Subdungeon #2

 

Inside the Garden underground caves, the vigilante group’s hideout.

‘The world revolves around me.’

If anyone heard this, they would say it was incredibly arrogant…

Vigilante leader Dawson truly believed that.

Everything was going smoothly according to Dawson’s plan.

This is the case even with this cave, which was discovered by chance.

‘Where in the pioneer lands would you find such a natural fortress?’

The entrance was exquisitely hidden from outside view, and the passageways extending out in all directions within the cave were like a natural maze.

It is the perfect place to secretly build up your power and achieve great things without worrying about what others think.

‘Soon the garden will be at my feet.’

A plan that even the captain of the guard, who only shows off like a retard, could not have imagined is being carried out here one by one.

Train elite vigilantes. Stockpile equipment for the rebellion.

There, if you put your mind to it, there’s even a ‘secret weapon’ that can blow away two or three Gardens in one go⋯.

A laugh escaped Dawson, but he soon became serious.

No.

Are you satisfied with being merely the ruler of Garden? With all this power gathered?

Dawson shook his head.

‘My bowl is not that big.’

A strong body, trained through battle, sharp tactics that catch everyone off guard, and a popular appeal that captivates his subordinates.

What on earth do you lack?

Dawson thought about it carefully, but no matter how he looked at it, he was perfect.

‘If you hit the back of the head with this guy, anyone will be defeated in one hit.’

Dawson’s true friend, the “Gaarden’s Meteor”, is always by his side.

This artifact never failed Dawson.

‘With Garden as my base, I will take control of the entire West, and then…’

Maybe maybe.

The position of Emperor of the Empire, the supreme power above all people, on that lofty throne may not be just a dream.

Ah, that’s right. A man born into this world with two bangs in his mouth should dream big.

Ambition grew and grew in my heart.

“Is there a law that says I can’t be emperor? It’s not like I have the blood of a queen or prime minister. Of course, there’s no reason I can’t do it. I can do it because I’m me.”

Dawson leaned against the cave wall and lost himself in sweet thoughts.

Golden wealth and glory enveloped his entire body, and the fair-skinned women of the capital served him⋯

Exactly.

A cold drop of water falling from a stalactite woke Dawson.

Soon after, the oblivious subordinate approached Dawson with thumping footsteps.

“heartbreak!”

“⋯You punk, be quiet. I told you to lower your voice because it’s loud inside the cave.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“What’s going on?”

“There’s a path I discovered before. I went all the way down that path this time, and, oh well, it connected the cave to another area.”

Dawson closed his eyes and half-drunk with an annoyed expression on his face.

Dawson’s attention was now entirely focused on the impending event.

Hey you annoying kid.

It’s almost time to decide whether or not to eat the garden, but what kind of cave exploration game are you getting excited about⋯.

But even if they are stupid subordinates, each and every one of them is a force that Dawson cannot give up.

If you want to ascend to the position of absolute ruler in the future, you must not neglect your training in the Yongin technique from now on.

Dawson opened his mouth, mustering up his patience.

“So where does it lead?”

“I think it’s probably the underground sewer. The smell coming from it is so foul…”

“Block it with a plank.”

“uh?”

“Block it with a plank, kid. Don’t make me say it again. If you leave it alone, shit will come pouring in.”

The subordinate hesitated for a moment, his mouth agape like a goldfish, then spoke, taking note of the situation.

“Hey, by any chance… is there anyone breaking in there?”

“Oh, this kid, really.”

A large vein bulged on Dawson’s temple.

The subordinate quickly shut his mouth.

“Who the hell is running around in that sewer? Huh? Trespassing? Rats swarming here? Seriously, don’t make me mad. Just take some kids and go block that damn hole.”

“Oh, I see.”

The subordinate stopped talking and ran away from Dawson.

‘That son of a bitch…’

Although he grumbles silently, he ends up having no choice but to obey orders.

Dawson’s authority in the vigilante group was equally unwavering.

***

—Kishaak!

