Episode 30.2

"Did your previous world have a facility like that too, Lecan-dono?"

"No one's managing dungeons in my world. At least never saw any at dungeons I visited. There's usually a gathering spot near a dungeon where you can find adventurers to fill in your numbers."

"Oh, there must have been many kinds of people then."

"There were all kinds of characters yeah."

Lecan and Arios left the information desk's building and went straight to the dungeon.

There was a congestion, countless people are waiting in lines to get inside the dungeon. There are more guards checking permits as well. Lecan got in one of the lines.

"Ah, you guys. You're the folk we met a few days ago, aren't you? So you been eating?"

The six-person party they met on floor 52 was ahead of Lecan in the line.

The one who initiated the conversation was the friendly archer young man.

"Yea."

The other five members also greeted him, prompting Lecan to greet them back.

The archer young man is looking awfully cheerful.

"You see, after that we got in another room and saw a magic beast holding a halberd this huuuuge"

The young man spread his arms wide in an attempt to express how big the halberd was, but that action allowed the bow in his left arm to hit the shoulder of a big man standing in front of him.

Lecan found it a bit surprising.

That big man is someone of extraordinary prowess. Lecan had inferred that much. Hence he figured the big man could have easily dodged that bow, yet he didn't.

(Is it cause he didn't feel the need to?)

In that instance, the big man moved out, quick as lightning.

He swung his hand as he turned around, hitting the archer young man with his backhand.

The young man got flung five steps away, rebounding on the ground.

Lecan had already kneaded his mana by then.

He quickly ran up to the young man.

"Nikos!"

"Kyaa!"

"Ah"

Just as the young man's party members screamed, Lecan had recited a spell.

"<Recovery (Cirim)>!"

The young man's nearly popped open skull got healed up, keeping his barely hanging life.

The big man went on to deliver the finishing blow.

This big man is slightly taller than Lecan, and far more bulky. Yet he boasts such agility, calling him behemoth wouldn't be an exaggeration. He spread open his big rugged fingers, his right hand stretched out toward the archer young man. He's planning to grip and crush him.

Lecan grabbed the big man's right wrist with his left hand, stopping him.

The big man who got stopped in his track looked at Lecan with eyes burning with rage.

A moment later.

Anger vanished from the man's face, his right arm relaxed.

The fiery frenzy that was on full blast earlier is nowhere to be found.

The big man amiably laughed out loud with his fully bearded face and turned toward the archer young man.

<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka.com >

"Yo, bro. Watch where ya swing that thing around yeah? Coulda been bad there."

After saying that much to the young man he almost killed, the big man turned around and walked on like it was nothing.

The seven adventurers in front of this big man must be his comrades. All eight of them are powerful beyond compare. Of course Lecan was aware of that since earlier. But he didn't think they would behave like this.

Soldiers tasked with maintaining peace are posted around dungeon entrance, but they're not doing anything even though they watched the whole thing unfolding.

These eight are special.

Everything they do shall be forgiven.

Or more like, no one can stop them.

Strongest men who explore the lowest floor of this Dungeon Tsubolt.

These eight are probably ones among such group.

All of them carry the same peculiar aura depth-walking adventurers have coiling around them.

Lecan has seen this kind of adventurers a few times before.

Among adventurers who walk in dungeon depths, there are those whose morality in good and evil has been broken. Or rather, those who fight beyond the limits of humankind are all broken in some sort of ways. Lecan himself is well aware of his own brokenness.

The town lord's subordinates naturally won't interfere. No point in even attempting, they'd only incur the wrath of depth-walking adventurers.

The swordsman leading those seven people turned around and stared at Lecan.

Red soaring hair, red mustache and red beard, and eyes like they are on fire.

Lecan stared back straight at those eyes.

A chill-inducing glance.

Tremendous pressure.

It's giving him the chill.

Lecan reflexively grinned.

The swordsman stared at Lecan like he'd bore a hole through him, then he grinned, turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

"Hey, thanks."

"You're a lifesaver. Nikos woulda lose his life if you didn't cast <Recovery> then. Oy, Nikos! You big dumbass! The hell yer' thinking messing with <Thunder and Bare Blades <<Gwintyr Era Slupner>>> of all people! You'd have kicked the bucket if not for this good man here!"

"Haaaaaa---. What a shock---. Thought I was gonna die."

"You did, you dumbass."

"Thanks again man. Please accept this."

One of the archer's fellow party members offered a gold coin but Lecan shook his head.

"I just felt like doing that. Forget it, just move the line."