56 – I Will Carry – 1

“Deciphering a very old letter hidden inside a worn locket sold by peddlers was the start of this venture. It was a highly miraculous discovery…”

In the early dawn, the five party members gathered to set off on their expedition.

The lively voice of the treasure hunter, Hervunt, warmed the dawn air.

“Initially, I had no idea it would be near Turis. As you all probably know, Turis has such active mana flows that new dungeons appear frequently. Amidst all that, for a ruin that has been sleeping for hundreds of years to lie quietly, isn’t that something hard to even imagine?”

“Hey, Laura. Would you like to try some of this…? It’s chocolate I made myself, it’s delicious.”

“Huh? I’m sorry, I don’t really like sweet things…”

Whether Hervunt was rambling about the process of discovering the ruins while mixing in half self-praise or not, Armilka was busy trying to hit on Laura, and that very Laura, replying with an awkward expression while looking for an excuse to escape from her, soon brightened up upon seeing Gi-jun and approached him.

“That armor really suits you, Lord Jun! How can you look so gallant…!”

The corners of Gi-jun’s mouth twitched slightly as he succeeded in receiving the compliment he had inwardly desired.

During the tutorial days, how could he have ever dared to dream of plate armor color-coordinated in black?

Because they had simply prioritized equipping items of the highest possible grade and defense, most of those who took on the tank role in the party were in a state like a rag golem.

But now? Although there was the drawback of the Unique-grade breastplate standing out too much on its own, the other parts emitted a black luster that matched reasonably well, so even Gi-jun thought it looked really cool.

For reference, since they were not in a combat situation yet, he was not wearing his helmet.

“Thank you. The priestess robes suit you well, too.”

“I-is that so…?”

He had only returned the compliment because she praised his clothes, but Laura shyly lowered her head.

Perhaps she even looked a bit downcast.

At that moment, Laura quietly stepped a bit closer to Gi-jun.

Since Armilka’s gaze, glaring at him while clutching the chocolate she had intended to give to Laura with a cracking sound, was quite terrifying, he hoped Laura would step away as soon as possible.

“Actually… this is my first time participating in a party formally as a priestess. I lack confidence.”

“Everyone has a first time.”

“But still, a priestess has a very important role… Ah, it’s not that other people’s roles aren’t important! It’s just that if I make a mistake, everyone else will be in danger! If something goes wrong for you because of me, Lord Jun, I, ugh…”

At Laura, who eventually said with a dejected expression, “Maybe it would be better to find another priestess even now…”, Gi-jun inwardly clicked his tongue.

Since he possessed the Legendary-grade skill Adamant, which included regeneration abilities, and Lucy’s light healing arts were also possible, there was no way he would die just because Laura made a few mistakes.

Hearing that Laura, who did not know this, felt burdened made him feel a needless sense of guilt.

“I never fall until I give up on myself.”

“Yes?”

Therefore, he decided to appeal his sturdiness to the extent of not revealing his skills’ capabilities too much.

Gi-jun spoke to Laura, who was looking at him with round eyes, as if to emphasize it once again.

“So you do not need to be nervous about making mistakes. It means that even if the healing is a bit late, I can wait as long as necessary.”

“Ah…”

As if her tension had finally eased a bit, some color returned to Laura’s pale complexion.

“Are you comforting me…?”

“It is not comfort; I only spoke the truth. So you do not have to feel burdened. Even if you are slow—just make sure to keep up.”

“…Yes!”

Laura, who had regained her spirit, clenched her fists in front of her chest and steeled her resolve.

“Since Lord Jun went so far as to say that, I cannot keep acting spoiled forever…! I will work really hard! I will definitely support Lord Jun perfectly!”

“I meant that you do not need to feel burdened…”

“It is not a burden; it is a responsibility! A responsibility that I must bear!”

It seemed that Laura’s respect for Gi-jun had risen even further.

“Kuh, the leader is monopolizing our cute Lau—ra all by himself…!”

In addition, Armilka’s competitive spirit toward Gi-jun rose even more.

“It is nice to see the party members bonding.”

Hervunt, who had finished his bragging, also cut in with a sly smile and whispered quietly so that only Gi-jun could hear.

“I thought she was a beautiful and pure lady, but—if Jun wants to make a move on her, I will back off cleanly.”

“That is a misunderstanding. But backing off is a good decision. I have never seen a situation end well when relationship issues arise in a party.”

Recalling the relationship issues within the parties he had experienced in the tutorial, Gi-jun muttered with an awkward expression.

Seeing that, Hervunt blinked and spoke as if it were unexpected.

“It seems you have quite a bit of party experience.”

“You must have a lot of experience yourself.”

