Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: The Dragon's Lair
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[Title: Dragon Slayer (Multiple/Minor)]
[Slightly increases overall physical abilities.]
[Slightly increases both attack and defense when facing draconic beings.]
[Title: Champion of the Sauerland Mountains (Multiple)]
[You are the strongest being in the Sauerland Mountains.]
[As this is not a 'Unique' title, you cannot exercise complete dominion.]
[Monsters in the Sauerland Mountains will show respect to the title holder. Monsters with weak wills may even obey the title holder's commands.]
[Title: Demonic Beast Slayer (Multiple)]
[A title granted only to those who have defeated one of the 72 Demonic Beasts.]
[The effects are minor compared to a 'Unique' title.]
[Slightly increases overall physical abilities.]
[Slightly increases both attack and defense when facing Demonic Beasts.]
After his battle with the Demonic Beast Andras, Kang-seok reviewed the new titles he had obtained. After some deliberation, he selected ‘Champion of the Sauerland Mountains’.
Perhaps because he came from a fighting game with no detailed stats, he couldn't tell exactly how much his abilities increased even after acquiring a title.
He could have tried switching between titles to compare the difference, but unless the change was drastic, it would be nearly impossible to discern.
This was something he couldn't even get Seong Yu-jin's help with, so Kang-seok decided to focus on the additional effects for now.
‘Well, I can always swap it out during a fight if I need to.’
Iris had said there wouldn't be any problems since he had Andras's key, but there was always a chance.
Having chosen his title, Kang-seok dismissed the luminous text that filled his vision. The night air felt particularly cold.
“Kang-seok, I think this is as far as the carriage can go.”
A two-horse carriage would normally have trouble even passing through a forest. Ascending a mountain was out of the question from the start.
But Kang-seok glanced outside and shook his head.
“Keep going. A path will open up soon.”
“A path?”
There were roads that went around the Sauerland Mountains, but none a carriage could use to cross them directly.
But since Kang-seok had said it, Yang Jun-gyu had no choice but to comply. If anyone else had said that, he would have turned the carriage around, calling it madness. But this was the Dark Destiny Lord, Choi Kang-seok.
About five minutes had passed since a skeptical Yang Jun-gyu urged the carriage forward.
Everyone inside the carriage suddenly felt a strange sensation. It was as if static electricity was coursing through their bodies.
“Huh?”
Startled, Yang Jun-gyu flinched. And the party wasn't the only one surprised.
Alphonse and Adamas, the horses pulling the carriage, began to buck and neigh. Seong Yu-jin quickly leaned out of the driver's seat to soothe Alphonse.
“It’s okay, it’s okay, Alphonse.”
Thankfully, the horses didn't panic for long. The strange sensation had vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
Once the horses had calmed down, Seong Yu-jin pointed ahead.
“A hole?”
To be precise, it was a tunnel. They were still at the mountain's entrance, but a large hole leading underground had suddenly appeared before them. Moreover, it was large enough for a carriage to enter.
“D-do we just go straight in?”
Yang Jun-gyu looked back at Kang-seok with a frightened expression. Instead of answering immediately, Kang-seok glanced at Andras's key, which had begun to glow with a blue light.
Iris spoke.
[This seems to be one of the many paths leading to Andras's lair that I mentioned earlier.]
[Since it's a path Andras used, it makes sense for the hole to be this large.]
It was logical, but its sudden appearance was the problem.
One could assume that Andras, with its title of Earth Dragon, had dug the tunnel. But concealing such a tunnel with magical power was no ordinary feat.
“Is it really some kind of dragon? Honestly, this is way too grand.”
Although it bore the title of Earth Dragon, to the party, Andras was more of a ‘Demonic Beast’ than a ‘dragon’.
Besides, hadn't it fought almost exclusively with physical strength during their battle?
Iris added with a laugh.
[Because this is the 'dungeon' of one of the 72 Demonic Beasts.]
“Dungeon?”
He couldn't imagine she was talking about an ordinary dungeon.
The way Iris said ‘dungeon’ carried a certain weight. Without waiting for an answer, Seong Yu-jin asked.
“Iris, do you remember something?”
Iris had said that most of her memories about the 72 Demonic Beasts were lost due to information restrictions.
Iris hesitated before replying.
[Um… if you could give me just a few more clues…]
“Do each of the 72 Demonic Beasts have their own dungeon? Like how the Demonic Beast Barbatos had the Labyrinthos?”
The moment Kang-seok threw out the keyword.
