novelraw Chapter 134 : Chapter 134
Chapter 134 : Chapter 134
Chapter 134. Heading Towards Reubungwo (2)
Nearly a month had passed since Frank, Adel, and the elite personnel, including Number 1, had left for the eastern land of Reubungwo.
Lumen Fortis, in their absence, was still bustling with dungeon challengers, but to Iris, there was a sense of emptiness and, at the same time, a strange feeling of liberation.
In particular, the absence of her competitor, Adel, gave wings to her progress.
“Grrrr!”
Iris unhesitatingly slashed the neck of the hideous demonic beast that charged at her.
The blood-red dagger in her hand flashed ominously, cutting off the beast's breath.
She had now set foot on the 77th underground floor.
Considering she had been stagnant around the 50th floor just a couple of months ago, it was truly an astonishing speed.
‘As expected. The power of this dagger is incredible.’
She looked down at the ‘Blood Dagger’ in her hand.
A while ago, to break through her stagnant growth, she had taken out the dagger that had been sealed away in the mansion.
Since wielding the dagger, her conquest speed had become incomparably faster than before.
The dagger not only drew out her latent power but also weakened the enemy's defense and helped her deliver a fatal blow.
Thanks to it, she had easily surpassed Adel's record and could now hold the title of the dungeon's top record holder.
“Hoo.”
Iris smiled with satisfaction and wiped the blood off the dagger.
The fact that she had surpassed Adel gave her a thrilling pleasure.
But behind that sweetness, there was a clear price to pay.
‘I feel like I've become too sensitive lately.’
She frowned.
Since she started using the dagger, she easily got irritated over trivial matters and found it hard to control her anger.
Just by holding the dagger, it became difficult to control her fiery heart.
She was aware that she had been unnecessarily cruel in finishing off the demonic beast just a moment ago.
Was the ominous aura dwelling in the dagger slowly encroaching on her mind?
‘This is something I need to fix. If I get swayed by my emotions too much, I might mess things up.’
She composed her breathing for a moment and thought of something else.
It was the face of Number 1, who was not by her side now.
‘I wonder if he's doing well.’
Number 1, who had left for the far east with her father.
He was taciturn and blunt, but to Iris, he was a more reliable presence than anyone else.
During their time in the Durani Empire, he was a teacher and a protector.
Sometimes, he even played the role of a father.
A large part of the strength she had now was thanks to him.
‘He'll be fine. Yes. Maybe he can display his skills more freely without me by his side.’
Iris still trusted him deeply.
It was a feeling of complete faith and reliance, different from the complicated feelings she had towards her father, Frank.
On the other hand, she was also a little disappointed that he had become Adel's guide instead of hers.
‘If Number 1 and I had continued as a team, we would have reached the hundredth floor much faster.’
After having such futile thoughts for a moment, Iris soon shook her head.
Now was not the time to be sentimental.
“Let's focus.”
She vowed to herself and gripped the dagger once more.
From the 80th floor onwards, powerful enemies of a different dimension would be waiting.
If she let her guard down for even a moment, she could lose her life.
A cold and rational light once again swirled in her red eyes.
Her race, solely for the conquest of the dungeon's 100th floor, was beginning again.
***
The journey of Frank's party and the elf escort heading east was smoother than expected.
Thanks to the elves' excellent pathfinding skills and the unseen vigilance of a being like Number 1, they rarely encountered dangerous demonic beasts or bands of thieves.
Aman did not spend that time in vain.
Whenever he had the chance, he approached the Hero, Frank, and told him stories about Reubungwo and his ancestor.
A mysterious woman named Anonymous immediately translated his words into the continental language, so there was no problem with communication.
The origin of the towers, the sage's ideals, and the ill-fated relationship with Primus.
Aman told Frank everything he knew.
Frank mostly listened in silence, nodding his head, but his eyes seemed to be deeply contemplating something, absorbing every detail of Aman's story.
‘The Hero is indeed different.’
Aman was once again impressed by Frank's demeanor.
A depth and gravity different from any leader or sage he had met so far.
Like the records left by his ancestor, he thought that this Hero might really be the last bastion to save the world.
Taking advantage of a brief pause in the conversation, Aman casually asked something he had been curious about.
“Your daughters are beautiful and very capable. But why didn't your second daughter join you on this journey?”
He asked, recalling the fame of the three women he had heard about during his brief stay in Lumen Fortis.
Frank looked into Aman's eyes for a moment, then replied through Anonymous.
“Iris wanted to remain in the dungeon to further cultivate her own strength. She said she would join us after conquering it to the end and obtaining power that would be helpful to everyone.”
“I see.”
Aman nodded silently.
Each in their own way, strengthening their power to prepare for the coming threat.
