ACT 8 At the End of Hell

‘……..What now? ‘

He fell at an enormous speed through a dark space.

It felt like he was being drawn somewhere.  He couldn’t even fathom how long he had been falling or how much further there was to fall. However, one thing is certain. The longer it took to reach the bottom, the more the damage would exponentially increase.  If the flow did not appear within a few minutes………

‘My remaining health was 150, even if I use the Racial Special Skill of the Cat Knight, I would still die. ‘But after that was the problem.

The hell was in the Cairo region, but he didn’t know if the depths exceeded 1 kilometre or it the effects of the scrolls had disappeared.

However, the [Seize] scroll used just before falling didn’t designate an area or distance limitation.

If he died, then he must be prepared to lose 1~2 of his equipped items.

It would be a fatal blow.  But that wasn’t really the issue he was worried about.

‘Andel……..!’

He had not considered his spirit.

Andel hired assassin with a few hundred gold.  He also came forward and chased after Ark directly.

He gave up on questing and levelling up.

His intention to become the best in New World had changed to getting revenge on Ark.

‘As long as he is convinced that my resurrection place is Cairo, then he would guard it even for the few days until I revive. ‘

Andel was such a person.  He wouldn’t be able to sleep and guard the resurrection point 24 hours a day. But when the assassins also guarded in shifts then there would be no gaps for Ark to revive.

Eventually Ark would have to log in or lose access to his items and there was a high probability that he would be PKed.

The NPCs in the lawless city of Cairo won’t lift a finger to help users.

In this situation, rules don’t exist.

‘Am I really going to end up like this?’

When he thought about it, his chest fluttered uneasily.

It is nonsense. How far have I raised Ark?

Am I really not going to be able to play the game anymore because of Andel?

New World might just be a game, but to Ark it was his reality and life.  Ark was able to eat rice every day and pay for his mother’s medical bills thanks to New World.

‘I just found it.  I desperately found it.  A way that I could live.  And a place I want to live.  I can’t give up. I would never give it up just because of Andel’

He made up his mind about what he wanted to do.

He had to show his guts.

Because that was the only thing Ark had.

‘I have to live! To protect yourself from Andel, you have no choice but to live, think Ark! Think of ways to survive! It’s not real.  Nothing is impossible in New World.  If you don’t give up then there must be a way to survive! ‘

Ark desperately rolled his head.

Meanwhile, Ark had been falling and could finally see the ground.

He was approaching pillars that rose from the ground. At the bottom of the hell, there appeared to be some monster fangs.

A spark suddenly occurred in Ark’s mind.

‘Hell’s fangs! Ok, maybe …….! ‘

Ark struggled to maintain his posture in thin air.

And he clenched his sword and concentrated with both eyes.

‘The chances are only fleeting! If I’m 0.1 seconds too late or early then I’m screwed! ‘

The sight of the ground where he could hit his head felt even more terrifying.  His body would break like a tomato unless he had the right timing.  However, Ark clenched his teeth together and opened his eyes wider.  And just as the bottom approached!

‘Riposte!’

Ka ka ka kak! Jja Jjang!

With his full power, Ark swung his sword.

He pushed at the stone pillar with his sword.

At the moment, all his power was concentrated on Ark’s arm and shoulders.  Checking the distance of the stone pillar approaching at high speed wasn’t much different from an offensive from an enemy.  When he struck with Riposte, he gambled that a counterattack would occur.

The special effect of Riposte was to push the opponent back 10 meters, but if opponent was too strong than the shock would be returned to Ark.  Using Einstein’s principle of relativity the results were easily predicted.

Bump!

Ark’s body stopped in the air, as the brakes were jammed.

At the same time, the damage caused by the fall was annulled for the moment.

Ark didn’t miss the opportunity and kicked the stone pillar with his foot.  And using the elasticity of his body, he avoided the stone pillar and broke his fall.

A violent impact shook his shoulders and back.

-Cat Knight’s ability to alleviate the damage of falling by as much as 50%.Using your flexibility, the damage of the fall was reduced by 30%.

‘It’s a success! ‘

Ark teared up at the sight of the message.

