Chapter 631: The Queen’s Tomb (1)
‘It definitely felt a little off.’
He didn’t fail to attack the dungeon. Although the mission itself was a success, the problem was that the process had been poor.
There was nothing bothersome about Raphael’s training video, and before the current circumstances happened, his performance was good enough to deserve at least 3.8 out of 5 points.
Naturally, I had been rooting for Raphael as if he were my own son, who brought the school’s top-grade report card with him.
It was in the previous dungeon that he went downhill. In fact, there were already some problems before that.
There were definitely some slipups, but the results were good overall, so there was no need for me to say anything to him.
If one thought they weren’t strong enough to do what they could overcome themselves, they would inevitably make mistakes as well. Likewise, the part that kept bothering me came up eventually.
Simply put, I even thought about whether my child had a mental problem. It was only natural to pay attention to the person who always received the school’s top grades.
Of course, it was admittedly a difficult dungeon.
Legendary-grade Dungeon, Black Heart Wreck.
The place was certainly difficult to target. It had a huge ship as the main stage, making it hard to fight against monsters like mermaids and pirate captains who served as boss monsters.
Some of the locations in the dungeon were secretly submerged or had a scarcity of oxygen, and the flooded floor had prevented bodies from moving properly.
Although Raphael’s party members pushed and succeeded in raiding it, considering that most of them were forced to retire before the boss match, it was entirely close to failing.
Their average stats were excellent, but they were only successful in individual battles.
‘This is a mess.’
The problem was that they couldn’t unify themselves due to their excellent characteristics and individuality, and above all, Raphael didn’t serve as the center point.
‘Their ability to cope with sudden situations is too poor…’
They had a lot of aspects they needed to improve on in many ways. It wasn’t much, but that was the report of Lee Kiyoung’s dungeon team that day.
“You’re here.”
“I look forward to your kind cooperation today.”
“I look forward to your kind cooperation, too.”
“I look forward to your kind cooperation, sir.”
“It’s been a while since I last saw you.”
As I turned my head slightly, the faces of Raphael’s party members became visible.
Actually, they weren’t unfamiliar faces. I had already entered a simple dungeon with them before, and most of all, I was secretly supporting them.
I picked out some of the heroes from the first round that had spread across the continent and connected them to Rafael.
Some had to be connected intentionally, while some established a relationship with each other naturally.
When I looked sideways, I saw a woman looking at Raphael.
Marien was called the Miracle Priest right after the First Continental War. She was an adventurer summoned from the European side and one of those who lived far from danger as an ordinary person.
After settling in a small village that people couldn’t easily reach, she took care of children, but she had lost everything she loved to the enemy who suddenly appeared that time.
After that, she applied as a combat priest and moved around the battlefield, but that was her story in the first round. Oh, and she died miserably due to the masked trash as well.
In the second round, she hadn’t lost the village she settled in.
Instead, the undead came upon her village by accident, and her awakening happened a little earlier. Although the village was almost completely swept away, she successfully awakened. She later met Raphael while thinking about how she could use her power.
Wouldn’t she be perfect for a warrior who was just going on an adventure and going on a trip?
‘She’s pretty good, too.’
I liked the second member as well.
The hunting dog, Lee Ju-hyuk.
As the name suggested, he was Korean.
To categorize his role, he filled a similar position as Kim Chang-ryul of our team.
Kim Hyunsung of the first round also had a strong sense of spite, and the anecdote where he bit his opponents’ wings with his mouth during the war with angels was very famous.
In recognition of his contribution to the battlefield, he became the Allied Forces Head, but that was also the story of his life during the first round.
In the second round, he started not as a mercenary, but as Raphael’s friend.
I was worried that the experience he gained through the tough mercenary life would go away, but he currently showed even better potential, almost as if he had let go of his worries.
His personality was no longer something he acquired, but something innate.
Wouldn’t it cause a positive effect if Raphael felt a strange sense of rivalry?
Oh, he also died at the hands of the masked trash. That was how he earned his nickname. He was known to have met his end by being eaten by animals.
Of course, there were other good people besides those two.
The wizard of tragedy, one of the pillars of war and had promising talent, was killed by being branded as a traitor after being tempted by the masked trash.
He was one of the most famous adventurers, but he was accused of being involved in a group’s live burial incident committed by the masked trash. The assassin next to him was also buried alive on the same day and died with numerous prisoners.
He also lost the battle against that scum, becoming a puppet, and was used to fight around the battlefield.
‘He was really heartbroken.’
Didn’t he say he killed his colleagues with his own hands?
