Chapter 962. Results (1)

I was kind of surprised.

I thought I'd find nothing but useless documents. Clearly, I was mistaken, as we picked up this item as well. It was just more than a hint on how to clear the dungeon. It could actually affect our strategy.

I had no idea how to use it or if it was just exactly what it seemed, but it was very useful.

[Underground Gathering Invitation]

‘Can I consider it as a way to travel back in time?’

I wasn’t sure exactly when the gathering had taken place, but if this was an invitation to a gathering in the past, then it would have a direct effect on the raid. The attendees of this gathering...

‘They're probably the named bosses of the Cozy Sanctuary...’

I could attend the gathering and find out more information about the named bosses before we actually encountered them. That way, we'd be able to categorize them and make the appropriate preparations to face them.

I'd also be able to make a map of the dungeon and find out the exact clear conditions.

I might be able to locate more hidden bosses and perhaps even easter eggs.

‘This is the key.’

Of course, we could clear the dungeon without using it, as the same thing had happened at the Cursed Shrine. Defeating the hidden boss, Gedric, was a prerequisite, but we still managed to clear the dungeon by defeating Juliena.

In other words, the Underground Gathering Invitation was a key to one of the endings.

“I don’t think I need to use it right now.”

It was only right for me to use this, as I already had it in my mind, but I felt worried about the idea of actually using it.

After all, even a child would know how the people here would react if I were to suddenly disappear in this mysterious dungeon.

It wouldn't matter if the flow of time there was different from the flow of time here, but things would become problematic otherwise.

Kim Hyun-Sung's mental illness would activate once again. Jung Ha-Yan and the other guild members would surely become anxious, thinking that Gelk's remarks about the so-called "advent of the saint" were actually true.

The strike squad's mood would get ruined, and Kim Hyun-Sung would cry and kick up a big fuss.

He had already recognized his problems and had resolved to overcome them step by step instead of running away from them.

Kim Hyun-Sung’s mental health was really important.

If he crumbled down again, I wouldn't be able to see him live a healthy life. He'd live a paranoid life, and his nightmare would become even more outrageous. There was also a chance that it'd become something bizarre and terrifying at the same time.

‘This is ridiculous... It'll be really problematic.’

Unfortunately, I couldn't tell him about this. And it wasn't just that—I couldn't tell anyone else as well, as I would not be satisfied with sending someone else to participate in my stead.

If this were a religious event instead of a social gathering, I'd send someone else, but the implications of the event were clear, so I would never be satisfied unless the participant was either myself, Commander Jin, or Ji-Hye noona.

If I handed over the invitation to Kim Hyun-Sung...

‘U-u-u-um, I’m Kim... Hyun-Sung. It’s nice to meet you. That's the end of it.’

The first thing I needed to find out was the difficulty of this dungeon. It would be great if the expedition remained as smooth as it was right now, but we had to be prepared for a difficulty spike.

"Commander."

— ...

"Commander? I’m sorry for asking this all of a sudden... but what do you think about this dungeon?"

— ...

"Hey, Commander."

— ...

"I’ll give you the supplies you want, so say something, will you? I’m telling you this in case you’re suspicious of me, but I didn’t reject your request to make you look bad. I mean, just think about it. Isn't it strange to drink beer and rum inside a dungeon?"

— It’s the duty of the commander to praise his hardworking soldiers. I wasn’t going to drink alcohol myself, you idiot. And I'm the commander here, so I’m the one who gets to decide whether we're safe enough to do something or not.

— I'm actually here, after all, unlike a certain someone who has been sitting comfortably in a palanquin and has been doing nothing but sip on wine.

‘He sounds a bit bitter and downtrodden.'

'I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look happy, but he looks even more downtrodden than usual. I had an idea why he looks like that.'

‘They're really fast at clearing floors.’

Commander Jin and his strike squad cleared the sixth and seventh floors while we were resting, so they were

really

fast.

I was sure he motivated everyone by saying that they'd take a break after clearing the eighth floor, and he'd prepare drinks and meat for everyone to consume as gratitude for their hard work.

All of a sudden, I recalled a certain general's line in a drama I had watched a few times before.

In the end, they reached the eighth floor and fulfilled their goal, but the drinks and meat that he had promised did not arrive.

The headquarters did not send the supplies that he had requested, and it wasn't like he could make liquor and meat out of nothing. Inevitably, the soldiers would lose morale, and their trust in their commander would go down.

"Looks like there's a misunderstanding between us."

— Misunderstanding? Are you seriously...

"Ah, I’m

really

not trying to bring you down."

'Just kidding, I'm trying to bring you down.'

