Ordinary Art Factor [EN]: Chapter 153

The shuttle moved at high speed toward the point Sai indicated.

We encountered a small number of humanoid dungeon units along the way, but we didn’t bother engaging them. It wasn’t because we couldn’t handle them, but to conserve the high-level units we had generated. We needed to focus on clearing the highest priority dungeon. If we engaged every single dungeon unit, we’d be stuck here indefinitely.

Fortunately, moving at high speed meant the humanoid units couldn’t keep up.

As I always feel, if we actually moved on the ground, we’d be annihilated without even getting far, let alone clearing the dungeon. The dungeon level is just that high.

After four hours of occasionally stopping for urgent matters, we continued moving.

When Sai’s magic pattern tracking item indicated we were about 5km away, something incredibly massive hit me like a ton of bricks.

Well, I had noticed it from the start, but I thought it was just a mountain from a distance. Who knew it would be a fully-grown tower?

No, can we even call that a fully-grown tower?

Would dozens of giant, first-class, fully-grown dungeon towers stacked on top of each other look like that?

Everyone around me, from the team leaders to the guild members, stood dumbfounded, mouths agape at the sight before us.

“Th-that’s impossible.”

“A-are you telling me we have to break that down? R-really?”

“N-no way. That can’t be. No way!”

“Bro! Is that really a fully-grown tower?”

“How are we supposed to destroy something like that!”

Like ants encountering an elephant for the first time, like a country bumpkin staring up at the sky deck from the entrance of the 63 Building [a famous skyscraper in Seoul], like an intelligent building where Gulliver lives standing in a small-country theme park, we just drooled and spouted out exclamations for a while.

Some time later.

We parked the shuttle in a nearby empty lot and held a strategy meeting.

“No matter how I look at it, it’s not *entirely* a fully-grown tower. Judging from the massive rocks and amount of soil, I think it’s just a rocky mountain, right?”

“Then what about the humanoid dungeon units going in and out of the bottom and middle parts? It’s not like that’s their multi-unit villa or apartment!”

“I don’t know, you idiot! Was I talking to you? I was talking to the leader!”

“You son of a bitch! Who doesn’t know that? I’m saying what the leader’s going to say in advance!”

“What are you talking about? You moron!”

“What? You clueless bastard!”

“If you two don’t shut up, I’ll tie you to the shuttle and use you as bait.”

“…….”

“…….”

It’s all the same, a bunch of shorties comparing heights.

Listening to Hanteuk and Gilsu’s conversation, I pondered deeply.

First of all, that giant rocky mountain itself is unlikely to be a fully-grown tower.

Why?

Because if it were, there’d be no reason for us to gather here and rack our brains. The easiest way is suicide, the hardest way is to run from the dungeon until we starve to death, and the most ordinary way is to charge straight back to the base. Then a humanoid unit will simply slice my head off. Ah, is that harder?

Anyway, I decided to ignore that giant rocky mountain itself for now.

Otherwise, all motivation to clear it will disappear. There’s just no way.

So, secondly, let’s assume there’s a fully-grown tower inside that rocky mountain.

I saw humanoid units frequently going in and out of the rock crevices at the bottom and middle of the mountain.

Since one fully-grown tower can’t cover the bottom and middle parts of the rocky mountain, let’s assume there are dozens of them gathered together. For now.

Okay, so thirdly.

How do we destroy that?

First, the method of spamming magic from a distance with long-range attacks is rejected.

To destroy all that, would it take thousands, no, tens of thousands, no, hundreds of thousands of mages pouring magic for a year? It’s just too massive to even consider.

Then, since it can’t be done from the outside, that means we have to go inside….

Isn’t this the same as committing suicide!

What’s the point of being able to summon thousands of mech units and bio units!

Just from a rough look, there seem to be over hundreds of humanoid units over there.

The other day, I summoned most of my units to catch about 30 humanoid units at the dungeon entrance, so if there are hundreds of them….

It’s beyond my wildest dreams.

“Ha… I’m really going crazy.”

