11. First Co-op (5)
As the name suggests, acute dungeons may appear when and where.
Even Ian doesn’t know about all the acute dungeons.
Memory correction doesn’t tell everything either.
Therefore, the solution to the acute dungeon was solely up to the city or country that had jurisdiction over the area.
The ‘search team’ was also a position in the regional standing army that was created for that purpose.
When the search party found the E-class acute dungeon, the monster had already come out of the dungeon.
Fortunately, the monsters from that dungeon had very low mobility.
It’s been a while since it started coming out of the dungeon, but it hasn’t spread far.
– Tung!
The search squad leader has gone far away.
The monster, the cave lizard, swung its tail and struck him.
Its mobility is low, but it is strong and powerful.
Even though it looks small lying down on the floor, its size is bigger than that of an adult male.
The lizard’s head is tall enough to reach a person’s lap.
“Squad leader! Are you all right!”
Another member of the crew blocked his way and threw a spear.
It was best to scrape the sturdy leather with a spear blade.
The superhuman Search Squad Leader could somehow deal with F-class monsters, but not E-class.
It was his limitation as a superman who had no particular talent and was not strong.
‘Is the hero support still… .’
It’s been quite a while since the dispatch departed for the E-class dungeon being raided nearby.
It was their job to hold on until they came, but even holding on wasn’t easy.
“Keep!”
The weak members gradually fell.
It was a natural result because the members were weaker than the squad leader.
-Chulreuk… .
A lizard crawled over to a member of the crew, dripping poisonous saliva.
The squad leader quickly threw himself into a hug and walked away.
However, he also had no energy, so he stopped running and sat down with the crew.
“Squad leader… I was wrong… .”
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
A group of cave lizards, whose numbers had already increased, approached them.
That’s what he said, but he knows it’s hopeless.
‘Is it over… .’
The moment when the sense of defeat deepens as you want to give up.
– Kwadeuk!
The ice spear fell.
The huge ice spear, reminiscent of a tower, fell vertically and crushed the lizards standing around it.
They were so big that several of them were crushed at the same time by one ice spear.
“What… .”
Even that wasn’t the only one.
Several ice spears fell, aiming for the cave lizards surrounding them.
“Wizard… The wizard is here!”
“Well, I guess so… . But what kind of magic is this… .”
That wasn’t the end.
In the distance where the monsters of the Acute Dungeon flowed out, huge lightning rained down.
At one time, the squad leader wanted to become a hero, but now he gave up.
That’s why he had a lot of interest in warriors, and he had met warriors several times due to the nature of his job.
To him, such powerful magic was inevitably unfamiliar.
‘… Thunderbolt? Why is such a high-ranking mage here… .’
The cave lizards exploded as lightning struck as if toppling the ground.
The firepower was so strong that it didn’t cook or burn, but just exploded.
The squad leader who saw the magic felt puzzled.
‘Thunderbolts fall from the sky, but that’s just vertical from a magic circle created in the air… . Maybe Lightning Bolt… ? Is this possible?’
Even the air here was heated by a lightning strike from far away.
“You seem to be a very great wizard. I can’t even see it yet… .”
“Isn’t the nearby dungeon E-class?”
“Yes that’s right.”
The squad leader became more puzzled.
I don’t have the firepower to attack E-class dungeons… .
“Are you okay?”
With a loud shout from afar, a girl with flowing orange hair came running.
From the clothes and the equipment, anyone can see that he was a priest.
Behind him was a woman who was clearly a sorceress, covering her upper body with a large conical hat and running with a face as red as her own hair.
“You are seriously injured!”
The orange-haired priest who approached immediately began healing.
“thank you. Malcolm, the 5th Squad Leader of the Superbia Search Party… .”
“Don’t talk! Wounds open!”
“… … .”
The agent asked on his behalf.
“Thank you very much. Are you the warriors who came after hearing the dispatch?”
“Yes! I am Helena!”
