NOVEL WEB Chapter 58
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“……”
I was left speechless, staring blankly at the scene below. The urban landscape sprawled out beneath me, filled with the beauty of fantastical creatures and spirits frolicking about. The view in this fantasy world held a charm that was completely different from what I was used to. I doubt I will ever forget this sight.
“Quiruruk~”
Maybe it’s just happy to be back? The little guy gently tickled my ear with its swishing tail.
“You’re back sooner than I expected.”
A calm voice shook me from my thoughts. I turned around to find the White Deer gazing down at me.
“White Deer.”
“I thought you would come. How does it feel to be back in the fantasy world?”
“…Not bad.”
The White Deer smiled as if it had received a compliment.
“Is that so? It was worth the wait, then.”
Waited, huh? Now that I think about it, I’m in Daejeon. It isn’t close to Lee Hyun Park—how did it know to come looking for me?
‘Could it be that it followed me all the way?’
Before I could even question it further, the White Deer abruptly made a request.
“I have a favor to ask of you. Will you listen?”
“A favor?”
“That’s right.”
The White Deer began to walk slowly.
“It’s about a dungeon. But I won’t force you. Helping me is entirely up to you.”
I thought it over for a moment. Clearing dungeons was something I was far from uninterested in. The White Deer likely knew that, so why was it being so cautious?
‘Is there something more to it?’
I figured it was worth hearing out. After all, I had learned quite a bit from the White Deer. Nodding, it continued speaking.
“I want you to enter the dungeon with me.”
At that, I cocked my head. Is there a dungeon that it can’t handle by itself? How it interpreted my reaction made the White Deer shake its head.
“I think it would be tough for you alone.”
The White Deer had seen how I fought in the fantasy world. If even it thought it would be difficult, then—
‘It must be a significantly higher level than the last dungeon.’
The dungeon I faced with the cave predator wasn’t exactly easy, either. It might even compare to the dungeons in Gyeongsan. What kind of dungeon could it be? As I puzzled over this, the White Deer explained.
“It’s a bit tricky and quite demanding.”
‘Demanding, huh.’
That was something I welcomed. Even if the dungeon’s level was high, the White Deer wouldn’t be digesting monsters anyway.
‘If it’s a monster from such a dungeon…’
It would definitely be worth consuming. Leveling up quickly might actually be possible.
“It looks like you’re willing to help.”
There was nothing to lose. Picking up on my shift in perspective, the White Deer nodded calmly.
“The operation will commence in three days.”
‘Three days, huh.’
The timing was a bit ambiguous. I didn’t have enough time to head to the academy, but sitting around idly felt like a waste.
“What about other dungeons?”
“You really—”
The White Deer shook its head.
“There are dungeons, but those places aren’t necessary to visit right now.”
Even though it clearly understood the situation in the fantasy world, it wouldn’t force me. Just as I was feeling regretful, the White Deer spoke again.
“I know you possess the Gluttony skill, but you seem a bit impatient.”
It’s not Gluttony, it’s actually Predation. Noticing my momentary annoyance, the White Deer nodded.
“If you wish to grow stronger, I might be able to help.”
“Help me? How?”
“I realized while watching you fight before. You tend to overly rely on dodging. I can tell the kind of battles you’ve had.”
Well, considering everyone I fought so far was strong, that was a given.
“A sure dodge is better than a sloppy one. However—”
Suddenly, the White Deer vanished. Its B-rank skill, Blink. I wasn’t shocked since I had anticipated it with intuition and insight. Instead, I lowered my body.
‘What comes next?’
“Good instincts.”
A foot came crashing down from above. I read that too, leaping using my natural elasticity. But—
“?!”
I slipped against a barrier of magic. In that moment of desperate evasion, the White Deer’s foot halted right above my head.
‘Is this really all it has?’
I thought it was faster than anything I had expected. I hadn’t anticipated being caught so easily.
“Impressive.”
The White Deer remarked briefly, its foot equipped with a sharp tentacle beneath its chin. I managed to react somehow, but I wondered if I could actually defeat it with a tentacle.
“Do you understand now?”
I nodded at the White Deer’s question. I think I grasp what it meant.
‘I could’ve dodged without using elasticity.’
But I forcibly used elasticity to evade. The result remained the same.
‘So it’s possible to do it that way.’
Indeed, as expected from a long-lived spirit— the White Deer was experienced. I had thought I had never been outclassed in a contest of wits, but I suddenly realized that raw stats aren’t everything.
