GILF Hunter - Chapter 295 The Great Crisis
’It’s here.’
’Phew…. It’s located in a pretty secluded spot.’
The footsteps of the members following Ian came to a halt.
Arriving at the location after a long walk, everyone looked at the entrance of the dungeon.
It was a dungeon where exploration had ended and foot traffic had ceased.
Rather than the dungeon one usually imagines, it looked more like abandoned ruins.
’Let’s take a short break here before we head in.’
Perhaps because it was a place where exploration was once quite active, a small campsite was even set up at the dungeon entrance.
The condition was poor as it hadn’t been used for a while, but it was sufficient for a brief rest.
Following Ian’s words, everyone set down their packs and sat to catch their breath.
Ian looked around at the members, taking a final moment to rest before entering the dungeon.
Though it was information he had already explained before departure, Ian explained it to the members once more for the last time.
’I’ll give the final briefing before we enter.’
Everyone focused on Ian while resting lightly in their seats.
’The goal is the final room on the third basement floor. We have a map, but we won’t be looking at it; we’ll navigate and explore the path ourselves.’
Finding one’s way in the Labyrinth was completely different from a dungeon, but Ian intentionally planned it this way to increase the time spent inside.
Wandering through the dark with limited supplies and enduring the stress of the shadows.
Experiencing that firsthand was more important than increasing exploration speed.
They would likely spend several days inside the dungeon.
Since they had already heard this at the base, everyone simply nodded without a word.
’Preparations finished.’
’Me too.’
Their breath, which had been ragged from the trek here, steadied.
After a final check of their belongings, everyone nodded in readiness.
’Let’s move out.’
At Ian’s command, everyone stood and headed toward the dungeon entrance.
Lia, equipped with new armor and a shield, took the lead.
One by one, they stepped slowly into the dungeon’s darkness.
＊ ＊ ＊
They walked slowly through the desolate dungeon filled with dust and cobwebs.
In a way, it was similar to the underground waterways, but compared to the sewers that were maintained by regular use, this place was closer to a ruin.
And there was even the sense of claustrophobia from the much narrower passages.
With tense faces, everyone moved forward step by step.
’Ugh…. It feels like no one has been here in ages. Will there even be any monsters?’
’I heard there are…. But the last party to enter was 6 months ago.’
’Surely it’s not going to collapse, right?’
A place where not even a trace of a monster could be seen, only dust-laden corridors stretching on.
It was the first time any of them had entered a dungeon, and it was quite different from the one they had imagined.
Ian and the members spoke in hushed voices as they walked the halls.
’Still, if it’s a dungeon, wouldn’t there be a room with hidden treasure?’
’It’s been discovered for a long time, so it’s probably been picked clean.’
’You never know. We might stumble upon something that no one else could find….’
Even as they thought that was unlikely, everyone couldn’t help but glance at the floors and walls they passed.
However, this dungeon was desolate enough to be described as completely ransacked.
By now, it was a place used only for testing purposes.
Even if there truly were a hidden room, traces wouldn’t be found just by glancing around while walking.
Adding the small, wasted effort of looking for non-existent treasure, the Ian Mercenary Group reached the end of the first corridor.
’There’s a room ahead.’
At the end of the corridor, the first room, previously hidden by darkness, revealed itself.
Lin cautiously stepped forward a few paces and quietly gauged the atmosphere inside.
After a moment, she retreated and spoke to Ian in a low voice.
’…I hear something inside.’
Ian nodded and lowered the small lantern he was holding, while Tanya handed him a torch she had prepared in advance.
As Ian lit the combat torch, the flame flared up and significantly brightened their vision.
The light spread across the entirety of the first room.
-Rustle….
Reacting to the sudden light, something moved.
It was the unmistakable presence of monsters.
Lia, acting as the vanguard, stepped forward to block the front of the party.
For a few seconds, she stood with her sword drawn and shield ready, scanning the front.
Something moving rapidly caught Lia’s eye.
’…!’
As the torchlight spread, several insect monsters were revealed.
With a scuttling sound, the monsters that had hurriedly retreated to avoid the light slowly emerged from the dungeon shadows.
’Kyaaaak…!’
Lia recoiled with a scream.
Enormous insects were slowly closing in on her.
’Lia. Get ready.’
’Y-you didn’t say stuff like this would appear, hiek…!’
’In the Labyrinth, you don’t know what will show up. You can’t be startled like this every time.’
In this situation, there was no rebuttal for such an irrefutable logic.
Lia took her position at the very front with a tearful face.
