Chapter 118

“... Are you really leaving?”

The moment Woojin arrived, Karlan heard he was leaving again and came running.

“I packed a few things you might need, just in case. Take them.”

The pouch he handed over contained potions, antidotes, and food.

“Thanks. When Peron arrives, show him to Mrs. Lea.”

“Understood.”

“Weden, you travel with Peron too. Once we're finished in the Great Forest, we're heading to the center.”

“... The center?”

Weden nodded, his expression tense. After all, ‘it’ stood at the center of the continent.

“You're planning to tackle the Labyrinth Tower.”

“That's right. It would be nice to find a few more party members... but we could try the lower floors for the experience.”

“Understood. I'll hunt nearby and earn some experience until you return.”

“Good. That's a good idea.”

Having a goal seemed to breathe life back into Weden.

“Karlan.”

“Yes, Teacher?”

“You don't need to call me Teacher anymore. You've grown strong enough, and you can become stronger still.”

Seeing Karlan's disappointment, Woojin continued.

“Be careful not to lose your composure in battle. Keep that in mind, and you'll be a great help to Sir Aswell.”

Although Karlan had overcome [Discouraged] and [Self-Doubt] in Thorn Bach, he had yet to rid himself of his final debuff, [Hot-Tempered].

“It's a shame I lost the sword my uncle gave me... but I'll make up for what I lack with skill.”

‘There's nothing to regret. Getting rid of that sword is what let you see your true ability.’

It wasn't time to tell him the truth yet, so Woojin held his tongue.

‘The day will come when I expose Zion Muren for what he is.’

He would have to prepare thoroughly so the man could never slip away like an eel again.

“Karlan.”

“Yes?”

“Don't neglect your training before Sir Aswell returns. Keep your mind focused and your edge sharp, ready to fight at any moment.”

“Haha, understood.”

Apparently taking Woojin's final words as a customary farewell, Karlan merely smiled and nodded.

“Don't get hurt.”

With those parting words, Woojin turned away.

* * *

“It's been a while since it was just the two of us.”

“There are three of us!”

As they crossed the forest, Setsuna poked her head out at Ruen's remark.

“Haha, sorry.”

“Hmph!”

Ruen pressed her hands together in apology to the pouting Setsuna.

“I meant just us, without anyone else.”

“True. We've met all sorts of people since coming to the central continent thanks to Karlan.”

Nissen, Peron, and even Eden.

Their unexpected companions had made for quite a bustling party.

“We'll meet even more people from here on.”

“Yes. They've all been good people.”

Ruen nodded.

“But I still like being with you best, Master.”

“Me too!”

Woojin chuckled at their words.

“But... where should we go?”

“First, we're going to Lake Kriemhild, in the center of the Great Forest.”

During his stay with House Balan, Woojin had explored the city whenever he had time, gathering information. He had also visited the Adventurers' Association with the manor's stewards and bought several maps.

One was a map of the Great Forest. Astonishingly, it showed nothing but forest, with Lake Kriemhild the sole marked feature.

[Dungeon: Kriemhild]

▶ Entry Level: 55–57

▶ A mid-level field dungeon in the Antarian Federation.

▶ A wave-based dungeon where you must survive incoming monsters on the lake for a set period.

▶ The monsters themselves are not difficult, but fighting on the lake makes maintaining your balance challenging. The moment you fall into the water, a special force ejects you from the lake.

That was what he had found after searching the in-game community for Kriemhild, which he had spotted on the map.

The final line of the dungeon information someone had posted caught his attention.

‘A special force ejects you from the lake.’

The moment Woojin read it, he wondered whether spirits might be involved.

“Lake Kriemhild? Sorry, but I can't give you a boat. You'd best not go out there right now.”

But an unexpected obstacle arose.

“Why is that?”

“Something strange has happened. I've worked as a boatman on this lake for forty years. In all my life, I've never once seen waves on it, you know?”

At the lakeside landing, the boatman who rented out boats—the only means of entering the dungeon—pointed toward the middle of the lake.

