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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Fallen Monastery
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Clack. Clack.
Descending the stairs.
A faint light shimmering from behind cast long shadows ahead, illuminating the steps.
"It's dark."
The light grew dimmer with each step.
A sticky darkness crept in from all sides.
It slowly encroached, eventually swallowing the light whole, until even the outline of the stairs became hard to discern.
"Should we light a torch?"
"No, Seo-yeon."
The Crimson Flame Witch conjured a flame in her hand, and a roaring red blaze instantly drove back the darkness, lighting the stairs. In the flickering glow, Shin Seo-yeon grumbled lowly.
"You made the flame and all, but wouldn't just holding a torch be better than this? It's not like we're wandering forever."
Not wrong, but I didn't respond and kept pressing forward.
"Hey, Dickhead. You listening to me?"
An endless stretch of stairs unfurled before us.
The light from above was no longer visible.
Damp air thick with dust clogged our noses, making breathing labored. The stifling, heavy sensation common in ancient tombs enveloped us.
'This place is tougher than I thought.'
"Haa, what is this? Breathing's so hard."
"...The air's stale."
Just the difficulty breathing imposed several penalties. Stamina drained faster, and it took a toll on the mind.
Especially in a confined space like this, human willpower depleted rapidly.
To top it off, unrelenting pitch-black darkness would spike the difficulty several times over, but thankfully, first trials had a fixed maximum difficulty.
And sure enough, after about ten minutes of descent, a blue glow appeared deep underground.
"Look over there. It's light."
The light grew brighter until Shin Seo-yeon's flame was no longer needed.
"Seo-yeon, you can put it out now."
The red energy faded with a soft hiss, replaced by a gentle blue light settling over the stairs. Shin Seo-yeon headed toward it and spoke.
"Dickhead, you... do you know something about this place?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like, about the Selection Process. You knew about this, and you even prepared Tutorial cold-weather gear."
Our Seo-yeon had sharp instincts.
I feigned ignorance.
"So you're saying I know everything that's going to happen and act accordingly?"
"Yeah, exactly that... Ugh, no. Even I think it's nonsense. What kind of delusion is this?"
Practical Shin Seo-yeon considered it rationally and dismissed it as her own fantasy.
Of course. Knowing the future and preparing? Impossible without regression.
"Looks like we've arrived."
Finally, we reached the bottom and stood at the entrance to a temple hidden deep beneath the mountain.
It wasn't anything special.
The doorway had no door—just a polished stone archway flanked by statues.
"So that's what the light was."
The robed monk statues stood with palms pressed together at their chests in prayer, blue flames roaring from their hands—the source of the glow.
"Ooh, kinda cool. Wonder if it's hot to the touch. Or just a visual effect."
"Better not touch it."
Magic-born flames. Beyond heat, they'd scorch your soul on contact.
"Let's go in."
We passed between the statues. Immediately, a T-shaped fork appeared. Shin Seo-yeon peeked left and right, signaling it was safe.
The interior was much like the cave we'd come through.
The difference? Floors, walls, and ceilings were smoothly hewn stone, and statues lit the darkness at every junction.
"Hm?"
Shin Seo-yeon, ahead of us, froze in the center of a fork. Catching up, I saw why.
A Trial has been assigned.
Find and burn a portion of the Fallen High Priest Vardo's remains.
Check the Quest tab for details.
Here it was at last—the theme of this trial.
"Min-jun, the trial just..."
"Yeah. Open the quest window and check."
Reading the background alone gave clues to the trial site and survival tips.
We each checked the quest details in place.
Stage: First Trial
Content: Find and burn a portion of the Fallen High Priest Vardo's remains.
Background: The Lair of Evil Spirits...
📍 [View Details]
Background Details: The Lair of Evil Spirits was once a renowned temple where priests lived in devotion.
They spread the word of the gods, using divine powers to save the world and heal the sick.
High Priest Vardo was especially beloved by the gods, his holy power unmatched in his era.
The temple prospered, bustling daily.
But they were human, unable to escape greed. The black seed of avarice took root within, corrupting priests one by one.
Eventually, High Priest Vardo and his followers challenged the divine throne, striking deals with demons for forbidden rituals. The temple fell under a curse.
It collapsed instantly, becoming ruins over centuries.
Yet malevolent forces linger, disturbing the souls' rest. Vardo and his followers, still craving godhood, prey on intruders, biding time for revival.
It matched the info I'd heard beforehand.
Undead monsters, a wide-area curse over the monastery, followers...
And the setup was perfect for farming.
'No mob richer than corrupted priests.'
Even at worst, better than scavenging Lakeside gear from the water.
For reference, Lakeside was my first-run trial zone.
"Finished reading?"
"Yeah, cursed to never truly die... So pitiful."
A saintess-worthy sentiment.
"Sister, pitiful? Immortality? Isn't that jackpot?"
"Hey, undead immortality? What jackpot? Think before you speak."
"Hmph, you're the clueless one. Ask old folks on Earth with days left—they'd line up for lichdom if it meant eternal life."