The monsters, sensing the presence of sudden intruders, made unpleasant noises and approached rapidly.
’Ugh….’
While she wasn’t yet fully accustomed to the shield-bearing combat style, Lia’s body moved exactly as she had been trained for some time.
Stepping forward, Lia blocked the monsters’ path and parried their attacks.
Simultaneously, the mana of flames flared from Lia’s sword.
Sensing the surging energy of the fire, the monsters hesitated and pulled back.
’Lin! Bind the two in the back, and focus on the one in the front first!’
’Yes!’
Lin threw an orb she had prepared toward the rear.
Upon breaking, the orb scattered glowing spiderwebs into the surroundings.
As the object flew toward them, the monsters instinctively dodged, but were unable to avoid the rapidly spreading webs and were bound in place.
’Mika, use a barrier on Lia timed with the next attack.’
Mika nodded and prepared the barrier magic.
That spell, the very first she had learned and practiced continuously, had now become so familiar that she could deploy it instantly in any situation.
Just as the monster at the very front lunged at Lia, Mika’s barrier unfolded.
Lia blocked the attack and signaled to Rin at the same time.
’Now!’
Stepping out from behind the shield, the coordination between Rin and Lia hit the monster with a slight time difference.
Aside from the chilling sound of the sword cutting through the insect monster causing Lia to make a strange noise, the combo was exactly as practiced.
It was the first time everyone had entered real combat with their new positions, but even amidst the slightly chaotic battle, the coordination they had practiced tirelessly fell into place.
The monster, under attack, thrashed about while making a loud noise.
-Kieeeek!
’Lin. Get behind me.’
Lia blocked the front of Rin with her shield.
The attacked monster struggled and pounced, but its assault was first blocked by the barrier surrounding Lia.
The monster was repelled by the barrier’s force, losing its balance, and Lia’s counterattack immediately followed in that opening.
’Ha!’
Her sword swung with a red flash.
The first monster, having taken successive attacks from Lia and Rin, collapsed to the floor.
’First one down!’
Lin retreated behind the shield, and the monsters in the back, freed from their restraints, belatedly charged.
Lia stepped forward to block them.
’Tanya, decoy! And resupply Rin.’
’Yes!’
Tanya threw what she had been preparing far to the rear.
A noise bomb burned while making a loud sound, and the attention of the monsters crowding in front of Lia shifted there.
Taking advantage of the opening, everyone reformed their slightly disrupted formation and completed the necessary preparations.
Since these weren’t monsters with special abilities or behavioral habits, the battle proceeded as a repetition of the same method.
As the remaining monsters were taken down one by one in the same manner, the first battle in the dungeon was concluded in no time.
’Hup!’
Lia’s sword sliced through the last monster.
The twitching movements of the fallen monsters on the floor gradually subsided.
’…Are they all dead?’
Lin, who was watching the movements of the fallen monsters, muttered.
For all the tension, the battle was more manageable than expected.
This was the coordination they had practiced in preparation for the Labyrinth.
In fact, it was a strategy far too over-prepared for monsters of this level.
The monster pack was annihilated before even half the expected time had passed.
’Is this the last of them?’
’Doesn’t seem like there are any more.’
’None in the back either.’
After defeating all the monsters in sight, everyone remained on guard, but no additional monsters were visible.
’Captain. No more monsters.’
’Everyone did well, just as we practiced. Just keep doing it like this.’
’…Phew.’
There was no sign of more monsters appearing nearby. Hearing Ian’s words, everyone breathed a small sigh of relief.
Although they had heard that the monsters wouldn’t be that strong, it was their first dungeon, so being nervous was unavoidable.
The first battle in the dungeon.
Since today’s expedition was a practice run for the Labyrinth, everyone, who had been more tense than usual, finally relaxed.
They talked in relief as their first dungeon battle ended smoothly.
’That startled me. Lia suddenly screaming like that….’
’I’ve never heard Lia scream like that before.’
Everyone chuckled and talked about Lia’s cute scream from earlier, but Lia didn’t have the luxury of worrying about that.
With a stiff face, Lia turned and asked Ian.
’…C-captain. Surely these things won’t keep appearing all the way inside… right?’
’Actually, they will.’
Ian, who had purposefully avoided saying what kind of monsters would appear, finally answered.
This was a dead dungeon where gathered mana was depleted and nothing edible grew.
The only monsters that could emerge in such a place were prolific insect monsters.
Lia wore a look of despair, as if she had truly entered the Labyrinth.
