Chapter 67: The Darkest Dungeon
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: The Darkest Dungeon
About a week had passed since I woke up.
I arrived in front of the Dakuren Adventurer Guild in Arasen’s carriage, accompanied by Rune and Lady Narupa.
For the record, Arasen had signed an exclusive contract with the Lord’s Castle. Since she knew my identity and had discovered Rune’s as well, the old man took that measure to ensure her silence.
I thought she’d be thrilled with the carriage fare, which was well above the market rate, but Arasen’s expression was quite complicated. She looked like she had something to say but couldn’t quite bring herself to speak. There was no need to pry, so we simply waited.
“Welcome, Lady Rene!”
“Eris?”
To my surprise, Eris was the one sitting in the receptionist’s seat. Both Rune and I blinked in shock. She was the barber who had been helping us wash up just this morning at dawn, wasn’t she?
“What are you doing here?”
“I got a job here.”
“What about the barbering?”
“I’ll do that as a side job when I have time. Besides, nothing beats a steady income!”
Well, in terms of making money, wouldn’t a single lucky haul of mackerel back in Massa Village be better? Of course, that only happened if the gods willed the fish to bite.
“And this makes it easier for me to help you all as adventurers.”
“That’s true.”
Eris had a remarkable talent for speaking in a way that wasn’t uncomfortable or annoying. That was probably why Rune treated her kindly, even though she knew Eris liked me.
Wow. Eris likes me.
In the past, I would have denied it tooth and nail. But the realization that I could be loved—something I learned through Rune—was changing me.
“Are there any quests worth taking?”
Rune’s acting was quite natural. We had already discussed everything with Branch Manager Karen, but the play to make it look like a coincidence was just beginning.
Lady Narupa chimed in from the side.
“If possible, a dungeon quest that takes a lo~ng time. Something where we stay for a few days and the reward is hefty.”
She glanced at me and licked her lips, but Rune pulled me toward her, shielding me.
“You’re too much.”
Does Lady Narupa like me too…? At this point, I’m starting to feel like I’ve got a case of “everyone-loves-me” syndrome, which makes me even more cautious. She’s so mature that I can’t tell if she’s just being encouraging to boost my self-esteem or if it’s something else.
“Yes, just a moment!”
Eris’s performance was also top-notch. She skillfully pulled a quest list from the desk drawer and scanned it, her finger moving rapidly.
“The number of goblins in the Dakuren Dungeon is increasing. It seems Hobgoblins have appeared among them as well. Requirement: Defeat at least 50 goblins and at least 1 Hobgoblin. The reward is 5 million Dalk.”
“Goblins are too easy.”
When Rene rejected it, Eris put on a troubled expression.
“You shouldn’t underestimate goblins. There are specialists among Gold-rank adventurers who hunt nothing but goblins, you know?”
“Alto took down a Serpent single-handedly.”
“Well, that… is incredibly attractive.”
Eris bit her lower lip and gave a bashful smile.
“Right?”
Fortunately, the quick-witted Eris didn’t look at me while saying that; she looked up at Rune. Because of that, Rune didn’t get jealous and accepted it gracefully. According to Rune, since Eris doesn’t cross the line in front of the “primary wife” and expresses her affection in small ways, she finds her more cute than hateful.
“Next, beyond the 10th floor, Ogres and Orcs are forming groups and engaging in territorial disputes. Their numbers have grown significantly, and commander-class monsters have been confirmed. Exterminate them all to prevent further conflict. The reward is 30 million Dalk.”
“The math doesn’t add up. You don’t even know the exact numbers of the Ogre and Orc packs, yet the reward is a measly 30 million Dalk? It should be at least 50 million.”
“30 million for a dungeon in the Kingdom of Hus is actually quite a lot.”
“If we’re going to face unknown risks, we should be paid more.”
“You’re quite greedy. You’re only a Silver-rank adventurer, after all.”
“I may be Silver-rank, but Alto is Gold-rank, and we have Narupa, the Magic Tower valedictorian, as a temporary party member. That’s why you’re showing me quests above Silver-rank anyway.”
Even though they were making it up on the spot, their ad-libbing was high-level. If it were me, I would have been reading like a textbook, desperate to end the conversation.
While the two were bickering, Lady Narupa slunk up behind me, standing so close our shoulders touched. I flinched and moved away, but she stuck to me again, forcing our shoulders to meet. Since she looked so pleased with herself, I gave up on trying to escape. As the contact lingered, the warmth from her shoulder grew stronger.
“Hmm. So you won’t budge on that greed?”
“Never.”
“I acknowledge the skills of the others, but you, the party leader, are still Silver-rank, Lady Rene.”
“It’s not like I’ve ever been beaten in a fight.”
“Haa, fine then.”
Eris pulled an entirely new quest request form from the desk drawer.
“From the depths of the Dakuren Dungeon in Hus, the howling of a beast can be heard. A powerful debuff and aura can be felt from that roar.”
As she cleared her throat and read the quest details, the eyes of everyone in the guild turned toward us.
“The time has finally come to explore the darkest and most horrific end of the Dakuren Dungeon. Find and defeat the unknown enemy, and raise your torches to light the darkness with the radiance of humanity.”
The introductory sentences were heavy with meaning, of a completely different caliber than a quest to just scrap with a few monsters.
“Quest details.”
Eris intentionally paused for a beat before raising her voice clearly.
“Clear the Dakuren Dungeon. The reward will be granted by His Majesty the King himself.”
Instantly, whispers broke out across the room.
“Dungeon clear? Is that for real?”
“They say our dungeon in Hus is the lowest level, but a clear request?”
“Even for the deep floors, you need a massive raid group. They’re giving that to a party whose leader is only Silver-rank?”
