Levelling Up In An Exclusive Dungeon

The woman before Kang Jin-hyuk was more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen.

Noticing the piercing gaze on her, she frowned.

“What are you staring at?”

Realizing that his actions were rude, Kang Jin-hyuk quickly averted his eyes.

Maintaining an awkward gaze, he asked her,

“Excuse me, but… are you an elf?”

Though it seemed like an odd question, it wasn’t entirely strange considering there were dwarves in this dungeon, meaning elves could exist here as well.

The reaction from her regarding his inquiry was neither a yes nor a no.

“Half right. I’m a half-elf.”

She explained that although she somewhat resembled an elf in appearance, her eating habits and lifestyle were no different from humans.

“You must have heard of the half-elf named Lucia, right?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Really? I thought I was somewhat of a celebrity.”

Feeling awkward, Lucia scratched her cheek bashfully.

After speaking proudly about herself, she felt the embarrassment come as a counter-reaction.

“Anyway, that’s my name. I’m a platinum-ranked adventurer.”

With her self-introduction, she showed off a platinum medal adorned with lavish decorations.

Kang Jin-hyuk didn’t know what that meant.

But seeing that it was made of precious platinum, it was evidently something extraordinary, so he pretended to be impressed.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

“… If you’re going to act, at least do it properly.”

With a sigh, Lucia tucked the medal back into her cloak.

“Even though not knowing my name is one thing, if you don’t even know what this mark signifies, you’re definitely not from around here.”

“I told you already; I’m from a different world than yours.”

Lucia became intrigued upon hearing Kang Jin-hyuk’s remarks.

“How different are we talking about?”

“For one, the language used is completely different.”

“But we’re communicating just fine, aren’t we?”

“That’s probably thanks to this.”

Kang Jin-hyuk pulled the necklace he wore from under his clothes to show it to her.

Once Lucia saw it, her expression crinkled immediately.

“Is that perhaps made by the old dwarf living upstairs?”

“Oh? Do you know him?”

“Well, I do know him…”

Lucia said with a somewhat uncomfortable tone, her expression revealing her displeasure.

“Don’t get too involved with that dwarf. It’ll only wear you out.”

“Why’s that?”

“Why, you ask? When you meet him, he hurls insults at you like you’re his sworn enemy.”

Kang Jin-hyuk felt strange upon hearing that.

“While he may curse a bit, it’s not that severe.”

“It’s because you’re human. For me, just having half-elf blood is enough to get bombarded with all kinds of trash talk and curses…”

As Lucia recalled the events from the past, her face began to redden with pent-up rage.

Just before she could go off spewing more complaints about the dwarf, she noticed she had strayed from the topic at hand and managed to restrain herself.

Taking deep breaths, Lucia worked to calm the agitation that had been bubbling up.

“Anyway, the fact that we can’t communicate isn’t really an issue. We can use magic for that.”

“In the world I live in, there’s no such thing as magic. There aren’t any elves like you either.”

Technically speaking, it was a ‘half-elf,’ but given the situation, commenting on such a minor detail was unnecessary.

Lucia’s circular eyes displayed doubt about the credibility of what she was hearing.

“No elves? Then how do you know about them?”

“Well… I guess I could say I read it in a book…”

“A race that appears in books doesn’t actually exist in reality? Is it extinct or something?”

“Well, I’m not sure…”

Kang Jin-hyuk found himself at a loss for how to explain.

How could there be such accurate descriptions of a race that existed in another world?

He felt the urge to ask fantasy novel authors directly.

While Kang Jin-hyuk was mumbling to himself and hesitating, Lucia began piecing together the situation in her own mind.

‘They must have existed long ago if they were recorded in books. If they find out elves are showing up again, that could be a disaster.’

Lucia imagined being captured by researchers from another realm.

After rediscovering an extinct race, she felt certain that a barrage of experiments and investigations would follow.

As these thoughts built in her mind, she felt her face grow darker and shuddered, shaking her head.

“I suppose going outside now might be out of the question. It seems too dangerous.”

Lucia instinctively thought about her safety and decided against venturing outside impulsively.

Although there should be a need to go out for research at some point, she thought it might require more preparation.

“Anyway, there is a dimension connected to this dungeon, right?”

