BXBX NOVEL Chapter 23 – Uncharted Dungeon (1)
Chapter 23 – Uncharted Dungeon (1)
Chapter 23 – Uncharted Dungeon (1)
“Well….”
The lord of Barkan Territory groaned at Cain’s words.
“His Majesty wishes for the conquest of the Forbidden Lands….”
“People are sacrificing their lives in vain under the guise of reconnaissance.”
Cain flicked his tongue as if he was fed up.
The lord asked seriously,
“Is this true?”
“It is. To an unstoppable extent. Does His Majesty wish to become the reincarnation of the ancient emperor who once held this world in his hands?”
Cain shook his head.
The emperor who ultimately went to conquer the White Snow Plains, only to be defeated and die.
That legend was incredibly famous.
“The White Snow Plains….”
The barbarian of that place were here.
Cain smiled bitterly.
“Well, it’s quite a story. We haven’t even conquered all the human territories yet. The White Snow Plains are the largest and most unknown place in the Forbidden Lands. There’s still a long way to go. However….”
“Someday it will come.”
“That’s right. This place is also part of the empire’s territory, so it could be summoned. It’s better to give advance notice.”
“Thank you.”
The lord bowed.
Cain leaned back on the couch, seeming troubled.
“The world is already strange enough, and the Emperor is half out of his mind. It’s really giving me a headache.”
“Is the rumor true?”
“Yes. The movements of demons are starting to become visible one by one. And the cycle of dungeon occurrences is unusual. There are rumors that the abnormalities of the Forbidden Lands are leaking out.”
Something is happening.
And it’s not good for humans.
Cain came to Barkan Territory to deliver that warning.
This was his hometown.
Suddenly, Cain smirked as if something had occurred to him.
“Well, when you think about it, the most bizarre thing is already here.”
“…That’s true.”
The barbarian of the White Snow Plains.
The human who appeared in the oldest and largest area of the Forbidden Lands, Ketal.
He was here.
“What do you think?”
“I’m not sure.”
The lord spoke honestly.
“He’s not a hostile presence to us. But beyond that, we can’t know. What do you think, Cain?”
“I think similarly. He’s a being who fundamentally knows how to consider others. If left alone, there shouldn’t be a problem. But….”
Cain swallowed his saliva.
The laughter Ketal showed at the end still sent shivers down his spine.
‘Is it amusement?’
He may consider others and follow order, but he’s not a being who will bend his will.
“…Untouched beasts don’t rampage, do they.”
Cain muttered.
* * *
The man, George, was a farmer.
It was time to harvest the results of a year’s work.
But there was too much for him to do alone.
So, he hired mercenaries.
Every year, he called mercenaries to help with the harvest.
They were noisy and rude, but they got the job done reliably.
He never regretted his decision as their price was cheap.
But this year, for the first time, George regretted that choice.
“Do I have to harvest potatoes?”
“Yes, yes….”
George stammered.
Biceps larger than his torso.
Muscles that looked like pieces of a statue covered in leather armor.
Ketal stood before him.
‘Ah, a barbarian.’
He had heard rumors.
A ridiculously large barbarian was in the territory.
But he didn’t think it would be related to a simple farmer like himself, so he didn’t pay attention.
But to receive a request for harvesting, that was unexpected.
George trembled as he shuffled his feet.
“This way, please.”
George led Ketal to the potato field.
Ketal murmured as he confirmed the size of the potato field.
“It’s vast.”
The area of the potato field was considerable.
It was so large that even if he worked all day, he couldn’t dig it all up.
George forced a smile and said,
“If, if you find it too difficult, you can take a break. I’ll handle it myself.”
So far, George had yelled at the complaining mercenaries to dig the potatoes immediately.
It was good to treat the ignorant mercenaries like that.
But he couldn’t do that to Ketal.
He felt like Ketal would snap his waist if he shouted.
Ketal nodded.
“No. I’ve been given a task. I should act accordingly.”
“But still, it’s too vast to dig one by one. Hmm.”
Ketal stroked his chin as he looked at the potato field.
As George watched him nervously, he heard Ketal’s footsteps.
Thunk!
And then, it sounded like something hit the ground.
A loud noise spread. George momentarily thought that an earthquake had occurred.
However, the range of that earthquake was limited to the potato field.
Soil flew in all directions, and potato leaves scattered.
George’s face turned pale.
