After clearing all the rooms in the northern corridor, the only items we obtained were gold coins. However, the total profit from the rooms in the northern corridor amounted to 102 gold. It was a fairly decent sum, and the others didn't seem to have any complaints. Having already hit the jackpot in the western corridor, everyone appeared to be in high spirits.
Although I suggested taking a short break, the group wanted to press on, so we proceeded to the eastern room. Everyone looked excited, and seeing their cheerful faces brought a faint smile to my lips. Normally, they couldn't resist the idea of resting, but the sight of treasure seemed to have flipped a switch in their minds.
The progress of our exploration of the first floor of the Ruined Laboratory was going quite smoothly. There had been a few dangerous moments, but losing caravan members during dungeon exploration was not uncommon. Considering that, our current pace could be considered quite fast.
At the core of this smooth progress were Vivienne and me. Of course, the performance of the other members was also solid, but Vivienne, who had already reached a certain level of mastery, was fully showcasing her skills. While fighting a single monster might not be her forte, her demonic beasts were a tremendous help when facing multiple enemies.
Shortly after, we entered the eastern corridor and discovered the first room. From what I could sense upon entering, this corridor essentially had only one room. In other words, if we cleared this room, we could consider the entire first floor fully explored.
"I see a staircase up ahead."
I heard the voice of Jung Ha-Yeong as she glanced to the side. Just as she said, about 80 meters ahead lay the staircase leading to the second floor. After clearing the room in front of us, I pondered whether we should head straight to the second floor or set up camp here. After a brief moment of contemplation, I looked around at the group and spoke up.
"That staircase ahead probably leads to the second floor."
"Th-The thing about dungeons like this is that the second floor tends to be more difficult." Shin Sang-Yong said hesitantly.
I nodded in agreement. Although not always the case, from my experience, the deeper you delve into a dungeon, the more challenging it becomes. I let the anticipation linger for a moment as the others waited for my next words, then continued.
"First, let's clear the room in front of us. After that, we'll decide whether to continue exploring or set up camp."
"Ugh, doesn't this lab have any windows? I can't tell if it's day or night." Yun-Jung grumbled with a sullen voice. She scratched her head a couple of times before placing her hand on the doorknob. By now, I could sense the others instinctively shifting into position without needing to say a word. However, my earlier detection hadn't picked up any signs of movement inside the room. Without hesitation, I moved to open the door.
Click.
"Huh?"
"What's wrong, hyung?"
As I paused, An-Hyun peeked over from the side with a curious look.
"This room..."
I gave the door another push, but it still wouldn't budge. Whatever kind of room it was, the door was firmly shut.
"It's locked." I said.
"Oh. Then what now? Should we just head up?" Yun-Jung asked nonchalantly.
"No."
With a short reply, I kicked the door with a burst of mana-enhanced force. A loud cracking sound echoed as the sealed door swung open without resistance. The group, momentarily startled by the sudden noise, raised their weapons, but upon seeing the empty room, they collectively let out sighs of relief. Of course, Jung Ha-Yeong couldn't resist adding a comment.
"…Bold as always."
Stepping inside, I took in the room's details: faded marble tiles covered the floor, and a small bed sat against one wall with neatly arranged sheets. In the corner stood a desk cluttered with scattered quill pens, ink bottles, and an open record book.
A worn-out shelf hung on the wall, holding tattered clothes that looked like they'd fall apart at the slightest touch. Most of the garments were so damaged that calling them clothes felt like a stretch. After scanning the room, I approached the bed and lifted the sheet. Underneath, several fragments of what appeared to be human bones lay scattered, suggesting that whoever had once lived here had met their end atop this very bed.
"Su-Hyeon, Su-Hyeon! Are we searching this room too?" Vivienne asked, her voice tinged with nervous excitement.
"Yeah, let's do that," I replied with a nod. "One person will stand guard while the rest of us search the room."
As soon as I finished speaking, Shin Sang-Yong stepped out of formation and moved toward the door, as if it were routine. The remaining party members dispersed throughout the room and began their search, following my orders.
