Chapter 216: Chapter 216 Sacrificial Pawn (5)

Sacrificial Pawn (5)

Sacrificial Pawn (5)

Orculus.

A notorious group of criminals who rebelled against the royal family.

This group, formed only a few decades ago, had been infamous for its countless acts of terrorism and crime.

Although the royal family had offered a huge bounty and started hunting them, they were so secretive that only seven of them had been killed so far.

“Seven of them are here…”

Marco Elburn, the captain of the 3rd Royal Knight Order, couldn’t hide his dismay as he listened to his subordinate’s report.

He had quickly responded to the situation and established a safe zone in the center, declaring a state of emergency and taking command.

The first thing he did was gather information.

He sent a search party to the 2nd-floor portal, which could be a breakthrough, and he had been checking and rechecking all the information coming from the front lines without sleeping since the incident occurred.

As a result, seven members of Orculus were identified.

The Screaming Witch, Black Claw, and the Lighthouse Keeper.

These three were currently rampaging around the safe zone, while the other four were blocking the 2nd-floor portal.

‘This was their goal from the beginning.’

Elburn clenched his fists in frustration.

The three were one thing, but these four were the biggest obstacle.

The Corpse Collector, infamous for his grotesque and cruel acts, even more so than for being an evil spirit.

The Ruin Scholar, once the leader of a large school, who became a criminal after dabbling in forbidden magic.

The Blood Knight, who started as a soldier born in Bifron and gained fame by killing the previous captain of the 1st Royal Knight Order.

And lastly…

‘The Traitor.’

The one who gathered those madmen and formed Orculus, the one who created their countless infamous deeds and history of slaughter with his own hands.

Four of the most representative members of ‘that group’ were all here.

But it wasn’t just Orculus they had to be wary of.

There were also countless notorious criminals who had escaped to Noark, and if they joined forces, it would be a situation where they couldn’t be confident in victory even if they fought with all their might.

Elburn finally broke the long silence and spoke.

“We’re abandoning the plan to break through them and reach the 2nd floor.”

An even heavier silence fell upon the room.

One of the knights spoke with difficulty.

“…Day 3 is about to begin.”

“I know. But now that we’ve confirmed that even the Ruin Scholar is here, there’s a high chance that the portal is already unusable.”

“Then…”

Elburn closed and opened his eyes as if to clear his thoughts.

A commander is someone who has to make decisions.

“Gather all the mages who can use the Dimensional Gate spell as discreetly as possible.”

He had to make the necessary decisions.

No matter the sacrifice.

_________________

I open my eyes and check the clock.

[00:17]

Another day has passed, and it’s Day 3.

There wasn’t anything special yesterday.

I checked the loot we obtained on the way here.

I found an explorer with a repair ability and had him fix our damaged equipment.

I stood guard duty with my team.

I gathered information after my shift ended.

Ah, and I also heard about what happened with Takelan.

[…Uh, that guy?]

Although I had Misha work hard to get her to talk…

…it wasn’t much of a story.

He just lost his mind for a moment.

He said some aggressive things to us, who had all survived.

But it didn’t last long.

[Aruru was really amazing. She scolded him, asking how he could say that when you were in that state and couldn’t even receive treatment. Ugh, I was sweating just listening to her.]

Hmm, she’s scary when she’s angry.

It’s still a mystery how she can unleash that kind of energy from that small body.

[Anyway, that’s all. And Ainar was about to draw her sword, but he just disappeared.]

Although I’m grateful for my companions’ actions, my expression hardened as I heard the whole story.

Because they don’t know.

That I intentionally placed them in the back, even though it might have been more suitable for them to be in the rear, to increase our chances of survival.

[Huh? Why that expression?]

[It’s nothing. I’m just hungry.]

Takelan’s anger is justified.

More people could have survived if I had just formed the lines based on efficiency.

But I didn’t.

I placed everyone behind me, where it was relatively safe, even if it wasn’t the most suitable position for them. Takelan probably acted that way because he realized that belatedly.

‘…It’s better if only I know this.’

I briefly woke up and then slowly got up and organized my sleeping bag.

Although Day 2 was peaceful compared to the intense Day 1…

…it was only until today.

“Hmm, Mr. Yandel…?”

Raven peeked her head out of her sleeping bag, rubbing her eyes as if she woke up because of me.

“Did I wake you up? Sorry.”

“No, I just couldn’t sleep…”

“Aren’t you going to sleep more?”

Raven sat up in her sleeping bag at my question.

“What about you, Mr. Yandel? Aren’t you going to sleep more?”

“I can’t sleep either.”

“So you were going to keep watch alone?”

