Chapter 324
[’Endless Linked Explosions’ tells you to do well.]
[But he warns you that this realm will be challenging.]
[’Endless Linked Explosions’ states that one day, even mortals will succumb to the temptation of killing others...]
The explosion constellation babbled on until he vanished.
Even though the boss monster that guarded the second underground floor was gone, the atmosphere was grim.
Illaphael was particularly shaken because he had witnessed the frightening abilities of the explosion constellation firsthand right next to Choi Yeonseung.
The explosion constellation had defeated the demon constellation, one of the most famous constellations in the Abyss, with a single blow.
This shocking news would soon plunge the Abyss into chaos.
“We’ll have to be prepared for him.”
“I guess so.”
“Together...” murmured Illaphael.
Such a power-hungry constellation wouldn’t stay idle, so it was better for the two households to join forces…
“Do what you need to do now. The boss monster on the second underground floor is gone, so I’ll occupy this place and make a base here.”
“Understood!” The hunters who followed Choi Yeonseung nodded in response.
“...”
Illaphael was silent.
Choi Yeonseung looked at him and asked curiously, “Do you have any suggestions?”
“...No.”
“I see. Well, these things probably seem a bit inadequate in the eyes of an angel.”
“N-no… I didn’t say that...”
“Now, let’s get to work! We should hurry so that Illaphael doesn’t have to wait here!”
“Yes!”
“Listen to me...”
Given how large this dungeon was, Choi Yeonseung didn’t intend to go through all the other floors in one go. He would do it gradually, step by step, as if climbing a huge mountain.
The standard way was always the best way.
“Then maybe we could share part of the base... Ack! Okay, fine!”
Seeing that the Chinese hunters were trying to include themselves into his plans, Choi Yeonseung kicked a shattered rock toward them. The kick itself was harmless, but at the same time, it was a blatant threat.
The Chinese hunters thought that he was being absurd. They were just asking, so why did he…?
‘Hey, suck it up. He said he won’t kill us.’
‘Yeah, thank God for that... Wait… Doesn’t it feel weird to be grateful that he doesn’t kill us?’
‘...Why don’t you tell him about that and find out if it’s weird or not?”
‘...Yeah, I’ll just be grateful and keep my mouth shut.’
All the other hunters had heard the explosion constellation talking earlier. They found his intentions appalling. On that note, this whole underground dungeon was a huge trap meant to induce hunters from various countries to kill each other.
Choi Yeonseung might throw fists and kick pebbles at them, but he had nonetheless declined the awful offer of the explosion constellation, so he was a good person at the end of the day. Other A-grade hunters might’ve responded differently to that offer.
The Chinese hunters were really lucky.
“Now that I think about it, you should replenish your energy after the previous fight. You’d better eat something.”
“We still have some rations, so we can just eat th…”
“What? Why? Are you saying that you don’t want to eat the food I cook for you?”
“N-no, it’s not like that!”
Even if Choi Yeonseung boiled a bunch of rocks in a pot, they had to eat it.
The Chinese hunters became uneasy. Why was he so adamant about giving them food?
‘Is he trying to control us by feeding us a new microchip developed by South Korea or something?’
‘What are you saying...?’
‘Instead of that, I think it would be more plausible that he wants to poison us with something that doesn’t have an antidote.’
‘That’s more plausible...’
The hunters were scared because they didn’t know what kind of bizarre dish Choi Yeonseung would give them. However, they gazed in astonishment as they watched Choi Yeonseung cook.
…Was this a restaurant!?
***
The first underground floor was a maze. The second underground floor took the form of a huge, circular hall. As for the third underground floor, it was almost the size of a small kingdom. There could be all kinds of Abyssal races roaming around.
“Hey. I need bread, water, and a healing potion.”
“I need thirty parts.”
“...Has the price gone up?!”
“Obviously. It’s only natural since so many of you are here.”
The Chinese hunters gritted their teeth as they heard the robot talk so nonchalantly.
One of the Abyssal races that were found on this floor were robots. However, this wasn’t the generic robot created by humans on Earth, but a being born in the Abyss with an actual soul embedded in metal!
Because they were made of metal, the Abyssal robots possessed formidable strength. Fortunately, they weren’t particularly aggressive, so they didn’t attack the Chinese hunters who had come here… However, they weren’t particularly kind either.
The Chinese hunters basically had to pay a price if they wanted to do anything on this floor.
“If you don’t like the price, I will accept something else that’s interesting.”
“I have a smartphone here...”
“I got enough of that glowing machine last time. Give me something else.”
“What about the drone here?? It is a state-of-the-art model created by the Chinese government. No other country can make something like this.”
“Who are you trying to fool with such trivial goods? Are you trying to mock us?”
Whenever humans visited the Abyss and interacted with the Abyssal creatures, the thing they noticed the most was the difference in what they wanted from each other.
Everything from the Abyss was precious to humans: magic powers, artifacts, materials, knowledge, etc.
In comparison, the Abyssal races didn’t really want much from humans. If the humans found something truly precious and interesting, they could make a lucrative deal with the Abyssal creatures, but if not…
They had to resign to their inferiority.
“The supplies are cut off! We’ll pay you when we receive the supplies! Please!”
“I don’t trust you. Why should I believe the words of an organic race like you?”
The Chinese hunters gritted their teeth.
When they had started this raid on the Second Realm, they had thought they would fight other Abyssal races, like the orcs, or conquer vast plains, just like in the First Realm.
