Chapter 32

Chapter 032 : Traveling Together

“Damn it!! I won’t let this stand!!”

The dwarf man seated at the marble round table slammed his arm down violently.

When the heavy impact made the wineglasses tremble, every gaze around him turned to him at once.

At a glance, it seemed like an ordinary banquet hall, but the sacred air filling the space and the extraordinary faces gathered there revealed that they were no mere mortals.

A goddess adorned from head to toe in amethysts flicked her silver goblet and said bluntly,

“What’s with the God of Blacksmiths? Did Antagon tear out his beard again or something?”

“Just leave him alone. He’s a little sensitive right now.”

“What, did he lose some legendary treasure or something?”

“That’s not it… Apparently, the beast he was raising escaped while he looked away for a moment. He said he was raising it diligently to extract a rune… I believe it was a monster called a Night Stalker.”

“Night Stalker? That’s an incredibly rare monster! I remember its pelt being gorgeous… But he was trying to extract that monster’s rune?”

A Night Stalker’s Rune was a classic dud, wasn’t it?

It allowed the user to use a powerful active Skill, but as a side effect, they would be gradually consumed by darkness flowing through their blood vessels like snake venom until they died.

There was even an anecdote from the past about a hero who had absorbed that rune without knowing better, then wasted away and died.

Unless one had truly powerful poison resistance, it was a chicken-rib power—too wasteful to discard, yet too troublesome to use.

“He was trying to extract the rune and make a magic sword, but because the monster escaped, it seems he failed at the final stage.”

“Then can’t he just catch it again? It’s only one monster.”

The dwarf god drained his wineglass in one gulp and shouted.

“Damn it! The mana tracking got cut off! I don’t know which mortal did it, but if I find them, I’ll rip out their spine and make a bone saw…! Wait, with your ability, you can tell who the culprit is, can’t you?”

When he looked at her, the goddess sitting across from him sighed and answered.

“Listen, God of Blacksmiths. We can’t punish a mortal over one mere monster. It’s also your fault for failing to keep it contained, and you remember our First Principle, don’t you?”

A law established to prevent excessive intervention by the gods.

The First Principle, built upon the blood of countless mortals.

─One cannot intervene without justification.─

“I only want to check because I’m curious! I won’t take petty revenge like some miser! If things go well, I might be able to negotiate and just get the rune back. …If you help me, I’ll give you one accessory from my collection!”

“Haa… Just this once. I only need to find the children who defeated the monster you were raising, correct?”

While the gods who had lost interest began chattering in search of other gossip, the goddess placed her hand on the crystal ball.

When divine power was poured into it, the crystal ball emitted a violet radiance and began to reflect the scene on the ground below.

Before long, the forms of a black-haired young man and a beastkin girl appeared within the crystal ball.

“The result is out. Oh my… They’re younger than I expected. Their faces are cute and pretty too, a handsome young man and a beautiful young woman… W-wait a moment.”

“What is it? Let me see too!”

When the goddess became flustered, the dwarf approached and looked into the crystal ball.

Soon, he saw the face of the black-haired young man reflected in the crystal ball and froze on the spot.

Afraid that the surrounding gods might see, the God of Blacksmiths hurriedly covered the crystal ball with his palm and barely suppressed his emotions as he asked,

“……Who was in charge of the Reincarnators this quarter?”

“…Probably the Healing Goddess, Agasa.”

“I see. So it was that bitch… She dared do this and kept her mouth shut?”

The God of Blacksmiths desperately restrained his fury, then dragged his limping foot and headed somewhere.

After putting away the crystal ball, the goddess asked his back,

“I’m asking just in case, but what are you planning to do?”

“……Justification has appeared.”

Leaving only those words behind, the dwarf kicked the door open and left the banquet hall.

An intense question smoldered in his red eyes, where the flames of the forge rippled.

…Why?

“Doran… why are you here?”

***

“Achoo─!”

Pollen allergy?

One week had passed since the day he defeated the Night Stalker, and Doran headed to the meeting place while enjoying the sunny weather.

