＜ Episode 42 ＞
Episode 42.
A door as huge as a passageway was half open, and around it were piled up more corpses than I had ever seen.
“It was a pretty rough battle. It seems that the defense system of the dungeon was quite strong.”
Doyle, who carefully scanned the surroundings with sensors and judged that there was no danger, looked at the wounds on the corpse and the broken weapons around the door.
“I expected it, but there are talented people. This is an invincible mark.”
Everyone’s eyes focused on Pei-Lung’s words as he looked at the place where one side of the wall had been cut.
The walls of the most durable alloy were cracked open, and I could see that they were full of broken machinery.
“What are your expected skills?”
Zhao, who had been looking at Lucas’s words, hardened his expression.
“No matter how bad it is, it’s first class. The expected weapon is a heavy sword or long sword. Judging by the traces, it is the type that puts power into one blow. It’s a tactic that is not often used in battles between warriors.”
With an eye for extracting information from the opponent with only a simple trace, John stuck his tongue out inwardly.
‘It seems that there are things that only unmanned people can see. I need to study those things too.’
If you have information about your opponent, you can always find a way to attack them.
In the future of John, who is rising to the mainstream rather than being a widely spread solver in the slums, a fight with the talented will inevitably await, and in order to prepare for that time, it was necessary to accumulate more knowledge.
‘I guess I’ll have to ask Miller for a mugshot.’
Peirung’s voice stuck in John’s ear as he looked for traces in his thoughts.
“You are saying that you are not orthodox. Should I like this or not?”
Everyone in the party made subtle expressions at Peirong’s muttering.
The unmanned people in Luna are largely divided into two categories.
One type is those who study martial arts deeply and train to become superhuman by raising their own level.
The other is those who actively intervene in the world based on the martial arts they have learned to increase their reputation and pursue worldly wealth.
They are often referred to as the orthodox faction and the secular faction. In terms of the depth of martial arts, the orthodox faction is dominant, but the secular faction is not easy either.
While the orthodox warriors focus only on their martial arts and pursue the highest level, the secular warriors tend to actively utilize things outside of martial arts.
In a simple confrontation, the orthodox warriors are likely to win, but in situations with many variables, such as battles or conflicts, the secular warriors have the advantage.
Peilong is orthodox.
Since he bets everything on a single spear, if a situation arises in which he faces an unidentified secular soldier, it can be said that he has a high chance of winning, but now it is a special situation called a dungeon.
It couldn’t be said to be advantageous, and it hurts to create a situation where you have to face off one-on-one.
“Well, let me take care of that part.”
“······ Tsk.”
Seeing Fei-Lung like that, Zhao laughed viciously, and Pei-Lung turned his head away with a clenched tongue.
On the outside, he doesn’t have much armament, but in a way, Zhao might be the most heavily armed among them.
If Peirong is orthodox, Zhao is learning the martial arts of a secular faction that is quite extreme.
“There are wizards too.”
Just when a subtle air current began to flow between the two warriors, Fioren’s voice subtly penetrated.
Fioren, who had a human-looking smile, continued by stroking one side of the wall.
“Although it is faint, traces of mana remain. You used high-density compressed magic. It looks like a missile type.”
“It’s a fire missile. With this level of proficiency, you are a wizard who has officially dug into the flame system. I must prepare.”
Everyone stiffened their faces at Lucas’ words.
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Most wizards deal with elements, but among them, the destructive power of fire magic is famous.
If a fire-related wizard decides to bombard, it is not impossible to turn an area into a sea of fire, so it is nonsense to neglect preparations for this.
“The armament is also relatively up-to-date. It is not a product that goes around the market. Maybe they are corporate-sponsored.”
It is an open secret that the military industry in Luna runs an armed organization to test the performance of its weapons.
Even if such an armed organization entered the dungeon, it wasn’t strange at all.
“What is your opinion?”
While the party was preparing for the future by expressing their own opinions, Fioren asked in a calm voice, and everyone’s eyes focused on John.
“Each one has an opinion. It was useful information. I think it would be even better if you added your opinion.”
‘Look at this?’
He asked with a smile on his face, but his eyes weren’t smiling, and it seemed like he was asking John for his opinion, but no one failed to notice the underlying intention behind it.
Except for John, everyone in the party has their own distinct abilities.
Peirung and Zhao seem certain to have reached the level of martial arts.
Doyle’s whole body, which seems to have been made for military purposes, is not something that can be ignored even by those with abilities.
In addition, Fioren and Lucas, who showed their skills and insight as wizards.
Only John showed no special ability, so Fioren is urging you to show your ability.
And if John showed his ability to go unnoticed by them, John’s position in the group would fall to the bottom, and from that moment on, it was clear that John would have no more meaning than a meat shield.
Everyone put on excited faces, and Lucas seems to be quite welcoming of the situation with a slightly flushed face.
‘Tsk.’
John doesn’t like to reveal his hand, but he can’t be treated like a bundle.
With an unwilling expression, John opened his mouth.
“More than 20 people entered inside. Two of them will have to be careful.”
“······ Well?”
Fioren’s smiling face seemed to crack at John’s flowing answer.
