BXBX NOVEL Chapter 295: S-Rank Dungeon (1)
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Chapter 295: S-Rank Dungeon (1)
“I told them not to come out.”
Well, they weren’t the types to listen anyway.
Ketal clicked his tongue.
At the time, he didn’t care much about it.
That was because he thought none of the beings of the White Snowfield, except for him, could come outside.
But the seal had weakened.
The white beast and the rat had come out.
There was no reason the barbarians couldn’t come out either.
“I did set up some minimal safeguards, though.”
He had been irritated by the barbarians who kept following him, crying, no matter how many times he destroyed them.
So Ketal gave them one command:
"Never follow me."
He told them it was an order from their chieftain.
But he added,
“If you’re really going to follow me, then you must pass the trials I give you.”
Only then did the barbarians quiet down.
In fact, they were thrilled, thinking they had a chance to stand proudly beside him if they could pass his trials.
Even if they did come out, it would only be after passing those trials.
And the trials he had set were ones even Ketal couldn’t easily pass.
It was a task that would take at least a few hundred years, even if the entire tribe worked together.
For the time being, he wouldn’t have to worry about the barbarians coming outside.
Or so he thought.
“Maybe... that’s the case.”
There was a strange feeling of unease, but Ketal chose to ignore it.
“I should prepare, just in case.”
Ketal began to prepare to leave the North.
Since he had come with only his body to begin with, the preparations didn’t take long.
The next day, Darkul and Bayern came to see him off as he was about to leave.
“So, you\'re leaving, Ketal.”
“Yeah. What about you?”
“I’ll be staying here a bit longer. I’m finally starting to see results.”
Darkul had been fighting on the frontlines alongside the barbarians.
The barbarians had started to acknowledge his strength, recognizing his existence.
“They asked me if joining the Church would make them as strong as I am. It’s not exactly the kind of evangelism I was aiming for, but... it’s not bad. Quite excellent, actually.”
He smiled with satisfaction, now that the value of the God of the Sword was slowly taking root in the North.
“Thank you, Ketal. If it weren’t for you, I would have been tormented by these wretched barbarians forever.”
“You did it all yourself. You can be proud of it.”
Ketal smiled softly.
Next, Bayern spoke, with a hint of regret in his voice.
“If it were up to me, I’d like you to stay longer.”
Ketal’s power had left a strong impression on the barbarians.
After Bayern, Ketal was the one the barbarians trusted and followed the most.
Given the vastness of the North, Ketal’s presence made it significantly easier to control the barbarians.
And besides that, he was the only barbarian with whom communication was easy, making conversations with him enjoyable.
Both as a king and as Bayern himself, Ketal was someone he needed.
“I also feel a bit regretful.”
And it was the same for Ketal.
Bayern was a reasonable barbarian, and a man who bore the responsibilities of a king.
They had much in common.
He wanted to talk more with Bayern.
But there was something he had to do.
“I have to prepare. I can’t stay in the North any longer.”
“Well, if that’s the case, there’s no helping it.”
Bayern was disappointed but didn’t stop Ketal.
For someone like him to be tied to the North was a loss for the continent.
Bayern’s eyes narrowed.
“The rat is still alive, isn’t it?”
Ketal had said that the rat wouldn’t be able to return to this place ever again.
Implying that it was still alive.
Ketal gave a small nod, and Bayern let out a groan.
“...Even someone like you couldn’t kill it?”
“Well, yeah.”
In truth, it was more complicated than that, but his answer wasn’t exactly a lie.
He couldn’t kill it at the time.
Bayern asked in a subdued voice.
“A monster on par with the rat... The bear could come here too, right?”
“There’s a possibility. The bear was obsessed with its territory, but the reason for that is gone now.”
The reason the bear had been so fixated on its territory was its cub.
The bear had been fiercely protective, clinging to its territory to protect its young.
But somehow, the rat had corrupted and ruined the cub.
