Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: The Veteran's Stage - 2
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The final goal of this dungeon was to escape the maze and reach the bedroom where the cowardly emperor resided.
I remembered the trap locations, so there was no need to worry about those. The problem was the sentinels.
They didn't travel in groups, but each one possessed overwhelming power.
To put it in perspective, it was like having generals on the level of Xiang Yu, Lü Bu, and Guan Yu patrolling the maze to protect the emperor.
"It's best not to run into sentinels if at all possible, but that defeats the purpose. We're taking them all down without leaving a single one behind."
The reason we'd come to this ancient dungeon was Maribel's growth.
Rewards were just icing on the cake.
So ignoring the sentinels and slipping past wouldn't help Maribel grow one bit.
"Hold on. You're not seriously planning to make that little kid fight the sentinels, are you?"
"I'd have to be insane to give an order that reckless."
Sorry, Maribel, but even if she attempted an assassination instead of a head-on fight, she couldn't beat a sentinel at her current level.
Even Lena couldn't guarantee victory against these mobs scattered throughout the maze.
Considering the ancient dungeon itself was mid-to-late game content in the game, that was only natural.
"Then how do you plan to take down the sentinels?"
"I've got my ways."
We paused at a fork in the path splitting left and right once more.
I pulled a sound stone from my pocket—one I'd prepared in advance.
A stone that emitted noise when struck from the outside.
Gently gripping the sound stone, I signaled Maribel to prepare for battle.
"When I give the signal, dash out and sever the sentinel's neck. Got it?"
"Yes...!"
Resolute determination shone in Maribel's eyes.
With her mentally prepared, I hurled the sound stone forward.
*Zzzzt-! Zzztzzzzt-!*
An irritating, ear-grating noise rang out, followed by the sound of approaching footsteps.
As planned, the sentinel lured by the noise burst around the corner.
Spotting us, it gripped its crescent blade and bellowed.
"Fools who covet His Majesty's life! You deserve to die a hundred deaths!"
The sentinel charged me at astonishing speed.
Unable to track its movements with my eyes, I silently counted to five.
Then, one step. I advanced my foot, pressing the floor panel that triggered the trap.
"Kruk!"
The ground beneath the charging sentinel vanished, opening into a pit.
It fell in, but its bulk prevented it from dropping all the way, leaving it wedged with its upper body exposed.
Seeing the opening, I pointed at the sentinel. Maribel shot forward like an arrow.
The blade hovered over the neck of the sentinel struggling to escape.
"No matter how strong the sentinel, it can't withstand the cutting power of an adamantium dagger."
*Slash-!*
Maribel's dagger cleanly severed the sentinel's neck.
The moment the head, detached from its body, spun through the air and hit the floor.
"Ugh?!"
Maribel suddenly clutched her head and staggered.
Sensing the anomaly, I quickly restrained Lena as she moved to rush in.
It wasn't dangerous.
I shook my head, and she shot me a suspicious glance, demanding an explanation.
"Each sentinel has its own specialty. They often pass down fragments of their memories to the warrior who defeats them—as a mark of respect."
"Memories?"
"Insights and techniques honed through endless training. They infuse those memories into the victor's body, imparting the skills."
"No way...!"
In simple terms, defeating a sentinel granted a combat skill.
It was the equivalent of years of training from just one sentinel.
Given how ridiculously strong each one was, the rewards were guaranteed—high risk, high return.
"No side effects?"
"Probably not. She'll wield it as proficiently as if it had always been her own technique."
"Now I get why you said you'd hunt down every sentinel, Young Master."
"Pretty great, huh?"
That's why I frequented the Coward Emperor's palace like a regular every round.
It was the only place where you could farm skills.
As a dungeon I visited so often, I had every trap and mechanism memorized.
"You'll need to take down a few sentinels yourself, so get ready."
"Wouldn't it be better if you handled them...?"
"Me? It'd be pointless for me."
You gained skills, but it didn't enhance your body.
What good is learning a technique if your flesh can't keep up?
It was better for those equipped to master them—like her—to absorb everything.
"Then wouldn't it have been better to bring more people? Like Kizen or Coco—they could've helped a lot."
"More people isn't always better. It could actually make things riskier."
"Why?"
"Defeat a sentinel, and you inherit their skills. But if a sentinel kills you, it steals yours."
Sentinels absorbed the memories of those they defeated, claiming the skills as their own.
In other words, even one casualty would turn a sentinel into a monster wielding our allies' techniques.
I suddenly recalled a time when a healer got absorbed by one.
It was filthy strong and wouldn't even die to self-heals—a hellish ordeal.
"Unlikely, but if Kizen got taken down by a sentinel even once..."
"Just imagining it is horrifying."
"Well, the sentinel's absorption ability isn't entirely bad."
Defeating an enhanced sentinel let you absorb the ally skills it had claimed too.
You could deliberately feed essential skills from disliked characters to a sentinel, then have another absorb them.
That's how I'd occasionally crafted all-rounders bordering on ultimate weapons.
The infamous skill transfer exploit.
"The stronger the sentinel grows, the more skills you can learn from it."
"Even knowing that trick, I have no desire to empower sentinels. I've seen countless cases where greed led to disaster."
"True enough."
Besides, this wasn't a game—it was reality.
