Ch.62Chapter 62. Role Reversal

# Dungeon.

A place created by spatial distortion transforming specific areas, with their numbers increasing exponentially as the world falls into chaos.

Ironically, these fragments of chaos are considered the main activity grounds for adventurers, because the dungeon space itself serves as a kind of “mine.”

This was because, in addition to the magic stones that could be harvested when dealing with monsters, one could often collect valuable items when examining the internal structures (objects).

“Wow, this dungeon is quite a gold mine! Hey, Spearman, you should search over there too. You’ll probably find something big!”

A room like ruins surrounded by bricks underground.

Rummaging through the old furniture inside, accessories that looked extraordinary at a glance were gathered in both hands and presented before the party members.

The faint aura and vibrations emanating from their surfaces indicated that each of these accessories contained magical power.

“Hmm, with this many gathered, there might be artifacts we could use right away. Should we try wearing a few as a test?”

“It would be better to avoid that. Artifacts found in dungeons aren’t verified, and they don’t always provide beneficial effects to the user.”

The monk calmly admonished the vanguard who showed curiosity.

As he said, using artifacts obtained from dungeons was taboo among adventurers until they were properly appraised.

Because until they were appraised, one wouldn’t know what functions these collected items possessed.

For example, a hero I once served thoughtlessly wore a necklace found in a dungeon, and when he tried to use his magical power, it exploded, blowing his head off.

No matter what anyone said, he stubbornly wore it because he thought it was pretty, but thinking back, what a foolish death it was.

“But even if we want to take them back to the city for appraisal, it doesn’t seem right to take all of this. We should just take the good-looking ones and leave some here.”

“How about storing them somewhere out of sight?”

“That’s not a good choice. The structure of the dungeon changes slowly except for the main paths.”

As the monk replied to the vanguard’s suggestion, hiding collectibles in a dungeon is inefficient, no matter how limited one’s carrying capacity might be.

Even if they were lucky enough to remain intact, it’s common for traps or monsters to fill the same path anew.

If after dealing with all that and reaching the destination, only to find that the detailed structure of the dungeon had changed and the place where the items were hidden had been buried, nothing could be more disappointing.

“Sigh, if I had known this would happen, I should have brought a porter along.”

The magician sighed deeply after hearing the conversation of the party members.

Feeling somewhat guilty, I pulled my mask down tighter and said in a sharp voice, suppressing that feeling:

“…Isn’t our current objective just to explore the dungeon and return alive?”

It wasn’t just that I was in a bad mood because of the porter talk.

Rather, having learned things while working as a porter, I was trying to teach them what they should prioritize right now.

“In a dungeon where it’s hard enough to protect your own life, focusing on greed tends to ruin everything. Since we’re still in the early stages of exploration, I recommend focusing on exploring the dungeon more and collecting information needed for the report…”

“Of course! Getting back alive is better than any treasure!”

The sniper immediately agreed with my words.

Despite being a scout who focuses on reconnaissance and having an impression that suggested he would be the greediest, he actually showed restraint in his desires and made appropriate judgments at every moment.

Well, the fact that someone who ventures deeper than the front line has survived this long means they must be that cautious.

“Alright then, let’s finish searching this room and move on to the next location…”

As we were about to leave the room and step into the corridor, the sniper suddenly stopped in his tracks, startled.

Then, with a stiffened face turned toward me, he quietly said:

“…Spearman, did you notice?”

“Yes.”

I immediately thrust the spear in my hand forward and signaled to the party members behind me.

In response, they nodded and took their positions.

That’s when we felt a presence from the opposite side of the corridor.

-Kuung, kuung.

A thrill that comes just from their movement.

The sense of weight from it indicated that the enemies were quite heavy.

As if their bodies were made of stone.

-Krrrrrr.

And that prediction was immediately confirmed.

Bipedal monsters with bodies made entirely of stone.

With hideous faces and wings protruding from their backs, they looked like demons, but in reality, they were common dungeon monsters made entirely of stone, inside and out.

-Kralara, kawaaaa…!!

Gargoyles.

True to their name, they were statues in the dungeon that had transformed into monsters, and being made from statues, their bodies boasted strong durability that could offset ordinary physical attacks.

And since their role was to eliminate intruders who entered the dungeon, they harbored thorough hostility toward anyone who entered.

In a situation where such creatures were approaching in a group, even a skilled party couldn’t afford to let their guard down.

“I don’t think arrows can kill these. Can we leave sweeping them away to the magician?”

“Yes, but buy me some time. It takes a while to cast a spell powerful enough to blast those creatures away.”

The scout loaded his crossbow as the magician muttered lowly.

Then, as the monk raised his fists to protect their sides, the vanguard and I took positions in front, raising our shield and spear respectively.

The orthodox position where all members of the party could respond in all directions by working together.

Normally, they would have had to maintain such a formation when fighting against a horde of monsters.

Unless an extraordinary being took action.

-Kwaggang!

Right after that, structures within the dungeon, lifted by a strange power, flew through the air and struck the gargoyles.

Smashed by a mass that overwhelmed their stone bodies, the gargoyles writhed before going limp and ceasing to move.

The disappearance of their characteristic glow indicated that they had been completely killed.

Realizing this, the stiffened gazes of the party members turned toward the girl who was extending her hand from behind the group.

“Uh, umm… that…”

Yes, I had momentarily forgotten because I had only seen her timid side.

That child’s “Object Control” is a power that allows her to pick up and throw any object within her sight.

