Ch.36Happy Dungeon Conquest

My nerves tingled with exhilaration as I faced the battle.

My pulsing blood heated my muscles, and my sharpened senses grew keen.

My vision became crystal clear.

Clear enough to spot even the tiny droplets of blood on the stone club aimed at my head.

The swinging club seemed ridiculously slow.

Or perhaps I had become faster?

I ducked slightly to avoid it.

The fierce sound of wind brushed past above my head.

I swung my sword and slashed through the now-exposed torso.

With a scream, blood burst forth as the troll clutched its side.

Perhaps my cut was too shallow. It didn’t seem to reach the internal organs.

The enraged troll swung its club wildly.

The club collided with walls, floor, and furniture, creating thunderous sounds and scattering brick fragments.

Filthy roars and violent explosive sounds echoed through the room.

Excessively large movements with clearly linear trajectories.

Avoiding them wasn’t difficult.

I twisted my body, lowered my waist, and sometimes pushed off the ground to dodge.

Scattered brick fragments struck my armor and fell to the floor.

I kept swinging my sword, looking for openings.

Arms, shins, thighs, abdomen, back.

The troll’s entire body was sharply cut open.

Blood spurted from the wounds onto my body, leaving a lukewarm heat.

“Groooooo!”

The troll, practically toyed with, howled in anger.

When it opened its maw, a terrible stench wafted out that nearly made me gag.

Disgusting.

Its side had already healed, and the various sword wounds were recovering rapidly with light steam.

Indeed, its regenerative ability is certainly impressive. It seems sword wounds are nothing to it.

Still, at this level… it’s nothing special.

I changed my cutting style.

From proper swordsmanship that cuts sharply along the blade, to rough trajectories that twist and tear flesh, even at the cost of damaging the sword.

Chunks of flesh began to tear away.

The troll, unable to bear the pain, screamed.

This is rather enjoyable.

Pieces of torn flesh splattered against the floor and walls.

The regeneration was definitely slower than when it was simply cut.

The room had turned completely red. My body too.

“Gaaaack!”

With a monstrous cry, the troll gripped its club with both hands and brought it down.

I rolled sideways to avoid it.

The floor shattered with a booming sound, and cracks spread to the walls.

From far away, I sensed new presences approaching.

I should hurry.

I jumped up, stepped on its arm, and twisted my longsword deep into the troll’s neck.

The troll with its throat torn open coughed and flailed its arms wildly.

I leaped up onto the troll’s head.

Regeneration is your pride?

Let’s see if you can regenerate after having your head torn off.

I gripped the sword handle with one hand and grabbed the nape with the other.

I pulled with all my might.

“Huaaaaaah!”

With the sound of tearing meat, the troll’s head came off with its spine.

A fountain of blood like hot spring water soaked my face.

The troll, now a fountain made of flesh, staggered before falling to its knees.

Yes, so you die when you lose your head.

I shook off the blood on my head while looking down at the twitching corpse.

“Is… is that person really human…?”

“…He’s just someone who’s trained a lot.”

I heard Minea mutter in disgust.

What’s wrong with me? I’m perfectly normal by any standard.

“No time for jokes. More are coming.”

Beyond the corridor, I sensed three trolls rushing toward us. Nigel must feel it too.

Three against one… if they’re all at this level, it shouldn’t be a problem.

After sending Nigel and Minea into the room, I stood in the middle of the corridor, checking my weapons while waiting for the trolls to arrive.

The knight’s sword, being of good quality, had withstood my rough movements without much distortion.

The daggers at my waist. All six were fine.

The bow on my back… come to think of it, I hadn’t had a chance to use it.

If Hersella carried it around, she must know how to shoot, right?

…Maybe I’ll try it.

I put away the sword and took out the bow, lightly pulling the string.

It was such a strong bow that it barely bent when pulled lightly, a sturdy piece.

With this, I could probably easily penetrate thin armor.

But if I shot a troll, it might go right through.

After taking out a few arrows, I struck the arrowheads against the floor to blunt them.

This way they’ll dig into the flesh, which should be better against trolls.

Down the corridor, three trolls were approaching with thundering steps.

I nocked a blunted arrow and pulled back strongly.

With a creaking sound, the bow bent greatly.

I concentrated my consciousness on my eyes and stared at the trolls, their forms becoming clear.

They looked no different from the one I’d just killed, with only slight differences in the hair on their chins.

Only one stood out, with shaggy hair covering its head.

I aimed the bow, trusting my instinct. I aimed for one troll’s head.

The moment I released the string, with a sound like air bursting, the arrow shot like a bullet into the troll’s head.

