abcnovels
Chapter 10 – Dungeon Strategy (1)
Chapter 10 – Dungeon Strategy (1)
Chapter 10 – Dungeon Strategy (1)
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 10 – Dungeon Strategy (1)
Three people were gathered in the waiting room.
A nimble-looking man in light leather armor, chuckling softly.
A thief.
A middle-aged man in ragged armor, with a clear stubbornness evident in his demeanor.
A warrior.
And a sly-faced, black-haired priest with an ambiguous smile.
“Ugh.”
The warrior sighed, his face filled with deep disdain and self-reproach.
“I understand that we have no choice, but to venture into the dungeon like a bunch of rats sniffing around people’s belts. It’s a pathetic story.”
“Why are you starting an argument again, old man?”
The thief chuckled.
“Were you that offended by what I said earlier?”
“I have no intention of talking to mice like you.”
The warrior said roughly.
But if he had taken the other person’s words at face value, he would not have been called a thief.
The thief chuckled.
“No. I’m asking if I said something wrong. Are you venting your anger on me because you were scammed by a thief and lost all your fortune, old man?”
“Yes, you…”
The warrior’s brow twitched.
The thief cut him off.
“Unfortunately, the person who got duped is the idiot himself. Why take it out on others?”
“You!”
The warrior rose angrily.
“How dare you insult me, a Holy Knight! I am Alexandro Tyrannus!”
“A Holy Knight, huh? Holy Knights these days don’t seem to wear such armor, do they?”
The thief didn’t stop taunting.
The warrior wore a suit of plate armor, but it was riddled with holes and rusted, making it appear ineffective in its role as armor.
“In the first place, if you were a real Holy Knight, you wouldn’t be here.”
A Holy Knight is a noble warrior who believes in a deity.
They’re high-ranking individuals, and their very presence confirms their status.
“You’re just a wandering warrior pretending to be a Holy Knight, like me, just another scoundrel. Tiranus? What kind of ridiculous name is that?”
“…You!”
Unable to contain his anger, the warrior drew his sword.
The thief didn’t back down either.
“Wanna try?”
The thief drew a dagger from his belt.
The blade was stained with green slime.
“Do you think that ragged armor of yours can protect you?”
“Please, could you both stop…?”
A timid voice echoed, but neither the thief nor the warrior paid attention.
The priest let out a deep sigh.
For hours, the thief and the warrior continued to snarl at each other.
Initially, the priest tried to mediate, but now she gave up.
They had to conquer the dungeon together.
The future looked grim.
“There’s one more person coming…”
The minimum number of people for the dungeon was four.
If the last person was like them…
“We might end up meeting an untimely demise in the dungeon.”
It wasn’t an impossible scenario.
The priest felt very sad.
In the heat of the moment, the door suddenly opened.
The thief and the warrior hastily sheathed their weapons, but they were all in plain sight.
The guard captain who entered frowned.
“Understand that you’re being evaluated.”
“Well, I understand, but I don’t think that guy pretending to be a Holy Knight does.”
“You…”
“Is that all you can say, old man?”
“Quiet.”
The guard captain didn’t care. It wouldn’t matter if they all died in the dungeon.
“The last person has arrived.”
“Oh, this time, I hope they’re somewhat normal.”
“Judge for yourself. This way.”
And he entered.
Barbarian.
Ketal.
For a moment, the heads of the thief, the warrior, and the priest all turned.
He was a colossal figure.
“Huh?”
“You guys are my party members. Nice to meet you.”
Ketal smiled and raised his hand.
* * *
The room was filled.
Despite the waiting room being spacious enough for ten people, it felt crowded in an instant.
The barbarian in front of them had that presence.
Cross him and you’ll die.
Instinctively, they all shut their mouths and became as innocent as lambs.
The guard captain seemed to have expected this and left the room.
“Let me introduce myself. I’m the Barbarian, Ketal.”
Though Ketal opened his mouth, no one responded.
‘I thought it would be more lively.’
It was quieter than he expected.
Ketal felt slightly disappointed.
‘They are very shy people.’
Then he would have to lead the conversation.
Ketal smiled wryly.
He needed to make them feel comfortable around him, without them being intimidated.
They didn’t cower and instead felt a sense of friendliness towards him.
“Hii!”
The moment she saw that smile, the priest almost wet herself.
Ketal’s gaze fell upon the thief.
“Who are you?”
“I-I am…”
The thief forced the words out with a dry tongue.
He had encountered barbarians before, and most of them were easy targets.
Stupid, vicious, yet with strong pride.
There had been numerous occasions where he had deceived and robbed such barbarians without much effort.
To the thief, a barbarian was just a foolish target, nothing more or less.
But this time, he didn’t feel that way at all.
Make a wrong move, and your head could be split open.
In that fear, the thief stammered,
“I-I am Kasan Hawk. A thief.”
“A thief, huh? And what about you?”
Ketal’s gaze turned to the warrior.
The warrior closed his eyes and clenched his teeth.
“…I am a Holy Knight. Alexandro Tyrannus.”
Upon hearing this, the thief couldn’t help but admire him.
How could he confidently claim to be a Holy Knight in front of this barbarian?
It was truly commendable.
Ketal chuckled.
“Are you using divine powers as a Holy Knight?”
“Well, normally I would, but I’m a bit of a special case. I can’t use them.”
“I see.”
Ketal didn’t say anything more.
This time, his gaze shifted to the black-haired girl.
“And you?”
“…I am a priestess of the god of deception and trickery, Kalosia. My name is Heize.”
The priest spoke with a trembling voice, looking at the barbarian with fearful eyes.
Barbarian.
Savage beings who deny and mock the gods.
