Ordinary Art Factor [EN]: Chapter 125

Therapy hesitated slightly at my question before beginning to speak.

2 days, 7 hours, and 20 minutes after entering the Rank 1 Bio Dungeon in Osaka, Japan.

‘Saaaah….’

Pristine white light bloomed in the massive cavern.

As the light, which filled the surroundings, enveloped the dungeon units and Therapy, and permeated my body, a notification rang out.

[Ding! You have cleared the Rank 1 Bio Dungeon. Calculating contribution. 19 minutes 59 seconds, 58 seconds, 57 seconds, 56 seconds…]

The enormous mature tower vanished, and all the surrounding dungeon units disappeared as well.

The gloomy atmosphere dissipated, and the dungeon sky welcomed me.

The guild members who had been waiting must have heard the dungeon clear notification, as they began running towards us.

“Oppa! What on earth did you do!”

Jihye’s shrill shout felt strangely comforting.

Have I finally gone crazy?

Hehehe.

A short while later.

“What exactly happened!”

“Hyung, was it like last time, where you just swiped it away with your hand… or something?”

“Dungeon clear notification! Guild Leader, you heard it too, right?”

The guild members, who had rushed over breathlessly, chattered and asked questions from the side.

There was too much I didn’t know to bother answering each one individually.

If I could explain how to breathe, how to move my hands, how to walk, or how to run, I’d rather call you my older brother or sister.

Anyway, before this overflowing mana disappears, I need to prioritize what’s most important.

“Explanations later. Spell Shockwave incoming. Everyone, form up!”

“… Huh? Spell Shockwave? But there’s no mature tower here, how can….”

“Oppa, what are you talking about? The clear notification popped up. It’s over, so what mana wave?”

“No time to explain! Form up quickly!”

At my firm shout, the team leader-level guild members looked bewildered and gave instructions to the others.

“S, Spell Shockwave formation. Mages, come this way, warriors fall back.”

“… Spell Shockwave centered on the Guild Leader! Get into formation!”

“Spell Shockwave formation! The center is the Guild Leader.”

The guild members also looked perplexed at the team leaders’ shouts.

What is this? A Spell Shockwave without a Nexus or mature tower?

Even though they didn’t know what was going on, they still followed the team leaders’ instructions and began to form up to some extent.

That’s right. Even without something, it depends on how you try.

Only the positive ones will benefit.

There’s no time to explain each detail or announce the specifics. The mana is gradually draining away even now. If that’s the case….

“Art Team, everyone over here.”

“Yes, Guild Leader.”

“Understood.”

“I am deeply moved, my lord!”

I called the Art Team members, who didn’t ask questions, and had them stand next to me.

And….

‘Sp… pa… aah!’

“I, it’s real!”

“S, Spell Shockwave!”

“Really! The Guild Leader is casting Spell Shockwave!”

Clear blue light and the fresh scent of grass swirled around me, and highly concentrated mana spread in all directions.

A tremendous amount of mana wave befitting a Rank 1 dungeon.

Without any doubt, blindly, those who moved first, those who listened well, would receive concentrated benefits. Centered on the mage class, which is most sensitive to mana.

Including the Art Team members standing close to me.

“I, I leveled up 3 times!”

“Guild Leader! My stats have more than doubled!”

“M, my lord! How can you show such generosity… I, I am honored!”

As the Art Team members, who absorbed the most mana, were startled, the surrounding guild members also checked their own status and gathered around, each saying something.

“O, Oppa! What on earth!”

“Hyung! What is this….”

“The Guild Leader is doing his own Spell Shockwave, not from the main base Nexus or mature tower! How is this even possible!”

“Is it possible to manifest mana waves continuously in the future? If so….”

I glanced roughly at the bewildered guild members and said one thing.

“Those guild members who trusted me from the start probably had their stats raised quite a bit. Check your status, rest, and then mine the dungeon clear reward minerals. Dismissed!”

“… G, Guild Leader. What was that mana wave just now….”

“Oppa! Aren’t you going to explain? What exactly happened?”

“H, Hyung!”

