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Chapter 25. Subjugation of the Earth Dragon (2)
Step, step.
Once we passed through the outskirts of the village, the true labyrinth finally revealed itself.
The pungent scent of earth and mold unique to underground tunnels filled the air.
As we descended deeper along the damp corridor, the light from the surface gradually faded, and a gloomy darkness thickened.
[Labyrinth Village: Upper Layer]
It was a location name from the game.
The upper layer of Labyrinth Village was where the influence of the barrier began to noticeably weaken.
Thus, it was also an undeveloped zone where monster attacks were a real threat.
[Lv. 11]
Pause.
Just then, a translucent window shimmered faintly in the dark.
Something hiding in the shadows of a narrow alley was targeting us.
“Adelia.”
The moment I called her name—
Screeech—!
A green-skinned monster charged at us.
It was a Tunnel Goblin.
One of the most common low-tier monsters inhabiting the Labyrinth Village.
Without a hint of panic, Adelia swung her sword and severed its life in an instant.
Slash—!
Thud.
The monster’s cleanly severed head dropped to the ground.
Watching from a few steps away, I thought to myself:
…Thanks to the level window, I can detect most ambushes.
The tunnel was dark.
Only faint torches installed here and there provided light.
While the limited visibility was inconvenient, I didn’t need to worry about surprise attacks.
With the level window appearing in front of me, I could sense the presence of monsters.
I felt it when I noticed Adelia tailing me before…
This game system really felt like a cheat.
Anyway…
I recalled the goblin’s movements from a moment ago.
Its speed as it charged toward us.
And Adelia’s swift, precise swordsmanship that took it down in a single blow.
Screeech!
Was it because my swordsmanship skill had awakened?
Or was it simply because the goblin’s level was too low?
I didn’t know the exact reason, but…
I feel like I could handle attacks like that now.
For some reason, I felt confident.
If I get the chance later, I should try fighting a goblin for practice.
It was about time I started gaining real combat experience to level up.
Without relying on skills—purely through my swordsmanship talent.
“Sir Gaon.”
While I was lost in thought, Adelia, who was looking down at the goblin’s headless corpse, asked a question.
“What should we do with this?”
Thud, thud.
Adelia nudged the body with her foot.
Monster corpses were a major source of income for adventurers.
Specifically, the magic stones (ma-seok) that could be extracted from them.
They were used as power sources for barriers, materials for magic tools, and more. The uses for magic stones were endless.
After a moment’s thought, I answered.
“Leave it. Someone who needs it will take it.”
Goblin magic stones were barely worth anything.
The lower the monster’s rank, the lower the purity of its magic stone.
Rather than waste time over something so trivial, it was better to focus on finding the Earth Dragon.
It’s not like we were strapped for cash either.
Thank you so much, Lea de Karayan…
…Thanks to the generous money you gave us, we don’t have to live like paupers.
Step, step.
Time passed—almost half a day had gone by since we entered the labyrinth.
Nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Low-level monsters like goblins attacked, and Adelia slashed them to pieces. It was a repetitive routine.
Well, if anything unusual happened…
[Lv. 32]
[Lv. 27]
[Lv. 39]
…it was occasionally running into other adventuring parties like now.
“…We’ll pass through first.”
A silver-haired swordsman, wary of us, lowered his blade and passed by, signaling no hostile intent.
The rest of his party followed him slowly.
As we watched them disappear into the distance, Adelia spoke with surprise.
“There are quite a few adventurers here. I didn’t expect to run into so many…”
She was right.
We had already passed by five or six different parties.
It wasn’t unusual though. The upper layer of the labyrinth had always been a popular zone for adventurers.
It was one of the few fields where magic stones could be harvested relatively safely.
There’s a height limit here, so large monsters can’t exist.
Because it was a tunnel system, only small-bodied monsters could live here.
Unlike undeveloped zones where anything might pop out, the monsters here were predictable.
That predictability gave adventurers a sense of safety.
And the barrier’s influence hasn’t completely faded, so high-tier monsters rarely appear here.
Still, not all adventurers were satisfied with hunting in the upper layer.
As I said, goblin stones barely sold for pocket change.
Adventurers confident in their abilities preferred to descend deeper.
Where the barrier’s power faded even more and stronger monsters emerged.
Like…
[Lv. 70]
[Lv. 56]
[Lv. 58]
[Lv. 21]
…a party like that.
As soon as we turned the corner, we saw another adventuring group.
The moment she saw them, Adelia took a defensive stance.
“Well-trained adventurers.”
Her reaction was completely different from when we saw the silver-haired swordsman earlier.
No wonder.
Their levels were high, and their party composition was well-balanced.
Let’s see…
Two melee fighters.
One archer.
And a Lv. 21 guide.
A fairly stable setup for exploring a labyrinth.
A guide becomes essential from the middle layers onward.
They might even be skilled enough to go as deep as the lower layers.
Pause.
Sensing our presence, one of them quickly turned toward us.
When they saw Adelia, they froze.
“…”
“…”
“…”
Silence.
Just as Adelia was wary of them, they seemed equally cautious of us.
How long did we stand there in that tense standoff?
The man with the ponytail finally stepped forward and spoke—not to me, but to Adelia.
“I’ve wandered the Labyrinth Village for three years and memorized most adventurers’ faces, but this is my first time seeing someone of your skill.”
“…”
“You seem new. May I ask why you’ve come here?”
Adelia didn’t answer.
She was following me, so she had no intention of speaking first.
But to them, it probably seemed frustrating.
Sigh.
The ponytailed man let out a breath and continued.
“Please understand. There’ve been a lot of raiders around lately.”
“…”
“To feel safe, we need to know your intentions.”
Raiders—criminals who hunted people instead of monsters to gain profit.
They usually operated in lawless zones or the upper layers of Labyrinth Village.
Instead of answering, I threw a question back at him.
“What are your intentions?”
“…?”
He frowned slightly at my question.
“Intentions? We’re just hunting monsters and trying to survive by selling magic stones…”
“Is that really all?”
I interrupted him.
Just monster hunting? That was too obvious a lie.
Would a party like theirs be assembled just for goblins?
And more importantly…
He’s crazy. That request was issued over three years ago.
Three years.
That’s how long they claimed to have been active here.
It matched exactly with when the Earth Dragon subjugation request first appeared.
It was far too much of a coincidence.
“Tch…”
Sure enough, the man scratched his neck uncomfortably.
“We’re exploring the deeper layers to slay the Earth Dragon. What about you?”
I answered immediately, in the driest tone possible.
“The same.”
Snap.
The air instantly grew tense.
Of course they were displeased. From their perspective, a new competitor had just appeared.
The ponytailed man smirked, as if he expected this, and nodded.
“I figured.”
Then he began to provoke me.
“Wait, aren’t you the guide? I thought she hired you.”
“…”
“Ah, I get it. Some rich kid brought his knight along for an adventure, huh?”
Adelia frowned.
“How dare you…!”
Clink.
Before she could draw her sword, I quickly stopped her.
She backed down reluctantly.
He’s clearly trying to provoke us.
If we struck first, they could claim self-defense.
They were willing to resort to dirty tricks just to monopolize the Earth Dragon.
Do they think the four of them can beat Adelia?
Fools.
That might’ve worked when she was Lv. 77 when we first met.
But now she had broken through the wall at Lv. 80 after gaining enlightenment.
They had no idea how outclassed they were.
No wonder they’ve failed for three years.
Still, there was no need to waste energy on them.
At that moment—
“Hey, young master. Here’s a piece of advice.”
He probably thought my silence meant fear.
“In the middle layers, adventurer games will get you killed. You better learn to protect yourself.”
I nodded politely.
I’m not avoiding you because I’m scared.
I just don’t want to deal with filth.
It was the “Don’t feed the trolls” strategy.
“Thanks for the advice. I’ll end my little adventurer game here.”
“…?”
“Now, we’ll be on our way.”
Swoosh.
Without waiting, I turned and walked in the opposite direction—away from the middle layer’s path.
“Huh?”
“What’s that guy doing?”
“Pfft! What a coward. No guts at all.”
Laughter erupted among them.
They clearly didn’t expect me to back off so easily.
“L-Lord Gaon…?”
Even Adelia looked confused as she whispered.
“Are you really giving up?”
“No.”
Of course not.
The place we needed to go just happened to be in the opposite direction of the middle layer’s path.
“I guarantee they’ll never even see the Earth Dragon’s claw.”
“…”
“But we will do what they couldn’t in three years—in a single try.”
“Ah…”
Adelia’s eyes lit up in awe.
A sense of admiration filled her gaze.
“…I’ll follow you. No matter what.”
About an hour later.
“Sir Gaon?”
“What is it?”
“Will this method really… let us find the Earth Dragon?”
Without hesitation, I nodded.
“Yes.”
“…”
Grit.
Adelia bit her lip, still unsure.
She looked at me with doubt, unable to understand my actions.
But I ignored her and prepared calmly.
Rumble!
The ground trembled as the tunnel shook violently.
…It was time to summon our “guide.”
Elsewhere…
“Huh? Wha—?”
Flinch.
At the same time, an old man resting peacefully in a field suddenly leapt up.
Twitch—!
Nervously glancing around, he saw the donkey at the stream raise its ears.
As if it were about to bolt any second.
“W-Wait! Calm down, Wilson! I know what you’re thinking, but don’t run off on your own—!”
HEEE-HAWW!!
Ignoring its master’s desperate plea, the donkey let out a loud cry and began to sprint away.
The old man cursed and scrambled after it.
“You damned donkey bastard…!”