As I expressed my frustration with a long sigh, Hanteuk and Gilsu, who had been quietly silent, spoke up again.

“… Leader, attacking from a distance doesn’t seem to make sense.”

“That’s right. We need to go inside, but that seems difficult too. If there are hundreds of units as strong as the last time, it’s all over. We need to use a diversion or some other method. Seeing that there are multiple entrances where the units come out, it seems….”

“Huh? Wait a minute! Gilsu, what did you say just now?”

Suddenly, something flashed through my mind.

Something subtle that I almost grasped….

“Yes? What did I say? I just said that we can’t fight them all, so we should use a diversion or some other method… since the entrances are different anyway….”

“Yes, that! Diversion… diversion… if it’s a diversion… Ah! Feint attack!”

That’s right!

Do we really need to fight them all one by one!

We came here to clear the dungeon, not to fight dungeon units.

Of course, the dark purification items dropped by humanoid dungeon units might be very important somewhere, but clearing the dungeon is the priority.

We need to survive first to use the money.

“Yes? If it’s a feint attack… Ah! You mean we gather the enemies in one place and then loot the empty base?”

“Oh~ that’s good. Since there are so many of them….”

“As expected! You’re amazing, Master!”

Was that what a feint attack meant?

Well, it doesn’t matter how they understand it. That’s what it means anyway.

So, how do we lure the enemies?

9 days, 21 hours, and 10 minutes after entering the new Mt. Mudeung Dungeon.

“… Prepare like that. And once we go inside, deploy the Zealots and Speedlings [Zerg units from StarCraft] on the outskirts, then maintain formation with warriors, mages, healers, and priests in that order. Keep in mind that the formation may change depending on the terrain, and move as quickly as possible. The operation starts in exactly one hour. Only the art team remains, dismissed.”

“Understood, Guild Leader.”

“Yes.”

As the team leaders dispersed to inform the guild members of the detailed plan, I gave separate instructions to the remaining art team members.

“Your role is very important. You know that, right?”

“Yes. But I don’t know if we can do it well.”

“Don’t worry, Master! I’ll risk my life to make sure….”

“There’s no need to risk your life. Just buy as much time as possible with the summoned units from the shuttle, then wait at point B on the Wyvern [a flying unit], Come in when the clear notification pops up, or… ahem.”

“I’ll judge the situation and decide, Guild Leader.”

“Okay. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Yes.”

The extra batteries would become the bait.

The only benefit we have in this primordial dungeon is that the humanoid dungeon units can’t fly. Other than that, the dungeon’s size, the level difference between the units and the Awakened, and the correlation between unit types make for extremely difficult clearing conditions.

Since we’ll have to wait here to starve to death if we can’t clear the dungeon anyway, it’s better to try clearing it while we still have strength.

Of course, we’re not going to charge mindlessly forward like throwing eggs at a rock, but we’re going to use our brains as much as possible to clear it with minimal damage.

The art team is in charge of making noise on the east side of the feint attack, which is the most crucial part.

The plan is to make as much noise as possible with the units summoned from the shuttle, while I and the rest of the guild members enter the opposite fully-grown tower and take care of it… but I don’t know if it will work.

Still, I don’t have any other ideas besides this one.

Of course, if I rack my brains a little more, I might be able to come up with a slightly better plan, but the overall framework will be the same.

I can only hope that the art team buys us as much time as possible.

I stared at Junghwan with burning eyes… no, Sai is staring at me with even more burning eyes, as if he’s about to catch fire, nodding.

As if telling me to trust him.

Okay, I’ll trust you for now.

Do well. You really have to do well.

That’s how I live, and that’s how you live.

9 days, 22 hours, and 10 minutes after entering the new Mt. Mudeung Dungeon.

As the art team members, Junghwan, Munhee, and Sai boarded the single shuttle, the guild members each said a word from the side.

“Good luck, Art Team Leader!”

“See you later, Art Team!”

“Art Team! Please do your best.”

“Sai! Fighting!”