I chuckled and admitted it.

It would be ridiculous to deny it when we’re both in the same situation.

“It’s already Day 3…”

The Floor Master is summoned from Day 3 onwards.

The only condition is that there are five or more people gathered in one place.

Of course, it’s a certain probability, and the chance of it being summoned near us is low since there are already over ten thousand explorers gathered on the 1st floor…

‘But you never know.’

I’m the tank of this team.

I can at least buy some time for my companions to run away even if the Floor Master appears right in front of us—

Whoosh!

That’s when the ground trembles slightly, and the colorless crystals embedded in the cave walls emit a brilliant light.

The color of the light is blood red.

“Mr. Yandel, this is…!”

It means the Floor Master has appeared somewhere.

“What, what?!”

My companions, including Ainar, wake up one after another. And it’s the same for the explorers from other teams who were sleeping nearby.

I calmly soothe my companions.

“Don’t be too surprised. Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like it was summoned near us.”

There’s always a loud noise where the 1st-floor Floor Master is. But there’s no sound, so it must be far away.

“Everyone, go back to sleep.”

“But…”

“I’ll wake you up if something happens. It hasn’t been long since our watch duty ended.”

“You’re tired too.”

“I dozed off a bit during my shift, so I’m fine.”

Although I don’t know if I can actually fall asleep, I force my companions to lie down and close their eyes.

Recovering stamina is the priority.

After about 20 minutes…

Whoosh…

…the crystals that were illuminating the surroundings go out as if their batteries have died.

It means the Floor Master has been defeated.

Of course, it’s too early to relax.

Unlike the Floor Masters on the upper floors, who have long respawn times of at least a few months to years…

…this guy can be resummoned countless times.

“Will it be okay from now on…?”

“Don’t worry, it takes about 30 decent explorers to defeat the 1st-floor Floor Master. In the current situation, it will be taken care of quickly no matter where it appears.”

Actually, that’s one of the biggest reasons why I wanted to join the royal forces after that desperate journey.

We’re safe from the Floor Master here.

Even if it appears right in front of us, help will arrive quickly as long as I hold out for a bit.

“Then I’ll leave this to you.”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see if I can get some information.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll come with—”

“It’s a waste of manpower. If you really can’t sleep, keep watch next to me.”

As soon as the first Floor Master was defeated, I left our assigned area and headed towards the center.

The Floor Master’s respawn time is six hours.

I was planning to wander around and see if there was anything unusual during that time.

There’s nothing else to do anyway.

[North 172-21]

I listened to the conversations of the surrounding explorers as I moved forward, using the signs the royal family had drawn on the walls to distinguish the terrain.

“Hey, did you hear? It was the south passage.”

“You mean where the Floor Master appeared?”

“Yeah, about twenty people died before backup arrived.”

“Damn it, if it was going to appear, it should have appeared near those underground city bastards.”

Although the information wasn’t very reliable since it was just a conversation between explorers in a similar situation to me…

…it wasn’t something I could completely ignore.

It was very useful for gauging public opinion.

“I don’t know how long we have to stay cooped up here.”

“I know, right? In the last speech, they said they would open a path to the 2nd-floor portal soon. It’s already Day 3.”

“It’s unsettling that they’re so quiet.”

As expected, the explorers were expressing their distrust towards the leaders, who hadn’t made any announcements since the first day.

For reference, I felt the same way.

‘It’s about time for them to make a decision.’

If we assume that a Floor Master is defeated every 6 hours, a total of eight Floor Masters would have been defeated in two days.

In other words, it will definitely appear on Day 5.

‘They have large clans and even a royal knight captain, so there’s no way they don’t know that…’

But why haven’t they done anything yet?

I’m dying to know what was discussed in that tent where the meeting was held when we arrived.

‘They should be able to tell that this is what Noark was aiming for…’

Why are they just waiting here?

I naturally assumed they would open a path and move towards the 2nd floor, one way or another.

Thud, thud.

I increased my pace as my worries deepened.

That’s when I saw a familiar face.

The guy who first discovered the backpack duplication bug and spread it throughout the tribe.

“Karon…?”

“Bjorn, son of Yandel, the great warrior!!!!”

Karon immediately got up and ran towards me enthusiastically as I recognized him and called out his name.

“To think we would meet here!! You’re truly destined to lead us!!”

Although I was a bit flustered, I greeted him in a barbarian-like way since I was happy to see him.

And I asked what I was curious about.

“But who’s that next to you?”

“They’re warriors I met here!!”

“Met here?”

I didn’t understand at all.

