Chapter 89: Let's Set the Garden on Fire
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 89: Let's Set the Garden on Fire
The Garden Section was essentially a dense forest.
Plants taller than a man grew in abundance, making the place feel like a massive, sprawling expansion of a botanical garden. This was the domain of the masters of the garden, the creatures known as Dungeon Trolls.
They weren't as numerous as High Orcs or Hobgoblins, nor were they as aggressively predatory as Werewolves, but they were undeniably dangerous.
"As you all likely know, Dungeon Trolls love human flesh. Very, very much."
Furthermore, they were dead serious about treating humans as livestock. They didn't simply kill and devour their prey on the spot; they kept them alive to be slowly 'cooked.'
"This is why Dungeon Trolls are considered particularly heinous compared to other indigenous species."
They might throw a person into a pot to boil them alive, or hang them upside down to drain their blood—using the blood to make sausage and the remaining flesh for tartare. They were monsters that consumed humans in the most horrific ways imaginable.
Unlike other savage and headstrong indigenous species, Dungeon Trolls were insidious, repulsive creatures.
"Don't get captured. The ones hiding in the woods will be gunning for you specifically."
"...."
The nine adventurers who had agreed to follow us nodded with grim expressions. If you went missing in the Garden Section, search and rescue was impossible. No one would ever know how you died once you were dragged off to a Dungeon Troll’s kitchen.
"And according to the information I gathered beforehand, there's a high probability of three different variants among the Dungeon Trolls."
Everyone listened intently to Sion’s words. These were the subspecies of Dungeon Trolls recorded in Monster Dismantling Savoring.
"There are Stalkers, Trappers, and Chefs."
Troll Stalkers were variants specialized in tracking and kidnapping humans.
"Records say they have pitch-black skin."
"What's their primary method of attack?"
"They usually work in tandem with Trappers."
Troll Trappers were the ones who dug pitfalls and set snares to hunt humans. They pressured adventurers from all sides, using the flora of the Garden Section to concoct paralytic poisons or scatter sleeping powders.
"It seems the Trappers herd the humans toward the Stalkers, who then kidnap them and deliver them to the Chef."
"Is the Chef the alpha?"
"Yes. They possess the ability to process humans and... domesticate them."
"Domesticate?"
"Troll Chefs can manufacture drugs that interfere with the human brain. Once ingested, the victim becomes like a hopeless addict. Apparently, once you're dragged away, you're forced into breeding while kept in a drug-induced stupor."
"Fuck... that's disgusting."
"Goddamn bastards."
The adventurers gagged at Sion’s explanation. It was understandable. Unlike Hobgoblins, who were all male, Dungeon Trolls were an all-female species. In short, if a man was captured, he would be used as nothing more than a living toy to satisfy the Trolls' lust.
"Listen up. Form three-man cells. That's the only way you'll be able to protect each other."
At Raphael’s command, the adventurers began to group up.
Max, the bald warrior; Hail, the middle-aged adventurer; and Roca, the youngest of the lot, formed one team.
Kaylor, the tactless thief; Hoss, the talkative archer; and Vaiman, the one-eyed man, formed the second.
Finally, the coward Chimi and the twin swordsmen, Han and Jin, made up the last group.
"We will take the lead. Each cell is responsible for its own members. If you fall behind or get separated, we're leaving you behind. If you lose sight of the vanguard... I recommend committing suicide. Being captured by heretics or dragged off by hungry Dungeon Trolls is a fate worse than death."
"We get it, dammit..."
"Aren't you scaring us a bit too much? We know the stakes."
"I'm glad to hear it. I hope you keep it in mind."
Raphael smiled at the adventurers, but his eyes remained cold.
"Now that we're done talking, let's continue tracking the heretics and searching for the Transfer Stones."
The Saintess stepped through the gate leading to the Garden Section, one of the five gateways of the Central Section.
Sion tightly gripped the Vine Beans in his pocket.
Come to think of it... I should have asked for six.
Lafnel had only given Sion five Vine Beans. Despite there being six sections in the Underground City including the Central Section, Sion had only received five due to a simple oversight by Lafnel.
Both Lafnel and I completely forgot about the Lake Section.
The Central Section, the Spire District, the Ruins, the Plaza, the Garden Section, and finally, the Lake Section. There was one place where he wouldn't be able to plant a bean.
The Spire District is a bit awkward for planting these anyway. It's probably best to skip that one.
Sion calculated the best spots to plant the beans and looked around for a suitable area in the Garden Section.
"What are you looking for?"
"Oh, I was wondering if there was a good place to plant a Vine Bean."
"A Vine Bean? You mean that bean from earlier?"
"Yes, that's the one."
"Hmm. The Garden Section occasionally has Spirit Trees—massive ancient trees with hollows perfect for hiding. Perhaps you could plant one there?"
"Spirit Trees?"
"Yes. Legend has it that witches used to hollow out the trunks of those trees to build their homes."
"Oh..."
Thanks to Rosier, Sion had found a lead on where to plant the bean. Since his Map Creation skill was currently mapping out the Garden Section, Sion figured he could draw a map of the planting locations and sell it to the guild once they returned to the surface.
