Memorize

After an intense battle, I decided to take a short break. It felt a bit early, but the fight had drained the others' stamina too much. At my decision, Yun-Jung lit up and immediately plopped down, only to scream and jump back up.

"Ugh… this is disgusting."

The ground around us was littered with the corpses of the undead. While I was fine, Yun-Jung and Sol, who still had weak stomachs, were eager to move somewhere else. To accommodate them, I stepped into the room where the undead had emerged. It might have been unsettling since the creatures had swarmed here earlier, but at least it was better than being surrounded by corpses.

I had expected something resembling a laboratory, but the interior defied my expectations. The space was much smaller than I had imagined—so small that it made me wonder how so many undead had even fit inside.

There were broken, worn-out beds and bookshelves scattered around. Every little detail mattered. While the group rested, I scanned the room, searching for any useful information.

At first, the others just sat still, but when Jung Ha-Yeong let out a quiet sigh and joined me in looking around, Shin Sang-Yong also got up. Seeing him move, the rest of the group hurriedly followed suit.

By then, though, I had already finished most of the search with my third eye.

"Leader, did you find anything?"

Shin Sang-Yong's eyes sparkled as he asked. He always lost his stuttering when something piqued his interest. I shook my head.

"No, I searched thoroughly, but there wasn't much worth noting."

As I finished speaking, I held up about 30 gold coins and a record book written in ancient script.

"Ugh… only 30 gold? That's disappointing."

An-Hyun's voice was filled with dissatisfaction. Considering we had just finished a tough battle, he was probably comparing this haul to the time we fought goblins in an open field and made a decent profit. Yun-Jung and Sol also looked disappointed.

But Shin Sang-Yong was different.

"This is great. Finding 30 gold from just one room? Haha. Oh, could you show me the record book for a moment? I have the ability to decipher ancient texts."

"Of course."

Reliable as always. I handed him the record book without hesitation. He pushed up his dust-covered glasses and began deciphering the text.

His Ancient Language Deciphering skill was ranked D minus, but even that was decent—at least by normal standards.

Has enough time passed to finish a cup of tea? As I absentmindedly chewed on a piece of jerky, Shin Sang-Yong finally handed the deciphered record book back to me. I swallowed the jerky and spoke up.

"Did you find anything? Any important information?"

"Hmm… no, nothing significant. The record is written in a diary format. It seems like this room belonged to someone who used to live here. There wasn't much of note… but strangely, there were a lot of mentions of a spear. Things like, 'I couldn't train with the spear today,' or 'I disposed of failed experiments with the spear.' But there wasn't any clear connection to a laboratory."

"A spear?"

Failed experiments? An-Hyun raised his own spear in curiosity, and Shin Sang-Yong nodded in confirmation. Hearing that, an idea sparked in my mind. It could simply be talking about a spear, but something about it made me suspect a connection to a Qi Spearmaster. I wasn't certain yet, but if there was even a small possibility, it wouldn't hurt to thoroughly explore this dungeon.

Using the deciphered record as a starting point, Shin Sang-Yong and I exchanged thoughts about the laboratory. The others listened while they rested, and even Jung Ha-Yeong only listened in silence. While she was the superior fighter, it was clear that Shin Sang-Yong had a better grasp of dungeon exploration.

"My theory is this: based on the exterior of the building, the lab should have at least three floors. I can't estimate the full size of the first floor, but assuming the hall we just passed was the center, it's highly likely that there are pathways leading in four directions—east, west, north, and south. Aside from the way we entered, there should be stairs leading up to the second floor somewhere in one of the other directions."

"Right. Hmm… I think it'd be better to fully clear the first floor before moving to the second."

After all, we didn't know where the Qi Spearmaster—if he was even here—might be lying in wait. Of course, Shin Sang-Yong had no idea what I was thinking, but he eagerly nodded at my suggestion to proceed cautiously.

"That's the right choice. Even if we don't clear the first floor entirely, it'll take at least a full day. The place is larger than expected. And the second floor could have even nastier enemies. In the worst-case scenario, securing a minimum safe zone before moving up would be the smarter approach."

Shin Sang-Yong often used the word minimum when speaking. People who used that kind of language tended to always assume the worst-case scenario when making plans. It was their way of preparing countermeasures in advance. While some might find this habit frustrating, it was undeniably useful for survival.

Hearing that we wouldn't be able to clear the lab in a single day, the others looked disheartened. Sol, in particular, shivered at the thought of possibly having to sleep here. Noticing her unease, Shin Sang-Yong spoke carefully.

"Alternatively, we could clear the first floor, return to the city, and then come back to tackle the second floor after regrouping. That would be the safest approach, though it would take more time."

I shook my head firmly. If it were just me and Vivienne, I was certain we could take over this place in half a day—no, in less than six hours. Retreating was out of the question. Shin Sang-Yong didn't seem particularly opposed either, as his expression remained neutral.

Clearing each floor completely before moving up. Staying for days if necessary but finishing everything in one go before returning to the city. As I laid out the plan, no one openly objected.

Taking the bottle of water Jung Ha-Yeong handed me, I finalized our initial exploration objective for the lab.

Normally, I limited breaks to five or ten minutes, but this time, we were taking a long rest. The first battle had been too intense, so we needed to fully recover before pushing forward.

As everyone quietly ate their rations, I noticed Jung Ha-Yeong slowly opening her eyes. Her gaze was fixed on me.

I met her eyes, and we exchanged silent looks.

As I gazed into her deep eyes, Jung Ha-Yeong's lips parted slightly.

"Su-Hyeon."

"Yes."

"I have a question."

"Go ahead."

