Chapter 72
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 72
Prologue
“Don’t let something sweet blind you to the danger at your feet.”
That was the solemn advice her grandfather, who had lost two limbs in a past subjugation, had given her when she first became an officially recognized member of the kingdom’s subjugation squad.
He’d even told her to turn back without a second thought if she found herself risking her life for a taste of that sweetness.
She believed those words to be the absolute truth. Whenever she stood at a crossroads, she had always recalled her grandfather’s warning.
But… even so.
Wouldn’t there come a time when you had no choice but to face danger?
Just like now.
Yes, there’s no other choice. Reassuring herself again and again, the woman walked deeper into the cave.
Had this been an ordinary dungeon, her steps would have been far more relaxed. But now, every single movement was fraught with anxiety.
Then again, everyone was the same. It wasn't just her; the others were showing similar signs of unease.
It was impossible to stop their bodies from trembling.
This was one of the Great Evil Caves they had only ever heard of in stories—and among them, the most infamous magic realm of all, the ‘Primordial Core.’
This is our best chance to strike it rich.
All seven of them, including her, were members of the kingdom’s subjugation squad and treasure hunters.
They didn't possess a shred of the ability or courage required to challenge the Primordial Core. Not all subjugation squads were strong. In the hierarchy of dungeon subjugation, they were C-rank at best.
They could handle slimes with ease, but goblins required their full effort, and facing a harpy meant putting their lives on the line.
To put it bluntly, they were an underqualified squad with no real skill.
“Listen carefully. The moment you sense even a hint of a monster, we run.”
Beside her, the leader cautioned them again, his voice grave. There was absolutely zero chance that a C-rank subjugation squad like theirs could defeat a monster from the Primordial Core.
“We only take what we need.”
Grab the items and run.
That was the only reason a squad with no real combat ability had dared to set foot in the Primordial Core, the most dangerous magic realm of all.
“According to a few life-threatening scouting missions, they say monsters haven't been spawning in the Primordial Core lately.”
This was highly classified information the leader had obtained through an acquaintance.
It was a well-known fact that the Primordial Core was a non-regenerative dungeon. However, like any other non-regenerative dungeon, even if its monsters were wiped out, it would usually be repopulated by other species before long.
Yet, in the aftermath of the ‘Hishultz Subjugation Squad’s Swallow Subjugation Plan’ two months ago, when the Primordial Core was breached all the way to the gatekeeper's room—ever since then, the dungeon had not been repopulated.
There was no way to know the reason, but that was what the information claimed.
It was the kind of information one could easily dismiss, but the leader had turned it over in his mind countless times. Though he lacked any concrete proof to risk their lives on, after much deliberation, he decided to believe it.
They had endured the grueling journey from the kingdom all the way to Graphenia's forest in the western Empire.
The information was true.
However, the scene that greeted them was not what they had envisioned.
“Leader, there’s nothing here.”
This time, the man beside him spoke. At his words, everyone’s eyes turned to the leader. Their voices trembled, thick with a mixture of despair and fear.
The dungeon was clean.
This meant there were indeed no monsters, just as the information had suggested. But it also meant there were none of the monster corpses they had so desperately hoped to find.
It was as if someone had swept the place clean.
“Was that information common knowledge? Did another subjugation squad already sweep through here?!”
“No, that can’t be.”
The leader denied it, but he couldn’t hide the hollow disappointment in his own voice.
Their original target was the corpse of Glacia in Room 1. Glacia’s spine and fangs would fetch a handsome price.
If that failed, they would go for the monsters in Room 2. And if even that failed, the corpses of the monsters in Room 3 would do. After all, every single monster in the Primordial Core was incredibly powerful, meaning its remains were bound to be highly valuable.
“There’s absolutely nothing…”
By the time they reached Room 4, the woman trudging wearily beside the leader finally collapsed.
There were no monsters, nor any corpses—it was almost absurd.
“Are we sure this is really the Primordial Core…?”
The situation was so ridiculous that she couldn't help but wonder. Slumped on the ground, the woman fiddled with her boots.
