Sewer of Secrets

Examinations primarily involved close-quarters combat and brawls.

Yet that did not mean they lacked any long-range attack options.

As players drew closer to master-class status and gained the ability to handle Orr, the possibility emerged.

EM__Lucky us.

A blade of wind sliced through the air and slammed into where Fafnir stood.

A gulp.

Saliva slid down Fafnir’s throat. Even in a game, a chill crawled up his spine.

EM__This crazy. That’s high-level.

B__Orr Cutter.

In the novel’s dramatized scenes, that skill had been a rare privilege available only to a handful of classes above level 150.

EM__More monstrous than that pure-dumbass Hwon… an NPC that’s a literal monster.

Most monsters ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had obvious counter-strategies the moment they appeared, but this assassin was different.

EM__Run, survival drops to thirty percent. Fight, one hundred percent win rate.

There wasn’t much time to think.

Fafnir dodged the second Orr Cutter and moved to issue a retreat order.

That was when.

Swish-swish!

From one side of the sewer tunnel, six blood wasps suddenly appeared.

B__Bloodmoon Wasps

EM__Monsters from the Abyss! Don’t make a sound!

The Abyss’ blood wasps sensed even the faintest noise and swarmed forward.

The party members froze after the mage’s warning, and the wasps charged straight at the turban man.

EM__Hmph…

The turban man moved with terrifying speed and sliced through the wasps.

That instant, a spark ignited inside Fafnir’s head.

EM__Kindorhan, hold him for three minutes.

EM__What? How the fuck!

Ignoring the protest behind him, Fafnir dashed straight into the hole.

Bububub.

Weeeeeing!

Inside the hole was filled with dark mana and blood wasps.

A wasp nest on the sewer map—nope, not on the map.

After Fafnir entered the nest, he burst out the opposite direction moments later.

EM__Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!

Outside, Kindorhan was unleashing a desperate hammer strike.

Flashing a crescent moon like a god, he used the mage and hunter’s attacks as leverage and held firm!

EM__…Impressive, more than I thought. What if this works?

Fafnir saw the assassin shift again and shouted.

EM__Down!

EM__…!

The four of them dropped to the ground at once.

The next instant, a swarm of bloodmoon wasps rained down over Fafnir’s head.

Booouuu!

Bwoong!

The wasps, hearing the sound, switched targets to the assassin.

EM__…!

The turban man retreated and drew a new weapon.

That moment Fafnir shouted.

EM__Everyone, run!

EM__Damn it! I’ll double it on you later!

Kindorhan shoved the two party members aside with curses and sprinted forward.

Fifteen skeleton soldiers blocked the turban man’s path.

EM__…Hah.

The assassin swept aside the skeleton soldiers charging at him bare-handed.

But meanwhile, Fafnir’s party had already fled to the other side of the sewer.

EM__Huff… huff… huff…

EM__Ugh, I’m dying.

After barely shaking the man off.

Fafnir’s party caught their breath, ignoring the stench.

EM__What the hell was that guy anyway?

EM__No idea, I’ve hung out in the back alleys plenty, but I’ve never heard of anyone like that.

Kindorhan shook his head.

That was when Fafnir spotted blood trails on the sewer floor.

The orc had fled with the wound still bleeding, leaving faint tracks.

EM__Following this will give us the orcs’ trail.

EM__What?

EM__Party leader, that’s a bit…

To the startled party members, Fafnir replied with a cold expression.

EM__We could go back up right now. The reward is just a tiny scrap, and none of you will believe us about seeing the orc and turban man.

EM__…!

EM__We might even be treated as criminals spreading rumors to steal the credit.

Horizon NPCs were as intelligent and cold-blooded as real people.

It was a common enough occurrence in reality, so the possibility here was more than enough.

Fafnir asked.

EM__While we’ve been through all this trouble, getting just that is honestly pretty unfair, isn’t it?

EM__Ugh…

EM__But how…

EM__Same as before. Just find one more piece of information and bring back the proof.

The party members fell into deep thought after hearing Fafnir’s words.

At some point, the sound of grinding gears appeared between them.

EM__Damn, honestly it’s frustrating not to fire a shot after coming this far.

It was Kindorhan.

EM__We’re standing right in front of a real chance to score big, and we’re running because of one ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ugly bastard? We’ll never live it down if we keep thinking about it.

EM__…Hoo.

EM__I’m in. Giving up the shinies and getting the jackpot is the plan.

EM__I agree.

The mage followed by the hunter user also agreed.

EM__Alright, then let’s follow this trail.

