I Inherited the Basement of the Tower - Chapter 57

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Inherited the Basement 1 of the Tower – Episode 57

Crunch, crunch.
My party and I gradually ventured deeper into the Special Dungeon Layer.
The vast graveyard that had greeted us upon entry had long since vanished, replaced now by the heart of a dense forest.
With trees of impossibly towering heights surrounding us on all sides, maintaining any sense of direction proved difficult.

“Huff, huff. Kang Ha-jin, you’re certain we’re going the right way?”
“Stop worrying and just follow me.”
“Ugh, fine.”

I dismissed the objections from Hyeon-jun and the other party members.
I had confidence.
And for good reason.

‘I can see.’

Whoosh—
I navigated through the forest using my night vision, finding the path ahead.

Swish, swish!
After traversing for some time, the trees gradually thinned.
A towering grassland emerged before us.
The trees had grown abnormally tall, and here the grass itself had reached human height.
It resembled a sugarcane field from East Asia.

“…Stop.”

And before it, I raised my fist.
It was a hand signal meaning halt.
Several members, exhausted and watching the ground as they walked, received my signal late and collided with those ahead.

Thud!

“Ow! What’s going on?”
“Shh. Don’t complain now, Yang Sang-jin.”
“Even you, Sung-chul— Oof!”

Even Yang Sang-jin, who had been grumbling, clamped his mouth shut.
He sensed a presence beyond the grass field before us.

Swish, swish.

None of the raid party members were moving.
Yet the sound of something traversing the grass field ahead reached us without pause.
It wasn’t coming from just one direction.

Swish, swish,
Swishhhhh!

Enemies surrounded us from all sides.
And moments later, I could finally discern the source of those presences with my own eyes.

“…Look there.”

Above the grass field that rose to our height, tattered flags and spear shafts fluttered endlessly in countless numbers.
From every direction, no less.

Thud, thud.

And one of them was approaching us.
Silence fell heavy.
What in the world lay within those grasses?
The uncertainty made it feel as though my breath was being strangled.
Of course, I was the exception.

Shing—
I drew the jet-black longsword from my back,

Slash!
In one fluid motion, I severed the grass at the height of an adult man’s neck.
The severed grass fell away in a clump, revealing the space beyond.

Rustle…
And in that exposed space, I saw it.

Grooooo-
Heavily armored skeletons stared at us with hollow, empty eyes.

“Kyaa, kyaak- Hup!”

Park Eun-ji barely managed to stifle her scream by clamping her hand over her mouth.

“…Ugh.”

Jinhyeok, fastidious by nature, pressed his mask tighter against his face and stepped back.
The rest of the team quietly prepared for combat.
But I was different.

“The solar insignia.”

Though worn and faded by time, the sun emblem gleamed clearly upon the skeleton soldier’s armor, as if refusing to surrender its former glory.
The armor bore an identical design with perfect precision, and I had already seen knights clad in such regalia before.

‘So it’s them.’

The Solar Knights from Dungeon 10th Floor.
They had become Undead and now roamed this Special Dungeon Layer.
Now that I had witnessed it with my own eyes, certainty crystallized within me inevitably.

‘Death, and resurrection as Undead.’

And the mark of Thanatos.

-Thanatos is a god who governs death. Depending on the subject, he grants complete death or denies them peace.
-My ‘Necromancy’ curse was also developed through research into Thanatos.

And as the final confirmation, Barkalor’s testimony.
Everything fit together perfectly.

Ssshhk-
I smiled and adjusted my grip on my sword.
I took a combat stance facing the skeleton before me.
If this truly connected to Dungeon 10th Floor and beyond.
Where the Solar Knights dwelled, a fortress surely stood.

“Everyone, prepare for battle.”

If there was something to conquer this Special Dungeon Layer, it was here.

“We’re breaking through this forest.”
“What!? Wait…!”

Before Yang Sang-jin could even finish his protest.
I had already kicked off the ground.

Whoosh—!
In the next instant, every skeletal soldier visible beyond the grass charged forward.
Their numbers easily exceeded one hundred.

* * *

Clang!
Clang-clang!

Dozens of spear tips and blades flew at me all at once.
Their target was a single point.
That point’s name was Kang Ha-jin.

Clang-clang-clang-clang!

‘This is insane!’

