Not long after, the second island ca into view.
Its size was as narrow as the previous one.
Beyond it, dozens of large and small whirlpools were churning violently. If the boat got too close, it would be sucked in imdiately, leaving us as drowned corpses.
So we docked the boat at the island and started up the detector first.
Beep—
“There’s nothing here either.”
“Looks like it!”
Next, I connected with Shin Byeong-cheol to communicate. He needed to solve a puzzle on his end for the path on our side to open.
“How far along are you?”
– Almost done, just wait a little longer.
“It’s really almost done, right? If you’re stuck, just say so.”
– No, I’m serious. Have you always been this distrustful?
“Coming from soone who lies the mont he opens his mouth.”
– That’s slander. This ti, it’s really the truth.
For once, Shin Byeong-cheol’s voice was brimming with confidence.
Well, it wasn’t surprising. We had sent him a guidebook to help with the puzzle, so solving it shouldn’t have been difficult.
Sure enough, after waiting a little longer, there was a change.
The whirlpools that had been covering the area ahead gradually began to diminish, and eventually, they disappeared completely.
We stared at the now-calm lake and contacted Song Cheon-hye.
“Is your side open?”
– It just opened now.
Normally, we would have had to clear the boss battle on our side, and only after Gap-doo No. 2 was defeated would the path on Song Cheon-hye’s side open.
The fact that the process had been skipped probably ant the creature had already been dealt with.
Han So-mi seed to have the sa thought as she asked,
“Do we leave right away?”
“Let’s go.”
We boarded the wooden boat again and began to move forward.
As we drifted along with the flow of the lake, Han So-mi suddenly raised her hand high.
“Question! I have a question!”
“Alright, what’s on your mind?”
“Aren’t all the bosses gone now?”
“That’s probably not the case.”
The bosses in Trident Lake numbered three in total. There were two mid-level bosses and one final boss.
The two mid-level bosses could sotis be eliminated for various reasons, most commonly when a previous party had entered the dungeon but left halfway through.
In such cases, their absence could be overlooked, but the final boss was practically the core of this dungeon.
The mont the final boss was completely defeated, the dungeon would be cleared and reset.
“So, it has to still be alive.”
“I see!”
In other words, the next encounter would inevitably involve a boss fight.
Whether it turned out to be Gap-doo No. 3 or the Dark Oobleck, we’d face it soon enough.
Amidst the quiet, the wooden boat drifted gently downstream.
Then, Han So-mi turned her head this way and that as if she was trying to confirm sothing. She then raised her hand again.
“Another! I have another question!”
“Alright, what else are you curious about?”
“Can’t we go over there?”
The spot Han So-mi pointed to was a steep cliff.
It was a cliff that divided the lake into three parts, so high that it seed steep and unscalable. Its surface was slick with moisture so that even a single step would cause one to slip.
“Well, if you’re determined, it might be possible to scale it.”
“Really?”
“There’s no such thing as impossible for humans, after all.”
If we managed to climb it, we could cross over to the lake where the other party mbers were, and conversely, they could co to our side as well.
But I shook my head slowly.
“Even so, there’s a good reason why no one does it.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s a trap.”
Atop that cliff was an incredibly powerful spatial magic that didn’t match the level of an F-rank dungeon.
Even if one sohow succeeded in scaling it after trendous effort, they would be instantly swept away by a teleportation spell and sent flying far away.
Han So-mi’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“Where would they get sent?”
“To the starting point. And here’s what’s really important.”
I lightly tapped the wooden boat we were riding in.
“You’d be sent there without this.”
“What?”
In other words, to return to the original position, you’d have to swim back without a boat.
It was clear that attempting it would be a foolish endeavor.
Unless you could resist it, of course.
If soone had the extraordinary skills to ignore the spatial magic and do what was forbidden inside the dungeon, they could freely roam atop that cliff.
Moreover, they might even claim a very special hidden piece.
But naturally, that kind of talk was far beyond our current capabilities.
I asked Han So-mi,
“Does that satisfy your curiosity?”
“Totally!”
“Then let’s start preparing.”
While we chatted, the third and final island was drawing closer.
Before reaching it, I pulled out the detector and pressed the button.
Beep—
The radar began spinning in circles across the screen.
