Chapter 84

"Damn, what a roundabout path... What is the Guild thinking?"

Kelt glared at the map and clicked his tongue.

The purpose of this mission is to investigate the "Dream Hole."

For that reason, we have split into teams and are moving separately.

The thoroughness is to meticulously search for any suspicious points and to cull the monsters.

When the master of the "Dream Hole" is defeated, the monsters inside typically disappear along with the "Dream Hole."

However, if the number of monsters inside has increased too much, some of them may escape and wreak havoc in the surrounding area.

This "Tomb of Lament" has become a monster gathering spot, and a considerable number of monsters have already leaked out.

If we don't cull the monsters and defeat the "Dream Master," it could lead to serious problems later.

"...Still, it's a strange path."

I peered over Kelt's back at the map.

It seemed to circle around certain specific areas while breezing through others.

When I was given the map, I thought it was designed to consider the investigation's purpose and the stamina of the adventurers, but after actually exploring, the criteria seemed unclear.

Moreover, the map was not very accurate.

It was hastily made for this large-scale mission, so it couldn't be helped.

Kelt was making a lot of corrections to the map.

Despite his rough appearance, he might be quite meticulous.

"Damn, the Guild is asking us to go back and forth in a high-level 'Dream Hole' with an inaccurate map. This kind of movement increases the risk of getting lost or being ambushed by monsters."

Kelt continued to grumble.

I understand what Kelt is saying.

Well, a large-scale mission that mobilizes a lot of B-rank adventurers isn't going to be easy.

"Encountering troublesome monsters won't be fun. Hey, let's ignore the route and head directly to the rendezvous point. Hunting monsters will be safer near the rendezvous point."

Kelt turned to us.

"...Kelt, are you going to ignore the mission requirements? If we do that, we won't be able to complete the investigation or cull the monsters."

"Rigid kid, you wouldn't understand. Even if there are casualties later, it will just be said that the culling wasn't thorough enough. What's wrong with taking a safe and solid approach? You might be a bit skilled, but I have more experience and a higher level. Just follow my lead. Or do you want to test it?"

"What...?"

Are you seriously challenging me to a duel in this "Dream Hole"?

Kelt seemed frustrated because he couldn't bring Meabel into the fold and couldn't take control of the situation.

However, a duel here would be more harmful than beneficial.

"Haha, it's just a joke. You're trembling at such a trivial threat. You're just a kid, after all. But if you get too cocky, it might not end well."

It seemed he wasn't serious, but he was trying to regain control.

His unusually bad mood was probably an act to get his way.

It was really awkward.

"...I understand your desire to be considerate of the Guild, but you have to compromise to some extent."

Meabel whispered to me.

Kelt, as a top-notch adventurer, probably felt frustrated being outshone by a younger, newer adventurer.

While it's troublesome to let him get too cocky, it might be better to let off some steam, as Meabel suggested.

The "Dream Hole" map had many inaccuracies.

Changing some routes to avoid the risk of being ambushed by monsters was a reasonable decision.

...But the real reason was probably to get through the mission as safely and easily as possible.

"Alright, Kelt. I'll leave the route selection to you. But don't take too many shortcuts."

"You should have said that from the start. It's just avoiding some complicated and troublesome paths."

Kelt smiled maliciously, glared at the map, and then looked down the corridor.

"Alright, go straight ahead. Heavy Knight, of course, you lead the way."

There was no point in arguing.

I sighed and followed Kelt's instructions to move forward.

I didn't think that a slight change in the path would cause any trouble... but soon, something strange happened.

"...Heavy Knight, turn left this time."

Kelt's disgruntled voice was thrown over my shoulder.

"Isn't that strange? You said to go right just now. Didn't you say you didn't like detours?"

We were zigzagging left and right.

What happened to the shortest route?

"It's not my mistake! The paths not indicated on the map are way off! Heavy Knight, just turn left!"

"...Kelt, shouldn't we go back to the assigned route? The rendezvous point is fixed, and if we get lost here, it will inconvenience the other adventurers."

"Are you calling me directionally challenged? Just turn left down that corridor! The direction is correct, so there won't be a big deviation!"

Kelt shouted at me, then scratched his head and glared at the map.

"Damn Guild, giving us a sloppy map. If this was the case, they should have left the uncertain parts blank. Who reported this?"

Following Kelt's instructions, the four of us turned left down the corridor.

After a while, we found ourselves at a dead end.

I touched the wall at the end.

The wall was filled with human skulls, embedded at regular intervals.

This was a famous scene in the "Tomb of Lament," even in the game era.

It probably wasn't related to the mysterious anomaly.

"Ah, ah! I think I'll have nightmares for a while..."

Lucy said timidly, while Meabel observed the wall of bones with interest.

Meabel's toughness was truly ingrained.

"I'm more scared of following a senior adventurer's instructions and ending up in a dead end. We should turn back and get out before the monsters come."

I glared at Kelt as I said this.

Kelt, perhaps feeling awkward, remained silent, frowning and scribbling notes on the map.

...Well, this isn't entirely Kelt's fault; it's clearly a mistake on the Guild's part.

It seems someone did a sloppy job.

While some errors in the combination of adventurer testimonies are inevitable, this time the mistakes are particularly noticeable.

I was concerned about the complexity of the routes, but it might be the result of avoiding parts reported by unreliable adventurers.