It was worth every moment he spent fighting thieves and levelling up Riposte until he formed blisters on his hand.  It was a desperate moment where he only had 0.1 second to use Riposte before being smashed into a stone pillar.  Using the special ability of the Cat Knight, he only received 50 damage.

It was worth it to dig up this heroic achievement!

However, before he could celebrate a red light appeared in succession.

-You were attacked by Blood Sucking Leeches 5 damage!

“What, what the?”

Ark said in surprise.

In the area surrounding Ark were red fist-sized leeches. Some of them were already attached to his body and sucking blood.

Using his sword, Ark was able to kill three or four of them but more took their place.

In an instant, his health was sucked out until he only had 30 left.

“Damn it! Did I survive all that just to be killed by leeches? Spirit of the Cat!

Nyahhhh!

Ark’s pupils’ glowed gold as the form of a large black cat appeared.

He revealed sharp fangs and he stared at them and the leeches instantly stiffened.  All the gnawing leeches sucking his blood also stiffened and fell off.

The floor was covered with leeches.

The Spirit of the Cat caused paralysis which lasts for 1 minute!

‘1 minute to kill all the leeches.  And his skills used mana. I only have 30 health left which means I’m screwed once the paralysis wears off.  I have to get out of here for the time being’

Ark used Eyes of the Cat to search for a way out.

Then Ark saw a dark hole which could barely fit one person on the side of the room.  There was no line.  Ark stepped on leeches as he headed towards the hole.  Fortunately, the leeches didn’t chase after him.

Ark entered the whole and looked for a little more space.  The hole was longer than he thought.

He crawled along the whole for a couple of minutes before his arms slipped.  Like a slide at a swimming pool, the floor suddenly sloped and dropped somewhere.

Suddenly a message window appeared in front of Ark.

“Ah, huh?”

Hell’s Underground LabyrinthYou’ve discovered the underground labyrinth that emits a terrible odour in the depths of CairoPerhaps this labyrinth has existed even before Cairo was built.

It is unclear what the purpose for building it was.  But as it was underneath Cairo, all the filth and corpses naturally entered the labyrinth

Due to all the filth dumped from Cairo, the labyrinth changed to a stench filled one capable of covering a further deformity

-You have found an undiscovered dungeon. When you register with the Hall of Fame, you can gain 1000 experience and 70 Fame. Would you like to register?

“The [Trace] scroll has stopped reacting.”

“Tired”

“That guy was stronger than I thought.”

The assassins flocked to the edge of the abyss.

It was hard to even fathom the depth to the bottom of the hell.  Once you fall there was a 100% chance of dying. No, even if he survived there was no way of getting back up.  He would have no choice but to die and resurrect…….

“He fell into the hell so that it wouldn’t be possible to pick up his equipment.”

“I don’t care about that. It is trivial because he was dressed shabbily and his items wasn’t worth spending all that gold on scrolls.  I just wanted to make that guy a beggar. ”

“Well, then I don’t care ……For the time being, is it done?”

“Not yet”

Andel said with a cool smile.

“This is just the beginning. When I think of that fellow, it isn’t possible to just leave it like this.  That fellow has to pay me back for everything.  Even when he is stripped naked and all his stats reduced to zero! I’ll kill him a hundred times more.

Andel said forcefully as he turned around.

“It is certain that he will return to Cairo.  Because I expect you to guard the resurrection point, you won’t be able to return immediately.  But he is a candidate so he might not connect for a while.  From now on, be patient. That noob also did it to me for several days….Even if it takes several months, we have to kill and kill again until he finally loses access.

Andel led the assassins towards the quartermaster.

A person’s grudge was a scary thing.

“Refuse registration.”

Ark naturally rose to his feet.

Andel would be looking for him for payback.

There was no reason to do foolish things for information.

‘The bottom of the hell was connected to a dungeon……… ‘

Ark removed the filth from his body and looked around.  The complex pathway was made of dark brown bricks intricately linked together.  Hell’s underground labyrinth was its original name but it was now the sewage system for Cairo.  Rotten water reached the ankle and a bad stench wafted from the mountains of filth scattered all over.  It was a situation that was horrible for the eyes and the nose.

The realistic scenario meant he actually had to think about it.

