The Elite Here-Knight of the Here-Knight Tribe
The black Here-Knight approached without the slightest sound, his presence undetectable. Even when the elf’s gaze fixed on him, he ignored it completely and simply raised his hand toward me, his face bright with pure delight.
How intensely he was enjoying himself! His thick armor, which looked like the heavy plating of a Hercules beetle, could not hide the fact that the happiness radiating from him reached right into my skin.
Given how strongly he was feeling, I had no choice but to return his greeting. I offered an awkward smile and answered in the same casual tone.
“Again? You’re calling me Iceman again. You know my name perfectly well.”
[No matter how I think about it, I’m still more familiar with the name “Iceman” than with my real one. The other girls might be different, but I’ve grown so used to it.]
It would have been easy enough to give him a cool nickname, but every single time we met he insisted on using “Iceman.” I tried to request that he at least call me by my real name, but the black Here-Knight simply shrugged as if he hadn’t heard a word, then leaned in close enough that his helmet almost touched mine. With a metallic clank the sound of striking steel rang out as he continued in a loud voice.
[Bigger! Bigger! I can tell just by touching it! You’re treating this hammer like it’s something precious!]
“Huh? I actually use it pretty roughly.”
To be honest, I’d always swung it hard against the guts of wild Walkers, driven stakes deep into the ground, or smashed through any debris that got in the way. I figured I used it roughly, but Dyna only patted my back even harder and said with clear satisfaction.
[That’s exactly right! That’s why you’re treating it with care! A tool is happiest when used in the way it was meant to be used! If you could only swing it even rougher from now on—rough enough that you’d hear people calling you a demon!]
“Eh? What are you looking at right now…?”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Even though his helmet was supposed to be blocking the view, for some reason I felt the elf’s gaze coming straight from the other side. Dyna’s words flashed through my mind, and a rough, hot breath suddenly blew across my groin in a way that was strangely lewd and suggestive.
[Got it? Even rougher! Like a toy you’re just going to throw away!]
“No, I heard you the first time.”
Maybe pat my back a little less hard? The blows had been so fierce that my stomach was already sloshing around like it was about to spill out through my throat. To calm him down I grabbed Dyna’s arm and pulled it close to my chest.
“H-here I am with my eyes wide open…!”
[It’s the male instinct, right? Even if I could only wrap around half of those voluptuous breasts, I’d still want to accept everything you offer!]
“What do you mean my breasts are huge?! And you, you damn monkey! You’re grinning like a woman when I talk about them!”
“?”
The moment we were about to exchange words I couldn’t understand, an elf stared at us with narrowed eyes, pulled out a holster, and quickly stepped back. I instantly broke free from Dyna’s grip.
[Who’s calling anyone a monkey? That’s pure arrogance!]
“H-hey, Dyna? I’ve never actually been in a dungeon before this time, so… is there anything I should be careful about?”
“How dare you ask me when I’ve got this much wisdom and dignity right here beside me, you stupid monkey?!”
The elf’s eyes were still sharp as he fumbled in his wisdom pouch, then slid his hand down to his hip in a clearly threatening gesture. I immediately hid behind Dyna’s back, ready to jump at any second.
I didn’t know the exact principle, but I had watched the Here-Knight’s armor deflect a bullet from the elf’s revolver without a scratch. That was why he was acting as living body armor for me.
Of course Dyna had seen through my reckless plan, yet she still happily became my shield and protected me from the elf.
[Haha, you can rely on me even more now. A noble Here-Knight of the Here-Knight tribe never turns away a hand asking for help. You can use it however you want… By the way, about that “first time”?]
“Eh? Ah, I’ve actually studied theory and tried training with Celestyn, but this is the first time I’ve stepped into an actual dungeon.”
[Hmm… real combat for the first time…]
A deep sigh slipped out between the plates of armor that showed not a single inch of skin.
Then came the very familiar gaze. It was almost exactly the same look the seniors had given me when I was a brand-new second-year recruit—piercing, scrutinizing, the kind of stare that made you feel slightly nostalgic just thinking about it now.
Dyna’s helmet turned slightly to the side as if she was asking my opinion.
“Eh?”
What appeared before us was nothing but swirling dust.
At first glance it looked like the heat haze rising from the ground on a scorching day, but this place was nothing like the open asphalt of summer Seoul. Tall buildings and dense forests grew between the ruined skeletons, and the air was completely shaded.
[Do you see it?]
“Yes, I only peeked in after Celestyn went in a few days ago.”
[Right. That’s the entrance. Unlike regular dungeons or ruins, this is an instant dungeon that has no connection to any location. Once you enter, it instantly disappears. Lucky you didn’t know that—otherwise I’d have to explain what you’re asking about.]
“I know it’s a Rush-type dungeon with Walker hordes swarming the other side, but what about countermeasures or survival tips?”