Receiving Gi-jun’s gaze, Hervunt shrugged.

“Of course I did. However, among them, there were many that could hardly be called a party. If we belong to the same party, shouldn’t we first cooperate with each other for a common goal?”

“Is that why you were looking for a party to settle down with?”

“Exactly. For now, the atmosphere is quite nice.”

“We have only just set off.”

“We are almost there.”

Speaking with a grin, Hervunt suddenly shouted in a loud voice.

“We run from now on!”

It was the signal they had agreed on beforehand.

As Gi-jun followed closely behind Hervunt, who immediately sprinted forward, he looked back and saw Armilka carrying Laura on her back and the taciturn staff-wielder In running desperately to keep up with them.

Admiring the strength of Armilka, who ran much faster than In despite carrying Laura on her back, he cast his gaze further back—he saw the group that had been tailing them now running openly in the distance.

Although he had nodded at Hervunt’s words that they had to shake off the hyenas, he had not expected them to actually exist, and once it was proven immediately, Gi-jun could not help but feel complicated.

“If a fight breaks out, it will not end until one side is wiped out, so shaking them off like this is the best option.”

Whether he saw Gi-jun’s expression rotting or not, Hervunt spoke with a face that showed no signs of breathlessness despite running fast.

“It is funny, isn’t it? Even if they succeed in killing us and enter the ruins instead, a ragtag bunch like that will fail to even cross the entrance.”

As Gi-jun ran silently without replying to Hervunt’s cynical words, Armilka, who had managed to overtake them while carrying Laura on her back, looked back at Gi-jun and spoke in a teasing tone.

“Ha—I thought this wouldn’t happen because the Hero of Turis is with us, but it seems your name isn’t worth as much as I thought, Leader—!”

“They are probably the people who have been chasing me from another city.”

“Is that so? You have quite a long tail, Mr. Hervunt.”

“It is awkward to say it myself, but my name is quite famous.”

Amusingly, the way Armilka and Hervunt bantered back and forth with poison-laced jokes made quite a picture.

The staff-wielder In, who was running at the very back, let out a grunt and chimed in.

“Is it not enough now, Shadow Stalker?”

“Indeed. Understood—!”

Nodding, Hervunt immediately threw something behind him.

Splitting into several pieces in midair, they exploded all at once, creating a massive amount of fog—which, aided by the strong wind that blew just in time, shrouded the entire area in a thick haze.

“How absurd.”

“It is quite expensive. I always keep them on hand since they are perfect for shaking off pursuers, though.”

Winking with a grin, Hervunt led the group through the fog, and before long, stopped at a stone-strewn wasteland that looked no different from its surroundings.

He then pointed to the stones randomly scattered around, shouted ‘Bingo!’, and gave a brief explanation to the group.

“If you look here, you can see the stones are embedded in the ground, forming a full moon pattern, right?”

“No, I don’t see it.”

“Haha, it might be hard to find without the eyes of a tracker.”

Hervunt immediately pulled out various tools from his coat, preparing to open the ruins.

It was true that he could not see the full moon pattern, but apart from that, Gi-jun was also feeling something.

—You have detected the existence of the ruins due to the effect of the Legendary-grade title [Conqueror of the Behind Dungeon]!

—You have detected the existence of the ruins due to the effect of the Legendary-grade title [Conqueror of the Behind Dungeon]!

It was thanks to the title’s effect, which was a cheat in itself.

—You can preview brief information about the ruins.

—You can preview brief information about the ruins.

[Fabula’s Fragment — Lupus 17 (Unique)]

[Among the werewolves of ‘Vrykolakas (βρυκόλακας)’, a powerful civilization of the Dark Faction, those who were forcibly made into their thralls fled and reached these ruins, the Shelter in Darkness. Since they are divided into multiple factions, there exist various groups within the ruins: those who want to return to being human, those who want to take revenge on the Vrykolakas, those who want to achieve species evolution, and even those who have lost their sanity over the vast passage of time and degenerated into mere beasts.]

[They are strengthened by the power of a special mineral that harbors the energy of the moon inside the ruins, which can be weakened by destroying or concealing it. Numerous Unique-grade enemies and a Legendary-grade enemy exist.]

[Vrykolakas is hostile toward all vampires, and has a fatally hostile relationship with the ‘Kudlak’ civilization in particular.]

[Fabula’s Fragment — Lupus 17 (Unique)]

[Among the werewolves of ‘Vrykolakas (βρυκόλακας)’, a powerful civilization of the Dark Faction, those who were forcibly made into their thralls fled and reached these ruins, the Shelter in Darkness. Since they are divided into multiple factions, there exist various groups within the ruins: those who want to return to being human, those who want to take revenge on the Vrykolakas, those who want to achieve species evolution, and even those who have lost their sanity over the vast passage of time and degenerated into mere beasts.]

