Chapter 21
Chapter 21
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: 1st Floor (2)
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📊 Territory Development:94👥 Residents
🏗️ Owned Buildings
⚔️ Owned Troops
In roughly two weeks, Lartania territory had advanced once more.
The Residential District, which had been LV1, was now LV2, and houses slightly larger than the occasional ordinary log cabins began to appear here and there.
The barracks, where soldiers were recruited, had also reached LV2, allowing the hiring of instructors to train soldiers autonomously rather than just recruiting them.
Additionally, with the rising development level steadily drawing in more residents, their numbers had approached 1,400. Starting yesterday, when production quotas were fully met, agricultural tools began to be produced in earnest, soon to provide substantial work for residents with farming specialties.
'Probably because so many refugees came from Harancia territory—plenty of them have agricultural specialties.'
Thinking that, he briefly pondered how to expand the fledgling farming industry operating out of a modest shack in one corner of the territory before turning his gaze to Elena's information window, which was still open.
⚡ Strength:30↑ | 💨 Agility:39↑
🧠 Intelligence:21↑ | 🍀 Luck:18
✨ Magic Power:15
※ The hero feels trust toward you.
Truth be told, two weeks was quite a long time, but not nearly enough to significantly raise stats.
However, seeing her reach 2-star in just two weeks as expected, Kim Hyunwoo wore a satisfied expression while marveling at the Hard Worker trait.
'Back when I raised the others, it took at least a month to go from 1-star to 2-star.'
Recalling that the one who took the longest had needed over two months, Kim Hyunwoo gazed contentedly at Elena's information window before asking Loria,
"Are they ready?"
[As you instructed, all the soldiers are prepared, and the mercenary group is ready as well.]
"Droal Mercenary Corps, right?"
[Yes. I understand the group with a hero inside has finished preparations too. But.]
"Yeah?"
[With this many soldiers, is there really any need to bring mercenaries?]
Kim Hyunwoo nodded without hesitation at Loria's words.
"The main reason I'm sending soldiers this time isn't to fight."
While one key reason for sending the soldiers was to maintain Elena's affection, there were other motives as well.
The two most important were securing a rest area on the 1st floor of the labyrinth and raising the overall proficiency of the soldiers.
Excluding a few exceptions, most soldiers currently operable in Lartania were just ordinary residents.
In other words, these newly created soldiers merely held spears and were no different from civilians.
Thus, Kim Hyunwoo planned to preemptively secure the rest area while hiring mercenaries to protect the soldiers, minimizing losses and boosting proficiency.
'The labyrinth is dangerous, but proficiency rises 50% faster than on the surface.'
Remembering times when he had cleared the labyrinth with just one hero and soldiers before they were properly grown, Kim Hyunwoo glanced at the somewhat lacking troop window.
[Troop Type] Regular Soldier 👤 Leader:Marlon [Proficiency 31/100]👥 Number:100 [View Details]
Combat Efficiency: Low
[No personnel eligible for upgrade to higher troop type.]
-Basic Equipment-
※ Untrained soldiers. Combat efficiency reduced.
※ Shoddy equipment.
and spoke.
"Tell Elena to start the 1st floor conquest."
The labyrinth that appears in front of a territory with a Territory Stone brings various negative impacts to the territory.
For starters, monsters spilling out from the labyrinth periodically emerge to attack the territory or cause anomalies nearby, tormenting it—and those monsters are generally stronger than surface ones.
Beyond that, massive events like the periodic Labyrinth Break or the occasional floor boss place a huge burden on the territory lord.
Failing to properly handle such large-scale events means the hard-built territory becoming a wasteland is only a matter of time.
In any case, as a lord, the labyrinth continually creates headaches in territory management.
Yet most lords focus not on sealing it but on conquering it, thanks to the magic stones and artifacts from within.
In Arteil's world, magic stones producible only by lords in labyrinths give them leverage over mage towers and various guilds.
And the artifacts obtained through labyrinth exploration or by slaying floor bosses are mostly extremely rare.
Thus, the labyrinth holds both negatives and positives for a territory.
And 'Alta,' leader of the hired Droal Mercenary Corps for such a labyrinth expedition—and a hero chosen by the world—was currently in quite a good mood.
The reason? She'd visited the new territory hoping for decent commissions, and Lartania's lord had offered one to assist with the 1st floor labyrinth exploration—with generous terms.
