Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: 1st Floor Boss (3)
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The subjugation force that departed from the city hall arrived at the cave located in the center of the city, and a guard stepped out from the front.
He exchanged a few words with the city hall guard who had been leading the group at the vanguard of the subjugation force.
After finishing the conversation, the man stepped aside briefly and bowed his head to the participants of the subjugation force.
"I'm Guard Captain Den, in charge of leading the subjugation force."
It was the face of the guard I had met last time.
He had definitely said... something about telling me once I reached the underground second floor.
He looked high-ranking, and sure enough, he was the Guard Captain.
Guard Captain Den explained to the subjugation force members one by one the things they needed to know before challenging the boss.
"The boss monster currently expected to appear on the first floor is 【Abyss Door】."
Abyss Door.
A boss in the form of a flying gate, not particularly powerful on its own.
But its characteristic is that it summons monsters from beyond the gate at regular intervals.
A type of summoner boss monster, with the trait that it takes no damage until all summoned creatures are defeated.
If you can end the fight quickly with overwhelming power, it's not too dangerous... but if the battle drags on, the difficulty spikes dramatically.
"The engagement time limit is a total of 30 minutes. If the subjugation exceeds 30 minutes, the entire subjugation force must retreat immediately. The remaining boss will be handled by the knights and our guards."
Guard Captain Den pointed to two knights from the kingdom and empire at the back as he spoke.
The subjugation force included two knights from each nation and three neutral zone guards to prepare for any accidents.
The reason for the 30-minute engagement limit was simple.
The monsters passing through the Abyss Door only come from up to the third floor of the underground dungeon within the first 30 minutes.
But around 40 minutes, fourth-floor monsters start appearing.
And past one hour, sixth-floor monsters emerge.
In the Underground Labyrinth Dungeon, the madness of the dungeon intensifies the deeper you go.
That's why from the fourth floor, monster traits change, and casualties could occur if you're not careful.
And from the sixth floor... it's teeming with things that may not even qualify as living beings.
If somehow an hour passes and sixth-floor monsters appear, you'd see even the top elites from each guild gathering—not quite Labyrinth Lord level, but close.
Or the knight orders assembling inside the dungeon.
The moment sixth-floor monsters are unleashed, the boss Abyss Door gets torn to shreds and vanishes, so it doesn't get more dangerous from there.
But any monsters that have already been released must be subjugated.
Well... this is all only if the battle drags on.
Usually, it ends in under five minutes, so no need to worry.
"For safety, once inside the dungeon, assemble at one location before departing."
Those who pass through the gate are randomly scattered to one of ten points.
Therefore, Guard Captain Den made everyone aware of the assembly point inside the dungeon.
"We'll wait up to 30 minutes at the assembly point. If that time passes, we'll depart without further notice, so please keep track of the time. Alright then."
Guard Captain Den smoothly stepped aside from the gate.
With that, the front of the subjugation force began slowly entering the gate.
I quietly waited for the front rows to clear.
And before long, as the gate came into view.
"......?"
My eyes briefly met Guard Captain Den's.
"......"
Den silently inclined his head slightly in greeting.
I gave a light nod in return and entered the gate.
The inside of the dungeon had a somewhat chaotic atmosphere.
"Subjugation force members, please follow me."
At that moment, one of the knights who entered with us called the group together.
It was better to stick together anyway.
Our current position was a bit away from the assembly point, so fighting monsters on the way would just tire us out.
General monsters like goblins or imps gave barely any experience, and with so many eyes watching, mob hunting wasn't feasible.
I hadn't been called out for it yet, but mob hunting could be seen as poor manners by some.
"Everyone gathered? Let's move out."
Because everyone scattered randomly upon entering the dungeon, the people assembled nearby were from all sorts of affiliations.
Still, we made it to the assembly point without any clashes.
A few monsters appeared on the way, but each time, the grunts from various guilds stepped up and took them down, so it was easy going.
"You can rest here for a bit."
The knight who arrived at the assembly point said that and headed somewhere else.
Probably to find members of other subjugation forces.
I sat in a suitable spot and took a break.
"Huh? You're that guy from last time, right?"
Then, someone spoke to me.
A familiar face, with the crest of a fallen family etched on his chest.
Berdan Benhatan.
The man I met in front of the treasure chest route managed by the Dawn Guild.
From a southern kingdom family that had leeched off another count's house its whole life, only to collapse together when that count's family fell.
His chest still proudly bore the Dawn Guild's emblem.
"Did you join a guild? Or are you here as a temp mercenary?"
Berdan approached acting friendly.
He puffed out his chest like he was showing off, making sure the Dawn Guild emblem was visible.
"What, you didn't join anywhere?"
I had nothing to say and tried to ignore him, but he kept talking.
Berdan acted like he knew me, saying you can't gain anything joining a subjugation force without affiliation, and to hop into another guild even now.
