Chapter 37

Chapter 37. Underground Dungeon (2)

Humans had something called a boundary of common sense, and included within that boundary was the belief that the dead could not move. Whether it was a corpse with bits of flesh still clinging to it, a shriveled, bone-dry mummy, or a skeleton with not even skin remaining, the dead were supposed to stay dead.

That was why Balun had been so startled.

Good heavens, a skeleton with nothing but bones left had moved on its own through the darkness and approached him. It had stared straight at him through the hollow eye sockets in its skull.

He had been so shocked that, at the time, Balun had not even been able to scream.

Honestly, his heart was still pounding.

What in the world were those skeletons supposed to be?

“Everyone, please be careful. It seems Undead inhabit this underground area.”

At Gregory’s words, which came at just the right moment, Balun asked without realizing it.

“Undead?”

“Yes. The fact that Skeletons are appearing means deathly energy is distributed here to a significant degree. There is a high probability that this place has already become a den of Undead.”

“Are Undead things like Zombies?”

“That is correct. There may even be Zombies inside here. These ruins are old enough that the rotten flesh of Zombies should have decayed and disappeared completely, but are Undead creatures that move according to the laws of nature? If they were, they should not exist in this world at all.”

At those words, Balun’s complexion turned pale.

“If I had known this would happen, I would have brought a Priest with the expedition. If we had, we could have advanced much more comfortably...”

Gregory muttered calmly.

Balun’s thoughts became extremely complicated.

There was no helping it.

He had never even dreamed that Undead truly existed.

‘Zombies, Ghouls, and whatever else are actually real? Those terrible things?’

When he had fought the Skeletons? At that time, he had not known they were Undead.

How could he have thought of them as Skeletons or Undead? No matter how familiar the concept was from various forms of media.

It was only natural that he had not imagined such things existed in reality.

Balun’s eyes squeezed shut on their own.

‘Well, there are monsters and magic, so there is no reason Undead would not exist. That is true, but...’

No, why did the genre suddenly change into a horror game?

This was a bit too much.

At least they could have appeared somewhere bright. Then they would have been a little less frightening.

“Well, it cannot be helped. We cannot turn back now, so we have no choice but to go forward. That is our mission, is it not?”

“If it is dangerous, can we not go back?”

“That is true. But the situation is not dangerous yet. Besides, we are still only at the entrance. Do you perhaps want to go back?”

“No, of course not!”

Balun shouted, startled.

He could not bring himself to say that he did because it was embarrassing.

Feeling pricked for no reason, he added a word.

“I asked to confirm. In the end, it only has meaning if we return alive.”

“You are right, Lord Balun. Life is more important than anything else. So we must not overdo it and should proceed slowly.”

“Balun is a brave Warrior! Balun is not afraid!”

“Haha. As expected of Lord Balun. It is good to have someone so reliable!”

“That is right! Haha!”

Cold sweat ran down Balun’s back as he laughed exaggeratedly.

“Then, Lord Balun, please stand at the vanguard as you have been doing until now. With you leading the way, it feels as though the stability of the raid team has noticeably improved.”

“Could Balun stand in the back? Balun is strong, so it seems good for him to reliably take charge of the rear line. Originally, even wolves move with the strong leader at the very back.”

“That is not wrong, but for this mission, I think it would be best for you to lead from the front. After all, Lord Balun is probably the bravest among us.”

For a moment, Balun felt the urge to claw Gregory’s face.

The bravest? He was scared to death.

“Look. Everyone is tense, is he not? Only Lord Balun remains calm. It is right for someone like that to lead us.”

‘You look like the most fearless one here. Can you not just take the lead?’

No matter how he looked at it, that seemed to be the case.

Everyone else looked intimidated, so how could Gregory be the only one grinning like that?

‘No. Now that I think about it, being in front might actually be better. If I encounter something from the front, I will only be startled, but if it appears from behind, my heart might stop.’

