Returning to Basics

Yujung’s lips were tightly sealed, yet her face showed no sign of change. Or rather, it was just beginning to shift. Her expression transformed so suddenly that it startled me.

”…Lick.”

Yujung’s pink tongue darted out, gently licking the bloodstains around her lips. Her throat moved as she swallowed, savoring the taste. The dangerous delight in her eyes sent a shiver down my spine.

“Yujung!”

“Huh? Oh, sorry, oppa.”

My urgent shout brought her back to her usual self, but I noticed her right hand trembling slightly. Whether it was from the thrill of tasting blood or the vibration of the Skurep, I couldn’t tell. But seeing her like that weighed heavily on my heart.

I wanted to take the Skurep from her immediately, but there were more pressing matters. I quietly raised my sword, aiming at the remaining enemy. From Ahn Hyun’s direction, I could hear constant explosions, flashes, and screams. I needed to finish off the last one and join the main force to provide support.

Yujung brushed her long hair back and moved behind me. Blood droplets fell, and her hair was soaked with blood, but she seemed unfazed. Using my third eye, I read the Blood Golem’s information and discovered a magic core embedded near its right chest.

“There’s a magic core near the right chest, like a heart in a human. Just reverse the direction and stab. I’ll hold it down, so find your timing and strike.”

“Roger that♪”

Yujung’s response was cute, but it didn’t feel cute at all. Her earlier symptoms reminded me of when I lost Hyun and Soyeong, making me uneasy. After exploring the Cave of Screams, I resolved to have a serious talk with Skurep.

Blood Golems have no sense of kinship, at least not from what I know. But the one emerging from the swamp seemed furious, swinging its bone club wildly and occasionally slamming the ground as if throwing a tantrum.

“Graaaah!”

I thought I heard Yujung urging me from behind, but the creature’s roar drowned it out. I hesitated for a moment, then charged forward.

Whoosh.

I heard the sound of air being sliced and leaped high. As I soared, a refreshing breeze brushed past my feet. I bent my legs slightly, using the passing club as a springboard to propel myself forward again.

Though I told her to find her timing, I intended to give her an immediate opportunity. As the creature’s head came into view, I swung my sword without hesitation.

Bang!

The back of its head exploded, sending a fountain of blood spraying. I was about to shout for Yujung to move in, but she was already in position behind it. She had been waiting for this moment. As the head burst, she leaped with a strange battle cry, stabbing her dagger repeatedly.

Her white katana and the blood-soaked Skurep crossed paths, and the dagger pierced through the chest with ease. The Blood Golem’s head, in the process of regenerating, disintegrated into a bloody mist. The shattering of the magic core had nullified its regenerative abilities.

”…”

Using my third eye, I saw the magic core neatly split in half. It was the swiftest support Yujung had ever provided in our battles.

The Blood Golem’s body began to tremble, showing signs of an impending explosion. This time, I didn’t warn her to move away. I wanted to see how she would handle it.

Yujung dangled from the dagger embedded in its back. But before she could pull it out, the Blood Golem’s body exploded with a loud noise.

Boom! Crackle! Whoosh…

In that final moment, I saw it clearly. As the Blood Golem’s body burst and a rain of blood fell, Yujung calmly closed her eyes. Like a woman standing under a shower, she embraced the blood fountain without hesitation.

To sum up, we managed to take down the remaining three without significant damage. Even after the suppression of the current, Vivian’s lingering magic made them easy to handle. Ahn Hyun even managed to take one down, though it seemed Go Yeonju had secretly helped him.

“Hyung, you did well… huh?”

Ahn Hyun, his face flushed from the battle, started to speak but let out a low gasp upon seeing Yujung behind me. He was splattered with blood too, but not as blatantly as Yujung. Her appearance was truly a sight to behold.

“Huh? What?”

“N-nothing.”

Blood dripped from Yujung’s long hair. She looked as if she had bathed in blood, her entire body soaked. When she asked with a nonchalant face, Ahn Hyun quickly turned away, avoiding her gaze. An Sol did the same.

“An Sol, can you give me something to wipe with?”

“Y-yes, unni. Just a moment.”

“Thanks♬”

Yujung snatched the cloth from An Sol’s hand and began wiping her face and body with a cheerful expression. Ahn Hyun gave me a questioning look, as if asking what had happened, but I just sighed in response. These kids were always causing trouble. The battle itself was successful, so I took solace in the fact that I had bought them clothes with self-cleaning and purification functions.

After some time, as Yujung emerged from the blood-soaked battlefield, we quickly regrouped. The caravan debated whether to deal with the Blood Golem’s corpses. Yujung suggested dissecting them to extract the magic cores, but it was a futile argument.

“Well, Blood Golems are a type of undead. The magic cores inside are likely filled with malice. Is it worth the trouble to take them?”

“Besides, what would you do with a split magic core? You’ve already split two.”

