"….!"
Suho was greatly shocked.
The suddenly appeared black demon was a demon covered in a black exoskeleton like armor and emitting black steam from its whole body.
Its form was that of a giant ant with wings.
The constantly flickering black smoke from its entire body was like shadows trembling in the light.
As soon as Suho saw this, some memories flashed through his mind.
"Could it be the same one I saw in my dream…?"
He was certain that he knew this demon.
The countless ant demons that appeared in his dreams long ago.
The leader of those terrifying ants had exactly the same appearance…!
But why was this happening now?
The ant demon suddenly approached Suho and kneeled down in front of him, saying:
"My lord! I am Beruga! You can now feel at ease!"
"What…?"
Suho's eyes widened.
What kind of situation is this again?
Even though it kneeled down, it was still so big that Suho had to look up to see it.
But then…
Suddenly, the black demon's momentum changed.
It discovered Suho's body, the giant wolf that had been attacked and beaten up.
In that moment, the black demon unleashed a storm-like energy from its entire body and lifted its head up.
"How dare this dog-like beast dare to bite your precious body?! I will tear your mouth apart!"
And then, a terrible roar shook the entire building.
"Kyaak-!"
In that moment, the world turned into hell.
Kwakwakwakwa!
"Krkk…!"
!
!
Horrible flesh wrapped around the whole body.
At that moment, a giant wolf that had been trampled by a black horse raised its head and shook its head.
Then it bit off the black horse's leg with a crunch.
Thud.
Then the black horse looked down with a sneer.
"How dare you! Where is this vermin crawling!"
At that moment, black steam boiled up.
The black horse walked over the giant wolf at an amazing speed and slammed into it.
Thump!
"Ack!"
The giant wolf was thrown backwards without any strength, screaming.
But the black horse caught up with him even faster than that speed and slammed him down to the ground again.
Crunch!
And he grabbed the wolf's legs with both hands.
Rip!
The body torn in two in both directions.
"Crack...!"
Horrible screams and black blood scattered in all directions.
This was no longer a battle.
It was a unilateral massacre.
The tyranny of a predator.
"Kieeeek!"
That overwhelming predator trampled the wolf's corpse and let out another mad roar.
That cruel flesh stiffened the hunters who had just entered the first floor of the museum.
"What, what is this flesh!"
"You said this was a D-rank dungeon, what is this…!"
Shock and terror!
The building was shaking as if it would collapse at any moment.
… But why.
For some reason, Suho wasn't afraid of that brutal horse.
Rather, it was so nostalgic…
It stimulated the smell of memories stored in his long-term memory.
"What is it? I feel like I'm going to remember something…"
-Gyami… Gyami…!
What is this memory?
In a faint memory, the voice of a newborn baby who loved drawing ants on a sketchbook was heard.
"Who…?"
"Kuk!"
Suddenly, a severe headache struck.
Although confused, there was at least one thing certain.
"Anyway, I'm alive…."
[Stamina: 1/160]
With a thud, all the tension finally released, and Suho collapsed onto the ground.
"Kyaek! Lady So, Lady Soju! Come to your senses…!"
In that moment, Suho thought about how warm and comforting it felt to be embraced by a desperate rushing mount, setting aside everything else.
Even while unconscious, a smile crept onto Suho's lips.
Ding.
[Quest: Rescue the Survivors has been completed.]
[Number of Survivors Rescued: 33]
[Level Up!]
Suho dreamed.
It was a dream of a newborn baby receiving his first bath while riding on the back of an ant.
The baby in the dream giggled happily.
Whenever the baby laughed, the ant laughed too.
Ants were always present wherever the baby went.
Ants that tied on a bib and fed the baby a bottle.
Ants that studied numbers together with the baby.
Ants that covered the baby with a small blanket and took a nap with him…
If the ants were ever out of sight, the baby cried out in distress.
In an instant, the ants appeared and shook toys to soothe the baby.
Then, as if nothing had happened, the baby stopped crying and resumed laughing.
At that moment, the ant with the bib approached the baby with teary eyes, as if they could burst into tears any moment.
"My lady, you've grown up so beautifully. I, Bert, am infinitely moved."
…!
Suddenly, the baby grew up into Suho, 22 years old, standing in front of the ant.
Bert.
That was the name Suho whispered to himself.
Ant Bert gazed up at him with admiration and teary eyes.
"I stole it.
"My original intention was to release the seal of the lord, but it seems that he already broke it by his own will. He truly is our lord."
Bert's eyes were filled with tears, as if they were water faucets.
"Sob. However, the seal is not completely undone. The most important things are kept here."
Bert pulled out something from his arms.
Ding.
"You have obtained the item: Shadow Dungeon Key."
"Shadow Dungeon? What is that?"
The sudden message made Suho feel strange.
