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 Unfortunately, the monsters' night raids did not cease even after the first day.

During their stay on the island, the conquest team had to face the creatures every night without getting proper sleep.

"It's an attack! Everyone wake up!"

"I wondered why they didn't come out today. I knew this would happen, damn..."

"Please, let us sleep!"

"Instead of dream demons today, it's an ant swarm... They're swarming everywhere. The sky and ground are all covered in ants..."

"There must be a nest somewhere! Let's find it and burn it down first!"

"Looks like we won't be sleeping comfortably tonight either..."

But the hardships they had to endure on the island end today.

Because they've gathered all the crystal ball pieces.

Upon hearing this news, the entire conquest team gathered at the designated location.

"We will now combine the pieces. Those who have crystal ball pieces, please come forward."

"..."

Albert opened his mouth.

Eun-ha and others who possessed the pieces gathered around him.

As they handed over the crystal ball pieces, the pieces combined into one with a bright light.

Whoosh!

The crystal ball was completed.

Albert infused mana into the crystal ball in his hand.

The crystal ball emitted light once again.

Whoosh!

"..."

The light didn't spread around but pointed in only one direction.

In other words, if they follow that light, they should be able to descend to the 3rd floor.

The path the conquest team needs to take has been determined.

"Each conquest team, please return to your ships and prepare for departure! We will set sail as soon as preparations are complete! We will enter the 3rd floor today!"

Albert announced to the conquest team.

With that, the conquest team turned their steps towards their respective camps to pack their belongings.

Eun-ha also decided to leave with his people.

During this.

"Hi, Eun-ha. How are you?"

"Ah..."

Ezekiel, the representative of the American conquest team, greeted him cheerfully.

Blake was also beside him.

'What should I do about this...'

Eun-ha waved at them and twitched the corners of his mouth to feign a smile.

Inwardly, he was perplexed.

Unfortunately, there was no one nearby who could interpret for him.

In the end, he decided to ask someone who seemed proficient in English conversation to interpret as a temporary measure.

"A-ra, I'll leave it to you."

"What? Leave what to me!?"

"Speak English for me instead."

"Whaat? No! Why me!? I can't speak English either! Ask someone else!"

Jo A-ra, startled and flustered.

She shook her head vigorously.

However, Eun-ha paid no attention and replied in a low voice.

"You seem like you'd do the best. Your hair is yellow, after all."

"Excuse me? What does having yellow hair have to do with being good at English!? And strictly speaking, my hair is ivory-colored!"

Jo A-ra was dumbfounded.

By then, Ezekiel and Blake had come right up to them.

Eun-ha whispered to her.

"Anyway, I'm counting on you."

"No... Geez... Hah..."

Jo A-ra, whose shoulder was suddenly grabbed by Eun-ha, couldn't escape and could only stamp her feet.

Finally, she messed up her hair and sighed with resignation and resentment.

"What should I say?"

"Ask Ezekiel what's going on."

"Hey, Ezekiel. What's up?"

"We were too busy before, so..."

"He says they were too busy before to properly thank you, so they came to greet you formally. Not Player Ezekiel, but Player Blake."

"I know, I heard that much."

"Ugh, then why did you ask me to interpret?"

"Because although I can understand roughly, I can't speak fluently."

Jo A-ra glared at him.

Eun-ha, avoiding her gaze, shrugged sheepishly.

Then he looked at Blake.

"..."

Unlike when he was caught by the gift <Berserk > and lunged at Eun-ha, Blake, now fully maintaining his sanity, exuded a gloomy atmosphere.

The dark shadows under his eyes and the corners of his mouth turned downwards added to that atmosphere.

Overall...

'He looks like he's carrying all the misfortunes of the world.'

So Eun-ha felt like he was seeing his pre-regression self through Blake.

At that moment, Blake called out to Eun-ha.

"Player, Eun-ha No."

"Player Noh Eun-ha."

Blake bowed his head.

He expressed his apology and gratitude.

"I'm sorry to bother you before. I heard that there are people who got hurt because of me. I'm ashamed... And... Thank you."

"He says he's sorry for causing trouble before. He heard that some people got hurt, and he's really ashamed. And also... he's thankful, for helping him then. If it weren't for you, he might have committed a grave mistake. Also..."

"Tell him if he's sorry and grateful to us, he should definitely repay us later. Say we'll keep this as a debt. And also that I'm glad he seems to be okay."

"Umm... How do I say this? If you're sorry and thankful..."

Jo A-ra interprets haltingly.

Eun-ha, listening to her English, recalled his memories from before the regression.

'Player Blake, like me, or rather like me before the regression, lost his family to monsters...'

That's probably why Blake's gift manifested as <Berserk > rather than <Brave > or <Heroic >.

Because he harbors hatred towards monsters, and soon falls into self-deprecation and self-denial, trapped in the past.

Eun-ha, who once lived a similar life, empathized with his feelings.

He felt sympathy for him, for his pre-regression self.

That's why he wanted to tell him.

"A-ra, please interpret this too."

"Ah, let's just greet and end it..."

"I'll give you one piece of advice."

"I advise you..."

Blake raised his head.

Eun-ha spoke towards eyes that seemed to be looking at him yet not looking at him, as if chasing something irretrievable.

"Don't get too buried in the past. Look at the present, look at the future, focus on the life ahead rather than the life that's passed."

"Uh... Um... Do I really have to convey this? It might just hurt his feelings unnecessarily..."

"It's okay, still do it."

"Sigh, alright. I'm not responsible for this, okay? Let's see, in English this would be... Don't stick to the past..."

How Blake will take this advice is up to him.

Whether his eyebrows tremble or not, whether his face shows agitation or not, or whether hostility rises in him or not.

Eun-ha turned his body as it was.

'I miss my family's faces. And the friends left in Korea too... Let's conquer this quickly and return.'

* * *

After Story 14. The Abandoned Ones

Time passes, and the conquest team advances.

3rd floor, exploring underwater caves and witch-hunting the 2nd tier deep sea witch.

4th floor, escape from the Siren's sea.

And 5th floor...

Booo!

"Damn, it's the horn sound again! Everyone prepare for a surprise attack!"

Survival in Davy Jones' sea.

The conquest team navigating through the thick foggy sea had to engage in battles with ghost ships that suddenly revealed their presence.

In the process, the damage to the conquest team was by no means small.

Boom!

"Where did that come from just now!? We need to respond too! Fire the ship's cannons!"

"Damn, we almost sank..."

Unlike the conquest team struggling to distinguish even allies due to limited visibility from the fog, the ghost ships accurately targeted their positions and bombarded them even in the fog.

As a result, the conquest team couldn't help but be extremely tense.

All the more so because ghost ships that appeared unexpectedly sometimes collided with them.

Swoosh... Booo!

"Hey, hey, hey, there...! We're going to collide!"

Thud! Screech! Screech...

"Kuk... When did it get so close?"

"The detection magic doesn't work properly because of the fog... This is bad."

"They've thrown grappling hooks! They're coming over!"

"Don't let them come over, quickl- Kuhek! Damn it..."

Rattle rattle! Clatter clatter! Rattle...

The ghost ships were mainly manned by skeleton-type monsters wearing pirate clothes.

These creatures, which engaged in close combat whenever they had the chance, attacked the conquest team until their given life was completely exhausted and they could no longer revive.

Sometimes monsters immune to physical attacks would appear.

Hee hee hee! Whirr!

"Wraiths have appeared! Everyone be careful!"

"Don't try to touch them! We don't know what might happen!"

"Casters, supporters come to the front!"

There was no time to rest comfortably.

Battles occurred at all times, day and night.

Because of this, many people were injured, and some eventually lost their lives.

And finally, at last...

"Ah..."

The fog started to clear.

The conquest team, looking up at the blue sky, couldn't help but be overwhelmed with emotion.

"D-Did we kill them all... Is this the end?"

"It's over, it's really over..."

"We survived... We survived, we survived!"

"Ah, damn... When did I get stabbed? I've been stabbed... Someone..."

"Supporters! Treat those in critical condition first! Hurry!"

"We'll rescue those who fell! Grab potions and follow me!"

"..."

They conquered the 5th floor.

They survived.

People who realized this fact cried, laughed, and felt relieved.

Meanwhile, those who still had strength left moved busily to deal with the damage.

It was during this that the dungeon guide appeared.

Congratulations on completing the 5th floor mission! It was truly a thrilling battle. Should I say it was a good spectacle?

"..."

The dungeon guide flew around, chattering in a frivolous tone.

But there was no way the conquest team would look kindly upon it.