‘Okay, what now … … .. ‘

Of course, the most urgent problem was to recover his health from its current state of 30 points.  Ark made food and thought for a while as it recovered his health.

For the time being, he had survived.  The worst situation where he wouldn’t be able to connect to the game anymore was avoided.  However, it was too early to rejoice due to the ambiguous situation.

The first time he came to Cairo and saw the information about the hell, it said that there was no record of anyone escaping the hell after they fell in.

However, Ark thought positively.

‘To be more precise, the place I am now is not the hell.

It is a hidden Dungeon. There wouldn’t be a dungeon with no exit.  Yes, for the time being I’ll secure an exit.’

He’ll look for a way out to get revenge on Andel and then explore the dungeon …….either way his first priority was to secure his own safety.

Now, ‘not dying’ is the most important thing.

‘The fact that it is a labyrinth dungeon means that it would definitely contain monsters.’

“Summon Demon, Dedric!”

As soon as his spiritual power was restored, he summoned Dedric.

A dim light shone and Dedric appeared with his nose crinkled and frowned.

“Phew, master. You’re alive. Ugh, this place is……..? ”

“The situation is like this.  Anyway, it is urgent to find the exit from here.  Please navigate around and search for it. Also notify me immediately if monsters appear.”

“Kuu……..Seems to be going by the nose.  I got it.”

Dedric chose a path and flew along it.

But Dedric returned 2 minutes later and shook his head.

“There is no visible exit around here.  And the terrain is too complex for me to find my way back. ”

“Any monsters?”

“Not that I sae”

“Really? Strange. There should be some……..”

Burst!

Ark had taken one step forward down a passage.  When suddenly something popped out of the ground under him and grabbed his ankles.

“What, what the?”

Ark flinched and looked down at the water where rotten hands were holding his ankle.  Ark swung his sword and hastily stepped back.

It was then that an audible noise was heard.

It was a sleeping monster made of bones that gradually raised its’ body.  The rotting flesh was attached to the bones of the monster………where there was nothing there before, there was now 6 monsters surrounding Ark.

‘Polluted skeleton?’

It was level 110!

Dalgurak, ttadadak, dalgeurak!

The heads of the six skeletons turned around and focused on Ark.  After a moment, flame spewed from their eyes as a defense mechanism as they rushed at him with a rusted long sword.

“Oh damn! Snake, nerve paralysis poison! ”

Ssak ssak ssak!

Ark wielded his sword and twisted it.

Five skeletons instantly met a critical hit and were pushed back.  However, the skeletons weren’t paralyzed.

Their flesh was rotting off the bone.  Of course there wouldn’t be nerves to paralyze.  Furthermore, the Polluted Skeletons were skeletons who had been transformed by pollutants.

The beginner’s deadly poison that Snake produces is just like water to them.

Rather, the poisonous effect restored health.

‘Poison absorption characteristic? Why do I meet monsters immune to poison at this time? ‘

However, that was not the end of the problem.

-You received a blow from the Polluted Skeleton.  130 damage!

‘Tetanus’ Reaction is slowed and you will receive 10 damage every 5 seconds for 1 minute.

All of the skeletons wielded their weapons.

He was unlucky.  There were all kinds of germs in their dirty swords, which meant there was a high probability of getting tetanus.

Tetanus stunned the body and made it heavier.  This made it difficult to evade the attacks of the skeleton however that wasn’t the only thing.

‘……..So far, I have only been relying on poison? ‘

After he received the serpent poison skill, it certainly made battles easier.

He could use the poison in combination with kicks since most opponents were stunned.

In particular, Ark frequently used the poison nerve paralysis. It was a poison which paralyses the arm and legs and made it easier to disable an opponent quickly.  Therefore, Ark had unknowingly relied on it during battle to slow the monsters.

That was one of the reasons he wasn’t able to respond to the movements of the assassins.  Professional assassins would have immunity to most of the racial special skills held by users.

He used the combo skill of Sword-Hand combat with Riposte.  The success rate of the same poison was also quite low.

‘Yes, I’ve been far too complacent.  I’ve relied too much on those skills.  It made the battle easier but lowered his actual battle skills.  Skills such as Eyes of the Cat and poison are important, but honing the basic skills is also important in fighting enemies.  I’ll focus on my Sword-Hand combat skill! ‘

Yes, that is the basis of the game.

