Chapter 13

After seeing Sisala off, Do-Jin stopped by the Adventurers’ Guild to collect his reward for hunting Kobalts.

He handed over all the loot he’d gathered during the hunt. Selling through the guild came with a twenty percent cut taken as a commission, but it didn’t bother him much. The items were just scraps from hunting Kobalts. Rather than waste time trying to sell them for every last coin, it was far more efficient to offload them quickly and get paid.

Not to mention, selling through the guild helped boost his contribution score as an adventurer, which was a nice little perk.

“Here’s your payment. 57 gold for the F-rank Kobalt extermination, plus 62 gold from the sale of the loot.”

“Thank you.”

Although the payment didn’t amount to much in the grand scheme of things, it was a good haul for a beginner on his second day in LOST. His level had shot up to 17 as well. Normally, this would have been a hunting ground for parties of three to five people, but Do-Jin had taken it on solo, claiming all the rewards for himself. With his pockets heavier and experience bar full, he made his way through the streets of Zeron.

This should be just enough to get everything I need.

Do-Jin first stopped by the magic shop to purchase a weapon suitable for magic users and replenish his supply of mana cigarette. That alone cost him around 30 gold.

Next, he stopped by the potion shop to pick up two emergency mana potions and five healing potions. Despite both being F-rank, the mana potions cost a steep 10 gold each, while the healing potions were slightly more reasonable at 5 gold each.

There’s a reason people say mana-using classes are broke in the early game.

In LOST, potions were both rare and expensive. Players treated them as emergency items rather than something to use casually during combat. Besides, overuse often led to potion addiction, which drastically reduced their effectiveness.

After spending a total of 75 gold on weapons, tobacco, and potions, Do-Jin was left with less than 50 gold. It was barely enough to cover basic provisions, let alone anything that could directly improve his combat abilities. It also wasn’t enough for the essential supplies he needed for this upcoming hidden dungeon run, but he wasn’t worried.

If you can’t bite, find someone who can sharpen your fangs for you.

With that, Do-Jin spent half of his remaining money buying 150 glass bottles for alchemy. He then filled them all with water from the fountain in the town square.

Now, I just need to find the perfect patsy to do the heavy lifting.

Do-Jin sat down in the plaza, scanning the passersby with sharp eyes. Like a predator seeking prey or a proselytizer hunting for the perfect convert, he scrutinized each player carefully. After a while, his eyes lit up.

That’s the one.

It was a priest player, trudging along as if they’d just finished a long hunt. Their gentle features made them look exceptionally kind-hearted.

Do-Jin had been looking for any random healer class, but here was someone with the perfect one for his plan. The staff they carried was a shop item restricted to Level 41, meaning their level was just right, too.

Without hesitation, he stood and approached the target.

“Excuse me, Priest!”

The sudden call startled the short female priest, making her shoulders twitch slightly as she turned her head. “Yes?”

Upon seeing Do-Jin, she fully turned to face him. Her lips twitched slightly upward, and her eyes curved into a gentle smile. It was a natural reaction to encountering someone attractive by her standards.

Do-Jin turned on the charm, flashing a warm and friendly smile to keep her attention. “Are you busy right now?”

She should have answered with “Fucking busy” and left it at that. Even if she couldn’t manage that, she at least shouldn’t have let the conversation drag on. If only she’d avoided that mistake, she wouldn’t have ended up as a holy water dispenser, spending an entire hour converting 150 bottles of regular water for a measly 10 gold.

***

With the last drop of holy water squeezed out of an innocent priest’s goodwill, Do-Jin completed his preparations and reunited with Sisala. They immediately set off.

Their destination, The Magic Workshop Consumed by Evil, required passing through five villages of varying sizes. It was a journey impossible to complete on foot in less than two days. Instead, Do-Jin and Sisala took the magic train, a large carriage that seated fifty passengers and hovered a meter above the ground as it moved with surprising speed and comfort.

