Hidden Dungeon (2)
Hidden Dungeon (2)
The [Mask of the Dead] allowed some of Connie's memories to filter into his mind.
Information about this group.
The leader of the group was named Vex, and his skills were at Expert Intermediate.
The swordsmen who followed him overall hovered around the Expert level, and the mages were at fourth-circle skill.
And that group wasn't made up of Poison Toads, but of those who had followed the previous captain, who had been dethroned by Terry.
'If you do a good job on this, I'll leave you with your old territory.'
A proposal from Terry the Poison Toad.
With a sickening laugh, the memory ended.
Redin could just make out the future.
These guys were going to be used by Terry and then discarded. In the game, Terry didn't have the former captain's men with him.
"Ah... I want to finish work quickly and go back. I want to have a good time like before, drinking heavily and having fun."
"What are you a woman?"
"That's good, too. Connie, what about you?"
He shrugged at the porter's question.
"What I always do."
"Tsk Tsk Tsk. Crazy bastard. I really don't understand you. How can a guy whose hobby is torturing people be afraid of a scary place?"
"S-Shut up!"
The more he talks, the more it works against Redin. He fumbled through the conversation and looked around.
A large room that appeared to be a chapel.
There were worn wooden pews¹ to the left and right of the center, and a red carpet in the middle.
At the far end, you can see an elevated black altar.
Around them were statues of horned demons, and on top of them was a giant statue with a broken upper body.
Although the face is not visible.
There is only one being in the Demon God Church that can be made that size. Demon Baal. Judging by the markings around it, the advance team must have smashed it.
"Connie, come on."
“Let’s move quickly and get some rest.”
The two porters began to remove the wooden pews. He follows after them. It wasn't too difficult to remove the wooden pews, which shattered at the slightest touch.
He set his backpack down on the cleared space.
Inside, they took out the things they needed to pitch a tent and made a campsite. A stand was erected, the cloth was hung, and nails were driven in to secure the ropes.
After building five tents, he picked up some old wood and built a fire in the center.
Grumble!
The two porters sat on the ground for a moment, staring blankly into the fire. Taking in the atmosphere, he focused on their conversation.
"I suppose it's time to start preparing the meal?"
"That's about it. I've got a fire to tend, and some magic stones to collect
"Fuck. This sucks."
"Let's hope the advance team clears the dungeon soon. If we beat the boss, we can go back, right?"
"The captain said so."
He listened to the rest of their conversation, but learned little. They were just porters, and that's all the information they had.
It's kind of useless information.
"Hey, Connie, why are you so quiet, are you freaking scared?"
“It’s scary. Fuck you.”
"This guy is so fucking lame..."
Boooooom!
The ground shook with a sudden explosion. The explosion came from the right side of the chapel. A second explosion soon followed.
Boooooooooom!
The wall shattered along with the old door, and something popped out. The swordsman was thrown backward, skidding across the floor.
Grrrrr!
A wolf with a black mane emerged from the dust. It was salivating and its eyes were glowing red.
The swordsman ran to the wolf.
He brandished his sword filled with aura.
Screeeeech!
There was a scraping sound as the iron sliced through the wolf's mane, bit by bit. One of the characteristics of Rook-level dungeon monsters is their toughness against even mana-filled swords.
Screech!
Clang!
The swordsman kept swinging his sword.
“Go back, you bastard!”
And in the end, he succeeded in taking down the black wolf. Watching the swordsman breathing heavily, Redin organized the information.
Dungeon progression is different from the game.
The original dungeon was organized into rooms, and players had to defeat the monsters in each room to move on to the next.
Naturally, the monsters couldn't go back and forth between rooms. But this was different. Monsters appeared in what could be called neutral territory.
Thank goodness he knew this beforehand.
If he hadn't known this, he might have thought that the cleared room was safe, and he might have lost a life.²
"What are you staring at, aren't you going to come and get the magic stones?"
"Yes, I'm on my way."
One of the porters pulled a small dagger from his bag and ran to where the swordsman was.
"What are you guys doing? He's in there, too, so move fast."
"Yes!"
He bowed his head as he followed the other porter, pulling a small dagger from his bag.
There are only two things he needs to get here.
Why did they come here?
What kind of boss monster is here?
As soon as he get these two, he plans to kill the boss monster with them and escape the dungeon.
* * *
Warden Burning Hell's office.
Reports were piled high on his desk. Warden Rukel reached down and picked up the one on top.
-Successfully captured a nobleman from the Kingdom of Resha who had connections to one of the three heads of Magnes, Brown Bear.
-... succeeded in arresting a nobleman in the Kingdom of Crane.
-Successfully detained a nobleman from the Kingdom of Adrian.
Throughout the kingdoms, nobles began to be arrested, but every single one of them was a Baron.
The real ones, who have been working hand-in-hand with Magnes, and have been eating up tons of money over the years, have yet to be caught.
Viscounts and Counts.
And Dukes above them.
The task force has been gathering information for years and has compiled a list of nobles who have aligned themselves with the Magnes and other criminal organizations.
It's something that can't be helped.
The current Burning Hell could not contain them. Even capturing the Barons and Magnes was already a struggle.