Warriors Sword Mastery, Magicians magic and Archer’s archery……..The most important thing to fully hone your skills is to properly utilize the jobs primary weapon! In Ark’s case, that consisted of Sword-Hand combat.

‘Wake up Ark! Now is not the time to let your attention wander!’

His aim was to take revenge with the enemies blade appears. It was something he knew as a novice.  You don’t know when something basic could be useful.

‘I’m not playing around!’

Ark bit his lips so tightly that it started bleeding.

The brain moves the body.

It is natural for the movement to change when the mind changes!

If you don’t have a resolute mind then your reactions are slower, but when your mind is resolute then change quickly occurs.  It was disrespectful to say that a battle doesn’t rely on your mind.

‘If the opponent is open then you have to figure out the flow of the battlefield!’

Ark quickly widened his view of the battlefield.

Now he had to tackle the skeleton wielding a sword and looked at the movements of the skeletons with skin.

“Dedric, the rear! Plan D-2! ”

Dedric flew to the rear of the skeletons while Ark quickly attacked.

Ark went forward without looking back and forth.

The skeleton wielded his sword.  Ark instantly twisted and shoved his sword in the lower back.

Counter attack!

The skeleton stepped back shocked.

Then two skeletons wielding swords attacked from both sides.

Ark had already identified their movements and expected the attack.  Ark lowered his body to the ground and did a sweeping low kick.

The low kick was not a technique seen in normal taekwondo moves.

Ark saw the move in a Martial Arts film and integrated it into his kicks.

The skeletons were hit by the kick and fell down.

They were light because they were only bones and collapsed easily. He then kicked the skeletons until they were disassembled piece by piece.

‘That’s three of them killed! ‘

Ark turned to find his next opponent.

Ttadak, ttadadadak, tadadak!

“What, what the?”

The many bones began to get stuck together like a magnet.  Minus the broken and cracked bones, the others joined together until they formed perfect skeletons.

Their vitality was also 100%. It was an unexpected situation.

‘Sheesh, it’s not enough to knock them apart, I have to destroy all their bones?’

Ark swung his sword again.

However, unlike before it was meaningless to attack the gaps in the bones. He focused each blow on a single region in order to destroy it.  So he could avoid having the skeleton’s body reassembled again.

Thanks to that, the battle lengthened considerably.  But after he used his Spiritual Power to summon skull and distribute the attacks, it took around 15 minutes to destroy all the skeletons.

After they finally finished off the skeletons with the help of Skull, Dedric shook his head.

“It’s tragic……a quarrel within the same family.”

Ttak ttak ttak!

Skull chewed on a shattered bone.

Although the battle ended safely, Ark couldn’t feel relieved.

‘This dungeon …The degree of difficulty is higher than I thought’

The level of the skeletons was 110, but Ark was around 120 thanks to the dark attribute bonus.

If he was just dealing with six skeletons then there were no significant problems.  However, no matter how insignificant the opponent there was still a possibility of death.  Additionally, if he was hit once then he would also receive tetanus.  But was that all? If he got distracted even for a short time, then the skeletons would reassemble and his health would fall until he was in a critical condition.

‘Although he won against six skeletons, against eight he couldn’t be sure of his chances.’

That was the problem.

In the other dungeons, he could use Dedric to scout the place first and if it was too dangerous then he could avoid it.  However, these guys suddenly appeared from the ground to grab his ankles. That means he wouldn’t know their number until they appear.

‘I don’t know when I would be attacked by surprise so managing my health is the most critical thing.  And I have to move as carefully as possible so that the skeletons don’t react.  If a skeleton appears to fight, I’ll just retreat.’

Ark grabbed the items from the skeletons and carefully walked forward step by step.  How far did he walk? Just as he turned the corner, his foot sank and he fell into the water.  He was sucked in by this huge force and dragged somewhere else.

‘This is, what is this? ‘

A message floated in front of the confused Ark.

You fell into the wormhole.Hell’s underground labyrinth is complicated like a spider web with wormholes everywhere.  If you fall into one you will be taken by force to another location

Peng!

