Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Knights Challenge the Dungeon!
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Outside the dungeon, preparations for a tournament were in full swing to deal with the knight orders gathered in front of the city.
The leaders of each knight order, heeding the advice of the imperial official while extending their game of intimidation, had sent in their top promising knights to enter the dungeon.
And so, the finest young prospects from each knight order gathered at the dungeon entrance, silently glaring at one another in a battle of wills.
Then, a priest approached them to provide various pieces of information.
"You're the ones challenging the Abyssal Pit this time? Nice to mee─"
"""………."""
"Um, hello?"
They had all been sternly warned by their leaders: 'You absolutely cannot lose to those guys!'
When it came to conquering the dungeon, the knights showed no intention of cooperating with each other!
As the young knights' prideful standoff dragged on, the priest couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity.
"""…?"""
"Oh, sorry. I just couldn't help but laugh—it seems like you're all underestimating the Abyssal Pit a bit too much."
But the young knights took it as the priest looking down on them, and their tongues suddenly grew sharp.
"We already know the Abyssal Pit is so tough even heroes struggle to advance. But we..."
"I've served in the Demon Realm, so dungeons like this are..."
"I won the tournament at the imperial palace─"
After that, the priest endured a barrage of boasts and self-promotions from the prideful young knights, but soon shook his head with a gentle smile.
"Whatever you've accomplished up until now means nothing inside there."
"Huh?"
"What do you..."
"Instead of explaining, why don't you take these first."
He distributed the information gathered over the past year by heroes and adventurers, and their eyes widened in disbelief.
"Uh... so, basically, when arrows fly, two seconds later a compressed air blast sends people off the cliff—that's the basic pattern, so you always have to prepare for it. And if you're near a wall, massive spikes pop out while magic bullets rain from the opposite side, and after dealing with that, a small golem appears with 37 different linked trap patterns─"
"Item eight says to safely clear the first room by ignoring everything and just running straight through as fast as possible, but item nine says item eight was never there to begin with, so erase it quick?"
"My... my head hurts."
Faced with what amounted to a doctoral thesis on conquering just the first room, the knights were speechless.
But these were knights among knights!
With a casual mindset of 'We'll figure it out by throwing ourselves at it,' they plunged into the dungeon—only to get completely wiped out in short order.
****************
The young prospects who awoke in the church were plunged into shock.
"No way, how long were we even in there..."
"Is this a dream?"
"What the hell got us?"
"My full plate armor with magic reinforcement got pierced by arrows?!"
"If you run there, lasers suddenly fire from everywhere!"
They had grown up as elites among elites, trained from childhood in noble houses.
But to go down so pathetically? They couldn't accept it.
And the blood, sweat, and tears they'd shed to join their knight orders!
This was just a mistake! A mistake!
─Convinced of that, the young knights charged back into the Abyssal Pit.
Of course, the clerics tried to stop them midway.
But would pride-wounded, red-eyed youths listen?
In the end, the clerics respected their passion and exceptionally allowed the knights to keep banging their heads against the dungeon until the tournament ended.
Not long after.
The knights, wiped out again, awoke in the church to cold stares from the others there.
Those stares said:
'...Troll.'
'Public menace.'
'Can't you die alone, you water ghost?'
Ahh!! That's right!! The ones already in the dungeon got caught in traps because of these knights!
And sure, getting those looks from hero parties was one thing.
But to get pitiful glares from adventurers—who were treated like deadbeats in this world—what would become of these young knights?!
Shaking with shame, they charged back into the dungeon.
So, two days before the tournament began, the knights who had died over ten times in the Realm of Madness.
They began to wonder if this was even the same dungeon they knew.
"No, is the dungeon really this hard?"
"It's worse than the Demon Realm?"
"So that's why the heroes haven't broken through yet..."
From the perspective of these capable, young, and powerful knights, wasn't a dungeon just a farming spot where money popped out when you walked in?!
Or a place for a casual stroll to add a line to your resume.
Yet here they were, not just them, but everyone else wiping out in the first room?
Soon, utterly sickened by the overwhelming shittiness of the Abyssal Pit, the knights faced reality.
Abandoning any thought of soloing it, they teamed up with knights they were at least friendly with.
Of course, they kept dying, but now they were starting to grasp the strategies.
The day before the tournament, they made one final challenge, and Vallak and Ferguson kept watch over them.
"Brother Vallak, those knights are heading in again?"
"Yeah, those guys are definitely different from the others who've entered so far."
These guys keep coming into my dungeon...
Their stance screams 'trained in pure martial techniques.'
And it's been less than a year since players showed up, yet they're moving like that?
You think that makes sense?!
Their armor and weapons are top-grade, and in just a few days, they've forced their way that far.
Not like those total noobs from the mini-dungeon—these are knights from some massive NPC faction for sure.
"Then this is perfect!"
"You think they'll reach the changed third room?"
"Probably. But the second room will be their biggest problem..."
"Ah, right..."
I figure this era is medieval-ish.
What kind of existence are knights from that time?
In some strategy games, under the name of 'honor,' they send peasants out as meat shields without even giving them weapons.
Even if one peasant invents a badass trebuchet, they brush it off with a few pigs.
Straight-up hate-sink material.
Of course, the knights in that game were pretty extreme.
But knights in all games share one trait: muscle brain!!!
So no way they'll map or navigate the Iron Labyrinth right in front of the Realm of Madness?
