Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Investing Through the Status Window.

Episode 42: The Mining Dungeon (4).

Allen snapped his eyes open at the sound of the alarm. And the moment he tried to spring up, he nearly collapsed again due to the muscle pain and fatigue attacking his feeble body, but the urgent cries of the people made him grit his teeth and forcibly put strength into his legs.

He wondered if a monster had appeared as he frantically scanned his surroundings, and then he caught sight of a tremendous number of larval monsters. The accompanying susalbers also entered his field of vision.

———!!!

They had already approached close enough to rush at the mercenaries. There was no time to form ranks. The urgency was such that the members scrambled to their feet, not even fully equipped, holding only their weapons and shields to fight.

‘Damn, shit…!’

The dizzying thought that they were really screwed— quickly spread, and there was no time to ponder how things had gotten to this point. For now, the priority was to think of a way to escape this situation…!

—!

At that moment, a monster charged… However, its target was not him but the milk-jug mage beside him.

His body moved instinctively, more than he thought. He leaped and, with a groan, froze for a moment, then rolled on the ground, holding her. He felt no pain or anything of the sort.

At the same time, the susalber attacked the spot they had just occupied. If it weren’t for the group leader, the milk-jug mage would have undoubtedly suffered a fatal injury.

The two who had rolled on the ground got up quickly, without even time to feel the pain. Allen saw Dmitris, shivering not far away.

“Dmit…!”

And the moment he called him, a monster attacked the frail-hearted believer. With a scream, the young man’s waist was severed, splitting his body in two.

——!!

The monster approached the twitching upper body, then decisively snapped the neck, separating the head from the torso.

‘This son of a…!’

Believing someone would come to save him and foolishly waiting… The situation was far from good.

“Kalismaaaaan————!!!”

Allen, whose life was in danger, screamed Kalisman’s name as if his throat would burst. Somehow, he felt that Kalisman, if no one else, would come running if called….

Then, Allen and the milk-jug mage hurriedly fled the scene. He followed the people running away. There was nothing else he could do. Surviving was the priority.

Occasionally, someone ahead or behind was bitten and killed by a monster. Of course, there were those who attacked them, but then the milk-jug mage would cast a spell with her wand and repel them.

However, the inefficient elemental magic had a clear limit to its usage. Even though her magical power had recently grown, she started to show signs of fatigue from the third spell, despite casting it weakly.

Fortunately, they had reached a place where some people were gathered. …The problem was, that meant monsters were also concentrating in this direction.

The armed mercenaries were somehow managing to fight them off, but it didn’t seem like they would last long. They could handle three or four, but there were far too many monsters scattered around.

Just then, they saw Kalisman running towards them after having heard the group leader’s shout. His figure was briefly visible among the monsters.

‘Ah—!’

But he couldn’t handle this many by himself. He was slowly approaching Allen, but it seemed like the group leader would be split in half before then.

At that moment, the people huddled against the corridor wall behind Allen, and the milk-jug mage began to disappear one by one. Soon after, the two felt the area behind them become eerily empty.

Allen and the milk-jug mage turned around to see what was happening. There was a hole right there. The very defecation hole they had been using with abandon.

‘…For now, through there…!’

He had no other choice. After making eye contact with the milk-jug mage, he quickly lay down and slid into the hole with her. There was no time to worry about the stench.

And as soon as they entered the hole, their bodies slipped and tangled together.

‘Damn it!’

The tunnel, shaped like a ditch, was incredibly slippery. The surface was so smooth, without a single bump or friction point to hold onto.

“Ah—!”

Following the short scream from the milk-jug mage, their bodies began to slide swiftly down the tunnel. At that moment, the acceleration had already begun

A desperate shout of “Group Leader—,” was heard, but Allen could do nothing but slide.

The group master of one of the top ten, Viola, sliced through the monsters with her elegant swordsmanship. Each flash of her sword cleaved the bodies of the monsters, but there were too many to defeat quickly. The mage was fervently casting spells, but his magic, not being of the elemental type, did not show great effectiveness.

Of course, given time, they would eventually be able to defeat them all, but the damage in the meantime seemed significant. Already, a few among those affiliated with the Viola-Mercenary Group had been injured.

Still, thanks to their quick response as soon as the situation arose, they were able to hold out this much.

‘…Ah, that man…!’

At that moment, the well-being of Group Leader Allen suddenly flashed through Viola’s mind.

She looked around hastily in search of Group Leader Allen. She had to save that man at all costs. No matter what—!

“Alex, Alex—!”

When she couldn’t see the man, she called out to Captain Alex. He, who had been chopping off the head of a bug monster with an ax nearby, hurried to the group leader upon hearing the call.

“Yes, Group Leader.”

“Find that man, Allen. I mean Group Leader Allen. Find him and protect him. We must save him by any means. Protect him at all costs. You must save that man, no matter what got it?! At all costs—!”

Hearing the urgent command of the group leader, Alex nodded as if to say he would definitely carry it out and dove into the chaos.

To save the one beloved by the group leader—, a grand slogan blossomed in his heart.

Allen and the milk-jug mage kept sliding down as if they were on a water slide. Of course, there were no sections that turned as sharply and swiftly as that, but once they started sliding, there was no way out, just the same.

“Alleeeeen—”

Elena, held in Allen’s arms, was startled by the sensation of sliding at a considerable speed and unwittingly called out his name loudly.

However, calling out to Allen didn’t mean he suddenly had a solution. He could only tightly hold her in his arms and wait for the sliding to end.

Sliding down for a while, the two suddenly slipped out of the passage and felt a brief moment of free fall before crashing into something soft. Fortunately, it wasn’t the hard stone floor, but a very slippery mass of mucus. The foul stench was a bonus.

Pant, pant, pant.

It was pitch dark with not a single light around. Allen, trapped in the darkness where he could see nothing, suddenly felt a surge of fear… The fear of death overcame him.

Then, voices of people were heard nearby. They seemed to be the ones who had escaped into the hole earlier. They, too, probably never imagined sliding down like this.

“- Where is everyone? Huh? Please, someone save me.”

“- Fuck, fuck, fuuuck.”

“- Fire, fire, does anyone have fire? I can’t see anything, damn it—!”

The two men and women, entangled, managed to crawl out of the mucous mass at last. Allen was equally urgent about the need for fire.

“Elena, fire. Do you have fire? No, light. I mean light. The wand. Do you have the wand?”

“I lost it when we slipped earlier. It must have fallen nearby.”

“Let’s find it, quickly.”

Gasping for breath, they frantically felt around. Fortunately, the wand was quickly found.

As the milk-jug mage illuminated the area with his wand, the surroundings became visible. They were completely surrounded by a mucous swamp, mixed with strange chunks. To make a comparison…, it was as if they had fallen into a giant waste bin.

The people who had been floundering in the knee-deep mucous swamp like mad rushed over at the sight of the light. They resembled moths drawn to a flame.

Not long after lighting the wand, someone else burst out of the passage and plunged into the mass of slime. The man with the imposing build was definitely Kalisman.

“Group Leader, you’re safe…! Thank goodness.”

“…There was no need for you to follow.”

“How could I ignore it when you were searching for me desperately, Group Master.”

“You’re too much.”

Although Allen said that, honestly, he felt somewhat relieved to have a strong ally by his side.

Then, another person slid down the passage and fell. This time, it was truly an unexpected figure. The person who emerged from the slime was Alex, the captain of the Viola-Mercenary Group.

“Group Leader Allen—! I’m glad you’re safe.”

“…No, why are you here…?”

“It’s by the order of Group Leader Viola, to save you at all costs.”

He didn’t question why he had to go to such lengths. It was merely a relief that another strong comrade had joined. Now was not the time to question the reasons. It was time to figure out how to escape this situation.

The people gathered around the light, looking disheveled, numbered ten. Among them, the two non-combatants were both group leaders. Excluding Allen, the other one was a former mercenary, but he seemed too old to have the energy to fight.

Allen tried very hard to stay calm. Perhaps facing the worst crisis for the first time—.

‘……Even if bitten by a tiger, if you keep your wits about you, you’ll survive. But now, I have reliable comrades. I’m not alone. That’s somewhat fortunate. Yes, I can do it. I definitely can.’

The coward’s heart desperately tried to reject such thoughts, but Allen truly squeezed every bit of his patience to exhibit superhuman courage.

“What do we do? Huh? Can we survive? Huh?”

“I, I, have a lot of money. If someone—just saves me, I’ll give them everything I have. I’ll give them everything—!”

“Damn it, where is this? This damn place. …I shouldn’t have come to the dungeon. This damn—. Somehow, I knew my dreams were too violent. This damn…”

The people caught in panic didn’t know what to do and kept muttering as if they were talking to themselves. Allen clenched his teeth and fists tightly, his eyes fiercely wide open.

‘We can do it. We must.’

‘If we don’t, we die anyway. Behind us is a cliff a thousand feet deep.’

…There’s a saying.

Courage is not about not knowing fear, but about overcoming it despite knowing it—.

Amidst the noisy chaos, a powerful voice erupted. It was a voice heavy with determination.

“Everyone quiet—. Quiet—!”

Allen scanned the silent crowd and spoke in a clear voice.

“From now on—!”

A breath.

“This situation will be handled by I, the group leader.”

An intense gaze touched the faces of the people.

“…Those who have complaints, speak up.”