Shouldn’t Have Come!

No matter how strong our ‘Apostles’ are—even though we have two of them with us—it is best not to take unnecessary risks.

That’s why, the moment we entered Iushil’s underground dungeon, we hid ourselves just behind the massive entrance.

Why?

Because there would be those who would be drawn to Barkal’s provocation like moths to a flame.

“I-I can’t afford to lose to someone of the same rank!”

“Forget about Iushil’s dangers, let’s grab the mana stones first!”

Just as expected, upon our entrance, we saw an adventurer party following closely behind us.

Good, glad you’re here.

You guys can go ahead and find out what kind of dungeon this is for us.

If there are any dangerous traps, you can step on them first.

“… Only a coward would do something like this, brother!”

Apparently dissatisfied with this tactic, Barkal began to grumble.

* 〈Thrag disapproves of your actions.〉

Why are you unhappy?

Let’s just play it by ear. You even let it slide when we ganged up on the dungeon master during the coming-of-age ceremony.

“Hiding is for the weak! The strong do not hide!”

“Barkal, listen well to my words.”

I already knew how to handle Barkal.

“Do you remember Scar Claw, whom we faced during the coming-of-age ceremony?”

“I remember!”

“He was strong. If I had fought him alone, I would have died.”

“You would not have died! Somehow, you would have prevailed!”

“True. Somehow, I would have won.”

Barkal nodded, and through the eye sockets of his skull helmet, I could see his unshakable trust in me.

“But I know better. Had I been alone, I would have died. That is why I fought Scar Claw by employing stealth.”

“That’s right!”

So you do understand.

“Then, since I defeated Scar Claw, do you think I am weaker than him?”

“You are incomparably stronger and wiser than monsters like Scar Claw!”

Seeing Barkal reach such a fine conclusion, I patted his shoulder.

“Hiding is part of battle. The one who survives is the true strong, Barkal.”

“Ooh…”

Barkal was impressed. He seemed to accept our current actions.

* 〈Thrag looks at you with half-closed eyes.〉

What’s your problem?

Blame your own follower.

* * *

When we entered Iushil’s ‘Silver-rank Dungeon’, what unfolded before our eyes was a damp, gloomy cavern.

As if the water occasionally flooded all the way to the ceiling, the cave was drenched everywhere.

Is it another indoor dungeon? I thought as we moved forward, then noticed some light up ahead, leading us outside.

As we moved in that direction, a familiar scene came into view.

“It… looks like a forest, doesn’t it?”

Lush green plants were growing everywhere, with trees and grass thriving—it felt similar to the forest dungeon we had previously explored.

“Rats.”

Near the cave that Barkal pointed to, there were heaps of Ratman corpses.

They seemed to have been dead for quite a while; it didn’t look like the recently passed adventurers had killed them.

“Teeth, maybe?”

Looking at the holes in the Ratmen, Barkal mused.

The holes were too large for teeth, and there was only one per body.

If it were from teeth marks, it wouldn’t be a single, clean puncture like this.

“Looks more like a spear to me.”

Serena said. Listening to her, it really did seem like it was a spear.

That gave me a clearer picture of what kind of dungeon this might be.

“This isn’t a forest; it’s a swamp.”

“A swamp?”

Serena turned her gaze past the nearby trees at my words.

“The monsters that killed these Ratmen were most likely Lizardmen.”

A monster species inhabiting swamps.

There’s some variation among individuals, but they’re generally bigger than adult men and possess matching strength.

“They are quite tricky monsters.”

Lizardmen primarily wield long-reaching ‘spears’. Because of that, they are tough opponents for melee classes.

And they don’t rely solely on weapons. Their bite strength is decent, and they often use their long tails as whips.

“Even if they are tricky, they are no match for me! Today, roast lizard for dinner!”

Barkal shouted, showing no sign of intimidation toward the ‘Lizardman.’

“I-I mean, lizardmen are human-like monsters, right?”

Serena was the same. She looked more energetic than ever since we entered the dungeon.

Perhaps the thought that they’re humanoid invigorated her. Are you just looking forward to snapping their bones?

Hmm.

But for a dungeon that’s undergoing ‘Abyssification’, this doesn’t seem all that dangerous.

In any case, since we entered, it was time to do the first thing we needed to do.

Find the ‘dungeon master’.

“H-huh?”

Just as I was about to hurry everyone along to find the ‘dungeon master’, Serena’s uneasy voice reached my ears.

I turned to see what was wrong—Serena was pointing at her feet.

“T-the swamp is rising.”

As she raised her foot, the muddy ground clung to her shoe, stretching with a squelch.

Not only that, the ground where Barkal and I stood also began to feel like it was slowly sinking.

“The very earth must be afraid of me!”

“That’s not it, Barkal. The ground is turning into a swamp.”

Starting at the ‘silver-grade dungeon’ level, special gimmicks appear in dungeons.

This dungeon most likely has a mechanic where certain areas turn into ‘swamps’ over time.

“Let’s move.”

Fortunately, it’s not a complicated gimmick. With that thought, we started to move.

* 〈Your proficiency in ‘Tattoo Inscription’ has improved.〉

Of course, not knowing when a fight might break out, I made sure to draw tattoos on everyone, myself included.

The ground was so soft that it wouldn’t be strange if it turned into swamp at any moment, and the tall reed-like plants around us severely limited our vision.

