Matan’s Shooter - Chapter 224

-Leeha-nim, did you find anything?

-No! Whispering isn’t even possible, well, we’ll have to go down and look first. Let’s go near the giant bone carcass!

While flying, Leeha tried to whisper to Fernand again just in case, but the result was the same.

As he tried before, there was only an empty ringing. He probably blocked everyone from whispering to him.

‘If that’s the case, he should have only played single-player games. Why was he playing such a massive online player-based game?’

He had doubts, but it was not the time to worry about such things. It was said that there were as many ways to enjoy Middle Earth as there were users.

Jin Gonggong canceled his transformation near the Dragon Bone. There were no monsters near the huge structure made of dragon bones.

The ones from far away looked at Leeha and Jin Gonggong, but that was all. They didn’t bother coming over.

“Whoa, what do we do now? The monsters-”

“How come they’re not coming over?.”

“Oh…… that’s right.”

It could be because of the power of the dragon bone. The two men did not know the exact reasons, but they could make a rough guess.

“Should we try looking for him first?” 

Leeha held Kaztor’s crystal ball. Jin Gonggong nodded.

Unlike before, the crystal ball was emitting a much stronger light.

‘The reaction is different depending on the distance. With this much light……”

Two people held a GPS detector-like crystal ball and walked around the dragon bone. 

Although it looked similar, the intensity of light was slightly different depending on the location. “I think this area gives the strongest light. What do you think?”

Leeha looked at Jin Gonggong with a frown and asked. However, Jin Gonggong did not reply. He was obsessed with looking at the dragon bone.

“How big is this thing? With how large the bones are… the skin and muscle should be similar, right? Are all normal dragons this big? What do you think Leeha-nim?”

“Hmmm, no, let’s focus on this for a moment. I need to finish this quest first”

“Yes, yes. Wow, but it really is big. Had it still been alive, wouldn’t it give a lot of experience and affinity?…… I have seen dragons a few times in the frontier-”

Leeha laughed as he looked at the druid who wasn’t even listening to his words. Well, it was considering the nature of his job.

‘The closer we get to the center, the brighter it gets. As if these huge bones are hiding something…’

It was probably the part where the hind legs and near its rib cage.

Although not all of the original form has been preserved, the area was estimated based on the approximate shape and size, and Leeha approached the center.

Kaztor’s crystal ball was clearly getting brighter and brighter.

“Hmm?”

And after a while, the light of the crystal ball faded again. As he turned back, wondering if he walked past it, the crystal ball brightened. 

‘I think it’s near here……’

Leeha looked around but he saw nothing. He was at the center surrounded by the remaining dragon bones. That was all. Leeha scratched his head at the open place that was nothing like a building.

‘I stayed here, moved over here, and the crystal ball reacted- no, it can’t be. It is here for sure. It’s here.’

Leeha suddenly raised his head. The shape of the dragon’s horn looked like a roof. He wondered if there was anything above him.

“Jin Gonggong-nim! Turn into a swallow and fly up there-”

“Huh? L-Leeha-nim!”

Jin Gonggong, who was fiddling with the bones as if he was touching a statue, cried out. Red light emanated from the dragon bone he just touched.

“What is it going- Oh-Ohhh!”

Ruumble……

The sudden vibration made Leeha step back in shock.

The ground where he was standing before started opening up. A stairway leading down was revealed.

“Haa, haa.”

“……D-Did I do well?”

The druid was also calming his heart beside Leeha, who held his chest.

“Is it a dungeon?”

“Let’s go in first. I don’t think you would get any experience, but we should at least party-up.”

Leeha sent a party request to Jin Gonggong. The level difference was still quite huge, but the level compensation for clearing the dungeon would be divided.

With a chuckle, Leeha pulled the bolt and loaded it.

“Shall we go?”

“Yes. I’ll take the lead. I could recognize the ordinary traps through smell, but be careful. If it’s a hidden area in the dragon bones, there may be traps that I won’t be able to see……”

“Smell?”

Jin Gonggong started casting without answering Leeha’s question.

“Polymorph: Grizzly!”

The giant soon turned into a muscular bear and carefully advanced ahead. There were three transformations that Leeha had already seen. Besides this one, Jin Gonggong could bring out the beast’s abilities to its full potential.

“……As expected, aside from getting eaten by a man-eating plant, druids are better.”

Leeha commented before following Jin Gonggong.

Keung,keung,keung.

When the bear’s movement stopped, Leeha stopped as well. The bear raised one of its claws and pointed at the wall.

“Is it a trap?”

The bear nodded at Leeeha’s question. Because it was a giant that transformed, it was much larger than your normal bear, but the inside was so large that it wasn’t too difficult for Leeha and Jin Gonggong to walk through.

It looked like a perfectly organized hallway, and there was a light made of mana, and a fine variance was seen in a small part of the floor where the light did not reach properly.