After a while, everyone shook their heads with looks of disappointment. I was no different—I couldn't find anything valuable that could be considered loot. Just to be sure, I carefully scanned the room with my Third Eye, but the results didn't change.
"Still... since the door was locked, I had a tiny bit of hope. Aw, what a bummer." Vivienne muttered with a pout.
"Cheer up. You know what they say—A good start doesn't guarantee a good finish." An-Hyun replied with a shrug.
"Huh? That's a weird thing to say to cheer someone up." Yun-Jung tilted her head, confused.
"Is it?"
The two exchanged puzzled glances—fools, the both of them.
"Oppa…."
Just as everyone was about to turn away with disappointed expressions, a soft voice called out to me. All heads whipped toward Sol at lightning speed. Startled by the sudden attention, Sol flinched, her hands gripping something tightly. Under the pressure of everyone's gaze, her lips quivered as she began to tear up, her mouth forming small, trembling pouts.
"Why is it that every time I say something… why does everyone always look at me like that…? Hic…"
Tears of unknown sorrow welled up in her eyes. The party collectively panicked at the sight of her distress. Without hesitation, I approached her and gently comforted her with a soft "Uru-ru-kka-kung(?)[Peekaboo]" meant to soothe her. An-Hyun also rushed over, eager to console Sol.
"Haha. Sol, you've been our little lucky charm so far. That's why everyone gets their hopes up when you find something."
"Yeah, yeah! Our Sol is a bundle of good fortune. If you cry, your luck might run away, you know?"
"…Really? I'm a lucky charm?"
Maybe the weight of everyone's expectant gazes had been too much for her. After a bit of comforting, I noticed the party's expressions subtly shift. Especially Jung Ha-Yeong, who now looked at me with disbelief before letting out a soft snicker. My face twisted into a slight grimace, causing her to quickly turn away, though she still covered her mouth with her hand, trying to stifle her laughter.
After the brief commotion settled down, I took the records Sol offered me. The pages were filled with unfamiliar ancient script—though I could make out a few characters here and there. I hadn't fully awakened any linguistic abilities, but given my research into most of Hall Plain during my first life, I could at least recognize some of the symbols.
As I skimmed through the text, my eyes paused on a particular word that felt strangely familiar. Something about it nagged at me. Staring at the page for a moment longer, I then turned toward Shin Sang-Yong, who was standing near the entrance.
"Sang-Yong."
"Yes, Leader?"
"We've found an ancient record."
"I'll be right there."
He rushed over as if flying, taking the record from my hands. After skimming through the pages, his expression shifted into one of confusion and concern—an unfamiliar look for someone usually so composed. Furrowing his brows, he glanced back up at me.
"Leader, this is too difficult for me."
"Huh? But… hmm, is that so?"
I barely stopped myself from blurting out, 'It's only D-minus rank, and you can't decode it?' Swallowing those words, I bit my tongue. Shin Sang-Yong offered an apologetic smile, scratching his head awkwardly.
"My ancient language decoding rank isn't very high. Plus, since this is a laboratory, there are specialized terms unique to their work. I can decipher bits and pieces, but understanding the full context is beyond me."
"Hmm. Well, even partial information would help…"
I frowned slightly. The record in front of me wasn't just any ordinary document. It likely contained crucial information about this laboratory. And after seeing that particular word, I had to reconsider whether we should continue exploring or call it a day.
It was then—
"Then I'll read it for you. Hand it over."
"Huh?"
I turned my head to see Vivienne extending her hand toward me with a nonchalant expression. My puzzled gaze asked the obvious question: What are you talking about? Vivienne, in turn, looked back at me as if I were the odd one.
In that moment, a single thought flashed through the minds of everyone in the room, leaving us all momentarily speechless.
"V-Vivienne… Do you remember all the ancient scripts?"
"…What? D-Do you think I'm an idiot? How else would I be able to cast magic, huh?!"
I let out a small chuckle as I watched Vivienne puff her cheeks in a pout. Why didn't I think of this sooner? There was no need to rely on Shin Sang-Yong when Vivienne, who could read ancient script, was right here. Smiling awkwardly, I handed her the record. But Vivienne huffed, turning her head away with a sharp flick.