As Mitchell’s fist struck, Ratman crumbled ungracefully.

This is an underground waterway.

With Mitchell and Wagner joining us, our party is now bolstered and our hunt is progressing smoothly.

“What? It’s nothing special?”

Mitchell snorted confidently.

That’s not wrong.

Ratman is a monster that Flora and I have caught.

Now that we’ve recruited tanks and dealers, ratmen are no longer our enemies.

There is no need for a strategy like laying down a magic shield and sleeping.

Just kill them as you see them and that’s it.

“Still, just in case, always stay behind me.”

Wagner holds his shield firmly up, and Flora and I follow closely behind him.

It couldn’t be more stable.

If it were a mobile game, it would be okay to turn on auto-hunting and then take a nap.

‘The magic stone is also good, so it falls easily.’

I’m also happy that the magic stone collection rune on Flora’s gloves has a noticeable effect, and the magic stones that the ratmen spit out have increased significantly compared to before.

Each and every one of these is a valuable experience.

I left most of the hunting to Mitchell and Wagner, and focused on collecting the loot.

Somehow, my current appearance seems closer to a pet that gives out items than a party leader…

From now on, things will be a little different.

We arrived at the entrance to the sub-dungeon marked on the map, the “Contaminant Deposit Area.”

“Oh, kid. Did you find it? It’s pretty good—”

Mitchell pretended to stroke my hair and then ruffled it roughly.

The discovery of a sub-dungeon is considered a significant achievement.

If you report it to the guard or adventurer’s guild, you can receive a pretty good reward.

But I didn’t tell anyone.

Of course, that’s true.

You can monopolize the best hunting grounds, so what’s the big deal about those public achievements?

“You have entered a polluted sedimentation area.”

“This is a dump where the experimental waste of ancient wizards was discarded. After years of magical contamination, this place itself has become a magical disaster.”

Risk Level: Medium

The basic landscape resembles an underground waterway.

A narrow, dark road stretches out, and polluted water flows beside it.

However, from here on out, the color of the water is different.

Bright green wastewater that seems like it would never exist in nature.

It is similar to the color of the highlighter I often used when taking notes during my school days.

“Be careful not to dip your feet in the water.”

I reminded everyone once again.

Coming into contact with the sewage in the sedimentation area can cause poisoning, and with a low probability, even a ‘mutant’ state.

In simple terms, it could mean three arms and two jujitsu.

Oh, two Jujis⋯?

That’s kind of appealing, isn’t it?

“Estelle, why are you like that?”

“⋯No. Let’s go.”

I put aside my useless fantasies and focused again.

After entering the sub dungeon, the party atmosphere changed significantly.

Unlike the relaxed atmosphere when catching Ratman, everyone looks a little nervous.

Naturally, a well-organized formation was formed without anyone telling us to do so.

At the forefront is Wagner, holding a large shield.

Mitchell then prepared for battle, looking around with eagle eyes.

In the back row are the Lord, Flora, and me.

Thud, thud.

In the waterway where fluorescent wastewater glows softly, only the sound of our footsteps echoes hollowly.

Meanwhile.

Wagner, who was in the lead, stopped walking.

“There’s something.”

Soon after, a strange shape appeared in the darkness on the other side of the canal.

A giant eyeball floating in the air.

And a lump of mud crawling on the floor, dragging my body.

“Translucent Eyeballs” and “Mud Monsters”.

“That’s so gross. Come on, you little shits!”

Tadah—

Mitchell kicked the ground and flew up with all his might.

A kick that traced a semicircular trajectory struck the translucent eyeball, and the burst fluid scattered in all directions.

Oh, Mitchell’s kick can take out a translucent eyeball in one shot.

It’s good news, but the battle isn’t over yet.

“What the hell is this kid?”

Mitchell’s eyes widened.

A mass of translucent eyeball flesh gathered in the air, and after a moment split into two smaller eyeballs.

The troubling nature of translucent eyeballs.

