The Spriggan's Request
It had been a while since I last set foot in the Explorer's Association in Runen. The moment I opened the door, the one-eyed supervisor Gawin glanced my way. There were no other visitors.
"It's you."
I hadn't exactly been expecting a warm greeting, but the bluntness still left me wondering how I was supposed to respond.
"Yeah, it's me."
"You've gotten a lot bolder since I last saw you."
Even though his words were rough, Gawin always set aside whatever he was doing whenever he met me. We'd known each other quite a while now, but I still couldn't tell whether the man liked me or hated me. He was simply impossible to read.
The supervisor stared at me with a crooked gaze.
"Where the hell have you been, and what exactly did you do to make the Alchemist Guild explode?"
"Sorry?"
I tilted my head at the sudden question. I wasn't a terrorist, and what did he mean by explode?
"I heard you walked off with dozens of boxes of potions."
"Ah. That."
The moment I showed I understood, Gawin clicked his tongue like he'd been waiting for it.
"I thought you'd been doing this long enough to know better. Never seen a crazy bastard like you before. The alchemists grind their teeth at the mere mention of your name."
At what was half warning, half complaint, I smirked. The alchemists could hate me all they wanted; it didn't scare me. I wouldn't run out of potions until I finished leveling up in Runen anyway. Which meant I wouldn't have to see their faces.
"That's a little unfair. I paid for them."
"Never occurred to you they'd have to remake everything to restock?"
Now that he mentioned it, he had a point. No wonder the Alchemist Guild was pulling all-nighters every day. Gawin shook his head.
"So. You're looking for work, I take it?"
"If there's anything decent, sure. Otherwise I was thinking of posting a request myself."
"Posting a request?" Gawin widened his eyes in surprise.
"Not a bad idea. Must've earned a fortune in Oricil, huh?"
"Those alchemists had deep pockets. The pay was fantastic."
Normal requests were usually funded by groups pooling money together. Calling explorers in and out wasn't cheap. Personal requests were the kind only rich nobles posted. But if you had the coin, even someone like me could post one. If I wanted to clear the dungeons I needed at the exact timing I needed, personal requests weren't an option; they were mandatory.
"Every request that's come in lately is garbage."
"Then I'll just have to make one myself."
"There is one interesting request, though..." Gawin tested the waters.
What kind of request would make even him call it interesting?
"Hajun. Ever heard of Spriggans?"
"Spriggans?"
I nodded. Spriggans. Originally a fairy race from British folklore, described as underground dwellers who guarded treasure. But the Spriggans in Dungeon Overseer took their motif from the ones in Dungeon Crawl. Simply put, they were an underground elf race. Tall, quick underground, herbivorous, and attractive in appearance... or so the setting went. They started appearing around the mid-game and remained a vicious race that tormented players all the way into the late game. Their racial trait, Keen Senses, countered stealth and easy-mode play. They were detection specialists capable of finding even a level 9 hidden Guardian.
"But those guys don't come up to the surface, do they?"
"Right. They're a closed-off race that stays buried underground with their own kind. But the guards contacted me not long ago. Said one Spriggan had entered Runen."
A Spriggan on the surface... They were literally underground elves. Just like how elves in fantasy worshipped the World Tree as their god, Spriggans revered stone circles as sacred. They were the type that would rather die than stray far from them.
"And?"
"That one posted a request."
I was starting to get the picture. This was the "interesting request" Gawin had mentioned.
"Sounds pretty interesting."
"Doesn't it? If you're curious, go downstairs and take a look. Labi will show you the way."
Gawin grinned at me.
"And try not to be too disappointed even if it doesn't suit your taste."
I found Labi in the Explorer's Association lobby. He was sitting at the counter doing paperwork and waved when he saw me.
"Long time no see, Hajun."
"How've things been?"
"Peaceful as always. It's almost unsettling how quiet it's been."
Labi laughed as he explained. Monster attacks had dropped sharply recently, leaving Copper to Bronze explorers suddenly unemployed.
"No attacks is a good thing."
"True. Except it means no business for us."
I asked about what Gawin had told me.
"Labi. I heard a Spriggan posted a request."
"Ah, that?" Labi shrugged. "I took it down earlier."
"Why?"
"The Spriggan lost the money."
"Lost it?"
It sounded so absurd I pressed for details. Labi explained calmly, like it was no big deal.
"I was processing it normally when the Spriggan came back and asked for the money back. So I returned it. Then this morning the Spriggan came to me again asking if there was any way to get it back after losing it."
"Wow."
"Can't be helped. That Spriggan really doesn't know anything about the surface world. Looked incredibly naive too. Probably got robbed or had it stolen."
It was a shame. The Spriggan village was where you could obtain the fixed artifact Underground Fairy's Necklace. It increased mana regeneration; an excellent item for casters. The people here might not know how to get it, but I knew that simply reaching the village would let me obtain the necklace.
I'd thought I might get my first artifact...
"If you're curious, want to meet them? They're probably at the explorers' lounge. They've been sitting there blankly since morning."
