Chapter 115. Avarice Devours Everything (2)
"I"m Kang Shin, an explorer from Earth. It"s nice to meet you."
"Earth? Never heard of it before."
"d.a.m.n, just how did he become a Dimensional Mercenary? From a world without any foundation…"
Most of the Dimensional Mercenaries gave me cold glances. Unlike the treatment I had been getting as the Crown Prince, they ignored me after just hearing where I was from. Had they never heard about me before? Did they all have their dungeon explorer communication channels off?
"What level do you think he is?"
"Are you stupid? You"re asking for his level as a Dimensional Mercenary? You"re a newbie too, right?"
There were 13 Dimensional Mercenaries other than me. Two additional people had accepted the request after me. There were only 57 Dimensional Mercenaries in the First Dungeon, and 14 of them had taken this request. Everyone seemed to be very active.
A young knight with long black hair approached me.
"I"m Bellode Iraus. As the request said, I am the commander of the Kiros Knights and a Gold rank explorer of the First Dungeon. Thank you for coming, Kang Shin-nim. The first princess has told me a lot about you. If you do your best to save the second princess, you won"t be disappointed by the rewards."
"Thank you for having me."
The knight named Bellode gave a very good first impression. He looked kind and stouthearted. Perhaps because of the pressure to save Shina, however, he had a cloudy expression. After greeting the knight, I turned to the other Dimensional Mercenaries to greet them, but they avoided my eyes. It meant they found it bothersome, even though they talked with each other as if to judge me when I arrived. They seemed to be saying that they didn"t want to waste their energy on useless exchange of greetings. I found it absurd.
Bellode made a bitter smile, looking at me making a stupefied expression, and said in a quiet voice that only I could hear.
"Please understand. I hear Dimensional Mercenaries become sensitive before missions."
With the danger that came with the job, I wasn"t surprised. Plus, I was new. If I spoke out of line, it was easy for them criticize me as a rookie who didn"t know what he was saying. I sighed and turned my head. Bellode then led us to a large table in the hall.
Ludia was also nearby. When our eyes met, she humphed and purposely turned her head the other way. At her somewhat expected reaction, I made a bitter smile.
On the table, there was a large map with the Imperial Palace in its center. Bellode took a short baton and pointed it on the map.
"With Kang Shin-nim here, all the Dimensional Mercenaries have arrived. We will do a briefing before we set off. We"ll take the shortest path to lead us to the Demon Lord"s garrison. As he is injured, the Demon Army is hastily pulling their army back, but if we move quickly with our elite forces, we will be able to catch up to them before they arrive at the Demon Lord"s territory."
"Demon Lord"s territory, you say. I hear all the peak rank demons are staying there."
"That is true. Until they ascertain their superior position, peak ranked demons prefer not come out of their territory. Since the Hero died… They might just wait until the world starts to collapse before they appear."
"Hm, but still, the Demon Lord is…"
"The Demon Lord received a critical injury. Everyone on the spot saw it. Although we would be unable to take his life, he won"t be able to hinder our rescue mission. If you"d like, I can even bet my soul."
I silently listened to the conversation between Bellode and the Dimensional Mercenaries, and memorized the path Bellode showed us. In case everyone left, I would have to go save Shina alone.
Suddenly, someone tapped on my shoulder from behind. When I turned around, I saw Ludia whose face was completely red.
"What?"
"F-Father and mother… want to see you."
"The emperor and empress!?"
"Follow me."
I left the hall with Ludia. I could feel the stinging gazes of the mercenaries behind me. These guys, why were they emitting so much killing intent…!?
"Now that I think about it, I heard that beautiful princess has a boyfriend."
"I wish he"d die here."
You guys are all single, aren"t you!? And you, why are you glaring at me when you"re a girl!?
The emperor and empress were both waiting for me together. Plus, the emperor was wearing golden armor and the empress was wearing a golden silk robe for priestesses. They were undoubtedly wearing such eye-catching clothes on purpose. They wanted the enemy to focus on them.
