Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Those Evil Lich Clan Guys (1)
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The Glowing Cave dungeon was quiet in the early dawn hours when we entered.
"Look over there! See those rock lumps?"
As Sena spoke, grotesque shapes shuffled out from the darkness.
They weren't proper golems—just clumps of dirt and gravel roughly shaped like humans.
"They're called Stonemen,"
Sena said, tapping on her Magic Slate.
She'd told me it was originally made by the mages of the Magic Tower as a recording device they could carry instead of books.
If I compared it to my old life on Earth, it'd be like an e-reader.
And what Sena was looking at now was the result of that.
The slate contained a magical encyclopedia.
"According to the encyclopedia here... their strength isn't as high as you'd think?"
The monsters in the mid-layers of the Glowing Cave were unusual right from the entrance.
Thud. Thud.
Every step they took made rocks clatter against each other.
Just looking at their size, they were as big as an adult man—bigger than us.
"They look tough."
"Don't worry! Their joints are weak. They're held together with dirt, so they're vulnerable to impacts?"
After skimming the basic info, Sena tucked the slate back into her bosom.
'Gotta save up and get one for myself someday.'
Even as that thought crossed her mind, she didn't forget to aim at the enemies.
Mani drew her crossbow from her belt.
It was dwarf-made with a steel prod, so no rapid fire.
But its single-shot power was hammer-level!
Thung!
A heavy vibration rang out.
The bolt flew and embedded in the Stoneman's knee joint.
"Uoooh..."
The Stoneman staggered, losing its balance.
"Now's our chance, Reti!"
I gripped the lever on my Rapid Bowgun.
Thung-thung!
A crisp mechanical sound echoed through the cave.
Bolts rained down, pummeling the Stoneman's head and chest.
The hard rock parts sparked and deflected them.
But the dirt connections couldn't withstand the barrage and crumbled.
Rumble!
The Stoneman collapsed into a pile of dirt.
"Got it!"
"Not yet! More are coming!"
From behind the rubble, other shadows surged out.
The next foes were spiderlings the size of calves—Mini Crawlers.
Small, but venomous and they attacked in swarms. Annoying pests.
If those grew up, they'd turn into those giant spider monsters like the Crawler from the Green Crucible Dungeon, right?
So we had to wipe them out.
"Eek! Gross!"
Sena screamed but swung her round shield, batting the spiders away.
"Hearth Goddess! Protect us!"
Red flames burst from her shortsword, burning the webs and roasting the spiders.
Sizzle! Crackle!
"Die, you bugs!"
Mani fed a bolt into the lead one, slung her crossbow on her back, and drew her hammer. Like whacking moles, she smashed the spiders crawling up from the floor.
Bam! Crunch!
I kept my distance with bolts, precisely sniping the ones leaping toward us.
"Air intercept!"
Thung!
A spider in midair got skewered and slammed into the wall. The fight was fierce, but we synced perfectly.
Sena tanking up front, Mani smashing, me shooting—a flawless division of labor!
We swept through the mid-layers.
We started with Mana Stone Beetles.
"These low-grade mana stones should fetch about 50 coins each right now."
I said that as I cracked open the beetle's shell. For a bug, it didn't bleed, so dismantling it wasn't gross.
"50 coins! That's easily one night's inn fee for us."
Mani muttered excitedly while rummaging through other monster remains.
"These guys are money too! Can't use 'em in a forge, but the Magic Tower and big guild workshops use 'em for all sorts of stuff."
I pried out a Stoneman core and sliced open a Mini Crawler's sticky belly to extract the blue venom sac.
Every time our bags got heavier, our lips curled up.
"Huh? Wait, look at that!"
Mani suddenly pointed at a protruding bluish mineral on the wall.
"That's moonglow stone! Not as good as mana stones, but it sells well as an alchemy catalyst!"
"For real? Mine it!"
The moment combat ended, we switched to miner mode.
True to her dwarf blood, Mani's senses were sharp.
For a beginner dungeon, the valuable ores were pretty plentiful.