"I'm going to stand out in this fight and head to the second floor."
What did he want me to do about it.
Besides that, Berdan was busy bragging about how well he was doing in the Dawn Guild.
"Dawn Guild, assemble."
"Yes! Here!"
At the superior's call, Berdan hurriedly ran over.
Berdan stuck right to the superior's side, straining to catch their eye.
Behind him, a purple-haired woman who didn't know what to do was getting pushed around by the Dawn Guild members.
"Ilana. Can't you do it right?"
"S-Sorry......"
Berdan scolded her hesitant form.
Her name was Ilana, apparently.
She stood rigidly like a stone, clutching the bread bag she had dropped when we bumped into each other.
Berdan snatched the bread bag from her and handed out pieces to the other Dawn Guild members.
"This is the kind of thing the newbie should do!"
He didn't forget to flatter nonstop.
She was the one who prepared it, but he stole the credit—didn't look good.
Blood will tell; Berdan was already latching onto the Dawn Guild.
"We'll depart in 5 minutes."
Guard Captain Den, who had arrived before we knew it, announced to those gathered at the assembly point.
Looking around, most of the subjugation force had assembled.
"Any explorers who want to take the vanguard?"
This place, the Labyrinth Dungeon, lived up to its name with its vast interior.
Thus, it took nearly three hours to reach the boss room, with battles occurring frequently along the way.
Someone had to take the lead and fight the incoming monsters.
The two leading knights and three guards in the subjugation force were only for emergencies.
In principle, they wouldn't touch general first-floor monsters, let alone the boss.
With their power, they could handle up to the third, fourth, or even fifth floors.
Above all, the monsters encountered en route were a chance for subjugation force participants to gain experience.
"I'll do it!"
Right as the Guard Captain finished speaking, Berdan shouted.
"I-I want to be in the vanguard too......"
Next to him, the hesitant Ilana raised her hand.
People from various guilds and mercenary groups raised their hands.
A quick glance showed they were mostly grunts.
Those with some seniority didn't step up.
Of course, unaffiliated me was the same.
Truth be told, leading the vanguard and hunting monsters wasn't a great choice.
Stamina or mana consumption took time to recover.
And runes for recovery had to be bought anyway, costing money.
People like me who could use recovery runes unlimitedly were practically nonexistent.
Plus, the distance to the boss room was considerable, so by the time you arrived, you wouldn't have much fight left in you.
Fatigue built up with each battle.
There was no way to recover physical fatigue except rest.
It was far better for experience gains to conserve energy on general monsters and contribute more to the boss.
"Time's up."
Exactly 30 minutes had passed, and the Guard Captain gathered everyone.
I headed to the Guard Captain without thinking much and ended up in the front row.
"Those taking the vanguard, please step forward."
As I debated slipping back, the Guard Captain called for the vanguard.
Including Berdan, eight grunts stood in front of me.
The Guard Captain confirmed the other knights and guards had joined, then began moving.
"Hah!"
A goblin shrieked under Berdan's swung sword.
All the way to the boss room, Berdan strained to show off his skills.
His exaggerated movements and fatigued appearance from repeated fights stood out.
He said he'd catch eyes this time and go to the second floor—his desire for success seemed genuine.
However.
"That one......"
The Dawn Guild superior was intently observing the magic of the purple-haired woman behind Berdan—Ilana.
One look at her magic made it clear why.
Pororong.
A large soap bubble emerged from Ilana's fingertip, trapping the goblin inside.
Then, another person channeled mana into the bubble.
Water slowly filled the bubble, turning it into a small water prison with the goblin trapped.
It could be used this way to confine enemies, but conversely, it could also protect party members by creating bubbles within mana limits.
A magic with solid versatility, so the Dawn Guild superior was keeping an eye on her.
Tough luck for Berdan, but the one heading to the underground second floor would be Ilana.
"We've arrived. 10-minute rest, then subjugation begins."
The Guard Captain stopped in front of the massive door.
It had taken three hours just to get here.
Having marched without breaks, we took 10 minutes to rest.
The vanguard grunts looked exhausted, but not enough to sit out the boss fight.
Except for one.
"Huergh!"
Berdan collapsed spread-eagled on the ground.
He'd overdone it, and his stamina finally gave out.
"Alright then."
Rest time ended, and the Guard Captain opened the boss room door.
The entire subjugation force entered the long tunnel-like interior, and the door closed.
A long something floating in midair slowly descended.
The boss monster in the form of a red gate. Abyss Door.
Upon touching the ground, it sent red tendrils into the dungeon floor like roots.
It gradually widened to the sides as well, soon forming a complete gate.
"Prepare for battle!"
As the Abyss Door appeared, guilds formed combat formations without needing a cue.
And at the same time.
Monsters began crawling out from beyond the red gate, one by one.
The first boss battle had begun.