022. Royal Tomb 1
Central Continent secret outpost.
Beneath a ceiling thick with cigarette smoke stretched a long table. At its center sat a towering man flanked by knights arrayed in perfect formation to either side. When the giant narrowed his eyes, the room fell deathly silent. Everyone swallowed hard at his slightest movement.
Gulp.
There was good reason for their rapt attention. He was none other than a pureblood of the Grander family.
Gangble Grander. Known in the underworld by his moniker Black Foot, he commanded a vast network of connections. It wasn't an exaggeration to say that most shady deals on the continent involved him somehow. The world called him "Black Foot," oblivious to his Grander lineage.
…….
A heavy silence settled. Then Gangble, clad in his wine-red uniform, let out a hollow laugh and tilted his head back.
"Kekeke. So you got done in by the Bascons, and because of them, the kids in Shobe Cave slipped away…."
His boisterous cackle clashed with his massive frame. The knight before him knew it instantly—Gangble was displeased.
A man who saw the world through the lens of money, Gangble had no reason to be happy about losing kids he could've sold as dwarves for a fortune. The knight bowed his head swiftly.
"We have no excuses, Boss!"
Gangble's lips curved into a faint smile. He extended two cards to the knight standing before him.
"Pick one."
The curt command froze the knight in place.
"……!"
He knew what it meant. Heart meant survival. Diamond meant death.
A simple rule, yet one that decided life or death. The knight's trembling hand drew a card—and in an instant, one flew from Gangble's grasp.
Infused with mana, it severed the knight's head clean off.
Thud!
Blood sprayed into the air. Everyone's eyes widened.
"……!"
'A single card took his head….'
'No wonder he's a 3rd Class knight….'
It all happened in a flash. As tension gripped the room, the card fluttered down like a fallen leaf. When it hit the floor and flipped, it was—predictably—a diamond.
Gangble tossed his remaining card into the air for all to see. A heart fluttered aloft. He burst into that irreverent laugh again.
"Kekeke. As expected, the lowly scum have no luck. Is it that they can't make money because they're unlucky, or unlucky because they can't make money…?"
Gangble scanned the room before speaking.
"As you all know, those kids we turn into dwarves come from people snatched by various families. If word of this gets out, it'll be a headache."
"Yes, Boss!"
Boss. That was what the Red Death Squad called him here. Stiffened by their fallen comrade's headless corpse, they stood ramrod straight.
Gangble met each man's gaze in turn.
"First, divide into twelve squads and encircle the heart of the Gana Continent."
One knight, deeming it impossible, ventured a question.
"Boss, with our numbers, can we really surround such a vast area…?"
He trailed off. Gangble's expression had darkened. For a fleeting moment, he feared his own head might roll.
Gangble chuckled and flicked a gold coin from his pocket into the air.
Ting!
A leisurely smile spread across his face, as if to say, Have you forgotten who I am?
"Kekeke, forgotten this is the continent's center? If they try the woods instead of the main roads, the monsters there will make sure trash like them never get out."
"R-right you are."
His voice shook, but relief flooded his core. As the knight nodded, Gangble's lips quirked up.
"We'll comb the main routes and tighten the net inward."
The straightforward plan drew nods all around.
"Make sure you recover the Bascon brat and the kids for dwarf conversion. Fail, and you'll all end up as corpses. Got it?"
"Yes, Boss!"
Royal Tomb, Sector A.
A blue glow permeated the underground chamber, where countless tombs lined the walls. These held the remains of vassals who had served ancient kings. To reach the tombs of Gana Continent's past rulers, one had to pass through several areas: Sector A, then B, and finally C.
Bin had linked up with Codic and come here.
'Finally made it.'
Excitement thrummed through him more than usual. The key material for his plan—the Luminare—lay here.
Luminare. A sword even continent-top powerhouse Helden Grander coveted in his past life. It had the absurd ability to absorb enemy weapons' powers.
Bin clenched his fist, recalling the sensation of wielding it before his regression.
"If I can just claim a fang from the Cerberian in the Royal Tomb's Sector C…."
He couldn't even imagine how much stronger he'd be compared to now.
But the 2nd-grade monster Cerberian was no pushover. A three-headed dragon dwelling in Sector C, it had claimed countless lives. Legend said the vassals buried the king's bones and relics here to prevent grave-robbing.
In his past life, Bin had completed Luminare with Helden's help. But now, he faced a 2nd-grade monster alone.
Bin eyed his right arm meaningfully.
'Fail, and it's all over.'
Wrapped around the bandage on his right arm was a silken thread, deceptively delicate. But it was the dwarves' unbreakable masterpiece, Gleipnir.
Gazing at it, Bin recalled his conversation with Ront.
"What?! You're going after a Cerberian fang?!"
Ront's jaw dropped at the absurd request he'd never heard before. Bin pleaded again.
"One more time, I beg you. Lend me Gleipnir."
"Are you joking with me? A 5th Class knight hunting a 2nd-grade monster? Ha! What's this new suicide method? You're mad."
Wondering if the boy's head was right, Ront studied Bin's face. But his eyes didn't waver. He was dead serious.
Impressed by the resolve, Ront stroked his chin beard and pondered. Anxiety made him plant his staff and pace in a circle.
Thud. Clack. Thud.
Furrowing his brow, Ront finally asked,
"But why now? As the Bascon youngest, couldn't you get family help?"
"Impossible right now. Gangble's probably hunting us."
Ront scowled at the name. If Gangble showed up, there'd be no dealing with him.
From Ront's worried look, Bin gauged the man's influence. Ront tugged his beard and voiced his thoughts.
"I've thought of him, but… I'm planning to hide out and slip away."
Bin pounced on the flaw.
"What if he seals off the central continent's main routes?"
"Is that possible?"
"For a rich bastard like Gangble? Easily."
"Then…."
Ront fell silent. If Gangble blocked the roads, the monster-infested woods offered no escape.
Bin pressed on, reading Ront's face.
"He'll hire hordes with his money and squeeze us slowly, main routes locked down. Better to act than get cornered."
Bin remembered how Gangble solved everything with cash back then—and predicted his moves accordingly.
Ront agonized. To a dwarf like him, Gleipnir was precious.
"……."
At last, he pulled it from his pocket and handed it over—acquiescence.
"Gleipnir outshines any restraint, but only once a day. Use it wisely. And come back alive."
Bin smiled with utter confidence.
"Of course."
As Bin recalled Ront while traversing Sector A—
Thud! Thud!
Maidens in white emerged from the tombs, long hair cascading down. Their bluish skin flaked in patches, reeking like rotten fish. A chilling whisper scratched at their ears.
"Why did you abandon us?"
"Were we just one-night toys?"
"Did you think you'd get away with burying us alive?"
The sudden accusations continued. They spoke to Bin, but seemed entranced. Heads lolling unnaturally, eyes brimming with grudge, they closed in one by one.
Chicken skin prickled his flesh. Bin glanced around and addressed Codic.
"Skull, when I throw you, draw their eyes. I'll hit 'em from behind."
But Codic's response was uncharacteristically weak today.
"M-my liege… I, I didn't quite hear that."
Bin eyed his unexpected timidity.
"You scared?"
"M-my liege, I haven't eaten my sword yet…."
Codic was so spooked he couldn't even follow. Bin muttered,
"No wonder you've been quiet since we entered."
The reason was utterly unforeseen. Bin found it ridiculous seeing a rare skeleton quake in fear.
"……."
A cold dread crept in. Goosebumps rose on his back. One white-clad maiden lunged at him.
Swish.
"You too should writhe in the slow agony of darkness!"
But Bin sensed it and spun, slashing with Shabest.
Slice.
Her white garb split in two and hit the floor.
Thud.
Bin muttered low.
"Hey, save the nonsense for your coffin."