Acquiring Talent in a Dungeon

Chapter 19 - Day 6, 6th Floor

I heard the sound of a door opening. A neighbour who came out to throw away his trash passed by me and gave me a look that said, ‘You are capable. Hyung.’

I was capable. No, was it right to say that? I didn’t care about the looks of other people as Yoo Su-jeong stayed on her knees in front of me. I asked simply, “For free?”

It was a baited question. "Of course not!" The answer came straight away. A pair of gloves fell into Yoo Su-jeong’s hands. She stretched them back and forth for a bit like she was thinking, before extending them to me.

[Vicious Advisor’s Leather Gloves. Equipment item. Rank C.]

[The weapon of an adviser who has a notorious reputation as a torturer. After the death of its master, it has passed through the hands of many men and women. The fact that the leather hasn’t changed for centuries has produced lots of ghost stories. After the death of its last owner, a merchant, the whereabouts became unknown.]

[Additional damage to the opponent is applied in proportion to the pain dealt by the gloved hand.]

I immediately put it in my inventory. Of course, the gloves were mine now. Therefore, Yoo Su-jeong hadn’t offered me anything to negotiate with yet. “Now tell me why I shouldn’t kill you.”

She had given me the gloves first to buy my favour, so she wasn’t stupid. "You are as shameless as I thought. I like it though. That item was just my personal courtesy to you.” She said with a constant smile. “Include me in your plan.”

“... You really are straightforward.”

"Uh, do you like that?” She put a finger on her lips in a manipulative gesture against me.

"Don’t you know that I hate unnecessary words and gestures? Don’t try to flirt and use your body against me.”

“You are over-rating me.”

"I think that it is a proper evaluation. I noticed that your eyes are quite disciplined.” Well, at least I could get the gloves.

"What if I don’t want to involve you?”

"Will there be any other choice? As soon as I go down to the sixth floor, I’ll scream. Kim Hee-chul is going to betray us." Yoo Su-jeong got up from the ground. It seemed like she was going to start trying to making a deal.

"I don’t want a lot. Just one person as my share...”

"I have no intention of agreeing. Do what you like.” I passed by Yoo Su-jeong. I took one step into the elevator. "Shouting is good. I’m looking forward to it.”

Yoo Su-jeong looked at the elevator with a shaky expression. Did she think my words weren’t true? I was a bit sorry, but I was serious.

“Then let’s see at midnight.” I pressed the button to close the elevator doors. Just before the doors closed, Yoo Su-jeong stepped in, her steps clearly impatient.

"This is going down. Are you going to the first floor?”

“Are you really not bothered at all? Even if you have that girl, won’t it be two against five?” Oh look. Her relaxation had disappeared. Her impatience was a sign of defeat.

"Why do you think it will be two against five?” If she said that I would betray them, everybody would be on guard. However, these people had come to me with the attitude that they would be subordinates under me. Would they believe Yoo Su-jeong that easily?

"Even so, it won’t be possible to kill all five people. I’ll be vigilant all the time.”

"It doesn't matter. Because you are you.” It sounded romantic if a third party had heard it. But Yoo Su-jeong’s expression completely hardened. She realized her mistake.

"If I use the excuse that you are promoting dissent, I can publicly execute you. Of course, I will take your talent.”

As Yoo Su-jeong said, it would be difficult to kill her if she was vigilant. She would pay close attention. But she had something to lose. Third ranked talent. It was a chance to handle the most annoying human among the five people. Yoo Su-jeong’s mistake was coming to me in the first place.

"It is better to pursue my own path than have a snake constantly aiming for my back. Well, thanks for the courtesy. Thanks to that, one of the unstable elements I was worried about has disappeared.”

The elevator arrived on the first floor. Yoo Su-jeong left the elevator with a face that was paler than it was 30 seconds ago. I was calmer than I thought, which surprised me. I’d realized that I had been really embarrassed when Yoo Su-jeong fell to her knees.

If I was my usual self, then that embarrassment would have taken a while to disappear. Yoo Su-jeong would use that loophole. Fortunately, I obtained concentration from the dungeon. It was thanks to my various abilities.

“What if there is one more element to be anxious about?” Yoo Su-jeong stopped walking and spoke without looking back. "Among the four people besides me, there is one who managed to conceal their ranking. I overheard them talking when I was by other people.”

That’s right. This was what she really intended to do. Originally, I would have been thankful for the information. “The second ranked person? It’s obvious they hid their rank so you wouldn’t know who they are.”

Was she planning to inform me? I looked at her back. Her body didn’t turn, only her head. I only had one thing to say. “Thank you for that as well.”

“...”

I left the building.

◎

"This isn’t a matter for me to interfere in.”

“Huh?”

"Did you skip school?”

"Ah, no.” It was a reasonable question. Although I saw high school uniforms on the streets, she was wearing plain clothes after school. “Just... I don’t like wearing a school uniform outside.”

Well, I guess it made sense. I explained what happened in the morning. Yoo Su-jeong had come to find me. She ignored the part about Yoo Su-jeong and exclaimed with surprise. “Amazing. Indeed!”

"Is it so good that you have to react like this?”