Listening to Jihye calling Sai’s name, I launched the shuttle.

“I’ll try to buy as much time as possible, Guild Leader.”

“Okay. Good luck. Starting now. Shuttle departure.”

As I started moving the shuttle with the art team on board towards the 9 o’clock direction of the rocky mountain, the rest of the guild members also started boarding the shuttles.

“From now until the moment we move to the destination and clear it, the operation instructions will be given by hand signals. First, perimeter; second, move; third, destroy. Keep that in mind!”

“Divide the potions by the number of people in each shuttle, and everyone, remember the plan!”

“The faster we clear it, the safer the art team will be. Get your heads in the game!”

As the team leaders conveyed the final reminders to the guild members, I also boarded the shuttle and launched all the shuttles.

Then, we slowly started moving towards the 3 o’clock direction of the rocky mountain.

… Twenty-seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty.

Is this about right?

The distance should be about right.

I stopped the shuttle that I sent off first with the art team on board, and stopped the rest of the shuttles in the middle.

From now on, the art team, the extra batteries, and the bait have to properly fulfill their roles….

After a little time, thousands of Speedlings were summoned with a white light over there.

And about 100 Speedlings sprint towards the 9 o’clock direction of the rocky mountain.

‘Kieek… Kieek!’

Another 100 Speedlings follow the previous Speedlings and run towards the rocky mountain,

‘Kieeeek… Kieeek.’

Another group of Speedlings follows behind them.

Are they all moving in separate groups?

Okay. Good idea.

That method is more efficient than rushing in all at once.

‘Kiaak… Kiaak!’

There’s a reaction.

One of the humanoid dungeon units standing in the rock crevice of the rocky mountain lets out a sharp screech, and dozens of units rush out and start sprinting down in an instant.

Now the art team has to do well….

Looking at the 3 o’clock direction of the rocky mountain, I could see some units going in and out of the rock crevices there as well.

Not yet.

‘Kieeeek! Kieeek~.’

Three groups of 100 Speedlings rush out again towards the 9 o’clock direction of the rocky mountain.

Pulling the existing Speedlings back, they lure the humanoid units to the back.

No matter how overpowered the dungeon units are, if 300 Speedlings scatter and run away in all directions, it’s still difficult for them.

Moreover, the remaining thousands of Speedlings slowly start moving in a large circle.

‘Kiaaak… Kiaak!’

‘Kiaak… Kiaak. Kiaak.’

The humanoid dungeon unit seems angry and lets out a sharp screech, and additional units start crawling out of the rock crevices of the rocky mountain.

“Leader. It seems like a few units are missing.”

Looking at the 3 o’clock direction of the rocky mountain at Gilsu’s whisper, the number of units has decreased quite a bit.

As expected!

The giant rocky mountain is definitely one organization formed by dozens of fully-grown towers.

It’s just that the entrances are different, but it’s definitely one organism.

“Wait a little longer.”

“Yes!”

I turned my head and looked back at the 9 o’clock direction where the art team members were.

Thousands of Speedlings are creating a cloud of dust as they draw a large circle, and about 100 Speedlings are divided into three groups and running around.

Of course, it’s more accurate to say that they are scattering and running away in all directions than running around.

The Speedlings are split in half with one blow by the long greatsword that the humanoid dungeon units are roughly wielding. One Speedling per sword swing.

Still, it’s a relief that the units summoned by the Art Factor don’t know fear, right?

It’s fortunate that the thousands of Speedlings can’t communicate with each other and unconditionally follow the summoner’s orders in times like these.

Otherwise, they might have really scattered and the operation wouldn’t have been carried out properly.

Just like a pack of lions rushing into a flock of sheep, the dungeon units are slaughtering the Speedlings like that….

“I haven’t seen a single unit since earlier.”

“Okay. I saw it too. Moving out.”

“Yes!”

At my command, Hanteuk and Gilsu’s hand signals gradually start to speed up.

Shortly after.

As secretly, quickly, and rapidly as possible, we moved the shuttles, moved to the opposite side of the rocky mountain where the art team was fighting fiercely, and quickly entered the rock crevice.

