Ordinary Art Factor [EN]: Chapter 175

“We’re rouser, Korea. Where the hell are here?”

From the guild members, Seung-hwan from Team 2 steps forward to answer the American soldier’s question.

He speaks English pretty well?

Judging by how smoothly he rolls his tongue, I guess he’s had a bit of butter somewhere [meaning he’s fluent and comfortable speaking English].

“This is near the University of California, Los Angeles, United States. The dungeon is a new outbreak. You came out of that new type of new dungeon.”

Wow… so it really is America!

Even if I don’t understand everything, some words stick in my ears.

“We are Jiwon Guild from Korea. We entered and cleared a newly formed dungeon in Korea a few weeks ago, and we came out here.”

“Look, Jiwon is that right? Your guild? Then, Mr. Han Jiwon, too?”

“Yeah, your Mr. Han Jiwon is over there, my Jiwon Guild. Guild blind player [referring to Han Jiwon’s unique fighting style].”

Hmm….

I don’t know some words exactly, but I can roughly understand, so I guess I really am a genius.

I think I only got one English question wrong on the college entrance exam 20 years ago? *크으음* [Korean onomatopoeia for clearing one’s throat, indicating pride].

I confidently step forward and open my mouth.

“My name is Mr. Han Jiwon. I’m Korean.”

“……”

“Umm… Guild Leader….”

Why?

It’s right, isn’t it?

My name is Han Jiwon, and I am Korean, right?

Hmm… should I have put ‘and’ in the middle?

A short while later.

Due to our sudden appearance, the American soldiers move very busily, and members of the American Awakened Association and government officials begin to arrive. We move to a nearby hotel.

I hadn’t even thought about how strange the dungeon notification was, or how the input and output were completely different, or how we had unintentionally become illegal immigrants. But seeing the American soldiers frowning occasionally, I finally realized that we looked like total bums.

That smell you get from washing clothes with sewage and wearing them without drying?

Or like we’d been rolling around in a quarry, a mudflat, or a tidal flat?

Hey, I washed my face in between! My clothes might smell a little, but isn’t this pretty good?

Hmm… but the female mages among the team leaders look pretty clean. Did they actually do laundry in the dungeon?

After moving to the hotel, we threw away the clothes we were wearing, washed away the accumulated dirt and grime, ate until we were stuffed, and then gathered again in the hotel’s conference room. Me, the team leaders, and Seung-hwan, who was in charge of translation.

As soon as I enter the conference room, some of the American Awakened Association staff members, charmed by my cleaner appearance, exclaim in admiration.

I am a bit handsome, aren’t I? *크음*… or am I not?

It’s not a look of being charmed, but more like seeing a celebrity… I am a bit famous, aren’t I? *크으음*.

After a brief moment of self-admiration, the American officials begin asking questions, which Seung-hwan translates, and I respond simply.

We are not at fault.

We only went to clear the new Mt. Mudeung Dungeon in Korea.

We had no idea that the entrance and exit were different, and we will return to Korea as is.

Don’t bother us. We cannot disclose the details of the new dungeon clear.

I roughly say this and am about to get up… when the conference room door opens urgently and someone runs over and hands me a phone.

What?

So what?

“South Korean president.”

So?

So what am I supposed to do?

Sigh. Can I do this? Still, he’s the leader of a country.

By the way, how did he know I was here… *크음*. He probably had to know. *크으음*.

I sigh once and answer the phone. The bald middle-aged man in his 50s from the American government next to me stares at me with sparkling eyes.

“Yes, this is Han Jiwon.”

“It’s me. First of all, I express my infinite gratitude and respect for successfully clearing the world’s first new dungeon. We are currently discussing this new dungeon with the American government from various angles, but the most important thing is information about the dungeon’s state and regen clear. I ask for your cooperation.”

“……”

“Mr. Han Jiwon?”

“… I haven’t been home for over a month in that dungeon, or at least two weeks in this time. One must govern their family before governing a country. When there is peace in the family, all things will prosper [a Confucian saying emphasizing the importance of family harmony].”

“Haha… that’s right. Of course. I will have your family brought there right away. It will be easier for you to have your family by your side, so let’s talk again tomorrow. Hahaha….”

What is this?

What is this situation?

So what I mean is… I want to go home… why is my family coming here?

Is there some kind of forced family summoning spell in the phrase I said that I don’t even know about?

Damn it! Since when did I use such childish words!

I could have just said I was going back to Korea, but I had to use strange words!

This is all Psy’s fault!

The next day, in the afternoon.

Whether it’s because of the time difference or because the tension has eased after coming out of the dungeon, I wake up after the sun is high in the sky, order hotel room service, eat it all up, and take a quick shower before discovering a very important problem.

Ah~ I don’t have a passport.

