The Dungeon's Hidden Treachery
The entrance to the dungeon was completed at precisely the same moment.
A thick column of dark smoke rose toward the sky from the signal flares at the four entrances, serving as the signal for all parties to enter the dungeon simultaneously.
As expected, the entrance on the side where Irene was located had Irene and Michael at the forefront.
Due to its unstable nature, the entrance continued to change shape as they approached.
Having already experienced this once, Irene now entered without even blinking her eyes, grasping Michael's hand and stepping forward.
As they passed through the vibrant, multicolored lights that filled her vision, a wave of lightheadedness washed over her, accompanied by an entirely different atmosphere welcoming her.
Soon after, the other pairs continued to enter as well.
Confirming that everyone had safely entered the dungeon, Irene repeated the instructions she had given outside.
“Before entering, remember the map drawn by the Eye of Exploration? From now on, we will proceed quickly into the depths.”
Before long, Irene had naturally taken the lead in directing everyone.
At first, she had considered handing this position over to Michael or another knight, or to Reina or Cynthia.
But when they gathered their opinions, they all insisted it was Irene's place.
Irene had refused, but they simply refused her refusal in return.
Thinking she would have to manage it temporarily at least, she began to realize that whenever something happened, everyone naturally came to her.
‘It feels good to be trusted, but it's also a burden.’
The reason she could lead others with such confidence was because of her memories from her past life.
But just as with the transparent ring, if the changes from that time prevent her from delivering the desired outcome for everyone, she would disappoint them once more...
“Irene.”
At that moment, Michael called out to her, tightening his grip on the hand he held.
“It will be fine. Don't worry.”
It was a strange sensation.
The anxiety had been kept only in her heart, yet he spoke the words she needed right then, as if he had read her mind.
Soon, the knights formed a protective formation around the purifiers, with bulky defenders at the front and agile attackers flanking the sides.
“This way.”
Irene led them, glancing at the map created by the Eye of Exploration.
***
The dungeon, spanning several mountain peaks, was far larger in area than anyone had anticipated.
“Here... this seems even bigger inside than outside.”
Reina looked up at the ceiling of the dungeon with an expression of pure wonder.
At first, she had doubted it, but the deeper they went, the more Irene agreed with her.
Although the darkness made it impossible to judge the exact distance to the end, she felt as if they were walking a longer path than they had estimated from the outside.
“Oh!”
The knight in front suddenly pointed to a spot ahead. There, a wooden box typically found in reward rooms sat waiting.
“A box!”
They had yet to encounter any monsters, yet the first reward was already a box. The knight's excitement knew no bounds as he raced toward it.
Just as he bent to pick it up, a sharp sound of air slicing cut through the air.
A dagger flew and stuck directly in front of his feet.
The startled knight froze in place, turning to see the source of the attack. The box from moments ago, which had lain quietly on the floor, suddenly sprang upright by itself and popped open its lid.
In a normal box, the contents would reveal the interior along with whatever was inside. Instead, rows of terrifyingly sharp teeth gleamed back at them.
“Biting Box!”
The moment Irene called out its name, Michael shot forward, kicking the box away from the knight who had been about to be devoured.
Kwa-jik!
The box shattered where it landed from Michael's kick.
Along with splinters of wood, dark monster blood sprayed into the air.
Michael wiped the blood from his face and turned to the unmoving knight.
“Unstable dungeons often have boxes scattered throughout, but you shouldn't touch them right away. There are cases where monsters hide their presence, just like moments ago.”
“Y-yes!”
The knight nodded frantically, having realized how close he had come to death moments ago.
He had known about the biting box, but it was a monster no one had ever seen in hundreds of years.
So he had never expected it.
The knight reached out to touch the clean cut on his clothes where the teeth had grazed him. It was as if a blade had sliced through perfectly.
If he had been even a moment later, his wrist would have been sliced clean off.
The relaxed atmosphere vanished in an instant, replaced by a heavy, taut tension.
***
Two hours later.
“The box is so heavy!”
Reina excitedly carried a large wooden box forward and placed it in front of Irene before opening it.
The box, which Michael and Felix had checked multiple times before, burst forth with brilliant golden light the moment it opened.
“Gold!”
“It's pure gold!”
The gathered group let out cheers of excitement as they peered into the contents.
During those two hours, the party had encountered monsters three times.
Under Michael's guidance and the map, the knights moved swiftly, defeating the monsters without issue.
The only injury was a single knight's arm scratched by a monster's claw.
His purifier had purified the wound and demonic energy instantly, leaving no trace behind.
The first reward box they discovered was even more generous than expected.
“Come on, let's keep going to the end!”
Their voices rang with renewed strength after checking the rewards.
The slow pace quickened once more.
After walking for quite some time, they reached a vast square, likely the central hub of the dungeon.
Besides the path they had entered by, this square connected to several other routes.
“This is strange. I thought another raid party would have passed through before us, but there's no trace left.”
Upon hearing her words, Michael and the other knights scanned their surroundings. Indeed, no footprints remained on the sandy ground.
No one else had arrived here yet.
“Perhaps it connects to another path... For now, let's take a short break here.”
Some purifiers showed signs of fatigue during the walk. They also had to recount the rewards and make accurate records.
The group gathered in a circle and shared simple snacks.
Irene opened her backpack to retrieve an apple and tilted her head for a moment.
‘Why is this here?’
The items she had placed inside were all there.
Except for the one she hadn't.
‘Why is this dagger here?’
The blade, which had failed to be recognized properly, lay in an old, worn-out dagger.
It had been inside her bag.
She had no memory of placing it there. And no one else would have either, since she had wrapped it in cloth and stored it in the drawer only days earlier.
But now the cloth was nowhere to be seen, and only the dagger remained.
‘Did I bring it along on a whim?’
It wasn't surprising.
If the ring had been acting on its own, this dagger having a mind of its own was nothing to wonder at.
‘There must be a reason for it to have followed me.’
There was no need for it right now, so she would leave it as is... but she hoped it would never be needed again.
Irene took the apple and nibbled on it thoughtfully, considering what to do next.
‘They've already secured one of the expected reward boxes... If we go a little further, there should be another decent one. We need to go look for that next.’
She had assumed another raid party had passed through that path and would take it, but if they hadn't arrived here yet, she could claim it first.
‘This time, I really need to earn some money.’
Thinking of the remaining debt made the apple feel heavy on her tongue.
Despite receiving endless rewards unlike before, she was still poor. Why was that?
‘If the kingdom hadn't supported my lodging, I would have been in real trouble.’
If no support had come, what would she have done?
Borrowing money from Reina or Cynthia was an option, but she preferred not to ask for help unless absolutely necessary.
‘Maybe I could have gone to the temple.’
Suddenly, Michael's room at the temple came to mind.
It had been a simple, modest space, yet oddly, Irene had found it quite comforting.
‘He probably would have given me a room if I asked.’
Would that have meant she could see him more often?
The thought froze her in place with guilt.
She was even considering seeing him more often inside the temple.
‘If the gods are watching, I'll be struck by lightning.’
Fortunately, this was a dungeon. The walls of the unknown cave seemed to shield her from the gods' gaze.
Everyone gradually finished their snacks and began tidying up.
“Michael. Could you check the path on that side? If possible, I would appreciate it if you could confirm how far the other parties have come.”
Irene pointed toward the path leading to the box.
She wanted to know how far the other raid had progressed along this route.
“Understood.”
Leaving most of the knights behind, he took two others and headed along the path Irene had chosen.
And after some time...
“We have a serious problem!”
One of the knights who had accompanied Michael ran over with a deathly pale face and shouted.
“The other raid party has been wiped out!”