“W-What’s happening?”
“There. The preparation is done. Now, we just need to harvest.”
Ketal crouched down and started picking potatoes one by one.
And in that sight, George realized.
“Huh, what?”
Harvesting potatoes was quite laborious.
As the potatoes were buried deep in the ground, one had to dig through the hard soil and find each potato seed.
It was also physically taxing to dig through the tough soil, often causing backaches.
But now, as if the potato field had been plowed, all the potatoes were overturned and scattered around.
There was no need to dig the soil; just picking up the potatoes as they were would suffice.
‘What, what’s going on?’
Did that barbarian do this with just a kick?
A chill ran down his spine. Cold sweat trickled down his back. While George was harvesting potatoes, Ketal, who had caused this, chuckled.
“Are you alright? You don’t look too good.”
“I’m fine! I’ll help too!”
“You’re the client, you can leave it to me.”
“No! No, I insist! I’ll help!”
George shouted desperately and hastily put the potatoes in the basket.
The potato harvest ended at a much faster pace than usual.
But George never thought of calling Ketal again.
* * *
“The task is complete.”
“Yes. I received the message. You’re still quite fast.”
Rosa looked at Ketal with an amazed face.
Harvesting the potato field usually takes at least two days.
Ketal finished it in just two hours.
It was still an astonishing speed.
“Here’s your compensation.”
“Thank you.”
Ketal smiled and accepted the silver coins.
Looking at the task sheet, Rosa opened her mouth.
“Are you considering taking on more tasks? You seem to have plenty of time, so you can do as you please.”
Rosa’s attitude towards Ketal had somewhat become familiar.
Ketal had been coming to the guild hall every day for a week now.
She was gradually getting used to Ketal.
Not only her, but other mercenaries had also grown accustomed to this giant presence.
Although the bustling guild hall quieted down whenever he appeared, it didn’t fall silent like before.
Quiet conversations still went on as long as they didn’t disturb him.
Normally, Ketal would have immediately requested another task.
But Ketal was just staring quietly at the silver coins in his hand.
Rosa was puzzled by his attitude.
Soon, Ketal spoke up.
“The enemy.”
“What?”
Rosa’s heart stopped for a moment.
It wasn’t a metaphor; her heartbeat literally paused temporarily.
Did this barbarian have some dissatisfaction?
She stuttered with a pale face.
“Of course, Ketal is an incredibly skilled and remarkable mercenary, but the compensation for this task is set at that level. Of course, I also feel sorry, but even if you’re Ketal, there should be fairness, so increasing the reward for the task….”
“No. I know that. I’m not saying that.”
Ketal shook his head. Rosa barely managed to calm her racing heart.
“Is that so?”
“I just need money.”
“Do you not have enough? I think there’s plenty of flexibility.”
Although the compensation for the task itself was minimal, Ketal handled an overwhelming number of tasks.
At least, it wasn’t enough to cause discomfort in his life.
“No. I have something I need to buy.”
Ketal suddenly realized.
How long should he continue wearing this leather vest?
While the vest made from the skin of beasts he killed was undoubtedly excellent, it couldn’t be considered civilized attire.
Perhaps people were scared and terrified of him because he didn’t wear proper clothes.
Well, even in modern society, who would approach someone who only wore a leather vest? He regretted his foolishness.
He had become too accustomed to the values of the barbarians after spending too much time with them.
Deeply regretting it, he decided to correct his mistake now.
He would buy clothes.
Ketal moved immediately.
He asked a passing citizen about a clothing store.
The citizen kindly responded.
Ketal expressed his gratitude and headed to the clothing store.
Fantasy shopping.
It was also a very enjoyable activity.
Ketal opened the door to the store with joy.
The shop owner shouted for guards with a pale face, but Ketal calmly explained the misunderstanding.
Having cleared up the misunderstanding, Ketal looked around the store.
It was his first time getting fitted for clothes in the fantasy world.
He didn’t want cheap ones. Fortunately, the clothing store was good enough to meet Ketal’s expectations.
But there was a problem.
The clothes were too small.
Ketal’s body was much larger than that of an average human.
He needed custom-made clothes rather than those sold in the store.
So, he asked the shop owner about the price.
After checking Ketal’s body for a moment, the shop owner cautiously said something.
And when Ketal heard the price, he was surprised.
He needed more money than he had imagined.
