Chapter 28

―4th chest: Fire-attribute scarf, equipped.

I continued through the dungeon for a long time.

―5th and 6th chests: Gold coins and magic crystals.

―7th chest: Light-attribute ring, equipped.

I disabled every trap, butchered and ate every monster I came across, and looted every chest I found.

―8th through 12th chests: Gold coins, mana crystals, and various jewellery.

―13th chest: Wind-attribute anklet, equipped.

At some point, I realised that the Sloth Dungeon was way bigger than I initally thought.

I had been making my way through this place for an unknown amount of time, but my internal clock told me it was a fairly long time that had passed.

Of course, this dungeon most likely has a time dilation as well, though probably not to the same degree of the Pride Dungeon, so not too long should've passed outside.

In any case, it was taking me a while to get through this place for some reason, and as I got further and further into the dungeon, Sloth got more and more excited.

I also realised that what I first thought was the boss room, were actually the rooms containing enchanted items within chests.

For some reason, I can't sense the boss room.

Perhaps because the boss doesn't have much magic energy?

―14th through 17th chests: Gold coins, mana crystals and a couple of health and mana potions.

―18th chest: Water-attribute pendant, equipped.

―19th and 20th chests: Gold coins, mana crystals and a few potions.

―21st chest: Earth-attribute sash, equipped.

―22nd through 26th chests: Gold coins, mana crystals, jewellery, potions, and some basic things like iron armour, weapons, etc.

"Hey, how many chests are there in this place anyway? Or are you not allowed to tell me."

[Mmm, I can tell you. There are 32 chests here, 8 of which contain magically enchanted items. Aaaaaahhh~, just make sure you keep going to the end, yeah?]

I see. So I'm almost there then.

"Thanks."

I continue.

―27th chest: Another ring, enchanted with poison resistance, equipped.

―28th through 31st chests: Gold coins, magic crystals, jewellery, potions, basic equipment.

I never found the 32nd chest, despite searching for an extended period of time.

So I asked Sloth what the deal was.

[Hmmm? I wonder where the last chest could be~ Perhaps, it's after the boss room~?]

Ah.

I forgot about that possibility.

No wait, isn't that quite a common thing?

To get the best loot after killing the boss, just how did I forget that classic rule?

Well then, we should go to the boss.

"Since I've gotten all the other chests, does that mean the boss is close?"

Of course, I had a good guess that the room right ahead was the boss room, since it was the last room that I hadn't checked, and where I currently stood also seemed like a pre-boss hall.

[Just know that I can't speak to you while you're in the boss room, Jae.]

"I'll take note of that."

Looking at the large stone wall in front of me, engraved with a rather strange picture of a treasure chest surrounded by a pile of human corpses and gold coins, I had an amusing thought.

It's like game lore.

I then decided to just enter the boss room.

I pushed the stone button on the wall, and it opened vertically, causing the unpleasant noise of grating stone to sound out.

Before I walked through into the room, I had a thought.

This dungeon was pretty easy, huh.

Unnaturally so.

And especially so when compared to the Pride Dungeon, where Aphy was the boss.

But, maybe it's just that I've gotten stronger.

That's most likely the case.

Well, let's just go.

It's probably not something that needs thinking about too seriously, after all.

Entering the room beyond the door, I immediately come face-to-face with what appeared to be the boss monster.

{RRHAAAAOOOOHHH!!!}

The menacing war-cry was let out by the large creature―a minotaur who wielded a huge, incredibly intimidating battleaxe with one hand.

"Hm."

It has low magic power―must be why I couldn't detect it very easily. It's probably weaker than it loo--

Soul State - High Minotaur Champion Soul Level: 238 / 250

Title : Beserk Fighter

Age : 74 Years Health : 115

Magic Energy : 3,175 Power : 54,644 [Boosted]

Magical Ability : 156

Defence : 15,587

Magical Defence : 3,107

Resistances : 10,027

Speed : 10,516 Condition : [Angry], [Enraged], [Furious], [Beserk]

Upon seeing the Soul State, I froze, and only muttered under my breath.

