Chapter 27

Chapter 027

Nothing much happened after we entered the first floor.

No, perhaps it would be more accurate to say it would have been harder for anything to happen.

The expedition party’s level was simply too high, so even when monsters appeared, they were cut down in an instant.

‘This is incredibly convenient.’

Most things were handled at Pellon’s level, and even the rest were captured in no time as soon as Serien stepped forward, so there was no need for me to draw my sword.

The only person who had anything to do was Persica, who was finding the way.

As for me and that mage bastard, we had nothing to do, so all we did was trail along behind them.

“We should be seeing the guard post soon.”

Persica announced our arrival.

It felt as though only two hours had passed, but her skill at finding the path was rather impressive.

“Hm? The atmosphere is a little strange.”

“Strange how?”

“The guards are busy. It looks like there are wounded.”

At the word “wounded,” I tilted my head.

We were the only ones who had applied for an expedition today.

There should not have been anyone entering the Boss Room, so what sort of wounded could have made the guard post so busy?

“Let’s go there first.”

We headed toward the guard post, following Persica as she took the lead.

Sure enough, the guard post by the central Boss Room, where I had been once before, was filled with a tense atmosphere.

“The bleeding will not stop! He will die at this rate!”

“Bring a Potion, quickly!”

“……This one is beyond saving. His heart has stopped.”

Every one of them was gravely wounded, and some had already breathed their last.

The soldiers stationed at the guard post seemed to have attempted emergency treatment, but it was already far too late.

“Isran. This is…….”

“I think you are right.”

There were five wounded in total. One of them was wearing an apprentice badge.

All of them were covered in mangled wounds, as though something sharp had slashed across their bodies.

“They were attacked.”

Someone had targeted an Apprentice Adventurer.

***

“I apologize for keeping you waiting.”

Not long afterward, the Guard Captain in charge of the post came to us.

He apologized first, then explained the circumstances.

“They were an adventurer party exploring another area. After suffering damage close to total annihilation due to an incident, they were moved to this guard post.”

“Those did not look like wounds that should happen on the first floor.”

At Persica’s words, the Guard Captain nodded.

All of the adventurers had been stabbed in vital points such as the neck or armpits.

It was not as though there were no monsters on the first floor that used weapons, but there were none that used them so systematically.

“It was an attack. A planned ambush that targeted the moment they were hunting, at that.”

“The culprit?”

“We have not caught them yet.”

An attack, then……Such things did happen from time to time, but the timing was far too early.

Among adventurers, there were certainly some who targeted other adventurers, but most of them began operating from the second floor onward.

What could a first-floor adventurer possibly have that was worth anything? Even if they were robbed, it would amount to little more than pocket change, and here, an Apprentice Adventurer was included, someone whose murder would immediately become a serious crime.

‘In the first place, all their equipment is intact.’

According to the Guard Captain, there were no traces of anyone touching their equipment or bags.

In other words, robbery had not been the goal from the beginning.

“They must be looking for someone.”

The mage bastard, who had been puffing away on a Cigarette, spoke.

As expected of someone who had gone down as far as the third floor, he seemed accustomed to this sort of thing.

“There is someone they are searching for, and they murdered everyone to silence them so that no one would discover what they were looking for. That is the only answer. You can tell from the fact that they did not touch the equipment.”

“A-Are we in danger too……?”

Serien showed her anxiety, and Pellon comforted her.

“It probably does not have much to do with us.”

“Because there is a guard post here. Even if someone sneaks in, they will be caught immediately.”

“I-Is that so……?”

Well, that was the orthodox answer.

The Guard possessed military force, of course, but more importantly, if anyone touched them even once, a wanted order would immediately be issued, and they would be hunted down.

No matter how insane a criminal was, they rarely touched the Guard unless they had no other choice.

“True. Right now, this place may actually be safer than outside.”

The mage bastard also agreed.

The stranger who had killed those people might still be wandering outside.

He also seemed to be keeping in mind the possibility that he might already have become a target.

“What about you, Isran?”

“I feel a little uneasy……”

By common sense, entering was the right choice.

But…… I had a bad feeling.

In my heart, I wanted to return to the city for now and watch how things developed……

‘This is not the atmosphere for that.’

I had already lost by majority vote.

From Persica’s position, turning back now would mean a great loss.

Especially in the mage’s case, he had said he would help “once,” so if we went back now, it would mean wasting that opportunity entirely.

“Ha ha, what could possibly happen? I will protect you, Mr. Isran!”

“M-Me too!”

Pellon and Serien tried their best to reassure me.

They looked as though the assumption that we might not go in did not exist at all.

This was why team play was……Left with no choice, I shrugged and answered.

“Do as you like.”

“……Let’s go in.”

In the end, the conclusion was that we would continue the expedition.

Then there was no reason to delay.

When we said we would enter, the Guard side also nodded.

