Never Die Extra (Edited)

The deeper they went into the dungeon—finally reaching the fifth floor—the more achievements Louise’s party had gotten.

Renail, who had been suffering from a series of monsters that she couldn’t catch on her own, felt slightly discouraged.

Save began to offer thanks for Evan’s grace.

Louise tried to turn her eyes away from the soaring guilt she felt every time she saw her party members, as everything was going according to Evan’s design.

[Your level has grown to 5.]

[The dungeon has deepened and widened since its reopening, making it become more discrete.]

[But you are tearing apart everything the dungeon is trying to hide. You may as well call them secret-killers.]

[Or they must’ve heard all the secrets from someone else.]

The message that came as soon as they found the stairs to the fifth floor stirred Louise’s guilt and, at the same time, gave her a subtle pleasure. No one would have heard the voices this long after only clearing the fourth floor. She only had to follow Evan’s words and reap the rewards.

“I wonder what happened to the teacher before. Was he always this good?”

She secretly thought that and enjoyed this moment with uncertain emotions. Then the voices flew back to her ears.

[I have a job that suits you… No matter how hard I try, I can’t give it out yet. You’re not good enough as you are now.]

[But if you keep going, you’ll get what you want.]

[I’ll be waiting at the end of the fifth floor.]

Louise slowly got up when God’s message was over. Not only did her dungeon level rise, but she also earned bonuses for her sword and shield skills. Now, she was definitely getting stronger.

‘A job…’

Her teacher said that it would be better to get a job where she can get a positive addition in her swordsmanship and shield synergy if possible, but he didn’t say much else.

Evan was just being evasive because he didn’t want to comment on her job as an outsider, but Louise accepted it as trust and expectation for herself.

‘You said you cleared the fifth floor and got a job. That’s definitely very fast.’

She didn’t expect that the party member Save would break through the first floor and get a job right away. However, even she got a confirmation from God that he would give her a job as soon as she cleared the fifth floor, so she wasn’t falling behind.

‘Rather, I am happy to think that I am like my teacher.’

‘A job… And to get a good job, you’ll have to do as planned.’

The apology for deliberately dragging party members into a tough environment remained, but it could not overcome the desire for growth.

So far, she had been training according to Evan’s instructions and led the party as he told her to, but she was still a girl who had just entered adulthood.

It was a lie if she said she was weak and had to cower and run for a long time, but that wasn’t the case anymore as she felt stronger with every step they took. It was also natural to desire strength.

Her dependence and confidence in Evan, who led her to grow so fast, had increased, and at the same time, she had also developed an obsession for strength.

‘They want to be strong, too. All right… let’s do it.’

She looked up. Save and Renail were both ready to go down to the fifth floor. They were just waiting for her.

“Eonni, it’s taking you a long time. Have you heard the voice of God?” Renail asked in an innocent tone. Their relationship had become more friendly over the past few days as they lived together in the dungeon.

“Yeah, maybe. Shall we go then? The fifth floor is where the floor master is, so don’t lose your tension.”

“Yes!”

“Okay.”

After a good rest, the group went straight to the fifth floor. As usual, Louise first went straight to the center, then secured her position and launched a triumphant march.

“As I said, the achievements on the fifth floor are the most important. Don’t relax, and follow me!”

“As you lead, Louise!”

“He’s saying something weird again!”

Louise, who usually hid her feelings and pretended to be a cool party leader, showcased her skills by rushing monsters with a stronger and more powerful force, and slowly developed her brilliant talent in the process of magic in step with her grumbling party members.

As beginners’ challenging the Sherden Dungeon, they were able to reach the boss’ room in just two days after entering the fifth floor.

“Wow, this is the floor master battle room… I have to put gold coins in here, right?”

“Yes. That’s the price to challenge the floor master.”

For novice explorers, a single gold coin was a large sum of money.

Since the gold coins invested in creating a floor master could not be returned, it was better to give up on the idea of challenging it at all if a party lacked determination and guts.

“Then I’ll open it with the gold coin that my teacher gave me.”

However, for Evan, it was just pocket change that could be invested casually to Louise. He was the Brotherhood Corporation’s owner and the savior of Pellati and Sherden after all.

“Floor Master… We’ve already come this far.”

Renail was moved to tears as she watched the battle room, which accepted the gold coin and spewed its golden wavelength.

They assured themselves that they didn’t have anything to worry about because they had succeeded in riding the same ‘boat’ as Louise!

“The boss is a Goblin Knight. You’re familiar with the patterns since you caught the elite on the third floor, right?”

“Of course. That’s not too hard to deal with.”

This was indeed a confident declaration from Save. However, Louise gave him a look to keep the tension going, and she decided not to say anything further after looking at Save’s facial expression, which seemed to show strong conviction and firm will for his capability.

‘What happened on the first floor?’

She didn’t want to ask.

“Then let’s go in.”

“Yes!”

