Ordinary Art Factor [EN]: Chapter 174

“Wh-what did you say?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Huh?”

I was cautiously watching the kids playing in the back when Mi-hye caught me.

Well, it would be harder *not* to find me at this distance.

As I approached the magic circle in the middle of the plaza, the kids swarmed around me.

“Oppa!”

“Guild Leader!”

“Hyung! Oh, how did you get out? Aren’t you supposed to return through the magic circle? What happened…?”

*Thwack!*

“Agh! H-hyung!”

“What? Hogging it all to yourself?”

“… Ah, no. When did I ever…”

“I heard everything~. So, that’s what I am to you~. I see it now. You son of a…! Come here. Let’s have a good brawl today!”

“Oppa! What happened?!”

“Guild Leader!”

“Hyung!”

“I don’t know! Just grab that bastard! Beat him first, then we’ll talk.”

Gil-soo was running away in the distance.

Ji-hye and Han-deuk, along with the other mages, stuck to my side, asking what happened.

And Psy was carefully examining the way I came from.

Yeah. Figures.

A little later.

“Ehh? You can just walk in? Th-then what is this magic circle for?!”

“An illusion magic? Where, where is it…”

“What about the rewards? What were the rewards? Just minerals? Gas?”

“So, you’re saying there’s a separate reward location, regardless of this magic circle?”

Couldn’t they ask one by one, step by step, breathing, slowly?

If they threw questions at me like ants swarming a honey pot that fell on the ground, how could I answer?

Forget it.

Too annoying.

It would be better to just show them once than to explain everything.

“Everyone, follow me.”

As I started moving, leaving the magic circle drawn in the middle of the plaza, everyone followed me like chicks chasing their mother hen.

We went up to one of the hundreds of caves, slightly higher than the plaza floor, on a slope opposite the cave we originally entered, and went inside. And after moving about 10 meters inside, I headed straight for the left cave wall….

“H-hyung!”

“Oppa!”

“Guild Leader!”

“… Ah, come on! Just come in!”

My voice echoed normally in the cave, and they seemed dazed.

“Wh-what is this…”

“Ah! Illusion magic! It’s illusion magic!”

“Right! If the entrance is made to blend in with the surroundings like this, you’d never find it!”

Ji-hye was the first to raise her hand and wave it in the air, following me inside.

“Wow~ this is so cool?”

“Uh, where. Me too…”

“Me first…”

“I’ll go first.”

While Gil-soo and Han-deuk were arguing about who would enter first, Mi-hye strode inside, and the rest hesitated a bit, but they all came in.

“Wow~ is this all minerals? This is amazing… Huh? H-hyung. There’s a box open up there… Ah! Did the reward come out? Wh-what is it?”

“Oh? Really! Then Oppa… What? What is it?”

“Guild Leader, what was it?”

Ha… Right.

We are Awakened [individuals with supernatural abilities].

The biggest purpose of an Awakened clearing a dungeon is… right, money and rewards. Tsk.

“Dark Elixir Summon!”

[Ding! Summons 1 Dark Elixir.]

A white light appeared, along with a fist-sized ceramic bottle.

Well, I did receive two skill books as rewards, but those are forbidden items. If I opened them carelessly, it would be like touching Pandora’s Box without any preparation….

“… Oppa! This is really cool, but why aren’t you taking out more?”

“… Hyung. Summon the rest?”

“Guild Leader?”

Uh, uh?

Wait a minute.

I think you guys are making a very serious mistake….

“What? What are you talking about? Summon what else?”

“Oppa! You stuttered just now! What is it? What is it?!”

“What? And when did I stutter!”

“Hyung! You’re not that kind of person, are you? Do you want to see us surprised? Haha, this is already quite shocking. So, show us the rest?”

“Show you what!”

“Guild Leader. Look at that reward box over there. It’s so big, you’re not going to tell us that there’s only this small bottle inside, are you? Stop joking and show us. We’re really curious.”

Why?

Why are you coming to that conclusion!

Why are you guessing what’s inside based on the shape of the packaging box!