I don’t have an elegant and beautiful black VIP card, credit cards, Awakened card, or even a debit card. Of course, I don’t have any cash either.

And I don’t know who prepared the clothes, but they have terrible fashion sense.

My personal belongings, including those of the guild members, are in a hotel near Mt. Mudeung Dungeon, so I can’t do anything here. I can’t just wander around, and who will pay for the room service and hotel accommodation I ate, and the return flight…? Oh, wait?

There’s no reason why I should have to pay for this with my own money… is there?

It’s not like I want to be here, they, they caught us here and told us to stay, rest, eat, and sleep… so maybe they won’t charge me?

Hmm… then….

It wouldn’t matter if I paid for the adult movie I saw briefly last night… *크으음*.

The biggest problem is this.

A short while later.

Dozens of large buses enter the hotel parking lot, and the doors open to reveal the people I’ve been missing.

But another problem….

“Daddy~.”

“Honey~.”

“Son!”

“Brother-in-law!”

“Uncle!”

“Uncle-in-law~.”

“Brother-in-law!”

“Older brother!”

“Older brother!”

I understand my wife, son, parents, father-in-law, and mother-in-law.

But why my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and their nephews and nieces…? Don’t you guys have school?

No, don’t you guys have work?

How dare you come here… oh… what day is it today?

After crawling around in the dungeon for a month, the concept of time, date, and day of the week has disappeared from my head.

Whatever.

What does it matter?

School, work, place, and time, what does it matter?

I hug my cute, adorable, precious, valuable, loving son who is running towards me with all my might.

“Daddy~.”

“Yes. My baby!”

The best smell in the world and the happiest time flows from my son’s arms.

A passionate, emotional, and sentimental family reunion continues, and as we move to the assigned room and ask each other how we’ve been, I feel something strange.

Right now, the guild members are meeting after a month, and the families are meeting after two weeks in a foreign land, so everyone is deeply moved, but if you pull yourself together and look at the situation, something is very, very strange.

First, it took only one day for all the families of the guild members, including me, to come here.

Is this possible?

It’s not just one or two people, but roughly 250 family members of the 80-member clear team. Did they bring these people here in just one day?

The places they lived are different, and there’s the distance between Jeju and Seoul, and besides, they couldn’t have been prepared in advance, knowing that so many people would come here, right?

Second, the reaction of the families is more of a problem.

They poured out intense emotions as if they were meeting separated families who hadn’t seen each other for decades.

As if a child or husband who had been missing and presumed dead had returned.

Well, it’s true that there were many dangerous moments while clearing the Primordial Dungeon, but the families’ reactions are like… hmm….

When you don’t know, you can ask.

Maybe I’m just making assumptions.

I ask my wife, who is unpacking a large travel bag and organizing things.

“Did anything happen before you came here? For example, did you gather somewhere with the families of the clear team….”

“Huh? Don’t you know?”

“What, what is it?”

What?

Did something really happen?

“After you went into Mt. Mudeung Dungeon with the guild members, there were news flashes a few days later. New dungeons had appeared in the United States, Japan, England, France, Australia, etc., and all the Awakened who went in to clear them died….”

“Huh? What does that mean?”

“It doesn’t make sense, right? I thought it was strange too. The bodies of the Awakened who entered the dungeon in Japan were found in England, and the Awakened who entered the French dungeon were found in Australia. There was so much talk about it on the internet, so I just thought, ‘Whatever.’ The association and the government said that such a thing could not happen. But the other families know that’s not true. So I went up to Gwangju. I was waiting nearby, and when you cleared it….”

“……”

Wow… hahaha….

So… the people who went to clear the new dungeons in other countries all died?

And their bodies were found in other countries?

Wow… so that’s why the families were like that?

Then it makes sense. We cleared a new dungeon that no one else could clear… huh? Wait a minute!

What is this?

Japan is in, England is out, France is in, Australia is out?

I went into a dungeon in Korea, but I came out in America?

Moreover, the head of the Blue House [Korean equivalent of the White House] asked us to cooperate with them on the details of the new dungeon clear.

Even the details of the dungeon’s state and regen clear.

Hmm… so that’s what happened.

Then….

I call the team leaders, who were having a meeting with their families, to the hotel lobby room.

They come in with smiles on their faces, looking a little puzzled when they see my expression.

“Hyung-nim [term for older brother or respected male figure]. Is something wrong? Did you fight with Hyung-soo-nim [term for older brother’s wife]? Your expression….”

“Oppa [term for older brother used by females], why?”

“First, everyone, sit down. And Gil-soo, go out and ask the hotel if they have a laptop and bring it. Ah! Check if there’s internet here too.”

“A laptop? Why the internet….”

