GBAS 53

To put it bluntly, there wasn’t just one troll in this party.

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : Alright everyone!

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : This tanker will take the lead, so just follow me well lolololol

There was the guy who, as soon as we entered the dungeon, declared he was the tanker leading the party and that everyone, regardless of rank, had to follow him unconditionally.

[Party] Jaguari : Mr. Tanker, that’s not the way,,,

[Party] Jaguari : My friend is a ranker and he said that’s not how you scout

[Party] Jaguari : My friend

And the newbie who was so proud of his one and only ranker friend, insisting that his friend’s way was the only right way.

[Party] CheeseOnionSoup : Um, Mr. Jooin

[Party] CheeseOnionSoup : Can I add you as a friend, by any chance?

[Party] Jooin : Mr. Cheese, be careful there

Boom!

[Party] CheeseOnionSoup : Aack!

[Party] CheeseOnionSoup (Incapacitated) : Mr. Jooin ㅠㅠ Can you possibly revive me?

And the fan with 300% ulterior motives who wouldn’t speak to, ask for, or give orders to anyone but Jooin.

And.

‘Me, for not re-matching even though I foresaw this happening.’

Hyunwoo, who had finally taken the lead of the group, let out a pained sigh.

The Rimo Dungeon was originally a mine for excavating crystal stones that grew inside a giant tree trunk.

Inside the hollowed-out tree, pillars and planks like those in a mine shaft supported the ceiling on both sides of the tunnel, and on the floor, tracks were laid for minecarts to more easily transport the excavated crystal stones.

The hint was right there on those tracks.

From the moment they entered the dungeon, users could have easily reached the first boss just by following the correctly connected railway tracks laid on the floor.

The reason we got lost under such easy conditions where we just had to follow the path was because the person leading the party at that time was SomanghoeSsenTa.

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : Ah lol

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : You’re looking down on a newbie just because your level is high

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : Don’t you just have to follow the connected ones? lol

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : Just follow me weeeell~ lol

He’s a grown adult with a brain, he can handle this much. I shouldn’t have been so naive.

To get confused by a hint so blatant even a kindergartener could figure it out, and get trapped in the maze-like tunnels.

Hyunwoo, having finally wrested the lead position from SomanghoeSsenTa, glanced back. Jooin seemed to be taking good care of the first-timer, Jaguari, just as we had first discussed.

[Party] Jaguari : By the way, when can we get out of here?

[Party] Jaguari : My friend said he could do this in 10 minutes…

Although he did make pointless comments intermittently. Still, it was much better than the tanker who had clammed up after he couldn’t resist making a single comment.

30 minutes had already passed since we entered the dungeon.

If it had been just Jooin and me, we would have cleared it long ago. The thought made his blood boil. It was even more so because there was less than an hour left of what could be called ‘today’.

Just as he was thinking he should start rushing, something bumped against Hyunwoo’s foot.

Looking down, he saw a stone fragment with a green light seeping through it like gold dust. A faint light emanated from the piece, which was about the size of two knuckles. It was a crystal stone.

The process of a crystal stone’s formation was as follows. First, it required the surplus energy stored in liquid form, which collects around the tree’s xylem that transports water and nutrients from the ground to the highest leaves. Then, as the tree ages, this energy also matures and transforms into a solid form, which is the crystal stone. It was used as the main ingredient for a consumable auxiliary item that could increase the strength and durability of wooden items.

It seemed to have been used freely in the past, but these days, it was one of the items that had become rare.

The moment he bent down to pick up the item, a sound as if something was slowly approaching echoed through the tunnel. The accompanying vibrations caused dust to billow from the walls.

Rumble rumble rumble!

[Party] CheeseOnionSoup : What’s that sound??

Hyunwoo’s expression brightened instantly as he listened closely.

The sound of heavy iron wheels rolling.

‘A minecart.’

The familiar sound of heavy iron wheels rolling on the tracks. The fact that a minecart was moving meant that the railway was connected without any breaks.

