Chapter 93 – Ant Goblin (1)

The dungeon Viscount Ryugo spoke of was surprisingly situated inside the territory. It was said to be the place where a wine cellar originally sat.

However, out of nowhere, the walls and floor collapsed, and monsters began to pop out.

It was not a very difficult level.

For they were able to blockade the entrance even with the level of soldiers who were no different from a militia.

The young imps that occasionally showed their faces tucked their tails in fear simply by being shown the sharp tips of spears.

“However, there is no end to it. If it were one or two, I would have handled them myself, but such an event occurs hundreds of times every day. When threatened, they immediately tuck their tails and run, but that is only temporary.”

“Is their memory poor?”

“No.”

Viscount Ryugo shook his head at Henry’s question.

“The ones popping out each time are new. In other words, hundreds of them are swarming inside. Since it has been like that every day, it might perhaps reach thousands.”

“Did you say thousands?”

“I once set aside a day to watch. I closely observed the ones poking their heads out. They all looked different.”

Viscount Ryugo shuddered.

He too was a knight, and they were monsters he could easily subdue if he set his mind to it.

However, the overwhelming numbers and the fear of what on earth might lie beneath made him shrink back.

But this time was different.

For a Royal Knight was standing firm before his eyes.

A being who might be able to subjugate all the monsters in the dungeon with a single sword if she set her mind to it.

“I will guide the way. With you here, Knight, I feel much more reassured.”

“I am not performing the mission.”

“Of course. Of course. But surely I cannot just put the trainees in front? From the moment I delivered the request to the academy, I intended to personally lead the way.”

Melissa nodded her head as if satisfied.

It was out of the thought that he was a person whose attitude as a knight was in place.

“Let’s go. It is not far from here.”

Viscount Ryugo led the way. A place that was once a wine cellar, and was now suddenly transformed into a dungeon. Around it stood soldiers with faces showing whether it was displeasure or fear.

“I greet the Lord!”

“Enough. Any unusual matters?”

“There were none. They showed themselves 117 times while you were away.”

“The usual level, then.”

Saying so, Viscount Ryugo let out a dry laugh as if he also found it ridiculous.

It was because the situation of having to face monsters hundreds of times a day was preposterous.

“This way.”

The entrance to the dungeon was revealed. It was the site where a modestly-sized wooden building had been. Now, however, only a circular, primitively open entrance sat there.

Henry looked down inside.

It was not properly visible. It was to the extent that exploring while holding a single torch was difficult.

Viscount Ryugo looked at Melissa.

“How about it, shall we go in right away?”

In the hands of Viscount Ryugo, who spoke thus, was a magic lamp that brightly illuminated the surroundings.

***

The four entered the dungeon in question.

Viscount Ryugo, holding the magic lamp, stood at the lead, and Henry and Austin followed behind him.

Melissa followed at the very rear, as if displaying her will not to intervene.

“Austin must be the protagonist. Because I must create a reason for Sir Melissa. If the evaluations of me and Austin become similar, Sir Melissa will also extend her hand a bit more actively.”

Meanwhile, Henry was hosting the stream.

What the situation was now, what result was needed, and what he had to do for that.

“First, I should purchase information.”

He opened the Sponsor Shop. Through several experiences, Henry could guess the contents contained in [Information].

Either useful to Henry at the current point, or allowing him to prepare for the situation soon to arrive.

In other words,

the information purchased now was surely bound to contain the contents of the ‘dungeon’ they entered.

[Product purchased!]

[Product purchased!]

He purchased two pieces of information. There was information worth 9.99 million won, but it was an excessive amount to use in a place like this.

[Information 1. The dungeon of Ryugo Viscounty possesses unique characteristics. Since all the monsters inside are minions, and at the same time, the boss.]

[Information 2. If you could obtain a hundred people’s worth of experience at once, how fast would your growth become?]

The contents were revealed. As expected, the information dealt with the dungeon they had just entered.

This time too, the content was vague.

Just as it had been when he visited the Levi County previously.

“What could this mean?”

Henry asked without hesitation.

He had already felt it several times. The viewers’ collective intelligence discovered amazing facts every time. Especially in this kind of part, the viewers reacted as if they were much more familiar with it than Henry.

[Honestly, aren’t they all actually one guy? Like an Overmind]

[Yeah, like if one sees it, the rest see it too]

[So, rather than talking about one or two creatures, it seems to be like a dungeon-type monster or something??]

[Then are they actually one? Is that why they are called boss and minion?]

Questions and answers followed. As always, Henry did not intervene this time either. Because viewers in this state usually proceeded to a conclusion on their own.

It was at that moment.

Viscount Ryugo stopped everyone with a tense look.

“It is those things.”

A distance away,

there was something in the range the light reached. It was similar in size and appearance to a monkey. The difference was the fact that it looked much more gruesome.

“It resembles a goblin.”

It was an appearance similar to the monster called the subterranean imp. A small, hunched body, wrinkled green skin, and even crushed ears.

“I thought so too.”

“They are not reacting, though?”

“Which is why I felt it was even more bizarre.”

Eyes shaped as crushed as the ears. With those eyes, the monster was looking at Henry’s group as if ‘observing.’

“Kee! Keeik!”

“Kegegek!”

Suddenly, the creatures began to run wild. Henry grew tense, but they simply ran into the depths of the cave.

“…Did they flee?”

“It is a scene I see hundreds of times a day. Today the observation was a bit long. When I had soldiers standing, they were creatures that fled squeaking the moment they saw a face.”

“Was it like that from the beginning?”

Viscount Ryugo shook his head.

“When those things first appeared, they watched for quite a long time. Looking as if they found it novel, only when spears were pointed did they tuck their tails.”

[Seems it’s because the environment suddenly changed]

[Are those guys just scouting?? It seems they are for that kind of purpose??]

[Wow, then were they monitoring every day? Determining when to go out?]

An analysis followed automatically.

The viewers’ opinions were converging toward one place.

It was to the effect that this place was like a sort of colony, and perhaps this dungeon itself might be a single monster.

Even if it wasn’t that?

A conclusion that those small monsters ‘shared’ the experiences they obtained was dominant.

[I bet Melissa knows lol]

[Oh, absolutely lol. As a Royal Knight, there’s no way she doesn’t know]

[Ryugo thinks so too, but is probably purposely not asking? Since she said she won’t intervene?]

Henry glanced toward the rear.

Melissa was merely following silently, maintaining the same attitude as at first.

Unless it was a moment where life was truly in danger,

her attitude was that she would absolutely not intervene before then.

“I think she knows too.”

But it was not an important matter. Because Henry had no intention of seeking Melissa’s help either.

A sponsorship message uploaded just in time.

Henry replied like a knife.

“You are always welcome.”