Although everyone’s end wasn’t that peaceful since they died while the world was ending, it was undeniable that they had once made a name for themselves.
If the masked trash was still alive, I thought the chosen warrior’s party in front of me couldn’t have been created.
They would’ve been scattered or played by his dirty tricks.
Just thinking about what I heard from Kim Hyunsung, my hands started shaking.
Cho Hyejin, who was with him in the current timeline, also lost her life in the hands of masked trash.
Although it was already over, it was impossible to forget such a thing. That aside, Raphael’s expression towards his party looked so warm.
I didn’t think it’s been that long since they met, but it must’ve been enough time to become friends.
Since I was a well-attached person, I naturally stood out at the center.
No wonder I was the first one to move. I was the guardian of the party, after all. Rather than taking the lead openly, I thought it would be a better choice to observe first.
‘Actually, it’s embarrassing to be called his guardian.’
I didn’t know about the other way around, but I didn’t have the ability to protect Raphael.
It would be a different story if I were Doom Kiyoung, but it was more accurate to say that I was the one in a protected position in my current form. My goal was to tell how the party’s position would feel under the direction of a captain who played as a power analyst, a coach, or directly in the field.
For example…
‘I need to gauge their experience.’
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it was the quickest way to determine the party’s experience and share my experience with them.
‘It’s all in my head.’
I had to teach some of what I had learned into the party members’ bodies and Raphael’s head.
It was not that Kim Hyunsung wasn’t the one giving the order because he couldn’t.
In fact, in the early days of the Blue party, Kim Hyunsung led the party himself. Of course, he understood tactics better than anyone else, but he trusted me and admitted that I was excellent.
Even Cha Hee-ra was the same.
Right before going crazy, she led the Red Mercenary herself, and Yuno Kasugano wasn’t that different either.
In a way, it wasn’t unreasonable to think that it was an essential virtue. The freedom of my movements relied on my knowledge and experience.
Anyone who had taken up arms on the continent couldn’t contradict that.
The priorities of Raphael’s party had to be experience, time, and knowledge.
‘Hyung, you’re known for these things.’
He was ready to experience a new world.
It had been a while since I fought in the frontlines, but my Mind’s Eyes wasn’t going anywhere.
When I nodded to signal that he could start, Raphael’s mouth immediately opened.
“…”
“Today’s dungeon is a legendary-grade dungeon, the Queen’s Tomb.”
‘Yes, yes.’
“Detailed information is not available, as is the case with most legendary dungeons, but the starting point is supposed to be inside the Queen’s Tomb, and there is a possibility of small or large battles going on inside the basement. Jin-hyung… I think it would be better for you to scout it out and provide us more details after the first battle. After that, we’ll head onwards.”
“I’ll be a little more serious today.”
“It’s obvious why.”
“This is useless chit-chat… Please control yourself.”
“Yes, sir.”
‘They’re getting along pretty well.’
It wasn’t to tease him, but to relax him.
‘Although Raphael is the leader…’
He had the least experience.
Cho Hyejin, who was with us as a personal escort, had similar thoughts about him. They didn’t talk, but I could see that the party looked pretty good.
The party itself was pretty balanced. I was a little worried about the rearguard, but it was something Raphael could help with.
I was certain of it.
‘Well done.’
I felt as if he had organized a party where he could play his part the most.
They probably wouldn’t be able to run smoothly without him. He served as the bridge connecting the front guards and the rearguard while also filling their lack of firepower.
It’s a different charm from the Blue party. They couldn’t compare to our group, but they seemed like a good squad to play with for a while.
After observing the party members’ detailed steps, abilities, personal tendencies, and items, I began to appreciate them.
Of course, I was looking at Cho Hyejin with the most difficult expression. My legs were already hurting because I had been carrying heavy loads for too long.
She felt a little sorry, but as I gasped as if I was having a hard time, her expression changed as if to say, “That punk is acting up again.”
Only when I frowned as if I had a headache did Cho Hyejin started showing her concern.
“Give me what you’re holding.”
“No, it’s okay, Hyejin. I can carry it by myself.”
“Stop arguing with me and just hand it over quickly. I can carry that. I won’t participate in the battles anyway, so I don’t mind holding a bag.”
“It’s alright.”
“You were looking at me for help, weren’t you?”
“It wasn’t necessarily…”
“Hurry up and hand it over.”
“If you say so…”
I finally felt a little relieved. We arrived at the dungeon with good timing.
“Then I’ll go in right away.”
[You have entered the Legendary-grade dungeon, the Queen’s Tomb. Number entrants: 9/10.]
That was the first time in a while that I had seen that.