Chapter 26
Chapter 26
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Gold Solis Party
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"This is invalid!!"
Lionel woke the camp that morning instead of the rooster.
"This duel is invalid! Rusted Silver pulled some dirty trick!"
Of course, no one watching Lionel thrash about like that was looking at him kindly.
It was a pretty ugly sight, the duel had ended hours ago, and aside from those on night watch, it was too early for anyone to be up.
But ignoring the irritated glares around him, Lionel scanned the area with a face full of grievance and shouted.
"There's no way I'd lose in a fair fight!"
"Hey."
Gold Solis's voice, packed with all sorts of suppressed emotions, made Lionel flinch mid-rant.
"The duel was fair, and you lost, Lionel. It's over."
"But!"
"Or are you saying you're dissatisfied with me as the witness?"
Veins bulged on Gold Solis's tanned skin, like well-cured leather.
"That's..."
"Even if you claim Rusted Silver tricked me and fooled my eyes... do you think that excuses your loss?"
"......"
At Gold Solis's words, Lionel shuddered like he'd been stabbed with a spear, his face flushing red.
Even if there had been some trickery, it was absurd for a mid-floor Crawler looking down on the lower floors to lose to some newbie who'd just become a Crawler.
"Besides, we clearly agreed yesterday's duel would settle all grudges."
Contempt flashed across Gold Solis's face.
"Know some shame, warrior."
At those words, Lionel's mouth flapped open and shut like a crucian carp before finally clamping shut.
As the commotion died down, people clicked their tongues and returned to their spots to prepare for the unexpectedly early morning.
Lionel, feeling like the whole world was mocking him, trembled with fists clenched tight.
"...Fuck."
Watching him scratch his head vigorously in a daze, I thought to myself.
'He won't last long.'
I had a gut feeling Lionel would cause trouble soon.
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Unfortunately, trashy premonitions like this—which never led to any gain—tended to hit the mark.
After the duel, Lionel had holed up in the camp like a corpse.
Yohan was recovering from the backlash of buffs too strong for his current body, but even so, Lionel stuck with the four guys he usually ran with, despite his weakened state.
On my way back to camp at a leisurely pace, considering Yohan's condition, what I witnessed was...
Sfxk-!
"Kyaat-!"
"This psycho actually swung!"
"You... you bastards dare look down on me too!"
Lionel slashing another guest's arm with his sword.
It wasn't fully severed at the forearm, but the gash was deep enough to expose bone—a wound that could prove fatal from blood loss if left untreated.
Stimulated by the blood splattered on the camp floor, perhaps?
"How dare you... how dare you... you worm bastards... nobodies like you..."
A dangerous glint entered Lionel's eyes.
"That's enough."
I didn't know the full context.
But...
'Even I can't save the dead.'
Thinking he'd rack up a body count if left alone, I stepped in to stop Lionel.
"You... you... Rusted Silver."
"Yes, that's me. Calm down first."
Ignoring Lionel snarling with his bloodied sword at his side, I approached the guest clutching his slashed arm and groaning.
"Ugh..."
"Hold still."
Luckily, the cut was remarkably clean.
By my previous life's standards, it was a gruesome mortal wound, but in this world—with magic, blessings, and healing potions—it was actually an easy type to treat.
I cast Blessing of Recovery, and the wound closed up in no time.
"The tendons should have reattached cleanly, but just to be sure, could you clench and unclench your fist a few times?"
The guest, who had been groaning from pain and blood loss moments ago, stared blankly as the wound vanished and the pain ebbed away. He followed my instructions, flexing his hand repeatedly.
"Looks good."
Leaving the guest—who bowed his head in thanks—I stood and turned to Lionel.
"You really caused a major incident this time, Mr. Lionel."
My eyes narrowed as I regarded him.
"You know fighting between Crawlers inside the dungeon is a serious crime, right?"
"You... you bitch!"
"Ah... I went to all the trouble of cleaning up yesterday's mess for you, and you can't even stomach it."
"Don't make me laugh! None of this would have happened without you!"
"Is this my fault too? You're not a kid—stop being so unreasonable."
At my words, the other guests nodded with venomous expressions.
They had nearly suffered greatly at Lionel's hands if I hadn't shown up.
Plus, since no one had strayed far from camp, the commotion drew several parties gathering around.
"This one's too big for me to cover up. If Gold Solis finds out... well..."
I was curious what that professional, diligent golden sun—looks aside—would do upon hearing this.
...Nah, actually, I wasn't that eager to find out.
"You brought this on yourself. Shame."