When the conquest team didn't react at all, it, noticing the atmosphere midway, deliberately cleared its throat.

Ahem! Was I talking too much? Then... Let's stop the idle talk here! There's nothing more to see here, so let's move to the 6th floor immediat-

"Wait. Who said we're moving?"

Eun-ha quickly cut off its words.

He snorted mockingly.

"Do you know what might happen to us if we enter the 6th floor like this? We're planning to rest here thoroughly before moving, so don't proceed as you please."

Tch! Always so cunning...

"You're the cunning one."

Rest or not, do as you please. But you can't stay here long! When this world starts to collapse, we'll move to the next floor right away, so keep that in mind.

"Alright."

No one opposed Eun-ha's opinion.

The conquest team headed to the 6th floor as soon as they finished regrouping.

* * *

Lorenzo Mairon.

Born as the heir to lead the Mairon Family, he lived a life enjoying absolute power.

He could have anything he wanted, achieve anything he desired.

But after the Korea-Italy summit 20 years ago, when the Mairon Family was defeated in the struggle against the Valentine Family...

—From today, our Valentine Family will take charge of Big Mama's protection!

—Y-You young Valentine... You think you'll be safe after this...!

—Bang!

—F-Father!

The Mairon Family couldn't avoid decline, and by Lorenzo's generation, they completely collapsed.

Lorenzo had to live as a loser, having lost everything he had - wealth, power, force.

That's why he couldn't help but hate the Valentine Family, especially Albert Valentine, the boss of the Valentine Family.

"Ah, Albert Valentine..."

Lorenzo muttered unconsciously.

Splash splash!

"Ugh..."

The sound of waves hit his ears.

And his body felt heavy and cold.

As his consciousness gradually surfaced, Lorenzo fluttered his eyelids open.

"..."

The clear sky and blue sea came into view.

Then Lorenzo checked his own condition.

Currently, he was floating on the sea, clinging to a wooden plank.

"Why am I..."

The question didn't last long.

The scene before he lost consciousness quickly replayed in his mind.

'That's right, back then I got caught in the bombardment and...'

He had fallen off the ship.

And although he doesn't remember clearly, it seems he desperately clung to a wooden plank in an attempt to survive somehow.

'So... What happened?'

The fact that all the fog has cleared means the conquest team has conquered the 5th floor.

Then where are they?

He needed to request rescue from them.

Lorenzo hurriedly looked around.

"Ah..."

Only then could he discover people drifting like himself.

All wearing prison uniforms...

"S-Save me..."

"Those bastards..."

"They abandoned us and left..."

"..."

Through the people sobbing in despair, Lorenzo could grasp the situation.

The conquest team didn't save the prisoners who had fallen into the sea, didn't save them.

After all, they were just hindrances, existences that needed to disappear.

"Che cazzo..."

He couldn't help but swear.

Lorenzo couldn't help but feel despair, empathizing with the people.

At the same time, he hated the conquest team, and also...

"Albert Valentine..."

Albert Valentine, who had made him like this.

I want to kill him, I want to kill him.

Lorenzo shook his shoulders, shedding miserable tears.

At that moment, the dungeon guide appeared.

Oh, how pitiful. How could people do such a thing... How could they abandon their own kind? They're really mean.

"..."

The dungeon guide pretended to cry within the light.

Lorenzo blankly looked up at the dungeon guide.

Unfortunately for you all, the 5th floor will soon be closed. You will die with the closure. But... You don't want to die, right?

"..."

Of course.

How could they want to die?

Lorenzo and the others nodded as if entranced by the dungeon guide.

Then the dungeon guide's voice became lively.

I have a proposal for you all. If you want to live, belong to the dungeon. Although you won't be able to go outside, you'll be able to achieve anything you want while enjoying eternal life in the dungeon. And...

"..."

Don't you want revenge? Against those who made you like this. We'll help you, with your revenge.

"Ah..."

Of course, I understand your concerns. You might think what kind of revenge you can take with bodies that can't even properly manifest mana due to problems with mana circuits. But don't worry. If you just belong to the dungeon, you'll be reborn as new beings.

"..."

So what do you think?

It's an offer they can't refuse.

As people decided to accept the proposal without any hesitation, the dungeon guide, wrapped in light with only its silhouette visible, stretched its mouth into a long grin.

Good, you've thought well. The <Dungeon of the Deep Sea> will welcome your belonging.