Chapter 38

“No… It’s a bit burdensome if you buy me something like this.”

Annette hesitated with a troubled face.

“I really don’t intend to mooch off my senior.”

Camian said with a stern face.

And yet you followed? What is this guy doing?

“It’s a junior’s privilege. Eat comfortably. It’s not particularly expensive.”I said.

We were at a bakery on one corner of the central plaza. Even though it’s a corner, it’s on the edge of a busy area, but it’s a place that competes on price rather than quality. Meaning, it’s not an expensive place. I knew well that characters like Annette or Camian weren’t the type to mooch off expensive meals. That’s why I brought them here.

“Just randomly fill three plates. And three glasses of orange juice.”

“Understood, customer.”

Soon, the server came with the juice and filled the plates with bread.

“Eat as you like.”

I said that and started eating the bread. The taste was better than I expected for the price. It seemed Annette felt the same. When did she say it was burdensome? She’s munching away quite well. She must have been hungry.

“Ahem.”

Seeing Annette eating deliciously, Camian also managed his expression and reached out for the bread. He chewed it for a moment and then quickly swallowed it down. Then he started inhaling the bread without any hesitation. He must have been quite hungry too.

“…Was he always like this?”

I fell into thought, dumbfounded. I’ve raised him thousands of times, but that was always from the protagonist’s perspective. This is the first time looking at it from a third person’s perspective since being possessed by Max. So it feels new. I know the details about the protagonist, but this is different. Seeing the living protagonist from a different perspective, I notice parts I didn’t know before.

“Well… as long as he doesn’t go seriously astray, it should be fine.”

I stopped worrying. And then I asked.

“How are your grades lately?”

“…Cough, cough!”

As soon as he heard the word ‘grades,’ Camian reflexively reacted as if traumatized and started coughing violently. After a while, he calmed down and glared at me with furrowed brows.

“Why do you keep showing interest in my grades? What’s the reason?”

He would naturally feel uncomfortable. But here’s the thing. …It’s not like I’m his girlfriend, and why would I show such interest in a guy? Huh? You think I like it? It’s all about survival. If you don’t take care of yourself properly, it’s the end for both you and me. Okay? I wanted to blurt out a lecture, but I held back. That’s social life.

“Because you’re a junior I care about.”

“Ku, cough!”

Camian coughed violently again.

“That’s…”

Annette blushed, perhaps thinking something. I continued with a look of disbelief.

“It’s a joke, I’d be happy to see you fail.”

“Don’t say such unpleasant things, even as a joke!”

Was he the one to protest? I waved my hand as if to say I understood.

“…It’s not good to enjoy seeing others fail.”

That was Annette’s protest.

“It’s motivation, motivation. If you don’t want to be laughed at by me, do well on your own.”

“I am doing well, so don’t bother asking.”

He spoke firmly, but it was all too visible. His left eye twitched nervously. Perhaps he’s not satisfied with the grades he’s receiving. Of course. The protagonist is destined to face limits if left alone. It’s not a game of extreme difficulty for nothing. The game plan falls apart if the protagonist can’t play his role.

“Well, if that’s the case, then it’s settled.”

I didn’t speak any further. He’s not someone who would understand now, and there are other means to feed him experience points. I was planning to spoon-feed him a quest today anyway.

“I’ve eaten well. Thank you, senior.”

“…I owe you one.”

“It’s nothing.”

We left the bakery. The sky had already darkened.

“Are you going to the academy?”

“Yes, I should.”

“On foot?”

“Of course.”

Camian answered as if there was no need to consider otherwise. Even though he might have gotten some breathing room from the income earned in the dungeon, he’s still in dire straits.

“Then I’ll go with you.”

I chose this bakery not just because it was cost-effective. It was close to the entrance of the underground space where the quest would happen.

“Do as you please.”

Camian responded. He didn’t seem to sense anything suspicious. Well, if he did, would he be a god, not a human? And so we started walking.

This is where it gets important. The entrance to the underground space is different from the way we came. It’s on the back road. ‘That’s why it was discovered late.’ Now it’s a mandatory quest that everyone knows, but in the early days, its existence wasn’t even known.

It’s in a place where there’s hardly any reason to go, and even there, it’s on a back road, so users hardly ever reached it. But there are always people who try unusual things wherever they go, and thanks to them, the quest was unearthed and became almost a standard course.

So the current important issue is how to lead the protagonist and his party to that back road… ‘I’ve already set the stage.’ I smirked inwardly. In the meantime, we arrived at the first fork in the road. The crucial fork the way where we came and the back road diverge.

“Huh?”

Annette’s eyes widened as if she had discovered something.

“It seems there’s a problem.”

She was right. On the way we came, there was a ‘No Entry’ sign, and two middle-aged men who looked like construction workers were blocking the road.

“Seems so.”

I said that and approached the workers.

“What’s the matter?”

“The road is severely damaged, so we’re urgently working on it.”

“Can’t we pass through?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Hmm, I see.”

I returned to my group.

“We’ll have to go around the back road.”

“There’s no helping it.”

Camian clicked his tongue. He didn’t seem to notice anything odd. ‘Of course. Whose plan do you think it is? I laughed inwardly. Those middle-aged men were workers I had temporarily hired with money in advance. When the time came, I asked them to block the road and act a bit. As expected of current workers, their acting was superb.

