Having exited the gate and safely back in the vacant lot, Jung Si-woo looked around quizzically. “I think something is different.”
“What?” said Soo Ah-rin.
“Doesn’t it feel a lot calmer than before?” he asked, turning around to face her. She looked adorable with her head tilted much like his.
“It’s a weekday, and we’re in a residential area, isn’t it supposed to be like this?” Soo Ah-rin asked.
Swallowing what he was about to say, Jung Si-woo decided to move on. “Then let’s go inside the resting area.”
“Do you know what that is?”
Jung Si-woo explained the key that he had gotten in the dungeon while Soo Ah-rin grew more curious.
“There’s no such thing for players in the Sky castle,” she said finally.
“That’s because the players have the Sky Castle itself. Maybe the underground’s player’s resting place is similar to the Sky castle?”. The Sky Castle was like the dungeons, but it also served to support novice players, organize parties, and exchange information about dungeons. It could be said that it was a base camp for all players in the world.
“If we go inside this resting place, will there be any other underground players? I doubt that there is someone else who has fulfilled the requirements to enter the Ant Cave,” said Soo Ah-rin skeptically, but Jung Si-woo was already excited.
Jung Si-woo had always wanted to feel special, but he didn’t want to be the only one. He’d like everyone to be like him. If there was another underground player, he could get the information he needed to clear the other dungeons. Holding out the key, he said,” Let’s head right in.”
“But the barrier around… Oh, I see.”
The key also served as a dungeon entrance. Just holding the key would let the stealth effect kick in. It was impossible to use during a battle but was a great help regardless. Jung Si-woo, however, was not happy.
“Damn, I painted my motorcycle for nothing!”
“See, what did I tell you,” said Soo Ah-rin.
Fuming to himself, Si-woo inserts the key into the ground. A black hole enough for two people formed around the key and gently began sucking them in. The place they entered felt very much like a dungeon in the Ant cave, and a very narrow room came into their view.
“Umm…”
“What is this?”
The interior was simple. There was a comfortable looking bed, a drawer across the room from it, and a piggy bank placed on top. There was also a door that led outside. Soo Ah-rin looked around blankly at Jung Si-Woo’s room’s scruffy view, which looked narrower than the hole they entered through. Jung Si-Woo’s, however, was not disappointed. He was busy reading the window displayed before his eyes.
[Resting Area LV. 1]
[Bed Lv. 1 – Best used for deep sleeping. Restore your health and mana recovery with a 10% efficiency rating.]
[Drawer Lv. 1 – Area to store items.]
[Door Lv. 1 – Exit to the outer world.]
[In the off chance that you don’t use your beads after clearing a dungeon, you may store the beads inside this safe box.]
[You can use the bead to expand and develop your resting place.]
“Aha…”, that sounded familiar. Wasn’t this a common feature in games? A sort of base camp which assists players and could be developed for a price. Jung Si-Woo’s expectations were correct. If its primary functions were to support a player thoroughly…
“It’s a place meant for one.”
“Sky Castle is meant for the masses; Ant Cave is meant for the loners…”
“See, I told you. You’re the only underground player in the whole world.” Soo Ah-rin was giggling so hard her shoulders were shaking.
Although this was all that was to the resting area, there was no guarantee that Jung SI-Woo was the only underground player. He didn’t complain, though. Even if he was who he was, he still felt a fatigue that could not be resolved by leveling up. He had used three strikes in a row and done some taxing skills after all. He had no energy with which he would debate Soo Ah-rin.
“We can think after we’ve rested,” he said, looking at the shabby room. He would have liked to upgrade it, but there was nothing to be done since there were no beads left. As he laid down on the bed, Soo Ah-rin sat down quietly beside him.
“You should rest.”
“You’re not going to sleep?”
“No, I’m not tired at all. All I did in the dungeon was cheer you on from the sidelines and fight with the ghost. Plus, the bed’s too big. You can put a dollhouse in this room later,” said Soo Ah-rin. Her tone seemed both proud and envious of him at the same time.
“Okay then,” he smilingly said, and promptly closed his eyes. It must have been true that closing one’s eyes effectively calmed a person down because not long after closing his eyes, Jung Si-woo had fallen into a deep and comfortable sleep.
