Ch.2626. First Time Getting Hit?

As we advanced to the end of the dark cavern, a box large enough to fit a grown adult came into view.

“It’s a dud.”

Even before opening the box, Chloe muttered in an indifferent tone.

The others also wore unimpressed expressions, showing no particular expectations.

When I made a puzzled face, not understanding what was going on, Chloe noticed and explained.

“The contents change depending on the appearance. These worn-out wooden crates are almost always duds.”

Here, “appearance” referred to what material it was made of and how large it was.

The value of the contents increased in order from wood, iron, silver, to gold, and in extremely rare cases, there were boxes made entirely of jewels, which Chloe said she had only seen twice.

As for size, generally, the bigger the better.

Because there was a higher probability that more items would be inside. Of course, there were exceptions.

Anyway, Chloe finished by explaining that since rewards improved as you went deeper into the dungeon, naturally most boxes on the first floor were wooden crates.

“Still, we can’t just pass it by.”

Harald set down his halberd and placed his hand on the lid of the crate.

As he opened the box without hesitation, Harald’s eyes widened.

“T-this is…!”

“What? Did something valuable come out?”

Connor asked excitedly in response to Harald’s unusual reaction.

“Ah…”

Harald raised the corners of his mouth and picked something up.

When the identity of the object was finally revealed, people unconsciously let out sighs.

While everyone was at a loss for words, Harald chuckled and held up his trophy. At a glance, his gallant demeanor made him look like a knight performing a victory ceremony after winning a duel.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, Lady Eira carefully spoke up.

“Harald. That’s…”

“Haha, what do you think? Looks quite useful, doesn’t it?”

Harald shrugged with a playful smile.

Eira, who held the position of the motherly figure in the party due to her gentle nature, shook her head with a deep sigh.

“That’s… just a club.”

Indeed.

The object Harald was proudly holding was none other than a club.

A club made from carved quality oak.

Just an ordinary, well-made club…

It was quite stingy as a reward for slaughtering twelve gnolls. Even considering it was the first floor, their luck was absolutely terrible.

“Still, wouldn’t this be excellent for beating laundry to get the dirt out? Eira, it seems like something you could really use.”

As Harald continued to joke around, oblivious to the ice-cold atmosphere, Eira called his name once in a quiet tone.

“Harald.”

“Yes.”

Immediately, Harald put on a serious face and placed the club back into the box.

Rex stared at the sudden little farce with bewildered eyes. The others were clicking their tongues, apparently used to Harald’s eccentric behavior.

“Huh? Did something happen?”

Harald let the contemptuous gazes slide off him with a clueless expression.

“Let’s get moving. We have a long way to go to reach the third layer. Rex, you should also prepare yourself to fight at any moment.”

“…Understood.”

As Rex nodded, Harald began to hum a tune and moved forward.

“He’s hopeless…”

Rex pretended not to hear Chloe’s quiet mutter beside him, spoken in a tone of exasperation.

With that, the group proceeded through the door connected to the room and into the next passage.

The dungeon exploration was going smoothly.

As if they had properly warmed up by dealing with the gnoll pack, the party continued to defeat monsters without hesitation and move on to the next room.

Unfortunately, only wooden boxes appeared.

The party maintained a calm atmosphere.

After all, there was no reason for them, who had been active in the deeper layers, to be desperate for loot from the mere first floor.

Anyway, after clearing about five rooms, they finally found the entrance leading to the next layer.

It was an empty cavity with no monsters, traps, or crates, but the floor in the center was open, revealing stairs below.

It was a gloomy staircase, with an eerie current flowing as if leading to an underground prison.

Harald stared blankly at the darkness beyond the stairs before suddenly speaking.

“How long have we been in the dungeon?”

“Just a little over an hour now.”

“That’s fast.”

After Patrick answered, Harald stroked his beard with an expressionless face.

“Connor. Is your work finished?”

Connor was holding a quill pen and had a map spread out, writing something.

“Wait, just give me a minute.”

After about a minute had indeed passed, Connor folded the map and put it in his backpack.

“Ms. Chloe. That…”

When Rex cautiously brought it up, Chloe whispered softly.

“The dungeon was reset a few days ago. The main structure is similar, but the details change every time, so he’s recording the path we’ve taken.”

“I see.”

Thinking about it, it wasn’t strange. Valuable information was always expensive.

Eventually, Harald slowly entered the staircase.

Rex followed the group and took a bold step forward.

After descending for some time, the end of the stairs finally came into view.

Harald opened the door, and the rest followed him inside.

The passage of the second layer wasn’t much different from the first. Only the stairs behind us served as the sole clue that we had descended from above.

“Let’s go.”

Harald checked once to make sure everyone had exited the staircase, then turned around.

What followed was a repetition of what had happened so far.

Advancing through passages, finding rooms, killing monsters, opening boxes…

By the time even Rex, who had been inwardly tense, began to relax due to the progression that lacked any sense of crisis.

Finally, it was Rex’s turn.

***

After finding a new room, the group took a short break before entering.

There wasn’t any particular problem; it was for Rex’s benefit.

Ordinary people would naturally get tired after marching for more than three hours.

‘We’re fine because we’ve gone in and out of dungeons countless times, but since this is Rex’s first dungeon, we need to manage his stamina.’

—That’s what the party mistakenly thought.

The person receiving the consideration was actually perfectly fine.

Rex deliberately didn’t mention this fact.

Because he wasn’t stupid enough to kick away their goodwill and ruin the warm atmosphere.

