Betrayal (3)
Betrayal (3)
The deliveryman arrived outside and entered the shop with noisy footsteps. Seeing him, Lastina rose with a light smile.
"Well, there wasn't really any bad blood or anything."
"...Then?"
"You know it too, right? The fact that that Eared One was a Ranger."
"Uh, yeah. I know."
"Then this'll be quick. That guy wrecked our Workshop during a mission. That's all there was to it."
Even though Orion had smashed up Lastina's Workshop, the two of them didn't have a bad relationship at all. There was a reason for it.
Over long years, the artisan's Workshop that had stood there for hundreds, even thousands of years, collapsing was regrettable, but Lastina's father had used the compensation money to settle down in Dungeon City.
That choice had been an excellent one, to the point where Lastina's father had even received a title from the Lord of Dungeon City.
"So what I'm saying is, that guy might seem polite now, but... she's pretty scatterbrained."
"......Orion."
She didn't seem like it. Always serious, using polite speech, with that composed consideration for others...
Dojin was busy committing to memory the surprising secret about Orion that he'd just learned.
"Hmm, not sure if the size'll fit."
"It's fine. Thanks."
Then, Lastina handed over the clothes the deliveryman had brought. They were a bit on the small side, but Dojin wasn't in a position to complain. Better than being naked......
While Dojin was changing, Lastina lifted her armor and stand with one hand. Dojin, who was getting dressed, couldn't hide his shock at the sight of the girl—who didn't even reach his waist—lifting that massive hunk of metal with one hand.
'......As expected of a Dwarf.'
For that young body to do smithing meant her muscle density was insanely high. To the point where it was beyond Dojin's common sense......
And time passed. The sun rose high, shining down on the ground. People felt discomfort from the sweltering heat.
It was summer.
'Already.......'
When Dojin first fell into the Otherworld, even in winter it hadn't been that cold. To Dojin, who had grown up in Korea where the seasons were so distinct they went berserk, it had even felt pleasantly warm.
Summer was the same. People acted like they were dying from the heat, but Dojin and his companions didn't.
"Skin burn."
"Huh?"
"I mean, come here."
Seoyun said that and used her ability. Ice particles formed in the air, scattering UV rays and reducing the amount of sunlight reaching them.
Dojin marveled at her ever-improving finesse and stuck close to her side to avoid the sun. There was no sunscreen in the Otherworld, so he couldn't prevent his skin from burning.
Dodging the sun like that, the two arrived at the Dungeon entrance, dispelled their ability, and went inside.
They boarded the Elevator and headed straight to the 10th floor, skillfully breaking through to the 11th, 20th, and 29th floors.
'Wish there was an Elevator here too.'
Even using Seoyun's ability to exclude Monsters and following the Guild's map for the optimal path.
Climbing the stairs spanning 20 floors took a considerable amount of time. Of course, even if they caught the Ruler this time, he had no intention of installing an Elevator.
'From the 30th floor...... it's on a whole different level from the floors below.'
If Dojin made a direct passage from the 1st to the 30th floor, it'd become a national issue. It might mass-produce the rare Level 3 powerhouses.
Regardless of possibility, it could make even entering the Dungeon impossible. That wouldn't do. Dojin still hadn't gathered the strength to stand against a nation.
"The 30th floor...... when are you planning to go up?"
"Huh?"
"The Ruler—you're gonna take it down, right? Your goal is to go higher up."
After finishing their hunt and eating, Seoyun asked. As she said, Dojin's goal was to go higher up.
The Ruler was a formidable enemy blocking that goal, a being too powerful to leap over alone.
He needed the power of companions. If Seoyun lent her strength, she'd be the most reliable powerhouse imaginable.
"You gonna help?"
"......Didn't you say you're going back to Earth?"
"Yeah?"
"And to do that, you gotta reach the 100th floor."
"Probably?"
It wasn't certain. But he couldn't just live without purpose, so Dojin had picked the convenient goal in front of him.
"I'll help."
"Thanks."
"One condition."
"What?"
"When you go back, take me with you."
"You said you could live plenty well here?"
Dojin said that, recalling what Seoyun had said before. The way she'd claimed this world wasn't so bad.
Seoyun turned her head away, pretending not to know, as if embarrassed that she'd said that.
"Or what, you were planning to go back alone?"
"......No, well. Not that."
"Then it doesn't matter."
She couldn't say it. That being alone in a world without Dojin scared her even more. How could she voice that with her fragile girl's heart?
"Anyway, I'll help you. Just tell me when the time comes."
"Thanks. You made a great decision."
Dojin restructured his plans for raiding the boss Monster. If Seoyun joined the party, the difficulty would drop massively. She was stronger than Dojin, after all.
'I could kill her if I wanted.......'
How could he kill with his own hands a woman who loved him? Dojin couldn't do it. It was just a hypothetical.