He imagined a Zombie appearing silently from behind and tapping him on the shoulder.

A chill ran down his spine on its own, and he shouted without realizing it.

“Good. Balun will lead. Trust only Balun!”

“Excellent! Let us go! I will support you properly from behind!”

Balun gripped the axe in his hand even more firmly and took the lead. His stride had become broad without his realizing it because he was so tense, but by a truly strange coincidence, from behind, he looked as though he had not a trace of hesitation.

***

The reason people could live on even in despair was probably because they had the blessing known as adaptability.

That was precisely why Balun was able to hold on to his sanity even amid extreme tension and fear.

Ridiculously enough, Balun’s body was growing accustomed to the environment of this unknown underground dungeon filled only with darkness.

This pitch-black darkness, the sour and musty smell, and the stale air.

And these damned skull-headed bastards.

CRACK!

After dealing with the charging Skeleton, Balun wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around. There were no longer any moving bones nearby. All he could see were piles of bones heaped on the floor.

“Lord Balun! Are you all right?”

“I am fine.”

“That is a relief. There were quite a few Skeletons this time, so I thought it would be dangerous.”

“This much is easy. Even if their numbers are high, they are just a disorderly mob.”

Balun meant those words sincerely. After experiencing a few battles, he had realized that these Skeletons were all weak and flimsy.

However, that was only Balun’s own opinion. More than half of the advance party members were staring at Balun with awe in their eyes.

There was no helping it. To most civilized people, Undead were synonymous with fear.

How frightening were the dead who rushed forward without knowing death? How difficult was it to incapacitate those who tried to harm the living no matter how badly their bodies were broken?

Even if they were only Skeletons.

Undead were things even knights struggled against, yet this Barbarian was beating those dreadful creatures as though slaughtering pigs. How could they not be awed?

“Still, please be careful. Undead are things you must never be careless against. They know no pain and have no limit to their stamina. If you let your guard down because they seem easy, you will be taken down in no time.”

“Understood. I will keep that in mind.”

Balun nodded, but inwardly, he had a different thought.

‘Instead of just saying that, can you not help me more actively?’

It was truly fortunate that humans were capable of learning, because he had become fairly accustomed to this damned dungeon environment. Because of that, he had even been inwardly pleased, thinking, ‘Ah, there is really no law that says I must die easily!’

But as expected, it was still as expected. Once one thing was resolved, another caught him by the ankle. A fundamental problem remained.

It was suspicion.

This unknown underground dungeon, where he did not know what might leap out, already felt unpleasant, and the teammates he was supposed to trust did not seem trustworthy at all. How could he feel at ease?

Look at this. Someone was risking his life and taking the lead while diligently beating down those skeleton bastards, yet the others were just watching from behind.

No matter who saw it, was this not the movement pattern of someone preparing to stab him in the back?

‘How can I not be suspicious like this? You are the ones who are failing to give me any trust.’

As expected, he must not let his guard down. What did it matter if he beat down every Skeleton? If someone stabbed him from behind, he would have no choice but to be hit.

Balun rubbed the back of his head. The unpleasant feeling was still there. No, rather, it had grown stronger after they entered the dungeon.

That feeling was like something poking at his nerves, as though a sharp awl were stabbing the back of his head, and it was also somewhat like being struck by an electric shock.

That was not all.

He could faintly sense another strange feeling.

How should he put it? It felt exactly as though someone were watching him from behind...

Balun knew clearly what this feeling was.

‘Killing Intent.’

Someone behind him was glaring at him with murderous intent. Constantly, at that.

That was the decisive reason Balun did not stop doubting.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Do you have something to say?”

“No. Nothing. Let us move.”

Balun turned his head. Then the stinging feeling at the back of his head grew even stronger, and the stronger it became, the more concrete Balun’s suspicion became.

There were no enemies behind them. Mage Gregory and the Pathfinders had checked carefully as they passed, so that much was certain. That meant only the advance party members were there.

