Chapter 10: Cyclops

After falling for a long time, we felt like we had fallen to the 5th basement floor instead of the 5th floor.

I don’t know what principle it is, but anyway, that’s how it is. We fell into the abyss for a long time.

It was a miracle that we survived.

“…Geum Taeyang. You bastard! Can’t you act like an adult for once? Stop with these reckless stunts!”

“Come on, noona. What guy wouldn’t want to press a mysterious button?”

“You bastard. Pressing doorbells and running away was your specialty as a kid, wasn’t it?”

There is no space to escape.

In other words, we’re screwed.

According to the novel’s setting, there are traps in every dungeon. Of course, the Cloud Dungeon is no exception. There is only one way to get out of a blocked Boss Room.

Eliminate the Boss. In other words, this is the Boss Room.

“Didn’t Bbeomi-chan’s great oppas handle the trap boss?”

“Hawawa, Bbeomi-chan doesn’t know.”

I really want to beat her up.

Wait, then what is the trap boss? Assuming that the Cloud Dungeon’s main mobs are slimes, the regular boss would be a slime series. Then the trap boss is?

Thud­ Thud­ Thud

I hear an unpleasant sound from the dark ahead.

“Mariko-san. Turn on the light over there.”

“Yeah.”

Torch-villain Mariko lit the torches lined up on the wall.

And slowly, the silhouette of the boss began to appear.

A giant twice the size of an adult male, with a body several times more muscular than a human. It had grayish skin as if covered in ash and a huge single eye.

B-Rank Monster Cyclops.

Of all things, the one who preys on novice Hunters appeared before us.

“Hawawa, this is a big problem!”

“Damn it, we’re screwed. Of all things, a B-Rank Monster Cyclops.”

What should we do? My Acceleration probably won’t work on that thing.

I rely on speed. The Cyclops has a tough body. It’s impossible to pierce its skin with just a knife.

Even Physical Enhancement won’t work.

Unless it’s Choi Si-woo, the Divine Sword User. At least, I can’t guarantee victory in this battle.

“We’re doomed.”

Seeing Bbeomi-chan trembling, it’s clear she can’t handle the Cyclops either. Torch-villain Mariko is in a fighting stance but her hands are shaking, so she’s out. Geum Taeyang, who got caught in the trap and is now just staring at the Cyclops, isn’t even worth mentioning.

“The party composition is the worst.”

If I were to classify the party members by their roles, party leader Bbeomi is a Mage, and Mariko is more of a Mage than a Ninja. I wield a knife and kill enemies in one strike, so I’m an Assassin, and Geum Taeyang is a Warrior? But he’s not a Tank given his build.

Damage-dealing Mage, Support Mage, Assassin, Warrior.

Wow, what a crazy party combination.

And the highest rank among us is a D-Rank Hunter.

The opponent is a B-Rank Monster.

If I were Choi Si-woo, it might be different. But as Yoo Eun-ha, an Irregular, it’s tough. If I use Acceleration and Parallel Circuit to stab the Cyclops in the eye?

“Hwaehwae. Hwaehwaeng.”

This person is hopeless.

“Geum Taeyang. Can you tank?”

“Noona, do you think I can?”

“Can you even do anything right?”

I had a bad feeling, and it turned out to be this variable.

It’s not that there’s no way. The Cyclops’ weak point is its huge eye.

Of course, stabbing the eye won’t kill it.

But the eye is the weakest part of the Cyclops’ body. If we can somehow deal with the eye and knock it down, we can gang up on it.

Oh, that’s not a bad idea.

“Bbeomi-chan and Mariko-san, please use magic to draw its aggro.”

“Hwaehwae. What are you going to do, white-haired unnie?”

“First, we need to knock it down.”

She asked as if it was a casual hobby.

“Noona. What about me?”

“You observe for now and deal damage when the Cyclops falls.”

Since it has come to this, I have no choice but to take command.

“Grrraaaah!”

The Cyclops roared as if screaming.

At the same time, Bbeomi-chan and Ninja-apprentice Mariko cast their spells.

“Hwae! Hwae! Bbeomi-chan Thunderbolt!”

“Suiton Water Bomb!”

The combination of water and lightning appropriately harassed the Cyclops, and the elemental combo attack landed a decisive blow.

And now was the time.

I used Acceleration and Parallel Circuit simultaneously.

[As the two Mages cast spells on the Cyclops, its movements slowed down.］

[If I give the enemy the chance to attack first, my allies will be in danger. I gripped my knife and dashed forward.］

[Taking advantage of the gap after the magic attack, I climbed up the Cyclops’ body and stabbed my knife into its eye.］

Puk!

[Before it could scream, I stabbed its eye again.］

[The knife was imbued with Magic Power, so it wouldn’t just end with a simple cut.］

“Graaah!”

[I stabbed and stabbed again. Until it fell. After all, this is all a dream. And the opponent is just a monster from a dream.］

Puk! Puk! Puk!

Before it could raise its arm to resist, I had already stabbed it dozens of times.

Meanwhile, the Mages’ spells began to burn the Cyclops’ limbs.

I didn’t stop and drove the knife deep into its eye, then dragged it down with all my weight.

“Grrr. Grrraaaah!”

Finally, it reached out to grab me, but I had already jumped off its body.

Thud!

“Is it finally my turn?”

As the Cyclops’ massive body hit the ground, Geum Taeyang immediately began striking the Cyclops’ body with close combat using Physical Enhancement.

Surprisingly, he seemed to have some martial arts skills, as his stance was perfect.

