“Ah, so you’re planning to funnel all the gear to one person?”
“No.”
That isn’t it either.
“Then what is it?”
“You wear the armor, but I’ll take the weapon.”
“······ Pardon?”
“You can’t use skills, but you should be able to use the ‘Position Swap’ authority. If multiple enemies show up, swap places with the leader among them, then hold out.”
“My stats are lower, so I can only use it about twice a day.”
“Which is why I’m telling you to hold out.”
“I’ve never properly learned Shield Arts.”
“I trust you.”
“My god.”
As the ‘what if’ became reality, Serengeti’s face turned pale blue.
Still, this was the most realistic way to use it.
If I had that ‘Position Swap’ authority, I’d have trained for defense.
But Serengeti had only used ‘Position Swap’ for offense.
He’d lived a life completely severed from defense, trying to use tactics that toyed with enemies and deceived them with agility, like how he killed Massacre.
That wasn’t bad, but in a situation like this, it was useless.
“Just hold out until I kill the leader. Then you’ll live.”
“······ I’ll hold out with everything I’ve got.”
***
How far did the range of “tools” go?
You could think of it as everything except equipment.
In other words, it meant that ‘this’ could be used too.
Kwa-rreung!
Kkae-gaeng!
Lightning crashed down through the warwolf pack.
Seeing the gigantic monster, the warwolf pack couldn’t help freezing in shock for a moment.
Hydragon!
The ‘Soul of Hydragon’ was a tool as well.
Its presence could only be called overwhelming.
Huk, huk, huk!
The Hydragon’s heads started to tire out in an instant.
‘······ Looks like Hydragon’s stats are capped at 20 as well.’
Even the summoned creature seemed to be affected by the stat limit.
Just maintaining that massive body, stats of 20 were absurdly insufficient.
It felt like it’d be hard to use for anything besides a totem meant to intimidate.
Even so, that alone was enough.
Puk!
Taking advantage of the small confusion, Serengeti killed the warwolf leader he had swapped positions with.
Keung?
Keong-keong!
With the leader dead, the warwolf pack fell into chaos.
A perfect chance to wipe them out.
A-geu-jak!
I pulled out the Corpse Crow Core, and ate it.
Tuduk, tudududut!
My form changed in an instant, becoming a corpse crow.
This too was a “tool,” so it could be used.
And if my guess was right,
‘······ I can use the corpse crow’s skills.’
Strictly speaking, becoming the corpse crow king and using skills was the same as eating the Corpse Crow Core and using the skills engraved into that core.
That’s why, when I returned to being human, I couldn’t use the skills.
Therefore, I could use them now.
And also,
<The ‘King of Dead’ skill dominates the soul of the warwolf leader.>
It meant that skills I’d stolen with Golden Fillet were usable too.
I injected the soul and revived the warwolf leader.
With my stats low, this one beast was the limit, but,
<By the hidden trait ‘Beast Lord,’ the warwolf leader’s dominance has strengthened.>
Keung-keung?
Auuuuuu!
The werewolves gathered around their leader.
There was no hostility.
Honestly, I was half in doubt.
I couldn’t be sure this would really work.
‘······ It works.’
***
‘You faithless ones.’
Demigod.
An absolute being who designed dungeons and bestowed trials.
He was dead, leaving only his will behind, yet for countless years the dungeon had not been cleared.
Because there was no faith.
Because they couldn’t trust one another.
Even after imposing such strict entry conditions, it was the same.
Humans cannot overcome desire, they are always swayed by the instinct to trample others and climb over them.
‘Humans are truly foolish.’
The will shook its head.
It had watched humans for ages, but there was no hope in them.
No matter how much time passed, humans did not change.
They were so foolish they couldn’t break through even a single trial painstakingly crafted for them.
These challengers would be the same.
‘······ How dare they.’
But these challengers were, a little different from before.
From the moment they entered, they deleted one of the four propositions it had set.
It forcibly warped them in to deny preparation time, yet this one was advancing through the floors in a way completely different from the will’s intended design.
Faith, honor, honesty.
Those three were the dungeon’s most important core.
Yet once inside the dungeon, there was no room for the will to interfere.
