Chapter 97
Residents visiting the park smiled warmly as they watched two beast-kin children play together.
The sight of the children playing so harmoniously was so endearing that people forgot to talk, simply watching them instead.
"Cock-a-doodle-doo."
Gyeoul swayed her head back and forth, imitating the sound of a rooster.
Levinas seemed to ponder for a moment before suddenly raising her hand.
"Correct! A cat!"
"No, it was a rooster this time."
"Huh...?"
It was definitely a cat, wasn't it?
Everywhere she looked, it was a cat?
Confused, Levinas tilted her head.
"Why can't we guess it right, Levinas?"
"This game is harder than I thought..."
Gyeoul felt wronged.
She had thought it would surely be a horned rabbit this time, which had been her guess for the fourth time.
Yet, a horned rabbit had never appeared.
'I thought she was imitating a horned rabbit because of the headbutting motion.'
Who would have guessed it was the 'mean sheep' card?
Feeling so unjust, Gyeoul couldn't help but stomp her feet on the park ground.
"Levinas, should we play something else?"
"Hmm... Should we?"
What should she play with Levinas?
Gyeoul glanced around and spotted Sophia and Yeoreum sitting on a bench.
"Oh."
When did they start sitting there?
Gyeoul and Levinas rushed toward the bench as if competing.
"Correct! A shark!"
Levinas pointed at Sophia and declared.
Sophia simply shrugged her shoulders.
"Yes, it's a shark."
"Wow! Levinas got it right!"
Levinas, bouncing up and down, began to stroke her chin while looking at Yeoreum.
Everyone knew she was imitating the detective animal from the cartoon they had watched last night.
"Yeoreum is... a kangaroo!"
"A kangaroo? Why am I a kangaroo?"
"Because you take good care of Levinas!"
Saying so, Levinas sat on Yeoreum's lap.
Levinas then crawled into Yeoreum's shirt, peeking her face out near her neck.
She looked just like a baby kangaroo peeking out of a pouch.
"What do you think, King? Do I look like a kangaroo?"
"Yeah. You really do look like one."
The pure actions only a child could perform brought smiles to the faces of the onlookers.
The citizens chuckled quietly, amused by the scene.
"Aren't the kids really cute?"
"Yes. It's truly healing."
Their voices were filled with affection.
It was fortunate that people adored Levinas.
'Levinas had a tough past, after all.'
Gyeoul hoped that Levinas would be showered with love from those around her and live happily from now on.
"Gyeoul, do you want to try this too?"
"What is it?"
"This kangaroo game."
Yeoreum pointed at Levinas inside her shirt.
However, Gyeoul firmly shook her head.
"No, I'm okay."
"Okay."
Perhaps the child was still very shy.
Even so, it was much better now than at the beginning.
Yeoreum decided to simply pat Gyeoul's head.
"But why did you bring a weapon?"
"Because I'm going to a dungeon today."
"A dungeon?"
"Yes. A level 6 dungeon."
A level 6 dungeon.
For Gyeoul, who had just started adventuring, this was interesting.
"Can I come to watch?"
"To the dungeon? It would be very dangerous for Gyeoul, wouldn't it?"
"I don't want to go inside the dungeon; I just want to see what it's like around it."
"Ah..."
She wants to see what preparations top adventurers make before entering a dungeon.
Indeed, it would be educational for Gyeoul.
As long as she doesn't go deep inside, there shouldn't be any danger.
Yeoreum nodded at Gyeoul.
"Okay, but you have to listen to me, alright?"
"Yes..."
Being able to see the preparations of top adventurers for a dungeon was an incredible opportunity.
Gyeoul's tail wagged with excitement.
<+>
I went to the dungeon with everyone in a car.
It was a 12-seater, and people were paired up, strong with weak, as a precaution against any possible dangers.
"Wow! It's like a trip!"
Levinas, happy to be with everyone, grabbed the tails of Encia and Argo in each hand.
Argo's tail was so strong that even a slight movement could hurt Levinas.
Knowing this, Argo groaned, trying hard not to move his tail.
"Levinas, we're not on a trip."
"We're not?"
"No. We're going on a dungeon tour."
"Isn't that a trip...?"
Hmm...
How should I explain this?
I looked up at Yeoreum sitting next to me, hoping she would explain instead.
"Today we're going to learn. Let's play another time, okay?"
"Okay! Got it!"
