Genius Corpse-Collecting Warrior - Chapter 34
Devil’s Holy Sword (6)
“Is this solid information?”
The explorer who heard the story of the bald head asked back.
He seemed to be a fairly capable explorer, but he had a gloomy expression on his face, as if his doubts were not going away despite the bald head’s persuasion.
“I mean it’s true. “Is it for no reason that so many people came and formed a punitive force?”
Not to be outdone, a bald-headed voice whispers.
The conversation between the two was so quiet that it could easily be drowned out by the bustle of the crowd.
Dallen’s superhuman senses and intelligence level to interpret them were able to clearly select and capture even the faintest voices.
“Unlike last time, this is not an official punitive force. “Aren’t these people brought in because of a useless rumor?”
“Uh huh. I saw it clearly with my own two eyes. “The devil got stabbed in the stomach by that little paladin’s holy sword and his internal organs spilled out.”
Bring on the punitive force. That too, an unofficial punitive force.
‘That’s why so many explorers flocked here.’
Dallen shook his head to himself.
Unless something special happens, the number of explorers who descend into the labyrinth every day is less than two hundred.
Don’t do it. The number of people gathered in the hall right now was close to four hundred.
I wondered what was going on, but I was able to guess it from the conversation just now.
‘An injured, low-level demon would be desirable prey for an explorer.’
The demon in the labyrinth is dangerous. But at the same time, it was also a more desirable prey than anything else.
This was because the Geumgang Palace paid a huge amount of compensation to the person who killed the demon in the labyrinth.
In addition, the more powerful the demon or monster, the stronger the barrier of the labyrinth city is, the stronger the repulsion force is to suppress them from rising.
Any demon that broke through the influence of the barrier and ascended to the first floor of the labyrinth was bound to be the weakest demon among the lowest class.
‘They said they were injured, so they probably think they can catch it with their own strength.’
A desirable prey to begin with. In addition, it is in a state of injury that makes it easy to catch.
In the meantime, he was even carrying an enormous treasure called a holy sword.
At this level, it is rather strange that the explorers’ eyes do not turn.
‘…I guess there’s no need to worry.’
Nevertheless, Dallon ignored it.
As the unknown explorer said, most people who get swept up in rumors like this are idiots.
He used to be a silver mercenary who spent all his money and came to the pure silver district with the intention of making a splash in the labyrinth before retiring.
From the beginning, they were born in the pure silver area and dreamed of becoming explorers after hearing rumors that they would make a lot of money.
At this level, it can hardly be called a competitor.
‘And if that demon had died here, there’s no way he would have appeared as a boss mob in the middle.’
It has been several years since now that the devil with the holy sword becomes active in the game.
In other words, the devil at this point safely hides somewhere and grows his power for several years with the holy sword.
In other words, it was said that the explorers gathered here could not do anything about the devil.
Kurrrrrr.
Then the hall began to vibrate. Dallen said, refastening his armor straps and checking his armament again.
“The door is opening. “Get ready.”
“Are you ready for the week?”
Lucia was startled and turned her head. She asked in an urgent voice.
“If the portal opens, shouldn’t you just go in? “What preparations…”
“I mean, that portal. “It doesn’t just happen in front of me.”
Kurrrrr!
While they were talking, the vibration of the barrier tower became more severe. Dallen held Lucia’s staggering shoulders.
Maintaining his familiar balance, he pointed to the floor of the hall with his chin.
Hum hum –
the floor where light slowly leaks out with a faint resonant sound.
The light that leaked out at a hazy level at first gradually began to become bright enough to fill the hall.
Lucia’s face becomes tinged with embarrassment as she sees the shining floor.
Dallen smiled and said to her.
“The labyrinth is not down there. Of course the door opens from the bottom.”
As soon as those words were finished.
Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
too too of the entire barrier tower trembling, and the light leaking from the floor suddenly goes out.
Huh-
“Kyaaaah!”
Dallen and Lucia’s bodies fell into the dark basement.
***
The fall wasn’t long.
This is because it is not a real physical fall, but a kind of space warfare magic through a portal.
Woooooung-
the air trembled. The aftereffects of the spatial transfer gradually subside.
Dallen quickly expanded his senses and looked around to see if there were any dangers.
The pitch-black vision slowly recovered and I felt the solid ground beneath my feet.
‘First of all, there doesn’t seem to be any particular threat.’
Dallen looked around.
The place where he stands is a low hill surrounded by forests.
Even though it was broad daylight, the darkness that fell over the entire ground and the appearance of strange grass and trees showed that this was not on land.
‘labyrinth.’
A magical realm beneath the earth where all kinds of monsters and demons lurk.
At the same time, the labyrinth was also a world that formed its own ecosystem.
The rustling of the soil under your feet is different from the world on the ground, and even the sound of insects in the forest is something you cannot hear on the continent…
“Kyaaaaah!”
