Stop, Friendly Fire!

<Chapter 40. Fake Hero Saga - 6>

It had been a long time since they'd last met; the Sun God religion's Pope looked at Kay, who was fully equipped and asked.

"I heard that Lawrence has a young, beautiful lover, who's also business savvy and goes with him everywhere. What about you; you got anyone? I don't want to take all the credit, but you've become more well known because of us."

"I'm planning on stealing her from him."

"Don't do it! If the Sun God's hero splits from his backer for such a trivial reason, then we'll lose face!"

"It was a joke. To be honest, I'm not interested."

Since both of them were him, there weren't any problems, but it seems like the Pope still considered them separate individuals.

The situation had changed from what he'd first envisioned, and there wouldn't be any problems with disclosing the fact that he was both Kay and Lawrence. However, he stubbornly wanted to go with his original concept. People would be suspicious if he disclosed the fact that Lawrence never existed in the first place.

"So that's your preference. Hmm... Just asking, but are you trying to steal Lawrence from his lover, not the other way around?"

"!?"

Hold up. That's what the 'close relationship' between Lawrence and Kay meant in the book being sold in the capital...! Lee Shin Woo was conflicted; he wanted to interrogate the Pope, but he was also fearful of the subject. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Pope soon changed topics to the main point of discussion.

"Don't think about which side you like for the time being. The dungeon we're headed for now is no joking matter."

"You're talking about the level 7 dungeon, right?"

"We've named it the Desert of Death."

"I like it. It's clear and concise."

As normal humans couldn't check stats, it was difficult for them to assess a dungeon properly. So, they would only be able to assess its level by going into the dungeon and fighting the monsters. That was why dungeon casualties were so high.

"When you asked us to look into a level 7 dungeon, we actually tried looking into other places. But you just entered the capital, and you need to make a huge impression for the spotlight to be flashed onto you, so we ultimately came back to this one."

"It seems quite famous."

"Of course. In a way, it's the most famous dungeon in the entire country."

To be honest, Lee Shin Woo already knew about the dungeon. He had learned about this dungeon from Rem just shortly after it had acquired the golem network; the reason he was able to get information on it so quickly was because of how well known it was. The dungeon wasn't open to the public, but he had gotten the info once the golem network had spread to the capital.

'It's influential enough to reduce the size of the capital.'

To be exact, they had attempted to form outer walls to expand the capital, but the creation of said walls was canceled due to the dungeon's sudden appearance.

At the time, the damage done to human life was considerable, so the knight order was mobilized. However, the knights were annihilated. The 12 generals of the surface were sent next, but even they had trouble with it, so it was 'sealed unless the Emperor himself took action'. This just went to show how dangerous the dungeon was.

"If all the 12 generals had gone, or if they had risked their lives to clear it, they could've done it. Aside from clearing the dungeon, the 12 generals had several other tasks to do; when they actually tried to clear the dungeon with the help of another knight order and the magicians, they found that it was too difficult, as the monsters were too strong. Ultimately, the Emperor only passed a temporary measure: 'the 12 generals would lead a punitive force, consisting of elites from the knight order, and stop the dungeon countercurrent'. Dozens of years have passed since that order was given."

"Then it must've gotten worse inside if it's been dozens of years."

"Of course."

If the 12 generals couldn't hope to clear it, then it must be hell. But the critical reason that made them entrust the dungeon to him despite all that was...

"The internal environment is a tropical desert. You take fire damage just from entering and the inside is teeming with monsters that can use High Rank Fire. No matter how great of a warrior you are, it's difficult to maintain tip-top condition throughout, and because magicians lack stamina, they can't even enter the dungeon. The dungeon is protected by its awful environment... But our religious order uses fire, so the entry barriers are less severe for us."

"Conversely, you're saying that our fire won't be very effective against them."

"That's why you're here. All the priests and paladins that have watched you know that your power doesn't lie entirely in your ability to use fire."

