novelraw Chapter 30 : Chapter 30
Chapter 30 : Chapter 30
Chapter 30: Waryong's Dungeon (1)
In most RPG games, rankings always exist. There are people at the bottom, people who are average, and people who proudly place their names in the top ranks. We must focus on those who are in the top ranks.
What do they have that allowed them to reach the top? For some, it might be effort; for others, talent; and for some, it might be the power of money. However, I can state with certainty that they all have one thing in common.
That is item-reliance.
Whether they are talented, hardworking, or wealthy, that fact never changes. Those at the top of the game always wear good items and use that power to suppress those below them. Item-reliance is greater than the difference in talent or effort; that is the truth of RPGs.
…And there is only one reason I am speaking about this truth.
“Because I need that item-reliance.”
Why do I need it? Is it because I do not put in any effort? No, considering recently, I have worked like a dog. However, there are certainly things in this world that cannot be achieved through effort alone.
Then is it because I lack talent? That is not it, either. It is a bit awkward to say this myself, but honestly, I do have some. The problem is that the world has no intention of being patient enough for that talent to sprout.
“If only I had money, I would not have to go through this hardship.”
As the time to enter the dungeon drew near, my lacking reality kept bothering my mind. It could not be helped. Waryong's Dungeon was not like Santa Claus, handing out gifts just because I did not cry. If I had money, I probably would not be going there at this time. Even if I could not buy things like the "Spear of Longinus" or "Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Ginseng" with money, I would have been able to get something useful for the present.
But since I currently had no money, I had no choice but to move while taking a certain amount of risk.
“Sigh, what would change just because I grumble like this?”
I have to go anyway, so this only makes me more anxious. Therefore, I checked the reply to the text message I had sent earlier.
[Shin Yu-hwan: It is no problem to grant a favor of that level, Boy.]
It was a reply from Shin Yu-hwan saying it was fine regarding my request for an access pass. It felt like I was always asking for favors from a hero I admired, but I had no choice.
‘I need an access pass to enter a dungeon.’
In principle, Glory cadets possess gate access passes, but not right now. They are not issued to first-years who have not learned anything yet. I would likely receive one after the midterm exams at the earliest, but I did not have the leisure to wait until then. That was why I contacted Shin Yu-hwan, who had the authority to issue an access pass.
“I had to meet him once anyway.”
It just happened to overlap with the favor. I was by no means trying to use a hero for my own convenience. Besides, ultimately, this was for Shin Yu-hwan’s sake as well, so it was fine, right? Yes, of course.
“Then I should get going.”
Since I already knew the location this time, it would not take long. The destination was the government-owned building where I had met Shin Yu-hwan before. I hurried my steps toward that place.
***
“Boy! It feels like it has been a long time since I saw your face. Haha!”
When we met again, Shin Yu-hwan was as boisterous as ever. However, it was difficult for me to focus on him. This was because my attention was fixed on the person beside him.
“Hello. Nice to meet you. You know well who I am, right?”
A beautiful young woman greeted me haughtily. How could I not know? This was the leader of the Horizon Guild, which was undeniably the top guild in South Korea and the idol of domestic players: the Celestial Flower, Cha Yu-na.
‘Why on earth is she here?’
As soon as our eyes met, questions surfaced before greetings. Why was Cha Yu-na here?
‘I know that Shin Yu-hwan and Cha Yu-na are close.’
But to bring Cha Yu-na along to a meeting with me? Seeing my expression, which showed I found it difficult to understand the situation, Cha Yu-na spoke kindly first.
“I have heard a lot about you from Yu-hwan. Choi Yu-seong,”
A lot? What exactly did he say? I wanted to ask, but since staying silent any longer would be rude, I bowed my head in greeting.
“Nice to meet you. Should I call you the Horizon Guildmaster?”
“You can just call me by my name. By the way, why are you so polite?”