“Ah, just do it! What’s so hard about doing what I tell you? Do I have to explain everything….”

“Yes~ I’ll be right back.”

Look at the way he answers. Seriously, what’s wrong with Gil-soo these days? He’s becoming so rebellious.

Damn it. Should I check when it’s going to rain and beat him until he listens? Sigh. No.

Now is not the time to discuss Gil-soo’s rebelliousness.

“I’m sorry for calling you while you’re resting with your families. But I heard something very strange. To cut a long story short, who knows about the current domestic situation and the new dungeons that have appeared worldwide, that is, the Mt. Mudeung Dungeon we entered, or the issues surrounding the Primordial Dungeon inside the dungeon, raise your hand!”

“……”

“… Huh? Issues?”

“Oppa, what are you talking about? What is it?”

As expected.

I’m an idiot for asking.

Why don’t you guys have any doubts about this situation?

Don’t you feel like something is really, completely, unbelievably happening?

If I just stay still, will you guys just stay still too?

Is there anyone who can make a macroscopic judgment about the current situation…? Huh? How dare you?

Psy raises his right hand slightly in front of me and looks at me with sparkling eyes. It’s like a dog sticking out its tongue and wagging its tail, looking at its owner.

Hmm… this bastard always stabs me in the back in strange places….

I’m a little uneasy, but I ask Psy with anticipation.

“Why? Do you know something?”

“Yes, Master. You are indeed the Master. I stayed up all night thinking about the notification that rang when I came out of the Primordial Dungeon this time, but I couldn’t find the exact meaning at all. However, as a result of applying the domestic situation and global issues that the Master mentioned, I think I can grasp the rough outline. First of all, the result of the first notification is the fact that we cleared the dungeon. And the meaning of recognizing the dungeon title, and in recognizing the dungeon title….”

“… Just the conclusion!”

“Yes, Master! To put it simply, if you think about the first notification and the second notification together, it seems to mean that only we can use the Primordial Dungeon. Activation of the title and the number of people who cleared it, isn’t it obvious?”

“……”

“Mr. Psy. What does that mean? What does it mean that only we can use it?”

As I stand there blankly with a dumbfounded expression, Ji-hye asks instead.

“Team Leader 3 also heard it, so you should know, right? We cleared it, and it said we recognized the title, so it’s ours, and it activated the recognition of the number of people who cleared it, so only we can use it.”

“……”

“……”

“… Wh, what does that….”

“Wh, what are you talking about!”

Kim Eun-hee, Choi Eun-ji, and Mi-hye, who were listening to Psy’s explanation next to me, became speechless, Ji-hye stammered, and Han Deuk-i screamed strangely.

Well, I was just standing still.

“The Master seems to have prepared this meeting to make us feel the seriousness of the current situation. You are indeed an omniscient and omnipotent Master. Please refer to the guide I mentioned and listen to the Master’s words. Master, please speak. I have laid the groundwork.”

“……”

“O, Oppa, is that you? What does what Psy said mean?”

“Hyung-nim. So what is the meaning of the notification that rang when we came out of the Primordial Dungeon….”

Should I hit him?

Should I beat him up? Ah, that’s the same thing.

Then, should I flip him over?

What the hell is in this bastard’s head!

What… what!

…….

The next day.

Yesterday, we finished the rough meeting, completed the rough agreement, and set up a rough plan for the future. Of course, I didn’t lead it, Psy did it all.

No matter how I think about it, I think I’m really good at naming nicknames.

In yesterday’s situation, not only did I not understand, but everyone else except Psy just stared blankly.

So, if I paraphrase some of what Psy said,

“… That’s why the magic patterns were different. The magic power we have is either naturally absorbed in the dungeon, or it increases due to the spell shockwave caused by the destruction of the nexus or mature tower in dungeons of level 6 or higher, which means that it is not linked to the existing magic circles. The Primordial Dungeon magic circle we came out of used magic circuits instead of the existing entrances and exits, so its location could be artificially adjusted. To explain this easily, beans are beans, but they are the same species as peas, kidney beans, lentils, chickpeas, green beans, and black beans, but they are different types of genetic, that is, the phenomenon caused by the artificial pattern of the magic circle, not the dungeon entrance and exit I mentioned earlier. Even if the magic power patterns are different, magic power is magic power, so the magic circuit changes according to the pattern, and the magic circuit is changed to a magic circle according to the setting of the location….”

I hit him.

I hit the back of his head, coolly.

And I came out. I left the lobby room.

So the meeting was over.

I had no choice.

Do you understand?

Anyway, to put it simply.

We decided to re-enter the new dungeon at the University of California, also known as the Mt. Mudeung New Dungeon, the dungeon within a dungeon, the Primordial Dungeon.