“To tell the truth, we were about to recommend that as well. The atmosphere on the first floor has been unusual lately, so the inside may be safer instead.”

“Just let us pass.”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

After finishing the Guard’s strict inspection, we stepped inside the Boss Room.

In front of the familiar summoning stone monument, Persica checked once again.

“Bernard. How is the detection magic?”

“I am not sensing anything in particular.”

“Really? Then let’s get this over with and move on.”

If it could not even be caught by Magic, then it was certainly harder to believe that something was there.

Persica placed her hand on the stone monument at the center of the Boss Room.

“Do you want me to do it if you are nervous?”

“I am not nervous, all right? And this is something I have to do.”

There was a touch of obsession in her reply.

Persica took one deep breath and poured Mana into the stone monument, and the stone monument, glowing blue, turned to powder and disappeared.

“So it begins.”

Each Boss Room had its own strategy, tailored to the boss’s theme. 

The theme of the central Boss Room on the first floor was “duel.”

The first phase was to kill the summoned monsters in order, and once all of them had been defeated, the second phase would begin and the boss would appear.

“The first ones are Goblins.”

Darkness rose sluggishly like mud and turned into a pack of Goblins.

There were the commonly seen Goblin archers and warriors. There was also a Goblin shaman, classified as a “rare species.”

And……

‘It has been a while since I saw that guy.’

There was also the familiar face of a Hobgoblin.

Perhaps because it was the first one I had ever hunted, I felt a certain fondness for it.

The slight problem was that three of those familiar faces had appeared at once.

“N-Now that the difficulty has increased, it really is different!”

“Be careful! Hobgoblins are not easy opponents!”

Normally, only one Hobgoblin appeared, but now there were three.

It was unexpected, but what I focused on was something else.

The one standing at the back of the pack, holding a bone staff.

“A Goblin shaman……”

For now, I retreated to the rear and kept watch over its existence.

As I recalled, shamans had separate appearance conditions.

“Tank, to the front. Archer, keep the Hobgoblins in front in check. Mage, target the shaman first.”

As soon as Persica’s order fell, everyone moved in perfect order.

Tie down the troublesome vanguard, and prioritize the shaman who could cast recovery spells……

‘Not bad.’

I thought she would fumble a little since this was her first time, but her orders were better than I had expected.

She did not freeze, and her position assignments were appropriate. It felt as though she had studied quite a lot.

─SHRIEEEEK!

─KYAAAK!

As the enemies charged with the Hobgoblins at the front, Pellon lifted his large shield and blocked the way.

THUD! BANG!

Even under the repeated blows of the clubs striking his shield, the Tank held the front reliably.

Judging by the bluish energy gathered on his shield, it seemed he had learned the 「Stance」 Skill.

It was a Skill that increased defensive power and also had Knockback resistance. A fairly orthodox build.

“The Goblins are preparing arrows!”

“Tank. Push them back.”

Serien, who had been observing the battlefield skillfully, shouted.

Following Persica’s order, Pellon released Magic Power and pushed away the Hobgoblins that had surged in.

It was a Skill called 「Shield Charging」, which strongly knocked enemies back.

The Hobgoblins, shoved away while staggering, blocked the line of fire of the Goblin archers, and instead, they were the ones who were struck.

“Archer. Aim for the eyes.”

As though she had been waiting, Serien nocked an arrow and drove it into the eye of a flailing Hobgoblin.

─GRAAAAH!

The Hobgoblin, having lost its sight, thrashed about.

Once the vanguard was shattered in an instant, the Goblin shaman in the back began preparing recovery.

If left alone, the eye wound would be healed at once, making the shot meaningless……

“Phew…… How troublesome.”

The mage bastard, who had been smoking a Cigarette, pulled out his staff and cast Magic.

Seeing runewords float above the staff, I thought I knew what spell it was.

‘It is 「Fireball」.’

Each Magic spell had a different rune arrangement, so if one looked at the runes that appeared on a staff, one could infer to some extent what spell it was.

A kind of veteran technique.

I learned it while investigating whether there might be a rule to the runewords, since they changed each time.

“What Magic are you about to use?”

“Fireball. Please step back.”

As if proving my prediction correct, Bernard answered Persica and completed his casting.

The 2-star offensive Magic, 「Fireball」.

A wavering ball of flame flew in an arc and landed precisely where the shaman stood.

BOOOOM!!

An explosion and a flash of light burst out.

The shaman was blown apart by that. It vanished without a trace.

The shaman had died, and the vanguard had collapsed.

The match was decided.

“It is over. Let’s go, Isran.”

“Yeah.”

After we finished cleaning up even the Hobgoblins, all that remained were ordinary Goblins.

And small fry of that level were more than enough for the two of us.

The first wave ended with that.

***

The waves that followed afterward were not particularly dangerous either.