Blood and brain matter splattered from the back of its head as the troll screamed.

While the troll with the arrow in its head staggered, the other two continued charging.

The distance closed rapidly.

I could probably get one more shot off.

I immediately fired another arrow, aiming for a foot this time.

One troll lost its balance and fell with a thud.

The remaining one charged right up to me.

Good. The trolls are now separated.

All that’s left is to deal with them one by one before the arrow-struck ones recover.

Now instead of three against one, it’s one-on-one three times.

I’ve already practiced how to kill trolls.

I casually threw the bow behind me, drew my sword, and charged at the troll in front of me.

—-

“Gaooo!”

This troll was carrying a split log instead of a stone club.

Wood means my sword won’t break when I cut it, right?

I avoid the log aimed at my head by twisting my body in a rotating motion.

Then, I swung my longsword hard at the log that had momentarily stopped after hitting the floor.

Like an axe splitting firewood, the wooden club was split in two.

Having lost its weapon in an instant, the troll extended its massive leg.

I can cut it.

The certainty struck me.

I swung my sword with both hands.

With minimal resistance like cutting through rubber, the troll’s leg was severed.

The troll screamed, spurting blood from the cut surface as it fell.

I cut off its head and crushed it underfoot.

The convulsing troll went limp.

Meanwhile, the two trolls that had pulled out the arrows charged at me together.

I rolled on the ground to avoid the swinging clubs.

The sound of whistling wind elevated my spirits.

With attacks coming from both sides in succession, I was too busy dodging to properly counterattack.

For now, I should deal with one of them decisively.

I kicked off the floor to the wall, then kicked off the wall to reach the ceiling.

The trolls’ weapons, following my movement, struck the wall, smashing bricks and digging into the inner soil before momentarily stopping.

I kicked off the ceiling and vertically thrust my sword into one troll’s head, stirring it violently.

It was the one with the thick hair.

The troll with its brain turned to mush rolled its eyes, drooled, and fell to its knees.

Seeing this, the other troll swung its club toward me.

While gripping the hair, I flipped backward and drew the academy’s longsword to slash the back of its neck.

The troll’s head, with its spine half-severed and dangling, was smashed by the other troll’s club.

The knight’s sword shattered with it. A bit of a shame. It had served me well.

The moment I landed, a massive foot appeared before my eyes.

A kick aimed at the opening in my landing.

There was no time to dodge or properly counterattack.

So, I decided to trust Nigel’s words.

He said my strength was greater than a troll’s.

I extended both arms and caught the troll’s kick head-on.

A dull impact sound echoed in my ears.

My body was pushed back several meters.

My back hit the excavated wall.

The powerful impact traveled from my arms to my shoulders.

It wasn’t pain, just impact.

…I can’t believe I actually blocked it. Even though it’s my body, I’m amazed.

Though come to think of it, it’s not really my body.

The troll, too, seemed not to have expected a human to block it, as it stared at me with round eyes.

I threw a dagger into those eyes, bursting them.

This is fun.

I threw another dagger toward its groin.

A high-pitched scream erupted from the troll’s mouth.

I cut the throat of the troll that had collapsed weakly, curled up and trembling.

I retrieved only the two daggers stuck in its eyes, leaving the one in its groin as a gift for the afterlife.

I didn’t particularly want to touch a dagger soiled with bodily fluids.

“That’s not human…”

Minea muttered weakly.

—

After wiping off the blood, we continued on.

Didn’t they say there would be about six trolls?

Then there should be two left. And one ogre.

There might be more, but still.

We came across another large space, so I took a moment to look around.

Perhaps this was where the three trolls from earlier lived, as there were torn corpses scattered everywhere.

There was the smell of excrement in the corner.

Having keen senses isn’t… always… good…..

I hurried the two out.

They seemed to have already become numb to the smell, which made me feel a bit wronged.

We walked for about thirty more minutes. We took a brief rest in between, and I chewed on a piece of jerky Minea offered.

Perhaps because of the surrounding smell, I didn’t have much appetite and only ate a little.

Nigel and Minea chewed on their jerky without concern.

They eat so well in this place with filthy air.

…I seem to be doing all the hard work. Why are you two eating more enthusiastically?

After the slightly unpleasant quick meal, we continued our exploration.

There was a side path and a room in the middle, but no one was inside.

The room was filled with weathered objects whose purpose was hard to determine. According to Minea, such things could fetch quite a price.

Since everything was contractually owned by the Baron’s house, it was just a pie in the sky for us.

