Chapter 116
Chapter 116
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: Sun, Moon, and Stars - 1
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I tossed a few gold coins to Chin and headed straight to the ruin entrance with Lucille.
"Master. Is it really okay if it's just the two of us?"
"It's enough."
"Um..."
- "Kuaaaack!!"
A horrific scream echoed from the dark passage leading into the ruin. Along with it came the sound of something vibrating and moving.
- Crack! Crunch! Cracrack!!
It was the sound of flesh tearing and bones breaking. Just hearing it was enough to send chills down one's spine, and Lucille halted her steps, visibly tense.
No, she wasn't the only one tense.
The rookie adventurers and mercenaries, who looked green at a glance, were breaking out in cold sweats and stopping in their tracks.
But the veterans were different.
"Where is it?!"
"Let's go grab the gear!!"
"That gear's mine!!"
The guys who had been eyeing opportunities from the entrance dashed forward. Moments later, a few of them emerged carrying gear, food, and such, still stained with blood and bits of flesh.
Was it because of their attitude, showing no respect for the dead?
One of the rookie adventurers finally couldn't hold it in, vomited, and fled.
"Master..."
Lucille's face paled slightly; this was clearly a first for her.
Well, she wouldn't normally witness scenes like this.
Even among the adventurers I introduced her to, there were plenty of crazies, but they still had limits.
Beyond those guys, there were adventurers and mercenaries who far surpassed the term "troll."
"Guys like that are called hyenas."
The easiest way for adventurers and mercenaries to make money was simple.
By taking what belonged to others.
Why risk delving into dangerous dungeons or hunting monsters? Just rob easy marks.
But the adventurer and mercenary guilds aren't idiots.
If they let that slide, trust among members would hit rock bottom, so they made rules. In the end, they chose the hyena method.
Unlike dungeons, these ruins have no entry limits.
Instead, they're riddled with traps, overflowing with defenses, and the monsters living inside respawn endlessly thanks to the ruin's core.
That's why hyenas can thrive.
By taking the belongings of the dead in the ruins.
"...Look over there. Those idiots didn't even bring trap disarming tools?"
"No frontliners either... Scrawny bunch, but their gear looks pretty good."
"Should we lure 'em? To the bottomless pit room?"
They follow those likely to die in the ruins and claim their stuff when they do.
Blatant malicious glares were now fixed on us. Lucille bit her lip slightly under the obvious ill intent.
"The Mage Guild's exam being ruin exploration is partly because of this."
This world is incredibly dangerous, full of people who feign kindness while leading you to death.
That's why, when learning ultimates, you also learn to distinguish it.
"So, to grasp an ultimate, you need to recognize others' malice too...?"
"Yeah. Can't let someone with great power go down the wrong path. Easiest way to achieve that is distinguishing malice."
"Aigoo~ Hey there! First time in the ruins? Tough luck. Lovers? Or maybe big bro and little sis?"
A squinting middle-aged man approached with a beaming smile. From his look, he was a thief. Not here to steal, but to drum up business.
"Name's Ullekrin. As you can see, I'm a thief. You two look like mages... Mages going in alone will get trapped and croak. So, gotta team up. That's the gist."
Ullekrin pointed behind him. There stood a lizardman warrior and a mantis-like humanoid warrior resembling a masked rider.
"We just happen to lack mages. How about partying up with five? Not a dungeon, so no headcount limit, right?"
I looked at Lucille. She needed to distinguish malice and goodwill herself.
After hesitating, Lucille slowly shook her head.
"Sorry."
"Yeah? Can't be helped then. Here, take this."
"What's this?"
"One of the first-floor traps spews sleep gas. These are salt candies—chew one to boost resistance."
"Ah. I see."
Lucille took the two candies wrapped in cheap paper, thought for a moment, then smiled brightly.
"But why give these to us...?"
"Sigh. You remind me of my daughter. Like a daughter. Anyway, be careful~! If you need party members later, or for ruin dives, or locked treasure chests, hit me up~!"
Undeterred by the rejection, he walked off. Lucille glanced at the candy in her hand, then touched the ring on her finger.
To use the magic stored in the ring: 'Appraisal.'
"...Master. This is..."
"Just salt candy, right?"
"Uh... yeah. Honestly, I thought that guy poisoned it. And him... wasn't he one of the hyenas who rushed in when the scream happened?"
"Right."
"But why show goodwill?"
"Not all hyenas are villains."
Coveting the dead's belongings doesn't make you evil by default.
And diligently exploring doesn't make you a saint either.