As I moved to absorb the gas fragments in the open space behind the mountain of minerals, the team leader-level members trailed after me, bombarding me with questions.

Hey, can you all just get lost?

You guys are really curious, but I’m not in a situation where I can accurately answer this phenomenon either?

Ah, maybe I should ask Sarah.

“Sarah.”

“… Yes.”

My cheat skill, Sarah, who appeared again from somewhere.

She, who had been having a deep, incomprehensible alumni meeting with Therapy until just now, appeared next to me with a white light.

“Explain it roughly to them.”

“About what?”

“About the Spell Shockwave I unleashed earlier.”

“… Including the truth?”

“Yeah.”

“… Is it okay to reveal the truth?”

“Of course.”

“… I understand.”

Sarah nodded and approached the team leader-level guild members, saying something.

That’s it.

You guys should also experience Sarah’s self-destruct skill.

Whether it’s a fact or the truth, listening to Sarah will make you feel frustrated, and your brain’s electrical capacity will slowly reach its limit.

If you want to die of frustration from an incomprehensible, unbelievable, absurd story where you don’t know what the truth is, ask Sarah.

We’re in the same guild, the same organization, so we should share the same pain!

Well, if you don’t like it, just mine the minerals like crazy. Hehe.

When I returned after absorbing the gas fragments to the maximum, the team leader-level guild members were sitting in a circle on the dungeon floor, listening to Sarah’s words.

Occasionally, they let out strange groans, and sometimes they asked questions.

After some time, Jihye’s hysterical voice echoed.

“What on earth! That doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t! You guys planned this with Oppa, right? Right?”

“Sarah, you’re not seriously asking us to believe that, are you?”

“Just say it’s a kind of skill. I’d rather believe that.”

You guys are frustrated too, right?

You guys feel like your insides are about to burst, right?

So I wasn’t crazy after all.

Some left to mine minerals, and some continued to listen to Sarah’s explanation until the end. It’s ironic that all the remaining guild members are from the Art Team.

2 days, 14 hours, and 10 minutes after entering the Rank 1 Bio Dungeon in Osaka, Japan.

No progress is being made even after mining minerals for almost half a day. It’s not just that the clear reward is so much, but also….

“Why is there so little progress?”

“At this rate, it will take at least 3 days to mine all the clear rewards. There are too few warriors compared to last time.”

“Deploy the mages, healers, and priests too.”

“We’re already doing that?”

“Even so?”

“Yes. If Hyung also helps….”

“Rejected.”

“I know. I was just saying.”

“Hmm, warrior. The problem is the warriors.”

“Yes. There are too few Awakened who can use their strength, so it can’t be helped.”

“… Hmm….”

Minerals chunks deeply buried in the dungeon floor.

The value is a bit higher if you dig out the minerals with greatswords or weapons and extract them in chunks… weapons? Weapons….

Suddenly, a good idea came to mind.

I took Hanteuk outside the tent, stopped the guild members from mining minerals, and had them rest for a while. And then,

“Summon all Zlots!”

[Ding! Summoning 1,160 Zlots (Defense + Attack 200%).]

Over a thousand upgraded Zlots appeared with a white light. The long gauntlets they possessed sparkled.

“H, Hyung! What are you going to do?”

Hanteuk stuttered, surprised by my side.

Wait and see.

If this works, I might not need to bring dozens of warriors with me on purpose in the future.

“Mine those minerals over there.”

As soon as my command was given, like thousands of ants gathering in a jar full of honey, over a thousand Zlots ran up the mound and stabbed the dungeon floor, where the minerals were embedded, with their long gauntlets.

Some broke the mineral chunks into pieces, but most of the Zlots gently scraped around the minerals, digging deep into the ground to make it easier for the chunks to come out.

“Huh….”

“Oh my god! Such a method….”

“The Guild Leader is really a cheat character!”

“Sigh… From now on, the Guild Leader will do everything alone.”

The warriors around me sighed, and the mage-class guild members cheered.

Mages had already accounted for a certain amount of contribution in the dungeon clears so far, but the warriors’ main task after entering the dungeon was mining minerals.

The warriors, feeling uneasy about their decreasing role, sighed and muttered strange words.