"Oh, Ludia! Is that young man the one you mentioned?"
The moment the emperor caught sight of us, he exclaimed. I was surprised. He looked to be in his late 20"s at most. It felt weird that someone who looked so young was the emperor. Not to mention, he was strong. So he was an explorer before he was the emperor.
Ludia"s cheeks turned red at the emperor"s words and she shouted.
"I, I didn"t say anything! Shina was the one who blabbered about everything!"
"But every time she brought it up, you became excited and raised your voice. Can you show me your face?"
That calm and beautiful voice came from the empress. Just like her husband, she looked like she was only in her late 20"s. She seemed to be a priestess of Mitarus just like Ludia, as her robe had similar design as hers.
The emperor was also handsome, but the empress was a real picturesque beauty. She and Ludia looked alike so much that I would believe that she was Ludia in 10 years. If there was one difference, it was her empress-like voluptuous…
"Ludia, there"s a chance for you too!"
"You idiot!"
"Huhu, the two of you get along very well. I"m relieved."
I snapped out of my daze at the empress" laughter.
"Ah, sorry. I"m… Kang Shin, an explorer from Earth."
"I heard you came for Ludia and Shina even though you"re a Hero. As an emperor who rules a country and is now in charge of this world, I can only say that it"s foolish. But…"
The emperor grinned and hammered my shoulders.
"That"s what a man should do! Your ambition, I like it! So? Who do you want!? Will you take both? I doubt Shina or Ludia will refuse!"
"What!?"
"D-Dad! I said that"s not it! I don"t know about Shina, but not me!"
"You should learn to lie better, my daughter. But I see, you don"t want to share your husband with Shina. Then I"ll just have to leave it to my son-in-law. Do you like Ludia more?"
"Um… Both Shina and Ludia are my precious friends."
That was all I could say for now. The empress then spoke with a light smile.
"I was also friends with my husband. With my eye, I saw a future with him and said it would never happen, but here I am."
"I"d like to hold a ceremony for you two… but as you can see, we aren"t in a situation where that is possible. I apologize, my son-in-law."
Before I noticed, he was addressing me as "son-in-law." Lost for words, I looked to Ludia, but she was too busy covering her reddened face with her hands. While the two of us were in panic, the emperor gestured at me to come closer. I approached him.
"I"m going to have to ask you for a favor… If the situation becomes dangerous, please run away with Ludia. Shina is my precious daughter and I"d like to save her if possible… but I can"t lose Ludia too."
"… I understand."
Although I wanted to say I"d save Shina no matter what, I couldn"t say something I couldn"t guarantee in front of the emperor who had such a serious look. The emperor then said with an even more serious expression.
"Also… don"t trust anyone other than Ludia and Bellode."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you think the Demon Lord has only been trying to conquer the world with brute force?"
"You mean…"
"Everyone on this expedition are elites of the elites, but there might be some who might have been coaxed by the Demon Lord. Other than my daughter, Ludia, Bellode is the only one I can trust. Do not forget this."
Now that I had heard about it, it was obvious. The Demon Lord defeated the Hero. Although he was heavily injured, he was still the winner. In such a situation, it would be strange if no one fell to the Demon Lord"s enticement. I couldn"t help but feel bitter at the sudden truth I was made to realize.
When I backed away after hearing the emperor"s words, he spoke to Ludia and me.
"The Hero died and the world"s power has been stolen. New life can no longer be born in this world. This world will slowly but surely wilt. Even so, I don"t want to give up. There is just too much on my shoulders for me to throw everything down and kneel… Shina, my precious daughter, is included. I beseech you, my son-in-law and my daughter. Please save Shina."
"Yes, Dad. I will save Shina."
"… I understand."
The world"s power has been stolen and new life could no longer be born… I see. That"s why the Hero was the core of a world. I finally understood everything about the Heroes. If new life couldn"t be born, it was equivalent to the end of a world.
I bit down on my lips and tried to shake off the image of a grim future. The moment the emperor"s words ended, the empress gestured at me. When I approached her, she took out a five-colored object from her inventory and handed it to me.
After receiving them, I realized it was half of a sword blade along with the rest of the broken sword. Surprisingly, the sword was still emitting a five-colored light. Although I didn"t know what the gem on the sword"s hilt was, I got the feeling I wouldn"t be able to buy it even if I sold my mansion. Although broken, this sword"s value was unquestionable.
[Mitarus" Broken Holysword (G.o.d)
Attack - 15,000
Options - All stats + 100, Damage against all demons including the Demon Lord x3. Can acquire all skills. Strength +20%, Speed +20%.
Description - A holysword for the Hero, crafted using Luka continent"s most precious metal, Lukadion and imbued with the power of Mitarus. It lost its power and broke in the battle against the Demon Lord, and cannot be repaired.]
The world"s strongest weapon suddenly appeared! My hands were shaking just holding this weapon!
"I apologize. It"s broken, so it can"t be used again. However, I believe it can be used in some other way, so I"ll give it to you, a Hero of another world. Will you accept it?"
"Can I really accept it?"
"Huhu, who else other than you would take it, son-in-law?"
"Kuk."
"Mom!"
I heard of the saying "lucky to have a good friend," but I didn"t think I would get a weapon like this for having one! Plus, when I saw the holysword, I immediately thought of a use for it. After unexpectedly receiving an amazing gift, I bowed to the emperor and empress and left the palace. With her face still red, Ludia followed me like a puppy.
"D-Don"t mind what Mom and Dad said! It was just that I"ve shown no interest in men, so they"re saying that because I brought you up once or twice!"
"Yeah, of course. I doubt you even see me as a man, anyways."
"… Crack."
Hm? Did I just hear something break? I looked around but everything looked fine. Ludia was only clenching her fists tightly.
After confirming that no one was around, I took out the Gluttony Spear.
"Hm? What are you doing?"
"The holysword your mother gave me, I can"t just hold onto it."
"What do you mean?"
"Here, watch."
I took the broken holysword pieces and brought it against the Gluttony Spear without any hesitation.
The Gluttony Spear then emitted a crazed red aura and swallowed the holysword.
[Crimson Gluttony Spear absorbed Mitarus" Holysword. Growth: 47%]
"Kyaaaak! T-The holysword disappeared!"
"Don"t be stupid, Ludia! The holysword is dead! But in my spear! In my heart! It lives on as one!"
This crazy spear"s growth only went up by 44% after absorbing a G.o.d ranked holysword, but I felt like I caught a glimpse of this spear"s future. I let out a satisfactory sigh, and declared to Ludia.
"Remember, Ludia. Avarice swallows everything."
"Don"t act cool and say stupid things…!"
This was the conversation we had before our departure.
Author"s note:
This chapter was a chapter with Gluttony Spear, for Gluttony Spear, and of Gluttony Spear! Swallow everything! Ah, it can"t swallow other people"s weapons. If that was possible, the moment the spear touched any weapon… ^^ So Gluttony Spear can only swallow weapons that its master owns or weapons without a master ^^
Chapter 116. Avarice Devours Everything (3)
There was a total of 50 soldiers, consisting of 40 knights and 10 magicians. They were all dungeon explorers and experts who were at least level 70. Amongst them, there were even 20 First Dungeon explorers. In truth, I was surprised so many of them were still alive, given the fierce battle they must have been having with the Demon Army. If the 50 of them fought with Earth"s rankers, they would win without doubt. Was Earth weak? Or was Luka continent strong…? If they lost even with such strong forces, just how strong was the Demon Army?
In addition to the 50 soldiers, there were 14 Dimensional Mercenaries. Everyone other than me seemed to at least be level 60, and as they were First Dungeon explorers and pa.s.sed the tricky requirements to become Dimensional Mercenaries, they were all formidable in their own regard.
Then, there was Ludia and Bellode, making the number of people going on this expedition 66. Bellode, who was in charge of leading the expedition, was also in charge of protecting Ludia. As she was a priestess, she was valuable even though she was relatively low leveled.
"By the way, are there no Dimensional Mercenaries in the Second Dungeon?"
"There are. I heard there aren"t any in the Third and Fourth Dungeons, but I know Dimensional Mercenaries can come from the Second Dungeon. It just looks like no one accepted the request this time."
Ludia answered my question, then Bellode added to her explanation.
"Second Dungeon explorers, especially ones strong enough to be Dimensional Mercenaries, have extremely cautious nature. There are rumors that they never accept requests from worlds that have lost their Heroes."
"I see…"
Although I thought they were cowards, I didn"t voice my thought out loud.
"We will move by specially trained horses. They listen to people well, so you can be rest a.s.sured and ride on them."
Thirty knights rode on the horses alone, while ten knights rode with magicians behind them. The Dimensional Mercenaries, who were watching them, seemed to get on the horses too, but two of them didn"t.
"My subcla.s.s is Summoner, so I don"t need it. Come, Wyvern."
A middle-aged ajusshi who looked to be in his 40"s reached out and summoned a house-sized dragon. Although I didn"t want to admit it, it was d.a.m.n cool. d.a.m.n it, how did he obtain the Summoner subcla.s.s? I"m jealous! I really am!
While I was watching him blankly, one other Dimensional Mercenary reached into her inventory and took something out. It was a wide, metallic board big enough for a person to lie on. Was that a hoverboard? That was a hoverboard!
"I"ll ride this, so don"t worry."
"Mm, how is its speed compared to the battle horses?"
"Of course it"s faster! I have to be the one to slow myself down for you, so don"t worry about the speed!"
It was the voice of a woman! She was a violet-haired beauty who looked to be in her 20"s, but because her hair was pushed together to one side, half of her face was covered. From the visible half, however, I could tell that she was a beauty. It was then that her green eyes met mine. She was glaring at me frighteningly. It was then that I remembered, she was the woman who glared at me before!
I continued to stare at her, not knowing why she was glaring at me. Then, one of the knights not going on the expedition approached me with the rein of a cool white horse in hand. For some reason, I felt that the white horse was cooler than the horses other people got. Not to mention, it looked incredibly similar to the white horse Ludia was on. Plus, the knight had an overly respectful att.i.tude.
"Kang Shin-nim, this is the horse a.s.signed to you."
"Ah, I"m fine too. Sorry for saying it late."
It was clearly prepared for me, so I felt a bit sorry to decline, but I already had an excellent ride. In front of the knight looking puzzled, I materialized Ruyue, who I had already summoned beforehand. When a huge silver wolf appeared, a few people flinched, but I ignored their gazes and scratched her neck. With breath mixed with freezing energy, she asked.
[Do I kill them all?]
"No, Ruyue. We"re going to run for a while."
[Okay!]
"An elemental."
"This is the first time I"ve seen an Elementalist. They"re still being pa.s.sed down?"
"Yep, weak."
"Still a rookie, I see."
Of course, Ruyue might seem weak in their eyes, but that was because I couldn"t draw out all of her strength. When my skills grew, Ruyue and Peika would get stronger as well.
"We"ll be setting off now! May the fortune of G.o.ddess Mitarus be with us!"
When everyone got on their rides, a knight in charge of leading the way set off. The other knights on their horses followed him, and the Dimensional Mercenaries followed suit.
The wyvern-riding middle aged explorer flew a bit higher than everyone, and the woman on the hoverboard floated at the same height I was in, lying comfortably on the hoverboard. As for me, I asked Ruyue to run at the same speed as the battle horse.
"Bellode-ssi, before we catch up to the retreating Demon Army, will we not run into other monsters or demons?"
"Yes. We"re taking the fastest route with the least amount of enemies, and we will continue adjusting our route by scouting with magical familiars."
For a moment, I thought of Earth"s GPS system.
