Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Practical Combat Experience

[Entering Basement Floor 3 of the Labyrinth!]

“Haam.”

How many times had I yawned now?

From the moment I woke up until now, after entering the Labyrinth, it had shown no sign of stopping.

It was the same for Aris and Poporu.

With hollow faces, they kept rubbing their eyes and yawning.

“Duuuu... It was hell, du.”

Poporu shook his head as if there was no answer.

Since I agreed one hundred percent, I nodded.

Because it had been so long since I had last seen him, I had forgotten.

Oh Deok-man’s mind-shattering snoring, that was.

“It’s been a while since I felt killing intent rise in me! If he hadn’t been your friend, Boss, I would have killed him right away!”

In fact, Aris had punched Deok-man hundreds of times while he was deeply asleep.

Her fists were like Doraemon’s, so they were absurdly insufficient to wake him, though.

“I also thought hundreds of times about whether I should slap him across the face.”

“To be honest, I felt the same, du. If he had not been my lord’s close friend, I would have smashed that nose possessed by a devil, du.”

Aris yawned once more and let out a sigh of relief.

“Still, I’m glad he left. If he had said he was staying one more day, I wouldn’t have been able to endure it.”

Oh Deok-man had gone out early in the morning, saying he would find a place in Seoul.

He would not come today.

He had said he would find one at once, then go to Daejeon to bring his belongings.

‘Even if he comes, let’s not open the door.’

Being glad to see him was one thing. Those who needed to live had to live.

Firmly resolving myself, I lowered my body.

Now that Deok-man had left, I should put him aside and focus on exploration.

Thirty monsters were visible beyond there.

Their name was Gangchi.

They were bipedal toads that attacked through the gloves they wore on both hands.

Ding, ding, ding.

Some weak-looking guys showed up!

Is that a dugong? All sorts of things end up coming to the Labyrinth.

Poporu shook his head from side to side.

“A martial artist is like a firmly standing rock, du. Provocations like that are...”

But it doesn’t have any fur at all, does it? Is it bald?

“Gaal!! Do you want your head blown off, du!”

“Calm down, you crazy dugong! We came here to explore the Labyrinth, so why are you wasting your strength on the wrong place!”

And what is that steamed bun trying to stop him for? It’s fun, so just leave him alone!

“Who are you calling a steamed bun, you bastard! Do you want to die?! Come down here, you punk!!”

Leaving my two friends, who were fighting with the chat, behind me, I opened Evil Eye.

The terrain had one side filled with water.

The clear condition for Basement Floor 3 was to pull the lever inside that water.

It looked extremely easy, but the problem was the lever’s location.

The lever was located 300 meters below the surface.

A depth humans could not reach.

That was why those Gangchi were necessary.

The structure was that if one Gangchi was hunted and moved to the scale on the opposite side, the water depth would lower by 10 meters.

In other words, it meant I had to take out all thirty of them, move them, remove the water, and then pull the lever.

Then, before starting in earnest.

“Hey, you brats! I can’t hear you! Come down h—Huh?”

I placed the Child-Sized Bulletproof Helmet on Aris.

Perhaps because a bad memory had come back to her, Aris trembled.

“Aris. Please round up the monsters. Their movement speed is extremely slow, so you won’t get caught.”

“May I cautiously offer an opinion?”

“No. You were about to say we should make Kung-du do it. Poporu has to watch over me.”

“I see. Then it cannot be helped.”

Perhaps thanks to her experience last time, she resigned herself quickly.

After tapping Aris’s helmet a couple of times as she walked out, I stared at the Gangchi.

The reason I had come to Basement Floor 3 before drawing a book from the Great Labyrinth Library.

It was to use Kung Fu against the Gangchi, who had no fatal attack methods and yet used hand-to-hand combat.

And also to try out Evil Eye’s new function, Motion Detection.

“Hey, you toads!! I am the crazy dem—Whoa!”

Aris fled from the Gangchi rushing toward her in a swarm.

I took Poporu and went to the opposite side.

“Poporu. If it looks dangerous, help me.”

“Understood, du!”

One Gangchi was chasing Aris hard from the very back of the line.

I crept closer and kicked the Gangchi in the back.

It rolled several times and sprawled on the ground.

[Several watching Constellations are indignant!]

Attacking from behind like a coward!

Fight fair and square! Face it head-on!

I had been planning to do that from now on anyway.

Kirik!?

The Gangchi, which rose like a roly-poly toy, turned around.

Then it clenched its fists.

I had kicked it lightly, but it seemed its mood had been greatly soured.

The Gangchi kicked off the ground with a roar.

“Huuu.”

I steadied my breathing and stared at the approaching Gangchi.

In the past, I would have only thought that a toad was leaping at me.

But thanks to Motion Detection, I could see its movements systematically.

The newbie doesn’t know how scary Gangchi are! There’s a reason other kids hunt them in pairs! Even if you block with a shield, newbies around that level get shoved way back!

Kids like that only come to their senses after getting hit. I hope he gets beaten to death!

Poporu swallowed dryly, ready to shoot out.

Defense was harder than offense.

Especially for his lord, who had no combat experience, it would be even more difficult.

It was a low-level monster, but if he simply got beaten without thinking, it might be dangerous.

So he would endure only two hits, then help.

Kiruruk!!

The Gangchi’s fist stretched out.

‘No, du!’

Poporu’s brow furrowed deeply.

He should have used footwork to dodge even now, but it was too late.

That had no choice but to hit—

?!

“Ddu?!”

Poporu’s eyes widened.

What was this? The Gangchi’s attack had missed by the width of a single finger joint.

The next attack was the same, and the attack after that as well.

