[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Chapter 92 – Raid Dungeon (9)
“Hmm.”
Cartman staggered as he stood up.
Gainert’s face brightened as if he had been saved.
“You’re awake.”
“…Gainert.”
Focus slowly returned to Cartman’s wandering eyes.
“What happened?”
“We defeated the boss.”
“The boss?”
Cartman looked puzzled.
Gainert glanced away.
At the end of his gaze was Ketal, who was looking at the treasure chest with interest.
“I see what’s going on.”
Cartman mumbled as he understood.
He steadied himself and approached Ketal.
“Oh, you’re up. Is your injury alright?”
“I think I cracked a rib, but it’s not a major injury. I assume you defeated it.”
“Yes. It was an enjoyable time.”
Ketal smiled brightly.
Cartman let out a hollow laugh.
‘AAA-level dungeon boss.’
A monster that only superhuman beings could handle.
They had defeated such an opponent, yet Ketal didn’t even break a sweat.
‘He really is a monster.’
Cartman expressed his gratitude to Ketal.
“Thank you. You saved my life.”
Ketal smiled awkwardly.
He could have intervened right when Cartman fainted, but he chose to watch the fight instead.
He knew the boss didn’t intend to kill, but still, his conscience pricked him seeing Cartman injured.
Ketal spoke up.
“Don’t mention it. I’m just a mercenary doing my job.”
“If you think of it that way, I’m relieved.”
Cartman walked to a small door behind the boss room.
He entered and soon came out holding a blue glowing orb.
‘That must be it.’
The reward of this dungeon.
The final ingredient to create a catalyst that could unlock mysteries.
Cartman secured the orb.
The raid leader had the duty to verify the dungeon’s rewards and bring them back to the guild.
“Gainert, wake up the ones who fainted. We need to prepare to leave.”
“Yes.”
Gainert moved quickly.
Cartman sat down, wincing at the pain in his rib.
“Are you alright?”
“My injury is fine. The problem is this situation.”
Cartman clicked his tongue.
The A-level dungeon had turned into an AAA-level dungeon.
It was an unprecedented situation.
They had to return to the guild and report this.
It would probably cause a big uproar.
He could already see himself being dragged around dealing with it for a while.
“First, let’s return and report the situation. Proper thanks can come afterward, is that okay?”
“No problem. So, is this the end?”
“Unless something else changes, it seems so.”
“Hmm.”
Ketal looked away.
His party members were waking up the unconscious mercenaries.
One by one, they groaned as they got up.
“Well, it was fun.”
Ketal was satisfied.
He suddenly remembered something and asked Gainert.
“Come to think of it, Gainert. Didn’t you have something to say to me?”
“Huh?”
Gainert flinched and waved his hand frantically.
“No, no! It’s nothing! Really!”
“Is that so?”
“Yes! It was really nothing important! Just a trivial matter, so don’t worry about it.”
“If you say so.”
Ketal didn’t press further.
Gainert sighed in deep relief.
‘Whew, I almost did something crazy.’
He had considered inviting such a monster to join their party.
What a ridiculous idea. Just imagining the outcome made him shudder.
‘I’m glad I decided to talk after the raid was over…’
After waking all the unconscious mercenaries, they left the dungeon.
The still-dazed mercenaries returned to the capital. Ketal waved to his party members.
“It was fun. Let’s meet again.”
“Hahaha.”
They laughed dryly and made a decision.
‘…Let’s avoid the mercenary guild for a while.’
* * *
Cartman returned to the mercenary guild and reported what happened.
It wasn’t an A-level raid dungeon, but an AAA-level raid dungeon.
The dungeon had disguised itself.
Naturally, the mercenary guild responded as if it was nonsense.
If an ordinary mercenary had said it, they would have dismissed it as a joke and downgraded the mercenary’s rank.
But this was Cartman.
A rare A-class mercenary.
His record was well recognized.
The mercenary guild began an investigation.
As a result, Cartman’s words were confirmed to be true.
It wasn’t an A-class dungeon, but an AAA-class dungeon.
The mercenary guild of Denian was turned upside down.
While it could be a measurement error, it was unprecedented for a dungeon’s grade to change later.
They had almost lost a dozen C- and B-class mercenaries, and even a few rare A-class mercenaries.
Naturally, this became a significant issue.
The country also didn’t take it lightly and started to take action.
To relay this information, Cartman went to find Ketal.
“Who is that guy?”
Arkamis stared blankly at Cartman.
Cartman spoke with a hesitant expression.
