Chapter 43

This isn’t about extorting money.

What’s in the wallets of third-rate thugs isn’t just simple coins, but the helplessness and despair of the original owners who were robbed by these scoundrels. Therefore, it’s better for their stolen goods to fall into someone else’s hands rather than those despicable villains.

What I am doing is a noble service, fulfilling the wishes of the victims.

“Empty your pockets. If I find anything after searching, it’s one hit per coin.”

The piggy banks began to whisper among themselves. Still trying to figure out the situation, they exchanged glances. Realizing they’d been tricked, one of them scrunched up his face.

He then pointed a knife at me.

“What are you idiots doing? If it’s not Lethe, there’s no problem killing him!”

Following his lead, others raised their swords, axes, and staffs and surrounded me.

I wasn’t afraid.

In the past, I might have been terrified, but compared to the enemies I’ve faced, these guys looked utterly insignificant.

‘You should know how to fight against multiple opponents, right?’

– Against rookies who can’t even handle their aura properly, a single-handed sword will suffice.

Trusting Donatan’s confident words, I dashed towards the gap between the man with the ax and the one with the staff.

Thud!

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The thug swung his ax vertically down. I easily sidestepped, dodging it. As debris scattered on the ground, I thrust the staff loaded with an electric spell at the thug’s neck.

Zap!

The thug, momentarily paralyzed, dropped his ax. I smoothly stabbed his foot with my longsword. As he bent over, I struck the back of his head with the sword hilt.

Wham!

Then, with the staff in my left hand, I smacked the wizard’s staff. The thug’s wind arrow shot harmlessly towards the ceiling. I stabbed his hand with the longsword, causing him to drop the staff.

“Aagh! My hand!”

While he was clutching his bleeding hand, I pressed the sword to his neck.

“You two, drop your swords before I slit his throat.”

“Wait, wait, I’ve been caught. Let’s just do what he says…”

True to form, they cared nothing for their comrades.

The thug with the greatsword got into position to slash at me diagonally and charged.

I had loaded telekinesis magic into my staff and met the thug’s heavy attack intended to cut through both of us at once.

Clang!

[Physical attack detected.]

[Attribute activated.]

[One-second invincibility cooldown: 59 seconds.]

The longsword aimed at my shoulder shattered in two.

Furthermore, the thug’s wrist dangled grotesquely from the exertion.

“Argh!”

With the telekinesis spell loaded, I lifted fist-sized rocks from the debris left by the previous fallen thug’s ax attack.

Even though it was my specialty magic, maybe because of the low mana, it seemed to drain all my energy just to shoot them.

Pew!

A rock shot towards the thug’s face. However, it curved and slowly descended, causing a ridiculous scene.

All of us, except for the unconscious thug, gasped.

Smack!

-No way, was that on purpose?

…Of course not.

The thug clutched his crotch with his broken wrist and collapsed.

The hostage shook even more violently, and the thug with the longsword squeezed his legs together in shock.

“That was an accident. It wasn’t intentional at all.”

“…D-Don’t come closer!”

The thug looked at me like I was some kind of monster devoid of empathy, threw down his weapon, and ran away.

While pondering what to do with the now-useless hostage, the wizard spoke in a trembling voice.

“You… are the rumors true?”

“What rumors?”

“The one where you survived a breath attack…”

“What does it matter to you?”

With my staff-wielding hand, I smacked the thug on the back of the head repeatedly.

This made it four unconscious.

When I leisurely searched their wallets, countless coins spilled out.

Clink!

This was money filled with the unjust feelings of the innocent. The coins, oppressed by the wicked, found freedom and piled up comfortably in my backpack.

Donatan, seemingly unable to understand my peaceful disposition, asked in a dubious tone.

– They tried to kill you. Are you still going to let them live?

‘What do you take me for? Of course, I’m going to let them live.’

– That’s quite unexpected…

So I can rob them again next time.

I looked at the spot where the fleeing piggy bank had been.

There was no need to rush since their escape route was obvious.

It just meant I had some troublesome tasks ahead.

“Heh, Hersel, you’re finished.”

Rendal, who had been the first to pass out, woke up, smirking with blood dripping from his mouth.

“You better start begging for your life now.”

“Why?”

“Do you know how many Lethe members are here?”

“Thirty-seven.”

Rendal widened his eyes, surprised at how I knew.

“Well, you’re as good as dead. The guy who just escaped will gather the members to execute you.”

“Of course.”

It was expected that they’d swarm me since the one who escaped was a leader.

They had the means for it.

How else could they have reunited so quickly in a dungeon they barely knew?

The answer was simple.

“You have a means of communication.”