A sound was made as Ark forcefully stopped next to a drain.

He raised his body and looked around.  However, the place was completely different from the area he was in before. Suddenly he heard Dedric’s voice in his ear.

“Ma……..Master? How ……..? Where …..? ”

“Dedric! Are you alright?”

“Master…….you’re alive! All of a sudden ….surprisingly disappeared.”

Ark was spiritually connected to Dedric so they could communicate within a fixed distance. However the distance must be quite fair, since the reception was falling.

“You don’t know where I am?”

“……..I don’t know, I guess….No”

I understand.”

Ark sighed and cancelled Dedric and Skull’s summoning.  However, his spiritual power hadn’t recovered enough to summon them again.  So he was there without any summons and he had to wait until his spiritual power recovered.

“Damn, who knew this dungeon had such dangerous and complex wormholes? This damn dungeon……. ”

Ark started grumbling.

Suddenly something fell with a patter over his shoulder.

Ark moved his hand where sticky mucus was stuck.

“What is this? Ugh! Is it filth? In some ways, I feel really bad……..Huk! ”

Ark raised his eyes and let out a muffled scream without thinking.

On the ceiling was a giant gelatinous mass of objects.  Viscous slime fell and the translucent monster moved its body! Ark had no time to move as the gaze of the monster turned to him and a red light flashed.

-You have suffered damage from the acidic digestive juices of the Polluted Poison Slime.  50 damage!

“S, slime?”

The scream did not come from his mouth.

The slime completely surrounded Ark and covered his nose and mouth.  Every time, it did crazy damage and his health rapidly decreased.

Ark frantically struggled and pushed at the slime until he managed to escape.  He turned and saw the passageway blocked by the giant wriggling slime body.

The Polluted Slime was level 130.

“Slime?” That’s a slime? ‘

Ark of course knew about slimes.

It was a monster that was often seen in the early stages of most online games. But the slimes that Ark knew weren’t this ugly.  They were plump and fluffy……. you know?

It was more like a mascot that receives the users’ love than a mascot.  However, the slime in front of him was something that no user would be interested in.  It wasn’t cute and the stench was enough to make him feel sick.

Meanwhile, it extended its body and wrapped one piece around Ark’s arm. Red light flashed and acid damage occurred.

The blow only did 50 damage, but his health was being steadily drained.  The acid properties also damaged the durability of his equipment as well as his health. Ark caught and removed the slime form his arm.

‘The whole body is the digestive system? Then quickly!’

Ark swung his sword like lightning.

And then………….. Slippery!

-Your attack missed!

The sword was impractical to attack the slime and it just slipped off its body.

Confused, Ark stepped backwards and used Eyes of the Cat.  Then a red point pointed to the centre of the slime’s body.  If he had not seen it, he wouldn’t have known there was a shape like an eyeball there.

‘That is probably the nucleus of the slime.’

Physical attacks would do nothing unless he hit the nucleus. Ark had hunted monsters with the same characteristics on the seabed underwater.  It was the jelly fish that wielded a large number of tentacles!

Like the slime, it also received little damage until he attacked the mouth of the jellyfish, and then large damage occurred.

‘But the slime was huge enough to fill the drain pipe.  How would my sword even reach the nucleus in the centre? ‘

It sprayed mucus at him and Ark avoiding it while swearing.

Physical damage doesn’t work because it was immune to normal attacks. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a difficult opponent if he was a magician.

‘Is there a way to get rid of that mucous? ‘

That is the key!

A certain skill flashed through Ark’s head.

‘Yes, that’s the technique ……..! ‘

“Snake, the most useless sword!”

Snake spat out the sword of Schnauzer and Ark grabbed it.

“Blade Storm!”

Arc used blade storm to destroy the sword and a devastating storm developed from its debris.

As expected, all the fragments bounced off the slime.

But Ark’s target wasn’t the damage from the debris.  The fragments created a powerful vortex!

When the tremendous pressure exerted itself on the mucous, the slime became smaller and thinner because of the pressure.

The distance remaining between the nucleus was just 30cm!

It was enough for him to drive his sword through!

“Take this, Dark blade!”