It had been exactly 30 minutes since they had entered. The dungeon, unable to watch the users who were making little progress, had given them a hint. As if to say, ‘it’s time to get out.’

Hyunwoo opened the party window and sent a message.

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Shall we run a little haha?

His pace quickened. Just as they were passing through the complex, intersecting tunnels, he caught a glimpse of a rusty minecart passing by with a roar. Hyunwoo’s gaze quickly scanned along the wall.

One, two, three…

It was the seventh block.

One, two, three… the seventh block.

Just as expected, in the place where he had run ahead of the party members, an unbroken railway track continued in its complete form. This is it, all we have to do is follow this.

Hyunwoo looked back at the path they had come from and waved to the approaching party members, shouting.

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : This way!

While waiting for the party members following behind, Hyunwoo’s eyes tracked the trajectory of the minecart as it disappeared, leaving a long trail.

Then, he heard a grumbling voice from behind.

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : We wandered this much just cuz we got the path a little confused lol

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : A speedrun?

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : You think that’s possible? lolol

His temples throbbed. Patience, patience. Hyunwoo gritted his teeth and replied with a smile.

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : So that we don’t get lost again

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : please don’t take the lead and just follow me

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : You have to clear this, right? haha

Sparks flew between Hyunwoo and SomanghoeSsenTa, who made a gesture of spitting phlegm on the floor with an expression as if he had chewed on something foul.

👾🎮

With Hyunwoo at the front and Jooin at the back, sandwiching the problematic people in between, they strayed less, making the travel much smoother.

After moving quickly without taking their eyes off the railway, the party was able to encounter the first boss, the Tree Man.

The Tree Man was not a difficult opponent. Because the speed of operating its giant body was slow, the range of its floor-based skills was wider than other bosses, but the waiting time until the skill activated was also long, so there was no particular danger as long as you avoided that area. Other than that, it was a very simple monster where you only had to be careful of its close-range damage.

Instead of the unreliable SomanghoeSsenTa, they put Frost up as the tanker and had the Avenger and Mage at the forefront to quickly deal damage, and the first boss was quickly defeated.

The party ran along the increasingly narrow tunnel and now stood in front of the room where the second boss would appear.

[Party] CheeseOnionSoup : ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Party] CheeseOnionSoup : There’s only 20 minutes left, you think we can clear it?

[Party] Jooin : Yes, that’s plenty of time

We should have done it this way from the beginning.

Tsk.

Clicking his tongue, Hyunwoo pushed the puzzle piece he had obtained from defeating the Gremlin mob he had just encountered into the side of the firmly shut door.

Ruuuumble-!

The door opened with a tremendous sound. A strong wind blew from inside the door, and five leaves flew in with a sharp, scraping sound. The leaves, carried by the wind, stuck into the floor at regular intervals.

The one who had shot the leaves was the second boss, the Mine Harpy.

“Frost.”

He summoned his partner Frost, whom he had let rest for a while as they passed through the narrow tunnel. The wolf, as if satisfied with the now more spacious area, leaped up in place.

Hyunwoo scanned the party members preparing for battle, then finally exchanged a look with Jooin and nodded.

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Let’s go

With Hyunwoo’s words, the party members stepped inside the door with tense expressions. At that moment, a strong wind blew once again.

A number of leaves, too many to easily dodge towards the entrance, poured out.

Swish swish swish!

And then the wind blew again. This time, it was a wind that seemed to push them from behind. The leaves stuck in the ground shook violently and then shot back up into the air.

In the spot where the leaves gathered, a harpy with giant wings floated elegantly.

The Harpy, a monster created under the influence of metal and wind-type crystal stones, attacked its opponents with wind and the leaves that grew instead of feathers.

With Frost positioned in front, Hyunwoo kept his eyes on the boss and shouted.

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : First-timers, watch out for the skills

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Especially Torrent and Wind Blade

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : If you get hit, you won’t be able to move for a while, okay?

As he said that, SomanghoeSsenTa, who excitedly drew his sword as if he had never been sullen, shouted in a confident voice.