After an hour’s ride, an announcement echoed through the train.

—Next stop, Danumine Gorge Station. Please make sure you take all personal belongings with you before disembarking.

When the two arrived at their destination, no one else had gotten off. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone, given that Danumine Gorge was a barren wasteland. No sane person had any business being here.

“It’s... desolate,” Sisala murmured, adjusting her robe against the gusting wind as the train disappeared into the distance.

“This is perfect for a mage wanting to hide questionable research,” Do-Jin replied.

“Hmm, is demon research really that big of a deal? It’s not exactly illegal, even if it’s not something people welcome.”

He let out a short laugh at her innocent remark and agreed, “Technically, no. Demon research isn’t forbidden.”

With that, he began scanning their surroundings and checking the terrain.

“This way,” he said, spotting a familiar rock he had previously used as a landmark.

“Wait for me!” Sisala hurried after him, practically tripping over herself. “How... far is it?”

“Not far,” he replied, quickening his pace as they ventured deeper into the gorge.

They walked in silence for a while before Sisala nudged his shoulder and pointed into the distance. “Oh, there’s a cave over there!”

“That’s not where we’re headed,” he said, not even glancing at the cave.

Instead, he headed in the opposite direction, toward what appeared to be a solid wall of rock. When they reached the wall, Do-Jin pulled out an Enchanted Mysterious Bronze Shard.

Then, he pressed it against the rock wall and began moving it along the surface, searching for the exact spot he needed.

The shard made a grating, screeching sound as it scraped against the rock. It was a noise that could set anyone’s teeth on edge, and it persisted for several long seconds.

Finally, the shard reacted with a low, resonating hum.

A faint pulse of mana rippled through the air, unmistakable to anyone with magical sensitivity. It wasn’t the natural mana of the environment but a carefully crafted magical signal, artificial and deliberate.

“This is the place,” Do-Jin said with certainty.

“Yes, and that must be the key,” Sisala replied.

He gave a slight nod, then added a quiet warning. “This place could be extremely dangerous. It’s an abandoned workshop, and who knows what’s been left behind.”

“I’m prepared for that. Don’t worry,” she said, holding up her Spellcaster’s Dagger with a firm grip.

Satisfied, Do-Jin infused the bronze shard with his mana. Intricate patterns began to glow along its surface, emitting a unique mana signature that resonated with the surrounding environment. The ground about thirty meters away groaned and cracked open, revealing a staircase leading into the earth.

Sisala, who had been expecting the wall itself to open, stared in confusion at the newly revealed entrance far from where they stood.

“I thought the wall would open. Why is the entrance so far away?”

“It’s a security measure. The lock and the entrance are separate. Even if someone finds the physical entrance, they won’t be able to uncover the magical mechanism. And if they try to force it, the entire workshop might collapse or incinerate itself. It’s designed to ensure that even if someone stumbles across it, they won’t be able to loot it.”

Sisala, accustomed to the straightforward studies of the Magic Tower, nodded in admiration at the clever design. However, her awe faded the moment she approached the stairs.

“Ugh!” she exclaimed, recoiling as a powerful stench hit her like a physical blow.

What the hell is that smell?

Do-Jin, taken aback by the intensity of the odor, covered his nose with his sleeve. The stench was far worse than he remembered from his previous life.

Is this what it takes to actually deal with a hidden dungeon?

When he’d come here in his past life, the workshop had already been cleared and turned into a standard instance dungeon. In hindsight, the difference in atmosphere and smell made sense.

“It’s worse than I expected. A normal workshop wouldn’t reek like this. And I don’t think the smell is the only problem we’ll find here...” Do-Jin muttered.

Sisala quickly analyzed the situation, her senses sharpened by years of training as a Yellow Mage of Elthomagia.

“This stench isn’t just a bad smell. It’s the result of mana in the area being corrupted and rotting. That’s what’s causing it,” she said, her expression grim.