With no reason to guard its territory anymore, there was nothing to stop it from coming out.
“I was weak.”
The rat had defeated Bayern.
It wasn’t even a close defeat; it was a complete one.
If Ketal hadn’t arrived, Bayern would have died there, and the rat would have used his corrupted body.
Even now, he had little chance of winning if he fought the bear again.
“I will become stronger. Strong enough that I won’t lose again, whether it’s to the rat or the bear.”
Bayern spoke with fierce determination, his eyes filled with resolve.
Ketal smiled softly.
“I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Thank you, Ketal. We owe you so much.”
Bayern lowered his body in a formal bow.
Darkul, who had been quietly watching, gasped.
Barbarians never lower their bodies to others.
Even if they respected and acknowledged strength, they never lowered themselves.
Especially not someone like Bayern, a king.
But now, Bayern was humbling himself, bowing with full respect to Ketal.
The ruler of the North was bowing to one man.
“Even if the world turns against you and makes you its enemy, I and the North will forever be your allies. If you ever lose your way and wander, come here. I will always welcome you.”
“Thank you.”
Ketal smiled softly in response.
“Well then.”
“Farewell. Until we meet again.”
With that, Ketal left the North behind.
“It was more fun than I expected.”
Meeting the rat had been an unpleasant experience, but the time spent in the North itself had been more enjoyable than he had anticipated.
He had overcome some of his trauma with barbarians and had enjoyed talking with Bayern.
It had been more fun than he initially thought.
But now, it was time to leave.
The Holy Sword asked him,
[Where do you plan to go now?]
“I need to make some preparations.”
[Preparations? Oh... You mean preparing to go inside the Snowfield? Are you planning to check on the monsters inside?]
The Holy Sword asked hesitantly.
During the battle with the rat, the sword had remained silent to avoid disrupting the fight.
But that didn’t mean she had been calm.
In truth, the Holy Sword had been terrified.
Those creatures were horrifying and alien, yet carried a presence equal to that of gods.
Just sensing their aura had made the spirit of the sword tremble.
If she had legs, she would have run away.
And the White Snowfield held many such creatures.
She felt like whining and pleading.
Fortunately, Ketal denied her question.
“I’m not going into the White Snowfield.”
[Oh, oh! That’s a relief.]
The Holy Sword let out a deep sigh of relief.
[So, what are you preparing for? Does it have something to do with that rat\'s paw you collected?]
After defeating the rat, Ketal had taken the severed paw.
That gruesome thing was stored in the subspace of an artifact.
"It might come in handy."
He planned to use it along with the white-furred beast\'s skin.
But that wasn\'t his goal for now.
"My power is incomplete."
He still couldn’t freely draw out the arcane mysteries.
Perhaps he would have to reach the level of superhuman to wield them properly.
But for now, the arcane mysteries hovered just below the surface, like water brimming at the top of a cup.
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He was only missing a single drop.
He had already decided where he would go to obtain that drop.
"The distance is far, so let’s move quickly."
Ketal stomped his foot, and his body soared through the sky.
* * *
The headquarters of the Mercenary Guild.
It was located at the summit of a towering mountain.
This was a mountain that belonged to no nation, existing on the border.
The founding Guild Master\'s principle was that the Mercenary Guild should not be affiliated with any country.
Naturally, it was no ordinary mountain.
It had undergone extensive modifications and had become a natural fortress, utilizing the terrain.
Numerous spells and housed expensive weapons protected it.
Many mercenaries came and went, making it a peaceful place, untouched by external invasion.
But now, it was a battlefield.
And it had to be, for the monsters and demons were attacking.
BOOM!
"Hold the line!"
"Screeech!"
The mercenaries and wizards were desperately defending.
Although they were outnumbered and overpowered, they managed to hold on using the advantageous terrain.
But even that had its limits.
Slowly, they were being pushed back toward the summit.
"Damn it!"
Inside the headquarters at the summit, the Mercenary Guild Master ground his teeth.