The conflict between priests and barbarians was so well-known that it wasn’t even worth mentioning.
Moreover, she had heard countless stories about barbarians from her seniors in the church.
There was even a barbarian who attacked suddenly, shouting, ‘Priestess? Then try praying to your god to protect you from the barbarian in front of you!’
Some even attacked recklessly with axes.
The priest tensed up, and Ketal smiled warmly.
“A priestess! Nice to meet you!”
A world where gods exist.
Priests who wield their powers by believing in them.
It was truly one of the flowers of fantasy.
Ketal was very pleased to meet the priest.
And the priest was taken aback.
She had expected hostility, but it felt like she was meeting someone from the same congregation.
It was a completely unexpected reaction.
The door opened.
The guard captain entered.
“Is the conversation roughly over?”
“The rough evaluation is done.”
“Good. Then let’s get going. Follow me.”
* * *
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
They followed the guard captain towards the open plains outside the territory.
Meanwhile, Ketal continued to be intrigued by the priest.
“Is your status as a priestess uncertain?”
“W-Well, the god I serve is the god of deception and trickery, Kalosia…”
The priest hesitated to speak.
“I’m sorry to say this, but many of the followers of my god don’t have a good reputation, so…”
“Is that so?”
Not all gods are benevolent just because they’re gods.
Kalosia was called the god of deception and trickery.
Perhaps she felt a sense of rejection from the territory due to causing trouble.
She carefully nodded her head.
“Yes, yes… I’m just a low-ranking priestess, so I can’t do anything impressive.”
“Hmm. What can you do?”
“Deceive with dice rolls, or perhaps enchant opponents…”
Ketal nodded.
“Not highly regarded, I suppose.”
“Hahaha…”
‘What… what is it?’
The priest forced a smile.
The barbarian was treating her so kindly.
It was incredibly confusing.
‘…Is he considering joining the church?’
Was the barbarian, who denied the gods, realizing the greatness of the gods and planning to dedicate himself to Kalosia?
If so, as a priest, she would naturally have to accept him.
Her journey was for her personal training but also for guidance.
But it was scary.
Personally, she hoped he would do it to someone else.
She harbored thoughts as a priest that she shouldn’t be having.
“We’ve arrived.”
The guard captain who led the way stopped.
In front of them was a cave.
“Wow.”
Ketal’s eyes lit up.
There it was, the dungeon.
‘That’s the dungeon.’
“It’s a dungeon with a total of three floors. Undead monsters appear. If you combine your strengths…”
The guard captain trailed off and looked at Ketal.
“… Anyway, you should be able to clear it. When you do, make sure to come back with the proof.”
“Got it. Thanks for the explanation.”
“…Good luck.”
With gratitude from the barbarian, the guard captain left with a complex expression on his face.
They stood before the dungeon.
Ketal applauded.
The bodies of the other three trembled simultaneously.
“Well then, I’d like to start the strategy, but how should we do it? This kind of party play is new to me, so I’d appreciate an explanation.”
“Well…”
The thief glanced at Ketal.
“Has anyone here cleared a dungeon before?”
No one raised their hand.
The thief spoke cautiously.
“I have some experience, so I’ll take the lead. Since it’s a standard dungeon, shall we proceed conventionally?”
“What does conventional mean?”
“Well… with Mr. Ketal and…”
“You don’t have to use ‘mister.’ We’re comrades, aren’t we?”
“Hahaha.”
The thief chuckled dryly.
“Ketal… and that. The warrior will take the lead, and I’ll check for traps. Then the priest will support us with various abilities from behind. That’s the basic structure.”
“Understood.”
Ketal stepped forward.
He tapped the warrior’s shoulder.
The armor creaked.
“Let’s stand back to back and support each other.”
“Ah, got it.”
The warrior nodded frantically.
Ketal smiled and entered the dungeon.
The rest followed him with worried expressions.
* * *
The air in the dungeon was damp and musty.
The thief cautiously surveyed the dungeon and advanced, with the others following behind.
After some distance, the thief raised his hand.
“Stop. It’s a monster.”
“Even though we can’t see it.”
“Do you see the scattered bone fragments on the floor over there? It’s a skeleton. It’ll rise and attack us if we get too close.”
“Ah, I see.”
Ketal chuckled.
A skeleton, huh?
That was a very typical fantasy monster.
He wondered what form it would take.
But interpreting that laughter differently, the thief shivered.
This barbarian was thirsty for battle.
He forced himself to calm down and spoke calmly.
“Skeletons are quite powerful monsters. We need to prepare properly.”
Even if they’re wounded, they’ll still move and try to kill their enemies.
Being made of bones, they also had considerable defense.
‘…The dungeon difficulty is higher than I thought.’
A dungeon with skeletons appearing as well.
The thief had cleared dungeons like this several times before, but this level was a first.
And the reason became apparent.
He glanced at Ketal.
With this barbarian, they could clear dungeons of this caliber.
But they still had to be cautious.
“priest, prepare your abilities. Warrior, raise your shield. Ketal, I’ll ask for your preparation too. I’ll aim for the gaps in battle.”
“How do we defeat skeletons?”
“You have to sever their necks. Other parts of their bodies will still move even if destroyed, so you must aim for their necks. They’re quite tough, so you’ll need to strike their necks several times.”
“Got it.”
After all preparations were made, Ketal and the warrior approached.
The skeleton, sensing enemies, rose with the sound of bones clashing.
“Battle!”
The thief shouted.
The warrior raised his shield, and the priest prayed for her abilities.
The thief hid in the shadows, aiming for gaps.
Tensions rose as the battle began.
Thud.
The risen skeleton brandished its sword.
Ketal swung his palm.
Crack.
The skeleton’s head turned to dust and disappeared.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]