Good news—
An Independent Map means regular explorers usually can’t reach this area, so whether you laugh, shout, or even sing loudly, it doesn’t matter.
Bad news—
While the scenery is indeed from the second floor, an Independent Map means Siloque and Hill have temporarily vanished from the Dungeon’s map and arrived in a different space.
Getting out won’t be that simple.
Just opening a Treasure Chest led to a life-or-death crisis.
The cost of trial and error is way too high.
Damn you, development team!
Siloque’s face was lined with dark lines as he pressed his right hand against his temple, trying to steady his mind.
Now, the question wasn’t whether they could get out before dinner, but whether they could get out alive.
“…..Let’s explore first. Let’s move toward that Castle and see what’s going on.”
“Agreed. This Forest is so gloomy—no wind, but still freezing. Hill doesn’t like it.”
Staying put wouldn’t open a door anyway.
Siloque led the way, making sure Hill followed closely.
“Brother, I compared this area with the Map, and it doesn’t look like scenery from Level 1. Where is this place?”
“This is an Independent Map. We need to find the right way out first.”
“Eh? Even Brother doesn’t know where this is?”
“Right.”
“An Independent Map, huh… Hill heard about them at the Institution. So, we’re in a different space… To encounter this on the first day—Hill’s really lucky.”
More like extremely unlucky.
Siloque couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry at Hill’s optimism.
Maybe she’d be someone important in the future.
“So, Brother means we’re trapped here?”
“More or less. Are you scared?”
“It’s fine. With Brother here, there’ll definitely be a way out.”
She smiled naively, revealing her trust in Siloque.
His little sister relied on him so much… He couldn’t tell if that was good or bad.
“Just be careful while exploring.”
“Okay. Hill understands. Even though Hill should be protecting Brother, I can’t let Brother step on another Trap.”
That was just our bad luck, landing on a Transfer Trap.
Seriously, how do we keep ending up in these situations?
This is a mid-to-late map with only a 5% chance of triggering!
Might as well have pulled a monster girl from the Gacha pool.
Even the odds of drawing gold are higher than this!
Does my bad luck + Hill = double misfortune?
The Forest wasn’t that large.
After about 10 minutes of walking, a Castle without any main gate appeared in their view.
To be more precise, it was a fortress—solemn and foreboding.
On the moss-covered gray roof stood over a dozen uneven spires, countless arched windows emitting orange light, and at the top, a tattered triangular flag fluttered.
If you didn’t know better, you’d think this was a bandit stronghold.
“It really feels like a BOSS zone.”
Hill’s voice was tinged with surprise and expectation.
But she was right.
They didn’t know who it would be, but it was certain the area’s BOSS was at least a Level 20 powerhouse.
The problem was how to get out.
The exit conditions were random—maybe defeat the BOSS, maybe find a key, or maybe clear an NPC’s Task.
They’d have to comb the whole Map to confirm.
On the bright side, coming here wasn’t all bad.
This area had an exclusive hidden skill—〈Stealth Walker〉.
Its effect was to conceal one’s presence and turn invisible.
It wasn’t an offensive skill, but with it, they could explore the Dungeon freely.
Siloque continued forward, leading Hill through the outer Castle gate.
On the Plaza, they passed a group of Oakwood Golems standing in neat rows.
Their bodies, made of logs, looked tough, and their carved wooden faces looked oddly dumb.
“Uwah!”
Hill took a slight step back.
Eh? They’re not attacking?
Looking closer, they’re kind of cute…
“Oh, those.”
Siloque explained calmly:
“Oakwood Golems only attack if you get closer. See the crystal embedded in their backs? It looks like a gemstone, and it actually sells for a high price.”
But it’s best to sell it to the Horned Demon Lady in the Dungeon—her shop is in the middle levels between the second and third floors, and her purchase prices are better.
Hill eyed the Oakwood Golems as if seeing gold on the roadside.
“Don’t touch them. Their attack speed isn’t as slow as they look. And these dozen are all linked—hit one, and the rest will move too.”
“H-Hill totally didn’t want to fight them and sell their crystals for money. Hmph!”
Hill winked playfully at Siloque.
A simple and obvious tsundere response.
It helped Siloque relax a bit.
“Let’s explore the Castle first. Skeleton Soldier-type monsters might show up here, so don’t let your guard down.”
“Okay!”
They stepped onto the blue-bricked path and opened the Castle doors, entering the building.
Inside, the decor was extravagant—a corridor of pure white marble, gleaming as if new, covered with a red carpet, forming a stark contrast with the ruinous exterior.
A chilling silence filled the air.
If Cass were here, he’d probably say the place was perfect for ghosts.
Zzz—
In the corridor, a black vortex materialized.
First, a skeletal arm reached out.
Then, a full skeleton emerged, falling onto the red carpet.
It wore Viking-style horned armor, but the wearer was a moving skeleton wielding a massive Greatsword.
A monster named ‘Skeleton Bandit Noble.’
“Brother!”
