The expedition party poured into Alcatron, each member careful not to slip as they descended the long stairs one step at a time.

[You begin your next Adventure.]

[Your 22nd Adventure is starting.]

[Adventure 22. Alcatron]

[Adventure 22. ‘Alcatron’

Thanks to your efforts at the Wet Fog Hills, the expedition party safely reached its destination.

However, the expedition party’s mission still remains unfinished.

Yesterday, half of the group entered Alcatron in search of 'Bornuil, the Libra,' and your group now follows after them.

There is something ominous about this place.

Even so, you must complete your mission.

Find Libra.

Objective: Find Libra

Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous.

Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment’s notice.

Caution. This Adventure is expected to be an extensive journey. As such, there is a high possibility that you will not be able to rest properly.

Remaining Time [Unknown]]

‘The Remaining Time… is ‘Unknown’?’

It wasn’t as if there wasn’t a time limit. It was just unknown.

Seol grimaced as he continued down the stairs.

Suddenly, he heard a loud sound behind him.

Thuuuuuud!

“Kyaaaaa…”

Grab

Mael quickly covered Chameli’s mouth.

"Quiet. We don’t know what could happen here, so let's be mindful of the noise,” said Mael.

Chameli glared at Agony.

“You made that noise just now, didn’t you?”

[......]

Agony was silent.

“H-Hurry up and tell me that it was you.”

Seol turned around and answered Chameli in Agony’s stead.

"It wasn't Agony. The door closed. Well, it might be more appropriate to say that it disappeared.”

“The entrance… disappeared? Then are we trapped in here?”

“Who knows? But since Alcatron appears every night, it is possible that the door will reopen tomorrow night.”

"So we'll need to spend at least a day in here, huh…”

"Mael," said Seol. "How large did you guys estimate Alcatron to be when you were first unearthing it?"

"I remember us surmising that it was a massive ruin... I wasn't a member of the Artifact Association then and only learned this through the documents, but apparently, we didn't explore much.”

"So you’re telling me... even though the Artifact Association only explored a small part of it, it was so large that they couldn’t tell the entire scale?”

“Yes, precisely. But now that I think about it… it is quite strange.”

“What is?”

Mael paused, rubbing his chin in thought, while Chameli quickly joined him at his side.

“D-Don’t mess around like that… What do you think is strange?”

“......”

“Finally! We’ve reached the bottom.”

“Keep your voice down. Are you trying to call monsters?”

Mael continued to be lost in thought.

Seol, seeing that, asked him more questions.

“Mael, have there been any monsters discovered here?”

“We’ve discovered an old corpse, but… no monsters. More importantly…”

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing, I’m still not certain yet. Let’s go a bit deeper first.”

Step… Step…

It has been a long time since Seol heard his footsteps so clearly and loudly like that.

‘It almost feels like I’m walking down a hall alone.’

The fact that his footsteps echoed like that only proved Alcatron’s massive size.

“We haven’t met a single member of the other expedition party yet,” said Frannan. “Are we far from the excavation site?”

“......”

“Hey, Mael?”

“We’ve already passed by it.”

“...What?”

Mael had a serious look on his face.

“We’ve… already passed by where we halted the excavation. A long time ago, in fact.”

“...Are you joking right now?”

"Right now, the area we're walking through was once filled with rocks and debris. Yet, for some reason... we're able to continue forward.”

Mael continued, quietly.

“It’s almost like… they cleaned up, expecting guests…”

Thud.

The rumbling caused the expedition party to panic.

“Wh-what was that sound?”

“I wasn’t the only one who felt that, right?”

“Something was shaking…”

Frannan raised his hand before speaking.

“Hey, get ready.”

“What?”

“Something is… coming.”

Rumble Rumble!

[The space around you distorts.]

[Your body is deprived of its freedom.]

[You are now a loner.]

[Hidden Adventure ‘Loners Must Die’ is now active.]

‘Damn it! What the hell is going on?!’

Hummmmmm…

Seol thrashed in a desperate attempt to escape the transferring process, yet it only caused the light to envelop his body faster until he fully disappeared.

* * *

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - Karane

* * *

Drip…

Drip…

Stale water dripped from the ceiling on Seol's head.

