“Huff… Huff…”
After about five minutes of battle, Kim Sunwoo sat on the ground, catching his breath.
“Why do these monsters keep coming endlessly?”
“…Yeah, really.”
At that moment, Kim Sunwoo pulled a bottle of water from his bag. He gulped it down before handing it to Lee Seo-jun.
Lee Seo-jun absentmindedly took the bottle.
Where did he even get this water…? It was strange. Just how much could that small bag hold?
“Let’s rest here for thirty minutes.”
Kim Sunwoo leaned against the wall, exhausted, and closed his eyes.
“Thirty minutes?”
“My mana’s completely drained right now.”
“Ah.”
Lee Seo-jun nodded. If he was out of mana, there was no helping it.
As they rested, Lee Seo-jun recalled Kim Sunwoo’s combat performance just moments ago. He hadn’t expected much, but Kim Sunwoo had shown skills far beyond his expectations, taking down a large number of monsters.
Moreover, instead of the reinforcement-type magic he usually used in battle, he had relied mainly on manifestation-type magic. Yet, it hadn’t seemed to hinder his combat ability at all.
‘So… was he not lacking mana after all?’
A sudden curiosity arose. If he had this much mana, why had he suffered from mana depletion during the first public test at school?
“Hmm…”
Then, a past conversation with Yoo Ara crossed his mind.
— He’s kind of unusual, isn’t he?
Yoo Ara had clearly been keeping an eye on Kim Sunwoo.
For someone as talented as her—who usually didn’t care about others—to be this interested in someone was a first.
‘If Yoo Ara is paying attention to him, there must be a reason.’
What he had just witnessed was indeed completely different from the abilities Kim Sunwoo had displayed at school.
Previously, he had estimated Kim Sunwoo’s ranking in school to be around 15th place.
But now, it seemed like he had severely underestimated him.
“What are you thinking about?”
Kim Sunwoo’s question snapped Lee Seo-jun out of his thoughts.
He shook his head and replied, “It’s nothing.”
Drip.
A droplet of water fell from the ceiling and landed on his forehead, waking him up.
“Mm…”
How long had he been asleep? He checked the time. 8 a.m.
Since they were inside a cave, it was hard to tell day from night. It still felt like nighttime.
“Ugh, my back…”
Sleeping on the stone floor had been terribly uncomfortable. A dull pain lingered in his back and waist.
Next time, he would have to bring a blanket. Mental note: add to survival essentials list.
He slowly got up and stretched, then glanced to the side.
Lee Seo-jun was still fast asleep, completely at ease.
“Lee Seo-jun, wake up.”
“Mm…”
He gave him a few shakes, and Lee Sejun finally woke up. His hair was a mess, and his face was slightly swollen. Yet, annoyingly enough, he still looked ridiculously handsome.
“…Huh? Where are we?”
What nonsense was this guy talking?
“We’re in the dungeon.”
“Oh, right. Haha.”
Lee Seo-jun let out a sleepy chuckle before getting up and stretching.
“Hup, two, three, four.” He was strangely energetic for this early in the morning.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Well, I think I slept okay. What about you, Sunwoo?”
“I kept waking up because the floor was uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, it was pretty bad.”
Lee Seo-jun nodded in agreement.
Kim Sunwoo tossed him a piece of bread. It flew in a weird direction because his wrist twisted at the last moment. But with his usual agility, Lee Seo-jun easily caught it.
“Oh…”
Kim Sunwoo muttered in quiet admiration.
Lee Seo-jun, as if it were nothing, just shrugged.
“By the way, is that bag a magic tool? How do you keep pulling things out of it?”
“It is. It has spatial magic cast on it.”
“For real?”
Kim Sunwoo had just made that up on the spot, but Lee Seo-jun’s eyes widened in amazement.
“Wow. A bag with spatial magic must be super expensive. I want one too. Where did you get it?”
“Secret.”
Lee Seo-jun accepted the answer without hesitation and nodded.
“Fair enough.”
After finishing their quick meal, they set off once more.
Since they had cleared more rooms than expected yesterday, the boss room probably wasn’t far now.
Perhaps sensing that they were nearing the dungeon’s end, Lee Seo-jun muttered,
“People must be worried about us.”