“I’m ready, Eonni.”

After confirming that Renail was ready to immediately launch her magic, Louise entered the boss room without hesitation.

The guy in the middle of the big battle room, wearing extravagant gloves and holding a spear…was the Goblin Knight.

‘Its weaker form appeared on the third floor.’

Louise raised her shield and dashed forward. Her active skill, Shield Charge, obtained from the dungeon was revealed. The shield began to glow slightly. As soon as her skill was ready, Louise rushed straight into the monster!

“Ahhhhhh!”

“Keeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

The Goblin Knight, who was focused on Louise, also belatedly raised its weapons and screamed. However, the movement itself was not only slow but also a mess.

Louise was able to stagger the Goblin Knight by blocking its blow with little difficulty.

“I’ll join you!”

“Stone Hold!”

A stone shackle appeared at the Goblin Knight’s foot, who was staggering backward under Louise’s shield, which effectively restrained him.

“Ahhhh ahhhhhh!”

It felt embarrassed and swung its weapon around, but Louise calmly swung her shield to stop it and then slashed with her shortsword. The wound instantly stretched over its body, which was much larger than an average goblin’s.

“Hap!”

Save’s attack was the last, but, at the same time, the most powerful. He used the hoisted halberd, jumping high and then smashing downwards!

The Goblin Knight, who had yet to escape from Renail’s Stone Hold, tried to swing its weapon and block it, but Louise’s shortsword deflected its attempt. The Halberd stuck to the neck of the defenseless Goblin Knight, tearing its body like a sheet of paper. Blood spurted up like a fountain.

“Ahh….”

The Goblin Knight fell to the floor. Despite its reputation as a floor master, Renail nodded, as expected, seeing it die after failing to make even a single proper attack.

“We must have taken the most difficult path so far. Look at how the floor master is weaker than an elite monster.”

“I guess so.”

While Save recovered his Halberd, Louise approached its body to retrieve the spoils. She then roughly responded to Renail’s words.

“I always felt like the rewards I received from God were too generous. I’ve had a hard time clearing the dungeon, but I’m happy the actual floor master was so easy.”

“Thanks to that hardship, we were able to overwhelm the Floor Master.”

“You fool, I know that. We might as well… Maybe we’re really being guided by fate? If we keep this up, we could be the best group ever!”

Perhaps, thanks to the overwhelming victory in their first-ever floor master battle, Renail’s cheeks were flushed. Save shook his head and corrected her words.

“It’s not fate. It’s his guidance.”

“No. Well, I respect Evan, but that’s a little too much…”

“I’m sorry, but you don’t understand yet, Renail. And I can’t show you what I’m seeing… I hope that someday you’ll realize it.”

“Could you stop looking at me like you feel sorry for me?”

Save and Renail seemed to be arguing like usual, but they also seemed to have grown a little closer. That meant that tackling a Floor Master was meaningful enough to ease the tension between the two.

“Guys, I found something strange.”

It was then that Louise raised herself up from where the Goblin Knight’s body was and spoke in a very slightly trembling tone. Renail reacted naturally to her rising acting skills.

“Did the boss drop something rare, Eonni?”

“Well, I don’t know. Should I call this rare…?”

“What is it?”

“Um… you’d better see it, too. I may be the group leader, but I don’t think I can decide this by myself.”

Louise came up to them with a frown and stuck something out. It was an old piece of paper. The paper, whose corners were soaked in blood, had a short phrase in the continent’s official language.

– True darkness opens when nine breaths are breathed together. There are now eight left.

“This is….”

Renail drooled. Surely this is not rare. Rather, it’s…

“It sounds like the Dungeon’s hidden achievements.”

“Isn’t that right?”

“Well, first of all, if you take the clear information out, this breath seems like something that represents the life of the floor master, or the floor masters. It’s nine in total, and now it’s eight.”

“It’s not a difficult riddle,” said Renail, giggling.

“If you catch nine floor masters, what happens? Like this dungeon, there will probably be a stronger enemy. It’s good that it’s consistent.”

“…What do you want to do? If there really is a stronger enemy, can we do it?”

“I don’t like adventure very much, Eonni.”

Renail’s eyes twinkled. “But as a person who dreams of magic, I can’t run away from the ‘unknown’ or ‘first time’. Let’s give it a try!”

Stressing that such words were about to pop out, Louise looked back at Save without a word. She could feel him staring through the paper.

[Evan D. Sherden’s Handwritten Letter 3333]

[A note describing some of the dungeon secrets I don’t know what the intentions are, but it will be a mess if exposed to the outside world.]

“Oh, I knew it.”

When Louise was nervous just in case she was caught, a smile suddenly caught on the lips of Save. His smile seemed to be overwhelming with pride.

“Let’s go, Louise.”

Soon he looked up at Louise.

“He is still leading us.”

So, with that, Save’s fanaticism just leveled up another notch.