The red-haired wizard who arrived next put on a hat.
Malcolm realized why she ran with her upper body covered.
‘It must be difficult to run… .’
Along with the red-haired wizard, his companions also arrived.
An elf, a maid with silver hair covering her eyes, a woman with pigtails who looked like a scholar, and a man who seemed to be a villain rather than a hero.
It was a bizarre combination, but the squad leader struggled to discern who was not a hero.
‘That man must be a warrior, a maid… what the hell is that?’
“I’m fine now, so I need a crew member.”
“All right!”
A cave lizard was seen escaping the encirclement.
There is a hole in the other side.
“oh! A monster… !”
While Helena was confused, a man who appeared to be a warrior spoke.
“Helena continues to focus on healing. Vivian, please stop them from escaping first.”
“yes.”
Malcolm got up and approached him, who seemed to be a warrior and representative.
“This is Malcolm, the 5th Squad Leader of the Superbia Search Party.”
“This is Ian.”
“Thank you for your support, Champion Ian.”
“… Ah, I am not a warrior.”
“Yes?”
“This is the party manager.”
Ian.
It was a name I had never heard before.
***
Helena’s healing ability has been further improved.
More than when I checked at the training center.
It’s just that you can’t say it’s above average.
I just finished a dungeon and I’m tired, but I’m in much better condition.
The reason was immediately clear.
It wasn’t that she was exhausted, but Helena was extremely focused on this situation.
It could be because he remembered the past when his village almost suffered.
It could be that the excitement from the dungeon he just finished solving is still there.
Vivian was in a similar situation.
He pours firepower to the point of ignorance, but the use of mana is sophisticated and delicate.
It was a moment that proved once again that the two were much stronger in real life.
I asked Malcolm, who was seriously thinking about something.
“Are there monsters anywhere other than here?”
“Yes. We deployed the search party widely around the dungeon.”
It was the most basic countermeasure against acute dungeons.
To surround the monsters so they don’t spread.
After I heard the location from Malcolm, I sent Kati.
[Cleanup is over.]
It didn’t spread very widely, so Kati came back quickly.
“Fortunately, there are no fatalities, and there is no other place with as many monsters as here.”
“Yes? how to do that… .”
Tapping on the ring, he explained briefly.
“It is an artifact. Anyway, the survivors say they will come here… .”
While we were talking, Kati came back.
The injured people have recovered enough to be able to handle themselves, and all the cave lizards that have come out have been cleaned up.
“I will start the dungeon raid right away.”
“Ah, ah, yes. All right.”
Malcolm, who had been dazed by the word artifact, hurriedly came to his senses.
“I will have a few people wait outside the dungeon in case of an unexpected situation.”
Malcolm quickly gathered personnel, sent those who needed more treatment, and gathered those who were fine.
Meanwhile, I called Vivian and Helena.
“There is no time to delay, so I will explain quickly and go in.”
“yes.”
“Yes!”
“This dungeon is also a fork in the road. The problem is, it splits and doesn’t come together. Even the last space is divided.”
It is a V-shaped crossroads, and it is divided into the cavity where the boss monster is located.
This isn’t a boss monster, it’s a different form, but it’s a place where you can’t afford to cooperate anyway.
“With the skills of the two of you, you can easily break through alone. However, since we have to be separated from each other to the end, the question is who I follow… .”
Vivian and Helena met eyes.
“My… .”
Before Helena could say anything.
“I will go alone.”
Vivian spoke first.
“oh… . no! Vivian… .”
“Since Vivian said it first, it’s over. I’m going with Helena. Instead, Kati and Mercy will fight Vivian. I don’t know what will happen.”
“yes. I know.”
Even now, the cave lizard was still trying to crawl out, so I hurried to move.
A few of the resurrected search party recognized this side and whispered.
“… Are those people warriors? Are there too many?”
“Only the two people in the back say they are warriors.”
“The two of us will solve the problem here… ? What rank do you think these warriors are?”
