Chapter 167: Madness & Delight

Link: https://ncode.syosetu.com/n7583de/

Author: Hirukuma

Translated by Zzonkedd

Edited by Gumihou

 

We carefully ascended the stairs and reached the second floor without encountering any enemies.

From the top of the stairs, we could see that the second floor was just a narrow, curved corridor that circled along the Desert Pillar. We walked along the corridor for a while but there were no signs of enemies. There were no stairs leading to the next floor either.

We passed by several windows and determined that this was probably where Kuroyata had spotted the scouts.

“There are footprints by the window, looks like someone was here not too long ago,” said Hevoy as he crouched to examine the floor. Indeed, [1] there were sandy footprints on the floor on the otherwise relatively clean floor.

[1] “If they entered through the window, could they have gotten out the same way?” asked Hyurumi.

[1] “It is possible, but, there is no traces of ropes going down, so they may have moved forward along the corridor.”

[1] “What about going up?”

That’s right, since they could get in through the window [1] leaving traces of ropes, isn’t it equally possible to leave without using ropes? Maybe, even to move upwards?

“Unclear, but it’s best to remain cautious.”

Since there was nothing else for us to do, we continued forward. There was a door partway through the passage and Hyurumi took out a device that looked like a stethoscope and carefully examined the door.

“No obvious traps and… the door is too thick for me to make out any sounds. If I recall correctly, the second floor is an open space with no specific layout.”

“I think… yes, that corresponds to the map I received from the Director.”

Kikoyu said as she spread out a simple sketch map of the Dessert Pillar she took out from her backpack. From what I could see, the floors from 1st up to 5th floor were just open spaces, presumably with monsters roaming about freely.

I see, this way, skilled parties could hunt together without bothering with traps and things and just focus on hunting monsters. That way, they could efficiently gather valuable parts and magic stones,

“I don’t think the situation in the next room is as bad as the 1st floor, but please don’t push yourself too hard, Master Hakkon.”

“Welcome”

I said as Ramis pushed the door open and we stepped in.

The room was nearly identical to the 1st floor in terms of structure, just one big open space with no walls to obscure the sight. However, contrary to the first floor, there were signs that someone had used this place as a base. There were several chairs and desks placed against the wall for one thing, along with some general clutter as well as trash and neatly bagged monster parts. It looked like more than just one or two people were involved. In fact, this could well be the base of the Raging Inferno Squad.

There were no humans or monsters in sight, but the faint outline of a set of stairs leading to the upper floor could be seen on the opposite wall. Aside from that, the only other noticeable feature was evenly spaced cylindrical pillars which were thick enough for someone to easily hide behind. In short, it’s best to remain vigilant.

[2] “Right, I’m going ahead! Everyone follow me!” Ramis yelled out cheerfully as she strode forward confidently, evidently she had absolute trust in my ability to protect us. After all, although it looked like there was nobody around, there was no telling what sort of traps or ambush had been placed behind the pillars by those who had made this place their base.

Suddenly, I felt something touched the edges of my <Barrier>. When I looked around, I noticed that tiny holes had appeared on the floor and suddenly, spearheads shot out from underneath.

Every single spearhead broke against my <Barrier>.

“Uwaah! What a shock! Thanks, Hakkon.”

“Welcome”

Unfazed by the traps, Ramis continued onwards, setting off each trap one by one.

Hidden among the scattered debris and furniture, she triggered a trip wire set at ankle height and a chest of drawers came hurtling towards us, only to be smashed against my <Barrier>.

When a tile depressed under Ramis’ foot with an audible ‘click’, we were immediately engulfed by jets of flames. [2]

A giant blade slashed down from behind a pillar. [2]

From the information we received, the 2nd floor was described as ‘trap-filled’, but some of these so-called traps were certainly man-made. After all, what dungeon would make traps using furniture?

Whoever had been occupying this space must know where the traps were, otherwise, it would not be a very comfortable place to live in.

Still, this was a very brute-force way of dealing with traps. I think people used to intentionally set off landmines to remove them, which was a very logical way to deal with traps.

We ended up leaving a path of destruction all the way to the stairs leading to the 3rd floor.

“We’ve arrived! Everyone~ it’s safe to come over now!”

The others had been keeping a safe distance in the back while Ramis and I did our brute force trap-clearing technique. At Ramis’ call, they all hurried over. Hyurumi had an odd expression on her face as she looked back at the trail of destruction we had left.

“I must say, while I commend you guys for your efficiency… whoever had set those traps would feel quite hurt if they knew just how easily all those traps had been destroyed.

Ah, I get it. Some of the traps we tripped up were quite elaborate. Someone must have taken a lot of time and effort to set them up. If they knew how we bulldozed through these meticulously constructed traps, they would certainly be upset, right? I mean, I would be sad too, if I was the one who had set those traps.

“Hey, wouldn’t it be troublesome if they had set up traps and monsters on every floor all the way to the top floor?”