Levinas closed her mouth at the mention of learning.
Her earnest look was admirable.
Though she still held onto Argo and Encia's tails.
"Gyeoul, it's dangerous near the dungeon, so you must listen to me, okay?"
"Yes. I'll listen."
"Hehe, then what did I tell you earlier?"
She was asking about the rules to follow near the dungeon.
It wasn't hard, so I had memorized everything.
"Don't go near the portals. Getting sucked in would be a disaster."
"Right. Anything else?"
"If something happens, tell the adults around to help."
"Wow, Gyeoul is really smart to have memorized all that."
Yeoreum gently stroked my head with her kind hand.
I felt a bit embarrassed to be praised for something so trivial.
I decided to change the subject.
"Um, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Why do dungeons appear?"
Knowing how dungeons are formed might increase the chances of finding a way home, right?
It would be nice if that were the case, but I couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.
The disappointment stemmed from the thought of having to leave my current family behind.
"There are various reasons."
"Various?"
"Yes. Dungeons are created for various reasons. For instance, mana gets twisted, or it reacts to someone's emotions..."
"Emotions...?"
Dungeons are created just because of emotions?
Then wouldn't the world be covered in dungeons?
I looked up at Yeoreum with these questions in mind.
"But not just any emotions. It takes something like a grudge, a collective of those, to create a dungeon."
"So, people with bad emotions can create dungeons at will?"
"No, that's not how it works. Ordinary grudges aren't enough to create a dungeon."
"Like, for example?"
Yeoreum hesitated before answering.
Somehow, silence filled the car.
"...It would take at least four or five people who have been horribly tortured and killed for a level 1 dungeon to possibly appear, and even then, it's a slim chance."
Yeoreum said this while pressing down on Levinas's ears, who was sitting in front of her.
Her hesitation made sense with that answer.
"Creating a dungeon from emotions is really difficult, then?"
"Yes. Even wars don't create dungeons."
"Not even wars?"
"No. Wars are more about collective madness than grudges..."
"Ah..."
So that kind of emotion doesn't create dungeons.
I thought the world might avoid wars because of dungeons.
It seems the human world is the same everywhere.
I felt uneasy and looked out the window.
"Huh...?"
The landscape outside was familiar.
It was a place I had been to before.
Where was this again?
Then it hit me.
It was the landscape I saw when I first came to this world.
"We have to walk from here. The dungeon is deep in the mountains."
Choi Jinhyuk, who was driving, looked back at everyone and said.
Everyone nodded in understanding, but I couldn't say anything.
Memories of being buried in these mountains resurfaced.
<+>
The mountain was steep.
Gyeoul was good at climbing, so she should be okay, but what about Levinas?
As Yeoreum turned to check on the kids, Gyeoul tugged at her clothes.
"Hm?"
Gyeoul's hand, clutching the fabric, was trembling.
She looked pale, as if terrified.
What's the matter?
Was she scared by the aura of the dungeon?
Being sensitive, it was possible.
Yeoreum squatted in front of Gyeoul to comfort her.
"Gyeoul, what's wrong?"
"I, here, I, I..."
"Gyeoul, calm down. I'm here, so take your time and talk."
Yeoreum placed her hand on Gyeoul's shoulder.
Gyeoul flinched, then took a deep breath and began to speak.
"This is where I was buried..."
"What?"
Everyone climbing the mountain froze at Gyeoul's murmur, except for Levinas, who was sleeping on Choi Jinhyuk's back.
"I was buried underground here..."
Gyeoul was not in good shape.
She looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.
"Yu-na, can you take Gyeoul down with you? I'll clear the dungeon and be right back."
"Ah... Okay."
Yeoreum handed the terrified Gyeoul to Jung Yu-na.
She also sent Levinas, who was sleeping on Choi Jinhyuk's back, with them.
Having a friend with her might provide some comfort.
'What's going on.'
As Yeoreum watched Gyeoul leave, she recalled their conversation.
The one about how dungeons could be created in response to 'someone's emotions.'
The mountain where Gyeoul was buried.
A dungeon that appeared out of nowhere.
Could all of this be a coincidence?
She desperately hoped it was.
Yeoreum fervently prayed to a god she didn't believe in.
Especially since the newly formed dungeon was a level 6.
Considering that a dungeon that might appear at a slim chance from the site where four or five people were horribly tortured and killed was just level 1.
<+>
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