It was an unreliable sight because of the small number of people.
Malcolm stopped right away.
“What are these bastards whispering to those who have come to help?”
“… … .”
“Fuck all the bastards you just muttered, go ahead. You stay here until the very latest. Got it?”
Leaving that little fuss behind, I entered the acute dungeon.
***
Ian continued to explain the dungeon until a fork appeared.
The most important thing is, of course, about the monsters.
Cave lizards often cling to the walls or ceilings of passageways.
The color and texture of the leather are similar to the walls of the caves where they appear, so be especially careful.
In the blink of an eye, there are quite a few temporary heroes who are attacked and killed by lizards that have fallen from the ceiling.
They can hide in the cracks in the walls and floors, so Ian urged us not to let down our guard.
At the point where the road diverged, Ian emphasized again.
“Ceilings and walls. and wall or floor gaps. Be careful with everything. Because these guys are a little slow, they could get ahead and get attacked from behind.”
It was a warning to Vivian.
Helena went with Ian in the first place, so there was no need to emphasize that much.
Vivian was a little happy about that concern, which was serious but tinged with a bit of impatience.
Even though I know it’s a bad heart.
“yes. I will be very careful.”
“Miss Vivian! You will do well! Don’t get hurt!”
“Helena too.”
“Whoever arrives first wins!”
“Yumma, Mercy. Do you know what kind of race this is?”
“I can’t lose!”
“It’s not a race, is it?”
“oh! Is that so!”
Helena, Ian and Iris take the left path.
Vivian, Kati, and Mercy entered the right path.
*
Even though he knew that this was an environment where Vivian would thrive, Ian repeatedly warned her to be careful.
You never know what will happen in real life, so I couldn’t help but worry.
That worry was in vain.
As he expected, the dungeon’s environment was prepared for Vivian.
“Ohh… .”
Mercy, who followed, admired.
Whether it sticks to the ceiling and then falls, or hides in a crevice and surprises you.
All to no avail.
The ‘auto-interceptor body’ from the artifact obtained earlier defended itself from the cave lizard’s surprise.
Vivian’s ruthless lightning bolt, which extended from the cloud-shaped magical body, was aimed precisely at the cave lizard.
Mercy and Kati were not hurt.
Such was the ability to detect ‘enemies’ around them.
Even with her own strength, Vivian couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘It takes care of even the things I didn’t recognize… .’
I realized anew how great an artifact is.
All Vivian was doing was moving forward and dealing with any cave lizards she could see.
Artifact reacted even to dripping saliva.
-phut!
The cave lizard that had fallen from the air with saliva evaporated.
Vivian looked up and smiled contentedly.
‘Thanks to Ian, this… .’
If it wasn’t for Ian, things I couldn’t even imagine happen again and again.
“At this rate, you’ll be number one!”
Mercy playfully shouted from behind.
Vivian smiled and replied vigorously.
“yes! I will do better!”
*
Helena, who was ahead of the aisle, asked earnestly.
“Ian.”
“yes?”
“Should we finish this dungeon as soon as possible?”
“Um… . Now that we’re in and blocking the way, there’s no need to finish quickly. Well, there’s no reason to finish late.”
“I… There is something I want to do.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, what should I say… . Pushing the road with protection… .”
Ian didn’t draw what that meant.
Anyway, fighting in a dungeon, there was no reason to refuse because I wanted to try it.
“Well, do whatever you want. I’ll be looking at the back. But don’t be too careless.”
“Yes… ! All right!”
Helena spread the shield wide, slowly adjusting its shape and size.
fit the aisle.
Afterwards, Ian realized what Helena wanted to do.
“aaah-!”
Helena spread the protection exactly to the size of the aisle, then rushed forward.
The cave lizards attached to the walls and ceiling were swept away by the protection.
It was literally sweeping away monsters like a bulldozer.
Because of its anti-elasticity, the cave lizard, once swept away, bounced away and repeatedly bumped into the running guard.