They had probably noticed how powerful Bursting Thunder was when combined with the fire element. A warrior that possessed impeccable swordsmanship and could wield powerful flames. That was Lee Shin Woo, or Kay's current image. It wasn't wrong in real life either. But there was one thing that bothered him.

'But Bursting Thunder is strongest when used in conjunction with the Lightning element. However, I can't just pull out a new element out of the blue, and using bones in front of other people is out of the question...'

Of course, he should be able to progress through the dungeon. He had Zenon's help right now, as well as the Absorption and Fire Resistance skills. He couldn't help but feel relaxed. Lee Shin Woo thought of it as training his fire-related skills.

'Hoo. But it's still the wrong way to go about this. Though, it doesn't matter how much time I take; as long as I clear the dungeon, my fame will rise. And if I'm in a pinch, then I can just get away from the others and use my true abilities. ...Should I lay a smokescreen beforehand?'

While Lee Shin Woo was deep in thought, the Pope seemed to misunderstand and spoke in a relaxed tone.

"If you're this worried, then I, the Pope of the Sun God religion, should go with you. I have no intention of losing you here and even less intention of dying in there. Relax."

"No, I won't die no matter what. There's no need for you to enter the dungeon. You'll get in the way."

"Get in the way? You shouldn't look down on my fire magic and resistance. I can also use healing spells too, so..."

"The paladins and the priests will get in the way too. It's fine that they are willing to risk their lives for their religion, but if I find that they're holding me down then I'll send them right back to the surface."

"M-Mm..."

The Pope groaned. Of course, the Pope had sent the paladins and priests to assist him so that he wouldn't think that the Sun God religion was using him one-sidedly, but he was still worried. After all, the Sun God religion and the hero Kay had pledged to sink or swim together.

Lee Shin Woo knew how conflicted the Pope was and just laughed softly.

"I understand how you feel. But I can't clear this dungeon as easily as the others, so that's why I'm telling you this in advance."

"The other dungeons were easy for you? You truly are impressive. I wonder where you came from."

"Haha, isn't this all because of the Sun God's grace?"

Lee Shin Woo replied jokingly. After that, Lee Shin Woo could begin to see the ruined dungeon entrance and acted like he was taking something out of his bag when he was really going through his inventory. He took out a bottle of Kerr Century Elemental and passed it to the Pope.

"There's nothing to worry about. You don't need to be so nervous either. You're the one who picked this dungeon, so I'll trust you. So, you should trust me too."

"Mm. But our knights aren't weak either. They can protect themselves at the very least."

"If I think I can clear the dungeon all the way with them, I'll do so. However, if I judge that that's impossible, then I'll send them back. That's all. ...We don't have a simple business relationship. I'm looking out for you as well."

"...Is that so. I didn't think you'd say something like that."

Of course, Lee Shin Woo was thinking something along the lines of 'I can't take out a bone while other people are watching', but unfortunately, the Pope didn't have the ability to read minds. He'd also accepted the Kerr Century Wine, so any grievances he had were cleared up when he took a sip of the wine.

"Alright, I'll trust you. Once the knights and priests are able to escape, the hero clears the dungeon alone and returns. That'd make quite the story too."

"I'll let you take care of that."

"But for that to be a reality, you have to clear the dungeon. ...Can you prove to me that my ambition wasn't unreasonable?"

"Hoo, I already told you. If it's a level 7 dungeon, then everything will turn out just fine. If I was going to give up from something like this, then I wouldn't have taken your offer in the first place."

Around the time they were finished speaking, the soldiers and knights surrounding the ruins looked like they were at their limit. They were probably responsible for taking out the monsters that occasionally popped out. That meant that...

"You really came, Pope (of the Sun God religion)."

"It's been a long time, Evileye General."

At the center of the soldiers, a person boasting exceptional energy walked forward and greeted the pope. They wore a full suit of armor, so Lee Shin Woo couldn't tell their age or even their gender. But when the general raised the visor of their helm, Lee Shin Woo could see her eyes and hear her voice. She was definitely a woman.