“Everyone, stick close and put the minerals in your inventory. Gather the fragmented ones separately and bring them to me.”

“Yes.”

“Understood. Guild Leader.”

“Thank you for your help, Guild Leader!”

“Yeah. Good work.”

I received their greetings and went back into the tent.

If we mine minerals at this rate, we should be able to get out of the dungeon by tomorrow.

By the way, should I not bring warriors with me in the future? If the Zlots mine minerals this well, there might not be a need.

Still, it’s more comfortable to have several strong, energetic servants on the path that the mistress of the house takes.

It’s good to have many servants, so there’s no need to kick them out. Hehe.

A short while later.

In the quiet tent, I was sipping warm black tea, acknowledging and examining those things that were the biggest gains from this Osaka Rank 1 Bio Dungeon, when an useless human came in, making a fuss,

“My lord! My abilities are improving day by day thanks to your grace….”

‘Thwack!’

“Agh! M, my lord! Why….”

Spouting nonsense.

“I told you to fix your 말투 [manner of speaking/speech pattern].”

“I obey your command.”

Son of a bitch! There’s nothing you do right!

If you’re going to go with that concept, study it properly! Or don’t use it at all!

It’s neither this nor that… Ha, whatever. Let’s just ignore it.

“How far along is the unit creation tech tree? What are the maximum absorption and levels?”

I asked Art Team Leader Moon Joong-hwan and Deputy Team Leader Hong Moon-hee, who came in after the useless human.

“I’ll start. My Awakened grade has risen to the early stages of Grade 6. The tech tree has been upgraded with Burrowing and Range upgrades from the Hydra Core, and Locker metamorphosis has been activated. So far, I’ve produced 25 Lockers and put them in my inventory. The maximum absorption is 523, and it’s currently full.”

“Thank you once again, Guild Leader. My Awakened grade has risen to the late stages of Grade 7. Similarly, Burrowing and Range upgrades from the Hydra Core, and Locker metamorphosis has been activated. As you said, I’ve produced 350 Burrowing Zerglings and put them in my inventory. The maximum absorption is 380. It’s full to the limit.”

“Good job. Is there still gas left?”

“Yes. There’s about 200 liters left.”

“That’s a waste. 200 liters is roughly the amount of a Grade 5 dungeon.”

“If the Deputy Team Leader hadn’t produced Zerglings….”

“Unit compatibility is good with that. And Psy, you recite too.”

“Yes, my lord! I have Grade 7 early abilities, Hydra Core Burrowing and Range upgrades. And I’ve produced 300 Burrowing Zerglings and put them in my inventory. I’ll dedicate my life to the path you take….”

“Shut up.”

“Huh? Yes. My lord!”

This bastard! If I give him even a little bit of room, shit-like 말투 [manner of speaking/speech pattern] comes out of his mouth.

Should I return Psy to Seungchan hyung?

Two extra batteries should be enough… Hmmm.

3 days, 3 hours, and 40 minutes after entering the Rank 1 Bio Dungeon in Osaka, Japan.

Finally, we’ve mined all the minerals.

The guild members are resting, and all that’s left is to neatly put the mineral chunks dug out by the Zlots into their inventories.

However, the thousand or so Zlots are doing the work that the warriors would have had to do for 2 nights and 3 days, receiving healing or blessings with their weapons, so it must be comfortable, but I can’t help but feel worried.

Watching the awkward, flustered warriors, I had Hanteuk announce during the middle meal break that at least 30 warriors would accompany us during dungeon clears in the future, and only then did the atmosphere of the guild members revive.

I’m not some kind of nanny, having to worry about even this… Ah, I’m the Guild Leader.

I forgot for a moment. That I’m the Guild Leader.

I was so busy clearing dungeons alone that I mistook them for my servants. Sorry, guys.

Anyway, let’s go home now.

Let’s go back and log in to 폐인 [hikikomori/shut-in] mode again. If the connection drops, there’s nothing I can do. Hehe.

3 days, 7 hours, and 20 minutes after entering the Rank 1 Bio Dungeon in Osaka, Japan.

