Episode 41

The monster den, unlike the mine, was damp all around. Droplets of water hanging from the stalactites on the ceiling occasionally fell onto people’s heads. There were puddles of water here and there in the passages. However, no one was bold enough to drink from it.

On the damp floor, there were round and smelly droppings and sticky bodily fluids. These were unmistakable signs of monsters.

The dungeon grew colder and colder. Even Viola, who had reached the realm of the iron man, could not avoid feeling the cold. So, she took out a thin cloth from her backpack and put it on. Everyone else put on one or two more pieces of clothing just like her.

After walking in deeper in the midst of the cold atmosphere, Viola felt something wriggling far away beyond the faint light.

‘Ah.’

It was obvious it would be a monster. She glanced back once, sending a look to be prepared for any unforeseen situations. The mercenaries were all ready to fight at any moment.

With soft pitter-patter steps, the monster’s form gradually revealed itself.

It was a large monster that looked like a brown caterpillar. Even Viola didn’t know what it was.

But whatever the creature’s identity was, hitting it enough times would kill it. That was the universal method of monster extermination, and Viola was the leader of one of the ten groups best at it.

The monster, of course, went berserk and charged as soon as it saw its prey. Unlike the caterpillars they knew, it moved at a considerably fast speed. Slithering like a snake, it quickly weaved through the mercenaries. Fortunately, since everyone was on high alert, they managed to block its simple biting attack. However, the bite force of its small, saw-like teeth was significant enough to instantly dent the bitten shield with a crunch.

“Strike—!”

Just then, seeing an opportunity, the mercenaries swung at the caterpillar monster’s body following Viola’s single command. The shell was harder than expected, but it wasn’t as hard as a lump of iron. Naturally, as its outer skin burst open and its repulsive innards spilled out, the creature didn’t last long and died.

It wasn’t a very strong creature. Viola wiped off the gunk that resembled innards from her sword. Then, scanning the surroundings, she opened her mouth.

“Does anyone happen to know what this creature is?”

If there was information, it was always better to know. Especially when exploring unknown spaces.

However, the likelihood that someone other than Viola knew the identity of this creature was slim. Of course, she asked anyway, just in case.

Then, someone suddenly raised their hand. All eyes turned to them.

Viola’s gaze landed on a familiar number. 522. It was Allen.

“It’s called a Susalber.”

“…Susalber?”

He stepped forward and recited fluently.

“It’s an ancient term for an underground worm. It lives deep underground, so it’s rarely seen… It means we’ve come quite deep. And these creatures always form a swarm, so if there’s even one susalber, it means this is their habitat.”

“Even if there’s just one?”

“Yes. However, if you take care of the queen, which is the center of the swarm, the rest will naturally disappear over time. …This certainly is an environment they would like.”

‘…Look at this guy.’

Viola barely managed to suppress the corners of her mouth that instinctively wanted to rise.

“Any other peculiarities?”

“Nothing in particular. …Well, other monsters will almost disappear as well once the susalber disappears. Not completely, of course.”

After all, there was no such thing as complete extermination in a dungeon. Even if they tried to clean up as much as possible, monsters would reappear over time, and such situations would occur again. However, they were not obligated to worry about that. When the time came, the Marquisate would take care of it by issuing another large request.

The emergence of a dungeon meant just that. Once an entrance appeared, it was a disaster that was bound to repeat itself. Unless the entire mine was sealed off, it would always remain a hazard.

“So, we just have to take care of that, uh… Suss…”

“Susalber.”

“So all we need to do is take care of the queen of this susalber?”

“Yes. That should clean up the dungeon a bit.”

A much clearer goal. Far better than just wandering around the dungeon killing monsters.

“Then do you know how to find the queen?”

“…I’m sorry. I don’t know that much.”

“No need to apologize. We’ve obtained such important information. We should find the queen ourselves. …Right?”

When Viola asked the group masters this, they quickly agreed, saying, “Yes, that’s right—.”

As expected. One can’t judge the whole by one aspect, but still, it felt like they had potential.

…Yes, knowing just that much, she considered this expedition a success in its own right. Frankly, expecting a low-level mercenary group like that to perform outstandingly in a dungeon was too much even for her.

Viola had already fully assessed the potential of the entire Allen-Mercenary Group. The best figure was a mage at 275. Right below was a swordsman at 251. Other than those two, there were no usable mercenaries. At least, by her standards. Even the mage, should all her potential bloom, would still not be good enough to be included in Viola’s first team of mercenaries…

“Let’s set off again—.”

Viola took the lead once more. As if to prove Allen’s words, the caterpillar monsters called susalbers appeared frequently. Of course, they were manageable at the start, but the problem was that their numbers were increasing.

The passageway of the monster’s lair, large and round like a tunnel, had nothing particularly noteworthy. Just that, aside from the ceiling hung with stalactites, the walls and floor were mostly smooth without any curves.

