Chapter 41: Dua's Territory (3)

Whether Kim Jihoon was impressed or not, I silently continued rotating the tombstone.

Click.

Two rotations to the left, three to the right, then one more to the left.

Immediately afterward…

Kuurrrrung!

A deafening roar shook the air as the tomb split open, revealing a wooden coffin nestled deep within.

”…What? How did you do that?” Kim Jihoon stammered, his jaw hanging open.

How indeed.

The moment I noticed the shimmering silver text on the tombstone, the system detected an Otherworld language.

The Status Window automatically began translating:

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? I found all the clues while dealing with the monsters.”

“But… how could you have had time for that?”

“I managed to find some leeway.”

After offering a vague explanation, I lifted the wooden box to examine its contents.

Inside was a small diamond.

However, this was no ordinary gem. A crimson, liquid-like substance swirled within, pulsating with an unsettling energy.

“Is this a Relic? It looks rather creepy for one.”

“I know, right?”

I immediately ran an item analysis, but the results were minimal:

No further information surfaced.

Still, I narrowed my eyes thoughtfully as I reviewed the analysis.

I placed the ring back in the box and turned to Kim Jihoon, who stood there looking bewildered.

“Let’s hurry, 형.”

“Why? We’re finished here. What’s the rush?”

“We might be done, but the others aren’t.”

“So we’ll just go ahead, consecrate the Relic, and wait for them…”

He trailed off, sounding confused, then suddenly met my gaze and fell silent.

My eyes.

Or perhaps he’d deciphered my meaning from my expression.

His sharply slanted eyes widened dramatically.

“No way… you’re not thinking of…”

Exactly that.

I shifted my focus to Parsley Navigation.

Unlike the clear North Cemetery, the remaining cemeteries were still swarming with red dots.

That’s right.

“We need to go reinforce the other fields.”

This dungeon…

The area was filled with pristine essence stones, untouched by human hands.

“Thank you so much, Hunter Lee Taejun. Thanks to you, we were able to acquire the Artifacts much faster.”

“Same here. We thought we’d have to regroup because the Monsters were respawning so quickly.”

After retrieving all the Artifacts, we stood before Duke Duas’s Ancient Castle. I waved dismissively at my teammates, who were still expressing their gratitude.

“It’s nothing. Besides, Hunter Kim Jihun was the one who suggested we offer our support. Rather than returning to wait, we figured we’d help the other teams.”

“Huh?”

Kim Jihoon, who had been sheathing his dagger behind us, startled and looked up. All eyes turned to him as the rest of the team began to gather around him like baby birds.

“Ah, that explains it. You were hunting monsters like a madman, as if you were competing with someone.”

“I take it back. The Deputy Team Leader is actually warmer-hearted than I thought.”

“Exactly! Despite his tough exterior, he’s not a complete jerk after all!”

“Huh? No, that’s not what I meant.”

I quickly passed the unwanted attention to Kim Jihoon and slipped to the back of the group. Lee Seonah approached me.

“Satisfied?”

“Completely.”

“I’m not sure what happened, but it looks like the Deputy Team Leader’s ‘rookie hunt’ has failed spectacularly.”

I chuckled in response.

After all, I’d never intended to join Shinwa as a rookie in the first place.

From Kim Jihoon’s perspective, he’d fastened the first button on his shirt wrong.

Anyway, thanks to her, I was able to make excellent use of the essence stone totem.

“Let’s head back to the Lord,” Lee Seonah said, retrieving a Relic from her wooden box. “There’s no point in lingering in this dungeon if we’re not going to clear it.”

I stared at the gem in her hand.

A pale sky-blue Aquamarine.

Inside, a wriggling crimson liquid churned, just like before.

“Let me see that for a moment.”

“Huh?”

I took the gem from Lee Seonah and held it up to the Status Window’s Item Analyzer.

Just as I suspected.

This Artifact was the same.

In exploration-type Quest Dungeons, the quest ends once all the Artifacts have been found.

The moment the final Relic was discovered, or perhaps the dungeon would clear itself immediately after all the Relics were consecrated. That was the original expectation.

Logically, then, this should have been marked as a quest completion item.

Yet, this Aquamarine, along with the four other Relics I had acquired so far, were all activation items.

This meant only one thing.

”…”

I stared at the Ancient Castle, its ominous aura hanging heavy in the air.

The main quest tied to this dungeon hadn’t even begun yet.

When I handed the gem back, Lee Seonah asked with a puzzled expression, “What were you doing?”

Without answering, I continued to gaze at the grim castle, lost in thought.

So, what kind of quest is about to be activated?

It hadn’t been easy to figure out.

But even so…

This was something I couldn’t just ignore.

“Lee Seonah, there’s something I need to tell you,” I said quietly.

“Huh? Out of the blue?”

“Yeah. I don’t think I can wait any longer.”

”?”

Seonah stared at me, her eyes wide with confusion.

”…”

I fixed her with a serious gaze, trying to figure out how to explain the situation without revealing my abilities.

I needed to organize my thoughts.

“W-what is it?”

Seonah began to show signs of agitation.

Her pupils trembled, her face flushed crimson, and she looked visibly tense.

As expected of Shinwa’s leading Hunter and a strong contender for S-Rank status.

Even before I could speak, she had already sensed something was wrong.

“This dungeon… something’s off about it.”

”…A dungeon?”

