Chapter 73
When I opened my eyes, I saw a familiar yet unfamiliar ceiling.
"Huh?"
As I tried to sit up groggily, I found a soft blanket covering me.
I could feel the plush sofa beneath me, even the imprint it left on my cheek.
I remembered eating dinner at the siblings' house last night and watching contentedly as the kids and their mother chatted, but...
That full, warm, drowsy atmosphere must have lulled me to sleep before I knew it.
"Mm..."
When I rubbed my eyes and looked around, I saw Ha-seon sleeping soundly next to me on the sofa.
Although we'd spent a long time together in our own way, it was the first time I'd seen her sleeping this close.
I stared blankly at her for a moment, then turned my head.
Then I saw another unfamiliar sight in a corner of the living room.
The recon drone, combat drone, and sniper drone were perched neatly on the golem's back like birds.
They were just blinking their blue LED lights rhythmically, so it seemed they'd entered some sort of power-saving mode on their own.
This was also a rare sight.
'Nice.'
The train was comfortable, but sleep at home really is different after all.
Even though I slept on the sofa rather than a bed, I still slept soundly.
"Oh, you're awake?"
With a savory smell drifting from the kitchen, the siblings' mother came out wearing an apron.
"I must have dozed off..."
"You went through so much outside. Of course you're tired. Breakfast is ready."
In the end, I ended up being treated to breakfast as well.
Sitting at the table and scooping up warm rice, I glanced toward the siblings' room.
Jiwoo and Sua were quiet, probably still asleep.
'I suppose it's about time the kids stayed with their mother.'
The kids had originally boarded my train to escape the threat.
Too bad, but now that Candidates 1 and 2 were gone, I didn't really have an excuse to keep bringing them along...
"Conductor."
The mother first pushed a warm teacup toward me and spoke in a calm voice.
"About Jiwoo and Sua. Would it be okay if they stayed on the train with you from now on?"
"Pardon? The children?"
I almost choked on the tea I was drinking.
"You have no idea how much the children told me when you two fell asleep in the living room yesterday."
A faint smile curved at the mother's eyes.
"How amazing and spacious the train was, how dependable the golem was, how fun it was to play with Donggeul... and even the story about the bearded dwarf grandpa they met during the rescue. Their eyes were sparkling."
That brought to mind the siblings giggling as they clung to the old dwarf's beard.
"Honestly, I often worry about the kids riding around on the train, but I thought they would be much happier seeing the world by train than staying home alone and doing nothing."
The mother's expression was serious.
"Besides, every time you come by Yeouido, you can just come see me like this, can't you?"
At the mother's words, I scratched the back of my head.
In fact, the children's presence was already hugely important on the train.
They had skills, of course, but they also brightened the mood from time to time and were a big help in keeping both Ha-seon and me calm, so there was no reason to refuse.
I smiled and nodded.
"Yes, don't worry about Jiwoo and Sua. I'll take responsibility and protect them no matter what."
"Yes, I'll trust you."
Relief spread across the mother's face.
A little later, after the children woke up with tousled hair and Ha-seon finished breakfast too, everyone was done eating.
We hurried to get ready to head back to the train.
"Mom! We'll come again next time!"
"Okay, be careful on your way! And you have to listen to him!"
With the mother's warm send-off, our group headed back toward Singil Station.
Before leaving the Yeouido safe zone, I met the Chairman again at Singil Station to receive the promised reward.
He said Candidate Lee Hanyeon was busy, so he had come in his place.
Smiling, the Chairman had a man bring over the promised reward.
The man then carried two boxes over with great strength.
"Here you are. Two boxes of magic stones and the credits we promised. It's a small reward compared to what we gained, but I hope it comes in handy."
Looking at the heavy magic stone boxes and the large sum of credits in front of my train, a satisfied smile spread across my face.
But the Chairman didn't look like he was done just handing over the reward.
He glanced around once, then added in a secretive voice.
"And apart from the reward, here's some inside information just for you. Recently, our Awakened team investigated a dungeon on the outskirts of Yeouido and discovered something very strange."
"Something strange...? A monster?"
The Chairman shook his head.
"No, it wasn't a living thing. Apparently, there was a vending machine sitting all by itself deep inside the dungeon."
"A vending machine..."
"Yes, it was probably selling something special."
When I asked what kind of thing it sold, the Chairman bashfully looked away.
"Of course, the dungeon's difficulty is quite high, so our team pulled back near the entrance. I figured you might be able to reach that vending machine, so I'm just giving you a heads-up."
