The One-Eyed Hero Balter
I immediately began preparations to face the hero.
"Got any clever ideas?"
According to what Gular had told me, the hero's power rivaled that of the Lords, of which there were only twelve in the world. I had no idea just how strong those twelve Lords really were. Which meant I couldn't gauge the hero's strength either.
So, in the end, didn't that mean I knew absolutely nothing? Exactly! I was totally in the dark!
In a situation like this, I didn't have many options.
"How about setting up traps first?"
Kran was the first to suggest it. The perfect strategy to leverage our identity as a dungeon. We'd prepare a ton of hero-specific traps and wait. Of course, I didn't expect the hero to be dumb enough to fall for them outright. But at least we could chip away at his stamina or inflict some light wounds. If we could land a solid hit, even better.
"Do it."
"I'll fill it with gnome special traps, my king?"
The moment permission was granted, the gnomes scattered with their tools clattering away. I had no idea what "gnome special traps" entailed, but coming from dungeon experts like them, they wouldn't be anything half-assed.
Now all that was left was to wait for the traps to be ready before the hero arrived.
But before that.
"Something still feels lacking. Got anything else?"
I felt unsatisfied. Traps and illusions wouldn't faze anyone above a certain level of power. And we didn't have much time. By now, the Wanderers who'd died in the dungeon had probably relayed all sorts of info to the hero. Wasn't there some ingenious, effective method out there?
"Then how about filling the rooms with poison?"
That's when the lizardman elder tossed out a casual remark. The air around us went dead silent in an instant.
I quietly stroked my chin, ignoring Ketilen's flustered look amid the sudden hush.
"Not bad?"
Fill the rooms with poison. The hero coming to catch me would have no chance to dodge—he'd drop dead on the spot. Damn, that was actually brilliant. The more I thought about it, the more genius it seemed. I was undead. I had zero risk of being poisoned by such substances from the start. Hadn't I already proven that when the zombies bit me last time? As a skeleton, I didn't get sick or succumb to poison.
"Gular."
"I'll pick the nastiest ones and prep them."
Gular caught on instantly, flashing a wicked grin as his eyes gleamed. As an alchemist, whatever poison he chose would be top-tier effective. I wondered what kind of face the hero would make.
The fighting spirit that had dimmed reignited within me. I rose, gathering my weapons. The time for the decisive battle was approaching.
*
Traps were set from the 1st floor to the 4th. I sent everyone to the basement level and used Gular's abilities to seal the entrance leading down.
Alone on the 5th floor—the highest point—I scanned the empty room as I waited for the hero. So damn lonely.
No time to dwell on it amid the barren landscape. It wasn't for nothing that the watchman had been hell-bent on dying. Just being trapped here briefly already made my breath feel choked off.
In the boss room, with only the chair where the watchman had sat, I simply waited for the hero to arrive.
And finally.
Intruder detected in Dungeon - Starting Tower.
"He's here."
The message I'd been waiting for popped up before my eyes. In this situation, only one Wanderer would enter the dungeon.
Sure enough, massive sounds soon echoed through the tower.
Boom!Boom!Boom!
What a racket. The tower filled with the noise of things shattering.
"...This tower's gonna collapse at this rate."
My hard-earned home was about to crumble. Crash! Clatter!! The real-time sounds of destruction brought tears to my non-existent eyes.
Thud!
A noise boomed from very close by. Had he reached nearby?
I roughly gauged the time. Less than three minutes since the entry alert. And he was already this close?
"The traps were useless after all."
In the end, all our carefully laid traps couldn't even slow him down. I'd expected it, but it still stung.
Feeling the moment of battle approach, I raised my sword.
And the instant the boss room door opened—
"Urk...!"
The hero's advance into the room halted for the first time.
The boss room was filled with purple smoke. According to Gular, even a single breath would kill an ordinary human instantly.
Yet the hero staggered but showed no major damage. Balter of the one eye frantically covered his mouth, scowling fiercely as he bellowed.
"Cough! Such cowardice!"
Instant rave reviews. I grinned at his words.
"Thanks for the praise."
As thanks, I gifted him a slash.
"!!"
Whether he'd heard about me beforehand, Balter chose to duck rather than block with his sword.
My blade missed his neck and cleaved empty air.
Judging it wouldn't work, Balter thrust out a foot and kicked me with all his might.
Bam!
I barely managed to raise Gular's shield in time, but my body was hurled back.
After a flip in midair, I landed and checked his info.
Balter was already poisoned. It was working better than expected? I felt a swell of pride, mixed with admiration. Even for a hero, enduring this was impressive.
Balter was still inhaling the poison-filled smoke nonstop. A dosage that would've killed anyone else several times over. His body flushed red, sweat beading coldly, yet it seemed to have no impact on his fighting.
"As expected of a monster—resorting to such filthy tricks."
I gave him a dumbfounded look as he spat blood-mixed saliva on the floor. Who was the one who barged into someone else's house first?
I'd never once invaded human territory. Not even knowing about Starting Village nearby. Not even knowing they had that special facility where Wanderers respawned.
I'd never crossed the line.
But the Wanderers? They'd all come swarming to my turf. Intruders, every one. Why was he playing the victim?
I'd been quietly minding my own business, only for my perfectly fine home to get wrecked—and by them, no less!
Of course, I'd killed every Wanderer who showed up on sight, but that was pure self-defense.
Watching the hero act all noble pissed me off a bit. And I had no intention of holding back.
"Slaughter Charge!"
The attack, laced with raw emotion, hurtled toward Balter.
Skreeeech!
Invisible blades spawned around me, scraping the floor with a deafening screech.
"Shield!"
Balter activated his skill. A sturdy, transparent barrier unfolded before him.
But he didn't know. My slashes could cleave even magic.
Shlick!
"Urk!"
My overhead strike tore his shield like paper from top to bottom.
Balter pulled back late, but a long gash was already carved across his right eye—the one without the eyepatch.
Bright red blood streamed from the wound.
How's that! Now both eyes are blind!
I clacked my jaw in mockery at Balter, who’d lost his sight in an instant.
"Clack!"
But.
"Nice one."
Balter reacted nonchalantly. He even tossed aside the eyepatch covering his other eye like it was annoying.
The revealed eye was surprisingly fine. Not even a prosthetic—just perfectly normal.
Against all expectations, I voiced my doubt.
"Your eye's fine—why cover it all this time?"
One-eyed hero, my ass. Why wear the eyepatch if it wasn't needed?
The answer came right away.
"'Cause it looks cool."
"......"
I nodded at Balter's words. Fair enough. Couldn't argue with that logic. Concept is king. Some kind of image branding, I guess. As a hero admired by the masses, he'd crafted his own narrative. Plus, it lulled enemies into complacency.
But on the flip side, wasn't that a bit arrogant? Flaunting style in a life-or-death battlefield? Lacked the basics of a true warrior. For a hero to have such a lax mindset—what, did he think I was a pushover?
Infuriating. So I let my mouth run.
"Congrats. Now you're a real one-eyed hero."
"......"
Sincere praise. Balter, momentarily speechless, glared at me with fury-filled eyes and raised his sword.
"I'll snap your neck."
Round two begins.