Memorize

With a force that seemed as if it could split the earth, the sword swung past Jung Ha-Yeong and plunged deep into the ground. As the sword left my hand, I infused it with magical energy.

"Boom!"

With a resounding noise, the ground around the embedded sword surged upward, causing subtle cracks to form.

Jung Ha-Yeong, who had been staring at me with wide, rabbit-like eyes, soon let out a sigh of relief upon seeing the blood seeping out from the ground.

"Phew. Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

I twisted the sword once before pulling it out and giving it a light flick. With a sharp "chwak," the blood clinging to the blade scattered onto the ground.

At first, Shin Sang-Yong had looked utterly shocked when I charged in with my sword. However, after witnessing Jung Ha-Yeong calmly conversing with me, he gave an awkward smile.

Meanwhile, An-Hyun and Yun-Jung were running around so fervently that it almost seemed like they were competing to see who could kill more enemies. To be honest, the ones still standing could barely even be considered fighters—it was hardly a battle at this point. It was more like finishing off stragglers.

"I got twelve."

"I got fourteen. Wow, I won!"

"Tch."

As An-Hyun raised both hands in victory and Yun-Jung pouted in disappointment, my companions and I couldn't help but laugh.

This was what a proper fight between skilled players looked like. Of course, it wasn't exactly what one would call ordinary. At least from my perspective, Jung Ha-Yeong and Shin Sang-Yong had clearly fought together many times before, and their teamwork reflected their high level of experience.

Meanwhile, those who had always fought in a more reckless, uncoordinated manner were watching them with admiration in their eyes.

At the same time, I noticed something burning in An-Hyun's gaze—frustration. I could easily guess why. Understanding his feelings, I patted his shoulder a couple of times.

The wasteland was a paradise for Land Moles. It was so barren that not only did players avoid settling there, but even most monsters refused to live in such a harsh environment. The only creatures that thrived were the Land Moles, burrowing deep underground. In that sense, the wasteland truly belonged to them.

The highlight of our battles was undoubtedly the fight against a hundred Land Moles. After two days of relentless slaughter, it seemed that the creatures had finally lost their patience and gathered in force to retaliate—right in the middle of our camp while we were sleeping.

However, no seasoned player would fail to notice such a large-scale movement, and I had kept my detection abilities active at all times. Though the darkness of night and the ambush from all directions made things tricky, even Jung Ha-Yeong and Shin Sang-Yong looked slightly uneasy. They could handle it if they wanted to, but limited visibility naturally made them more cautious.

That was when my kids (…. ) showed their worth.

Since I had trained them to wake up and fight in the middle of sleep, they reacted with a speed that was far from what one would expect from zero-year players. Instantly, they formed a defensive formation, coordinated their attacks, and protected the mages and priests more effectively than ever before. It seemed they had developed an inferiority complex after witnessing the combat prowess displayed earlier in the day.

Of course, with Vivienne's chimera beasts guarding the rear and me holding the front line, the burden on An-Hyun and Yun-Jung was reduced. But even then, the fact that they managed to hold their ground so efficiently was impressive. Thanks to our solid defense, the mages and priests could cast their spells with ease.

"Unbelievable. Are they really zero-year players?"

That was the first thing Jung Ha-Yeong said when the battle ended. She might not realize it yet, but by now, calling them beginners was a stretch. Statistically and experience-wise, they had already completed an expedition, a feat worthy of a seasoned mid-tier player.

"This is remarkable. Setting up and maintaining a formation like that is no easy task…"

She seemed particularly impressed by how swiftly they had organized themselves and maintained tight, effective coordination throughout the battle. Her praise made the group swell with pride. I even had the illusion that their noses were getting higher—especially An-Hyun, whose smug cough was downright ridiculous.

That moment of satisfaction, however, was soon interrupted by Yun-Jung—who, like an essential yet exasperating spice in any conversation, just had to chime in.

"Unnie, my dad taught us how to do it."

"…Huh? Dad?"

Yun-Jung looked at me for a moment before turning away. Jung Ha-Yeong, after staring at me with an unreadable expression, let out a sigh and shook her head. Then, for some reason, she looked at me with pity.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"…You were driving really fast, weren't you?"

"..."

"Hehe. Just kidding."

Sleeping in a place filled with corpses was far from ideal, so we decided to relocate and make up for our lost rest. The others whined about not being able to fall asleep, but I insisted they force themselves to sleep—tomorrow's activities would be difficult enough without exhaustion slowing us down.

When Yun-Jung demanded I sing her a lullaby, I responded by smacking her lightly on the head. She burst into dramatic sobs, but I ignored her and lay down. As expected, the moment I settled in, her crying stopped abruptly. Then, after a brief silence, I heard her click her tongue.

The next day—our third day—we finally arrived at the location I had marked in advance. As expected, the ruined laboratory was nowhere to be seen. Just in case, I activated my Third Eye to check for any kind of illusion barrier, but there was none. That meant the facility was still hidden somewhere beyond my current range.

Realizing we needed to move further in, I turned my attention to the multiple branching paths ahead, considering which direction to take.

"An-Sol. Where are you going?"

Yun-Jung's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. When I lifted my head, I saw Sol slinging on her backpack and quietly making her way down one of the side paths.

Looking dazed, Sol finally seemed to regain her senses and turned toward us with a blank expression.

"Huh?"

"Huh? What do you mean, 'huh'?"

"Ack! Ow, ow! That hurts!"

"What were you planning to do if you got lost wandering off on your own?"