Though only a single drop, its descent from the high ceiling caused a slight sting. It was also quite cold, like ice water.

“Urgh…”

[Hey! Quit laying around and get up!]

“What the… what the hell just happened?”

Seol promptly woke up and got up.

[Adventure 22-1. ‘Loners Must Die’

You find yourself alone.

It seems that analyzing this question could be postponed until after you've encountered others.

Currently, you possess no information.

Objective: Locate another member of the expedition party.

Caution. This Adventure is very dangerous.

Caution. This Adventure can change at a moment’s notice.

Caution. This Adventure is expected to be an extensive journey. As such, there is a high possibility that you will not be able to rest properly.

Remaining Time [23:15]]

“...Loners must die?”

Frowning as if he had just read an ominous letter, Seol glanced around.

‘But why is it completely dark here?’

It was strange.

Well, the strangest thing would be how the expedition party had been separated by a mysterious power, but Seol lacked the capacity to address that at the moment. Therefore, he focused on the most urgent matter at hand.

Fwick!

Fwoosh…

Seol grabbed a torch from his inventory and lit it up.

‘Even though everyone should have had an emergency torch with them, considering it's completely dark…’

This place should have been illuminated by countless torches.

The fact that it wasn't indicated there was a reason behind it.

"Maybe the light from the torches doesn’t extend beyond a certain distance?"

[You have acquired new information about Loners Must Die.]

[Confirming another person's light beyond a certain distance appears to be impossible.]

‘...What is this?’

These sentences gave Seol the feeling of being in an escape room. He scratched his cheek as he continued to think about his next move.

“Ahhh!”

“......”

“As I expected… no reaction.”

Someone suddenly appeared by Seol’s side, letting out a loud shout clearly intended to shock and scare him.

However, Seol was more surprised by another fact entirely.

“...Who?”

- Uh… who are you?

- S-Sorry, I think I have the wrong person.

- Hahaha… who were you again?

He was a strikingly handsome man, his features almost seemed like they were sculpted by God himself.

Draped in an old robe, a look of shock filled his beautiful face.

“You… can see me?”

“Should I not be able to see you?”

“No way… I’m a ghost, though.”

“...What?”

“You… You just entered Alcatron, right?”

- Hahaha, sure you’re a ghost~ (scared as fuck)

- I can’t believe people still do jokes like these~ (can’t breathe)

- Ah! That surprised me, haha! Sure, I guess I was surprised! (going to sleep with my mom tonight)

Though Seol was curious about the mysterious man, he was more curious about the secrets he might hold about this place.

But for the time being, since Seol needed to learn about him before anything else, he inquired about the former.

“Who are you?”

“You can… be much more comfortable with me! We’re friends, right?”

“...That depends on your answer.”

“How uptight… You hear that you’re a hardhead often, don’t you? I told you, I’m a ghost! Look, a ghost!”

The man attempted to touch Seol's body, but his hand passed through as if it were nothing.

“...So you were.”

“I told you, didn’t I? You believe me now, right?”

“What’s your name?”

"My name? I don't have one. Why would I need a name when no one here, other than you, can perceive me?”

“That… makes sense…”

“But, if you really want… maybe you could give me a name?”

“Me… name you?”

“Yeah! You’re the only one who can see me anyway.”

“Then what about Ner?”

“Ner?”

“Yes, Ner from ‘loner’.”

- It’s awful! Snowman’s naming sense is awful!

- If he ever gets married, his wife should name their kids!

- What’s wrong with Ner? Pffft… I… pfft… like it…

- What is his last name then? Hamburger?

Ner laughed brightly and nodded.

“Alright, and I like the meaning too! I’m Ner now! Well then, friend, what can I help you with?”

“How did you become a ghost, Ner?”

"How? There was no reason. I was a ghost when I opened my eyes."

“Hm… and you have no memories of your life?”

“Nope, none at all! Maybe I’m like a variant or something…? I’m just a ghost!”

Seol chuckled, as if finding it ridiculous, then fell silent, lost in his own thoughts for a moment.

“......”

“What’s wrong?” asked Ner.

“Just before… didn’t you say ‘no one here’?”

“Yeah! No one here! What’s wrong with that?”

"Then does that mean... someone else besides us is here?"

"Obviously... Duh," replied Ner, his eyes widening. "This is a prison! Of course, there would be prisoners!"

