abcnovels
Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Episode 29 Cracks (3)
When you play [Dungeon and Stone], ‘infighting’ happens quite often.
And the cause of ‘infighting’ is ‘money’.
Research may be the top priority for wizards who are economically comfortable, but the reason explorers enter the labyrinth is to make money.
But now this wizard bitch touched just that.
“You’re going to take all the spoils of the Guardians?”
The dwarf no longer smiled kindly.
His voice was quiet, and his eyes, revealed through the thick fur, shimmered.
“Do I look like an idiot?”
In an instant, the air cools down.
And did you feel it?
clap.
The human man puts his hand on the hilt of his sword.
After all, it doesn’t look like a simple carrier.
Breaking the heavy silence, Raven opened his mouth.
“…In exchange, I will give you all the magic stones that come out of the rift.”
“I’m talking about picking up the leftovers and eating them.”
“…Do you think it’s a reasonable calculation? It’s not something that comes out unconditionally.”
He tried to hide it, but a look of bewilderment was evident on Raven’s face.
I didn’t expect such a hostile reaction, but
I thought she was an innocent woman.
Isn’t that what you should have expected?
The Guardian’s booty is no different from the flower of the rift.
Among them, the ‘Numbers Item’ must be an incomparable treasure to the dwarf.
“Numbers items are non-negotiable.”
“…Okay. I’ll keep the Guardian’s Essence instead. Please credit me with other discoveries using my knowledge.”
“Okay. Then, let’s take the rift stone by rolling dice between the two of us.”
What is it? Equality is bullshit.
The two of them didn’t even care about me and Einar, and they started fighting for their own interests.
Watching it made my head hurt.
I even thought it would have been better to clear the rift while shedding blood with the beginners on the 1st floor.
If this is the case, you will have to barely pick up the crumbs from the cracks you came in.
It’s such a pity that you don’t have power.
“Bjorn.”
“I know what you’re thinking, but hold still for now.”
“i get it.”
The things I have to do become clearer.
Be strong.
Whether or not those dogs kick the ladder, you have to climb far up on your own.
Only then can they defend their rights like they did.
Of course, that wouldn’t be a reason to give in today.
“for a moment.”
“……?”
When I open my mouth, the attention of the two, who had been conversing in a softer atmosphere, gathers.
“Take care of the essence and number items. But we’ll take the rift stone.”
“You’re greedy.”
“Do you think there will be any problems without two barbarians?”
The eyes are very sharp.
At the first meeting with Mr. Bar, everyone smiled kindly.
Yeah, I just stabbed this too.
“Okay, forgoing the riftstones. Instead, give us priority for up to two non-Guardian Essences.”
“Okay. That much.”
“Neither do I.”
As expected, Raven and the dwarf easily complied with my request.
This must have been the Maginot Line.
At their level, there wouldn’t be such a charming essence if it wasn’t a Guardian.
“Then shall we go now?”
“It’s good. I’m already sore after I’ve been there! Hahahaha!”
After the tuning was finished, the wizard and the dwarf laughed hahahoho, showing their friendly appearance as before.
Scary explorers pups.
***
How long did it take to climb the mountain path along the fort seen between the ridges?
Upon reaching the entrance to the citadel, we encountered two winged demon sculptures.
“It’s a gargoyle statue.”
Level 8 monster gargoyle statue.
It’s a tricky monster that usually stays still, but when an enemy comes into sight, it uses ‘petrification’ and starts its activities.
A common strategy would be to sacrifice one person to receive all of the ‘petrification’ and the rest to destroy the gargoyle statues and release the curse… Surprisingly,
we now have wizards.
“Kyaaaaaagh—!”
As I and the dwarf approached, the gargoyle opened its eyes and spread its wings.
At the same time, my lower body turned to stone in an instant, but it didn’t last long.
“Artena Viar.”
Raven recited the ‘Curse Release’ spell and the battle began in earnest.
Einar and I took on one, and the dwarf took on the other.
Quaang!
The short dwarf wielded the hammer like a madman and smashed both of the gargoyle’s legs.
And when the gargoyle collapsed to the floor, he smashed the head with a hammer as if he had been waiting for it.
Is that the dwarven way?
It’s quite a manly thing to do it honestly from the bottom up.
Well, even though it was normal.
“You guys are doing quite well too!”
The time taken to destroy the gargoyle statue did not differ significantly.
We are also confident in close combat.
?You have defeated the Gargoyle. EXP +2”
The two gargoyles turned into light and disappeared, dropping the magic stone, but there was no need to pick it up.