I urged Minea, who was looking at the room with somewhat regretful eyes, to continue on.

Not long after, I sensed the presence of living beings ahead again.

Two trolls stood guard on either side of a large door visible far down the corridor.

“…The final room is probably behind there.”

Minea whispered.

“How do you know?”

“If you look at the route we’ve taken, we’ve been moving in a large square pattern, gradually going inward from the entrance.”

Minea drew an angular spiral shape in the air with her finger.

“In dungeons with a square spiral structure, the core facility is usually in the very center. In this case, that would be it.”

“Oh, really? It’s convenient having an expert. If what you say is true, once we deal with those creatures, we can leave this place right away.”

It was advice befitting an experienced person.

The question now was how many were inside the room…

It was a bit far so it was hard to tell, but it seemed like there was one creature. Given that the presence was larger than a troll, it must be the ogre.

“Then, let’s first lure the trolls over here and kill them. Stay back. Turn off the lantern.”

“Yes.”

I sent Nigel and Minea to the back and deliberately made stomping sounds.

Hearing the sound echoing in the corridor, the trolls looked at each other and growled, then one of them trudged toward us.

I hid in the darkness of the corridor and waited for the troll to come closer.

The troll that approached near me stopped in place and sniffed, perhaps smelling human scent.

Now.

I threw a dagger directly at the troll’s weak point.

The dagger pierced through the troll’s loincloth and lodged inside.

A mournful scream echoed once more.

I rushed at the fallen troll.

The troll raised its head and glared at me with intense hatred.

I easily avoided its outstretched arm and cut it off with my sword.

There was a slight twisting sound from the blade. As expected, the academy’s mass-produced items won’t last long.

I swung the sword toward its neck.

The blade dug in but caught at the edge of the neck.

I reached out to tear off the neck and smashed the head against the floor.

The troll’s head was crushed like a raw egg.

Perhaps hearing its comrade’s scream, the other troll ran toward us.

Beyond it, I caught a glimpse of a massive stone door slowly opening.

I quickly examined the longsword. Already the blade was dulling and cracking.

It seems like this sword will break after dealing with that troll.

I tried throwing my remaining daggers, but the troll, having learned, blocked them with its club covering between its legs.

The daggers were deeply embedded in the club.

Unless they had bounced off, retrieving them immediately would be impossible.

I’ll just have to beat it down.

I rolled to avoid the club, kicked the back of its knee to make it kneel, and struck the back of its neck with my sword.

The sword cut halfway through the neck bone before breaking. The troll foamed at the mouth.

“Haaaaa!”

I clasped my hands together, raised them high, and brought them down on its head.

With a sound close to an explosion, the troll’s neck bone broke, and its half-crushed head was driven into the floor.

The edge of my hand was quite sore.

Looking briefly, I saw bone fragments had pierced through the glove into the edge of my hand.

While pulling out the bone fragments, I looked toward the now fully opened door.

Gripping the door frame, a massive monster was walking out.

A muscular monster with bumpy, reddish skin.

Though taller than the trolls, its muscular body with less fat made it appear somewhat slimmer.

Its head, jaw, chest, shoulders, wrists, groin, and ankles were covered in brown hair, and it held a massive two-handed axe.

It was a proper metal axe, made with the assumption that a giant humanoid would use it.

It had two pairs of horns around its eyes, and its mouth was split wide, reaching near its ears.

Every time it opened its mouth, a long tongue flickered between its jagged teeth.

…It looked ten times more ferocious than the trolls, but Nigel had said there wasn’t much difference.

A roar shook the earth.

I drew Imela’s sword.

The blade with a blue glow emitted a clear resonance, welcoming its owner.

The hilt fit snugly in my hand.

This is clearly a superior sword, so it shouldn’t break.

I ran toward the monster, letting the longsword hang down.

—-

The descending axe shattered the ground.

Shattered bricks scattered in all directions, causing an earthquake-like vibration.

I quickly regained my balance and charged.

In my mind, I recalled Nigel’s advice about ogres.

– Ogre. Weaker regeneration than trolls, but superior physical abilities. Can be defeated.

Honestly, that’s a bit too brief for advice. But it’s still helpful.

The ogre’s movements were quite swift, belying its muscular appearance.

The axe blade swept through walls, ceiling, and floor, whirling like an angry wind.

Directly confronting that would be troublesome, so I’ll try a war of attrition.

Avoiding the axe, I slid toward its legs and swung my sword in a glancing blow.

With minimal resistance like cutting through water, the sword deeply cut into the ogre’s calf.

Blood sprayed onto the floor.

