Episode 229 Endless Dungeon (1)
* * *
“Damn it.”
The model student wore a pained expression as he looked at the deep wound on his left forearm.
There had been a crisis.
He had nearly been captured by the Black Royal Guards, who were closing in on him as if encircling him.
If asked if it was possible for a Constellation to be captured, it would be understood if one explained that those pursuing it possessed power equivalent to that of a Constellation. While
a mere human could not capture a Constellation, it was possible for another entity of the Dimensional Order to do so.
To humans, a Constellation was noble and untouchable, but to the Dimensional Order, a Constellation was merely a member.
A sword that cuts through Holy Power.
That is the sword wielded by the Black Royal Guards. In human terms, it is a sword that makes stopping bleeding extremely difficult.
Since the Constellation's unique Holy Power is continuously lost along the cut wound, rapid emergency treatment is crucial.
However, in the current situation where there was not a single Constellation to help, the model student had no way to manage the wound.
The only emergency treatment he could perform was to tear his clothes and bind the wound as tightly as possible.
Even though the seal was tightened to the point where nothing could penetrate, the Holy Power continued to leak through the cracks.
'At least I can catch my breath for now.'
The only saving grace was that the Black Royal Guards had fallen into the trap I had secretly prepared while being pursued.
So, even though I sacrificed an forearm, I was able to buy time by getting them caught up in it.
Now, having escaped the crisis of nearly being trapped in the encirclement, I had reached a considerable distance from them.
Of course, I could not simply be optimistic about the situation.
This is because the Model Student’s position was gradually shifting outside the Dimensional Barrier, much like a herd hunt.
One might ask what the problem is with going outside the Dimensional Barrier. Isn't it just the outside?
But for a Constellation, it is a different story. The moment one steps outside the Dimensional Barrier, one loses all power as a Constellation. Just
as a human cannot survive long without a spacesuit and dies if they leave Earth for space,
for a Constellation, the outside of the Dimensional Barrier is a place that causes the loss of one's life as a Constellation.
If that happened, the work of communicating with Lee Si-yeon or Sang-hyun, just as he does now, would become impossible.
'Heh heh. Still, it seems my future self wasn't that stupid. To think I succeeded in space-time reversal!'
The Model Student was delighted by this.
It was true that his current self was also contemplating and researching 'regression,' but he hadn't found the answer.
To use a metaphor, he was merely at the stage of a baby learning to walk. He still had a long way to go before he could walk like an adult.
'In that case, the Contractor Sang-hyun has truly grown a lot. The weight of the destiny he carries is much heavier.'
The contracted Constellations and Divine Thrones of Sang-hyun, which he learned about through the Goddess of Fortune, were all formidable beings.
To be honest, it was unexpected. He wondered how he had managed to associate with such magnificent Constellations.
He was grateful to Sang-hyun for growing so well based on his knowledge of regression, but at the same time, he felt incredibly sorry.
Sang-hyun didn't show it, though.
After all, wasn't both the regression and his current life something the future Model Student himself had created? Sang-hyun's will was not taken into account here.
At Sanghyun’s words that he had suddenly returned to the past one day, the Model Student felt his own 'rudeness.'
There must have been a reason. After all
, merely mentioning the fact of regression publicly could cause it to fail.
Moreover, the person directly experiencing the regression must maintain the most stable state possible.
That is also the very first step in the process of manipulating space-time. Excluding sensitive elements.
That is how difficult the work of handling space-time is. That is why he must have had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
'Sanghyun, the fate of our entire Dimensional Order rests on you. Please understand my heart, which wanted to set things right again, even if it meant sending you back to the past.'
The Model Student clenched his hands tightly and bowed his head as if in prayer.
Entrusting the future of the Dimensional Order to a mere human? He is not a mere human.
He is the sole judge capable of judging the wrongdoings of the low-quality Constellations who sought to trample upon and wreak havoc on the order of the Constellations called noble.
If there was just one thing weighing on his mind, it was that this was the first and last chance.
There was absolutely no element that could guarantee a future.
It seemed that the reason his future self had struggled so hard to send Sanghyeon to this time was because the turning point of history was now.
If so, it would have been better if he could have sent him further into the past… …but if that had been possible, he would have.
This was likely the maximum limit for turning back time through regression. That was at least a relief.
There were several reasons why the model student viewed the situation positively.
First, unlike in the past, the current Sanghyeon had continued to grow rapidly based on his knowledge of the future.
Although he couldn't jump to conclusions, he thought that Sanghyeon was at a level to go head-to-head with a contractor who had contracted with the Eye of Calamity.
Also, unlike his previous life where he was thoroughly isolated, he now had a collaborator in the Goddess of Fortune.
If he could only convey this news to the Dimensional Order, a Constellation aligned with his will would surely appear.
The balance of good and evil had not yet collapsed. This meant there was still room to maneuver.
'The Endless Dungeon that Sanghyeon mentioned is a legitimate arena for growth. It is the only stage where one can turn crisis into opportunity and the impossible into the possible.'
The Model Student was grateful for the existence of the Endless Dungeon. He was also grateful that Sanghyeon could take on the challenge there.