“But look over there. Does that look like a lake to you?”

As he said, an enormous whirlpool churned at its center, like water draining from a bathtub. It sent fierce waves surging across the lake as though it were the sea.

“Going out there would be suicide.”

“Hmm...”

Woojin gazed at the lake, looking troubled.

‘What's going on? Why would something abnormal happen all of a sudden...?’

“It's all those alchemists' fault.”

“Alchemists...?”

“There were some people conducting strange research in the forest over toward Esten.”

Woojin frowned slightly. Those bastards again?

“They dumped all sorts of things into the lake. Of course the lake would be angry.”

The old boatman waved a hand.

“Look at it. Never mind steering a boat—you can't even get in. We have no choice but to wait until the lake settles down.”

Under normal circumstances, Woojin might have followed his advice.

‘What should I do?’

But he didn't have much time.

“Isn't there any way?”

“Well... the lake's angry because it's polluted. The only way to calm it would be to purify the Lake Stone...”

“The Lake Stone?”

“That's right. It's a stone monument at the very bottom. Until now, we boatmen have made offerings and gone underwater to tend to it, but...”

He shook his head as he looked at the lake.

“I wouldn't dare go in with it like this. I'd be lucky not to get swallowed up.”

“I heard monsters live in the lake... How did you go underwater?”

“Oh, don't worry about that. I use this.”

The boatman showed him the small pendant around his neck.

“It's made from seahorse stone.”

Name: Seahorse Stone Necklace

Grade: D

Description: A necklace set with seahorse stone, which the monsters of Lake Kriemhild dislike. Prevents monsters from approaching the wearer.

“Would you be willing to lend it to me?”

“This? Don't tell me... you intend to go in there? Good grief, young man! Are you out of your mind? Even experienced boatmen need years of practice to reach the bottom!”

He cried out in alarm.

“Do you have any idea how deep this lake is? And that's only possible when the lake is calm. On a day when it's churning like this... you're likely to drown.”

“Don't worry. At the very least, I won't drown.”

“Huh?”

Woojin gave the boatman a peculiar smile.

[You have equipped the Seahorse Stone Necklace.]

▶ While equipped, monsters in Lake Kriemhild will not attack you first.

▶ Has no effect on monsters in a state of extremely high aggression.

[You have unequipped the Sapphire Necklace.]

▶ Cold Resistance decreases by 50%.

After stowing the Sapphire Necklace in his inventory and equipping the Seahorse Stone Necklace he had received from the boatman, Woojin walked toward the lake.

“... Whatever happens, I'm not responsible.”

The boatman pocketed the money Woojin had given him in exchange for the necklace.

“Of course.”

“If you reach the bottom... leave this in front of the Lake Stone. It's an offering to the lake's master.”

He handed Woojin a lump of rice pressed together like a rice ball.

“The lake's master?”

“Well, it's only a legend passed down among boatmen, but they say the master sleeps at the bottom of the lake.”

“Hmm. And what is this master?”

“If we knew that, it wouldn't be a legend.”

Woojin chuckled at the boatman's shrug.

Could it be the dungeon boss? From what the man said, it seemed possible.

‘But the walkthrough on the community forum said it ended after just five monster waves.’

It wasn't a dungeon where you fought a boss, but a time attack where the faster you cleared the incoming monsters, the better your reward.

‘Is there something more to it?’

The lake looked different from usual. Come to think of it, no player had likely ever gone beneath the surface rather than staying on top.

‘Maybe this is another hidden dungeon created by players' actions, like the Count's Chamber.’

After all, the phenomenon had begun after the alchemists swept through.

With that thought, Woojin accepted the offering.

“Ruen, launch a boat once the lake settles down. I'll come up in the middle, so meet me there.”

“Yes, understood.”

“I'll send you as far down as I can.”

Setsuna reached out toward Woojin.

[Using Mist Step.]

In that instant, Woojin's body blurred and vanished.

“... He'll be all right, won't he?”

“Of course. Don't worry so much. He's only going to leave an offering at the monument and come back.”