"Wha...t?"

―It was on a completely different level when compared to the monsters I annihilated on the way here.

The minotaur's stats are way higher than even my own.

That means it surpasses the Goblin Lord's, too.

This is perhaps the strongest enemy I've ever faced alone, and especially in terms of Power and Defence.

The raw strength of the thing is through the roof.

...I might have to be quite careful here.

Looking at the abnormally low Health stat, it definitely has a hidden meaning, but there's no time to think about that right now.

As soon as I finish examining the enemy's Soul state―

{GGRRRAAAAAAOOOHHH!!}

―The beast charged towards me, yelling a ferocious cry, and swinging the heavy battleaxe in a top-down motion.

Fuck! It's fast?!

*BOOM!*

I narrowly dodged the minotaur's initial attack with「Sloth」, before immediately using magic to try and rupture its heart.

{GRAAAAAAH!!}

...What?

Completely unaffected...?

It was the first time in a while.

I was surprised.

The magic didn't work.

But that's fine.

I only managed to get it to work recently anyway, so of course it'd still fail occasionally.

I have other things to use.

First, let's freeze him in place with ice magic to stop his thrashing about.

*kch-kku-kku-ku-kchk--*

Rapidly, the minotaur's legs froze over, as they became almost instantly incased with the most durable and coldest ice I can currently produce.

However―

{GRAAAAAAAAOOOOOWW!!}

*SMASH!*

Huh...?

―He just broke out of it in one go!?

What the hell--

*woosh*

I blinked in surprise.

....Huh?

―The minotaur suddenly appeared in front of me.

*BANG!*

*Woosh!*

*BOOOOM!!*

"KA-HAGHHK...!!?"

I coughed up profuse amounts of blood, violently―I had just been hit so hard and flew so fast backwards, that my body had dug deep into the wall of the boss room.

From that minotaur's one punch, almost all of my internal organs had been ruptured, and many, many bones had been either fractured or just shattered.

I'm pretty sure my ribs are all completely broken too.

And my spine has been fragmented.

I was in a state of utter shock, physically and mentally.

......

..............

.........................

...You son of a bitch.

Skill「Wrath」has activated

It was the first time in years that I've been this overcome with anger, rage, and hatred.

I was thoroughly enraged.

I had all the intent to destroy my opponent.

Not holding anything back, I used the last few drops of life in me.

I cast magic to the fullest of my capabilities.

―A casing of the coldest, harshest Ice Magic to stiffen and slow the minotaur's movements.

―Bolts of Lightning Magic to paralyze the minotaur's limbs, disturb its nervous system, confuse its muscles, and to fry it from the inside.

―A blaze of Fire Magic to scorch it's skin and weaken its defences, as well as to increase its internal temperature to an extreme degree, reducing its capacity to think and increasing stamina consumption.

―A combination of Light and Dark magic to blind its senses, making it unable to see―or even just know what was going on.

―A wave of Water Magic to fill its lungs, throat, and other orifices, drowning it.

―The hardest and most stable Earth Magic to further reinforce the ice and to keep the minotaur locked in place.

One after another, I used countless types of magic to take down my enemy.

{Gguuggurrggllggugguullgrlur...!!!}

The minotaur could no longer emit it's annoying cry after I surrounded its head in water, and then surrounded that with ice and rock.

The only sound it could now make were the gurgling noises of imminent death.

*Clang!*

It pitifully dropped its battleaxe onto the ground as all strength left its body and its limbs were paralysed.

Lightning Magic had more power than other magic, but had less accuracy and more mana consumption, and considering the state I was in, it'd be absolutely impossible to aim properly.

So, finally, when I used Wind Magic to forge the sharpest, deadliest, and most lethal blade that I possibly could, using all of my current strength...

{GURGGLGURRGGL--}

*woosh-!*

*splatter*

*thud!*

――The minotaur dropped dead.

The large corpse of the monster collapsed, pathetically, onto the cold and hard, stone brick floor beneath.

And, as the target of my wrath had ceased to exist, and my anger was fading...