...Couldn't argue with that.
"Two paths—which way?"
At the Saintess's question, I turned left without hesitation.
"Follow me. This way."
"Dickhead, how do you know? Could be the other way."
"Checked the map before coming."
"What? There was a map? Why didn't I see it?"
Because it was a lie.
Info came from a survivor drunk-ranting over drinks.
He'd spill every time he drank—hundreds of times, memorized it. Must've been deep trauma.
Anyway, no detailed maze map in drunken tales, and I didn't know the paths either.
'Key point: no traps here.'
Labyrinthine forks galore, but trap-free.
That sufficed.
Ten years grinding trials honed my dungeon navigation.
'Bad smell from this side. This is the way.'
I headed unerringly toward the stench.
Stench meant undead or player corpses—deeper into the dungeon.
Left it was.
"Amazing you checked the map! Seo-yeon and I were too busy sightseeing."
The Saintess's eyes sparkled at me.
Our Saintess was adorable like this. I pinched her glutinous rice cake cheeks and stretched them.
Smooth.
She reached up in turn, brushing dust from my hair.
"?"
"Dust on your head. Mouth dry? Want water?"
She even opened her canteen for me—pure healing.
Caring for others despite her own fatigue? Innate kindness.
"Sister, why not me? Only Dickhead gets it."
Shin Seo-yeon pouted at our antics.
"Huh? Wait, Seo-yeon. Coming now."
"Hmph, fine. Got my own."
She chugged from her canteen, glanced at me briefly, then offered it.
"What?"
"Drink. You're still thirsty."
"Not anymore."
"..."
Her cheek twitched. I blinked innocently; she spun away, fuming alone.
"Anyway, impressive, Min-jun. Never thought of a map."
Her sincere praise warmed me.
I leaned in for a thank-you kiss, hugging her waist—but interruption from the side.
"Impressive? She's clueless."
"?"
"Why view a map? Bring it. Total idiot?"
...Countering my lie like that? Speechless.
"No comeback? Brag like before about winning."
"..."
Shin Seo-yeon smirked mockingly.
Feeling good from the Saintess, I'd planned to let it slide—but she pushed.
No choice.
"Keep it up, and next time I leave you for real. No joke."
She froze. Mouth opening and closing, then teary shout.
"Don't even joke like that! You jerk! Apologize! Now!"
"Nah? Don't wanna."
"You jerk!"
She lunged, pummeling weakly. Tickled. Elementary schooler hits hurt more.
"Won't apologize, huh."
Mana stirred in Shin Seo-yeon.
"Hold up."
"What. Finally scared? Too late. Not falling for blowjob bribes. Brace your—"
"Shut up already."
"Eh...? Sh-shut up? You've never said anything that harsh to me."
I ignored her shocked face shoving close and focused ahead silently.
The long cavern, wide for ten abreast, was shrouded in darkness.
Blue lights at junctions, but long straight halls stayed pitch-black.
I'd used Full Appraisal to navigate those—lately, something nagged my vision.
"Come out."
"Kang Min-jun! After that harsh crap, you think you can order me?! Apologize fi—urk..."
I shoved Shin Seo-yeon's head aside and bellowed at the darkness again.
"Come out nicely. I know you're hiding."
She snapped to, paling instantly. Like the prior was play, tension shifted; she eyed the dark warily.
The Saintess readied for battle. Silence fell, dust floating like mist in uneasy quiet.
"Not coming out?"
Did my confident tone tip them?
Shadows stirred; four emerged.
"How'd that bastard spot us...?"
Their state was wretched.
Matted hair, faces and bodies caked in grime and scabs.
Clothes shredded unrecognizable, festering scratches and cuts bruised purple.
Blood-crusted blades in hand.
"Dickless, that matter now? Ambush failed. Bet this dumbass was scratching his ass again."
One smacked another's head. The struck man emotionlessly retorted.
"Me? Did I? Left my ass back there."
"Shut up, retards. Can't hear Wilson. Need meat? Me too. Heh. Hungry."
...Long trapped here.
Staggering steps from the gloom, dilated pupils, senseless giggling and shaking.
All deranged.
Especially pantsless, dicks swinging...
"Eh? M-Min-jun... those guys' underwear..."
"Dickhead, what the hell are they?"
I gripped my weapon, snorting.
'Thought third trial at earliest. Ridiculous.'
Starters ambushing newbies—human hunters.
Aim: loot and rape.
Bandit-like in fiction, but here? Bottom-feeders they weren't.
'Hunters who hunt humans excel at it.'
These types averaged mid-tier combat.
Shrewd too: hide, let strong pass, prey on weak. Classic strong-weak dynamic.
Bolt from the blue for average players.
'Tch, these guys already.'
Normally surfaced after trials eroded morals and humanity.
'Definitely lower quality left behind. Not good.'
I snowballed ahead; stragglers were flawed rejects or indulgent laggards.
"There. Heh. Hand over everything nicely. Bags, weapons, bodies..."
They were the latter sort.
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