‘Where is this…’

He knew that coordinates were used, but he wasn’t able to precisely know the location just by looking at the coordinates.

To make that possible, I felt like I’d need a doctorate in Dungeon geography, to exaggerate a little.

That said, I couldn’t ignore the advice of ‘Gambler™’. After consistently checking the Q&A board, his credibility was quite high. I was even grateful he appeared, you could say.

‘If he tells me to go, I should go.’

For now, I had to go. Interpreting the coordinates could, of course, be done using points.

“Let’s go to a Stone Slab.”

“Ah, yes!”

Kim Songcheol, along with Setsu, began searching for a nearby Stone Slab.

Finding the thread was Setsu’s job. He flew high, scouting the surroundings, and Kim Songcheol followed him on the board.

They could fly together with advanced fly magic, but was there really a need for two people to fly around?

Traveling on the board made it much easier to respond to sudden situations. Board maneuvering was separate from magic, which was like having a free hand.

Rumble!

As Kim Songcheol moved, he struck down lightning towards noticeable groups of monsters.

Those were all points. Every little bit counts, and it was like buying a building by picking up waste paper.

“Over there!”

Setsu pointed in one direction and shouted. It seemed he had found a Stone Slab.

After crossing a hill, a Stone Slab placed on a large rock became visible.

Kim Songcheol increased the board’s output and swiftly ascended onto the rock.

After ascending, there was a descent. He leaped gracefully from the board and landed softly.

With a slight application of fly magic, this much was not difficult.

“Let’s see…”

Kim Songcheol, having climbed onto the Stone Slab, bought a GPS item from the item shop.

The item was a round Stone Slab, about the size of a palm.

When the item was activated, a sphere appeared as a hologram.

This was the appearance of a C-grade dungeon. Although much larger than Earth, it was initially planet-shaped.

Also, Kim Songcheol’s current location was marked with a red dot.

Kim Songcheol entered the coordinates that ‘Gambler™’ had taught him.

Then, a blue dot appeared about two finger-widths away, indicating a rupture.

It was only two finger-widths, but in reality, it was a distance that would take almost half a month to travel.

Kim Songcheol looked back at Setsu.

“Shall we take a trip together?”

“I’m fine with that.”

Setsu nodded his head.

It was the moment a journey between a 16-year-old and a 32-year-old began.

And the half-month journey was quite peaceful.

The two of them eating chicken together on a mountaintop.

Kim Songcheol learning magic while lying on Setsu’s original plate.

The two of them making a bet on who could catch more monsters on top of a huge group of monsters.

Setsu discovering a new food called street food.

The two of them fly through the sky together, discussing the similarities and differences between their worlds.

Kim Songcheol tastes a precious canned good.

Setsu talks about a child she likes while looking at the night sky. Kim Songcheol offers her advice.

That journey ended with them arriving at the coordinates, leaving them with plain memories.

‘There’s… nothing here?’

Kim Songcheol got off the Board and stood on the ground.

There was nothing around. He saw many jagged stone mountains, but they couldn’t be considered as ‘something’. They were just part of the terrain.

There’s no Base, no Monsters, and no sign of Hunters.

“Is this it? The destination?”

Setsu also descended from the sky and stood next to Kim Songcheol.

“Yes, this is it. There’s nothing around, right?”

“No. I didn’t see anything.”

Setsu had been flying from a considerable height. If he hadn’t seen anything, then there was clearly nothing there.

“Hmm…”

Kim Songcheol used his Detection Magic. It was the same magic he used to find the Mercenary Wolf.

His senses rapidly expanded, sweeping several kilometers around, but he still felt nothing.

“Was I tricked…?”

Kim Songcheol took out his Medal and checked the site again. He wondered if it was an imposter with a similar nickname.

But there was no change. It was definitely ‘Gambler™’.

Kim Songcheol replied to the comment, saying, ‘I’ve arrived, but I don’t see anything.’

“We can’t help it. They say things like that happen in life.”

“Dienter Barsamak… What was that Castle’s name again?”

“Didernimak Rebatargusa, Grandfather.”

“…He said that, didn’t he?”

“Yes.”

