“It’s been quite a while since we’ve seen each other, Nameless. How have you been?”
After calming down the furious Kellibey somehow, I approached Nameless, pretending to be friendly.
‘This girl is an NPC dungeon merchant who sells all sorts of items inside the dungeon!’
Last time, she even gave away two SSR-grade pieces of equipment. I’ve secretly judged her to be an incredibly good fellow.
If I get close to her, perhaps some other goodies might drop too!
In response to my greeting, Nameless just shrugged.
“Every day in Lake Kingdom is always the same. Killing monsters, lighting lanterns, and... praying.”
Though her face was obscured by scattered white hair and a hood, I could tell that she was wearing a bitter smile.
“I’m here today to repair my equipment.”
“Equipment?”
“My sword.”
Nameless gestured towards Kellibey’s blacksmith shop.
“Kellibey is about the only one here who can fix my sword.”
Looking in that direction, Kellibey was hammering an old sword with a grim expression.
It was the worn-out longsword that Nameless always carried on her back.
Clang-! Clang-!
With every strike of the hammer on the blade, a dazzling bright light seeped out. It seemed to be going through some magical process.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve met, so I’ll give you some advice, Ash.”
Tearing her eyes away from the sword being repaired, Nameless slowly said to me.
“Some of the Nightmare Legionnaires are targeting you.”
“Nightmare Legionnaires?”
“You know that Lake Kingdom has been occupied by monsters, right?”
Of course, I do. Monsters are everywhere. They’ve filled this place to the brim, overflowing into Crossroad.
“Lake Kingdom has countless varieties of monsters. And within each monster legion, there’s a leader, called a Legionnaire.”
Nameless briefly glanced at the path leading to the base camp on the other side.
Beyond the path, everything was shrouded in pitch darkness, and nothing could be seen.
“The top 10 strongest legions among those monster legions. The Legionnaires of the top 10 ranks are referred to as ‘Nightmare Legionnaires.’”
So she’s talking about the ten toughest bosses.
I casually shrugged.
“So those guys are targeting me, huh? But isn’t it natural for monsters to target humans?”
“Yes, it’s natural. But Ash, they’re specifically trying to kill ‘you.’”
Nameless looked over at my party members standing in the distance.
“You and your comrades have already taken down two of the Nightmare Legionnaires. It’s only natural that they’d start to be wary of you.”
“...”
“Even if you killed Orlop, by the time you defeated Celendion, you were bound to catch the monsters’ eyes.”
In other words, the monster bastards have put a mark on my head. Like a ‘Wanted: Dead or Alive’ bounty notice or something.
“The deeper you go into Lake Kingdom, the more easily they will find your trail and send trackers after you. In the worst-case scenario, a Legionnaire might personally appear to kill you.”
I snorted and crossed my arms.
“So what if we have to fight the ones we’re supposed to kill outside? Isn’t it fine to meet and fight them early?”
“This place is their stronghold.”
Nameless quietly shook her head.
“The monsters outside the Lake Kingdom have their abilities constrained. However, here, they can unleash their full power without any restrictions.”
...It’s one thing to face a boss during the defense stage where stats are readjusted and it becomes manageable to defeat, but in the dungeons? There’s none of that nonsense.
“I highly value your potential and that of your teammates, Ash. Above all, your persistence in not giving up until now is commendable,” Nameless warned in a gentle but stern voice.
“But with the current level of your party, if you encounter a Nightmare Legion Commander in the darkness here... it’s going to be hard to guarantee your lives.”
“...”
Suddenly, I remembered the time when we faced Celendion in the ‘Path of the Overlord’ in this dungeon.
Our party almost got wiped out by Celendion back then.
Though the freak wanted to die himself, he spared us, but there would be no such luck next time.
If we encounter the Legion Commander in the dungeon again, we would have to fight for our lives.
And Legion Commanders without stage readjustments will exhibit truly nightmarish strength.
“The exploration ahead will become more treacherous.”
Well, of course. Starting from dungeon depth 6, it’s nicknamed the Demon Realm. Each dungeon is freakin’ difficult.
Having to keep tabs on the enemy Legion Commander in this situation...
The level of difficulty keeps increasing endlessly, like adding more stuff to a hamburger. Patty, lettuce, cheese, sauce...
I feel like I’m going to burst!
Nameless stared at me thoughtfully.
“I won’t laugh at you if you decide to back down without going any further. After all, very few have made it this far.”
“There’s no chance of that happening.”
I grinned.
“As long as the path is visible, I’ll never give up on conquering it.”
Though it’s hard and horrible, a path definitely exists.
So, I keep walking. One step at a time. That’s all there is to it.
“...”
Nameless gave me a faint smile in return.
“I hope your words are true, and may fortune be with you and your companions.”
At that moment, Kellibey squawked from the other side.
“Nameless! Repairs are done, come get it!”
Nameless walked over, picked up the sword, nodded, and strapped the long sword to her back.
“Thank you, Kellibey, as always.”
Nameless tried to pay, but Kellibey waved his hand in refusal. Nameless bowed her head slightly in acknowledgment.
“And, Ash.”
Just as she was about to step into the darkness on the far side of the base camp, Nameless stopped and said, “Don’t go any further today.”
I, who had planned to resume dungeon exploration from today, blinked in surprise.
“Huh? Why?”
“A little... cleaning is in order. It’s better if you don’t come this way today. Goodbye.”
Nameless gave a faint smile and disappeared into the darkness, her footsteps soon inaudible.
“...”
I stared in the direction she had gone and then turned to Kellibey and asked, “What exactly is her deal?”