[Hmm…]
The elf kept staring at the entrance with obvious fascination, while Dyna continued to think deeply about something else entirely.
Then something pulled me from above. My legs, which had been stuck to the ground, suddenly floated upward against gravity.
Dyna had grabbed my equipment belt and lifted me up with it.
“Dyna?!”
[I’ve been thinking about how to explain this, but I’m terrible with theory. Besides, I’m the kind of person who gives advice by letting you experience things with your body!]
“Waaaah?!”
And then she hurled me!
My body, which had been lifted so lightly it felt like tossing a pebble to make fish cakes at the river, flew straight toward the dungeon entrance at terrifying speed.
“What are you doing right now?!”
[Just follow me right in!]
The elf’s shocked expression made it impossible for me to even laugh. I was sucked straight into the dungeon entrance.
“Ugh…!”
At the same moment a disgusting sensation wrapped around my body. It was like the sickening drop after riding a roller coaster at its limit—except this was even worse. Before I could get used to the feeling, my body slammed into the ground.
“This is… what you were going to say?”
The complaint I was about to pour out mixed with nausea lasted only a moment. As I looked around, the bad feeling I’d felt earlier slowly transformed into something entirely different.
The place where I had been standing with the elf and Dyna a second ago—the glory days of the past—had vanished completely. In their place was a post-apocalyptic ruin, the perfect setting for a word that simply said “humans once existed here.”
“It doesn’t feel like a hallucination…”
The hot asphalt under my palm, the towering buildings wrapped in glass that reflected dazzling sunlight… everything was far too vivid to be imagination or hallucination.
It was like I had stepped into a time machine and returned to the golden age when humanity had still been at its peak, when its own culture and civilization had been flourishing.
“I think I understand why the elf is so thirsty for this place.”
Even a sparrow wouldn’t skip the mill.
Still, an elf who called herself an anthropology doctor had no reason to dismiss the glory of an ancient human civilization so lightly just because there were more Walkers around.
I had run away the moment I saw it, but I had still negotiated with Dyna because I was captivated by that beautiful landscape and wanted to explore it.
I hadn’t even seen the scenery properly because I was too busy fleeing with the elf.
I rolled my eyes and savored the traces of humanity I could no longer see, but right then—
-Grumble—
-Krrk?
“Ah…”
A chilling scream pulled me back to reality before I could even savor the moment. There was no way I wouldn’t recognize it.
The intruders who had charged in with all that noise and energy could never have failed to see the monsters bursting out.
They had actually given me too much time, and I should have been thanking them instead.
“I have to get up…!!”
-Krrk—
-Keruugh!!
Between the ruins of the civilization humanity should have enjoyed, horrifying monsters that made even looking at them cause revulsion began to emerge.
Thud-thud-thud—
As if acknowledging humanity’s extinction, the Walkers charged in to cut off the last survivor’s breath and completely wipe out the last remnants of human civilization.
I hurriedly tried to strip off my heavy equipment and escape, but my body—still trembling from the impact of being thrown—could only flail pathetically like a turtle on its back.
Right when I was about to see the endless procession of Walkers rushing toward me whether they walked on all fours or two legs—
KRRRRRRR—!!
A black object flashed in front of me so fast it looked like it was blocking my view. The Walkers leaping toward us were sent flying by the sudden wind of a powerful swing, slamming into the distance with a sickening thud.
The black Here-Knight had become a sturdy wall and was now crushing the swarm of Walkers like a demon.
“Whoa…”
[Hahaha! See? Isn’t it way better to see it with your own eyes than to hear it a hundred times?]
“Yeah, but from now on, can we please not do this kind of thing? Look ahead! Look ahead!”
[I already knew!]
BOOM—!!
The massive hammer in the black Here-Knight’s hand cleaved through the air again. Just like the earlier Walkers, several more were sent flying by Dyna’s hammer and scattered across the distance.
[No matter how much theory you learn, nothing beats experiencing it with your own body—Haaah-!!]
-Kiiiieek!
Bang, smack-smack—!!
Dyna swung the enormous hammer around like a professional baseball player, tossing Walkers aside with casual lightness. She then shook off the rotten chunks of flesh stuck to her hammer and placed both hands on her hips in a triumphant pose.
[So, how do you feel? This is the first time you’ve witnessed my glory up close—Dyna Hercules’s dignity!]
“I don’t really know, but it was terrifying. My… my chest is all weird now! I probably won’t be able to sleep tonight!”
[Y-you… Don’t you dare sexual harass me like that!]
I tried to thank him, but if he hadn’t thrown me in the first place this never would have happened. In an attempt to turn the tables, I gave him a low-grade, mocking comment. The black Here-Knight, who had been standing firm in front of me just a moment ago, trembled all over from the shock.