Chapter 146: Maleficus Dungeon (1)

According to the information extracted from the necromancer, the Cult of the Black God had taken control of a portion of the western area of Maleficus Dungeon and established their base there.

Due to the vast size of the dungeon and its many damaged areas, they could only utilize about twenty percent of the space for living quarters. The remaining areas were still overrun with monsters and wraiths, rendering them inaccessible to humans.

Edia was said to be confined in the deepest, innermost part of the residential area. Ostensibly, the cult claimed that it was for her safety. New recruits weren't allowed to roam the dungeon freely because of the dangers. In truth, they were merely keeping her imprisoned to prevent her escape.

To rescue Edia, Karnak's group had two choices. One, they could charge directly through the residential area, which was heavily guarded by cultists. Or, they could sneak in through the uninhabited areas, which were teeming with monsters and wraiths.

At first glance, the second option seemed more favorable, but it wasn't that simple. It was like attempting to infiltrate a fortress by scaling the sheer cliff behind it because it was less guarded. Why would it be less guarded? Because most would fall to their deaths before reaching the top.

Still, there were always those rare individuals who managed to climb such cliffs, and Karnak’s party happened to be one of them.

***

A pack of monsters rushed through the desolate underground corridors, their growls echoing in the dimly lit space. They were saccade wolves, creatures resembling a hybrid of hedgehogs and wolves. Like many dungeon monsters, they had claimed part of Maleficus as their territory.

"

Graaaah

!"

Their glowing red eyes betrayed their agitation, and for good reason. A mysterious human had dared to set foot in their domain. Driven by primal instincts, the saccade wolves scoured the area for the intruder.

Their fur glowed faintly, illuminating the darkness. As creatures adapted to life underground, they emitted their own light. Beyond their glow, a human silhouette flickered in the distance. Upon spotting their target, the wolves bolted down the corridor in a frenzy. They charged into a chamber where the shadow had disappeared.

"

Grk

?"

The wolves halted abruptly, their heads swiveling in confusion. The human's presence, so clear moments ago, was gone.

An eerie voice echoed in the empty chamber. "Well done leading them here."

"Choosing the right battleground is part of a treasure hunter's job," replied another voice.

A blonde knight, a red-haired woman, and two youthful girls emerged one by one from the shadows. At the very back was a black-haired mage.

The mage spoke with casual ease. "I've set up a barrier, so go ahead, Lapicel. Cut them down."

"Yes!"

The gray-haired girl was the first to move, leading the charge. She and the two aura users fell upon the saccade wolves in an instant. Sword light flashed, and the heads of the three leading monsters flew off simultaneously.

The blades continued to glimmer with killing intent, cutting down the enormous creatures with ease, despite their size being twice that of an average wolf. Screams echoed from every direction, but no other monsters came running. Karnak's sound-dampening barrier enveloped the entire chamber, isolating it from the rest of the dungeon.

Thwack!

Leven emerged from the darkness, his blade plunging into the forehead of a monster.

As he dispatched yet another monster, Leven calmly offered a word of caution. “Ah, be mindful of spatial vibrations. If you recklessly destroy your surroundings, the tremors might travel along the walls."

It was a practical warning, especially given the sheer destructive power that high-level aura users and mages could wield, sometimes enough to collapse entire structures. Leven continued dealing with the saccade wolves, cutting, retreating, and dodging while seamlessly flowing between offense and defense. His movements were precise and well-coordinated.

—Sir Leven is stronger than I thought.

It was as expected of someone from the Strauss bloodline. Considering he was only twenty years old, his skills were undeniably impressive.

—At this rate, he could probably hold his own against Lapicel...

Varos began, but then stopped himself. Given Leven's age, size, and the fact that he was a man, was it really worth bragging that he could

barely

match Lapicel?

—It's like watching the fall of a once-revered hero.

—Not a fall—just a delayed rise.

Karnak replied with a chuckle while launching another spell. Fiery orbs hurtled through the air, reducing the monsters to ashes one after another.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

It took less than three minutes to completely annihilate the pack of saccade wolves. The chamber was now littered with burnt and severed corpses of the monsters.

As she surveyed the scene, Lapicel suddenly began sucking on her finger. "Do you think these are edible?"

Serati reeled in disbelief. ”What? Are you hungry?"

"No, it just seems wasteful to leave all this meat behind."

Varos and Karnak exchanged thoughts through magical communication.

—Lapicel wasn't like this, was she?

—Maybe she's been starved for too long.

—Seventy years is a long time.

Meanwhile, Leven stepped toward the chamber's exit. "Let's keep moving."

***

When exploring ancient ruins, having a treasure hunter on your team was essential. Even navigating the place was no simple task. These ruins, aged and unstable, were riddled with collapsing paths and unexpected dead ends. What looked like a clear passage could easily lead nowhere.

One needed the ability to anticipate such hazards to find safe routes, and such skills came from professional treasure hunting experience.

Leven, as it turned out, was a highly capable treasure hunter. He routinely tapped the walls and floors to analyze vibrations to assess stability. By comparing the surrounding structures to the cultural patterns of ancient civilizations, he carefully charted a safe route forward. When he detected traces of monsters, he skillfully adjusted their path to avoid unnecessary encounters.

"This seems to be a habitat for darkblues. They're not particularly dangerous, but..."

He didn't finish the thought. Tales of overconfident adventurers who underestimated dungeon monsters and accidentally triggered collapses by disturbing the wrong pillar were far too common.

"It's always best to find a way around when possible."

Even for a group with the strength to defeat monsters with ease, combat in a dungeon carried inherent risks. After trekking for over thirty minutes without encountering any additional monsters, it became clear that Leven had an exceptional understanding of their route.

Watching him from behind, Karnak murmured, "I've never explored a dungeon like this before."

Serati raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Huh? Don't tell me you've never been in a dungeon?"

"Of course I have," Karnak replied.

He had his fair share of time in dungeons. In fact, he had visited numerous dungeons.

"I mean it's my first time exploring one with a treasure hunter," he clarified with a grin before switching to telepathic communication.

—Back then, I wasn't a guest. I was the host.

In his earlier days, Karnak's visits to dungeons weren't about seeking treasure or slaying monsters. They were about becoming the dungeon's master. His approach to exploring dungeons was systematic and deliberate. He would expand his territory step by step like a game. This method was entirely different from the treasure-hunting style Leven was currently showcasing.

Karnak, finding the experience novel, muttered to himself.

—I’ve gone from taking over someone else's house to running away after looting it. Does this mean I've become a better person?

Serati gave him a peculiar look. Treasure hunting in ancient ruins wasn't illegal, and being a treasure hunter was a respectable profession, yet...

—You’re not wrong, but the way you put it is... something.

Suddenly, Leven stopped in his tracks.

He surveyed the architecture and the collapsed structures around them before calling out to Milia. "This spot looks like an ideal place for wraiths to appear. Can you confirm?"

"Again?" Milia clicked her tongue in exasperation. "How do you even know these things? I'm a priest, and I have no idea."

Even Karnak found himself quietly impressed.

I don't know either. How does he know?

Leven brushed off the compliment as if it were nothing. "That's why I said it's a place where wraiths

could

appear, not that they're hiding here."

Leven didn't have any special abilities to sense hidden wraiths. That was a skill reserved for priests or necromancers.

"It's the same logic as detecting traps," he explained.

Most dungeons were ancient structures built by the ancient race. And the ancient race had cultural tendencies that often influenced their architecture, and this included common features like trap placement and areas where wraiths frequently appeared. Over time, treasure hunters had compiled enough data to statistically identify “likely locations for major traps and wraith appearances."

"This is the kind of wisdom passed down among treasure hunters who frequent dungeons," Leven added.

It was similar to how a skilled military commander could identify terrain ideal for ambushes and avoid or prepare for those areas accordingly. Of course, it was entirely possible that no wraiths were present. In that case, they could simply shrug it off and move on.

Karnak began channeling his mana. "Milia, get ready."

Milia pulled out her staff. "I'm counting on you, captain."

Karnak cast a spell on her, and with his support, Milia moved a bit further into the area. Leven's prediction proved accurate. Translucent, shadowy wraiths began to emerge one by one. They came from the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling while letting out strange, eerie moans. The wraiths floated through the air, some of them closing in on Milia. Yet they didn't attack.

Huh?

The wraiths hesitated and glanced around. They had sensed something approaching and revealed themselves, but now they couldn't locate their target.

Milia raised her staff high. "Latiel, cleanse the souls of these pitiful beings!"

A brilliant wave of light swept through the chamber, engulfing the wraiths. They let out piercing shrieks before disappearing.

Kyaaaaaaah...!

Ordinarily, these wraiths would have been too powerful to be defeated by such a low-level purification spell, but they had been caught entirely off guard.

After eradicating the wraiths, Milia sighed in admiration. "Wow, this magic is so convenient. Was it called Circumventer of Necromancy?"

***

Circumventer of Necromancy was a spell of Karnak's own inventions, specifically designed for necromancer encounters, just like Redeemer of Necromancy

.

“I couldn’t just take the money and do nothing after getting a hefty advance from old man Deltros, could I?”

Unlike Redeemer of Necromancy

,

which exploited the powers of necromancers against them, Circumventer of Necromancy was designed specifically for dealing with evil spirits. The spell allowed the user to hide their presence entirely from wraiths.

At first glance, it didn't seem like anything extraordinary. After all, similar techniques existed within the repertoire of holy magic used by priests. But the practical effectiveness of Karnak's spell was on another level.

Traditional methods of concealment were little more than optical illusions. Any significant use of force, such as strong movements or powerful spells, would shatter the spell and leave the user exposed to the wraiths once again. Circumventer of Necromancy

,

however, had no such flaws. Once cast, it was impervious to disruption. Aura techniques, magic, or even divine magic wouldn't break its effect.

In simpler terms, the user could remain effectively invisible while freely beating the wraiths to their heart's content.

"I'm also working on another spell called Link of Necromancy

,

but that one's not ready yet," Karnak said.

"What does that do?" Milia asked with curiosity.

Karnak smiled slyly. "It's a spell that uses necromantic tools to fake necromancy."

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Originally, he had made up the concept to deceive Prince Lloyd. But upon further thought, he realized such a spell would be incredibly useful in practice. Now, he was actively researching it with plans to sell it for a hefty profit once it was perfected. In any case, Leven’s prediction had once again been spot on. The wraiths had appeared exactly where he had anticipated.

Varos found it puzzling.

—This isn't just a case of having some treasure-hunting experience.

His proficiency suggested that Leven was a seasoned veteran. But considering he had grown up in the Strauss family, known for focusing on martial arts, where had he acquired such expertise?

—No harm in asking. It's not like it's a sensitive question.

"When did you start treasure hunting?" Karnak asked casually.

Leven answered without hesitation as if it were no big deal. "It's been about four years now, I suppose."