◈ 241. [Free Exploration] To the Demon World
The exploration operation meeting is over, late in the evening.
“Ugh~”
“I ate well.”
“Is the young lord’s cook really good at cooking?”
Quylan and the penal corps returned to the barracks, beating their boats.
Ash fed them at every strategy meeting, but the food was of a higher quality and tasted better than the meals served in the barracks, so the members of the penal unit would eat until their stomachs were full.
I returned to the dorm in a good mood, enjoying a feeling of fullness.
“Have a good trip, boys!”
Upon entering the accommodation, with the smell of warm food… … Kureha was waiting.
Embarrassed, Quylan and the punishment squad members trembled.
“Uh, brother? What are you doing here?”
“I was discharged from the hospital because they said I no longer needed treatment at the temple.”
Except for the ‘curse’, Kureha’s body was in a state of recovery to the extent that she no longer needed to recuperate in the temple.
The temple recommended that she continue to stay, but Kureha insisted on taking care of her younger siblings and was discharged.
“Do you know how worried I was that you guys wouldn’t eat half-meal while I was gone and not clean up or wash your clothes?”
“uh… … um, that’s… … .”
“As expected, what is this like in a dorm? Did your brother always say that? You have to live like a human, like a human!”
Seeing Kureha begin to nag, Quylan and the punishment squad members thought at the same time.
‘Are you a grandmother? … .’
“Anyway, hyung cleaned and did the laundry and did everything.”
Indeed, the dormitory, which had just been used by five men, was clean and shiny, and the laundry piled up like a mountain had been washed clean and was neatly laid out.
Admiring Kureha’s outstanding vitality, the five members of the punishment unit clapped in applause.
Kureha smiled warmly and gestured inside.
“Now, are you hungry from working late? I also cooked rice.”
… … And there was a meal for five people on the table.
Quylan, whose complexion had turned pale, waved his hands urgently.
“ah… … Hey bro… … We ate a lot and came… … .”
“Eat a lot, eat a lot! At your age, your stomach goes numb after one run. You can eat more.”
“No, I really ate a lot… … .”
“Besides, you said you’re going on another expedition tomorrow? You have to eat a lot and work hard. Come on, sit down!”
Kureha grabbed Quylan’s arm as he was about to wave his hand to refuse somehow.
“Look at this! Look at how he lost weight after working hard! There is nothing but bones and skin!”
Just bones and skin?
Looking up at Quylan’s gigantic size, the rest of the punishment unit broke into a cold sweat.
Where in the world could such a huge bone be found… … ?
In any case, Kuylan and the members of the penal unit, who could not withstand Kureha’s coercion, were forced to sit at the table.
“Eat, eat a lot! Eat more and grow up, my cute younger siblings!”
With a smile like a benevolent grandmother, Kureha shredded the food herself and put it on the bowls of Quylan and the penal unit.
“eat.”
“… … .”
“Eat.”
In the end, the five members of the penal unit had to swallow their second dinner.
While forcibly catching the members of the penal unit who ran away screaming that they could not eat any more and making them sit down, Kureha forced all the food into the mouths of the members of the penal unit.
***
“It’s good to feel better, brother… … .”
outside the barracks. rest space.
Quylan, who was panting while holding on to his bulging stomach from overeating, looked anxiously at his older brother standing next to him.
“Aren’t you overdoing it? As soon as I was discharged from the hospital, cleaning, laundry, and rice.”
“… … .”
“Thank you, but you don’t have to feel too burdened about taking care of us. Please pay more attention to your body.”
“Ever since my body became like this, I’ve only bothered you all this time.”
Kureha was holding the staff she had received from the temple. It was because walking was uncomfortable because of the mummified left leg.
Kureha stabbed her left leg with the tip of her staff and muttered bitterly.
“When you can, when you can do anything, you should do it.”
“… … .”
Quillan, who was looking at his brother like that, grinned.
“Once we return to our homeland, we will be able to lift the curse on our bodies. Until then, be patient, brother.”
