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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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‘The Chairman is... a prince?’
Yeongwoo couldn’t believe his eyes as he repeatedly read the text marked on the map.
‘But now he's a space gangster?’
Dogo Vesedel, the First Prince and commander of the royal guard.
The exact timeline of this dungeon’s reconstruction was unclear, but one thing was certain: at one point, Chairman Dogo had been a figure of prestige.
However, after some unknown event, he established a weapons manufacturing company and became a notorious villain, infamous even among the galaxy’s government officials.‘Well, being a prince probably gave him the power to kill government officials without consequence.’
Yeongwoo started to understand more about the situation.
Dogo didn’t just have immense strength; he had a powerful background, being of royal blood...
‘Wait a minute.’
As his thoughts progressed, Yeongwoo suddenly paused.
‘But the weapons of the Vesedel royal family are called “Bastard”...’
Surprisingly, the Chairman had given him his family’s ultimate weapon, but that wasn’t what had caught Yeongwoo’s attention.
‘Why is the weapon called “Bastard”?’
According to the testimony of the giant Gameta, whom Yeongwoo had encountered in the "Sanctuary of Valor" dungeon, a “myth” was something that was created.
— Only those who write their own myths can leave behind a tangible legacy. Vesedel killed a transcendent being and gave birth to Bastard.
In other words, mythical equipment is created when a feat worthy of myth is achieved, and the Vesedel royal family became a myth by killing a transcendent being.
And the manifestation of that myth was...
‘...The cursed sword Bastard.’
But why would the name of that myth be associated with the word "bBastard"? With few clues, Yeongwoo could only speculate.
The only Vesedel royal family member he knew who possessed the weapon Bastard was the Chairman.
‘Could it be that the Chairman himself is a bastard? No, that doesn’t make sense. He’s the First Prince, after all.’
In most cases, a royal bastard would find it difficult to become a prince, let alone the First Prince.
Other legitimate princes would never allow a bastard to ascend to such a rank.
However, if this particular bastard had been the only remaining option, an exception could have occurred.
‘For example, if all the other princes had died.’
In any case, the truth was still out of reach.
“Hmmm.”
As Yeongwoo finally tore his gaze away from the map, Ottavio and Anubhav, who had been watching him closely, hastily pointed to the corridor behind them.
“Let’s go quickly. The exit is that way.”
But Yeongwoo, looking in the opposite direction, said,
“No. I’m heading west.”
“W-what?”
“Isn’t it a bit of a waste to just find the exit and leave? We don’t know what else is in this fortress.”
“That’s true, but…”
‘That’s easy for someone as strong as you to say’, Ottavio thought, but the words caught in his throat.
“…What exactly is in the west?”
“Probably the strongest entity in this fortress.”
“…?”
Ottavio and Anubhav were left speechless at Yeongwoo’s words.
If this madman was truly planning to go further into the west, they would have only two choices:
First, to separate from Yeongwoo and try to escape the dungeon on their own.
Second, to trust that Yeongwoo would somehow survive and follow him to face the dungeon's strongest monster.
“……”
At least Ottavio had some reference points, having seen Yeongwoo’s performance in the previous dungeon, but Anubhav, who was from India…
“Are you seriously planning to go deeper in there?”
It was truly a moment of agony.
While he knew this man from the East could break swords with his bare hands, he was unsure if that level of prowess would be enough to solve all the problems in this dungeon.
“Yes. Now that you know the exit’s location, feel free to leave first if you’re really worried.”
As Yeongwoo started walking alone down the corridor to the west, Ottavio reluctantly followed.
Turning back to Anubhav, who was left standing, Ottavio warned,
“Remember, the obstacles to survival aren’t just monsters. The other participants are basically enemies too.”
Ottavio was implying that sticking together was safer than wandering alone.
“……”
After a moment’s hesitation, Anubhav had no choice but to follow them into the west.
* * *
Just as the holographic map had indicated, the destination wasn’t far away.
After passing through the narrow corridor where the three had first met, they entered a wide central passage, where they encountered two more guards.
However, since Yeongwoo had already defeated a guard once and knew that their durability decreased with each hit, these guards weren’t much of an obstacle.
Boom!
Within nine moves, Yeongwoo had taken down both guards, and by now, he seemed almost like a local guide to the other two participants.
“Your adaptability is incredible,”
Ottavio remarked as he watched the guards dissolve into smoke.
Yeongwoo opened the map again and muttered,
“That’s the reason I’m still alive.”
He then pointed to the large door ahead.
“There’s probably something inside. If you want to preserve your life, you might want to stay out here.”
“……”
The door Yeongwoo pointed to was marked as the First Prince's room on the map.
The map didn’t indicate whether the First Prince was physically present in the room or if it was simply marked as his chamber.
Regardless, the important thing was…
‘If I’m lucky, I might get to see what the Chairman looked like in his younger days. And if I’m even luckier…’
Yeongwoo clenched his fist.
‘I might even get to fight him.’
The Chairman in the room was likely a replica, like the guards, but that was more than enough.
Beating the real Chairman would only get him killed.
“I’m going in.”
Yeongwoo left the other two with a brief farewell and strode toward the large door ahead.
Despite being the chamber of the First Prince, the commander of the royal guard, there were no guards stationed at the entrance.
Without the map, it would have been easy to overlook the door as just another large entryway.
Three low steps led up to the door, and as Yeongwoo ascended them one by one, the door slowly began to open.