Ian laughed at the ignorant solution.
‘There is an attack method using counter-elasticity, but it’s like this… .’
Helena cleared the dungeon with terrifying speed.
It was Ian’s job to dispose of the lizard left in the crevice.
Iris watched Helena advance like a chariot and wrote it down in her notebook.
‘The priest’s protection can also be used for offensive purposes… .’
*
Malcolm firmly guarded the dungeon entrance with the crew.
Those who had been carelessly teasing earlier were still lying face down with their heads banged up.
“What is going on inside… ?”
a search crew member asked.
Not long after they entered, a tremendous roar came out.
The sound of electricity tearing through the air and breaking through walls.
And then there was the unimaginable sound of something gigantic pushing the ground as hard as it could and charging… .
“They are great warriors. We can do things that are hard to imagine.”
Even though he had come from solving an E-class dungeon, Malcolm was sure.
They’ve already reached that level.
While waiting, I saw people climbing the hill in the distance.
They were the residents of the farmhouse near this dungeon.
“Malcolm! Are you not hurt?”
the old man in the lead asked.
He knew Malcolm, having patrolled the area several times.
“Senior, what are you doing here? Oh, the priest treated all the wounded as well as me.”
“What is it? They say that there are warriors who have come to help, so why not say thank you?”
“Ahaha… .”
“But why are these soldiers doing this?”
“These gossip that there are two heroes… .”
“Ouch, tsk tsk. It should stay like this for a few more days.”
Even when the blood rushed to their heads and their eyes seemed to fall out, the soldiers could not stand up.
However, the words that there were only two of them made the villagers a little uneasy.
It was a common sense reaction.
Because the warriors’ party is at least three, no matter how few there are.
Malcolm, who read that sign, grinned.
“You don’t have to worry. For the warriors who have entered now, two of them will be enough.”
People were relieved then.
After Malcolm explained a little about the performance of the two, people began to wait for the hero with anticipation.
A number of people waiting for Ian’s party gathered outside the dungeon.
*
The number of superhumans in the total population is 1%.
Among superhumans, 1% are heroes.
Those who become ‘regular warriors’ are 1% again.
Only they can challenge C-grade or higher dungeons.
And, the highest SS grade of the current warrior is 5 parties.
S is the column immediately below.
Below that, A stays in the double digits.
In other words, for the ‘1st warrior party’, which is above all warrior parties, an A-grade dungeon is nothing more than a walking trail that can be passed even with closed eyes.
In that A-rank dungeon, Arya was injured.
“… … .”
She blankly rolled up her sleeves and looked down at her forearms.
The expression “I was hurt” was also a funny wound.
It is just a slight scratch caused by a child falling while playing.
It was a nun’s uniform that Ian matched, with various enchantments attached to it, making it stronger than a plate.
Even if it had been hit on bare skin, it would have been torn slightly.
With that much, Arya could heal with just one breath.
That’s not what’s important.
I allowed the situation itself to hurt me.
It wasn’t just because Sylvia was missing.
carelessness and arrogance.
And, confusion.
From the moment Arya entered the dungeon, her mind seemed to be floating.
Only envy and regret for what I couldn’t have filled my head.
Every time he used a miracle, his thoughts grew bigger.
A feeling of intrusiveness that I hadn’t felt when he was around.
That kept reminding me of Ian.
“… … .”
“aria… .”
Kylie called her with a complicated feeling.
“The title of the 1st party is luxurious.”
Beatrice was sarcastic.
Arya didn’t respond.
“… I’m OK.”
Not even a serious injury.
It wasn’t that I couldn’t clear the dungeon.
There is no reason not to be okay.
Standing up with a smile, she looked up at the magic stone that looked high.
that’s what you can have
If you want, whatever.
so i didn’t like it.
It reminded me of something I couldn’t have, so it wasn’t okay either.
All three now had to admit.
The vague cracks became clearer.
That rift soon became Ian’s vacant seat.