“That’s right…”

Though it wasn’t completely known, seeing it connected to an attic suggested that this dungeon was not a sealed-off location.

Lucia heard Kang Jin-hyuk’s words and relaxed, her tension visibly easing.

“Thank goodness. So that madman wizard’s spell succeeded.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“What do you mean? There’s a crazy guy who sent this dungeon flying to your dimension.”

Kang Jin-hyuk gazed at Lucia, eyes wide in shock.

“Is it possible to go back right away?”

“I need to investigate a bit further before I can tell. I came here with that purpose in mind.”

“What’s here?”

“There’s a hidden place cut off from the outside.”

“A hidden place?”

“Yes, it’s somewhere I just discovered recently.”

After finishing her sentence, Lucia stared intently at Kang Jin-hyuk.

Feeling overwhelmed by her sudden gaze, he instinctively took a step back.

“You seem like you could be useful, so why don’t you help me?”

“Help you? With what?”

“Catching the boss monster.”

“A boss monster?!”

Hearing the term ‘boss monster’ instantly made Kang Jin-hyuk’s mouth water.

Boss monsters were significantly stronger than others of the same level, often several times over.

Though they were challenging to hunt, the rewards were enticing, causing hunters to eagerly seek them out.

Lucia noticed the glimmer in Kang Jin-hyuk’s eyes and realized he had taken the bait.

“I could handle it alone, but there are many trivial creatures along the way, which is a bit tedious.”

“So you want me to deal with the leftover ones?”

Lucia smiled, finding his prompt understanding admirable.

“If you help me with the investigation, I’ll reward you. What do you think?”

It was an offer with no reason to refuse.

Lucia’s abilities had been proven to Kang Jin-hyuk, and he thought he would learn more about her goals by accompanying her.

“Alright. I’ll help.”

“Good, that’s how it should be.”

* * *

After promising to cooperate, Lucia led the way into the inner depths of the maze and into the temple.

At the center of the crumbling sanctuary stood a shattered statue of a goddess, arms broken.

When Lucia pushed aside the statue resembling Venus, a hidden staircase was revealed beneath it.

“You’re quite strong.”

“Did you just compliment me on that?”

Lucia wore a sulky expression and descended the stairs first.

Following behind, Kang Jin-hyuk was amazed to see such a spacious area underground the temple.

Rows of knightly statues lined the walls, and the walls were adorned with ornate designs.

It was indeed a fitting place for a boss monster to hide.

“The boss is just ahead, right?”

“No, we need to walk further. It’s more spacious than you’d think.”

“Further, as in 1-2 hours?”

“A full day.”

“What?! You’re telling me this is no mere meandering?”

“It takes time because many monsters will appear along the way. Plus, there are additional steps to deal with.”

Given that it was a boss monster, it was natural to expect considerable effort to encounter it.

Considering the time required for hunting, Lucia explained how the hunt might take longer than anticipated.

Having momentarily been shocked, Kang Jin-hyuk’s mind began to accept the situation positively.

“Well, since I came here to level up, I suppose it’ll work out.”

He had fully prepared for a lengthy stay in the dungeon and wouldn’t go hungry.

“But how do you know all this? Have you been here before?”

“I came here two days before being transported to another dimension.”

“Then why are you back now…?”

“There’s a high chance that the spell the wizard left has remained here.”

Kang Jin-hyuk could only pray that whatever it was, it wouldn’t impede Lucia’s aim to revert the dungeon to its original dimension.

* * *

As they continued moving toward the boss monster, the skills Lucia displayed were truly astounding.

Suddenly drawing her bow alone, every time she released an arrow, at least two monsters fell lifeless.

Even armored monsters fared no better.

Lucia’s arrows precisely targeted gaps in the armor, piercing vital points.

The monsters had no means to block arrows flying from unseen distances.

Had it not been for the enhancements of the enchantments, Kang Jin-hyuk would have failed to notice that Lucia was even shooting.

It would have been ideal if he could depend on her entirely, but regrettably, arrows were not infinite.

Although she retrieved intact arrows to reuse, due to their nature, recovering 100% of those shot was impossible.

Lucia had only ten arrows remaining when she drew her rapier from her waist.

“From now on, you’ll need to help. I want to save arrows for the boss.”

“Leave it to me.”

Kang Jin-hyuk confidently stepped forward, feeling an urge to put his plan into action after only watching Lucia up to this point.

The opponent was a ghoul, half-rotted even if it wore armor.

Despite being no better than a skeleton, handling it wouldn’t be difficult.

“Ha!”

Kang Jin-hyuk confidently smashed his bat against the incoming ghoul’s head.

The ghoul’s skull crumbled with a satisfying crack under the impact of his bat.

Unlike skeletons, ghouls couldn’t move once their heads were destroyed.

While the stats had seen significant improvements, in this regard, they were easier to deal with than skeletons.

“Not bad.”

Though the ghoul’s armor appeared decent, it was made of high-quality iron.

Crushing it in one blow was no simple feat.

While an ordinary person might have thought it was Kang Jin-hyuk’s strength, Lucia perceived it differently.

“That bat, did the dwarf enhance it?”

“Did you know that?”

“Yeah, he boasted about it when I visited last time.”

A weapon made of orichalcum that had been enchanted by a dwarf was something anyone would covet.

For that reason, Kang Jin-hyuk worried that Lucia might be tempted by his baseball bat.

Sensing his concerns, Lucia smiled as if she could read his mind.

“Don’t worry. I’ve heard it’s bound to you, so I won’t try to take it.”

“That means if it wasn’t bound, you would’ve considered it?”

“Of course. It’s worth a fortune.”

What was scarier was Lucia’s candid admission while maintaining her smile.

It seemed she hadn’t learned the concept of telling white lies for polite conversation.

“….”

Ever since hearing that, Kang Jin-hyuk felt uneasy, worrying that she might find a way to access his belongings.

He cautiously edged forward, keeping a wary eye on her.

Feeling Kang Jin-hyuk’s glances directed toward her, Lucia internally chuckled.

‘What a cute guy.’

A platinum-ranked adventurer was not merely a sign of strength but also an emblem of trust.

Having never committed even small crimes, it was a certificate granted only to virtuous adventurers, allowing her to use it as an identification even in her world.

Despite being transported to another realm along with the dungeon, Lucia had no intentions of compromising that trust.

The platinum badge was a proud title representing her adventurer life.

However, Kang Jin-hyuk, unaware of this background, remained suspicious that Lucia might actually target his belongings.

His behavior, resembling that of a frightened rabbit, piqued her sadistic side.

“I’m feeling rather curious now.”

“What do you mean?”

“That bat of yours. If you were to die, would the binding effect remain?”

“… I think I’ll handle things on my own from here.”

“Hahaha, I’m just joking, don’t get so scared.”

As Kang Jin-hyuk hurriedly moved ahead, Lucia quickly followed him.

As they walked briskly, barely distinguishing between running and walking, Lucia suddenly yanked Kang Jin-hyuk back.

“Gah!”

The sudden grab tightened around his neck, making him cough as he turned to look back.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m not trying to kill you, so relax and take a look at this.”

Lucia pointed to a large door.

The door decorated with a lion motif looked foreboding.

“What’s this? Have we arrived already?”

“No, this is the first step toward meeting the boss monster.”

“The first step…? What does that mean?”

“We need to defeat the one guarding the seal beyond this door.”

In short, it was a mini-boss.

Lucia pulled out an arrow from her quiver, determined to finish this in one go.

“I want to end it in one shot, so once the door opens, dash ahead.”

“You’re not shooting from the back, right?”

“That could also work, but I won’t do that right now. There are still many tasks left to tackle alone.”

“That’s a relief.”

Lucia pulled back her bowstring as she signaled Kang Jin-hyuk with her gaze, prompting him to throw open the door with all his might.

As the heavy door swung aside, a magical circle glowing in blue light and a golem fashioned in the form of a knight awaited them.

“Now!”

Before Lucia’s command finished, Kang Jin-hyuk charged at the golem.

The golem swung its massive sword toward the approaching intruder.

However, the arrow shot by Lucia flew faster than the two-meter blade.

Her arrow found its target, embedding itself in the golem’s joint.

As the golem stumbled awkwardly, Kang Jin-hyuk instinctively understood what he had to do.

His gaze honed in on the core embedded in the center of the golem’s chest.