Of course, danger was still there.
As we pushed forward, we entered an area littered with skulls and human bones.
Then the warning rang out.
Apostle! Be careful! The Horned Rat is trembling!
Goddess Rodentia's words made our previously swishing tails go rigid.
"!"
The Horned Rat we'd sent ahead to scout returned just then.
"Chit...!"
The little mouse was trembling, tail curled tight.
"Grrr..."
Heavy footsteps and a beastly stench wafted from the passage ahead.
Hobgoblins.
"Not just one...!"
"Run!"
"Everyone, pull back!"
We turned tail without hesitation.
One we could probably beat.
But it'd cost bolts and risk injury.
A pack? Run.
We stuck strictly to picking on the weak.
We roamed for half a day straight.
Our bags were stuffed to bursting.
"Man, today's haul is insane?"
"With this... what should we have for dinner?"
My stomach suddenly grumbled.
I craved greasy meat.
Fried chicken and beer would hit the spot.
"How about roast chicken?"
Sena's round ears perked up at my suggestion.
"Sounds good!"
Mani chimed in.
"Beer too while we're at it!"
"Huh? We can drink?"
The two girls looked at me calmly.
"What's the problem?"
"Yeah, right..."
Come to think of it, this was another world.
Probably fine.
Yeah, fried chicken and beer it is.
"Alright! Whole roast chicken and beer for dinner!"
"Woo!"
We strutted toward the exit like triumphant generals.
After climbing a while, bright sunlight greeted us.
But it wasn't just sunlight and adventurers.
The exit vibe was off.
A long line snaked out from the dungeon entrance.
"What's up? Why the line?"
Peeking ahead, I saw a group at a makeshift desk by the entrance, inspecting bags.
First off, the blue-uniformed Military Police from before.
And next to them, stern-looking bespectacled folks.
They clutched ledgers and quills, rummaging through every adventurer's bags.
"Next. Open your bag." "That's all? Five low-grade mana stones, ten goblin ears... appraised at 300 coins."
The official snapped his abacus beads and said flatly,
"Base entry fee 100 coins, plus 10% on spoils. Total 130 coins due."
"What?! That's barely three silver, and you're taking nearly half! For a tiny dungeon like this!"
The adventurer protested tearfully, but the official didn't blink.
"That's the law. If you'd earned 3,000 coins, 10% would be pocket change. Your bad luck, not mine. Pay up or forfeit?"
"Thieving bastards..."
The adventurer trembled as he handed over his hard-earned silver and coins.
Adventurers ahead grimaced, emptying their pockets.
Sena whispered,
"Those guys... the Tax Collectors from the gallery?"
"...They're really here. Weren't last time."
Word was they skipped small dungeons. Headache.
I felt dumb too.
Only thought about entering, not exiting?
We're screwed. If they check us, most of today's earnings fly.
No chicken and beer—just cheap veggie stew at the inn.
"What now? Other exit?"
"Nope. Only one. It's a small dungeon."
As we fidgeted, rowdy voices erupted from behind. A familiar bald head parted the crowd.
"Outta the way! Too damn cramped!"
The White Skull party from the hobgoblin pistol incident.
Leading was their Mace guy. True to an adventurer bold even before guards, he ignored the line and strode to the desk.
A Military Policeman blocked him.
"Hey, get in line. No exceptions—"
"What? Exceptions?"
Mace glared, looming like he'd grab the guy's collar. His silver-rank badge gleamed on his chest.
"You don't know who I am? Huh?! I drank with your tax boss yesterday! Hunt boars with the baron! And some lowly peon blocks me?!"
His roar echoed through the cave. The tax collector's glasses slipped down his nose.
"N-No, procedure—"
"Procedure? I know how many monsters I've slain for this city? My taxes pay your salary! Don't get stingy!"
Mace slammed the desk, causing a scene. The collector floundered but managed,
"...Why make a fuss when you know? By the sacred laws of Winster Kingdom, all dungeons are royal property. Entry and spoils are taxed, obviously?"
