Acquiring Talent in a Dungeon - Chapter 53

Chapter 53 –  Day 13 Natural Enemy

Reality in the movies was a lot different from the real world. For example, the CIA wasn’t an adventurous group that took missions like Mission Impossible everyday. It was just a government organization that had a lot of tedious paperwork.

Of course, this was just a passage that I read in a book, but it was something that I unconsciously accepted. Actual reality was far less than virtual reality. Funnily enough, I still thought like this despite the existence of the dungeon.

“…”

I couldn’t help feeling surprised. Although this might be slightly exaggerated, it seemed like the whole mountain had been hollowed out to become this facility. It felt like a military base from a movie. There were armoured cars and tanks scattered throughout the wide space.

“Wait in the car for a moment.”  

Once the car parked inside the tunnel, Director Oh got out of the car. The facility was very wide, but the figures of people could rarely be seen. It looked like there was only a maintenance crew.

"…Sheesh.”  Kim Tae-hyuk clicked his tongue from the front seat. It seemed like the sound wasn’t directed towards me.

"I guess this is something that you can’t resolve.”

“…!”

Kim Tae-hyun blushed at my words. Now his reaction was clearly visible. It seemed like Director Oh’s request was something that incited jealousy in Kim Tae-hyun.  Was it due to an enormous reward? No, Director Oh hadn’t said anything specific about a reward. Then… Maybe it was something not connected to Director Oh. There might be someone else involved.

"Do you have some advice as a person who failed? I would really appreciate it.”

“…I could succeed. I just encountered a natural enemy…”

"Natural enemy?”

Kim Tae-hyun didn’t say anything else. He just looked irritated.  

-A delicious smell.

“What?”

"…What?”

Kim Tae-hyun turned around at my question. The voice I heard wasn’t his.

-A delicious smell.

It was a voice I had heard before. And it wasn’t a sound from the ‘outside.’

“I’m sorry. I have a habit of talking to myself.”

After that, I closed the soundproof barrier. Then I once again started ‘talking to myself’.

“What is with this bastard?”

The voice was coming from the divine creature. Isaiah had planted the bug in me and said it would soon wake up. Instead of answering, a shape popped out from my chest. It fell onto my thigh and then the backseat before wriggling its four legs.

“…Dog?”

It wasn’t a curse. It didn’t look like an alien creature from the movies. Instead, it was like a puppy that wasn’t even one month old yet. The breed… Siberian Husky? No. That wasn't the important thing. The tail that hadn’t fully grown wagged excitedly as he approached the nearest window. He lifted his legs and somehow raised his head to the window.  

– Delicious! Delicious…

Deopsseok.

I grabbed the back of the dog’s neck. There was a whining sound as the puppy’s eyes met mine.

– It hurts!

I had no idea he could look so pitiful and cute but I ignored him. It was just like looking at a child throwing a tantrum.

"What are you doing?”

– I was wrong! I won’t do it again. I won’t. There is a delicious smell coming from there.. .

I had footsteps stop outside the car. I growled at the sacred creature.

"Whatever it is, enter my body again. If you look out then you will die.”

Of course, I didn’t really intend to kill it. The body of the small dog trembled with terror. It was shaking so much that I felt like I was holding an electric massage machine.

“Come along.” I followed Director Oh.

I could see hatches placed at regular intervals on the walls. Finally, there was a steel door with locks that could be turned, like a bank vault. Maybe the real bomb shelter was beyond that door. It was a place where someone could survive a nuclear weapon.

Director Oh didn’t take me through straight away, but instead moved to a control room where people were watching the situation.  They had communication equipment and monitors on their desks. Just like a CCTV system, different areas were being shown on the monitors.

"Has anything been caught?”

"No. Perhaps they are asleep. The sleep cycle is becoming noticeably irregular…”

Director Oh clicked his tongue. Then he looked at me and said.  

“My request is simple. You would’ve seen the door as we passed. There is someone I want you to restrain beyond that door.”

"Restrain? Not kill?”

Director Oh nodded. "You absolutely can’t kill or create a serious injury. If you think that you can’t win then just give up and go. After the suppression is over, we should be able to put restraints on the person without any problems.”

"I understand. I still haven’t heard about the compensation.”

"If this is completed successfully, I won’t ask you to ‘restrain’ someone again in the future.”

The meaning, "Does that mean you will accept the offer from me?” I asked.

"I will permit it.”

Director Oh nodded and we left the control room. Outside, armed soldiers were waiting. Their uniform wasn’t that of simply soldiers.  Although they were armed with tasers instead of normal guns, there was clearly tension on their faces.

