The Support Ate it All

Chapter 69: No.104 Black Death (1)

(TN: Black Room dungeon is changed to Black Death dungeon. Sorry for this mistake.)

Even at the entrance, the boundary of the depths was imposingly fortified.

Watch posts staffed by faculty members were erected at regular intervals, and the number of crystal balls embedded in the ceiling exceeded that of the underground levels by more than twice.

Moreover, two third-year disciplinary committee members could already be seen.

They seemed to be roaming a designated area in a regular pattern as if on patrol.

Could we possibly breach this place?

It might just work with those two.

With Dang Gyu-young and Chae Da-bin, the chances of success were high.

Infiltrating the temporary storage had been challenging even with just one member of the third-year students guarding the place, but the situation was different now.

Unlike the senior with the hell axe who had been fervently guarding the storage room door, these students were unaware of our plans to infiltrate tonight, let alone that our target was dungeon number 104.

Guarding the sprawling expanse of dungeons inevitably leads to gaps in their surveillance.

For someone as skilled as Dang Gyu-young, exploiting such gaps wouldnt be difficult.

However,

It would be difficult with an extra burden.

The burden, of course, included myself and the other first-year students.

I lacked any skills or traits to conceal my presence aside from the [Thiefs Step] and there was no need to even mention Go Hyeon-woo.

Shin Byeong-cheol might have learned a few things but his overall level was low.

With such a burden of three freshmen, it would be too much even for the president of the thieves club.

So, we need to offload this burden.

Dang Gyu-young would likely have a way to do so.

Dang Gyu-young and Chae Da-bin silently compared the prepared map with the scene before them and started talking with each other through lip reading.

They examined the patrol routes of the two student disciplinary committee members and started improvising a strategy to evade them on the spot.

As soon as their brief exchange ended, Chae Da-bins fingers began furiously tapping on the tablet.

Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap,

So fast that her fingers were a blur.

With the number of crystal balls doubled, it seemed her workload had increased twofold as well.

Dang Gyu-young too gathered mana to prepare a considerably large spell.

The shadows at our feet grew increasingly darker.

Shin Byeong-cheol approached Dang Gyu-young and gestured for us with his mouth.

Group up, this way.

In the meantime, Chae Da-bin had seemingly neutralized all the crystal balls in the area and her hands abruptly stopped.

Then, with a short word as a signal,

Its ready.

Dang Gyu-young released the prepared spell.

[Shadow Pouch]

Shadows burst forth from beneath our feet and they formed a large shadowy pouch.

The pouch, like a living creature, opened its maw and swiftly engulfed us.

Our vision was enveloped in pitch-black darkness.

Only Go Hyeon-woo and Shin Byeong-cheol were faintly visible beside me.

Soon, I felt a swaying sensation, as if being rocked side to side.

It appeared Dang Gyu-young was transporting us within the shadow pouch.

Go Hyeon-woo looked to be interested and he attempted to feel around the walls but I stopped him.

Stay still.

Ahem

Causing any disturbance could potentially affect Dang Gyu-young and Chae Da-bin, who were moving us from the outside.

Staying as quiet as possible seemed like the best strategy.

After a moment, it felt as though the shadow pouch spat us out, and our vision returned to normal.

The first thing that came into view was:

[No.104] [Black Death]

The dungeon portal we were aiming for.

I gestured with my eye to Go Hyeon-woo and Shin Byeong-cheol and pointed to the entrance.

We go in immediately.

There was no time to hesitate.

We had to enter right away since we didnt know when the patrol members might come here.

Dang Gyu-young and Chae Da-bin mouthed a word each to us.

Come back alive.

Good luck.

And to Shin Byeong-cheol, they added a few more words.

Bring back a gift.

Bring back some snacks.

Yes, Noonim.

We bid them farewell and then promptly stepped into the teleportation portal.

***

The first place we set foot in resembled an old, dilapidated house.

It seemed long abandoned with the floor covered in a thick layer of dust.

The sunlight streaming in through the windows provided a warm and cozy atmosphere.

For some reason, Go Hyeon-woo looked around with a wistful expression on his face.

Leaving him to his contemplation for a moment, I turned to check on Shin Byeong-cheol,

...

Only to find his usually playful demeanor was gone and was now replaced by a face filled with worry.

It seemed the reality of entering a B-rank dungeon had finally sunk in.

While it was understandable given the actual dangers of the place, allowing him to remain in such a fearful state could compromise even a well-planned mission.

It was clear we needed to boost morale.

And there was one particularly effective method for such situations.

Scared?

You can stir the pride of a man with just one word.

The effect was remarkably good.

Shin Byeong-cheol immediately managed his expression and let out a slight chuckle.

Ah come on, what are you on about? Whos scared?

Your legs are shaking though?

Its a habit, just a habit. I always shake, even when Im standing.

Well, habits are hard to break.

I pretended to accept his explanation and moved on.

Seeing Shin Byeong-cheols expression relax, it was clear that provoking a mans pride had worked successfully.

We left the old house and continued along the path.