As Gilsu held up two fingers above his head next to me, the warriors retreated to the outskirts, the mages followed behind them, and the healers and priests gathered around me.

“Summon all Dark Assassins! Summon 200 Zealots!”

[Ding! Summoning 100 Dark Assassins.]

[Ding! Summoning 200 Zealots (Defense + Attack 200%).]

100 Dark Assassins and 200 Zealots appeared with a white light.

The Zealots were deployed on the outermost perimeter, and the Dark Assassins were made to protect the guild members around them.

I wanted to summon as many Zealots as possible with maximum stats, but it’s impossible in the current situation.

Even if I summoned thousands of Zealots in this narrow space like a cave, it would only be cumbersome.

Once the defensive formation was in place, we quickly started moving inside.

The cave is a mess, like an ant tunnel, tangled and twisted like a maze.

Moreover, the unknown musty smell and the dark interior like the dungeon’s night.

If we had come in at night as someone suggested, it would have been quite nerve-wracking. Even in broad daylight, it’s this dark, so at night… huh?

Gilsu, who was moving at the front, clenched his fist, and the guild members lowered their stances and spread out in all directions.

Soon, he pointed to his eyes, held up three fingers, and then pointed forward….

‘Kee-ahh! Kee-ack!’

Crap!

I knew it was going too well.

“Summon 10 Magic Worms! Zealots, charge!”

[Ding! Summoning 10 Magic Worms.]

‘Koo-ahhh… Koo-ack!’

‘Kee-ack… Kee-ahh!’

The dozens of Zealots in the front charge at the three humanoid dungeon units.

However, I know they won’t last long. That’s why,

“Magic Worms, Magic Mist!”

‘Poo-ahhh… Poo-ack!’

In the Magic Worms’ magic mist, the Dark Assassins and Zealots all at once… Huh?

Ah! This is a cave!

Damn it! This means we’re all going into the magic mist too….

“Ooh, power, I’m overflowing with power!”

“W-what! A, a buff [temporary increase in stats]?”

“M-my stats are increasing!”

Huh?

So, that’s what it is….

The shouts of the warriors and mages around me make the cave echo.

You little…!

There’s a reason why we’ve been using hand signals for tactical instructions… So that’s why… Bullshit!

Still, if we deal with this as quickly as possible and move on… No, that won’t work, will it?

Crap! Why is a buff suddenly being applied!

But did the Magic Worm’s magic mist have this kind of ability?

If we do this right….

No. Let’s clear this area first!

“Mages, unleash mana! Warriors, charge out!”

My loud shout echoes through the cave.

Since we’ve got it, let’s make the most of it!

“Warriors! Everyone, charge out!”

“Ooo-ahhh!”

“I’m overflowing with power! Overflowing with power!”

“I, the Fury of the Goddess Idea! Wall of Fire! … Ready!”

“Tears of the Goddess Idea! Wall of Ice! … Ready!”

“Lament of the Goddess Idea! Dew of Sorrow! … Ready!”

The warriors at the front charge out, and the sound of mages unleashing their magic is heard from around, while the Zealots and Dark Assassins hold onto the humanoid dungeon units.

If we support them with magic from behind at times like this….

“Mages, mana….”

“Ah! Hyung-nim [term of respect for an older brother or male friend]! A, it’s not possible. This is a cave!”

“Huh? Why… Crap!”

That’s right! This is a cave.

Like when we used the Magic Worm’s magic mist earlier, if we use fire or ice magic here, the impact will reach us.

Moreover, if the cave collapses from the magic impact, there’s no solution.

“Damn it! Cancel mana release! Mages, fall back! Summon 200 Zealots!”

[Ding! Summoning 200 Zealots (Defense + Attack 200%).]

The number of warriors is already insufficient.

I summoned Zealots in the space where the mages retreated.

“Magic Worms, magic mist! Zealots, charge!”

‘Poo-ahhh… Poo-ack!’

