Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Warrior Reveals the Reason to Become Stronger
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The day after a party was held to celebrate surviving a full year in the dungeon on the first floor.
Balrak sensed something off as he checked the inside of the dungeon.
"What's with all these crowds everywhere?"
"Benefactor, isn't it because the outside tournament just ended?"
"Youngest, I don't think so."
Currently, due to the dungeon being over capacity with people, massive iron balls were continuously rolling through at regular intervals.
It might seem like Orek's guess about the tournament could be right...
But compiling the information Ferguson had gathered from the dungeon shelter before, the tournament had only been going on for about three days.
The newcomers flooding in with flushed faces and poor gear only added to the suspicion.
In this era, tournaments like this usually lasted a long time, so knights participating wouldn't be coming in here.
Which means!!
I quickly checked the dungeon shelter's fee records.
Yup, just as I thought!
The guys who came in last time only withdrew coins from the bank—they didn't spend any at the shop!
"Hmm... So the Abyssal Coins successfully circulated outside—Huh? Youngest, what's up?"
"W-Well, it's just that you're calling me 'youngest' like you do Ferguson..."
Oh? Is he embarrassed?
Orek hadn't taken his final test with me yet.
But he'd already decided to join us in my dungeon.
And yesterday, we'd confirmed our friendship and trust, so he qualified to be called my little brother.
In fact!
"You were staring at Ferguson so enviously for hanging out with me without any pretenses, and it was that guy who first suggested we do the same."
"Ferguson did?!"
"Yeah, he said he'd tell you himself later, but looking at him today, no way he'd manage it."
"So you, Benefactor..."
Ferguson must really like Orek starting from yesterday!
But that guy's so introverted—did he really think he could make the proposal himself?!
Today too, it was obvious he couldn't easily open his mouth, so I took the initiative.
Plus, now that this guy's my little brother too, "Benefactor" felt too stiff, so I told him to drop the formalities right away.
"I-Is that really okay?"
"Of course!"
"Then I'll call you Big Bro!"
"Good, let's get along, Youngest."
Yeah, screw being all formal with "Benefactor"!
It was the same with Ferguson—being called Big Bro felt way better.
But just how old is Orek anyway?
Ferguson said he was 25, three years younger than my current age.
But Orek had been a shaman before switching to druid...
And he had a decent level of attainment, so he had to be older than Ferguson at least—
"I'll turn exactly 20 this winter."
"What?!"
20 with that face?!
What kind of insane premature aging is this?!
He took life's beatings straight to the face!
Is the orc race just shorter-lived than humans on average?
"N-No, that's not it..."
"My god..."
Just how hard has this guy lived to end up looking that old?!
And he seems to have some hair loss too.
So!
"Little bro, take one of these every day."
"What's this?"
"Hair loss treatment and growth tonic."
"What?! For real?!"
After that, I patted his shoulder without another word.
The youngest, receiving these legendary potions, pledged even greater loyalty to me.
**************
Not long after Orek took the legendary potions.
Ferguson came to us after finishing up at the shop.
"Please take care of me! Ferguson Bro!"
"...You seem happy."
"Bro! Please speak casually with me!"
"S-Sure."
The hierarchy sorting I'd worried about earlier wrapped up in no time.
Now that he'd mostly adjusted here, I handed Orek the spare gravity belt I'd ordered for training.
Woooong!!
"Th-This is insane!!!"
"Orek, set the gravity belt like this, and that one like so..."
"And that's not all!!"
Soon, feeling a whole new world, Orek trained with us while testing out his abilities one by one.
But...
"Growth is definitely slow..."
"Since the youngest doesn't have abilities like mine, guess it's unavoidable."
So it's the race and ability gap after all!
No matter how you look at it, orcs seemed like inferior versions of demons and werewolves.
But! This guy's potential wasn't limited to simple physical prowess.
"Huff... Huff..."
"Hahaha! Already a perfect clean sheet!"
Every downside has its upside!
The moment I taught him how to climb a greased round iron pillar, he slowly but surely made it to the top.
Orek was exceptionally skilled at handling strange energies!
"He might even handle it better than me?"
"Better than you, Big Bro Balrak?!"
"He's only 20, and his druid class attainment is already high—that's proof."
So what happens when he fully recovers his shaman powers?
After training ended and we were taking a break,
I gave Orek the top-grade spirit stone I'd gotten back from the skeleton merchant.
"Youngest, how about contracting with the being inside this one?"
"...Uh, well."
Tch... He doesn't want to, huh. His face screams he feels like he's mooching too much.
Sure, elixirs and training are one thing, but he probably wants to achieve this part on his own.
But that'd take forever to grow, so no choice.
Conveniently, weird powerhouses keep entering the dungeon aiming for shortcuts, so time to show him why he needs to get strong fast.