You guys have all received *택배* [packages], right? When you open the box, there’s a lot of bubble wrap to protect the item, or there’s only one small item in a big box, and the surroundings are filled with newspaper and paper scraps!

This is the same.

That’s what I’m saying!

“N-no! There was only this inside! Really!”

“Oppa! You stuttered again! What is it? What is it!”

“Hyung! The more you do this, the more curious we get. Just show us. Even if an item comes out, no one will be greedy if it doesn’t fit their class, right?”

“Why can’t you understand what I’m saying! I’m telling you, there was only this inside!”

Damn it!

Is my word a joke?

Is my word not credible… Well, I also thought like you guys at first… Ah, that’s not it.

Anyway, all that came out of that huge, 1m x 1m reward box, chest, was the Dark Elixir, this one thing.

That’s what I decided.

That’s what I decided!

Even if I took out two more thin books in this situation, you’d just tell me to take out more!

Right?

“Oppa. Tell me honestly. What was there? I won’t ask for it, so don’t hide it.”

“Ha… Think whatever you want. Anyway, the reward is that Dark Elixir. And Gil-soo!”

“Yes. Hyung.”

“How many Zerglings do we need to mine the minerals here? The space is narrow, so with the warriors…”

“Hyung. Was that really all there was? The box over there is quite big…”

“That’s because it got bigger with magic. It was very small at first. When I opened something the size of my fist, it changed like that. Don’t believe it if you don’t want to. Anyway, mine the minerals with the warriors. Summon 100 Zerglings!”

[Ding! Summons 100 Zerglings (Defense + Attack 200%).]

“Mine the minerals here. Begin!”

I summoned the Zerglings and ordered them to mine the minerals, then went outside.

These guys!

Even if I’m hiding something, can’t you trust me a little? I’m not doing this to eat well and live well alone.

Those ridiculous two skill books are really *not* it!

The moment I take them out of my inventory, your eyes will roll back and you’ll rush at me.

This is that dangerous of an item. It’s Pandora’s Box! Never open it.

I’ll keep it for now. After you guys level up a bit more, when you don’t get tempted by these items, I’ll take them out then. Please bear with me until then.

Of all things, the size of the reward box, chest, is so big, causing unnecessary misunderstandings….

As I came out through the entrance with the illusion magic, I heard their conversation from behind.

“Is it real?”

“I don’t know?”

“Whether it’s real or fake, Oppa seems upset?”

“It’s because of you, Gil-soo! Why did you provoke Hyung…”

“What? Why me again? You son of a…! Every time I say something, it’s all my fault! If Ji-hye hadn’t rushed in at first, would I have done that!”

“What? Why are you dragging me into this~!”

Han-deuk, Gil-soo, and Ji-hye started blaming each other, and Mi-hye, Kim Eun-hee, and Choi Eun-ji joined in from the side.

Anyway, these guys seem to make it a daily routine to badmouth me when I’m not around. Tsk.

“… Um… but, this is completely different from the one outside the magic circle. It’s not linked to each other, it’s like a teleportation magic circle that goes out, like a dungeon entrance.”

“…….”

“… Wh-what are you saying…”

“… What did you say?!”

The noise around me disappeared at Psy’s words.

Huh… the magic circle drawn on the floor was to go out of the dungeon?

Not connected to the magic circle in that plaza?

I thought it was strange. Ahem.

26 days, 17 hours, and 50 minutes after entering the new Mt. Mudeung Dungeon.

I’m going crazy.

The speed of mining the minerals, which is the reward for clearing the dungeon, is too slow.

Well, I could give up the minerals and just leave the dungeon, but who would ignore 50,000 won bills [Korean currency] lying on the street?

The problem is that the 50,000 won bills are spread out so widely.

About 1km?

A situation where you pick up one bill and walk 1km, and then another one is lying there.

Unlike before, when minerals were scattered around the Nexus or Hatchery, they are now embedded in the walls or ceiling in a narrow, limited space, so work efficiency is not increasing.

