Chapter 280: Before the Dungeon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 280: Before the Dungeon
“So, this is Archmage Isaac’s Secret Tower…”
“Hmm… so you’re saying this dungeon was made by a great human shaman?”
“To be precise, not a shaman, but a magician. Magic can do many things, from increasing weight to reducing size… The power that brought us here was also magic.”
Black Spear spoke up in response to the Minotaur, Earth Wave, explaining the difference between a magician and a shaman. The reactions of the Werewolf, Broken Bow, and the Great Tribe Leader Storm Shadow, who were listening to Black Spear, were not bad either.
He was the strongest magician among the humans; if we were to translate it into our own terms, he was no different from a great shaman whose name was left in history, so it was only natural for them to have high expectations. This was especially true since they had just witnessed the power of magic firsthand. It was worth bringing Choi Eunju.
“I’m looking forward to this.”
Even Storm Shadow, who rarely showed his emotions, went so far as to say this.
“Hmm… I heard a human was coming from the North as well. Where is that human?”
“You will meet them soon.”
The atmosphere was a bit chaotic and incredibly boisterous. I could see the anticipation in their eyes.
The Green Skin lineup consisted of the three tribes from the Brother’s Land: Black Spear, Goff, and myself.
From the North, the Werewolf, White Silver Fang.
From the plains, the Minotaur, Earth Wave.
The Orc who had protected the North, Broken Bow.
And the Great Tribe Leader, Storm Shadow.
There was also one nameless shaman from the Land of Glory. In addition, a nameless warrior from the South had also joined us.
To be honest, I had considered bringing the Dark Moon elder, but our lineup was already excessively strong. If I brought a skilled shaman on top of that, our anticipated dungeon crawl might end up being even more anticlimactic. The purpose, after all, was just a preliminary survey.
The reason for including the nameless Orc warrior and the shaman was purely to gauge their level compared to ours. In truth, the Orc warrior wasn't part of the plan. It seemed Silver Fang felt bad about us having all the fun, so he told me to make an offer to Sand Glave.
I mustered up quite a bit of courage to speak to Sand Glave, and in the end, the one he recommended was this Orc.
‘Hmph. I will not go. I shall remain and protect this Land of Glory. And do not misunderstand, Blood Dagger. I have not yet acknowledged you.’
‘Are you sure you won’t go?’
‘I… I said I wouldn’t go. I heard a human is going as well. Hmph. I don’t like it.’
‘I’ll ask one last time.’
‘Ahem… If you insist, there is someone I would recommend.’
And so, he recommended this Orc warrior. I couldn’t help but think that if I had asked just one more time, he might have accepted my offer himself. That’s how clearly I could see the desire to go in Sand Glave’s eyes.
It was likely a matter of pride, and he probably thought it wasn't right for all the chieftains representing their regions to leave their posts at the same time. Seeing as he sent this warrior, he undoubtedly intended to hear the stories later, so I felt I should make sure the Orc had a good experience.
Archmage Isaac’s Secret Tower was located in the western part of the continent. I didn’t know for what purpose it was built, nor why it was in the West. Of course, it didn’t usually reveal itself. I didn’t know the conditions for its appearance, but Choi Seulgi said she would take care of it, so I didn’t need to worry.
It’s a shame we couldn’t make the journey a leisurely one, as if we were simply wandering. I contacted Jang Ye Ri and asked her to have Choi Eunju transport us, and thinking it would be good to have at least one high-level magician, I cautiously made the offer to Choi Eunju. That was why she was here.
I still haven’t forgotten how happy she looked when I asked her to come with us.
The human lineup consisted of the former Clan Master of the Spider Clan, Choi Eunju, and the continent’s greatest thief and assassin, Choi Seulgi.
“Hmm… a spell that can move us over such a great distance… incredible.”
“It’s magic.”
Her ability would be a nuisance as an enemy, but as an ally, it was incredibly reassuring. Storm Shadow still had a look of disbelief on his face; even he, who could use shadows, couldn't move so many people at once. If he heard that large-scale troop movements were possible, albeit with limitations, he would probably be astonished.
It was after we teleported to a nearby location and were slowly heading toward our destination.
Suddenly, Silver Fang started sniffing the air.
“Humans. Were they already here?”
“Only one was supposed to come. It seems we have some guests who arrived early. Or perhaps they just have business nearby…”
“Hmm…”
It was a slightly awkward situation. Normally, I would have been delighted and attacked them, but now that we were pursuing an alliance with the humans, it was quite ambiguous. If they were the types who made a living by conquering dungeons, they wouldn’t be low-level. If they attacked us, it could get annoying.
As I briefly scowled, Choi Eunju spoke.
“Honey. Should I send them somewhere else?”
“No. It’s fine.”
For now, I shook my head. The decision wasn't mine to make, but the Great Tribe Leader’s.
Storm Shadow cleared his throat once before slowly stepping forward.
“For now, it would be best to approach as planned. This sort of thing might happen often in the future. It would be good to get used to meeting humans. Since we happen to have a human lady who can teleport, it wouldn't be a bad idea to try talking to them. It might help them lower their guard.”
“An excellent decision. As expected of the Great Tribe Leader.”
“Mmm. I agree with Great Tribe Leader Storm Shadow.”
Broken Bow and Earth Wave nodded in turn. For them, this was quite a concession. However, there was no way of knowing if the other party would listen to what we had to say.
As we continued toward the designated location, I started to feel a little tense. Perhaps they hadn't noticed us, as we began to hear their voices.
“Hmm… I think it was around here?”
“If it’s a magician’s tower, there’s bound to be good loot. There will probably be a ton of items, too…”
“Hehe, I’m excited, Sister.”
“You greedy little brat… We need to investigate first. We could just walk in and get ourselves killed.”
“But you’re here, Sister. So…”
“I told you, I’m not that strong. There are so many powerful people in the world… Well, you wouldn’t have seen them since you didn’t experience the war…”
It was a clan of about fifty people, centered around a woman who appeared to be a female knight. They didn’t look like they were from the West, and I didn’t recognize their banner. They were probably a group that had scattered after the war and recently regrouped. I couldn’t tell which region they were from, but it seemed the woman in front was the only one who had participated in the war that had engulfed the South, West, East, and North.
When we stealthily revealed our presence, they all turned to look at us. A strange silence fell.
“M-Monsters?”
A bewildered voice echoed. To be honest, I was more interested in the massive gate behind them, but it seemed that wasn't the case from their perspective.
“Hmph…”
Green Skins coming to explore a dungeon must have been something they couldn’t even imagine. They surely thought we were here to hunt them.
“Sister, monsters…”
Flustered voices came from the fifty or so humans.
“P-Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!”
“Prepare for battle! Now!”
Naturally, the atmosphere grew frantic. Most of the humans began chanting spells or drawing their swords, preparing to fight. The situation looked incredibly urgent. However, the face of their leader, who stood at the very front, was horribly contorted.
“Run…”
“Sister, what are you…”
“Sister!”
“Run away!!!! Quickly! Right now!!!”
Only the woman at the front was able to gauge our level of power. Her legs were trembling violently, but it was commendable that she hadn’t collapsed. However, the ones beside her seemed unable to discern our strength.
“Right now! Scatter! That’s an order! Quickly! Quickly!!”
“Th-there are only nine of them, S-Sister. And they’re holding a human hostage. We can’t run! Th-that woman… that woman will die!”
He was undoubtedly talking about Choi Eunju, who was standing next to me with her head bowed.
“Park Yeoul! Didn’t you hear me?! Do you think that’s what’s important right now? That doesn’t matter! Just run away!!! For one minute… n-no, for about thirty seconds, I can somehow… no… I don’t even know if I can last thirty seconds.”
The clan’s leader was in a complete panic. Noticing that something was wrong, her followers began to watch us warily, observing us more closely. All the while, the woman who appeared to be the leader held her sword with a trembling hand, glaring at us. She was full of openings and looked like she would be sent flying with a single flick of a finger, but she was being as vigilant as she possibly could.
In truth, if just one person from our lineup moved, all of those humans could be dealt with in under thirty seconds. Of course, if the Great Tribe Leader moved, it would be over in five.
“Ah… ahh…”
A gasp escaped. One by one, they suddenly started pissing themselves, and their legs seemed to freeze, unable to even stand properly. They had finally realized why their clan master was reacting this way.
Our reaction was one of confusion as to why they were acting like this… Earth Wave, in particular, let out a heavy sigh. He seemed to think they were pathetic.
“We’re… we’re all going to die. We’re definitely all going to die…”
“S-save… me…”
“Everyone, pull yourselves together and listen to me! If they attack, the officers will hold them off somehow. I’ll try to handle the Troll in the center, though I’m not confident… Seungcheol, you take the Werewolf, and Younghee, you take the Minotaur. Then, scatter immediately. We can survive. Let’s meet at the Clan House.”
“I-I’ll stay with you, Sister!”
“It’s suicide. Didn’t you hear my order? Do you really want me to punish you?”
“B-but…”
“We can’t just leave it all to you, Sister. If… if we die, we die together. We’ll never run away alone. Punish me all you want!”
“You foolish girl…”
“Thank you for everything, Sister…”
“S-Sister, thank you. For everything… You kept me out of the war… and even made a shelter for us… I can’t run away this time either. I-I’m not much, but I’ll fight with you.”
“You foolish idiots… Alright. Let’s all make it out of this alive…”
She looked pitiful, forcing a smile while her pale lips trembled. I was at a loss in the face of this sudden melodrama. It was good that they had become united, but I wanted to tell them to please refrain from directing that unity and hostility toward us. Because as their temperature suddenly rose, it seemed one of our own was getting fired up as well.
“Those humans… they are warriors.”
It was the werewolf, White Silver Fang. He was growling, baring his sharp claws and teeth. Storm Shadow raised a hand toward Silver Fang and then glanced at Choi Eunju. Choi Eunju, who had recently learned translation magic from the elves, looked at me for a cue before extending a hand toward Storm Shadow. And with that, Storm Shadow slowly opened his mouth.
“We have no intention of attacking you, humans. We are merely interested in the large gate behind you. Furthermore, we would like to speak with you.”
“………………………………”
A strange silence.
“Hic! Hah? Huh?”
A bizarre sound escaped the female knight who seemed to be the leader. She had dropped the sword she was holding onto the ground.