Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Arc Lich's Dungeon Inspection (2)
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The adventurers were climbing the steep terrain of the mountain range.
"How long do we have to keep going up? Wasn't the dungeon supposed to be nearby?"
But contrary to what was marked on the map, there was no sign of the actual dungeon anywhere.
Even looking around yielded the same result.
This was already their umpteenth false alarm.
The adventurers were starting to get irritated.
"Those guild bastards must be getting fat selling us these cheap-ass maps."
The map they had was one purchased from the Adventurer's Guild.
The guild had banned entry to the mountains but continued selling maps that marked terrain and dungeons normally.
Yet none of them were accurate.
And since the maps weren't cheap either, everyone was venting their frustration.
"Maybe."
Ice-element mage Isrin spoke up.
"There really is something up there. That's why the noble took on the request."
Isrin's argument was fairly reasonable.
"That makes sense."
The burly man nodded in agreement with her words.
It was warrior Grecto.
A massive shield in his right hand and a huge greatsword in his left—Grecto's appearance was truly awe-inspiring.
An ordinary person would need tremendous strength just to lift a shield that size.
But Grecto held the shield and sword as lightly as if they were toys.
"Our goal isn't dungeon exploration in the first place. It's a request to recon the mountains overall and check for any anomalies."
As everyone turned to him, Grecto shrugged and continued.
"Like Isrin said, we don't know if something's happening in the mountains. Worst case, we might be the lab rats tasked with finding out."
Lab rats.
In his words, it meant every adventurer here had become an experimental guinea pig.
There might really be something going down in the mountains.
Perhaps the mountain entry ban was related.
And the Adventurer's Guild and nobles might have colluded to set this up to uncover it—that was Grecto's claim.
"Damn! No wonder they paid so damn much."
Normally, they'd brush off such a claim as ridiculous, but this request was way too suspicious.
The advance payment alone was enough for each person here to live idly for a year.
At first, they'd assumed it was just some generous noble throwing money around.
Drawn in by the huge sum, they hadn't thought too deeply about it.
Besides, the request itself was simple.
Just recon the mountains and survey the terrain—no big deal.
"......"
But that wasn't the case anymore.
All the maps from the Adventurer's Guild had been wrong so far.
They hadn't checked every spot, but they'd been striking out nonstop.
This went beyond faulty maps.
As everyone pondered gravely, Nariel up front shouted.
"Th-there are footprints over there...!"
There were indeed footprints imprinted there.
But they were awfully faint.
Just barely pressed into the dirt path.
If not for Nariel, their guide, they might have overlooked them entirely.
"Looks like someone beat us here. Nariel, any idea what kind of footprints?"
At Grecto's words, Nariel peered intently at them.
They were faint, but fortunately distinctive.
"Um... four in total."
Nariel kept describing the features.
"The weird part is, all but one look like monsters. Yeah, three out of four seem like skeletons."
The shapes of the three creatures' prints matched bone structures.
Easy enough to identify as some kind of skeleton.
"Skeletons?"
Grecto burst out laughing at her words.
"What, we got spooked by a bunch of puny skeletons? Hahaha!"
Facing the unknown is always frightening.
But when you know exactly what you're up against, like now, it was no big deal.
Skeletons, no less.
"So what's the remaining one? Not a monster?"
Grecto laughed heartily before clearing his throat and asking another question.
"Ah, yeah. It's wearing shoes, so I can't tell."
Unlike the bone prints, one was imprinted with the shape of footwear.
"But it gives off a weird vibe."
"Weird vibe?"
"I don't know what it is exactly, but that's the feeling."
That was the end of Nariel's explanation.
Hearing that, Grecto turned away like it was nothing.
He'd already gotten a rough read, so no more need for Nariel.
To sum up: four opponents.
Three skeletons.
The other one wearing shoes.
'Black mage, maybe.'
Of course, it could be a monster.
Monsters equipped themselves like humans sometimes.
"Whatever."
He didn't know who the fourth was, but three were definitely skeletons.
This party had more than enough power to wipe out skeletons without issue.
So no worries.
Grecto addressed the group.
"Those footprint owners might be the ones we're after."
Maybe the culprits screwing with the maps.
And scouting the mountains meant they'd run into them eventually.
"Since we're here, let's split into two groups. Sound good?"
Grecto's proposal: divide the adventurer party in two.
One group tracks the footprints to chase the unknowns.
The other backtracks the direction the footprints came from.
Of course, they were so faint the trail might cut off midway.
But way more efficient than blindly combing the mountains.
Everyone nodded at his words.
Just moments ago they'd been scared, but now it was fine.
If anything, they just wanted to wrap it up quick and collect their pay.
The adventurers began splitting into two groups as Grecto suggested.
"Nariel, you're with the tracking team for now."
Nariel, in her brimmed hat, gave a slight nod.
Her role was guide.
Made sense for tracking.
As the adventurers busied themselves dividing up, Nariel cautiously eyed a nearby tree.
'The tree's trembling.'
The reason she excelled as a guide wasn't just her agility.
She could sense nature itself.
But it was a secret she hadn't told anyone.
Nariel caressed the tree.
It was trembling fiercely.
She closed her eyes and shared its emotions.
'Darkness.'
Darkness without end.
'And desire.'
Desire lurked within that darkness.
'Finally, greed.'
Endless greed unfurled.
Nariel opened her eyes, gripped by fear.
"What in the world..."
It was an indescribable feeling.
Steam rose gently.
Warm vapor kissed the ceiling, forming droplets that fell to the floor.
In a sunken basin, colorful slimes mingled with the hot water.
A slime bath.
And in the center of the slime bath.
"Clack."
There was the Arch Lich.
The Arch Lich's bones gleamed and shimmered in the warm water.
Sticky slimes scrubbed every nook and cranny of his skeleton.
A faint acidity emanated from the slimes, but it was nothing to the Arch Lich.
If anything, it felt refreshing.
"Clack."
Bathing in the warm slime bath was bizarre yet utterly fantastic.
The Arch Lich wore a satisfied smile on his face.
The slimes weren't just cleaning the Arch Lich—they polished the shoes he'd been wearing, too.
The fancy-looking shoes were one of Scole's 'small tokens of appreciation'.
"Clack."
The Arch Lich commanded the skeletons attending him from the side to join in.
They hesitated at first, only entering the bath after he repeated the order.
"Clack."
The Arch Lich was pleased.
Enjoying it alone would be bribery.
But sharing it with everyone?
Just ordinary hospitality.
They soaked for quite a while before emerging from the bath.
The Arch Lich nodded and lifted his notebook.
Fountain pen from Scole in one hand, he recorded smoothly.
- Sticky Puddle Dungeon: No issues.
This wasn't favoritism.
There really were no problems.
The current master of 'Sticky Puddle' Dungeon was a 3-star King Slime.
True to its name, it was larger than regular slimes—and its combat prowess looked no joke.
"Quue!"
The King Slime roared.
- A roar befitting a dungeon master. Most impressive.
Poses a significant threat to adventurers.
Based on observations like these, the Arch Lich recorded thoroughly.
This dungeon's entry wrapped up quickly.
"Clack."
At the Arch Lich's word, the skeletons exited the slime bath.
Now it was time to depart.
The skeletons took up their positions.
Notebook-holding skeleton to the Arch Lich's left; fountain pen skeleton to his right.
The one behind carried Scole's 'small tokens' along with packs made from slime mucus.
The King Slime had gifted them, saying they'd be more effective applied as packs.
The Arch Lich nodded and left the slime dungeon.
Already two of the four dungeons inspected.
[Red-Headed Tribe] - Complete, no anomalies.
[Sticky Puddle] - Complete, no anomalies.
Two dungeons remaining.
[Fog-Shrouded Village]
[Demon Realm Scraps]
After pondering the next destination, he decided on the nearer 'Demon Realm Scraps' Dungeon.
The Arch Lich and skeletons set off.
All of them undead.
No need for rest, they marched on relentlessly.
Walk and walk.
Repeating this, they soon arrived at the dungeon.
[Demon Realm Scraps]
A skeleton soldier stood guard out front. Spotting the Arch Lich, it rushed over.
"Clack!"
It saluted with a resounding clack.
The Arch Lich nodded.
- Prompt actions. Grounds for commendation.
Truth be told, it wasn't so much promptness—undead didn't sleep or rest.
This skeleton soldier had stood at the entrance nonstop since the 'Demon Realm Scraps' Dungeon spawned.
Never once left its post.
As the Arch Lich entered, the soldier resumed guarding the entrance.
"Clack!"
"Clack!"
The moment the Arch Lich entered the dungeon, all inside greeted him.
'Demon Realm Scraps' Dungeon was composed entirely of skeletons.
Skeleton swordsmen, of course, but also archers and mages.
Even lower ranks existed.
Soldiers, apprentice archers, magic trainees, and so on.
A skeleton knight sidled up to the Arch Lich, rubbing its hands.
The dungeon's master: 3-star Skeleton Knight.
Originally a 2-star Skeleton Swordsman, it had evolved to 3-star upon serving the great master.
Clack-clack.
Clatter-clatter.
A close look revealed their bones trembling faintly as they greeted the Arch Lich.
They genuinely feared him.
Inspector Arch Lich.
An existence dispatched from a superior dungeon for inspection.
And above all, one who could make them explode.
One of the Arch Lich's skills was Corpse Explosion.
Detonating undead monsters of lower rank than the caster.
But the Arch Lich was 5-star.
Every skeleton here fell within his skill's range.
The dread that their bones might explode at any whim made them quake.
To them, the Arch Lich was more than an inspector—a source of sheer terror.
"Clack."
The Arch Lich opened his mouth.
The inspection was about to begin.