The existing method of summoning thousands of Zerglings and mining them all at once cannot be used.

100 Zerglings and warriors are running around mining minerals, but I don’t know how long I have to mine them. Still, there’s no urgent work, so if I invest time, I can mine them all someday.

The problem is… I’m bored.

There’s no TV or internet, nothing to do, and the guys who play with me are all busy… Hmm… Should I mess with Psy?

30 days, 14 hours, and 30 minutes after entering the new Mt. Mudeung Dungeon.

Hmm… Hmm….

I’m bored. I’m bored!

I’m so bored I’m going crazy.

Someone play with me~.

I was lying on the dungeon floor, desperately struggling with this boring boredom, when Han-deuk approaches from over there.

I should pretend to be asleep.

“Hyung. I know you’re not sleeping. We’ve mined almost all the minerals inside, so we can leave this place around tomorrow…”

“Really?”

I opened my mouth and asked Han-deuk while still lying on the floor.

“Yes. Let’s prepare to leave. By the way, Hyung, I don’t care if you don’t care about your appearance when clearing a dungeon, but if you lie on the ground like that, it doesn’t look good to the guild members…”

“I’ve been abandoned since I was trapped in the cave anyway. Mind your own business.”

“…….”

Since when did we care about our appearance when clearing a dungeon!

Since I’ve been rolling around on the dungeon floor, I can’t even tell if this is clothes or rags.

There’s plenty of water, so I can just wash my face, what’s with the appearance?

There’s not enough inventory space, so I can’t even think about extra clothes, why? Should I do laundry in the dungeon?

What about you? What do you look like now?

A crow would caw next to you, asking to be friends. Look at your state.

31 days, 15 hours, and 40 minutes after entering the new Mt. Mudeung Dungeon.

Finally, I mined all the minerals.

Whether it’s a new dungeon or a primordial dungeon, it means I can finally get out of this tedious place.

I called all the guild members into the space hidden by the illusion magic in the cave and prepared to go outside.

“Everyone gather! The magic circle space is narrow, so stick close to each other!”

“Stick together! I said stick together!”

“Everyone, don’t lose focus! Concentrate until you get out! Don’t let go of your mind!”

While the team leaders were urging the guild members, I stood on one side of the magic circle that Psy had told me about.

For the Artifactor, it is to activate the magic circle with summoning stats, that is, magic power.

“Is it okay to do it here? Are you sure?”

“Yes. This is the movement axis.”

“…….”

No matter how much I look at it, I don’t know if this is the magic circle movement axis, recognition axis, activation axis, or just porridge.

No matter how much you look at me like that, Psy, I don’t know what I don’t know. How would I know?

I guess it’s right. But how do you know that?

Is it because your Enchanting stat is so terrible that you know just by looking at it roughly? Or did you study hard without me knowing?

If there’s an academy that teaches magic circle patterns, introduce it to me too?

Last time, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t figure it out… Ahem.

Forget it. Let’s just go with the method you told me.

Even a worm has its own skills, and Psy is especially good at magic circles.

As I started releasing magic power into the circular pattern that Psy told me about, the surrounding magic circuits emitted blue light and spread in all directions.

“Moving! Warriors, stay focused!”

“Don’t move! Magic circle activation!”

“B2 situation! It’s B2 situation as soon as we move!”

The shouts of the team leaders and the blue light emitted from the magic circle swirled around.

‘S… pa… ahh!’

As expected, I can’t get used to this dizziness.

It’s the same feeling as the hangover I feel the next day after drinking until the film breaks, except for the headache. But I only have to endure the dizziness for a few seconds….

“…….”

“… Well, something’s a little different?”

“… That’s right. Didn’t we come into the Mt. Mudeung Dungeon? We went in through the entrance in the stream back then, so shouldn’t we come out back to the stream?”

“Psy! Wh-where is this?”

Something is different.

Something is very different.

