“An Underground Player?”
“Reborn?”
Jung Si-woo’s confused voice overlapped with the woman’s. They turned their heads at the same time to look at each other, puzzled by what they just heard. It was normal that they couldn’t see each other properly because of the darkness, but Jung Si-woo’s eyesight shouldn’t be compared to a normal human. As such, he could roughly see her outline.
“What does it mean by reborn?”
“What is an Underground Player?”
It was a sight that would make them look very dumb if anyone else saw them. Fortunately, the two quickly figured out what was going on. Si-woo realized that just like him; this Player was also in a situation where she didn’t know anything.
“Now that we’ve settled down, should we introduce ourselves first?”
“Yes, that would be great.”
“Okay, then I’ll start. My name is Jung Si-woo, and I’m twenty-six…”
There wasn’t much that Jung Si-woo could talk about. After graduating from college, he’d been enjoying his jobless life cycle until he saw a young woman falling from the sky, jumped up to catch her, but then ended up being buried inside an unknown cave. It was really that simple.
“There is no way you could be normal! It’s already absurd for an ordinary human to leap and save a falling Player but surviving the crash with no injuries?! That’s impossible even for a Player!”
Seeing the intense reaction of the woman in front of him, Jung Si-woo offered a simple explanation.
“I’m very strong.”
“Is it possible to possess such superhuman strength without being a Player?”
“I think it was because I was meant to be a Player.”
“That can’t be it.”
The woman crushed Si-woo’s fantasy with a kind explanation.
“Of course, there are people who have been Players since birth, but even such players are just ordinary humans who have wings to fly through the sky until they enter the Sky Castle and become an official Player. Only after clearing the test dungeon and becoming a full-time Player and starting to control mana would you be reborn with superhuman abilities.”
Mana was a word he often saw in games and novels. However, he didn’t know that it really existed and that it was the basis of a Player’s abilities.
“That’s because it’s confidential. Anyway, you…Jung Si-woo, have no mana in your body yet. I have a special sensing ability, so I’m sure of it.”
“Is it really that amazing I’m strong even without mana?”
“Yes!”
The woman nodded her head vigorously, glad that her words were able to get through to him.
“If something such as mana could exist in this world, then it shouldn’t be such a surprise if there exists someone with supernatural strength even without mana.”
“Uh yeah…you’re right.”
She was convinced! Of course, it was a very Player-like understanding!
“So…you, who are abnormally strong, but has no wings or any connection to the Sky Castle, saved me and in the process got stuck underground together with me yet somehow cleared the requirement to become an ‘Underground Player.’”
“Yes, that’s it. What’s an underground player…you don’t know?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded so intensely that it could be noticed even in the dark.
“But I know one thing for sure, this is a completely different world than the Sky Castle. Yet, the voice we heard before was exactly the same as the announcement voice that comes out when you enter a dungeon in the Sky Castle.”
“Yeah, it definitely said we’d discovered an extra world, the ‘Ant Cave’…and ‘Underground Player.’”
Jung Si-woo’s heart pounded with excitement. He wasn’t a Player in the Sky Castle, but right now, he was in the middle of a weird situation. At least, it was obvious that he was in an environment where he could wield his innate strength to the fullest!
“Then, I will introduce myself.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Jung Si-woo, who was eager to run and explore the dungeon, was stopped in his tracks when he realized that he didn’t even know this woman’s name. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have the ability to read people’s minds as she introduced herself in a slightly high-pitched voice.
“I’m part of the Korean Player guild, Soaring Tempest, and a level 219 healer. I’m called Soo Ah-rin.”
She was unexpectedly a big shot!
“I challenged the 32nd stage dungeon with the members of my guild, but I suffered a fatal blow from the dungeon boss and lost almost all of my magic power, which caused me to fall from the Sky Castle. I was ready to die, but you saved me.”
Now, they were stuck together underground.
