BXBX NOVEL Chapter 12 – Dungeon Strategy (3)
Chapter 12 – Dungeon Strategy (3)
Chapter 12 – Dungeon Strategy (3)
“What’s that?”
Ketal’s eyes gleamed.
The thief glanced at the treasure chest and replied.
“It’s a treasure chest. One of the rewards in the labyrinth. Once unlocked, we can take it.”
The thief didn’t pay much attention to the treasure chest.
It was just one of the rewards that couldn’t be helped without a proper party.
But Ketal was different.
“Oh, really? In that case, Kasan, handle it.”
“Huh?”
The thief stopped in his tracks.
Ketal spoke as if it were obvious.
“That’s a treasure chest, and you’re a thief.”
“Yes. Treasure chests are usually handled by thiefs, but…”
“If I’m not mistaken, you should be able to unlock it, right? I’m asking you.”
Ketal said with keen interest.
Picking locks was a major skill in the fantasy world.
Ketal didn’t want to miss the opportunity to witness it.
“Um…”
The thief was at a loss for words.
The treasure chest was indeed the thief’s responsibility.
Ketal’s words were not wrong.
But there was a problem.
‘If I could do that, then I wouldn’t be stuck here!’
Dungeon treasure chests were securely locked.
Releasing them required excellent lock-picking skills.
And such skills were possessed only by seasoned thiefs, those who were certified by the thief guild.
In other words, having lock-picking skills meant being recognized officially.
Thus, one could undertake quests in foreign territories without having to join parties with unfamiliar individuals.
Kasan was a thief of a level that even the thief guild didn’t certify.
Naturally, he didn’t possess lock-picking skills.
But he couldn’t say that.
The barbarian was looking at him with a look of great anticipation.
If he said it was impossible, that face would instantly turn into disappointment.
[As a thief, you can’t even do that. You are useless.]
He imagined his head becoming like the pulverized skeleton.
“Ha, haha. I’ll give it a try.”
Kasan forced a smile and approached the lock on the treasure chest.
He took out the tools he carried to pick locks in empty houses, not for treasure chests.
“Oh, is lock-picking done with such equipment? Interesting.”
The barbarian behind him peered over his shoulder.
Kasan felt like his heart would stop from the pressure.
Suppressing his trembling hand, he slowly reached for the lock.
‘Remember! Remember!’
The techniques demonstrated by the thiefs who boasted to him in his childhood.
Mimic the skills they showed while he worked as a porter.
Risking his life, Kasan moved his hand.
A miracle happened.
Click.
It was the sound of the treasure chest unlocking.
Kasan almost collapsed unknowingly.
“I, I did it.”
“Oh!” “Really? Amazing!”
Even the priest who had been watching was astonished.
Unlike Ketal, she knew that unlocking a treasure chest was a task only skilled individuals could do.
And Kasan himself was bewildered.
‘How did I do that?’
He succeeded by following what he had seen with his own eyes.
It was truly miraculous.
“So this is it. Impressive, Kasan!”
Ketal also praised Kasan readily.
Kasan barely regained his composure and opened the treasure chest with trembling legs.
Inside were a few silver coins and some rusty but ornate trinkets.
“Wow, there’s quite a bit!”
The priest’s eyes sparkled.
As Ketal inspected the trinkets, he asked,
“Roughly how much value do these hold?”
“Um… It’s enough for a robust adult to live luxuriously for about a week.”
“Is that so? Excellent.”
Ketal chuckled.
“I’ll leave the distribution of rewards to you.”
“Yes.”
The thief pocketed the rewards.
The thought of stealing crossed his mind briefly but he quickly dismissed it.
He didn’t want to end up as a headless corpse.
And so, they continued on and reached the end of the second floor.
There were several pieces of bone scattered around.
“Looks like there were four skeletons…”
“I’ll take three. I’ll leave one for you.”
“Okay.”
There was no refusal.
As they approached, the skeletons rose, and the thief skillfully lured one away.
And Ketal could witness the party’s battle.
“Hup!”
Kaang!
The warrior raised his shield to block the skeleton’s attack, and the thief seized the opportunity to stab the skeleton’s neck with his dagger.
The skeleton tried to turn and attack the thief, but the thief had already backed away.
In that moment, the warrior striked with his sword, aiming for the neck.
The priest was not idle either.
“Shadow of Beguilement!”
With her cry, the warrior’s movements momentarily distorted.
The confused skeleton staggered, and both the warrior and the thief thrustes their blades simultaneously.
Ketal, watching the battle, trembled with emotion.
The warrior stands at the forefront, the thief aims for the back, and the priest provides support.
It’s the textbook formation for a party!
Just watching fills him with happiness.
Of course, things wouldn’t normally fit together so perfectly.
They were strangers at first, and their relationship wasn’t good.
Normally, they would have barely managed to clear the dungeon with much grumbling.
But under the clear gaze of the barbarian behind them…
‘The barbarian is testing us! If we show weakness, we die!’
Beneath that shared thought, they could perfectly synchronize their actions.
Before long, they manage to defeat the skeleton.
Ketal watched, silently observing their actions.
“Let’s… take a short break.”
“Whatever you want.”
The warrior and the thief breathe heavily as if exhausted.
Ketal assessed their approximate strength based on their appearance.
‘The guys who came to the snowy field were quite strong.’
Now, he could roughly estimate the power balance outside.
After a short rest, they continued descending into the dungeon.
The monsters on the third floor were also skeletons.
Their numbers had increased, but with Ketal leading, they could advance without much difficulty.
Finally, they arrived at the heart of the dungeon.
In the spacious room, there was a skeleton clad in armor.