[Lv7 Evileye General Shurina Von Hegel]

Lee Shin Woo tilted his head, as he couldn't really feel anything magical about her eyes. Her eyes were just a normal, deep green color. Maybe it was an active skill.

"Evileye?"

"You don't know anything, do you? She is one of the 12 generals and is known for her eyes that see through all; she sees her enemy's weak spots, and snipes her enemies with frightening accuracy."

He listened to the Pope and then checked her over once more. There was indeed a longbow hanging on her back. It was a level 4... No, a level 5 artifact. Unlike with humans, an artifact was amazing when it hit level 4, and when one found a level 5 artifact, they would have to treasure it forever. It was a piece of equipment fit for one of the 12 generals.

However, Lee Shin Woo wasn't the only one sizing her up. The Evileye General was in awe of Lee Shin Woo's weapon and armor (his armor was level 6 and his weapon was level 7, but all she could find out was that his equipment was good), yet was looking at him lukewarmly. Lee Shin Woo kept a portion of his mana from flowing, so it was only natural that she would look at him like that.

"Are you the Sun God's hero? ...So how is he really, Pope?"

"I can only say that the Sun God himself sent him down to revive our religious order and to bring peace to the continent. If you see him in action, then you'll come to understand. He has truly impressive abilities."

"Is he truly one of yours? ...You used quite a cunning method. No, it was more reckless than cunning."

The Pope and Lee Shin Woo's current plan was 'you know what they're thinking, but you still have to take it'. It didn't matter what his purpose for coming here was, so long as his methods were righteous. They would have no reason to refuse Lee Shin Woo, and even if they had legitimate concerns, they had no evidence. Lee Shin Woo's background was much too 'clean'.

"Once he clears this dungeon, no one will be able to say what you just said."

"Hmph. You've just found a man of talent, but because of your impatience, you're going to overwork him; he'll die and you'll end up regretting it. Yes, it's my Evileye. You (Lee Shin Woo) shouldn't do everything he says. After all, you only have one life."

As he thought, the relationship between the Sun God religion and the 12 generals seemed strained. No, perhaps every religious orders' relationship to the Emperor's forces was like this.

Perhaps the Pope hadn't accompanied Lee Shin Woo to go into the dungeon with him, but to ensure that no conflict would come between him and the Evileye General, he would remain on standby near the dungeon.

"Did you hear me?"

"Hmm. Yes, I heard you."

Lee Shin Woo briefly thought about verbally manipulating her, but... he decided against it. He didn't have only one life, but he didn't want to argue with her.

"I'll leave the outside to you, Pope."

"Oh, you're going in already?"

"It seems like she doubts my skills. It'd be much faster to prove my skills with my actions than to try to convince her with words. Now, everyone, prepare yourselves. We're going in."

"...I warned you. I'd rather not have to get rid of your corpse, so be careful."

While she nagged at him, Lee Shin Woo picked the most elite (level 6) paladins and priests that had followed him here. He only picked those who, at minimum, possessed level 5 Intermediate Fire Resistance. Ultimately, he had picked six level 6 paladins and two level 6 priests.

"Alright. Let's go."

"Do you really not need me to go in with you?"

"It won't take very long."

The Pope said his goodbyes with a relaxed expression. Lee Shin Woo then confidently led his elite force into the dungeon. They felt immense heat at the entrance, but it had no effect on Lee Shin Woo due to his High Rank Fire Resistance.

'It's tough. I feel like I've experienced this once before.'

'I'm sharing my resistance with you, so buck up.'

[Power. I can feel power surging within me!]

Jin acted like he was suffering, yet he walked on top of the sand as if he'd gotten used to it already. Zenon couldn't handle the power that surged from the hot environment. Finally, the priests and paladins followed close behind, sweat dripping from their faces... Lee Shin Woo sighed softly and stepped forward.

Thus began the dungeon conquest of the Sun God's hero.