Chapter 210: Leader (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 210: Leader (3)
Thick bones covered his whole body in an instant.
[Abed Necrapeto has cast Bone Armor.]
The man smirked and stared straight ahead. The flames that hit the bones were quickly extinguished, but the remaining flames in the passage became a wall and blocked the way.
"Hmm, I didn't think he'd run away."
Should I follow?
Contemplating this as he stared beyond the blazing flames, the man soon decided to call it quits. How to piss someone off... He wasn't exactly curious about that.
"...It's the body of a knight."
"As expected, they've already gotten this far. Everyone, be vigilant. The enemy has to be nearby."
About twenty adventurers appeared as if on cue from one of the passageways connected to the second-floor portal. Seeing as they were all wearing the same symbol on their tops, it looked to be a small clan.
"Tsk."
The man clicked his tongue in displeasure and moved on. His mission for this insurrection was to be in charge of the second-floor portal and stop people from escaping. It was originally a mission that the Dragon Slayer was supposed to take on.
"That snake-eyed bastard is no help whatsoever."
If that guy had just recovered in time, he could have focused on using his talent for mass murder to help out in the center of the floor as planned.
"Well, I'm sure they'll take care of the escapees on their end."
After all, there was no reason to chase and kill a guy who had bounced. Just the thought of it alone was tedious. All he had to do was his own job. With that in mind, he was about to move toward the second-floor portal.
Bzzzzzz.
The message stone in his pocket vibrated.
"Necrapeto, what's your situation? Have you reached your destination?"
"Oh, Vice Captain! Don't worry. I arrived a long time ago, and the portal's blocked off so well that not even a rat can escape through it. Hehehe!"
Although he spoke confidently, there was a long beat of silence before the commander replied. Strictly speaking, it wasn't even a reply. "...What is that tone? And what is that strange laugh?"
"Strange laugh?" The man tilted his head at first, but soon realized what they meant and chuckled. "Oh, it's just a habit. Don't worry about it, Vice Captain."
"A habit?"
"Yeah, something that happens when I put on a mask."
"...I don't know what you're talking about. Anyway, if something goes wrong, contact me immediately." With that, the transmission ended.
The man tapped the skull mask he had been given with his index finger. Suddenly, the members of the Round Table came to mind.
Fox and Goblin will for sure be here.
How many of them would be alive and well at the next meeting? He was already looking forward to it.
***
I ran with all my might, worried that Clown may be coming after us.
Huff, huff.
After we had been sprinting down the passage for about ten minutes, Mr. Bear muttered, "Did we lose him?"
It was a death flag kind of line, which made me nervous for a moment, but I didn't bother saying anything. I was wondering the same thing.
To be more precise, we didn't lose him—he just didn't chase after us.
Either way, it was clear that we had time for a breather now. "Let's slow down from now on."
"...We're not going to run some more?"
"That man isn't the only one we have to be careful of."
We were currently in a fog-covered Crystal Cave. If we sped up too much, it would be hard to respond appropriately to unexpected danger. It was safe to say that the entire first floor was already a minefield.
"Bjorn, maybe the right thing would have been to fight."
"What do you mean, Ainar?"
"The Corpse Collector... This was a chance to make your name even more widely known! But you abandoned that opportunity and ran away!"
Yeah, no wonder she'd been quiet this whole time. So that was what she was unhappy about. This girl tended to look up to me like some ancient heroic barbarian. But, the chance to earn fame?
I'm just thankful that no one got hurt.
A necromancer's true abilities became obvious the moment they took a body out of sub-space. Moreover, the Corpse Collector had a numbered item that had earned him his fame, a signature item similar to the Dragon Slayer Sword. If he had had a chance to pull that thing out, some of us would have been killed or badly injured.
"Ainar, don't be foolish." Without needing to step forward, Missha gave Ainar a warning that caused her to shrink back.
"I'm okay with it! As an adult, I can understand why you did it. But, h-how do I explain this to the young warriors?!"
Ah, now I saw the real problem. Ainar always went to the holy land and told them all about the quests she had been on with me. It was a level of hero-worship that was almost embarrassing, but I just left her to it since it could raise my approval rating in the tribe.
"You can just make something up."
"That's—! Warriors don't lie!"
"Tsk! Stop talking back!"
When Missha harshly reprimanded her, Ainar clammed up. Her slumped shoulders made me feel bad. Unshakeable confidence was a barbarian's charm.