After passing adventurers and mercenaries gathered in groups of three and five, murmuring among themselves, he reached the dungeon entrance and saw a familiar blond elf.

“Hey, Malton.”

“It has been a while, Doran! I am glad to see you again. …Have you rested well in the meantime?”

“I rested plenty. There were a few twists and turns, though. More importantly, where did you go? I didn’t see your hide nor hair of you all week.”

“I briefly left the dungeon village. There is an acquaintance I owe a debt to, and they live a little far away.”

Doran lined up with Malton without thinking much of it.

Today was the day they had decided to finish resting and enter the dungeon again.

As they killed time by exchanging idle talk, Malton suddenly spoke in a regretful tone.

“By the way… thinking that only the two of us will enter the dungeon this time makes me feel somewhat lonely. I thought you and Radi could get along well….”

“Oh, that kid? Don’t worry. Radi will be here in a little while.”

“How can you be so certain?”

“The body is honest.”

“…Please stop saying weird things.”

At the sudden voice behind him, Doran turned around and saw Radi standing there with a displeased expression, having approached at some point.

Radi naturally adjusted the backpack and joined them.

“Hello, Malton-nim. Have you been well? …Doran-nim too, well, it’s good to see you.”

“Yeah, did you get your new equipment fitted well? After earning a large sum once, other parties don’t satisfy you anymore, right?”

“I didn’t come back because of money! …You know very well why.”

As Radi sighed and grumbled, Malton shouted with delight.

“Radi! Have you decided to return? That was truly a wise decision! …But it seems something happened between you two while I was away?”

“It did. I had my limbs chewed up by a monster, hovered between life and death at the temple, and after that, in the tent for an entire week….”

“W-wait! Doran-nim, come over here for a second!”

Radi abruptly grabbed Doran by the forearm and pulled him away.

When Doran followed out of the line in confusion, Radi whispered urgently.

“Are you insane? I told you not to mention that I nursed you in the tent!”

“Oh, right. …But why?”

“What do you mean, why?! If Malton-nim finds out we slept and lived in the same tent for an entire week, what do you think he’ll think?!”

“What would he think? We’re both men.”

“…….”

｢Radi angrily kicks you in the shin!｣

｢Strength increases by 4!｣

As Doran fled in a fluster, he reached the dungeon mouth and clearly felt what had changed from before.

Just one week ago, the entrance had definitely been extremely narrow, yet the expansion work already seemed complete.

After paying the expensive admission fee and entering the cave, he saw troll laborers inside as well, widening the passage with enormous pickaxes.

“…Only one week has passed, but it has changed this much.”

“With people flocking here, it seems they are beginning development in earnest. The more adventurers visit the dungeon, the more tax they can collect.”

“There are even log stairs on the floor now! Last time, I slipped here too….”

“Yeah… and that’s already a memory.”

Doran answered halfheartedly and looked around.

From his position as someone who knew monsters would flood out from this place in the not-too-distant future, it was not something he could simply be happy about.

After passing through the downhill path that felt far shorter than before, a grassland opened before them, vast enough to make his chest feel clear.

｢You have arrived at the First Layer of Medaollinum Dungeon!｣

｢This place consists of broad grassland and wetlands.｣

｢Reaching the Second Layer is recommended for efficient leveling!｣

‘This place has changed quite a bit too.’

Unlike before, there were quite a few merchants in sight, and he could also see burly demihumans carrying luggage.

The sight of adventurers wandering across an empty plain was nowhere to be seen, and now even signposts had been erected, giving the place a fairly organized appearance.

As Doran stretched and caught his breath, Malton returned after gathering information from the surroundings.

“Ah, Malton. Any new information?”

“Hmm… Nothing particularly noteworthy. However… Do you see those adventurers over there?”

“You mean that group of fifteen or so? They look like beginners at a glance. Why?”

“They are Achaia Guild members from Verastin like me. Some of them are acquainted with me as well. They suggested traveling together until the middle of the First Layer. What do you think?”

“Traveling together, huh….”

Doran rested a hand on his chin and thought for a moment.

It was common for adventurers to move in groups inside a dungeon.

With greater numbers, bandits could not easily target them, and dealing with monsters was also safer.