But this place was a dream.
Suho's voice couldn't reach Bert at all.
Ant gave the key to him and said, "Please use this key whenever you are mentally prepared. It contains everything that should have belonged to the lord."
While saying that, Bert knelt down and grabbed Suho's shoulders with both hands.
"Just remember one thing."
With a solemn tone and a tender touch, Bert's eyes, which showed contrasting emotions, faced Suho.
"Big power requires a big container. If someone who is not ready receives an unbearable power, the container may break because of the weight of that power."
Big power. Big container.
Suho pondered over those words.
"In other words, you should raise the level of your container."
Bert's eyes narrowed, and he made a wicked smile.
"Okay. That's all for my mission, my lord. I would like to stay by your side longer, but my colleagues are waiting for me desperately, even at this moment."
Then he winked.
"Since I am a great healer."
"Healer? Did he say healer?"
It was the most ridiculous thing Suho had heard recently.
"Then I'll go now, my lord. Until we meet again someday…"
Stay healthy…
Bert's nostalgic voice echoed little by little.
"Wait! I still have something to ask…!"
Suho urgently called out to him, but no words came out of his mouth.
At that moment, Suho woke up from his sleep.
"Wow! Ants?!"
Suho, who had jumped up, quickly looked around.
A white wall and the smell of disinfectant.
Calm air surrounded him.
"Oh my. You're awake?"
The nurse who was sharpening her tools looked at Suho.
"Where is this…?"
"It's a hospital. Don't you remember? The dungeon appeared in the school."
"Could it all have been a dream?"
He had woken up from sleep, but Suho had a dazed expression for a while.
"Where does the dream start and end? Ants? Dungeon? Or was it all the way up to leveling up?"
Everything was confusing.
Coincidentally, the news was playing on the TV in the hospital room.
-Two days ago, the gate that occurred at Korea University is now almost completely under control….
-Despite the dungeon break in the middle of the city, experts are amazed that there were miraculously few casualties….
"Two days have passed?"
The incidents that occurred at the art museum did not seem to have been a dream.
"Then were my childhood dreams real?"
Suho finally realized it.
Memories of playing with giant ants in his childhood.
He felt a sense of regret when he thought of "Baeur," the ant he saw in his dream.
"I couldn't even talk to him properly and he left like that."
Suho looked up.
The text that had been floating in front of him since earlier was waiting for him.
[You have completed the quest "Rescue the Survivors."]
[The quest completion reward has arrived.]
[Do you want to check the reward?] (Y/N)
"Check."
Suho chose to confirm without hesitation.
He had almost died several times, but it was right to check the rewards, even if it was unfair.
[The following rewards are prepared.]
Reward 1: Ability points +5
Reward 2: Strength stat points +3
"8 points of stats?!"
Suho's eyes widened at the unexpectedly generous rewards.
It seemed that each stat would increase by 1 point each time he leveled up, so an additional 8 points was much more than one level up.
"It was worth risking my life to do a good deed."
Suho immediately checked his status window.
[Status Window]
Name: Sung Suho
Level: 3
Job: None
Title: None
HP: 140/140
MP: 14/14
[Stats]
Strength: 15, Endurance: 12
Agility: 12, Intelligence: 12
Perception: 12
(Distributable Ability Points: 5)
[Skills]
Passive Skills: None
Active Skills: Authority of the Master Lv.1
There were many more features in the status window compared to the dream he had in high school.
Back then, only the level was displayed, and there were no specific status windows like this.
"Hmm. Which stat should I raise?"
Three points in the strength stat were automatically applied, and Suho pondered where to invest the remaining points.
Rather than investing recklessly, Suho carefully examined the other stats.
Then, an information window appeared in front of him.
[Information]
Strength: A stat that increases power and speed. It also increases attack power.
Agility: A stat that increases body reaction speed and visual perception. It also increases reflexes and evasion.
Stamina: A stat that increases the maximum HP and recovery speed.
Intelligence: A stat that increases the maximum MP and recovery speed.
Senses: A stat that increases the five senses. It also increases the ability to sense danger.
After reading this, all stats seem important.
"I need to think more about this and decide later."
The Suho, who turned off the status window, suddenly realized that he was thirsty.
Come to think of it, he hadn't had a sip of water and had been unconscious for two days.
Suho opened the door of the small refrigerator next to the bed to find water.
Then, unexpectedly…
"Huh?"
Suho's eyes widened.
To his surprise, inside the fridge was a small Beruga apple, the size of a fist, being carved.
"You, you…!"
[Cough.]
[Beru] Lv.1
Pet grade
For some reason, the once majestic Beruga had become very small and cute, and was offering an apologetic expression while holding out an apple that looked like a rabbit.
"I couldn't go because my mana was depleted."
"…."