“Yeah.”
The academy had probably gone into chaos.
The media was likely tearing into the school, harshly criticizing the Magic Academy.
But that had nothing to do with Kim Sunwoo.
“Let’s hurry up and get out of here.”
“Yeah.”
Just like yesterday, they fought through the monsters and pressed forward.
After about three hours, they finally neared the boss room.
That was when they spotted something in the distance.
A woman lay collapsed on the ground.
“What the… How is there a person here?”
Lee Seo-jun was startled by the unexpected encounter.
Cautiously, he approached the woman.
Then, as if she had heard their footsteps, the woman elegantly lifted her upper body.
She was a breathtakingly beautiful woman, exuding an air of refinement. With alluring eyes, she gazed up at Lee Seo-jun and spoke.
“I never expected to meet someone in a place like this… Who are you?”
Lee Seo-jun bowed slightly and answered,
“I’m a student from the Magic Academy. But how did you end up here?”
At his question, the woman delicately clasped her hands together, her eyes welling with tears.
“A student from the Magic Academy? Oh, thank goodness… Finally, I can escape this dreadful dungeon. There is a vile presence lurking beyond that passage! Please, defeat that wicked being!”
With dramatic urgency, she pointed toward a dark area behind her.
“Is that where the boss is?”
Lee Seo-jun murmured as he gazed into the darkness.
But Kim Sunwoo, his expression turning ice-cold, silently gathered an immense amount of mana in his hand.
Startled by his sudden movement, Lee Seo-jun looked at him in shock.
“Kim Sunwoo?”
Without hesitation, Kim Sunwoo extended his hand and unleashed a spell directly at the woman.
BOOOOOM!
A deafening explosion rang out, filling the space with thick dust.
As the dust settled, the woman emerged—one of her shoulders pierced through.
— …Tch. How dull. You caught on quickly.
A voice echoed through the air. It wasn’t human.
Lee Seo-jun stared at the woman in disbelief.
Her entire body was turning transparent.
Her true identity was the dungeon’s boss—The ‘Phantom Witch.’
At least a B-rank boss monster.
Realizing the situation, Lee The ‘Phantom Witch swiftly gathered his mana and assumed a battle stance. Powerful energy radiated from his sword.
— …How fascinating. You’re still young, yet you wield such incredible power.
The Phantom Witch observed Lee Seo-jun with quiet admiration.
Lee Seo-jun didn’t bother responding. He lunged at her instead.
The Phantom Witch released a powerful wave of dark energy. The force sent Lee Seo-jun flying backward.
“Ugh…!”
— …How amusing. You will be my new plaything.
Floating into the air, she conjured a dense sphere of dark magic above her palm.
The ground and ceiling trembled violently as dust and debris rained down.
— …I wouldn’t want my toy to break too soon. I’ll take my time killing you.
The dark sphere shot toward Lee Seo-jun. He swiftly dodged, running to the side.
BOOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted as the sphere struck the ground.
She was even stronger than expected.
Taking a direct hit from that would mean certain death.
— …Running like a little rat! Let’s see you dodge this!
This time, dozens more spheres appeared.
Lee Seo-jun didn’t panic.
He gathered all his mana into his sword, unleashing radiant light magic.
The entire space illuminated.
As an undead monster, the Phantom Witch was weak to light magic.
Upon seeing the brilliant glow of Lee Seo-jun’s blade, she flinched.
— …L-Light attribute sword energy?!
Lee Seo-jun lunged at the specter instead of answering. The Phantom Witch retaliated by hurling black magical orbs, but her spells couldn’t keep up with his explosive speed.
— …What is this?! How can someone your age reach such a level?! Who are you?!
The Phantom Witch faltered in shock as her attacks failed to land.
Now was the moment.
I immediately activated Heart of the Great Nature, gathering as much mana as possible into my hands.
10 seconds.
15 seconds.
I compressed the mana and unleashed it at the specter.
Paaang!
— …Kuaaaagh!
My magic pierced through the Phantom Witch’s shoulder once again, sending a powerful ripple of energy through her form.
A fleeting instant.
Lee Seo-jun launched himself forward, closing the distance between them in a blink.
His sword, imbued with light-attributed mana, gleamed even brighter than before as it swung toward her.