I waved cheerily with an utterly unsympathetic face, as if bidding him farewell.
Then, with Lionel right there, I turned toward my tent.
"You... fucking bitch!"
At the same moment, curses rang out, followed by the sound of him kicking off the ground behind me.
Chaaang-!
"Whoa... didn't think you'd actually charge."
In less than a second, Lionel's sword was gripped in my gauntlet's claws, screeching and screaming as it struggled.
"Even at rock bottom, attacking a woman from behind without a word? And so sneakily, no less."
"This... urgh!"
Lionel strained desperately to wrench his sword free from my grasp.
But all he produced were intermittent grating noises—the blade didn't budge an inch.
"That said... I've felt this since our first meeting, but do I really seem that easy to you, Mr. Lionel?"
I tightened my grip.
A slight resistance...
Tang-! Chaeng-!
The gauntlet squeezed, shattering the blade with a sound like breaking glass.
And then.
Ggik-gigigik-!
Unlike the jagged shards from the broken edge, the sword's core crumpled with an awful shriek.
"...Huh?"
"Nice sword."
If it had been cheap junk, the whole thing would've shattered instead of just the center bending.
Dwarf-made?
Fitting for a spoiled young master—he wielded quality gear.
Though at this point, it'd need to be melted down and reforged entirely.
Thud-!
"Ugh-!"
I released the scrap metal from my hand. Lionel, yanked by the momentum, fell flat on his ass.
But ignoring the comical sight, he stared at his ruined sword in disbelief.
"Wha? Eek-!"
As I approached the seated Lionel, he let out a girlish shriek.
When my hand slowly neared his face, terror washed over his expression—likely recalling how I'd crushed a sword barehanded moments ago.
Tok tok.
"I'm not gonna kill you. No profit, just hassle. I'm already overworked as is."
I tapped his cheek. Lionel, eyes squeezed shut in fear, peeked out with a dazed look.
"Still, with violence like this, I have to claim compensation, right? Oh, and thinking about it—the treatment for that gentleman earlier is separate from the expedition service. It's a personal matter, so that'll be extra. Liability for the injury falls on you, Mr. Lionel, so naturally, you'll cover that too."
As I spoke, a pouch was already in my hand.
Lionel's eyes widened at the familiar shape, then he frantically patted his pockets.
Hm. Didn't notice a thing—old skills haven't dulled.
I opened the pouch swiped from his breast pocket. It brimmed with gleaming gold and silver coins.
"A bit short... but it'll do."
I quickly assessed the contents, cinched the pouch, and tucked it away.
Ignoring Lionel's stunned upward gaze, I turned back toward my tent.
"Oh, and."
Something occurred to me. I glanced back and pointed at the ground in front of him.
"You might want to change your pants."
Before more people return.
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Of course, Gold Solis—who rushed back upon hearing the commotion—was furious as expected.
Unlike his appearance, he was rational, so he didn't fly into a rage and smash Lionel's skull on the spot. But his glare was murderous enough to kill if looks could.
After cleanly resolving things with the duel yesterday, causing a massive incident not even half a day later—who could blame him?
If I hadn't neatly settled it with compensation, drawing a sword warranted summary execution, not just expulsion.
In the end, Lionel was forcibly removed from the expedition via the 9th floor's return stone.
Gold Solis had no intention of keeping him anyway, and Lionel surely didn't want to spend the rest of the expedition with us.
In front of the octagonal pillar return stone glowing blue, Lionel lingered blankly for a while before turning with a venomous scowl and yelling.
"I'll never forget the humiliation I suffered here! Rusted Silver! And Gold Solis! You too! Treating a 100-gold paying customer like this! Disrespecting me is disrespecting Annihilation! I'll return to the city and make this a huge issue! Your business ends today! I'll drag it through the mud!"
At Lionel's words, Gold Solis's pent-up rage finally erupted.
"...You little shit."
"Eek!"
Regrettably, Gold Solis's fist only cleaved empty air.
Lionel had bolted like a bullet, activating the return stone by a hair's breadth and vanishing to the city.
"...Rat bastard."
'If we'd caught him, he might've actually died.'
His naturally harsh features made his angry expression downright demonic.
The aura of menace was so intense that, in the hush, even the onlookers gulped audibly.
"Haa..."
Gold Solis glared at the return stone for a while, his face saying, 'Should I just quit and chase him down to kill him?' After calming somewhat, he sighed softly and scratched his head.
Then, with a thoroughly fed-up look, he said,
"...We still have to do what needs doing."