Chapter 57: For Revenge!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: For Revenge!
“Chieftain! Was it a success?”
“Well… about halfway…”
I nodded at Mev’s words. Our message had been delivered loud and clear. While the enemy was in combat, Gark had brilliantly managed to pull the woman over to our side. Afterward, Jung Hayeon used her enchantment to cloud the woman's mind, putting her in a hallucinatory state.
I hadn't expected Jung Hayeon to be capable of such delicate control; her skills had clearly improved in many ways. If her mental fortitude had been strong, she might have resisted, but this woman had no such luxury. Strength aside, her mind seemed to be completely broken.
Her talk of a "savior" and all that was a bit baffling, but I figured that, desperate for something to lean on, she had constructed that image of me herself.
Of course, we had no way of knowing exactly what had happened, but the killing intent she directed at them was undeniably real.
That's why, when I first saw her, I thought that even without our intervention, she would have attacked her own party someday. Whether such an act would succeed was another question, but if she were to approach from behind and go berserk in the backline where only the mages and priests stood, the situation would become quite amusing.
She would definitely send a signal of some kind at the end of the dungeon. All we had to do was move in on that signal, which made for a very nice situation. And of course, that signal would be received by Gark, the eldest of the loyal Five Siblings.
I nodded and patted Gark on the shoulder. A gesture of encouragement, telling him he'd done well.
Gark's face brightened, and we began to distance ourselves from the humans once more. We had been sticking a little too close to them in order to meet with Baek Ahyeon. As we were moving, Black Spear began to speak to me.
“Blood Dagger. Did you know how to speak the human tongue?”
I had expected him to ask, but it wasn't a big deal. I nodded at his words.
“A little... not much, Black Spear. It is good to learn what you can.”
“I see... I am learning much from a warrior who has only just arrived on this continent. You are a wise warrior.”
He shot me a look of respect. For some reason, it looked similar to the gaze Gark, the eldest, often gave me. It must be my imagination, I thought. A look of excessive admiration.
In any case, we started moving forward again. The seed had been sown. It wouldn't be long now before that seed sprouted, bore fruit, and we reaped our harvest. Watching my warriors stare at nothing but the traces of battle for days on end was starting to make my own heart ache.
Time passed, and the humans, as if gaining momentum, were advancing faster than before.
The interesting thing was…
There were no more casualties.
The situation was truly amusing. This party was strong. To be honest, it was strange that there were only five survivors from this dungeon expedition in the original timeline. Of course, it's easy to assume they were all wiped out by the dungeon master, but even so, the fact that only five survived is definitely strange.
It's just a personal theory, but I think that in the original past, Baek Ahyeon must have attacked them from behind during the final boss fight. The more I tried to recall, the more I was certain that the high-level wind mage wasn't on the list of survivors. I cursed my poor memory, but I couldn't remember the details clearly.
However, considering I never heard any rumors of a 'renowned wind mage' on the continent, I could only conclude that she either died during this expedition or suffered an injury so severe she could never recover.
‘Tsk… You reap what you sow.’
It was highly likely that as soon as the boss fight began, Baek Ahyeon, ready to die, charged at the wind mage who had killed her friend. Of course, her attack would have failed, but that brief opening must have posed a huge threat to the party. The dungeon clear was a success, but in the end, their clan suffered devastating losses.
And all at the hands of a squire they had treated like a dog.
I walked on with a cheerful heart.
A little more time passed.
I was looking down at a massive undead, so large it could no longer be called human. Unfortunately, it seemed there were no casualties in this fight either. This creature was also classified as a Named Monster. I could feel the party growing stronger and adapting to this dungeon. However…
“Looks like they rested for about a day? They didn't seem to mate as much this time, either...”
There was no way they weren't accumulating fatigue. Sensing the end of the dungeon was near, they had clearly taken the time to recuperate. If my memory served me right, the dungeon master's room was located not far from where this creature was.
Seeing the interior of the Ancient Warrior's Grave grow more and more magnificent, even those with no prior knowledge of the dungeon would be able to sense it.
‘The end is near.’
In other words, this giant undead was the final bastion protecting the dungeon master.
I nodded and spoke to the Blood Dagger Clan and Black Spear.
“Ready your weapons. Krrrrk. It is time for battle.”
My warriors had been stressed for days. Hearing my voice, they grinned with pleasure. Black Spear was the same. Even Jung Hayeon's and Mev's eyes were turning bloodshot.
From now on, we fight.
Fatigue has built up, and the end is approaching. I don't know the exact location of the dungeon boss, but surely... the humans must be reaching it.