“Based on the premise that you successfully subdue the person inside… I will accept all your requirements.”

“Okay.”

We crossed the bomb shelter. As we moved, I asked Director Oh.  "Is there anything else I should know?”

"Not really. But is there anything that you want to ask?”

There were many things. "Who is inside?"

"I’m not in a position to say.”

But the candidates had already been narrowed a lot. A human who could use this shelter at their own discretion.

"In the first place, they aren’t ‘confined’ in there are they?”

“…” I understood the director’s silence as agreement.

I had looked at the CCTV. It looked like a comfortable living space. It was a place suitable for ‘refuge’ rather than ‘confinement.’ Even if this was a bomb shelter, there were various places more suitable to confining someone.

Therefore, I guessed that the person wasn’t trapped because they couldn’t be controlled. A person might abuse the secure air base for dungeon exploration. In addition, the location of this place was confidential. There was virtually no threat to reality.

Ching.

The door to the bomb shelter was opened. The soldiers aimed their tasers at the entrance. Director Oh’s body was shaking.  

"Close the door as soon as I enter.” I stated.

“Then…"

"I won’t even think about running away.” I asserted before taking a step inside.

"Rather, it stops a path of retreat.”

"You look confident.” Director Oh laughed bitterly. "Good luck."

"Thank you."

Ching.

The door closed and I looked at the open space before me. It was the living space that I had seen on the CCTV. It looked like a VIP room from a luxury hotel.  Of course, that wasn’t what I was looking at.

"…Well.”

I took a few steps and saw the bodies. They wore suits instead of soldier uniforms. The bodies of unarmed men. Next to the couch, there were the bodies of two men in uniform, like the ones outside. I now knew for certain. The extent of the corruption was confirmed. The men in the suits died much earlier.  

– Delicious… The smell…

The voice sounded a little depressed.  Just like when I opened my stats window, I asked a question in my mind.

‘What is the delicious smell?’

– Just my food… At that time, I ate a food that smelt good. Master as well…

Then he added in a trembling voice.

– Ah… I… I will never eat Master. I won’t eat. Don't bite me.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps overlapped with the voice. I turned around.

“….”

A woman with disheveled hair stood in front of me.  The shadows under her eyes seemed to be due to extreme stress, not just lack of sleep. She hadn’t washed in a few days, so a foul odor spread from her.  Blood dripped from the thumb she was biting.

“…You.”

“What?” I knew what the girl was saying but I pretended not to so that I could step closer.  

-A delicious smell!

“…Don’t…”

“Fix your pronunciation. I can’t understand.”

“Get away from me! You son of a bitch!”

“…!”

Despite how prepared I was, I still felt surprise. The women’s atmosphere changed so dramatically. She was now foaming at the mouth and her bloodshot eyes were shaking. At the same time, a dark killing intent could be felt from her!

Of course, I heard her words but hadn’t really understood the meaning. There was a shocking amount of hatred directed not at me, but at the world.

"Kihi!” She made a noise like a goblin and rushed towards me.

Fast!

Nevertheless, it was at a level that I could cope with. I stepped back and extended my fist. It was a punch at the abdomen with my strength restrained. I thought it would be enough to overpower her.  It was a miscalculation.

Tak!

As she grabbed my fist with her arms, she raised her legs and wrapped them around my arms and shoulders. In the blink of an eye, one arm was broken.

“Hihihi!” She spat crazily as she looked at me and didn’t move. The firmness and flexibility of my newly formed muscles and bones were good. I took a deep breath and grasped the hem of the woman’s clothes with my locked arms.  Then I swung the woman hanging onto my arm down towards the ground.  

Teong! A groaned flowed from the woman’s mouth. I wasn’t aiming to hurt her but she was injured. I could tell from the force around my arm. As the force squeezing my arm weakened, I lifted her up and swung a second time.  Her limbs were completely detached from my arms and I let go of her clothes. Her body flew to the other side.

Kung!

Jjeolgurong!

The place that she crashed into was a small bar/kitchen so there was a loud noise as the glass broken and household utensils fell. As expected, she immediately got up.  Even though she experienced a tremendous force, she wasn’t that hurt.  The killing intent just thickened even further.  

Syuok!

A frying pan hit my cheek and I fell back over the sofa. It wasn’t just that. She threw all types of pots and utensils before rushing over to me. One hand was holding a knife used for meat.

“Hiit!” As she threw the knife at me, I slid down. Before the action was over, the knife she threw passed over my head in a breathtaking way.  I rolled to avoid it and got up.  

