Chapter 101
Dungeon Conquest, Day 3.
The Count and the Noble Killer were facing each other in the house.
Only two people remained now.
The PTSD Knight was dead.
The Half Ogre was dead.
The Black Mage was dead.
The Noble Killer's expression was grim.
Understandably so, given how fucked the situation was.
「Let's go.」
「Where to?」
「While you were asleep yesterday, I kept watch around the area and got various bits of information from the villagers.」
The Count was talking about the generator.
He said that if they solved the noise problem and the fuel issue, they might be able to get the elevator working.
Of course, they couldn't rule out the possibility that all of this was a bluff.
They should gather fuel while searching the area.
「We need to split up and search. We've lost a lot of people. There'll probably be more monsters than yesterday, and there'll be more than a couple things to watch out for, but the longer we drag this out, the harder it'll get.」
「Count.」
The Noble Killer asked.
「So there are four more areas like this left, then.」
The Count nodded.
「Should we just quit here?」
「Are you serious?」
「Yeah.」
The Noble Killer's resolve broke.
"……."
It's not hard to understand.
Passion can only burn if there's something worth burning for.
If someone told a wingless person to fly through the sky.
Would they try to do it through sheer will, or would they snort and tell them to fuck off?
「Let's just stay here.」
「You could be with your dead brother, and your late wife too. Yeah, maybe this really is an area where the souls of the dead return. This is a dungeon where only bizarre things happen.」
「Yeah. I know. I came here knowing this was a dangerous place. I came prepared to die, just like you, just like the others...」
「But... somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought maybe I'd be different.」
「After all, you're supposed to ride the elevator alone. Don't go outside. Honestly, looking at the walkthrough, it's fucking simple, isn't it? There's nothing hard about it. Maybe even a preschooler could do it.」
「I thought everyone died because they made mistakes, because they let their guard down, and so on.」
「I'll admit it... that was my arrogance.」
「This place is a Venus flytrap.」
「It gives off a sweet scent to flies like us, flies with desires... lures us in... then swallows us in one go... that's the kind of Venus flytrap this is...」
「I know that's a cowardly thing to say.」
「I know it's really an awful thing to say to the ones who died first.」
「But I'm scared, what am I supposed to do.」
「I don't want to die.」
「Ah, right. Let me correct that.」
「Anyway, if we do nothing, we'll die here all the same.」
「At the very least, I don't want to be skewered by those monster bastards and have my head eaten.」
.
.
.
What I sensed in the Noble Killer's expression was fear.
Yeah.
We are human.
If you're human, you can't help but feel fear in the face of death.
Even death has its grades.
At the very least, drowning while feeling happy in this village
is far better than dying to a creature.
He told the Count that Anemone was nothing more than a fake anomaly.
He said he'd met his younger brother too.
Perhaps what he told the Count was to steady his wavering heart.
Maybe it wasn't really meant for himself.
「Are you really going to be here?」
「I want to.」
「Do you want to leave? Or do you want to stay in the village because you can't leave?」
The Noble Killer fell silent.
The Count waited calmly until he spoke.
「Hey, Count. You probably don't care, but can I talk about myself for a bit?」
The Count nodded.
As if saying he'd listen as long as needed, he set his pen and paper down for a moment.
「My younger brother and I were born slaves.」
「And we were toys for the nobility.」
「Nobles from Northland like you.」
「Yeah. You can probably guess the rest.」
「That noble was sadistic in more ways than one and really loved abusing people. As you can see, I endured it, but my brother couldn't.」
「My brother died with his soul and body both utterly shattered by that noble.」
「That night, I strangled that bastard to death, and as the price, I became a fugitive.」
Normally, yes.
Unless they're a special case, people don't kill others for no reason.
A slave killing a noble is rare.
It was, as expected, a heavy story.
「My revenge was over, but life was empty.」
「My brother was dead... my status was that of a criminal... and all I had was a healthy body...」
「I didn't even know what I was supposed to do...」
「I've just been living all this time so I don't die.」
「A boring, uninteresting life.」
「That's all.」
The Count blinked.
The Count didn't think he was good at comforting people.
Besides, they weren't close enough for that; he was just quietly listening.
「The reason I came here...」
「I was going to use mana stones to get my crimes pardoned...」
「If I was lucky, maybe I'd even get a title...」
「Mana stones are that kind of thing...」
「I thought maybe that would fill this hollow part inside me.」
「A normal life was something I'd always dreamed of.」
「But now I can't take it out with me anymore...」
The Count shook his head.
He disagreed with that opinion.
He would escape this village by any means.
And he would conquer the remaining areas and take the mana stone with him for sure.
But.
The Noble Killer thought differently.
He had already given up on his goal.