It floated up on its own and went into a large bag.
“I’ll collect the magic stones and distribute them in between.”
“If you do that, thank you! Hahaha!”
The dwarf didn’t seem to be worried that the magician would steal the magic stone.
Well, there’s no way a wizard could get hung up on such a small amount of money.
“Then let’s go!”
The dwarf smashed the old wooden door with a hammer to clear the way.
Is the real dungeon starting now?
Feeling a strange feeling, I followed and went inside.
“You’ll need some light.”
“Reite.”
An orb of light floated above Raven’s hand, brightening the dark room.
Currently, this space I entered is the outskirts checkpoint.
A place where various administrative tasks such as checking the identity of passers-by and the luggage of the wagon were performed before entering the castle.
“Geuuuuuu.”
As if being led by light and sound, rotting corpses stand up from the closet on the wall or under the tabletop.
“It’s Deadman.”
Deadman.
An unranked monster that does not even spit out experience or magic stones.
Even their corpses don’t disappear.
Except when spitting integers.
“Attack is about biting and scratching, so I’ll save my mana.”
There was no magic help, but it didn’t take long to tidy up the room.
“Will Mr. Murad and Mr. Yandel go upstairs while I open the door?”
“I’ll take care of it right away! Hahaha!”
After following the dwarf to the second floor, a space like a shared bedroom appeared.
Likewise, there were about 10 deadmen, but the space was wider than the first floor, so it was easier to organize.
Fuck! Fuck!
In an instant, we organized the second floor and climbed the ladder to the rooftop without much conversation on the third floor.
There were 15 deadmen soldiers wearing rusty armor and a commander deadman with a slightly larger body.
It’s a bit far fetched to call him the 1st boss…
He’s the guy you have to hold onto to progress.
“It’s just big, but it doesn’t seem to be any different from other Deadmen, so let’s get rid of it quickly! Hahaha!”
This time, we quickly cleaned up the surroundings and rummaged through Commander Deadman’s clothes to pick up the horn.
When I came back down to the first floor, the iron door on the other side was open before I knew it.
“It’s very reassuring to have a wizard.”
As the light came in from both directions, the room without a window became quite bright, but there was no meaning.
The task at the outskirts checkpoint is complete.
Now it’s time to cross the 50m bridge.
“Please watch your step, Mr. Raven.”
“Ah, thank you.”
In the middle, the collapsed bridge was cut off leaving a distance of about 20m from the gate.
It’s not like it’s broken or worn over the years.
That’s how it was originally designed.
Woo woo woo!
When I blew the horn I had obtained earlier, the drawbridge began to descend with a rattling sound.
Of course, it’s not only this…
“The Mercury magic circle that has been sleeping for a long time is activated.”
“Bjorn! Water is rising from below!”
Moat characters.
Water began to fill up in the furrows dug around the fortress wall to prevent invasion by foreign powers.
Dark, red blood.
This is the reason why it is called ‘Blood Fortress’.
The sky is red and the bottom is red too.
But there must be something else that heightens the end-of-the-century atmosphere.
“Bjorn! A hand! There’s a hand floundering on the water!”
“Don’t be nervous, they’re deadmen.”
“Hey, who said you were nervous?”
Soon, as the blood filled up to the bottom of the bridge, the deadmen struggling on the surface climbed up.
The drawbridge hadn’t come down even 1/5 of it yet.
The concept of this part is simple.
—Hold on until the drawbridge comes down.
If it was a game, this message would have appeared.
“Geuuuuuu.”
There was no specific instruction, but everyone started responding by pushing Deadman away or shooting down with a weapon.
Fuck! Fuck! Kwajik-!
Although Deadman is an unranked monster, it was quite a tricky opponent here on the bridge.
If you fall down, it’s game over.
“It’s all done.”
After about a minute, Raven completed the magic spell.
“Uterna Dertu!”
If I were to translate the name of the spell literally, it would be something like ‘blade storm’.
A strong gust of wind spread around us, a dense formation, and grinded the deadmen in an instant like a blender.
Do-do-do-do-do.
The dwarf let out an exclamation as he looked over the bridge, which was instantly soiled by Deadman’s corpse.
“…that’s amazing.”
“It’s just dead men. What?”
Contrary to his humble words, Raven’s eyes were full of pride.
But it didn’t feel particularly arrogant.
It’s not a part that can be passed so easily without a wizard with a wide area skill.