“Oh dear, we’ve come a long way. Well… let’s wait a bit and then go back.”

Kim Songcheol sat down on a flat boulder. He intended to wait until ‘Gambler™’ posted another comment.

“I heard a whole new village almost popped up recently, right? So how many people are there?”

Kim Songcheol asked casually.

Currently, Setsu’s Safe Zone was almost 100 meters. This was all thanks to diligently earning and transporting Points.

“Yes. I’m not exactly sure, but I think there are about 300 people.”

“Then they must eat a lot.”

“That’s true. It’s a good thing we have a lot of canned goods stocked up.”

Until now, there were only a few dozen people in the Safe Zone, so canned goods accumulated faster.

However, as the Safe Zone grew, the population rapidly increased, causing the canned goods inventory to gradually decrease.

“When you go, take some rice with you. About 1 ton should last a while, right?”

It was then.

Beep-! Beep-!

Kim Songcheol’s Medal made a loud noise.

When he took out the Medal from his chest pocket and checked it, it was indeed an emergency rescue signal.

The Magic Alliance doesn’t meticulously care for its members, but it does provide a small safety net.

That is the Emergency Rescue Request.

When in danger, you can send a rescue request to nearby Magic Alliance members.

Alliance members who receive the request can choose whether or not to respond, and once the safety of the requesting member is secured, they receive one Magic corresponding to their rank.

So, it’s similar to a suddenly appearing commission.

‘Hmm.’

Kim Songcheol held the Medal and stood up from his seat.

Until now, he had been resting because the Grade 5 commissions were either too far away or required teammates.

But this Emergency Rescue Request is different.

From the situation, the difficulty didn’t seem too high, and as it was an emergency rescue, he could receive a 2nd-tier Magic regardless of the difficulty.

If he obtained another one this time, Kim Songcheol would have four out of the five 2nd-tier attribute Magics.

There was no reason not to do it.

“I’m going to do something, want to watch from behind?”

“Yes, I have nothing else to do anyway. I’ll help if you need me.”

“Good, let’s go for now.”

Kim Songcheol slung the Board over his shoulder and shot up with flight Magic.

There were many rocky mountains nearby, so the Board would be slow. There was a possibility he wouldn’t make it in time.

After flying across the sky for about two minutes, he saw a motorcycle running on the ground.

It was speeding at maximum velocity, dodging rocks left and right.

The driver was a young female staff member. Her hair and muffler were wildly flapping as she drove like crazy.

And the reason for her urgent and chaotic driving was something chasing her from behind.

Kwagagagak!

The ground behind her shook and pursued her at an incredible speed.

Kuoooo!

The moment she sharply turned, a massive maw shot up from the ground.

It was a Sand Dragon. Although its appearance was closer to an illusory animal than a rupture insect, it was still being called a dragon.

This was because its size was overwhelming.

Its maw alone was 7-8 meters in size.

It was a monster with a body length of tens of meters.

The reason there was nothing around seemed to be that it was the habitat of the Sand Dragon.

If such a monster lives there, nothing can be done.

Even a base would be instantly destroyed. Since it’s so massive, if it digs up the ground, there’s no way to stop it.

“Help me!”

The female staff member’s urgent voice echoed. Tears flowed, but because she was moving so fast, they barely started to fall before being blown away behind her.

“Come this way! We are from the Magic Alliance!”

Kim Songcheol first used amplification Magic to shout. The female staff member then sharply changed direction and began to rush towards Kim Songcheol.

Meanwhile, Kim Songcheol prepared a 2nd-tier Magic. It wasn’t Thunder Shock, but the Nova of the Flame Castle.

Thunder Shock has good attack concentration and speed, but it’s not suitable for dealing with such a large monster.

It doesn’t really have any weaknesses, and even if you make a hole, you won’t get much out of it.

Whoosh!

As the Nova’s magic formation was completed, orange flames swirled around Kim Songcheol in a spiral.

When Kim Songcheol flicked his finger, a part of the magic formation opened and changed its shape.

Accordingly, the color of the orange flames turned bluish-green, and the flames began to swirl above Kim Songcheol’s head, gradually forming a larger sphere.