Fafnir immediately moved. Tracking the blood trails, they headed north through the sewers. The other three followed behind.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Deep in the sewer center.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

Experience has been acquired. A single bloodmoon wasp was halved in the split second the message flashed. That was the end of the battle. On the stage of victory, the turban man quietly gathered his loot.

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

3 silver acquired. 2 silver 33 copper acquired. Blood gem acquired. The turban man muttered while reading the notification. EM__…There’s definitely someone thinking straight here. It was an idea anyone could have—pull in neutral monsters for profit. But in the actual situation, surprisingly few people could execute it immediately. EM__As expected from a local of the kingdom. Swish-swish, the turban man’s hand quickly wiped away the blood droplets. After cleaning up, the man stood from his spot and picked up his main weapon. EM__The distance… has it already grown? There was no choice. With a long sigh, he looked down. EM__This mission is bringing up a lot more incidents than I expected—owcs, lizardmen, and now a local investigation team… He had a rough idea of what the owcs were up to. Ancient ruins existed in the sewers; figuring out what was inside was simple enough. In fact, leaving it alone wouldn’t have caused that much trouble. It would only slightly dampen his mood. But if an investigation team got involved, it was not good. Very, very bad. EM__Hah, what to do? The turban man had received a major mission from very far away. A place so distant that even the starting point hadn’t been assigned. At the current point, it was only mentioned to users—no specific information existed. And Baran Kingdom had no deep ties with it. At least not until now. That meant the current incident could shatter that relationship. EM__If a witness escapes, Baran Kingdom could use me as a scapegoat and cause trouble. Annoying as hell. Well, the world doesn’t always run smoothly, so complaining about it would be ridiculous. EM__First, let’s make sure we pass this test… If they were an investigation team, they wouldn’t just rush back up. At the very least, they would have to investigate the owcs’ real situation and purpose before completing their mission. EM__If I just go right now, that would be divine will. For a moment the man looked toward the direction Fafnir’s party had fled, then turned toward the direction the owcs had come from. Deep in the sewer center. A base filled with countless owcs and the most dangerous location in the entire sewer right now.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Tracking the fleeing owcs’ trail was easy. They hadn’t bothered to hide their tracks, and every step added more signs of another fight. EM__Owc corpses. EM__Did that turban guy kill them? The mage and hunter each offered opinions. But Fafnir shook his head. EM__The wounds show different marks. There was another fight. Analyzing wounds on monster corpses was something Fafnir had done since his early days in the reality VR game. Most hunters used skills, but Fafnir had simply learned it through action. EM__Let’s keep going down for now. EM__Sure, why not. Because they were in owcs territory, the encounter rate with other wild monsters dropped sharply. It was unfortunate they’d lost the chance, but the descent itself had become much easier. That was when, after descending a little further. Chwaap? Chwi-chwiik! A bunch of owcs filled one side of the sewer tunnel. No, the owcs weren’t the only ones. EM__Chwi-chwi! Hurry up, you humans! EM__Hic… hic… EM__Uwaaaang! People bound in ropes and dragged along! An old man, women, and children were being pulled somewhere by the owcs. EM__Are there that many people inside the sewers? Where the hell did they come from? In any case, it was time to fight the owcs they had waited for. Following Fafnir’s signal, Kindorhan stepped forward. EM__Lately the sewers are full of pig heads, huh? Did a BBQ party happen? EM__Chwi-chwi! Enemy! EM__Humans! More humans! Thirty-plus owcs charged toward Kindorhan.

📜 NEW QUEST 📜

B__New Quest: Rescue the Weak

📍 Location: Sewer Center 🎁 Reward: [Undetermined] At that moment the mage and hunter fired their long-range skills at the owcs. Chwiik! Chwieek! Since prisoners were mixed in, explosive magic couldn’t be used. Instead, the two carefully dropped one owc at a time. EM__Corpses… Fafnir hesitated to summon skeleton soldiers. In a chaotic battle, seeing the skeletons would scare the prisoners and increase casualties. Moreover, the owcs might try something desperate since the situation was already bad. EM__No choice. Fafnir called Penelope and Bell to fight. EM__Go and fight. EM__Understood. EM__We receive the order. With Penelope and Bell joining, the owcs’ line quickly collapsed. Fafnir used skills on the owcs who had fallen out of the main group. ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

⚔ STATUS ⚔

⚡ Weakness: Activated

💨 Fever: Activated

Chwi, chwi-chwi… EM__Chwi… dizzy… With various effects, the curse had grown even stronger and slammed into the owcs. Wounded owcs dropped their weapons, while those unharmed coughed or awkwardly raised their shields. The party members hunted the owcs one-sidedly, and soon the battle with the owcs ended. EM__Clean. Fafnir, savoring the victory, collected fangs and weapons from the dead owcs. Bonus: gaining one level from the experience.

