Evan D. Sherden, Encountered Anomaly (2)

“Well, that’s how we’re going to fight the monsters of the New Generation. For that, we must successfully conquer the Sherden Dungeon.”

When Evan gathered the senior group and outlined what would happen, Shine shook his head and replied.

“You speak casually of achievements that no one has ever made since the Dungeon was created.”

“Huh, that’s because people in this world are too weak.”

In the game, even with a much worse environment than now, the bottom floors of the Sherden Dungeon were already cleared hundreds of times. Wasn’t it possible due to the save-and-load function of the game when the player dies? It was nonsense. There are too many surprises that terrify even the veteran players. There are so many videos on thoroughly clearing Yo-Ma Great War 3, including the hidden boss, within 300 hours even with the ridiculous constraints of no save, no load, no rest in the inn, no potions allowed, and no partying up with other members! Yeo Ban-Min (currently Evan), in his previous life, had a decent income from these playthrough videos…

“Then, should I be afraid?”

“You don’t need to. Just remember. If you’re scared by the Sherden Dungeon itself, you can’t handle the creatures from the rift.”

“That’s…I can know just by looking at this equipment. I regret not having met the dragon in person.”

Shine, who had been joking with Evan so far, looked serious at that part. He felt guilty for not being with Evan when hunting the dragon.

“Next time, whatever comes up, I’ll be there.”

“Would that be enough? Alright, let’s enter the dungeon now.”

Satisfied with Shine’s reliable expression like the game’s Silent Knight, Evan patted his shoulder and aligned his party. Each of them wore equipment made from the drops of the dragon. On top of it, the senior group wearing red capes was cool enough to catch everyone’s admiration.

“I think I’m going to get a nosebleed.”

“Commander, that’s so cool!”

“Oh, I’ve lowered the charm as low as I can…”

In particular, Evan, who led them in front, was wearing the Commander-exclusive cloak and even the circlet made using part of the dragon’s heart, which only heightened the ambiance. The fantasy Prince who just popped out of the fairy tale, the perfect ideal for every woman, found only while reading a romantic novel; it looked like he was real! It was dreamy and mysterious, as if he would go back into the book at any minute.

“Okay, perfect.”

“I want to enter the dungeon with Commander…”

“Wait, we have to protect Sherden while he’s gone.”

If Shine and Arisha, the Vice-Commanders, entered the dungeon with Evan, Jhin would take charge of the remaining junior group. However, Jhin was unavailable for other duties, so Marie was in charge of the children on his behalf. She was also an original member of the junior group with Paul. She has a strong personality that the children of the junior group couldn’t disobey. Even now, she had gathered the children together and was saluting Evan’s party as they left the Astray headquarters.

“Have a safe trip, Commander. Leave the grounds to me! Have a good trip, Vice-Commander. I’ll be praying for your success.”

“Okay, thank you.”

Marie seemed to have never given up her unrequited love for Shine. To Marie, who was looking at Shine while talking, Shine just smiled bitterly. Standing next to him, Anastasia hugged Shine’s arm proudly, causing fireworks to spring from Marie’s eyes. Evan turned his head slightly at the display of jealousy. He could see Arisha hesitating to hold his arm, and he hoped she would bear with it.

“Let’s go then.”

“We just received our new capes, but it looks very united.”

“That’s the power of the uniform.”

As Evan said, the power of the uniform was great. As soon as the Astray Senior Group appeared on the street, everyone’s eyes were on them. Of course, it drew more attention because the new equipment wasn’t normal.

“Didn’t they enter the dungeon just some time ago? They’re working hard.”

“You don’t know something. Originally, the Dungeon Knights must be at the top of the dungeon attack to strengthen their influence. Master Evan doesn’t want to miss it.”

“But that equipment…looks great. I can’t believe they have been hiding all those artifacts.”

“I think all of it is new.”

“Nonsense; how can you create so many artifacts in such a short period?”

Evan neatly ignored the sounds from all over the place and only looked forward. The circlet on his forehead glittered brilliantly, reflecting the sun’s light. He turned off the option to amplify the charm of his cape and circlet, but he couldn’t help but look charming just by wearing it.

“What a wonderful person…”

“I wish I could serve Master Evan even as a concubine…giggle!”

Whenever praise for Evan’s appearance flowed by, Arisha and Belois looked back as if they were checking them out. Serena was smiling cluelessly.

“I’ve been waiting, Master Evan!”

Soldiers guarding the entrance of the dungeon saluted Evan and opened the road. Evan returned their salute and led his party forward, but the knight leading them came running over to whisper to Evan.

“The city has been in disarray lately, Master. I don’t know the details, but…you have to watch out for others in the dungeon.”

“Thanks for your concern, but you won’t have to worry about that.”