"Those damned demons!"
About a week ago, the ground near the headquarters had suddenly split open.
From there, demons and monsters had emerged, launching a surprise attack on the guild.
It was a complete ambush.
Caught off guard, they had suffered heavy losses from the very start.
Though they had held out for a week, they were nearing their limit.
The number of injured was rising, and resources were depleting.
Despite their desperate attempts to call for help, all their efforts had been blocked.
They were being slowly eaten away.
BOOM!
The mountain shook.
The ground crumbled, and the towering peak\'s base was slowly worn down.
The Guild Master\'s face twisted in frustration.
"Damn them! Why are they only chipping away at the base? It’s making the mountain look ridiculous!"
The mountain had become precariously thin, like a pillar.
A fairy, her face pale, flew over.
"Guild Master! It\'s no use! We have to escape! We\'re all going to die at this rate!"
"No! We can\'t abandon this place! We\'ll defend it to the death if we have to!"
All the information on the mercenaries was stored in the underground vault of the headquarters.
If they lost this place, the guild would collapse in an instant.
The eastern region, reliant on the mercenaries, would follow soon after.
The Guild Master clenched his teeth.
"Curse the previous Guild Master! I told them we should spread out our data! \'Who would target us here?\' they said! \'You\'re worrying too much!\' they said! Look at this mess now!"
Rumble…
The vibrations outside had quieted.
The Guild Master frowned.
"Have we managed to hold them off for now?"
But no.
The door flew open violently, and a mercenary staggered in, pale as a sheet.
"Guild Master!"
"...Damn."
A bad feeling surged through him.
He rushed outside and gasped.
Crash!
A massive siege engine, the size of a small hill, was barreling toward them at terrifying speed.
Its target was the base of the mountain.
At that moment, the Guild Master realized the demons\' true aim.
"...They intend to collapse the entire mountain! That’s why they’ve been relentlessly wearing down the base!"
It was like slowly removing the lower parts of a sandcastle to make it collapse.
By destabilizing the foundation and then hitting it hard, the demons planned to bring down the mountain itself.
"Stop it! Throw everything we\'ve got at it!"
The wizards hastily cast every spell they could muster, launching countless magical attacks at the siege engine.
But it didn’t budge.
It was the demons’ secret weapon, designed for large-scale destruction, boasting a defense so absolute that even a top-tier superhuman would struggle to destroy it.
There was no way to stop it with the current forces.
The demons laughed gleefully as they watched the desperate efforts of their enemies.
The mountain would fall, and they had already surrounded the survivors to slaughter them once it did.
"...Ah."
The realization that they couldn’t stop it turned everyone’s faces pale.
They were going to lose.
They were all going to die.
Despair wrapped around them like a shroud.
"Get a grip!"
And in the midst of that despair, the Guild Master roared.
"Are you just going to sit around and die? Start preparing to stop them, no matter how slim our chances! Hey, wizards! If you can’t destroy it, can you at least alter its trajectory?"
"Ah, ah… It’s… It’s difficult. With our power, it’s…"
"But it’s not impossible, right? Stop wasting time and get to work! You guys too!"
The Guild Master kicked the mercenaries into action.
"If you’re just going to sit there and die, then go hang yourselves in the corner! No one’s going to stop you!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
Those who had been paralyzed by despair scrambled back into action, trying to cast defensive spells and set traps to shift the siege engine\'s course.
They braced for impact.
The Guild Master gritted his teeth, staring straight ahead.
“…Hmm?"
Then, something caught the Guild Master’s eye.
Something small was flying toward them from the distance.
It was so tiny at first that it was barely noticeable, but it was rapidly growing larger.
That meant it was approaching at an unbelievable speed.
The Guild Master stared for a moment, then suddenly gasped.
"Wh-what? That person…?"
CRAAAAASH!
Ketal, moving faster than sound, collided with the siege engine that was hurtling toward the mountain, and the massive machine crumpled with a deafening roar.
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