“Haaaaah!”
The radiant blade engulfed the Phantom Witch, slicing her body clean in half.
At the same time, a massive explosion of mana erupted.
Kwoooooom!
As the fierce gusts and light slowly faded, the grotesque sight of the Phantom Witch, severed in two, was revealed.
— …I can’t believe it. At your age… Truly impressive…
With those final words, her form disintegrated into dust.
[Achievement Unlocked: ‘Dungeon Boss Defeated.’]
[Reward: 3,000 points obtained.]
[Achievement Unlocked: ‘Hidden Stage Cleared.’]
[Reward: 5,000 points obtained.]
“Whew, it’s finally over…”
After roughly 26 grueling hours, we had successfully conquered the hidden stage.
“We actually made it all the way here.”
At the dungeon’s end, inside the Reward Chamber, Lee Seo-jun spoke up now that the ordeal was over. I nodded.
“Yeah.”
“But that spell you used at the end—what was that?”
“What do you mean?”
“The destructive power was insane.”
“Oh, that? I just compressed and projected my mana for over ten seconds.”
“Oh, right. You can use compression manifestation techniques.”
Lee Seo-jun muttered as if recalling something.
“That’s impressive. But how did you know the woman lying there was actually the boss?”
He looked at me with curious eyes.
“You idiot. Isn’t it obvious? Why would a normal person be at the end of a dungeon?”
“…That’s true.”
“Forget it. Let’s check the rewards.”
“Yeah.”
Several items lay atop the altar. The main reward was exactly as it had been in the original storyline—an S-rank scabbard, Sanctuary of the Sword.
━━
[Sanctuary of the Sword (S)]
Category: Scabbard
Description: A scabbard imbued with mystical power.
[Passive Effects]
▶ Adaptive Size
- Adjusts to fit the wielder’s sword.
▶ Weapon Enhancement
- Upon drawing the sword, its destructive power increases by 50% for 30 minutes.
- Upon drawing the sword, its mana amplification increases by 50% for 30 minutes.
- Cooldown: 30 minutes
▶ Weapon Repair
- Restores a sword when sheathed inside.
- Repair time varies up to a maximum of 7 days.
- Lost mystical properties cannot be restored.
Durability: S
━━
As expected of an S-rank item, its effects were ridiculously powerful.
A 50% increase in both destructive power and mana amplification, plus an auto-repair function—this was an absurdly broken ability.
Any swordsman who saw this scabbard would lose their mind.
Considering that magic swordsmen were the majority in this world, putting this up for auction would easily fetch over 10 billion.
“Wow, this is insane! An S-rank scabbard?!”
Lee Seo-jun recognized its value immediately, his eyes widening in shock. No doubt, he had sensed the golden aura of the S-rank item radiating from the scabbard.
“This is yours.”
An S-rank scabbard.
No matter how amazing the item was, it was utterly useless to me. I had no need for a sword, nor did I plan to use one in the future.
Besides, I had already failed once—due to Lee Seo-jun’s death.
I couldn’t just keep this item for myself after watching him die despite having it before.
“You’re giving it to me?”
“Yeah. I don’t even use swords.”
Besides, it was originally meant to be yours in the first place.
“This is an S-rank item, though.”
“Yeah. Doesn’t matter.”
“Well, if you say so… Don’t change your mind later.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Lee Seo-jun beamed as he examined the scabbard, looking absolutely thrilled.
He really was a swordsman through and through.
“An S-rank scabbard, huh? I wonder what kind of effects it has. Can’t wait to get it appraised.”
I wanted to tell him right then and there, but I kept my mouth shut. If he asked how I knew, I wouldn’t be able to explain it.
As he laughed, Lee Seo-jun suddenly turned to me with a smirk.
“Oh, right. You can take the rest of the rewards.”
“You say that like you’re doing me a favour.”
“Do I? Haha.”
I smirked, then casually stuffed the remaining items into my subspace bag—an Enchantment Grimoire, a Paralysis Dagger…
Though they weren’t as outstanding as Sanctuary of the Sword, combined, they weren’t bad at all.
“Done.”
Once I had secured everything, Lee Seo-jun pointed toward something in the distance.
“There’s the exit.”
“Alright, let’s get out of here.”
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