My comrade Graecto’s head fell to the ground.
“……”
The adventurers watched the scene in silence.
Some shed tears at the terrible sight, while others regretted it.
Everyone sobbed silently.
“N-no way…”
Iselin muttered in disbelief.
Who was Graecto?
He was a warrior who boasted a huge build and possessed immense power.
Although he was gruff, he was a dependable comrade.
Above all, he was a Silver Rank adventurer.
And an Orc defeated such a person?
Orcs are usually 2-Star monsters.
Even a Silver Rank adventurer is not a match for a 2-Star monster. A same-ranked adventurer would be enough of a fight.
But the result was completely different.
Iselin looked around.
Just by looking at the monsters that had spread out widely around them, she could tell.
They were positioned as if waiting for orders from the Orc that had defeated Graecto.
‘As expected, that Orc is controlling the nearby monsters.’
It was not a typical 2-Star Orc.
It was higher than that.
Shouldn’t she have intervened in the fight a little while ago?
If she had used magic, Graecto might not have died at least.
‘No, that’s not it.’
But she shook her head.
If she saved Graecto in that way, what about the remaining monsters?
Would all these numerous Orcs and Goblins have stayed still?
No matter how much she thought about it, it wasn’t the right answer.
Other people would have been harmed by the rampaging monsters.
Of course, that didn’t mean the current situation was acceptable.
As a result, Graecto lost to that Orc, and she didn’t know what would happen to the remaining people.
The only fortunate thing was that the Orc who faced Graecto was intelligent.
At least they could communicate, so there might be room for negotiation.
Iselin looked at the Orc.
He had definitely said his name was Skoll.
It hadn’t been long since the battle ended.
She thought Skoll would be panting, but he was surprisingly calm.
He was even casually collecting spoils.
“Deserter’s equipment… I’ll use this!”
Skoll picked up Graecto’s greatsword and shield that had fallen to the ground.
“UOOOOOO-!”
As he lifted the weapons, the surrounding monsters cheered.
‘What should I do?’
There was no answer.
It was the same for everyone else.
“W-what should we do?”
Nariel, who was trembling beside her, spoke.
But in the current situation, Iselin also had no ideas.
She just stared at Skoll in front of her.
Skoll was definitely different from other Orcs.
Not only was his body huge, but his face was full of scars.
What about his flowing red hair?
His very existence was very threatening.
‘Can we survive?’
Could they escape safely in the current situation?
Iselin watched Skoll, looking for an opening.
Skoll happened to be examining the weapons he had acquired.
“I respect this warrior!”
“Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!”
The surrounding monsters responded to every word Skoll said.
Skoll looked at Graecto’s body lying on the ground.
“Everyone should know the honor of this warrior!”
He muttered something strange and then suddenly lifted Graecto’s head.
What on earth was he doing?
“……”
Iselin, as well as the adventurers, quietly waited for Skoll’s next action.
But the next scene was truly shocking.
Skoll lifted Graecto’s head and began to attach it to the shield he had acquired.
“Huh?”
Someone questioned.
Perhaps everyone thought the same.
Skoll attached Graecto’s head to the acquired shield.
And he raised the shield high as if to show it off.
“UOOOOOO-!”
Graecto’s head was attached to the shield.
Ugh-
The adventurers felt nauseous at the sight.
On the other hand, the surrounding Orcs cheered even louder.
He had clearly said it was honor.
He said he would announce Graecto’s honor.
“What honor is there in that?!”
Iselin couldn’t understand.
She shouted involuntarily for a moment.
Her cry silenced the cheering crowd.
And all eyes turned to Iselin.
“I-Iselin…”
A frightened Nariel clung tightly to Iselin’s side.
But fortunately, the monsters did not move.
Only Skoll shook his head and spoke.
“This means I acknowledge this warrior! This is a sign of respect passed down among warriors!”
Iselin couldn’t understand Skoll’s words.
But she had no intention of continuing the argument here.
It was a waste of time.
More importantly, it was their turn now, so she prepared herself.
‘Should I attack first, or should I just run away…?’
Various choices appeared in her mind, but all of them were reckless methods.
The adventurers were also in a state of panic.
Especially since they had witnessed such a bizarre scene.
Their thoughts were not much different from Iselin’s.
–We have to run.
Now, to survive, everyone had to fend for themselves.
But this was a mountain range.
Even if they ran, could they escape safely past all these Orcs and Goblins?