…but it’s not a place where grass bugs scream so loudly.
“…Could you please be quiet?”
Dallen shook Lucia’s shoulder, who was still screaming.
Her eyes widened and she stopped screaming with a startled look on her face.
Hiccup.
Lucia gasps at the harsh touch and looks down at her feet.
“Huh?”
Naturally, her feet were on the hard dirt floor.
Lucia, whose face turned red in an instant, stuttered and spoke.
“Oh no. Why is this….”
“The barrier tower’s portal is actually a space transfer magic. “Because literal portals are not cost-effective to open and close every day.”
Although the labyrinth was located under the ground, it was not a place that could be reached by simply digging down.
In terms of game settings, the labyrinth is described as a space that takes one step into another dimension.
Considering that the portal spell itself requires an enormous amount of money, even Falcion cannot open and close the portal to the labyrinth every day.
‘So the method I came up with is called space transfer magic.’
Even that was different from normal space transfer magic.
If ordinary space transfer is activated by specifying the exact coordinates of where it will fall.
Because the space transfer of the barrier tower randomly dropped the subject somewhere on the first floor of the labyrinth.
“They say it’s because the flow of magical wind in the labyrinth is completely different from the ground. “Specifying coordinates has become difficult.”
As I explained what I knew about the game settings, Dallon raised his head and looked up at the sky.
“There is nothing to be ashamed of. “I heard everyone screams like that at first.”
“Isn’t this your first time in the labyrinth, Dallon?”
“That’s because I’m an experienced newbie.”
“career…?”
Lucia tilts her head at the Korean she cannot understand. Dallen smiled lowly and looked around at the sky.
Although each floor was different, the labyrinth was basically one world.
Vast land. Native plants and animals.
The sky was embroidered with stars, and at the far end of the horizon, towering mountain ranges lined up shoulder to shoulder.
The stars embroidered in the dark sky became guideposts for explorers like constellations on the ground.
Dallen observed the constellations and roughly estimated his current location. Fortunately, the constellations were almost identical to those seen on the other side of the monitor.
‘Based on the return fee, it’s northwest.’
The standard of defense on the first floor of the labyrinth was a huge monument that activated space transfer magic once a day.
The area around the Return Monument, protected by a strong barrier, is both an exit to return to the ground and a place that can be said to be the only safe zone.
The place where Dallon and Lucia were standing was in the middle of a small forest to the northwest based on the return monument.
Meanwhile, the place where Paladin Barrett and the punitive force were defeated by the devil was located on the exact opposite side.
A large cave located southeast of the Return Monument.
‘It would take quite a while to walk.’
I shouldn’t have taken too long.
Even at the lowest level, a devil is a devil.
As time passes, the cave it hides in will turn into a demon cave protected by powerful magic.
Demons tend to be twice as powerful in their own dwellings, so if possible, it was right to kill them before the demon cave was completely built.
‘If there’s a way to get to his residence within a week… that would be fine.’
Dallen quietly stroked his chin.
That way, you would be able to reach the guy’s base several times faster than walking.
Retrieving the body and taking the money was a bonus.
Just as he was roughly planning the route in his head, Lucia fidgeted and took out a scroll from her bag.
“I brought you a map. If you look here…”
“I think we can go over there.”
Dallen raised his hand and pointed in a direction.
Lucia looked blankly at the fingertips, then alternately looked at the constellations in the sky and the map in her hand.
“Isn’t this where we are?”
She pointed her finger at a point on the map.
It was in the middle of the forest to the northwest, starting from the return monument in the center of the map.
‘It seems like the Holy Knights make sure to provide some prior training since they know how to see stars and maps.’
I don’t know why they left out the portal opening from the bottom.
Dallen nodded to Lucia, who had a calm expression on her face.
“That’s right. “That’s a good point.”
“Then isn’t that Jeongseo-hyang? According to the map, if you go west from here, there is a red line indicating danger…”
Ah, the map was more detailed than I expected. I didn’t expect this.
Dallen was silent for a moment and then spoke with a calm expression.
“That’s a wrong map.”
“yes? But there is definitely a skull mark here…”
“The ink must have smudged.”
The trainee knight looked confused. Dallen grinned and snatched up the map and rolled it up.
“Didn’t you trust me and hire me? “Trust me just this once.”
He said as he placed the rolled up map in Lucia’s hand.
“It’s not a dangerous place, it’s the second fastest means of transportation on the first floor of the labyrinth.”
***
It took about two or three hours to get out of the forest.
The Labyrinth Forest was full of disorienting terrain, but Daelen’s amazing sense of direction could be easily ignored.
Of course, Lucia’s position was different.
Similar-looking rocks and trees confused my sense of direction and made me dizzy.
Just looking at some strangely twisted trees was enough to cause motion sickness.
