Chapter 90: Void Church (1)
[Dungeon: Valley of Hell]
[Danger Level: 1st-grade]
[Main Objective: Visit the Void Church]
[Time Limit: None]
Jin-young examined the blue holographic display that appeared before his eyes.
The so-called ‘System Board’ that manifested upon entering a dungeon.
It briefly displayed the dungeon’s name, danger level, and clear objectives.
Lower-danger dungeons tended to have simple objectives, but high-risk ones like this were structured in complex, multi-layered ways.
In other words, even if they achieved the currently displayed objective, there was a high chance that a new one would be updated afterward.
“Looks like there’s something more after finding the Void Church.”
“Hm.”
Yoon Soo-ho nodded at Jin-young’s words.
The dungeon information obtained through Vladimir Zhukov was limited to what they could see right now.
The Russian Hunters had only confirmed the dungeon’s existence and then left it alone, so they had no knowledge of any subsequent objectives.
Jin-young first took out a dungeon-use hourglass from sub-space.
He needed to confirm the time ratio between here and Earth to better manage the clear duration.
“Map data synchronization has begun.”
Choi Hee-yeon said while operating her watch.
Thanks to the diversification of dungeon materials and advances in human technology, all sorts of specialized devices had been developed.
The Hunter-use smart watch was one of them.
In addition to standard watch functions, it allowed for simple mana measurement, dungeon information collection, and data mapping.
“Once everyone is ready, we’ll set out.”
Choi Hee-yeon said while looking at Jin-young and Yoon Soo-ho.
“I’m ready, sunbae.”
“I’m good too.”
Jin-young and Yoon Soo-ho replied in turn.
Choi Hee-yeon, who was in charge of dungeon information gathering, took the lead to find the path, with Yoon Soo-ho—handling combat—following right behind her.
Jin-young trailed leisurely at the rear, taking in the surroundings.
The place where they currently stood was atop a high cliff.
Below, large and small monsters roamed around growling.
“Grrrrr!”
“Uooooh!”
Kwa-kwa-bang!
Some were even clashing violently, as if fighting over territory.
In the sky, dyed red like sunset, flying monsters occasionally soared past.
Since this was Jin-young’s first 1st-grade dungeon, he tried to commit as much of the scenery and atmosphere to memory as possible.
Above all, the theme of this dungeon was hell.
It matched the place accessible through the ‘Gate of Hell’ that he had absorbed from the Black Knight’s Golden Scale.
Even though he could go to hell through the Gate of Hell, the reason he deliberately came to this dungeon was because of the tentacle’s suggestion.
There was no better place than a dungeon to gather information about hell.
Jin-young partially agreed.
Before fully embarking on hell exploration, experiencing a portion of it in advance didn’t seem like a bad idea.
‘This really is the hell we know, right? There are things I never expected.’
『Indeed. There is civilization created by intelligent life here as well.』
Jin-young and the tentacle were looking at the same spot.
Far off in the valley from their cliff vantage point, tall buildings were sporadically visible.
Who would have imagined a city existing amid boiling hellfire volcanoes and a wasteland teeming with monsters?
The dungeon’s objective—the ‘Void Church’—might very well be located in that city.
‘You’ve already seen beyond the Gate of Hell. Why act like it’s your first time?’
The tentacle could open the ‘Gate of Hell’ and even extend influence into hell.
Since this dungeon was a partial manifestation of hell, it would be strange if the tentacle didn’t know about it.
『There seems to be a temporal discrepancy between this dungeon and the current hell. It appears to be a partial recreation of hell’s past.』
‘So this is the world before it was destroyed by a being like the Demon King?’
A sudden question arose in Jin-young’s mind.
Just who had created dungeons in the first place?
Of course, he had pondered it a few times before, but he had never delved deeply into the matter.
Back when he was a 9th-grade Hunter, simply surviving had been his greatest concern.
Contemplating the nature of dungeons had been a luxury.
But ever since learning of other dimensions like Renard and deities like the Demon King, his curiosity about dungeons themselves had grown.
『Probably a powerful deity on the level of the Demon King.』
‘Why make them?’
