The moment they emerged from the narrow gap between the rocks, the musty stench of beasts assailed their noses.
Something rustled in the darkness.
It was the sound of claws scraping against the rough ground.
“They’re coming. Three ahead, two above.”
No sooner had Ju-min’s low, calm voice echoed through the tunnel than several pairs of crimson eyes flashed in the darkness.
They belonged to Giant Cave Rats—creatures that had lost their sight while their hides had hardened into thick shells. Above them, bats as large as an adult man’s torso flapped their wings and swooped down.
“Damn, that scared me! Why are these rat bastards so huge?”
Even as he complained, Choi Sang-ho swiftly raised his massive shield.
BOOM!
With a deafening metallic crash, the two Giant Cave Rats leading the charge slammed into his shield and were sent sprawling.
“Mr. Kang, get down!”
At Ju-min’s shout, Kang Cheol-jin instinctively flattened himself against the ground.
A black bat flashed over his head, baring its razor-sharp fangs as it swept past.
Ju-min didn’t miss the opening.
He kicked off the ground and shot forward.
His dark iron-colored gauntlet tore through the air. There wasn’t a single unnecessary movement in his attack.
THUD!
The bat’s torso crumpled like a sheet of paper beneath the heavy impact before crashing into the ground.
Ju-min immediately pivoted, drew the backup dagger from his waist, and drove it straight into the nape of a Giant Cave Rat flailing on the ground after rebounding off the shield.
Its leathery hide was tough, but the precisely aimed strike pierced its weak point without resistance.
“Whew. That was clean.”
Choi Sang-ho poked his head out from behind his shield and whistled.
Monster corpses were strewn across the ground.
Only a few minutes had passed since the battle began.
“Is anyone hurt?”
“If rat bastards like these managed to hurt me, I’d have no business carrying a shield. But damn, you really know how to throw a punch.”
Ju-min lightly shrugged at Choi Sang-ho’s remark and flicked the blood from his dagger.
“That’s because you drew their aggro so well from the front. Mr. Kang, is there anything worth taking?”
Kang Cheol-jin slowly got to his feet and quickly examined the monster corpses.
“The hides are too hard to be useful. Their teeth and claws should fetch some money, though. I’ll collect them right away.”
With practiced hands, he dismantled the valuable parts and stuffed them into his backpack.
He might not have possessed any combat ability, but he fulfilled his duties as a Porter admirably.
“Good. We need to conserve our stamina, so let’s not overextend ourselves trying to kill every small fry. We’ll keep repeating what we just did—block and stab.”
Choi Sang-ho and Kang Cheol-jin nodded at Ju-min’s instructions.
Their teamwork was better than expected.
No one became greedy or charged forward recklessly. Each member remained faithful to his assigned role.
Thanks to that, the party continued advancing smoothly without wasting stamina or suffering unnecessary injuries.
***
How long had they been walking?
After emerging from the dark, narrow passage, they entered a fairly spacious chamber. It appeared to have once been a work area where miners rested or stored their equipment.
However, before they could even take a break, several branching passages greeted them.
Clang— Clang—
Breaking the silence, a dull bell began reverberating through the cavern walls at regular intervals.
The sound was far clearer and more unpleasant than the one they had heard at the first fork.
“Ugh, there’s that sound again. It’s making my whole skull ring.”
Choi Sang-ho frowned and adjusted his grip on the shield’s handle.
Kang Cheol-jin anxiously looked between the three passages.
The bell rang clearly from the center passage. It sounded somewhat fainter from the left and was almost inaudible from the right.
“Hunter Im, I understand that you said the bell was a trap earlier, but should we avoid it again? Judging by how much louder it’s getting, there must be something over there.”
Kang Cheol-jin cautiously voiced his opinion.
According to the raid records circulating throughout the hunter communities, following unusual sounds or monster tracks usually led to the Boss Area or the next section.
Choi Sang-ho seemed to agree, as he silently stared at Ju-min.
However, Ju-min firmly shook his head.
“No. That path is a dead end.”
“What? Even though the bell is ringing that loudly?”
“Every advance party that used the bell as a guide ended up circling the same area until they failed due to a time-out.”
Ju-min recalled the crooked intersections on the maps he had spent all night analyzing.
“They were lured in by the sound, exhausted themselves fighting an endless stream of monsters in an infinite-spawn zone, and were eventually driven out. That’s how every party that entered this dungeon failed. We need to ignore the sound completely.”
“Ah, that’s true. Everyone failed the same way.”
Kang Cheol-jin quickly accepted the explanation and nodded.
There was no reason to remain stubborn when the previous failure records offered such clear evidence.
Choi Sang-ho scratched his chin and gestured toward the passages.
“Then where are we going? That way, where is the sound is weakest?”
“Give me a moment. I need to check.”
Instead of immediately answering, Ju-min approached the tunnel wall.
He brushed the thick layer of dust from its worn surface.
Rather than trying to detect faint traces of mana, he was relying entirely on physical clues.
‘The minecart rails disappeared long ago, but the grooves carved into the ground are still here.’
Ju-min crouched down and carefully examined the old minecart’s friction marks.
