The 9th Class Swordmaster: Blade of Truth

Chapter 130: The Minotaur’s Dungeon (1)

Chapter 130: The Minotaur’s Dungeon (1)

“What do you think?”

“What do you mean, what do I think...? It’s not like there haven’t been any S-rank dungeons before.”

“Well, the last one was a very long time ago.”

Aben spoke while still staring anxiously at the trembling black entrance of the dungeon.

“Well... that’s why I’m worried,” said Aben, anxious staring into the flickering darkness that led into the dungeon. “I’m afraid something might happen.”

“If you’re worried about the friend who went into the dungeon, you should have followed him. I can guard Twin Armor. Maybe it’s time to hand over Turtle Castle as well.”

“Quit the nonsense...”

Aben chuckled at Marze’s comment.

“I’m not worried about him. I just hope this dungeon is the end of it. If this leads to another dungeon, we’re screwed,” Aben continued in a low voice. “Normally, a dungeon like this has a few lesser precursors. So far, we’ve been estimating a dungeon’s difficulty based on the ones that preceded it.

“That’s true.”

However, leaving the lower-ranked dungeons unchecked wouldn’t prevent the more dangerous ones from emerging. Thus, it was standard procedure to eliminate the lesser dungeons before the main one appeared in order to avert most of the damage.

“There have been few instances of S-rank dungeons in the history of our continent. Kaye Aesir eradicated one two hundred fifty years ago, and before that, the Assembly of Seven Elders hunted monsters.”

Marze nodded at Aben’s words.

“Right. There are still a few S-rank dungeons left in the south, but Digon has been diligently hunting down the monsters that come out of them, preventing them from harming people.”

“Keeping the southern dungeons in check is almost their lifetime occupation. But what about it?” Marze asked while gazing at the shimmering dungeon entrance.

“I just have a feeling that this S-rank dungeon isn't the end of it, that other dungeons will emerge after this one.”

At Aben’s words, Marze slapped him on the back as if to tell him to stop talking nonsense.

“Ridiculous. Looks like you’ve been holed up in the castle too long, turning into a scared turtle.”

“...”

“If an S-rank dungeon were a precursor to a more powerful one, it would mean the end of the world.”

“...Yeah, I hope it's just my unfounded worry. It's just that I can't shake off this uneasy feeling when I look at the entrance.”

Aben gazed at the dark, shimmering entrance of the dungeon. It looked like it had been soaked in ink.

Most dungeons usually had the shape of a cave, but this one here looked more like a gate, giving off the impression that it led to another world.

“Besides, it’s not like there has never been an S-rank dungeon giving rise to another one.”

Marze scoffed at Aben’s words.

“You’re worrying needlessly in your old age. That was so long ago... And it's merely a legend. Nobody knows if it's true.”

Aben clicked his tongue at his words.

It was from a very distant past, even before the Assembly of Seven Elders. Since that event was only recorded in literature, there was no way to confirm whether it had truly happened or not.

It was simply referred to as the Great Cataclysm.

Exordiar.

A terrible nightmare that is said to have turned the entire continent into dungeons.

According to the legend, that nightmare had plunged the entire world into complete darkness.

[All throughout the year, not a single day did the sun rise, and there was no moon or stars, as if darkness had consumed the continent, leaving everyone and everything blind.]

[Darkness devoured humanity, and the monsters that festered within it feasted on men, women, and children alike. The places swept by the darkness were left with nothing but bare bones.]

“I will believe in you, Karyl,” he muttered with a taut expression, gazing at the shimmering entrance of the dungeon.

***

“Careful! This labyrinth is larger than the imperial palace. Once you get lost, it’ll be hard to find your way out,” Karyl warned.

Beikan and Kinu Mukari nodded.

Torches were mounted on the walls to either side. Although the dungeon looked ancient, its rather well-kept appearance could easily make one mistake it for a castle rather than a den of monsters.

“Although we’ve conquered quite a few dungeons, this place feels different. It doesn’t feel like a dungeon...”

“It feels like ruins, doesn’t it? As if humans made it,” Karyl answered, predicting what Greys was about to say.

“Yes, exactly,” Greys nodded.

The relics that still remained on the continent were said to have been left behind by ancestors—or even by gods. To the people of the continent, they were sacred sites from a different past.

However, unlike the barbarians, Viola and Greys had a hard time accepting that a dungeon holding hundreds of vicious monsters could look like this.

“You're not wrong. Previously, we’ve hunted creatures like gray orcs or Lizardmen. Beikan, do you know what they have in common?”

“Hmm... they form villages like humans?”

“That’s right.” Karyl nodded. “Unlike other monsters, they live in groups. They’re probably the monsters most similar to humans.”

“No way....” Viola looked at Karyl with a stern face.

She seemed to be recalling something she didn’t want to think about.

“The most powerful among such demi-humans is the Minotaur,” Karyl explained to her. “Though no longer seen on the continent, it’s said that Minotaurs are creatures born between humans and monsters.”

“You mean gray orcs and lizardmen led to this dungeon because they resemble humans? If that’s the case, it’s a horrible thing,” Greys remarked with a frown.

“I agree. Categorizing them like that makes it seem like humans and monsters are similar.”

“Well, to other beings, humans and monsters might not seem so different.”

“Are you talking about gods?”

At Viola’s question, Karyl gave a bitter smile.

“Perhaps the one who made this dungeon is the same as the one who made the ruins.”

Karyl kept his answer vague, not explicitly mentioning gods. Scanning his surroundings, he felt just like that time...

The inside of this dungeon resembled the Pharel Tower.

When he had first exterminated a dungeon in the south, he had wondered if dungeons weren’t the same as Pharel in essence. While dungeons didn’t produce Tarak, they violated nature's rules by releasing monsters into the world.

Lesser dungeons like the nest of the Twin-Headed Eagle or the village of gray orcs didn’t exist in Pharel.

Entering the Minotaur’s dungeon sort of confirmed Karyl’s suspicions.

The labyrinth's structure is identical to those in Pharel. That means I can use the same method as back then.

Karyl nodded slowly and grinned.

“...”

Seeing his expression, Beikan flinched, as he was reminded of that time on the Rolling Hills.

Minos, Aeacus, Rhadamanthos.

Step by step, Karyl walked confidently through the labyrinth.

I’ll take them all down at once.