'Maybe contact Han-young too.'
Since she said she'd join, maybe he could ask Han-young for help. After all, he was a cheat ability user too. One that was quite helpful in combat.
He was probably at Level 3 by now, Dojin vaguely thought.
Kwaaaang-!
A deafening roar tore through the air. Han-young felt his arms go numb and grimaced. Again, it had ended up like this.
"Fuck-! Just take it, take the hit already!"
Han-young raised his hammer. Compared to when he'd last met Dojin, the hammer hadn't changed much.
Like the hammer, his ability hadn't progressed much either. Super Strength was still thoroughly wrecking his body, and only his scaly arms were free from that constraint.
"Fuck!"
Kuuuung!
The swung hammer glanced off the opponent's blade and slammed into the Dungeon floor. The floor, tough as a wall, reflected the impact right back.
By the action-reaction principle, his arms absorbed twice the full-force shock and trembled, signaling their limit.
Han-young grimaced and yelled.
"Fuck! What the hell are you doing!? Catch it quick!"
"It's fucking tough here too!"
"Fuck, you try it!"
His companions were struggling hard against other Monsters too. Seeing that, Han-young refocused on the Monster in front of him.
'Why'd it turn out like this?'
He'd never had a single hiccup on the lower floors. No Monster could block his strikes, so what he did was more like work than hunting or combat.
Things changed from the 25th Floor. The moment he clashed with this floor's Monsters, Han-young sensed something was different.
'Glancing the hammer?'
The Monsters had gotten intelligent. If the previous ones were moths charging on raw physicality, these were precise, planned hunters who wielded their weapons perfectly.
"Huuuup!"
Han-young raised his hammer high overhead. On lower floors, Monsters would still charge trusting their physicality even seeing that.
This floor's Monster? The Orc gripping its sword calmly watched Han-young's actions, then struck at his opening.
In the end, Han-young had to hastily defend his vitals mid-swing. It felt like facing a sword master.
Han-young's hammer, swung purely on brute strength without technique, didn't land a single hit on the enemy.
"Just fucking die already-!"
Fed up, Han-young ignored his body breaking and swung full-force, smashing the Orc along with its weapon.
Even with technique, overwhelming physical disparity was unavoidable. And that overwhelming physicality started smashing the wielder himself.
Uuduk, ppuduk!
"Ggrrrraaah!?"
He bit his lip hard, pressing until blood came. Barely enduring the pain, Han-young dragged his broken body to help the others.
The kids, who'd been holding even in one-on-ones, massacred the Monsters the moment it became two-on-one. Three-on-one went without saying.
The three collected Magic Stones from the barely hunted Monsters and bolted for the stairs.
Slumped on the stairs, chugging Potions, they muttered in disbelief at what they'd seen and been through.
"......Fuck, what the hell was that. Why so strong?"
"Tell me about it... Aaaagh! Fuck, what! When'd it slash me!"
The thug companion cried out in pain from a sword cut and started dumping an expensive Potion bottle on it. They were already in the red. Han-young realized they couldn't go on like this.
'What's making it so strong......?'
On this floor, they weren't hunters. They were challengers. Forced to risk their lives against opponents on their level......
And these guys, who only knew bullying others and had no experience fighting anyone head-on, were under massive stress from having to stake their lives.
Weak modern humans couldn't handle that stress.
"I, I can't do it...."
Thug A declared surrender first. B nodded along. Seeing that, Han-young sighed and quietly sneered.
"......Yeah, let's head back."
The three cautiously exited the Dungeon. The battles on the 25th Floor had whittled away their mental strength bit by bit. Even fighting easy lower-floor Monsters felt scary now.
"Oh my, fewer kills today."
"......Yeah."
"Hmm, I see. So we can expect more starting tomorrow?"
At the Guild Staff's curt attitude, Han-young felt a twinge of irritation. With his mental strength drained, it scratched at his pride.
"Fucking bitch."
"......Y-yes?"
"Talking back, you fuck......."
Han-young spewed curses at the Guild Staff and restored his flimsy pride. But it wasn't enough. He wanted to vent the boiling heat inside somehow.
After that, he headed straight to the Brothel. He embraced whores, embraced them, embraced them. He accidentally used his ability and broke some whores' bodies, but didn't kill them. As long as they didn't die, it was fine. There were Priests.
He paid off the whores' injuries with money and, back at his place, grimaced at the man sitting in the kitchen.
"What the hell are you...... Dojin?"
"Long time no see. Han-young."
The last guy he wanted to see right now had appeared. But Han-young calmed himself, sat on a chair, and asked.
"What brings you here?"
"Help me out."
"Help you?"
At those words, color returned to Han-young's face. Yeah, this guy was nothing special. Trash with a lower Level than him......
"Need a companion to take down the boss Monster on the 30th floor together."
And with that one line, Han-young's pride shattered.