Chapter 68: Dungeon(1)
Chapter 68: Dungeon(1)
Lina was riding a horse.
It had been a while since she’d traveled alone. A faint sense of loneliness told her she'd grown quite fond of her companions.
But there was no need to drag the others along.
This wasn't exactly a pleasant place to visit.
The place Lina sought was the Empire's black market.
It was a place where they sold not only human slaves but also forbidden demi-human slaves and all sorts of illicit goods.
Elf slaves, in particular, were sexually exploited as tourist attractions. If Kerry were to see such a thing, he would be disgusted.
It's all far too filthy for the kindhearted Kerry to witness.
But the black market didn't only sell vile things. It also dealt in various items, some of which were sold for a pittance because their functions were unknown.
And among them, available at the black market right now, was the item Lina was looking for.
To be precise, it was an item Kerry needed.
With that, Kerry will be much safer in battle.
Kerry had become an indispensable existence to Lina. She relied on him a great deal.
If Kerry ever thought he was a burden to the party and decided to leave... the mere thought was horrifying.
Kerry looked so hurt because of the nonsense Barikmeteo spouted.
Barikmeteo had spewed nonsense, calling Kerry a burden to the party.
[Kwahaha! How long can you protect that whelp? Why not just throw away such troublesome baggage?]
If Barikmeteo had truly believed that, he wouldn't have tried so hard to kill Kerry.
Whatever the case, Kerry's life must not be put in danger again.
That was why she needed that ‘bracelet’.
The bracelet, treated as little more than an old, grave-robbed relic at the black market, would become the ultimate shield for Kerry.
*
Kerry sat with his arms crossed. He didn't like this woman who kept talking to him with such a gentle face.
Shit. It's too late to ask them to stop the carriage now.
If I cause a scene, this monster pretending to be human might just go berserk.
“My... you're truly handsome. You don't see many pretty boys like this these days. You're not the son of a fallen noble, are you? Hohoho.”
“My son-in-law is quite the looker.”
Don't play along, you old hag.
“Kerry's looks surpass those of most noble sons. I know what I'm talking about.”
It seems Victoria hasn't noticed a thing either.
The woman before him was not human.
She was a spider monster pretending to be human. Why was a monster riding in a carriage?
Then again, she was a pretty woman on the outside. In this world, a woman like that traveling alone was bound to attract the wrong kind of men.
Is she planning to eat guys like that?
“You seem to have a very firm body, too... I'm so jealous of your girlfriend.”
Seeing her subtle seduction, she must be a monster who preys on men blinded by a pretty face.
But hitting on me was a big mistake.
"By the way, have you all heard the story?"
"What story?"
"About the spider monsters. I heard their numbers have been increasing rapidly in this area lately."
You're talking about yourself.
"You should be careful. They say people caught by spider monsters aren't even allowed to die and are kept as live food."
Kerry stared at the woman. This bitch has some serious nerve. How can she talk about herself so shamelessly?
As Kerry stared, the woman gave him a seductive, suggestive smile.
I was just going to ignore her and be on my way as long as she didn't start anything.
After all, I can't go around beating up every monster I see.
But this bitch was starting to piss him off.
Wait a minute... the fact that spider monsters have increased in the area recently... isn't that pretty important information?
An increase in spider monsters likely meant a dungeon where they lived had appeared nearby.
Don't tell me it's the secret dungeon Lina mentioned?
Somehow, I have a feeling it is.
Just then, the damn spider woman screamed.
“Kyaaaaah!”
“What's wrong?”
“What is it, young lady?”
Victoria and the old hag, knowing nothing, showed their concern for the woman.
Natasha, who had been sleeping leaning against him, also woke up, rubbing her eyes. Why'd she have to scream and wake her up?
The woman pointed to a corner of the carriage.
“A... a spider... It's a spider. I'm scared! Sir adventurer.”
What a fucking act.
Spiders are your cousins, so why are you freaking out?
The woman put on a clumsy show of being scared and tried to move closer to Kerry.
“Grrrr—”
Natasha bared her teeth. But the woman used her fear as an excuse to approach.
It looked like she was going for the 'I have trauma because I lost my family to spider monsters' angle.
But that's not going to work. Not on me.
“Grrrr—”
Natasha was growling at the woman who was inching closer to Kerry.
Kerry shot up from his seat. Then he walked toward the woman.
Everyone else in the carriage stared with wide eyes.
And for good reason.
Kerry had just stabbed the woman with a dagger.
“Kerry...?”
“Son-in-law... what have you done...?”
“?”
Even the growling Natasha was baffled, a question mark practically appearing over her head.
But Kerry didn't stop there; he kicked the woman he'd just stabbed.
“Everyone, be careful. This woman isn't human.”
Even the woman with the dagger in her gut looked bewildered, unable to grasp the situation.
“What do you mean, Kerry? Not human?”
“Look at the blood she's spilling. It's not red.”
It was true. The blood flowing from the woman's stomach, where the dagger was embedded, wasn't red, but green.
“Wh-what is this!”
This was the only way to reveal the woman's true identity.
No. There were other, more troublesome methods, but he didn't want to go through the hassle for some small fry with low stats.
Victoria, grasping the situation, stood in front of Kerry.
Natasha growled, ready to pounce at any moment.
“Kerry. Next time, give me a heads-up first.”
“Grrrrrr!”
“Grandmother, come over here. It's dangerous over there.”
“Alright, son-in-law!”
The woman crumpled into a corner of the carriage, the dagger still in her stomach. Despite being stabbed, she didn't scream once.