"Pft. What"s up with that shocked face? This much is standard."
"In your world, maybe. Though, there"s something similar in my… Nevermind."
Perhaps it was because she rode horses often, but Ludia skillfully rode her white horse and kept up with Bellode, laughing cheerfully as she made fun of me. While we were in the Imperial Palace, she looked down the entire time, but she seemed happier now that we were on the move. I smiled in relief.
"You"re prettier when you"re smiling. I couldn"t bear to see you the way you were before."
"Hmph! You only just realized I was pretty? Stupid!"
While we were joking around with each other, Bellode smiled lightly and spoke.
"You two suit each other well."
"Bellode, I already told you! We"re still just friends!"
"Huhu, "still," I see."
"No! I said it wrong, we"re just friends!"
Bellode also seemed to be skilled in teasing Ludia. While the three of us were chatting, someone approached my side. When I turned my head, the hoverboard was flying next to me! The violet-haired woman lying on the hoverboard glared at me and spoke.
"You, I"ll kill you."
"Why!?"
"I called dibs on her… If you steal her away, I won"t forgive you!"
"… You, don"t get near Ludia!"
Run, Ludia! An unexpected person is aiming for you!
Although I didn"t think the rescue mission would be a walk in the park, we ran for the whole day and got ambushed when we stopped to take a rest and eat.
[Guoooooooo!]
"It"s the monster unit under the demons" command! Kuk, I couldn"t even detect them with familiars!"
"Magicians, take your distance and prepare your magic!"
"Knights, protect the magicians! Squad One, to the front! s.p.a.ce out and cover the area!"
While the knights were moving busily, the mercenaries each took out their weapons and confirmed the monsters. Strangely enough, none of them stood near each other. Come on, n.o.body trusted each other!? How did you climb the dungeon until now!?
[Guaaaaaaa!]
"Kuk, someone help out in the sky! These d.a.m.ned chimeras!"
All of the monsters were peculiar. They had black bodies and looked like several monsters mixed together. The one closest to me was at least 3 meters tall, had scaly skin, and had four arms of different thickness. The arms looked like they were taken from four different creatures.
Plus, it had two heads, one that looked like a komodo dragon"s and one that looked like a human"s.
"It"s the Demon Army"s trait. They create chimeras from mixing multiple lives together, without their consent, of course. They"re evil and cruel."
Bellode explained to me while gritting his teeth. Before taking on the monsters, I looked at the others fighting the chimeras. The knights and magicians were working together to push back the chimeras, and the Dimensional Mercenaries each took on a chimera, weaving in and out of fights.
The most eye-catching among them was the hoverboard and the wyvern. They were both fighting the flying monsters. The wyvern breathed out strong flames, and the woman on the hoverboard swung a strange weapon filled with her aura that seemed to be made of clumps of steel linked together.
Although they were strong, I didn"t think they were much stronger than me. I thought anyone who could be Dimensional Mercenaries would have grinded elixirs like me, but was I wrong?
"Ah, I see. If they were like me, the moment they cleared the 50th floor…"
The moment they became a Gold ranked explorer, they would have become Dimensional Mercenaries. However, they became Dimensional Mercenaries past level 60 or 70. They had taken a different route than me. Up until now, I felt that I was lacking compared to them, but I decided to let that thought go.
I held my spear and aimed at the chimeras that had appeared in groups. I didn"t know where they were coming from, but they were popping out from all directions of the forest we were walking through. Everyone was currently busy fighting them, but the mercenaries were clearly not trying their best. Shouldn"t they hurry up and take care of them, so we could get our rest!?
"Alright, Ruyue… Let"s go! Gale Track!"
[Auuuuuuu!]
Ruyue exerted her presence with a howl filled with freezing energy. At the same time, I poured an abundant amount of mana into Peika. With Zeus" power, my bond with Peika had gotten deeper. Just by activating Spirit Aura, Gluttony Spear lost its original color and transformed to a golden lightning bolt.