Choi Yu-ra’s eyes suddenly widened as she shouted.
“Wait! Does that mean that horse-face… I mean, Cimeries, had a dungeon too?”
[Each of the 72 Demonic Beasts has its own dungeon. However, the scale and structure of these dungeons vary greatly. Some are so insignificant they might as well not exist, while others possess truly massive dungeons.]
“Do you remember what the 72 Demonic Beasts are?”
The information she just provided was helpful, but it didn't fully answer the question of ‘What are the 72 Demonic Beasts?’
Iris paused for a moment before answering in a somber voice.
[I'm sorry. My memory doesn't go that far…]
Choi Yu-ra gestured in disappointment, but Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin didn't press or blame Iris. She was being cooperative enough, and they had just obtained some pretty decent information.
Separate from the group, one person was left out of the current conversation.
“Ugh, sis. Who is Iris? Don't tell me it's a ghost?”
Not only Choi Yu-ra and Seong Yu-jin, but even Kang-seok was staring into empty space and talking to something. It was enough to drive Yang Jun-gyu mad.
Choi Yu-ra nodded seriously.
“She’s a maiden ghost only we can see. We met her while clearing a quest. For your information, she’s sitting right next to you now.”
“Eek?”
[Who are you calling a ghost!]
Iris protested loudly, but once again, Yang Jun-gyu couldn't hear her. In her stead, Kang-seok gave Choi Yu-ra a light flick on the forehead before placating Yang Jun-gyu.
“Anyway, let’s keep going. We might find out more once we reach the lair.”
With an uneasy look, Yang Jun-gyu nodded and steered the carriage into the hole.
***
Mayor George II of Aachen was in a good mood.
Once today was over, he would have to begin assessing the damage the city's regular army had suffered from Andras, which would naturally lead to issues like compensation for the bereaved families and various other problems. But as he first told himself, that was a story for after today.
It was still today. Not tomorrow.
Therefore, George II could focus solely on one fact.
They had defeated Andras.
George II, a man with the disposition of an ordinary citizen, was content with that fact alone.
Nothing more special would happen during his term, and that event was now over. How could he not be in a good mood?
So, George II took out a fine liquor he had been saving.
But the joy was short-lived.
Before he could finish a single glass, George II regretted bringing out the drink. An unexpected guest had visited the city hall.
“Edward Price, Captain of the Knights Templar.”
A chiseled face like a sharp-edged sculpture, neatly kept silver hair, and cold blue eyes.
His body, clad in a dark blue suit, was also close to perfection.
The Captain of the Knights Templar for ‘Gawain, the God of Honor,’ one of the three great martial gods of the Kingdom of Britannia.
George II had certainly pleaded for his help.
But before he arrived, Kang-seok and the subjugation team had defeated Andras, and George II had spread the news through the city's priests using divine magic.
So, the Captain of the Knights Templar—the young genius considered to be on par with a six-star adventurer—should not have come to Aachen.
But he came.
And at night, without any notice.
“Thank you so much for visiting.”
Forcibly suppressing the lingering effects of the alcohol, George II showed his respect.
Edward, who was unarmored except for a rapier at his waist, gave a stiff smile.
It wasn't because he disliked George II; it seemed that was just his usual expression.
“I was already on my way, and I came out of personal curiosity. So, you need not be so formal. I am rather sorry for visiting so late at night.”
His entourage consisted of only a single young squire, so it was reasonable to see it as a personal visit.
But he was the Captain of the Knights Templar.
Although it varied slightly between cults, in the cult of Gawain, known as a martial god, the position of Captain of the Knights Templar was second only to the Pope.
George II forced a tense smile.
“Not at all. Formal? But when you say personal curiosity, are you perhaps referring to the corpse of Andras?”
In his haste, he had revealed his inner thoughts too soon.
The corpse of the Earth Dragon Andras.
Using the bones and hides of animals to craft equipment was a practice that had been repeated since ancient times.
The bones and hide of Andras were undoubtedly of a value incomparable to ordinary monsters. Parts like the heart would surely fetch any price one named.
Was the Captain of the Knights Templar coveting Andras's corpse?
An agreement was already in place for the subjugation team and the city of Aachen to divide the corpse. He wanted to avoid the Knights Templar trying to get a piece of the action if at all possible.
Flinching at the dangerous question he himself had posed, George II anxiously awaited Edward's reply.
Edward once again gave a stiff smile.
“The corpse of the legendary Earth Dragon Andras—it would be impossible not to be interested. But there is a person who interests me even more.”