「It's too cold and lonely outside.」
「I'm tired of living alone, sleeping alone, and struggling alone.」
「I'm tired of doing bad things that don't suit me... and I don't want to worry every day about being dragged off by the constable and executed anymore.」
「Because there's a warm bed here, my dead little brother is here, and I can eat plentiful, satisfying meals every day, so I won't have to be scared anymore, so... I think I'd be fine even if this were fake...」
「So, Count.」
「You don't have to give me your escape scroll.」
.
.
.
.
「Yeah.」
The choice was his to make.
Count Wolfhaufen decided to respect him.
Ahead of him lay only death.
He didn't want to criticize someone who wanted comfort.
That wasn't him being controlled by some anomaly.
It was the Noble Killer's decision, born from his true feelings.
He didn't take out the escape scroll.
The Count slowly began walking again.
.
.
.
The only one left now is the Count.
The Black Mage and the PTSD Knight died in the eastern forest.
Unlike the knight, the reason the Black Mage died couldn't be determined.
Because there was no clear feature like an alarm sound to latch onto.
The Black Mage was very cautious.
The kind who listened for the sound trait and even spent stock on trap placement.
I couldn't say it was 100% certain.
They probably carelessly wandered into a creature's range.
They probably wouldn't have made a stupid mistake like making a random noise.
From the start, he said he'd only check the trap's appearance.
So he probably didn't go in very deep.
The Count thought that 'You mustn't go into the eastern forest' might be
another rule of this village.
'The eastern forest is dangerous. Let's avoid it as much as possible.'
It was a pity that the machine blueprint was with the black mage.
Ah, no, there was no guarantee there was only one blueprint.
There might be a spare copy.
'He said he'd found the blueprint in the storeroom.'
The Count went into the storeroom and rummaged through the things there.
Fortunately, he was able to find another blueprint.
'He had already finished checking the south and confirmed there was no fuel.'
Now only the north, where the river flowed, and the western forest remained.
.
.
.
.
.
The Count headed north.
As expected, the frequency with which he encountered creatures increased.
It was clear evidence that their numbers had grown.
He was alone.
When you're alone, there are many blind spots.
It's not like human eyes are on the back of your head.
He walked as carefully as possible.
That meant he had no choice but to move slowly.
He also had to watch out for traps.
There was a river to the north.
The waterway wasn't especially wide or narrow, and it wound along the contours of the land.
Likewise, this place was also quiet, so the sound of the river flowing could be heard naturally.
'The creatures don't seem to react much.'
That made clear which sound the creatures reacted to.
They probably react to 'sounds prey would make.'
It looked like they had learned that the sound of flowing water wasn't particularly associated with prey.
That was fortunate.
Because this sound would mask his own.
He wouldn't have to worry about his footsteps as much as in other areas.
.
.
.
.
.
Finding fuel wasn't difficult.
At the end of the river stood a shabby hut.
Around it, young trees were growing thickly, and as long as he avoided the wires woven like spiderwebs, he could get inside without trouble.
The Count found a barrel filled with oil.
Normally, oil is stored in jars or dark-colored glass bottles, but this one was made of something red with a hard, faintly elastic texture.
'It feels kind of like rubber, with this awkward firmness.'
Curious mages would probably like it.
That was a thought that suddenly occurred to him.
The Count carefully picked up the oil barrel.
Fortunately, the trap didn't trigger or anything like that.
"……."
He had found quite a few traps along the way here.
For example, the thin wires set around this hut.
Traps looked like traps.
So if you were careful enough, it felt like you could spot them before touching them.
This Silent Village was shrouded in thick fog.
And at night, you couldn't see a thing.
The Count looked up at the sky.
The sun was starting to set.
By the generator's size, this amount wouldn't come close.
He would need more fuel.
He still hadn't checked the entire northern river.
The western forest was no different.
There was a lot to do.
But there was only one person, and time was running short.
Watching the creatures prowling nearby,
the Count carefully carried the oil barrel back to the village.
.
.
.
.
.
Dungeon Conquest, Day 4.
It took two days to check the entire north.
There was an accident midway through the work, when a moment's carelessness put him within a creature's range, but the Count somehow escaped by using the magic bomb he carried on him.
He didn't find a separate elevator.
Thus, operating the generator became the established escape method for Zone 5.
Now the only thing left was the western forest.
If he finished investigating that, he'd go south to check whether it was sufficient, and if it still wasn't, he'd have to risk it and investigate the eastern forest.
He stored the fuel at the house.
Stacked up like that, there was quite a lot of it.
It seemed he'd have to carry it in several trips.
It would have been nice if there had been even one more person.
He could really feel how short-handed they were.
Suddenly, he thought of the Noble Killer.
What had become of him?
The Count slowly walked on.
.
.
.
.
.
The Count knew.
He knew that the sounds the creatures reacted to could be identified.