Polite? Was this not the basic standard? Even if it were not me, anyone meeting the Guildmaster of Horizon would have the same reaction. However, saying I was polite just because of this felt somewhat off. As I thought that, I realized why she said such a thing from her next words.
“When I heard from Yu-hwan, I honestly thought you would be ill-mannered.”
“Pardon?”
I immediately looked back at Shin Yu-hwan at Cha Yu-na’s words. What on earth did he say to make the Horizon Guildmaster speak like that? At my gaze, which demanded an explanation, Shin Yu-hwan simply laughed as if it were amusing.
“Haha! Boy, I did not insult you, so do not look at me like that.”
“Then what did you say?”
“I simply said that you and I have some things in common, Boy.”
Hmm… he certainly did not insult me. But what was this subtle feeling? It should be a good thing to be told I resemble a hero I admire, but if that person is Shin Yu-hwan… I will refrain from saying more. More importantly, I had a purpose, so I accepted it for now and brought up my original goal.
“Mr. Shin Yu-hwan, is the thing I asked for ready?”
“Hmm? Ah, right. Take this, Boy.”
At my words, Shin Yu-hwan remembered and took something out of a drawer to hand to me. He then added an explanation.
“You said you needed a way to enter dungeon-type gates, right? If you go there and show that, they will let you through immediately.”
“Immediately?”
“Yes, it is a card given only to government-affiliated players.”
Shin Yu-hwan spoke with a smile as if it were nothing special. However, I could not smile with him.
‘Is this not an abuse of public authority?’
A government-affiliated player? I was nothing so grand. I was just a first-year cadet at Glory.
‘If it becomes a problem, I will just say I received it from Shin Yu-hwan.’
Regardless, since I received it, I had to use it. I nodded and accepted the card.
“Then, may I take my leave now?”
“Ah, go ahead. We can talk about personal matters when we meet again in a while.”
Ah, come to think of it, I was supposed to nominate Shin Yu-hwan during the midterm exams. It truly was one obstacle after another. But since I could not avoid it, I had no choice. Thinking this, I greeted Shin Yu-hwan and then addressed Cha Yu-na beside him.
“I will be going now.”
“Sure, sure. Good luck with your business~.”
Cha Yu-na did not seem to take issue with the card Shin Yu-hwan gave me, either. Perhaps because they held high positions, they seemed to have quite free-spirited personalities.
‘But seriously, why is she here?’
As it was time to leave, the question surfaced again. I had been too flustered when we first greeted each other to think deeply. But now was different.
‘She would not have come just to see someone like me.’
I had thought about that for a moment, but it was too self-centered. A cadet like Kim Su-hyeok might be a different story, but why would she be interested in me? Even if I had somehow caught Shin Yu-hwan’s eye, I was still a cadet ranked at the very bottom. However, as if the heavens did not want me to know, my thoughts were interrupted again.
“Boy.”
This was because Shin Yu-hwan suddenly called my name. I had no choice but to stop my thoughts and answer him.
“Yes.”
“I do not know if danger is following you or if you are walking into danger, but make sure to become a sword that does not break.”
“…Pardon?”
He stopped me and delivered those meaningful words. But a sword that does not break? What did that mean? I considered asking for the meaning but decided against it. He had a look on his face that was somewhat serious.
“I understand for now.”
“Haha! ‘For now,’ you say. Yes, that should be enough.”
This time, our conversation truly came to an end. Leaving Shin Yu-hwan and Cha Yu-na behind, I left the building.
***
“I have arrived.”
Not long after parting with the two, I took a portal and arrived at a plain in Incheon. I stood there, waiting for my turn.
‘There are so many people.’
This was one of the places that could not hold out during the era of gate flooding in the past, and development itself had become impossible. Because of that, it was a restricted area for civilians. But at the same time, this was a place suitable for players to make money. Normally, gates appear randomly, but since this area had fallen to gates once before, the mana concentration was high, and it was said that an unusually high number of gates appeared here.