As we entered the ruin and walked the passage with Lucille, a group of mercenaries ahead glanced back at us. Their scouting thief whispered to their leader, who then stormed over, growling.
"Hey. Wanna freeloading? Pay up."
"Pardon?"
"We're the ones disarming traps and all as we go?!"
The rough-looking mercenary placed a hand on his weapon. The four behind him nodded, and Lucille asked, puzzled.
"But we haven't seen a single trap so far?"
"Th-that's true, but! We're still scouting ahead for safety!"
"So?"
"Pay up!!"
"If you don't wanna pay..."
"You'll have to go ahead of us."
Their vibe was off. As they grinned coldly and started surrounding us, I explained to Lucille.
"Among folks heading the same way, plenty try using easy-looking ones as sacrificial lambs. These aren't hyenas. Their goal is just exploring and conquering the ruin."
"And they still pull this?"
"Great trap detection gear, that's why. People, I mean."
It's a method for those lacking confidence or ability in trap detection and disarming.
Of course, players can use captured enemies as trap detectors after combat victories during ruin dives.
We'd agreed to call them "tactical temporary defensive gear."
"Crazy bitches. Don't you get the situation?"
"Hand over all your gear and scout ahead! Or else..."
One mercenary, watching me teach Lucille in disbelief, charged. I fed him a power punch.
- Powwww!!
He hadn't recognized me, so I figured he was a noob mercenary with weak skills—and I was right.
One power punch left him flailing, barely conscious. I reached out to him immediately.
"Huh? Wh-what?! Why's the monk coming at me? Why's he getting sucked in?!"
"What?! What?! Wasn't he a monk? That's a shaman's telekinesis?!"
- Bammmm!!
"And against trash like this, best to just beat 'em down no questions asked."
Pulled in by telekinesis, hit again, and flung back—the guy finally passed out.
Seeing that, the remaining ones' faces changed.
"M-my body won't move!"
"This... this is Bind?! Magic!"
"P-power punch, telekinesis... m-magic too?!"
"Eek... I've h-heard of it...! The monster who can use every skill!! The Sage! It's the Sage!!"
I transformed Moonlight into a sword.
"Master. Is it okay to just kill them like that?"
I stroked the worried Lucille's head to reassure her.
Stuff like this happens a lot, honestly.
"Yeah? Well... I'd get a penalty from the mercenary guild."
"Even so..."
"If they catch me."
With that, I unleashed a sword wind, decapitating the ones bound by Bind.
"And honestly, even if caught, no big deal."
I'm an S-Rank mercenary, after all.
One perk exclusive to S-Ranks: the guild doesn't punish mercenaries for killing each other.
"Really?"
"Of course, the tradeoff is I can't complain if I'm attacked either."
"Uh... th-then, isn't that dangerous?"
"Doesn't matter. If they can attack, let 'em try."
I switched Moonlight to a staff and slammed it down lightly. Shadows dormant around me unfurled, absorbing the corpses.
What emerged were shadow puppets.
If you bring an advanced or higher shaman on a party ruin dive, you can repurpose killed attackers this way as tactical temporary defensive gear.
"...It's tough. Someone you think is dangerous shows goodwill, and someone harmless reveals malice."
Seeing Lucille not hiding her confusion reminded me of my old self, and I chuckled.
"You'll get used to it with practice."
Yeah. You really do get better at distinguishing with experience.
I recalled my real-world days.
Telling who wants to kill you and who wants to save you was hard at first for me too.
But eventually, practice made it click.
My reason for joining the ruin dive was to teach Lucille her ultimate—not the nitty-gritty of ruin exploration.
So I skipped teaching defense bypassing, trap detection/disarming, etc.
If a trap popped, I'd disarm it; poison, I'd detox; enemies, we'd fight together to stock tactical temporary defensive gear.
How far did we get like that?
When I hit my max of thirty tactical temporary defensive gear, Lucille was panting.
"Haa... haa... This is rough."
No wonder. Even if first floor's just weak foes, we'd fought seventeen battles including defenses, monsters, and ambushes.
"A bit further and we'll hit the second-floor entrance. Let's rest there. Those spots are safe zones—no fighting allowed."
"Y-yeah..."
She'd burned plenty of mana from the nonstop fights, looking exhausted, but Lucille followed my lead obediently.
Reaching the first-floor safe zone, we filled up on bread and jerky, then recovered mana via meditation.
Once ready, we descended the stairs to basement level 2, greeted by corridors more intricate than the first floor.