“Hmm, he is attractive,” muttered Soo Ah-rin quietly, looking at his face. ‘Granted, he wasn’t the most stylish or handsome man, but his bright eyes, personality, and friendly face had made him rescuing her when she was falling straight out of a romance movie. But as soon as I think of that, I find myself here. My skills are lacking, and I ended up retiring. I should be grateful for being able to survive. On top of that, I hope that I will return to my original state one day,’ she mused to herself and smiled.
Jung Si-woo was not the only one who had to practice mana. She had lost all of her skills and became a supporter; she had to raise her skill level by using her mana as much as possible. Gaining the skills she had in her days as a healer was an endearing idea.
‘I need to make sure that Si-Woo will only have to focus on the battle,’ she thought. ‘The man seemed to be capable of solving all the problems around through sheer force, but there are always situations you need to overcome through other means. The boss battle against the giant centipede had ended quickly enough, but if Jung Si-woo’s attack had been even a second later, he would have been poisoned by the centipede. He really does act like he’s working alone. That might be because I don’t have much help to offer right now.‘ The idea was not one she enjoyed, especially since she had been a top-tier healer in Korea.’ I must regain my ability and surprise Jung Si-Woo!‘
To achieve her goal, she would have no time to rest.’ I will grow stronger each day,’ she vowed to herself. And thus, Soo Ah-rin, former healer and renowned player, began her mana and skill training, more determined and relentless than ever when she was in the front line.
Two hours passed before Jung Si-Woo awoke. He turned to find Soo Ah-rin precisely in the same position as before.
“Ah-rin?” he called out. There was no answer. He came closer and realized that she was sleeping propped up in her seat. Jung Si-Woo let out a silent laugh. It was understandable that she would fall into a dead sleep now that she didn’t have to fuss over his safety. He delicately picked her up and slowly lowered her onto the bed. He didn’t want to disturb her when she was sleeping so peacefully, so he decided to practice more with mana until she woke up. The skill gap that Soo Ah-rin had managed to narrow was widened once again.
Three hours later, Jung Si-woo and Soo Ah-rin opened the resting area’s door and came out. The passage took them back to their previous location, the vacant lot where they had opened the entrance, but that came as no surprise.
“What are you going to do now, Si-woo? Should we go home first?”
“No,” he felt well rested and had already told his mother that he would be gone for a couple of days. There was no reason to go back home this early.” Let’s look for another dungeon.”
“I don’t know if we can find another dungeon so easily…”
Ten minutes in, they had already found one in a nearby garden.
[The Centipede’s Lair: Low Difficulty]
“It’s the same dungeon!”
It was similar to the dungeon he had cleared before, so this time, it was nice to know the name of the dungeon before he even entered it.
“So, it’s like that!” exclaimed Soo Ah-rin.” When a player dies, the structure of the party he belongs to becomes vulnerable. That means the rest of the party members are likely to die after him as well. People who died in the same dungeon fall one by one, and so, similar dungeons are formed nearby. If we’re looking for dungeons, we should explore places nearby to find similar ones.”
“Sounds like a boring way to explore other dungeons!” said Jung Si-woo.
” Even worse, every single retired player has their own dungeon!”.
Jung Si-woo lifted his tail, confused by his own position as an underground player. “Then, let’s clear it.”
“Ah, I’m afraid to see how much faster it will be this time…”
Jung Si-woo, who had gotten used to using his tail by then, expertly dug the dungeon at once. He even knew the time the entrance to the dungeon would open. Soon both of them were inside.
[The Ant Cave Area #184 Centipede’s Lair]
[Clear time limit – 5:00:00]
“Ah, there we go.” Even the area number code was the same. Jug Si-woo concluded that the area number code didn’t categorize each individual dungeon, but rather the type of dungeon it lies under.
“That means there are at least 183 different types of Ant Cave dungeon areas that exist in this world.”
“Oh, there’s another one there.”
Unsurprisingly, instead of the centipedes in the first room of the dungeon, they saw a spirit emitting dim light. The ghost yelled as soon as it saw them.
[Human…It’s really human!]
“Yes, yes. Now give me the quest.”
[Yes?!], The ghost of the panicked female player asked.
The grudge this ghost had must not have been as much as the one in the first dungeon since her eye color was still relatively healthy. However, It was still hard to know for sure whether it was a vengeful spirit or not.
“I already know everything, so spit out the quest now,” said Jung Si-woo firmly.
[I-I’ll give it!]
In the next three days, Jung Si-woo cleared through six other nearby Centipede’s Lairs, collecting beads, dollars, and experience.
By the time he was done, his level had reached 25.
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