With each bullet embedding itself into the ground, dozens of insects exploded.
Unlike the usual blue bullets, the bullets stained a deep red, similar to [Bloodline Ability: Calliope], were tearing through the insects' bodies with a destructive force that could be believed to be from a large-caliber bullet.
“Insane...”
“...I can't even speak.”
Behind me, two people stood with their mouths agape, watching the scene.
As the number of insects decreased, the energy in my body gradually waned, but the blue bullets from [Al Capone's Tommy] still dealt considerable damage, so it wasn't much of a problem.
When the aura finally faded and the [「Bloodline Ability: Calliope」] status window disappeared,
I released my finger from the trigger and put [Al Capone's Tommy] back into the cube.
“The smell of magic burning is similar to gunpowder...”
Seo-a waved her hand in front of her nose as she spoke.
I also agreed with her opinion.
“Then... are the insects all taken care of?”
Jin-woo looked around and asked. Seo-a closed her eyes and touched the ground.
“Yes, there don't seem to be any living creatures in the surrounding space other than us. Really... how did you survive that, Mr. Jin-woo?”
“...I'm amazed myself.”
At that time, I couldn't do such things, so it was natural...
“...Let's move on. Since these creatures have been wiped out, the boss on the first floor will likely be alone.”
“...Mr. Eugene.”
Seo-a stopped me as I was about to walk forward, pointing to the middle of the pile of insects.
“Isn't that the first-floor boss?”
“Huh?”
Looking in the direction she pointed, I saw the corpse of a worm that had been stretched out.
Its seemingly tough shell was already shattered and had lost its original luster.
No, really, was the boss mixed in there?
“...Unbelievable.”
That meant the situation was practically one where all the dangers on the first floor had been eliminated.
With the tension easing, I sighed and said to the two people,
“Let's go check the rewards on the first floor. And while we're on our way back, we'll collect any valuable monster materials.”
The two people's eyes sparkled at the mention of collecting materials.
It would be a waste to leave so many monsters without collecting their materials.
Exchanging, well... I could sell them to the club members who deal with materials.
If it came to it, I could even supply them to I-haru at a lower price.
“Let's move on.”
We continued to advance, heading towards the end of the dungeon's first floor.
Then, in the distance, we saw an iron door. The existence of such a door in a cave-like place gave a sense of déjà vu.
“The boss. Isn't it over there? The end of the first floor.”
“...It seems so.”
Opening the iron door, we entered a room that felt somewhat civilized.
In the center of the room was a wooden desk, a note, and a familiar elevator.
“Eh? Why is that here? Didn't we come in a long way?”
Jin-woo looked confused at the sight of the elevator, which should have been at the entrance, and Seo-a sighed.
“It's a dungeon. It's not impossible to twist the spatial coordinates. I think this elevator is both the entrance and the exit.”
I also agreed with Seo-a.
Using the ‘Dungeon Maker’ ability, it wouldn't be strange.
The real oddity was the note and the small box on the desk.
Was there something like this in the game?
I approached and examined the note.
[To: Junior]
[If you've discovered this dungeon, you must be the head of the Z room. And you must have deciphered all the codes hidden around the academy.]
“...”
What is this?
[And if you've deciphered all the codes and cleared the first floor, you must be someone who wants to uncover the truth about our ‘Dungeon Development Club’. That's a really great attitude.]
...No, I skipped all of them.
By the way, in the game, to enter this dungeon, you had to complete various side quests hidden around the academy, which was no small feat.
Of course, veterans like me memorized the code to enter the dungeon.
[This dungeon is practically a prototype. It's like a graduation project. A dungeon that lives on its own using the magic power of the students in the academy! Isn't it cool?]
In other words, this dungeon was designed to produce rewards through the process of creating and destroying monsters.
Anyway, a dungeon that continuously spits out monsters and rewards as long as the academy is maintained. It could be called a dungeon made for grinding.
I should use it carefully.
Ignoring the useless parts of the note, I read the last part.
[...At the end of this dungeon, there will be a hint about my whereabouts and an incredible reward. The longer this dungeon has existed, the more impressive the reward might be. Future junior. Can you really clear this dungeon?]
Yeah, I've cleared it at least ten times~ I even know how to contact you~
I wonder if the dungeon creator knows that I already know the end of this dungeon?
The most important thing, after all, was the reward at the end of the dungeon.
The final reward of this dungeon changes each time you play the game, but perhaps because it has existed for a long time, the reward was always a legendary item.
‘That would be enough.’
Just that alone made this dungeon almost on par with an A-rank secondary dungeon.
Such an item and the experience of clearing the dungeon would be enough to serve as the core of my suit.
Next, I checked the small box beside it.
Opening the box, I found a small green bead inside.
“Oh, what is it? An elixir?”
“Eh, an elixir? Is it really an elixir?”
The two people rushed to me.
As I picked up the box, information about the bead appeared before my eyes.