In that state, Kim Songcheol pointed his left hand downwards and waited for a moment.

Crack!

At some point, the Sand Dragon once again opened its mouth and surged forward.

The female staff member instinctively pulled the throttle hard, and the motorcycle briefly shot into the sky.

The motorcycle flying in an arc, and the grotesque, large maw approaching it moment by moment.

“Kyaaaa!”

Along with the female staff member’s scream, a sphere of flame was shot.

The sphere of flame, flying like a comet, singed the female staff member’s hair ever so slightly as it passed into the Sand Dragon’s maw.

Crackle!

The flames unleashed from the large sphere erupted into the Sand Dragon’s body.

The flames, which had burned through its organs all the way to the tip of its tail, returned and spewed fire once from its maw.

No matter how large a monster is, if its insides are all cooked, there’s no way it can survive.

Thump!

The wobbling body of the Sand Dragon falling to the ground and the motorcycle landing happened simultaneously.

Screech!

The motorcycle stopped, half-tilted, raising dust.

“Ugh, I’m alive…”

The female staff member stumbled off the motorcycle and collapsed. She seemed to have no strength to stand.

“Are you alright?”

Kim Songcheol and Setsu also came down to her side.

“Thank you so much. I really thought I was going to die…”

Kim Songcheol examined the female staff member.

Although there were tear marks, her body seemed fine.

“There’s really nothing around here. I sent a rescue request knowing there wouldn’t be any guild members… I didn’t know there would be such an excellent Mage! That magic just now, 2nd-tier flame magic, Nova, right?”

“Isn’t it?”

“It’s my first time seeing Nova in action. As expected, it really makes you say ‘2nd-tier magic’… So, 2nd-tier magic is still…”

Kim Songcheol silently listened to the female staff member’s continuous chatter. She seemed to be a rather talkative person.

Her words went on for so long that even Kim Songcheol briefly lost concentration and glanced at her bag.

Because something yellow was visible through the opening of the bag.

The female staff member, reading his gaze, immediately changed the subject with practiced skill.

“Oh! The reason I was chased by the Sand Dragon! It’s this. A Sand Dragon egg!”

The Female Staff Member took out a yellow egg as big as Setsu’s head.

“There’s a special Castle powder that only comes from Sand Dragon eggs. It’s expensive, but it has many uses.”

The Dungeon was not only using Points but also carefully utilizing the by-products of Monsters. Of course, Earth still lacks such information.

“Still, it’s not worth risking your life for, is it?”

“There was a Thread… a Potion that could trick a Sand Dragon’s sense of smell. My master told me to come out if I couldn’t find the egg in 15 minutes, but I dragged it on for 18 minutes…”

“…I see.”

The words ‘you reap what you sow’ almost came out of Kim Songcheol’s mouth, but he decided not to say them. After all, thanks to her being in danger, he was able to obtain another 2nd-tier Magic.

“Oh, I’ve only been talking about myself. But why are you here? Do you, Mage, also need a Sand Dragon egg?”

The Female Staff Member gave off an Aura that she would hand over the egg if he said he needed it. She seemed that grateful for him saving her life. However, for Kim Songcheol, it was a useless egg.

“No, I asked the Magic Alliance about a certain Magic, and they commented to come here. But there was nothing, so I was about to go back. He was quite a famous person, though.”

“Who was it?”

“Gambler.”

“Huh? If it was him, there’s no way it could be wrong.”

“Exactly. I don’t know what happened.”

“But what kind of Magic is it? Maybe I can be of help. I know a lot about Magic!”

“Ah… it’s a 3rd Tier Magic that interferes with 2nd-tier Magic. I was affected by it once, so I wanted to research it…”

“Oh? That’s the Magic my master created!”

The Female Staff Member said, as if delighted.

“…?”

Kim Songcheol’s expression became a little bewildered.

To think it would be resolved this way.

“Your master created that Magic?”

“Yes. She’s not very good at using Magic, but she’s the best at creating it.”

Magic usage and Magic development are similar yet different fields.

Kim Songcheol, for example, was better than anyone at using Magic, but knew nothing about its development.