Then why in the world was he feeling Killing Intent from behind?

Balun’s expression hardened. No matter how much he thought about it, there was only one answer.

‘They are trying to kill me. That is why Killing Intent is leaking out.’

No matter how meticulous a plan was, one could not control Killing Intent that slipped out without realizing it.

His suspicion had come close to certainty, but even so, Balun wanted to confirm it until the very end.

Just in case.

“Gregory.”

“Yes?”

When Balun stopped walking and turned around to ask, Gregory answered.

“What is the matter?”

“Use magic and search the area.”

“If you mean search, did I not do that earlier?”

“Do it more thoroughly.”

“Is there a reason?”

“It feels bad. Something is unpleasant.”

“Hmm. That is not exactly a convincing basis, but that does not mean I can ignore the instincts of the Warrior standing at the vanguard. Yes. I will do it.”

Gregory complied obediently. He closed his eyes, drove his wooden staff into the ground as though striking it down, and muttered an incantation. Then the blue jewel embedded at the top of the staff shone, and a shimmer began to spread.

The shimmer lasted for about two minutes before fading, and Gregory opened his eyes.

“There is nothing hidden. The traces of mana are extremely clean.”

“Nothing at all?”

“Yes. There are a few clusters of mana presumed to be Skeletons distributed ahead, but other than that, there is nothing. It seems Lord Balun may have been mistaken.”

“I see.”

Balun’s eyes narrowed.

“Karl, Patem. You two check as well.”

This time, Balun called the two Pathfinders belonging to the advance party.

The two who were singled out did not look particularly willing.

“Even us?”

“Yes.”

“Do we really have to? Mage Gregory has already checked.”

“Even so, do it.”

“I understand how you feel, but we will not make any speed this way.”

“Is speed important, or is life important?”

“...Damn it. You leave me with nothing to say. Fine. We just have to search, right?”

The Pathfinders, Karl and Patem, grumbled as they handed their torches to their companions and spread out to the front and rear. Soon, the two of them were buried in the darkness.

They had used stealth.

Their forms blurred and vanished smoothly. Under normal circumstances, Balun would have thought it was fascinating, but now it only seemed suspicious.

No, how was he supposed to react if someone stabbed him in the back while invisible?

“Phew, that was exhausting.”

The two only revealed themselves again after about five minutes had passed.

After dispelling his stealth and receiving his torch again, Karl spoke.

“There is nothing. No hidden device either.”

“I see.”

“I told you, did I not? I asked if we really had to do this.”

“We had to. It still feels unpleasant.”

“Instinct is often wrong. I am the same. So do not worry about it and...”

“Those who hide are even more so. They cannot be trusted.”

“...What?”

Karl’s eyes narrowed at Balun’s words.

“Those who hide? Was that aimed at me?”

“No. But it seems you feel guilty.”

“No, this bastard is really...!”

Karl snapped at him with anger in his eyes.

“Why are you picking a fight? Is this because I cursed you as a Barbarian or whatever back at the entrance? If it is that, I apologized, did I not? I said I was sorry. I said I would acknowledge you as a comrade. So why are you bringing this up now?”

The atmosphere grew harsh in an instant.

Gregory stepped in at the right moment and tried to mediate.

“Now, now, that is enough. Sir Karl, please calm down. Lord Balun, you should calm down as well.”

“Mage Gregory. Please stay out of this. I must say this. That man is clearly picking a fight with me.”

“That is probably not the case. He is not fluent in our language, is he? Since it could have been a misunderstanding, would it not be right to listen calmly before judging?”

“Gregory. You are the same.”

“Yes?”

“I cannot trust you either.”

Balun threw cold water over the atmosphere just as it was about to soften.

“Tell me honestly.”

Balun glared at the group as he spoke.

“Pardon?”

“Balun knows everything.”

“You know? What does that mean...?”