Even the Shoes of Swiftness, which she had spent a fortune on to slightly increase her chances of survival, were useless here.
“Let’s go back,” the woman said to the leader.
They were already in Room 4. Past Room 5 ahead was the three-way fork.
It had been a long time since they had seen even a sliver of light, and they seemed to have penetrated more than halfway into the dungeon.
“We’ve come too deep. If there’s nothing even here, then there’s nothing at all. I have a bad feeling about this, Leader.”
After hesitating for a long moment, the leader replied.
“…You know as well as I do. Our squad will never make it if we go back like this. Besides, do you have any idea how much money we spent just sneaking all the way here from the kingdom?”
“That’s your fault! What are we supposed to do about it now?!” the woman shrieked. Her high-pitched voice struck the cavern walls, echoing through the vast space.
“…An Anthropophago, an ancient plant, lives in Room 5.”
After a brief silence, the leader spoke again, his voice careful.
—It was the voice of a gambler staking his very life.
“The Anthropophago’s leaves and stems are covered in thorns. If you treat and temper them, they become as hard as mineral ore.”
In particular, weapons crafted from the thorns at the tips of its leaves were several times easier to enchant than other weapons, selling for exorbitant prices. Naturally, the raw materials themselves were incredibly expensive.
Realizing the implication of the leader’s words, everyone swallowed hard.
It was madness.
Yet, no one protested.
Yes, they had come too deep. It would be a waste to return empty-handed—and they had heard that countless Anthropophagos grew in the Primordial Core. Surely, there would be at least a few leaves lying around.
“Room 5… must be empty too, right?”
Questions laced with greed arose from the group.
Since the Hero, Bern Hishultz, had supposedly broken through all the way to the three-way fork, if Room 4 was empty, then Room 5 had to be empty as well.
“Let’s just check the entrance. If there’s really nothing in Room 5 either, we’ll turn back.”
After that, everyone fell silent. Though no one showed it, they pressed forward, harboring a sliver of hope in their hearts.
The only thing illuminating the darkness was the single torch held by the leader. Even with no wind, the flame flickered, mirroring their own precarious situation.
—And when they reached the narrow passage leading to Room 5, the woman was the first to speak.
“Leader…!”
It was a cry of joy.
The sight before them was like a vein of gold in a mine.
There was no need to even step inside the dark room. The very things the entire squad had been yearning for were scattered in abundance right at the entrance.
Leaves and stems crunched under their feet. The floor was carpeted with pure money.
In their hearts, where the fear of returning penniless had once resided, regret now took its place. I should have brought a bigger bag.
The leader turned his head, shining the torch toward the entrance of Room 5.
If they could be sure the inside was empty, they could harvest without fear, but unfortunately, the space was too vast. A single torch was barely enough to illuminate their immediate surroundings.
“Let’s harvest quickly and get out of here,” the leader said, pulling out a pair of specially made harvesting gloves. The Anthropophago leaves scattered on the ground were all vibrant and large—unmistakably top-grade.
Even though they were deep inside the most dangerous dungeon in the world, only joy filled their minds.
It was then.
Drip.
A drop of liquid fell onto the woman’s head.
“Huh?”
Startled, the woman let out an involuntary sound. She quickly rationalized it. This was a cave, so it was probably just water dripping from a stalactite.
Drip.
Drip, drip.
It fell in a steady stream.
—Soon, far too much liquid to be mere water droplets began to pour down.
The leader turned his torch to look at her. The liquid streaming down the woman’s head was not water.
It was thick and viscous.
“…”
No. This wasn’t anything like water.
Her face turning deathly pale, the woman stopped harvesting and began to shake. It wasn't simple panic; it was a reaction so violent it was like a seizure.
Seeing her, the leader also turned pale and raised his torch high.
Saliva was dripping down.
“Ah, ahhh…”
No way. The entire ceiling was—
Ffft. Covered in slime, the torch sputtered out, plunging them into absolute darkness.
* * *
“As expected, not a single valuable thing on them. If we’re talking about something we could actually sell, I suppose this is it.”
