I sat on the cold marble floor, waiting for the rest of the group to finish preparing. Of course, I had intended to help with dismantling the camp, but Yun-Jung and Sol were adamantly against it, leaving me with no choice but to play the role of a useless bystander. Something about this being "women's work" or whatever. Yet, they had no problem ordering An-Hyun and Shin Sang-Yong around.
Thanks to that, I had quite a bit of leisure time to prepare at my own pace.
I drew my sword and placed it on my lap as I sat cross-legged. Srrng—the sharp sound echoed through the room. The sword I was using was a standard iron blade that I had purchased at a blacksmith's shop after arriving in Mule. As a swordsman, I was intimately familiar with how to handle and maintain my weapon.
Out of habit, my hand instinctively reached inside my coat. I had a tendency to smoke while cleaning my sword. However, I only had one cigarette left—my last one. I hesitated for a moment before smacking my lips and pulling out just a piece of cloth instead. I decided to save the cigarette for after the expedition, before heading back into the city.
Aside from one person, the rest of the group was moving in perfect coordination. Everyone was busy tidying up their sleeping bags and cleaning up after breakfast. Jung Ha-Yeong was folding her sleeping bag so neatly that even a soldier would be impressed. In contrast, An-Hyun was trying to stuff his sleeping bag into his magic backpack haphazardly, only to be caught and scolded thoroughly by An-Sol.
Leisurely observing the scene, I carefully wiped down my blade with the cloth, polishing it with great care.
"L- Leader. Are we heading straight to the second floor today?"
"Heh. You're stuttering—seems like you're nervous."
"H-Haha. No, not at all. This is just… a habit of mine, n-nothing more. I'm definitely not nervous."
Shin Sang-Yong gave an awkward laugh, clearly embarrassed by my teasing. I nodded a couple of times in response, then firmly pressed the cloth against the blade one last time, running it along the length of the steel.
"We plan to head up to the second floor first."
"A g-good decision."
"However."
I paused for a moment and lowered my gaze. The polished blade reflected the dim light. Slipping the cloth back into my coat, I sheath my sword, the same crisp, chilling sound ringing out as when I first drew it. Satisfied with the sound, I allowed a small smile before continuing.
"Once we reach the second floor, we'll likely have to fight the monsters that have supposedly achieved some level of success. It takes one hundred humans to summon a lower-class demon that retains its full strength. If we can gauge the level of those sacrificed, we should be able to estimate the rank of the demon that was summoned."
"Excellent reasoning. J-just to add one more thing, from what I've heard, the hundred sacrifices were supposedly the most skilled among them."
"Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."
This—this is the kind of conversation that should take place among the members of a well-formed caravan. So, you should pay attention and learn something.
With that thought, I glanced at the others, but to my disappointment, not a single one of them was watching Shin Sang-Yong and me. Suppressing a sigh, I turned my gaze to Vivienne.
She was rubbing her eyes sleepily. After our early dinner last night, she had spent a long time discussing the diary with Shin Sang-Yong. Since she was mostly the one answering questions, she must have been exhausted. Still, I knew that once we entered combat, she would be an entirely different person, so I didn't bother saying anything.
One by one, the party members were finishing their preparations for the expedition.
When An-Sol finally tightened the straps of her backpack and slung it over her shoulder, I dusted myself off and stood up as well. With everyone's eyes now on me, I calmly opened my mouth to speak.
"Well done, everyone. Of course, we may still have a lot more to endure."
"..."
"But we successfully cleared the first floor of the laboratory yesterday. Our objectives for today are as follows: first, clearing the second floor, and second, advancing to the third."
"..."
No one responded. However, I caught a hint of unease in An-Sol's expression, so I decided to add a few more words. Just before speaking, I deliberately lifted my gaze to the distant ceiling, where bright sunlight streamed through a high-hanging window.
"We're starting our exploration early today, which means we have significantly more time than yesterday. If we manage to clear the third floor within the day, we can return to Mule by tomorrow at the latest. We'll be heading back in triumph, carrying all the loot we've obtained—and all the riches we're about to acquire."
Only then did I see the light return to my companions' eyes.
Boosting morale like this was just as important as charging into the expedition itself—one of the many responsibilities of a caravan leader. Moments ago, they had been looking at me with drowsy, half-lidded eyes, but now, their gazes were sharp and alert.
Without wasting time, I turned on my feet and continued speaking.
"There are two staircases leading to the next floor—one to the north and one to the east. No need to take the long way around. We'll use the eastern stairs."
With that, we moved toward the staircase leading to the second floor. As soon as I stepped onto the first step, the old, worn stairs creaked ominously, as if they could collapse at any moment.
Everyone proceeded cautiously, stepping carefully up the narrow, winding staircase. The higher we climbed, the more the stairs spiraled, twisting upward. The ground floor became more distant with every corner we rounded.
We ascended in silence for a while, eventually coming to a stop in front of the door leading to the second floor.
Just as I reached out to open it—
"Su-Hyeon, wait a moment."
The one who stopped me was none other than Jung Ha-Yeong.
I turned to her with a questioning look, and she promptly asked An-Sol to cast a protective spell on me. Catching onto her intentions, I let out a faint smile. Once again, her meticulousness was proving to be invaluable.
"Protect!"
An-Sol's staff glowed as a translucent sphere of energy formed around me. As I observed the shimmering barrier, Jung Ha-Yeong quickly began chanting another spell while forming a hand seal with her other hand. A double-casting technique.
"Reflect Shield!"
Her clear, steady voice had barely faded when she spoke again.