“… … okay.”
Kureha cast her gaze to the far north.
“I want to go back quickly, to my hometown… … .”
After a moment of silence passed.
Kureha changed the topic.
“So how are you, little brother? A life of working and getting paid?”
“Isn’t it worse than I thought?”
Quylan grinned and shrugged.
“Even if it’s uncomfortable, like wearing clothes that don’t fit. It doesn’t feel bad.”
“Because we never had a chance to live like this. I’m glad you got this opportunity.”
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Right after that, Kureha sighed heavily.
“Except your job is too risky… … How about exploring tomorrow? Isn’t it dangerous?”
“well. According to His Highness, it will be a pretty tough battle… … Aren’t I very lucky?”
Quylan smiled at his brother.
“Because I inherited my brother’s great luck. So tomorrow will be fine.”
“… … .”
“The name of Kureha of the River Cloud, Kureha of the Miracle… … Because this Kuylan-nim took over. So don’t worry and wait, brother.”
Kureha slowly raised her left fist and held it forward.
“Okay, take more. my luck.”
Quylan smirked and raised his fist.
“I will not refuse. Gladly.”
The brothers’ fists thumped in the air, touched and then fell.
***
next day. Early moning. manor house.
As the party members arrived one after another, Kelly Bay came in person with the silver stake launcher I ordered. Did your back get better?
Clap!
“Oh, it works.”
As I was testing the Silver Stake Launcher on my arm, Kelly Bay asked with a worried look.
“Attacking the ‘resistance checkpoint’ today? It must be pretty tight there.”
“But you have to cross it to enter District 6. I’m going to go into it anyway, shouldn’t I pull out the horns as well?”
“Um, that’s true, but… … Be careful though. Because I’ve seen a lot of kids who couldn’t get past that and fell asleep.”
Kelly Bay, who asked, ah! She made a noise and pulled out a small pouch from her bosom and handed it to me.
“And pass this on to Nameless on the way.”
“What is this?”
“Magic whetstone. While I’m not underground, Nameless might have to take care of his sword. That guy’s sword is so old that you need to take care of it often.”
I wanted to run some errands on the way, so I took it.
“Come to think of it, what the hell is that unknown sword? It just emits light… … What a magical weapon it is to use such power.”
While watching this game ending, I was curious because I had never seen a weapon of such power.
Quite a few SSR-grade weapons have the power to chew them up.
Then Kelly Bay giggled and said,
“That old sword, do you know what its name is?”
I asked a strange question.
I was just blindfolded. well? Just looking at its power, I think it would be named something like a legendary sword in a myth?
“What is it?”
“It’s a ‘normal iron sword’.”
“Eh… … ?”
“It’s a common old knife with no powers other than being strong.”
“But how can such an ordinary sword have such power?”
In front of me who was puzzled for not knowing why, Kelly Bay shrugged humorously.
“well? Ask the nameless person about it.”
I frowned in displeasure.
No, why is everyone in this town avoiding spoilers?
***
[Now Loading… … Teleporting.]
[Tip – The difficulty of the Lake Kingdom dungeon increases significantly from Area 6. Please enter after being fully prepared!]
***
Flash-!
lake kingdom. base camp.
Now, when I got down to this place that was as familiar as the backyard of the mansion, I saw a few people gathering for the first time in a while.
Teleport NPC Coco Granny and our party’s guest character, Belldandy. and… … .
“cotton!”
Dungeon Merchant NPC, unknown.
I greeted you and approached you. Something was strange.
“Ah, Ash. You are here.”
Moo-myeong greets you face-to-face… … It was dirty.
It was washed clean (?) just a few days ago, but as if it had been that way, the whole body of an unknown person was covered in dust and blood, and the gray hair that had been slicking white was scattered and spread out in all directions.
Even her doll-like face was covered with her hair.
Unknowingly, I resented it.
“No, it was washed at best, so why is it so dirty!”
“Cleanliness is a luxury in this hell.”
Anonymous answered calmly and scratched his head.
“After fighting a bit fiercely for the past few days, it happened again.”
“Isn’t it just that you’re messy?”
The red ribbon that Ader had tied while trimming his hair the other day swayed miserably on his unkempt white hair.
Still, I didn’t throw it away.
I delivered the magic whetstone I received from Kelly Bay to Nameless.
Nameless received it with delight and immediately began to sharpen his old sword.
“I was just here because I needed to fix my sword.
I was embarrassed because there was no Kelly Bay… … You came at the right time, Ash. thanks.”
“I was just running errands, so what… … .”
Nameless raised the whetstone and fired magical sparks to sharpen the blade.
I remembered what I heard from Kelly Bay earlier. I’m hesitant to ask about the identity of that old sword.
Anonymous glanced at me.
“I heard from Belldandi. Attacking the resistance checkpoint today?”
“huh. I want to enter the depths of the dungeon soon.”
“hmm… … .”
Anonymous let out a faint moan.
“I’d like to stop it if possible, but… … That’s why I won’t be able to go beyond that forever.”
I blinked.
do you want to block it? why?
“Be careful, Ash. The deeper you go, the thicker the darkness.”
He repeated the advice he had given over and over again.
“Never, never turn off the fire.”
“… … .”
“I wish you no luck.”
That greeting somehow sounded more ominous today.
Nameless began to focus on grooming her sword, and leaving behind Nameless and the base camp, the party members and I went on the march.
into the depths of the dungeon.
Area 6, towards the resistance checkpoint.
***
Let’s get out of the last area 5 and enter the beginning of the 6th area.
“uh?”
“This… … .”
“What, what is it?”
The party members spit out a surprised sound in unison.
It was because he felt the darkness around him grow stronger all at once.
It feels like the night sky is approaching the ground.
The pitch-black ceiling is getting closer as if it is sinking down, making it difficult to breathe… … .
sigh, stag.
Square square square square… … .
The sound peculiar to the darkness here, like an insect gnawing, was now loud enough to be blatant.
“From here on, the depths of the Lake Kingdom. Also called the demon world… … It’s a ‘real’ dungeon.”
Belldandi, who served as a guide at the head of the party, looked back at us with a smileless face.
“Spent more than a hundred years here, and I saw the deaths of many adventurers. Many of them lost their lives here.”
“… … .”
“Skillful and talented people collapsed without being able to cross the wall here in depth.”
Holding the lantern in his hand even higher, Belldandy started to lead again.
“I earnestly ask you to hold on to your heart… … Please don’t ruin it.”
Enduring the creeps, struggling through the jungle-like darkness.
We dug into the Lake Kingdom.
Pushing away the clinging darkness, at the end of narrowly going inside… … .
“… … ah.”
finally arrived
Like a mountain range at night, on a long castle wall covered in a huge shadow.
‘Is this the inner sanctuary of the Lake Kingdom…? … .’
at that time,
“… … ?”
Something strange was visible.
The condition of this wall that separates the inner and outer parts of the city… … something was weird
The bricks that made up the wall were not stacked neatly on the floor.
They were plucked from the ground, ignoring the laws of physics and floating in the air in a heap.
If it was only this, I might have skipped it.
“what… … .”
The problem was that between the bricks, they were heaped together.
“What is this… … .”
person.
Thousands, no, tens of thousands of human figures enveloped in dark shadows like darkness… … .
‘Those’ in the form of countless people are stacked on top of each other like bricks… … It was floating slowly through the air.
Like a castle wall stacked up to the sky.
Quylan and the punishment squad members, who lacked dungeon experience, as well as Lucas, Damian, and Evangeline, who had been trained by defeating various monsters.
Even me.
I was frozen and unable to move in front of this surreal and grotesque sight.
I could hear Belldandi muttering bitterly in my ears.
“This is the real hell under the lake… … .”
My eyes were dizzy.
“It is a deep demon realm.”
