"I see. You're right. With this equipment, I can enter the dungeon without getting noticed by the guards. However, how about the curse?" Roy mentioned the obvious problem.
He noticed Yi Su stared at him directly, "Don't worry about it. Just looking at you, I can tell that it won't pose a problem to you."
Roy wondered where this confidence for him came from. In any case, doesn't that mean she had no idea as well?
Scratching the back of his head, he smiled awkwardly. "Ahaha. Miss Yi Su, I know I'm not very smart but I can't just agree with what you said, no? Especially when everyone who approached it suffered the same way. So what's the guarantee that I'll be an exception?"
He brought up the curse issue because maybe she would offer him some anti-curse items as well, unfortunately, what he got was a vague reply. Although it looked like he was taking advantage of her goodwill, Roy just wanted to guarantee his safety.
Maybe realizing something, she suddenly asked for forgiveness. "Uh, I'm sorry for not explaining enough. Let me rephrase my words then. You see, your information is quite lacking, Mister Han," Yi Su said. Her voice was calm.
But her words put a frown on Roy's face.
"Ha? What do you mean?"
Yi Su clasped the cup between her delicate hands before opening her mouth. Lowering her gaze to the content, the green tea, she then said, "Many people indeed fainted and some lost their minds upon approaching it. But actually, some managed to enter the dungeon. However, since they entered, they had never returned yet. I guess after they stepped inside, they fainted too like the others."
"That's what I mean. There's no way to enter it— Wait! What did you say? Someone managed to enter it?!" Roy was astonished by it.
"Yes…" Yi Su confirmed with a nod.
Roy stared into her eyes. He wasn't an expert in identifying lies from other people, but Yi Su looked serious.
"That's why I investigated a little and my finding is, there's a certain condition to avoid fainting."
Roy opened his eyes wide. "Really? Can you tell me what it is?"
"It's not 100 percent confirmed yet, but according to my investigation, people with a high mental fortitude have a high chance of resisting the curse."
"Oh… But how to identify a person with high mental fortitude?"
Yi Su fell silent and stared at Roy.
"….."
Roy wondered if there was something on his face.
"I can tell that you're one of those kinds of people, Mister Han."
She blurted in a straightforward face.
"...…."
Roy fell silent as he wondered if she was fooling him or making fun of him.
She continued saying, "Just by looking at your eyes, I can feel that you have endured many traumatic events in the past. Something like that, only people with strong mental fortitude were capable of enduring it without breaking up to this point."
Her gaze fixated on him as she said those lines.
Roy wondered if Yi Su was trying to con him. She hit the head on the nail though. His life was indeed littered with traumatic events, especially with what happened with his parents, and even before and after that.
She added, "Moreover, did you know that although many people fainted and some lost their minds, none of the victims had died?"
"Really?!"
No one had died, she said. Roy looked dumbfounded.
"Yes, I won't lie about it."
Well, he didn't also hear the guild mentioning about deaths.
He did not expect it. "But how about those who fainted inside?" He asked out of curiosity.
Suddenly, a serious expression appeared on Yi Su's face.
"They are in difficult situations for sure. They will inevitably die if no one comes to rescue them sooner. That's why… I'm asking you to help me!" Her gentle eyes suddenly looked teary as she gazed upon him.
Just looking at her in such a state, Roy suddenly felt he wanted to help her. What is this weird feeling? Why did he suddenly feel he wanted to ease her? It wasn't love, more like sympathy.
Judging from her words, Roy was certain that the person she wanted him to find was one of the people who fainted inside the dungeon. Just looking at how anxious Yi Su looked suddenly, that person is undoubtedly an important person to her. He wanted to help her!
"I see…" Roy pondered for a little.
Thinking about it, even if something bad would befall him upon entering the dungeon, an exploration team was already heading to this town. They would probably would not turn a blind eye if they found him lying unconscious on the ground.
In the first place, Roy was skeptical to return home empty-handed. But his greatest concern was violating the guild's protocol.
Although he wanted to see and investigate the situation of the dungeon, it didn't truly come to his mind to enter it after the guild's warning.
"Please, Mister Han, please help me!" A tear ran down her cheeks.
Looking at her, Roy felt his chest tightening. What is this? Why did he suddenly feel motivated to help her? It wasn't love he swore, more like pity.
"Alright. I'll go. I will enter the dungeon and help you find the person you are looking for. Just tell me all the details."
He noticed Yi Su letting out a sigh of relief. She then bowed slightly and thanked him. He stopped her from thanking him and told her to reserve the "thanks" after he succeeded.
She nodded and said, "Alright. But before that, can you wait a little longer? I need to prepare something."
He wondered what she meant by it, but he nodded anyway.
"Okay. Alright."
After Roy's nod, she stood up and went to the kitchen.
Roy heard some noises coming from there. It seemed like she was indeed preparing something. A couple of minutes later, a bewitching scent reached his nose. Food? Wait, is she packing food for him? How thoughtful.
When she came back, in her hands were, as expected, well-packed meals. There wasn't only one pack but about five of them.
Aren't these too much for a person?
"I see. So you even prepared food for me, but these are too much even for me," Roy said with a slight smile.
There was an awkward smile on Yi Su's face after Roy said that.
"Uhm, sorry, Mister Han, but these foods are not meant for you."
"Eh?!" Roy looked stunned for a second. Then why did she ask him to wait while she was preparing these foods? Isn't it a bit weird? He scratched the back of his head and forced a laugh. "Is that so? Ahaha. Sorry for assuming it was for me." He felt a little embarrassed.
"No, I'm sorry too for not telling you in advance. Don't worry, I promise to prepare a much better meal for you after this."
"No no no, there's no need to do that. By the way, for whom are they? Are you delivering that to someone?"
"Ah, right, let me explain…"
Hearing her explanation, he finally understood.
Sometimes later,
"Wait! Stop! No one is allowed to approach the dungeon right now!" A guard said, stopping the person in the hood from stepping forward.
The person lifted her hood and revealed her face. The guards gasped in admiration when they noticed it was a cute lady. It turned out it was Yi Su.
"Uh, Mister Guard, don't worry. I'm not here because I want to enter the dungeon. I came here to give you something. We are grateful for your hard work and dedication to your work. Thanks for making the citizen's lives safe! Therefore, as thanks for all your kindness, please share these meals with you and your companions!"
The bewitching scent coming from packed meals made the guard's mouth drool.
"Oh! Thank you very much, young lady. Bois! We got some ration from a cute young lady! Come on!" The guard grinned widely as he urged his companions to come over.
Seeing the guards moving away from their post, Roy slipped away. He did not expect that this was Yi Su's plan, to distract the guards using the packed meals.
According to her, although the Cloak Of Invisibility and Soundless Boots were good equipment for stealth and infiltration missions, these equipment were still useless because the guards were using a heartbeat sensor.
To bypass the guards, they needed to distract their attention. Thus, Yi Su used the meals.
Roy sighed in relief after arriving in front of the mouth of the dungeon without a problem. However, just by standing in front of it, he could feel a strong repelling, nauseating force coming from inside. It was as though it was trying to warn anyone who tried to enter it. Strangely, Roy didn't feel he would faint on the spot or lose his mind. Perhaps what Yi Su said to him was true. His mental fortitude could bear it.
The entrance of the dungeon just looked like a mouth-shaped cave entrance. The only difference was the reddish illumination coming from the inside. It gave off a feeling like it was a den of the demon lord.
Without wasting time, he stepped inside. His resolve was unwavering. Whatever might happen to him from this point, he was already ready to face it.