Chapter 16

Chapter 16 : Mining Resonance Stones

“A Goblin Shaman appeared in a nearby forest?!”

“Yes. I cut off its ear and brought it as proof.”

“Team Leader, please take a look at this!”

Since I had stopped by the Adventurer Guild to report the results of the subjugation while I was at it, the area around us grew busy at once.

I carefully glanced around and asked,

“Is it such a big deal that a Goblin Shaman appeared?”

“Hmm... The area around here is usually patrolled regularly by the Knight Order. It is not exactly a common occurrence, is it? Some sort of anomaly may have occurred as well.”

The guild receptionist scribbled something on a sheet of paper with a quill and exclaimed in admiration.

“In any case, you are impressive. To think you caught a Goblin Shaman on your very first subjugation... I have also never seen anyone try to fulfill the guild registration requirements with that.”

“Pardon? Does this place not have a culture of initiation rites?”

“Of course not. For safety reasons, we usually guide people registering as adventurers for the first time toward easy requests, such as roof repairs, finding cats, or cleaning sewers.”

“Ha....”

Roof repairs? Finding cats??

Was this some kind of utopia?

The adventurers of Velheim that I knew were nothing more and nothing less than meat shields for exterminating Monsters.

Cheap expendables who delayed humanity’s destruction by grinding up human lives.

“Then can I register as I am?”

“Hmm... To register with our Achaia Guild, you need several documents... First of all, you need an identification certificate issued by your previous city. If we recruit a murderer or a serious criminal, our guild’s reputation will suffer.”

‘Ha, how troublesome.’

In the game, the application was completed after you had a huge fight with a veteran adventurer, then reconciled over rum.

Naturally, there was no way I had anything like an identification certificate.

As I agonized over it, my conversation with Malton suddenly came to mind.

“Hmm... I lost my identification certificate when I ran into bandits, but the truth is, I came here after being introduced to this guild. I do not know if you have heard of someone named Malton....”

“You came with Mr. Malton’s recommendation?”

The receptionist looked at me in surprise and continued.

“How curious... He is one of the strongest adventurers in our branch guild, but he almost never recommends anyone else. Though recently, perhaps because his health has worsened, I hear he has only been taking easy requests....”

“Haha....”

“In any case, a newcomer who caught a Goblin Shaman from the start and was recommended by Mr. Malton... I have very high expectations!”

“Then I can take my time proving my identity later, correct?”

“Yes. If that elf guarantees you, you are probably not an evil person! If you fill out only the essential information here, I can issue your adventurer badge shortly. Is there anything else you need guidance on?”

“Yes. I would like to take the ‘Resonance Stone Mining’ quest right away.”

“Resonance Stone Mining?”

The guild receptionist looked up at me with an expression that said, Why that?

***

After pulling his hood low over his head and leaving the city walls again, Doran headed for the location specified on the request form.

His current objective was clear.

He had to raise his Level as much as possible and strengthen his combat power before the Dungeon opened.

And to do that, he had to Awaken the Greave he had stolen from the Mary Celeste fleet.

This item was a little special, and it required a material called a Resonance Stone to draw out its hidden ability.

And the Resonance Stone Mining quest required a party of at least four people.

‘I have no choice but to form a party with other adventurers this time....’

After walking diligently and reaching the place written on the request form, he saw three figures chatting.

Were those people here for the same request as him?

A man and a woman, each armed with a bow and a short spear.

And the woman carrying a sword and shield... Judging by the shape of her ears, she seemed to be a retriever Beastkin.

The combination was not bad, but judging by their youthful appearances and equipment, they were beginners who had not even been adventurers for three months.

‘Hiss... I feel a little uneasy trusting them with my back....’

No, perhaps that was not something he, who had only just become an adventurer a short while ago, had any right to say.

When Doran approached, the retriever Beastkin sensed his presence and greeted him in a friendly manner.

“Are you the person who came after accepting the Resonance Stone collection request? Nice to meet you! My name is Razbel! Before we set out, may I confirm your identity?”

“Yes, here it is.”

Doran handed her the wooden tag he had received after completing the guild procedures.

“Oh, but please be careful. The ink will smear if you touch it the wrong way.”

“Pardon? Ah, the ink has not even dried yet... It seems you have only just become an adventurer. Will you be all right? I heard Kobolds appear in the cave we are going to from time to time....”

“That will not be a problem.”

Doran answered confidently, but a faint hint of doubt appeared on the adventurers’ faces.

‘Well, I suppose that is understandable.’

He did not belong to a race specialized for combat by birth, and all he had was a sword rusted by the sea wind.

When he shrugged, Razbel, the retriever Beastkin, smiled awkwardly and returned the wooden tag.

“Hmm... Your personal information seems to match, so let us talk while we move for now! In any case, they say the chance of Monsters appearing in the Resonance Stone Cave is low. The senior adventurers who went there last time said there was nothing strange either....”

“...Do you know when those adventurers went there?”

“Hmm... I think it was three months ago. That was the last exploration record.”