‘Koo-wooo… Koo-wooo!’

‘Koo-rwa-rwa-rwa… Koo-rwack!’

The bizarre cries of the Zealots, which I can never get used to no matter how many times I hear them, echo through the cave.

The Dark Assassins and hundreds of Zealots grapple with the humanoid dungeon units, and the warriors swing their greatswords with their buffed stats.

Since it’s a limited space, we can’t swarm them, but that doesn’t mean it’s inefficient.

Although they aren’t Dark Assassins, Zealots can be continuously replenished as long as there are minerals, so I recklessly pushed them forward and annoyed the dungeon units. Moreover, there were the healers and priests who were healing and blessing in between.

Thanks to the support of buffs and blessings, or perhaps because of the magic mist, we were able to deal with the three dungeon units faster than last time.

“Move quickly. Move!”

“Form ranks! Move!”

“Huff, huff. Moving formation!”

Gilsu, who is at the very front, is breathing heavily.

How much time has passed?

Even though we’ve moved quite a distance from the entrance, the end of this maze-like cave is nowhere in sight.

The tired breaths of the warriors continue, and the smell of the guild members’ sweat is felt more strongly than the musty smell of the cave.

There were two more battles in the caves that were riddled with holes like an ant tunnel.

One was with two dungeon units, and the other was with five humanoid dungeon units.

We dealt with the units in the same way and obtained one Dark Purification item.

It seems to drop at a rate of about 10%… but that’s not the problem.

We managed to maintain the warriors’ health with low-grade potions and the blessings of the priests, but the warriors were quite exhausted, perhaps due to the aftereffects of the Magic Worm’s magic mist and the buffs.

Even now, Gilsu, who is at the very front, seems to be breathing so heavily that I can hear him in the middle of the formation.

If this continues, moving faster will become increasingly burdensome….

“Hoo-wook. Hyung-nim. It seems we’ve fallen into a maze or an illusion formation. We keep going around in the same place. This is a mark I made an hour ago. Hoo-oook.”

Gilsu, who was moving at the very front, stopped in the middle and called me, then pointed to an X mark on the cave floor and explained the current situation.

“Damn it! The feigned attack didn’t work.”

“Yes. We should have brought Ssai. Then we could have found the center with the magic pattern item.”

“No. He can only find the approximate location. Moreover, this is a cave. It’s not outside, so we can’t move in a straight line. Ssai said so too. He said that even if he joined us, he wouldn’t be of much help.”

“Hoo-wook. Then isn’t that more of a problem?”

“Yeah. Now that it’s come to this, let’s rest for a while and rack our brains.”

“Haa, the art team must have withdrawn by now, so it’s going to be even tougher from now on.”

“There’s nothing we can do about it. Everyone, rest formation!”

“G, Guild Leader!”

Han Deuk-yi is startled by my words and comes forward.

“It’s okay! Rest formation! If we’re going to move like this anyway, it’s better to rest even a little.”

“A, I understand. Each shuttle team takes a rest and checks for injuries! Deal with anything that hinders movement in advance.”

“Those who need to relieve themselves, go over there. Make sure to take care of it so it doesn’t smell!”

“Heh heh. I wonder if there’s anything to come out? In this situation?”

“Haha. I know, right? Just poop later.”

“That later might really be later. Are you going to shout while swinging your sword? I’m going to take a dump, so wait? You little! Take care of everything while you have time. If it’s really an emergency later, you might just have to poop in your pants. That’s assuming you’re still alive….”

Gilsu joins in the conversation of the guild members.

“I, is that so?”

“Yeah.”

“Um, I understand.”

“Hey, let’s go together!”

When one of the guild members who heard Gilsu’s words gets up, the warriors around him hesitate and gather to one side.

I chuckled as I watched the situation.

“Yeah. You have to poop when you can. Of course, that’s right.”

“…That’s not what I meant….”

“I know. By the way, are you okay? Should I use a mid-grade potion?”

“I can still handle it. I’ll be fine if I rest a little. But that magic mist, the aftereffects are no joke. If I’m like this even after eating a low-grade potion and receiving a blessing, the others….”