……There’s no need for that.

The tension completely disappeared.

Imela’s sword, which I wielded for the first time, was an incredibly superior weapon beyond my expectations.

Its sharpness, elasticity, and durability.

Compared to this sword, the knight’s sword I was using earlier was nothing but scrap metal.

The academy’s mass-produced longsword was at the level of a child’s toy.

Indeed, I should avoid letting others see this sword as much as possible.

Even before Imela’s identity, the sword’s performance alone would attract all sorts of scoundrels.

…It’s fortunate I had Minea turn off the lantern.

With her eyesight, she probably couldn’t properly grasp the situation in this darkness.

“Grrrr…!”

The groaning ogre extended its fist.

I twisted my body sideways to avoid it and held the blade flat against the fist.

With a slightly dull sensation, the blade dug into the bone and cut right through.

The ogre’s arm was split in half up to the elbow.

The blade, soaked in marrow and blood, gleamed coldly without a single nick.

The ogre, suddenly with three arms, thrashed about in pain, spraying blood everywhere.

The axe wielded with one arm no longer showed the same power or accuracy as before.

I slashed its right shoulder.

The half-severed arm fell off completely, spurting blood.

The ogre stopped attacking and howled in pain.

I cut off its left wrist.

The axe fell to the floor with a heavy metallic sound.

As it charged directly with its body, I rolled sideways to avoid it.

The ogre’s body crashed into the wall, breaking it.

The ceiling collapsed, and bricks rained down.

I approached the ogre as it groaned and tried to extract itself from the wall, deflecting the falling bricks with my arm.

I ducked to avoid the arm swung to shake me off and slashed across the ogre’s stomach.

The skin split open, and torn intestines poured out with blood.

Half-digested, mushy human fragments soaked the floor.

An indescribably terrible smell emanated from the corpse mixed with waste and digestive juices in the intestines.

I stepped back to avoid the flowing filth.

Twisting my waist, I threw a dagger with all my might.

Toward the forehead of the ogre, which was clutching its stomach with its one armless limb in agony.

The dagger, embedded to the hilt, pierced through the head and protruded from the back of the skull.

The ogre let out a short groan and went limp.

It was instant death.

—-

After dealing with the ogre, I checked inside the room.

On both sides of the vast space, columns with strange reliefs were arranged in two rows, and inside, there was a rock formation resembling a chair attached to the wall.

Oversized stone furniture, about two to three times larger, was scattered about in half-broken states, and in one corner, weapons and armor sized for giants were strewn about.

It seems the ogre had taken one of its weapons from here.

Perhaps it didn’t wear armor because it lacked the intelligence to do so.

All passages that might have led elsewhere were collapsed and inaccessible.

Since this was said to be the center of the dungeon, they would probably just be annexes anyway.

After a cursory search, we began to retrace our steps.

On the way back, I decided to pick up the shattered knight’s sword and return it to where the knight’s corpse had been.

I’ve avenged him well, so he should be satisfied with this.

“Excellent. The monsters won’t be a problem anymore.”

While walking down the corridor, wiping off blood with a cloth Minea had given me, Nigel suddenly spoke.

“Yes, fighting them wasn’t much. It was fun though.”

“Indeed. Your movements have improved significantly, so with just a bit more reinforcement in human combat, there should be no issues.”

—-

Exchanging various conversations, we climbed the rope ladder and returned to the lord’s castle.

Fortunately, the rope hadn’t been cut or anything.

Though that would have been fortunate for us rather than them.

The butler, surprised to hear that we had completed the job in less than a day, guided us to Baron Hevel.

Baron Hevel was a middle-aged man who looked like a fattened pig.

The Baron kept finding fault, saying he couldn’t believe our report, asking if we had secretly taken anything from the dungeon.

Even regarding the reward, when Minea suggested an appropriate amount, he kept deflecting, saying he couldn’t give it before verification, that the price was too high.

While I was contemplating whether to smash his head, Nigel spoke up first with a thunderous voice.

Thanks to Nigel, who raged about whether the Baron was insulting a knight of Landenburg, we were able to leave the barony with an appropriate reward.

An advance of 2 gold, 5 gold per troll, and 10 gold for the ogre.

A total of 42 gold was enough to spend for two to three months.

After arriving at the island and giving Minea her employment fee, I still had 41 gold left.

I wondered if 1 gold was too stingy, but she was happy, saying it was generous considering she hadn’t done much.

—-

The bed in the special suite welcomed me back after six days.

Deciding to think about tomorrow’s matters tomorrow, I threw myself onto the bed after washing with warm water.