Yun Seo-rin, the archer of the Central Guild, watched the scene in a daze.
Was that truly human reaction speed?
She herself had confidence in her own reaction time as an archer.
But this transcended the limits of humanity.
Without a single scratch appearing, he blocked every single attack.
Moreover, as if still concealing his true power, a dark aura bloomed across his entire body, growing faster and faster.

Whoosh, whoosh!

‘A monster.’

In that moment, Kang Ha-jin shouted.

“Don’t panic!”

At her resonant voice, everyone who had lost their senses snapped back to attention.

“The situation is identical to training! Everyone, focus!”

Yun Seo-rin’s eyes grew cold and sharp once more.
She was right.
The only difference was that robots had become skeletons, and the training grounds had become overgrown grassland.

Creak—

The bowstring snapped taut with a sharp cry.
There was still no quiver on her back.
Yet her eyes gleamed with undiminished sharpness.
Ready to fire.

“Yun Seo-rin!”

Just then, Kang Ha-jin called out for assistance.

“Understood, Captain!”

In that instant, arrows of pure mana materialized at the bowstring’s nock.

Whistle—

It was not a single arrow.
The mana arrows multiplied in a heartbeat, their numbers swelling.
The total reached a staggering sixty-four arrows.

“Divine Fire Arrow.”

Yun Seo-rin whispered quietly, then released the bowstring.

Whoosh!
In the next moment, sixty-four projectiles traced parabolic arcs, raining down from the sky.

Got it!
One of the skeletal warriors thrusting a sword toward Kang Ha-jin had its skull pierced by an arrow.
Next, the hand bones of the creature preparing a javelin toward Yang Sang-jin, the healer, shattered.

Crack!
Another unlucky skeleton soldier had to withstand three arrows in full.
Or rather, it couldn’t withstand them.
It shattered into pieces, lost its power, and tumbled across the ground.

Patapatapatapatapatapatapak!
Literally, a rain of arrows descended.
Multiple skeletons crumbled pathetically.
This was her secret technique—the Divine Arrow Barrage.

“Phew.”

Yun Seo-rin exhaled lightly.
The Divine Arrow Barrage consumed tremendous arrows as it attacked a wide range with powerful force.
Though not physical arrows, they were created through her mana as a medium, so rest was necessary after each use.
Her role in this battle ended here.
She needed to recover her mana in case of any additional reinforcements.
This was an order from Kang Ha-jin, the expedition commander.

‘An order, huh.’

Before she knew it, she had naturally come to regard him as a leader.
Well, anyone who had been present when the leader was chosen wouldn’t feel otherwise.
She had never been respectful even toward her boss, the Central Guild Master.
She had confidence in her abilities and ambition.
In other words, she had been arrogant.

‘I had even tried to hide the Divine Arrow Barrage as a trump card.’

Even in the early stages of training, she had preferred to provide covering fire one arrow at a time.
But one day,

-Can’t you shoot more?

Everything changed from the moment Kang Ha-jin spoke those words.
He had deftly prodded at Yun Seo-rin’s pride.

-Have you reached your limit already?
-Is this as far as you go?
-Then, can I confirm your usefulness ends here?
-The Central Guild… hmm.

With such remarks, he had ultimately forced her to unleash her trump card—the Divine Mechanism.

‘It’s genuinely chilling when I think about it.’

The Divine Mechanism, which she hadn’t used even under the Central Guild Master’s command, was now being deployed freely before raid members who were essentially strangers.
All of this transformation had originated from Kang Ha-jin.

Heh.
Of course, it wasn’t bad at all—it was rather delightful.

“Wow… Unnie, you’re seriously insane every time I see you.”

Park Eun-ji appeared from nowhere and gave her a thumbs up.
Yun Seo-rin laughed and ruffled her hair playfully.

“Really? Thanks.”

And the raid members too—she’d grown quite fond of them by now.

“Hehe.”

Eun-ji accepted her touch for a moment, then her expression suddenly darkened.
I could guess the reason.

“Sigh. When will I ever become as strong as you, Unnie?”

She’d been saying that constantly throughout training.