"Thanks for the info. I'll go take a look."
I waved at Labi and headed for the explorers' lounge. The lounge was attached to the main building; it took less than three minutes on foot. The moment I stepped inside, the familiar atmosphere hit me. The explorers' lounge. This was usually where explorers who had taken jobs gathered to find party members before heading out.
"Hmm?"
But something strange caught my eye. In the spacious lounge, people were crowded around just one table. A group of explorers had surrounded someone wearing a hood. Was that hood the Spriggan?
Curious, I approached the table. That's when the voices became clear.
"It's not a bad offer, is it?"
A Mystic in a white coat tapped the hooded figure's wrist. The hooded person irritably swatted the hand away.
"I said no."
"Why play hard to get? Let's be real. You have no money. You have nothing. Even if we ignore hiring explorers, how do you plan to get home?"
I could clearly hear a woman's voice coming from under the hood. A female explorer watching from the side spat out a curse.
"Fucking trash."
I asked the female explorer.
"What's going on over there?"
"That hooded woman is a Spriggan. Looks like she doesn't have a single coin on her. So those scumbags are offering to lend her money in exchange for a quick fuck."
"A what?"
The female explorer gave me a strange look.
"A fuck. You don't get it? They're saying they'll have sex with her."
...She certainly had a mouth on her. Anyway. I understood the situation now. The Spriggan was completely broke. The men were trying to lure her in using money as bait.
I pushed through the onlookers and approached the Spriggan. She turned her head slightly to look at me. At the same time, the explorers noticed me and stood up.
"Who the hell are you?"
"Just a passing explorer."
The Mystic stood up as well. His mouth was smiling, but his eyes weren't. An unexpected interrupter was clearly unwelcome.
"We're not looking to take any requests right now."
"I'm not here for a request."
The smile vanished from the Mystic's face.
"Then mind your own business and fuck off."
"I have nothing to say to you. My business is with this person here."
I spoke to the Spriggan.
"You need money, right? I can lend you some."
"..."
"Hey! Didn't you hear me? Get lost!"
The Mystic roughly shoved my shoulder. I nearly fell backward.
"Fuck, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I told you to get lost. Who the fuck are you? An explorer? Huh?"
This was ridiculous. He was clearly wearing a white coat, so he was a Mystic, but... wasn't the Mystic class supposed to be monk-like? Or was he just a Raider in a coat?
Right then, the female explorer who'd been watching strode over.
"You fucking scumbags."
"Who the hell are you..."
"I've been watching you pieces of shit this whole time and I can't take it anymore. Four guys trying to fuck one woman? Really?"
Harsh words flew back and forth. Voices naturally rose.
"What? Fuck, I offered to lend her money. What else did I do?"
"She told you to fuck off but you can't take a hint, you brain-dead idiots!"
This was going to turn into a fight. Shit.
"Wait, both of you calm down..."
That was when it happened.
"You bitch!"
The Mystic swung his fist at the female explorer. The problem was that I was standing right between them. Without thinking, I moved to take the punch for her.
"Ugh."
That hurt like hell. The female explorer's eyes widened.
"You son of a bitch!"
She immediately threw a lightning-fast punch at the Mystic. He crumpled to the floor after taking the hit.
"Aargh!"
The enraged explorers charged at us.
"Fuck, get them!"
Fists flew toward me. This was seriously insane.
"That's enough, you bastards!"
I grabbed the nearest explorer and started beating him down. At the same time, the female explorer tangled with the rest of them in a chaotic brawl. It had been a while since I'd been in such a shitty fight.
"Hah. What a bunch of nobodies."
It had been four against two. And one of us was a woman. Yet our side's female explorer had fought incredibly well. I honestly wanted to give her the nickname "Runen's Spicy Fist."
"Ugh..."
The explorers lay sprawled and battered. No matter how weak a Necromancer I was, I was still level 4. My specs were only one level below an Orc Warrior. I wasn't about to get beaten up by pathetic trash like them.
I knelt in front of the Spriggan. The female explorer sat down beside me.
"I'm the Necromancer, Hajun."
"Slayer. Name's Alma."
The Spriggan glanced around nervously before slowly opening her mouth.
"...Yuri. Call me Yuri."
"Where did you come from?"
"The place you call Moro Mine. I came up to the surface through an underground passage there."
I recalled the location. Moro Mine was definitely close to Runen.
"You're the Spriggan who came to post a request, right?"
"Yes."
"I heard you lost your money."
The Spriggan slowly removed her hood. Her face was revealed. Dark skin, green hair, and large yellow eyes like a cat's. With pure hatred in her voice, the Spriggan spat out her words.
"I was scammed. I want to catch those bastards, but I have no way to find them."
I spoke to the Spriggan, Yuri.
"I'd like to hear the request details first."
"What?"
"I'm an explorer. If it's a decent request, I'd like to take it."
Whether I'd help this Spriggan or not, I'd decide after hearing what the request was.