Do-Jin didn’t need to investigate or analyze because he already knew what to expect, having prepared for this exact scenario.

“Sisala,” he called, tossing her a bottle of holy water.

“Huh?”

Sisala flinched in surprise as she caught the bottle. She could immediately feel the sacred energy radiating from it.

“This... this is holy water, huh?” she said with surprise.

Do-Jin answered with a nod, taking a sip from his own bottle before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it. Each breath dosed him with the strength he’d need for the battle ahead.

“Drink it. It’ll help, even if only a little,” he said.

“You’re incredibly well-prepared. I only brought things related to magic. I never even thought about holy water,” Sisala admitted, shaking her head.

“That’s the most common mistake mages make. They approach everything with a magical mindset and try to solve every problem with magic alone.”

“Well... I can’t argue with that. Everything I packed is tied to magic in some way. But maybe this will be useful,” she said, hesitantly pulling out a handful of mana stones.

What the hell?

Do-Jin thought, his eyes widening when he realized what she was holding.

These weren’t just ordinary mana stones. They were mana stone

bombs

, modified to overload and explode. Even the cheapest, most defective ones went for at least 100 gold apiece. In other words, throwing just one was like burning through a minimum of ten real-life dollars.

“You bought all of that?” Do-Jin asked, astonished.

“Of course not,” Sisala said, waving her hands. “These are just ones I made myself. I get a small supply of mana stones each month for personal research, so I saved them up and tinkered with them. It took a lot of failed attempts, but after a few months, I managed to make these.”

She spoke as casually as if she were talking about baking cookies, but Do-Jin knew better. Mana stone bombs were not something just anyone could make. Even a Tier 5 Mage would struggle to create one.

The process of ensuring enough “instability” for the stone to explode on impact while maintaining enough “stability” to prevent premature detonation was no small feat.

[F-Rank Mana Stone Bomb]

When Do-Jin picked one up to inspect it, he saw that it wasn’t a failed experiment. It was a legitimate item, complete with an official rank.

So this really is the work of Sisala Omen.

If it had been anyone else, he might have been shocked, but Sisala’s exceptional talent for crafting magical items made this entirely believable.

Investing in Sisala Omen was absolutely the right move. She’s a walking goldmine.

It was invaluable to have a connection with someone as skilled at crafting magic items as her. The blessings of reincarnation and the power of networking proved themselves once again.

To show his gratitude, Do-Jin pulled out thirty bottles of holy water and handed them to Sisala.

“All of this?” she asked, eyes wide.

“We don’t know how long we’ll be in there. You might need it for more than just drinking. Also, I’ll carry half of the mana bombs for you, just in case.”

Naturally, he didn’t forget to claim half of the much-more-valuable mana bombs for himself. It was all because they were comrades, of course, and sharing good things was only fair.

“Uh, sure,” Sisala said, slipping the bottles of holy water into the dimensional storage built into her Elthomagia robe.

Do-Jin nodded. “I’ll take the rear.”

The vanguard position naturally fell to Sisala. Step by step, they descended the staircase, black mist swirling and reforming around their feet with every movement.

Eventually, a notification appeared.

[You have discovered a hidden dungeon: The Magic Workshop Consumed by Evil.]

[As a reward for the first discovery and first entry, Intelligence has increased by 5.]

The notification was accompanied by a sudden shift in the atmosphere, the air becoming heavy and oppressive.

Thud

.

Sisala let out a startled shriek as her foot caught on something. When she looked down, her face paled and she stumbled back in horror. It was the mummified corpse of a child, long dead and shriveled into a husk.

Before Sisala could react further, Do-Jin used Psychokinesis to hurl the corpse down the stairs, having noticed a faint twitch in its twisted grin.

This was no ordinary dungeon.

The Magic Workshop Consumed by Evil was a place where the souls of those sacrificed in a mage’s twisted experiments had festered. Their lingering resentment had given birth to vengeful spirits, and these malevolent beings had turned the workshop into their haven.