I grinned and punched Rendal’s face again as he tried to act tough.

“Ugh!”

“Let’s go catch the one who got away.”

As I walked down the hallway, I saw a room without a door to the side.

Inside, I heard hushed whispers.

“…Rendal was right! You idiots!”

I quietly approached the thug.

The thug, unaware of my presence, kept talking to a small orb.

It was a magical communication tool often carried for staying in touch with team members in the dungeon.

A communication orb embedded with magic stones.

It resonates sound over long distances.

In emergencies, it can send coordinate signals.

“…I’ll send the signal, so gather immediately!”

-Wait, I see that fool Limberton at the safe zone. Isn’t he in the same team as Hersel?

I responded to the orb instead of the thug.

“That’s right. He’s on my team.”

“Eek!”

The thug, startled, dropped the orb. I ignored him and stabbed his thigh.

The thug rolled on the floor, screaming into the orb.

“Aaagh! Kill those bastards first! Kill them now!”

Sure, understood.

I kicked him until he stopped squirming and then took his wallet.

“As expected, your pockets are the fullest.”

“You’ll regret this… They’ll tear you apart and feed you to the monsters…”

“Shut up.”

Smack!

I hit him once more to knock him out.

I chuckled, remembering his words.

I couldn’t imagine the guy beside Limberton losing.

“Tearing him apart?”

The robed figure was, like Mircel, a strong ally of a playable character.

A hidden NPC that could only be recruited in Frost Heart.

[Aslay Tortamaktura]

▶ Blessing

◆Blessing of the Earth Giant

-Is there anyone stronger than me? No. I’ve crushed them all with these hands.

-Displays superhuman strength beyond that of a normal human.

• Attribute

◇Better Than Average◇

As long as he isn’t torn apart, he’ll be fine.

***

“D-Don’t come closer. One more step and I’ll shoot!”

Limberton aimed his bow alternately at the Lethe members blocking his front and back.

When a fully armored guy clanged closer, Limberton, with shaking hands, aimed an arrow at his neck and fired.

Clang!

However, the arrow bounced off the raised shield.

“He’s still a fool.”

The fully armored guy smirked, and the onlookers chuckled.

“What, you know him?”

“Yeah, he’s Limberton, famous for being a bit slow, making him perfect for playing with.”

Limberton, caught off guard, dropped the arrow he was trying to load.

As they said, arrows were almost useless against knights.

They couldn’t hold aura, and they just bounced off steel armor.

‘Why did he make me carry this…’

As he slumped his shoulders, the huge man in a robe lifted his fallen bow.

“Hey, big guy. Even if you’re good at fighting, you’re outnumbered. Just surrender and save yourself.”

The man ignored him and planted a triangular shield much taller than Limberton in the ground.

“But you only have a shield!”

Limberton tried to say more but couldn’t.

The enemies were charging at him.

“Screw it, I don’t care anymore!”

Limberton fired arrows at the charging enemies.

But they either bounced off swords or slid off smooth armor.

“That tickles, you idiot!”

The guy at the front slashed his sword down vertically, and Limberton closed his eyes tightly.

‘Please, let me die painlessly!’

At that moment, a rough wind brushed his left cheek, as if burning his skin.

Limberton slowly opened his eyes and gaped.

Through the robe, a muscular leg emerged.

At its end, the guy held the descending sword blade between his thumb and forefinger.

“Oh my God…”

Had he been walking around barefoot all this time?

No, that wasn’t the point.

The man lifted the sword with his toes and kicked it into the ceiling.

Crash!

“Don’t be scared. Just charge in!”

The man caught a descending morning star’s shaft with his rough hand. The thug struggled, but it didn’t budge. The man then crushed the thug’s helmet like a fruit with his bare hand.

“Aaagh!”

As more attacks followed, the man twisted the wrist of the swordsman attempting a diagonal slash as if snapping a twig. Another thug, seeking an opportunity, approached Limberton. The man pulled the thug’s ankle and slammed him to the ground.

Bang!

Faced with such raw, primal power, Limberton gulped.

However, the number of enemies surrounding them was too many, and it was impossible for the large man to dodge every attack in such a narrow corridor.

Focusing all his nerves, Limberton shot an arrow into the shoulder of a knight trying to stab the man’s back with a spear.

Thwack!

Another arrow hit the thigh of a thug preparing to cast a spell, making the man’s assault even fiercer. It was like watching an ogre slaughter a horde of goblins. He grabbed limbs, crushed bones, slammed enemies into the ground, and smashed their armor with interlocked hands.

“Retreat.”

“But what about them?”

“Does that matter? Stop dawdling and run!”

