The Heroine Stole My Regression

12 – Dungeon (1)

The weekend arrived without incident.

Seong Si-woo had been quiet ever since that day.

He seemed to be deep in thought. I hoped he’d sort himself out soon.

[Report from Jeong Hae-in has been received.]

A response to my report also arrived. In truth, there was likely to be no real action taken. The school knew all about these kinds of loopholes, but they often looked the other way.

But that wasn’t what I needed to focus on right now.

In this world, there’s a marketplace used by Heroes. It’s called ‘Auction.’

At Auction, nearly all kinds of items are sold, starting from monster byproducts, to equipment, elixirs, and secret manuals. But today, I wasn’t interested in those kinds of items.

‘Dungeons.’

There’s a separate ‘Dungeon’ tab on Auction.

The first person to discover a dungeon and report it to the Association has their rights immediately guaranteed.

Therefore, they can either directly raid the dungeon, or,

[Goblin Lair]

[Location: Jeongseon, Gangwon Province]

[Seller’s Description: Unremarkable goblin dungeon.]

[Price: 57,000,000 KRW]

sell the right to raid that dungeon, like this.

“Here it is.”

[Skeleton Gulch]

[Location: Taebaek, Gangwon Province]

[Seller Description: Undead-type dungeon. Priest required.]

[Price: 30,000,000 KRW]

One might think the price cheap, but in truth, this dungeon is garbage.

Even if you conquer Skeleton Gulch, the reward is nothing but bones.

Alchemists might buy them up for cheap, but for regular heroes, it’s just dead weight.

And because it’s an undead dungeon, a priest is needed, meaning the personnel costs are doubled.

[Bid]

Nevertheless, I bid.

For the true nature of this place is different.

A ‘Double Dungeon.’

Before entering, if you perform a specific ritual, its true identity will reveal itself.

And the reward of that dungeon…

“I absolutely must obtain it.”

Barely had I pressed the bid button when the purchase confirmation popped up.

[Seller]: Thank you so much for the bid, Alchemist-nim. Please tell me as soon as you plan to attempt it!

It seemed they mistook me for an alchemist.

Well, it’s understandable, who else would buy a dungeon like this?

I stretched as soon as I completed the dungeon purchase. Now, all that remained was to find a priest.

The assault should begin as soon as one is found.

Priests, you see, are like plucking stars from the sky to find.

And given their profession, their noses are high, so the reward distribution has to be ironclad.

I opened the Job Board next to the Auction House.

I was about to write a job posting, then paused.

[1000_y] [Class: Priest] [Current Status: Seeking Employment] [Description: Rituals and Spellcasting proficient. Full-spectrum support available.]

[♥:92]

There was a priest seeking employment.

A priest, and their specialty was exactly the type of talent I needed.

Seems like already nigh a hundred folks had sent their love calls.

‘This one’s gonna be tough, probably.’

Debating a give-up, I just shoved a message his way, thinking, worst case, no harm done.

[belief_]: Greetings. Available immediately tomorrow? Skeleton grotto near Taebaek, Gangwon Province.

[belief_]: Employment fee, fifty million. Deposited after the capture. Hence, no split.

The exclusion of a split itself wasn’t favorable for the priest. But the dungeon rewards were so-so, and fifty million was worth the trip.

It’d take some time for a response, more likely he won’t come, frankly.

In the interim, I posted a recruitment notice.

“Priest… ASAP… ritual…”

-Ding

-Ding

Huh?

Thought it was Zion, but it was the priest.

[1000_y]: Sounds good.

[1000_y]: Shall I depart today right now?

“Why the rush?”

Today feels a bit dicey.

Tomorrow seemed better.

[belief_]: Nay, let’s depart tomorrow.

[belief_]: And might I inquire as to your affiliated temple?

Harboring a sliver of suspicion, I checked my watch while inquiring.

Surely there must’ve been heaps of applications, so why answer me and only me?

[1000_y]: Arcadia.

“Good.”

Suspicion dispelled.

For a priest, Arcadia was a gold standard. Just be thankful.

[1000_y]: And perchance, has any other priest reached out, or such?

[1000_y]: If so, cut them off.

[belief_]: I haven’t received other contact, no.

[1000_y]: Then, I shall see you at the Hub at eight o’clock AM.

I never thought finding a priest would be so easy…lucky me.

I’d heard some people take on easy dungeons to build up their experience. He seemed to be one of those types.

The planned work wrapped up blandly. I informed the seller about the 8 AM rendezvous tomorrow and closed my laptop.

Now, all that’s left is gathering the materials for the ritual. Nothing too complicated to prepare.

[Jung Hae-in]: Zion, is Grandfather home right now?

*

The next day, morning broke.

Sunday at 8 AM, the portal hub of Taebaek, Gangwon-do was deserted.

Not being a region where dungeons frequently appear, it generally maintained a quiet atmosphere.

“Over here!”

The seller waved his hand from afar.

