Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Kaiden Party (Complete)
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Layer 22 was the goal Kaiden had set for his party.
With that in mind, the party's remaining task was simply to wrap up this journey cleanly.
Following the standard protocols for crawlers, the Kaiden Party began tidying up the end of their expedition on Layer 22, the final stop of their journey.
The first step was locating the Return Stone.
Every layer of the dungeon has a Return Stone.
Regardless of the layer, Return Stones generally look the same.
They're octagonal pillars about two meters tall, with glowing blue runes etched on each face.
These stones can send eight people—one per face—back to the outside of the dungeon.
This convenient feature isn't some natural byproduct of the dungeon being a rift to another world; it's the gods' arrangement.
This place was once a rift to another realm, but half of it was also forged from the gods' power and flesh.
Well, I still think it's plenty convenient myself.
Thanks to the Return Stones, crawlers can explore the dungeon much more easily.
Otherwise, they'd have to climb back up every layer they descended.
Even setting aside supplies, they'd need to conserve enough strength for the ascent, limiting exploration to areas far short of what humanity has reached so far.
In any case, whenever a party enters a new layer, the first thing they must find is the Return Stone.
That way, if anything goes wrong, they can flee to it and escape the dungeon immediately.
"Found the Return Stone."
The guide, Miella, located it after half a day.
The blue runes on its eight faces glowed vividly, ready for use at any moment.
With only five party members, even if everyone used one, three returns would still be left over.
And the second step.
"Even if we don't go any deeper, let's map out this route."
Once the party's safety was secured, it was time to thoroughly survey the surrounding terrain.
The dungeon's ecosystem shifts constantly, so there's no need to memorize it deeply, but the terrain and environment rarely change.
Pinpointing the paths down to Layer 23 also makes planning easier for future visits to Layer 22.
"Layer adaptation seems complete."
Then came layer adaptation.
Upon entering a new layer, the body adapts to the mana lamps present there.
In this world—where even otherworlders like me don't get a status window—invisible level-ups like layer adaptation are one of the few perks.
Once adaptation finishes, the body becomes a bit sturdier, and mana reserves increase.
That's one reason my previous clients, including Kaiden, paid top dollar to hire me.
Even if it doesn't turn a profit or barely breaks even financially, the spec boost from layer adaptation makes it worthwhile.
Adaptation time varies by person and layer, but if the body is in suitable condition, it takes roughly two to three days.
The Kaiden Party had been too desperate to escape with their lives during the last expedition to adapt, but this dungeon run let them safely complete adaptation from Layer 20 to 22.
That doesn't mean they're ready to linger on Layer 22 without a supporter, but at least Layer 20 should be smoother next time.
"Now... shall we sort out the supplies?"
Dungeon expeditions to the mid-layers and beyond last anywhere from a light two weeks to a grueling half-year.
Crawler parties thus carry massive amounts of supplies into the dungeon.
Once the expedition goals are met and a Return Stone secured, they typically stay until the leftovers are consumed.
It's simple economics, really.
Even in the safety zone of Layer 12, consumables cost twenty to thirty times more than in Dungeon City.
The difference between a bottle of water in the city and one in the desert.
In the dungeon, materials from monsters are cheap, but supplies are pricey; outside, it's the reverse.
So they burn through remaining supplies while hunting monsters for materials.
In other words, converting supplies into materials!
Think of it as the crawler version of territory calculation in Go.
...Was that analogy too boomer?
"When our party makes it back to Layer 22 on our own next time, today's work will surely pay off big. Especially..."
Kaiden shuddered as he stared at the plateau's water puddle, looking utterly fed up.
Each Uisge.
A monster inhabiting the lakes of Layer 22's highland plateaus.
It looks like a seahorse crossed with a horse, but true to mid-layer standards, it wields seductive mental magic rather than brute force.
The problem is their lairs deep in the lakes—get lured in, and you're dragged underwater without a trace.
Water ghosts, basically.
Water is essential for human survival, bulky to carry, so it's usually sourced in-dungeon, making encounters inevitable. One of those spots where you really feel the dungeon's malice.
They'd also gained plenty of experience with monsters like Horned Serpents and Rock Birds.
Even took some on without my buffs midway.
It was rough, but they managed to hunt them down.
"...You, that thing."
"The expedition's over, isn't it?"
"...It's not fully done yet... Sigh... Whatever, I give up."
As I casually emptied the life water from my canteen to burn supplies, Miella shook her head in dismay.
I, of course, paid it no mind.
The highlands are breathtaking scenery minus the monsters—scenery that pairs perfectly with drinks on its own.
"...It's really over now."
With the remaining supplies doled out freely, the ten days' worth left dwindled to nothing in just two.
