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Chapter 130: The Minotaur’s Dungeon (1)

“Well, the last one was a very long time ago.”

Aben spoke while still staring anxiously at the trembling black entrance of the dungeon.

“Well... that’s why I’m worried,” said Aben, anxious staring into the flickering darkness that led into the dungeon. “I’m afraid something might happen.”

“If you’re worried about the friend who went into the dungeon, you should have followed him. I can guard Twin Armor. Maybe it’s time to hand over Turtle Castle as well.”

“Quit the nonsense...”

Aben chuckled at Marze’s comment.

“I’m not worried about him. I just hope this dungeon is the end of it. If this leads to another dungeon, we’re screwed,” Aben continued in a low voice. “Normally, a dungeon like this has a few lesser precursors. So far, we’ve been estimating a dungeon’s difficulty based on the ones that preceded it.

“That’s true.”

However, leaving the lower-ranked dungeons unchecked wouldn’t prevent the more dangerous ones from emerging. Thus, it was standard procedure to eliminate the lesser dungeons before the main one appeared in order to avert most of the damage.

“There have been few instances of S-rank dungeons in the history of our continent. Kaye Aesir eradicated one two hundred fifty years ago, and before that, the Assembly of Seven Elders hunted monsters.”

Marze nodded at Aben’s words.

“Right. There are still a few S-rank dungeons left in the south, but Digon has been diligently hunting down the monsters that come out of them, preventing them from harming people.”

“Keeping the southern dungeons in check is almost their lifetime occupation. But what about it?” Marze asked while gazing at the shimmering dungeon entrance.

“I just have a feeling that this S-rank dungeon isn\'t the end of it, that other dungeons will emerge after this one.”

At Aben’s words, Marze slapped him on the back as if to tell him to stop talking nonsense.

“Ridiculous. Looks like you’ve been holed up in the castle too long, turning into a scared turtle.”

“...”

“If an S-rank dungeon were a precursor to a more powerful one, it would mean the end of the world.”

“...Yeah, I hope it\'s just my unfounded worry. It\'s just that I can\'t shake off this uneasy feeling when I look at the entrance.”

Aben gazed at the dark, shimmering entrance of the dungeon. It looked like it had been soaked in ink.

Most dungeons usually had the shape of a cave, but this one here looked more like a gate, giving off the impression that it led to another world.

“Besides, it’s not like there has never been an S-rank dungeon giving rise to another one.”

Marze scoffed at Aben’s words.

“You’re worrying needlessly in your old age. That was so long ago... And it\'s merely a legend. Nobody knows if it\'s true.”

Aben clicked his tongue at his words.

It was from a very distant past, even before the Assembly of Seven Elders. Since that event was only recorded in literature, there was no way to confirm whether it had truly happened or not.

It was simply referred to as the Great Cataclysm.

Exordiar.

A terrible nightmare that is said to have turned the entire continent into dungeons.

According to the legend, that nightmare had plunged the entire world into complete darkness.

[All throughout the year, not a single day did the sun rise, and there was no moon or stars, as if darkness had consumed the continent, leaving everyone and everything blind.]

[Darkness devoured humanity, and the monsters that festered within it feasted on men, women, and children alike. The places swept by the darkness were left with nothing but bare bones.]

[Those who survived the calamity made sure to pass the story down to future generations, so that their own suffering and the suffering of those who had perished would never be forgotten.]

Though it was merely a legend from a book he read as a child, Aben couldn’t help but recall those memories as he stared at the entrance of the dungeon. But he soon shook his head and spoke.

"No, you’re right. I guess age is catching up to me... talking such nonsense.”

"Pull yourself together and focus on the enemy before us. The imperial army hasn’t still hasn’t retreated.”

"Right.”

"We may be rusty and not brave enough to venture into the dungeon, but at least we can prevent them from interfering,” Marze said in a tense voice, gazing at the endless line of the imperial army.

"But what on earth is it? Just holding our position is enough, without doing anything...."

Aben shook his head, unable to predict the answer to Marze\'s question.

"It\'s been a while since I\'ve been this tense. If the imperial army advances, we won\'t be able to stop them."

"Hehe... Who would have thought we’d place our lives in the hands of a kid who’s not even half our age? I guess once you’ve lived long enough, you get to see all sorts of things.”

Marze also looked ahead with a tense face. Understandably so, for after clearing the monsters, neither of them withdrew their troops to the fortress. The common strategy would be to defend against the advancing army, but Karyl\'s plan was quite the opposite.

“When we enter the dungeon, the two of you will lead the troops and form a line in front of Twin Armor.”

After clearing the two Minotaurs that had appeared on the field, Karyl gave instructions to Marze and Aben.

“Deploy the troops outside...? What if the imperial army sees that and decides to advance? Without Twin Armor\'s help, we can\'t stop that massive army.”

Aben\'s words were met with a shake of Karyl\'s head.

