Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Ancient Camouflage (1)
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Sena's round ears twitched repeatedly atop her raised shield, sensing the noises around them.
"It's not as dark as I thought."
We had stepped inside with bated breath, unnerved by the dungeon's ominous name, Ancient Camouflage.
But the interior was surprisingly bright.
Fist-sized glowing stones embedded throughout the ceiling and walls emitted a soft amber light.
It was like a nightscape lit by thousands of candles.
And whenever we walked, the floor felt smoother and more even than expected. Nothing like the jagged terrain of the Glowing Cave.
"This place is some ancient ruin, right?"
Mani marveled as she kicked at the stone floor.
"Yeah. A whole ancient city that got buried underground due to tectonic shifts long ago. From the era when the gods themselves inspected the lands, I think?"
"From time immemorial..."
Something clicked in my mind, and I patted the back of my backpack.
"Lord, oh Lord."
[Mmm... Hng... Peanuts... Cheese... Walnuts...]
Instead of the voice I expected, all I heard was mumbling sleep-talk. She must be dozing off.
"Lady Rodentia?"
[Ah! Ugh! Is something wrong, Apostle?]
"Do you recognize this scenery by any chance?"
Rodentia's illusion rose above the Hamster Wheel, scanning the surroundings before letting out a deep groan. Her hazy eyes swept over the ruins.
[...I see, Apostle. Judging by the architecture here... This must be the Denarius Empire!]
"The Denarius Empire?"
[A massive empire from ages ago! Greedy bastards who tormented our rodent kin! They deserved to fall!]
I ignored Rodentia's indignant voice and carefully examined the landscape before us once more. Hearing "empire" made everything look different.
"It's a mess, but these are proper roads."
Worn and cracked by the passage of time, the floor was still paved endlessly with uniform stone slabs.
Wide enough for two carriages to pass comfortably—well-paved avenues.
Lifting my gaze higher, overwhelming ruins filled my vision.
What would it look like if a giant scooped up an entire surface city in its hand and dumped it haphazardly into an underground pit?
On one side, columns stood in rows—half intact, half broken marble pillars jutting up like rotten teeth along the road.
But the strangest part was the twisted spaces everywhere.
Due to subsidence, the whole city had collapsed. Almost no buildings stood straight.
A structure that looked like a temple teetered precariously at a 45-degree angle, threatening to crash down on us any moment. Another with a massive dome roof lay completely upside down, embedded in the ground.
Far off, piercing the impossibly high ceiling rock, the tip of a tower hung inverted like a stalactite.
That was the symbol at the heart of this camouflage dungeon's lower levels—the structure nicknamed the Empire's Pillar.
[Apostle! Anyway, you're brimming with energy!]
As we admired the dungeon entrance, Rodentia did a flip in midair right in front of me.
[Thanks to your diligent offerings and prayers, my power has recovered a bit!]
"Does that mean...? More blessings?"
[Of course! Behold! The Advance of the Rat Swarm!]
Advance of the Rat Swarm (Lv. 2)
Summon 2x Horned Rats
Rodentia swept her tiny hand dramatically, and the shadows on the floor writhed.
"Chit!"
A familiar sound. A Horned Rat glowing with mystical light popped out.
But that wasn't the end.
Pong!
"Chit-chit!"
With a cheerful pop, another Horned Rat appeared beside it. Two in total.
"Whoa? One more than before?"
[Heh heh heh! Indeed! Now I can summon up to two at once! This is the start of our legion!]
"Ooh..."
I looked down at the two in admiration.
One for scouting ahead, one for watching our rear—perfect.
"Alright. You're Ratty, you're Squeaky."
[Those names are way too half-hearted!]
"Easy to remember, though. Okay, Ratty—scout 50 meters ahead. Squeaky—guard our 10-meter perimeter!"
"Chit!"
"Chit-chit!"
At my command, Ratty shot off like a bullet. Squeaky, meanwhile, darted to Sena's feet, ears perked up.
This was our party's core strategy.
'See first, strike first!'
Being able to peek into the unseen boosted our survival rate exponentially. For a small party like ours, intel was everything.
'Can't die screaming without a fight.'
We advanced along the ruins' main avenue, guided by the Horned Rats.
Soon enough, Ratty rushed back urgently, tugging at my pant leg.
"Chit! Chit!"
Whether from becoming her apostle or her power growing, I could somehow understand what Ratty was conveying.
"Enemies spotted?"
Ratty nodded and pointed ahead with its tail.
Beyond a crumbled stone arch lay a wide plaza-like space.
We ducked behind a pillar, holding our breath.
"...Reti, look at that."
Mani whispered softly.
"Kreeeek..."
"Krrk-kk!"
A goblin pack occupied the plaza. But these weren't the dim-witted green idiots from the Glowing Cave, waving single clubs and grinning stupidly.
"Gasp! Ancestors preserve us! They've got swords!"
Mani sighed quietly.
The goblins wore unknown leathers draped over their bodies.
Some even had helmets.