Safely, without any incidents, without a single casualty, the Support Guild Clear Team, whose dungeon clear didn’t feel like a dungeon clear, just mining minerals, arrived at the dungeon entrance to go outside.

We took our positions in the opposite formation from when we entered the dungeon, and the mages threw themselves into the dark pit first.

I, too, satisfied with discovering a new way to mine minerals and meeting Sarah’s 종년 [slave/minion], who runs the skin shop, entered the dark space. Now, after a slight dizziness passes….

[Ding! Checking the availability of the Osaka Rank 1 Bio Dungeon. Active, Inactive]

Ah, there was this.

Sarah Matilda’s skill, Dungeon Damage.

Hmm, what should I do?

If I activate it, I’ll have to regenerate and clear it every 3 months… Hehe, hehe.

Yeah, is that so?

“Uwaaa~.”

Before the dizziness could even subside, hundreds of soldiers, police, and Japanese Awakened Association personnel gathered at the dungeon entrance, cheering.

How did they know when we would come out and be doing this?

The soldiers are guarding anyway… Hmm, there are no civilians.

Were they all just waiting near the entrance?

So they gathered when the dungeon clear light burst out?

Geez, they have nothing better to do. They could have just waited at home and come out when we did.

With a pristine white light, even the warriors from the back emerged from the dungeon and formed up in the open space in front of the entrance.

“Personnel check report.”

“Personnel check report!”

“Shuttle Team 1, total of 10 members, 0 casualties, current personnel 10. Report complete!”

“Shuttle Team 2, total of 10 members, 0 casualties, current personnel 10. Report complete!”

“Shuttle Team 3, total of 10 members, 0 casualties, current personnel… uh, uh oh?”

“What! Stopping the report… uh, uh! G, Guild Leader!”

“Th, the dungeon! The dungeon is disappearing!”

“It was cleared! Is it exploding again?”

The Osaka Rank 1 Bio Dungeon was behind me.

That dungeon was gradually fading away with a blue light.

In a phenomenon that had never happened since dungeons were created, the Japanese people and guild members gathered around shouted and pointed at the dungeon.

Yeah, it must be amazing.

Of course, it’s amazing.

I also watched the disappearing Rank 1 Bio Dungeon with a slightly proud heart.

It wasn’t like the magic paper used by mages, emitting colorful flames and leaving no ashes… and it wasn’t like transparent jelly weathering away… hmm, what should I say?

Just gradually fading away?

The dungeon entrance gradually fading away each time a blue light was emitted? Something like that?

The Japanese soldiers, police, and Awakened Association personnel gathered around were flustered, not knowing what to do, and the guild members were just gaping at the interesting, intriguing spectacle they were seeing for the first time.

After a lukewarm breeze blew once,

[Ding! The Osaka Rank 1 Bio Dungeon has been deactivated.]

A fun notification that I was hearing for the first time rang in my head.

“H, how on earth did this happen?”

“What happened during the dungeon clear?”

“The dungeon disappeared! That’s impossible!”

Japanese Awakened Association executives and our government officials gathered around me, chattering in Japanese.

“I’m also seeing this phenomenon for the first time. Don’t ask me, scan the area for mana or ask somewhere else. We only cleared the dungeon. Is this like saving someone who fell in the water and then being asked to hand over your belongings? Is that really it? Yes?”

“Ah, no, that’s not it. How could the dungeon disappear….”

“That’s right. We were just trying to ask if there were any strange phenomena during the clear.”

The Japanese people took a step back when I got angry once.

“That’s enough. I will never come to Japan again. Support Guild Clear Team, move out!”

“Move out! Moving formation!”

“Stay alert until the end! This is a foreign country! Be aware that the Support Guild is the best anywhere in the world! Move!”

At my command, the team leader-level members hurriedly gave instructions and began to move.

Dungeon Management Bureau officials and association staff followed me hesitantly. Government officials were busy calling somewhere on their cell phones, not knowing what to do with the Japanese government officials.

I walked towards the place where the large bus was parked and glanced back at the place where the dungeon had disappeared.

Ordinary Art Factor

Volume 5