So far, so good.

“Ugh…”

Damn it, this dungeon is way too hot.

No, not hot—the humidity is just too high!

“B-brother.”

“What is it, Barkal?”

“This place is hell! I long for the dry, red wilderness!”

Barkal yearned for the red wilderness where the Red Wolf Tribe used to reside. I totally agreed with him.

Sweat was pouring off Barkal like rain, yet he stubbornly kept his skull helmet on. Was it sheer willpower or just stupidity?

Now that I think of it, is Serena okay?

Her clothes don’t exactly look breathable, except for the shoulders.

“B-brothers, are you alright?”

Serena asked, checking on us.

She was the most heavily dressed among us, yet looked the least bothered.

No, it’s more than that—she looked perfectly fine.

“Serena.”

“Yes?”

“Are you not hot?”

Serena shook her head.

“Not at all! In fact, it’s quite pleasant!”

Pleasant? Has the heat fried your brain?

“How can it be pleasant in this weather! Serena must be possessed by a demon!”

Like me, Barkal found Serena’s reaction bizarre and made a fuss.

The stranger our gaze grew, the benevolenter Serena’s smile became.

“It’s all thanks to Liberas’s blessing!”

Spreading her hands like a saint, she addressed Barkal and me.

“Turn your hatred into love! That’s one of the teachings of our Liberas! Thanks to that, even such terrible weather is something I can love!”

To think that faith could make even such hellish weather feel pleasant.

I’d never have imagined that an Apostle of a good deity could have this much depth to her faith.

Huh?

Wait a minute.

I walked up to Serena.

“Yes, brother?”

“Pardon me, just for a second.”

Then, I placed my hand on Serena’s bare shoulder.

It was cool.

And dry as silk.

You’ve got to be kidding me!

I finally understood!

Serena didn’t ‘believe’ she was cool because of her ‘faith’ in Liberas!

She literally was cool, thanks to Liberas’s blessing!

“Thrag!”

Unjustly, I shouted into the empty air.

“We want a pleasant environment too!”

“Thrag! Bless us as well!”

This time, Barkal, his timing impeccable, followed my lead and called out into the air.

* 〈Thrag clicks his tongue.〉

Why is our deity so cold-hearted? As if it wasn’t hard enough just to want to believe!

As Barkal and I invoked our god into the void, Serena watched with an awkward smile, then spoke up.

“Still, looking at our surroundings, I think Brother Dmihtan was right.”

“About what?”

“About the Lizardmen!”

She glanced around once more before continuing.

“Even before seeing them, you were sure there would be Lizardmen! How did you know!? Have you been to a silver-grade dungeon before!?”

How, huh.

I learned it from a game called ‘Dungeon God’!

But she’d never understand if I said that.

“Brother, look. Lizardmen.”

While I was coming up with an answer, Barkal cut in and pointed past a thicket of reeds.

Since he was the tallest among us, the reeds didn’t block his line of sight.

“I’ll answer your question later. For now, let’s get ready for battle.”

Phew.

Dodged that for now.

“No, there won’t be battle.”

Barkal shook his head. No battle? What was he talking about?

“All the Lizardmen are dead.”

Dead?

To check Barkal’s claim, we parted the reeds and stepped forward.

At last, our view cleared—and there they were: huge lizards, bigger than adult men, sprawled across the ground.

With dark green skin, they were unmistakably Lizardmen.

There were not just one or two corpses—at least ten.

“The adventurers who got here before us did this! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bothered hiding!”

Frustrated at losing the hunt, Barkal swung his axe about in agitation.

“Wait…!”

Behind Barkal’s complaints, Serena’s voice rang out.

There was a hint of shock in her tone.

“B-brothers, what is that?”

Serena pointed her finger. There, lying among the Lizardmen, was a snake.

Not an ordinary snake—it was practically tree-sized.

“That’s a hydra.”

Recognizing what it was, I told Barkal and Serena.

This snake was a hydra.

Strictly speaking, it was one of the heads of a ‘hydra,’ a creature with multiple heads.

“If it’s a hydra… isn’t that the dungeon master?”

At Serena’s words, I nodded.

A hydra isn’t just any monster—it’s more than enough to serve as a dungeon master.

And yet, here was one of its heads, fallen to the ground.

“Maybe one of the adventurers who followed us is incredibly strong?”

“No, that’s not it.”

I denied it.

Someone who could take out over ten Lizardmen and sever a hydra’s head in so short a time—

Such a person would definitely be ‘Gold-rank.’ But according to Blaz, there was no ‘Gold-rank’ currently at Iushil.

In other words, what had happened here wasn’t the work of any ‘adventurer.’

With that conclusion, a cold sweat began to run down my back as I surveyed the area.

“Something strange is happening.”

It seemed Barkal had noticed the same thing as me.

Beyond where the hydra’s head had fallen—there, black vein-like things throbbed and writhed.

“I am afraid,”

muttered Barkal, giving his short but clear impression as he stared at those veins.

The barbarian must have instinctively realized what it was.

It was the sign of ongoing Abyssification.

Clicking my tongue inwardly at the sight of the pulsing veins, I thought,

I came here not caring at all about Iushil’s crisis or whatever.

Damn it.

I shouldn’t have come.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep