Chapter 59

00059 Mage and Alchemist (Rare)

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“Trap…escape….”

“I fell into a trap. I escaped.”

Despite speaking each word separately, the male priest had a very difficult expression as he continued. However, when I understood the meaning to some extent and repeated it, a look of relief appeared on his face. It seemed he mistook us for quite skilled users.

The user nodded weakly and stammered on.

“Comrade…betrayal…kidnapping….”

“……”

“Help…!”

His eyes, which kept trying to close, were visibly trembling. It was a desperate struggle against death, which was right before him. Eventually, the priest seemed to have exhausted all his strength, and after uttering the last word, “Help,” he rolled his eyes back and fell silent. The last bit of life that had barely been holding on seemed to have been spent on looking at us and speaking. I could hear the children drawing in their breaths as they saw the priest slump onto my lap.

I gently laid him on the ground and closed his eyes with my palm. A solemn and somber atmosphere enveloped the surroundings. In particular, Sol’s face had turned pale. It was a clear sign that she couldn’t remain calm in the face of death. However, there was no time to indulge in such sentimental feelings. First, we needed to combine the keywords left by the user and deduce the information. I slowly repeated the words he had spoken.

“Trap. Escape. Comrade. Betrayal. Kidnapping.”

“Bro, maybe it’s related to the vagrants?”

Anhyun, who had also heard the user’s words, offered his own theory, but I shook my head. While it was a possibility, given my knowledge of the future, it was far-fetched. After a moment of thought, I could piece together one possibility.

The children looked anxious. Seeing them constantly moistening their lips, I felt the need to explain. Looking at the children who were waiting for me to speak, I began in a quiet voice.

“At the entrance of the Black Forest, I told you that there were users who had entered before us, right?”

“Yes, I remember… Ah, then?”

Hyun, who had been nodding, suddenly looked at me with interest. Usually, he seemed clueless about everyday matters, but in such moments, he showed a different side. Still, it was reassuring to see his mind working in a crisis. I nodded in agreement and continued.

“Right. It seems that caravan discovered this dungeon before us. However, for some reason, the caravan met with a total annihilation or a similar disaster.”

“Then… what do the words the user just said mean? That….”

“Hmm….”

Trap. Escape. Comrade. Betrayal. Kidnapping. In response to Yujung’s question, I visualized the vague images in my mind more concretely. I had been predicting that the caravan had been wiped out due to the absence of a guide, but now it seemed that prediction was completely off.

Recalling the corpse we saw when we first entered the underground, the answer became clear. If we think about it, they couldn’t have died as soon as they entered. There were no visible dangers around. The archer must have entered the dungeon alive and was likely serving as a guide for the caravan.

After organizing my thoughts, I spoke in a low voice.

“The caravan was probably heading in the same direction as we are. However, the direction in which the user’s body fell shows that his head was facing the direction we were going. The fact that his lower body was torn and there was a large wound on his back suggests that he was running in our direction and was struck from behind. In other words, the words 'trap' and 'escape' mean that they entered the dungeon first, fell into a trap, and suffered a major accident, causing them to flee back the way they came.”

“Then… what about 'comrade,' 'betrayal,' and 'kidnapping'?”

“The user we saw when we first entered the dungeon was an archer. He was likely a comrade of the caravan. However, it seems he betrayed them for some reason. The word 'betrayal' can have multiple meanings, but in the context of the dungeon, it’s highly likely that he fled to save himself.”

As I finished explaining the keyword 'betrayal,' a wave of negative emotions washed over the children’s faces. However, since I had already warned them to stay focused, I didn’t give any further warnings. Now, it was time to explain the last keyword, 'kidnapping.'

“And the last word… it seems that some of the caravan users were kidnapped by the dungeon master.”

“Is that even possible?”

Seeing Hyun’s wide-eyed reaction, I responded with a matter-of-fact expression.

“Yes. Hol Plain is not a game; it’s a real world. I’ve heard that some alchemists conduct experiments on human bodies. Have you forgotten where we are now?”

As I finished speaking, the children’s faces turned pale.

*

We walked in silence for a while. If our inclinations had leaned towards chaos, we would have turned back to the city without a second thought. However, Sol and Yujung, whose inclinations leaned towards order, agreed to rescue the kidnapped users. The word “Help” the male priest had uttered in his final moments was valid. For me, as long as we entered, I was satisfied and had no complaints.

The underground passage was gradually becoming wider. As we walked through the endless underground passage, I stopped and raised my hand. I was maintaining a stronger and more extensive detection than usual, and I was picking up on things in more detail. Since many aspects of dungeon battles are unpredictable, it was better to give a detailed explanation before engaging in combat.

“About 100 meters ahead, there’s an open area. In that area, there are several groups of monsters. There are roughly more than twenty… and the type of monsters is likely to be Renga.”

“Renga? Yeah… I think I’ve heard of them.”

“They are similar to dogs, about 80 cm to 1 meter in size. They are quite agile and have sharp, hook-like claws on their paws.”