Well, in terms of strengthening their forces, that wouldn't be a bad judgment.
When the conversation paused for a moment, this time, Frank was the one who asked Aman a question first.
It was the most important question, the answer to which he had not heard in the previous conference room.
“Why did you give the magic device that crossed that cursed strait to a little girl in a coastal village?”
At that question, Aman couldn't help but give a bitter smile.
He hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he had no choice but to confess the truth.
“I have no excuse, Hero. I had no way to repay the kindness of being saved, so I ended up giving that magic device as a gift.”
At that time, he was only thinking about meeting the Hero and informing him of the emergency.
He had never dreamed that he would need the magic device to return to his hometown, Reubungwo.
He had never imagined that the old wooden necklace would be such an important and unique item.
“It was all my mistake. Please punish me.”
Aman bowed his head deeply.
Frank was silent for a moment.
His expression was unreadable, but his voice, heard through Anonymous, was surprisingly calm.
“It would be good to act more cautiously next time.”
Aman felt even more sorry and grateful for his attitude of not blaming him.
He bowed his head once more and asked.
“When do you plan to depart? Are you going to wait for all the soldiers to arrive from Lumen Fortis?”
“There are many things to prepare before that. First, we need to go to the easternmost coastal village and find or build ships to transport a large-scale force to Reubungwo. This time, the opponents are not guys we can handle with just a small elite force.”
“Then it will take quite a long time?”
Aman asked back.
“I suppose so.”
Frank's voice sank low.
“We must prepare thoroughly. This will be the final war against Primus.”
The final war.
At the weight of those words, Aman instinctively gulped.
A battle on which the fate of the entire world depended.
He was once again grateful to be able to fight alongside the Hero, and he was sensing the great storm to come.
***
Leaving the ruins of the Principality of Polotsk behind, our party resumed its journey to the east.
Thanks to Aman's joining and the information he brought, our goal became clearer.
To cross over to Reubungwo, stop the destruction of the towers, and thwart Primus and Nox.
But as I had told Aman a moment ago, we were not heading straight to Reubungwo.
There were a mountain of problems to solve before that.
‘First, I need to go to the easternmost coastal village, assess the situation, and secure ships to transport a large-scale force.’
To transport a force of thousands, perhaps even tens of thousands, and their supplies, an ordinary-sized fleet would be nowhere near enough.
The problem was whether that small fishing village where Aman had first landed had the manpower and resources to build large-scale ships.
‘There was no content like shipbuilding in PP, so my game knowledge is useless here too.’
A frustrating situation.
In a situation like this, what was most desperately needed was the help of the dwarves, a race with outstanding crafting skills.
If they were with us, they would be of immense help not only in shipbuilding but also in strengthening the soldiers' weapons and armor.
‘It's a shame, but dwarves, like elves, are known to have been extinct for a long time.’
A legendary race that only appears in ancient records.
But I did not give up easily.
Until just a few days ago, hadn't I also thought that elves were extinct?
But they had survived in their own way near Lake Kalle and were continuing their lineage.
‘If the elves survived, isn't it possible that the dwarves, with their strong vitality and outstanding technical skills, could have done the same?’
Perhaps they had built their own kingdom deep in some mountain range or underground city on the continent and were living in hiding.
If only I could find them and bring them to our side…….
I was lost in such imagination.
Adel, who was scouting the path ahead, suddenly stopped and gave a hand signal.
“What is it?”
As I approached and asked, Adel pointed ahead and said.
“Father, the bridge is broken.”
Adel was right.
Before us, a huge canyon of unknown depth gaped open, and the old wooden bridge that had precariously connected it was completely broken in the middle, having long since disappeared into the rapids.
The distance to the other side was considerable, and it seemed impossible to jump over.
“Hmm, it looks like it will take quite a while to go around this.”
Rude clicked his tongue and said.
As he said, checking the map, it would take at least three or four days to bypass this canyon.
A huge waste of time in a situation where every moment was critical.
Just as frustration and impatience began to cloud the faces of the entire party.
Anonymous suddenly flared her nostrils.
“Sniff sniff.”
Her red eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“What's wrong, Anonymous?”
“It's strange.”
“What is?”
She tilted her head and said.
“There's a very familiar yet strange smell around here. What should I say, like the smell of old stone, hot iron, and delicious liquor?”
She sniffed a little more and then exclaimed with a voice full of conviction.
“I'm sure of it! This is the smell of dwarves!”
“What did you say?!”
Dwarves?
For a moment, I doubted my ears.
Was the legendary race that I had just been imagining might still be alive, right here, nearby?
My eyes began to burn hotly with excitement and anticipation.
Perhaps the heavens were helping us.