“Huh? You’re friendly with her, and you don’t even know?”
I don’t know who she is, but she shows the way, hands out items, gives advice, and so on.
It’s a bit like a game veteran taking care of a newbie, so I’ve just been grateful and accepted it, but...
"I’m not exactly sure either. The name itself is Nameless, and the whole appearance is such that I can’t even recognize the face. Everything about the origin and background is wrapped in a veil."
Kellibey shrugged his shoulders.
"Always killing monsters, lighting fires at safe zones. That’s what she has been doing long before I came here."
Immediately after, Kellibey exclaimed, "Ah!" and added,
"But one time, I overheard another survivor of Lake Kingdom calling that woman by a strange title."
"What did they call her?"
"What was it... A deposed princess, I think?"
I widened my eyes.
Deposed princess?
Could it possibly mean a princess of this Lake Kingdom?
’Wait a second...’
I suddenly recalled the final stage of <Protect the Empire>.
Round 742. Hell difficulty in Iron Mode.
In the final dungeon ’King’s Castle of Lake Kingdom,’ amid all the nurtured characters dying, the scene of Lucas alone surviving and landing the last attack on the final boss flashed before my eyes.
But the name of that final boss was clearly...
’The Sleepless Lake Princess.’
I suddenly stared down the path where Nameless had disappeared. The darkness was calm, and the back figure of Nameless was no longer visible.
’...Surely not, right?’
I swallowed my dry saliva.
That’s when Kellibey slapped my back with his palm. Ow! Why hit me?
"This is for teasing my head, and this is!"
Slap!
Kellibey, who had lightly hit me again, handed over a long staff.
"I’ve been refining it continuously since you left it here and didn’t come to pick it up."
It was a luxuriously refined staff, with a ruby-like red gem embedded at the tip. It looked incredibly good at first glance.
As I was only uttering "Wow-", Kellibey grumpily shoved the staff into my arms.
"Ah, don’t hurt an old man’s arms! Take it quickly!"
A magic staff made with Celendion’s Magic Core.
I checked the stats. A jackpot item-?!
[Lord of Crimson(SSR) Lv.55]
- Category: Magic Staff
- Attack Power: 149-151
- Durability: 10/10
- Intelligence+15 Magic Power+15
- Absorbs essence upon killing an enemy, stores up to 10.
- Can consume stored essence to recover HP or MP. (10 percent per essence)
- Can use a random blood spell by consuming all 10 essences at once.
- ??? (Unlock depending on the number of enemies killed with this weapon)
- ??? (Unlock depending on the number of enemies killed with this weapon)
The base damage was decent, and the stat bonuses were generously applied. It was a great piece of equipment.
Moreover, fitting for a weapon made with the Magic Core of a vampire lord, it had the option of absorbing essences from killed enemies and using them as resources.
’Depending on the situation, I can adapt flexibly. This could be overpowered if utilized well...’
I didn’t know what kind of blood magic I could use, but Junior would probably make good use of it.
The problem was, like [Black Queen], this equipment was also a Nightmare Slayer, so it had the ‘???’ option that would unlock based on the kill count.
I quietly observed Damien, who was shrouded in the darkness of the [Black Queen] slung over his back.
Our eyes met, and after a moment of hesitation, Damien grinned at me.
"Heh heh..."
"..."
Look at what became of Damien’s once naive smile, now transformed into a poseur’s smirk filled with adolescent bravado. All because of that weapon.
’Can he truly overcome it and wield it as his own power...?’
Junior should also stop using this weapon once its kill count increases too much.
In any case, it could be extremely useful for now, so I had to give it to him.
I called Junior over and handed her the staff.
Junior’s eyes widened as she took the staff. The young wizard’s mouth dropped open.
"This, this is... truly an incredible piece of equipment, Your Highness? I’ve never seen this much Magic Power in my life."
"You’ll know, but it’s equipment made with Celendion’s magic core."
Junior’s shoulders quivered, and her hands tightly gripped the staff.
"You’re giving me something so precious...?"
"It’s powerful but dangerous equipment. Handle it with care."
Junior, who had lately been nonchalant as if chewing spinach with tomatoes, turned serious in front of this staff.
She nodded his head firmly.
"You’re the first to acknowledge my worth like this... Thank you so much. I’ll do my best not to make you regret it, with a resolve to work myself to the bone...!"
"No, let’s not go as far as working to the bone."
His body was not in good shape already; what was this working to the bone nonsense? Don’t do that. Just keep recovering HP with that staff and deal damage comfortably from behind.
I also requested new equipment from Kellibey.
It was equipment made from two magic cores of the Vampire General obtained in Stage 5. Being of SSR grade, it would certainly be powerful.
Having acquired the necessary equipment, and with the tasks at the base camp mostly sorted, I was ready.
"Hmm."
I looked towards the darkness where Nameless had vanished—the direction of the next dungeon depth, and then turned in the opposite direction.
It was the way to a dungeon we had previously cleared.
I planned to heed Nameless’s advice but felt the need to scout the old dungeon instead of retreating.
I had to know what kind of monsters would be attacking in the next defensive battle.
Having prepared early, I called out to the main party members.
"So, everyone, shall we loosen up a bit after a long time?"
Lucas, Evangeline, Damien, and Junior all raised their torches and lanterns.
Thus, we entered the previously conquered third-area dungeon. As we stepped into the dungeon entrance, I exclaimed,
"What kind of monsters will we have this season~?"
Then,
Squish! Squish!
Something... squelching... jelly-like creatures started rolling toward us from the dungeon entrance.
I was taken by surprise and blurted out,
"What the hell is this, shit?!"
--TL Notes--
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