The barbarian backpack duplication bug had already been patched. It was partly because the method was revealed to other explorers, but the main reason was that low-level explorers had disappeared after the introduction of the identification tag, which is a kind of magic tool.

It costs 70,000 stones to get one.

So I thought Karon had also joined a 3-person team recently…

“Where’s your team?”

“Ah, those guys died on the way here! So the soldiers introduced me to other warriors who were left alone like me!”

Those damn soldiers.

A 5-man barbarian warrior party…

They must have just formed a team because they were too lazy to deal with them individually.

“Is, is it really Little Balkan! It’s an honor to meet you!! I, I’m Dban, the second son of Beroks!!”

“Uh, yeah. Nice to meet you too.”

After briefly greeting the excited barbarians, I continued talking to Karon.

I couldn’t just leave him after seeing him.

“Instead of staying here, how about joining our side?”

“Is, is that okay?”

The fact that they paid 70,000 stones for identification tags and the equipment they were wearing, these alone indicated that they were at least 3rd-grade warriors.

They would definitely be helpful.

And most importantly, they’re trustworthy.

“Why not?”

I told the overwhelmed Karon the location of our assigned area.

“I’ll tell the administrator on my way there, so you guys go ahead. Tell the mage that I sent you when you see her.”

“Okay!”

“Ah, if you don’t know the way, ask other explorers. They’ll answer if you’re annoying enough.”

“Ooh!! As expected!”

That’s when, just as I’m about to leave after sending Karon and his party…

“Bjorn Yandel.”

…I stop at a low male voice.

I turn my head, and a person I didn’t want to see is standing there.

“Takelan Arbenon.”

He’s with a group of explorers I’ve never seen before.

Well, it’s only natural.

He lost all his companions on the way here.

“…….”

Takelan stares at me in silence.

His slightly trembling jaw shows that he’s struggling to hold back something.

I ask first,

“I heard about what happened while I was gone.”

“…….”

“Do you resent me?”

Takelan doesn’t nod or shake his head.

He just stares at me and endures.

His answer comes after a long time.

“No, I don’t resent you.”

It’s an unexpected answer.

Takelan then speaks, pouring out his emotions.

“I kept thinking about it. Because there was nothing else I could do. Why did this happen to me? Why could you guys laugh when Lena died? If those bastards hadn’t run away, wouldn’t she still be alive?”

“…….”

“No, most importantly…”

“…….”

“Did you really not know this would happen?”

“So have you reached a conclusion?”

“I don’t know. You were the one who was most injured. You were the one who did the hardest work. And there was no guarantee that even your companions would survive.”

Is there even such a thing as a guaranteed situation?

I just did my best.

To increase our chances of survival, even a little.

Therefore…

“I shouldn’t have followed you.”

It felt like a sharp knife was scraping something inside me.

“But.”

Takelan continued.

“I was the one who decided to follow you.”

“…….”

“I was the one who voted for you to be the leader.”

“…….”

“And I was the one… who couldn’t even offer anything and just watched when that woman said she would use the Mass Teleportation spell…!”

Self-loathing.

I’m overwhelmed with indescribable emotions as I look at him, blaming himself for everything.

“So I don’t resent you.”

“…I see.”

What should I even say in this situation?

I couldn’t even offer any words of comfort.

But did he sense my hesitation?

“Don’t pity me.”

Takelan ended the conversation and sat back down.

“The day will come when you’ll feel the same way.”

His gaze is no longer on me.

It’s just on the ground.

I sense that our conversation is over.

Thud, thud.

Therefore, I continue on my way.

Takelan doesn’t say anything.

After some time…

…the passage widens, and the expanded central cavern appears.

I first find an administrator and inform him that Karon and his party will be joining us.

“Team Apple Nark… Ah, the outer passage in the northern district. Confirmed.”

With that, my errand is done.

But just as I’m about to turn around…

Clank, clank.

…a knight comes out of the tent and glances at me as he heads towards the administrator who helped me earlier.

And he names six schools.

“Ah, yes. Mages from those schools? I’ll check the list.”

They’re conscripting mages on top of priests?

That thought crosses my mind at first, but…

‘Delta, Spheris, Jacquard…’

I realize one thing in common as I think about the schools the knight mentioned.

‘Dimensional Gate magic.’

Mages above 4th grade from those schools can open a ‘Dimensional Gate’ that can be used by up to 30 people.

The moment I realize this…

Thump!

…my heart pounds uneasily.

And a conversation I had recently flashes through my mind.

There’s no point in denying it.

[A good commander isn’t someone who makes perfect choices. It’s someone who makes the choices they have to make.]

He would discard them without hesitation.

Those he judged to be low priority.

Everything.