“A person, you say…”
Although he trailed off, the answer was already obvious at this point.
Edward lifted the cup of tea placed on the reception table. After taking a sip, he spoke with slightly belligerent eyes.
“The Dark Destiny Lord. A player with a truly magnificent title—I wish to meet the slayer of the Earth Dragon Andras.”
***
The underground passage of Andras was truly long. At first, it went straight down, but at some point, it turned into a gentle upward slope. After continuing like that for more than ten minutes, a flat, level area and a large stone gate appeared.
This really seemed to be as far as the carriage could go.
Kang-seok leaped down from the carriage and illuminated the surroundings with a torch he had made upon entering the passage.
It was a circular space with a very high ceiling. There were no particular decorations or lighting; all that existed was an enormous stone gate.
Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra followed Kang-seok out of the carriage and stood on either side of him. Yang Jun-gyu remained seated in the driver's box, watching Kang-seok.
[If you bring the key closer, the stone gate will open automatically.]
Iris was right. The stone gate reacted to Kang-seok's mere approach. Despite its immense size, the gate opened without a sound.
“Whoa.”
The space beyond the gate was not dark. It wasn't brightly lit, but there was sufficient light. It felt less like the lair of a giant beast and more like a castle with a high ceiling.
‘It resembles the Labyrinthos.’
Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin, who had the same thought, looked at each other. The Labyrinthos had lower ceilings and a more complex internal structure, but the atmosphere of the building itself was similar.
Could this be called a hall, based on its appearance?
Seong Yu-jin, who had drawn her crossbow in case of an emergency, cautiously stepped inside the gate. Yang Jun-gyu, who had been watching from a distance, mustered his courage and started the carriage again.
Kang-seok and Seong Yu-jin were standing back-to-back, surveying the inside of the gate.
“Welcome, Master.”
At the sound of a fine, low-pitched voice, everyone, including Kang-seok, quickly turned their heads. In the center of the hall stood an old man with white hair, dressed in a neat black suit.
“Uh, a butler?”
Not just Choi Yu-ra, but everyone had the same thought.
But on a second look, he wasn't human. His body was translucent, and he was floating about a hand's breadth off the ground.
The word ‘ghost’ rose to the tip of Yang Jun-gyu's tongue, but he quickly covered his mouth with both hands. Kang-seok slightly lowered Durandal and turned towards the old man.
White hair, slicked back neatly with pomade, and a face that, though wrinkled, was clean and free of age spots.
Added to this was a posture as straight as a young man's and a sturdy body, making him look like a butler straight out of a movie.
The old man gave Kang-seok a gentle smile and asked.
“Master, are those who have come with you your guests?”
Before answering, Kang-seok glanced at Andras's key in his hand. After swallowing dryly, he replied in a deliberately calm voice.
“They are my esteemed guests. Treat them with the same respect you show me.”
“Understood.”
Just as he suspected. It seemed the lair recognized the holder of Andras's key as its new master.
The old man made eye contact not only with Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra but also with Yang Jun-gyu, then bowed deeply in an old-fashioned gesture of respect.
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Alberto, the caretaker of this lair.”
[He doesn't seem to be a particularly powerful being. Please think of him as a magical entity capable of simple conversation.]
At Iris's additional explanation, Choi Yu-ra momentarily thought, ‘Like you?’, but thankfully, she didn't make the mistake of saying it out loud.
Kang-seok stepped closer to the old man—Alberto—and asked.
“Can I inspect the state of the lair?”
“Directly, you mean?”
“Directly.”
“Understood. Where would you like to start the tour?”
There were several doors along the walls of the hall. It seemed Andras could take on a form other than that of a monster within its lair.
The lair of Andras, its scale and contents unknown.
Kang-seok tilted his head slightly and asked.
“What kind of facilities are there to see in the lair?”
“There is a dining hall, a bedroom, a treasury, a training ground, a library, a bathroom, various storerooms, and currently vacant guest rooms.”
A smile naturally formed on Kang-seok's face.
Instead of answering himself, Kang-seok looked back at Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra. He gave a slight nod, and the two immediately understood his meaning, conversing with just their eyes.
And so, they reached a conclusion.
Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra turned towards Alberto. After counting to three, they shouted in unison.
“The treasury!”
“Understood. This way, please. You may leave the carriage in the hall.”
Alberto led the way, while Seong Yu-jin and Choi Yu-ra couldn't hide their joy. They giggled as they skipped along.