STGB Episode 407

Dilemma (4)

[Before Dungeons & Stones, the online game I used to enjoy had PvP as its main content.

It was a game where you chose one of two groups when creating your character and grew stronger while competing for power on another continent.

I remember the thrill of leading an expedition into enemy territory to steal field bosses.  Nothing like it.

And of course, the thrill of relentless PK.

Landing the finishing blow on field bosses for sweet rewards.

Plus, the bonus of getting all kinds of “praise” from enemy players.

“It was a pretty fun game, to be honest.”

If I hadn’t come across Dungeon & Stone, I might still be playing that game.

Among the ones I played, that was the best.

‘…But if I had kept playing that, maybe I wouldn’t have been dragged here?’

Not that there’s any point regretting it now.

The reason that game suddenly came to mind is simple.

In some ways, it shares many similarities with the current situation.

Right now, the Dark Continent is occupied by the Noark bastards.

Our expedition team is essentially sneaking into their territory.

And, above all…

‘The methods I used there work well here.’

I’m feeling the same thrill I felt while playing that game.

“An a-ambush!”

“How did the enemies get here…!”

“Front! Deal with the monsters in front first!!”

“Ahhh, aaaah!”

The panicked movements of enemies who didn’t know what to do.

“Ugh! Cowards…!”

“To strike at this time!”

“We will definitely take you down with us!”

All sorts of “praises” pouring in.

[You have defeated a Bone Dragonian. EXP +7]

On top of that, defeating a level 3 monster like a piece of cake.

Of course, the best part was yet to come.

“It’s an essence!”

Wow, did I get a gift for being good?

Not only did we succeed in PK without a single injury due to our ambush, but we also got an Essence drop from the monster we took down as a bonus.

This is the second Level 3 essence we’ve obtained on this expedition.

“Ashid, go and collect the Essence.”

“Yes.”

While I sent the mage to capture the essence in a test tube, we quickly cleaned up the battlefield.

Because the loot isn’t just the Essence, right?

As usual, the main dish of PvP lies elsewhere.

“Ugh, cough… s-save me…”

“You know we can’t spare you.”

What’s he doing, talking to a corpse?

“Don’t waste words and step aside.”

After taking out my hammer, I firmly pressed the ‘happiness button’ on those who were still clinging to life.

Crunch, crunch, crunch!

The sound of flesh squishing as bodies went limp.

After ensuring the kills personally,  I had the team strip the equipment and store it all in our shared subspace.

“Whew,Considering the equipment they have in their subspaces,  this is no small haul.”

“When we get back, everyone will get a hefty share.”

The team’s excitement was evident, even from a quick glance.

It was only natural.

As valuable as Level 3 essence is, it doesn’t compare to the gear of 15 elite soldiers on the seventh floor.

Besides, it didn’t require much effort on our part.

“Loot collection complete.”

“Injuries?”

“None.”

“I see. Very good.”

I couldn’t hide my satisfaction and a smile crept onto my face.

A battle completed without a single injury, wrapped up in under five minutes.

“Are you planning to keep fighting like this from now on?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, not really…”

Akuraba hesitated to ask but fell silent.

Having experienced it herself, she knew.

That this is the best method to ambush those who are hunting carelessly in their own territory.

Well, not that there aren’t any disadvantages.

‘Thirty minutes…’

The battle may have lasted five minutes, but it took considerable time to wait for them to encounter a monster.

Still, it’s a minor flaw compared to the advantages.

If someone were injured or killed in the fight, the loss would be much worse.

Yet, I did feel a slight pang of dissatisfaction.

Kaislan cautiously offered me advice.

“Schuiz, killing them all was a bit hasty. We should have captured one to extract information.”

Ah, that’s true.

“I’ll do that from the next ambush.”

Seeing that I listened to his advice, Kaislan’s face brightened noticeably.

“Mages! Burn the bodies and erase the traces!”

After finishing the cleanup, we hid ourselves in the darkness once more and resumed our movement.

Maybe because the surroundings were so quiet?

I overheard a conversation between some members and couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Did you see that earlier? Those pieces of equipment?”

“If we keep fighting like this ten more times… Just how much will that be?”

Well, I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

***

After arriving on the Dark Continent, our routine was like this.

Step, step.

Moving while hiding in the darkness.

“Enemies.”

Upon spotting enemies, we wait for an opportunity until they engage a monster.

And then…

“Now!”

We launch an all-out ambush while they’re distracted by the monster.

Boom, boom, boom!

Whoosh!

Thud!

Our ranged firepower blasts their rear lines to pieces, making it even easier.

“Let’s gooooooo!”

“Wipe them all out!”

Even if our melee fighters rush in and wreak havoc, their front lines can’t support them easily because of the monsters in front.

And just like that, another quick victory.

“Is that our tenth ambush?”

Repeating this process as we move, we’ve already hit double digits by the time we leave the Dragon’s Depth.

“Mages! Set up a sound barrier!”

“Hey! Strip them gently! You’re tearing off bits of flesh along with the equipment!”

As soon as the battle ends, the members skillfully proceed to collect loot and erase traces.

As I watched, a team member dragged a survivor by the hair to me.

“Leader! Here’s the one you mentioned!”

“Good work.”

“Not at all.”

From the second battle onwards, I always leave one man alive to extract information.

You never know what might come in handy.

 

The labyrinth is unpredictable, after all.

Besides, I’m not the one doing the interrogation anyway.

“Jun.”

 

“Leave it to me.”

Our expedition’s official information extractor, Jun.