Han So-mi and I carefully watched the display when—
Beep beep—!
A bright red dot appeared clearly on one side of the screen.
We looked at each other.
“It finally showed up. I thought this thing was broken.”
“Finally!”
We relayed the discovery to Song Cheon-hye as well.
There was a noticeable pause on the other end of the communicator, followed by her response.
– I’ll join you imdiately.
However, at this point, the idea of Song Cheon-hye catching up to us was practically impossible.
Crossing the cliff was, of course, impossible, so the only option was to retrace the path and take the route on our side. Even that would take quite so ti.
On top of that, Song Cheon-hye was still dealing with the relentless attacks of the catfish monsters, so it was impossible for her to leave her position.
For these reasons, I spoke into the communicator.
“We’ll try handling this on our own.”
“We can do it!”
– …Understood. Just don’t push yourselves too hard. If it gets dangerous, retreat imdiately.
“Of course.”
– So-mi, you be careful too.
Song Cheon-hye’s voice carried a hint of concern.
Before long, we docked the boat at the small island, just as we had done before.
After climbing onto the island, we scanned the area ahead and…
“Doesn’t that look suspicious to you?”
“Mhmm, really!”
There were no reefs or whirlpools, but one side of the lake was unusually dark and murky.
Almost as if it had been contaminated by sothing.
It matched perfectly with the spot indicated by the Dark Oobleck detector.
Then it’s ti to call it out.
I planted the sapling into the ground and unleashed a Spiral Explosion in that direction.
Soon, a small whirlpool began to form.
Thud!
A dull sound echoed from beneath the water’s surface.
There’s no better way to provoke it.
As if to prove its effect, ripples began spreading rapidly across the lake, accompanied by foaming bubbles.
Finally, the surface of the water swelled upward and—
Whoosh!
A monstrous creature erged. It looked like a cross between a human and a giant catfish.
Its appearance was quite different from what I rembered. It was much larger, grotesquely twisted, and had six arms.
It was also wielding not one but three tridents.
The Dark Oobleck must have devoured and fused several bosses together.
Most notably, its skin glead with Dark Oobleck’s signature black sheen.
If Dang Gyu-young had seen this, she probably would have said sothing like:
– Look at that, a Dark Gap-doo, huh?
“—!”
The mont its gaze t ours, the creature thrust its tridents forward.
Imdiately, the water of the lake rippled more violently. So parts rose in dense clumps before rushing towards us.
Boom!
I used Wind Force to shatter one of them, while Han So-mi slashed through the remaining two midair with her sword energy.
Next, I placed the sapling against the ground and extended one hand forward.
[Spiral Explosion]
A whirlwind ford around the Dark Ooblec. It converged before erupting in a huge explosion.
Boom!
“—!”
A gaping hole appeared in the creature’s chest, but in the next mont, it healed as if nothing had happened.
Since the creature lacked any inherent defense, the defense-piercing effect of Spiral Explosion was diminished.
If only I could use Inferno Fist, this would be over in one blow.
But using Inferno Fist in front of Han So-mi was out of the question.
Though her deanor often seed casual and lax, she was surprisingly strict about separating work and personal matters.
Unless my life was truly in danger, there was no reason to reveal it now.
I dodged the incoming water bombs one by one and proposed an idea.
“Why don’t you unleash your sword energy to cool things off?”
“Should I?”
Han So-mi raised her sword into a mid-stance, but then, as if sothing occurred to her, she hesitated.
“There’s a problem!”
“What is it?”
“It’s too far!”
Han So-mi pointed her sword toward the Dark Gap-doo.
The creature was a mage-type boss. It kept its distance in the middle of the lake while relentlessly casting water-based magic.
At this range, even if Han So-mi launched her sword energy, it wouldn’t reach, and if it did, its power would be severely diminished.
Fortunately, this was a problem I could solve.
“Then I’ll create a foothold for you.”
“How?”
“Like this.”
When I cast Ice Wall, a patch of ground a short distance away froze over and an ice barrier abruptly shot upward.
Han So-mi let out an exclamation of admiration.
“What a clever thod!”
“I’ll create them one by one, so use them as stepping stones. Just be careful not to slip.”