After a moment's thought, I answered, "Ainar, we didn't run away just now."
"Huh?"
"That man ran away from us." It was a classic barbarian-style mental victory.
"W-What do you mean? Don't make fun of me... I'm not that dense!"
Hmm, I didn't know about that. I pressed on, my expression serious. "I'm not making fun of you. Ainar, a wise warrior must also know when to pick and choose their battles. What we just did was run toward a battleground that was more in our favor and knowing that, he ran away."
Ainar frowned in discomfort. "Is that... true?" she asked cautiously. I had been a bit worried, but luckily that seemed to have worked. When I nodded firmly, Ainar returned to her usual cheerful self.
"Mr. Yandel, you really are..."
"What, do you have something to say?"
Raven shook her head at me with a strange look on her face. "No. Just... I was just thinking that a leader should be someone like you." Hm, it seemed that my method of consoling Ainar had been quite impressive.
It was a death flag kind of line, which made me nervous for a moment, but I didn't bother saying anything. I was wondering the same thing.
To be more precise, we didn't lose him—he just didn't chase after us.
Either way, it was clear that we had time for a breather now. "Let's slow down from now on."
"...We're not going to run some more?"
"That man isn't the only one we have to be careful of."
We were currently in a fog-covered Crystal Cave. If we sped up too much, it would be hard to respond appropriately to unexpected danger. It was safe to say that the entire first floor was already a minefield.
"Bjorn, maybe the right thing would have been to fight."
"What do you mean, Ainar?"
"The Corpse Collector... This was a chance to make your name even more widely known! But you abandoned that opportunity and ran away!"
Yeah, no wonder she'd been quiet this whole time. So that was what she was unhappy about. This girl tended to look up to me like some ancient heroic barbarian. But, the chance to earn fame?
I'm just thankful that no one got hurt.
A necromancer's true abilities became obvious the moment they took a body out of sub-space. Moreover, the Corpse Collector had a numbered item that had earned him his fame, a signature item similar to the Dragon Slayer Sword. If he had had a chance to pull that thing out, some of us would have been killed or badly injured.
"Ainar, don't be foolish." Without needing to step forward, Missha gave Ainar a warning that caused her to shrink back.
"I'm okay with it! As an adult, I can understand why you did it. But, h-how do I explain this to the young warriors?!"
Ah, now I saw the real problem. Ainar always went to the holy land and told them all about the quests she had been on with me. It was a level of hero-worship that was almost embarrassing, but I just left her to it since it could raise my approval rating in the tribe.
"You can just make something up."
"That's—! Warriors don't lie!"
"Tsk! Stop talking back!"
When Missha harshly reprimanded her, Ainar clammed up. Her slumped shoulders made me feel bad. Unshakeable confidence was a barbarian's charm.
After a moment's thought, I answered, "Ainar, we didn't run away just now."
"Huh?"
"That man ran away from us." It was a classic barbarian-style mental victory.
"W-What do you mean? Don't make fun of me... I'm not that dense!"
Hmm, I didn't know about that. I pressed on, my expression serious. "I'm not making fun of you. Ainar, a wise warrior must also know when to pick and choose their battles. What we just did was run toward a battleground that was more in our favor and knowing that, he ran away."
Ainar frowned in discomfort. "Is that... true?" she asked cautiously. I had been a bit worried, but luckily that seemed to have worked. When I nodded firmly, Ainar returned to her usual cheerful self.
"Mr. Yandel, you really are..."
"What, do you have something to say?"
Raven shook her head at me with a strange look on her face. "No. Just... I was just thinking that a leader should be someone like you." Hm, it seemed that my method of consoling Ainar had been quite impressive.
"Anyway, let's keep moving."
The chatter ended there, and I proceeded cautiously down the passage, keeping a careful eye out. My destination was the center of the first floor, the very place that was likely covered in blood right about now.
"Wouldn't it be better to try to head through another portal?"
"It'll just be the same thing there too."
I abandoned the option of heading to the second floor. After all, the Corpse Collector was standing in the corridor leading to the Goblin Forest.
He's probably trying to block the portal.
I assumed that individuals of similar strength would be waiting at the other portals.
"In that case, I will defer to your judgment. Yandel, you have good intuition when it comes to these things."
Like that, we pushed through the fog for a while.
Rattle, rattle.