『Maybe they were bored.』
‘Hm, that could be it.’
Jin-young nodded in acceptance.
As he descended the mountainside following Choi Hee-yeon and Yoon Soo-ho, monsters gradually began to appear.
They were red-skinned humanoid monsters, roughly 1.5 times the size of an average adult male.
They had no wings, but large black horns protruded from their heads.
They looked very much like the devils commonly imagined.
They approached holding spears in their hands, though they weren’t exactly aiming them in a threatening manner.
“They’re roughly 3rd to 4th-grade monsters. I’ll take care of them.”
Choi Hee-yeon said while scanning the monsters with her Measurement Eye skill.
At that moment, one of the devils that had come right up to them opened its mouth.
“Newbies, huh? If you don’t want to get hurt, follow quietly.”
They had thought these were simple monsters, but they turned out to be intelligent lifeforms residing in hell.
It wasn’t particularly surprising.
While some dungeons were filled solely with monsters, far more dungeons had inhabitants.
Dungeon clear objectives—commonly called quests—were often progressed through interactions with dungeon residents.
[Secondary Objective: Follow the Hell’s Watchman]
Choi Hee-yeon turned to look at Jin-young.
Her expression asked whether they should obediently follow or do something else.
When Jin-young gave a slight nod, she looked back at the devils and said,
“Understood. Please lead the way.”
“I like how compliant you are.”
The devils surrounded Jin-young’s party in a loose circle.
Choi Hee-yeon watched them with slightly anxious eyes, ready to resort to force if necessary.
But they only encircled them without showing any further hostility.
Jin-young spread out his psionic energy while leisurely following the devils.
He approached Choi Hee-yeon and asked in a low voice,
“How about asking them about the Void Church?”
“Hm. We still don’t know how many different races live here, so it feels like a gamble. If they’re a group that rejects the Void Church, it could spark a fight.”
“Following their lead to quickly locate their settlement and start gathering information from there doesn’t seem too late.”
Yoon Soo-ho added his opinion right after Choi Hee-yeon.
As expected from veterans of high-risk dungeons, they were seasoned.
Especially Yoon Soo-ho, who had cleared countless 1st-grade dungeons, maintained a far more relaxed demeanor than Choi Hee-yeon.
He appeared nonchalant on the surface, but he had already rapidly assessed the devils’ characteristics and the surrounding environment.
Unlike Choi Hee-yeon, who relied heavily on equipment like her watch, Yoon Soo-ho was the type who actively utilized a Hunter’s ‘instinct.’
“What are you three whispering about?”
One of the devils encircling them spoke in an irritated tone.
“We’ll be careful.”
Choi Hee-yeon immediately apologized to avoid conflict, but the devil still seemed displeased.
“Already annoyed enough having to travel through this dangerous place—don’t grate on my nerves any further.”
The path they were taking was littered with bare trees and rocks of various sizes.
The most eye-catching thing, of course, was the monsters.
Giant caterpillar-like monsters, goat-like ones, wolf-like ones, and more roamed the area.
But they didn’t seem particularly strong, as none dared to approach the devils.
A 1st-grade dungeon didn’t necessarily mean it was packed with only high-danger monsters.
As the devils advanced while staying vigilant, they all furrowed their brows at the same moment.
“Wait.”
“What’s that sound?”
Jin-young hadn’t heard anything, but the devils’ expressions darkened instantly.
Even when he activated sensory enhancement, it was the same.
It must have been a unique sound audible only to them.
At that moment, a System Board appeared before his eyes.
[Secondary Objective Updated]
[Secondary Objective: Survive the Ambush]
The secondary objective had been updated.
It meant ignoring the previous one—following the watchman—and simply surviving this ambush no matter what.
Whether they fled or fought didn’t matter.
Shwoooo—
Suddenly, monsters began swooping down from the sky.
The wingless devils gripped their spears tightly with tense faces. Some even summoned fireballs in their palms.
Jin-young lifted his head and closely observed the monsters floating high above.
They were humanoid monsters with a pair of white-feathered wings flapping, their faces concealed behind iron masks.
