Chapter Title: The Starting Dungeon
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Jeon Yeol understood Lemonia's words.
Ignorant babies act purely on instinct.
Even if a three-year-old accidentally hurled the knife they were holding and hurt someone, you couldn't blame the child.
That baby had no idea it would injure a person.
It was just an innocent action, yet it ended up wounding others and drawing blood.
Lemonia was saying that Demonnia had fallen into that exact state.
"That's why we need people to stop my sister even more. Will you join me?"
Jeon Yeol looked into Lemonia's eyes.
They brimmed with words she still wanted to say—words she needed to say.
But Lemonia kept her mouth shut.
They weren't things Jeon Yeol needed to hear right now.
He sensed it too.
Lemonia stepped closer and extended her hand.
Jeon Yeol took it without a second thought.
Every passing minute, Earth hurtled toward its doomed future.
In that case, he had to do something.
If even a sliver of hope appeared, he had to seize it.
"I'll join you."
"You've made the right choice."
Lemonia smiled radiantly.
Then, just as his mind began to fade, the world around him crumbled away with a rumble.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
It felt like he'd only dozed off for a moment.
When Jeon Yeol came to, the pristine white space was gone. He lay sprawled in a stone chamber carved from rock.
A chill seeped up from the stone floor.
He bolted upright and scanned his surroundings.
The room was completely sealed on all sides, with not a single ray of light entering—yet it was strangely bright.
Then, letters engraved themselves into one of the walls.
Jeon Yeol read them.
⚔ DUNGEON INFO ⚔ Type: Dungeon Name: Starting Dungeon (B1F 20) Objective: Exterminate Big Rats Time Limit: None Bonus: Revive once upon death Success: Exterminate Big Rats Failure: Two deaths Success Reward: 100 Rings Failure Penalty: Adventurer qualification revoked
"Big Rat? What's that?"
As he muttered to himself, a clear yet rigid woman's voice echoed in his mind.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ I'm Faye, the dungeon guide. I'll provide basic information to a beginner adventurer embarking on their quest to earn Master's qualification. You already know why you're here and your purpose, so pass. You know what to do here, so pass.
It was irritating how she promised info but skipped everything.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Remember one thing: Two deaths in the Starting Dungeon will count as mission failure. This means revocation of your adventurer qualification.
Humanity had repelled the first alien invasion with their existing weapons.
But the second wave was at least twice as strong as the first.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Providing basic weapon.
At Faye's words, a small cluster of light appeared in midair.
It coalesced into a slender long sword.
Jeon Yeol reached out and gripped the floating blade.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ That is the standard sword given to first-time dungeon entrants. You may use it or not—it's up to the adventurer. How you fight the monsters is your choice. The sole rule here: Exterminate all monsters without dying twice.
"Monsters? Beasts?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Sending out one Big Rat for testing.
Clunk!
Suddenly, a hole opened in the ceiling.
A rat the size of an adult's forearm dropped through.
Thud!
"Squeeeak!"
The Big Rat, having landed on its back, writhed in agony.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Exterminate it.
Before Faye even finished, Jeon Yeol was already charging at the Big Rat.
Ever since the alien invasions, any lifeform outside his common sense triggered instant hostility.
The third invading alien race had spewed a purple, foul-smelling liquid that mutated every creature it touched.
They grew to absurd sizes, sprouted extra heads, or herbivores turned carnivorous.
All mutated animals became ferociously aggressive.
They attacked anything alive on sight.
And every one carried poison, making them a real threat to humans.
After that third invasion, humans killed first and asked questions never if anything seemed off.
Jeon Yeol was one of them.
The Big Rat's unnaturally massive size was more than enough to ignite his killing intent.
He closed in on the still-thrashing Big Rat and swung his sword.
But...
Clang!
"Urk!"
The blade struck not the rat, but the innocent stone floor.
The only swords Jeon Yeol had ever handled were kitchen knives and daggers.
The unfamiliar weapon became a hindrance.
As he fumbled, the Big Rat shook off the impact, flipped over, and stood.
It sharpened its claws and leaped at his face.
"Squeak!"
"Tch!"
Jeon Yeol dodged the attack.
The Big Rat sailed past, landed behind him, and charged again with quick steps from its stubby legs.
The sword in his hand felt like dead weight.
"Fuck!"
Clang!
A weapon he couldn't wield properly was useless baggage anyway.
He tossed the sword aside and clenched his fist.
"Squeeeak!"
The Big Rat jumped again, crossing its forepaws in an X-slash.
The motion was so swift that an ordinary person would have been clawed across the face for sure.
But Jeon Yeol was different.
He sidestepped the attack and swung his fist in the same motion.
Thwack!
"Squeak!"
The Big Rat took a solid hit to the body and flew backward, tumbling across the floor.
But that was it.
As if the blow had never landed, it sprang up and bared its fangs.
"Kyak!"
Its wary posture was just like a cat's.
Even as it hissed, its body trembled faintly.
'Look at this thing.'
It was enduring the pain while trying to intimidate him, fearing his next attack.
But Jeon Yeol couldn't charge in recklessly either.
He'd felt it when his fist connected—the creature's body was far tougher than expected.
It was like punching a lump of iron; the shock had reverberated through his hand.
'If only I could use Danzel's ability!'
Danzel was an Aura Esper who wielded Aura Fist.
Aura Fist was a basic attack: channeling aura into the fist and striking.
Danzel had later developed variations into multiple techniques, but only after his aura grew stronger.
Right now, Jeon Yeol desperately needed that basic Aura Fist.
But he had no idea how to wield aura.
Mother had clearly said faint traces of aura and mana were detected in him.
As Jeon Yeol agonized, the Big Rat fully recovered from the pain and eyed an opening to charge.
'What the hell am I supposed to do!'
The aura in his dantian was no different from the so-called qi.
At that moment, Mother's voice rang in his mind.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Collecting all of Danzel's interview footage. Now playing the relevant section.
Suddenly, Danzel's face from his living days appeared before Jeon Yeol's eyes.
The holographic Danzel, mic clipped to his collar, looked straight at him and spoke.
"Aura... well. You start feeling it the moment you awaken your ability." "Just pay a little attention to your dantian, and you'll sense a heavy energy residing there." "After that, operating it isn't hard. Aura moves just like your own limbs, exactly as you wish."