Go Yeonju and I persuaded her, and she let out a disappointed sigh. Before the battle, I might have thought, ‘At least she’s starting to voice her opinions for the caravan’s sake.’ But once you start seeing things in a negative light, it’s hard to stop. A girl who once spat in disgust now wanted to dissect them up close.

With the discussion concluded, we resumed our march. As we passed through the blood-soaked remains of the Blood Golems and entered a long corridor, the dark cave welcomed us once more. The three mages cast Light spells to push back the pitch-black darkness.

“Hyung, Yujung’s words reminded me of something.”

Ahn Hyun sidled up to me, speaking cautiously. I nodded for him to continue, and he spoke slowly.

“The Cave of Screams is filled with undead. If there’s nothing to gain, aren’t the rewards from this dungeon minimal?”

“Not at all. In fact, there might be more to gain from a place like this.”

I shook my head firmly, and Ahn Hyun looked puzzled. As we walked through the quiet corridor, his voice echoed softly. The others must have heard him, as a gentle voice chimed in.

“Think about the entrance. The wraith statues and the magical circle in the clearing. Do you still think this Cave of Screams is a naturally formed cave?”

“Even if we concede the cave itself, the undead and mechanisms we’ve encountered suggest human involvement. It might have been used as a secret facility. We might find traces of its inhabitants as we go deeper.”

Whose daughters are they to be so smart? They really are sharp. I didn’t voice this thought, but they had said everything I wanted to. As Ha Yeon elaborated, Ahn Hyun finally seemed to understand, nodding vigorously.

I tried to estimate the distance we had covered so far. If we assume the entire cave is a 10, the clearing with the magic circle was a 2. Since then, we had traveled about 2 more. We had taken an unexpected break at a clearing, but our original first rest stop, , was at a distance of 5. And there…

“Heh heh.”

“Whoa, what’s up with you all of a sudden, bro? You scared me.”

“Oh, it’s nothing.”

The thought made me chuckle involuntarily. It was something I had only recently recalled. At distance point <5>, the item I was after was the Chaos Mimic. The Chaos Mimic was arguably the ultimate treasure chest in the whole plane. Of course, it varied case by case, but the thrill of prying open that tightly shut box and seeing what it would yield was undeniable. It was like the excitement before a lottery draw. In my first attempt, I couldn’t capture it and had to watch it escape into chaos, but now I could finally settle that score.

In reality, capturing a Chaos Mimic was extremely rare. Finding one was hard enough, but capturing and opening it was even more challenging. If things went wrong, it could escape through a passage inside the box, or if forced, it could swallow you into its chaos. However, I had Hwajeong. I had promised not to overuse it, but the Chaos Mimic was worth using Hwajeong for, overflowing with value.

Moreover, if my memory served me right, there were three such chests in the room. Honestly, when I chose my perks or decided on my first destination, I hadn’t considered this. It hadn’t crossed my mind back then.

But now, with the ability to capture it, I wouldn’t let it slip away meaninglessly like before. Ignoring a guaranteed treasure chest just because it was a bit risky would be foolish.

That said, I wasn’t rushing our march. While I was excited, I was still exploring the cave thoroughly from the perspective of a year-zero user. I was also considering backup plans in case the path was wrong or the room wasn’t there.

During the remaining distance of 1, we had to fight another group of undead. This time, they were Bone Knights and Bone Soldiers, so the battle was relatively manageable.

After defeating them, we faced another fork in the road. There were two paths: one veered sharply to the left, and the other curved gently to the right. To reach point 5, we needed to take the right curve. After a moment of sensing, I called out to Ansol, who was in the middle of casting a spell.

“Yes, brother? Did you call me?”

Ansol, who had been healing Ahn Hyun’s wound from the Bone Knight’s sword, quickly came over when I called.

Speaking so demurely, yet she had said those things back then. I cleared my throat a couple of times and lifted her up, setting her down at the fork. She looked surprised, her eyes wide, but soon understood my intention and closed her eyes quietly.

After a brief moment, Ansol opened her eyes with an uncertain expression. She reached out to grab my collar, and I leaned back slightly as I spoke.

“Do you really have to hold onto my collar?”

“Aw, don’t dodge. Why are you avoiding me? If I think alone, I don’t want to go either way. But if I hold onto you, we can think together…”

“Hmm?”

I couldn’t ignore what she just said, so I let her grab my collar. It wasn’t wrong, after all. Ansol, being timid, had shown actions based on luck that didn’t quite match her personal inclinations. This meant she had been considering me all along. I decided to remember her words as they might be a valuable clue for researching her luck ability in the future.

With my collar in her grasp, Ansol confidently pointed her finger down the right curve.

---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=

Hello, this is Royujin.

Yes, a new April has begun. And with it, a new Monday, making it a truly Royu-royu(?) day. Haha. It seems my daily rhythm has changed lately. I used to be a morning person, full of energy in the morning, but now I feel more energized in the evening. :D

『 Reader Replies 』

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