She just glared at Kerry in disbelief. Then, she spoke.
“How... How did you know I wasn't human?”
“Why would I tell you that?”
“Kikik... You mean there's no need to even talk to a monster? Humans are so arrogant, anyway. Acting like you're the supreme beings. You're weak and don't even taste that good.”
The spider monster was slowly revealing her true colors.
“Whatever. I hate troublesome prey like you anyway. I prefer meals I can eat in peace.”
In that instant.
The spider monster ripped her clothes in half. In a flash, her naked body was revealed.
The parts that had been human legs split apart and began to transform into spider legs.
Her upper body remained that of a beautiful woman, while her lower half was that of a monster.
“...Her breasts are decent, at least.”
“Kerry! You're noticing her breasts at a time like this?!”
Well, it's impossible not to notice those.
At Kerry's words, the spider monster giggled, “kikik,” and bounced her breasts up and down. Any man would be forced to look.
“Kerry! Don't stare so intently!”
“Hiiing!”
Victoria and Natasha were not pleased with Kerry being captivated by another woman's breasts.
Just then, the spider monster launched herself forward.
“You let your guard down, humans!”
Wrapping her body with her legs, the spider monster leaped out of the carriage.
Victoria leaped out after the monster.
“You monster bitch! Stop right there!”
“Victoria, you don't have to chase her!”
“I refuse! How dare that monster bitch shake her breasts at my man!”
“Grrr!”
Natasha jumped from the carriage, too. It seemed she was pissed off as well.
Seriously? They're going to chase her down and kill her just for shaking her breasts a little?
Kerry sighed. Things had gotten annoying. Now that it had come to this, he had no choice but to follow.
“You have your hands full, son-in-law. Hehehe.”
“Grandmother, you stay here. We'll catch the monster and be right back.”
“Alright. Driver! Stop the carriage.”
Kerry called over the running Natasha. Then, getting a piggyback ride from her, he chased after Victoria.
In that short time, Victoria had already gotten quite far ahead. Damn, she's fast.
“Stop right there, you monster bitch! I'll tear those vulgar breasts in two.”
That's a bit of a waste. She's a monster, but her breasts were nice.
“Victoria! Monster girls aren't my type, so calm down!”
“What in the world is a 'monster girl'?!”
“...Anyway, what I mean is, monsters aren't my type.”
“Kerry, your preferences are not the issue. The only one I'm willing to share you with is the cute Natasha. But that monster bitch shook her vulgar breasts without my permission. I cannot forgive that!”
Damn it. There's no reasoning with her. How much easier would it be to just ignore it and move on?
At this point, it's better to just catch that monster quickly.
But the spider monster was swinging through the trees, shooting out silk just like Spider-Man.
“You're too slow. Do you really think you can catch me, humans? Hehehe.”
The spider monster was full of confidence. But Victoria was a tank. Her agility wasn't that high.
“Victoria, give me a piggyback. I think it'll be faster if Natasha catches the monster.”
“I will.”
Kerry switched over to Victoria's back.
“Natasha! Now, go kill that monster!”
This feels like a Pokémon battle. Maybe next time I should try naming her moves, like 'Pikachu! Quick Attack!'
Seriously, naming the moves might actually improve efficiency, right?
“Grrr—”
Natasha kicked off the ground.
She launched herself into the air, kicking off a tree. In an instant, she began to close the distance to the spider monster.
“Wh-what is this monster of a woman!”
You're the monster. Who are you calling a monster?
“Hiiik! Help me! I almost made it...”
Natasha instantly tore the spider monster to shreds. Her breasts, in particular, were ripped apart so badly they were unrecognizable.
The price for shaking her breasts the wrong way was steep. If she'd just run away without ripping her clothes, she might have lived. What a pity.
“Hmph. Finally dead, that monster bitch. Natasha, well done. You feel better now, don't you?”
“Heehee!”
Natasha walked past Victoria and came to Kerry. She had followed his command, and now she wanted praise.
“Good job, Natasha.”
“Heehee!”
They were already quite far from the road the carriage was on. It seemed they had gone pretty deep into the woods.
But it was fine. All they had to do now was go back.
Just then.
A chilling sensation began to creep over him. Having been through so many battles, he knew exactly what this feeling meant.
“Kerry.”
“Yeah. I think I know what this feeling is.”
“Don't leave my side.”
“Grrrrrr!”
Kerry used the Goddess's Eye.
Information about the monsters hiding all around them appeared in his vision.
Spider monsters of the same type as the one they had just killed were swarming them.
There are so fucking many. Come to think of it, that bitch did mutter some nonsense about having arrived just before she died.
Could there be a nest nearby? Or maybe... a dungeon?
Kerry carefully scanned his surroundings.
Just then, a new piece of information appeared in his sight.
[Dungeon Name – Queen Spider Arachne's Nest]
[Grade – Epic]
[Summary – A nest built by a Queen Spider-type monster. The dungeon has not existed for long, but the number of entities within is increasing rapidly. The dungeon can be cleared by killing the Queen Spider.]
[Rewards – Arachne's Carapace, Arachne's Ring, Arachne's Fangs, Heroic Grade or higher accessories and equipment.]
So the Goddess's Eye can see dungeon information, too.
Once you enter a dungeon, you can't leave until you clear it. That made prior information about a dungeon incredibly valuable.
For the first time in a while, Kerry used the 'Details' function of the Goddess's Eye instead of 'Summary'.
Kerry stared intently at the dungeon information. A flood of data appeared.
“....”
Is it really okay to give me all this information before I even go inside?