In their hands, rusty swords and spears—probably scavenged from these ruins.
Above all, their behavior was different.
Over ten of them marched in a ragged formation.
"Too many. More than ten."
Sena gripped her shield tightly, tensing up.
No matter our improved gear, 3 vs. 10+ was risky.
Especially armed like that—getting surrounded meant game over.
"Let's bypass them. These guys suddenly got smart."
We used the Horned Rats to detour behind a collapsed building, out of their sight.
After avoiding the large group, we spotted a smaller pack wandering a narrow alley-like passage.
Five. Manageable.
"Perfect. Let's start with them."
I surveyed the terrain. We were behind a crumbled wall; they approached along the narrow passage. Ideal ambush spot.
"Mani, pick off the toughest-looking one. First strike to break their momentum!"
"Leave it to me! I'll punch through anything."
Mani pulled out her masterpiece from behind her back: the Mani Ballista. How powerful was that brutal thing with its double-thick steel prods?
She hooked her foot into the front ring, cranking the winch to draw the string taut.
Kreeeek!
The metal screamed.
Definitely not something to draw by hand.
Fully drawn, she loaded a massive bolt like a short spear.
"Sena, hold the front line. The passage is narrow, so block the choke point and they won't break through."
"Got it! Hearth Goddess, grant your flames!"
Sena led with her shield, igniting her shortsword with fire.
"I'll lead with the Rapid Bowgun, then switch to hand axes."
I gripped the lever. The top magazine was packed with six sharpened bolts.
"Ready... Fire!"
At my signal, Mani pulled the trigger.
Thwoong!
The huge bolt tore through the air.
Too fast to track with the eye.
The lead goblin, in a dented helmet, turned its head at that instant.
Kwachak!
The bolt pierced its chest and buried deep into the stone wall behind. It flew back like a doll, slamming into the wall without a scream.
What the hell did you build, Mani?
"Keeek?!"
The remaining four froze in shock as their comrade was instantly killed.
But they quickly raised weapons, glaring toward the noise. Definitely aggressive.
"Keeek!"
The survivors charged.
The narrow passage filled with their murderous intent.
"I'll thin the numbers!"
I pushed Sena back and stepped forward.
This single-file narrow terrain was perfect for the Rapid Bowgun!
I pressed the stock to my shoulder, aiming at the lead goblin.
Tung!
The first bolt skewered its thigh. As it screamed and staggered, my body flowed into the next motion.
Clack!
Hooked the lever on my belt ring, pushed and pulled with my arm.
The taut string snapped back instantly, loading the next bolt with a click.
Tung! Clack, tung!
The second and third bolts flew into their ranks in succession.
"Keeek?!"
They panicked and hunched down, but it was futile. I kept my aim steady, cycling and firing in mechanical rhythm.
Thutung! Tung!
One shot per second. Arrows like machine-gun fire!
The front goblins became pincushions and collapsed, tripping the ones behind. Their formation crumbled miserably.
The passage turned into a slaughterhouse in seconds.
"Good! Sena, push!"
I'd emptied all six shots and fell back, shouting.
"On it!"
Sena burst forward like she'd been waiting. Three were dead or writhing from arrows, the rest milling in confusion—her charge was a disaster for them.
Thud!
Sena slammed her shield into a flailing one.
Her flaming sword plunged mercilessly into the chest of the one that lost balance and fell backward.
"Keeek!"
"Take this! Mercy kill!"
As the last one fell, Mani joined in with her hammer, refusing to be outdone.
Each heavy swing crushed skulls and dented rusty helmets of the downed goblins.
"Finish it!"
The red flames from Sena's sword snuffed out the final one's resistance.
Battle over.
Five goblin corpses littered the floor. Clean victory, no injuries.
"Hoo..."
Our ragged breaths steadied. The metallic blood stench mixed with goblin stink assaulted my nose.
"Whoa..."
Mani prodded the goblin embedded in the wall with her foot.
"That little crossbow's insane! Ballista nickname earned it!"
"Your Rapid Bowgun was nuts too, Reti? They couldn't even look up."
We grinned at each other and laughed.
This was the power of gear and tactics.
Enemies we'd have fled from? Subdued without a scratch via equipment and ambush.
Blood doesn't scare me anymore.
Yeah, maybe I'm suited to be a killer rat?
The horror rat that tears apart any monster with its teeth!
"Heh, nah."
We happily looted the spoils.
Iron weapons from the goblins.
A few coins and mana stone fragments from their pouches.
No idea why they had them, but the haul was decent.
"Bronze-rank dungeon for sure! One fight and we're already in the black."
We pocketed the loot from the goblin pack, chuckling.
Entry fee of 3 silver coins?
At this rate, we'd recoup and then some today.
"Alright! Deeper in we go! Time to earn silver!"
I slung the reloaded crossbow over my shoulder. The new frame backpack supported my back and waist solidly, minimizing the weight.
"Ratty, Squeaky! Lead on!"
[Well done! Charge forth!]
The two Horned Rats perked their ears and dashed into the darkness.