Level limit reached. Excess experience points will be stockpiled until the limit is increased

It was the same notification I'd seen constantly after reaching the Level 100 limit.

Of course, this implied that increasing the level limit was absolutely possible.

Although it's not like I know how to increase that cap yet, I'll eventually figure it out.

Anyway, after finally killing the minotaur, I should've cleared the dungeon right?

My body was currently in critical condition.

After only one hit from that thing, too.

I couldn't move any part of my body, copious amounts of blood was pouring from every inch of me, and I was on the verge of death.

Frankly, I was surprised at how I hadn't already died.

I think that my magic coating helped protect me from instant death, but evidently, it couldn't save me from being almost just killed and completely paralysed.

It hurts a fucking lot.

First, I drank some of the health potions I acquired from chests on the way here, while waiting for something to occur.

I then realised it didn't work.

"...??"

The potion had no effect.

I was not panicked, or worried, but I was very irritated.

To be exact, my pain was relieved somewhat, but nothing else happened.

I soon found out why.

Due to the [Curse], all physical healing effects are nullified

"....This fu...cking..."

It was at this moment that I swore on my name to end the god that cursed me.

That bastard... He'll get what he deserves.

I thought that I should learn healing magic too while I was at it, since Aphy never taught me, just in case I was in a situation where using potions aren't an option.

Although it currently wouldn't have any effect on me, I could always use it to heal others, such as Rena when I return to the village.

And, in the future, after I kill whatever shitty god that cursed me, it'd be bad if I was left in a critical situation like now; if I always had no choice but to commit suicide to restore my body back to normal, it would be annoying, inefficient, and a waste of time.

Not to mention plain disturbing.

Anyway, at the moment, there was no choice.

―I quickly killed myself using magic, and after waking up again, I waited a while for a notification to appear and say that I've cleared the dungeon or something.

....Nothing happened.

"What?"

Oh, maybe it's that there are no notifications?

That's.... rather disappointing.

But that can't be right.

There should be at least something, otherwise it just leaves a bad feeling behind.

There has to be something I'm missing, but what is it?

I can't ask Sloth either, because he can't speak in this room, and I feel like leaving the room to ask would be cheap.

Looking towards the door where I came in, it closed automatically after I entered anyway, so I can't go back.

To be honest, I could probably open it with force, but if it hasn't opened, then that must mean I haven't cleared the dungeon.

But I killed the boss, right?

Unless....

No...

There's no way.

If that thing wasn't the boss, then I don't even want to think about what could be classified as 'boss'.

The minotaur alone was magnitudes stronger than the Goblin Lord in terms of raw power and stat values.

"...Ah, wait. That's right."

I belatedly realised.

"The 32nd chest... Where is it?"

Perhaps, if I found the final chest, then the dungeon would be cleared.

What with the oddly specific number of chests and chests that contained enchanted items, as well as that odd engraving of a chest on the stone wall outside this room, it seemed that 'treasure chests' were the theme of this dungeon.

The fact that Sloth would get weirdly excited every time I found one, too, only served to further this theory.

So, I looked around for the chest, and discovered that there was indeed a secret passageway at the back of the boss room.

After following it, I found myself in a relatively small room filled with gold coins, valuable gemstones, expensive-looking jewellery, accessories, weapons, armours, and the like.

In the centre of it all, stood a brightly shining, gemstone-encrusted, golden chest.

"Hm..."

This chest was far more exaggerated and dazzling than any of the chests I've looted up until now, clearly indicating that it was special.

Just as I was about to walk over to the chest and open it...

―Wait.

I paused.

I felt an ominous feeling creep up behind me, and a cold chill ran through my spine.

I wasn't frightened, obviously, but something just didn't feel right about this situation.

The alarming thought that the minotaur wasn't the boss entered my mind once again.

But I wasn't going to just back down and leave now.

".....Hah. Seems I'm too soft, huh."

It would need to be fixed.

I wasn't going to truly die anyway, so there was really nothing to be intimidated by.

―I reminded myself of this fact.

Without hesitation, I made my way over to the chest and opened it.

"......."