The Gangchi kept throwing punches, but they did not reach Ryu Jin.

Wow! The newbie dodges really well!

What are you doing, Gangchi! You can’t hit someone standing still?!

He must be incredibly lucky! They are all missing!

‘These stupid Constellations, du!’

The Constellations watching had not noticed.

The gap between his lord Ryu Jin and the attacks was gradually narrowing.

Did that mean it was bad?

Not at all.

Ryu Jin was staring at the fists without even blinking.

He was controlling it himself.

In order to reduce stamina consumption by dodging with even more minimal movement.

‘This much is easy.’

A smile formed on Ryu Jin’s lips.

To be honest, at first, I had been scared.

It was the first time I had ever fought in my life.

But not anymore.

After dodging a few times, I became certain.

The Gangchi’s fists could not reach me.

Whoosh.

Evil Eye’s Motion Detection began from the moment the Gangchi’s shoulder twitched.

From there until the fist extended, it was one single flow.

Because I could see that entire flow, I could tell early on where the fist would arrive.

‘Now, attack.’

After dodging one more punch, I slipped inside the Gangchi’s guard.

Then I brought the tips of my neatly gathered fingers near its solar plexus.

‘An attack is also one flow.’

Repeating that in my mind, I carried the force transmitted from the ground into my fingertips.

[One-Inch Punch]

Craaaaaack!!!

A thunderous roar burst out.

The Gangchi flew in a straight line and rolled across the floor.

It did not get back up again.

Kuhuuuh...!

W-What was that attack just now!!

[A Constellation who looks unusual smiles quietly.]

Did you not see it?

What was it! Tell us!

What did you see?!

I did not see it either, which is why I asked.

What is with this unusually insane bastard!

Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap!!

Though he was a dugong, Poporu clapped like a seal.

“Excellent, du! What on earth are you, my lord, du! Who reads the entire flow of an attack in their first fight, du!!”

Poporu’s eyes grew teary.

To think that such a person was his lord.

Even if he died right now... No, he could not die. Even if he fell over right now, he would have no regrets!

“You seal! Why are you sitting there clapping! Hurry up and do something!! My legs are killing me!”

When had she fled all the way up there?

Aris shouted from the railing.

The Gangchi, whose aggro she had fully drawn, chased after her.

“Waaaaah!”

Watching Aris run away again, Ryu Jin thought.

That friend really did have talent as a puller.

Step.

I took Poporu and walked to the 300-meter-deep lake.

For some reason, Evil Eye pointed inside the lake.

It was different from when it pointed to the clear condition.

Unlike the previous floor, this time it was faithfully pointing to the destruction condition.

“I’d like you to look around inside. How deep can you go?”

Poporu came closer and dipped his face in.

“I can go all the way to the bottom, du.”

“It’s 300 meters, though. The pressure will be different.”

“This humble one, du, is a Kung-du who swam in the hadal depths, du.”

By Earth standards, the hadal depths meant depths of more than 6,000 meters!?

While I was drawing a question mark in my head.

Poporu stuck out his plump thumb, hopped, and entered the lake.

And how much time passed after that?

Rumble, rumble, rumble!!

A vibration came from beneath my feet.

[The Constellations look around at the sudden vibration!]

What is this? An earthquake?!

It’s Basement Floor 3, so what earthquake! I’ve never heard of this before!

While the chat also went wild.

A smooth head appeared above the surface.

“My lord, du. I brought something up because it looked like it should not be pulled out, du.”

If you think it should not be pulled out, don’t pull it out, you crazy dugong!

As soon as I took the long stick from him.

DING!

[At the bottom of the 300-meter-deep water! You have pulled out a plug that can only be seen underwater!]

[Due to abnormal drainage, the lake water is being sucked away somewhere in the Labyrinth!]

[It can no longer fulfill the role of the existing floor!]

[Basement Floor 3 of the Labyrinth is destroyed! Ownership of the floor is transferred to Player Ryu Jin!]

I looked at Poporu as the messages lined up one after another.

He had really gone to a depth of 300 meters and returned.

In less than one minute, at that.

‘A demon really is a demon.’

I had forgotten for a moment because he looked so plump and cute.

I raised my thumb toward Poporu, who was standing there blankly.

“Nice, Poporu!”

“It was nothing, du.”

At that moment, Aris trudged over, completely haggard.

Perhaps because she had run around so much, she looked as if she had already lived through everything this world had to offer.

“Ughhh.”

I let out a faint laugh and stretched.

The practical Kung Fu combat experience I had aimed for was more or less complete.

So now, let us go draw a book.

To the Great Labyrinth Library I had been saving.

---

The Labyrinth Personal Lobby.

I checked my Status Window.

This time, I had leveled up exactly once.

As expected, since this was a lower floor compared to the recommended level, the amount of experience itself was not large.

It would be different again if a Watcher appeared and turned it into the highest difficulty like last time, but I was not sure whether that would be a welcome situation.

It had truly been dangerous.

Nom, nom, nom!

Chomp, chomp, chomp!

Aris and Poporu were devouring the Magic Stones we had received after settlement.

This time, there were only 120 Lowest-Grade Magic Stones, so I gave them only 30 each.

Perhaps because of that, only Poporu leveled up once, and it ended there.

‘For the two of them to cost 1.8 million won in one meal. That’s incredible.’

For some reason, I felt the weight on my shoulders grow heavier.

Let us earn diligently.

By the way, what should I do with this?

I let out a low groan.

As soon as settlement ended, I drew a book from the Great Labyrinth Library.

But something rather troublesome came out.

I lifted my gaze and stared at the book spread out in the air.

‘Cliff of Wailing’

Basement Floor 100 of the Labyrinth.

The Deep Floors.