“Hmm....”

It was only natural for Monsters to move into a place where human footsteps had ceased.

And three months was more than enough time for Monsters to establish a territory.

‘I have... a bad feeling about this.’

Bad omen, one stack.

After following a narrow trail through the forest for about thirty minutes, they arrived at a large cave.

Razbel lifted her head from the map and said,

“Then... we have arrived! This is the cave where Resonance Stones can be gathered. Ah, please wait a moment....”

“What are you doing now?”

“I was looking for traces of Monsters! If Monsters have built a nest, it leaves signs! If there are droppings, I can also estimate what kind of Monster it is. ...It looks clean, so I think we can go in.”

Razbel’s party lit torches and stepped into the cave, but Doran stopped, frowning.

‘...No, this is actually a little strange.’

If it had been abandoned for three months, then whether it was Monsters or wild animals, something should have gone in and out at least a few times.

To avoid the rain, or to regulate body temperature away from the blazing midday sun.

Yet the fact that there were no traces at all was strange.

At times like this, usually....

Doran strode away from the cave entrance and examined the surroundings.

Sure enough, behind some shrubs that were not easy to spot, the bones and feathers of half-eaten animals had been thrown away.

‘Not Kobolds... Goblins? No, Goblins usually smear feces around or hang their prey up to show off their territory....’

Bad omen, two stacks.

“Excuse me... Mr. Doran! What are you doing over there?”

“I am coming in now. I was just checking something.”

At the party’s urging, Doran lit his torch and moved forward.

｢You have entered the Resonance Stone Cave!｣

｢It has been mined for so long that it is practically an abandoned mine, but deep within the cave, Resonance Stones still glow here and there.｣

｢They say Monsters occasionally spring out, so be careful!｣

As soon as he stepped into the fairly spacious cave, a damp chill rushed over his skin.

‘It is even gloomier than it was in the game.’

An eerie echo answered each step, and torch stubs left by adventurers who had visited before, broken pickaxes, and other such things lay scattered here and there.

However, Doran paid no attention to the odds and ends and carefully examined the cave walls.

‘Is it around here?’

When exploring a place like this, it helped to lower one’s gaze to match a Monster’s height.

Just like humans leaving graffiti, Monsters also left claw marks at eye level.

After he had advanced for some time while carefully examining traces of Monsters, the male adventurer walking ahead opened his mouth.

“Hmm... Is the mining area still far...? Razbel, is there any sign of Monsters? You are a Beastkin, so your sense of smell is good.”

“That is... I do not know. I think my nose has been numbed by a strange smell since earlier.”

“A strange smell?”

“Yes... Ah, I found it. I think this is probably the cause... What is this?”

When Razbel picked up crushed mushrooms and bundles of aromatic herbs from the cave floor, Doran reflexively spat out a curse.

“...Ah, damn it.”

That was a method a certain Monster used when hiding its own body odor.

Bad omen, three stacks. Confirmed.

This place had already been occupied by Monsters.

And the fact that traces like this were beginning to appear to the naked eye meant they had entered so deep that there was no turning back.

‘It is too late to flee...!’

His blood ran cold, and cold sweat seeped out all over his body.

Now that an invisible encirclement had been completed, even if they turned around and fled, they would inevitably encounter Monsters.

But if they simply fought like this, they would be slaughtered in an instant.

The Monsters nesting here were quite overwhelming for his current Specs.

Then what did he have to do to survive now?

‘First, the smell...! I have to erase the smell...!!’

Doran flattened himself against the ground and shouted,

“Everyone, stop!”

The adventurers turned back in confusion and looked at him strangely, but Doran paid no attention and shouted while rolling across the ground.

“Everyone has to do as I do! Hurry!”

｢The adventurer group is bewildered by your bizarre behavior!｣

‘Damn it...!’

There was no time to explain everything in detail.

Doran desperately rolled his body around and smeared mud all over himself.

However, simply erasing the smell was not enough.

That would merely delay the time of discovery. It would not decisively save his life.

To survive the coming battle, he had to secure more stats.

As Doran agonized over what to do, he looked at the adventurers staring at him in bewilderment and realized one fact.

｢They do not understand you and are whispering among themselves!｣

｢Due to the [Chaos] skill, Agility and Strength increase by 2 each.｣

“...I have to. I have to do this.”

“Pardon...?”

“If you want to live, you have to hurry and smear this on yourselves like I am!”

“W-wait...! This has excrement mixed in it...! Aaaagh!!”

“It is d-dirty...!”

“It is not dirty!! Everyone is becoming one with nature!!”

Doran shouted with his eyes flashing wildly, like a man possessed by something.

For an instant, the dignity of a modern man shimmered before his eyes, but Doran shook off his hesitation and chose the path of survival.

When he scooped up a generous amount of the foul-smelling mud and thrust it at them, the adventurers grimaced and backed away little by little.

From their perspective, a person they had met for the first time today had suddenly changed and was committing bizarre acts, so they could only be dumbfounded.