"That's for big dungeons! Not Oakwood's others, and sure not this pipsqueak one. Rule-breaking, right? Am I wrong?"
"Well, that's..."
As surrounding adventurers murmured, all eyes from police and collectors turned there.
They looked lost on handling the big brute.
Apostle! Now! While the bald guy's pulling aggro, bolt!
Goddess Rodentia shouted. We exchanged glances. Two short Ratkin and a tiny dwarf—slipping under desks and between legs in the chaos was easy.
"Sorry, 'scuse us~"
We quietly slipped into the blind spots of the police.
As collectors sweated to calm the bald guy, we sauntered out of the dungeon.
"Nice! We lived!"
"White Skull FTW!"
We giggled our way to Oakwood market.
Steps light from dodging taxes.
"Dungeons ever charge entry before?"
Sena answered Mani's mutter.
"Yeah, but small ones like Glowing Cave get overlooked usually! Not this inspected..."
From the chatter, it seemed they weren't normally this strict.
'Makes sense—no CCTV like modern times. Pulling out every item to tax is a hassle for them too.'
"Guess that gallery post was real. Mayor's pissed."
Even here, people gonna people?
High-ups don't seem to like adventurers much.
Mani scratched her head at Sena's words and yelled,
"Meh, don't care! Anyway, Reti! Sell quick and go! I want chicken and beer!"
Right. Focus on the happiness at hand.
"Fried chicken! Incoming!"
The material buyer in the market corner was weirdly deserted.
Normally merchants would hawk for your goods...
Today, just tumbleweeds.
"Hey, got low-grade mana stones, Stoneman cores, venom sacs, moonglow stones to sell."
I offered my heavy bag, but the merchant waved it off lazily.
"Not buying. Quota full."
"Huh? It's barely past noon?"
"Full means full—less talk! Try next stall."
Next cart, one after—same story.
They shook heads at the bags.
Finally found one buying, but prices were ridiculous.
"3 coins per venom sac. Moonglow shards? Stoneman cores? Half-silver each."
"What?! Yesterday it was 7! Shells alone were a full silver!"
"Take it or leave. Warehouses bursting."
Mani snapped,
"This is fishy! Prices crash overnight?"
"'Cause supply flooded yesterday and today, kid rat."
"Who sold all that?!"
"Who else? Necromancers."
"Necromancers?"
The merchant tsked and closed his ledger.
"Dawn raid with skeleton hordes, dumped bags wholesale. Begged us to take 'em cheap. We finish early thanks to that. Heh..."
Necromancers?
We stared blankly at each other.
In the end, we swallowed tears and sold at a loss.
Dungeon materials lost value fast if not fresh.
Chicken and beer dreams faded.
"Sigh, at least we're not broke? Fries instead of chicken."
Sena and Mani trudged to the stall at my suggestion.
Soon, we sat by the plaza fountain, munching veggie fritters.
Hot oil oozed from crushed potatoes, carrots, and scraps with each bite.
Cheap, filling, good crunch.
High calories too.
"Something's off. Why Necromancers?"
Sena pulled out her Magic Slate.
Screen on, Adventurer Gallery—her jaw dropped.
"Reti, check this. Gallery's exploding!"
I leaned in. The board was on fire.
-Deleted for rule violation (reason: insulting city authorities)-
-Deleted for rule violation (reason: insulting royalty)-
That's a Lich Clan shill
Skeleton auto-farming to manipulate prices is "working hard"?
Get lost to your crypt
"Lich Clan...?"
First time hearing it.
Lich—like undead mage liches?
Apostle, what's that mean? Lich Clan?
Goddess Rodentia's illusion reappeared, her round ears twitching in confusion.
"Dunno. But... they seem like total scumbags."
Just the titles showed the mood was foul.
Every word screamed ominous.
What the hell was going down in this city?
We chewed the last veggie fritters with a bad taste in our mouths.
Bronze rank-up so close.
Yet Oakwood's peace was cracking.