“If they asked you to join, would you go?”
“Are you crazy? I heard the only Gold-rank party in Hus heard that roar and ran away pissing themselves.”
“Look, Lady Narupa is there too. It might not be completely impossible.”
“Yeah, right.”
It was a quest I had already expected, but hearing it directly felt different. Perhaps because Eris staged it so dramatically, the weight of it felt entirely different. It felt exactly like the sensation I had right before a sortie with the Bertrand Unit.
“Fine.”
Rune didn’t hesitate.
“Our Rene Party will take that quest.”
“As a solo party?”
“Yes. Solo.”
Another wave of shock rippled through the guild. In fact, a “Dungeon Clear” quest was treated as something that only existed in legends. In any of the Four Great Dungeons—two in the Kingdom and two in the Duchy—no one had ever heard of a dungeon being cleared. Well, they had just heard of one now.
“Are you certain?”
“I am.”
“Understood.”
As Eris stepped back, a smile played on Rune’s lips. Eris gave her a refreshing smile in return.
“I decline!”
“Eh…?”
Rune, Lady Narupa, and I were all stunned.
“No, I said we’d take it.”
“You aren’t qualified.”
“What do you mean, not qualified?! With Narupa joining, we have more than three party members! We meet the minimum requirement for dungeon entry!”
“Mmm~ that’s only the minimum number for the floors that are mapped and have guides.”
“Then are you saying the minimum requirement for the floors beyond that is four people?”
Rune looked at me in confusion, but this was news to me too. Lady Narupa, who wasn’t an adventurer, just blinked.
“Ah, I made you misunderstand. That’s not exactly what I meant.”
“Then what?”
“A Ranger.”
Eris raised a finger and began to explain.
“If you enter the dungeon, the area where you will perform the quest is a completely unknown territory not found on any map. Only a few have reached the entrance, and no one knows what lies beyond that darkness. Whether that ‘something’ is the dungeon’s final boss, a barrier, a trap, or a swarming horde of monsters—no one knows.”
Eris was right. When exploring the unknown, you need a class with the ability to predict what lies ahead or the resourcefulness to escape in an emergency.
“Therefore, a Ranger is absolutely necessary for the party. Unfortunately, the Rene Party only consists of a Tank, a Supporter, and a Mage. Thus, you cannot accept the Dungeon Clear quest.”
“A Ranger… So if we just recruit a Ranger, we can accept it immediately?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Rune looked around, but everyone avoided her gaze. The fact that the level of Dakuren adventurers was low, matching the dungeon, played a part. They were satisfied with living as freelancers on safe quests rather than chasing a big score. There was also likely the stubbornness of the men in those parties who didn’t want to die.
When no one stepped forward voluntarily, frustration clouded Rune’s face. Seeing this, Eris offered a helping hand.
“If you’d like, I can recommend someone.”
“Who?”
“Would you like an introduction?”
“I’ll see them and then decide.”
At that, Eris pointed toward a shadowed corner of the guild. It was so dark we couldn’t see well, but as we moved slightly and squinted, the person standing there was none other than Diane.
“H-hello… Alto.”
When our eyes met, Diane tried to raise a hand with a small smile. But when my expression hardened, she awkwardly lowered her hand and her smile faded.
“Eris, are you joking right now?”
Neither Rune nor Lady Narupa looked pleased.
“You might not know, but that bitch did something horrific to Alto.”
When Rune protested in a hushed voice, Eris let out a sigh.
“I don’t know the details, but I figured as much.”
“Forget this recommendation—”
“Even so, she is the best option. I strongly recommend her.”
“Why on earth?”
“Because she’s the Ranger closest to Hero-rank.”
Eris pulled out a document and showed it to us.
“There was an incident just before the Ogre backflow in the Lukart Dungeon. Mirei’s party failed the quest, but she was the one who single-handedly gathered the party members and led the escape.”
“Haa, this has nothing to do with skill.”
“No, skill is everything.”
Surprisingly, Eris stood her ground against Rune, refusing to back down.
“The first rule in a dungeon is to return alive. The second is to survive. The third is to minimize injuries. For that, only skill matters.”
“She’s the woman who cheated on Alto!”
For a moment, Eris’s eyebrows twitched. A look of disgust flickered in her eyes as she glanced at Diane. Nevertheless, Eris didn’t yield.
“She was regretting it.”
“Regret doesn’t change anything.”
“At the very least, she won’t stab you in the back again. Lady Rene, this isn’t just any quest; it’s a Dungeon Clear. An average Ranger won’t do. For your sakes, I won’t let it be anyone else.”
“I understand your concern, but still…”
“The reason I was able to survive the Serpent was because of Lord Alto’s overwhelming skill. The skill to effortlessly carve up a Serpent with just two daggers.”
Eris gestured for us to come closer. As the three of us approached the counter, she lowered her voice even further.
“In the Dakuren Dungeon right now, it’s said that the strongest commanders—whether they be Goblins, Orcs, or Ogres—head to the depths when the time comes and never return. They say only the howling of a beast and the sound of clashing weapons can be heard from the depths.”
Hearing those words, I froze.
“The Branch Manager said she received word from the Count that telling you this much would be enough.”
Ah, damn it.
Suppressing the heavy feeling in my chest, I spoke up.
“Rune, we have to take her.”
“Alto!”
“I don’t like it either, but the thing in the depths… it might be the guy I know.”
“Who is it, for you to make a face like that?”
Even Lady Narupa asked, sounding displeased. But the answer I gave left everyone, including Eris, colored with horror.
“One of the Four Heavenly Kings, Barion of Solitude.”
A man obsessed with battle, seeking only strength. And he was the very person who had raided the Central Command during the Final War.