She can easily lift weights exceeding tons, and as long as the target of her interference isn’t a living being with will, she can grab and throw anything.

In essence, while others fight with cold weapons, that girl is practically launching siege weapons with her basic attacks.

“The instructor taught me to do this when monsters appear… Was, was I not supposed to do that?”

“Ah, of course not~ You did very well!”

Despite Garam’s unease, starting with the scout, the party members began to express admiration and relax their tension.

Well, it’s not like we gain more experience for landing the final blow.

No matter who takes them out, sweeping away the nuisances is all that matters.

****

After that, the exploration of the dungeon proceeded very smoothly.

Being a dungeon based on a royal mausoleum, there were many traps, but if one skillfully overcame these traps, it was possible to collect valuables from anywhere.

Of course, most had to be left behind in the dungeon, but even picking up just one or two of the seemingly precious items made one feel their pockets getting heavier in real-time.

Even the monsters that appeared in such a treasure trove were crushed by Garam’s overwhelming power, making this place seem less like a dungeon and more like a gold mine overflowing with treasures.

To the extent that the party members, each a combatant, could yawn and chat leisurely behind Garam.

“It’s getting late. Shall we stop here for today and rest?”

“Agreed~ Let’s rest today~”

After exploring the dungeon for several hours in this manner.

When fatigue had accumulated, at the monk’s suggestion, starting with the magician, all party members began preparing to camp in one of the rooms in the dungeon.

Since they didn’t bring a porter, they would have to sleep on thin blankets using backpacks as pillows instead of sleeping bags, but such outdoor sleeping was also familiar to adventurers.

“Did everyone bring food? Well, even if you did, it’s probably just tasteless preserved food.”

“If it were a different dungeon, we could have gathered something to eat, but here there’s nothing but gems and stones, so self-sufficiency seems difficult.”

“Since food gathering is impossible in this environment, long-term activities are difficult, and for exploring deeper areas, careful consideration must be given to establishing supply routes and creating a base camp… I’ll note this in the report.”

“Damn… The seasonings I brought are useless now.”

“Let’s save the feast for when we return. The report will be detailed and the rewards plentiful. Oh, by the way, we need to set up barricades to prepare for attacks during camping. Anyone want to help?”

As the magician grumbled, the sniper gestured toward the corridor connected to the room.

The monk and vanguard were about to step forward, but at that moment, someone raised their hand as if seizing the opportunity and rushed to his side.

“I’ll do it for you!!”

“What? Hero…”

-Kugung, kung.

Garam immediately used her ability to gather surrounding structures and bricks to block the corridor.

The amount she lifted at once was faster than what several strong men could lift, and the work was done very quickly.

“Oh, as expected of the Hero. You easily accomplish what we couldn’t!”

“Here, could you block this side too?”

“Ah, yes! Leave it to me!”

Although fine adjustments were lacking, that could be fixed after the initial stacking.

While the vanguard and monk expressed admiration at the sight, the sniper, who had been snickering, began to approach me as I stood guard.

Is he coming to help me?

“Wow, thanks to the Hero, work has become so much easier~”

No, that’s not it.

His swaggering posture without drawing his weapon indicated that he had some business with me.

“By the way, brother. Since we have some leisure time now, there’s something that’s been bothering me. May I ask you something?”

“…What is it?”

“Your name. I haven’t heard it since joining the party, and it feels odd to just call you ‘Spearman’ when we’re risking our lives together.”

…Of all things, he’s pointing out the part I’m most concerned about.

To that, I quietly fiddled with the spear in my hand and said:

“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you right now. That was the condition under which I joined the party in the first place.”

While hiding my face with a mask might diminish my abilities, making it acceptable to travel together, names are different.

The moment that name is conveyed to others, it becomes etched in their memories, all related memories become clearer, and their evaluation of me changes.

Especially when the victim of that name is right in front of me.

“Heh, this is something. In a position where we should trust each other, you have so many secrets.”

“…Do you have a problem with that?”

“Well, as long as you cooperate well, that’s fine. Let’s work together to get back alive.”

Saying that, he patted my shoulder and retreated from his position.

Though he was just briefly testing me and backing off, anyone could see that he found me suspicious.

Well, hiding my face and not revealing my name as a condition for joining the party… it’s natural to be suspicious.

Conversely, the fact that they recruited someone as suspicious as me suggests that the title “Fallen Hero” doesn’t have a very good reputation among adventurers.

This was evident just by watching the magician, who was in charge of meal preparation, gesturing to Garam, who had just finished setting up the barricade.

“Hero~ If it’s not too much trouble, could you help me light a fire over here?”

“Fire, you mean?”

“Yes~ You just need to assemble this kit and strike the flint~ Oh, and I’d also like some help preparing the preserved food~”

“Ah, yes. I’ll help you.”

The moment she asked the Hero, not another party member, to help with the task assigned to her.

Another hero might have smashed her head right there, asking if she was crazy, but Garam stepped forward to help the magician without minding.

Despite the cold sweat on her forehead indicating that she had already expended energy setting up the barricade…

“There’s a lot of dishes piled up, so could you also do some washing at that fountain over there?”

But such unreasonable requests extended not only to meal preparation but also to the cleanup afterward.

“Ehehe~ I’m a magician, so I have very little stamina… How about it, could you help?”

“Ah, yes. I’ll do it. Washing dishes is…”

…Yes, I had expected this from the moment they agreed to split the reward equally.

That adventurers who associate with a hero labeled as “fallen” wouldn’t approach with normal thinking.