Most importantly, the dreadful night watch duty that took two or three hours each day would be reduced.

The problem is, I don’t exactly have only one or two secrets….

‘Antagon’s Rune should be fine as long as I don’t transform… and I probably won’t be exposed as a Reincarnator under normal circumstances… I keep my black hair covered with a robe most of the time too.’

If a battle occurred, he could also use them as groundwork for the [Chaos] Skill.

After quickly making his judgment, Doran answered lightly.

“Well, if we’re only traveling together for a bit, it should be fine. Since you know their faces, their identities should be reliable too… Kid, what about you?”

“I don’t mind.”

“Then it is decided. Even if we travel together, it will only be for a day or two, so there should be no major issue. I shall call them over.”

When Malton beckoned, a young man who seemed to be the group’s representative approached and greeted them.

“You must be Malton’s companions. It’s nice to meet you! Malton helped me greatly back when we were in Verastin!”

“Nice to meet you. Is this your first time in this dungeon?”

“Ah, yes. We just arrived here. …But how did you know?”

“I can tell just by looking at your equipment. This place requires a long walk, so you’d be better off putting heavy luggage in your backpack. You also won’t need the machete you’re holding.”

“Haha… You have quite the eye. Thank you for the advice.”

Just as the young man bowed in admiration, an excited voice came from behind him.

“Wow! So this is that dungeon! Does this mean we’ll earn a mountain of gold coins and go back now?!”

“Of course! I even took out a loan and bought new equipment!”

‘What do they mean, gold coins?’

No matter how profitable dungeon earnings were, it should have been impossible for beginners to make that kind of money from the start.

“Ahaha… They’re a little noisy, aren’t they? I apologize. It’s everyone’s first expedition, and they just heard the rumors about the Legendary Trio from the guild, so they’re all excited.”

“The Legendary Trio?”

“Yes! The party that supposedly made an incredible amount of money by sweeping up rare golems on their very first exploration! It’s already a famous story in our Achaia Guild! Everyone’s full of hope, saying, ‘I can become like that too’…!”

“…….”

As Doran quietly shut his mouth, Radi poked his sleeve from beside him and whispered.

“That… couldn’t be about us, could it?”

“Looks like it. Still, thank goodness they don’t seem to have realized it yet.”

As Doran smiled bitterly, Malton skillfully took command of the adventurers and said,

“Then… let us depart soon. I have experience exploring this dungeon, so I shall stand at the front. Everyone, follow slowly behind me.”

Doran and Radi stood at the very rear of the formation and slowly began walking.

***

The journey went more smoothly than expected.

Instead of passing through the forest like last time, they moved through the wide-open grassland, so it was comfortable without any troublesome underbrush in the way.

There were slight disagreements here and there when they crossed rivers or detoured around monster habitats, but….

‘Malton’s reputation certainly helps at times like this.’

With leadership befitting a former high-ranker, he naturally resolved situations as smoothly as flowing water, so Doran only had to watch.

As Doran walked leisurely with his hair hidden under his hood, the peaceful scenery of the dungeon entered his sight.

“Hey, kid, do you see those alpacas playing on that hill… Kid?”

When he looked around, Radi was already ahead in the formation, surrounded by a group of female adventurers.

‘…Well, Radi is pretty, after all.’

A pretty boy to that degree was bound to be popular with women.

As Doran watched from behind, a female adventurer whose curiosity seemed to have been stirred quietly approached him and asked,

“Excuse me… You’re Doran, right? I’ve been curious about something for a while….”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Are you and Radi dating?”

“Pardon?”

After slowly chewing over the meaning of the question, Doran soon snorted as if it were completely absurd.

“That’s too much of a joke. There’s no way. Of course, I admit Radi is pretty enough to be mistaken for a girl….”

“Uh…?”

“I’m heterosexual, you see. Haha….”

“……??”

For a moment, the adventurer doubted her own ears.

If what she had just heard was right….

‘Could it be… this person thinks Radi is a man?’

Even though they were at the same party?!

‘N-no… wait. Radi seems to be beastkin, so… if they’re different races, maybe he could get confused….’