“Of course, it’s not like I could return to be a Player just because you saved me from the fall. I’m probably…considered as officially dead.”
They were devastating words from a person he just saved from dying, but at that moment, Si-woo remembered the words she muttered earlier.
“Before, you mentioned something about rebirth, right?”
“Yes. I’m in the state where I lost most of my power before the crash. However, you met a special requirement while saving me. You got the chance to be reborn as an ‘underground Player,’ and I think I got the chance to be reborn as a ‘Supporter.’”
A Supporter instead of a Player. She probably didn’t feel so good about it. If the Player is a leading character, then won’t that mean a Supporter is only a supporting character?!
“I thought I was going to die, but being given a chance to live again like this…I’m so happy.”
But Soo Ah-rin replied with a very bright voice. Jung Si-woo nodded with a grim face.
“If you are satisfied, I’m glad too.”
“Thank you.”
In the dark, Soo Ah-rin bows her head.
“Jung Si-woo, you saved my life. I’ll repay this debt throughout my whole life.”
“No, you don’t have to go that far.”
Jung Si-woo was more grateful to Soo Ah-rin because he now had the opportunity to become a Player. However, Soo Ah-rin laughed at his humble words.
“If you clear this dungeon and are successfully reborn as a low-tier Player, I will be your Supporter.”
“I will.”
He was confident he could. Rather, this whole scenario just fit perfectly.
“Are you confident in me, Miss Soo Ah-rin?”
“Of course. And you can comfortably call me Ah-rin. I’m twenty-two this year.”
Even though she was eliminated right before she could succeed in the 32nd dungeon and fell out of the Sky Castle, watching everything she built her whole life crumble in front of her, she had such a positive attitude. He nodded at the young girl with admiration.
“Okay, Ah-rin. Now that it has become like this, please take care of me.”
“Yes!”
“By the way…”
It was nice to be able to exchange greetings with each other like this brightly, but when he thought about how they had to explore this dungeon together, Jung Si-woo became curious about something.
“I heard that dungeons are a very dangerous place, but even though we are just conversing like this, no monsters have ambushed us.”
“Yes. The first room in the dungeon is called a waiting room, so monsters don’t appear there. This is so you can understand the characteristics of the dungeon or check supplies. Of course, not all dungeons are like this, and in this different world, the laws of dungeons may be different, so you shouldn’t rely on my words too much…”
“No, I think you’re right, at least in this dungeon.”
Jung Si-woo shook his head lightly.
“There are five monsters hiding near the entrance, waiting for us. But the fact that they’re not coming here must mean there’s a certain rule that prohibits them from doing so.”
“…Sorry?”
Soo Ah-rin was stunned, not believing what she had just heard.
“The entrance there? You’re saying that you can see monsters hiding ten meters away from you in this complete darkness?”
“Isn’t that normal?”
Soo Ah-rin wanted to yell at him that it was only possible if you’re a Player with a thief skill, but she endured it, realizing that she had been surprised about everything this man did so far. That man was able to save a Player falling from the Sky Castle easily. Even a top Player like her would have to admit that his potential couldn’t be judged prematurely. Soo Ah-rin decided that if she wanted to support him properly, she needed to adjust quickly and lead him in a direction in which he could develop further.
“…No, good job. I was just surprised you’ve already been able to adapt to the dungeon.”
“Ha, I thought I did something strange again. So, what should I do now? I want to rush in, but I shouldn’t, right?”
Jung Si-woo, who still didn’t know the standards of dungeons and players, was just a beginner full of excitement. He knew that, so he deliberately put a hold on himself. Soo Ah-rin thought that was a very positive attitude. However.
“No, it’s okay now. This is a dungeon that tests a Player’s abilities. I went through this kind of dungeon in Sky Castle before I became a Player.”
There was a rule in the Sky Castle’s dungeon that monsters can’t kill a Player candidate during the test dungeon, but she didn’t tell him that because it wasn’t clear whether the same rules applied here in the Ant Cave. Instead, she only told him the most reliable information. It wasn’t difficult since she used to manage her team members as a healer.