'Handing over 30% of the magic stones from the 1st floor? No matter how I look at it, that's a total jackpot! What the—'
Of course, there was the condition that fewer than 10 soldiers die, but even accounting for that, the lord's offer was extraordinary.
She knew the 1st floor magic stones weren't high quality, but what mattered to her wasn't their quality—it was that even low-grade ones sold for premium prices.
Thus, smiling, Alta glanced at Elena leading the way and smirked.
'—Though she seems totally clueless about the world.'
Alta knew Elena.
It would be weirder if she didn't.
Elena was the infamous 'flunked hero'—a hero unlike any other, known to everyone nearby.
'She says she'll take down the 1st floor boss today—'
Thinking that, Alta unwittingly wore a smile mixed with pity and mockery.
Naturally, from her perspective, the notorious flunked hero soloing the 1st floor boss was utterly unbelievable.
Of course, rumors had briefly circulated that the flunked hero had changed recently, and Alta had heard them too.
But she dismissed them as mere rumors because of Elena's past performances.
As a mercenary, she took various jobs and had worked with Elena a few times.
And Elena's showings then were truly befitting a flunked hero—pathetic.
It wasn't just once or twice, so Alta treated such rumors as just that: rumors.
'Why on earth did he recruit a girl like that?'
Alta thought that while eyeing Elena but soon shrugged.
Truthfully, it didn't matter who Lartania's lord recruited.
Their contract only stipulated no more than 10 soldier deaths until the 1st floor was cleared.
She wasn't even joining Elena to slay the boss.
'Even if she fails to kill the boss, staying outside the boss room means no real losses.'
Thus, feigning pity with a mocking smile as she pondered Elena striding confidently ahead and the lord who would soon lose a hero, Alta—
"!!"
Kieeeek!
began spotting monsters as they properly entered the labyrinth.
Being the 1st floor, most were goblins and trolls.
However, infused with labyrinth mana and magic stones, the goblins looked far larger and more menacing than surface ones, and some trolls even exceeded human height.
But the reason Alta looked shocked wasn't that.
'What the hell is that...!?'
Amid those monsters was something blatantly abnormal—a goblin? No, a mutant unrecognizable as one.
■■■■■■■■-!
"Eek—!"
"W-What's that!?"
The surroundings stirred.
Soldiers were overwhelmed by the monster seemingly over 3 meters tall.
Mercenaries gulped at the bulging muscles covering the goblin-mutant.
'Never heard of something like that on the 1st floor!'
Recognizing its remaining face as proof it was once a goblin, Alta scowled fiercely.
"Battle formation!"
She shouted loudly, feeling tension surge through her body.
Mercenaries and soldiers instinctively raised their weapons at her booming command.
And then.
The moment the massive mutant lunged as if waiting—
Kwajik!
An axe slammed into the giant mutant's skull.
■■■■■■■■■■■■-!!!!
The mutant thrashed wildly, losing control.
However, Elena had already leaped atop its head, swinging another hand axe into the one embedded by throw.
Kwaduk-!
With a clear sound of flesh tearing.
Kung-!!!
The mutant's body crashed to the ground.
And then.
Kuduk-kkududuk!! Kwajik!
"...As the lord said, it's not perfect."
Murmuring quietly, Elena casually twisted and pulled out the two hand axes from the mutant's skull as if it were nothing.
"..."
Alta stared with eyes wide open and mouth agape.
At the entrance to the great cavern beneath Kalan Kingdom.
"Ruin."
"You're out."
Loriell, one of Kalan's swords, spotted Ruin standing at the entrance to their master's underground abode.
"What's up?"
"Came because her condition seemed off."
At Ruin's words, Loriell let out a short sigh before replying.
"As expected, her state isn't great."
"...Shouldn't have relayed it?"
"No, Master's words are absolute. If Master said to pass it on, we just do."
"Sigh, why does Master..."
Ruin nodded in agreement but smacked his lips discontentedly, about to say more, then closed his mouth.
He knew his words would be grave rudeness to Master—and that she'd be furious hearing them.
Thus, eyeing the silent Ruin, Loriell spoke.
"So, any luck with the last item?"
"Looked, but no rumors at all."
"...Really? Maybe we have the name wrong?"
"No, certain. But strangely, even when I find traces, no listings or info. Seems to exist, though."
"What was that artifact called again?"
To Loriell's question.
Ruin replied,
"The artifact called 'Execution Sword.'"
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