“We formed an accurate formation and dominated the surroundings. They probably built a temporary camp with something like a large shield. There are traces here.”
“Hoo.”
“······ Right. He is right.”
Doyle, who looked closely at the floor John pointed to, affirmed, and the smile on Fioren’s face slowly faded.
“The other one is a little late. Didn’t fight much The power will remain intact, so you will have to be careful.”
“How do you know?”
At Fioren’s slightly nervous question, John pointed to the floor leading to the door.
“His footsteps are steady. It seems to be a team of about 6 people, but all 6 people matched the stride at almost the same interval. These people have high synergy when they exist as a team, regardless of their individual combat abilities. I can’t be careless.”
Fioren’s friendly-looking face slowly began to distort.
“You can calculate the number of people entering in the same way. Twenty people have been identified. However, there is a possibility that some of them did not leave traces of themselves or erased them. That’s why I said more than that.”
“Great!”
Lucas smiled brightly and clapped, and Fioren stopped laughing.
“More than anything.”
John walked to the half-open door and reached out to stroke his chest high.
Perseok.
“What?”
“······ Hmm.”
It is surprising that the door, which seemed not to budge from a moderate amount of gunfire, was shattered by John’s light touch, but isn’t John pulling something out from inside?
After examining the fingernail-sized sensor that flashed red light for a moment, John threw it at Doyle with a light gesture.
“······ Motion detection sensor. It’s something I’ve never seen before.”
“They are the ones who install these things even while entering the dungeon. Do you understand what that means even if I don’t say it?”
“It wouldn’t be strange if there were traps as soon as we entered.”
Everyone’s faces stiffened at Zhao’s hardened expression.
“Is this enough?”
Only John asked, looking at Fioren, whose face was distorted with a calm expression, and Fioren, who had changed from a personable middle-aged man to a murderer full of life, opened his mouth chewing.
“······ that’s enough.”
“That’s it.”
The camouflage hiding the sensor was so close to perfection that even Doyle couldn’t find it, but he couldn’t escape John’s gaze contemplating the microscopic world.
One part of the door was different from the surrounding molecular structure, so I noticed it at once.
“great! good! Also, I did a good job recruiting you. Had I done this wrong, there would have been casualties as soon as I entered!”
Everyone couldn’t help but nod their heads at Lucas’ cry.
In a way, it is a matter of course to be considered, but the party, made up of talented people and people equivalent to them, did not pay attention to trivial things, and it was a situation where it could have been fatal damage.
Since John understood that part, the party had no choice but to acknowledge him.
The ability that John showed there.
The ability to shatter hardened alloys so easily was enough to keep them wary.
“Thanks for the nice comments. Your insight is great. If so, what would you like us to do?”
Fioren, who had fixed his expression before he knew it, asked with a polite face, and the group’s eyes turned to John.
“Simple.”
Holding the sensor from Doyle in his hand, John sandwiched it between his fingers.
Perseok!
Everyone’s eyes lit up at the sight of the sensor shattering like sand, and at the same time, a loud rumbling was felt from the inside of the door.
ridge!
It didn’t affect the outside of the door, but it was enough to feel the remnants of that power, and that time when everyone in the party was startled by the unusual wave of power.
“If you activate the trap, that’s it. It took quite a bit of effort, but it’s hard to think of a booby trap like this as a trap with continuity.”
Everyone made strange faces as they watched John shake off the powder from his hands with a calm face.
He felt uncomfortable with John, who looked more professional than Doyle, who looked like a soldier.
“…Are all people from the slums like you?”
Zhao’s bewildered question was filled with questions from the party, and Doyle answered.
“… that’s not going to be it. No matter how you look at it, you seem to have some military experience. I don’t think that’s a common army, is that right?”
“Think whatever you want.”
The moment when the group’s heads were about to become complicated while watching John turn his head with a sad expression.
“Then can I go in now?”
Lucas shouted with a strangely hot face, and everyone nodded.
“I don’t know what kind of guys are inside, but it won’t be a big deal. Of course considering the power of our party! There are experts out there that you might not have thought of. Isn’t it?”
Confirming that everyone was in agreement, Lucas pointed to the large, half-open door.
“Then let’s go! Doyle. Let’s go in.”
“I will.”
Sharp momentum began to creep up from the bodies of the party, and Doyle, who confirmed that everyone was ready, stepped forward.
“Enter.”
The group, led by Doyle, crossed the door and entered what could be called a true dungeon.
***
“Lucas.”
“say.”
“Are all dungeons like this?”
“······ It’s not like that. It’s my first time doing something like this.”
To John’s question full of bewilderment, Lucas also replied with a puzzled expression.
As soon as the party entered the door, the scenery that greeted them was a warehouse-like place full of traces of explosions, and it was an unexpected sight that caught their eyes as they headed out of the warehouse, wary of their surroundings.
city.
A city on a scale that was unbelievable to be underground was spread out in front of them, and flames were burning with explosions everywhere in the large city.
“… it’s a battlefield.”
Seeing the sight of a city in the middle of an urban battle, John smiled and took out a cigarette.
It was a sight quite familiar to him.
＜ Episode 42 ＞ End