Attacking first was also a foolish choice.
It would be better to run in different directions to survive at least partially.
As the adventurers pondered,
Skoll opened his mouth.
“You are no longer needed.”
“?”
What did that guy just say?
Iselin’s thoughts briefly stopped.
“Can’t you hear? You are no longer needed. You may go.”
She hadn’t misheard.
Skoll, as if they were no longer needed, took only his weapons and the shield with Graecto’s head attached, and set off in another direction.
The monsters followed him.
The suffocating gazes that had been there moments ago suddenly disappeared.
“Hoo-”
“W-we survived?! Are we okay?”
After the Orcs and Goblins left, the adventurers collapsed on the spot.
They were lucky.
“……”
Skoll advanced forward, leaving the adventurers exhaling in relief.
Then he addressed the being beside him.
“Tell the Chief Administrator! *Chwik*, this Skoll has dealt with a warrior in a honorable manner!”
It was a Shadow.
The Shadow heard Skoll’s words and then disappeared.
After confirming that it had completely disappeared, Skoll muttered to himself.
“Indeed, is the ruler testing us?”
Skoll did not spare the adventurers for mere entertainment.
It was simply because they were following the instructions given by Chief Administrator Celia.
The command brought by the Shadow was one.
If adventurers came, they should not annihilate them all.
Before this, an Inspector had visited.
Perhaps the ruler was measuring their usefulness.
“I must stand by the ruler’s side.”
Even if others didn’t, Skoll himself would stay by the ruler’s side.
What could be more honorable than being loyal to a ruler who respects warriors?
In any case, the objective had been achieved.
Even this much would have earned him good points with the ruler.
Skoll, carrying the shield with the honorable warrior’s head, walked towards his own dungeon.
* * *
The surviving adventurers walked and walked.
What had happened a little while ago was truly lucky.
Iselin recalled the events of a little while ago and wondered.
‘Are the monsters just letting us go?’
If you think about it, the Orc proposing a one-on-one duel was already illogical.
Fortunately, they had overcome one hurdle, but the problem was ahead.
What should they do from now on?
Iselin glanced back.
The other adventurers had lost their will long ago.
She could vaguely understand why the Sail Kingdom had forbidden entry into the mountain range.
‘Could it be the appearance of a mutant monster…?’
The Orc named Skoll from before was definitely not a normal Orc.
A monster that had gained power for some reason.
A so-called mutant.
It was an unexpected problem.
On top of that, there were other problems.
The first problem was that even though they knew this fact, none of them could think of escaping the mountain range.
They had already accepted the request for a substantial amount of money.
It would be good to give up now, but they were concerned about the penalty.
The contract at the time stated that if the mission was abandoned midway, there would be various disadvantages.
At the time, they had signed without hesitation because they had no intention of giving up.
But reality was different.
Everyone’s hearts had already crumbled in that reality.
“Should we run away?”
But regrettably, they were all official adventurers.
If someone like a noble had commissioned them, they would have investigated the adventurers here beforehand.
Moreover, if they ran away now, they would not be able to receive any more normal adventurer requests.
Nobles were like that, and adventurers who had lost trust were as good as useless.
Of course, it was a secret request, but now entering the mountain range itself was prohibited.
Regardless, losing trust as an adventurer was the same.
In the end, they were caught.
They had already received the money.
So they couldn’t abandon the request.
No matter what, they had to complete the request for the remaining period.
“How about just hiding somewhere?”
Someone said.
It was an opinion to hide somewhere for the remaining period.
Some adventurers nodded in agreement with that statement.
After all, everyone knew that the mountain range was not behaving normally now.
So it was only right to act cautiously.
Nariel and Iselin beside her could only agree with that statement now.
The current situation was that bad.
Moreover, the sun was setting.
The worst situation was encountering night without any preparation.
Everyone wanted to find a place to spend the night first.
How long did they walk?
Nariel pointed her finger forward.
“A cave… No, a dungeon?”
Iselin said so and approached it.
They needed a place to stay for now.
Even if it was a dungeon, it would be better to spend the night inside after clearing it.
Iselin and Nariel led the adventurers into the place.
“It’s dark?”
The inside of the cave was dark.
And it was very humid.
The further they went in, the higher the temperature became.
The adventurers began to take off their outer clothes one by one.
As they continued to go deeper, a creature suddenly appeared.
“Puyo!”
The first to greet them was a slime.
