NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 6
Episode 6
I sucked in a sharp breath and blinked rapidly.
“H-heuk… H-Haah! I want to go home! What is this?! Even Elysion didn’t have something this disgusting!!”
“……”
Hearing the voice from behind me, I stiffly turned my head.
A man, easily a head taller than me, was crouched on the ground, clutching his head with both hands.
“You…”
It was that damn Grand Duke.
“You lunatic!!”
I grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and yelled.
“What’s the point of all your fancy magic if you’re not going to use it?!”
“I was using it to run away!! I almost threw up when I saw those eggs bursting out!!”
“Eggs…?”
“Yes! Look over there! Those roaches—”
The Grand Duke abruptly clammed up, his lips pressing tightly together. His face turned pale as if he’d just seen death itself.
Screeeech.
Sanctuary is an area that purifies evil. Although “purify” sounds noble, it’s really no different from annihilating things outright.
Which meant…
“Oh, s***.”
“H-Haah!!”
“Burn it! Burn it all!!”
The crushed insect—no, the massive cockroach—was obliterated, but its enormous, round eggs were spewing out into the air.
Screaming, the Grand Duke reached out his hand.
BOOM!
The flames roared, lighting up the dungeon. My face burned from the heat, though another authority quickly neutralized the sensation.
Still, one thing became clear to me.
This party was a total disaster.
*****
“Hmm…”
Do Hajun swept his hand across his chin after incinerating a swarm of insect monsters.
An Outbreaker Dungeon, huh. He wondered if the others caught in it were still safe. He recalled there being two other people dragged in with him.
“Should I go rescue them?”
But the shrinking time made him hesitate.
Outbreaker Dungeons required clearing within a set time limit. Failure meant the gate would open.
This particular dungeon was S-rank, and if he failed, even a minimum Rank 3 Gate would open right in the middle of a residential area.
He couldn’t let that happen.
Especially not with his family’s cozy home nearby.
Hoping that the other two were as strong as he was, Hajun resolutely started walking.
[Due to the presence of irregular entities, the difficulty is being adjusted automatically.]
The distorted message brought him to a halt.
【00:48:32】
At the same time, the timer in the air began to spin rapidly.
【00:08:32】
Seeing the drastically reduced time, Hajun broke into a sprint.
*****
【00:07:49】
With the remaining time dwindling to mere minutes, there was no room for hesitation.
“The boss room! We need to get there now!!”
“And where would that be?!”
If I knew, would I still be running around like this?!
Over 40 minutes had been slashed down to less than 10.
Dungeon, are you seriously doing this to me?!
―Screeeeech!
The wet fog echoed with the horrendous cries of cockroaches.
I now knew something horrifying: even cockroaches made sounds.
Wait a second.
Cockroaches are bugs.
And some people actually keep bugs as pets, don’t they?
An absolutely insane idea struck me.
“Grand Duke.”
“I don’t know what you’re planning, but no way.”
The Grand Duke’s title included Tamer. He had even bragged earlier about taming divine beasts (shinmul), so this should be nothing for him.
“Can you tame monsters, or not?”
“Ugh…”
The pitiful sound he made seemed to confirm that he could.
“Then go tame the cockroach.”
“Why?! I can’t! I won’t!!”
“Then make it happen anyway!!”
Just do it with sheer grit, you ridiculous Grand Duke. If you hadn’t used that gravity magic earlier, we would’ve caught Francesca by now!
Grinding my teeth, I glared into the mist.
Dungeon monsters exist to block the path to the boss room. You can either deal with them or avoid them entirely.
If we had more time, I’d clean them up to avoid future trouble, but time was not on our side.
“Grand Duke, if we don’t clear this dungeon in time, the gate will open.”
I gripped his shoulder firmly and spoke with determination.
“We don’t have time to mess around here.”
“You’re strong enough to find the boss room on your own—Ack! Ow, that hurts!!”
I tightened my grip on his shoulder and forced a sharp smile.
“If you don’t want divine punishment, just do it. Okay?”
―Screeeeech!
“Eek!”
Right on cue, a massive cockroach emerged from the mist.
I shoved the Grand Duke forward, using him as bait—or rather, to force him to tame the cockroach.
Staggering in front of the bug, his face turned pale as he instinctively hunched over.
The cockroach tilted its head, almost as if intrigued, and began observing him.
Sniffling, the Grand Duke trembled before opening his mouth.
“Y-you there… W-would you… tell me your name?”
“Do you really have to say ‘you there’ like that?”
“Do you think I want to? It’s a requirement for the title’s effect! I don’t have a choice!!”
“Of all the useless….”
Before I could finish, the Grand Duke cut me off and lifted his chin dramatically, like the proud lord of a northern fortress.