“I want to get stronger quickly and blow away all those skeleton bastards…”

Park Eun-ji went limp like a wrung-out piece of laundry.
Yun Seo-rin found her endearing and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Someday you’ll grow stronger. Strong enough to surpass not just me, but even Captain Kang Ha-jin.”
“…But even if I’m younger in age, our levels are the same, aren’t they?”
“…Hmm.”

She had a point, certainly.
Levels don’t grow quietly like age; they rise through effort and experience.
If two people at the same level produce different power, that’s simply a difference in talent.
Look here.
Isn’t there a living testament right before us proving that level is merely a number?

“Yahwi Style, Fourth Form. Twilight Banquet.”

Whoooosh!
I stand corrected.
That living testament is more like a monster.

“Ugh. I suddenly feel so sorry for that skeleton.”
“Me too….”
“Anyway. Setting aside that monster as an exception. You must have your own strengths too. The Captain always tells you that, doesn’t he?”

Yun Seo-rin comforted Park Eun-ji as she always did, then drank a mana recovery potion.
This too was something Kang Ha-jin had prepared.

‘Kang Ha-jin, Kang Ha-jin. Everywhere we go, it’s all Kang Ha-jin. Should we just stamp “Made by Kang Ha-jin” on everything?’

As I clicked my tongue, Park Eun-ji nodded.

“…Yes. Even if he’s annoying when he talks, he doesn’t lie.”
“Right. I believe you definitely have something you’re good at. Wind magic might not work well against strong monsters, but it must have its uses. For example—”

Yun Seo-rin’s gaze swept across the battlefield.
And she found an appropriate example.

“Ah! Like Hyeon-jun over there! Your wind magic could be specialized in defense, couldn’t it?”
“Defense…specialized?”

Park Eun-ji pointed at Hyeon-jun once more.

“Hey! Ha-jin! Ha-jin! Help me out!”

He was struggling to fend off three skeletal soldiers with just a single shield.
Barely managing.

“Well… Hyeon-jun might have his uses too, you know?”
“R-really? To be honest, I think I was only picked because I’m the captain’s friend.”
“But you’re working hard, aren’t you?”

Just then, Kang Ha-jin’s blade flashed, and the enemies near Hyeon-jun were cleaved in two.

Crash!

“Ugh! Th-thank you!”

Hyeon-jun barely regained his senses and crawled forward awkwardly.
Watching him, Park Eun-ji shook her head.

“Look at you doing the work of several people alone. When I see this, we’re all just supporting cast, and it’s like ‘Kang Ha-jin and Friends.’ Don’t you think?”
“Puhaha! ‘Kang Ha-jin and Friends’? That has a nice ring to it. Why don’t we start a guild with that name?”
“The guild master would obviously be you, right?”
“Well, if we fought and won, it could be any of us?”
“Then it’s basically confirmed that the captain becomes the guild master.”

The two of them giggled.
Jinhyeok, who had been sitting arrogantly on a station chair drinking coffee nearby, opened his mouth.

“Hey. Aren’t you two having too much fun? Even I, a noble, am lending a hand.”
“You’re just drinking coffee and calling that helping!”
“What’s wrong with that? You know my ability is remote manipulation. Even if I look relaxed, my mental stamina is being drained tremendously. If I don’t receive a mana transfusion, I’ll collapse.”

Looking closely, it wasn’t coffee at all—it was a mana potion.
He looked so at ease that even the mana potion appeared to be coffee.

“But oppa, it’s transfusion, not hemorrhage.”

Park Eun-ji giggled, and Jinhyeok’s mana potion rippled.

“…Of course I know. What do you take me for?”

Feeling oddly embarrassed, I swept my hand roughly through the air, manipulating the force field.

Crunch!

Thanks to that, one skeleton was flattened like it had been crushed in a hydraulic press.

“Y-yes, you two! Please help us out!”

Hyeon-jun cried out, having apparently heard our conversation from a distance.
Everyone burst into laughter at the sight.
However, Kang Ha-jin then opened his mouth.

“Did you come for a picnic? I hate to dampen the mood, but I figured it’s better than a total wipeout. Rest up for a bit, then regroup.”

Then he brought up something that left everyone speechless.

“A field boss should be appearing soon.”

-Hieeeee!

In that instant, a bone-chilling shriek that could hardly be called a horse’s cry pierced through the grass.
Yang Sang-jin’s complexion darkened instantly.

“…It’s a Death Knight.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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