“Balun is generous. If you tell the truth, I can let you go. But if you do not tell the truth, I will not let you go. I will split your heads.”

Balun glared fiercely. Everyone’s eyes were clearly filled with confusion.

“Will you not talk?”

“Why are you doing this...?”

“Were you trying to kill Balun?”

“Kill you? Us?”

Balun snorted and glared at Gregory. Gregory’s visibly flustered expression looked detestable to him.

Balun shifted his gaze. He saw the wooden staff Gregory held in his right hand. The blue jewel embedded in that staff glimmered.

It was mana shimmering from the use of magic, but to Balun, whose nerves had grown sensitive, it looked exactly as though Gregory were trying some trick on him.

Think about it.

If someone targeted the back of his head with magic from behind, how was he supposed to respond?

Even if he was Balun, his skull would be cracked without being able to do a thing.

Balun slowly closed his eyes. He could still feel faint Killing Intent.

They must not have been able to hide it even if they tried. These damned bastards.

“This will not do.”

Filled with certainty, Balun gripped his axe firmly.

“Prepare yourselves. I will split you all apart. Balun does not spare enemies.”

Balun gave his final warning.

And just as he was about to charge toward the direction where the advance party was gathered, an unfamiliar voice suddenly echoed through the air.

-What a sharp bastard.

“What?”

-How in the world did he know? I thought it was perfect.

Balun was flustered by the unexpected voice. It was not the voice of anyone in the advance party.

‘What? Who is speaking?’

In that instant, the darkness draped over them shook violently like broken fragments of graphics.

When he focused on it, he saw several human silhouettes appear whitely within it before vanishing.

Under normal circumstances, he would have thought it was an illusion, but given the situation, could he really do that? Balun was not so slow-witted that he could not grasp a situation unfolding right in front of him.

‘That is it.’

The owner of the voice.

‘It was not the advance party.’

Someone else was in here.

And there were many of them.

‘They do not seem to be the main force. Could they not be part of the expedition? Are they a third party altogether?’

Could the true identity of that unpleasant feeling have been them?

While Balun’s mind was in confusion,

-Well, it does not matter. The result will be the same anyway.

The unfamiliar voice continued.

RUMBLE!

At the same time, the ground suddenly shook.

“Whoa!”

Many of the advance party members staggered.

Stone dust fell from the ceiling. The walls on either side began to collapse.

“Ugh!”

“It is sh-shaking!”

While everyone struggled to keep their balance, Gregory widened his eyes and shouted.

“Everyone, prepare for battle!”

“Pardon?”

Everyone saw it. The blue jewel embedded in Gregory’s wooden staff rippled like water.

Shimmers were forming wildly around it. The search magic he had cast had belatedly detected something.

“They are intruders! People! Lord Balun sensed the intruders in advance!”

Even amid this chaos, Balun was dumbfounded.

‘Pardon?’

What in the world was that supposed to mean?

‘I did not sense those intruders.’

He had been about to kill them.

“No! Lord Balun! If that was what you meant, you should have said so! We nearly misunderstood you!”

It was not a misunderstanding.

“Everyone! It seems they are targeting us...!”

SWISH!

THUD!

“Urgh!”

At the dizzying pain, Gregory clutched his right arm with his left hand and curled his body. He had been struck by an arrow in his right forearm.

Because of that, he dropped his wooden staff. By coincidence, a pile of stones falling from the ceiling covered the staff. Gregory could not pick it up because he was groaning in pain.

“Urgh!”

“Mage!”

“Do not mind me. Prepare for battle! They are coming! There are quite a few of them!”

“U-understood!”

“Sir Patem! Blow the whistle for emergency contact. Hurry!”

“Yes!”

Sure enough, the sounds of many footsteps suddenly began to echo.

While everyone drew their weapons, Balun also prepared for battle, but he could not hide his bewilderment.

He had never imagined that he would stumble onto the truth by pure accident like this.