About ten people appeared in front of us. By the time we noticed each other's presence, we were already within sight of each other. Fortunately, they didn't seem like enemies.
"...They're knights."
Not only was everyone in the group wearing the armor of a knight, but each piece of armor carried the symbol of the family they belonged to. Well, even that could be replicated if Noark tried his utmost...
"Explorer, raise your wrist and reveal your identification tag."
Judging by that arrogant tone alone, it seemed his armor was the genuine article. As instructed, I first showed them the tag on my wrist and then I asked, "Is there any point in showing the identification tags in this situation?" That was the thing I was most curious about.
"To some extent," the knight replied curtly.
"I want to hear more."
"There was a person who ambushed us with identification tags that looked real. Due to that, we took some damage."
"I see."
"If your curiosity has been sated, put down your weapons and stay close to the wall until we pass," the knight said harshly, and I obediently followed his instructions. Things were really dangerous here. The knights seemed to have fought many battles to get here as they were all drenched in blood.
However, I should still find out what I needed to know. "Can you tell me exactly what the situation is?"
"...What a strange question."
"We ran to the second floor as soon as we arrived. We don't have information about what happened down here."
"Hmm." The knight stopped walking and stared at me as if to discern whether what I was saying was true or not. As those menacing eyes met mine, I started to think I shouldn't have asked.
"Hello. I am Arua Raven, a wizard from the Altemion School." Raven stepped forward and introduced herself. "If you are doubting our identities, I can use magic to prove—"
"Stop. Don't come any closer unless you want to die."
"No, I—"
"Do you think there are no wizards in Noark?" the knight asked, his voice low.
Raven couldn't say anything to that and kept her mouth shut.
A heavy silence settled between us.
"Sir Garfizel, these people cannot be on Noark's side, so you don't have to worry about that." The situation took a turn when a knight in the back row spoke up.
"Anyway, let's keep moving."
The chatter ended there, and I proceeded cautiously down the passage, keeping a careful eye out. My destination was the center of the first floor, the very place that was likely covered in blood right about now.
"Wouldn't it be better to try to head through another portal?"
"It'll just be the same thing there too."
I abandoned the option of heading to the second floor. After all, the Corpse Collector was standing in the corridor leading to the Goblin Forest.
He's probably trying to block the portal.
I assumed that individuals of similar strength would be waiting at the other portals.
"In that case, I will defer to your judgment. Yandel, you have good intuition when it comes to these things."
Like that, we pushed through the fog for a while.
Rattle, rattle.
About ten people appeared in front of us. By the time we noticed each other's presence, we were already within sight of each other. Fortunately, they didn't seem like enemies.
"...They're knights."
Not only was everyone in the group wearing the armor of a knight, but each piece of armor carried the symbol of the family they belonged to. Well, even that could be replicated if Noark tried his utmost...
"Explorer, raise your wrist and reveal your identification tag."
Judging by that arrogant tone alone, it seemed his armor was the genuine article. As instructed, I first showed them the tag on my wrist and then I asked, "Is there any point in showing the identification tags in this situation?" That was the thing I was most curious about.
"To some extent," the knight replied curtly.
"I want to hear more."
"There was a person who ambushed us with identification tags that looked real. Due to that, we took some damage."
"I see."
"If your curiosity has been sated, put down your weapons and stay close to the wall until we pass," the knight said harshly, and I obediently followed his instructions. Things were really dangerous here. The knights seemed to have fought many battles to get here as they were all drenched in blood.
However, I should still find out what I needed to know. "Can you tell me exactly what the situation is?"
"...What a strange question."
"We ran to the second floor as soon as we arrived. We don't have information about what happened down here."
"Hmm." The knight stopped walking and stared at me as if to discern whether what I was saying was true or not. As those menacing eyes met mine, I started to think I shouldn't have asked.
"Hello. I am Arua Raven, a wizard from the Altemion School." Raven stepped forward and introduced herself. "If you are doubting our identities, I can use magic to prove—"
"Stop. Don't come any closer unless you want to die."
"No, I—"
"Do you think there are no wizards in Noark?" the knight asked, his voice low.
Raven couldn't say anything to that and kept her mouth shut.
A heavy silence settled between us.
"Sir Garfizel, these people cannot be on Noark's side, so you don't have to worry about that." The situation took a turn when a knight in the back row spoke up.
"How can you be so sure?"
"He's a pretty famous adventurer."