However, there were large, hole-like openings sporadically along the passageway walls, which upon investigation, felt similar to large water channels. Perhaps they could also be passages used by the monsters. Anyway, since the holes were large, the mercenaries used them for their needs. Of course, the Allen-Mercenary Group also favored these holes as makeshift toilets.

Exploration, combat, and rest took turns several times. When that had happened about five or six times, Viola announced that she would conclude the first day of exploration.

“Fuuuuck—.”

The muscularly built and large framed Cabrioldi let out a long, drawn-out curse as he flopped down into his seat. The expressions on the other members’ faces were also half out of it.

It had been a tough, forced march. Everyone knew that they couldn’t stay in the dungeon for too long and had to move quickly, but even considering that, it was a grueling schedule.

Of course, the Viola-Mercenary Group, one of the top ten, seemed unfazed by this, as if it was nothing. Indeed, the strong were strong.

The leaders who had roughly prepared their sleeping spots gathered at the call of Group Leader Viola.

“I trust that everyone will do well, but still, I want you to keep this in mind. This isn’t just any place; this is a dungeon. A moment’s mistake could lead to a big accident. So, make sure to drill it into your members. Let’s not create reasons to get angry at each other… Got it?”

“Yes, Group Leader.”

“Alright. Everyone worked hard today. Rest well, and I’ll count on you tomorrow as well.”

“Group Leader, you’ve worked hard too. Please rest well.”

The group leaders all returned to their respective places. Allen repeatedly warned the members not to fall asleep or get distracted while on night watch.

Only after finishing the last check of their gear could Allen finally lie down on the mat.

“Ugh….”

No matter how much he tried to hold it in, he couldn’t help but let out a groan of pain. The milk-jug mage, lying next to the group leader, quietly whispered to him after a hard day’s work.

“You’ve put in a lot of effort today….”

“It’s only natural for a group leader. You should go to sleep quickly, too. Tomorrow will be incredibly tough.”

“…Yes, Group Leader. Good night.”

And with that, Allen closed his eyes and fell asleep as if he had fainted.

…Aside from a couple of monsters prowling throughout the night, fortunately, there were no incidents.

The next day was a continuation of the forced march. Caterpillar monsters kept emerging incessantly, and their numbers were noticeably increasing. It was still bearable for now, but everyone was slowly reaching their limit. Both physically and mentally.

Exploring in a dungeon without a single ray of sunlight, where even the sense of time disappeared, was much more difficult than expected. A day felt like two, and two days felt like four. Looking back, not much time had passed, but it felt like an enormous amount of time had gone by.

The entire mercenary group suffered from severe fatigue and cold. At least the Viola Mercenary Group of the top ten showed good performance, but after all, they were also a group made up of second and third team units, so their performance wasn’t overwhelmingly active. Still, without them, they would have retreated long ago.

Allen also felt the difficulty rise to his chin, but without showing it, he forced his legs to move laboriously. If the group leader showed weakness here, it would undoubtedly have a bad influence on the members. Better to collapse outside the mine than inside.

“…Hey, are you okay?”

“Yes…, still…, yes….”

The faint-hearted believer, Dmitris was almost at death’s door, too, but he managed to endure. Complaining about the hardship would probably make him too self-conscious.

‘…This guy, he’s quite nice.’

Thus, the second exploration, with the afterlife flickering before their eyes, finally came to an end. Viola, too, was utterly astonished by the near-endless, immense length of the passage. The dungeons she had experienced before were literally child’s play… It seems they really dug deep into the mine.

“We’re staying here—!”

The mercenary group quickly spread out a mat and sat down to fill their hungry stomachs first. Of course, it was nothing but salty jerky, but hunger is the best sauce, and after all the hardships, it tasted like honey.

Allen wanted to lie down and sleep right away, but he didn’t forget to check everything until the end. No matter how hard it was, there were things that had to be done.

“Group Leader, please take a rest. You really might drop dead at this rate.”

“…Alright.”

As the group leader flopped down on the mat, a groan of pain escaped him involuntarily. It would have been somewhat bearable if it weren’t so cold, but this bone-chilling coldness was something he just couldn’t get used to.

‘…Perhaps the cursed gorge would have been better….’

This dreadful dungeon exploration, reminiscent of a march during that cold weather, felt at least twice as hard as that time.

He let out a self-deprecating chuckle at the continuous, shitty mercenary work he was enduring and fell asleep. Lying next to him, the milk-jug mage said, “You’ve worked hard,” but he fell asleep without being able to reply.

The extreme fatigue made him forget even the cold.

The guards yawned sleepily several times. It was tough and bitterly cold, so even after waking up, the fatigue didn’t go away.

…He closed his eyes for a very brief moment, but when he opened them, he saw something beyond the dim light. And in an instant, they were surrounded.

At first glance, there were an enormous number of larval monsters. They swarmed in from both sides of the corridor at the same time.

————!!!

“Waaaake uuuuup—————!!”

As soon as they revealed themselves, the two night guards on both sides almost simultaneously shouted an alarm, but the susalbers’ advance was much faster than expected.

The monsters attacked them before the group could properly position themselves,

Throwing the scene into complete chaos.