Evan smiled and walked past the knight to the magic circle at the entrance of the dungeon. In line with the wizard’s spear, the magic circle flashed and painted complex patterns. The wizard, who hadn’t known how far Evan and his party had completed their exploration, inadvertently read the meaning of the pattern and made a gasp.

“Dungeon, 51st floor…!”

“It’s the 51st floor?”

“Oh, my God. I heard that even the Sacred Guild is still stuck on the 40th floor…!”

An alarm went off from all sides. From the moment Evan and his party appeared, countless people who were chasing them hardened on the spot as if they were transformed into statues by Medusa’s gaze.

Come to think of it, last time, they didn’t announce how far they had gone down the dungeon. No matter how deep the dungeon’s 50th floor was, for Evan, who had already explored the 70th floor before the big change, it was just a low floor that didn’t help his growth.

“Huh, I was just worried.”

The knight bowed his head as if he was ashamed.

“There is nobody who will follow Master to the 51st Floor to do harm …”

“Don’t worry about us; protect the city while I’m away.”

“I shall obey your instructions!”

The knight saluted him again with respect. Looking at Evan calmly accepting his salute, everyone thought, ‘As long as we have him, no one else in this city could be number one.’

“Then, from now on, the Astray Senior Group will enter the 51st floor of the dungeon.”

“We’re ready!”

The Magic Circle gleamed. Evan led his party into it without hesitation. Light engulfed them, and the next moment they had already arrived in the dungeon.

“Hmm, but you said ‘Sacred’ earlier, didn’t you?”

“Oh, you mean the guild that’s the fastest to clear the dungeon.”

Shine immediately replied to Evan’s murmur, looking around the brighter and vast 51st-floor landscape. He was the member with the most information in Astray.

“It’s more like an attack team than a guild. It has only seven members, so it’s less than a party’s quota. However, their individual skills seem to be good, so even though it hasn’t been long since they started their activities, they’re breaking through the dungeon at high speed. Instead, they put everything into the dungeon.”

“Hmm.”

“That doesn’t mean the other guilds are far behind. The Phoenix Guild and the Grakan Guild took your advice, and they’re targeting every step of the way more safely and surely. So, they seem to move slowly. However, they’re starting to speed up, too.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure the Phoenix Guild will play well.”

The Sacred Guild. It wasn’t a guild from Yo-Ma Great War 3, but it was involved with Yo-Ma Great War 4. Of course, in the game, their activity period was a few years later from now. Of course, there was nothing new. If the scenario were going to flow according to the game in the first place, the Paradise Guild would have survived.

‘Maybe it’s a different guild with the same name…no, maybe not. Excluding the protagonist in the Yo-Ma Great War 4, the number of members was seven.’

Evan reflected. He was checking the information only according to the existing scenario. Of course, he had all the information he needed, but there was something he felt missing.

“Please manage the information about the guilds from now on. Can you find out if there are any guilds called Acto Hand, Millane, and Kuyat? If they aren’t in this country, please check abroad, too.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Okay, let’s go.”

Evan tried to take the map out…but he almost immediately put it back for now. Up to the 50th floor was relatively simple, so it was possible to make the map in a short period and move onto the next floor, but from the 51st floor, it was impossible to target one floor in just a few hours. Therefore, the post-change dungeon was a completely separate space from the 51st floor. The monsters and traps were completely different from before, as well as the dungeon layout itself. A speed clearing was also impossible. They should take it carefully, step by step.

“What do you mean by random elements?”

“Well, I was going to explain it to you when we got downstairs. Everyone, take a look over there.”

Evan pointed to a gap in the cave passage, a little further from their current place. They saw something white there.

“Umm, is that a trap?”

“It’s salt.”

“Is it rock salt!? I heard that dungeon rock salt has great value!”

At Shine’s words, Evan and others looked at Shine pathetically. Evan explained with a loving look.

“If time passed by like this, maybe there would be rock salt up here.”

“I don’t know about that area…So, what’s the conclusion?”

“Here’s the sea.”

Evan told Shine the conclusion he wanted. However, not only Shine but also the others were utterly stunned. The first one that woke up from the shock was, of course, Arisha.

“So, Evan…in Sherden, there is a sea?”

“Yes.”

Evan nodded calmly. Evan raised his finger and pointed beyond the space. There, monsters appeared one by one. They were monsters with fish faces, fins, and bodies of Auger. It looked like a combination of fish monster Sahagun and Augers from the Pellati dungeon.

“Oh, my God…What the hell is going on in Sherden?”

“Well, it’s simple.”

Given the changes so far, Evan spoke with confidence that the dungeon itself after the change was the same as Yo-Ma Great War 3. The truth behind the big change, the tricks of the Demon tribe, and the relationship between dungeons and explorers…a description of the deep dungeon that the party should now know that ran through all those scenarios.

“Deep floors after the 51st floor of the Sherden Dungeon mixes with other mega-dungeons.”

Players called it in one word. It was an ‘Anomaly’.