Only thick dust had accumulated before the center and left passages. On the floor before the right passage, however, faint wheel marks had hardened into the ground.
That wasn’t all.
Through ‘Perfect Breathing,’ Ju-min sensed the minute currents of air circulating through the enclosed space.
It wasn’t stagnant, musty air.
A cool current, faint but unmistakable, was flowing in from somewhere outside.
It also came from the passage on the right.
“We’re going right—the passage where the bell is quietest.”
“Are you sure?”
“This isn’t just a hunch. The traces are telling us where to go. Let’s move.”
Ju-min took the lead, his voice calm yet filled with certainty.
Choi Sang-ho and Kang Cheol-jin followed close behind without complaint.
Ju-min’s unhurried manner and his habit of carefully controlling every variable gave his party members a strange sense of reassurance.
At the very least, they were confident they wouldn’t become lost and wander helplessly through this suffocating maze.
***
After entering the right passage, they continued their monotonous march, interrupted only by occasional monster attacks.
Spider-like monsters dropped from the ceiling without warning, while centipedes hidden beneath the dirt blocked their path.
Each time, Choi Sang-ho’s sturdy defense and Ju-min’s precise attacks swiftly dealt with the threat.
“Wow, Hunter Im. That last strike was a work of art.”
Kang Cheol-jin voiced his admiration as he collected the severed legs of a spider monster scattered across the ground.
Ju-min caught his breath and brushed the dust from his gauntlets.
“That was only possible because Sang-ho pushed it away at the perfect moment.”
“Hey, let’s get this straight. I pushed it away, sure, but accurately smashing its weak point during that opening was all you. What the hell are you doing down here with a C-rank title? With your skills, you should’ve climbed higher long ago.”
Choi Sang-ho shook his head in disbelief.
It wasn’t empty flattery. His praise was entirely sincere.
Ju-min merely gave him a faint smile without offering a lengthy explanation.
“I still have a long way to go. Let’s focus on conserving our stamina.”
As their light conversation continued, another tangled intersection appeared before them.
This time, four passages branched out in different directions.
Clang— Clang— Clang—
Once again, the dull ringing battered their eardrums.
This time, the sound was especially loud and piercing.
It was an insistent temptation, almost as though someone were screaming into their ears that they would remain lost forever unless they followed it.
“Damn, it’s really loud this time. I feel like running over there and smashing that bell right now.”
Choi Sang-ho irritably slammed his shield against the ground as he complained.
Kang Cheol-jin had already clamped both hands tightly over his ears.
Ju-min narrowed his eyes and stared at the second passage, where the sound rang the loudest.
It was a mechanism designed to exploit the minds of impatient people.
The longer someone wandered through the tunnels, the more exhausted and anxious they would become. Wanting to rely on such a clear signal was only natural.
‘But I already know it’s a trap.’
Ju-min turned away without hesitation and resumed examining the floor and walls.
Friction marks.
Scratches.
Fragments from broken wooden supports.
And a faint current of air that seemed to pierce deep into his lungs.
After considering every physical clue, the answer was once again clear.
“The fourth passage at the far end—the one where the bell can’t be heard at all.”
“Got it. We just need to cover our ears and keep moving.”
Choi Sang-ho tightened his grip on his shield and stepped forward to take the lead.
They repeatedly ignored the bell’s relentless temptation.
They completely avoided every passage where even the faintest ringing could be heard. Relying solely on rational judgment and the traces left behind as their compass, they silently continued onward.
***
How much deeper had they gone?
The ceiling of the narrow, suffocating tunnel gradually began to rise.
The monster corpses and tracks that had littered the floor disappeared without a trace.
Most importantly, the musty smell of dust that had tormented them throughout their journey vanished completely.
“Huh? The smell’s gone.”
Kang Cheol-jin sniffed the air and looked around.
“The wind is much colder too. Something’s changed.”
Choi Sang-ho also swept a tense gaze over their surroundings from behind his shield.
They were right.
The texture of the air against their skin had changed completely.
A dry, cool, and unfamiliar chill flowed from the space ahead.
They cautiously took several more steps through the darkness.
At that moment, a vast open cavern revealed itself before them in all its grandeur.
It was an unknown area that had never appeared on any of the previous raid parties’ crude maps or in any of the testimonies Ju-min had purchased from the Hunter Information Exchange.
They had completely escaped the endless circular work areas and looping maze that had driven countless parties to despair.
“Wow…”
A dazed exclamation escaped Kang Cheol-jin’s lips.
Even Choi Sang-ho slowly surveyed the enormous cavern with a stiff expression.
The realization that they had reached an uncleared area no one had ever set foot in sent a sharp thrill racing down their spines.
Standing at the front, Ju-min silently stared into the deepest part of the cavern.
He had shattered the obvious rule no one else had ever questioned and finally discovered the true hidden path.
That was when it happened.
A familiar translucent System message silently appeared in Ju-min’s field of vision.
[Special Condition Met: The Bell of Temptation has been rejected three times.]
After reading the message, the corners of Ju-min’s lips slowly curled upward.
The exhaustion from their tedious march vanished without a trace.
Within the dense darkness, only his eyes gleamed sharply.