“Correct. One more thing to add: Renga’s tails can also be a powerful weapon. They don’t have the flexibility of scorpions, but their destructive power is comparable to their claws.”

Seeing Sol describe Renga as dogs, I chuckled inwardly. If Renga were intelligent and could understand emotions, they might immediately cause chaos upon hearing such descriptions. Nevertheless, I nodded at Sol’s cautious response. However, there was one point I needed to clarify.

“The problem is that the Renga I’m detecting seem a bit different from the typical Renga. Everything matches what you described, but… some of them are bipedal?”

“Eh? That’s impossible! I’ve heard that Renga are quadrupedal. Maybe you’re mistaking them for another monster? Ah! No, you can’t be wrong, so it must be me.”

If it weren’t for her last statement, Sol might have been seen in a different light. Seeing her argue with herself, I sighed.

“The claws, the tail, the body shape—everything matches. Let’s go and see for ourselves. We need to pass through that area to proceed further.”

Anhyun and Yujung watched our conversation in silence. Then, they exchanged glances and shrugged. Well, how could they join in without understanding what was being discussed? That’s why I always say to study more.

The relaxed atmosphere lasted only until then. As we got closer to the open area, a tense atmosphere began to build among the group. I quickened my pace and eventually approached the open area at a brisk walk.

Renga are monsters I faced in the first round. They are quick-witted but hot-tempered and lack tactical movement. Therefore, it would be best to launch a rapid assault to deal with as many as possible, then lure the enraged ones and switch to a defensive stance.

The children also began to run behind me, drawing their weapons. If we had an archer or a mage, we could deal a significant blow with a powerful initial attack and follow up with a chain attack to inflict even more damage. I felt a bit disappointed, but I could cover for that.

“Bro! Are you okay?”

While breathing deeply as he ran, Hyun shouted to me in a strong voice. Seeing him grip his spear tightly, it seemed his aggressive nature was coming out. I raised my hand to signal that I was fine and then explained a more detailed strategy.

“Don’t use more mana than necessary. Don’t worry about me; just maintain the formation. After entering the open area, quickly charge into the first group you see, deal with them, and then gradually retreat to the wall. Renga have a strong protective instinct for their kind, so if you kill one, they’ll charge at you with fire in their eyes. Their defense is weak, but they are very agile and have sharp claws, so be careful. And….”

“Got it.”

“Keep in mind that these Renga might be different from the typical ones. We’re about to engage. As soon as we see them, don’t hesitate and take out the ones in front of you.”

Normally, I would thoroughly verify the strategy and calmly enter, but this time, speed was crucial. Given their developed sense of smell, if we dawdled, we might be ambushed.

As I ran, I saw a square passage as I had predicted. Beyond the passage, an open area with black earth as the ground was visible. Without hesitation, I crossed the passage and entered the open area. Immediately, I could see at least twenty Renga moving around.

Sure enough, they were quick-witted. The moment we entered the open area, all the Renga turned their heads towards me. Seeing them make a sound like a balloon deflating, I instantly decided where to charge and pushed off the ground.

“Skrit! Skrit!”

Just as I was about to swing my sword at the Renga in front of me, a spear flashed past me at lightning speed. The spear, which cut through the air with force, shattered the faces of the Renga who were just turning their heads. Seeing the Renga’s faces caved in and shattered, I felt a sense of dissonance. However, seeing the Renga’s body collapse, it seemed the difference in death was not significant.

“One down!”

The spear’s owner was Anhyun. Seeing me take the lead, he followed closely behind and launched a preemptive attack using his spear’s long range. The spear’s tip glowed with a mist-like aura, indicating it was infused with mana.

With the advantage from Anhyun’s preemptive attack, I quickly changed direction and charged into the Renga surrounding the one I had just killed. Despite the surprise attack, my years of experience made it impossible for the Renga to dodge my sword.

As I beheaded two Renga with a single swing, I realized the source of the dissonance I had felt earlier. First, no blood was coming out. Second, the feeling of cutting through soft flesh was replaced by the sensation of slicing through a hard shell. This was… a Chimera.

“Kreeee!”

The Renga, caught off guard, seemed to be in great confusion. Although they recognized us, they were still milling about, which gave me the urge to take out a few more. As I was contemplating this for a few seconds, I saw Yujung quickly run up beside me.

“Wait….”

Yujung was charging towards a Renga that was a bit farther from the first three I had killed, leaning forward as much as possible. I didn’t have time to stop her, and she was boldly holding her dagger low.

Yujung’s charge was good, but it felt a bit slow. Seeing the Renga gradually regaining their senses, I felt a sense of frustration. The Renga she was targeting was wagging its tail, which was attached to its hindquarters.

============================ Author's Note ============================

“Add a cool scene for me.”

“Sure. It will appear in the next chapter.”

“Alright. :D”

『Lilifl』

1. Edward Wong Hau Pepelu Tivrusk: Congratulations on first place. Haha. It’s always hard to type your name… ㅜ.ㅠ

2. PersonLife: