Chapter 29

### Chapter 29: New Adventurer Bern (27) – Richi

When Bern deliberately fell into a trap, he was wiping out the awaiting troops.

“Adventurers, cease movement for a moment! Any resistance will be considered as an associate of Richi!”

At the same time as the Guild Master’s proclamation, the agents with the black armbands, who had been previously focused on controlling the adventurers, all at once lunged at a few of the adventurer parties.

Guild Guards.

A force that represents the sole will of the Guild, not adventurers who move upon receiving a request.

When the Guild’s swords, intended to suppress adventurers, suddenly launched an assault, the adventurers were left rolling on the ground without a chance to even defend themselves.

One of the captured individuals shouted with their neck reddened.

“What is the meaning of this?! Are the Guild bastards gone mad?”

“You’re the mad ones. Did you really expect lenient treatment as Richi’s subordinates?”

“What nonsense is that?!”

“All of Richi’s disciples that we’ve captured are already long gone. Pretending ignorance won’t do you any good.”

At the Guild Master’s declaration, the apprehended adventurers’ eyes wavered greatly, and the other adventurers looked at them with a mixture of shock and suspicion.

The Guild Master’s words, however, contained a slight deception.

It was true that the disciple Bern had brought in divulged everything they knew, but he didn’t have information on all the spies.

Hence, while outwardly claiming ignorance of the spies, the Guild conducted a large-scale purge campaign while secretly surveilling and investigating key adventurers.

By the time they entered the dungeon, seventy percent of the sorting work was done. An additional twenty percent was filled by their behavior inside the dungeon and their reaction to the recent trap.

The remaining ten percent.

To gain that final ten percent of certainty, the Guild Master was bluffing, claiming, “We already know your true identities.”

And the name of the Guild Master was enough to make the culprits truly believe the bluff.

“Damn it!! Kill them all!!”

Simultaneously with one of the captured adventurers shouting, a jet of pitch-black mana erupted from his body, throwing the black armband agent away.

The other adventurers similarly unleashed their dark mana and prepared for combat anew.

They indiscriminately attacked the surrounding adventurers, and only then did the other adventurers realize that these were indeed Richi’s subordinates, swiftly initiating counterattacks.

Clang!

Boom!

“What… what are these guys? What kind of power…!”

The adventurers who crossed swords with Richi’s disciples were alarmed.

The adventurers here were all capable of enhancing their bodies with mana as a basic skill, but the strength of the traitors shrouded in dark mana far surpassed that.

The black gems in their possession ceaselessly emitted an ominous aura, enhancing the bodies and mana of the traitors.

Had they attacked when they were caught in a trap or while the battle was evenly matched, the damage could have been incalculable.

However, now it wasn’t the case.

Click.

Before they knew it, the Guild Master had appeared right in front of the traitors and swung a sword.

With a perfectly heartless swing, the head of a berserking warrior, who was displaying incredible power, flew into the air.

The traitors were startled and swung their swords at the Guild Master, but the Guild Master continued the attack, utterly nonchalant.

Swoosh!

The Guild Master’s sword was unstoppable.

Not in the sense of being unrestrained in action but literally, in a physical sense.

Swords that met it were sliced, and shields that were erected were shattered along with their wielders.

As a martial artist of the Fourth Tier who could wield sword energy overwhelmed those beneath him, the Guild Master’s aura of the Fifth Tier tore through all the traitors’ resistance like tofu.

The nearby mages were about to launch their attack spells, even if their allies might get caught in, but this proved not so easy.

Blaze!

“Ugh!?”

‘The spell to burn wood’ is the most basic and, accordingly, the weakest attack spell.

But even for such a weak spell, when a fireball is hurled towards a human’s vital spot, the face, it’s rare for a mage to stay calm and composed to cast another spell.

While other mages hesitated to use their spells due to the complicated battlefield situation, Blankah didn’t hesitate for a moment and sniped the enemy mages with pinpoint accuracy.

To her, this level of chaos wasn’t even a distraction after continuously training with Bern by crossing swords.

The warriors’ formation was broken by the Guild Master, and the mages couldn’t use their spells in time because of Blankah’s ambush.

And that was the end.

Initially, they tried to compensate for their numerical and geographical disadvantages with temporary enhancement, but when that enhancement proved ineffective, they had no hope of victory.

The Guild Master, who suppressed the traitors, attempted to extract information about Richi or the captured victims but was unsuccessful.

For the black gems in their possession sprouted countless thorns and pierced the traitors through in an instant.

“…It seems someone is watching from somewhere.”

With a sigh, the Guild Master looked around the dungeon with a sharp gaze before approaching Blankah and lowering his head.

“Thank you. The fact that we could extract the pus with minimal damage is thanks to you. However, regarding your companion…”

The Guild Master left the sentence hanging.

The one who volunteered as bait was Bern, and the Guild Master agreed, but the situation was now somewhat complicated.

If it had been a simple physical trap or ambush, they would have quickly organized the situation and sent a rescue team, but with a space transfer trap, there’s no guarantee they’d reach the same place, and it might result in losing lives one after another.

The Guild Master, too, disliked the situation where they couldn’t send support to the greatest contributor, but as the leader guiding all the adventurers, it was impossible to carry out a reckless rescue mission. He had a responsibility to secure the safety of the entire team.

Blankah bit her lip but spoke shortly after.

“It’s fine. If it’s Bern, he’ll be fine. Let’s hurry. We need to strike Richi before he devises new means beyond the traitors.”

She wanted to follow Bern immediately, but before entering the dungeon, it was Bern who had told her not to worry and continue the expedition if she had to act separately.

Blankah trusted Bern’s judgment more than her own feelings.

“Understood. The reward will be handled separately later.”

The Guild Master shouted to the adventurers.

“From now on, we’re speeding up! I’ll take the lead, follow me!”

With no need to guard the rear in case of contingencies, the Guild Master began opening the path personally.

Excluding the trap on the right path, the remaining routes were to the left and the center.

In front of the grand door in the center, which couldn’t be opened, some remained to continue monitoring, and the rest of the adventurers began advancing through the left route, where enemies were reported to be swarming.

The undead blocking the way were powerful, but the adventurers were stronger. The traps that tried to trip them up were diabolical but failed to disrupt the veterans’ composure.

The deeper they ventured into the dungeon, the brighter the eyes of the adventurers became.

‘There’s still plenty of stamina and mana left. This should be enough to last through the expedition!’

‘Richi is estimated to be of the Fifth Tier. Fighting from his base, he might be a bit stronger, but we have the Guild Master on our side, so our chances are sufficient.’

‘It was unexpected that our branch’s Fourth-tier member betrayed us, but this is an opportunity. If our party can replace them…!’

There were no adventurers here who usually held back or shied away from risks.

Even if their motives were for personal glory or profit, adventurers were, at this moment without a doubt, rushing towards an unknown enemy in a ‘venture.’

Much like the legendary heroes of ancient tales, as sung by minstrels.

However, they must not forget.

The reason heroes are called heroes and celebrated is because most never get the title before perishing.

—

“That’s quite a disturbance for thieves.”

The voice was low.

It wasn’t filled with anger, nor steeped in reproach.

It sounded as if the speaker was muttering quietly to themselves.

However, upon hearing the voice, the adventurers all felt goosebumps run down their backs.

Because such a faint voice was heard with extraordinary clarity.

As if it was being whispered directly into their ears.

—

Swish.

From every direction, a toxic purple mist began to flow from various places in the dungeon.

The Guild Master scrunched his eyes and shouted.

“Mages! Drive back the mist! Warriors, retreat to avoid contact with the mist!”

As the mages unleashed flames and gales, the purple mist momentarily hesitated.

Seizing the opportunity, Blankah relentlessly fired the spell ‘Burning Rock’ towards a direction beyond the mist where a powerful aura could be felt.

BANG!

KABOOM!

“…Ho.”

Through the ripples of the disturbed mist, the master of this dungeon revealed himself.

Blankah caught her breath.

The death mage who had once invaded her hometown in her childhood.

The one who had stolen precious family members from her was there, his eyes gleaming with interest as he stared at her.

Though the powerless girl had grown into an adult, Richi, too, had changed somewhat in appearance.

The bone that had once been off-white had tinged with a light purple hue, and his formerly normal human skull had twisted grotesquely, even sprouting horn-like protrusions.

Before Richi Mortius could say anything, the Guild Master charged at him.

Because nothing was more foolish than giving a mage too much time, and the Guild Master — an adventurer of the turning point — knew this all too well.

Although the knight radiating dark mana beside Richi caught his attention, the Guild Master paid it no heed.

After all, clumsy sword energy would never match his swirling aura of the Fifth Tier.

Clang!

Yet, contrary to that belief, the Guild Master’s sword was parried by the knight commanded by Richi.

The Guild Master let out a low grunt as he saw the murky, oily kind of mana clinging to the knight’s sword.

“It’s… Aura…”

It wasn’t the complete Aura of the Fifth Tier like what the Guild Master wielded.

Rather, it seemed like a high-density compressed sword energy had undergone some form of magical treatment.

While the incomplete Aura would groan and the edge would wear with every clash, it was possible that the Guild Master could dominate shortly if given time, but Richi wasn’t about to let that happen.

From the purple mist swirling behind Richi emerged two more knights, charging toward the Guild Master.

Even though several top-tier warriors of the Fourth Tier disregarded their lives to attack in unison, the Guild Master had no spare attention for anything else.

“Damn! The swords aren’t cutting through!”

“Guys, wait, my limbs…!”

“Don’t breathe in the mist! It paralyzes you!!”

On the other hand, the rest of the adventurers supporting the Guild Master were in no better shape.

The undead army that revealed themselves with Richi were far stronger, and worst of all, the purple mist heavily restricted their movements.

Though it wasn’t impossible to expel the venom that entered their bodies via enhanced physical training, fewer than 10% of the adventurers present were capable of doing so.

Grinding her teeth, Blankah clenched her jaw.

The scene before her stirred up the trauma of her past, erasing her remaining calm.

–Whoooosh!

The wave of a crimson flame wiped away the purple mist.

An overwhelming firepower that covered the entire level of the dungeon.

About half of the undead crowd was swept away in an instant, and the remaining half were vanquished by adventurers whose movements were now unrestricted.

The Fourth-tier adventurers quickly pushed forward to separate the knights who were holding down the Guild Master.

The Guild Master, who was covered in minor wounds, took advantage of the opportunity they created and surged toward Richi.

Richi attempted to block the attack with a wall of bone, but the sword imbued with azure aura hacked through its defense like tofu and charged toward Richi.

Swoosh!

Finally, Richi’s chest was heavily slashed, and the gem in his core shattered.

With the sensation of piercing the enemy’s core, the Guild Master was certain of victory, as were the other adventurers who gleamed with joy.

“…You insignificant creatures.”

A growling, reverberating voice that seemed carved into the very space around it, sending chills down the spine.

Just as Blankah felt a sense of foreboding, a massive amount of mana gathered around Richi’s body.

Then it exploded.

KABOOM!

An intense current of curses and venom so potent it could be felt from a distance.

Guild Master, who was flung to the ground and convulsing, appeared as if poisoned severely, his skin turning black and blue.

“Such a waste! Not only have I squandered part of my offering, but I’ve had to use my cherished heart as well!”

In the center of the explosion, the purple mist regathered, slowly forming a physical body.

An extravagant robe. A grotesque staff made of skulls and vertebrae. A twisted skull with eerie blue eyes.

The only thing that remained empty was where his heart should have been. Soon, something bizarre within the dungeon, an object with an intense aura, flew in and filled the vacancy.

The revived Richi Mortius threw six black gems at the Guild Master lying on the ground.

The black gems embedded in the heart, head, and limbs soon transformed into black armor, completely enveloping the Guild Master’s body.

“To destroy your soul and body into dust would hardly satiate me, but I will honor you with the privilege of becoming my servant.”

With a metallic clang,

The Guild Master, or rather, the Death Knight, knelt on one knee and swore allegiance to Richi.

A new emotion settled into the eyes of the adventurers.

Not anger, not greed,

But pure, unadulterated fear.

Blankah squeezed her eyes shut.

‘Bern…!’