“It seems the higher your personal stats, the greater the aftereffects. We can’t use it carelessly.”

“Yes. Still, it’s much better than dying.”

“That’s obvious.”

While Gilsu and I were chatting, the guild members took a rest or took care of personal matters, and after a simple meal, we called the team leaders together.

“It seems to be a maze or an illusion formation, but I don’t know how to solve it. Moreover, in a situation where we don’t know where to go….”

“How about marking the paths we’ve traveled, like Gilsu did, and only looking for places we haven’t been to?”

“Wouldn’t that take too long? The art team must have withdrawn by now, and I don’t know how wide this place is, but isn’t this not the time to do that?”

“Then, do you have any good ideas?”

“N, no, that’s not it….”

Han Deuk and Gilsu, and Kim Eun-hee each say a word, and Mi-hye raises her hand.

Hey, you can just say it.

When I look at Mi-hye, she makes a strange noise with her sparkling eyes.

“Guild Leader. Didn’t you copy nine of the units from the first battle? Can’t we take them out and ask them? Tell them to find their way….”

“…T, that doesn’t make any sense….”

“…W, wouldn’t it work?”

“Um, I see. Hyung-nim, is that possible?”

“……”

Um, I don’t know either.

From what I saw last time, it seemed like they only listened to my words unilaterally. No conversation either.

And I didn’t copy them to use them in this situation. I had my own plans to use them appropriately… Tsk.

“We’ll know if we try it ourselves. Summon all Dark Warriors!”

[Ding! Summoning 9 Dark Warriors.]

Nine Dark Warriors appeared with a white light.

Some of the guild members who were resting nearby were startled and tried to scream, but they seemed relieved when they saw that we were staying still.

I said to the summoned Dark Warriors.

“Find your way home.”

A moment later.

Wriggling here and there.

Going this way and that way.

Why is it so complicated?

Moreover, when four of them tried to go left and five tried to go right at the crossroads in the middle, I boldly chose the place with the larger number and reverse-summoned the remaining units into the inventory.

You guys are really going home, right?

Seriously….

‘Kee-ack… Kee-ahh!’

Yeah, you’re doing all sorts of things.

After moving for a while, we encountered two more humanoid dungeon units.

“Deal with them!”

‘Kee-ahhh! Kee-ack!’

‘Kee-ack… Kee-ahh!’

Well, there are some convenient points.

Situations arose where we didn’t have to step in,

‘Kee-ack… Kee-ahh!’

Six dungeon-type units.

If an unmanageable number of units appeared in the current state,

“Summon 4 Dark Warriors!”

[Ding! Summoning 4 Dark Warriors.]

“Magic Worms, magic mist!”

‘Poo-ack… Poo-ahack!’

“Dark Assassins, Dark Warriors! Deal with them!”

Just increase the number and apply buffs.

We should have moved like this from the beginning!

It’s so fast!

After all, humans seem to be social animals.

Instead of thinking alone, if you put your heads together and struggle, you’ll come up with a slightly better method.

After obtaining one more Dark Purification item in the middle and dealing with humanoid units three more times, a bright light is visible at the end of the long cave.

“30m ahead! An exit is visible!”

“T, the end is finally here!”

“The end, my ass! A1 formation! Everyone, be alert!”

As expected, Han Deuk-yi is smart.

Is it because he’s a healer?

“That’s right. It’s not an exit, it’s finally the main base. Mages, unleash mana! A1 battle formation!”

As soon as I finish speaking, the guild members move busily.

Maintaining formation, we slowly moved towards the exit.

The closer we got to the end of the cave, the more tension tightened around my body.

As soon as a wide space appears, I plan to summon all the units. Including the Dark Warriors, of course.

Watching the front, we came out of the cave, and it was a huge hollow.

A huge stone pillar stretching to the end of the sky. And numerous caves pierced in the huge hollow wall.

And standing in front of those numerous caves….

Ordinary Art Factor

Volume 6