They reacted to 'sounds prey would make.'
He knew how to distinguish that.
If that weren't the case, then they'd...
have to move their tentacles indiscriminately wherever a river flowed.
"……."
He heard a sound.
A very clear sound in this quiet Silent Village.
Through the window, the Count saw the Noble Killer.
With dull eyes, hair bleached white, and an awkward-looking posture, he was sitting on the sofa.
In front of him sat someone presumed to be his younger brother.
.
.
.
.
.
"뷁갹쀏굛걁쉸?둵뤡?"
The Noble Killer laughed.
"얕뭙궭!왍?워뤩왘퉭서!"
His younger brother laughed as well.
Even though their voices had lost all semblance of language structure.
They seemed to understand each other, and were chatting happily.
"……."
They both fell silent at the same time.
Then they turned their gazes.
They looked at the Count peeking at them through the window.
The smiles vanished from their faces.
They jerked their heads like people who'd seen something extremely unpleasant.
The Noble Killer stood up.
He drew the curtain.
With a swish, their figures disappeared from the Count's view.
"뷁갹쀏걁쉸?둵뤡?"
"얕뭙궭!왍?워뤩왘퉭서!"
The Count turned away.
He couldn't disturb those who were at rest.
"……."
Slowly, very slowly.
He moved away from that house.
***
Cowhead : The knight and the black mage were taken out in the eastern forest.
Cowhead : The Half Ogre got taken out by a creature in the south.
Cowhead : The criminal? Anyway, that guy gave up on his own.
Cowhead : Now the only one left is the Count...
Cowhead : Looks like the end is starting to come into view...
Giant Ant Queen: lol
Giant Ant Queen: This really is the easiest wave ever, yeah.
Golem King : It isn't even like the information-gathering through communication magic that's mostly been used until now...
Golem King : They just went with the 'headbutting-dinosaur' approach, so that's only natural.
DIP: Still, I think they were pretty skilled.
DIP: Well, that Noble Killer is an exception since he just had a mental breakdown and quit.
DIP: They came in at the start with only the info that it was about 'sound,'
DIP: If they sacrificed three people and got this close to clearing it, then yeah.
I Have No Minions : If they manage to get the generator running safely.
I Have No Minions : If the Count boards the elevator, then ㅇㅅㅇ
I Have No Minions : I'm kind of curious whether he'll use the escape scroll or not.
WhaleWhaleYeah : Of course he would use it.
WhaleWhaleYeah : How's he supposed to clear the remaining areas alone?
WhaleWhaleYeah : If I were the Count, I'd just call it quits.
WhaleWhaleYeah : I'd go outside and spend the remaining time with my daughter.
Psych Ward Chief Patient : If he were the kind of man satisfied with that,
Psych Ward Chief Patient : I don't think he would have entered Dreamland.
Psych Ward Chief Patient : That bastard, from what I can tell,
Psych Ward Chief Patient : is the most insane intruder we've seen so far.
Skeleton Bones : That much is true.
Skeleton Bones : Well, there's also the possibility he'll drag other people back in later.
Skeleton Bones : I'll put one vote on him using it.
Magic Hero : M-me too...
Magic Hero : He is, after all, a fairly rational man...
Magic Hero : I think... he would...
The World Is Cold : Agreed.
King Slayer : Hmm?
King Slayer : He won't have much time left with his daughter, either.
King Slayer : If he uses the scroll and gets out, that's it; I don't think he'll come back in.
Kingjjang Evil Spirit : Big agree, lol.
Orange★ : Hmm.
KongKong : Why "hmm"?
Orange★ : Just because it's interesting.
.
.
.
.
.
I checked the live reactions.
Most of the veterans are saying this wave is over.
Sure enough, the only one left now is the Count.
His companions all retired in Zone 5.
From the intruder's perspective, it was a hopeless situation.
Honestly, the chance of safely running the generator and escaping was slim enough already; how could he possibly clear the remaining zones alone?
Escape is the correct answer.
Most people, myself included, would think so.
But, how should I put it.
I'm not trying to defend the enemy or anything, but...
The Count doesn't feel like an ordinary person.
You could say he's unusual.
To me, who's been watching him all day,
there was something I couldn't quite put into words.
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Newbie!
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : What do you think, newbie?
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Do you think the Count will escape?
ㄴNewbie : :)
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : What?
ㄴShibgan Love Dog : Tell us ㅡ_ㅡ
Well, let's watch for now.
He's still in the Silent Village, after all.
Personally, though,
the veterans will definitely hate hearing this, but...
I hope he gives up on dungeon conquest.
And I hope I never run into him again.
"……."
As the dungeon master, is it even okay for me to think that?
I'm not sure, but I think Oblivion is truly a filthy son of a bitch.