If killed by a physical attack, it will split up to two times.

Immediately, one eye stared at Mitchell, the other at Flora behind him.

“Ao-san, what’s wrong? My body—”

“Huh? Me too, this is weird!”

Another characteristic of translucent eyeballs.

Also known as ‘strange stare’.

Slows down or absorbs magic power from an opponent viewed with a polluted gaze.

If you are exposed to the gaze for too long, you will eventually lose your life.

Meanwhile, the mud monster wrapped itself around Wagner’s leg.

“⋯Ugh.”

Mud monsters don’t have any lethally dangerous moves, but their persistent clinging is annoying.

Wagner, who was running to help the party, ended up being tied up on the spot.

‘Well, at least this is about right.’

While each of them was struggling to deal with the monsters.

I crossed my arms behind my back and calmly observed the situation.

Even though it was a situation where panic could easily lead to the party’s disintegration, the inexperienced adventurers somehow managed to cope with the crisis.

It means that there is some potential.

‘Maybe it’s worth raising?’

If everything went as planned, these guys would have been disposable.

I think it might be okay to slightly modify the plan.

“Hey, kid! Are you playing alone?”

Mitchell shouted in disbelief.

At this point, I think it’s time to start helping.

“Mitchell, don’t make eye contact.”

“What? What are you suddenly-“

“If you don’t look directly at it, it’ll slow down less. And after you pop its eyeball, don’t just stare blankly. Attack again right away. That way, you can kill it immediately after it splits, without giving it a chance to open its eyes.”

“Uh, uh? Okay.”

While giving advice, I shot a magic arrow at the eyeball that was bothering Flora.

Dismissal—

An arrow imbued with cold properties pierces the pupil of the eyeball.

The translucent eyeballs fell unsightly to the floor like pieces of a burst balloon.

“Relax your legs, Wagner. The more you struggle, the more you’ll stick.”

Mud monsters react to the movement of living creatures.

As Wagner stood still, taking his strength as I told him, the mud monster writhed and searched for a new target.

I focused my magic power on the ceremonial dagger.

Cold magic “Frost Sword”.

With the bonus of the ceremonial dagger’s “Elemental Amplification” option, the ice blade glowed bluer than before.

The mud monster sensed me approaching quietly and stretched its body like a taffy to attack me—

Seogeong.

The mud monster was torn in two in mid-air without even touching a single hair on my head.

The monsters in the polluted sediment deposit have a common weakness to cold attacks.

Originally, it was a mud monster that should have stuck to the blade, but its body hardened in the cold and it was cut down as is.

“Thank you, Estelle.”

When the battle was over, Wagner expressed his gratitude.

“Whew—I’m alive thanks to Estelle. When I look into those eyes, my head suddenly feels dizzy… Oh my—”

“⋯Kid, you’re doing pretty well, aren’t you?”

Mitchell’s gaze on me had clearly changed, as if he had seen me again.

The flow is as expected.

‘As expected, you have to let them experience it once to know how grateful you are.’

I could have told you in advance how to defeat the monsters that appear in the sedimentary area, but I didn’t do that.

The human heart is deceitful.

Even if you tell them in advance, they won’t be as grateful as they are now.

Even so, they’ll forget all about the help I gave them and think that’s their own skill.

So I’m thinking of pushing our party a little harder.

And gain practical experience,

Above all, to preserve my dignity as the party leader.

“You guys, is that the best you can do?”

“uh?”

Mitchell’s eyebrows twitched, but he closed his mouth, feeling like he had nothing better to say in response.

Even I know that my form wasn’t very good just now.

“What the hell was that utter nonsense? You just ran off by yourself, doing nothing.”

“⋯.”

Everyone just listens to my sharp reprimand in silence.

To some, it might seem funny to see three adventurers standing speechless and flustered in front of a girl…

The atmosphere is quite serious.

That’s right. This is how you take the initiative.

I drove the wedge into the world with a strict, dignified, and serious face.

“The party leader is very disappointed in you.”