Chapter 52: Entry
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: Entry
I quietly approached the first of my goblins and spoke.
“Tell Black Spear I have something to say to him, Gark.”
At my words, Gark nodded his head vigorously before vanishing in an instant. With his ability to hide his presence and his excellent stamina, he was perfect for this kind of task. Black Spear was a Troll who had only recently become independent, but judging by the aura he projected, he was definitely mid- to high-tier—far stronger than us. If he agreed to my plan, dealing with the humans loitering at the dungeon entrance would become much easier.
‘The Ancient Warrior’s Grave.’
Just as I’d expected from the strategy guide, it was a dungeon filled with undead. What set it apart from other undead lairs was how remarkably clean it was inside.
Unlike the ghouls, zombies, and skeletons we usually encountered, the warriors slumbering in the Ancient Warrior’s Grave were in quite good condition.
The weapons they used were top-notch, and of course, the weapon wielded by the slumbering Ancient Warrior himself was a certified masterpiece. I didn’t know if they wanted to hide the functions of the items they’d obtained, but the strategy guide didn’t contain any information about them.
They had only revealed a single item.
‘The Ring of Covenant.’
It was an accessory that increased magic power by +2. It came as a set of two, and surprisingly, it allowed for long-distance communication with the other ring’s wearer, provided they were within a certain range.
Back then, it was a pie in the sky I could never have, but I’d thoroughly researched their achievements just to see what they’d found. It was one of the items that had stuck in my memory.
In any case, I held my breath and began to observe them. There were twenty-two of them in total. Most were warriors or rogues, with two archers. The ones who looked like women appeared to be priests or mages. And there were two ‘squires.’
It was a well-balanced party for a dungeon crawl. I didn’t know who had discovered the dungeon, but it was likely either a clan on a full-scale expedition or a desperate venture cobbled together by calling in every favor they had. Naturally, the latter scenario was far more advantageous for us.
After waiting a little longer, they began to enter the dungeon one by one. Seeing this, Mev looked at me and cautiously spoke.
“Chief, they’re going in.”
“Just wait a bit. They’ll come back out.”
“Really?”
She looked a little doubtful, but when I spoke with a voice full of conviction, Mev nodded. It seemed she regarded me with something akin to faith.
Just as I’d said, after about half a day had passed, they started to emerge from the dungeon one by one. Mev began to look at me with eyes full of awe, which made my ego swell.
“How did you know?”
“Their packs and provisions. Anyone could see their bags were too small. It looks like they just decided to scout it out for today.”
“The Chief really is amazing, isn’t he?”
Mev’s eyes sparkled. She was looking at me with an intensity that even a Green Goblin would covet. It was only natural that I felt a little burdened. At this rate, it felt like she would ask to mate with me on the spot. I deliberately averted my gaze.
The humans slowly began to depart. I couldn’t be sure how many preliminary surveys this was, but judging by the atmosphere, I felt they would enter the dungeon for real very soon. I couldn’t be certain, but within a week, they would fire the starting pistol on their conquest of the Ancient Warrior’s Grave.
Once they were a safe distance away, I went around patting the shoulders of my still-tense followers one by one, and they gradually returned to being the usual Blood Dagger Clan.
*
Kang Hana. She was a summoner who had been on this continent for exactly two years. She had been knocked around from place to place, but she had never managed to awaken a unique ability, and her skills had never progressed beyond a novice level. She had struggled to become stronger on this continent where only the strong survived, but reality was cruel. In the end, two years ago, finding it hard to make a living, she chose to become a squire. She had decided to lie low under the protection of a clan and grow stronger.
Luckily, she caught the eye of a clan and was offered the position of a clan squire, which she accepted in a heartbeat.
She didn’t really know what a squire did, but she figured it had to be a much better choice than becoming a street prostitute.
That’s what she had thought, right up until she entered the dungeon with the Overlord Clan.
Fuck…
She hadn’t always been one to curse, not even in her thoughts. If she had known they would treat people like dogs and pigs—no, if she had known that being a squire simply meant being a tool to clean up their messes and satisfy their sexual urges, she would never have joined them.
Since she accompanied them into dungeons, it wasn’t as if she earned no points at all, but because she couldn’t participate directly in combat, the amount was pitiful.
Even that small amount was constantly drained away by the cost of potions and other supplies. Worse, contrary to their promise to train her, they never taught her any weapon skills. The ‘highest-grade potion’ they had used to save her when she nearly died on her first dungeon expedition still hung over her head as a debt.
To her, being a squire was a pit of quicksand.
She was bound by a contract, so she couldn’t run away. And even if she did, there was no way those beasts would just let her go. She felt pathetic, wondering when things had gone so wrong.
And so, she silently shouldered the bag filled with their junk and began to walk across the desert. Just then, someone slapped her on the ass as they walked by.
Her face flushed red, of course, but she could only bite her lip and endure it. She thought the harassment would end there, but that was her mistake. A man who had been constantly touching her all over slowly began to speak, and Kang Hana bit her lip once more.
“I can look forward to tonight, right?”
Fucking bastard. Tearing him to shreds wouldn’t be enough.
Back on Earth, a situation like this would have earned him a slap across the face, but here, Kang Hana was utterly powerless. She was the subordinate one, unable to do anything in the face of overwhelming strength.
It wasn’t that she hadn’t resisted. She had lashed out at them before, even attacked them with the intent to kill or be killed. Each time, she was met with overwhelming violence.
The memory alone was enough to make her legs tremble uncontrollably. In the end, she squeezed her eyes shut and spoke.
“Yes… Yes! Of course.”
It was Jang Youngsoo, the bastard who had sweet-talked her into signing a contract as a clan squire. He reigned as a powerhouse in the small city of Legius after acquiring a special class.
Besides Jang Youngsoo, there were, of course, others who treated her like a prostitute. To be precise, every single one of these fucking animals here. There wasn’t one who hadn’t lusted after her.
But the most vicious of them all was the mage, Kim Mina.
For some reason, the mage was hell-bent on devouring her. As a mage of the Overlord Clan, she not only turned a blind eye to the criminal acts happening within the clan, but she was also a woman who always looked down on people, as if to say she was different from a mere squire.
No, in this place, you couldn’t even call them criminal acts. To be precise, Kang Hana and Baek Ahyeon were ‘property’ owned by this clan.
Even though they were simply on their way back to the city, the return journey was anything but smooth.
“You fucking bitch!”
The clan’s mage, Kim Mina, had exploded.
The reason was that her belongings hadn’t been properly managed. It was impossible to organize the baggage of twenty people perfectly in a short amount of time. But to them, such things didn’t matter. All that mattered was that a ‘mistake’ had been made.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Watching Baek Ahyeon, the only person here she could call a friend, bow her head repeatedly, Kang Hana turned her own head away.
“You fucking bitch. Is sorry all you can say? Do you have any idea how much that costs?”
Smack! Smack!
The sound echoed again and again, but of course, none of them looked like they had any intention of stopping it. Kang Hana cautiously raised her head to watch the scene. She was sure the expensive item hadn’t been damaged. The reason Kim Mina was rampaging like this was probably because it had gotten some dust on it or a small scratch.
The sight of Kim Mina repeatedly slapping Baek Ahyeon’s cheek came into view. This was little more than venting her anger.
Worse, she was infusing her slaps with magic power. With every turn of her head, blood spurted from Baek Ahyeon’s mouth.
“Fucking bitch. You filthy bitch! Oppa! Can’t we just kill this bitch?”
“Mina, you need to calm down. She’s always been a bit of an idiot, right? Hehe. If she were just like our Hana, she wouldn’t have to worry about getting beaten like that… right?”
“Yes… Yes.”
She answered, but she couldn’t help but worry about Baek Ahyeon. Her short stature and cute face were now covered in blood, and her clothes were splattered with it.
“I’m sorry. Ugh. I’m… I’m sorry. Please… forgive me just this once.”
“Do you know how many times this has been? Fuck. Fuck. Hooo… I really want to kill you… for real.”
With Baek Ahyeon a battered mess before her, Kim Mina slowly began to gather her magic. Naturally, Baek Ahyeon’s body began to tremble, and just then, Jang Youngsoo finally spoke up.
“Mina. You know you can’t actually kill her, right? ‘It’ is still clan property.”
At his words, Kim Mina slowly began to lower her magic, and Kang Hana clutched at her startled chest in relief. Dissatisfied, Kim Mina muttered under her breath before speaking to Baek Ahyeon.
“Clan property, my ass. She’s just a cheap bitch who isn’t worth much… Tsk. Fine. Hey. Get back.”
“Yes… Yes. Thank… you.”
Baek Ahyeon looked like she was having a very hard time speaking, as if the inside of her mouth was completely mangled and torn. It would have been nice if the clan’s priestess would heal her, but the woman named Yura just glanced at Baek Ahyeon with disgust, making no move to help.
Fucking bastards.
Her own situation was slightly better since she had signed the contract of her own free will, but Baek Ahyeon, who had been sold off to cover a debt, was truly treated as less than a dog or a pig.
In the end, Kang Hana had no choice but to cautiously look at Jang Youngsoo. She didn’t want to, but she had to ask this filthy bastard to have Baek Ahyeon treated. She had only looked at him, but as if he knew what she was about to say, Jang Youngsoo nodded.
Soon, he called the clan’s priestess over, who began to heal Baek Ahyeon.
“You owe me one for this. Right?”
“Yes… Yes. Thank you.”
He’ll probably demand more than usual tonight, Kang Hana thought as she discreetly moved closer to Baek Ahyeon. Soon, she could see her friend’s condition.
Because the Clan Master, Jang Youngsoo, had ordered the healing, the priestess had poured out her holy power, but it seemed she had done a sloppy job before leaving. There were still wounds all over her face, so that was the only conclusion she could draw.
“Un… Unni. I’m sorry.”
“No. It’s okay.”
Kang Hana gently hugged the sobbing Baek Ahyeon and started walking again. They were finally able to enter the city just as their stamina reached its limit.
Once they were inside the dungeon, everyone’s nerves would be on edge, so it would be even harder than this. Thinking that she was the only one who could look after Baek Ahyeon, Kang Hana steeled her resolve with a grim nod.