Ark shot forward like an arrow and used Dark Blade.

The sword penetrated the nucleus of the slime.  In an instant, 60% of its health was gone.  And the slime trembled and the mucous thickened again.  However, Ark could gather more mana by turning off anything he didn’t need.  Once again, he used the Blade Storm and Dark Blade combo to shave off the remaining health of the slime.

Kkuooooo! Peppeng!

A huge amount of slime exploded all over the place.

Thanks to that his body was covered in slime, but it did no further damage to him.

-Your level has risen.

“I did it!”

Ark blew out a sigh and sat with a flop.

The slime that was occupying the passage disappeared and Ark was finally able to look around properly.

The wormhole led him to a completely different place. Before the wormhole, the passage was made of broken bricks but this place was full of tree roots.

Ark recovered his stamina and moved along the path.

After walking a few minutes, he came across a rusty iron door.

‘Is it the exit? ‘

Ark ran to the iron doors.

But no matter how he looked at it, he couldn’t see a keyhole or door handle.

‘Is it a dead end?’

Ark turned with a disappointed face.

But his fingers touched a rusted part which got stuck and once he pulled it away, a section of unevenness crumbled.  When he turned back again, it seemed like some designs were carved underneath the rust.

Just in case, he shook off the rest of the rust.

Ark narrowed his eyes at the pattern that was being gradually revealed.

‘ Ara? This pattern is from the other day …….Oh, that’s right! ‘

The design in which 3 triangles are overlapped!

Ark had seen the same design last time. It was the pattern that the Elder Meow Hassan showed him.  It was the time when the Meow still traded. They were the residents who lived in the Underground World. He had forgotten about it because couldn’t believe the symbol was here of all places!

Ark busily moved his hand until all the rust was gone.

There were small letters carved to reveal a sentence.

It was carved in unintelligible characters.  However, Ark knew how to decipher such characters.

When he touched the characters, a pale light was emitted from his hand and the contents were deciphered right in front of him.

This place was sealed in accordance with the ancient vow.

Those who don’t know this place can’t enter.

A person with purpose could wake me up.

A person who makes the pilgrimage here with pride and speaks my name with respect will be able to cross……….

‘Entrance to the Underground World’ was discoveredYou have discovered information hidden in an Ancient Relic. You’ve found the entrance to the Underground World hidden in the dark and gloomy labyrinth of the underground hell. However, the entrance is firmly locked by an ancient vow.The terms of the Covenant states that to pass you need wisdom and humble pride. You need to find a way through the doors using clues hidden in the underground labyrinth.

Information on the ancient relic ‘Entrance to the Underground World’ is acquired.

{Knowledge of Ancient Relics +15, Intelligence +5 and Fame increases by 30}

‘The Entrance to the Underground World………..!’

He felt like he had been hit in the back of the head.

In fact, Ark hadn’t guessed that the Underground World wouldn’t be that far from Giran.  According to Hassan, the agent representing the residents of the underground world came from the north-west.

The Meow’s temple and shrine was also in the north-west.

Furthermore, the residents of the underground world had traded with numerous commercial cities, that there would surely be problems living near a large commercial city like Giran. However, the entrance exists in the Brandt Mountains underneath Cairo.

‘Come to think of it……’

Suddenly he remembered the name of the place where he fell.

Hell’s underground labyrinth. Hell is the word for abyss in Buddhist terminology. In general, however it could also mean a subterranean world.

Apparently, the word hell itself was a clue for the underground world. It was a pretty ridiculous hint.

‘I found the entrance while under the condition of not being able to die.’

Thus Ark’s purpose became clear.

If a person fell into the hell and died then they would just revive. However, Ark was worried that there wouldn’t be an exit. However, if the entrance leads to another world then even a child couldn’t mistake it.

The inhabitants of the underground world used to participate in trade.

In other words, there was a way for them to go outside. It is unknown if there is an exit in the underground labyrinth, but it is pretty clear that an exit exists somewhere in the other world. If he entered the underground world then all his problems would be solved for the time being!

‘And besides, there might be the second piece of the Three Marvels in the underground world! ‘

Ark’s eyes lit up.

Finding the Three Marvels was important to Ark.