...Nothing.

Nothing happened.

It was just an ordinary chest with lots of gold coins in it.

I was confused.

It seems......

".....safe?"

I noticed that the gold coins were a slighter richer and more attention-grabbing tone than all the ones I've seen so far.

Perhaps, were they of higher quality?

I reached out my hand, to take one of the coins―

....Huh...?

It was a mistake.

*PSSST!*

All of a sudden, a red blur shot out from within the chest and grabbed hold of my arm, too quick for me to see it clearly.

"The fu--"

I was unwillingly pulled forward with great force.

And then―

{Kyehheheheheh...!!}

―after hearing an ominous laughter―

――I died.

I woke up.

".....The hell was that?"

It seems I'm in the area just outside the boss room, as the engraving on the wall is there.

I don't know how I moved location or how I'm here, but more importantly...

"What the hell happened? Sloth?"

[Kehehehe!! You were fooled! Tricked!]

I frowned.

"...Just tell me what's going on. Have I not cleared the dungeon?"

[Nope, nope! You are yet to loot the 32nd chest!]

"Was that golden chest the last one?"

[Who knows?]

"You do. Tell me, or I'll seal you."

[Oh no. I don't think so, Jae. You know as well as I do that that isn't possible! It doesn't work as a threat. Just figure it out yourself; I'm sure it won't take long at all...!]

"..."

Look at this cheeky fucker.

[However! Since you've come so far, and because you're asking me for help, I shall give you a hint.]

Oh?

A hint, is it?

"Go on then."

[Okay. As you have already noticed, treasure chests are heavily involved with the theme of this dungeon.]

"Right. So what?"

[So, what was the last thing you remember seeing?]

"A chest? So the chest killed me then. Right, I get it. But how?"

[Hmm, I wonder...?]

"So that's all you're gonna give me, huh."

Ugh. Whatever.

Let's just go back to that treasure chest.

Dying multiple times in this shitty place is already irritating enough.

Anyway, it's my fault.

I was careless this time.

Just because I thought I was invincible after being taught magic by Aphy, I was being reckless.

But, as it's been clearly shown, I'm not unbeatable.

I guess that since I haven't fought such a strong enemy in a long time, I was flustered and made numerous wrong moves.

Well, whatever.

I defeated it in the end.

I'll be fine.

There's not going to be a 'next time'.

Because I'll overpower everything that comes my way.

In Ryan's room.

"Well, about that, the wyvern was judged to be B-rank, and the mana crystal harvested from it is B+.", Kaitlyn reported.

"Oh shit... Well, ain't that good news? I knew lettin' that guy kill it would net a high-quality one. His dumb fuckin' luck. It was worth sacrificin' the last hit xp bonus."

"Yes, leader. However, about the right of ownership--"

"--Ah, that―it goes to that guy, right? He's the one who actually killed it after all."

"Oh, yes."

Then, Nicolas spoke up.

"Leader! I heard him say he was going to sell it and split it between himself, Ashley, and you."

"Hm. Nico. Steal it. I wanna convert it into a rune."

"What, really?"

...Wait, this could be an opportunity to get him as an ally.

".....Actually, no. I'll deal with him myself, so stay out of it."

"R-right. Anyway, leader, what's the next plan? I've already gathered all possible information in the castle, right?"

Next plan.... I was originally thinkin' of takin' control of the underworld, but that comes with too many risks, 'specially, since I'm workin' together with the prince―if he found out, then I'd be done. When everythin' goes to shit, I was goin' to migrate to the demon country, Asphal, but that's only for the worst case scenario...

"Hm... Nico, I want you to... No, wait.... Kait, Nico, listen."

"Yes?"

"Yeah?"

"I want both'a you to register at the Adventurer's Guild. Rank up, fight monsters, and get stronger."

"...Alright, it sounds fun, so sure thing, but leader, why?"

"―The war."

"".....Ah.""

They both seemed to realise what Ryan wanted.

"The upcomin' war will be too dangerous for your current levels. Most likely, there'll even be assassins sent into this palace to take down Seronia's higher-ups, includin' the royalty, heroes if possible. You gotta remember that this world is very similar to medieval Europe, so human killing is prominent"

"I... see", Kaitlyn murmured, "Then we need to make sure we are strong enough to handle what comes our way."

"And", Nicolas interjected, "Since we're the heroes, we'll level up and get stronger faster than others."

"Exactly. It just makes focusin' on increasin' your strength easier, and is a more efficient use of your time. I recommend you take either jobs that'll require the use of many skills, or jobs that require you to hunt a high level target. Monster huntin' quests you might wanna avoid at first, since it'll take too long to rank up enough to the point where the monsters are worth it. Take bounty requests too―humans give a lot more exp than monsters for us, so it's more efficient, and probably easier."

Since the people of this world don't receive any experience from killin' people, they don't go after bounties as much, since all there is to gain is gold―somethin' you can get from other, much safer methods. There is also a higher risk of dying. But for us「World Travellers」, we gain experience from human deaths, an' not only that, but it's usually a higher amount than what a monster would give. If you focus on that point, it makes it worth the increased risk.

"Oh, don't go overboard though."

"What do you mean?"

"If you do it too much, people'll get suspicious, and that includes the Empire's spies. They'll try and hasten their invasion if they know the heroes're gettin' stronger. Train in moderation, an' still attend all your lessons."

"Oh, I see. Okay. Anyway, leader, about the wyvern hunt―just how did you do it?"

"Eh? Whaddaya talkin' about? We just trapped 'n killed it."

"W-well, yeah, but like, how? We only managed to hunt our wyvern because it was a baby one, and all our class worked together perfectly. Yours was B-rank right? So how..."

"Uh. I dunno. It just kinda worked out. From previous experiments with the runes, I knew the most effective way was to lay it like a trap, and lure the enemy into it. I also knew the duration of the particular rune I was goin' to use. If ya know exactly how long the enemy is incapacitated for, then it's easy as shit to just use all you can in that time to kill them. 'Cept I got someone else to end it, is all."

"Ohhhh.... But wait, how did you lay a trap on that volcano?"

"The volcano is a magical environment. It was in some of the information you gathered for me; "the Charred Mountain is an always-active volcano 'cause it's rich in magic energy". I dunno the specifics, but apparently there's an abnormal amount of somethin' called 'spirits' that live there. Anyway, 'cause of all that, the entire thing is brimmin' with mana, includin' the monsters and environment."

Ryan continued after a short pause.

"In short, the Charred Mountain's rocks are basically just huge mana crystals. And, since they're formed naturally, the quality is higher than that of mana crystals harvested from monsters, which quickened the activation time an' heightened the efficiency of the rune I used. All I had to do was arrange the rocks into the magic circle's formation, connect the rune, and activate it once the wyvern entered the effective range."

"....Wow..."

Nicolas muttered as so, while Kaitlyn was simply surprised. Neither of them really understood what was just said because of its odd complexity, but they did know it was something amazing.

"Ryan, I never knew you were that cool..."

"Oi."

"O-oh, sorry. Leader."

"Anyway, just focus on that for now. I have some other things to deal with."

Kaitlyn and Nicolas immediately responded, ""Yes."", and left the room after saying their respective goodbyes.

Hm. I should start preparin' a way to leave this kingdom, for after the war, when things go to shit. Firstly, I'll need connections. A good way to get those... Prolly, through underworld sources, right? That or through the Guild, but the underworld seems more likely to give results. There's most likely some demons hidin' in the capital that I can find, who can get me into the demon country. That's usually the case with smugglers. Well, either way, I'll have some time to go 'bout it. The war shouldn't start for a good while yet, after all.

Things seemed relatively peaceful in the world, for now, but who knows how long this peace will last? In any case, both the Kalype Empire and the Kingdom of Seronia are preparing for war. Each party has its own trump card and various secret weapons, and both are reluctant to use them due to the consequences that will ensue if they do.

However, when the time of action arises, can anything really be done?

Kalype's Emperor.

Seronia's King.

―Neither of them are prepared for what will come.