Unlike before, this skeleton is not scattered bone fragments.
“Skeleton Knight…”
The priest let out a groan.
“This can’t be. Why is something like this here…?”
“Is this skeleton different from the ones we’ve faced before?”
“Yes. It’s strong. Very much so.”
The priest nodded with a tense expression.
The Skeleton Knight.
A monster so powerful that it cannot be faced without the level of a knight.
It is a monstrously strong monster that can freely wield a longsword and shield, and cannot be dealt with unless you are at knight level.
It wasn’t a monster for them to face.
“If we judge that we can’t clear it and decide to retreat, what happens?”
“In that case, an investigation will also be conducted by the territory. If it’s confirmed to be a reasonable decision, there shouldn’t be any problems.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
With that said, Ketal stepped forward.
They had no time to hesitate.
As soon as the skeleton confirmed its target, it advanced with a clatter.
Ketal raised his palm.
Sure enough, the Skeleton Knight, like a powerful monster, raised its shield to block Ketal’s attack.
Crunch.
The shield crumpled like Styrofoam.
Ketal’s palm connected directly with the skeleton’s head, and its skull, along with the helmet, turned to dust.
“…”
“Is that it?”
Ketal casually shook his hand.
“Yes, y-yes…”
The priest responded with a horrified expression.
With the boss defeated, there were no more monsters to face.
Before them lied the treasure chest guarded by the Skeleton Knight.
Ketal smiled.
“Kasan.”
“T-that’s impossible.”
Kasan hurriedly shook his head.
The treasure chest, unlike before, was emitting a red light.
“It’s locked with a high-level lock. I can’t unlock it with my skills.”
There was not even a single possibility.
Ketal murmured with a tone of disappointment.
“Is that so? That’s a shame.”
“Yes. Unfortunately, we’ll have to give up on the chest…”
Crack.
Ketal delivered a swift punch.
The treasure chest shattered into pieces.
Silver coins and ornaments spilled out from inside.
Ketal nodded satisfactorily.
“The rewards are indeed greater. Kasan, please handle it.”
“…Yes.”
Kasan walked forward hesitantly.
To smash a treasure chest with brute force.
It was an unheard-of story.
‘…But if you could smash it, why did you ask me to unlock it?’
He felt somewhat unjust, but he wasn’t foolish enough to voice it aloud.
After completing all the checks, they exited the dungeon.
As they did, the entrance to the dungeon began to close with a rumble.
“What’s happening?”
“When you completely clear a dungeon, it disappears. I guess there was no such thing as a secret room here?”
“Secret rooms! Are there really such things?”
“Yes, there are. Although they’re not very common.”
“That sounds interesting too.”
Ketal laughed joyfully.
At that laughter, the party members shivered for a moment.
They were genuinely relieved to know that there were no secret rooms in the dungeon they had entered.
They soon returned to the castle wall.
The guard captain who was waiting stood up.
“How was it?”
“It was very satisfying. I feel fortunate to be alive.”
“I see…”
The guard captain hesitated for a moment and then cleared his throat awkwardly.
“Then, I’ll proceed with the verification process. Follow me one by one.”
Clearing the dungeon wasn’t the end.
It was necessary to confirm what happened during the process and whether there were any suspicious individuals.
Usually, during this process, there would be gossip and insults exchanged about the other party members.
Since they were forced to form a party with strangers to conquer the dungeon, there was no room for niceties.
But this time was different.
“There don’t seem to be any major issues.”
From the priest to the thief, and even the warrior, everyone gave vague, generalized comments about the others.
They all seemed very worn out.
The guard captain asked them.
“What about the barbarian?”
“…Shouldn’t he be fine?”
They vaguely trailed off in their response.
“He doesn’t seem like the type to cause trouble…”
The barbarian had the strength of a monster, but he hadn’t harmed them.
No, now that he thought about it, he was quite gentlemanly.
They had simply been intimidated by him; he was very different from the typical barbarian.
And Ketal passionately praised the excellence of his party members.
“Kasan was excellent. He removed traps as a thief and even unlocked the treasure chest. Alexandro stood firm as a warrior on the front lines. And Heize did the same. She supported our battles with numerous prayers.”
“I see…”
The guard captain pondered over the unexpected comments.
And he made a decision.
He granted permission for all four of them to enter.
“Permission is granted, but if any problems arise, you may be expelled. Be careful.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
The guard captain handed them something.
“And this. It’s the reward for clearing the dungeon. Distribute it among yourselves.”
Often, the rewards for clearing dungeons were taken by the guard.
But this time, it didn’t feel right.
“Oh, thank you.”
The barbarian readily accepted the reward.
“Now, let’s divide this fairly.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, no. It’s fine.”
They tried to protest and refuse, but Ketal shook his head.
“We’re all in this party together. Rewards should be distributed fairly. Don’t refuse.”
“Ah, okay…”
“Now then! Shall we have a drink to celebrate? Shall we find a tavern nearby?”
“Uh, sure?”
They wanted to get away from the barbarian as soon as possible.
But they couldn’t bring themselves to refuse the laughing barbarian’s invitation.
In the end, they were dragged along by the barbarian.
Watching them, the guard captain sighed.
‘…Is he the barbarian who defeated the Skeleton Knight with a single blow?’
He’s strong.
Monstrously strong.
It meant he was at least on the level of a knight.
‘But…’
He wasn’t a typical barbarian.
He had manners, knew how to consider others, and possessed considerable intelligence.
‘…A barbarian of legend.’
An alien existence.
After a long deliberation, the head of the guards made a decision.
“I don’t need more guards.”
“Yes, sir.”
The head of the guards walked away.
His steps were directed towards the castle of the territory.