******************
Before Balrak's boss room changed and Orek and Ferguson hid using magic tools,
The great noble's minions, barely surviving against the reverted mid-boss, writhed on the ground, their bodies mangled.
"Ugh! Damn it!"
"Cough! Cough!"
Still, grown strong from the great nobles' various investments, they quickly regained their senses.
They used the recovery potions they'd brought to heal, then started gathering info at the dungeon shelter.
That's when Ferguson clocked out and entered the tavern.
Where he met the golem working there temporarily.
"Beep! Order something!"
"This golem talks?!"
After getting various buffs and resting at the tavern, they faced a choice.
"Can we really clear the room ahead with just us?"
"Absolutely impossible. You heard about Captain Kyle too."
"Sigh... Those giant monsters?"
Right before the tournament started, a knight party that entered the third room got ejected outside.
Thanks to that, they got info on the room in front of the shelter, and honestly, they thought clearing it was impossible.
"Physical attacks don't work on those things, so we need mages to pass."
"But we..."
"Are all melee fighters."
"We should've protected the others till the end."
That's right!! They were all non-magic melee scrubs!
Sure, some had magic class builds among them.
But in this madhouse demanding all physical skills in a short time, could they survive?
And the squadmates who knew magic all got ejected in the doll fight just now.
So, they had only one option left.
"Beep! Use the shortcut?"
"""Yes."""
The four who reached the dungeon shelter threw themselves into the shortcut to face the dungeon's owner directly.
****************
Kyle, leading the great noble's minions into the boss room, panicked at the completely different scenery from what he'd heard.
"Where's this?!"
"C-Captain!"
"Get it together! No room for a moment's lapse from now on."
Calming his startled subordinates, Kyle surveyed the surroundings.
According to his info, the shortcut should lead straight to the boss room with a purple sky and dreamlike forest.
But now, he smelled sweet flowers amid a forest of vivid pink petals swirling in the air, under a clear blue sky.
He could easily get mesmerized by the beauty,
But instead, he rallied his men and searched for the boss hidden somewhere.
Soon, they passed through the forest into a wide park, encountering a being under a massive tree.
And—
"Go back, you greenhorns."
"Urk?!"
They were exposed to overwhelming killer intent from a supreme powerhouse.
Still, having come here with one goal, they didn't retreat.
Just as Kyle was about to state their purpose,
Heavy pressure mixed with killing intent gripped his nape like a hand, shifting the air flow.
"...Do you think you have the right to tell me whatever it is you want?"
"Y-You know we came here with a purpose?"
"Obvious. Normally, I'd toss out unqualified trash like you... But since you're challengers I haven't seen in a while, I'll give you one chance."
The moment Balrak finished speaking, massive weapons appeared from nowhere, orbiting him.
"Survive these beasts for a set time."
"""?!"""
"Ready?"
Kyle's group trembled as the huge weapons swam through the air, clanging ominously.
But whether ready or not, Balrak's eyes narrowed.
"—Begin."
Piiiing!!!!
"Everyone, dodge!!"
Instantly, the weapons arced down at them, and Kyle's group reflexively rolled aside.
An axe buried into where Kyle had been, exploding the ground.
Dust rose, and a spear shot in like lightning.
Claaang!!!
His sword barely deflected it, but three blades changed trajectory like living things, surrounding him.
Just before the steel beasts bit into Kyle from all sides, one subordinate used a magic tool.
Krrrackle!!!
"Th-Thanks!!"
"Captain!! How—!"
The timely support flashed a blue barrier wall in front of them.
But a greatsword tore right through, instantly killing one subordinate without a scream.
"Aren!!!"
No time to grieve as Kyle's shout scattered.
The sword pierced Aren, and aerial weapons traced red arcs seeking the next target, survivors' bodies convulsing.
"Scatter!! Staying together means annihilation!!"
"""Yes, sir!!"""
Kyle thought fast.
The being ahead, Balrak, said survive the weapons for a time and he'd hear them out, so just endure now.
Soon, subordinates and Kyle scattered, hiding from the steel beasts.
But briefly—the spear and axe chasing him slammed down together.
He somehow blocked the fierce attacks.
Then a blast and shock from behind launched him into the air.
Looking down defenseless midair, steel beasts waited below with open maws.
'Can't end here!'
Amid pain threatening to snap his breath, Kyle scraped up his will and swung at the weapons on the ground.
Boom!!
He barely survived using his secret technique.
But upon landing, an axe from somewhere crushed his shoulder.
Splat!!!
"Gaaahhh!!"
Screaming as he collapsed, he looked around desperately to survive.
But—
All his followers apparently wiped out, as every weapon from before now surrounded him, waiting.
Who else?
The owner of these unleashed beasts.
"So it ends like this."
"Ugh...!"
"But you survived to the end, so here's a reward."
"Wh... at?"
What could Balrak's "reward" be?
Soon, its true nature revealed.
Woooong!!
Thus, Kyle beheld the star of death descending to earth.