Chapter 167

“Oh, the path is splitting into three.”

Annette blinked and said.

As she said, the dungeon, which had been a single path, for the first time, presented multiple paths.

The most difficult situation in a dungeon.

Almost half of the parties that perish in dungeons meet their demise after endlessly wandering through maze-like paths, engaging in battles with monsters they encounter, eventually succumbing to exhaustion.

This first fork in the road could be the beginning of that maze.

‘ I don’t know this one.’

I’ve experienced a lot of dungeons, of course.

But not this one.

Which means I can’t lead them.

“Hmm, which way should we go?”

Godwin frowned.

“Senior might know.”

Camian looked at me expectantly.

I don’t know, kid.

Just then…

Regina spoke.

“The flow of air.”

“Hmm?”

“It’s passing through over there.”

Regina pointed her finger straight ahead.

I remembered.

The fact that wind was blowing towards us when we were outside the dungeon.

After entering, I didn’t feel that wind. Regina, with her sharp senses, must have caught onto that subtle flow of air.

“Then that’s the way.”

I said.

Three paths.

And one of them is different?

Nine times out of ten, that’s the answer.

“I agree.”

Regina and I had reached a consensus.

It essentially decided which way to go.

I’m the leader. And Regina is the lifeline of our party.

“ Then let’s go.”

We moved forward without hesitation.

* * *

Fortunately, there were no more forks in the road.

But that was the only fortunate thing about this situation.

Suddenly, we were in an atrocious trap-filled area.

Spear blades shooting out from the ceiling, the floor, the walls…everywhere.

Arrows being shot from somewhere, without warning.

Flames engulfing us, as if trying to incinerate everything.

Poisonous smoke, its ominous color clearly indicating its lethal toxicity, billowing towards us.

And more.

I could understand why the dungeon’s creator hadn’t bothered to build a complex maze.

This was more than enough to get rid of uninvited guests.

“ Ugh…”

Camian groaned, leaning back against the wall.

Blood dripped from his side.

A wound from a trap.

And unfortunately, it was the same spot that he had just recovered from.

Annette was diligently healing him with her song of healing, tears welling up in her eyes.

“ Whoever created this place must have money to burn. To waste it all on traps like these.”

Godwin clicked his tongue.

He also had wounds all over his massive body.

Not serious, but not light either.

Yet, he was standing strong, unfazed.

He’s a tough guy.

“I agree.”

I nodded.

Whoever created this place was definitely someone successful.

Powerful enough to create monstrous guardians, and wealthy enough to waste it all on these traps.

By the way…

This is…a bit awkward.

Because I’m the only one unscathed.

Is it because I’m that capable?

As much as I’d like to boast, I am not *that* skilled yet.

The reason? It’s simple.

Regina made a special effort to protect me.

I understand why.

‘…But isn’t it a bit much…to be this obvious about it? ’

Even *I* feel awkward being the only one perfectly fine.

My gaze, filled with embarrassment, moved towards Regina.

“ Phew.”

Regina, lost in thought, took a drag from her cigarette.

A thin cut was visible on her left shoulder.

She was injured while protecting me.

It was a minor injury, one you wouldn’t even call a scratch, but it’s the fact that I was the reason for that injury…

I felt bad.

“…You okay? ”

I asked.

Regina’s gaze turned to me.

“I thought it was just a normal visit to the in-laws, I had no idea it would turn into such hard labor.”

“ Sorry.”

“ It’s fine. It was rewarding in a way.”

She flicked the cigarette butt to the floor and put it out with her foot.

“ I got to see how our promising juniors fare in battle.”

“ And are you satisfied?”

“They survived, didn’t they?”

“ That’s true.”

Regina had protected us from dangerous traps, of course.

But if we couldn’t dodge at least to some extent, we’d be lying dead by now.

In a way, the countless experiences in dangerous places that I had provided, had saved them.

And the experience from this dungeon would also become a stepping stone for their growth.

“ We’re almost there.”

Regina said.

“ Now those are some welcome words.”

I was sick of those goddamn traps.

“ Expecting a boss?”

“ Of course, I’ll leave that to you.”

“ I’d prefer it if you weren’t too comfortable with ordering me around to do your dirty work. It’s…not exactly my thing.”

“ Cough, cough.”

I coughed, taken aback by her bold joke.

She knows how to catch me off guard.

“ Phew…Done. ”

Annette wiped the sweat off her brow.

Perfect timing.

“ Shall we go? ”

We started moving again.

* * *

“ It’s small.”

Camian’s voice.

“ Right. ”

My voice.

“ You can do it, President!”

Annette’s cheer.

“Jeez, every inch of my body hurts today. I’m getting old.”

Godwin’s voice.

The four freeloaders were huddled together by the entrance, only offering their commentary.

“…”

Was it just my imagination that Regina’s back looked a little pitiful?

Anyway, standing in front of her was another creature that looked exactly like the Black Golem, the guardian.

But its size…was not.

It was actually small.

About the size of a human.

If we didn’t know that this was the boss room, we’d have underestimated it.

Well, we would have underestimated it even if we *did* know.

At least, that’s how those guys would be.

But we were different.

At least, Regina was.

She sensed that the creature was a formidable opponent and immediately warned us.

To not come near it.

That’s how we, the freeloaders, ended up huddled around the entrance.

“ Here we go.”

As I said, Regina and the boss golem clashed.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

“ What’s this? ”

Camian’s eyes widened in surprise.

The speed of the clash…

It was a battle of a level we couldn’t even comprehend.