📜 QUEST COMPLETED 📜

B__Rescue the Weak

🎁 Reward: Experience gained 📍 Location: Sewer EM__Thank you! EM__You saved us… The prisoners repeatedly thanked Fafnir. EM__I only did what I had to do. Fafnir waved his hand lightly and asked. EM__But were you all captured above ground? In the slums? EM__No, not at all. EM__Not at all…? The old man at the front of the prisoner line answered. The trio of Kindorhan, the mage, and the hunter all tilted their heads in confusion. If they hadn’t been captured in the slums, did that mean they had lived inside the sewers? EM__We are people living in a village deep underground in the sewers. We gather usable trash from the upper layers to sell or hunt weak monsters in ‍‍‌‌⁠⁠‌‍‍‌⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠‌‌‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the sewers to get daily food. EM__A village? That’s impossible! EM__No way… EM__The impossible turned out to be true. A village inside the sewers. The party members except Fafnir were all stunned by the unimaginable. EM__Why live in the sewers? You could just go up to the surface. EM__That’s… everyone has their own story. People who were born and raised here… even those who entered from outside. The village chief cleared his throat. EM__For now, let’s get out of this place quickly. We’ll lead you to our village. It was a wise judgment, given that more owcs could appear. EM__Alright. EM__Come this way. With Fafnir’s permission, the oldest prisoner in the group led the way. Not far from the battle site, a sewer passage blocked by iron bars appeared. At the middle, knocking on the wall with bricks caused a stone to open and a passage to reveal itself. EM__You may enter. The village chief leading ahead. After crossing the narrow passage, a certain place finally appeared. EM__Ah, no way… EM__…! The following party members opened their mouths in shock. It made perfect sense. EM__Whoa, it’s a complete underground village? Kindorhan’s words accurately reflected the others’ thoughts. After leaving the narrow passage, what emerged was a large square the size of a small villa! Beyond the broken barricades, tents dotted the area. On the stone walls of the square, numerous large and small residential caves had been dug. EM__It gives off the feeling of being built a long time ago. Population… over a hundred, with hidden passages and plenty of supplies visible. Kindorhan said while surveying his surroundings. A cold and analytical observation that wasn’t present in his usual fidgety demeanor. EM__It’s probably a lower-class village that lived by smuggling or cleaning trash in the sewers. They were holding their own until this one suddenly burst out. The enemy… one guy? EM__That’s right. We somehow held the owcs back, but suddenly that one… EM__Could it be the one wearing the black turban? The mysterious man they had encountered in the sewers. The village chief shook his head. EM__No, he wasn’t. That guy’s entire body was white. EM__White? EM__Yes, it looked like a mix of a lizard and a human. EM__… A white lizardman? An inexplicable unease brushed past Fafnir’s mind. EM__Wait, we’ll talk about that later. First, let’s clear this stuff away? Kindorhan grumbled while clearing the broken boards and barricades. EM__You’re right. Don’t be shocked for too long. Fafnir used a skill to summon skeleton soldiers. EM__Go and guard the entrance. Clang-clang. The skeleton soldiers with their jaws clicking headed toward the narrow entrance passage. With such a narrow space that required one person at a time, they could hold out for a while. That was when. EM__Those, those skeletons… The villagers and wanderers’ expressions were anything but calm. EM__Could they be a Legion School sorcerer? EM__Um… yes, that’s right. Fafnir replied honestly. He had already summoned the skeletons, so there was no turning back. That instant, a layer of transparent water gathered above the village chief’s sunken eyes. EM__A priest! A priest! The village chief immediately grabbed Fafnir’s sleeve and buried his face in it. EM__Finally Lord Hades has answered our prayers! Sending us such a sturdy priest… EM__H, Hades? Hades. The god of death and the underworld in the game, and the main god of Legion School necromancers. EM__Please, all the villagers who have been captured are believers of Lord Hades. Catch those damn owcs and rescue our village believers…!

📜 QUEST COMPLETED 📜

B__Village Resident Rescue (Normal)

📍 Location: Village 🎁 Reward: Hidden Quest [Unique]

⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙

The eyes of Hades are watching you. Hades has generated a new hidden quest: Priest’s Mission 1 (Unique). In front of Fafnir, a quest window invisible to the others appeared. Golden. A jackpot quest window of unique grade.

— Ancient Prophecy —

B__Hidden Quest: Priest’s Mission 1 (Unique) The eyes of Hades watch you. Reward: Hidden Quest [Unique]

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Sewer of Secrets

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