Chapter 41

Dozens of insects burst into flames as each bullet hits the target.

Instead of the usual blue bullets, the bullets were dyed crimson like [Blood System Ability: Corleone], blasting through the bodies of the bugs with a destructive force that would be believable even if they were large caliber bullets.

“Crazy…….”

“…….”

The two people behind me were gaping at the scene.

As the number of bugs dwindled, so did the energy in my body, but it didn’t matter because the bullets from Al Capone’s Tommy, which had turned blue, also had a devastating effect.

Slowly, the aura dwindled until finally the [Bloodline Ability: Corleone] status bar disappeared in front of me.

I took my finger off the trigger and slid [Al Capone’s Tommy] into the cube.

“The smell of burning magic is like the smell of gunpowder…….”

Says Se-ah, waving her hand in front of her nose and I found myself agreeing with her.

“So……are all the bugs taken care of?”

Jin-woo asks while looking at his surroundings while Se-ah closes her eyes and puts her hand on the ground.

“Yeah, I can’t seem to sense any life in the space around us. Seriously……how did Jin-woo not die after being hit like that?”

“……I’m surprised too.”

Of course it’s because I couldn’t do this back then…….

“……We’ll move on. If they’re wiped out like this, the boss on the first floor will be alone.”

“I……that, Mr. Eugene.”

I start to walk away, but Se-ah stops me, pointing to the center of the pile of bugs.

“Isn’t that the boss on the first floor?”

“Huh?”

I look in the direction she’s pointing and see the limp carcass of a centipede. Its seemingly solid carapace had already burst and cracked, losing its original luster.

No, it was really in the mix, the boss?

“……This is ridiculous.”

That means we’ve practically eliminated all danger on the first floor.

With a sigh, I turned to the two of them.

“Let’s go check out the rewards on the first floor, and on our way back, grab any monster materials that look valuable.”

Their eyes widened at the mention of collecting materials.

It was a shame to leave the materials behind after killing so many monsters.

As for currency exchange, well…….Maybe we could sell them to the guys in the club who deal in materials or I could give them to Haru for a cheap price.

“Let’s move.”

We continued to move forward, heading toward the end of the first floor of the dungeon.

I saw an iron door in the distance, and I felt a sense of wonder that such a door existed in a cave like this.

“Boss, isn’t that the end of the first floor?”

“……I think so.”

We opened the iron door and stepped inside, revealing a room with the scent of civilization.

There was a wooden desk in the middle of the room, a note, and the familiar elevator.

“What the hell is that? Haven’t we walked for a while?”

Jin-woo looks puzzled at the sight of an elevator that should be at the entrance, and Se-ah sighs at the sight.

“It’s a dungeon so it’s not impossible if you twist the spatial coordinates, maybe that elevator is the entrance and exit.”

I agree with Se-ah.

With the Dungeon Maker’s abilities, it’s not so strange.

What was really strange was the note and small box on the desk.

Was there something like that in the game?

I walk over and look at the note.

[If you found this dungeon, it means you’re the president of Room Z, and you’ve deciphered all the ciphers hidden throughout the Academy]

“…….”

What’s this?

[And if you’re good enough to decipher all the ciphers and break through the first floor, then you must be the one who wants to uncover the truth about our Dungeon Development Club in the past. That’s a great mindset]

……No, I skipped the whole thing.

As a side note, to get to this dungeon in the game, I had to complete sub-quests hidden throughout the Academy, which was quite a chore.

Of course, old-timers like me just memorize all the codes to enter the dungeon.

[This dungeon is my prototype and my graduation project, a dungeon that lives on its own using the magic used by the students of the Academy, how cool is that?]

In other words, it was this dungeon that would spit out the rewards created through the process.

Anyway, a dungeon that spits out infinite monsters and rewards as long as the Academy is maintained it’s the perfect place for training.

I ignore the useless part of the note and look at the last part.

[……At the end of this dungeon lies a clue to my whereabouts and a great reward, and the older this dungeon is, the greater the reward may be. Would you be able to tackle this dungeon?]

Yes, I’ve beaten it 10 times, and I know how to contact you.

But does the dungeon creator know that I already know the end of this dungeon?

The most important thing is the reward at the end of this dungeon.

The final reward in this dungeon changes every time you play, but because it’s been so long since this dungeon was created, the reward is always a legendary item.

‘That should be enough.’

It was no exaggeration to say that the rank of this dungeon alone was close to that of a Class A dungeon.

An item of that caliber and a story of conquering the dungeon would be enough to become the core of my suit.

The next thing I checked was the small box next to me.

I opened it and found a small green orb inside.

“Oh, what is it, an elixir?”

“What, an elixir? Is it really an elixir?”

Both of them rushed towards me.

I pick up the box and the information on the bead unfolds before my eyes.

[Name: Thousand Poison Marble]

[Rank: Unique]

[Type: Consumable]

[Description: An orb containing a thousand different types of poisons. Consuming it will greatly increase your resistance to poisons and make you immune to certain poisons. However, since it is a condensation of poisons, you must be careful when consuming it]

“I guess it’s an elixir, but I don’t think it’s one of those……that boosts your physical abilities.”

“Mr. Eugene, do you also have an appraisal skill?”