Even a god, upon entering a dungeon, must follow its rules.
And yet,
A being even the great will had never imagined appeared, clearing the dungeon while ignoring the rules entirely.
He transformed, revived the warwolf leader as undead, then used dominance to steadily expand the pack.
Originally, this was an area meant for them to advance while trusting one another and watching each other’s backs.
A trial space created so they would strengthen their unity by facing the warwolf pack!
But this one was taming the werewolves themselves. The pack that started at twenty grew to fifty, a hundred in the blink of an eye.
He even trains the werewolves.
Countless humans had challenged the dungeon over the ages, but,
‘What is that bastard······!’
There had never been one like this.
Truth Game
“Alliance Leader, which dungeon was the hardest to clear?”
One of the Hero Alliance players gathered at the dungeon entrance asked.
The man called the Alliance Leader, wearing golden armor and a helm, replied.
“Thunderblade Dungeon.”
“Thunderblade Dungeon, you mean that level 11 dungeon?”
“Yeah. The elite raid boss monster, Thunderblade. Even now, thinking about how strong it was gives me chills.”
“But the dungeon we’re about to raid is level 11 too, isn’t it?”
The Alliance Leader looked toward the entrance of a vast cave.
The dungeon the alliance was about to raid was the Sky Whale Dungeon.
It was a place ruled by a sky whale, also level 11.
There were twenty of Korea’s finest players gathered here to clear it.
“We’re stronger now than back then. Me, and the alliance members.”
The Alliance Leader shrugged.
Compared to that time, the alliance was ridiculously stronger now.
At this rate, before long Korea would officially gain a major city in Pangaenia.
“Ah. Then what was the most trashy dungeon?”
“Trashy dungeon? Why ask that?”
“So we can avoid it if possible, even later.”
A trashy dungeon.
If you asked where the hardest dungeon was, everyone would give different answers.
There were many places with high difficulty, ridiculous entry limits, or tricky clears.
Depending on personal experience, the definition of “hard” could vary.
But if you asked which one was the most trashy, nine out of ten would give the same answer.
“······ The Demigod-Trait Dungeon.”
“Ah! That one’s famous.”
“All alliance members are forbidden from setting foot in there.”
“Why is it a forbidden land?”
“Because it makes people worse.”
“Makes people worse?”
As the member looked puzzled, the Alliance Leader frowned.
Bad memories rose to the surface.
“There’s no human who’s only good. Likewise, no human who’s only evil. But that dungeon ruthlessly highlights only the worst parts of humans.”
“······ Like what?”
“The content differs for each group, but when I challenged it, they planted a fake. There was a floor where they erased parts of everyone’s memory, then made us vote to pick the fake.”
“And if you picked?”
“The one with the most votes died. But when we found out, they were all real.”
Not a prank, but that kind of thing?
A dungeon named Demigod was supposed to be a joint work created by great beings and their “wills,” wasn’t it?
“Insane······.”
“Four went in, and only I came out alive. Even Phantom couldn’t conquer it, that tells you everything.”
“Phantom couldn’t conquer a dungeon?”
The member’s eyes went wide.
Phantom was a legend. A myth. There was no dungeon he couldn’t clear.
That’s what everyone believed, but the truth was different.
“There are a few. One of them is the Demigod-Trait Dungeon.”
“Yeah······ Phantom must be sick to death of betrayal. Ah, speaking of which, by now he’s probably challenging the party dungeon too, right?”
“Probably.”
Randolph, inferred to be Phantom’s player character.
Randolph cleared Main Quest 5, obtaining mystery, with a fantastic score.
He even solo-cleared the dimensional fissure.
Because of that, players were in an uproar.
They hadn’t gotten a single reward they were supposed to earn by defeating the king of the dimensional fissure.
And that wasn’t all.
Maxim died. The death of one of the Eight Heroes was officially confirmed.
In reality, and in Pangaenia.
The shockwaves were anything but small.
Soon enough, fissures would form among players too, and the day a massive wave crashed over them would come.
‘Until then, we have to grow as strong as possible.’
If you didn’t want to be swept away and die in the storm, you had to get bigger.
