“A resting period?” Park Yeon-Joo asked.

“Yes, a resting period. I believe there was some kind of side effect. I don’t know the details, but I’m certain it’ll continue to remain in that state. Maybe it’ll be easier for you to understand if I told you that it sealed itself,” Dialugia answered.

“That’s… a relief.”

Park Yeon-Joo nodded, and Kim Hyun-Sung released a sigh of relief. The other expedition members looked happy because they could have ended up fighting the Fragment of the Ancient God if something went wrong, and that was a situation no one wanted to imagine. It was out of pure luck that we survived the first time and everyone knew that.

‘Even if that wasn’t the case…’

Everyone was worried that the monster was going to run rampant again.

It was true that the monster was in a resting period. Of course, the main body was probably still fighting the backup program, but the tentacles far from us had taken root to absorb the museum’s system, no, the entire continent. Since the monster wasn’t attacking us, then it meant it was resting.

“There’s also the Rift Guardian’s duty that the museum has prepared, so the situation should… be fixed soon,” Dialugia added.

“I’m glad… I’m glad things have worked out. I had never imagined that Mr. Ki-Young’s decision was the right one…” Park Yeon-Joo commented.

“It was pure luck, and it was pretty dangerous as well. I know it’s a bit late, but I’d like to apologize for causing trouble for the expedition party. I was honestly gambling and it could have put not only us in danger… but everyone in Lindel as well,” I apologized.

“No need to apologize. There’s nothing we can do about a mythic-ranked monster randomly appearing and we’re alive because you managed to fix the situation, so we should be the ones thanking you. I know it’s late, but… thank you. If it wasn’t for your wit back then, some of our members would have died,” she explained.

“Your words flatter me. During that time, all I thought about was fixing the situation in front of me, so I just ran in without thinking,” I confessed.

If things had gone wrong, then I would have been in a bad situation and to be honest, I would have been labeled a traitor.

“But… what exactly is the Fragment of the Ancient God?” she asked.

“Dialugia will explain that to you,” I replied.

“Ah, well, I don’t really know the details because I haven’t lived that long and I only heard it from my mother and grandmother. All I know is that it existed since the beginning of time and that it could put the continent in danger,” Dialugia explained.

“So what Max said was true. It’s really shocking. I knew the dungeon we’re in was no ordinary dungeon, but even after hearing about ancient gods, fragments, and mythical beings, I still really couldn’t believe it. If it hadn’t been that long since we arrived here, I wouldn’t believe it even more,” Park Yeon-Joo expressed.

“I completely understand how you feel. Even though I’ve lived for over 4,000 years, I’ve only heard of those beings through stories. I had never imagined we would discover one in a place like this and it was a sealed being as well.”

Dialugia tried her best to continue the conversation and just then, we heard a loud voice.

“Can’t we just kill it without sealing it, to begin with? I don’t understand why this museum is making us do annoying things like that,” Park Deok-Gu complained.

“Killing the Fragment of the Ancient God is impossible. The monster is a god itself, not some being that has been deified. I’m sure sealing the fragment was the best the Rift Guardians could do. Of course, being overconfident was their mistake. I’m sure they had never imagined that the seal would break one day,” Dialugia explained.

“Hm… I see…” he commented.

“If the monster is in a resting period, then what are the tentacles throughout the museum doing right now?”

It wouldn’t matter if I answered Ahn Ki-Mo’s question because although I was really satisfied by the way Dialugia was answering everyone’s questions, the way she talked made me feel nervous. She didn’t seem out of place because she usually had a serious expression, but she seemed to be suppressing her sense of guilt every time she talked. Fortunately, the audience wouldn’t be able to notice her guilt because they weren’t that sharp-witted.

“The assumption we made earlier was correct. I’m sure it’s trying to stop the museum’s system since it was the seal that chained it up until now… Even though it’s in a resting period, its main body is probably still fighting the backup program or whatever and I’m sure the fight will end soon.”

“Ahhh, I see…”

“I see…”

After clearing my throat, I continued talking and it was toward everyone.

“Basically, I don’t think it’s going to be a big problem. The backup program will seal the monster in its resting period and there’s a high chance it’ll succeed. Don’t you agree, Dialugia?” I asked.

“Yes, he’s right,” she answered.

“I think we should rescue the trapped members and leave the museum before the system seals the monster. Now that the system is malfunctioning, we can leave the dungeon without completing the museum exploration. I’m kind of sad about not being able to complete the quest, though…” I added.

“There’s nothing we can do, right? Once the seal is complete, we could become affected by the museum’s system again…”

I nodded at Park Yeon-Joo’s answer.

I had no idea if Manager Max was really going to succeed in sealing the monster, but I wasn’t planning on going to his main body. If the tentacles simply absorbed the continent’s life in silence instead of shooting up from the ground to destroy the world, then there was no reason for us to help in sealing it. Regardless of whether it was successfully sealed or not, what mattered was that the expedition party believed it was sealed. It was a perfect plan.