"Are you really a zero-year player?"

"Yes."

At my short, straightforward answers, a faint ripple appeared on Jung Ha-Yeong's otherwise composed face. However, she quickly collected herself and cast a sidelong glance at me. Normally, seeing someone make that kind of expression would annoy me a little, but when she did it, it carried an air of elegance that I found oddly refined.

"I'm sorry. But I still want to say this. I don't know how you'll take it, but… even seeing it with my own eyes, I can't believe it. The monsters from earlier… Honestly, they weren't something a zero-year player should've been able to handle alone."

Her tone carried more astonishment than doubt. Still, it was clear she had taken note of how I had single-handedly held off the undead at the front.

But unlike before, I didn't feel the need to act nervous or figure out a way to deceive her. I had already decided to reveal my abilities gradually, and fumbling my words now would only make her more suspicious.

"Is that so? I didn't find it too difficult."

"How exactly did you fight them?"

"It's simple. The only advantage they had over me was their sheer numbers. To capitalize on that, they would have needed coordinated attacks or a proper rotational strategy. But they just blindly rushed in. So all I had to do was counter, deflect, and use their momentum against them—essentially, focus entirely on defense."

"…That's easier said than done. I wouldn't know where to start. Have you ever trained with a sword back on Earth?"

At her question, I nodded without hesitation.

"I have trained before, but I don't think that has much to do with it. I simply assess the situation in front of me, think of the optimal solution in my head, and then act accordingly. That's all there is to it."

"So, you're a genius, then."

"I wouldn't say that. I've never considered myself a genius—just someone who works hard."

"Heh. Well, Leader is amazing. And Ha-yeong, maybe you should drop it now. It's not a bad thing that our leader is strong, is it? Besides, if you really wanted to check, you could just look up his record at the Player Academy. Not to mention, we're all right here with him."

Shin Sang-Yong stepped in, trying to mediate. At his words, Jung Ha-Yeong looked taken aback for a moment before lowering her head slightly.

"My apologies. I didn't mean for my words to sound like I was interrogating you. I just couldn't help it—your skills were just that shocking."

"The genius comment did sting a little, but I'll let it go this time. However, next time, don't carelessly judge the results of my hard work based on your own standards."

Hearing my firm response, Jung Ha-Yeong's face flushed with embarrassment. She understood that my words were directed at her specifically.

"Ahem."

Of course, the others had no way of fully grasping the depth of our conversation. Maybe if Kim Han-Byeol were here, she would have understood—and probably would have jumped in to argue with me.

Still, when they heard the praise directed at me, I noticed Yun-Jung and the others straightening their backs and lifting their chins proudly. Wait… I'm the one being complimented, so why are they acting all smug?

Ignoring my confusion, Yun-Jung puffed out her chest and spoke up. Her motion made her already prominent curves even more noticeable, causing Shin Sang-yong to awkwardly avert his gaze. Judging by his frequent throat-clearing, it was pretty obvious—this guy was still a virgin.

"Hehe. Unnie, do you even know how amazing my oppa is? You went through the Player Academy too, right?"

"Of course."

"My oppa was the topper of his class. The number one. Do you even realize how hard the clan-affiliated instructors tried to recruit him? They even switched his dorm supervisor to a female player at one point! You should've seen the way she fawned over him—it was hilarious!"

"Oh my. Really? That impressive?"

Jung Ha-Yeong widened her eyes in genuine surprise as Yun-Jung rattled on in excitement. Ranking first in the Player Academy was indeed a noteworthy achievement. An Sol, who had been listening in, quickly chimed in as well.

"Yes, that's right! Even the famous Golden Lion Clan sent him offers—twice! Ahem."

"T-The Golden Lion? Whoa. They almost never extend offers to new players."

"Hehe. Well, our oppa is the best, after all!"

Enough. This is embarrassing.

"But why did you turn down the Golden Lion Clan? Oh, I'm just curious—no hidden motives, I promise."

Before Shin Sang-yong could finish his exclamation, Jung Ha-Yeong's question came flying in. She had nodded along when she heard about the Golden Lion Clan, as if it made sense, but her tone suggested she still couldn't quite understand why I had rejected their offer.

Once again, though, I didn't even get the chance to answer. This time, it was An-Hyun who spoke up. Can you guys at least let me answer my own damn question?

"It was because of us. Hyung and we have been together since the rite of passage. None of us got an offer from that clan—only hyung did. In a way, we were holding him back, so we always felt bad about it."

"You don't have to feel bad. You did the right thing."

"…?"

Everyone turned to Jung Ha-Yeong at her sudden, cryptic statement. She looked a little flustered herself, as if she had spoken on instinct. An-Hyun tilted his head in confusion but continued.

"Anyway, I think hyung felt uncomfortable leaving us behind. Like Sol said, when the Golden Lion recruiters came back on graduation day, he rejected them in front of all of us."

"I almost cried, you know? Thinking back, oppa was different from the very start, even during the rite of passage."

"Yeah. Honestly, if it weren't for Su-hyeon hyung, I don't even know if we would have made it through that place. Phew."

Jung Ha-Yeong turned her gaze to me again, her expression shifting slightly. An-Hyun and Yun-Jung had been showering me with so much praise that, even though their words were flattering, hearing it nonstop was getting really embarrassing.

Clearing my throat, I decided to end the conversation before I died of secondhand embarrassment. "Alright. Rest time is over."

We had taken a long enough break, and the tense atmosphere from earlier had loosened up. Now, it was time to get back to exploring.

As we exited the room, the group fell silent once more. Stepping over the scattered remains of the undead, we pushed deeper into the facility.

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