“Indeed……. Is it this part?”

It would have been hard to notice because it was neatly organized. However, due to the accumulation of dust, the gap between the trap and the general path was noticeable.

‘I mean, it hasn’t been used in a long time.’

The bear jumped over the trap with a cautious attitude, and moved forward without touching the trap as much as possible. Jin Gonggong’s speed started to slow down little by little.

-I think there’s something ahead.

-What?

-I don’t know. Is it a monster? I smell something faint…… a person?

-I’ll take the lead. Jin Gonggong-nim, you  get behind me.

-What? But if it’s like this.

– It’s because there might be an NPC that shouldn’t be hit.

If it’s Kaztor, they shouldn’t fight.

What if it’s a monster? Although it was a spacious area, there was not enough space to evade in battle. He couldn’t even kill it instantly in one blow.

Leeha and Jin Gonggong changed their positions and walked again. Not only was it their first time coming down the stairs, but the entire passageway was slanted.

In other words, even after the stairs going down to the basement, the two people who had been walking for a long time had already gone down considerably to the lowest level.

‘There shouldn’t be another person in here. If there is……. But it doesn’t feel like its been in use for a long time.’

Leeha grabbed the Black Bass tightly.

After descending underground, Kaztor’s crystal ball gradually brightened. The bear was so excited that Leeha could feel his snorting tickling his neck.

‘Mana Clairvoyance.’

Leeha used his skill. Not all of the internal structure was clear, but one thing was clear. Something with mana was lingering over.

“There’s something over there. We might have to run away, so you need to be ready.”

Jin Gonggong answered with a low growl.

It was impossible to know how far away they were from the unknown person through mana clairvoyance because they could be seen through the walls or internal structures. They just kept moving their feet towards the light.

And they finally found it.

Now, at the end of the straight hallway, they could clearly see something!

“Raise your hand slowly, any sudden movements and I will shoot!”

Leeha knelt down on one knee and quickly aimed at the shadow. The light was dim, but the figure was visible. The person wore a long-brimmed hat and shabby clothes.

“Who are you? We can attack right now!”

Jin Gonggong suddenly released the polymorph and shouted. However, the stranger did not stop moving even after hearing Leeha and Jin Gonggong.

No, rather, he even looked at Leeha and Jin Gonggong with blank eyes.

“Are you a user or NPC!? Tell me, who are you!”

“……Oh? Wow? So it wasn’t a hallucination?”

“Huh?”

“Yes?”

He raised his hat, revealing his firm olive-colored skin. He gave the impression of being a dog lover.

“How did you get here? There hasn’t been anyone in the last few days. Are you the owner of this dungeon? Can you open this door? Maybe there’s something after opening this door, even my master key can’t open it.”

The man was fiddling with something. With him leaping and making rattling sound. He looked like a thief.

“Are you.. a user?”

“Huh? Yes. Ah, you are not the owner of this dungeon? Then who- ah! Do you know Lee Jiwon? Did you come to kill me?” 

The man raised the brim of his hat and said without hesitation.

What did he mean when he said come to kill him? However, with the name Lee Jiwon, and his attitude, Leeha was able to guess his identity.

“…No way. Are you Fernand-ssi?”

“Oh my. How did you know?”

Leeha and Jin Gonggong looked at Middle Earth’s Pioneering King.

 “So, how many days have you been wandering here?”

“That’s what pioneering is. I’ve seen this type of dungeon a few times. I was able to open it with my master key everywhere else, but it didn’t work here for some reason. There should be a good reward for something like this.”

“Oh, uhm……”

The man put his ear to the tightly closed door and was sticking all kinds of items through the cracks. Was he the Pioneering King? Shouldn’t he be called the thief king instead?

 ‘No, calling him a great thief is a bit …. He’s more like a little thief.’

Leeha looked at the contents of the quest and took out a letter from his bag.

“Excuse me, Fernand-nim-”

“Ah, I see. Do I have to put something here? It must be a special item. But even without such a thing, I mean, I can do everything with the master key. But it’s a bit annoying.”

“-Actually, I came to meet Fernand-nim at the order of the Fibiel’s King-”

“Is it about the size of a marble? Ah- Huh? W-what is that?”

“-New world quest- Huh? What?”

“That! That shiny thing!”

Fernand, who didn’t even hear Leeha’s words, noticed the light peaking from Leeha’s bag.

“Ah, this is my quest…… ah?”

“That’s it!”

Only then did Leeha realize. The quest contents were tangled in his head while chatting with Fernand, who he had suddenly discovered.

Why did he come down here with Jin Gonggong?

‘Kaztor! The dark elf quest!’

Fernand pointed to the place where his master key was. Leeha put Kaztor’s crystal ball in its place.

Rumble—…….

After a slight vibration, the wall that had been firmly closed, opened.