Of course, I couldn’t understand almost 80% of what Psy said, but after shouting the word ‘conclusion!’ dozens of times, I finally got a sense of it. Ah! Of course, it is also to handle the work requested by the head of the Blue House.

If, if I may….

A few days later.

The families of the clear team, including me, all returned to Korea.

It was a little difficult because my son didn’t want to leave, but he was temporarily convinced by the sweet truth that his mother would buy him toys at a large Korean supermarket.

After parting with our families, the American Awakened Association staff, government officials, and American soldiers began to monitor us again under the pretext of providing us with convenience, and the staff of the Korean Awakened Association and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs arrived here and brought all our personal belongings from the existing Mt. Mudeung Dungeon.

There were more than 250 missed calls on the phone that was connected to the power, and the text messages… *크음*.

After notifying Hong-chan Hyung, Tae-seok Hyung-nim, and the remaining acquaintances who could not come here that we were alive, I went to the internet portal site to check the domestic situation.

… After looking into it, there was nothing special.

No, I was so frustrated with the internet speed, which was like a snail sprinting at full speed compared to Korea, that I stopped looking into it. Anyway, in a place where 100 people are gathered, if only one person tells the truth, it becomes a lie.

By the way, if only we can use the Primordial Dungeon, should we form a separate team with the people for that?

Hmm….

The long-awaited new dungeon at the University of California, also known as the Mt. Mudeung New Dungeon, the dungeon within a dungeon, the time to re-enter the Primordial Dungeon is approaching.

In preparation for any unforeseen circumstances, we obtained the cooperation of the American Awakened Association and bought up almost all of the high-level potions sold in the nearby Awakened shopping mall, and packed emergency food and emergency supplies, as well as two Idea Mirrors that we begged, must, absolutely, and stubbornly to bring.

Why did you bring the Idea Mirror?

It’s obvious. They can’t clear it themselves, so they want to see our situation.

If we enter the dungeon, someone from the clear team, I don’t know who, will start playing VJ [Video Jockey, streaming live].

But why two?

Hey, it’s obvious. One for America, one for our Blue House boss.

Since arriving here, we’ve drunk more than a bag of coffee with the families of the clear team and the government officials who were dispatched first… well, maybe not that much? *크음*.

Anyway, I’m already annoyed to death, but I have to get out of here quickly because of the uncles who are making me more annoyed… I’m so annoyed because of some uncles who think I’m just a money-hungry mutt. Sigh.

Okay, if we go in here and come out, it’ll be near Mt. Mudeung in Gwangju, Korea, right?

It has to be… if it’s connected to another place again, we’re really screwed….

Okay. Stop making clumsy assumptions.

We’ll know when we check.

I gave orders to the guild members who were waiting for me.

“We are entering the new dungeon at the University of California, no, the Primordial Dungeon regen clear. Warriors first, enter!”

“En.ter!”

“Enter!”

The warriors, who were lined up in a long line, throw themselves into the dark pit one by one.

And 1 hour later.

‘S… pa… aah!’

“He, here! It’s, it’s real! It’s real!”

“… Damn it! Does that make any sense? Does that make any sense!”

“… Hey! Move! Not everyone is out yet!”

“Warriors, move to the side! Not everyone is out yet! Wake up!”

“Wow… as expected of Jiwon Guild!”

“Th, that’s right. The person over there is Jiwon Guild’s Team Leader 2, Awakened Choi Gil-soo!”

“Do not approach! Do not approach!”

“Control the perimeter! Don’t let anyone move until Jiwon Guild is all out!”

While the dizziness is fading, the surroundings are too noisy.

Hmm… judging by the Korean shouts, it seems like it’s the entrance to Mt. Mudeung Dungeon?

In a flash, the surrounding scenery comes into view… oh, oh!

As expected, it is definitely the entrance to the dungeon at the foot of Mt. Mudeung in Gwangju, where we first entered. So that means that only verified personnel can use this dungeon connected to the United States, and the story that is about to unfold is becoming more and more exciting… huh? Camera?

Hundreds of civilians are fighting with the soldiers who are guarding the perimeter over there.

“Mr. Han Jiwon! Please look here!”

“Guild Leader Jiwon! You have cleared a new type of new dungeon for the first time in the world, please say a word!”

“What is the difficulty of the new dungeon? Compared to a level 1 dungeon, what is the scale and size….”

“Is it true that Jiwon Guild can directly control the connection between dungeons?”

“Is it true that Jiwon Guild has deactivated some of the dungeons they have cleared so far?”

What?

Ah, what did you say?

Which bastard is talking nonsense again… huh? A reporter?

It’s a reporter.

How did a reporter….

I stood there without thinking and watched the chaos around me for a while.

Really, without thinking….

My head is just blank~. *크으음*.

I’m caught.