If I leave it to him for a moment, the information gets extracted and organized smoothly.

For example, we found out that the ones hunting on the 8th floor were Noark’s elite.

And that their base is virtually empty.

All that kind of useful information.

The only problem is that none of the recent captives know anything new…

“Schuiz, come here for a moment. This is urgent.”

For the first time in a while, Jun called me during an interrogation.

I rushed over to see what was going on and found the tightly bound survivor still alive.

It meant that meaningful information had been obtained during this interrogation.

“Tell me quickly. What did you find out?”

“It’s hard to say.”

“What do you mean…?”

Jun shifted his gaze. Following it, I saw a faintly glowing stone vibrating.

A well-known tool among explorers.

“A message stone…?”

“This is an item he was carrying.”

“That means…”

“Yes, someone is trying to contact him. What shall we do?”

As Jun asked the question, the stone vibrated again.

Bzzt—

How many more times would it buzz?

No way to tell.

Which meant a quick decision.

I lifted my hand slightly, gesturing for time, and gathered my thoughts.

‘Is it nearby, or is the contact coming from far away?’

Message stones have a limited radius, depending on their quality.

But this is Noark’s territory.

There’s a possibility that this contact is coming from very far away.

The reason the royal expedition is targeting their base was to counter this very thing.

Magic Wave Transmitter.

In modern terms, it’s like a transmission tower.

Those who entered the seventh floor using a direct-entry ‘cheat code’ smuggled in a massive device too large for subspace.

Thanks to that, they can freely communicate with their forces scattered across the continent and actively harass the royal army.

Bzzzzz—

The nerve-wracking vibration sounded once more.

I finished contemplating and confirmed a few things.

“Hey, you. Where do you think this contact is coming from?”

“Uh, uh, it’s probably the regular check-in. To confirm the status of each unit!”

Hmm, I see.

“Jun, is there a chance this guy will try to screw us over?”

“I think it’s highly unlikely.”

That was quite a confident answer given the situation.

“…I, I can do it! I’ll do whatever you say! Just please… let me die…”

Hearing the voice of someone yearning for death more than life, I concluded my judgment.

Yeah, I think we can trust him enough.

Listening to his desperate plea for death, I made my decision.

“Alright. Answer the call. If they ask about anything unusual, say there’s nothing to report.”

I handed him the vibrating message stone, shoving it close to his face.

Then…

Click.

The instant he answered, a deep voice came from the stone.

A low bass voice that stuck somewhere in my ears.

My heart began to pound.

Thump, thump, thump—

It was a voice I could never forget.

“Is… Is this Lord Regal Vagos?”

The Dragon Slayer, Regal Vagos.

Grit.

So, you’re on the 7th floor somewhere too.

***

I’ve met many enemies since coming into this world.

Most of them had their heads smashed by me, but unfortunately, there are some whom I couldn’t kill due to lack of power.

Lord of Chaos, Riakis.

Corpse Collector, Abet Necrapheto.

Ruin Scholar, Belbev Ruinzenes and so on.

Even just thinking about it now, there are quite a few that come to mind, but the one I hold the deepest grudge against is this guy.

The Dragon Slayer, Regal Vagos,

The moment I heard his voice, my reason paralyzed, and my blood boiled.

But…

Clench.

Now is not the time for that.

I clenched my fist tighter, suppressing my emotions.

And then…

[Meiras, where are you right now?]

I focused on the ongoing conversation.

“W-We’re hunting in the Dragon’s Depth with my team!”

[…Is that so? Then do you know anything?]

“Know anything?”

[All the guys who went to the Dragon’s Depth aren’t responding.]

“I-Is that so? I don’t really know. W-We are doing just fine without any problems. Really!”

His speech was so exaggerated, it was as if he was begging to be suspected.

I could overlook the stuttering, but this seemed a bit over the top.

Just as I was thinking that.

Shing—

Jun quietly picked up an awl that was lying nearby, and the guy’s speech and posture were immediately corrected.

“However, it does seem strange. They aren’t responding, you say. Could they have fallen prey to monsters?”

[No matter how incompetent they are, they wouldn’t all be wiped out.]

“…That’s true. By the way, is everything okay on your side?”

He even went further to eagerly probe for information.

[For now.]

“That’s a relief. I’ll go around here once more to check if anything happened, so please don’t worry.”

[You?]

“……”

[Don’t waste your time and wait. I’ve already sent troops your way. Join them and follow their orders.]

“Yes, understood.”

[Tsk, useless bastards.]

Then he clicked his tongue and abruptly ended the call. Jun cautiously spoke up.

“That’s unfortunate. It would’ve been good if we could’ve found out how many troops are being sent this way.”

“Yes, indeed…”

“Are you feeling unwell? Your complexion doesn’t look good.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s nothing.”

I’m just having a bit of a hard time suppressing my anger.

While listening to that voice, the events of that day resurfaced in my mind—

“Ah, no.”

At that moment, I sensed someone behind me.

Swish.

When I quickly turned my head, there stood Erwin.

Clatter.

She seemed to be holding something in both hands, but whatever it was slipped from her grip and fell to the floor.

Normally, she would have bent down to pick it up, but Erwin stood frozen, staring at me.

“Erwin? What brings you here?”

Just as I started to approach her, I noticed something unusual.

“Wait, you’re trembling…”

“T-That voice…”

“Calm down. Are you alright?”

“Just now! Th-That voice… that’s him, right?”

Though I didn’t yet understand her reaction.

“Th-The Dragon Slayer, Regal Vagos…”

Erwin was visibly shaken, paralyzed with fear.