However, contrary to their expectations, they didn’t have to deal with harsh enemies, but with a harsh environment.
“Let’s just attack and loot! Who will see us anyway? If someone protests later, the government will cover it up!”
As expected of hunters, they already considered stealing everything from the robots. However, the team leader shook his head.
“We can’t do that.”
“Why not?” I’m so hungry that I could eat people!”
“Last time, they tore apart an A-grade hunter who tried to steal from them.”
“...”
“...”
The hunters were astonished. They tore apart… an A-grade hunter?
Of course, the races of the Abyss had been able to use magic for a long time and had always been more powerful than most humans on Earth.
However, becoming an A-grade hunter essentially meant achieving superhuman strength, surpassing the human limits. At such a formidable level, it wouldn’t be hard to stand up to the Abyssal races.
However, one of them had been obliterated.
“What did he get hit by?”
“You should ask yourself. Everyone who asked was blown away.”
“...”
The more they were stuck in this place with no supplies, the worse their tempers were. As such, the hunters had to be careful even when asking simple questions.
“Wei Chang, we have to go down to the fourth underground floor.”
“I know.”
China’s A-grade hunter, Wei Chang.
Among the hunters and government officials down here, he essentially had the most amount of authority.
The original plan was to advance quicker, but…
“Wouldn’t it be better to wait for more people and more supplies before going down? I mean look at this… We’re like a bunch of second-rate bandits on the verge of starvation…”
Since this floor wasn’t divided into rooms like the previous one, all the hunters present had to stay composed, maintain order, and prepare to advance to the next floor.
However, things almost never went according to the plan.
These hunters had lost contact with their top leaders, their supplies were scarce, and it was virtually impossible to trade with those pesky robots…
As a result, everyone had split up into factions!
The Chinese had divided themselves into various groups, and whenever they approached each other’s camps, they threatened each other like they were enemies.
In fact, there had been a few thefts...
“This really is a mess.”
“Are those robots that strong? What did they do to you that made you so scared of them?”
Bam!
Wei Chang swung the sword he was holding and slashed the hunter who had asked the question. He wouldn’t die thanks to the explosion constellation’s power, but it was very painful nonetheless.
“...”
“...”
The hunters watching from behind were horrified.
[’Endless Linked Explosions’ had appeared. He would like to share news from above.]
[The household members of the ‘Six-Winged Angel Who Hunts Dragons’ and ‘Undefeated Incarnation of Training’ have occupied the second underground floor.]
“...!”
The hunters were in shock. Something had happened above and other hunters had taken over?
“Is that why we’re not getting supplies?!”
“Shouldn’t we go up and give them hell?”
“Hey. The second underground floor... I don’t want to go back up there.”
The hunters who still had energy were furious, and the others were visibly upset as well. They had to somehow get through those terrible rooms on the second underground floor once again. Just by thinking back on them, the Chinese hunters got goosebumps.
“...I’ll go and talk to them myself,” Wei Chang declared.
“Is that a good idea?”
“Tell Luo Guanglong to come as well.”
Luo Guanglong was an A-grade hunter who had also come to the third floor. Currently, he was looking around for food with other hungry hunters.
In Wei Chang’s eyes, it was a pitiful sight…
What could they possibly find to eat when there were only robots around here?
***
“...Haven’t they gained some weight?”
Choi Yeonseung helped the hunters break through the passage from the first underground floor to the second one.
The hunters came down one by one and were initially surprised to see the Chinese hunters at the base. They were also surprised to see that they were unexpectedly chubby.
…Had they come here to have fun?
“You can’t starve yourself while working. Anyway, how are things?”
“It was an amazing maze. Thanks to your help, we managed to get down here with ease. So, when are we going further down?”
“I’m going to gather more people and then we’ll all go down together. I’ve asked around and the third floor is supposed to be more spacious. It’s a large area, but apparently there’s nothing to eat..”
After listening to the explanation, the hunters imagined a landscape similar to that of Mars. A wide and barren landscape, completely devoid of life…
Bang!
A room opened and hunters rushed out of it. They looked bewildered and like they were starving.
“...I’m here to formally protest!” growled the hunter leading the others.
“What, are you here to complain about the noise?” asked Choi Yeonseung curiously
“Wha… You son of a bitch! You think you’re funny?!”
-It seems that the other person is very hungry and furious.
-That’s what happens when people starve for a long time.
“I was told that you’re occupying the second underground floor and that supplies aren’t coming. Stop keeping the supplies here and send them our way, NOW!”
“What? Why would we steal your supplies?”
“Don’t lie to me. If you didn’t steal them, how come you’re so comfortable here?”
“Hey, Wei Chang. We actually didn’t steal anything. The supplies haven’t reached the second floor either. They’re not coming down at all.”
“What are you...? No, wait. What are you guys doing here?”
The Chinese hunters were surprised to find their companions. They had thought their companions had been lost on the second underground floor.
However, they were here, and they seemed to be doing great!
“...I-I’m a prisoner.”
“What kind of prisoner lives comfortably like this?”
They were so comfortable that they had thrown their artifacts on the ground and lay down at an angle. They hurriedly got back up.
The Chinese hunters glared at each other. It seemed like they were about to kill each other. It was understandable. When starving, people didn’t think rationally, and the first instinct was to blame someone else.
Bang!
At that moment, the door of another room was flung open and more hunters jumped out. The Chinese hunters looked at them with wide eyes.
‘Is it the supplies?’
“Uhm… What? Are we fighting?”
“...”
“...”
They were foreign hunters…
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