‘Though its stats are still ridiculously high compared to mine.’
“I’m going to correct this habit of yours.”
“Why?”
“No matter the circumstances, you asked me for help. Besides, it’s not a loss for me either.”
It felt strangely similar to the last time.
When I had asked it to teach me magic, the White Deer had set dungeon clearance as the condition. That was advantageous for me, but was an exceptional circumstance.
‘This time it’s the opposite, huh.’
It proposed to teach me in exchange for clearing a dungeon.
‘……’
I was surprised when it attacked so suddenly. But thinking it over again, I realized I could have fought a little longer. If only I had responded a bit more calmly, how much different would it have been?
‘If I had just dodged instead of using elasticity?’
What if I could have cast Transformation or Wind Gust in the meantime? I couldn’t guarantee victory, but I wouldn’t have been so easily subdued.
‘…If only I could try fighting again.’
That regret lingered as I nodded with a determined expression. Sensing that, the White Deer stepped ahead, as if waiting for me.
“Good. Follow me.”
***
“Hey! Are you not doing it right?!”
Hong Yu-ri, with bandages wrapped around her abdomen, shouted and grimaced in pain.
“Ah, damn… it stings like hell.”
Woo Taek, casually tapping the wall, glanced over.
“Why did you even come back so soon? It’s only been a few days.”
“Mind your own business! I’m busy dealing with these guys. What? You getting itch to show off? Want me to let you have a go again?”
Woo Taek flinched and looked away.
“Geez, you were the one begging for it last time. Now you’re all cocky.”
“I’m still giving it my all.”
Despite her nonchalant reply, Hong Yu-ri smirked but didn’t say more.
“So how’s it going?”
“Well, there’s talent.”
Hong Yu-ri pondered for a moment, trying to find the right words.
“There’s talent for magic. Good sense, and good comprehension. But they’re not a mage.”
“What does that mean?”
Crossing her arms and tapping her finger, Hong Yu-ri muttered as if disappointed.
“If they weren’t so clumsy, they might have been able to use it…”
Soon, she threw the chalk at Woo Taek and left the rest for him.
“Hey, I’m all out of time! You’re watching.”
“Uh?”
“Just throw it yourself!”
As she kicked the door open and stormed out, Woo Taek sighed.
“…I told you not to kick the door.”
What a way to be.
Turning his gaze back to the remnants of chalk, he could see it had turned to dust.
“Oh.”
Since he hadn’t heard any proper sound, it meant she pulverized it in the air. Overcome with curiosity, he threw a piece of chalk, and predictably, it crumbled into dust.
‘Not bad.’
Magic Detection. Even with his back turned, he had detected the flying chalk and crushed it with magic occupying the air.
‘One seems easy enough.’
He barely succeeded with two. Trying three, he let out a “Ack!” and clutched his head. With a scowl, Euna frowned in annoyance.
“Sunbae? Where’s the Vice Team Leader?”
“Well, they rushed out, so—”
She didn’t seem to have heard him kick the door, either.
“How long has it been since we started?”
“Uh, let me see…?”
Tilting her head as she glanced at the clock, Euna began counting on her fingers. The moment she folded three fingers, Woo Taek thought, ‘Is that it?’
“Five hours?”
“What?”
He was left gasping in disbelief.
“Did you just say five hours? Not five days?”
“Why would I take five days for something like this?”
Given her reaction, Woo Taek couldn’t help but chuckle.
‘Even Ha Yeon took two days.’
It looked easy on the surface, but in reality, it was anything but.
There were three major problems. The first being the unpredictability of when and how many would come flying. Because of this, concentrating while maintaining Magic Detection was crucial. The second was timing; detecting wasn’t the same as reacting. He had to crush the chalk with magic before it touched him.
‘It’s not that breaking it is the actual problem.’
Concentration and reaction are expected. If he couldn’t do that, Hong Yu-ri wouldn’t even ask him to try. The real issue was the last one: magic quantity. The amount of usable magic had to be limited to that of the chalk. In other words, he had to turn a volume of magic equivalent to the chalk into dust.
‘That’s difficult.’
Unless the timing was perfect, he wouldn’t reduce it all to dust; some fragments would remain. To succeed, one of two things had to happen.
‘Prediction or intuition.’
As if he had that from the start, it took him five hours to achieve the second successful crush. Woo Taek bitterly reminisced about when he had done this.
