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"Ariel Sunbae!"
The advance team that had left to explore the path to the dungeon had returned.
"What's this? The village hall?"
"Yes. The village chief guided us here. I was worried when he said it was the village hall, but it's bigger and cleaner than I thought."
"True, not bad for a night's stay."
"They said they'd bake some bread and potatoes for us. Apparently, the villagers were trembling at the rumor that the dungeon core amplification was imminent."
Ariel nodded.
Aaron Antonio, a sixth-grader who had joined Ariel on the advance team, put down his large shield and sword.
"This is the most rewarding time."
"That's right, Sunbae. If we weren't here, these villagers would have continued to be terrified and eventually..."
Navero asked,
"How's the dungeon, Sunbae?"
"Core amplification seems to be completely imminent. There are no signs that anyone has stirred things up yet."
"That's a relief. We can take care of it neatly tomorrow."
"If core amplification occurs while we're inside, we have to withstand a C-rank monster wave immediately."
Ariel glanced at Davian sitting over there.
"...It's not like we can't, but still. We'll deal with it as quickly as possible before that happens. The fewer risks, the better."
"Yes! Sunbae."
At that moment.
The back door of the village hall opened, and an old man and several village women entered.
Each held a basket, filled with freshly baked bread and potatoes.
"I'm sorry, this is all we have to offer. If the village men hunt tomorrow and return after clearing the dungeon, we'll serve you meat soup."
Ariel bowed and waved her hand.
"No, you don't need to go that far for us. The bread and potatoes you gave us today are enough. We plan to return to the academy as soon as the dungeon is cleared tomorrow."
"Is that so...? Then I feel even more sorry. You came to save our village, and all we can offer is bread and potatoes."
"We're not doing this for any reward. It's okay, Elder. Come on, everyone! Take the food. Since they baked it warmly for us, let's eat well and sleep well."
"Yes! Sunbae."
The club members got up, took the baskets, and sat in a circle in the middle of the village hall.
"Then rest well. Once again, I express my gratitude on behalf of our village."
After the old man and the village women left.
"I was hungry, so this is good."
Izel Joslyn, a fourth-grader, picked up a small piece of bread and put it in her mouth.
Davian stared blankly at the scene.
"Hmm, it's good."
Freddy Kizanir, a third-grader, also picked up a large piece of bread and tore it in half.
"Wow! It must be freshly baked. It's warm."
Freddy, who took a large bite of the bread, froze with a surprised expression.
Emma Baydi, a third-grade classmate, asked,
"Hey! What's wrong?"
Freddy, who had been frozen for a moment, took another large bite of the bread.
"It's delicious!"
"Ugh."
The seniors smiled at Freddy's antics and picked up bread and potatoes.
Davian and Samantha, both second-graders, also picked up bread and potatoes to fill their hungry stomachs.
Davian, who was watching everyone enjoying the food without any problems, tilted his head.
'There's something, but...'
The bread was more delicious than Freddy said.
But what mattered now was not the taste of the bread.
The next morning.
Navero, the vice president who had finished preparing for departure, asked,
"Guys, doesn't it feel like our bodies are lighter? Is it because we slept so well last night?"
"Me too, Sunbae. My condition is at its best."
"The village chief came to check on us several times, worried about whether we were sleeping well."
"I feel more energized because the villagers welcomed us."
Ariel, who had finished preparing, raised her sword high.
"Let's go! Dungeon Exploration Club."
"Yes!"
Thanks to the advance team's confirmation of the path yesterday, the Dungeon Exploration Club arrived at the dungeon entrance without difficulty.
"Let's go in."
Ariel took the lead and entered the dungeon entrance.
Soon, all the members followed President Ariel into Dungeon D-276.
Because the Dungeon Exploration Club's moving formation is in order of grade.
Davian, who was moving his steps into the dungeon at the very back, muttered.
"Something's wrong..."
Samantha, his classmate who entered the dungeon right after him, asked.
"What is it? Davian."
"I definitely saw it yesterday. A little kid running out of the village."
"Huh?"
"When the village chief greeted us. I saw a little kid running away behind the door. Actually, I didn't see it with my eyes, I felt it with my senses."
"Really? In the middle of the night?"
Davian nodded.
"So, I thought something would definitely happen at night, but nothing happened."
"Then maybe he just went out for a night walk? Kids are full of energy all day long."
"I hope that's the case."
At that moment.
Sss.
A monster with a completely black body appeared from the darkness on the opposite side of the dungeon passage.
President Ariel drew her sword and shouted.
"There! A ghoul! Advance in formation 3!"
"Yes!"
At the same time.
Dungeon core room.
"Amplification device installation complete."
"Don't activate it, leave it as is. A guest is coming."
"Yes! Kain-nim."
One of the subordinates dressed in wizard robes carefully opened his mouth.
"But... Kain-nim."
"What is it?"
"Isn't this... not Kain-nim's way?"
Kain's fierce eyes turned towards the wizard.
"What do you mean?"
"Ah, no! I'm sorry if I made you feel bad. It's just that I don't think I've ever seen Kain-nim use something like poison..."
Kain nodded and reached out to touch the blade of the large axe he had slung on his back.