[Name: Thousand Poison Pill (一千毒丸)]
[Grade: Unique]
[Type: Consumable]
[Description: A bead containing a thousand types of poison. Consuming it greatly increases resistance to poison and makes you immune to specific poisons. However, as it is condensed poison, caution is required when consuming it.]
“It seems to be an elixir... but it doesn't seem to be one that boosts physical abilities.”
“Huh? Mr. Eugene, do you have an appraisal skill?”
I nodded at Seo-a's question.
It wasn't exactly an appraisal skill, but as a medium, it served the same purpose, so it was convenient to act this way.
“Boss, what's the effect of this?”
“Increased resistance to poison. I don't see any other abilities.”
“Resistance to poison? Wow... so that's why the insects were pouring out like that.”
There was a moment of silence.
Jin-woo was the first to speak.
“This is the boss's. After all, you did most of the work in the later stages.”
And Seo-a nodded in agreement.
“I also think Mr. Eugene should take it. Even without us, you could have cleared the first floor without much difficulty.”
It was a pretty good item, and they could have been greedy, but they both naturally acknowledged my right to the elixir.
If they said so, I should be grateful.
‘Besides, it's a skill I need.’
A Thousand Poison Pill, which nullifies all B-rank and below poisons, was like a timely rain for me, a mafia member who could be poisoned at any time.
Even when I played as Saber Crowd, it was useful during the Japanese yakuza's drinking parties.
“Thanks for saying that. I'll consume it then.”
I hadn't thought about preparing for poison, but I never imagined that a Thousand Poison Pill would appear at such a good time.
Given the cautionary note about consumption, it would be safest to take it in front of Farnello at the mansion.
Putting the elixir into the cube, I pressed the elevator button and looked at the two people.
“Let's call it a day for today. We'll take a break tomorrow... and on Monday, we'll train in a sparring format.”
We came to the dungeon today just to experience it. I decided to be satisfied with this.
* * *
The total amount of money we earned from the dungeon today was 3 million credits.
3 million credits a day. No wonder everyone wants to become an Awakened and enter dungeons.
I divided 2 million credits, giving 1 million each to Jin-woo and Seo-a.
‘2 million credits...! I can buy gifts for my siblings!’
‘2 million! I need to do some gacha!’
Jin-woo seemed likely to spend it quickly, but... well, if he's happy, it's fine.
I sent the remaining 1 million credits to Young-jae, who was continuously providing information about the ‘Ranger Club’ as a kind of activity fund.
Me? I just need to receive my allowance, so there's no need to divide it.
And it seemed that Young-jae was performing his assigned task smoothly.
I didn't know he had a talent for being a spy...
The information Young-jae had sent me so far included their numbers, abilities, characteristics, and activity locations, which were useful.
According to him, they were treating him well to capture him.
After replying to Young-jae to eat as much as he could and return when there was nothing left to extract, I returned to the mansion.
Since I planned to play with Ji-yoon tonight, I needed to take the elixir quickly.
“Is Farnello in the mansion?”
I asked one of the organization members guarding the mansion, and he nodded.
“Yes. Farnello is currently helping Ji-yoon with her lessons in the garden.”
“Is that so? Tell him I want to see him. I'll be in my room.”
“Understood.”
It seemed he had been playing with Ji-yoon in my place until I arrived.
Returning to my room and placing the elixir in front of me, I heard a knock on the door.
[You called, young master?]
“Yeah, come in.”
Farnello entered and bowed to me, then noticed the elixir in front of me and widened his eyes.
“...An elixir?”
“Yeah, I got it from a dungeon I entered recently. Do you know anything about poison?”
Farnello smiled slightly at my words.
“Poison is an excellent tool for a hitman. Is there poison in this elixir?”
I nodded at his question.
“It's said to grant Thousand Poison Immunity. By the way, did you bring what I asked for?”
“Yes. A potion that increases natural healing... fortunately, there was still some left from when you were young and used it for colds.”
“Good.”
“Do you plan to take this with that?”
“Yeah, I read an interesting article in the academy library. It said that ‘if you take an elixir with the properties of poison along with a potion that amplifies natural healing, the effect increases.’”
To be precise, it was something I had experienced a few times in the game.
Poison resistance requires the process of the elixir breaking down and healing the body repeatedly, and the higher the ‘natural healing power,’ the more repetitions it can handle.
“Interesting. Then, can I stay by your side while you take it?”
Farnello asked, seemingly concerned about me taking the elixir.
“Sure. I'd appreciate it if you did.”
Taking the potion from Farnello, I immediately swallowed the ‘Thousand Poison Pill’ and the potion together.
Hmm... what is it?
Unexpectedly, nothing much happened───
At that moment, blood spurted from my mouth.
“Cough.”
The black blood soaked the floor.
No matter how much I knew what to expect, I couldn't help but panic when blood gushed from my mouth.
At that moment, Farnello's calm voice reached me.
“It's dead blood. The body is expelling dead blood to better absorb the elixir.”
My stomach churned, and something continued to rise.
“Don't hold it in. Spit it out. I'm here with you, young master.”
Farnello's voice was reassuring just to hear.
Following his advice, I continued to spit out blood.