Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: The Great Forest Near Kalhail
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The Great Forest near Kalhail.
A place brimming with natural resources and ruins awaiting adventurers' footsteps.
The forest was so vast that it overshadowed the size of Kalhail itself, but because of its immense scale, people usually prefixed it with a regional name when referring to it.
Thus, the Great Forest of Kalhail referred to only an extremely small portion of this sprawling woodland.
Until recently, the Great Forest of Kalhail had enjoyed booming prosperity. Compared to the forests in other regions, the monsters appearing at the entrance weren't particularly strong, drawing crowds for adventures and resource gathering.
But that boom was short-lived. Recently, a path connecting the Maltani region to the Great Forest had opened, and most people had shifted there.
As a result, if the Great Forest wasn't the goal, it was only natural for this remote outskirts area of Kalhail to be neglected.
After a wave of archaeologists' excavations and adventurers' dungeon explorations had swept through, all that remained were villagers who had made a living selling to them and stray adventurers checking for anything left behind.
There were quite a few villages in this plight around Kalhail, and Liudira was one of them.
Recently, a rookie adventurer party had taken a commission and entered the Great Forest from here.
That had been just a few days ago.
"Aren't they gone no matter how much we search? Didn't they turn into wild animal or monster shit a long time ago?"
"If they were gonna drop dead right at the entrance, why even bother coming to the Great Forest?"
"Like Remi said, they probably died already?"
The party consisted of a priest, mage, and archer in the rear guard.
And a warrior and thief in the vanguard.
"Hmm... But we handled the other side quest we picked up along the way, didn't we?"
"That doesn't pay. What worthwhile stuff is there in a backwater like this? The missing person search is the only thing that's worth any money."
"A single demon slave and a disappearance at the forest entrance—that's the only clue."
"Maybe it was a love elopement?"
"If you'd asked that in front of the clients, I would've given you a serious answer."
"Ah, it was a joke, so don't get mad."
The elderly archer in the rear guard spoke up.
"Perhaps the subjugation was done sloppily."
"They skimped on money and got swiped—slash—by the demon slave?"
"That's the most likely scenario."
"Cheap slaves come with some risk. The one I used last time..."
"I know, it dragged you into a trap, right?"
"Yeah, so I smashed its skull... but I'm still pissed about it."
Priest Sillon muttered.
"This is the Great Forest, so anything can happen here."
"Huh? It's just a place where low-level monsters wander around at best?"
Archer Troa answered instead.
"Remi. The Great Forest you know is just a tiny part of it. It's so vast, and the deeper you go, the fiercer the monsters get. Why do you think even Solomon abandoned conquering the depths and forbade humans from entering?"
"It's from there that the rumor spread about one of the Seven Deadly Sins—a high-ranking demon noble who vanished after the War of Hegemony—hiding in the Great Forest."
"Got it. I'm on my guard, okay? Both of you, cut it out. I'm trying here."
Vanguard warrior Galeck stroked his chin and said.
"We should think about heading back soon. We've gone too deep. If we keep going, we'll end up even further from the entrance."
"We can't do that. Better to camp here tonight and head back in the morning. Time to find a place to sleep..."
At that moment, thief Blett spoke up.
"...Everyone, look over there?"
His rigid posture put them all on edge.
"What is... Huh?"
"That's..."
A dark cave mouth yawned open.
A bizarre entrance carved into a massive tree trunk captured their gazes.
The five pairs of eyes changed.
"Troa, check it out."
"No record of it. It's an undiscovered dungeon."
"It's a dungeon, right?"
"You can feel it. That bitter, acrid mana residue wafting from inside."
Priest Sillon said.
"If it's an undiscovered dungeon... how should we report it?"
"You aren't thinking of reporting it, are you?"
"Hmm..."
"Of course not! If we report an undiscovered dungeon... the central guild would have to send high-rank adventurers for surveying... and this place is far from the center with a backlog of work, so it'd take forever..."
"If the missing person got caught up in the dungeon, they might die in the meantime—is that what you're saying?"
"Y-Yeah! Exactly!"
Mage Remi spoke, and Sillon snorted.
"Remi. Just say you want to hog the rewards."
"Is it okay to be that honest?"
"No harm in it."