So two hours later.
“Puh-ha.”
As she emerged into the open plain, Lucia exhaled as if she was letting out her pent up breath.
“Whew. after. It’s a tough forest. “I felt dizzy and thought I was going to die.”
“Are you prone to motion sickness?”
“It’s okay to ride a carriage, but horseback riding is difficult. If you draw on the power of the sacred tattoo, you can endure it…”
“That would be a waste of strength.”
Lucia nodded. Dallen thought as he patted her on the back.
The reason the demon slayer walked around without saying a word was because of motion sickness and not anything else.
Holding back an involuntary laugh, he carefully scanned the surrounding land.
As we left the forest, the soil on the ground was like dry sand. A sandy bottom that blows easily even in light winds and leaves no traces.
However, even a sandy floor cannot escape the eyes of a guide familiar with the labyrinth.
Sigh.
Dallen squatted down close to the ground. And heightened my senses even further.
Tiny footprints on the ground come into view one by one.
The faint scent of all kinds of monsters and beasts tickled my nose.
His senses expanded to the limit, sending all kinds of stimuli into his head.
Superhuman intelligence dismantled it piece by piece and selected the necessary information.
How many people were there like that?
“hmm.”
Dallen looked up. By then, Lucia seemed to have calmed down a bit and came up to him.
“Dallen? “What are you doing?”
“I was looking for traces.”
Saying that, Dallon turned his head to the side.
“But it looks like you’re lucky to be with Seonggi Love.”
luck? Lucia tilted her head. She followed Dallan’s gaze without realizing it.
The end of the line of sight is a hill not far away.
Lucia tilted her head once again.
“What are you looking at? “Isn’t that a hill with nothing on it?”
“Please wait a moment.”
Dallen said with a low laugh.
His superhuman perception vividly saw the scene beyond the empty hill.
A continuous vibration that resonates beneath your feet.
The cries of a four-legged animal can be vaguely heard.
He could feel the means of transportation he often used on the first floor of the labyrinth approaching close by.
“for a moment. no way…!”
And it wasn’t long before Lucia felt the same thing.
Aww-
up on the hill.
A pack of wolves carrying a hyena-headed rider appeared, letting out a long howl.
“Gnoll’s Carapace Wolf Scout!”
Lucia shouted.
Sreung –
She drew her sword and pulled down her shield. Immediately, the tattoos on both arms begin to glow.
Dallen pulled an ax from his belt and walked towards the hill at a leisurely pace.
Oooh!
Soon the gnoll scouts discovered the two people and began charging at full speed. Lucia lowered her posture and shouted.
“Dallen! “It’s dangerous!”
Dallen didn’t answer. Rather, he began to increase his speed little by little, just as he was walking.
Doo doo doo doo –
A gnoll scout team running towards us, raising up a cloud of white dust.
A large warrior running forward while clutching an axe.
The distance between the two wasn’t that far to begin with, so it didn’t take long before the distance narrowed to the point where they could look into each other’s eyes.
Growling! Grrrr!
A wolf covered in leather with a texture similar to that of a crustacean, and about ten gnoll riders riding on top of it and carrying crude weapons.
The leading gnoll rider grinned with his protruding mouth and raised a polearm that looked to be about 2 meters long.
Anyone can see that this is an action that is intended to kill prey in an instant.
Dallen laughed evilly as he watched the action.
The muscles of my entire body heated up with anticipation for the fight that would take place for the first time in a long time.
My toes dig into the sandy soil with every step.
The hand holding the ax began to itch.
Soon, the distance between Noll and Dallon narrowed to a very short distance.
“Dallen!”
Lucia shouted, emitting light from her arms and legs, and at the same time, Dallon’s hands became blurred.
Flying,
the hatchet turns gray and flies away.
In the dark air of the labyrinth.
A disk of light could not be created with only dim starlight.
Grrrr! Wake up!
Therefore, the gnoll rider did not even realize that something was flying until the ax was stuck between his eyes.
Grrrr….
The gnoll rider with the ax stuck in his head rolls his eyes and slips off the saddle.
Quang!
At the same time, a pile of dirt exploded where Dallen was standing, and his new form appeared on top of the leading carapace wolf.
Kwasik!
The recoil of stepping on the chest of the sliding Gnoll rider led to an almost acrobatic movement of landing on the saddle.
Grrrr? Grrrr!
The gnoll riders following behind look at Dallen with puzzled expressions.
From their point of view, it seemed like something was going on, and it was as if the lead scout leader had passed over and the prey was sitting in his place.
Doo doo doo doo!
Dallon turned his head and looked at the bewildered faces of the guys, with a fierce smile on his face.
On the saddle of a shell wolf whose owner may have changed.
The sword drawn from his waist was flashing in Dallen’s hand, waiting for his first fight.