"Of course!” Yang Su-jin’s eyes lit up.

"Then you will kill her?”

“Eh?”

"I knew it when I saw her yesterday. I got an impression just looking at that woman. She is the type that will be a cancer if she is with us.”

A disease like cancer? In fact, there was no need for Yang Su-jin to speak since it was already confirmed that I would kill Yoo Su-jeong. "Oppa, you don’t need to do any work since I’ll take care of it. I can’t die even if killed so can’t I be a suicide bomber and spread poison?”

“...” Yang Su-jin was more ambitious than I thought.

"Well, the idea is good. Leave that woman until the end.”

“Huh? Why? She is third place so killing her should be a priority. I don’t know who it is, but even if there is second place...”

"Since we don’t know who they are, we need to target the other people carefully.” Even if she was the third ranked, Yoo Su-jeong had come and negotiated with me. In order words, she wasn’t so confident in a direct confrontation. She had run away when she killed An Su-hyun.

Maybe she was weaker than Kwak Yu-han, who was in seventh place. This meant she was an opponent I could definitely win against in a direct confrontation. Rather, the remaining four needed to be poisoned first. To be precise, the most important target was the second ranked person hiding among them.

Anyway, even someone with a regeneration ability like Yang Su-jin would be out of action for a while if they were poisoned. "Once Yoo Su-jeong goes into action, the poison operation will need to be delayed. However, if you run away or watch for an opportunity, then you will have the chance to poison at least two people. Make sure you use as much as possible. Like you said earlier, be a suicide bomber.”

"Please leave it to me!” Yang Su-jin replied cheerfully. Then she rubbed a foot on the ground as she hesitated.

“But...”

"Tell me."

"Can you please buy me dinner?”

“...”

There was a famous handmade burger restaurant nearby. Honestly, it wasn’t a cheap price. However, even if she couldn’t really die, I was still ordering her to act like a suicide bomber. Anyway, I was an adult.

Yang Su-jin found the food very delicious. She ordered french fries as well.

◎

Just before midnight, I removed the leather gloves from my inventory. I checked it just in case it had been poisoned or something. The gloves were fine. I was grateful to Yoo Su-jeong for giving it to me. These gloves and the suicide bomber would shatter her chances of winning.

As for the existence of the second ranked person… Kwak Yu-han was seventh. Kim Ha-jong was 19th. Lee Min-ju and Lee Sang-hoon were siblings. One was ranked 15th and the other was 185th. One of them had tricked the rankings. Their faces were arranged in my memories.

12:00:00 AM

The stairs appeared and I took a step.

[All the talents and experience of the loser will belong to the winner.]

[The level of a talent has risen.]

[Compulsion Lv 3 -> Lv 4. Related abilities have increased.]

[Murder Lv 2 -> Lv 4. Related abilities have increased.]

[Deception Lv 2 -> Lv 3. Related abilities have increased.]

[Taunt Lv 2 -> Lv 3. Related abilities have increased.]

... Wasn’t this lady religious?

[Talent has been acquired.]

[Talent - Meditation: The ability to find physical and mental tranquility through meditation and to activate potential abilities. It will rise in proportion to the level. ]

[Benefits will open at Lv 8.]

[Lv 5. 46/1600]

[Talent has been acquired.]

[Talent - Dagger: The damage dealt by a weapon with a blade less than 30cm will rise in proportion to the level. Reflexes and muscle strength will slightly increase.]

[Lv 4. 32/800]

[Muscle strength has exceeded the limit.]

[Reflexes has exceeded the limit.]

[Muscle strength: 12]

[Reflexes: 13]

My vision changed as I read the letters that surfaced in front of me. I was in the dungeon. No, I should say ‘we.’ There were seven people standing in a circle. The air that touched our skin was chilly. Everybody took a step back, breaking the circle, and looked around.

Cries of astonishment burst from our mouths. We were in a huge space. It was reminiscent of a soccer field, but much larger. Dozens of times? Maybe hundreds of times? The distance between the walls and ceilings was so large that I wasn’t sure of the scale. And there was darkness below us.

The height couldn’t be measured. Many stone peaks were rising to astonishing heights around us. The top of the peaks were flattened. We were standing on one of the highest peaks.

“Excuse me... I think there are people there.” Everyone turned to look at Kim Ha-jong’s words. Indeed, I could see seven points on a peak not far away from us. There wasn’t only one peak with people. Everything was far away, but I could see at least eight peaks with people.

There were stairs on the edge of the peaks. The width was around two metres and the thickness seemed similar. A staircase leading to the top of a lower peak. But the incline was steep and the staircase was next to a cliff. We had to take this staircase and go into the unknown darkness?

If this was the ‘6th floor’... I guessed that it would take at least a day to reach the seventh floor. I suddenly felt eyes on me. There were six pairs of eyes watching me, waiting for my instructions.

What to do now? Yang Su-jin’s gaze was asking that. Yoo Su-jeong was watching me with a stiff expression. Then letters showed up in front of me.

[Twenty.]

[Nineteen.]

[Eighteen.]

It only took a few seconds to realize that it was a countdown. The area under my feet started to shake.

The peaks were falling down.