He hurried over, offering his hand for a shake, and I reciprocated.

“Hahaha… I never expected someone so young.”

His role was to guide me to the entrance today. He wouldn’t be coming any further.

Even if he wanted to, I would have stopped him.

“By the way, where is the priest…?”

“They’ll be here soon.”

It was the appointed time; the next portal’s activation was about 10 seconds away.

Perhaps they would come through that portal.

-Wooom

The portal opened with a resonant sound.

And there, standing before me, was a familiar face.

Her neatly combed hair held back by a headband, she stood with an elderly priest.

‘Cheon Yeo-ul…?’

I couldn’t help but doubt my eyes.

“Did you wait long?… Oh.”

Cheon Yeo-ul gave a slight smile and walked towards me.

“What a coincidence. I never thought it would be you.”

Her companion, the priest, bowed his head to me in greeting.

Dabbing the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief, he continued.

“Forgive me… with the Saintess Candidate suddenly deciding to assault a dungeon, I had to confirm it myself.”

“Still, to be with a fellow Gaon student… I can return reassured.”

Understandable. Chun Yeoul is truly an important figure at Arcadia. If she were to embark on a dungeon raid, it’s common for her to be accompanied by support consisting of a super-deluxe team.

But a Skeleton Cave assault with some unheard-of fellow? No wonder they came to confirm.

I scanned her once more and nodded.

‘Good.’

Good.

Chun Yeoul is certainly a skilled priestess. Furthermore, divine rituals are her area of expertise.

And from the start, I had planned for her to have a share of one of this dungeon’s rewards.

“…Shall we depart, then?”

As I turned my head to head in that direction, the vendor cautiously asked.

“Um… you are here for the Skeleton Cave, correct?”

“Yes.”

My firm reply didn’t seem to reassure him. He continued with a still flustered expression.

“There’s a high possibility there’s really nothing there…. If there’s been some sort of misunderstanding, a refund is…”

At least he was a conscientious vendor. I nodded at his earnest tone and replied.

“It’s alright. Please lead the way.”

The vendor let out a sigh with a troubled expression. And then, he began to lead us forward.

“Ah… Understood. Please follow me this way. It won’t take long to reach the entrance by vehicle.”

And so, we followed the vendor’s guidance toward the dungeon entrance.

Me, Chun Yeoul, and that was it for the members. The priest beside her already left.

“Priest Captain, you mean.”

“Mm.”

That kindly looking priest’s position was Priest Captain.

Just why would he come all the way here…

I stopped thinking.

“We’ve arrived.”

The vendor stopped the vehicle and pointed toward the dungeon entrance.

We had rounded winding mountain paths several times and come quite deep into the area. But the entrance was truly meager.

The vendor scratched his head and said.

“Hah… I truly told you. Refunds aren’t possible now.”

“Yes.”

I answered, standing before the rippling, wave-like entrance to the dungeon.

Then, I opened my cross-body bag, taking out the items I had prepared.

‘Finest Holy Water.’

A precious thing, even the temple struggles to obtain it.

Pinched it from old man Yeong-gam’s house. Thanks, old man.

Without hesitation, I generously sprinkled the holy water on the ground.

A deep, shimmering wave spread outwards.

“Divine Rite, how many tiers can you manage?”

Focusing on the sprinkling, I asked Cheon Yeo-ul.

“Hmm… however much you want?”

… What kind of answer is that?

Tiers range from 1 to 9. 1 is for beginners, and 9 is defined as the realm of gods. In reality, 8 is the highest tier.

A normal adult priest can manage up to Tier 3…

It’s a little close, but….

“Could you do Tier 3?”

If I had my way, I’d want it a little higher, but she’s still a student.

However, Cheon Yeo-ul laughed at those words, approaching me. And then, she whispered softly in my ear.

“You can just say it honestly. I can do anything for you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she took a few steps back.

And clasped her hands together, closing her eyes.

Cheon Yeo-ul’s lips began to move rapidly, and the holy water I had sprinkled shone brightly.

It was a light that verged on blinding.

I had spread the holy water wide, drawing a kind of magic circle. And that circle, with tremendous energy, was shining.

“…Sio…calo….”

With her final incantation, the Divine Rite was completed.

And a moment of silence.

After waiting for a few seconds, an absurd level of magical power erupted from the dungeon entrance.

–EEEEEEEEEEEK!

The air cracked with a distant wail, a siren song that cut through the quiet.

A boundary alarm, automatically triggered by the release of mana beyond a certain threshold.

It was only a matter of time before the Association arrived now.

“Let’s go in.”

“Okay,”

Cheon Yeoul replied calmly, falling into step beside me.

The seller, on the other hand, simply stared at us, mouth agape.

His face was a canvas of mingled confusion and shock.

“It’s a Dual Dungeon,”

I said simply, brushing past him.

“Please explain the situation when the Association arrives.”

With those words, I and Cheon Yeoul stepped inside the dungeon.