"We haven't had a decent haul in months... If we keep slurping up this sludge, we'll starve."
"You have a point. What do you all think? I agree with Remi. I didn't join this party just to maintain the status quo."
"You heard him, everyone? Sillon's on board too."
Thief Blett said with a uneasy expression.
"An unreported dungeon... could be dangerous."
"Who doesn't know that? We're just taking a peek. With our skills, we can run if it gets dicey."
"Still, I'm against it."
Two for, one against.
"I'm going in."
With warrior Galeck's approval, the majority agreed to enter the dungeon.
"Then... let's go in."
The hole, blasted open like it had been struck by lightning in the tree trunk, welcomed them.
As the sun set, their figures vanished.
* * *
[Intruder entry confirmed.]
[From this moment, dungeon defense begins.]
"They've entered."
Before the raid dungeon content update, dungeon entry was limited to 5 people.
That was how the developers designed it, and in this world, it was said that due to some past incident, adventurer parties had tacitly settled on 5 as the standard size.
Because of this, most dungeons sealed their entrances once 5 entered.
'Exactly five.'
The five filed into the dungeon entrance.
On the screen I watched from the dungeon's heart, their information displayed.
Warrior Galeck and all the way to mage Remi.
[Tip: Spy activities have not yet been unlocked. To view more accurate and detailed information than what's shown now, utilize spy activities.]
Even giving me a friendly tip in the midst of it.
"Master, why are you just watching? Shouldn't we kill all the intruders?"
"Phenex, Lord Faust wishes to test the power of his new familiars under his command."
"...Ah!"
With Lucifer answering for me, I could focus solely on the intruders on the screen.
Just from their gear, it was obvious.
Compared to their worn armor, their faces were too tense.
'Rookies.'
The group advanced into the forest.
The Rotten Roots Forest field was over twice the size of the nest where Agnea had roosted.
- Whoa, this is huge? Another massive underground forest?
- It's a whole other world.
- That Chamar guy or whatever might still be wandering around here.
These guys still saw this place as a joke.
- Blett, Troa. Feel anything?
- Well... I can tell it's awfully vast.
- We know that. The path... you're marking it, right?
- Leaving markers. Don't worry about getting back. Just worry about bedding down.
- Fair enough. It was already deep night when we entered... so prioritizing tonight over searching makes sense.
'A camping event, huh.'
Depending on when adventurers enter the dungeon, events change. A prime example: late-night entries usually lead to camping attempts.
'I thought it felt realistic back then too... but real reality hits different.'
Night had fallen, so they prepared to rest.
It was so natural, it felt oddly seamless.
- Over there! How about that spot?
- A hill. Good vantage point—we can look down from here. Perfect.
The adventurers settled in and lit a fire.
Conveniently, right near the poison mushroom trap I'd set.
- Huh? Check this out.
- Hampercap mushrooms? Should we grab some?
- Troa, give it a look.
- Hmm... No good.
- Why?
- White spore poison mushrooms. They look just like hampercaps, so people mistake them a lot.
[Archer Troa has detected the ★ White Spore Poison Mushroom Colony trap.]
As expected of a 1-star trap, easily spotted?
Still, there was a harvest.
'Every action the adventurers take gets recorded. Useful for analysis later.'
Trap success rates aren't determined solely by rank. Traps can be upgraded too, and success varies with upgrade levels, party composition, and party status.
'Without a sensitive class like thief or archer, they might've fallen for it easily.'
This was a dungeon.
Laden with countless traps, even one solid hit could inflict fatal damage.
As I pondered this and that, Lucifer spoke up.
"Lord Faust, the intruders seem to be resting now. Perhaps you should..."
"I'm good. I'll watch until the end."
"Shall I prepare some tea, then?"
Her kindness was starting to get to me a bit.
"You seem to like tea."
"I do. So I hope my lord does too."
"......"
I didn't particularly like tea.
Especially not here.
And if the day came when I consumed something here not for survival, but for pleasure...
That day would feel a little lonely.
'It'd be like accepting that human Kim Seojin was left alone here.'
Like resolving to adapt.
So, tea was a step too far.
I turned my gaze back to the screen.
'It's starting.'
- ……
- Keeek...
- Wh-what's that noise?
- Ambush! Weapons up. Sounds like goblins.
Pew-!
