[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 296: S-Rank Dungeon (2)
Crack.
The weapon was completely crushed, unable to withstand the force, and flew away.
Like a crushed can, it rolled on the ground.
Dozens of monsters that collided with the weapon were flattened.
"...Huh, huh?"
Even the demons,
And the humans too,
None of them could comprehend what had just happened.
Ketal lifted his head, his gaze sweeping across the entire battlefield in an instant.
"Three in total."
There were three demons.
Ketal moved immediately.
He approached a demon that still hadn't realised what was happening.
Crunch.
The hilt of the Holy Sword smashed the demon's head.
The demon’s body staggered and collapsed.
"Wait!"
Something had gone wrong.
One of the other demons barely grasped the situation.
But that was as far as it got.
Before it could react, the broken hilt sliced through its neck.
Its head rolled onto the ground with a thud.
The demon's body fell.
"You bastard!"
The last remaining demon sensed that something was very wrong and tried to respond.
It raised its hand in alarm.
Smash.
The shattered sword blade pierced its chest.
"This... damn..."
The demon’s body slumped down.
Three demons, each capable of destroying a small nation, were thus banished.
Ketal approached the monsters, who still didn’t understand the situation.
Crush.
The monsters were pulverized and sent flying.
The monsters, realizing the danger too late, began to flee in panic.
The humans were watching this in stunned silence.
"Uh, uh..."
"No way... is this..."
Suddenly, the demons fell, and the monsters screamed as they ran.
It was hard to believe.
"Everyone! Charge! Help him and slay the monsters!"
Only the guild leader reacted quickly.
At his shout, the people responded.
They charged forward with a battle cry.
The monsters couldn't hold out without the demons to rally them and were swiftly wiped out.
The people shouted in triumph.
"Yaaaaaah!"
"We won!"
They had miraculously survived a desperate situation.
The people began to cheer in celebration.
Naturally, all attention turned to the one who had made this miracle possible.
They looked at Ketal.
"Ooooooh!"
And the guild leader came running with a beaming smile.
"Ketal! Welcome! I told you we would welcome you here as a mercenary, but I didn’t expect you to come so soon! And at such a critical time! Oh! Thank you so much!"
The guild leader’s voice was incredibly loud, as if to ensure everyone heard it.
The people’s eyes widened at his words.
"Wait a minute."
"Ketal, you say?"
There were quite a few among them who seemed to recognize Ketal’s name.
"Is... is it really him? Is he really a mercenary?"
"I thought the guild leader was just talking nonsense?"
Their murmurs reached Ketal’s ears.
Ketal smirked.
"How blatant."
The guild leader flinched.
"Haha... I apologize."
"It’s fine. I am indeed a mercenary."
"Thank you for understanding. Please, come this way!"
The guild leader led Ketal to the headquarters.
They entered the best reception room, a room used to entertain royalty or extraordinarily powerful individuals.
The guild leader sat down opposite Ketal and bowed deeply.
"Thank you again. If you hadn’t come, we would’ve been buried under that collapsed mountain and died."
"When I saw it from afar, it looked quite dangerous, so I rushed over. It seems things aren’t going well."
"...Not exactly, no."
The guild leader forced a bitter smile.
'Though it's not impossible.'
There were still uncertainties.
Ketal also needed to become stronger.
And to do that, he needed to raise his mystery to the level of a superhuman.
One catalyst would make that possible.
But finding such a catalyst wasn’t easy.
Even though his power was overflowing, it was impossible to reach the next level with an ordinary catalyst.
A dragon heart.
Something on that level was needed.
And an S-rank dungeon was where he could find such a catalyst.
That's why he'd come to the mercenaries' headquarters.
"...Understood."
The guild master was briefly flustered but quickly gathered his thoughts.
"As guild master, I grant you permission to enter the S-rank dungeon! If not you, then who could do it!"
For the guild master, this was also an opportunity.
The S-rank dungeon was like a Forbidden Land, never before cleared.
If Ketal were to clear it, the name of the mercenary guild would rise to new heights.
There was no reason to refuse.
The guild master spoke quickly.
"Coincidentally, there's an S-rank dungeon nearby. It's less than an hour away from here. I’ll guide you there!"
"Oh, that's good."
Ketal asked with a satisfied expression.
"What kind of dungeon is it?"
The guild master replied.
"An S-rank dungeon. The Beast Nest."
* * *
The Beast Nest.
Ketal had heard of it before.
"The one the Mercenary King challenged and failed to clear?"
"That's right. Many have tried, but the Mercenary King was the only one to return with any significant achievement. Shall I guide you?"
"That would be great. Please do."
"Understood!"
The guild master began explaining the dungeon to Ketal as they headed toward it.
"I will personally guide you! Please follow me!"
The mercenaries looked on with puzzled expressions as the guild master led Ketal away. Ketal spoke with a slightly awkward expression.
"You can just tell me the location. I can go by myself. Aren’t you busy?"
"No! It's fine! My assistant will handle things, so don’t worry!"
The guild master didn’t care about the mercenaries' dissatisfaction.
Forming even a slight bond with Ketal was far more important.
Since he had an assistant, there were no real issues with him leaving.
Before long, they arrived at a small hole in the middle of a forest.
"This is the entrance to the Beast Nest."
At first glance, it seemed like nothing more than a strange hole in the ground.
But upon closer inspection, there was something unusual about it.
From the hole below, strange noises could be heard.
They were the sounds of monsters.
The hole was so deep and dark that the bottom couldn’t be seen.
"Hmm."
A look of interest crossed Ketal's face.
"How do I get in?"
"You just jump in. The hole is quite deep, but there’s a strange force that protects you when you first jump."
"And to get out?"
"You send a signal from the bottom, and we’ll lower a rope. We used to have a rope permanently in place, but the beasts started climbing up it."
"Got it. Then, I’ll be going."
"I’ll wait up here. Just shout if anything happens, and I’ll lower the rope immediately."
"No, there’s no need for that."
Without waiting for a response, Ketal leaped into the hole.
His eyes were filled with excitement.
An S-rank dungeon.
A dungeon said to only be cleared by hero-class individuals, the highest level of difficulty.
Ketal entered the hole.
His body began to descend.
[Kaaaaaaa!]
[Uwooo!]
The monsters' roars echoed.
They welcomed the intruder, ready to kill.
The killing intent was enough to make anyone faint.
But Ketal smiled in response.
'This is going to be fun.'
Dungeons were the pinnacle of fantasy, after all.
Gaining power was nice, but that was just a secondary goal.
His experience in the North had been fine, but not great.
The appearance of the rat ruined it.
He hadn’t been able to enjoy the fantasy fully.
His primary goal had always been to enjoy the fantasy.
Since coming to this world, not once had he lost sight of that goal.
'Let’s have some fun.'
With a smile, Ketal cheerfully descended into the dungeon.
[Translator - Jjescus]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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