Chapter 44
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: 10. Mine Dungeon (5)
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There was no opposition. Alex, who had been lost in thought for a moment, willingly showed the resolve of a true squad member, choosing to follow the leader's will.
Allen first swept his gaze across the vast space, drenched in thick mucus. ...Now that he was looking more carefully, there weren't just one or two passages like the one they'd fallen through. Dozens were visible to the naked eye. Every spot where the mucus piled up like toadstools was an exit from a passage. Perhaps every single one of those slide-like tunnels throughout the dungeon converged here.
...Why? For what reason?
This was definitely not a natural formation. All of it had to be the work of monsters.
Allen's mind, which had gone blank from the monster ambush, finally started turning again. After a long stretch of contemplation, he roughly pieced it together: this place was the queen's feeding trough.
The Slalvers scattered throughout the dungeon's nooks and crannies would shove their prey into those passages, and it would all flow down here, piling up neatly.
Considering the queen's trait of never straying from her nest once established, no other explanation made sense.
......Wait a second. If that's the case......
"Did you figure something out...?"
Alex asked, noticing Allen's faintly surprised expression.
"This place... seems to be where that queen monster is."
Everyone's faces lit up with shock at his words. A kaleidoscope of emotions flickered across them.
The middle-aged mercenary leader, who had been haggling over his own life just moments ago, asked in a quavering voice.
"Th-then what do we do?"
"What do you mean, what?"
Allen swept his determined gaze over the squad members.
"We fight."
--!!
The reaction was even more explosive than before. The terrified mercenaries started groaning before the battle had even begun.
"Can we really win with just us? It's the queen."
"Our forces are way too thin. We should bide our time for later..."
But Allen shook his head firmly. This wasn't just about racking up achievements. They'd already plummeted into the heart of the monster den—if they didn't take down the queen, escape was next to impossible.
"If we don't get the queen, we don't get out. Even if we find an exit passage, you think we can punch through that horde on our own?"
No one could argue. He was right a hundred times over.
"Just take down the queen. The rest turn into idiots. Breathing meat sacks, that's all. Then we find the passage. ...It has to be here somewhere."
"Then...!"
The hope that had crashed to the floor surged back up. A sliver of a chance to survive had appeared.
"But—!"
Allen raised his voice just a touch, seizing everyone's attention.
"You need the guts to push through if you want to live."
He stared each of them down with an overwhelming gaze.
"Don't fear. The moment fear hits, you're dead already. Follow my orders to the end, and we'll all make it out. I guarantee it. I promise you."
The squad members only had to look out for themselves, but the leader bore responsibility for every last one. ...He desperately wanted them all to survive together.
"Got it—?!"
"Yes, sir!"
That desperation reached the squad.
With that, they were united. Bound together by the belief that they could survive.
"Move out."
The group began slowly crossing the mucus swamp. Each breath filled their lungs with a vile stench, but they endured it stoically. Humanity's desperate thrashing to survive unleashed strength far beyond what they thought themselves capable of.
In this moment, they all forgot their exhaustion and fatigue, moving as if awakened.
The red-robed mage's wand burned far brighter than any torch, its light reaching deep into the distance. Thanks to that, they avoided wasting stamina needlessly.
...It's gotta be here somewhere. No doubt.
Allen, who had cleared every dungeon as a [Guild Master], knew the traits of every boss inside out. He gradually recalled that the queen Slalver's lair had been a mucus-drenched graphic like this. ...Of course, he hadn't arrived via slide back then.
...After they'd walked some distance.
Alex spotted it first—a massive shape crouching far off in the distance. It began slowly revealing itself in the wand's brilliant light.
--!!
A colossal monster, at least dozens of times larger than the larva Slalvers, wriggled its grotesque body.
Finally, found it—.
That was everyone's first thought. The ones that followed splintered in different directions.
Allen hurriedly scanned the surroundings. ...Fortunately, no other monsters in sight. Though they'd surely swarm to protect the queen once the attack began.
Got to kill it first—.
In that instant, he felt a visceral terror of death. It dwarfed the fear from the canyon ambush.