And my prediction hit the mark.
About a third of this group made it through the Realm of Madness battered and bruised.
But in the second room, they got lost and started spinning in circles.
'Where the hell are we!'
'The paths changed again?!"
'Ugh... my head.'
Sigh, just as expected.
Even in my past life, athletes with some brains had higher success rates.
Knights ruled by muscle won't find their way in the Iron Labyrinth and will tire out from constant fights.
But fate is gravity!
Some knights in my dungeon are seeking connections!
'You guys?!"
'Knights here, what's the occasion...'
They took down a patrolling sentry in the labyrinth, but one party messed up their formation before unleashing their wipeout move and ran into a lone knight.
Normally, you'd be on guard against each other.
But entrants to my dungeon are different!
'Arms... forearms?'
'...That means.'
The moment the knights saw the wizard's forearms in the Iron Labyrinth, their eyes changed.
They promptly removed their arm guards, flexing their packed muscles.
Confirming the badge of trust, the manly men nodded and shook hands with resolve.
'Pleased to meet ya!'
'The pleasure's ours!'
Yes! That's it!
Why do you think I set it so challengers fighting each other in my dungeon docks coins!
It's to make them cover each other's weaknesses and conquer my dungeon together!
Beyond just checking muscles, various gravitational pulls led to many bonds forming in the Iron Labyrinth.
Now, lots of folks will reach the dungeon shelter.
"Little bro Fer! Wanna head to the dungeon shelter?"
"No way you think those guys will pass the mid-boss, right Brother Vallak?"
"Of course!"
Honestly, plenty have cleared the Iron Labyrinth so far but failed the mid-boss.
Why?
Have players ever perfectly reformed their formation after losing one without panicking, responding tactically to the strong?
But parties including those knights trained in top-tier slaughter techniques will be different!
Look at them now, perfectly coordinating to take down the armor golem—time to test the shuffled third room, so I'll move the mid-boss myself after a while.
Plus, O-Satpi, still pale from not adapting to the elixirs, needs more time to recover.
Knights of fate!
I'll await you with joy!
*************
Soon after, as Vallak predicted, several parties including prospects from each knight order.
Thanks to bonds formed in the labyrinth, successfully broke through the Iron Labyrinth.
"Is... is this the end?!"
"Gods... that was brutally tough."
"Whew~ Sir Knight, you alright?"
"I'm fine. Still, thanks to you all, we made it—how can I ever repay this grace..."
"We wouldn't have reached here without meeting you knights either. Don't worry about it."
"Heh, thanks."
"Come to our knight order next time; we'll treat you right. But... is that the famous grave of heroes?"
Those challenging the Abyssal Pit had all fallen before the bizarre doll even after passing the Iron Labyrinth.
Thus, the end of the Iron Labyrinth earned the nickname 'Heroes' Grave.'
Still, thanks to info from vanguards who kept dying, the knights devised various strategies.
Even!
"You made it too?"
"...You're alive."
Realizing this was their absolute last shot before the tournament, the knights set aside pride and began perfect cooperation!
The group at the Iron Labyrinth's end—five knights, one hero, two wizards, two adventurers, exactly ten—shared every tactic they knew without hesitation.
The doll assault began!
"Is... is that the doll?!"
"...Eerie."
"Everyone!! Battle stations!!"
As the bizarre doll, controlled directly by Vallak, appeared in the room, they all charged forward.
"Hoo? Impressive."
"Urk?!"
"Where?!"
With teamwork that even impressed Vallak, plus perfect support from the rest, they smoothly cleared about half the clear time.
But when white smoke billowed from the doll's central torso, the room's air turned icy.
A nearby knight spotted the doll's movement and hurriedly assumed a defensive stance, but a merciless overhead strike sent him shield and all crashing into the wall.
"Urgh...! This much?!"
"Magic support! Try binding it!"
The wizards unleashed pre-cast spells, black chains extending from the air to bind the doll.
But the doll's eyes flashed as it tore free with raw power.
Still, in that brief moment, the hero and knights reformed the encirclement.
The flung knight returned, and six of them launched a rotation assault.
"Damn!! It endured that?!"
"Don't get hasty!"
"The hero's right! Hey! Don't rush! Just stall for time!"
"Binding magic ready!"
"Bow support here too!"
Yet with six pro frontliners relentlessly attacking from all sides.
Even with intermittent magic and support pouring in, the doll blocked everything without a hint of fatigue.
Instead─
"Barrier~!"
"""?!"""
The doll struck a weird pose, a magic barrier springing up around it.
Weapons from the rotating assaulters bounced off, creating an opening.
One knight, targeted next, barely registered the steel fist rushing at him and tried to block with his sword.
But the immense force snapped the blade in two, sending one of his arms flying.
He collapsed clutching the stump.
The doll's foot slammed the blood-soaked floor with a boom, rippling the ground like waves.
A second knight's helmet shattered under the flying fists, metal shards scattering.
The third took a leg hit and rolled across the floor.
The fourth blocked the doll from reaching a wizard, both arms pulverized.
The last knight's guard broke as he blocked a punch, stance crumbling—so the nearby hero shoved him aside to take the hit.
Moments later, as the hero's sword shattered under the massive energy-laden fist, exposing him to follow-ups.
Halt.
"Time's up."
"Hah... hah..."
"Grghhh..."
The doll's fist stopped right before the hero's face, sending them to the dungeon shelter.