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Chapter 89 – Raid Dungeon (6)

Ketal clicked his tongue.

“I was a bit excited when I heard it would copy my strength.”

He had wanted to experience fighting his own replica, but it was disappointing.

It was slow and weak.

Ketal grumbled, and his party members blinked dumbfoundedly.

“Huh, huh?”

The doll’s movements were extremely fast.

They couldn’t even follow it with their eyes.

By the time they came to their senses, it was already attacking Ketal.

But then, the doll suddenly exploded.

They couldn’t even keep up with the slower movements of the doll, let alone see Ketal’s fist.

From their perspective, the doll suddenly moved to Ketal and then burst on its own.

As they stood there bewildered, Marcy spoke up hesitantly.

“Could it be… a bug? I heard that sometimes problems occur in dungeons when I was studying at the Magic Tower.”

“Really?”

“Yes. It’s very rare, but it does happen occasionally.”

“Then, is that what happened? Come to think of it, its speed was strange, wasn’t it?”

The response doll copies its opponent.

This time, it copied Ketal.

A barbarian who knew nothing of magic.

Given the target it copied, it shouldn’t have been able to move that fast.

That was their conclusion.

“We’ve experienced all sorts of things.”

Gainert grumbled as he approached.

“Lucky for us. It could have been dangerous.”

Ketal smiled silently.

They moved past the fragments and through the door.

There, another party had already arrived.

Gainert’s face brightened.

“Cartman, sir. I knew you’d be here already.”

“You’ve arrived.”

The raid commander, Cartman, said calmly.

He turned his gaze to Ketal.

Ketal smiled slightly.

“It seems there were no issues.”

“There was a bug, but it wasn’t a big problem.”

“A bug?”

Gainert explained to Cartman.

The mid-boss was a response doll and had copied Ketal.

Then, it suddenly rushed and exploded.

Cartman’s expression turned peculiar as he listened.

“I understand. Good work. Rest until the other parties arrive.”

“Yes.”

The party members sat down to rest.

Ketal leisurely walked over to Cartman.

“Nice to see you again. Was your name Cartman?”

“Yes.”

The White Snowfield.

The mercenaries who escorted Milena.

Their leader, Cartman.

“Where did those mercenaries go? They don’t seem to be participating in this dungeon.”

“They are handling another task.”

Cartman replied briefly, looking at Ketal with suspicion in his eyes.

“How did you get out?”

“I worked hard. Very hard.”

Ketal replied lightly.

Cartman sensed he wouldn’t get a proper answer if he pressed further.

So he asked something else.

“Why did you come here?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, why did you join as a mercenary for a raid dungeon?”

Raid dungeons are not easy.

Even the minimum requirement of a C-rank mercenary is rare, and sometimes an extremely rare A-rank mercenary is needed.

An elite level fighter is essential for such dungeons.

In small countries unlike powerful ones like the Kingdom of Denian, the entire nation might need to mobilize.

But that’s just common sense.

This barbarian is from the White Snowfield.

A monster who knocked down a snake reaching the sky with his fist.

‘Above superhuman level.’

Maybe even hero class.

Cartman dared to consider that possibility.

This was not a warrior who should be in a mere raid dungeon.

However, Ketal looked puzzled instead.

“That’s a strange question. I joined because it seemed fun.”

Cartman paused.

He looked at Ketal with a curious expression.

“What will you do in this world?”

“Nothing. I just plan to enjoy the world.”

At those words, Cartman let out a brief laugh.

“Is that so?”

His worries and thoughts meant nothing to this barbarian.

Cartman realized this.

“I see.”

“By the way, who would have thought we’d meet here? It really feels like the world is small.”

“I belong to the Kingdom of Denian, so I get called in for things like this quite often.”

They passed the time with trivial talk.

Just as their conversation was winding down and Ketal was turning to leave, Cartman spoke from behind him.

“Thank you for saving us back then.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Ketal replied with a smile.

When he returned to where the party was, Gainert asked.

“What were you talking about with Cartman?”

“Just old stories. We know each other.”

“Really?”

Gainert looked at Ketal thoughtfully.

This barbarian was not an ordinary barbarian.

He was quite smart.

He quickly understood that the party’s combat methods were inefficient and suggested more reasonable strategies.

‘He communicates well too.’

And he didn’t force his ideas on them.

He left it up to them whether to adopt his methods or not.

This meant he could cooperate with and consider others.

‘How could such a barbarian exist?’

The only problem was that his appearance screamed “barbarian,” but aside from that, he couldn’t be seen as a typical barbarian.

Gainert’s eyes gleamed.

‘Should I recruit him?’

Recently, Gainert had been contemplating forming his own party.

Although he worked as a solo mercenary, he had been hitting a wall.

It took time to assemble a group for dungeon raids, and the chances of getting into a successful one were very low.

After several struggles, he started yearning for a permanent party.

Of course, he wasn’t going to accept just anyone.

He intended to set very strict standards for his party.

And this barbarian had enough qualifications to join his party.

His identity was clear.

Just being a mercenary in the capital was proof enough of his credibility.

On top of that, knowing Cartman was a big plus.

In a pinch, it meant he could get help from Cartman.

Although his methods were a bit unconventional, he could also disable traps.

Gainert asked Ketal.