Who isn't afraid to die? Especially when death's blade hovered right at your throat—the horror was indescribable.
...But now it was do or die. If he bit it here, all that was lost was one worthless gamer life. Nothing special.
Huuu.
With a deep breath to steady his emotions, Allen's mind raced.
A few sword slashes on that massive bulk would do squat, obviously. They needed magic. And luckily, they had an elemental mage here—the pinnacle of destructive power.
Allen strode right up to the red-robed mage.
"Elena. How many casts can you manage? Be precise."
She had already sensed her role's importance. Swallowing hard, she answered.
"...Th-three—no, four."
"Certain? Four?"
"If I scrape every last drop of mana, yeah, four."
"'Yeah' won't cut it! Yes or no—definitely."
"...Yes."
"Good."
"But the fourth one... the light goes out."
"Understood. I'll factor that in."
Allen moved to the armed squad members next.
"When the magic hits, you focus fire on the impacted spot. Widen the wound as much as possible, maximize the damage."
"So, rip the belly wide and yank out the guts?"
Everyone chuckled at the blunt phrasing.
"Exactly. Easier to get that way."
Allen gave a faint smile and a single nod.
"Once the fight kicks off, it'll call its spawn for sure. Kill it before we're swarmed. Clear?"
"Yes, sir."
"This is a race against time. Survival or death rides on it. Even if it's hell, hold to the end. That's how we live."
He paused for a breath, then continued.
"...I'll signal when magic's ready. Fall back then. Stay clear."
"Yes, Leader."
"Alright, let's prep."
Everyone steeled themselves and readied for battle. Only the non-combatant middle-aged leader stood beside Allen and the mage.
"Good luck...!"
All he could do was pray for a clean finish.
Allen confirmed readiness, then gave the mage a heavy nod.
As the light from the wand in her left hand dimmed, the pale blue mana gathering in her right hand grew denser.
The red-robed mage unleashed her spell at the queen monster.
......And then, the explosion.
----------------!!!!!!!
The shell ruptured in the blast, spilling what looked like innards in a gush. The queen monster bellowed in agony.
"Again—!"
While she prepped the second cast, the squad dashed in and tore the wound even wider. The knee-deep mucus made quick movement a slog, but they gritted their teeth and powered through.
They ripped deeper until Allen yelled, "Dodge—!" They scattered to the sides in a flash.
Another spell rocketed out.
----------------------!!!!!!!!!!!!
It veered off a bit from the first impact site. Hand-firing sacrificed precision. Still, the hit landed solid.
As the squad waddled back in desperately, suddenly things started pouring from every direction.
...This fucking—!
Slalvers gushed from dozens of feeding passages—not a few, but tens, hundreds.
"Kill it, kill that bitch faaaast—!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Even Allen hadn't seen this coming. He couldn't have imagined such a flood so suddenly, straight from the passages.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck—.
Even he struggled to keep his cool. The squad was the same. They hacked at the queen like madmen.
And the mage's third spell finished charging.
"Hit true. No misses. No—calm down. Stay calm. Fire steady—!!"
Allen was bouncing with adrenaline, but the mage was uncannily composed. She took a measured deep breath, locking eyes on the target. Like everything rode on this shot.
......And the spell left her hand.
Zwaaaaaaaaang—.
It slotted perfectly into the first impact site. The massive mana orb burrowed into the queen's innards and detonated inside.
----------------------------------!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The monster's body erupted in the same instant.
Chunks flew into the air, raining down like a storm. Everyone stood dazed, letting it pelt their bodies.
The Slalvers charging wildly toward the intruders suddenly seized up, convulsing before slumping lifelessly. Those still spilling from the passages splattered to the floor like trash, piling in messy heaps.
..........It was over.
The queen monster was dead.
Allen stood stock-still, panting raggedly for a long while. Then he slowly turned to Elena. She stared back, half in a daze.
"......Fuck...."
Without a word of who went first, they crashed into each other, hugging fiercely as if to crush one another. He patted her back twice, then stroked it gently.
"You did it. You were amazing. Perfect job, Elena. Really..., really...."
And the afterglow of survival
turned into a few tears.