Chapter 221: The Trapped King (2)

Instinctively, I drew my weapon. It turned out to be a short knife of mediocre grade. Even if it were an S-rank weapon, my stats wouldn't allow me to use it effectively.

The earring had a defense skill, but its grade was only B. With a limited range, it could handle at most one or two opponents. I wondered how well it could shield me.

Knowing there was little we could do against the one who brought us here, I stood between Yoohyun and Yerim.

"Honey!"

Once again, the voice echoed. Honey? there was a high chance this was Ferran's doing. That's a relief

-[i think yoojin is talking about trancenders here]

"It's okay?! I managed to block them for now!"

Then a small humanoid figure appeared in the air. The first thing that caught my eye was the beige, curly hair. Ears extended on both sides of the head. The long, flowing sleeves resembled a spaniel. Yes, it's  exactly a cocker spaniel, its a dog.

The eyes were round and red, reminiscent of a rabbit, with no visible whites. The face, with a small nose, looked around fourteen. Layers of lilies seemed to cover the body. Petal-like fins, resembling flower petals, floated in the air. Although the legs were not visible, it had ordinary-looking arms. Again, long fin-like sleeves concealed its hands.

Anyway, it was not an ordinary human.

Maintaining my guard, I used the leaf skill towards the opponent. Instead of a spear appearing, the information directly transmitted to my mind.

Trapped King.

That was all I could discern. A king, perhaps. The images of the Mermaid Queen and the Harmless King crossed my mind, likely part of that group. Ferran and the Cult of Filial Piety; it seemed to be related. Although the expression 'Trapped King' was peculiar.

"Honey!"

"Start with the matter at hand."

"Yes?"

The dog tilted its head, then opened its round mouth. It was unnecessarily cute, making me feel a bit more at ease.

"I'm a newbie! Wilson! Volleyball!"

"...What? You're newbie?"

"Yes! That's me!"

It cheerfully responded, waving one arm. The fin flapped like a dancing banner. He's newbie? Really. I couldn't shake off my suspicions, and the puppy looked disappointed.

"I created the dungeon for Honey. I'm the owner of the Toy Legion and the first one to find Honey, causing the initial error."

Toy Legion. The contractor's name was definitely Five Cubes. Trapped King. It made sense. The other incidents lined up as well.

"...What happened to my dongsaeng and the others? Are they unharmed?"

"They're safe! I dealt with it quickly!"

"Explain properly."

As I maintained a stern expression, the newcomer hesitated but eventually spoke in a calm tone.

"The Filial Piety members interfered, when you entered the dungeon honey"

"I thought you said it's okay now?"

"Well jellyfish don't have the ability to do this, probably another Filial Piety member joined in, which doesn't usually happen."

"But It happened."

"Yes" Newbie sighed. "Even so, we managed to block it."

"So, what happens now?"

Relaxing its stiff expression, newbie explained.

"The Filial Piety members tried to interfere and take control of the system. It seems like they have a Filial Piety member who knows how to manipulate the system, and there aren't many who can do that. Among them, there's only one close to a jellyfish, so this kind of thing won't happen again. It'll take about five years of Honey's world time to recover, as it requires a lot of power."

In five years, we would either be in trouble or saved from destruction. Most likely one of the two.

"Anyway, I intercepted the Black Bull's Forest dungeon system and completely replaced it with another dungeon system."

It was like deleting a virus-infected file and replacing it with a new one.

"Quick response."

"It's our job to prevent this. Besides, we had a dungeon prepared for Honey that allowed obtaining items and skills."

"Is this it? But why isn't everyone waking up?"

I asked while looking around the seemingly empty room.

"The system I prepared was a virtual reality system."

"Virtual reality?"

"Yes! In a nutshell, it's a virtual reality game. It's a system more common in the future than Honey's world, where you leave your physical body behind and enter the game or dungeon with just your mind. Unlike Honey's world dungeons, there are people, NPCs, and interaction is possible. You know computer games, right? It's like entering the game directly! There, you can earn points through quests and exchange them for desired items and skills. It's a system where you enter only your mind, making it safe."

As I listened, it seemed quite appealing. The most attractive part was its safety.

"Why didn't we use a virtual reality system instead of a dungeon?"

"Oh, well, Honey's world has a lower level of civilization development. Also, we apply a system based on virtual reality games created by humans, so its safety is much lower than what I made. There are more dangers compared to dungeon systems. Anyway, Honey's party is currently in a virtual reality dungeon, becoming inhabitants of that world. Since their bodies are here, it's a kind of possession."

However, newbie made a somewhat uneasy expression.

"Honey couldn't be put into the system directly."

"Why? ...Is it because my stats are too low?"

"No, it's the opposite. It's because of Honey's gem."

The newbie's fin-like sleeve pointed at my chest.

"It's powerful. Even if it had a Lizard's gem, which is incomplete, it would likely be at least S-rank, and at most, it would probably be SSS-rank. But right now, it feels like at least L-rank."

"L-rank?"