And it was a large slime.
“King Slime…?”
Several slimes appeared behind the King Slime.
Slimes of various colors lined up and approached the adventurers.
“Ppyo! Ppyp!”
It seemed the King Slime was saying something, but unfortunately, they couldn’t understand it.
The fortunate thing was that they seemed friendly towards them.
The adventurers followed the slimes deeper into the dungeon.
“Huh? It’s a hot spring!”
A place where warm water gushed out appeared.
It was indeed a hot spring.
One adventurer, overjoyed, jumped into the water.
It had already happened before the person next to him could stop him.
“That stupid guy…!”
Iselin got angry at the adventurer who had jumped into the water.
In a dungeon, one must be careful about everything.
If even the slightest thing is missed, it leads to death.
Therefore, the action just now was incredibly foolish.
Still, it was fortunate.
Nothing happened to the adventurer who jumped into the water.
“You guys come in quickly too! It’s warm and nice!”
He even beckoned to the other adventurers.
Following his words, one by one, they cautiously entered the water.
Indeed, nothing happened.
The slimes mixed with the warm hot spring water, creating a more pleasant feeling.
The fatigue accumulated throughout the day vanished.
More and more adventurers jumped into the water.
Everyone wore happy expressions, as if their worries from moments ago were a lie.
Iselin and Nariel just watched the scene.
“Aren’t you going in, Iselin-ssi…?”
To Nariel’s question, Iselin just nodded.
Then she sat down on the ground.
This was definitely a dungeon.
Therefore, they had to remain vigilant until the end.
Even if others didn’t, Iselin vowed to remain alert until the very end.
Nariel also took a seat next to Iselin.
They just sat there and watched the adventurers in the water.
* * *
“So, is this the report?”
Celia frowned as she looked at the thick notebook presented by the Shadow.
The thick notebook was an item carried by the Arch Lich.
She had asked the Shadow to bring the Arch Lich’s notebook to get an interim report…
“Why is it all good stories?”
Is this an evaluation record?
“……”
Even all the points were good.
–Information is slow. This is a reason for deduction, but pursuing steadfastness by pursuing slowness in a rapidly changing dungeon is a reason for praise.
–As the dungeon owner, instead of harmony, attempts to divide and conquer. This is a good attitude.
–Maintains weapons well in normal times. Good.
–Red-Haired Tribe Dungeon, no problems.
“……”
Just in case, she turned to the next page.
–As the owner of the dungeon, his roaring appearance is also rough.
He presents a very threatening appearance to adventurers.
–Sticky Puddle Dungeon, no problems.
Even here, it was simple, with only a few lines written.
“Is it really correct that this is a record?”
Celia was suspicious.
Perhaps the Shadow had brought the wrong notebook?
Moreover, the latter part of the notebook was filled with praises for the Master.
–The great, supreme, and magnificent Master bestowed robes upon me. This is an immense gift, and I plan to cherish it for life.
“……”
Celia was speechless today.
Evaluating like this made it difficult to objectively assess the dungeon’s strength.
Celia wondered if it was right to continue assigning the Inspector role to the Arch Lich.
Of course, the assignment of the Inspector role was the will of the great Master, but she could make a suggestion.
A moment later, another Shadow handed Celia a document.
She immediately checked the contents of the document.
The content was simple.
[Skoll defeats the adventurer]
Skoll, who leads the ‘Red-Haired Tribe’ dungeon.
A report came in that he had defeated adventurers.
He had even reportedly defeated an adventurer presumed to be Silver Rank.
“As expected, we must show ourselves worthy of the great one’s mercy.”
It was only right for those who possessed the Master’s will to resolve such matters easily.
Celia nodded.
At the same time, the evaluation of the Arch Lich was slightly upgraded.
At least, regarding Skoll, it seemed like it was evaluated without bias.
But if Skoll was one thing, wasn’t the evaluation of the next dungeon too meager?
‘Sticky Puddle’ Dungeon.
Celia checked the next content of the document.
[Adventurers who entered the water were dissolved by the slime’s acidic substances]
The report was also simple.
Moreover, it was said that most of the adventurers died in the process.
It seemed the Arch Lich had made an objective evaluation in his own way.
“……”
But none of this was because the Arch Lich did well.
Wasn’t it the great Master who assigned the Inspector role to the Arch Lich?
“As expected, it is the Master.”
Celia felt reverence for the great one’s insight.