Afterwards, as I was occasionally crushing the deadmen who climbed the bridge, the slowly descending drawbridge finally touched the bridge.
Wow!
The first chapter of Bloody Citadel is over.
Ridiculously easy.
***
After crossing the drawbridge, there are three chapters left.
Battle of the outer wall of the city.
Dungeon of the Inner Wall.
Lord’s Castle Devil’s Worship Room.
“This is interesting.”
Upon entering the castle, Raven’s eyes lit up as he saw the ruins.
It’s like a treasure unfolding before your eyes.
“A blacksmith’s tavern, an inn, a stable that may have been used by church merchants… Most of these remnants appear to be communal facilities.”
The dwarf laughed.
“Is that so surprising Miss Raven?”
“Of course. There were no farm lands or dwellings on the mountain roads we climbed up or inside the castle. That means there were no farmers. Aren’t you curious? What did everyone live on in a fortified city built in such a remote mountain area?”
“Isn’t there an alchemist in this dimension too? They must have exchanged magic stones for bread like we did. Hahaha”
“…Certainly, that hypothesis is the most influential among scholars.”
“Haha! is it? Even if they are educated people, they all seem to have the same thoughts!” “
But Mr. Murad is not the only thing that interests me. Like the long drawbridge and tall walls, this fort was built to be very practical. Who the hell was their enemy?”
The dwarf, who was initially receptive, distanced himself in disgust as the conversation got longer.
“I don’t understand why you’re curious about that. Isn’t it all made-up space anyway?”
“It’s a made-up space, so ordinary people who haven’t learned dimensional science properly might think that—” ”
Stop, Raven-like monsters are coming.”
As we were passing through the city streets toward the castle, monsters appeared before long.
From Deadman to Skeleton Archer and Mage Ghoul Level 8 monster Desfind.
The level of the objects that appear is not much different from the Land of the Dead, but there is a big difference in scale.
A group has at least dozens
. Gather to the side.”
Moreover, if you are dealing with one group, you will hear the sound and another group will approach.
Within a minute after encountering the first group, hundreds of monsters surrounded all sides.
But at that moment
. The ‘Storm of Blades’ seen before swept
the surroundings again.
Shaaaaaaaaaa!
But
…
“I’ll take care of the remaining monsters.”
There is no doubt that a few people have done their job just by sweeping away all the deadmen and skeletons that accounted for more than 90% of the crowd. “Einar!!”
I shouted loudly, and Einar ran out.
The target is Despind.
The hunting method……
I
don’t need to explain otherwise.
A glance exchanged once is enough. “Behel—Laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Behel!”
Now it has reached the point where it hardly makes any mistakes.
It’s called (Din) Double Barbarian Tackle.
Kung!
After
lifting both legs and smashing them to the floor, Deathfind’s The dwarf freaked out when he saw us smashing our heads. “…
Have you always hunted like this ?”
A look like this.
“Is there something wrong?”
“No. Like the barbarians, it’s pretty exciting! Ha ha ha!”
There’s nothing to be ashamed of now, but it’s a little funny.
The dwarves’ fighting method wasn’t particularly noble or anything like that.
“Raviod Eheltun.”
There are seven remaining Deathfinds, but when Raven puts the ‘wound aggravation curse’ on them, it’s easy “I think I know why everyone thinks wizards are great…” With just two battles
,
one wizard can be defeated.
Einar muttered in a dejected voice. Raven
did
n’t respond to this, but when he looked at it, he could see that his lips were twitching. He seemed
happy to be looked up to.
The Dwarf also added,
“Haha! Certainly, having a wizard changes the scope of what you can do.”
I also agreed.
If I had played ‘Blood Fortress’ with a party of 5 newbies, I wouldn’t have dared to go head-to-head like this. It would probably take
tens of times as much time . Even if it took longer, they would have reduced the number of metallurgical monsters from the outskirts
. Of course, talent is needed, too.”
Raven twisted her body slightly at the successive compliments.
Gradually, the character was captured.
A gifted wizard girl who pretends to be humble but likes to show off and is more than passionate about magic and research. I don’t even know
how to deal with it. “Then, I’m going around for a while to get some research data. If it’s okay, can everyone help me
? ”
Hahaha!”
“Thank you.”
Afterwards, we searched through the rubble of the city and collected antique books, soil, metal, and Deadman’s flesh and bones.
“Thanks to you, we finished early. Then let’s move on to the next one!
” I was
dazed
for a moment
.
Don’t you know,
it’s easy to find when you destroy the fountain statue?