“...So Mael’s theory was right.”

Seol felt somewhat relieved after fully confirming the ruin’s original purpose.

‘If it’s a prison, then all of its prisoners should be dead by now. It is an ancient ruin, after all.’

“Then the prisoners? They’re all dead, right?” asked Seol.

“No? Why would they be dead?”

“......”

"They were locked up, but... there was a loud rumbling a few days ago that allowed them all to escape."

“Damn it… then that means…”

Ner then began pointing into the darkness.

“Waaaay over there… one of your friends is being chased.”

“What?”

“They might die if you don’t save them quickly.”

Fwip!

Seol quickly sprinted in the direction that Ner pointed.

Ooh ooh…

Ah ah!

‘A monkey?’

Since nobody in his expedition party would imitate a monkey for fun in a life-or-death situation, it was likely just a monkey.

And in Seol’s expedition party, there was only one monkey.

‘The junkie!’

Ooh ooh ah ah ah!

The junkie, recognizing Seol, quickly leaped into his arms, carrying various large papers.

[You are no longer a loner.]

Ooh ooh!

Ah ah ah!

The junkie kept pointing behind him, as if trying to indicate something.

‘So there’s… something behind him.’

Skitter…

An insect, two or three times larger than the average human, appeared.

“A praying mantis?”

Ner returned to Seol’s side to speak once more.

“Oh, it was her.”

“Do you know it?”

“She used to be a prisoner on the first floor. She’s got quite a nasty personality.”

“...The first floor? Are you saying that there are more floors to this ruin?”

Seol’s Eyes of Perception activated.

Diiiiing!

[[Unknown]

Rank: Rare

Estimated Level: 28~34

Unknown

Basic Skills: [Unknown 2], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 2], [Unknown 1], [Unknown 5], [Unknown 2]

Unique Skills: [Unknown 2]]

“...You’re joking, right?”

“What?”

Even though it was just one of many prisoners in Alcatron, the Eyes of Perception were unable to read through any of its information. Moreover, the monster was Rare rank, a rank typically reserved for boss monsters.

Kshaaaaaah!

The large praying mantis charged at Seol while swinging its claws.

Fwiiirl!

[You enter the Night Crow form with Shaman ‘Jamad, the Rain of Fire’.]

[You absorb Jamad, the Rain of Fire’s stats.]

[Your class is changed to Fighter.]

However, even though it was a high-level, rare rank monster, it was no match for Seol in the Night Crow form.

Claaaang!

Seol effortlessly dodged the mantis's attack, then struck its chest with his right arm.

Despite its tough-looking carapace, a mere fraction of Seol's strength was enough to cause it to crumble like tofu, his fist driving deep into its chest.

Craaaackle!

Electricity flowed throughout the mantis’s body, shocking it.

Kieeeeeee!

Baaam!

The mantis’s eyes exploded from the impact.

Thud.

Before eventually collapsing in front of Seol.

[You have defeated 1st Floor: Malcurium.]

Ner, the ghost, was in awe after seeing the mantis’s corpse.

“Malcurium is likely the mantis’s name… but what does it mean about ‘1st Floor’?”

“Maaaaan… you really are strong, huh? You just beat Malcurium in one hit like BAM! and made her explode.”

“Could you please answer me? What did it mean about the 1st Floor? Are there more floors than this?”

"You didn’t know? Alcatron has multiple floors, and you’ve just arrived on the 1st."

“What do you—”

“More importantly, your eyes…”

“Huh? What about my eyes?”

“Yeah, it’s changed in a really cool way. They’re turning red now.”

“Don’t tell me… in here?”

Throb…

Seol shut his eyes tightly as they began to throb, as if they might pop out of their sockets.

He had already sensed signs of its awakening since the Labyrinth of Penance.

He had also significantly raised its proficiency by attempting to read the information of powerful opponents.

And now, through attempting to read Malcurium’s information, it had reached a milestone in proficiency.

“If you want to scream, you can. There’s no one around you right now anyway.”

“Urgh…. Grahhhhhhhhhh!”

Not too long after, Seol was overwhelmed with an immense amount of pain.

[Eyes of Perception changes drastically.]

[Blood of Origin becomes active during the transformation process.]