We definitely came into the Mt. Mudeung Dungeon and did a lot of nonsense, and then entered the dungeon within the dungeon, the Primordial Dungeon, with the magic power tracking item that Psy made, so when we come out, we should be there… No matter how much I look around, there’s no stream, just wasteland… Oh, wait. Looking at the black pit over there… Huh? Another entrance?

“… Psy!”

“Yes. My Lord!”

“What happened? Is this the Mt. Mudeung Dungeon?”

“…….”

“Is this the Mt. Mudeung Dungeon! If we came out of the Primordial Dungeon, it’s the Mt. Mudeung Dungeon! Don’t you remember?”

“… Th-that’s… I don’t know either…”

“You don’t know?”

Psy nods slightly with an expression and behavior that he doesn’t know what to do.

“Ha… Damn it. I was going to go to the dorm, wash my feet, and go to sleep… First, check that out. See if it’s an entrance or an exit!”

“Yes, sir!”

At my words, Psy starts running towards the black pit.

“Secure the perimeter and move over there.”

“Warriors, move to the outside! Secure the perimeter!”

“Moving formation! Mages, manifest magic power!”

I formed a formation and moved towards the black pit 200m ahead.

Well, it’s an open wasteland, so if a dungeon unit appears, it will be discovered quickly, but it’s never bad to prepare in advance.

Psy, who arrived first, fiddled in front of the pit for a long time, then stopped and approached me.

“… Th-that, My Lord.”

“Speak clearly. What is it?”

“That is definitely an exit to go outside, but…”

“But?”

“I don’t know where it’s connected to…”

“Hmm….”

In the first place, we came into the Mt. Mudeung Dungeon and then entered the dungeon within the dungeon, the Primordial Dungeon, and after clearing the dungeon, we came out here through a magic circle instead of an exit, and another exit….

Since we entered twice, does that mean we have to come out twice?

Maybe this is the right phenomenon. Anyway, no one thought about the Primordial Dungeon.

Since it’s a new dungeon, I guess any strange situation can happen. From the beginning, fighting with humanoid dungeon units in the Primordial Dungeon was a series of hardships.

“Hmm… Exit formation. Go outside.”

“Guild Leader, are you okay?”

“Hyung! We should investigate a little more and then…”

“Since we entered twice, it seems right to go out twice. Anyway, there’s an exit, so there’s no reason to hang out here. Judging by the fact that the notification didn’t pop up, this is just an empty dungeon.”

“That’s true, but… I feel uneasy.”

“I agree. Exit formation!”

“… I understand. Go outside. Warriors, come forward first!”

“Leaving the dungeon. Warriors, forward!”

There’s no reason to look at other places when there’s an exit in front of me.

Moreover, judging by the fact that the notification didn’t ring when I moved here, this is just an empty dungeon to pass through.

Even in the Mt. Mudeung Dungeon, there was only another entrance in the stream without a single unit, so it must be the same here.

“Entering. Enter!”

“En.ter!”

“Enter!”

The warriors who were waiting in front threw themselves into the black pit first, and the mages and I followed behind.

[Ding! Cleared the Primordial Dungeon. Recognizes the dungeon title.]

[Ding! Grants dungeon activation recognition to the clearing personnel.]

Eh… So… is this Korean?

Why are you confusing people with this kind of notification?

Can’t you just tell me simply?

I don’t understand anything! You son of a… organizers!

‘S… pa… ahh!’

As I was leaving the dungeon, I was paying attention to the incomprehensible notification, but the surroundings are strange.

“What?”

“What happened? Call me the clear rubbish on top of a new dungeon!”

American soldiers?

Why are American soldiers guarding the Mt. Mudeung Dungeon?

Why not Korean soldiers… Huh? Wait a minute.

Well, something is really strange right now?

So… eh… again….

This isn’t Mt. Mudeung!

We definitely entered a new dungeon at the foot of Mt. Mudeung, but now the surrounding scenery is downtown. Moreover, this feeling of looking at a foreign street that is not Korea….

“What the nation of arousal is it? Why out of there?”

Before I could even grasp the surroundings, one of the American soldiers stepped forward and asked.

I have English phobia….