＜ 6. Unexpected Companion (4) ＞
“Crazy, where is the fix? You want me to believe that?”
Trisha finally couldn’t stand it and screamed. Excited to hear the nonsense, the bowstring was tighter than ever. I could see the orcs standing back flinching.
While the captain, Orc, tried to dissuade Trisha, Andrea calmed herself down.
‘It’s such an attractive proposition. In fact, we are not as strong as the orcs fear. Trisha lost everything she farmed, and I’m not farming properly either. If we collide with them now, there is no guarantee that we will win safely.’
Even if the orcs weren’t that strong, they were a burdensome opponent for Andrea and the others. However, to come forward and propose surrender like this, it was an offer I wanted to accept with a bow.
If he hadn’t known about the characteristics of orcs and dungeons, Andrea would have thought so.
The orcs that appear in ‘Dungeon of Infinity’ are the beings that undoubtedly destroy the prejudice created in other media. Polite, courteous, and very cautious despite his appearance. But the biggest feature of all…
‘… All of that is just a trick, and in reality, they’re cunning guys who can’t compare to goblins.’
Knowing who your enemies are can give you a different perspective to see things. In Andrea’s eyes, it didn’t look like the orcs were trembling in fear of Trisha’s arrows.
In the meantime, the tendons of the orc’s muscles were getting more and more swollen.
‘The Orc’s pattern is to increase strength by 5 each turn. He’s wasting his time.’
That’s not all. The orcs were trying to cheat with a modest trick, but Andrea knew the characteristics of the dungeon very well.
In order to move on to the next floor, you must kill all the monsters unconditionally. Otherwise, the door to the exit could not be opened.
Andrea walked past the group of orcs to the exit and looked around.
A few bricks around the door were pressed down. One on the left and right, two on top, and one at 1 o’clock.
‘That’s right.’
Andrea withdrew her gaze from the brick and pulled the handle. The door opened so easily.
Inside, there was a cavernous passage with jagged rock walls.
The captain, Orc, approached Andrea with a smile.
“Are you accepting our offer? Thank you very much. Look, friends! Please direct the lady there as well.”
It was worth seeing the expression on Trisha’s face when she was called a lady by the orcs. The orcs hesitantly tried to approach Trisha, but Trisha continued threatening silently, turning arrowheads around.
Tricia shouted at Andrea, who looked carefree.
“Hey, it’s a lifelong cub. Are you going to believe these monsters with green juice on their faces? I’m sure you’ll get hit in the back of the head later on like this?”
Upon hearing Trisha’s hate speech, the faces of the orcs crumpled. Andrea hurriedly opened her mouth to refresh the atmosphere.
“There’s a saying from where I came from that the best victory is to win without fighting. I know that orcs value honor, but there must be some kind of trap, right?”
Andrea stared at the captain orc and said. The leader orc hurriedly waved his hand as if that could be the case.
“We are warriors who value honor above life. The saying that winning without fighting is best is really impressive. I deeply agree with that statement.”
‘It’s been f*cking crazy.’
There was no such thing as honor for those who cheated by pretending to surrender without fighting. Contrary to her heart, Andrea nodded with a serious face.
“Then, I will believe that. Trisha, come over here. Let’s go quickly and see what the rewards for this floor are.”
Andrea blinked one eye, eagerly hoping Tricia would notice.
Tricia bit her lip and couldn’t hide her confusion. The attitude of hesitation on what to do. Eventually, however, Trisha lowered her bow and trudged toward Andrea.
Before Andrea left for the fake exit, she made a suggestion to the Orc leader.
“In the place where I lived, when we made a pact, we used to exchange weapons as a sign of friendship. Even though it was a short meeting, we solved the problem in a peaceful way, so how about exchanging weapons with each other?”
The captain orc looked a little taken aback, but soon nodded. Instead of drawing his own huge sword and giving it to him, he stole a large club from one of his subordinates.
Andrea shook her head. Then he looked at another orc standing next to him.
“No, I’d rather give it to you with the hammer that orc is holding. A hammer is not a blacksmith’s tool. In my hometown, it is a weapon that symbolizes faith, trust, and sincerity.”
The words that came out of my mouth came out without a hitch. The captain orc pretended to hesitate and waited a little longer, then took the hammer away from the orc holding the hammer and handed it to him.
“If the laws of the place where the challenger has lived are like that, then it would be right to follow them. I hope it will be a good gift for you on your way.”
“It could have been an unreasonable request, but thank you for listening. This is my main weapon.”
Andrea took out a stick card, summoned it, and handed it to the leader orc. The face of the leader orc who saw the stick was distorted at once.
“It looks ordinary, but it is a stick with powerful magic. Legend has it that this stick lends wisdom to those who appreciate it.”
Captain Orc was no fool. I already knew that this was something given out to beginners starting a dungeon.
Even so, the captain orc didn’t show it and accepted the stick as if he were holding a valuable item.
“A precious gift, thank you. May the Earth God bless you on your way.”
It’s like gritting your teeth and pretending to be polite. Andrea laughed inwardly as she and Tricia took the fake exit.
As soon as the door closed, Trisha turned around and bombarded her with questions.
“What do you mean? The exit won’t open until you catch the monster, right? f*ck, this is a fake exit!”
“Yes, I know. That’s why they came in.”
“so why?”
“In reverse, to slap those bastards in the back of the head.”
“…explain your plan.”
When Trisha found out that Andrea had come in knowingly, her attitude calmed down. Andrea calmly explained.
“Did you look around the door? A few bricks were pressed down. This is a hidden cave that can only be opened by pressing a brick like that. The orcs who found this cave by accident pretended to be the exit and planned to drive the challengers in.”