The road widened and the number of people we passed increased.

We had entered a marketplace.

Soon, we were engulfed by an odd sense of unease.

With so many people around, the place should have been bustling and noisy, but there was an eerily subdued atmosphere with little sound.

Moreover, the expressions on peoples faces were filled with negative emotions such as dissatisfaction, sadness, fear, and resignation.

It wasnt hard to guess the cause.

The continuous occurrence of unfortunate events in the area often led to such phenomena.

For example, the tyranny of the sect or clan governing the area is severe, people disappear every day, and the bodies are removed.

And, needless to say, the clan in question was the

Black Death.

A large pavilion stood tall at a distance.

It was the root cause of all incidents in the area and the core of the dungeon.

The objective of this dungeon was to bring down the Black Death, defeating its leader and deputy leader.

Originally, that was the goal.

But with our current capabilities, it was nothing but a pipe dream.

Therefore, our goal was to extract the essence and make a swift exit.

With that in mind, we continued our walk through the marketplace while searching for the first essence.

Until we stumbled upon a small, dilapidated inn tucked away in a corner.

<Spicy Duck Soup>

The faded sign was hard to read and the old wooden door was half-closed, making one wonder if it was still in business.

However, I didnt hesitate to push the door open and step inside.

I was certain this was the place.

The interior of the establishment was as worn and dilapidated as its exterior.

As expected from the outside, there were no other customers besides us.

Ignoring this, we chose a table and seated ourselves.

After a short wait, the inn waiter peeked out from the kitchen.

The surprise on his face at seeing customers was telling of how seldom business came his way.

Still, in order to fulfill his duty as a waiter, he approached us and took our orders.

What will it be?

Three duck soups and some dumplings.

Alright, just a moment.

The waiter disappeared into the kitchen and soon emerged with a steaming plate of dumplings.

Just made them fresh.

He placed the plate in the middle of the table and returned to the kitchen.

Watching his retreating figure, Shin Byeong-cheol quietly observed him before asking me,

Are we here for him?

Yes.

Shin Byeong-cheol had also memorized the strategy guide by force, so he was fully aware of what was to happen next and what needed to be done.

The reason we had sought out this inn was precisely because the waiter was the next target of the Black Death.

It wasnt because there was anything particularly special about him that made him a target.

The Black Death simply took young men one by one periodically, much like carnivores picking out their meals.

It just so happened that it was now the waiters turn.

The three of us leisurely waited while eating dumplings.

And by the time the plate was almost clean,

The old wooden door opened, signaling the arrival of new customers.

However, these customers did not enter; instead, they stood firm by the door while peering inside.

Two men dressed in dark-colored martial arts uniforms.

The black snake tattoos on the back of their hands revealed their affiliation.

Low-ranking warriors of the Black Death clan.

One of the warriors sent a sharp gaze in our direction as if to inspect us, but we did not react immediately and continued to finish the remaining dumplings.

At that moment, the waiter poked his head out from the kitchen, spotted them, and stiffened up completely.

A warrior from the Black Death clan cracked a sinister smile and broke the silence.

Doing good business? Surprisingly, there are customers today.

The waiter replied in a flustered tone.

I-Ive already paid this months dues.

No, today we are here for a different reason.

At the mention of a different reason, fear visibly mounted on the waiters face as if he had guessed what it might be.

Meanwhile, the smile on the low-ranking warriors face grew more and more.

Come with us.

That, thats

You cant!

A middle-aged man who seemed to be the chef burst out of the kitchen and shouted.

He hugged the waiter as if to shield him.

However, as the Black Death clan warrior intensified his menacing glare, the man couldnt muster the courage to meet his gaze.

It was exceedingly difficult for an ordinary person to withstand the oppressive aura emitted by a martial artist.

Yet despite this, the middle-aged man was desperate.

This was because none of the young men who had been taken away by the Black Death clan in such a manner had ever returned.

He was trembling and barely managed to speak,

My son, not my son, please

Thud!

Before he could finish his plea, the low-ranking warrior kicked him, sending him tumbling to the ground.

The warrior glanced at the middle-aged man groaning on the floor, then directed a sharp intensity our way.

It was a warning not to interfere.

He then spoke to the waiter.

Follow us.

Hesitate, and I will cut him down.

Seeing his hand caressing the sword at his waist, the waiter had no choice but to comply.

Any further resistance might result in facing the middle-aged mans corpse, so he had no option but to quietly be taken by the Black Death clan.

Ah.

When the Black Death clan warriors and the waiter vanished from sight,

The middle-aged man struck with despair, slumped down with his gaze fixed on the ground.

His son had become someone who might never return.

I slowly approached him.

As I stood there silently looking down, the middle-aged man became aware of me and lifted his eyes.

I asked with a slight smile,

Shall I go and bring him back?

A flicker of hope appeared on the middle-aged mans face.

Though it was clear he had little expectation against the warriors of the Black Death clan, he seemed desperate to cling to any straw of hope.

If you could do that

What then?

I would give anything. Anything at all.

I grinned.

Just remember, no changing your mind later.