"Aaaagh!"
"Huh?"
"What was that?"
A sudden scream erupted from behind. Raphael’s face contorted into a fierce scowl at the noise, which was bound to attract the attention of nearby creatures.
"I'll go check it out."
"Please do."
With the Saintess's permission, Raphael headed toward the adventurers following them.
"What happened? Why the noise? Is it an enemy?"
"N-no! A snake! He got bitten by a snake!"
"Good grief..."
The one bitten was the tactless Kaylor. Clear fang marks were etched into his ankle. The snake had already vanished, and Kaylor was frantically demanding an antidote as the wound began to swell.
"Why don't you just die instead?"
"W-what?! Die?! Please, help me! If I die here, my life is over!"
"Because of you, all our lives are on the line. And stop raising your voice. I'm starting to feel like killing you myself."
"Ugh..."
Kaylor bit his lip. The wound was beginning to burn and throb with pain, but he had to endure it.
"Porter, do you have an antidote?"
"I do. Does he need it?"
"Apparently. Charge him whatever you want."
"Understood."
Sion approached the slumped Kaylor and shook a bottle of antidote. Most snakes in the Garden Section were venomous. Without immediate treatment, the limb might need to be amputated, or the victim could die from blood clotting.
"Be more careful. You can pay me once we're out of here."
"Dammit... fine..."
Kaylor snatched the bottle from Sion’s hand and gulped it down. He didn't even offer a word of thanks, but Sion hadn't expected one, so he wasn't particularly bothered.
Meanwhile, the Saintess discovered a Spirit Tree. These trees served as natural shelters within the Garden Section.
"Since we've stopped anyway, let's take a short break."
At the Saintess's suggestion, the group decided to rest for a moment. Sion took the opportunity to pull a Vine Bean from his pocket and plant it next to the Spirit Tree.
"We're still in the outskirts, so the monsters aren't swarming us yet..."
"But we're seeing heretic symbols here and there."
"I'm starting to wonder if they're intentionally luring us deeper or not."
The Inquisitors shared their thoughts.
As Sion ate a sandwich to fill his stomach, looking at the overgrown grass of the Garden Section, he suddenly realized it had been a very long time since he had visited his grandfather's grave. He remembered following his father into the mountains to bow and clear the weeds around the burial mound.
It was a memory from Earth.
If we had cremated him, I wouldn't have had to go weeding.
He might have been able to visit more often, too.
As that thought crossed his mind, a brilliant idea struck him. Weeding and cremation.
"Um, Saintess."
"Yes? What is it?"
"What if we just... set this whole place on fire?"
"Pardon?"
The Saintess stopped chewing her sandwich and stared at Sion, who was casually suggesting arson. With a hollow look in his eyes, as if half-lost in a flashback, Sion muttered:
"I brought quite a lot of oil with me. And if you look around, this place is basically just a giant field of grass, right?"
"I suppose so."
"Then... why don't we just burn it? It's not like we're here to collect monster materials. It seems like a good way to clear the path."
"...."
The Saintess nodded slowly. Paramel, who had been listening nearby, asked in bewilderment:
"Wait, what? Arson, all of a sudden?"
"Yes. The ceiling here is high, and if we set the fire and move to another section, we won't have to worry about smoke inhalation."
"The porter does have a point."
"True, but... hmm."
"The Dungeon Trolls will likely swarm out to extinguish the flames."
"Really?"
"Yes. They are extremely sensitive to fire."
"In that case, we definitely should set it on fire."
The Saintess’s eyes sparkled at the prospect.
"Rather than walking into whatever traps they've set, we'll smoke them out of their dens and hunt them down."
"Wait a moment, Saintess. Aren't you being a bit too influenced by the porter's suggestion? We have no idea how many Dungeon Trolls there are."
"That is true."
It was unclear why the Trolls hadn't appeared yet, but this could be like poking a hornet's nest.
Snapping back to his senses, Sion quickly tried to dissuade her.
"Actually, Saintess, I think the arson idea might be a bad one. we can't control the flames, and the risk is too high."
Sion had to stop the Saintess, who looked ready to strike a match then and there. There was a reason people didn't just burn down everything flammable. When their habitat caught fire, Dungeon Trolls would enter a state of collective frenzy. In their madness, they became nearly four times stronger than usual, meaning a fire would spike the difficulty level exponentially.
Thump—!
"W-what was that?"
"The ground just shook."
"Is it a Dungeon Troll?"
"...It felt like something much larger."
Just as the arson plan was scrapped, a massive vibration echoed from deep within the Garden Section. The Inquisitors scrambled to their feet, and the adventurers drew their weapons, sensing something was wrong.
It was then that Sasaro spotted something.
"Uh...?"
A massive giant. A monster that had grabbed a Dungeon Troll and was currently biting its head off.
"That's... a Cyclops."
One of the indigenous species from the 7th floor, Utopia, had appeared in the garden.
At the same time, numerous presences began to close in on Sion and his party.
The heretics and the Trolls were approaching—driven forward by the looming disaster that was the Cyclops.