“Thomas says he doesn’t like you and asks that you step back.”
“……”
What kind of nonsense is this?
Still, I stepped back, just as he suggested.
At that moment, the massive cockroach extended something resembling wings and gave a powerful shudder.
Oh my god.
The cockroach has wings. Is it some kind of invasive species?
Silently, I took another step back.
The Grand Duke gaped at the bug with his jaw practically unhinged, then looked at me with a twisted expression.
“Guild master.”
“What.”
“Do I really have to do this…?”
“Yes, you really do. So hurry up and do it.”
“Sniff… Sniffle.”
Sniveling like a child, the Grand Duke extended his hand toward the giant cockroach, dropping to one knee in the process.
“Thomas, I grant you permission to accept me as your master.”
His trembling voice sounded anything but confident.
The cockroach seemed to agree, lowering one thin—but certainly not delicate—antenna onto the Grand Duke’s palm.
He stood there frozen, unmoving, as the cockroach folded and unfolded its wings a few times.
*****
BOOM!
“……!”
Do Hajun groaned as he lay buried in the debris, unable to even let out a proper cry before coughing up blood.
Getting the boss room door open within a single minute had been impressive.
―Groooaaar!
The problem was that the boss was much stronger than he’d anticipated.
The dungeon’s rank: S.
He had prepared himself for the high difficulty, convinced that it wouldn’t be an issue.
It was his first time attempting to solo-clear an Outbreaker Dungeon, but not his first time challenging an S-rank dungeon alone.
Had Do Hajun been too arrogant?
The enormous bird, its radiant feathers spread wide, was effortlessly fending off his attacks.
As Hajun staggered and tried to steady himself, the boss monster of the Outbreaker Dungeon, Francesca (S), suddenly vanished.
Whoosh—
A set of razor-sharp talons appeared inches from Hajun’s face. He tried to shield himself, but it seemed too late.
―SQUAWK!
Humans are stubborn creatures, and just as death seemed imminent, the supposedly indestructible boss room wall shattered.
Bursting through the debris was a massive insect, slamming into the bird.
“You insane Grand Duke! Ever heard of safe driving?!”
“Thomas enjoys the thrill of speed! What am I supposed to do?!”
Amid the chaos of the collision, two figures leapt off the battered insect’s back.
At the same time, the colossal insect that had struck the boss burst into flames.
In that fleeting moment of unexpected chaos, Do Hajun could do nothing but blink in stunned disbelief.
“Oppa!!”
“……!!”
If it weren’t for the familiar voice, he might have continued standing there in a daze.
*****
Damn it! Why did I call him oppa?!
He doesn’t recognize me right now. The disguise effect from accepting the commission should still be in place.
“H-Haun…? No, that’s not possible….”
He can’t recognize me.
“Grand Duke.”
“Yes?”
| Pr. Godslayer (Guild Master) |: Knock that guy out for me.
The Grand Duke looked at me, clearly wondering why I sent a message instead of just saying it aloud. Ignoring his gaze, I pushed off the ground and turned in the opposite direction.
Sword in hand, I prepared myself.
SMACK!
Before I could act, a crisp sound echoed behind me. I turned my head to see the Grand Duke standing over my unconscious brother, who was sprawled on the ground.
“Hey! You can’t just knock someone out like that!!”
“This way, he won’t wake up for a while!”
“…….”
I’ll deal with this lunatic later.
―SQUAWK!!
For now, Francesca was the priority. Gritting my teeth, I hurled the sword straight at the bird.
Francesca dodged it with ease, almost mockingly. But hitting her wasn’t the point.
[Authority, ‘Sanctuary,’ activates.]
It wasn’t for the Sanctuary’s sake either.
―GROOOOAR!!
Francesca, Hera’s precious peacock, flailed helplessly within the Sanctuary’s range.
Clenching my fist, I recalled the mission details.
They’d asked me to dispatch her without pain.
[Authority, ‘Divine Punishment,’ activates.]
Without pain? Let’s see if that’s possible.
I drove my fist down onto Francesca’s crown.
BAM!
A crisp sound rang out as a flash of blue light burst forth.
―SQUAWK!!
With a final, piercing screech, Francesca was engulfed in crackling blue lightning.
[The Constellation, ‘Guardian of the Household,’ wails as they mourn Francesca.]
As the message appeared, I briefly offered my condolences to Francesca. The massive bird toppled to the side with a thud, utterly still. Not even a faint breath could be heard.
I landed lightly on the ground and surveyed the aftermath.
| Pr. Northern Grand Duke |: Gahhhhhh1!
| Pr. Northern Grand Duke |: Guild master-nim, have you lost your mind7!!
“Why are you messaging me when you can just talk?”
“Guild master-nim! Are you crazy?! I almost died!!”