"Hmph! I'm offended! I'm not decoding it!"
"Give me back the cloak."
At my words, Vivienne clutched her cloak tightly.
"So mean. How can you give something and then—ugh, fine! I'll do it, okay? Geez… I was just joking… Sorry."
She tried to brush it off, but my steady gaze made her back down quickly. With a dramatic sigh, she made a show of examining the record, as if to prove she was taking the task seriously.
I exhaled and reached into my coat, pulling out a cigarette and placing it between my lips. For some reason, I felt a bit embarrassed. Just as I was about to light it, the tip of the cigarette sparked to life on its own. Instinctively, I took a slow drag, inhaling the familiar warmth.
When I glanced up, I caught Jung Ha-Yeong looking at me with a coy expression.
"Nice touch." She remarked.
"Don't mention it."
As I replied modestly, Shin Sang-Yong blinked in surprise and spoke up.
"W-Wait… Ha-Yeong, I thought you didn't like the smell of cigarettes?"
"Huh?"
At Shin Sang-Yong's comment, I lowered the cigarette from my lips. Jung Ha-Yeong's face showed a flicker of embarrassment. But Shin Sang-Yong, oblivious as ever, continued speaking in a calm, matter-of-fact tone—despite Ha-Yeong's silent signals urging him to stop. Ignoring her sharp gaze, he carried on.
"Ah, back when I traveled with another caravan, she absolutely hated the smell of cigarettes. If anyone tried to smoke, she'd tell them to do it far away, or sometimes she'd even soak their cigarettes in water so they couldn't smoke at all."
"…Oops. My bad."
Hearing that, I moved to put out my cigarette. But before I could, a slender hand wrapped around my wrist, stopping me mid-motion. With a gentle yet firm tug, she guided my hand back up, pressing the cigarette between my lips once more. Surprised, I widened my eyes, meeting her gaze as she let out a soft sigh and spoke up.
"It's fine. Go ahead and smoke."
"I mean, if it really bothers you, I can—"
"Phew… It's fine if it's you, Su-Hyeon. I can tolerate a cigarette or two every now and then. And for the record, that player back then used to light up every ten minutes or so. I'd appreciate it if you didn't think of me as some inflexible woman based on just one side of the story."
"O-Oh, right. Of course not."
Her reasoning was logical, but something about the whole situation still felt oddly… off. Not that I was about to complain. If she said it was fine, then—well, who was I to argue?
However, Shin Sang-Yong wasn't done. Closing his eyes as if recalling the past, he shook his head slightly and spoke again.
"Two or three cigarettes every ten minutes? Hmm… I don't think it was that frequent…"
I noticed Jung Ha-Yeong shooting him another sharp glare. At the same time, Yun-Jung's expression shifted slightly, though I couldn't quite place the emotion.
Well, she said it's fine…
With that thought, I took another drag, inhaling the warmth deep into my lungs. Still, out of courtesy, I exhaled the smoke toward the ceiling, watching as the thin, curling wisps drifted upward.
A faint awkwardness settled over the group. The air seemed heavier somehow.
By the time I finished the cigarette, Vivienne lowered her gaze to the bottom of the record. Her lips parted as she let out a short, incredulous scoff.
"Ha."
"Done decoding?"
"Yeah. This record's pretty interesting."
"What—what kind of information does it contain, Master?"
The word Master seemed to rub Vivienne the wrong way. She glanced briefly at Jung Ha-Yeong before continuing.
"Honestly… I'm not exactly one to judge," Vivienne muttered, her voice low and tense. "But at least I can say I've never crossed certain lines. If what's written in this record is true, though…" She paused, her lips pressing into a thin line before she scoffed. "There's only one way to describe this place: a madhouse. Full of lunatics, through and through."
"So, what exactly does it say…?" Shin Sang-Yong asked urgently, his voice tinged with nervous anticipation.
Vivienne bit her lip as if hesitating to continue. Yet, after a moment's pause, her mouth slowly opened, and she began to speak.
.
.
.
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