"That's right. This is not my way."
The wizard, who had gained a little courage, asked again.
"May I ask why you threatened the villagers to use poison this time?"
"I received a call from the branch manager."
"Ah...! Is it an order from Branch Manager Elias Bernin!"
"Yes. Apparently, that Davian or Damian guy did another job at the palace this time. He dealt with all the magistrates who were in league with us and arrested a large number of other moles and spies."
"That Davian guy? I heard he has unbelievable force... But isn't he just a kid who's only eighteen years old?"
"Exactly. He doesn't seem to be a kid. It seems that the branch manager's emergency order has been issued."
Emergency order...
The wizard felt goosebumps rising on his back.
It was none other than himself who was in charge of communication with the branch in this team.
The wizard had been contacting Branch X-4 once a week using magical tools.
He thought there was no other way to contact the branch.
It seems that Kain and the branch manager had a separate direct communication method.
"Hey, install this on the door entering the boss room."
Kain took out a glass bottle from his chest and threw it.
The subordinate who was holding the sword caught the glass bottle.
"Tie the string attached to it so that the lid of the glass bottle opens when you open the door."
"Yes! Kain-nim!"
The wizard asked.
"Is that the poison that was developed recently?"
"Yes. It's the poison that was made by dividing it into a promoter and a developer. I already put a lot of the promoter in the food you ate yesterday. The moment the lid of that glass bottle opens, everyone will faint as they inhale the developer. Of course, we didn't eat the promoter, so even if we stick our noses in that glass bottle and inhale, there will be nothing wrong."
"But couldn't we have attacked them when they were sleeping in the village? Then ordinary poison would have been enough."
"It's an order from the branch manager to deal with it inside the dungeon. Apparently, that spirit or something can't appear here."
"Ah... the branch manager has set up a meticulous plan."
Kain shook his head.
"It's not the branch manager. The branch manager is not that meticulous. It's all from that old man Mensa's mind."
"Ah... you mean Mensa-elder?"
"Yes. That guy must have coaxed the branch manager into carrying out this plan. He doesn't trust my, Kain's, power."
Gnash.
A fierce killing intent spread through the boss room.
The wizard hurriedly tried to please Kain.
"Those are the people who believe that the enemy can only be dealt with in that way. It's not that they don't trust Kain-nim, it's because this is the way of the strategists."
"That's enough. It's enough to complete the mission quickly and return. Either way, academy kids are no match for me."
"Okay, thanks to everyone's hard work, we got here really fast. Now all we have to do is kill the boss and withstand the D-rank monster wave. It doesn't seem like the core amplification has occurred yet. Okay, let's go in."
"Wait a minute, Sunbae."
"Why? Davian."
"Something's wrong."
"What is it?"
Davian told his seniors what he had told Samantha at the dungeon entrance.
Vice President Navero asked.
"So. There seems to be something, but there's nothing? Is that what you're saying?"
"That's right."
"Then isn't that good? Because there's nothing."
Sixth-grader Aaron Antonio threw a sharp question.
"Then if you thought we might be poisoned, you should have stopped us, Davian. You said you saw a kid sneaking out of the village. So you thought the villagers might be in league with the spy guys."
"Unless it's a poison that enters through the respiratory system, a poison that can kill someone won't work on people who have cultivated their internal energy by ingesting it. You know that it's automatically excreted out of the body by the internal energy in the dantian before it passes through the esophagus."
Vice President Navero nodded.
"That's right. That's why eating poison against swordsmen only stuns them for a short time, right? Ah, I heard that there is also poison that temporarily disrupts internal energy. Anyway... That's all eating poison can do to a swordsman who has practiced internal energy."
Aaron asked again.
"What if a magic student ate the bread first?"
Davian replied.
"I confirmed that fourth-year swordsmanship student Izel Joslyn was the first to eat."
Vice President Navero asked in surprise.
"You were watching who ate the food first? Because magic students are vulnerable to poison?"
Davian nodded.
"What if we had all fainted?"
That doesn't matter.
At least I won't faint from poison.
I couldn't answer that.
It's like ignoring all the other Dungeon Exploration Club members.
It's like saying.
Even if you all faint, I'm enough alone.
Davian stared at sixth-grader Aaron Antonio, who asked a sharper question than expected.
'He's smart for a swordsmanship student.'
Then he hurriedly made up another excuse.
"So I ate it quickly too. I can tell to some extent whether there's poison or not."
Vice President Navero asked in surprise.
"Davian! You have that talent too?"
I don't have it.
It's just that poison doesn't work on me.
I've never practiced distinguishing such things.
Navero nodded vigorously.
"That's right! It's not strange for Davian to have such a talent!"
The other club members nodded one by one.
Isn't he already an oddball among oddballs?
It wouldn't be strange to have one more ability like that.
Aaron Antonio, who had asked a sharp question, also nodded slowly this time.
This time, President Ariel opened her mouth.
"So, what are you trying to say? Anyway, nothing happened, right? Davian. We don't have time. We have to destroy the dungeon core before the core amplification occurs."
Ariel Frontia grabbed the doorknob leading to the boss room.
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