Level Up Machine

Chapter 84 The Grave of the Forgotten Ones (2)

The secret alliance between the Salvator Guild and the Leviathan Guild discreetly crossed the northern border to avoid being noticed by other summoners.

At a time when the restoration of the northern border was not yet complete, it was clear that chaos would ensue if it became known that the Leviathan Guild had once again left their post.

Park Si-a, leading the way, guided the guild members along a route that had already been secured.

– Step, step.

“This is the inside of the northern border…”

Walking along the forest path where thick foliage rose high, Yeong-sik muttered quietly.

The leaves, as large as a person’s body, rose high and blocked the sunlight, casting a sticky darkness despite it being daytime.

The stifling humidity clung heavily, accompanied by the buzzing of insects. The sound of twigs snapping underfoot echoed like thunder.

‘Everyone is on edge.’

Yeong-sik looked at the Leviathan Guild members with deeply sunken eyes.

Even though they were following a secured route, their tension was palpable.

But it wasn’t only the Leviathan Guild members who were tense. The faces of the Salvator Guild members were just as stiff.

In fact, the ones who seemed the least tense were Yeong-sik, Ara, and Gil-soo, who knew nothing about the other side of the northern border.

“Yoo Jin.”

“…What is it?”

Yeong-sik spoke quietly to Yoo Jin, who was walking beside him.

“Have you ever ventured beyond the northern border before?”

“Hmm… It wasn’t a frequent occurrence, but I’ve been on a few expeditions. Any guild ranked 6 or higher probably goes on an expedition at least once every six months.”

“Oh.”

Yeong-sik nodded with interest at Yoo Jin’s words.

“Why would they bother with expeditions?”

“There were various reasons. Some, like the Leviathan Guild, went to find dungeons, while many summoners ventured in to seek the relics of the Ingrim Empire.”

“The relics of the Ingrim Empire?”

Yeong-sik asked, recalling the black suit he currently possessed.

“The relics of the eight heroes who died in the Great War… There’s quite a lot to target.”

“And who are these eight heroes?”

“They were the natives who were active during the Great War. According to the historical records, they were so strong that even the current Leviathan Guild Master couldn’t dare to face them.”

“Huh…”

A short exclamation escaped Yeong-sik’s lips at his words.

Rumor had it that Park Si-a of the Leviathan Guild had reached level 105.

To say that even someone of her level couldn’t dare to face them suggested an unimaginable strength.

“There are also many who go seeking to reach level 100 or to obtain other rewards.”

“To reach level 100?”

“Once you reach level 99, it’s tough to gain experience unless you hunt monsters beyond the northern border. So, even if the level cap is high, many can’t level up. I’m one of those cases.”

At Yoo Jin’s continued explanation, Yeong-sik showed a slightly surprised expression.

“Isn’t your level cap 99?”

“In terms of the level cap, it’s higher. I just haven’t had the time to level up.”

As Yoo Jin spoke, he placed his hand on his left chest.

“Hmm.”

Yeong-sik looked at Yoo Jin and swallowed a short sigh. He thought he had become quite familiar with the guild, but it seemed there were still many things he didn’t know.

After that, Yeong-sik and Yoo Jin silently continued walking.

Just as the Leviathan Guild had confidently claimed, the route they secured to the dungeon was extremely stable.

Although they were attacked by monsters a few times along the way, considering the strength of the summoners gathered here, it was almost laughable. With the power gathered here, even if Lekras appeared again, defeating it wouldn’t be difficult.

*Slash! Clang!*

*Rooaarrr!*

A Cyclops with a massive body fell to the ground.

Cheon Tae-hwang, who had taken down one Cyclops, immediately charged at the next target without pausing. Four swords followed him through the air.

*Crack, crack!*

*Roaarrr!*

“It’s a Manticore!”

Just as they were nearly done dealing with the Cyclops, a monster appeared with a massive roar.

A monster with the body of a lion, the tail of a snake, and the wings of an eagle. The Manticore glared at the summoners who had dared to enter its territory without fear.

“Everyone, maintain formation and retreat.”

Park Si-a’s cold voice echoed. She, who had been commanding from the rear without moving, stepped forward at the Manticore’s appearance.

As she walked towards the Manticore, she slowly raised her right hand. Droplets of water that had formed in the air surrounded her.

“A Manticore! It’s a decent opponent for a warm-up!”

Kang Ha-rin smiled slyly and drew out her long sword.

While a Manticore was a powerful monster that even a level 100 ranker would struggle to handle one-on-one, there were four rankers present here.

Considering Yoo Jin, Yeong-sik, and Cheon Tae-hwang were almost ranker-level in strength, there were actually seven.

The Manticore was facing a force far beyond what it could handle alone.

*Grr…*

Unaware of this fact, the Manticore snarled as it looked at the approaching summoners who didn’t flee at its appearance.

*Roaarrr!*

With a tremendous roar, the Manticore charged.

The droplets of water suspended in the air rained down on it like bullets. Kang Ha-rin, turning into a streak of light, swiftly struck the Manticore’s jaw with her sleek legs.

*Screech?!*

The Manticore let out a somewhat cute scream from the intense impact and stepped back. Cheon Tae-hwang and Yeong-sik simultaneously charged at it.

“Blade Strike. Slash.”

“All-out Strike.”