Patrick swung the boots he'd stripped from a corpse before tossing them to the ground. Even these were merely ‘something that might sell around here.’ Compared to the gear of A-rank subjugation squads who usually challenged dungeons, they weren't even worth mentioning.
“If they had just given up and turned back, they would have lived. Human selfishness and greed truly know no bounds. Rene really dislikes humans. What do you think, Lord Swallow?”
“They’re a hundred times more edible than undead.”
“Wait, Boss, that’s not what I asked. More importantly, I was wondering why they showed up without any warning, and it turns out they aren’t even from the Empire. The crest on their clothes belongs to the western Krantel Kingdom. They certainly came from far away.”
“Indeed. Who would have thought local specialties would be delivered right to our doorstep?”
“…Is that how you see it?”
It didn’t seem like Swallow was entirely wrong. Nodding in mild agreement, Patrick glanced at the pile of human corpses.
“We definitely can’t afford to put this off any longer.”
It had already been two months since the monsters guarding Rooms 1 through 4 were wiped out. Normally, when monsters disappeared, they would scrape together replacements somehow, but they’d just had two major incidents in a row.
“That’s right. Rene noticed it while cleaning—even the stench in Room 2 has completely vanished now.”
Rene chimed in, agreeing with Patrick. The stench of Room 2, which had seemed like it would last forever, had left no trace now that so much time had passed since the ‘Murder Fairy’ disappeared.
“The rumors must have spread to the humans as well.”
The distance from Krantel to this place was quite far; they wouldn’t have come without any information. They must have heard something to risk coming all this way.
Reaching that conclusion, Patrick planted Tanabella firmly on the ground and looked at Swallow. Swallow, acting as if his subordinates’ prattling had nothing to do with him, had his massive head thrust forward with his eyes half-closed.
(Wow, how can he be so irresponsible about his own dungeon… I used to think that, but now I don’t feel anything at all.)
Sighing softly, as if he hadn’t expected any enthusiasm in the first place, Patrick turned his gaze to Melju.
“Still, in times like these, it’s a relief to have Lady Melju around, even if she is just a freeloader.”
With no monsters to replenish their ranks, they had to be sensitive to human intrusions. It was Melju who eased the burden of this lack of manpower.
“Ah, I should have learned magic instead of the sword.”
Melju’s surveillance magic, set up at the dungeon entrance and in the center of Room 1, monitored for human intruders.
Although surveillance magic should be the first thing to watch out for, humans entering the Primordial Core were often so overwhelmed by the atmosphere that they inevitably grew careless about detecting it.
Just earlier, it was Melju who had first noticed and reported the intrusion.
“Indeed, she’s quite reliable,” Swallow said, lying down with a weary expression.
Hearing this, Rene puffed out her cheeks and cast a small spell into the air. A droplet of water seemed to condense nicely in front of her, but it quickly lost its balance and burst, drenching her completely.
Pretending to be nonchalant, Rene muttered in a voice laced with jealousy, “Rene can use magic too.”
“…Uh, how wonderful.”
Leaving Rene to her own devices, Swallow and Patrick looked at Melju.
“In any case, we owe a lot to you, Lady Melju.”
“We are simply pleased to be of some small assistance to the great Primordial Core.”
Melju laughed sheepishly. Her laughter, a stiff “Hahaha,” sounded quite unnatural, but Swallow and Patrick didn’t seem to notice as they continued their conversation.
—Hmm, but still.
Looking back and forth between Swallow, Patrick, and Rene, Melju muttered to herself.
Well, it’s true that We are glad to be of help, but…
Honestly, We think too much time has passed for Us to still be staying in the Primordial Core under the title of a ‘freeloader.’
Besides, though it’s a bit embarrassing to say so Ourselves, We are pretty sure We made a significant contribution to suppressing Erebos not too long ago.
…So, how much longer must We…
How much longer must We remain a freeloader?
Phase. 1
How much longer must We remain a freeloader?
It was a long-standing question.
When had she first started thinking this? Perhaps it was just after two weeks had passed since she arrived here.