- Poison darts! Poison darts! Blett, shield with me!
- Magic incoming! Take this, you bastards!
Roarrr-!
Boom!
A battle unfolded in pitch-black darkness.
- Graaaah!
A hobgoblin leaped to ambush the priest.
- Not today!
Zing-!
'Ho...'
That old archer.
Not bad.
In the chaos, his arrow pierced the hobgoblin's skull dead-on.
- Hah... hah...
- You okay?
- Th-thanks. You saved my life.
The adventurer party fought decently.
'No... more like the current goblin lineup is too weak.'
The forest field's strength lay in synergy.
One infantry weakling? Sure. But an infantry swarm? Different story.
Overwhelm with numbers and crush the party—that was the forest field's edge. But it was still early, and there were too few familiars.
'The shaman's about to die soon.'
- Blett! Don't go far!
- Gotcha! You damn runt!
Splurt...
The goblin shaman's throat was slit by the thief.
'Even two 3-star familiars can't hold if they don't counter properly—they fall to rookies.'
The hobgoblin to the archer's lucky shot, the shaman isolated and slain by the thief.
But when dungeon defense succeeded, they'd regenerate in the Garden of Revival.
The dungeon core's power was absolute. Reviving even decapitated foes...
- Blett, that on your shoulder...
- Poison dart, I think. I'm fine—I've got resistance to poison. Just mild discomfort for a day. ...No big deal.
Hearing their chatter was possible even in the game, so no real disconnect.
Just the difference between reading text and hearing it.
'That said... is that poison really no big deal?'
Dungeon delving was like walking on thin ice. Careful from start to finish, you might cross safely. One slip, and disaster strikes.
- Good, then. More importantly, where'd these guys pour out from?
- Looked like a village in the direction that one fled.
- Yeah? Troa.
- Not far. No presences.
- We've slept enough. Let's check it out.
Rustle...
Rustle...
The adventurers arrived at the goblin village.
Here lay the second trap.
'Can they block this one too?'
I grew curious about what they'd face next. Like a hunter who'd set his snare and waited.
- Over here! Come check this out! Found something!
[★★★ False Elation Scent trap activates.]
[The trap stimulates greed in intruders within range.]
- Tr-treasure chest... A treasure chest.
- Open it! Blett!
- Already on it.
'They fell for it?'
- Wait! Everyone back! Could be a mimic...
[Archer Troa has detected the ★★★ Moss Mimic's perfect disguise.]
Clang-!
- Got it! Broke the lock...
Craaaack-!
The monster disguised as a treasure chest, the mimic, gaped its massive maw to swallow thief Blett whole.
Pewww-!
Boom!
Troa's arrow churned up the mimic's innards.
- Galeck! Now! Stab it!
- R-right!
Crunch!
With its true nature exposed, the mimic posed no threat.
'That old archer's the problem...'
- Get your heads straight! We almost died.
- St-stop yelling! I got it!
- Everyone's on edge. We need a break. We've been wandering the Great Forest for days to get here.
- Let's head back, to that spot earlier. We left our stuff there.
The screen showed them walking. A familiar path.
'The one I prepared with Bill beforehand.'
The prepared trap revealed itself.
Clank...
[★★ Poison Arrow Trap activates.]
- Wh-what's that sound!
- Down! It's a trap!
- Kyaaak!
Pewpewpewpewpew-!
- Khek!
A mere 2-star basic trap.
- Damn it! Blett! Why...
- F-fuck... my body's... so... sluggish...
The thief became a pincushion and died.
Death was sealed the moment he was hit by the goblin paralysis poison.
- Kyaaaaah!
- H-he's dead... Blett...
- Revive him, Sillon!
- I-it's impossible... I don't have that power...
As I said earlier, dungeon delving was like walking on thin ice. One mistake could lead to utter ruin.
- You idiots! Who gave you permission to shout...
Only the old archer seemed to sense what was coming.
Rumble...
Rumble...
- Wh-what's that noise?
- Something... is coming.
The party had progressed better than I'd expected. The old archer had saved them twice, exceeding my predictions.
But.
- Grraaah... So hungry...
"...Three times is the limit."
Adventurer's first rule: No loud noises during dungeon delves.
- R-run awaaaaay!
The foretold ruin arrived.