"Hmm, this man?" The knight who seemed to be the leader shot me a dubious look.
I felt the same way. "...You know me?"
"Of course I do." The knight who answered my question raised his helmet, revealing a familiar face.
"Carls Erimor?"
"What an honor that you remember. Long time no see."
Carls Erimor was a knight from the House of Baron Martoin whom I met at the count's estate. He was only an apprentice, but still. He was a rare adventurer-turned-knight, so we got along quite well. To think I'd run into him here.
"So, who is this man?"
"His name is Bjorn Yandel, and in the city, he's more famous as Little Balkan."
Once Carls verified my identity, the knight looked at me in a different light. "Little Balkan, huh? I've heard your name in passing as well. In high society, you are called the Knight Crusher, correct?" His gaze was still far from benevolent. However, since his suspicions of me being an enemy had been cleared, it was a lot better than before.
"So, can I hear what's going on now?"
The knight briefly explained that as soon as they entered the labyrinth, adventurers from Noark attacked them from all sides. Some were camouflaging themselves with fake identification tags as well, so the initial casualties were considerable. After the fog appeared, the knights gathered in the dark area in the center of the map to protect as many adventurers as they could and prepare for battle.
"By the dark area, are you talking about the place where the monument is located?"
"Yes, head there. You'll be safe as long as you get there."
That was good news. I carefully spoke up in an attempt to stop him from leaving right away. "Are you guys going to the portal?"
"...Why are you asking that?"
Geez, so aggressive.
"Because we're coming from over there."
"Interesting."
I told the interested knight what I knew. We were on the same team right now—I couldn't let them die in vain. "The Corpse Collector is near the portal. So if you see a dead body in the passageway, be on guard. That means he has found you too."
In sharp contrast to what I had been expecting, the knight listened intently and nodded without question. "Every piece of information is valuable in wartime. The Corpse Collector, huh? Thank you for telling me." Surprisingly, he even thanked me and handed me a ring. "If you run into a knight who doubts who you are, show them this and tell them about me. Then your identity will be verified."
"...I'll take good care of it."
"I'm running out of time, so goodbye."
As soon as he handed over the ring, the knight led his group away and disappeared into the fog. He didn't look so arrogant to me anymore. Now that I was looking again, I could see that he was a dutiful guy.
I guess it doesn't come with size adjustment magic.
After trying to put the ring on my little finger, I gave up and handed it to Missha.
"Eh? Me? You want me to wearrr it?"
"It doesn't fit on my hand."
"...Th-then it can't be helped." Missha elegantly extended her left hand to me. What? Did she want me to put it on? "Ahem..."
I turned her hand over so that her palm was facing up and placed the ring on top. "You wear it."
"Hmph, you're embarrassed."
...She was talking nonsense.
***
After running into the knights, we increased our speed some more. The further from the outskirts and closer to the center we got, the more the scent of blood intensified.
"Here too..."
"Stop looking and keep moving."
No matter where we went, we ran into a dead body every few minutes. Almost all were naked.
Even in the middle of all this, you're taking what you need, huh? Well, the feeling's mutual.
"Yandel! It's an ambush!"
We also ended up involved in quite a few battles as we pushed forward. Did this make nine? One time, it was only after we checked their identification tags that they suddenly attacked, while the rest attacked us as soon as we saw them. They were mostly around rank five, like us, but there hadn't been any major issues so far.
"Behelaaah!"
On average, we were a pretty strong team. We were slowly reaching sixth-floor capabilities, and because we didn't have a professional scout, our combat power was pretty high.
"Bjorn, what arrre you going to do about the two who escaped?"
"Leave them. We don't have time, so take the equipment from the rest and let's go."
The further we traveled, the more equipment piled up in our sub-space. It felt like being in an infinite Player Kill dungeon.
I never thought I'd experience excitement like this on the first floor.
My anxiety slowly mounted. So far things had gone smoothly, but how long could this possibly last?
"Bjorn..."
"Don't worry. We're almost there now."
I pushed down my paranoia and continued leading the team.
After a long while, at a crossroads divided into several forks, we encountered a group of about thirty unfamiliar adventurers. They seemed to be resting after an arduous battle and lifted their weapons as soon as they saw us.
Thump!
My heart began to pound. If these guys were from Noark, then we were fucked.
"Huh...? M-Mister?!"
That was when I heard a familiar voice.
"How can you be so sure?"