“Can you open treasure chests too?”

“Of course. I’ve opened many treasure chests.”

Ketal nodded.

Although his methods might be quite different from what Gainert had in mind, the end result of opening the chests was the same.

Gainert’s eyes sparkled even more.

‘He can open treasure chests too?’

This meant that he could play the role of a thief, albeit in a limited capacity.

‘His only drawback is his lack of mystic power.’

Without knowledge of magic, the limits of his strength were clear.

But judging by his physique, he could still play a supporting role.

“Hey, Ketal. I have something to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Um…”

Gainert hesitated for a moment and then shook his head.

“Never mind.”

There was no need to bring it up now.

They needed to focus on clearing the dungeon first.

“I’ll tell you after we clear the dungeon.”

“…Alright.”

Ketal had a peculiar expression at that.

‘This is the first time I’ve seen someone set up a flag.’

As they continued their conversation, the other mercenaries gathered.

Cartman stood up.

“Then let’s begin.”

The mercenaries prepared at their positions.

Someone could be heard swallowing nervously.

In the center of the common area was a device.

Cartman approached and operated it.

The device made a whirring sound as it sank into the floor.

Boom!

A loud noise erupted.

The center of the chamber began to collapse.

A massive hole formed.

Cartman quickly jumped away.

Rumble.

From the hole in the collapsed floor, a monster slowly emerged.

It climbed up and roared.

[Graaaa!]

It had four arms.

Each wrist was shackled with chains.

Its eyes were a giant single eye, and its lower body was not legs but a tail.

And the most notable feature was its sheer size.

“Wow.”

Ketal exclaimed.

It was so large it touched the ceiling of the giant chamber.

He had to tilt his head all the way back to see it.

‘I never thought I’d see this size outside.’

Ketal was lightly impressed.

Cartman drew his sword.

“Prepare for battle!”

* * *

[Graaa!]

The boss raised its arms.

The chains clanked as it swung them.

It brought its arms down with immense force, shaking the dungeon.

Cartman dodged between the boss’s attacks, swinging his sword.

Clang!

With a crashing sound, the boss’s body shook.

It swung its fist in anger, but Cartman twisted his body to dodge.

His movements were exceptionally fast and precise.

Cartman thought to himself.

“As expected, simple attacks won’t work.”

This fight wasn’t about brute force.

Cartman quickly scanned the chamber and shouted.

“The chains!”

Upon closer inspection, there were four pillars rising from the edges of the chamber.

These objects hadn’t been there before the boss emerged.

“Grab the chains and tie them to each pillar! That’s how we beat it!”

‘He’s quick.’

Ketal was impressed again.

Cartman had swiftly figured out the strategy.

‘So this is what an A-rank mercenary is like.’

He recalled how Cartman had also quickly identified and exploited the weaknesses of monsters in the White Snowfield.

Indeed, he was far superior to other mercenaries.

Hearing Cartman’s orders, the mercenaries quickly began grabbing the chains.

They strained as they tried to pull and tie them to the pillars.

‘What a sight.’

A dozen or so mercenaries tackling a massive enemy together.

It was a scene straight out of a game, but the reality of it was far more visceral.

Ketal felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

“Eeeeek!”

Even Marcy was pulling on a chain with her tiny hands.

Annoyed, the boss swung its arm.

That alone sent the mercenaries reeling and falling.

“Kyaaa!”

Just as Marcy was about to be flung away while holding the chain, there was a clunk and the chain stopped moving.

The boss wobbled.

“Are you alright?”

“Oh. Th-thank you.”

Marcy paused as she heard Ketal’s voice from behind her while getting up.

Ketal was holding the chain with one hand.

He looked as relaxed as if he were holding a dog’s leash on a casual walk, making Marcy question her eyes.

“Huh?”

“Eeeek!”

At that moment, other mercenaries rushed over and grabbed the chain.

They strained and pulled at it.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing.”

Marcy shook her head as she stood up.

It seemed she had been mistaken for a moment.

The boss fight continued without any major issues after that.

Cartman kept the boss’s attention while the other mercenaries pulled on the chains.

About an hour later, all the chains were tied to the pillars.

[Graaah!]

The boss, with all its arms tied, roared and shook its body but couldn’t move.

Its chest had a gaping hole.

The mercenaries cheered.

“It’s over!”

“Cartman, sir! Great job!”

“It’s not over yet.”

Cartman said, but his expression had lost its tension.

They had figured out the boss’s mechanics.

All that was left was the final blow.

It was safe to say it was over.

No mercenaries had died or been seriously injured, making it a successful raid.

Cartman slowly approached the boss.

Stabbing his sword into its exposed chest would finish it.

[Graaah. Graaah.]

A sound of crying was heard.

Cartman dismissed it as the boss’s death throes and ignored it.

[Graaah.]

But as Cartman approached, he sensed something was off.

The boss’s face was twisted into a strange shape.

After staring at it for a moment, Cartman realized.

It was a face of mockery.

[Graaah.]

Only then did Cartman realize.

The sound he thought was a death wail was actually laughter.

Grin.

The boss laughed.

Cartman felt a chill.

It was dangerous.

He instinctively raised his sword to guard himself.

At that moment, a massive impact hit him.

Cartman’s body was sent flying.