“Mhmm, mhmm!”
Han So-mi leaped toward the ice wall.
As soon as I conjured the next one, she deftly landed on it.
“—!”
Noticing her intent, the Dark Oobleck concentrated its water magic on her.
Jets of lake water surged upward, forming into spheres that shot toward her.
Han So-mi nimbly hopped between the ice walls and dodged the incoming attacks.
At one point, she slipped slightly and lost her balance.
“Oh, ohhh~?”
She wobbled unsteadily with her arms spread wide but managed to steady herself again.
Even in the middle of battle, there wasn’t the slightest hint of tension on her face.
She really does have the mindset of soone who enjoys the fight.
Still, that was far better than being intimidated.
I continued conjuring ice walls in succession, and Han So-mi used them to gradually close the distance toward the Dark Oobleck.
“—!”
Perhaps sensing the growing threat, the Dark Oobleck seed to react.
Its three tridents rged into a single, much larger weapon, which it aid squarely at Han So-mi.
The surface of the lake churned violently before—
Swooshhh—!
A wave taller than a person surged toward Han So-mi, threatening to engulf her.
Having anticipated this attack pattern, I imdiately shouted instructions as soon as I saw the wave.
“Jump high. Now, jump!”
“Jump!”
Han So-mi kicked off the ice wall with ease and leaped into the air. At the sa mont, compressed air exploded beneath her feet.
Boom!
“Ooooh~”
Han So-mi floated in midair with a bright smile on her face.
As soon as the wave subsided, she landed gracefully on the ice wall and moved to another one that I had just summoned.
In doing so, the distance between her and the Dark Oobleck narrowed significantly.
Judging that she was now close enough, Han So-mi finally spoke.
“Got it~!”
With that, she began to unleash her full energy.
An icy, bone-chilling aura gathered around her blade.
I, in turn, supported Han So-mi’s ultimate move.
[Activated ‘Octopus Limbs’.]
[Activated ‘Amplification’.]
[The rank of ‘Wind Barrier’ has increased. (C → A )]
[The rank of ‘Spiral Explosion’ has increased. (C → A )]
Whooooosh—!
Just in case Han So-mi got hit by any water magic, I cast a barrier around her and simultaneously launched the upgraded Spiral Explosion at A rank.
A fierce whirlwind, like a raging typhoon, trapped the Dark Oobleck tightly.
“—!”
The Dark Oobleck seed to instinctively realize that this was the end.
Its trident absorbed huge amounts of lake water before transforming into the shape of a thick whip.
At last, the watery whip lashed out with great force, just as Han So-mi’s blade slashed downward.
Flaaash—!
Rather than cutting through, it appeared as though the imnse pressure crushed it entirely.
Right after, the Spiral Explosion detonated, unleashing winds compressed to their absolute limit.
Boom—!
When the explosion subsided, the Dark Oobleck had completely evaporated without a trace.
Only patches of the lake were left stained black.
The only problem now was that Han So-mi’s figure was nowhere to be found.
She must’ve fallen.
It seed the impact of the explosion had knocked her off the ice wall.
Sure enough, a section of the lake suddenly bulged upward, and then—
“Puh—!”
Han So-mi’s head popped out of the water.
Her hair was a tangled ss of algae as she looked around to confirm what had happened to the Dark Oobleck.
“Did we defeat it?”
“We did. Stay right there.”
I slowly steered the wooden boat toward her.
After helping her climb aboard, I took a glass bottle from my inventory and collected so of the darkened lake water.
A notification appeared imdiately.
[Main Quest 2-5] (Completed)
▷ Objective: Collect an additional sample.
▷ Would you like to claim your reward?
[Yes/No]
As expected, I chose “No” this ti as well.
Then, I handed the collected sample to Han So-mi.
“Here, you need this, right?”
“Mhmm, mhmm! Thanks!”
Han So-mi stored the glass bottle in her inventory.
As soon as she did, the next quest in the chain appeared and was instantly completed.
However, instead of asking whether to claim the reward, the system calculated everything that had been postponed all at once.
[Main Quest 2-6] (Completed)
▷ Objective: Deliver the sample to the Disciplinary Committee.
▷ Reward: Fixed pin
Finally, it’s here.
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