[Are you out of magic? Wasting it again?]
[Oh, go ahead. Why not? If you’ve got more magic than I do, maybe you can survive?]
[Are you trying to kill me?]
[Get it? You’ll need to step up if you don’t want to die.]
After that casual comment, he had faced chalk imbued with reckless magic. Even though the team member from Team 2 had said he was grounded, rumor had it that the next day he showed up with a hole in his head. One way or another, the training was far from the breeze it appeared to be.
‘But two successes in five hours?’
All he could think was how impressive that was. What on earth was Hong Yu-ri dissatisfied about?
“……”
Lost in thought, Woo Taek noticed Euna tilting her head.
“Sunbae, are you not going to throw?”
“Ah, I will.”
When he returned to Search Team 3 from the office, he—
‘At the time, I had my doubts.’
Even if personalities clashed, as long as they had talent to spare… as he nodded internally, right before throwing the chalk, his phone blared obnoxiously.
“Ah, hold on a sec.”
He paused with Euna standing by and quickly picked up the call when he saw the name on the screen.
“Yes, Team Leader.”
[Woo Taek, did you see it?]
Did I see what?
[I take it you haven’t seen it yet?]
“What do you mean?”
[Alpha. There’s a video of Alpha circulating. You shouldn’t have any trouble finding it. It’s on NewTube.]
“……”
A short video, barely a minute long. The incident dubbed “The Night of Daejeon” from a few days ago. It was that very location. As a sudden gust swept through, sending people reeling, Woo Taek focused intently.
‘There it is.’
For a brief moment, he caught sight of something black darting through the footage. Due to frame issues with the video, it wasn’t captured clearly, but—
‘Most likely…’
Even he barely saw it. If this was all the video had, it wouldn’t have gained attention. Just as expected, the slow-motion replay showed the moment and paused the screen.
‘Just as I thought.’
A large black wolf with a white skull faded into view. In less than a second, it slipped up from the hole in the ground and vanished over the crowd, cleverly exploiting the moment when the strong wind obscured everyone’s sight.
‘That’s probably its skill.’
It was the wind-generating ability he had seen in the forest dungeon. Woo Taek briefly considered what the medium for the video might be.
‘Maybe it’s from a CCTV attached to a building.’
It was nearly certain that Alpha possessed Stealth. However, Stealth didn’t mean turning into an invisible person. Unlike the people swaying in the wind, it seemed to have been captured on camera.
Once he glanced at the comments, many expressed suspicion that it was manipulated, while others worried that a monster had been released.
“Sunbae, what’s going on?”
“Alpha’s on NewTube…”
Woo Taek reflexively responded but realized too late to stop himself.
“Alpha?”
Euna’s eyes widened in response, and a chill rushed through the air.
***
Magic projectiles swarmed from all directions, dozens if not hundreds of them.
‘To the side?’
No, I dodged downwards. Three magic spheres harmlessly embedded themselves in the ground as a relentless barrage continued to rain.
‘Four coming from the right.’
With intuition and perception, I read the trajectory of the incoming magic. Everything visible was easily dodged. I turned on my heel.
‘……!’
It was right in my face now. I gasped, using my elasticity to barely evade. But another magic projectile came from behind and pierced through me.
‘When did that happen?’
The moment I was pierced by one magic shot, I was hit by a second before I could even move. With no other choice, I summoned a wind gust, shredding all the incoming projectiles in midair.
“Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
There was no pain. I could heal the wounds with regeneration.
‘Thirteenth.’
Thirteenth failure. Looking down, I saw countless holes peppering the ground as though shot by a machine gun.
‘…I have to dodge all of these?’
Was that even possible? If it were about running away, I could manage. I had confidence in outrunning the incoming projectiles. But one of the conditions set by the White Deer was ‘as much as possible from the stationary position.’
“Is this difficult?”
It’s not a matter of difficulty; it’s questioning if such a thing is even feasible. When I cast a glance at the White Deer, it replied quietly.
“If it were impossible, I wouldn’t have set it as a task.”
But how? How could I potentially dodge magic spheres that came flying nearly at the same time? Another magic sphere was rapidly approaching, ready to unleash its attack.
“Don’t try to look.”
“……”
“Focus on the purpose of the training.”
‘The purpose of the training.’
Rather than excessive movements, I needed to dodge with minimal actions. The White Deer told me not to look; there had to be an answer in that command.
‘Feel it?’
While it wasn’t hard to dodge without watching, how does one not look to dodge so many at once?
‘Are they referring to detection?’
I tried to detect the flying magic, but sensing something immaterial was a tall order, ultimately leading to my fourteenth failure.
[Regeneration (D) Level 3 has reached maximum proficiency. Regeneration (D) Level 3 → Regeneration (D) Level 4]
I hadn’t dodged; my regeneration proficiency just leveled up. As I waited for the next turn, the White Deer suggested a break. Though I replied that I was fine, it shook its head.
“It’s not you; my magic is running low.”
Unfortunately, it couldn’t be helped. After all, the White Deer had magic regeneration, so it wouldn’t take long. Sitting on the floor, as if waiting, the Fairy Dragon took flight and coiled above my head.
“You sure do follow well.”
When I looked at it with curiosity, it asked why I was surprised.
“Fairy dragons typically don’t follow others easily. More than that, they rarely undergo metamorphosis.”
“But there are many dragon worms, right?”
It was easy enough to find them in both the fantasy and real worlds. As I pondered, the White Deer smiled.
“How many do you think undergo metamorphosis from among them? One in a thousand? One in ten thousand? Maybe even rarer. They don’t even try to metamorphose.”
“So, they live out their lives as larvae?”
“There’s no need to take risks for metamorphosis.”
The White Deer explained that becoming a pupa itself was risky, folding its long legs as it crouched down.
‘Then, why were there dragon worms in the real world?’
If the conditions for metamorphosing into a Fairy Dragon were similar to leveling up, then obtaining experience points was necessary. Achieving that in the fantasy world appeared impossible.
‘It’s about nourishment.’
While magic could accumulate here, without partaking in some form of sibling rivalry, they couldn’t gain experience points. There wouldn’t be any monsters, let alone spirits, weaker than the dragon worms in the fantasy world.
“Even after they metamorphose, most only spend time with fairies rather than striving to grow. But that little one is different.”
Noticing its story had come up, the Fairy Dragon showed interest.
“It’s already matured.”
The moment I checked with perception, it turned out to indeed be matured.
‘How did I miss that?’
Was I too busy? Its weight had risen from 126g to 182g. Notably, its magic increased from 76 to 82.
“It seems you didn’t realize.”
The Fairy Dragon flicked its tail at my ear in a slightly annoyed manner. It really just felt like a light pat.
“They grow by consuming impure things.”
“Impure things?”
Suddenly, the wound on Eun-ja-rim popped into my mind. I suspected it had been affected by some sort of corruption chain. Did that corruption mean not just a malady but that it was part of its diet?
‘Impure things?’
I suddenly had a thought, but I quickly brushed it aside.
‘No need to dwell on whether it’s possible or not.’
The White Deer continued speaking.
“Don’t you want to know more about it?”
“What about it?”
“I didn’t give explicit details about the dungeon.”
Before I could even ask, someone blasted magic projectiles at me. Despite my incredulous look, the White Deer remained unfazed, revealing a delightfully shameless side.
“In truth, calling it a dungeon feels a bit embarrassing. It’s merely a limitless wasteland with some mountains.”
The image of Lee Hyun Park arose in my mind.
It must be a form where the space changes upon crossing a threshold.
“While other monsters aren’t much of a problem, the boss is.”
“You know?”
“There are almost no beings I can catch when I run.”
Teleport. When I recalled that skill, I could understand the sentiment. It wouldn’t have been difficult if it was merely about coming out immediately.
“So what of the boss?”
“A ‘great serpent’ that crawls underground.”
A serpent that crawls underground?
‘Well, serpents do tend to do that.’
Only then did I realize that the emphasis was on “great” rather than just a snake. That meant—
“Serpent?”
“Precisely. Earth Serpent. That’s the master of the dungeon.”
I furrowed my brows at that.
‘A serpent doesn’t seem…’
A snake of no extraordinary status was a problem, but that very size was troubling.
‘It’s way too massive.’
Its form would stretch to several dozen meters, being a weapon in its own right. The reason elephants were the strongest land animals wasn’t due to their fighting skills, but rather their sheer size. Let alone comparison with an elephant, if an Earth Serpent is that large—
“My magic is starting to recover. Shall we begin soon?”
At that question, I nodded without hesitation. There was no point in wasting time. Thus, the training commenced once more.
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