God created the Constellations, He created humans, and He created a system to make them strong. What
if that system lacked elements of rapid growth like the Endless Dungeon?
The maximum potential for growth that Sanghyeon could currently expect would have had to be set much lower.
Did God really foresee this far? To prevent the Dimensional Order from being swept up in the greed of a misguided divine throne?
It was a question with no answer. The Model Student desperately hoped that Sanghyeon would grow endlessly in the Endless Dungeon.
If he could just eliminate the contractor who had contracted with the Eye of Calamity, he could forcibly bind the Eye of Calamity's contract.
Once that happened, he could pinpoint the location of the Eye of Calamity, the false divine throne hidden somewhere within the Dimensional Rift.
If he just captured that guy, everything would return to normal, flowing according to the natural order. As if nothing had happened.
“Ugh.”
His whole body felt like it was breaking apart, and he wanted to collapse and fall asleep right then and there, but the model student decided to muster his strength again.
The more time he bought, the more time Upper Rank would have to grow.
Therefore, as long as his life did not end, he had a mission to hold on for even one minute, even one second longer.
* * *
“This is the starting point of the Endless Dungeon… the entrance to the first floor, is this it?”
Upon entering the dungeon, Upper Rank was greeted by a colossal tower soaring endlessly high.
Its scale was on a completely different level from the towers one could generally imagine.
The tower itself was so vast that it could not be fully captured even by a wide field of vision.
It looked like a single floor would hold an entire city with room to spare.
I could recognize it as a tower because I saw its curved surface far away at the edge of the horizon.
Had I not seen that, I would have thought there was a massive structure stretching endlessly.
I had heard about the structure of the Endless Dungeon from Frederick once again on the way here.
First of all, the structure is in the form of a tower.
And as I saw with my own eyes, the floors are divided, and naturally, it starts at the first floor.
You must kill the boss monster of that floor to activate the portal that allows you to ascend to the next floor.
The maximum time one can stay on a floor is one day from the moment of entry, or 24 hours in other units.
What if you stay on the same floor for longer than that time? It is considered a failure, and you are immediately expelled from the dungeon.
Just then,
a message from the Constellation was delivered to Sanghyeon.
It was a one-way message, and it is said that this form is not recorded in the order of the Dimensional Order.
[Contractor Sanghyeon. "I will buy you as much time as possible, so I hope you do your best to grow as much as you can." "
[Thank you so much. I am feeling the reason why my future self trusted you, every single moment right now.]"
"It’s making me feel emotional for no reason."
Sanghyun smiled.
Even in his past life, the late bloomer model student was someone he had grown fond of after spending a long time together.
Memories of the countless conversations they shared were still vivid in his mind. They had shared a lot of deep thoughts back then, too.
Even then, the model student hid the fact that he was being chased by him until the very end.
The loneliness he had to endure alone. Feeling that dampness, Sanghyun couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.
Of course, things would be different from now on.
Sanghyun did not resent the model student who had suddenly sent him back in time, nor did he blame his current state.
On the contrary, he wanted to have a good time. The path of a hero to save the world! What an exhilarating prospect!
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Sanghyun's footsteps were unhindered as he walked toward the entrance.
Clutching the Nameless Sword, he was ready to engage in battle at any moment.
In this endless dungeon.
He wanted to transcend his limits and witness a realm beyond. The opportunity had finally arrived before his eyes.
* * *
Upon entering, Sanghyeon was greeted by a notification message explaining the concept of the floor. It
was explained that since every concept is unique, the first floor experienced this time might differ from the first floor experienced next time.
In other words, everything is assigned randomly whenever a new player enters or a different round of entry occurs.
That is why strategies were said to be meaningless. Because the first floor I experienced is not the first floor to another challenger.
The message that appeared as soon as Sanghyeon entered was clearly different from the first floor Frederick had experienced.
“Frederick said it was a time attack where the ground started collapsing from the back the moment he entered.”
Frederick had said he was forced into an extreme sprint to the safe zone, running unconditionally without looking back.
For a player lacking mobility, this concept is the perfect recipe for elimination right at the start.
The concept of Floor 1 that approached Sanghyeon was far more vicious than what Frederick had experienced.
[Endless Dungeon – Floor 1]
[Attribute: Total Physical Resistance]
[Notice: 100% Physical Resistance is applied to all monsters. All physical damage is counted as 0.]
“This is bullshit.”
Swearing escaped his lips.
That meant that not a single normal sword attack would work.
No matter how much he stabbed with his sword, not even a small scratch would be inflicted.
If Sanghyeon were a swordsman in the truest sense, he would have been eliminated the moment the battle began. Because there was no way to defeat him.
However, since most of the skills Sanghyeon uses also deal magic damage, it wasn't a perfect counter.
Furthermore, even if physical damage doesn't apply, status ailments can be induced at will.
In that case, even without inflicting physical damage, a more creative way to kill him would be possible.
“No matter how I think about it, I think there is a bit of luck involved…….”
The Goddess of Fortune, whom I miss especially today. I miss her.