“You were staying at the alchemist’s place.”
“Oh, you know her?”
“She’s quite famous; it’s hard not to.”
An alchemist who had dealings with the empire.
Arkamis resided in Denian’s capital.
That fact was fairly well known.
A mercenary, who needed to be sensitive to rumors, couldn’t be unaware of it.
Ketal spoke lightly.
“I’m learning alchemy from her. She’s a good teacher.”
“Hmm.”
Arkamis had a proud look on her face.
Cartman looked at them as if he were witnessing something bizarre.
“…Was she the reason you wanted the dungeon reward?”
“Oh, did you bring it?”
“Yes.”
Cartman pulled a blue orb from his pocket.
Arkamis, who was behind him, sparkled with interest.
“Oh. What’s that? Isn’t that the dungeon reward? Can you just bring it like that?”
“The Akasha family paid the price.”
“Milena moves fast.”
Arkamis took the orb and went up the stairs.
“Is this about the raid dungeon you went to? Talk it over. I’ll be making the catalyst.”
“Please do.”
“…”
The barbarian and the elf were chatting amiably.
It felt like watching a lion and a rabbit happily frolicking in the field together.
Cartman, who had been looking at them with a peculiar expression, snapped back to reality and cleared his throat.
“First of all, let me explain. I told the guild about the dungeon’s changes. They sent investigators and confirmed it. There were a lot of questions.”
Cartman looked at Ketal.
“The most frequent question was how we cleared the dungeon.”
An AAA-class dungeon cannot be cleared by anyone but a superhuman-level warrior.
Cartman was at most an A-class, an elite level.
Even if there were dozens of him, they couldn’t handle a superhuman.
Naturally, questions about Ketal arose.
“…I didn’t know what you wanted, so I explained as you had instructed. I apologize.”
Cartman didn’t know if Ketal wanted to reveal himself or stay hidden.
He couldn’t ask due to the sudden investigation, so he decided to conceal information about Ketal.
“It doesn’t matter.”
Ketal didn’t intend to hide himself.
In fact, he openly said he came from the White Snowfield in the Barkan territory.
The problem was that revealing his identity often changed how people treated him.
It was bothersome, so he didn’t forcefully reveal it.
“It doesn’t matter. Don’t worry about it.”
“That’s a relief.”
Since it wasn’t just a formality, Cartman genuinely felt relieved.
If Ketal had been obsessed with fame and honor, Cartman’s actions would have been a great offense.
Feeling a bit more relaxed, Cartman continued.
“As you instructed, I told them that the boss self-destructed. It seemed dubious, but the conscious mercenaries gave the same testimony, so they believed it. …But did it really happen?”
“It did.”
“…”
Cartman found it hard to believe.
No matter how strong the opponent, dungeon monsters would typically fight to the death.
The idea of a dungeon boss self-destructing was unheard of.
However, since Ketal said so, Cartman couldn’t refute it.
He continued.
“The dungeon grade changed. The mercenary guild and the country seem to be taking action.”
“One thing I’m curious about, how do you determine the dungeon grade? I know it’s usually determined by guards or mercenaries, but such a dungeon seems too challenging.”
It was too difficult for an ordinary mercenary to enter and confirm.
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
Cartman explained.
“Basically, it’s confirmed the way you mentioned. But in dangerous or unusual cases, the dungeon’s magic itself is detected.”
“Is that possible?”
“If you’re a skilled magician, it’s not impossible. She could probably do it too.”
Cartman glanced at the ceiling.
Above them was Arkamis.
Ketal smiled.
“Is that so?”
“By sensing the quantity and quality of magic, they determine the grade. This dungeon was identified as A-class during that process.”
“Cases of grade changes are rare, I assume.”
“No.”
Cartman shook his head.
“Not rare. They don’t exist.”
An AAA-class dungeon.
A dungeon that cannot be cleared without a superhuman-level warrior, a dungeon requiring national intervention.
It was that rare, and if it appeared, it exuded such a dense magic that even third-rate individuals could recognize it.
Something like that had been disguised as an A-class dungeon.
Cartman grimaced.
“Even apart from that, it was very unusual.”
Dungeon monsters generally have intelligence no higher than that of beasts.
Even the boss was only slightly more intelligent, not significantly different.
But this time was different.
The boss mocked Cartman.
It laughed at the humans who had fallen into its trap.
Moreover, not a single person died.
It meant it had controlled its power.
Such behavior was impossible for a mere beast.
“And… that thing spoke.”
Its voice was like a forced, twisted cry, but it was clearly a language with meaning.
The dungeon had changed.
Now that abnormalities had occurred once, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t happen again.
Such a dungeon could appear again someday.
“Probably the mercenary guild will start an investigation.”
This wasn’t just a matter for a local branch of the country’s mercenary guild.
It concerned the mercenary guild itself.
The organization that controlled countless mercenaries.
That massive organization would move.
Interest flickered in Ketal’s eyes.
The conversation concluded.
Cartman left.
Ketal, now alone, muttered with a curious expression.
“Many things seem to be changing.”
The demon in the Barkan territory was one instance, and this time too.
As Elene said, something was changing in this world.
‘But it has nothing to do with me.’
What mattered to him was enjoying this fantasy world.
That was all.
‘I wonder how much has been made.’
With a joyful face, Ketal got up and climbed the stairs.
* * *
Ring! Ring!
The bell rang in the room.
The woman frowned as if the sound was annoying.
“Guild master! Answer the call!”
“Busy!”
“Just answer it!”
“I said I’m busy!”
A middle-aged man buried in a pile of documents appeared roughly.
“Do you know how much I’m dealing with right now? It’s three times the usual! Three times! When do I have time to answer calls? You answer it!”
“Sigh.”
The woman clicked her tongue but didn’t say anything further.
The amount of paperwork the man was handling was beyond imagination.
In the end, she got up and spread her wings.
Flying through the pile of documents, she picked up the large communication device with hands that were less than a fifth the size of an adult man’s.
The man watched her with satisfaction.
“It’s worth having a fairy as a secretary. It takes up much less space.”
“You. One day I’ll report you to the anti-discrimination committee.”
The fairy started the communication.
After a while, she put down the communication device.
“What’s it about?”
“It’s about the work the guild master is dealing with right now.”
“Again?”
The man’s face visibly aged.
“…Who said the guild master position was great?”
“The guy retired after dumping it on you. He’s farming in his hometown now.”
“When he retired, he smiled at me for some reason. Damn.”
The man grumbled.
“He lured me in saying I’d be managing all the mercenaries on the continent, holding power. It’s total slavery!”
“Just get back to work. There’s still a lot to do.”
“Sigh.”
The man sighed and started reading the documents.
Clicking his tongue at what he read.
“…This again.”
“Another anomaly report about a dungeon?”
“They say an A-class dungeon monster popped out. It wasn’t even a built-up dungeon, but it suddenly appeared.”
The man flipped the documents with a weary expression.
“Dungeons are going crazy. Valuable mercenaries are dying. Mercenaries are getting scared and avoiding dungeons. What’s going on?”
“This makes twelve now. We still don’t know the cause?”
“I wish someone would tell me.”
The man sighed.
The fairy looked at the documents and tilted her head.
“This one is a bit strange.”
“Another anomaly case? This makes it thirteen.”
“Yes, but it’s a bit different. Check it out.”
The fairy threw the document.
The thin paper didn’t flutter but landed precisely on the man’s desk.
As he read, the man frowned.
“…An anomaly in the Kingdom of Denian. An A-class dungeon changed to AAA-class? They must all be dead.”
“Look below.”
Reading further down as the fairy suggested, the man’s eyes widened.
“…What? No one died? And the reason for the clear was… the boss self-destructed? Are they expecting us to believe this?”
“I don’t know. But that’s what the report says. With the dungeons becoming strange, the bosses must be having issues too.”
“…No, that’s not it.”
The man stroked his chin.
His eyes had become sharp.
“Looking at the twelve previous cases, they were sudden but very systematic. Just enough to make it hard to respond.”
“Are you saying there’s a hidden agenda? But it’s a dungeon? Couldn’t it just be a coincidence?”
“That’s possible, but… it feels like there’s something more. It doesn’t make sense for the boss to commit suicide out of mere despair. And no one died?”
Interest gleamed in the man’s eyes.
He looked at the name of the raid leader.
“Cartman. An A-class mercenary, huh.”
A mercenary known even to the guild master.
A strong and experienced mercenary.
Capable of handling many situations.
But an AAA-class dungeon couldn’t be cleared by simple capability alone.
What was needed was individual power.
It was hard to believe that an A-class mercenary’s skills were enough to overcome it.
‘Is there something more?’
The man spoke while looking at the document.
“…Request detailed information on this raid dungeon.”
“Yes.”
“Characteristics of the dungeon, the boss’s traits, and everyone who participated in the dungeon. Verify everything and report back to me.”
[Translator – Night]
[Proofreader – Gun]
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