I felt repulsed at the idea of shoving people to their deaths just to covet their skills.
Unless the target was a Nidhogg Cult member, anyway.
Unfortunately, the cult had never once followed into ancient dungeons like the Coward Emperor's palace.
Regrettable, but we'd have to settle for sentinel skills.
"Sorry for worrying you, Heinz."
"It's fine. How's your body feeling?"
"No problems. It's just... my own body feels like it isn't mine anymore. It's unsettling."
Maribel picked up the sentinel's crescent blade, lying abandoned on the floor.
Even swinging it in the cramped space, she didn't nick the walls—perfect proficiency.
Maribel wielded the crescent blade with flawless poise, utterly devoid of wasted motion.
"I've never held this weapon in my life, yet it feels like an old companion I've had for years."
"Perfect. Let's head to the next sentinel! With traps like this one, we can drop them easily!"
Some sentinels resisted traps, but it wasn't a major concern.
Once they mastered enough techniques, they'd be able to face sentinels head-on.
The super solo... no, super assassin project had begun.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Only four of us left?"
"Three survivors, one injured, thirty-one dead, fifteen missing..."
"If I'd known it'd turn out like this, better to have waited at the entrance for an ambush. I misjudged."
Unaware that Heinz had veered right, the Nidhogg Cult followers had plunged into the left passage.
The bold group that had charged into the maze was nowhere to be seen, leaving only ragged stragglers.
They were paying dearly for challenging the Coward Emperor's palace.
"What about the way back?"
"We triggered a mechanism. The retreat is completely sealed."
"Properly trapped now."
"Heinz Altesia is probably dead somewhere in the maze by now."
"Likely. We could've achieved our goal just by waiting, but we took this pointless detour."
The greed to witness the target's death firsthand.
Compounded by the urge to test their mettle in the ancient dungeon.
Frederio Avalt, the sixth knight of the Nidhogg Cult, let out a deep sigh at the current mess.
"Keep moving."
"Frederio, can't we rest a bit? Everyone's hitting their physical limits."
"......"
Frederio had no desire to keep dragging the remnants around.
To him, ordinary followers were just interchangeable parts.
Instead of helping, they were holding him back. Frederio drew his sword.
He planned to slaughter them and navigate the labyrinth alone, but he changed his mind.
"No, no need to dirty my own hands."
"Frederio? Why draw your sword?"
Frederio swung, carving cuts across the Achilles tendons of the remaining cultists.
Blood flowed along the lines, followed by a chorus of screams.
"Arghhh!"
"Ughhh!"
"Patrolling soldiers will be here soon. I'll slip away in the meantime."
"Wh-why...!"
"Fulfill your value as expendables."
Leaving the cultists unable to take a single step, Frederio pressed onward.
From the exact opposite direction he was heading, a sentinel approached, shaking the ground with each footfall.
The cultists wailed for salvation, only to meet brutal deaths at the sentinel's hands.
"Finally, some peace."
*Click-!*
Just then, he stepped on a panel that rearranged the maze, allowing him to evade the sentinel's pursuit.
But it wasn't mere luck.
"Young Master, there's a survivor over there."
"Someone else entered this maze besides us?"
"And he's got a black dragon emblem emblazoned on his chest."
Instead of a blocked retreat, a new path opened—leading Frederio straight to the target he'd entered the maze for.
For him, who'd hoped for Heinz's death, it seemed like a golden opportunity. But he couldn't act rashly.
Because of Maribel and Lena, trampling sentinel corpses with an arsenal of weapons slung across their backs.
'What the hell? Just girls who only know assassination, but this pressure... what is it?!'
Cold sweat trickled down Frederio's spine.
His breathing grew ragged, color draining from his face.
'Fear? Me, an elite knight of the cult, quaking before mere assassins...?'
He couldn't accept it.
Frederio desperately willed his rigid body to move.
By the great black dragon's will, sever the enemy's throat with a keen blade.
The moment he began overcoming his fear and igniting his resolve.
*Shing-!*
Maribel's hurled crescent blade hurtled toward Frederio, radiating draconic ferocity.
He deflected it with his sword, but the exquisite spear-throw left his arm numb as if paralyzed.
In that instant, three arrows slipped through the joints in his armor, piercing flesh.
"Kuh!"
Lena, once known only for dagger throws, had unleashed archery skills rivaling a divine archer.
She poured arrows without cease, herding Frederio into a dead-end alley.
The walls meant to evade sentinels now boxed him in.
Maribel drew to finish it—not a dagger, but a longsword.
No flaws whatsoever in the Maribel before his eyes. Frederio's pupils began to tremble.
'I heard Altesia's wastrel only kept assassins as escorts...?'
These two displayed prowess that defied any notion of mere assassins.
Slender girls in appearance, but their stances evoked veterans who'd honed martial arts for over a century.
Though his raw power might prevail, Frederio sensed the yawning chasm in technique.
Convinced of his doom, he dropped his sword.
That was when the chill of the blade loomed at his throat.
"Wait!"
Heinz, who had watched impassively, halted Maribel.
Heinz had calmly observed the entire scene.
In the solemn tension, Frederio inwardly dared to hope for mercy.
"Let's feed this one to a sentinel!"
No mercy whatsoever.