At first glance, they looked almost like angels.
They were aiming bows toward the devils on the ground.
“There are too many. Don’t engage—run to the safe zone.”
At the lead devil’s command, they began running one by one.
But Jin-young’s party felt no need to do so.
The devil who had grumbled earlier raised his voice when he saw Jin-young’s group moving leisurely.
“Do you want to die? Run, now!”
Ignoring him, Jin-young gauged the distance to the angels and spoke.
“Ad sunbae, if I pull them down, can you handle them alone?”
“Yes.”
In this dungeon, Jin-young planned to let Choi Hee-yeon handle all the monsters she could hunt alone.
The devils assigned to escort duty looked conflicted—unsure whether to keep an eye on Jin-young’s party or flee from the angels.
Deciding to drag them along by force if necessary, the devils started approaching.
But at that moment—
“Move right now… run!”
Shuuuuu—
The flock of angels began a steep dive toward the ground.
Startled by the sight, the devils scattered in panic and fled.
The next instant—
Tsutsutsuts—
Blue electric currents swirled around Choi Hee-yeon’s body like a vortex.
Pop—
Her figure vanished in the blink of an eye, moving like lightning.
Kwarrrrrung—
She had already soared toward the angels, unleashing blue lightning in all directions.
“Kiaaaak!”
The electrocuted angels screamed as they fell, charred black.
Thud thud thud—thump! Thump!
The remaining dozen or so angels crashed to the ground one after another.
Tap.
After flashing through the air several times like thunderbolts, Choi Hee-yeon finally landed lightly on the ground.
[Secondary Objective Achieved]
[Your reputation has improved]
“So that’s how it works here.”
It seemed the devils’ view of Jin-young’s party had shifted noticeably.
[Secondary Objective Updated]
[Secondary Objective: Follow the Hell’s Watchman]
“By the way… you’ve grown a lot, sunbae.”
“You’re too kind. Lately I’ve been feeling my limits a lot.”
Choi Hee-yeon shook her head as she spoke.
Feeling her limits was actually a good sign.
It meant she had entered the final stage before breaking through to the next level.
She had only recently become 2nd-grade, yet her growth was so steep that she was already on the verge of 1st-grade.
With a suitable mentor and enough Manastones, she could probably advance very quickly.
There would be plenty of Manastones to be gained in this dungeon alone.
“Later, I’ll introduce you to a mentor who’s perfect for you, sunbae. He talks a lot, but he’s an absolute expert in the lightning attribute.”
“I’d appreciate it anytime.”
At that moment, the devils approached with stunned expressions.
“No way… how… thank you.”
“Thanks to you, we survived.”
Perhaps the reputation change had already taken effect—their attitude had softened considerably.
“I get it, so let’s get moving again.”
At Jin-young’s words, the devils nodded almost reflexively.
“Ah, right. Follow carefully.”
***
Pssshhhhh—
A massive pump resembling a steam engine spewed hazy smoke as it operated.
It was a kind of thermal power generator that harnessed the lava flowing down from the great mountain at the center of hell.
The outskirts were packed with such power generators, and following the pipes that transported the energy led to a fairly large city.
Buildings of various heights and shapes stood haphazardly in every direction.
At a glance, it looked almost like a futuristic city, yet it also carried the overlapping impression of a rundown rural village—an oddly mystical place.
Devils labored in factories, others crunched numbers on abacuses in corporate offices, and still more hunted monsters—all coexisting.
And at the top floor of the tallest building in the city.
A devil in a suit was flipping through documents.
Vritra, branch manager of Red Industry’s Nine City branch—the corporation that supported this city, Nine City.
Red Industry had branches not only in Nine City but across multiple cities in hell.
Among them, the Nine City branch was the largest by far.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Vritra said upon hearing the knock.
The door to the office opened, and a devil in a black hood entered.
Vritra immediately rose from his seat to greet the black-hooded devil.
“Welcome, Cult Leader.”
The devil addressed as Cult Leader smiled faintly at the corners of his mouth and spoke.
“The offerings have arrived in the city. Finish all preparations before the ritual begins.”
“Of course.”
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