As much as the difficulty had risen, their numbers and strength were greater than before, but they were easy opponents for an expedition party that included two 2-Star Adventurers and even a 4-Star Mage.

“Tank, one step back. Mage, prepare Fireball.”

And Persica’s orders were better than I had expected.

Unlike before, she did not rush out first, and I could feel that she was trying to match her pace to the other party members as much as possible.

‘She has improved a lot.’

Perhaps ever since she had been pushed hard in Arachne’s Nest, she had been gritting her teeth and striving to do better.

Even though the people were quite far apart from her in specifications, she gave appropriate instructions. It was rather impressive.

The way she focused with her eyes wide open made it obvious that she had studied hard.

Somehow, it made me feel proud.

“Werewolf! It is a rare species!”

“Tank, forward!”

And in every wave, at least one rare species like the Goblin shaman appeared.

Persica seemed slightly flustered, as though she was not used to variables, but she quickly regained her composure and dealt with them immediately.

‘I am not very good at that sort of thing.’

Simple orders were one thing, but detailed instructions like that were rather difficult for me.

The reason I preferred being alone was that it did not suit my nature.

In that regard, Persica actually seemed suited to this side of things.

She was weak in terms of force, but excellent as a leader, perhaps.

‘But…….’

The strategy was going smoothly. 

There was no visible danger, and even the mage bastard, who had been snapping at us, did his job properly.

Considering this was our first time meeting, our coordination was fairly good as well.

There was no problem with teamwork.

With teamwork, that is.

“We will rest for a while. There is still time until the next phase.”

Before we knew it, all the waves had been completed, leaving only the boss.

There was a brief interval here, so we could perform maintenance or take a rest. I think it was probably about an hour.

Pellon and Serien checked their equipment together, while the mage bastard began meditating with a Cigarette clamped in his mouth.

“Excuse me. Mr. Mage.”

“It is Bernard. And I am not a mister. I am still twenty-six.”

His face looked as though he had passed his mid-thirties no matter how one looked at it, yet he was twenty-six?

Just how much older than his age did he look?

When time comes at you, do not just take the beating. Try dodging a little.

“If you are a 4-Star Mage, have you learned any intermediate-tier Magic?”

Magic was divided into lower-tier, intermediate-tier, and high-tier according to star rank.

1- to 3-star spells were lower-tier, 4- to 6-star spells were intermediate-tier, and 7- to 9-star spells were high-tier Magic.

He opened his eyes slightly and answered in an utterly annoyed tone.

“Haa, how troublesome…… I have learned a few. Why?”

“Why would someone capable of learning that owe Persica a debt?”

“One of my experiments failed…… No, why are you suddenly asking about this nonsense?”

“I was just curious.”

“Stop bothering me and go away.”

The way he waved me off as though driving away a guest showed that his mood had soured.

Well, I was not particularly curious about why he owed her a debt. What I truly wanted to know was whether he could use intermediate-tier Magic.

‘This is enough.’

I immediately went over to where Persica was and sat beside her.

So that, at a glance, it would only look as though two friends were talking.

“What?”

When I sat close, Persica looked disgusted.

Her expression seemed to ask what I was doing so creepily.

For a moment, I felt the urge to give her a Philtrum Flick, but…… this was important, so I took out a notebook and conveyed my words in writing.

─Do not answer. Just look.

I spoke while pretending to polish my sword.

─There is one more person here besides us.

“…….”

Persica’s face stiffened with a flinch.

Then she glanced slightly toward me, her gaze asking for the reason.

─The monster composition is strange.

After counting the number of monsters that had appeared in each wave one by one, I found that there were far more than usual.

As Pellon said, it could have been because the difficulty had risen, but what I focused on was something else.

‘Rare species appeared.’

Starting with the Goblin Shaman, rare species that normally never appeared had continued to emerge throughout this run. 

Of course, this too could be considered the result of the increased difficulty.

The one hiding among us had probably aimed for that as well, but there was one thing that bastard had overlooked.

The “composition” of the monsters was not random.

─The shaman only appears when there is a Priest in the party.

The same was true of the monsters that appeared afterward, such as the Arachne and the Dire Wolf.

In every wave, at least one rare species that only appeared when there was a Priest had inevitably shown up.

But there was no Priest in our expedition party.

That meant only one thing.

“……One more person?”

I raised my index finger with a shh and nodded.

It was impossible to intrude into a Boss Room partway through, but it was possible to hide one’s form and enter together.

Nothing had come up in the guard post inspection or Bernard’s detection magic, so there was only one remaining possibility.

─There is a traitor.

Someone had hidden them.

There was someone who had hidden them somewhere and brought them in together.

Persica pressed her lips tightly shut and replied in writing.

─Do you think you know who it is?

─Of course.

Be grateful that I am here.

For all I may look like this, I am someone who spent five years making thousands of attempts in the game.

I can see through a cheap trick like this at a glance.

─It is too obvious.