The Three Marvels was the source of a Dark Walker’s power. He would get another skill and ability just like when he previously found the sculpture.

If that happened, his abilities would increase by leaps and bounds.

It now became even more urgent for Ark.

Andel was still waiting for him at the resurrection point in Cairo.  At the moment, the circumstances meant that he had to hide but if he found the piece of the Three Marvels then that situation would change.  In some cases, it may be possible for him to not only escape the crisis but also gain revenge.

‘No, I will certainly get revenge.  This is the place where I chose to live. I’m not playing the game for fun unlike you. I’ll make him think twice about touching me!’

That argument motivated him to survive even more.

Ark earnestly began exploring the dungeon.

However, Hell’s underground labyrinth was truly complicated and deserved the name labyrinth. Not only did it have complicated stairs leading to the 2nd floor, but the 3rd floor seemed like it was stuck in a three dimensional puzzle. It was not easy to remember the path after he passed it once.

Then Ark remembered a forgotten skill.

‘I didn’t realise that it would be this useful.’

Ark had learnt new cartography skills.

Using the cartography skills he learnt in the past from Hanson, the dungeon was automatically recorded. Thanks to checking the map, Ark slowly explored the geography of the dungeon. Of course, exploring a dungeon was not a relaxing situation.

Ttadak, ttadadak!

If he was even a little bit careless then skeletons would attack. They could be as little as four or as many as ten!

Thanks to that, every time Ark finished a battle he had to cook some dishes and eat.

It was fortunate that he was able to avoid the big slime through reconnaissance.

The slime gave a large amount of experience, but if he did not use blade storm than there was no way for him to win. This meant that every time he fought he consumed two swords. However, there was no reason to fight and waste his two bags of japtem. There were tricks that he used to make hunting a full day in the labyrinth easier. If he met a slime or was surrounded by more the seven skeletons, Ark would quickly escape through a nearby wormhole.

The labyrinth had invisible wormholes laid all over the place.

Once he used a wormhole, the position would automatically be updated on the map and he could take advantage of it to use [Warp], just like a scroll.

It was the way that he wanted to live, so the maze was a quite useful hunting ground. The skeletons gave large experience and the item drop rate was also high.

In addition, the labyrinth was the waste disposal site for Cairo. So the labyrinth had piles of junk scattered all over the place, just like Gallic’s stomach.

Sometimes a useable item would appear.

Although in quite a few cases, if it went ‘boom’ then poison gas would spread but ……..

‘Aside from the stench, this wouldn’t be a bad place to live.’

No, it wasn’t bad. It was actually rather good

However, Ark’s purpose was not to level up or gain items.  It was to find out how to enter the underground world.

However, he had explored 70% of the dungeon and he still had no clue on how to enter the underground world.

It was recorded that the clue to solve the riddle was hidden in the dungeon, but he had looked around and the clue wasn’t visible.

‘It is a big deal.  I’m beginning to feel the limits…… ‘

Ark looked at his bag with a worried expression.

After fighting with the skeletons, he always ends up with low health. Of course every time he finished he ate food but the ingredients were starting to run out.

In the first place he used many of the ingredients to make too much food for the ex-convicts, so he didn’t have that much remaining.

Of course, even the labyrinth contained ingredients. However, the only things available in the filth infested labyrinth were the skeleton bones and random slime. He had tested it and none of the food Ark made could be eaten.

That wasn’t the only problem.

The item drop rate was high, which meant that it used up a lot of bag space. He had only spent 24 hours in the maze.

Ark’s bag was full and although he equipped Snake’s Item storage skill, 90% of that inventory was filled with items from other regions.

‘Setting aside items, food was one of the highest priorities.  If I run out of food then there is a high possibility that I will die’

Ark sighed in frustration and looked at a small hole in the ground.

It was a drain found in the middle of the maze.

The fact that water did not fill up the maze was due to these multiple drains. If so, perhaps it was linked to the outside. However, their diameter was 10cm at the most so he couldn’t even get his head through.

‘It is even impossible for a Hobbit to exit using this.’

Ark was getting up when he froze.

Suddenly a brilliant idea popped into his head.

‘Oh, yes! That way …….It might be possible! ‘

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