What’s truly amazing was…

“ They’re evenly matched?”

Godwin gasped, clicking his tongue.

Even he knew by now.

That Regina was incredibly strong.

All the battles we had in this dungeon were all one-sided affairs.

But now, for the first time, an opponent capable of matching her had appeared.

“ I-I’m getting nervous…”

Annette bit her lip.

But I remained calm.

“No need to.”

“Huh?”

“The sword is still silent.”

“Huh?”

No one understood what I was talking about.

It was understandable. They probably haven’t heard the sound of Regina’s sword before.

Regina’s sword, when she’s serious, makes a special sound.

A chilling, heavy sound, like a blizzard.

The fact that we couldn’t hear it meant she didn’t even feel the need to be serious.

It won’t be a problem.

The situation unfolded as I expected.

Swoosh!

Regina, breaking through the boss golem’s defenses, shattered one of its knees.

That ended the fight.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

Regina’s sword moved like a storm, slashing at the boss golem, which had lost its mobility.

It was turned into a pile of scrap metal in an instant.

“ President won! ”

Annette cheered.

Camian let out a sigh of relief.

“ A splendid victory.”

Godwin applauded.

Considering his personality, it was high praise.

“ Good job.”

I gave Regina a thumbs up, walking towards her.

Shing.

Regina sheathed her sword gracefully, and said,

“ Hurry.”

“Hmm?”

“ This dungeon is going to collapse. Soon.”

“ What? ”

“ I can feel the tremors. They’re distinct.”

“Oh, man…”

I snapped out of it.

Regina’s serious warnings were almost always accurate.

We struggled to get this far, and now we might get buried alive? We need to grab what we need to grab and get out of here.

“ Everyone get ready to run! ”

I shouted, then looked at a coffin in the corner of the boss room.

The only thing that stood out in this empty room.

That coffin probably held the dungeon’s treasure.

I immediately rushed towards the coffin.

As soon as I reached it, I yanked the lid open.

Inside was a red box, about the size of a human head.

There wasn’t any time to examine the box.

I grabbed it and ran towards the entrance.

Just then, a stone fell from the ceiling with a thud.

I would have been badly injured if it hit me.

My face stiffened.

“ Damn it, it’s collapsing! Hurry! ”

We started running with all our might.

* * *

“ Huff…huff…huff…”

“ Pant…pant…pant…”

“ Phew…phew…”

We gasped for breath after finally escaping the dungeon.

Our faces were flushed from the exertion, and our clothes were soaked with sweat.

The only one who looked fine was Regina.

A complete reversal of roles from when she was carrying all of us.

“If someone saw us, they’d think you were the one who cleared the dungeon.”

Regina shook her head.

Her subtle sarcasm is remarkable.

Of course, I had nothing to say after freeloading.

“ Phew, phew…Just…a bit more…”

I raised my hand.

And so, we collapsed and took a much-needed break.

I felt alive again.

Color returned to the faces of the other party members.

“ Let’s check what it is.”

I said with a serious expression.

The red box lay before us.

There wasn’t any lock.

The dungeon’s creator must have been too lazy, or too confident in their guardians and traps, to even use a decent box to store their treasure.

“It should just open.”

I grasped the box.

Click.

Creak.

The box opened.

And inside…

“ What…what’s this? ”

My eyes widened in surprise.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

I could hear a heartbeat.

That’s right…

…It was a heart.

* * *

“ That way, right?”

Shadow Gulshan spoke.

“Find your own way.”

Dark Elf Natasha replied nonchalantly.

Gulshan frowned, but with superhuman patience, he held back his annoyance.

He knew he’d be the only one suffering if he complained and picked a fight.

“ Alright, alright. ”

Gulshan grumbled, slapping his camel out of frustration.

Suddenly, Gulshan’s expression changed.

Natasha’s expression changed too.

They had sensed it.

That a group was approaching.

“ Bandits? ”

Gulshan asked.

“ There aren’t enough of them to be bandits.”

“ Who said bandits always travel in large groups?”

“ Hmm.”

“ Well, I don’t care who they are. We just have to kill them, right?”

Gulshan grinned.

He wasn’t wrong.

The less people who saw them, the better.

The best would be none at all.

Natasha nodded.

“ Do whatever you want.”

“ Hehe, don’t mind if I do.”

Gulshan’s face lit up, seemingly enjoying the thought of bloodshed.

Moments later…

A cloud of dust billowed from the distance.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The sound of horses pulling a carriage.

They could see two horses next to the carriage as well.

“ A carriage? ”

Natasha tilted her head.

A carriage in this desert? Didn’t make sense.

Ignoring her, Gulshan blocked the carriage’s path with his camel.

“ Hey, stop!”

Neigh!

The startled coachman brought the carriage to an abrupt halt.

Dolph, of course, was the coachman.

He yelled, looking annoyed.

“ Are you crazy? Why the hell did you suddenly jump out like that?! ”

“ Kh, you’re calling *me* crazy? ”

Gulshan chuckled menacingly.

“ As if. I’m in a very good mood right now.”

Dolph stared at him, as if wondering what kind of crazy bastard this was.

“ But you…you’re pissing me off just by looking at me. I’ll deal with you first…Huh? ”

Snap.

Natasha’s hand suddenly grabbed Gulshan’s shoulder.

Gulshan’s face twisted in disbelief.

“ What? ”

“ Hold on.”

Natasha said in a flat voice.

Her gaze …

…Was fixed on Regina, who was riding next to the carriage.