“Urah!”

With a shout, he rendered the Cyclops’ joints completely useless.

There were several cracking sounds, so the Cyclops was effectively immobilized.

I was about to deliver the final blow, but my knife was already broken.

“Bbeomi Power! Rolling Thunder!”

The final touch was Bbeomi’s ultimate move.

Mariko used Suiton to drench the Cyclops with water from her mouth, and Bbeomi struck it with a massive lightning bolt.

Crackle!

And so, the Cyclops was instantly electrocuted.

As expected of a Hunter. To use such magic, even though saying ‘Bbeomi’ and ‘Hawawa’ at that age is honestly disgusting.

Ah, but considering her chest, she might be at an age where it’s understandable. Still, I can’t help but be curious.

“Hey, Bbeomi-chan.”

I called Bbeomi-chan softly.

“Hwaehwae. Why are you calling me?”

“Do you really have to say ‘Bbeomi Power Rolling Thunder’ when you cast magic?”

“Hawawa. That’s how my magic gets stronger. It’s my ability.”

Ah, so that’s why she has the Bbeomi-chan persona. This is a bit pitiful. When I looked at her with pity, she kept calling herself Bbeomi-chan, so I decided to just ignore it.

Sometimes there are conditional abilities. For example, like Kim Ji-hye, who becomes incredibly strong when she wields a bat.

I can’t believe that’s a persona for her ability. She might want to die. I’m glad my ability doesn’t have any conditions.

“Then, is Geum Taeyang the same?”

“Oh, noona, why?”

“Damn it, you really don’t fit in this dream.”

Besides, why does this guy keep calling me noona when we’ve just met?

“Huh? Anyway, this guy has a lot of cores? He has 5 B-Rank Cores.”

“Hmm, so how should we distribute them?”

“Hwaehwae. Mariko and Bbeomi-chan helped, but white-haired unnie dealt the critical blow. White-haired unnie should take 2, and we can each take 1.”

Thanks for being so generous.

“How much are B-Rank Cores worth?”

“If we sell them to my oppas, we can get 500,000 won each.”

Wow, a corpse cleaner has to work all day to earn 500,000 won, but we get 500,000 won for defeating a monster. This is a good deal.

“Should we sell them right away?”

“Hawawa. Let’s think about it after we get out of here.”

She’s really pitiful. She can’t even use magic without acting like that.

Anyway, it’s not a bad idea to leave now.

We’ve cleared the trap boss, so there’s no reason to suffer on the monster-filled 5th floor. We’ve effectively cleared the dungeon.

I feel like bugs are crawling on my body again. The dark dungeon feels like it’s turning pitch black.

I reached into my pocket for a cigarette, but there was none.

I must have forgotten to bring them.

“Geum Taeyang. Give me a cigarette.”

“Oh, noona, here you go.”

As I put the cigarette in my mouth, Geum Taeyang naturally lit it.

As my brain soaked in nicotine, my vision brightened.

My itchy body slowly relaxed. I almost fell backward as my body lost strength.

“Ah, this is the taste. Now I feel a bit better.”

“Oh noona. You look so… wow, smoking like that. But noona, what was that ability earlier?”

“Why?”

I answered while glaring at Geum Taeyang, who was trying to act friendly.

“Your speed was no joke. You disappeared and reappeared. It was like you were controlling time.”

“That could be it. It’s my ability.”

An ability that darkens the sky the more I use it.

An ability that darkens my vision. But its performance is solid, so it’s not bad. If I had a proper weapon, I could have taken down the Cyclops myself without Bbeomi-chan’s help.

It might be a good idea to get some equipment. Anyway, if things continue like this, I have to become a Hunter.

“Hwaehwae. You two have a good atmosphere!”

“Be quiet.”

Where does Bbeomi-chan get the idea to pair me with Geum Taeyang? I got so angry that I pulled Bbeomi-chan’s cheeks.

“Hawawa, Bbeomi-chan’s cheeks are stretching!”

“They’re so elastic.”

After pulling Bbeomi-chan’s cheeks for a while, we distributed the cores. With 2 B-Rank Cores, that’s 1 million won. We earned 1 million won in just one day. For a student-turned-Hunter, that’s quite an achievement.

After leaving the dungeon, we stopped by the Guild run by Bbeomi-chan’s oppas to sort out the cores.

“Wow, Bbeomi-noona, you’re part of a big Guild? That’s impressive.”

“Hawawa. Compliments are forbidden! My face is turning red!”

Bbeomi-chan’s Guild was the large Korean Guild, Reform.

Reform doesn’t have any S-Rank members, but it has many A-Rank members and a good track record.

With such a Guild, it’s no wonder the executives gave a whole dungeon to their little sister.

“White-haired unnie, blonde oppa.”

“Yes?”

“Bbeomi-noona. Please speak.”

“Give me your numbers. So I can call you next time. Recruiting from part-time job sites is annoying.”

For me, it’s not bad to have a way to make money.

But is it okay for a student-turned-Hunter to keep entering dungeons?

It’s a bit late to ask, but I’m curious.

“Is it okay for a student-turned-Hunter to keep entering dungeons?”

“White-haired unnie, you already came with us, so why ask now? Besides, you’re a Hanseong Academy student and the sister of Divine Sword Yoo Jin-seok, so you have a free pass. That blonde oppa also has high grades, so he didn’t need a guardian’s permission.”

Well, if that’s the case, I have no reason to refuse. As long as I have a way to make money, it’s good.

Should I just refuse to attend the Academy altogether?

* * *