"Hauu… That's not what I was trying to do…"

Sol, rubbing her stretched-out cheeks after being pinched by Yun-Jung, pouted as she spoke. Her explanation was simple: she hadn't really thought about it—she just felt that this path was the right one, so she instinctively slung on her backpack and started walking.

Most of the group chuckled at the absurdity of her reasoning, but An-Hyun and I didn't. An-Hyun turned his intense gaze toward me.

"Hyung."

"I know."

Outwardly, I acted as though I agreed with Sol's reasoning and led the march down the path she had chosen. However, luck was a stat just like any other. According to the intel I had gathered, the best I could do was get us as close as possible to our target. But instead of blindly picking a direction myself, trusting in someone with a 100-point luck stat seemed like the smarter choice. At the very least, I figured she'd lead us to the right vicinity.

Frequent battles erupted as we advanced, but no one seemed particularly exhausted. We had enough supplies, took ample breaks, and most importantly, everyone had improved since the battle against the hundred Land Moles. Their movements were getting sharper, more fluid.

Eventually, we left the barren wasteland behind and stepped onto lush green terrain once more. But this wasn't necessarily good news. In the wasteland, we only had to deal with Land Moles. Here, other monsters could appear at any moment.

From this point on, we were essentially in uncharted territory. Technically, the map marked unexplored lands much further north, and there were traces of previous players having passed through this area.

But passing through was one thing. Some trails led in, yet showed no signs of anyone ever coming out. Given that it had been less than two months since Mule was first discovered, this area could still be considered part of the unknown.

At some point, Sol had moved up to the front of the formation with me. I felt slightly uneasy about that, but she, oddly enough, seemed to be enjoying the adventure. She was grinning non-stop, which was very uncharacteristic of her.

Each time we reached a fork in the road, I had her take the lead. She would pause for a moment before pointing decisively in one direction.

Shin Sang-Yong didn't seem to care either way, while Jung Ha-Yeong looked skeptical. But after An-Hyun vouched for Sol's instincts—mentioning that her gut feelings had saved lives before—and I personally backed her up, Jung Ha-Yeong's expression shifted to one of curiosity.

Since we were in uncharted territory anyway, it didn't matter which path we took as long as we didn't lose track of our way back.

Honestly, I hadn't planned on using Sol this way, but if we actually found the ruined laboratory, I'd have the perfect excuse—I wasn't the one who led us there. Sol was. Even if I couldn't outright say she had high luck, I could chalk it up to beginner's luck or some vague intuition.

By the time the sun began to set, we came upon the entrance to a forest. Though, calling it a "forest" felt almost redundant. Ever since we'd left the wasteland, the landscape had been overwhelmingly green—untouched by human hands, a scene that no longer existed in the modern world.

But something about the entrance felt… off.

A narrow footpath stretched in another direction, offering an alternative route. Yet, Sol kept gravitating toward the forest entrance.

Sensing it was time to activate Third Eye, I quickly gathered my mana and prepared to unveil whatever was hidden from sight.

And in that moment, I understood the source of the unease I had felt at the entrance.

This forest entrance—it wasn't natural. It had been made.

A surge of excitement rushed through me as I stepped forward into the forest.

Soon, the path became unmistakable. Unlike the uneven, rugged terrain we had been walking on, there were traces—faint but undeniable—of human interference.

Along the way, we encountered a group of Mankis for the first time in a while, but since we had hunted them to exhaustion in the rite of passage, they were no real threat. The others, surprisingly nostalgic at the sight of them, made quick work of the creatures.

Unlike before, we maintained a fast march. And by the time Sol, clutching my hand tightly, was gasping for breath, I finally halted.

My eyes fixed ahead, silent and steady.

And there it stood—the Ruined Laboratory that countless players had been searching for.

Its structure, though weathered and rusted in places, still stood tall, partially hidden beneath creeping vegetation. Despite the passage of time, the building retained its form, a testament to its resilience.

It was absurd.

The laboratory had been right here—just three days from the small city of Mule. How had it remained undiscovered for so long?

But then I recalled the unnatural sensation I had felt at the entrance.

People had simply assumed this was just a forest. No one had expected a dungeon to be hidden here. If I hadn't noticed that anomaly—or if Sol hadn't been inexplicably drawn to it—we might have walked right past it.

The ancient inhabitants who built this place were truly remarkable.

"We've found the Ruined Laboratory."

My voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable weight.

The group fell into stunned silence as they took in the sight before them.

Shin Sang-Yong and Jung Ha-Yeong, in particular, looked utterly speechless. Their mouths opened and closed as if struggling to process reality. No matter how skilled they were, accepting what had just happened wasn't easy.

"Th-this is impossible… Even if it was just beginner's luck… This… this is…"

"Ha… This is… surprising."

As Jung Ha-Yeong finally gathered herself, her gaze shifted toward An-Sol, who stood there quietly.

I smiled faintly and approached Sol, placing both hands on her shoulders as I looked down at her.

"Our Sol is really a lucky charm, huh?"

Despite my hands resting on her, Sol showed no resistance. She simply tilted her head slightly, her innocent eyes blinking up at me in quiet curiosity.

"Am I a lucky charm?"

"Of course! Our Sol is the best."

Only then did she seem to realize I was praising her. A bright smile bloomed across her face.

Seeing that, I couldn't help myself—I lifted Sol into the air, swinging her up and down like an airplane.

"Waaah! Waaah!"

She raised her hands excitedly, letting out a small but delighted cheer.

After a few moments, I gently set her back down, turning my attention forward once more.

On the third day since leaving Mule, we had finally discovered the Ruined Laboratory.

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