“I don’t think that would happen. I checked the place earlier and found a most of the food supplies had been left on this floor. It looked like they left in a hurry because not much food was taken. From what I have observed, the second floor offered the best in terms of convenience and defence. It is also at the right height for someone to keep an eye on the 1st floor. Not to mention, since you can control pretty much the entire tower just by blocking the first two floors, there was no need to waste supplies arming the other floors. In fact, I think they probably only have three floors covered, with the 3rd floor reserved for emergencies.”

I see. In short, the monster-infested 1st floor would normally stop most intruders in their tracks. If they ever made it through the illusions. Not to mention, not many would even think of brute forcing their way through the 2nd-floor traps…

“They are probably holed up on the 3rd floor, trying to barricade the place or something.”

That’s entirely possible. We did take some time to clear out the 1st floor monsters. However, these people probably didn’t think that we would clear these monsters out so quickly. Therefore, they must have grabbed whatever supplies they could and fled upstairs.

“Still, it’s all just speculations at this point, so don’t put too much trust in it,” said Hyurumi with a modest cough. “The enemy is quick-witted enough that he could have some tricks up his sleeves.”

She’s right. They did deploy a decoy commander so that we would lower our guard. They even managed to gather that many monsters to guard the first floor. Therefore, they are far from incompetent.

The second-floor traps were easily dealt with thanks to my <Barrier>, otherwise, who knows how long we would have been held back here?

“The 3rd floor is likely to be similar to this one. They might have also set traps in the corridor, so let’s be cautious.”

We all nodded at Hyurumi’s advance before proceeding to the 3rd floor.

As expected, the stairs led to yet another curved corridor, but there was no sign of enemies.

Ramis and I left the others at the start of the corridor and moved forward with only Kuroyata with us. Still, we saw nothing.

“Yo, you’re back. From the look on your face, I guess there’s nothing, huh?” said Hyurumi.

“Yup, none at all.”

“Kuwaak- kuwaak-” Kuroyata bobbed agreeably. A clever bird indeed.”

“Hmm, looks like we’ll be meeting the real deal soon,” said Ramis thoughtfully.

“They are probably waiting for us. It’s likely that they will attack without warning and not engage in stupid lies about how they had nothing to do with this arrangement,” said Hyurumi.

“If that’s the case, I guess it’s better for Hakkon and me to charge in first?” said Ramis.

“Sorry for entrusting you with such a risky role. However, can we count on you?” said Hyurumi.

“Ye-es we go”

No matter what, it is best that someone with the absolute defence of the <Barrier> to march forward. While I don’t exactly like the idea of Ramis taking a risk, it’s not like I can move forward efficiently on my own. Therefore, instead of wasting my syllables arguing, we decided to go forth with the plan.

[2] Even so, it’s best to be cautious. Let’s try and gather some information first. We’re dealing with humans after all, it’s best to keep them alive for the purpose of information gathering.

“Stay close to the wall by the door, everyone. Right, give it your best shot, Ramis!” said Hyurumi.

“Yeah, here I go~!”

Ramis attempted a spin to gather momentum but ended up whacking me into the wall. Ah, she is now looking at me with saddened eyes. Well, I’m sorry too for breaking your momentum.

To avoid getting in the way, I transformed myself into a <Cardboard Vending Machine>. This small form allows her to swing her arms to her content.

“Right, here I goo~~!!”

She had restarted her form.

After spinning in place once, she primed her right arm by rotating it so hard that a breeze picked up. Then, she stomped on the floor once, crouched and surged forward like a wound-up spring, the force behind her fist shattering the iron door with a tremendous crash. [2]

“Ughaa!!”

Through the sounds of destruction, I heard a man’s grunt of pain. A peek inside showed two men sprawled on the floor. The twisted remains of the doors crumpled next to them.

They had probably hidden themselves behind the door to attack us.

Since Mishael did not even notice their presence despite being so near, these two probably have Gifts involving stealth or are just good at erasing their presence. Sadly, these two were now lying unmoving on the floor.

They must have really been surprised by the attack.

Ramis stepped boldly through the door without a care. A glance around showed that there were more people hidden behind a makeshift barricade built from all kinds of scrap materials including desks and chairs. [2]

I counted 7 people behind the barricade, but considering how this floor also has the same thick pillars as 2nd floor, it is possible that there were more.

The other thing that caught my eye was a three meters tall… thing, covered in black cloth. Maybe it’s a statue?

“Oi, who the hell are you?!”

A man poked his head out from behind the barricade to yell at us. His features matched the description we received about Tasite.

“We’re hunters from the Clearflow Lake Floor,” said Hyurumi casually.

“What are guys from another floor doing here?!”

“We came here to have a little chat with you. Your welcome party was a little warmer than expected.”

Hevoy had stepped into the room and stopped next to us. The smile on his face looked the same, but there was a sharp glint in his eyes that gave him a decidedly different air.

“To chat? Anyway, how did you find out about our collection of monsters?!”

“I wish to ask you a question,” Hevoy pressed on, completely ignoring the person trying to question him back.

“We only found out about your monsters when we got here!” Ramis shot at them.