"I’ll send out the requested supplies with some reinforcement, so just relax in that safe zone. I'm a commander as well, so I can’t just stand by and ignore Commander Jin's request when he has contributed a lot to the expedition

"I’ll give you whatever you want, so tell me what you want."

— Just keep your word and send those supplies.

"Yes, of course. But what do you really think about this dungeon, Commander? I want to know what you think about the difficulty."

— ...

"..."

— I don’t know what kind of answer you’re looking for.

"What?"

— If I tell you that the difficulty is low, will you not work as hard? Dumbass.

"What are you saying all of a sudden?"

— There’s no such thing as a

safe

expedition. We have to always move while thinking about the worst-case scenario. Otherwise, those with faith in you will die, you incompetent fool.

"..."

"You no longer sound bitter."

— ...

— Just think about the desperate times you spent in a dungeon back then, and you’ll realize how stupid your question is.

'Stop criticizing your rival with those cliched lines, man. You’re losing, anyway, so why so serious?'

"I understand what you’re saying."

— Keep your promise.

"I will."

—

Ah!

I’m in the lead with 1,000 points, by the way.

'See, this idiot is really evil. He sees people as nothing more than chess pieces, but I understand what he’s trying to say.'

Of course, a few casualties were inevitable, but they were basically honorable deaths.

Personally, there were times when I thought he'd become a bit more open-minded, but it was more like he became relaxed upon taking care of all of his tasks and completing his homework.

The Mole Saint’s Cozy Sanctuary was not an ordinary dungeon, but it wasn’t as dangerous as the Outer Gods War or the Continental War. Spirit Gelk was too easy for a hidden boss, and the competent members were taking care of their tasks without me giving out any orders.

It was pretty systematic.

It felt like Commander Jin had spouted a bunch of nonsense over some supplies, so I got annoyed. However, his words were worth considering.

Anyway, I decided to open another item.

[Templar Training Experimental Report]

What was this one like?

The Templars were weakening because the Mole Saint was weakening. The Templars tried their best to preserve their powers through various means, but they couldn't stop the loss of power.

I had no idea why, but the majority of the Templars had lost all of their powers.

They could no longer fight demons like they used to do, and they had been reduced to mere ordinary holy knights. Only eight Templars managed to stop their power from disappearing along with the Mole Saint's power.

They were worried, but they were not worried about the continent.

When their numbers dwindled to seven, they gathered and consumed the Mole Saint's blood. The results were promising, but some of them could not handle the Mole Saint's immense power and died.

In the end, only four of them remained, and they were the chosen ones.

Yeah, they thought they only managed to come this far because they were the chosen.

The power that Mole Saint's blood had bestowed upon them was a unique power, entirely different from the power they had prior to drinking the Mole Saint's blood, and they all believed that they deserved it.

Only four had the power that the Templars desired, so they definitely felt like they were gods—no, they were definitely gods at the time. Unfortunately, the Templars became old. It was unknown whether it was due to a side effect from drinking her blood or not, but the four Templars became old.

One of them was worried, seemingly afraid of returning to dust, but the Mole Saint’s power weakened, and they quickly grew old.

One of them was worried about the continent upon their deaths, and he said that they needed to train new Templars and successors to follow in their footsteps. He brought over a child from the Order and made him drink the Mole Saint’s blood.

However, the child died. He could not handle the Mole Saint’s diluted blood.

One of them wanted to be free. He had accepted the fact that he had gotten old, but couldn’t let go of his yearning of wanting to live the life he wanted to live. He argued that the key figures of the Order on the surface had to be protected.

It seemed that he really valued his life.

I'm scared and nervous as well. I'm scared of death, and it's heartbreaking that I'm going to die before I can witness the end. I want to live forever. I want to keep living—omitted.

As the years passed, an anxious Templar remarked, “Why are we growing old? Our powers are so strong and glorious, so why are our fleshly bodies so weak?

The soul and the body are separate.

The body is nothing but a vessel that carries our soul, which contains our essence.

The Templar, who longed for freedom, was puzzled, but I understood what the anxious Templar was trying to say.

Our body is nothing more than a vessel for our soul. If we can find a vessel suitable for us, then we can have eternal life. And we can once again...

The next report is about our test subjects... who may hopefully become our vessels...

“

AAAH!

”

“

Ah—

shit! You scared me!” I exclaimed and turned to where the scream had come from.

I saw Kasugano Yuno looking at me with pitch-black eyes, and her eyes reflected the figures of Kim Hyun-Sung, Jung Ha-Yan, and the Blue Guild members. Shockingly, each and every one of them was... headless.

“It’s dangerous, Master,” Kasugano Yuno said.

“...”

“It’s dangerous,” Kasugano Yuno repeated.

It was a ridiculous sight.