Rumble…
“Oh.”
Just as the map indicated, the First Prince’s room was excessively large—about fifteen times the size of the bedroom where Yeongwoo had started the dungeon.
The wide room had a black steel tile floor in the center, and countless weapons—swords, spears, axes, and more—were stuck into it.
In other words, this was a ‘training ground’.
Strictly speaking, it was originally an office, but it seemed that the First Prince, Dogo Vesedel, had converted it into a training ground.
Furniture like desks, bookshelves, and dining tables were piled up in the corners, shattered and broken.
Moreover, the room was littered with massive arrows, up to four meters long, deeply embedded in the walls, hinting at some intense training or battle that had taken place.
‘Is this really a prince's room?’
Yeongwoo marveled at the unexpectedly harsh environment as he stepped further into the room.
Creeeak.
As Yeongwoo entered the large door, he noticed someone in the middle of the steel tiles, clad in gray armor.
"…Chairman?"
There was no need to zoom in; Yeongwoo immediately recognized the figure as the chairman, or rather, the First Prince, Dogo Vesedel.
The armor covering his entire body was almost identical to that of the chairman, with no dents or cracks, right down to the posture.
Of course, to be precise...
‘This is the chairman in his younger days, right?’
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Just by looking at the pristine armor, it was clear that this was the chairman before he had been through countless battles across the universe.
In other words, this was...
‘...A complete rookie.’
And since this was one of the elite monsters of the dungeon, there would surely be loot to obtain.
Gripping the standard sword Ottavio had given him, Yeongwoo confidently stepped forward.
"Hey, Dogo!"
The First Prince slowly turned to look at Yeongwoo.
-......
It was as if he had been waiting.
Immediately, a dungeon-wide announcement echoed.
「One participant has encountered the First Prince.」
"...Huh?"
Then, a blood-red warning message appeared.
【The boss battle has begun.】
“......!”
Yeongwoo sensed a heavy presence above him at that moment.
Whoosh!
"What the hell...!"
As Yeongwoo instinctively dodged to the side, the spot where he had been standing was smashed by a black silhouette.
Boom!
‘Is there... a subordinate? Well, it is a boss monster, after all.’
As Yeongwoo backed away a few more steps and looked up, he saw a massive knight, clad in black chainmail that covered his entire head, rising to his feet.
The knight had been lurking on the ceiling above the room's entrance.
"Black Eyes... Desirak."
As Yeongwoo read the name tag above the knight’s head, the knight turned to stare down at him.
「Black Eyes – Desirak」
The chainmail that covered the knight’s face wasn't ordinary; it was a tightly woven chain that covered the entire front of his face, giving it the appearance of an iron veil.
As a result, it was impossible to discern his expression or even his gaze.
‘Is covering their faces a Vesedel tradition?’
The knight was enormous, at least twice as tall as Yeongwoo, who himself was 2.2 meters tall.
The room was lit by a faint blue light from somewhere, casting long shadows that made Desirak’s silhouette appear even more ominous.
Ssss...
A sharp, murderous aura flowed from the knight in the form of cold air.
"Haha... is he the prince’s personal bodyguard or something?"
Yeongwoo chuckled awkwardly, glancing back and forth between Desirak and Dogo, but he was the only one smiling.
And then, finally...
"Interesting."
The First Prince, Dogo, spoke.
His voice was eerily similar to the current Chairman Dogo.
"Wha-? The prince can talk?"
Yeongwoo's eyes widened in surprise as he asked, and Prince Dogo beckoned with a slight motion of his finger.
Tut.
A formless wave of energy radiated from Dogo, sweeping through the training ground and reaching Yeongwoo’s feet.
Whuaaam!
"Ugh...!"
Suddenly, Yeongwoo felt his entire body tremble and his legs give way.
Looking down, he saw that his knees had already hit the floor.
It was the sheer force of the wave that had passed through him.
In other words...
‘This must be something like the Aura of the Strongest Sword.’
Though this Dogo was still a novice with an unscathed suit of armor, he had the aura to make Korea’s Strongest Sword kneel with just a gesture.
So, naturally, Yeongwoo thought...
‘This cunning bastard! If only I had the Bastard...!’
Instead of feeling intimidated by his opponent’s power, he was only frustrated that the timing and place weren't in his favor.
After all, the Bastard was supposed to allow him to fight on equal terms with such an opponent.
However, it seemed that the prince Dogo was more generous than the current chairman.
"A mere insect."
Seeing Yeongwoo immediately kneel, Dogo retracted his aura and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.
Clank.
"Come. If I draw my sword even for a moment, you will no longer be a mere insect."
"So, you're saying if I make you draw your sword, I win the boss fight?"
Yeongwoo dusted off his knees and stood up, and Dogo's silence indicated his implicit agreement.
Meanwhile...
Ssiss...
Another presence slowly stirred from the ceiling.
"Seriously, these guys..."
Desirak wasn’t the only personal guard lurking up there.
It seemed that the closer he got to the prince, the more guards would appear.
This boss fight's difficulty was absurd.
"They're basically telling me to just die."
So Yeongwoo blinked rapidly, trying to think.
Was there another way?
A way to make that arrogant bastard draw his sword...?
"Ah!"
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, and Yeongwoo instinctively opened his eyes and mouth wide.
Then, with a swift motion...
Whip!
He pointed a finger at the prince's sword sheath.
"That's not the real Bastard, is it? Why don't you take a look?"
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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