“If it’s a monster that you can notice even from a distance, then it must mean it’s a monster that you can handle. However, creatures, so even if you’re confident in your abilities, you need to be careful because you might get hurt.”
“They certainly looked a little dirty.”
But, it couldn’t be avoided. Jung Si-woo ripped off the bottom of his shirt and wrapped it around his left fist. Soo Ah-rin thought that he looked a little cool.
“As I have said, I have lost almost all of my abilities and levels as a healer, so I can only do one or two low-level healing spells. We can’t measure the length of this test dungeon, so you should avoid injuries when possible.”
“Try not to get hurt, preserve your strength, and defeat all of the monsters. It’s that easy?”
“Yes, I will let you know the rest once we clear the test dungeon.”
“Okay. I finally get to use my full…strength!”
As he was talking, Jung Si-woo destroyed the ground under his feet and as he jumped after the monsters. His movement was so fast that she could hardly think of him as a person who hadn’t even received a level yet. Ah-rin was flustered as she pursued him, but after losing all her levels, her speed had slowed down. In just a few seconds, Jung Si-woo has already reached the second room in the dungeon, where the five monsters were hiding.
[Graaaah!]
[Human…you look tasty!]
The monsters who thought they hadn’t been noticed ambushed and attacked him all at once! Rather than catching up with Jung Si-woo, Ah-rin’s eyes went wide after she identified the monsters. An exclamation burst out of her mouth.
“Wait! Jung Si-woo, wait! Something is strange; they’re werewolves…why are there level 50 werewolves here in the test dungeon?! Stop right there, Jung Si-woo!”
“Sorry, I can’t stop now!”
Contrary to Soo Ah-rin’s worries that he might freeze up once he saw the monsters, Jung Si-woo immediately identified their location and leaped from the ground, holding out his fist to punch them.
[Graaaarghh!]
Seeing one of the ‘werewolves’ reach out and attack him, Soo Ah-rin closed her eyes, afraid to see the sight that would unfold…
“Nice!”
The werewolf’s head burst, dying immediately without a chance to struggle.
“…Eh?”
Soo Ah-rin’s eyes went wide in astonishment at the sight before her, as it was slightly different than she had imagined. However, Jung Si-woo slaughtered the remaining four werewolves without any hesitation.
“Hup!”
[Keugh!]
“So annoying!”
[Keughaaagh!]
After killing the annoying werewolf in front of him with a solid kick, he turned and grabbed the neck of the closest to him, destroying its head with just a blow. However, seeing him exposed for a moment while attacking the others, one of them rushed at him swinging its claws to kill him. But, Jung Si-woo punched the werewolf in the chest, crushing its heart. All of his movements flew in continuously, but they weren’t graceful or sophisticated movements. Instead, he was forcing them back with his enormous strength, yet, oddly, there were no gaps in his movement. She wondered if this is what it was like for a beast born with a predator instinct.
[Ke..keeughh…]
The last one left realized that Jung Si-woo was an opponent he could never win against and stepped back, but Jung Si-woo finished him off without mercy. His head exploded, and like the first werewolf, it died instantly.
“Huh, I would rather not let any get away.”
Thus, the five werewolves were slaughtered in an instant. Jung Si-woo stood still and basked in his first victory, but he suddenly remembered something and turned to look at Soo Ah-rin.
“So, why did you tell me to stop before?”
“…”
She barely caught up with Jung Si-woo, her face looking like a fund manager who confirmed that their stocks had hit the upper limit the day after it was sold. But before he asked if she was okay, she shook her head weakly.
“N-No. So, it’s really only monsters you can deal with that appear…”
Her theory was correct. The test dungeon only generated monsters that the Player candidate could face!
…However, the level of monsters that could be countered by Jung Si-woo was way too high.