I triggered Darkness Cloud. But surprising, apart from a momentary stiffness, she avoided my outstretched hand in the darkness. She backed away a few steps and stared for a moment, before continuing with her throwing attacks like she had spotted the core of the darkness.  

She seemed to have something that improved reflexes. I wasn’t sure whether it was a talent or technique, but her movements couldn’t be explained with simple agility. Furthermore, just looking at the physical abilities, she was the most outstanding among the individuals I had met so far in the dungeon. If I encountered her after just finishing the seventh floor, then I would probably be covered in blood by now.

“Hihi! Hi! Hihihihi!”  

But my patience had already reached its limit. I lifted Darkness Cloud.  

“Hihit!” She grasped a frying pan and knife and rushed at me once again. The frying pan was aimed at my head while the knife headed towards my body.

Puok!

A cold blade was stabbed in my abdomen.

"I got you.” I grabbed her wrists and growled. She seemed to want to use the same move as before but I wouldn’t fall for the same trick twice.

Hwik!

As I held her wrists, I swung her entire body towards the ground. Despite not using my maximum strength, the impact from hitting the ground was no joke.  I pulled out the knife stuck in my abdomen and slammed the blunt end down. Indeed, her face flattened like a pancake. A groan emerged from her mouth as her crushed nose started bleeding. I got on top of her.  

And I waited.

“Hey!”

Shortly afterwards, the soldiers arrived with Director Oh.

“…Didn’t I tell you not to hurt her?”

"It is just a broken nose, not a serious injury.”

My words were irrefutable. Director Oh gave a command to the soldiers. Soon the soldiers approached and placed her in a straitjacket.

"That will have no meaning. Perhaps after entering the dungeon and becoming stronger, she will just tear out of it.” If it was put on me, then I would be able to tear out of it straight away.

"I know. But… A mother wants to talk to her daughter for a little bit. She hasn’t been able to be knocked out for a few days.”

I nodded as I looked at the people clearing the bodies in the room. "Anyway, I have fulfilled your request?”

“…Yes. In the future, I will leave the explorers to you… If you can't control them then I give you the right to kill them. I can give you this position if you want.”

This was a lot easier than I thought.

"Soo-young!” Shortly afterwards, a woman in her 50s entered the bomb shelter.  She held the cheek of the woman called ‘Soo-young’ in the cleaned room and cried while saying something. No matter what she did, Soo-young was still out of her mind. She even bit the woman’s hand touching her cheek.  

“…In the end, the most important thing in this world is power.” Director Oh said while smoking his electronic cigarette.

"In other words, you have to kill general explorers with your own hands.” He was standing at the threshold of the bomb shelter with me. He looked at the painful reunion of the middle-aged woman. Then he started explaining.

"The signs started on the third day. On the third day that she left the dungeon, she sliced apart one of her friends.”

"Did you settle it?”  

"I still think about that day.” Even though he had done many dirty work behind the scenes, he still reacted to that horror.  

"The next day… I thought about gathering people like you together. There was a bitter taste in my mouth.”

Although it might be sensitive information, there was a reason why the director told me this. A few days had passed so there was no evidence remaining and… First of all, he thought that I already knew the identity of the middle-aged woman. It was natural. Anybody with common sense would know that face.

“Anyway, thank you for the trouble. The additional compensation for this work… To be honest, I can’t do it right now. Since that person is crying like that… But I’ll submit the report later. I will surely keep my promise.”

“I believe you.” I replied and took a few steps. It was towards the inside of the bomb shelter. Towards the middle-aged woman and Soo-young.

“…Hey.”

Director Oh knew where I was heading and grabbed my arm.  "I told you. You don’t need to do anything with that girl anymore. I will keep my promise.”

“Yes. I also told you that I believe you. But…”

I touched my abdomen.  My natural recovery had grown to such a degree that an injury like this was easily healed. But I had still been stabbed by a knife.

“There is something I need to get.”

With those words, I gently pulled my arm away from Director Oh.  I immediately headed to the sofa where Soo-young was.

“You…”  The woman, who was crying as she watched her daughter try to bite her, looked over at me.  

“I think it is terrible.” I lowered myself to my knees and faced Soo-young. “If there was a way to get your daughter back, what would you do?”

“…!”

Even if a person she didn’t know was saying this, it was putting words into the ears of a desperate person. It was why cancer patients were deceived by scams and bought panaceas. This woman had confined her daughter, who had become a serial killer, instead of subjecting her to the laws of the country, so I knew her mindset.  

"I-If you can, anything…”

"Think about your words carefully. Although this is a fairly important story.” I smiled as I looked at the First Lady.

“Why don’t you try talking about it with your husband?”