“Hill, watch the surroundings for me. I’ll fight it with everything I have.”
He didn’t know what level this monster was, so as someone with higher agility and dexterity, it was better for him to probe it himself.
The Skeleton Soldier shook as if preparing to attack, but Siloque moved faster.
The Greatsword flashed.
A diagonal upward slash knocked away the enemy’s wrist, sending the sword flying and tearing into its chest.
“—-! “
The Skeleton Soldier froze, trying to retreat, but Siloque gave it no chance to recover.
He slashed again and again—four, five, six, seven, eight strikes burst across its chest.
“—-!!!”
With a voiceless, dying scream, the monster’s white-and-black body crumbled to dust.
Siloque held his Greatsword aloft, motionless, watching the cloud of gray dust fall until the last moment.
Then, he gasped for air.
“Haah, ha, haah…”
It was easier than expected, and the monster didn’t show any sign of respawning.
Looks like the mobs here aren’t that strong.
It was a mechanical-type monster, like a Maple Court Knight, so it didn’t drop Crystal Cores or any loot—truly unfortunate.
“Let’s go, Hill.”
“Ah? Mm… Brother, you’re much stronger in actual combat than in the game.”
“I just have more experience. Hill, you’ve learned a lot—you’ll be as strong as me soon.”
They continued exploring the Castle.
More Skeleton Soldier mobs appeared, all about the same strength as the first.
Siloque let Hill use them for practice, the two working together against the monsters, but Siloque always left the last hit (LA) for Hill.
After half an hour of exploring and fighting, Hill leveled up from Lv9 to Lv10.
Still so fast…
Siloque felt a mix of admiration, jealousy, and frustration at his sister’s talent—meanwhile, his own level didn’t budge.
The room with the (Stealth Walker) skill wasn’t easy to find.
The rooms were laid out randomly, so they could only search one by one, reaching the third floor of the Castle.
“Up ahead should be the Lord’s Chamber.”
At least that room’s location was fixed.
At the end of the hall, a gray-blue door loomed, covered with embossed patterns, the silence of the corridor making the air inside feel eerily ominous.
“Will there be Treasure?”
“There will definitely be a BOSS.”
Hill had been tricked before, yet her excitement for Treasure remained strong. Her heart was big.
The BOSS in the area was also random—they needed to check what kind of opponent it was.
Hopefully, it wasn’t the Valkyrie of Scarlet Decay kind of monster.
Otherwise, they’d never get out of here.
Siloque and Hill stopped before the door, exchanging glances.
“Brother… Is it really okay? Can we just peek into the BOSS Room? It won’t chase us out, will it?”
“……Head BOSS monsters never leave their Chambers. Just opening the door should be fine…probably.”
Siloque felt Hill tugging on his left arm.
He took a deep breath, sweat pooling in his palm as he gripped the doorknob.
Slowly, he pushed.
The gigantic door, twice his height, moved surprisingly smoothly, opening a gap just wide enough for a face.
Inside was dim.
After adjusting to the dark, they could barely make out the scene.
The room was much larger inside than out—at least half the size of a soccer field, completely defying spatial logic.
At its center lay a monster chained at its limbs, its prone form resembling a small mountain.
Abyssfire Dragon Remnant.
A monster that appeared only on the third floor.
So, this was the BOSS of the map.
It was smaller than in the game—probably because its wings weren’t spread.
You couldn’t tell at a glance.
“Brother, can’t you use (Detection) to check its level and stats?”
“I didn’t learn it. Low-level (Detection) is easy for targets to notice. If you scan a monster, it’ll pull aggro instantly.”
Mainly, Siloque didn’t want to waste a skill slot on a low-tier ability, and paying to remove it later was a hassle.
He’d planned to wait for the Purple Crystal to go up in price next month and sell it all at once.
“I see. Brother, look at the monster’s feet.”
A Treasure Chest.
In the Abyssfire Dragon Remnant’s embrace, there was a Treasure Chest.
Siloque knew what was inside—a key item to trigger a new Dungeon Task.
“Do we fight?”
“No.”
Siloque rejected Hill’s suggestion.
“That thing looks dangerous. Let’s explore the area first, get (Stealth Walker), and make sure there’s no other exit—then consider fighting the BOSS.”
They tiptoed away from the room.
Fortunately, the BOSS didn’t chase after them.
After some searching, they found a room on the first floor at the back of the Castle, where half the ceiling had collapsed and weeds grew everywhere.
A rectangular slab stood upright in the center, glowing faintly purple, covered in strange patterns.
A Transmission Gate!
Siloque stepped forward to inspect it.
“Damn, of course it’s not that easy…”
He knocked and prodded it, discovering the Gate couldn’t be used.
It showed no response to magic power.
“Brother, look—there…”
Just as Siloque was feeling troubled, he followed his sister’s gaze.
“!!”
Piles of burnt charcoal—remnants of a campfire.
Siloque checked them and, judging by the touch, they still retained warmth.
In other words, in this Castle and this Trap-ridden area…
“There are others here besides us…”