"He's a pretty famous adventurer."
"Hmm, this man?" The knight who seemed to be the leader shot me a dubious look.
I felt the same way. "...You know me?"
"Of course I do." The knight who answered my question raised his helmet, revealing a familiar face.
"Carls Erimor?"
"What an honor that you remember. Long time no see."
Carls Erimor was a knight from the House of Baron Martoin whom I met at the count's estate. He was only an apprentice, but still. He was a rare adventurer-turned-knight, so we got along quite well. To think I'd run into him here.
"So, who is this man?"
"His name is Bjorn Yandel, and in the city, he's more famous as Little Balkan."
Once Carls verified my identity, the knight looked at me in a different light. "Little Balkan, huh? I've heard your name in passing as well. In high society, you are called the Knight Crusher, correct?" His gaze was still far from benevolent. However, since his suspicions of me being an enemy had been cleared, it was a lot better than before.
"So, can I hear what's going on now?"
The knight briefly explained that as soon as they entered the labyrinth, adventurers from Noark attacked them from all sides. Some were camouflaging themselves with fake identification tags as well, so the initial casualties were considerable. After the fog appeared, the knights gathered in the dark area in the center of the map to protect as many adventurers as they could and prepare for battle.
"By the dark area, are you talking about the place where the monument is located?"
"Yes, head there. You'll be safe as long as you get there."
That was good news. I carefully spoke up in an attempt to stop him from leaving right away. "Are you guys going to the portal?"
"...Why are you asking that?"
Geez, so aggressive.
"Because we're coming from over there."
"Interesting."
I told the interested knight what I knew. We were on the same team right now—I couldn't let them die in vain. "The Corpse Collector is near the portal. So if you see a dead body in the passageway, be on guard. That means he has found you too."
In sharp contrast to what I had been expecting, the knight listened intently and nodded without question. "Every piece of information is valuable in wartime. The Corpse Collector, huh? Thank you for telling me." Surprisingly, he even thanked me and handed me a ring. "If you run into a knight who doubts who you are, show them this and tell them about me. Then your identity will be verified."
"...I'll take good care of it."
"I'm running out of time, so goodbye."
As soon as he handed over the ring, the knight led his group away and disappeared into the fog. He didn't look so arrogant to me anymore. Now that I was looking again, I could see that he was a dutiful guy.
I guess it doesn't come with size adjustment magic.
After trying to put the ring on my little finger, I gave up and handed it to Missha.
"Eh? Me? You want me to wearrr it?"
"It doesn't fit on my hand."
"...Th-then it can't be helped." Missha elegantly extended her left hand to me. What? Did she want me to put it on? "Ahem..."
I turned her hand over so that her palm was facing up and placed the ring on top. "You wear it."
"Hmph, you're embarrassed."
...She was talking nonsense.
***
After running into the knights, we increased our speed some more. The further from the outskirts and closer to the center we got, the more the scent of blood intensified.
"Here too..."
"Stop looking and keep moving."
No matter where we went, we ran into a dead body every few minutes. Almost all were naked.
Even in the middle of all this, you're taking what you need, huh? Well, the feeling's mutual.
"Yandel! It's an ambush!"
We also ended up involved in quite a few battles as we pushed forward. Did this make nine? One time, it was only after we checked their identification tags that they suddenly attacked, while the rest attacked us as soon as we saw them. They were mostly around rank five, like us, but there hadn't been any major issues so far.
"Behelaaah!"
On average, we were a pretty strong team. We were slowly reaching sixth-floor capabilities, and because we didn't have a professional scout, our combat power was pretty high.
"Bjorn, what arrre you going to do about the two who escaped?"
"Leave them. We don't have time, so take the equipment from the rest and let's go."
The further we traveled, the more equipment piled up in our sub-space. It felt like being in an infinite Player Kill dungeon.
I never thought I'd experience excitement like this on the first floor.
My anxiety slowly mounted. So far things had gone smoothly, but how long could this possibly last?
"Bjorn..."
"Don't worry. We're almost there now."
I pushed down my paranoia and continued leading the team.
After a long while, at a crossroads divided into several forks, we encountered a group of about thirty unfamiliar adventurers. They seemed to be resting after an arduous battle and lifted their weapons as soon as they saw us.
Thump!
My heart began to pound. If these guys were from Noark, then we were fucked.
"Huh...? M-Mister?!"
That was when I heard a familiar voice.