｢The adventurers recoil in disgust and become wary of you!｣

｢They feel instinctive shock and revulsion at the sight of you covered in filthy waste!｣

｢Agility temporarily increases by 5!｣

‘My Agility rose...!’

His emotion over the precious stat he had gained in exchange for his social reputation lasted only a moment before a chilling cry rang out from deep within the cave.

─SKREEEEECH────!!!!!

“Ugh...! What on earth is that?!”

“Everyone, prepare for battle! It looks like Goblins had built a nest here!”

“B-but were Goblins always this loud...?”

“...They are not Goblins.”

“Pardon...? If they are not Goblins, then what on earth....”

DING─!

｢The ‘Radgit’ settled inside the cave has detected your presence!｣

｢It is a natural-born recluse skilled at erasing its own traces.｣

｢The Radgit smells the scent of humans and begins to salivate! Humans who lose their way or step into caves to escape the rain are excellent prey for Radgits!｣

‘Damn it....’

The worst Monster they could encounter right now.

The Radgit was a Monster whose maximum Level approached a staggering 17.

A gaunt body like a bat’s, smooth hairless gray skin, and degenerated, clouded eyes.

It was truly a monster that could be called a cave-dwelling ape.

When its sharp claws were combined with the environmental factor of the cave interior, it transformed into something like a murderer for beginners.

Right now, even I cannot guarantee my life.

─SKREEEEEEEECH!!!

In that instant, a Radgit charged from beyond the darkness with a shriek and swung its claws.

Razbel reflexively raised her shield and blocked it, but Doran immediately sensed that something was wrong.

‘She does not know how to use a shield...!’

Like a beginner, she was preoccupied with recklessly enduring it through brute strength and taking it head-on.

As Razbel staggered and was pushed onto the defensive, the Radgit persistently rained down attacks.

CRACK―! CREAK―! CRUNCH!!

“Grrrgh...!”

“Fall back, Razbel!!”

The spearman thrust his short spear forward, but it only grazed Radgit's thigh.

Because they were tangled together in the fight, the arrow fired by the male adventurer also missed and lodged in the ceiling.

It was the moment of utter defeat.

At last, the Radgit wedged itself past the shield and was about to drive its claws in.

SLASH─!

Doran swiftly slipped behind the Radgit and severed its neck.

It was a strike he had been able to land because he had erased his presence with smell and raised his stats.

When he took the fallen Razbel’s hand and helped her up, she lowered her head hesitantly.

“Ah, um... th-thank you?”

“It is not over yet.”

“Pardon?”

───────!!!!!

No sooner had he spoken than a Monster’s cry rang out from deep within the cave.

As if resonating with it, roars rang out in a chain from every direction, and alarms sounded madly.

｢A Radgit has appeared!｣

｢A Radgit has appeared!｣

｢A Radgit has appeared!｣

｢A Radgit has appeared......!｣

The adventurers’ faces turned pale at the sound of footsteps drawing closer and closer.

Even one Radgit had been overwhelming, and if so many of them came at once, they had no chance of winning.

Doran also gritted his teeth anxiously and stared beyond the darkness.

‘There is no time...!’

With his current abilities, it was possible to handle one or two of them, but if they rushed in all at once, he would die with his limbs torn apart.

To survive, he had to secure more stats.

That meant he had to commit even more bizarre acts than he had now.

In this chaotic situation, there was only one way to draw attention and make them even more confused.

“Everyone, look here!!”

Doran shouted loudly and stopped the adventurers who were about to flee.

Then he tightly shut his eyes....

‘...To hell with it!’

Just like that, he took off his top and bottoms and spread both arms.

｢The adventurers are shocked!｣

｢They are doubting their own eyes as they look at you!｣

｢The adventurers, having witnessed a sight they should never have seen, turn their heads away!｣

Doran flattened himself against the ground and rolled through the mud as he cried out desperately.

“No! Everyone, please look closely at me!!”

No. In truth, I wish they would not look.

“This is what I really look like!”

No. This is not my true form.

“T-take this!!”

As though blackening his entire body was not enough, he began hurling clumps of excrement-laced mud, and the adventurers backed away in horror.

“H-he really was completely insane!!”

“I-I am not insane!!”

Each time the scale between the dignity of a modern man and the will to live swung back and forth like a seesaw, tears seemed to roll down inside his chest, but he had to endure it.

｢Due to [Chaos], Agility temporarily increases by 4!｣

｢Due to [Chaos], Agility temporarily increases by 3!｣

｢The auxiliary stat, [Stealth], temporarily increases by 2!｣

｢Temporarily....｣

“U-uooh....”

He could feel his body growing lighter from moment to moment.

It was fortunate that not only his main stats, but also [Stealth], a hidden stat, had been strengthened.

With this much, he should be able to put up some kind of fight even against a swarm of Radgits.

SHING─!

When he drew his Cutlass and stepped forward, the adventurers stared at him with eyes that could not understand what they were seeing.