[They are strengthened by the power of a special mineral that harbors the energy of the moon inside the ruins, which can be weakened by destroying or concealing it. Numerous Unique-grade enemies and a Legendary-grade enemy exist.]

[Vrykolakas is hostile toward all vampires, and has a fatally hostile relationship with the ‘Kudlak’ civilization in particular.]

Vrykolakas was a word meaning ‘werewolf’ in Slavic, and it was also used to describe ‘one who does not die’ in Greece and other places.

Although it had features similar to the vampires depicted in Slavic culture, while vampires had many descriptions related to ‘blood’, Vrykolakas had many legends related to wolves, such as eating human flesh, or a person who ate the meat of a sheep wounded by a wolf turning into a hairy monster after death.

Thus, it was understandable that it was used as an expression referring to werewolves on the continent of Leta.

Because the handed-down legends and descriptions were similar, vampires and werewolves were often treated together in the first place, and sure enough, these two groups seemed to be in a hostile relationship on the continent of Leta as well.

At this time when Gi-jun was trying to build up his strength to prepare against vampires, the fact that the ruins he happened to visit were those of werewolves felt like a very bizarre coincidence.

—So there is a Legendary-grade enemy? My heart is pounding for the first time in a while.

‘I’m always counting on you, Lucy.’

—Kihi?

‘Of course, you too, Ur.’

Though it might be different for a Unique-grade, if it was a Legendary-grade, it was an enemy that was at least two grades higher than the current Gi-jun in terms of species grade alone.

Of course, for the current Gi-jun, who had raised his stats through intensive training under Biche and developed several Legendary-grade skills, he would certainly not be defeated helplessly.

Especially considering that the titles of ‘The Last Hero’, ‘Conqueror of the Behind Dungeon’, and ‘Limit Surpasser’ would all activate under the condition of facing a ‘Legendary’-grade ‘werewolf’ in a ‘ruin’.

“It’s all done! Jun? Why are you standing there blankly?”

“Ah.”

Perhaps because he had finished the task while Gi-jun was lost in thought, a splendid altar had already appeared where the pile of stones had been.

“Let’s go in before the fog clears! Everyone, come on up!”

Hervunt, who stepped onto the circular altar where several people could easily stand, called all the party members over and spoke with a serious expression.

“I will warn you before we go in, but we are essentially sacrificing ourselves to enter the sub-space. This means we cannot return until we either die as sacrifices or destroy the core that forms the ruins. Is everyone prepared?”

“Of course.”

“Heh, who is sacrificing whom? This will be fun.”

“I’m… ready!”

“Let’s go.”

With In’s heavy voice as the last, the altar began to shine.

Gi-jun thought it was just like a teleport gate, and indeed, it was.

—Entering Fabula’s Fragment (U).

—Entering the ruins, the effect of the title [Conqueror of the Behind Dungeon (L)] is activated. All stats and skill effects increase by 20%.

—Entering Fabula’s Fragment (U).

—Entering the ruins, the effect of the title [Conqueror of the Behind Dungeon (L)] is activated. All stats and skill effects increase by 20%.

In the blink of an eye, they had arrived at a hill where the moon shone brightly.

“This… is wider than I thought. The exploration will be quite long.”

“It’s not ruins, it’s almost like a country!”

“Maybe not a country, but it could be a city.”

As if this kind of ruins was not common indeed, even the taciturn In looked around with a surprised face.

Meanwhile, Gi-jun realized his armor was clinking and looked to his side.

Whether she had become anxious upon entering the ruins, Laura was instinctively reaching out and holding onto his armor.

Right, this was the girl’s very first time in actual combat…

“Rest assured. You will never die.”

“You mustn’t die either, Lord Jun…!”

At the words meant to reassure her, Laura seemed to have become even more frightened instead.

This was why soothing kids was so hard.

—That’s why it would’ve been better if you hadn’t used such a weird way of speaking from the start.

‘I’m regretting it too. I should have just been a Flame Human like a friendly neighbor uncle…’

—A friendly neighbor uncle, you say… Contractor, as expected, you still do not realize the essence of the problem.

‘Why are you being like this too, Lucy? Do you want some brown sugar?’

—I’m still not telling you, I’m sulking!

Although he did not know why, even Lucy had ended up sulking.

Gi-jun let out a long sigh and pondered a way to break through the situation.

Of course, there was always only one answer.

“Hey.”

Gi-jun spoke to the party members who had just entered the ruins and were feeling tense.

“Let’s have a meal first.”