Side Story 8
"You kids are lingering too long. Go to bed, or help your mom and dad with their work."
"Yes, ma'am. We'll go now. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow, Amaur Auntie."
Even with the turtle waving a switch, it seemed like the kids weren't scared at all.
"My tail ribbon came loose."
The little one leaning on Yoon Seo turned their back to him and spoke.
Yoon Seo crouched down but was puzzled.
What's a tail ribbon?
He knew about shoelaces, but this was the first time he'd ever heard of a tail ribbon.
"Hyung, I think they're talking about this. The blue ribbon."
Thanks to Kwon Jihan's hint, Yoon Seo spotted the ribbon tied to the scales near the tail.
It didn't seem to serve any functional purpose—just a decorative ribbon.
"This little one's got some guts, huh? They went straight to you for help. Maybe they sensed you're a pro at tying knots."
That's right. Yoon Seo had mastered all sorts of knots, thanks to a last request asking him to 'earn a certification in knot crafts.'
Swish, swish.
He threaded the blue ribbon through the hole in the scales, neatly tying it into a perfect bow, not leaning to either side.
"All done."
As soon as Yoon Seo dusted off his hands—
"Mine came loose too!"
One of the kids, who had been watching in a daze nearby, untied their own tail ribbon and called out.
Kwon Jihan chuckled knowingly, as if he had expected this.
Yoon Seo tied that child's ribbon just as neatly, and before he knew it, a line of kids had formed, waiting for their turn.
This time, Kwon Jihan burst out laughing, clutching his stomach, while Yoon Seo, without resistance, tied all the children's tail ribbons.
***
Dungeon Entry: Current Terrain 1/2 : Party Members 7 : Time Until Overflow: 1,941 hours
The God of Death waves sleepily.
The God of Life rushes in, even in the middle of their busy schedule.
The God of Love grabs popcorn and soda.
Boom!
An explosion echoed as soon as they entered the dungeon. A distorted being, waiting near the portal, attacked them the moment they stepped in. Fortunately, they had entered with their shields up, so no one was harmed.
"Hah, it's definitely a level 10 planet."
Kwon Jihan leaped forward, sword in hand. He slashed diagonally through the black shadow lunging at him, spun around mid-air, and stabbed another creature ambushing him from behind.
"Kwon Jihan, catch!"
"Thanks!"
Yoon Seo pulled out the
Yoon Seo also joined the fray, wielding the 'Existing Spirit' in his hand.
Skill
Almost every being within a 40 km radius becomes terrified.
The attack and defense power of nearly all beings within range slightly decreases.
The distorted beings had an eerie, sinister appearance. If one had to describe it, they looked like shadows at dusk.
The distorted beings on Earth resembled human shadows, while those here looked like elongated lizard shadows.
Yoon Seo did not dodge the attack coming toward him from the distorted being.
Boom!
From past experience, he knew the
Not needing to dodge meant more opportunities to counterattack.
Skill
Crackle!
Yoon Seo stabbed a dagger charged with electricity into the tail of the distorted being. It tried to sever its tail quickly, but the current ran through its body faster.
Grooooan…
The distorted being let out a strange, ghastly sound. As it died, it spread darkness around. This darkness was a deadly substance to both body and mind, and most would avoid it, but Yoon Seo did the opposite—he walked straight into it.
The shield's durability was dropping fast. Within the sticky, clinging darkness, Yoon Seo used
This darkness was made of particles, so it could be manipulated by
Yoon Seo imbued each particle of darkness left by the distorted being with
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The distorted beings were caught in a chain reaction of electric storms. Those that stretched out their shadows to escape were swiftly dealt with by Kwon Jihan.
"I didn't expect much since Earth is only Level 3, but they're fighting better than I thought."
"Better than just 'better.'
The bartender and the turtle had only anticipated the pair's Gaia and Watcher skills, but didn't expect them to perform this well. As they both marveled in awe, Myam spoke in satisfaction.
"Earth may only be Level 3, but it reached that in just three years, myam."
Level 3. In the Gaia system, that was barely a fledgling planet. But in truth, a planet reaching Level 3 in just three years was exceedingly rare.
It means Earth is quite a powerful planet.
And the two strongest individuals on Earth are Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan.
"II Couple has traveled across the universe and even conquered Level 24 dungeons before, myam. Distorted beings from a mere Level 10 dungeon are nothing, myam."
"Level 24…."
"Are you just going to sit there in awe, myam? I'm going to help them out, myam."
Myam activates the skill
As Myam used the skill, some of the distorted beings charging toward them hesitated. They circled around as if sniffing each other, then suddenly began attacking their own kind.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Myam pulled out weapons hidden inside its mechanical body. Whirr, click, buzz, clank… Various guns emerged. Dozens of barrels unleashed a torrent of bullets toward the distorted beings.
Boom! Bang! Rumble!
The distorted beings let out bizarre groans as they were bombarded by gunfire and explosions.
"We can't just stand by and let them do all the work."
"Agreed, chief."
Amaur activates the skill
The turtle summoned an avatar armed with eight swords and then duplicated it into dozens.
"Hahaha! Bring it on!"
"Hehehe, who dares face my blade?"
"Become food for my sword!"
Since they weren't real, they didn't need shields or protection. The cloned avatars let out wild cries as they swung their swords at the distorted beings.
Bartender activates the skill
Massive chunks of ice fell with a heavy thud, thud, thud! onto the distorted beings. Those crushed beneath the ice struggled to escape, only to see droplets of water dripping down the sides of the ice blocks.
Sizzle.
When the water touched them, their bodies sizzled as if they had come into contact with acid. The distorted beings screamed in agony. The bartender stomped on one of their shadowy faces, crushing it completely.
"Hyung, did you see that?"
"Yes. They're strong."
Just as the turtle and the bartender were impressed by Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan, the two were also in awe of their strength.
Once again, they realized that the universe is vast and full of powerful beings.
***
After the fierce battle, they analyzed the dungeon's terrain. Though there were only two sections, the area was so vast that it took some time for Myam's analysis item to complete the task.
They rejoined the two who had arrived earlier. Since they were part of the same guild as the turtle, they easily tracked their location.
"Chief, you're here!"
"You came in sooner than expected. Was there something going on outside?"
The two they met could best be described as a bipedal deer and a bipedal rabbit.
Though they were introduced as Odede and Tishimi, Yoon Seo and Kwon Jihan silently agreed to just call them Deer and Rabbit.
While the four caught up, Yoon Seo briefly removed his automatic translator.
"Yurilipyakaryu, pabuchachup."
"Keur yarubu kawryushu?"
"Bekcho-eul-dich deb-chubi quik bibi-brae."
Feeling slightly dizzy, he put the translator back on.
After sharing stories and bonding, the unfamiliar alien species began to show curiosity toward the newcomers.
"These humanoids seem to be from the same species as Lyam the spy. But we've never seen anyone with this peach-colored skin before. Are they mercenaries hired to help us retrieve the box?"
The turtle briefly explained to the two about Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo. The deer's eyes sparkled.
"They have Gaia skills, and even
"You needed
"The box disappeared into the labyrinth."
"Oh no, this place is a labyrinth type, myam."
Though Myam groaned about the troublesome situation, Kwon Jihan and Yoon Seo didn't understand.
"A labyrinth? What's that?"
"You don't know what a labyrinth is…? What's the level of your home planet?"
"Three."