Chapter 39: Buffalo Dungeon (3)

It had been a little over an hour since Geom-Ma and his group entered the Buffalo Dungeon.

At the checkpoint near the entrance, the dungeon employee picked up his phone. After cautiously glancing around to ensure no one was listening, he pressed it to his ear.

Beep-beep.

The dial tone rang briefly.

Click.

After a few rings, someone answered.

“Ah, Instructor. Geom-Ma and his group entered the dungeon about an hour ago.”

—Are you prepared as I instructed?

A woman’s voice responded coldly, her words punctuated by the faint sound of chewing, as if she were eating while speaking.

“Yes, yes, of course. Right now, they should be dealing with the buffalo that have been enraged by the magic stone. There are about fifty of them, so you don’t have to worry. No matter how talented those students are, they’re just kids after all. By now, they’re probably crushed under the buffaloes’ hooves, nothing but pulp.”

—Hmm, well, I don’t expect much, but let’s see what happens.

The woman chuckled, her tone biting and sarcastic.

—Did you take care of the other matter as well?

“Ah, yes. I did exactly as you instructed, but…”

The employee trailed off, hesitating, as though the very act of speaking to her was daunting. His fingers nervously fiddled with the phone.

“Personally, I think just the enraged buffalo will be enough.”

—Hey.

Her voice turned icy, a sharp edge laced with a chilling threat that made the employee freeze in terror. He gulped hard, sweat forming at his temples.

—You know what happens if you fail, don’t you?

“…”

He nodded wordlessly, though she couldn’t see him, his teeth clicking faintly as he shivered.

Her soft laugh echoed through the phone, unnervingly lighthearted.

—Well, I trust you did a good job. Let me know as soon as you have results. Good luck!

“Yes, understood.”

-Click.

Though the call had ended, the employee stared at his phone screen for a moment, then set it to “Do Not Disturb” mode. Finally, he let out the breath he’d been holding. The collar of his shirt was damp with sweat.

Using his sleeve, he wiped his damp forehead and turned his gaze toward the dungeon entrance, his expression dark.

“Dead either way…”

A few days earlier, he had used the magic stone given to him by the woman to enrage the dungeon’s buffalo.

Normally, these creatures were peaceful. But under the influence of the magic stone, and in such numbers, they were no different from a living battering ram.

Even if a group of adults faced them, they would be trampled into pulp under their hooves. The students of Joaquin Academy were undoubtedly talented, but they were still just inexperienced teenagers.

Additionally, as an extra precaution, he had ensured that the door to “that place” had been opened. The chances of the students surviving were virtually nonexistent.

‘…But.’

Despite this, a gnawing anxiety clung to his chest.

Unbidden, his mind conjured the image of Geom-Ma’s piercing gaze.

At first, he couldn’t understand why the instructor was so fixated on the boy. But after meeting Geom-Ma in person, his perspective shifted.

That black hair, its tips faded as if bleached, and those deep, penetrating eyes—they had seemed to see straight through him. The intensity of that gaze had sent chills down his spine.

He shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel the lingering unease. He had followed the woman’s instructions to the letter. There was nothing more he could do.

‘But…’

His eyes wandered back to the dungeon’s entrance. The anxiety refused to leave him. His expression hardened as he rubbed his lips in thought, finally making a decision.

‘I’d better check it out myself.’

Muttering an excuse to his fellow guard, he prepared himself and stepped into the dungeon.

He couldn’t afford any room for error. Yet, as he gripped his weapon, his hand trembled visibly.

***

Saki Ryozo stood frozen, staring into the void, and muttered absently.

“…What the hell.”

The bean paste sweet she had been chewing fell to the ground.

A repulsive dampness lingered in the cold air, carrying a viscous, unpleasant smell that stung her nose. The deafening roar that had shaken the dungeon moments ago had vanished.

Rubbing her eyes to ensure she wasn’t dreaming, she squinted ahead, but the scene in front of her remained unchanged.

A mountain of beast corpses loomed before her, their blood pooling into a crimson river.

The dungeon walls were splattered with blood, which had begun to harden as it cooled, creating a macabre, grotesque display.

Dazed, Saki raised her gaze a little higher, her pale blue pupils widening.

Atop the mound of buffalo corpses stood Geom-Ma, one foot planted firmly on the pile.

In his hands, the blades of his sashimi knives gleamed under a thin layer of sticky blood.

His face, shrouded in shadows, revealed only the cold gleam of his eyes.

Black and red—the colors of the ghastly scene blended in horrifying harmony. Saki’s eyes locked onto him, and her expression trembled slightly.

Her face wore a mix of emotions she couldn’t put into words. Her knees threatened to give out, but she forced herself to stay upright as she looked around.

‘What is this…?’