I nod at Se-ah’s question.

It wasn’t technically an appraisal skill, but rather an ability as a possessed person…….Since it’s no different from appraisal, I thought it would be convenient to act like this.

“So, boss, what’s the effect of this?”

“Increased resistance to poison. Other than that, I don’t see any other abilities.”

“Poison resistance? Wow…….That’s why there were so many bugs.”

There was a moment of silence but Jin-woo spoke first.

“This is for the boss. The boss did all the work in the second half.”

Se-ah nodded in agreement.

“I think Eugene should get this, too, because I’m sure he could have gotten to the first floor without us.”

The two of them acknowledged my ownership of the elixir as if it were a matter of course, even though it’s a pretty good item, and I should be greedy for it.

I’m rather grateful to them for going this far.

‘Besides, it’s just what I need.’

Invulnerability to Poison, which nullifies all poisons ranked B or lower, was also an elixir of life for me as a mafia player who never knew when or where he would be poisoned.

Even when I was playing as Saber Crowe, it came in handy at Japanese Yakuza dinners.

“That’s nice of you to say, then I’ll take this.”

I thought I was prepared for physical attacks, but I didn’t expect the Thousand Poisons Marble to come at such a good time.

Apparently it’s supposed to be ingested with caution, so it would be safest to take it in the mansion and in front of Parnello.

Tucking the elixir into the cube, I pressed the elevator button and looked at the two of them.

“I think we’ll call it a day for now. Tomorrow we’ll have the day off, and……Monday we’ll train in a duel format.”

I decided to be content with the dungeon experience for today.

* * *

Today’s dungeon earnings totaled 3 million credits.

Three million credits per day. No wonder everyone wanted to become an Awakener and enter the dungeon.

Two million of these credits were given to Jin-woo and Se-ah, one million each.

‘A million credits, yay……! I can buy gifts for my siblings!’

‘A million! I’ll take it!’

As for Jin-woo, it looked like he’d blow through it quickly, but……well, as long as he was happy with it, it didn’t matter.

The remaining 1 million was sent to Young-jae, who had been sending me information about the ‘Ranger Club’, as a kind of activity fund.

Me? Why would I need a share when I can just get my pocket money?

And Young-jae seemed to be fulfilling his duties with ease.

I didn’t know he had a talent for spying……….

So far, the information he had sent me was useful in terms of their numbers, abilities, characteristics, and locations.

According to him, they’re going to great lengths to secure the recipe.

I told him to take his time and return when he had nothing more to dig up, and then returned to the mansion.

I’m supposed to be playing with Jiyun this evening, so I’ll have to hurry up with my elixir consumption.

“Is Parnello at the mansion?”

I asked one of the gang members guarding the mansion, and he nodded.

“Yes, sir. He’s currently in the garden, helping Ms. Jiyun with her lessons.”

“Really? Will you tell him I asked to see him? I’ll be in my room.”

“Okay.”

Apparently, he had been playing with Jiyun in my place until I arrived.

When I got back to my room and was waiting with the elixir in front of me, I heard a knock on the door.

[I heard you were looking for me, Master]

“Uh, come in.”

Upon hearing my answer, Parnello entered the room and bowed to me, his eyes widening as he spotted the elixir in front of me.

“It’s a……elixir, isn’t it?”

“That’s right, I had to go into a dungeon this time and I got it there, do you know anything about poisons?”

Parnello grinned at my question.

“Poison is a great tool for a hitman. Is there any poison in that elixir?”

I nodded at his question.

“I hear it’s an elixir that can make you invulnerable to poison. By the way, did you bring the one I told you about?”

“Yes. A potion that increases your natural recovery……Luckily, I still have some of the one you used to use as a cold medicine when you were younger.”

“Good.”

“Do you intend to take this with that?”

“For now, yes. I saw something interesting in the Academy library. It says, ‘The effectiveness of elixirs that are poisonous in nature is increased when consumed with potions that amplify natural healing abilities.'”

To be fair, it was something I’d experienced a few times in the game.

Poison immunity requires the elixir to repeat the process of breaking down and repairing the body, and if you have a high ‘natural healing power’, that’s a lot of repetition.

“That’s interesting, then, do you mind if I watch you from the sidelines?”

Parnello asks, concerned about me swallowing the elixir.

“I don’t mind. I’d rather you did.”

With that, I take the potion from Parnello and swallow the Thousand Poisonous Marble and the potion together.

Hmm……what is this?

It’s not as bad as I thought───

At that moment, I cough, and blood pours out of my mouth.

“Cough.”

At the same time, jet-black blood soaked the floor.

No matter how much I knew, I panicked when I saw blood gushing out of my mouth. Then I hear Parnello’s calm voice.

“It’s dead blood. It’s making you spit out dead blood so that the elixir can be better absorbed.”

My stomach churns, and something keeps coming up.

“Don’t hold it in. Spit it out as it comes out. I am by your side.”

Parnello’s voice is a relief to hear.

True to his word, I don’t hold it in and continue to spit out blood.

Uhhh……But isn’t this a bit much?

I glance at Parnello but he just stands there and stares at me.

……Nah, I’m not really going to die, am I?

chapter-41
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