Lee Seonah’s expression momentarily went blank. Then her face twisted with confusion before she sighed. Quickly regaining her composure, she asked in a subdued voice, “What’s wrong with it?”

“I don’t think simply finding the Relic will clear this dungeon.”

“What do you mean?”

“I suspect that handing the Relic over to the Lord might trigger another quest.”

Lee Seonah’s eyes flickered. “A duplicate quest? But Artifact Exploration Dungeons have never done that before…”

“Still, there’s a possibility. Don’t let your guard down even after giving the Relic to the Lord. And make sure to tell the other team members too.”

Lee Seonah stared at me in silence. She could have asked how I knew this.

“Are you sure about this?”

“Understood.”

To my surprise, he accepted my explanation without a word of protest. He immediately turned to the team.

“Everyone, gather around. I have something to tell you.”

A moment later, the team erupted into commotion.

“Wait, a duplicate quest? Isn’t that incredibly rare?”

“I thought Artifact Exploration Dungeons never had those.”

As soon as Lee Seonah shared the news, the team erupted into turmoil, as expected.

Meanwhile, Kim Jihoon, the one I’d expected to object the most, nodded in agreement.

“Well, we can’t let our guard down until the end. How about Taejun, Team Leader Lee Seonah, and I handle the Relic?”

It was a good plan. The three of us, capable of immediate response to any unforeseen events, would secure the Relic, while the rest of the team provided rear guard support.

The others nodded in agreement.

“Mr. Yu-sik, I’ll take charge of your relic as well.”

“Give me one too.”

Lee Seonah claimed two of the four recovered relics.

Kim Jihoon and I each took one.

With the relics distributed, Lee Seonah took the lead.

The team members followed behind.

I cast one last glance at the ancient castle gate, heavy with an ominous aura, before slowly stepping forward.

We entered the ancient castle, its entrance gaping like a serpent’s maw, leading into the ruined stronghold of a fallen lord.

The interior of the castle was completely empty.

Darkness and silence reigned supreme, and an eerie chill seeped through the walls, filling the void.

I ascended the spiral staircase to the castle’s highest floor, the only sound my footsteps echoing in the silence.

Focused on the dungeon map hovering before me, I strolled down the corridor.

Though the ancient castle’s interior was a labyrinthine tangle, it ultimately proved to be nothing more than an elaborately crafted empty box.

I had wondered if entering the castle after collecting all the Relics would trigger a structural transformation based on specific conditions.

Yet there were no Monsters, no servants or neutral NPCs typically found in such areas, and not even a hidden room containing hidden items.

There was only one thing.

Deep within the castle, a green dot flickered on the dungeon map, marking the location of Duke Duas, the one who had commissioned our quest.

Thud.

Lee Seonah, who had been walking at the front, stopped abruptly. We had unexpectedly reached the end of the corridor.

Behind the tightly closed door, according to the dungeon map, lay the Lord’s Chamber.

Creak…

With a sharp, grating sound, the door swung open, revealing a barren, gray space devoid of decorations or family banners. A crimson carpet stretched across the room, ending at a faded throne.

“It seems you’ve retrieved the Relic, wanderers,” the aged Lord said, leaning on his staff as he looked down at us. “I offer my sincere gratitude. Thanks to you, this fallen territory may once again sprout fresh green shoots.”

“Where should we consecrate the Relic?” Seonah asked, standing at the edge of the carpet.

In his hands, Duke Duas held two ornate wooden chests inlaid with jewels.

He slowly rose from his throne.

“The consecration must be performed by me, the Lord of this territory,” he declared, extending his arm towards them. “Bring me the Relic.”

It was merely the gesture of a frail old man, utterly lacking in power. Moreover, Duke Duas had been recognized for his neutrality within the dungeon, the very NPC who had commissioned their quest. Under normal circumstances, Lee Seonah, Kim Jihoon, and the other Expedition Members should have had no reason to doubt him.

Yet…

”…”

No one moved. Instead, Lee Seonah quietly spoke up.

“Lord, there’s one question I’d like to ask you.”

“Speak.”

“When you first entrusted us with this task, you mentioned that you were unable to repel the barbarian invasion and lost the Sacred Relic.”

“Hmm.”

“So, the sealed evil was unleashed, slaughtering both the inhabitants of the territory and the invaders before vanishing?”

Duke Duas nodded. ”…That’s right.”

“In that case,” Lee Seonah asked quietly, “how did you manage to survive, Your Grace?”

It was a question she shouldn’t have asked. Duke Duas was merely an NPC who issued quests. Questioning the cause and effect, pointing out the contradictions in his existence—none of this should have mattered.

If only I hadn’t mentioned the possibility of “another quest.”

”…”

The Lord fell silent, staring intently at us.

Lee Seonah and I, along with the rest of the team behind us, silently faced the Lord.

“Heh heh heh.”

A low chuckle escaped the Lord’s lips.

“Ah, so you’ve noticed something. How curious. Wanderers who stumble upon this place typically never question a thing.”

Click.

The metallic sound echoed through the chamber. Lee Seonah and Kim Jihoon exchanged worried glances, sensing the shift in the atmosphere. It was the sound of the other Hunters drawing their weapons and firearms.

“Too late,” the Lord said with a grin, shaking his head. “From the moment you retrieved the Relic, this body began regaining its power.”

Suddenly—

Shhh.

The sickly green aura surrounding the Lord vanished without a trace.