While people were sitting and resting, Connor slightly opened the door to look inside.

“Goblins. About fifteen of them.”

The monsters appearing in the lower layers were all about the same level.

The kind that an adult man with a proper weapon could easily dispatch.

Moreover, since they had already encountered goblins five times on the way here, the group merely nodded slightly and turned their attention elsewhere.

Rex also inwardly thought this would end quickly, but suddenly Harald addressed him with a meaningful look.

“Rex. Are you ready?”

“Pardon?”

“We’re about to reach the third layer, and I was thinking of seeing your skills before we go deeper. If you’ve changed your mind, it’s fine to refuse.”

Of course, Rex had no intention whatsoever of backing out of a fight.

“No. I’ll do it.”

“Good. That’s how a man should be.”

When Rex nodded immediately without the slightest hesitation, Harald laughed cheerfully, seemingly pleased with his response.

After the short break, the group reformed their ranks.

Naturally, Rex’s position changed from the rear to the very front.

The plan was simple.

The judgment was entirely entrusted to Rex, and the rest would coordinate accordingly.

“Then… I’m going in.”

Rex looked around at the group once and then flung open the tightly closed door.

A cold chill touched his skin.

Facing the darkness where he couldn’t see an inch ahead, an indescribable pressure came over him.

‘So this is what it feels like.’

It took considerable courage to walk into a place where unknown dangers lurked.

This was a fact he hadn’t noticed at all when he was just watching from behind.

Had Harald and Eira been shouldering this burden every time? Rex thought as he gripped his greatsword.

In the end, it was a fear that anyone aspiring to be a vanguard had to endure.

“Here.”

Chloe lit a torch and handed it to Rex.

Rex gave her a grateful eye greeting, then threw the torch forward with all his might.

“Skrik! Mrrg’ash?”

“Krrzzt! Grak n’zarrr!”

As the dropped torch spread light throughout the cavity, it illuminated the space.

The goblins who had been lying comfortably on the floor jumped up in surprise. They still had an appearance that made one want to vomit, as if all the ugly elements of this world had been mixed together.

The creatures hesitated, seemingly confused by the unexpected visitors. But only for a moment; unable to overcome their monstrous instincts, they began to charge forward with hissing sounds.

Rex gazed at the goblins with calm eyes.

Goblins were familiar. He had seen them several times on the way, and had even dispatched them himself.

The memory of clearing the cave that appeared in Oakbrook village was still vivid. However, the goblins before him were much larger than the ones he had faced then. Their momentum was more ferocious, and their skin was a darker green.

The monsters of a ‘real dungeon’ were indeed on a different level from those living in the wild.

Looking at the approaching goblins, Rex recalled.

‘In the cave, how did I fight?’

There was no need to think long. He had fought terribly.

If he were to make an excuse, he was quite inexperienced then. In his first real battle, his head had gotten hot, he had swung his weapon recklessly, and was desperate just to kill the enemy right in front of him… Even thinking about it now made him smile bitterly.

But.

Not anymore. Rex muttered softly.

[Warrior’s Gaze.]

The power of the mark originating from his heart enveloped his entire body. The blessing responded to Rex’s call and manifested.

A golden light settled in his pupils. It felt as if thin threads connected to his skin were spreading in all directions. The presence of every living being within a radius of twenty steps was felt as clearly as if he could touch them.

“…!”

People momentarily shuddered at the eerie sensation that ran down their spines. Clearly something just happened, or was it an illusion?

Rex slowly raised his greatsword to the side. The goblins sneered with vile smiles, as if wondering what kind of pathetic prey this was.

Rex still stood in place like a statue.

“Rex, you—”

Finally, as Chloe frowned and began to speak, Harald suddenly raised his hand to stop her.

“What? Are you saying we should just leave him like that?”

“Wait. Let’s see…”

Harald couldn’t take his eyes off Rex, as if entranced by something. The others were the same. Chloe scratched the back of her head irritably and retorted.

“Ah, I don’t know. Do whatever you want!”

And as she looked at Rex, something suddenly appeared in Chloe’s vision. Huh?

From the large, broad blade of the Zweihander that Rex had raised, a golden light was faintly, yet clearly, rising.

Chloe unconsciously opened her mouth. She knew the name of this phenomenon. Everyone gathered here knew. They couldn’t help but know. As adventurers…

“Zrrak’th! Grish’naa!”

The goblins, who had now approached to close range, stomped the ground. A total of fifteen goblins aimed their crude blades at Rex.

Normally, this would be a situation requiring quick intervention, but the people couldn’t stop watching. Instinctively, they sensed what was about to happen.

And their premonition became reality.

Flash!

A streak of light crossed the cavity. No one saw Rex’s motion as he swung his sword.

As if the process of movement had been cut off in the middle, when they came to their senses, Rex was holding his greatsword down at his side.

Belatedly, cracks spread across the bodies of the goblins that had been suspended in the air.

Splat!

The goblins were separated into upper and lower bodies, dying instantly as they spewed out their entrails and blood.

Amidst the pungent smell of blood and the warm heat that pervaded, Rex slowly turned around.

The people couldn’t say a word, as if they had become mute. At this moment, they all thought the same thing with one mind.

Is this a dream?

But the purple blood flowing down the blade told them that what they had witnessed was not a dream.

A heavy silence descended upon the cavity.

Chloe was the first to come to her senses.

She stammered.

“You… is this really your first time? No, is it really?”

Rex just scratched his cheek awkwardly.

Chapter 2 – The Legendary Rookie (End)