"Ah..."
"Honestly, it showed up near Yeouido and needs to be dealt with... but it's quite difficult."
The moment I heard that, curiosity twitched inside me.
A special vending machine in a high-difficulty dungeon.
In games, hidden elements like these always concealed a jackpot.
That was usually how it went in games.
'I'd gathered the magic stones and credits, and I would've liked to get some materials from a strong monster too...'
One of the materials needed to upgrade the train—monster parts—was in short supply.
Stopping by for a bit before heading to Elf Town wouldn't be a bad idea.
"Yes, I'll stop by on the way."
After hearing the coordinates from the Chairman, I boarded the train.
Inside were energetic Jiwoo and Sua, and Ha-seon quietly working on a laptop.
"Sorry, everyone, but we have a quick stop to make before heading to Elf Town."
The train would head to the place the Chairman had told us about,
an abandoned underground parking garage.
***
When we arrived, even the surrounding air felt heavy and chilly.
I stepped down from the control seat and lined up the golem and the drones.
"Golem, take point. Combat drones, provide air cover. Sniper drones, guard my rear. Recon drone, detect monsters by sound."
A dark underground parking garage. Somewhere in here was the dungeon entrance.
The drones shone bright lights all around, so visibility was easier than expected.
Bang!
The monsters roaming nearby turned to dust and vanished after a few light suppressive shots from the combat drone.
"Fortunately, there was no dungeon break, and the only monsters around were mole-like creatures with atrophied eyes..."
Thanks to the darkness, we were able to find the dungeon quickly.
The dim purple rift stood out clearly in that darkness.
After making sure the area was completely safe, I went back to the train and waved. Then the door of Car No. 1 cracked open slightly, and Sua peeked out.
"Can we go out?"
"Yeah. Watch your step."
Holding her older brother Jiwoo's hand tightly, Sua began walking toward the dungeon entrance under our escort.
And at the dungeon rift that was our destination, she closed her eyes tightly for a moment.
A moment later, Sua opened her eyes wide and shouted at me.
"This dungeon's difficulty is intermediate! It should only have intermediate monsters in here, but it says there are two incredibly special things inside!"
"Intermediate difficulty, and two special things..."
I lightly stroked Sua's cheek and fell into thought.
If what the Chairman said was true, the dungeon itself was supposed to be fairly difficult, so Sua's claim that it was intermediate seemed plausible.
Of the two special things, one was probably that suspicious vending machine the Chairman mentioned, but what was the other?
A boss monster? Or another species?
"...Sua, thanks. It's dangerous inside, so stay on the train with Jiwoo and Ha-seon, lock the door, and wait."
"Yes!"
After reassuring the children and sending them back to the train, I led the golem and drones into the dungeon rift in the underground parking garage.
Wuuung—!
"The smell..."
The moment I passed through the rift, a damp, thick earthy smell stabbed at my nose instead of the acrid dust-and-concrete odor.
"Wow...?"
I let out a dry laugh at the sight before me.
As dungeons usually were, a world completely different from the outside had unfolded before me.
Ancient trees stretched so high they seemed to cover the sky, and bizarrely colored moss covered the rocks and trees so thickly it filled my entire field of vision.
It was a majestic moss forest, so grand it was hard to believe it was connected to an underground parking garage.
Skrrt!
"...The moss is slipperier than I thought, Golem. You be careful too..."
Just as I slipped on the moss and readjusted my spear, I was about to warn the golem to be careful.
The golem, which should have been standing firmly behind me, was looking extremely odd.
Clack, clatter!
The normally obedient golem was fidgeting busily around like a puppy on its first walk.
It was tapping the rocks scattered at the forest entrance and pointing at the thick moss covering their surfaces with its big pincers, looking incredibly excited.
"Huh? Why?"
When I asked in confusion, the golem turned toward me and even gently stroked the moss-covered rock with its pincers.
As I watched that scene quietly, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
'Come to think of it, even though the sizes are different, they do look kind of alike?'
The round rock and the green moss.
Then there was only one reason it was prancing around and pointing at the rocks and moss like this.
"Could it be because that rock and Donggeul look alike?"
In response to my question, the golem bobbed its feet up and down vigorously, as if agreeing.
'...Is this pure love?'
I warned once again that the moss was slippery and decided to move on into the dungeon.
Thud.
The moment I finished saying that, I slipped.
He really was way too excited.