Not even a minute had passed. Just a moment.

The herd of buffalo, numbering in the dozens, had been reduced to a lifeless heap of flesh. Even seeing it with her own eyes, it was hard to believe.

Geom-Ma spun the knives in his hands like a fan, slicing through the beasts with surgical precision.

Although Chloe had drawn the buffalo’s attention by darting around them, SpeedWeapon had provided support with his flute, and Saki had disrupted the formation with her arrows, the brunt of the carnage had been dealt by Geom-Ma.

As he moved his arms and shoulders, his knives flashed, cutting through his enemies like streaks of lightning. While his movements appeared chaotic at a glance, every buffalo fell with a single, flawless strike.

The corpses bore cuts so clean they looked as if they had been sliced by a masterfully honed blade.

‘…’

She had known from rumors and his fight in the subspace that Geom-Ma was different, but witnessing it in person far surpassed any story she had heard.

Among the heaps of carcasses falling like chunks of tofu, he danced through them with his blades like a whirlwind.

Saki had drawn her bowstring, but in the end, she had forgotten to shoot.

His display of skill left her speechless. She turned her head to see SpeedWeapon shrugging, a knowing smile on his face, as if he understood her astonishment.

“See? I told you not to be surprised.”

“How the hell do you expect me not to be surprised after seeing that, you idiot?”

SpeedWeapon chuckled.

“The first time I saw him, I couldn’t even form words. Every time I watch him, Geom-Ma defies logic and common sense.”

Saki, her lips trembling, murmured with a complicated expression.

“…Geom-Ma… who the hell is he?”

“I have no idea either.”

SpeedWeapon shook his head with an uneasy smile.

“But…”

Before he could finish, SpeedWeapon looked up. Saki followed his gaze.

From atop the pile of corpses, Geom-Ma flicked the blood off his blades, leaving them gleaming clean as if they had never tasted flesh.

Shing—

The ominous hum of the knives echoed, as though they weren’t yet satisfied.

Sheathing his weapons, Geom-Ma wiped his hands nonchalantly, then pulled out a small saw and began cutting the buffalo horns, with Chloe assisting him.

Watching silently, SpeedWeapon spoke to Saki in a low voice.

“A legend.”

“…?”

“Well, something like that. Don’t you think?”

SpeedWeapon flashed her a faint smile before walking toward Geom-Ma.

Saki, left behind, let out a disbelieving laugh.

“Haa…”

***

“This should be enough.”

The bag was stuffed full of buffalo materials.

I rubbed my chin, checking everything one last time. While we had killed more than fifty buffalo, we could only carry materials from about twenty of them.

It didn’t seem like much for the effort, but without a spatial expansion bag, we had to make do with what we could physically carry.

Still, it was a pretty satisfying haul. I nodded, smiling slightly in contentment.

“Geom-Ma, you were amazing again today!”

Chloe, bouncing around with a cheerful energy, looked like a puppy with her hair tousled by the wind after darting around the buffalo.

I chuckled, returning her smile.

“You did great too, Chloe. It was dangerous, but thanks to you, it was easier to deal with them.”

“Hehe, thanks.”

Her face flushed as she glanced down bashfully. I watched her warmly.

Everyone had played their part perfectly, allowing us to emerge unscathed.

I wasn’t one to dwell on sentimentality, but expressing a simple thanks felt appropriate.

‘Plus, my strategy seems to be working.’

The most important takeaway was testing a tactic for dealing with multiple enemies. Future dungeons would likely bring larger groups of beasts, and I couldn’t always rely on my companions.

If I didn’t find a way to handle such situations, I would be risking my life. Thankfully, the strategy I had spent the night planning had worked well.

Even though my ability’s duration was short, I could improve it over time, and fortifying my weapons would also help me better endure the agony.

“To clear this dungeon, we only needed to kill twenty buffalo, but we ended up taking down twice that. Though, honestly, most of the credit goes to you, Geom-Ma…”

SpeedWeapon scratched his nose, offering a sheepish grin.

“At the exam, I didn’t do much against the tritons, so let’s call it even.”

“But that day, you singlehandedly defeated…”

Glancing briefly at Saki, SpeedWeapon left the sentence unfinished. After a sigh, he nodded.

“Anyway, thanks. Honestly, if it weren’t for you, we’d all be dead. By the way, what was up with those buffalo today?”

SpeedWeapon frowned thoughtfully. Before Saki could respond, a cold gust of wind blew from the center of the dungeon.

An inhuman chill permeated the air, and everyone’s faces went pale.

The magical aura I sensed made the power of the siren from the exam feel like child’s play. Chills coursed through me nonstop.

‘Something’s wrong…’

We needed to get out of here.

Before I could act, a wave of magic enveloped us.

“Damn it, what is this…?!”