“Basically, I think it’s safe to say that we’ll no longer be affected by the Fragment of the Ancient God. And yes, the continent will be safe as well. I think we can stop worrying and rest for now. Don’t you think so, Dialugia?” I asked.

“Yes,” she answered.

“...”

“The continent… the continent…”

“...”

“T-The continent is… safe!” Dialugia shouted.

When Dialugia shouted the final words with her eyes shut, everyone nodded and exclaimed as well. I saw people clenching their fists while the others gave high-fives to each other. Park Deok-Gu also expressed his joy by hugging the members of his harem, and I was relieved to see that.

“It’s too early for us to be happy because we still have to capture the dungeon. As I’ve mentioned before, we still need to rescue the trapped survivors,” I reminded them.

“Yes, of course!”

“It’ll be kind of difficult to find them since this place is large, so I think the party should head to the museum’s management room,” I suggested.

When I made that suggestion, Kim Hyun-Sung spoke right afterward. Since he had a lot of experience, he knew better than anyone on how to get there.

“If we follow the fragment’s tentacles, we should be able to find where the museum manager is staying.”

“Okay.”

It wasn’t perfect, but everyone knew very well what kind of situation we were in, and I was sure everyone had the same thought.

‘We’ll find Max by following the tentacles…’

And we should then be able to confirm the location of the survivors. At this point, I had to think about if I should make Max the main villain based on his actions so far. I would be thankful if he simply told us the survivors’ location, but since we had put him in this situation, I was certain he didn’t think fondly of us. However, what he thought of us didn’t matter.

‘He’s going to tell us in the end.’

I guarantee that Max wouldn’t be able to stop the mess the expedition party had made and seeing that he still hadn’t appeared before us, I was sure he was focused on something else. If we found the management room and faced him, we would likely have the advantage.

‘Or we can just kill him…’

Manager Max was actually the hidden named monster of this dungeon, and the sound of his cries had to be beautiful.

As I nodded my head while thinking about a happy situation, I heard Kim Hyun-Sung wrapping things up.

‘Good thing I did that.’

I thought it was a good thing I was being considerate of the guy that might lose his position in this expedition. I guess he really was skilled because I saw how he immediately took control of the situation as soon as I created an opportunity for him. Since I had relieved the tension, it was his job to keep everyone on their toes.

“We may be safe now, but we have to stay on our toes. Even if the fragment is in a resting period, this dungeon is still dangerous. There could be other programs protecting the museum on our way to the management room and there’s a chance that monsters affected by the fragment could awaken as well.”

“...”

“Even if we find the management room, it won’t resolve everything. We don’t know much about the museum and although we’re resting right now, we still have to capture the dungeon,” Kim Hyun-Sung continued.

That was when I thought maybe he was overdoing it…

“And…” he paused.

“...”

“Resting is a necessary task during a dungeon capture. We’ll leave in four hours. Everyone, please recover as much as you can. I’d like to return to Lindel without any deaths,” he added.

I guess he had also been in many dungeons like this one in his past life.

I noticed the nervous expressions on the party members’ faces.

‘Nice.’

Even if I said the same thing he said, it would be difficult to give them the kind of confidence Kim Hyun-Sung was giving them. I didn’t like saying this, but one’s appearance was an important factor when trying to give confidence to others. His handsome face was suitable for social events like this, and I really liked how that was the case.

When I glanced to the side, I noticed Park Yeon-Joo, Jo Hye-Jin, and even some of the Black Swan Guild members staring at him strangely. I had read a post on the Internet about the kind of reaction women often showed when looking at a handsome man, but the reaction they were currently showing was much more intense than that post.

‘They’ve fallen for him.’

I was really shocked because their eyes were sparkling despite his ordinary speech.

Anyway, everyone followed Kim Hyun-Sung’s order and started resting. We were originally going to rest for four hours and then leave, but I guess even Kim Hyun-Sung thought it would be okay to take it easy. It meant that he would be able to perfectly recover in four hours. I was relieved because I had been suppressing my sleepiness.

‘I think I’ll be able to sleep well…’

Those in desperate need of recovery like me started setting up their camps, and they slept after finding a decent place to sleep. Meanwhile, the others were resting in their own way.

I was greeted by a reasonably comfortable space when I entered a small tent and naturally, my anxiousness melted away like snow. I was relieved, but Dialugia couldn’t rest properly because she wasn’t comfortable with what she had done.

‘Tsk…’

I noticed Dialugia mumbling to herself from a distance, which was unlike herself.

“For Dialuria…”

“...”

“It was for my dear daughter. Mother… Grandmother, I’m sorry.”

I felt guilty, but it couldn’t be helped.

“It was for Dialuria. Heuk.”

I thought I would have a hard time falling asleep because I felt really guilty when I heard her faint voice, but the moment I closed my eyes, I fell into a sweet slumber.

‘I’m trash.’

I couldn’t help but question my humanity again, but…

Honestly…

The sleep was so sweet.

Dialugia: It was the first lie I told in 4,000 years…. I’ve been tainted….