“I know that. But why did you try to force them into this cave?”
“Wait, let’s call Marco over and talk together.”
I drew a card because the turn had passed, and Marco Summon was drawn just in time. Andrea summoned Marco and briefly explained what had happened.
Marco nodded as if he was used to it.
“…then what’s in this cave?”
“It’s a guess, but…”
Andrea looked at Trisha. In fact, not guessing, Andrea knew exactly what was in this place. It was just a fluke, lest Tricia would think it suspicious if I pretended to know it too well.
“…Considering the hidden passages, the terrain in the form of stretched out caves, and what the orcs said there would be rewards, I think there will probably be a ‘mimic’.”
When Trisha heard that, she let out a short exclamation, but Marco, of course, kept a puzzled expression.
“What is a mimic?”
Mimic is a monster that takes the form of a treasure chest and possesses people’s greed. Blinded by the gold and silver treasures inside, the moment he reached out his hand into the box, iron nails protruded and bit him mercilessly.
After hearing the explanation, Marco still tilted his head as if his imagination was not going well. Andrea continued by explaining the situation.
“Originally, if the challenger who captured the orc found this hidden cave, he would be able to battle the mimic. But didn’t the orc deeply agree with what I said earlier? Winning without fighting is the best victory. He must have said that because it would be enough to fight the challenger and the mimic and kill the challenger.”
Trisha asked.
“But what if the challenger catches the Mimic?”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s worth it even if it’s just wasting time. Haven’t you seen the orcs’ muscles continue to swell a little bit since we came in? There must have been a buff that gets stronger as the turn passes.”
“What, then shouldn’t we go and kill them quickly?”
Tricia grabbed the door and shook it. The door didn’t open because it was already locked with something. Trisha thought things were going wrong.
However, Andrea shook her head from side to side. On the contrary, it was better for the orc to become moderately strong in order to realize his plan.
Andrea explained her plan to the party. When Trisha heard the plan, she sighed and rubbed her forehead.
“…is that really possible?”
“I have to try it first. As long as you do as instructed, nothing will go wrong. Marco, take this hammer. I took it from an orc earlier.”
Marco nodded happily and accepted the hammer. It wouldn’t be as powerful as when he held the Earth Crusher’s hammer, but Marco who held the hammer felt reassured even by the viewer.
“You have to be precise when I tell you.”
“Okay.”
Andrea turned around and started walking towards the cave alone.
The cave wasn’t even that long. Andrea was able to find a splendid treasure chest finished with platinum rims in no time.
That figure decorated with various jewels is the appearance of a treasure chest that contains the best reward among treasure chests.
If you think rationally, it’s a box that can’t come out of only about 20 floors, but the challengers who turned their eyes to greed were bound to be deceived from time to time.
Andrea carefully opened the lid of the box. Inside, there were piles of rare cards and gold. Knowing that it was all just a trick, Andrea was not at all shaken.
Andrea took out a 10 gold coin instead and bounced it into the box.
bang!
As soon as the coin entered, the lid of the box closed.
Long limbs stretched out from the side and bottom of the treasure chest. The Mimic opened the lid, revealing a thick tongue and spiked teeth.
“Not enough… more gold… give me more money!”
At the expected reaction, Andrea smiled inwardly.
“Oh, of course I have to. Just follow me.”
Andrea stepped backwards, spilling coins one by one. Mimic followed, devouring each and every coin that fell on the floor.
It is a monster that seduces enemies with greed, but paradoxically, Mimic is also a monster that is weak against greed. Andrea had already used the money-obsessed habit of mimics in the game to defeat them several times.
Before I knew it, Mimic came close to the door that came into the cave.
Marco freaked out as the huge box with limbs approached. Tricia pointed her bow and prepared for the unexpected. Andrea continued to spill coins, giving Marco a signal.
“Mr. Marco, now!”
As soon as Marco got the signal, he hit the door with his hammer.
The door was made of fairly hard wood so it didn’t break at once. Marco frowned and continued to swing the hammer in succession.
Wow!
Finally, the door was completely broken. Having picked up all the coins, the Mimic stirred its limbs and craved more gold.
“Not enough, not enough, still not enough! Give me all your gold right now!”
“You want this?”
Andrea opened the subspace pouch full of gold and showed it to Mimic. Mimic was consumed by greed and was ready to run at Andrea at any moment.
“Take whatever you want.”
Andrea threw the subspace bag outward.
To be precise, towards a group of orcs.
Mimic burst through the door and charged at the orcs.
“Give it to me!”
“What is this…”
The orcs were frightened. Why did the Mimic, which should be fighting fiercely against the challengers, jump out?
I was confused and barely raised my weapon. As the mimic showed no sign of stopping, the captain, Orc, drew a sword and swung it at the mimic.
kang!
The reckless cutting of the knife only left a small scratch on the Mimic’s body. The attacked Mimic’s voice turned bloody.
“Do you dare to take my money?”
Captain Orc realized what had happened.
It was a mistake. Mimic wasn’t looking for them, it was just for money. A cold sweat broke out on his back.
It was already too late as long as he had swung his sword. A Mimic considers a target that attacks it once to be a plunderer who covets its treasure forever.
“Everyone raise your arms!”
There was no choice but to fight back. Captain Orc felt his body tremble with tension. Although he had already become quite strong thanks to the strength-enhancing buff, it was difficult to guarantee victory when fighting this treasure chest monster.
Andrea was watching the scene with her arms crossed behind her.
＜ 6. Unexpected Companion (4) ＞ End