“Hmm.”
He read through the report below it.
-Determined the location of the Magnes drug factory. Request for more personnel for handling.
-Special Unit 1st Division Herse is injured, Penny and Oder are deceased. Request for replacement.
-Located the right-hand man of Brown Bear. Request for reinforcements to make the arrest.
.
.
.
He anticipated a certain amount of injury.
Some death would be inevitable.
Naturally, Rukel's calculations included a few shortfalls, but it was to fill those gaps that he went to war with Magnes.
Grumble!
He opens a drawer and takes out a black file. The center of the outer surface of the black file. It had a white border with black writing on it.
[Proposal for the establishment of Cerberus].
Cerberus.
A demonic beast that guards the gates of hell.
Cerberus, the symbol of Burning Hell, was meant to keep prisoners in hell and guard the gates of hell.
A specialized group with a special meaning.
A group that will be formed to imprison the leader of Magnes in Hell, with the intention of plucking members from the task force and each kingdom.
*knock!* knock!
"Warden, it's me."
Rukel replied to his subordinate's voice.
"Come in."
The door opened and his usual subordinate walked in. He handed Rukel the report in his hand.
Upon receiving it, Rukel confirmed the report.
-Special Unit 7th Division Redin and three other members of the arresting team killed.
“Is this information reliable?”
"This is a first-hand report from a Special Forces member who was on the mission with them. We understand they were killed by dozens of magic bombs planted by Magnes."
"I see."
Rukel calmly accepted the fact.
While he expected a lot from Redin, he was always aware that this could happen.
"Where does the kid named Khan currently belong?"
“He’s in the Arrest Department.”
"Let's move him to Special Task Force 1st Division and keep an eye on him."
* * *
Swish!
Someone waved an arm.
He opened his eyes quietly to see a porter standing over him.
"Shift."
He spoke briefly and the porter disappeared.
He stretched and lightly unwound himself. As he stepped out of his blanket, the porter handed him an object.
A magic tool that looked like a staff.
It is enchanted with the 4-circle magic "Stun" and can be used as an unarmed spear. It can be used to buy time when a monster suddenly comes to attack.
"Nothing unusual. Haaaaa. Good work."
The porter tapped his shoulder and disappeared inside the tent. After watching his retreating form, he settled down at the fire in the center.
He stretched out his hand, warming himself.
They've been here for two days now, and in that time, the party, led by Vex, has made it to the very edge of the boss's chamber.
Tomorrow they will be starting the raid.
Originally, he was going to watch the final boss battle nearby to check on the boss creature, but he overheard the mages talking to each other.
'A stone statue with huge wings. He must be the Boss Monster, right'
'There were two gems on his chest. Is that supposed to be a trigger?'
'Nah. If Captain Vex is there, he'll just snatch them.'
The outline of the boss monster has been drawn.
It's one of the boss monsters he recognizes, and of course he knows the strategy. To capture it, he'll need some supplies, but he'll be able to find them all here.
There it is.
They were looking for something.
‘A person who died more than a few hundred years ago...’
'Will there be any bones left, damn it.'
A mage from the ancient era of the Empire.
The mage who worked in the laboratory is in this dungeon, and it's the Vex party's job to find any trace of him.
He had everything there was to be gained here.
"Slowly..."
Redin checked his surroundings.
He slipped out of his seat, noticing that the porter who had just entered was also sleeping.
Quietly.
Very quietly.
He activated Ghostwalk and exited the camp. At the same time, he activated the Eye of Arrakis and a line of green light appeared.
The mystery within this dungeon.
It had been visible for days, but he wasn't in a hurry. There was important information to be gleaned from being at the party.
What if.
If the Imperial Mage left anything behind, it's probably related to that green color; otherwise, he left nothing behind.
He took a few steps forward.
Shrouded in darkness, he cranked up his speed to full blast. The dungeon's monsters were all taken care of, so there was no need to be cautious.
A hallway that looked like a maze.
About halfway down, there was a green light.
He walked toward it.
Around him were the corpses of the monsters they'd killed earlier, and the skeletons of those who had already died.
None of it seemed to be anything special.
At the end of the green light was a skeleton with only his upper body left, light streaming from a rusted, key-shaped necklace around his neck.
"This must have been difficult to find."
A rusty key that seemed to disintegrate at the slightest touch. He reached out and grabbed the key.
And in an instant, the rust disappeared.
"Magic?"
[You have obtained a key containing a map].
[With the key in your hand, you can see the path to the laboratories of the Oberg Empire].
So this is where Terry got it.
With the key in hand, he's back on his feet and ready to take on the boss monster and Vex group.
Taking on both alone would be too much.
So he decides to use the boss monster to wipe out the Vex group. After all, the rewards of the boss monster are his for the taking.
Phew!
He had arrived in a room where the boss monster was located.
Looking at Gargoyle, who is crouching with black wings, he picked up a stone on the floor.
"It's time to wake up."
Then he threw it with all the mana he could muster.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Pews - Those Wooden Furniture you often see in Churches the one visitors sit on.
2. Redin has 2 lives in total due to the Hidden Piece he obtained from the Phoenix