“Let’s go then.”

I led the way to the back road.

“Wait.”

I suddenly stopped. Camian and Annette looked at me with puzzled faces.

“What’s wrong, senior?”

“Hmm.”

I pretended to be lost in thought for a moment. Then, suddenly, I pointed to one side of the wall with my finger.

“Don’t you feel something off about that side?”

Feel something? If I had such an ability, would I be living like this? I admired myself for acting so skillfully despite such thoughts. It seems I chose the wrong path in reality.

“Huh?”

Annette’s eyes widened.

“Did you sense something again this time?”

Camian narrowed his eyes. Perhaps because they had experienced my exceptional ‘sense’ in the dungeon, they didn’t take my words lightly. Indeed, people change through direct experience. Step by step, I silently approached the wall I had pointed to. Camian and Annette quietly followed me.

“This wall… it feels off.”

I muttered.

“Is that so?”

Annette tilted her head. To the naked eye, it was just a dull gray wall like any other. So it was natural for her to react with confusion. But then,

“Scratch… someone has carved a scratch here.”

Camian spoke as if he had discovered something. Oh… what’s this, Camian ? Showing a protagonist-like appearance. Is the effect of my care starting to show?

“Indeed, that’s right.”

Camian’s observation was correct. There was a small scratch, like graffiti, carved at the bottom of the wall. Of course, it wasn’t graffiti. It was a mark. His keen eye for detail was impressive.

“The sense of discord I felt was this.”

“You felt this from that distance?”

Camian looked incredulous.

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

Annette’s eyes shone with admiration. The feeling of an extra receiving admiration from the protagonist and the main cast. Not bad.

“It’s nothing. I only felt the discord, and after all, you, the second-in-command junior, are the one who found it.”

“That second-in-command thing…”

“Shh.”

I gestured for silence and cut him off. Then, I slowly reached out towards the scratch on the wall.

“Maybe…”

I pushed over the scratch with my hand. At that moment. Thud! The floor we were standing on sank deeply.

“Kyaa! Kyaaa?!”

“Uh, ugh?!”

The two shouted in surprise. But it was meaningless. Their bodies were already falling below. Of course, mine too. But I was actually smiling. You have discovered the secret entrance to the hidden side of the holy city. ‘Done.’ I checked the message and leisurely prepared to land.

“Ouch…”

“Ugh.”

The two hit the ground hard due to the sudden fall. But since the material they fell on was as soft as a sponge, it seemed they weren’t seriously hurt. It was a passage used by the residents of the underground space, so thick bedding-like materials were laid on the floor.

“Are you both okay?”

I approached and pretended to be concerned.

“I think… I’m okay.”

“What on earth happened?”

Camian asked with a puzzled face.

“I don’t know either. The floor just suddenly gave way.”

“Tch, was it a trap?”

Camian muttered bitterly. He slowly got up, warily looking around. Annette also stood up, rubbing her bruised hip.

“It’s dark.”

I said. We could barely make out our surroundings, nothing more.

“Shall… shall we light a fire?”

Annette asked.

“Wait. We might become targets for an attack.”

Camian stopped her. It was a very rational decision. Suddenly producing light in an unknown space could be dangerous. It was better to first assess the situation with other senses before using light.

But today, of all days, he was showing a protagonist-like appearance. However,

“It’s okay. Just turn on the light. I don’t feel any hostile energy around here, at least.”

I said confidently. It was a place I knew well enough to navigate with my eyes closed.

“Is it really okay?”

Annette looked at Camian for confirmation, then asked me again. He might be her best friend, but it seemed she was willing to follow my judgment since I had taken the leader role in the dungeon.

“It’s fine. Turn it on.”

“Light.”

Annette activated the light magic. Soon, a halo of light formed around Annette. A moment of dazzle. And then our field of vision began to expand rapidly.

“?”

Annette’s expression turned to shock.

“Such a thing… underground…”

Camian also groaned in surprise. The ceiling was so high that even an adult raising their head couldn’t see the end. Thick and sturdy pillars supported that ceiling. These weren’t just any pillars haphazardly placed. Pillars engraved with intricate and artistic patterns. Just by looking at them, one could tell how much labor and effort had gone into creating this space. This was the hidden side of the holy city. The 10th floor of the underground space. And the 10th floor wasn’t the end. It meant there was an even larger space below. I knew the scale was beyond imagination.

“Amazing.”

I pretended to see it for the first time and commented. But honestly, seeing it in the world of the game for real, I couldn’t help but be amazed. ‘Surely it was made by that race.’ Yes. This place was made by the dwarves, a race that, along with elves, epitomizes fantasy. And they did it more than a thousand years ago. However, they only built it; no dwarves existed here. Only uninvited guests were scattered about. Of course, it wasn’t just uninvited guests. Hidden secrets. Secrets were buried here as well.

“There’s a door over there.”

My words snapped the two out of their daze.

“It might be good to go and see.”

I knew it. The uninvited guests of the 10th floor of the underground space were beyond there. We had to meet them. Use those who could be used, and kill those who needed to be killed. I didn’t wait for an answer and started walking first.