"At least. I'm not sure. It might be confirmed when they're born, but it's completely unexpected. So, I couldn't properly touch Honey. The magic of that gem prevented me from separating Honey's mind only."

At least L-rank. I absentmindedly touched my chest where the wound was. If it's that strong, is it okay? Can I control it? I worried that if it surpasses the grade of the Caretaker title, it might become uncontrollable, but for now, there is no solution.

"So, Honey has to enter that world directly."

"Directly? Can't they just exit the dungeon right away?"

"I lost control of the system because I urgently changed it without completing it! So, um, they have to conquer it!"

"The promised time seems to have passed, and you couldn't finish it?"

"I, I mentioned that it would be delayed, didn't I? It's what Honey wanted!"

Well, that's true. I examined Yerim's dungeon instead. I didn't expect things to turn out like this.

"Originally, I planned to set it up in a moderately peaceful medieval era. But now, I don't know what kind of world it is. It's a world inside a dungeon...."

"Is it one of the already destroyed worlds?"

"Yes. It's a world based on the old information of a vanished world and the people who lived there."

My heart slightly pounded. It wasn't just a dungeon with traces left. It was a world with everything from people to the situations of that time intact. A world that perished before ours.

As the drooping sleeves swayed, newbie pulled out their hand. It was an ordinary hand. From the back of the hand and the wrist, dozens of thin tentacles emerged.

"...What are these tentacles?"

"They're incredibly comfortable. Please recommend them to Honey's blacksmith. They're practically essential for creators. They allow delicate work to be done simultaneously."

What kind of recommendation is that? As someone who has tried tentacles before, I agree they are convenient, but they don't look very pleasant.

The tentacles quickly moved through the air. I couldn't see anything, but it seemed like they were manipulating something. The movement gradually accelerated, reaching a speed that my eyes couldn't follow. And then, after a moment.

Tock, tock.

Circular and flat discs appeared and fell from the air. They were small black metal discs, about 5-6 centimeters in diameter. The tentacles picked up those discs and presented them to me.

"Please install these in specific areas of the dungeon. That way, I can interfere. I'll let you know the installation area through the quest window. You just need to press and hold the center part firmly."

"What about the dungeon strategy?"

"It varies depending on the dungeon. After the installation, I'll send you a message with information about the dungeon. And for Honey, Honey can give life up to five times."

"Life?"

"Yes. Honey's party is probably inside, but we don't know when they'll be able to meet. It might be difficult for them to join depending on the situation. In fact, I didn't want to send Honey in, thinking it might be dangerous, but then...."

The newcomer looked at the fallen people with a troubled expression.

"I can't convey this to others. Honey's system window has been connected several times, making it easy to handle. But for others, it's not the same. I could only send situation messages. If I could have safely sent only Honey's mind, it would have been great."

Hesitating, the newbie turned its gaze back to me.

"Honey alone could taken it out without the need for a strategy. But Honey probably wouldn't want to go alone."

"It's an obvious thing. I won't go alone."

I responded immediately, without any need for contemplation. Not to mention that even if I wanted to, how would I get out alone when I couldn't even convey the strategy information?

"Maybe it's better to join with others before dying five times. It's not like you immediately revive after death, right?"

"Uh? You revive right away."

"Hey, that's not okay. Do you want me to accumulate more deaths with my current stats? You need to wait for a while and resurrect to avoid facing the one who killed you again."

"Oh, right! Well then...."

The tentacles once again moved busily. The red pupils rolled around.

"One hour. You can wait for up to one hour. You can examine the situation while dead."

"Okay, thanks. That should be manageable. I owe you one."

My words made the newcomer wear a troubled expression. What's this again?

"It's about items, but you can't use things that don't exist in that world."

"What?"

"Even if there's a similar ability item, I can transform it temporarily into something fitting for that world. But things like gratitude are definitely not guaranteed. Also, skills may undergo some transformation to fit that world."

"Skills can change, but if I can't use gratitude, it'll be a problem!"

My stats are F-rank. Even if I smear my current equipment all over myself, it's around C-rank level, equivalent to a skilled E-rank hunter. If it's a place with dungeons like ours, I can just avoid entering, but if it's a world with no dungeon and monsters roaming freely, it's perfect for a scream fest.

In my eyes, urging them to do something, the newcomer touched gratitude with the tip of the tentacle again and then opened their mouth.

"Uh, um, it's impossible for abilities like that. Instead, I can temporarily transform it into stats or other abilities through equipment."

"Grade?"

"Stats can probably go up to C-rank. Around level 30 or so. And for equipment, it's S-rank weapons or armor."

Stats and equipment. Even if it's an S-rank weapon and armor, they have to be supported by stats to be useful.

"Give it to me as stats. And provide the equipment for rent."

"What?"

"Rent, I mean rent. You have equipment, right? Can't you lend it to me? I'll return it quietly."

"But."

"Frankly, I didn't expect this, so I came in without carrying a decent weapon. S-rank equipment is easily obtainable. You know I'm close to the blacksmith. Don't give me too much, just lend me one S-rank weapon. Might as well throw in some armor. I didn't prepare, relying on your kindness."