Ruen placed Setsuna, who was trembling with worry for Woojin, on her palm and stroked her head.

PAT... PATTER...

Raindrops began to fall from the dark clouds.

* * *

[You have discovered Dungeon: Kriemhild.]

▶ You are outside the field dungeon area.

▶ Please rise to the surface.

▶ The waves will begin when you reach the surface.

[Trait: Adventurer activates.]

‘That's a relief. Fighting monsters underwater would have been tricky.’

Checking the notifications, Woojin began swimming deeper.

Just as he began to run out of breath,

[Trait: Sea King's Blessing activates.]

▶ All stats increase to 1.5 times their normal values during naval combat.

▶ Gain 10% additional hunting experience during naval combat.

▶ Allows you to breathe underwater.

Woojin finally let out his breath. Bubbles poured from his mouth, and he instinctively clutched his throat at the unfamiliar sensation.

“Mmff, mmff!”

Even knowing he could breathe underwater didn't make doing it as easy as he had imagined.

He squeezed his eyes shut and drew in a breath.

Contrary to his fear that water would rush up his nose, he could breathe evenly.

“Whew.”

Even his voice came out naturally.

He felt embarrassed for having flailed about in premature panic, but fortunately no one was there to see it.

‘Shall I pick up the pace?’

As he descended deeper, his vision suddenly began to cloud over.

[You have discovered the Lake Stone.]

His surroundings were dark, as though he were in muddy water, but Woojin barely managed to make out the Lake Stone standing like a monument on the lake bed.

[Set down the offering for the lake's master.]

Without needing to wonder what to do, Woojin followed the notification and placed the offering from the boatman at the foot of the monument.

‘Could this work...?’

Along with the offering, he took the [Pilgrim’s Cross] from his pouch.

[Using Pilgrim’s Cross.]

▶ Remove Curse activates.

▶ Purification activates.

Light flowed from the cross and enveloped the monument, but nothing changed.

[The toxicity exceeds the current purification level.]

[Purification failed.]

HISSSSS...!!!

Instead, black smoke began rising from the Lake Stone where the purifying light touched it.

‘Damn.’

Woojin hurriedly backed away.

[The Lake Stone's contamination is intensifying.]

RUMBLE...

Suddenly, the ground trembled, and bubbles began rising from cracks spreading across the lake bed.

Something was very wrong.

Woojin instinctively reached for his sword hilt.

[GRR...?]

That was when he saw it.

A gigantic eye beyond the black smoke.

‘... Uh.’

He tilted his head to the right.

[GRR...]

The eye turned right.

“...”

He tilted his head to the left.

[GRRR...]

The eye moved left.

Woojin straightened his head again and stared at the eye for a while.

He swallowed.

As his throat bobbed, the silence broke as though it had been waiting for that moment.

[ROOOAAAR!!!!]

With a roar, the gigantic eye lunged at Woojin.

‘... Oh, shit!!!’

Woojin hurriedly began swimming. Beneath the enormous eye was a sharp mouth. It snapped its jaws as it charged at him.

BUBBLE, BUBBLE...!!

Like a bird pursuing prey, it stretched out its long neck, steadily closing the distance.

WHOOSH...!!

It was astonishingly fast.

BOOM! KABOOM!!!

“Argh!!”

Woojin raised his sword to block its mouth. With a roar like an exploding bomb, his body slammed straight into the lake bed.

“... Cough!!”

Dozens of bubbles streamed from his mouth and floated upward, mingled with red blood.

[GRRRR...]

The creature retracted its neck into its shell.

“... So you're the lake's master.”

Woojin wiped his lips. Underwater, the blood simply dispersed.

Kelduan, the Azure Turtle.

The creature, shaped like a gigantic turtle, was one of the seven great mystical beasts known as Primordial Sacred Spirits.

“I can tell you're furious... but I'm not the one who did this to your lake, you know?”

Woojin addressed the creature glaring at him.

[SKREEEEE!!!!]

Apparently, talking was out of the question.