The bags once full of supplies were now stuffed with monster materials.
How they sell those at the Crawler Guild would determine this expedition's profits.
We gathered before the Return Stone.
"Heh. See ya."
"......"
Rask and Laira placed their hands on the Return Stone first.
The runes on two faces dimmed from blue as their bodies vanished.
Kaiden and Miella followed.
The Kaiden Party had safely returned to Dungeon City.
But I didn't touch the Return Stone.
Instead, I turned away and began walking slowly.
'...That area's shrouded in fog.'
'Yeah. The elevation, maybe?'
'Hmm. Wanna check it out?'
'Better not.'
'Too risky, huh?'
My footsteps halted before the fog-shrouded plateau Miella had spotted.
The highlands were choked with eerie mist, visibility near zero.
My paused steps resumed, heading straight into the fog.
Even with no sight ahead, my stride was steady.
The fog was this place's master's domain—but it was mine too.
But apparently, that didn't sit well.
—— — —- ———
It sounded just like wind crashing against wind.
My heart pounded, vertigo hit.
But that was it. I pulled a mana herb from my robes and lit it.
Inhaled deeply, letting its energy swirl, then exhaled—mind sharpening crystal clear.
— ——— — ———-
"Looks like something didn't go your way?"
——— — —- —!
"Sadly, I'm highly resistant to mental magic and curses. Perks of being a priestess."
————-
— - —
………
…
The grating noise faded, leaving the fog silent as a tomb.
"There you are. Worth the high price tag, huh? Took you long enough to show."
A shape emerged from the mist.
Three meters tall?
Towering height, gaunt build, disproportionately long arms—an eerie silhouette.
"Heard stories, but first time seeing you up close..."
I gripped the hilt of Keseff Heyrel.
"Lucky me."
Did it sense my amusement?
The figure in the fog shuddered violently, like wind-torn banners.
Simultaneously, its mere three-meter shadow ballooned to five, ten, nearly thirty meters in an instant.
—— — —-!
The dungeon's ecosystem is diverse.
Common monsters dominate most layers, alongside variants and subspecies.
Monsters like mountain trolls—singularly exceptional individuals—are called elite monsters.
But above even them are higher classifications.
Floor Lords.
One per layer: monsters among monsters.
And the identity of Layer 22's Floor Lord before me.
"Am Fear Liath Mòr."
A cannibalistic horror that blankets wide areas in fog, wielding curses to induce fear, despair, and crushing dread.
Normally, you'd need three or four parties with mental defenses, led by a supporter, to take one down.
Floor Lords are boss mobs, after all—playing by different rules than regulars.
It resides on Layer 22, but wouldn't lag behind Layer 42 monsters in specs.
If I'd planned to hunt it, I wouldn't have let the Kaiden Party return—not even if assembling a Floor Lord raid team.
But I didn't.
Though their limits—even buffed—are Layer 30, making it too risky.
Decisively.
"Too good to split the loot."
With the full Kaiden Party returned, the contract was complete.
From here, it was my solo run.
Naturally, all byproducts here were mine alone.
Infusing my mana, Keseff Heyrel gleamed with holy light.
The Am Fear Liath Mòr's colossal shadow quivered unstably against that radiance.
Divine energy has always been the natural predator of foul auras in the dungeon.
"Ready to go, Heyrel? Earn that pretty penny I dropped."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The plaza where Return Stones deposit you upon exiting the dungeon.
In Lemen Plaza, the Kaiden Party huddled with grave expressions.
"...Miss Arjen. Did something happen? Why hasn't she returned yet?"
Because Arjen, who'd been with them on Layer 22, still hadn't come back.
"Ambushed on the way?"
"Heh. That woman? You're joking."
Everyone nodded at Rask's denial.
Before parting, they'd all been at the Return Stone.
Even imagining Arjen ambushed and in peril, she could've escaped via the stone anytime.
"Then what could it be?"
"Strange things happen in the dungeon sometimes."
Even the usually taciturn Laira chimed in.
"Shouldn't we report to the guild first? No point agonizing over it ourselves."
Kaiden nodded at Miella's words.
If it was some dungeon whim at play, a mere mid-layer party like them wouldn't puzzle it out.
"Then—"
Flash—!
As Kaiden started to suggest heading to the guild, a return light erupted in Lemen Plaza.
One figure stepped from the glow.
"Arjen!"
"Miss Arjen... really ambushed?"
As the light faded, Arjen appeared—not her usual pristine self from the expedition, but somewhat disheveled.
Her priestess robes bore fresh tears and bloodstains, and the armor worn over them was scarred in places.
"Well..."
As the party's eyes turned to her, Arjen scratched her cheek with an embarrassed look.
"...Might've gotten cocky and underestimated it a bit."