"Generally, the deeper these ruins go, the riskier it gets—traps and monsters get more sophisticated. So..."
- Clang!! Clang!!
As I explained, weapon clashes echoed from ahead.
What now from the start...
Trap? Monster?
Or a fight?
Thought about bypassing the commotion, but it was a single path—no way around.
Pressing on, we found adventurers and mercenaries battling guys who had seized the room's defense mechanism.
- Slash!!
"Ugh!!"
"Pathetic! So pathetic! Uhahaha!!"
The adventurer, slashed on the arm, retreated in frustration. The massive swordsman mocking him spun his blade, sneering at those stuck in the corridor.
"You lot lack the qualifications to pass!!"
A burly, fierce-faced mercenary swordsman looking like a bandit. Flanking him: two female mages, a shaman for heals behind, and two archers on standby.
Small-time mercenaries had claimed the defense, set up camp, and were blocking the way.
"Damn it!! Gather more people!"
"Those bastards! I'll kill 'em all!"
"Call everyone from the first-floor safe zone!"
"Hahaha! Call whoever! No one passes unless they defeat Lugal Eberency here!!"
"Damn it! Why's an S-Rank mercenary pulling this crap here!!"
Despite the shouts and rage, Lugal just smirked, attacking all comers.
"Headache. Hmm... Guess we start by taking out the archer on the right..."
"Nah. No need."
I pushed through the crowd into the room with Lucille. Spotting us, Lugal grinned and raised his sword.
"Oh! New challenger's... Huh?"
He tilted his head.
Rubbing his eyes repeatedly while staring, he freaked out and yelled.
"No way?! Sage?! Meeting you here?!"
"...Master. You know this guy?"
"Yeah."
I waved at the guy beaming like crazy.
"I cured his parents and sibling's incurable diseases. Been a while, Lukal."
Cleared his quest then, snagged an achievement too.
"Perfect timing. Did Cecil pass through here by any chance?"
"The Archduke?"
"Yeah."
He thought a moment, then nodded. Approaching me, he whispered so others couldn't hear.
"Actually, we were hired by Archduke Cecil. She told us to block the path."
Cecil?
Why?
He just shrugged sheepishly at my look.
"No idea on my end. We mercenaries just take the pay... But... whatever's here—the Records of Sun, Moon, and Stars—is super dangerous, can't let just anyone touch it, she said. You know what that is?"
"...Yeah."
Too well, that's the problem.
I'd hoped it wouldn't come up.
"How long ago did they go in?"
"About... seven hours. And she said don't let anyone pass unless they beat me."
Beyond that, he hadn't asked much, but Cecil, her closest aide and mentor Karin Cloud, and a bunch of bikini-armored knights had gone with her.
Bringing only elites, she's dead serious.
With their firepower...
They'll hit the third floor in at least 24 hours.
"Then let's us pass too."
"Ahem! Even if you're my benefactor the Sage, I'm a mercenary! Can't ignore the client's request!!"
He bellowed, gripping his weapon.
If he wants to fight, fine by me.
I'd never dodged a fight coming my way anyway.
"Lucille."
"...Yes."
If I drop Lukal, his backups jump in. Then Lucille hits 'em with magic, I close in and finish.
"Huuu..."
Deep breath in, out.
This guy's an S-Rank mercenary too, ultimate-wielding warrior.
Not some pushover like the earlier trash.
So...
I shifted Moonlight to a staff, charged, and swung to check him.
"Uwaaa~! Got me~~"
Not even grazed, Lukal dramatically rolled on the floor, then yelled at me.
"Ugh... Y-yes, as expected of the Sage... You have ample qualifications... Clear the path!!"
"...Smart guy."
"Heh."
The request was to let only those who could beat him pass.
Keeps the job, opens for his benefactor me?
"Bit rude to say, but... you look like a bear but act like a fox."
"Learned not to judge by appearances, right?"
Lucille glanced back. Lukal, who had flopped over declaring defeat, was now brazenly back up, growling at the finger-sucking crowd.
"Yeah, really. Oh, Master. What's this Records of Sun, Moon, and Stars that Archduke Cecil's after?"
"That thing... Ha. Fuck."
"...M-Master, first time hearing you swear."
Even I, who rarely curses, couldn't hold back this time.
Because the Records of Sun, Moon, and Stars appearing means...
The Eight Stars' Guardians DLC: 'Outer God of Time' has been added to this world.
...More achievements to grind now.
Damn it.
Author's Note
See you at 10 o'clock later~!