‘That is why it is so crowded.’
While it is true that a player's income is lucrative, that only applies when they are working. Rather than wandering around looking for a gate that might pop up anywhere, it was better to come here, where numerous gates appeared and disappeared every day. I waited for a long while, thinking it was still a bit too crowded.
“Next person, please come forward.”
Finally, my turn arrived. At those words, I walked up to the soldier in charge of passage.
“Show me your pass.”
A blunt, not-so-polite voice reached me. Well, considering there are many strange people among players, such a reaction was not unusual. Rather than expressing dissatisfaction with his attitude, I immediately presented the card I had received from Shin Yu-hwan. The soldier glared at me for a moment for handing over a card instead of a pass, but upon realizing the card's identity, he bowed his head with a surprised voice.
“My apologies! I did not realize you were affiliated with the government!”
“You do not need to bow that much…”
“No! How could I commit such a discourtesy to someone working for the country!”
You are also working for the country right now. But as if that did not matter, the soldier guided me in a formal tone.
“Since your identity has been verified, you may go right in! Loyalty!”
“Yes, keep up the good work.”
Power certainly is a good thing. For things to be handled so smoothly. I left the spot, receiving the soldier's stiff salute.
“Is this the place?”
I entered the plains area. The gazes of the other players watching me from behind were a bit uncomfortable, but there was no real problem. More importantly, it was the purpose of coming here.
‘It was said to be located on the outskirts of the plains.’
I moved according to the description in the novel. There, a normal-looking gate with a C-Rank label was located. And there was not even a single person waiting around it. Usually, players wait in front of popular dungeon-type gates, so considering that, I could see how much Waryong's Dungeon was shunned.
‘That is natural.’
This was because Waryong's Dungeon was not a gate with particularly good rewards. It sounds strange to say it like this, but it was true. Waryong's Dungeon was a place where the rewards were good and bad at the same time.
‘If you clear it in a normal way, the rewards are horribly lacking, so it cannot be helped.’
Irregular gates occasionally appear in C-Rank or higher gates. One of those irregular gates was this Waryong's Dungeon. If cleared through a normal route, the rewards were equivalent to those of an F-Rank gate. But the difficulty was C-Rank, so who would step forward to clear it?
‘But I know what needs to be done.’
The name of this gate is "Waryong." You can figure it out by considering this part. You can think of who used the epithet "Waryong" in the past.
‘Master Waryong. Zhuge Liang.’
Zhuge Liang was a major figure in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and the strategist for the State of Shu. This gate was created using his narrative.
‘When it was first described in the novel, I found it absurd too.’
In the novel, the setting only appeared, and no one was able to claim the rewards. That was only natural. It was a method that even I would not have been able to think of if I had not seen it in the novel.
‘Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage. How are you supposed to think of that?’
You cannot obtain any significant rewards from this gate by clearing it just once. It is natural if you think about the first meeting between Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei in the "Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage." However, for players who do not know that fact, it is not natural. Ultimately, for that reason, Waryong's Dungeon was discarded after being set up.
However, the novel explained:
— Waryong's Dungeon is actually not a dungeon. If someone clears Waryong's Dungeon three times, the dungeon disappears.
— Furthermore, you obtain the true reward upon the third clear. That reward will undeniably not fall behind the rewards of an A-Rank gate.
…It was written as such. To be able to obtain rewards that do not fall behind an A-Rank gate from a mere C-Rank gate. But even so, there was a reason I had no choice but to come only now.
‘It is that I am not at a level suitable for a C-Rank gate.’
But what can I do? Now that the development has become twisted, it is not the time to be picky about such things. You can never aim for a reversal if you only choose safe paths. Therefore, right now, I needed to walk a dangerous path.
“Damn it, it will work out somehow.”
I even have the EX-class talent, which is a minimum safety device. With that, I threw myself toward the gate to carry out the first of the Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage.