# 025. Long Live the King (9)
“Hyung, are you going to become king then?”
“Yes. I’m going to be king.”
“Then, I will follow you, Hyung!”
Jaehee listened to the conversation between Kang Min-gyu and Yang Jeong-il from a distance and chuckled to himself.
Kang Min-gyu, perhaps embarrassed that his lie had been exposed, ate separately with Yang Jeong-il, away from the main group. But his naturally loud voice made the distance meaningless. Even though Jaehee had no desire to hear their conversation, it came through as clearly as if they were sitting right beside him.
Yang Jeong-il seemed initially shocked to learn that Kang Min-gyu had deceived him too, but apparently he had sorted out his feelings and decided to stick together.
Yang Jeong-il and Kang Min-gyu gazed at each other intensely, cementing their manly friendship. Watching them was amusing, but it also made Jaehee wonder why Kang Min-gyu was so desperate to become king.
What exactly had Kang Min-gyu seen? He hadn’t shared any details about the future he claimed to have witnessed. He only insisted that he must become king, that there must be a king.
Looking at Kang Min-gyu, Jaehee felt strange. While he himself was doing everything to avoid becoming king, Kang Min-gyu was going so far as to lie to become one. Kang Min-gyu’s thinking was both curious and puzzling.
“Jaehee, doesn’t it suit your taste? Should I take out something else?”
“Huh? Ah, no. I was just thinking about something.”
Jaehee shook his head as he looked at the elaborate three-tiered lunch box in front of him. He had no idea how much stuff Jeongwoo had packed in his inventory, but when it came time for a meal, he had pulled out this impressive three-layer lunchbox. Surely he had plenty of other food stored away, but Jeongwoo didn’t pay any attention to the others.
Sitting face to face with Jeongwoo, enjoying this fancy lunch while everyone else made do with beef jerky, energy bars, and other dried foods, made the back of Jaehee’s neck itch with self-consciousness.
He’d learned later that inventory size was limited. To expand it, you had to pay points, and Jaehee couldn’t imagine how much Jeongwoo had paid to expand his.
Jeongwoo had casually taken command of the group and laid out the dungeon conquest plan. It was so systematic and bold that even the talkative Kang Min-gyu, the constantly dissatisfied Se-rin, and Instructor Jang In-ho couldn’t say anything in response.
When Jang In-ho explained the strategy for defeating the D-class dungeon boss, Jeongwoo used it as a basis to develop several approaches. His strategies accounted for every possibility: if the rules remained the same as before, if they were reversed, or if they were completely different.
In truth, no one besides Jeongwoo knew much about dungeons. Instructor Jang In-ho had studied dungeons, but that was all theoretical knowledge. Moreover, he had limitations as a supporter rather than a combat specialist. Kang Min-gyu and Yang Jeong-il weren’t worth mentioning. Even though they claimed to be combat types, their skills were completely unreliable. As for Se-rin, her abilities were unknown, but she herself couldn’t be trusted.
Going through this mental list, Jaehee sighed.
Could they really conquer this dungeon safely?
“What’s wrong? Stomach bothering you? Want some digestive medicine? Or a carbonated drink?”
“Hey, what did you… While others were stocking weapons and such in their inventory, did you clean out a supermarket?”
“Hmph, as if I’d go to some supermarket… I carefully selected only the most delicious and nutritious items.”
Come to think of it, everything Jeongwoo had brought out was far from ordinary fare.
Looking at their immediate surroundings, it seemed more like a noble lady on a picnic than people in a dungeon. The carefully spread mat, the meticulously prepared lunchbox, and the fruits and desserts looked Instagram-worthy. But Jeongwoo didn’t stop there—he took out glass cups and made fresh lemonade on the spot. Seeing the cups complete with ice, Jaehee couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.
“Hey, aren’t you nervous? This is an A-class dungeon.”
“Hmm, I wonder?”
Despite it being an A-class dungeon, Woo Jeongwoo’s face showed no sign of tension or worry.
Perhaps for Zero, even an A-class dungeon wasn’t a big deal?
When Jaehee brought up the dungeon, the others pretended not to listen while leaning in their direction. Voices quieted and the pace of eating slowed.
The dungeon conquest strategy Jeongwoo had outlined centered around himself. Jeongwoo was the main dealer and frontline attacker. Though he had introduced both himself and Jaehee as Whisperers, he was taking on the main dealer role. Usually, the main dealer role would be filled by a Fighter, but none of the people here volunteered to take Jeongwoo’s place.
“Dungeons are meant to be conquered anyway. But don’t let your guard down even after Ouroboros is dead. The attackers who targeted Instructor Jang In-ho must be hiding somewhere.”
“Huh?”
“Think about it. They activated the dungeon, where would they go? The doors are closed; they’re trapped in here too.”
“Th-then shouldn’t we find those people first? Who knows what they might do at a critical moment.”
“That’s why I said don’t let your guard down. Not all enemies are visible.”
Jeongwoo’s words heightened the tension. But Jeongwoo alone seemed unaffected by the atmosphere, grinning as he emptied his lunchbox.
* * *
“Is this really the boss room?”
“Yes. This is it.”
After finishing their meal and taking a brief rest, they headed toward a large cave under Instructor Jang In-ho’s guidance. The cave entrance was enormously vast from the start. It was so massive that one might imagine this is what the mouth of hell would look like. The cave itself appeared like a huge mountain, and its interior was filled with pitch-black darkness. The prospect of entering such a place instinctively triggered a sense of revulsion.
“Ah, b-but shouldn’t we wait for or look for the other party members? We’re entering the boss room, and it would be better to gather everyone before going in…”
“Y-yes, they might be in danger right now! It would be better to find everyone and go in together! Having even one more person would be beneficial now! This is an A-class dungeon!”
Facing the cave, people suddenly refused to enter, citing various reasons. It was puzzling because these were all things that had already been discussed before setting out.
“Didn’t we already talk about all of this? That instead of searching for everyone one by one, we should conquer the dungeon first.”
Of course, this was all what Jeongwoo had proposed. Since the people who had gathered happened to be from Group A, they had initially suggested finding everyone from Group B before entering the dungeon together. Jeongwoo had rejected this idea, reasoning that having too many novice Awakened Ones would only increase the chaos.
“Ah, wait a moment. The curse of fear spreading throughout this area seems to be preventing proper thinking. Does anyone have a fear-dispelling skill or a curse-removal skill?”
Jang In-ho looked at Jeongwoo and Jaehee as he asked this, since he knew they were Whisperers. Jaehee was taken aback, but Jeongwoo nodded as if it were obvious.
Jeongwoo faced the cave and muttered something. It was a truly bizarre sight. The sounds coming from Jeongwoo’s mouth seemed to take physical form, intertwining with each other to create various shapes. Although Jaehee thought he shouldn’t be surprised at this point, his eyes kept being drawn to Jeongwoo.
What Jeongwoo was saying was too grotesque to be called language, yet too unpleasant to be called a song. Something about its solemn appearance made it seem almost like a prayer. The moment Jeongwoo’s spell ended, Jaehee felt something snap free. It was strange to realize he had been bound only after being released. To become aware of the binding only after it was gone.
Even breathing felt lighter, as if the air itself had completely changed.
“Wow, so this was a curse… really scary.”
Jaehee nodded at Yang Jeong-il’s words. It was particularly eerie to be affected without even realizing when it happened. Looking at the cave entrance again, it didn’t seem as frightening as before.
“Alright! Team Kang Min-gyu! Fighting! Earlier it was because of the curse, but we can do well! If we conquer an A-class dungeon, there will be a commotion outside. We’ll become stars in one go! Come on! Let’s do this!”
For whatever reason, Kang Min-gyu had regained his initial demeanor. Whether or not his booming voice actually boosted morale was unclear, but it did dispel the gloomy atmosphere.
“Jeongwoo-ssi! We’ll support you firmly from behind, so fight without any worries!”
Despite being a Fighter himself, Kang Min-gyu seemed to have no qualms about pushing a Whisperer to the front. He winked at Yang Jeong-il, signaling him to stand behind Jeongwoo. It seemed he intended to use Jeongwoo as a shield and follow behind him. Jaehee couldn’t help but laugh at Kang Min-gyu’s transparent behavior. At this point, it was more amusing than annoying.
But Kang Min-gyu’s plan fell apart the moment they stepped into the cave.