"Targeted protection spell. Overlap!"
The moment she finished, the Reflect Shield spell transformed into a fluid-like mass, rippling like liquid before seamlessly merging with the protective barrier already surrounding me. The originally transparent shield began to shimmer with a faint golden hue.
A few gasps of admiration escaped from the others. Even I couldn't help but watch in awe. I hadn't expected her to be able to interfere with another caster's spell. It was still a support magic spell, but her application of it was on a truly advanced level.
"Impressive."
"We're standing on a staircase, after all. If a monster were waiting right behind the door, it could be dangerous. I was just taking precautions, that's all. It's not that I doubt your abilities, Su-Hyeon."
Jung Ha-Yeong spoke modestly, offering a small smile.
Either way, now that the spells had been cast, I had a kind of obligation to enter before their effects wore off. No one voiced it, but their eyes practically screamed their hope that some kind of monster would be waiting on the other side.
I took a deep breath and addressed the group in a calm tone.
"The caravan's exploration of the second floor begins now. Stay sharp, everyone. Alright, let's go in."
With that, I grabbed the door handle and swung it open wide.
Of course, as expected, no terrifying monster came lunging out the moment the door opened. Only an empty, silent space stretched before us.
I took a step inside—
And from behind me, I distinctly heard two quiet sounds of disappointment.
"Tch."
"Tsk."
These punks…
I had half a mind to yank down their pants and give them a proper spanking, but I suppressed the urge and led the group inside.
As the others followed me in, they were immediately captivated by the sight before them. I quickly activated my sensory perception and The Third Eye.
"Ugh… I don't like this…."
Sol, who was particularly sensitive to energy, rubbed her arms and grimaced.
Compared to the first floor, the sheer malice in the air had at least doubled. I whistled silently to myself. It seemed safe to assume that the demon summoning had been at least partially successful.
Already, I was thinking ahead—once we ripped out a demon's heart, I could refine it and feed it to the others. That thought alone had me humming a quiet tune—so soft that no one else could hear.
The second floor was roughly the same size as the first, but its layout was completely different.
While the first floor had been divided into four hallways—north, south, east, and west—with rooms branching off each path, the second floor was split right down the middle. A single passage connected two massive chambers.
I took a moment to scan the area where we currently stood.
The structure was relatively simple—a large, boxy hall littered with crumbling debris, remnants of objects too weathered to be identified.
Other than the passage leading further in, there were three doors—one on each of the other walls.
"Interesting. The layout is different from the first floor. In a way, this might actually be simpler."
"On the surface, maybe," Shin Sang-Yong responded. "But consider this: there are always fewer successful experiments than failures. That means we can't afford to let our guard down."
Sang-Yong and Ha-Yeong spoke in hushed tones, analyzing the situation.
"Hyung, what's the plan now?"
"Hm?"
"Do we really have to open all these doors? Can't we just move straight to the next room?"
"The next room? And how exactly are you so sure that the stairs to the third floor are on the other side?"
At my words, An-Hyun immediately shut his mouth.
That said, I also doubted that the staircase to the third floor was in this particular area. Still, I had my reasons for insisting on a full exploration.
Above all, I wanted to shape An-Hyun into a Qi Spear Martial Artist.
The others might not have realized it, but out of everyone here, the one with the highest loyalty to me was An-Hyun.
An-Sol, on the other hand, was different. What she felt toward me wasn't exactly loyalty. Even after ten years of experience, I still couldn't fully grasp the complex, almost contradictory emotions she sometimes displayed toward me.
Her actions often went beyond mere goodwill, making it impossible to categorize them so simply.
Lost in thought, I must have unknowingly worn a vacant expression.
Realizing An-Hyun was staring at me, I quickly snapped out of it and spoke.
"The second floor might take less time to clear than expected. For now, we'll open each door in this area one by one before moving on to the next chamber."
"Ugh… Why is there so much debris? It's annoying to walk through."
"Watch your step. There could be bone fragments mixed in."
"Oh no, how scary. Aww~"
Yun-Jung's exaggeratedly cutesy reaction made everyone visibly uncomfortable.
An-Hyun silently followed me as I moved forward, but his face showed an odd guilt—perhaps on behalf of his companions.
Still, my patience had its limits.
When they continued disrupting the mood with their antics, I shot both of them a sharp glare.
They instantly clammed up, falling silent like scolded children.
With the group back in order, I proceeded toward the door on the left wall, using the path we came from as our reference point.
Even though there were only three doors, each one radiated an overwhelming presence.
Even from a distance, it was clear these weren't the ordinary doors we'd seen on the first floor. These were massive iron gates, jagged spikes protruding from their surface like the fangs of some ancient beast.
As we advanced toward our chosen door, we steadily closed the distance.
We must have walked at a brisk pace because, within fifteen minutes, we reached our first target.
By then, the translucent golden sphere cast over me by An-Sol and Jung Ha-Yeong had faded away.
I scanned our surroundings briefly before speaking in a hushed voice.
"I'm opening the door. Get ready."
"Hyung, this thing looks way too thick. I don't think you can handle it alone."
"No. I can do it alone. Just hold formation."
My firm tone made An-Hyun take a step back. But judging by his widened eyes, he was clearly surprised.
Since I had resolved to take these demons head-on, it was time to awaken the instincts I had long buried.
I wondered briefly if the others would be able to keep up.
But now wasn't the time for hesitation.
Reaching out to the oversized handle—large enough to dwarf my hand—I emptied my mind.
Something was stirring beyond the door.
An ominous energy pulsed from within.
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