No, that still did not make sense.

Even if Radi was beastkin, aside from the ears and tail, beastkin looked exactly like humans. Just how badly did one have to misunderstand to mistake such a pretty girl for a man?

‘Should I… tell him? No, is this too nosy…?’

No… still, maybe just a slight hint….

Would it be fine if she only quietly told him?

It would be fine… right?

Just as the adventurer was about to open her mouth, Malton abruptly cut in.

“Excuse me a moment. Are you free right now?”

“What, Malton? Is it all right for you to come over here? Weren’t you leading from the front?”

“This is an open field without any monsters, is it not? I was bored for a moment, so I came.”

“Well, I guess… So, what did you want to say?”

After waiting until the woman returned to her group, Doran asked in a whisper. Malton grinned and spoke quietly.

“The truth is… as you may have already noticed, rumors are spreading about how we massacred the golems. From the fact that there were three of us to rough descriptions of our appearances.”

“…So that’s why you deliberately suggested traveling together? At least while we’re with these people, other adventurers won’t suspect us.”

“You guessed correctly.”

In the gorge, they had not only massacred the golems, but Doran had also transformed into an undead and defeated the boss, so avoiding any connection to what happened at that time was the wisest choice.

If a link was formed, someone might suspect Doran’s identity.

“…This works out well. We needed to get to the Second Layer as quickly as possible anyway, and with more people, battle time should be reduced.”

“Hmm… Is there a reason we must hurry to the Second Layer?”

“That’s the only way to level up quickly. You’ll also need to hunt strong monsters if you want to recover from the aftereffects of the curse….”

Doran trailed off and checked the message on the Log Window.

｢Main Quest: Reach Level 30 within the time limit! Failure to achieve the objective will cause your soul to be extinguished.｣

｢Current Level: 28｣

｢Time Remaining: 32 days, 14 hours….｣

‘Damn it….’

As time passed, he felt an invisible shackle slowly tightening around his neck.

With the low-level monsters scattered throughout this place, it would take quite some time to accumulate experience.

If he wanted to level up reliably, he had to kill the higher-grade monsters that inhabited the Second Layer.

On top of that, there was one more decisive reason.

“…Hey, Malton. Remember when I said mages had flocked to this dungeon?”

“Hmm… Was that when we exchanged the materials at the Adventurer Guild? Thanks to that, the Golem Cores sold for a high price. But why ask that all of a sudden?”

“What do you mean, why? What do you think those expensive mages would do in a new dungeon while buying Golem Cores in bulk?”

“Hmm… Are they preparing some large-scale spell?”

When Malton looked at him with interest, Doran lowered his voice and spoke quietly.

“…A Gate.”

“A Gate? Is that not a spell whose success cannot be guaranteed even if many first-rate mages gather and pour in their mana? The maintenance cost is also expensive, so unless it is a dragon vein where mana gushes forth in enormous quantities, they would not even dare attempt… Aha, so that is it.”

“Right. Mana is everywhere here. There are also plenty of adventurers who’ll pay to use it, so in the long term, the balance should work out. …By now, the mages are probably preparing a Gate near the entrance of the Second Layer.”

Back when Doran had been active in this dungeon, a Gate had been installed on each layer.

It was cheat-level magic that allowed instant travel back and forth between the surface and the dungeon.

Using a Gate would not only allow them to return from underground with far more materials, but also make it possible to grow at a speed far beyond the old pace.

Of course, one had to pay an enormous sum to use the Gate….

“…If we reach the Second Layer early and help the mages install the Gate, we can get usage rights for next to nothing.”

｢You have obtained a clue about the Dungeon Gate!｣

｢Mages are difficult, but they reward merit clearly! If you help them and have your contribution recognized, the reward will be immense!!｣

｢(New) Side Quest: Reach the Second Layer of the Dungeon within five days!｣

｢Reward: Strength permanently increases by 2｣

As Doran confirmed through the newly appeared quest that his guess was correct, Malton smiled and walked toward the front of the formation.

“Now that our objective is set, we must hurry… I shall increase our marching speed.”