The hesitant newcomer reached into the air and pulled out a weapon and something like a long cardigan. The weapon is a sword, but for now...

"Mangoschne."

It's a short dagger with a guard for defense. It's a bit awkward to use a dagger. Plus, I couldn't check the options for either of them.

"When you enter the dungeon, they'll transform to fit that world. You'll be able to see the options then. Both are S-rank."

"Thanks. Is there any time limit or something?"

"Don't worry the time is sufficient! In virtual reality games, about 5 times the speed is the default. We can even can adjust it even outside."

Well, that's fortunate. With this level of preparation, I should be able to hold on until I find just anyone. Just before asking them to send me into the dungeon, I had one more question.

"I want to hear the exact reason for gathering 50 adoptive parent keyword applicants."

The newcomer pressed their lips together and then lowered their head.

"I can't tell you the reason yet."

"Without knowing the reason or the method, I can't just blindly follow orders. Honestly, I don't fully trust you guys."

The red eyes blinked widely, showing a hint of surprise. Maybe because I said I don't trust them. But how can I trust them? There's something they're hiding.

"It's to save Honey's world, It's the truth!"

"So, how? With those 50 people, how exactly? What if some harm befalls the keyword applicants—"

"Nothing harmful will happen to the keyword applicants! I'm sure! I swear by my name!"

The newcomer said energetically, emphasizing that nothing harmful would happen to the keyword applicants.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely! I promise!"

"Then to me—"

"For Honey."

The newcomer's droopy ears perked up slightly, then slumped back down like the sky.

"I'll try to minimize any harm to Honey as much as possible. I'm preparing for that. Within a year or two, it should all be ready. I'll let you know when the time comes, Honey."

Minimize harm as much as possible, huh? Without certainty, it actually made me feel more relieved. It seems like the keyword applicants are genuinely okay.

"Anyway, you told us to gather 50 people without even being fully prepared."

"So I said you could gather them slowly. I can't explain everything in detail for the safety of Honey. Please trust me. It's true. And when the time comes, we'll follow Honey's decision. We won't force you. Well We can't."

Though I still felt uneasy trusting them completely, the newcomer's expression and tone seemed genuinely sincere. Yet, this guy, in many ways, had helped us a lot. Looking into the earnest eyes, I absentmindedly reached out and ruffled the newcomer's head.

...What can I say, even the gaze feels like a real puppy. The newcomer's eyes widened, and then my hand was grasped abruptly.

"Uh, sorry if that was uncomfortable."

"No, Honey..."

The newcomer playfully fiddled with my hand. Their body temperature was quite high. Warm. The fur was soft too.

"Be careful, Honey."

My hand was released. As I blinked in the darkness that enveloped me, my vision gradually brightened. Well, it was still dim. It was a dark alley. Cracks between tall buildings.

'...Feels like the modern era?'

Though it was hard to see because it was dark, the building was undoubtedly painted. The long cardigan I received from the newcomer had transformed into a leather jacket. I wanted to check the options when suddenly—

- Gurururur.

A threatening growl echoed. I turned my gaze quickly toward the source of the sound. At the end of the alley, above the head of a monster resembling a leopard, appeared.

'...Huh?'

[C-rank Kamoea]

[HP 1,370/1,370]

Mana 155/155]

The opponent's grade, name, and HP and Mana were displayed. What is this? Is it because it's a virtual reality game system? Or perhaps.

'Tteokleaf skill.'

They said the skill would transform to fit this world. I quickly used the Tteokleaf skill, but nothing came to mind. Then maybe the automatic appearance of the status window was the effect of the transformed Tteokleaf skill?

- Kheung!

Before I had a chance to think long, the monster lunged at me. They said they would provide C-rank stats. If it's the same C-rank, it should be manageable. Moreover, I have an S-rank weapon! I quickly took out the S-rank Mangoschne that newbie gave me...

"It's a gun?!"

It's not a bow, but a gun! Wait a moment, it looks like a Glock, but does it have a safety mechanism? Do I just pull the trigger? Is there already a loaded bullet? What is this madness?

In the midst of my confusion, the leopard with a blue light leaped in an instant and was right in front of me. Sharp fangs glowed eerily up close.

Thunk! The monster pounced with force. I swiftly bent my knees, leaned my upper body back, and at the same time, aimed the gun at the exposed lower jaw of the leopard. I took advantage of the moment it skimmed past me, and the gun's muzzle targeted the exposed lower jaw of the leopard. Then, I pulled the trigger with force. I could feel mana being sucked in.

Puk.

The sound of the gunshot, suppressed as if with a silencer, resonated quietly. However, contrary to the silence, the leopard's head exploded, and even its body was thrown far away. I, too, couldn't overcome the recoil and was slammed into the ground.

"...Ugh, my back."

What the heck is in this town, given that it's a gun it seems somewhat modern.

At that moment, a message window flickered in front of my eyes. It was a quest.

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