“The imperial troops won’t move. They\'ll be suspicious seeing my sudden deployment of troops. Plus, I\'ve laid some groundwork.”

Karyl didn’t bother mentioning that he had personally paid the imperial army a visit.

“Furthermore, we’ve managed to repel the monsters with fewer casualties than expected. If we engage head-on, the imperial army will also suffer significant losses. They don’t want to make such a rash decision.”

Karyl pointed at the two Twin Armors and then to the moat in front of them.

“The moat around Twin Armor is wide. Position the mobile units, knights, and swordsmen along the moat and place the magic units and archers on the walls.”

Aben and Marze nodded at his instructions.

“It\'s important to create the impression that we might advance. I\'ll place my troops with yours. A thousand men might be a small number, but it\'s enough to keep them on edge.”

“Are you sure that\'s alright...?”

“Only my men and I will enter the dungeon. The layout of the dungeon is too complex for a brigade. The troops would get lost.”

Marze looked at Karyl with curiosity, amazed by how much he seemed to know about this newly formed dungeon.

Ignoring their gazes, Karyl continued outlining his plan.

“Taking an offensive stance will confuse them more. Why aren\'t we defending? Is there another reinforcement coming? Prince Luon will have a lot on his mind.”

Aben couldn\'t help being impressed by Karyl’s intuition.

How remarkable....

The audacious strategy proposed by the young man, who was not yet of age, seemed risky but had a strong possibility of success.

Neighh...

A brief, chilly wind blew across the battlefield. Aben adjusted his armor once more, thinking of Karyl.

I don’t know what exactly needs to happen for this plan to succeed, but it all hinges on whether his move works.

Under normal circumstances, Aben would never have agreed to such a strategy without questioning it first. However, as soon as Karyl voiced his plan, he accepted without objection.

Indeed, age didn’t matter in battle. Strangely, whenever Aben spoke with Karyl, he felt like he was talking to a knight who was ten times more experienced in combat than him.

“I will believe in you, Karyl,” he muttered with a taut expression, gazing at the shimmering entrance of the dungeon.

***

“Careful! This labyrinth is larger than the imperial palace. Once you get lost, it’ll be hard to find your way out,” Karyl warned.

Beikan and Kinu Mukari nodded.

Torches were mounted on the walls to either side. Although the dungeon looked ancient, its rather well-kept appearance could easily make one mistake it for a castle rather than a den of monsters.

“Although we’ve conquered quite a few dungeons, this place feels different. It doesn’t feel like a dungeon...”

“It feels like ruins, doesn’t it? As if humans made it,” Karyl answered, predicting what Greys was about to say.

“Yes, exactly,” Greys nodded.

The relics that still remained on the continent were said to have been left behind by ancestors—or even by gods. To the people of the continent, they were sacred sites from a different past.

However, unlike the barbarians, Viola and Greys had a hard time accepting that a dungeon holding hundreds of vicious monsters could look like this.

“You\'re not wrong. Previously, we’ve hunted creatures like gray orcs or Lizardmen. Beikan, do you know what they have in common?”

“Hmm... they form villages like humans?”

“That’s right.” Karyl nodded. “Unlike other monsters, they live in groups. They’re probably the monsters most similar to humans.”

“No way....” Viola looked at Karyl with a stern face.

She seemed to be recalling something she didn’t want to think about.

“The most powerful among such demi-humans is the Minotaur,” Karyl explained to her. “Though no longer seen on the continent, it’s said that Minotaurs are creatures born between humans and monsters.”

“You mean gray orcs and lizardmen led to this dungeon because they resemble humans? If that’s the case, it’s a horrible thing,” Greys remarked with a frown.

“I agree. Categorizing them like that makes it seem like humans and monsters are similar.”

“Well, to other beings, humans and monsters might not seem so different.”

“Are you talking about gods?”

At Viola’s question, Karyl gave a bitter smile.

“Perhaps the one who made this dungeon is the same as the one who made the ruins.”

Karyl kept his answer vague, not explicitly mentioning gods. Scanning his surroundings, he felt just like that time...

The inside of this dungeon resembled the Pharel Tower.

When he had first exterminated a dungeon in the south, he had wondered if dungeons weren’t the same as Pharel in essence. While dungeons didn’t produce Tarak, they violated nature\'s rules by releasing monsters into the world.

Lesser dungeons like the nest of the Twin-Headed Eagle or the village of gray orcs didn’t exist in Pharel.

Entering the Minotaur’s dungeon sort of confirmed Karyl’s suspicions.

The labyrinth\'s structure is identical to those in Pharel. That means I can use the same method as back then.

Karyl nodded slowly and grinned.

“...”

Seeing his expression, Beikan flinched, as he was reminded of that time on the Rolling Hills.

Minos, Aeacus, Rhadamanthos.

Step by step, Karyl walked confidently through the labyrinth.

I’ll take them all down at once.