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31. Wolf’s Hidden Village (4)

「Ugh…」

My consciousness gradually returned. What happened to me?

My house was attacked by a monster, and I tried to escape, but my wife was captured by a giant spider that entered the house. I did everything I could to defeat it, but my wife and I were already surrounded by fire and inhaled the thick black smoke.

「And yet, I’m still alive?」

There was no pain in my limbs, which should have been burned. Having lost both pride and strength, I thought that I would never be able to go to the same place as the souls of my ancestors. Or perhaps this is that place?

However, when I opened my eyes and took in the sight, I realized that this place was the real world.

「Shizuku? Is that really you?」

「F-Father! Are you awake?」

My daughter, who said she was going to look for a way to save the village and ran down the mountain without even listening to me, was standing in front of me. I couldn’t believe my eyes when she crushed a giant ant while clad in a golden glow.

「Is that [Garou]? But even you weren’t able to use it for more than 10 counts.」

「Mar… Mr. Monkey lent me his power, and I became able to use this skill to fight. That person is heading to the Farthest Ends of the Blue to stop the source of the monsters.」

Chills ran down my spine when I thought that she had brought in someone from the outside, but if it was the person Shizuku had chosen, then there would be no mistake. No, rather than that, did she say heading towards the Farthest Ends of the Blue?

「No!」

「Father?」

「The enemy is inside the dungeon. That person is in danger.」

「No, he is the type of person who cannot be brought down by even hundreds of thousands of monsters. There’s nothing to worry about…」

「The enemies are humans. They are the ones who released the monsters outside.」

The name of the one who unleashed the monsters is–

「It’s Duke Abik. Duke Abik is our enemy!」

◆◆◆

–Thirteenth floor

「Koe-san, how much time has passed?」

「About half a bell (30 minutes).」

「It’s taking more time because of the vastness rather than the enemy. We should be coming up on a mid-boss soon, so let’s hurry.」

The thirteenth floor was a land floor. Perhaps because the water mana was strong, the floor was incredibly humid and muddy throughout. We kept pushing forward with [Great Ram]. The good fuel efficiency of [Asura’s Six Arms] paid off a lot here.

In addition to the “King”, dungeons often have monsters set up as barriers that can be called “Generals”, and based on my experience, it’s about time for the first one.

「……Huh?」

Something unexpected was suddenly caught by the sensing skill while searching for the “General”.

「Humans? In a place like this?」

I thought it was some kind of mistake, but the Divine Eye Drive clearly caught the sight of four people walking towards the depths. I stopped and scanned.

Although they seemed like adventurers who belonged to the guild, their movements were somewhat military-like. Upon closer inspection, they all had the same crest engraved on their shoulders.

「That family crest of Duke Abik?」

The reason why there was some delay in the sensing results is probably due to the use of the perception inhibition skill. They probably came this far with covert skills.

Why are there soldiers from House Abik in this dungeon? I thought this place was supposed to be unknown to humans? As I was contemplating whether I should force my way through, one of them turned towards me.

「Who is it! Show yourself!」

「Master, it seems that they have noticed us.」

We didn’t even try to hide our presence, but even so, an amateur wouldn’t be able to notice us at this distance. With [Asura’s Six Arms], I leapt greatly and landed in front of the target.

「What? How did you jump like that?」

「It must be the [Jump] skill. I can’t believe there are people who train things like that.」

There was one swordsman, two mages, and a woman who looked like a scout. There was nothing particularly suspicious about their formation when considering dungeon capture.

「This place–」

「Are you from the guild? I won’t let you pass until you tell me your name and affiliation.」

Interrupting me, the swordsman pointed his sword at me. He seemed like a short-tempered man.

「I used to belong to the guild. My name is Marge Siu.」

「You’re not from the Adventurer’s Guild? What is duckweed like you doing in a place like this?」

Although dungeons are unique, they are a part of nature, and there is no law that prohibits entry. However, since it is true that some people lost their lives by taking on reckless challenges, the “Adventurer’s Guild” was created as a management organization.

The guild prepares rewards in the form of “quests,” and by receiving quests and reporting back, it is possible to keep track of who has entered the dungeon and who has returned. At the same time, they are able to balance the level of danger of the quest with the abilities of the adventurers to prevent reckless challengers. It is said that this system, devised by the previous Duke Abik, has greatly reduced the number of adventurers who become victims.

Therefore, if you want to conquer a dungeon, it is normal to belong to the guild. And people who don’t belong must be people who have some other reason to enter a dungeon, so they tend to be called “duckweed”.

「You said you would let me pass if I told you my name and affiliation, right… Then I’ll be going ahead first.」

A sword blocked my path as I tried to pass through.

「I won’t let you. Before you get hurt, you better– wait! Did you just say Marge?」

「Oh.」

「From the “Divine Silver Sword”?」

「Right.」

It seems like they know about me. The Divine Silver Sword is still an S-class party, so I thought we could solve this quickly if they could make the connection.

「Fufu……」

「Kukuku…」

「Hahahaha! One of the Divine Silver Sword, huh! This is a masterpiece!」

The four of them started laughing at the same time.