones. Even the remaining 10 golems made from B-grade stones had their levels nearly maxed out, meaning he had 100 golems at the 70-80 level range.

‘We’ll break through here quickly too. Even the strongest ones are only Grade 6 monsters at most.’

The monsters detectable through the golem’s nerves were mostly Grade 7 and Grade 8 monsters.

Occasionally, a Grade 6 monster could be sensed, but their numbers were small and mostly clustered in one area.

Dojae knew stronger monsters lay below, and the gathering of Grade 6 monsters marked the entrance to the descent.

Wooong-!

The vast, open sub-space swallowed the golems whole, and Dojae began sprinting toward the location of the Grade 6 monsters.

***

Basement Level 3, Basement Level 4, Basement Level 5.

Dojae passed through quickly.

From the 5th floor onward, monsters equivalent to B-rank dungeons appeared, but they couldn’t even scratch Dojae’s golem armor.

Honestly, he desperately wanted to take his time hunting each monster one by one to fill his and the golem’s experience points, but the mana of whatever lay below kept surging, making it impossible to stop his steps.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-

Near the pit on the 5th floor.

As the black scales sliced through the air, immense mana transformed into a blue blade, sweeping through the monsters.

The black scales, already soaked in the blood of hundreds of monsters, glowed so red they could scarcely be called black scales anymore.

Zzzzt-.

Thud-.

“Damn it.”

Dojae dropped the black scales from his hand.

Two days had passed since he entered the pit, and for those two days, Dojae had fought monsters without a single moment’s rest.

His stamina was depleted, and his vast mana reserves had fallen to a third.

The stronger the black scale’s power grew, the greater its destructive force became, but this also placed a heavier burden on Dojae.

Proof of this was his right hand, now swollen beyond its usual state.

‘Continuing down like this is reckless.’

Dojae moved again, heading toward the pit leading to the fourth floor.

Even if descending immediately was impossible, he could at least block the monsters climbing up.

The number of high-level monsters he had already missed wasn’t small, but that many wouldn’t cause significant damage to the hunters descending.

Moreover, the presence of two individuals possessing stronger mana than anyone he’d encountered so far was palpable right above his head. Perhaps Dojae’s worries were excessive.

Clank- clank-.

Dojae summoned dozens of golems, led by the black golem.

All of them were golems pushed to their level 80 limit.

He then moved the golems into a square formation.

He positioned them in a space large enough to comfortably hold five or six people, then had other golems climb atop them.

In an instant, a small stone house was completed.

“You lot keep watch around here. If you have time to spare, feel free to hunt any monsters climbing out of the pits.”

With four golems guarding the perimeter, Dojae entered the golem-made house.

The space was completely sealed off from the outside, with golems interlocked all the way up to the ceiling.

“Light.”

Dojae cast a spell to brighten the interior, then leaned against the hard golem wall and sat down on the floor.

After fighting nonstop for three days and nights, his entire body ached.

Even with an S-class physique, he could only delay fatigue; he couldn’t erase the damage accumulated in his body.

Whoosh-!

A blue flame leapt up from the portable gas burner. He placed a kettle on top to boil water.

Drawing on his experiences living in another world, Dojae bought a camping set as soon as he returned from China.

He unfolded the folding table and chairs, and set up a one-touch field bed as well, creating a reasonably comfortable space.

‘This is much better than sleeping rough or in a carriage.’

Dojae quickly ate instant noodles for a meal and lay down on the camp bed.

Thanks to Youngjin, he thought he’d get a day of rest, but instead of a plush hotel bed, he ended up lying on a hard mattress right in the middle of a place swarming with monsters.

Still, he could confidently say it was safer than any home, and the sounds of the golems fighting outside even felt like a lullaby.

‘Maybe I’ll just close my eyes for a moment.’

He needed to rest while whatever lurked below was still stirring.

If it started moving fully, I wasn’t sure I could handle it in this state.

It was best to wait for the hunters above to come down and recover as much stamina as possible while I could.

Slurp.

Dojae’s eyes slowly closed, and before he knew it, he had fallen into a deep sleep.

How long had he slept soundly, protected by the golems?

An unfamiliar voice reached him, bringing him back to consciousness.

– Master….

At first, a rough voice like scraping metal reached his ears.

But soon, another voice joined it.

– Master….

– Master…!

Dojae bolted upright in bed.

He thought he knew where the voices were coming from.

– Master!

[Level (Golem) has increased.]

[Level (Golem) has increased.]

– Master….

– Master…!

– Master!

– Master.

Two messages appeared in succession, and finally, the voices became four.

Dojae stepped outside the golem house and looked at the four golems kneeling before him.

And the one on the far left.

That one spoke first, saying this.

– Master. My name. What….