As the mob around them turned into half-wrecks in an instant, the remaining thugs fled without looking back. It wasn’t until the man turned around that Limberton understood why they ran.

Through the robe, his eyes glowed with a savage, wolf-like ferocity.

‘Wow, those eyes are terrifying.’

Despite being on the same team, Limberton felt his legs go weak from the overwhelming presence.

The man extended a hand to help him up.

Limberton, feeling embarrassed, awkwardly smiled and offered praise.

“Thanks. But you’re so strong, it’s like you didn’t need any weapons from the start.”

Just then, flames erupted from the man’s back.

“What?”

As the man twisted his body, Limberton realized it was the wizard on the floor who had done it. He was about to grab an arrow when a lanky blond guy stomped the wizard’s head.

“Tut-tut, you need to finish the job properly.”

“Oh, Hersel, what took you so long? We were struggling while you were gone.”

“I told you I’d be back soon.”

Hersel proudly displayed a hefty bag of money.

“But this friend…”

At Hersel’s words, Limberton raised his head and gasped.

‘That outfit…’

The man’s black hair was tied back in a bridge style, and he wore nothing but a wolf pelt, leaving his upper body exposed.

He was definitely a barbarian.

Limberton wondered how someone like him had managed to enter the academy, reserved for nobles. But considering he had saved his life, Limberton didn’t care.

The bigger issue was Hersel, a staunch noble supremacist. Even if not him, it was common among nobles to regard those living in the wild as beasts.

The fact that this barbarian had been wrapped in a full robe and remained silent was likely to avoid discrimination.

As Hersel approached the barbarian, Limberton felt his heart race with anxiety and decided to intervene.

“Wait, Hersel. At least…”

“Only one robe, and it’s burned to a crisp. What now?”

“Huh?”

Contrary to Limberton’s expectations, Hersel extended his hand towards the visibly nervous barbarian.

The barbarian muttered something in an unfamiliar language.

“?”

“Don’t you know a handshake? Now that your identity is revealed, you should at least introduce yourself. I’m Hersel Ben Tenest.”

Realizing it was an introduction, the barbarian responded with his name and accepted the handshake.

“Aslay Tortamaktura.”

Limberton cautiously asked.

“Wait, you’re shaking hands with a barbarian? Why?”

Hersel replied, frowning as if looking at garbage.

“Limberton. Don’t call a foreign friend a barbarian. Embrace diversity.”n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

***

“That guy’s Limberton Bel Delsi. As you can see, he’s a nasty noble supremacist.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Limberton quickly approached and offered his hand to Aslay.

The barbarian blinked in surprise before smiling gently.

***

We finished looting the fallen thugs’ wallets. After stuffing ourselves with their provisions, Limberton pointed at Aslay.

“But what about this bar-”

“Shh!”

“I mean, foreign friend. Since his identity is revealed, is it okay for him to take the test?”

“There must be a reason. The academy probably knew and let him in.”

“Really? How did he pass the written exam?”

“No idea. I’m surprised he passed.”

Pretending ignorance, I answered nonchalantly.

◇Better Than Average◇

Fixes hit rate at 60%.

Aslay’s trait, ‘Better Than Average,’ means he has a 60% chance of hitting anything in any situation, whether it’s a target in battle or an exam question.

“Of course, I passed confidently. I scored 63!”

“The passing standard is too low…”

This trait is why Aslay only resorts to grabbing attacks instead of weapons or punches, which guarantee a 100% success rate. If not for this cursed trait, arming his hands would have made him invincible. It’s a pity.

We smacked our lips and walked towards the next stage.

“How far did we walk?”

Limberton babbled on about nothing in particular.

“With this many coins, our future looks bright.”

“Bright future?”

“Yeah, rich men are always popular. You too, huh? Wait, Hersel.”

Suddenly, Limberton stopped and stared ahead with trembling eyes.

Footsteps and a faint female voice echoed from a distance. Squinting, I saw a silhouette dragging something towards us.

“Give up, let me out. I want to give up, let me out…”

To avoid startling her, I spoke quietly to the frantic woman.

“Let go. He’s already dead.”

She had been dragging the lifeless body of a man whose lower half was severed. Her face was pale, and her bloodied hands covered her face.

Just as she seemed about to burst into tears, I covered her mouth.

“Looks like we took the wrong path.”

So the monster beyond wouldn’t hear.

“Everyone, stay alert. Even if we expend all our stored energy, I can’t guarantee survival up ahead.”

If this was just the entrance, now we were about to find out why Path 44 was considered the hardest.

Because midway through Path 44 lies the hunting territory of a dungeon guardian, ‘The Watcher.’