Yeong-sik’s blade and Cheon Tae-hwang’s sword slashed the Manticore’s sides. A rough roar burst from the Manticore’s mouth.

“Rift.”

The finishing touch was Yoo Jin’s magic.

The Manticore’s head, severed by a spatial rift, fell to the ground.

“Ha?”

The summoners let out short exclamations of awe at their overwhelming display of power.

The guild members’ morale soared.

“Maintain formation. We are almost at the dungeon.”

Park Si-a’s cold voice quickly calmed the heated atmosphere after the battle.

At her words, indicating they were near the dungeon, the Leviathan Guild members all wore tense expressions.

“You mentioned before that you reached just before the lowest floor of the dungeon, right?”

Yeong-sik approached Park Si-a, wiping the Manticore’s blood from his blade. Park Si-a slowly nodded in response.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“What was the difficulty level of the dungeon then?”

“It was quite high. The guild members suffered significant damage, and the monsters were so powerful that we almost gave up several times.”

Yeong-sik’s expression hardened at her words.

“But since you’ve already cleared up to the lowest floor, we shouldn’t encounter any monsters in the dungeon, right?”

Tiria, who was listening to their conversation, asked.

“No. We didn’t completely clear out the monsters last time, so we can’t be sure.”

“Hmm… We need to be cautious.”

“Ah, but this time, with the help of the Salvator Guild, it should be much easier.”

Park Si-a said this in a calm voice. It wasn’t meant to praise the Salvator Guild particularly.

Even during the few monster attacks on their way to the dungeon entrance, the Salvator Guild had demonstrated their strength without fail.

‘If we could bring them into our guild…’

Park Si-a looked around at the faces of the Salvator Guild members with a covetous expression. She thought that if she could bring them into the Leviathan Guild, her guild would become the strongest force in the east.

‘Though it’s impossible…’

She looked at them with a regretful expression, seeing how close-knit they were like a family. Absorbing a guild with such strong bonds was no easy task.

“Well then, let’s open the entrance.”

At Park Si-a’s words, Kang Ha-rin and Park Sang-jun stepped forward. They placed their hands on two seemingly ordinary rocks.

*Rumble!*

As Park Sang-jun and Kang Ha-rin touched the rocks, the massive stones began to glow blue.

‘What is that…’

Yeong-sik’s eyes sparkled as he looked up at the huge stones. Engraved on the rocks was an angel in a pose of prayer, as if beseeching a god.

The ground split in two, revealing the entrance to the dungeon.

‘How did they even find this dungeon?’

Yeong-sik tilted his head in confusion as he looked between the two rocks, which didn’t resemble a dungeon entrance at all.

Park Si-a continued speaking.

“Let’s go inside.”

She spoke calmly as she stepped into the dungeon. Yeong-sik followed the Leviathan Guild inside.

“Wow?”

Yu-na let out a short exclamation. Yeong-sik also looked around the inside of the dungeon with a surprised expression.

‘I thought it would be a gloomy cave…’

Contrary to his expectations of a place resembling an abandoned mine, the “Grave of the Forgotten Ones” had a rather bright atmosphere.

No, it wasn’t just bright; it had a solemn atmosphere, as if they had entered a grand cathedral.

The floor was made of pure white marble. The walls had a warm beige color, and chandeliers hung from the ceiling like magical tools. It was too beautiful to be called a dungeon.

“This is… very different from what I expected.”

Tiria also looked around, indicating she hadn’t anticipated a place like this. At that moment, her eyes caught sight of a symbol. It was a pattern engraved on the wall, emitting a faint light.

“What is this?…”

“What’s the matter?”

“Ah, Yeong-sik… This pattern engraved here is exactly the same as one on an item we had at home.”

At her words, Yeong-sik tilted his head. The symbol she pointed to was of an angel with twelve wings.

“You had a pattern like this at home?”

“Yes. I definitely remember seeing it in our storage. But why is it here…?”

She couldn’t understand why the symbol she had seen in her family’s belongings was engraved on the dungeon wall.

Yeong-sik also looked at the wall with a puzzled expression. There was too little information to guess the reason now.

“What’s the matter?”

As Yeong-sik and Tiria stood still, staring at the wall, Park Si-a approached them.

Tiria gave an awkward smile and waved her hand.

“It’s nothing. Just something that caught my attention for a moment…”

“Caught your attention?”

Park Si-a asked, tilting her head. Tiria explained to her why the symbol had made her stop.

“Hmm?”

Hearing her words, Park Si-a nodded, her eyes shining sharply. She seemed to know something.

“What’s the matter?” Tiria asked, puzzled. Park Si-a spoke in a calm voice.

“I will explain once we reach the lowest floor. We currently lack enough information to be certain.”

Tiria tilted her head in confusion, unable to understand what Park Si-a meant. Park Si-a avoided her gaze and turned away.

“Let’s get going.”

She said this as she started walking at the front again.

Tiria silently looked up at the pattern engraved on the wall. Beside her, Yeong-sik spoke in a low voice.

“Let’s get moving too.”

“Ah, yes…”

Tiria said, raising her hand unconsciously toward the pattern.

It was then.

*Flash!*

A bright light emanated from the pattern, enveloping Tiria’s body.

“What?!”

“Yeong-sik!”

Tiria reached out urgently. Yeong-sik grabbed her hand.

At that moment, Yeong-sik and Tiria’s bodies seemed to melt into the air and disappeared.