For Korean players to survive, they had to build a major city in Pangaenia and begin full-scale raids on both Pangaenia and Earth.
At least, securing a major city before the next dimensional fissure appeared was the Alliance Leader’s plan.
Even so, it was far too late already, compared to those who were already far ahead.
“Which dungeon do you think Phantom is challenging right now?”
“No idea. What’s certain is it won’t be the Demigod-Trait Dungeon.”
He was sure Phantom, who was sick to death of betrayal, wouldn’t challenge the Demigod-Trait Dungeon that encourages betrayal again.
Everyone who knew Phantom, and knew the Demigod-Trait Dungeon, would think the same.
Ppa-deu-deuk!
The Alliance Leader ground his teeth.
‘Damn it. Just remembering back then makes my mouth taste bitter.’
That place really was a trashy dungeon.
***
《You have defeated the floor boss ‘Blue Wolf.’》
Kuuuu-woong!
The enormous blue wolf finally collapsed, announcing its death.
Surrounded by over a hundred werewolves and getting thoroughly dog-piled, it had no way to endure.
‘Six hours.’
That was how long it took to clear this floor.
Normally, Blue Wolf was a monster you’d have to hunt for a full week, gearing up before challenging.
But since I had to clear in the shortest time, I had no choice.
Besides,
‘I have no intention of clearing this place the normal way.’
From the start, I never planned to clear this place normally.
《This is a shortest-time clear.》
《Achievement ‘Master of the Warwolf Pack’ has been attained.》
《Honor increases by 10.》
《Some of the Constellations in the Pantheon begin to shine their eyes.》
《The ‘Constellation of the Shining Hero’ shows deep interest in the dungeon clear.》
The Constellations of the Pantheon began to take interest, one by one.
Not as much as Main Quest 5, obtaining mystery, but by the time the raid ended, most Constellations would be interested anyway.
‘Constellation of the Shining Hero, huh.’
What was strange was that the Constellation of the Shining Hero was showing deep interest.
And not interest in me, but interest in the dungeon clear itself.
A Constellation name that had never appeared even once, except during obtaining mystery.
If I showed them a proper breakthrough, maybe it would appear every time like the Constellation of Adventure or the Constellation of Luck, upgrading the reward list.
《Proceeding to the next floor. Everything gained on the previous floor will be reset.》
Shwiaaaaa!
As I crossed the warp, even the equipment I’d chosen at the start was stripped away.
Naturally, all the werewolves I’d dominated were reset too.
A place where nothing existed but pitch-black darkness.
When I looked around, Serengeti, Isaac, and Isabella weren’t visible either.
All I could see were a few sheets of paper floating in the air, and a pen.
《You have entered the ‘Room of Truth.’》
《Please write one question each that you wish to ask your party members.》
《Questions will be anonymous.》
《However, this will not proceed unless all party members make a ‘Truth Oath.’》
Truth Oath.
A kind of contract.
A contract swearing to speak only the truth.
It stated that the moment I signed my name, the contract would take effect, and if I told even a single lie, I would be expelled.
‘······ This is the worst.’
If this is a trait dungeon, why the hell is there a Room of Truth?
It was a floor I’d never seen even when I challenged as Wilhelm.
A Demigod who made a dungeon like this really wasn’t sane.
If the whole party didn’t swear, we couldn’t even proceed.
The instant I signed, my hidden traits wouldn’t activate either. It was something I agreed to myself, after all.
Meaning there was no way but to tell the “truth.”
In the worst case, the entire party could lose trust in me.
But if the questions weren’t a big deal, we could just laugh them off.
For someone like me aiming for a shortest-time clear, it could even be a sweet, freebie trial.
《All party members have completed the ‘Truth Oath.’》
《Now, please write your questions.》
One question per person.
In total, I roughly wrote three questions in.
If the other party members also wrote their questions, then all we had to do was speak the truth three times each to clear.
How simple was that?
Depending on how you looked at it, it was practically free.
《All party members have finished writing their questions.》
《Do not disclose what you asked.》
《If you disclose it, you will be expelled from the dungeon.》
Kuuung—!
With the sound of something huge stirring, the darkness brightened.