“Don’t be ridiculous! You expect me to believe that you just happen to come here and kill off all the monsters we had painstakingly gathered to attack the village?”

“Yeah!”

“Are you kidding meeeeee?!”

Ramis is being perfectly earnest and sincere, not that the other side seems to buy it at all. Well, if I were in his shoes, I probably wouldn’t believe it either… It is more reasonable to believe that we were a special strike team sent to attack them. I can understand your anger but don’t expect any sympathy from me.

Here I thought he was supposed to be the smart gangster type, but it looked like he’s the type to lose his cool when things don’t go as planned. Well, some people could be very calculative but still fall into a state of panic when things don’t go their way.

“First, I don’t think we can continue talking unless we clear up a few things,” said Hyurumi as she took over the increasingly ridiculous conversation. “Are you people working under the command of the King of the Netherworld? Are you here to gather monsters to attack the Beginner’s Floor?”

She must have thought that there was no point going around the topic and went straight to the heart of the matter.

“If you already know this much, there is no point hiding anything. That’s right, we’re in a temporary alliance.”

Kind of like Leader Keyroil?

The person in front of us had dropped any pretence of being a decent and upright hunter by acting like a complete thug, a lowlife scoundrel.

“Why would you side with the Demon King’s army? It’s been a very bad time for everyone, you know!?”

A ‘very bad time’ is putting it simply. Ramis looked genuinely furious with her hands on her hips as she leaned over to shout at them.

“Oho, thank you for your brilliant observation. If you must know, it’s all because of money. With enough money to live a life of luxury, you would be tempted too. After all, it makes sense for people to do whatever it takes to make themselves happy.”

He said with a sneer on his face. If this really was Tasite, his good reputation must have been blind to hide his true nature.

“In short, as someone who would do whatever it takes to make money, you must have engaged in quite a bit of unsavoury activities?” Hevoy asked calmly. The smile was gone from his face. Even though he looked calm, I couldn’t help but be even more fearful of this calmness. As though it was the calm before a storm.

“Yeah, that’s right. We’ve done it all, robbery, rape and the odd clientèle murder or three. We even roamed about as bandits at one point. There’s nothing better than the feeling of lording great power over the weak, right boys?”

“Absolutely!”

“The best!”

Coarse laughter followed this as he and his minions laughed gloatingly, clearly proud of their past actions.

Why do people like them like to boast about their criminal deeds? It reminded me of a former best friend who got mixed up in the wrong crowd. He really disappointed me when he started bragging about all the bad things he did with his so-called friends. Even so, the level of criminality between my former friend and this fellow was on a completely different level.

I had been fortunate to be around good people. However, it is not uncommon for people like this guy to thrive in a world where the long arm of the law has no reach.

After waking up on Clearflow Lake Floor and being taken in by Ramis, I felt grateful for all the fortunate encounters I had on that floor.

“Is that so… Well, I have another question. Do you recognise these shoes?”

Hevoy took out the shoes that Ramis had entrusted to him and thrust them forward so that the other party could have a clearer look.

“What about these shoes?”

“Mister Tasite, did you not sell these shoes at a fairly high price recently?”

At this, the gangster-like fellow appeared to recall something and nodded, “Oh, right! I remember now. I got these shoes from some newbie hunter. The idiot laced the shoes so tightly that I ended up having to cut off her legs at the ankles. She was blathering on and on about how those shoes were so precious and how they were gifted to her by some oh-so-special someone and refused to hand them over like a sensible person. It was very irritating. Thinking back, I should have taken a bit more time to enjoy the moment.”

“Oh yeah, that was really funny!” someone else said. “She was nuts, even after her first foot was chopped off, she kept clinging to it, crying about not wanting to let go of her gifts. She must have some kind of weird mental disease.”

“Right? Well, these guys are kind enough to bring my shoes back to me. I had been planning to get them back after dealing with that shopkeeper, but they saved me a lot of trouble.”

What a bunch of trash. Still, Hevoy finally got his answer to the question he had been chasing down all this while.

Tasite did not seem to understand the gravity of his words. He had no idea that his careless remarks would ultimately lead to his death.

“I see. Looks like I have finally fulfilled my life’s purpose. The moment which I had been waiting for so many years had finally arrived and so effortlessly too… Regardless of whether you beg for forgiveness, scream in pain, or repent— I shall most certainly kill you today.”

The expression on Hevoy’s face, as he uttered words unbecoming of a clergyman, was one of twisted joy. A grin of rictus madness curled up his lips as he looked at the gangster.

“Don’t screw around with me! Take them down, boys!”

When the men rushed over the barricade, my comrades also charged forward.

The situation escalated rather quickly. However, I think it’s best to put an end to this whole situation, no matter what choice Hevoy makes.

 

[Gumihou: Uh oh. Bets! Will Hevoy actually kill Tasite! Find out in the next chapter!!]

 

[1] The window thing was actually unclear, it was made even more obscure by the later dialogues. Interpret it the best I could

[2] Rearranged details – to be more ‘action-ish’

 

 

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