Immediately afterwards, Ruyue ran forward!
"Haaaaap! Fight me!"
[You used Provoke! Enemies from all sides attack you with hostility!]
[Kiaaak!]
[An Elementalist!]
[A new sacrifice…!]
Chimeras of all sizes and shapes pounced towards me. Each and every one of them were strong! Some had poisonous claws, some had eyes that charmed, and some spit out acidic saliva.
[Auuuuu!]
However, they could not match Ruyue"s Ice Breath. Immediately afterwards, they were sent flying by Ruyue"s body and my lightning spear.
Ruyue was in charge of defense and Peika was in charge of offense! Gale Track! In its path, Peika and Ruyue"s effects became one, displaying the greatest synergistic effect. It didn"t matter how strong the chimeras were. My destructive power increased by 110% during charge type skills! I had confidence that even Floor Masters couldn"t withstand my charge.
[Critical Hit!]
[Critical Hit!]
Chimeras were made of other creatures. As they weren"t invertebrates, they had bones. With Skull Breaker"s t.i.tle effect, once a critical hit was dealt, parts of the chimeras blew up no matter how big they were. My charge continued without stopping. If there was one thing I wasn"t happy about, it was that my enemies were too few in number!
In the blink of an eye, I reached the rearmost chimera, which was over 3 meters tall and was riding on a large lizard. It was easy to tell that it was a chimera. It had four arms, each carrying a large weapon! From the aura it was emitting, it seemed to be the chimera squad"s captain.
[Kugagagaga! You are truly fast and strong! I"ll take your legs and make them mine!]
"Like I care!"
In addition to charging, Gale Track also let me deal a final blow imbued with wind! I pulled my spear in front of my chest. Above the lightning spear, a gust of wind appeared, rotating at an astonishing speed. Originally, it would end with a simple addition of wind, but Hermes and mastering Divine Speed let my affinity to the wind elemental reach the peak, making the wind more formidable. It didn"t seem like a low-rank skill at all.
[Kugaga, take this! Giant"s…!]
You dare to interrupt my skill!? The moment the chimera moved its four arms to use a skill, I activated Divine Speed. Its movements immediately slowed down, almost as if it stopped completely. On the other hand, I had become incredibly fast, as if I had grown wings. Although Divine Speed itself protected by body to a certain degree, it was still hard to handle 1000% of my speed.
However, there was no problem with one specific motion. It was the motion I made the most since I was born, and the motion that first made me get called a Hero.
"Die!"
The wind-lightning spear shot out, aimed at a single point in the giant"s chest. The attack that contained my body"s concentrated energy easily broke through the giant"s chest, and the power that was imbued in the spear then exploded.
[Critical Hit!]
[Low-rank Gale Track became level 3. Your acceleration during charging increases, and the power imbued in the final blow becomes stronger.]
Divine Speed"s duration also ended. Feeling the slightly creaking body, I pulled out my spear from the giant"s chest. At that moment, green blood spurted out toward me, which I dodged frightened. After hitting the ground, the blood melted the ground. So it really was acidic!
I froze the blood continuing to spurt out with Ruyue"s ability, then checked the state of the chimera. Its chest was caved in, like a bomb had struck it. Its internal organs, bones, and muscles had all blown up, and it was clearly in an irrecoverable state. If it could move after this, it wouldn"t be a chimera, but a Gamera.
As expected, the chimera had stopped breathing without even letting out death throes. Confirming that there was no sign of life, I put the corpse in my inventory. Then, I turned around and checked the state of the battlefield. Most of the knights were looking at me surprised, and a few of the Dimensional Mercenaries were nodding their heads.
"He"s quite good."
"Ha, we can"t fall behind. The newbie took the head! You guys better try harder!"
Hu, it seemed I had successfully raised everyone"s fighting spirit. I nodded my head in satisfaction, and looked for my next opponent.
Although I didn"t realize, this was the moment I engraved the name, Kang Shin, in the entire dungeon.
Author"s note: N/A