Chapter 42: First Death

The dungeon exploration proceeded smoothly.

Park Hyeyeon and her group were strong, and considering it was only a C-rank dungeon, it was to be expected.

What was surprising, however, was how the beginner students of Helmunt Academy were so tense and unable to show their true skills.

Park Hyeyeon thought to herself.

‘Pathetic idiots who can’t do anything on their own. Why do I even have to keep watching over them?’

Since there was only one path, they had to overlap their routes. Because of that, Park Hyeyeon was forced to keep seeing them, even though she didn’t want to.

‘Ignore them.’

After that, she focused on hunting.

Park Hyeyeon experimented with various forms of magic. The results were astonishing; even at a glance, she could tell she had grown significantly.

‘My growth is incomparable to before….’

Her understanding of magic was not just excellent; it was near-genius level. However, she constantly struggled with a lack of mana.

Her innate comprehension allowed her to use magic flexibly, but it also meant a high mana consumption.

Since she wasn’t born with a large mana capacity, her body couldn’t keep up with the magic her mind conceptualized.

In other words, although she understood the spells and methods, there were many she couldn’t use effectively.

But now, it felt like her total mana capacity had increased. And above all—

‘External mana… it’s an incredible technique….’

Using external mana was like always having a portable battery attached to a phone. It allowed her to cast spells without worrying about running out of power.

This, combined with her innate talent, created an incredible synergy.

‘Maybe… I can really take revenge with my own hands….’

Driven by the single-minded desire for revenge against Choi Seunghyun, the guild master of Baal, Park Hyeyeon had done everything she could.

She even went as far as consuming monster poison if it meant becoming stronger. But she had gradually fallen into despair.

A massive wall.

Choi Seunghyun was a swordsman capable of using aura. He was also the master of a top guild with hundreds of guild members.

The overwhelming sense of helplessness came from the thought that she couldn’t defeat him either individually or collectively.

Even though she was certain that he was the one who killed her father, she couldn’t exact her revenge, and that helplessness ate away at her.

But now, things were different. The mysterious masked instructor had not only accelerated her growth but also that of the other students.

He even taught them the revolutionary technique of using external mana.

‘Maybe… that person is stronger than Choi Seunghyun.’

She knew well that the masked instructor was a mage. There was an insurmountable wall between mages and swordsmen.

One fundamental premise:

[If they are at the same level, swordsmen are superior to mages.]

But this premise also meant that if a mage’s level surpassed that of a swordsman, the mage could overpower them.

-Crunch

‘This is a chance that will never come again… This time, no matter what it takes, I must… I’ll risk everything….’

If she worked with the masked instructor, killing that man wouldn’t be impossible. She believed this was an opportunity she wouldn’t get again.

Following Park Hyeyeon’s group were the beginner students of Helmunt Academy. Yoon Seulgi spoke up.

“Everyone… doesn’t it feel like there’s something off about this dungeon?….”

Kim Siyeon responded.

“I’ve been feeling it too… Don’t you sense something ominous? It feels like we’ve dived deep into the depths of the ocean… Is it because I’m too nervous right now?”

Kim Siyeon felt an unexplainable sense of dread. The sticky, ominous feeling of mana. It was as if they had ventured into the deep sea.

Baek Hyunseo also replied.

“I feel something strange too… I’ve had a weird feeling since earlier.”

From the moment they entered the dungeon, Baek Hyunseo had felt uncomfortable.

‘It’s probably just my imagination….’

At first, she thought she felt this way because they had to enter the dungeon without a guardian, so she brushed it off. But now, everyone else seemed to be feeling the same. It was clear something unusual was happening.

Baek Hyunseo suggested.

“Maybe… maybe we should leave. It feels like this place is really dangerous….”

Kim Siyeon, her eyes dark, replied.

“If we just leave… do you think Yang Han-gil will let us off that easily?”

At her words, the other beginner students fell silent.

With Kim Siyeon’s reminder, they realized again that they couldn’t act as they pleased.

“Then… let’s just stick as close as we can behind those people… They seem really strong….”

Baek Hyunseo said, and Kim Siyeon agreed.

“That sounds good. Their attitude may not be the best, but their skills seem reliable. And they’re not intentionally pushing monsters our way… If we stay close behind them, we should be safe.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

-Thud, thud, thud.

They quickened their pace.

Choi Juwon’s disciples, particularly Kang Eunbyeol, felt the same sense of unease as the beginner students of Helmunt Academy.

She spoke up.

“Everyone… don’t you feel something ominous in this dungeon? It feels like demonic energy….”

Kang Eunbyeol voiced her concern, but the other disciples only glanced at her briefly before moving toward the monsters.

“Um… everyone?….”