I walked slowly among my warriors. I tried to act composed, but even this Green Skin body of mine was reaching its limit. But to accomplish my goal, I had to keep my wits about me.
I glanced at Gark.
“For Blood Dagger.”
With bloodshot eyes, Gark vanished, his presence fading into the distance.
First, Gark, who could stop Baek Ahyeon from doing anything reckless and accurately assess the situation, would arrive at their location.
Second, the humans would engage the dungeon master.
And third, we would strike them down.
We began to approach them slowly, holding our breath. We would wait for the signal. With the eldest's instincts, he would surely know the most opportune moment for us to charge in. As time passed, my muscles twitched with impatience, and my breathing grew ragged with the desire to see blood.
“Krrrrk.”
A bestial sound escaped my lips unconsciously.
The other clan members were the same.
After what felt like an eternity, just as I thought I couldn't bear it any longer, with impeccable timing, the eldest's voice rang out from ahead.
“For victory!!!!”
It was only natural that we reacted to his thunderous cry. Ironically, the first to respond was none other than me.
“For victory!!!”
“Victory! For victory alone!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Dagger!!!”
I run, gripping my greatsword. A green tide floods the dungeon. As the long-suppressed desire for battle finally exploded, I couldn't help but think our clan looked just like the Goff Clan right now.
“Kwwaaaaaaah!”
“Uwooooooooh!!”
“Kkireuk!”
The Goblin sisters charged forward, excitedly adjusting their grips on their weapons. Black Spear drew his black spear, already thrilled at the thought of throwing it. And behind them, the Hobgoblin assassins and the Orc warriors skilled in stealth.
I try to keep my senses, but my eyes keep turning red, and a whistling breath escapes my lips. They are certainly strong. But the Blood Dagger Clan will never lose. Because we do not fight losing battles.
“For Blood Dagger!”
The first thing I saw upon entering the dungeon master's room was Gark and Baek Ahyeon. It seemed Gark had somehow succeeded in stopping her from acting rashly. I glanced at Baek Ahyeon with my red eyes. It was only for a moment, but I clearly heard her voice.
“My savior... my savior!”
It was ridiculous. Seeing her stare at me with that dazed expression even when she wasn't hallucinating, I wondered if she was just sharp-eyed, or if the fact that I was an Orc didn't matter to her at all. But I had no time to worry about Baek Ahyeon.
I couldn't stand the sight of our enemies right before my eyes.
“Sh... shit. It's monsters!”
“Wh-why is Black Spear...”
“It's Orcs, Youngsoo! Orcs!”
As expected, rumors about us hadn't reached the small city of Legius. Novices might have known about me, but high-level adventurers like them clearly didn't care about some "Weapon Merchant."
“Uwaaaaaaah!”
Taking advantage of the moment they turned their attention to us, the dungeon master, the 'Ancient Warrior,' swung its sword. The Ancient Warrior itself wasn't actually that large. But with the undead soldiers protecting it swarming them, the humans couldn't possibly break their formation. The moment they did, their clan would be annihilated.
They knew we were coming, but they couldn't retreat.
I discreetly began to observe the female mage's condition. I couldn't be sure, but it looked like she had already cast a large-scale spell once. Seeing the swaths of swept-away undead soldiers and her broken armor, it was almost certain. They were trapped, blocked from the front and the back.
There was nowhere for them to run.
Just then, the one who appeared to be the party leader spoke.
“Three warriors and the priests will remain. Everyone else, focus your firepower on the rear! I'll handle the dungeon master. Mina, I'm counting on you.”
“Shit... I had a bad feeling about today. I get it, so just shut up.”
The wind mage began chanting again. They must have judged us to be weaker than the undead and wanted to attack us first, but unfortunately for them, the Troll who arrived with us was a different story. In fact, for enemy mages, the card I brought to the table would be nothing short of a disaster.
“Krrrrk.”
“For victory!!”
Black Spear drew the black spear from his back. No, he had drawn it from the start and was already charging toward them. I ran alongside Black Spear, glancing at him. His seemingly slender arm felt as if it were instantly swelling with power. It felt like his muscles were bulging. Worried that his attack might kill the wind mage, I quickly spoke up. I had other plans for her.
“Her life...”
As if understanding my meaning, Black Spear looked me in the eye and nodded. A sound like tearing air ripped through the room, and in an instant, his spear was sucked toward them.
“Kkiiiiiiiiiiiiik!”
It was a chilling sound, like the wail of a ghost, but I had no time to watch Black Spear's spear to the end. The enemy was right in front of me. It was time to unleash everything I had been holding back.
“Victory! For victory alone!”
“For victory!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
And so, one by one, the members of the Blood Dagger Clan threw themselves at the enemy.