With the money he had now, it was simply not enough.
He asked if he was being ripped off, but judging by the way the shopkeeper trembled and and sat down, he concluded that wasn’t the case.
It simply cost a lot of money to prepare clothes of that size to fit his body.
This was the medieval era.
Unlike modern times where machines make clothes, custom-made clothes were inevitably expensive.
And for someone as large as Ketal, it would be even more so.
Ketal accepted this.
In any case, the important thing was that he needed money.
Listening to Ketal’s explanation, Rosa nodded.
“I see… It’s indeed possible that you might be short on money in such cases.”
“Even though I’m working hard to complete tasks, it’s difficult to secure enough funds. Is there no other way?”
“Hmm…”
Rosa pondered.
There was a way to get money.
But could she say it?
Or not?
After some thought, Rosa made up her mind.
This barbarian was very sensible and polite.
It shouldn’t matter.
“There is a way to take on more challenging tasks.”
“What? Is that true?”
“Yes. You know how when you first entered the territory, you formed a party and cleared a dungeon. It’s similar to that.”
Ketal was still an F-rank mercenary.
He couldn’t take on tasks like dungeon exploration.
But if it wasn’t just him but a group, then it was a different story.
“A minimum of a 4-person party. If you meet that condition, you can receive higher-level tasks. Like dungeon explorations.”
“Wow!”
Ketal’s eyes sparkled.
When he first cleared the dungeon, even though it was divided among four people, a considerable amount of money came out of it.
Moreover, the fact that he could do dungeon exploration again.
Forming a party, performing their respective roles, and clearing unknown dungeons.
One of the happiest moments since coming here was within his reach.
Ketal still cherished the happiness of that time.
“A 4-person party. I need to form a party.”
Ketal turned his head.
The mercenaries who had been listening quietly startled.
They quickly exchanged glances, and then there was the sound of chairs being pushed as they hastily got up.
“Uh, sorry, busy. Busy!”
“Let’s go to solve the task!”
The mercenaries rushed out.
In an instant, there was no one left in the guild hall except Ketal.
Ketal muttered with a disappointed expression.
“Looks like everyone’s busy.”
“Ahaha…”
Although there were no mercenaries in the guild hall who were too busy spending the whole day drinking, Rosa didn’t bother to mention it.
Sometimes, it was better not to say anything in this world.
One reason Rosa hadn’t mentioned this method until now was also for this reason.
There wouldn’t be any significant mercenaries willing to form a party with this barbarian.
“Is it impossible without a party?”
“Yes. That’s the rule….”
“If it’s a rule, then I’ll follow it. It’s regrettable.”
Just as Ketal was lamenting and trying to find another way, the door opened.
Ketal and Rosa’s gaze turned towards it.
“What, what’s this?”
“Wow!”
And Ketal exclaimed.
“Kasan! It’s been a long time!”
“Hehehe!”
A thief. Kasan screamed in surprise.
* * *
Kasan.
A thief who cleared the dungeon with him, and his comrade.
Ketal strode forward.
As he approached the barbarian who had become closer to him, Kasan’s figure seemed even smaller.
He patted Kasan’s shoulder.
“Long time no see! How have you been?”
“Oh, just… managing, I guess…”
Kasan replied, stumbling over his words.
Ketal grinned and replied.
“Were you a mercenary too? I’ve never seen you before.”
“Hahaha…”
Well, Kasan deliberately avoided the time when Ketal would be coming.
Rumors about the huge barbarian had spread throughout the territory, and it was impossible not to know who Ketal was.
So Kasan avoided Ketal as much as possible.
But eventually, they met like this. Kasan’s face darkened.
But his misfortune didn’t end there.
As if Ketal had a good idea, he clapped his hands.
“Right! Perfect timing! Kasan. How about clearing a dungeon with me again?”
“Uh, me?”
“It’s better to do it with someone experienced than someone new! It’s a good idea when I think about it! Let’s form a party together! And conquer the dungeon!”
“Uh, well…”
Kasan tried to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.
Ketal grabbed Kasan’s shoulders. Kasan felt momentarily overwhelmed.
So, without even realizing it, he found himself nodding.
Ketal grinned.
“Great! Rosa! We’ve got one person. We just need two more!”
“Well, that’s great.”
Rosa forced a smile.
Kasan looked at her with desperate eyes, as if asking for help.
Rosa avoided his gaze.