Chapter 35. The Reason Wings Rot in the Cave (3)

Rena organized the loot. Her manner of sorting through items taken from corpses seemed quite practiced.

It looks like she's done this plenty of times.

I could easily picture her collecting items from people she had killed, then heading straight to the black market. She was a dangerous woman, indeed.

"I've packed everything important."

However, the pack she made wasn't very large. Most of the bigger items were left behind.

I looked at her with a slightly puzzled expression, and she smiled faintly.

"I'll make several trips. I just don't have the strength to carry everything now."

I nodded and explained how to operate the mechanism that separated the inside from the outside of the hall.

"The obelisk is here..."

I showed her the location of the hidden control device and how to align the symbols.

"Turn the obelisk in the order of the snake, owl, and horse drawings..."

Rena nodded. "Ah, so that's how it works!"

It was a simple device, but I didn't think someone could learn to operate it so easily after just one demonstration. She grasped it quickly, as expected.

With a low rumble, the stone wall opened.

"I'll try closing it this time!"

Rena operated the mechanism a few times. She opened and closed the wall, and then left it open to finally walk outside.

"Alright, I'll be back!"

"Be careful."

The words slipped out unintentionally. Rena nodded lightly, smiling, and her footsteps faded into the distance. I turned my gaze to the weapons lying on the ground, then looked at the spiderweb where Rena had been hanging.

The air inside the hall gradually cooled. I felt strangely empty.

Was I excited just because she had been around, even though I carelessly left her hanging for three days?

Whoosh!

I wanted to shake off my thoughts, so I swung the sword with one hand. It was a pointless gesture. My swordsmanship level wasn't going to increase any further. The quest was over.

***

An hour passed. I was contemplating whether to go outside and hunt some humans instead of staying idle.

Ding!

[Dungeon Message: Intruders have entered!]

[Number: 5]

Hmm

?

An alarm suddenly went off, and a message alerted me that five adventurers had entered. It was a trivial alert as intruders in the dungeon were expected.

However, a chill ran through me, like a cold blade cutting into my thoughts.

Is this related to Rena?

The timing was odd. Only an hour had passed since she went outside, and now five adventurers had entered the dungeon. The likelihood of a connection was high.

Did she betray me the moment I released her?

Had I been expecting it?

In the end, I realized I had trusted her. The feeling of betrayal settled heavily on my chest like a stain. Of course, it was a hasty judgment. The five adventurers might have nothing to do with Rena. In any case, assuming the worst was safer.

I must prepare myself.

Rena had watched me fight. She wouldn't have brought ordinary adventurers. If she brought them, they would certainly be capable of subduing me.

Shiing.

I slowly drew a sword from its scabbard.

Thud.

I rested the tip of the sword lightly on the stone coffin. I waited, standing at an angle. I stared at the blade. It was sharp enough. Looking at the edge was required to examine a sword, but to know the wielder, I had to look at the hilt.

I drew my gaze inward, toward the leather-wrapped hilt. The owner of this sword had been the one who carried only a bunch of food. The hilt wasn't stained or worn, which meant that the sword was relatively new.

Dozens of swords lost their owners in this condition daily. The hilt wore out far slower than the severed necks of their wielders.

What kind of hilts do those entering the dungeon hold? If they own a sufficiently worn hilt, my head might get crushed.

Tap, tap.

The footsteps drew closer. They echoed throughout the dungeon. The dungeon walls were uneven, causing the sounds to bounce around chaotically.

"Hey, are you sure there's something good here?"

It was a man's voice.

"

Heh

, you're not planning to run away, are you?"

Another voice sounded, deep and rough.

"How could I escape from a place like this?"

Rena?

I heard her voice.

Running away?

"You said this was a dungeon, but there's nothing here. Are you telling us the truth?"

"Did you think I was lying?"

There was a hint of flirtation in her voice. Hearing it a second time, I was sure it was Rena.

Is she really bringing someone in right after going out?

"It's much better to be inside here than outside, isn't it?" Rena continued.

The sound of footsteps came right up to the stone wall. I heard the mechanism being operated.

Guuu... Boom!

The stone wall opened, hitting the ceiling with a loud thud. The sound of the heavy impact echoed throughout the dungeon. Dust scattered both inside and outside.

I was puzzled as I watched the humans enter the hall. I stared blankly at them while sitting on the stone coffin.

There were five of them: Rena and four men. However, they weren't properly armed. They had no armor or weapons. They wore plain clothes, and they weren't adventurers or hunters. They were just human men, not even remotely prepared to explore a dungeon. They looked so out of place that I wondered if this world was really safe for them.

"

Heeek!

"

The men gasped in surprise when they saw me. They took a few steps back instinctively. They seemed to have had no idea there would be monsters here.

Did they not even know they were entering a dungeon?

"

Eek!

What is this?"

Or perhaps, they were dragged in thoughtlessly under someone's persuasion. If they had any courage, it was foolish courage, and I almost wanted to applaud their sheer lack of thought.

The men pointed at me, startled.

"It's a... skeleton!" one said.

They still didn’t run away. I looked at Rena. I was about to demand an explanation, but something was strange. She was wet. Her body and hair were damp. Her black eyes and hair glistened with moisture.

I asked Rena, "What is all this?"

Rena chuckled and replied, "Sorry, but could you kill these guys for me?"

"

Argh!

"

She twisted the wrist of the man holding her hand. She snapped it easily, and slipped away from the confused group of men. Shaking her wet black hair, she quickly walked over to me with light steps.

The intruders, with bewildered expressions, yelled out in confusion.

"W-what are you doing?"

"Couldn't you handle this on your own?" I asked.

I really had no idea where she had brought these civilians from. When the alarm had gone off and the men had entered the hall, I wondered if she was trying to betray me. But what I saw in front of me was a group of absurdly unprepared men.

I couldn't fathom where their confidence had come from to crawl into a dungeon without a single weapon.

Rena was already walking briskly toward me, putting distance between herself and the foolish-looking men. She sneered at them as they backed away.

I asked her, slightly irritated, "What are you doing?"

Rena twisted slightly and replied, "Ugh, I couldn't just enter the city in this filthy state after three days without washing up. Please cut me some slack."

"So?"

I never told her not to wash.

"I was washing in a valley when these guys showed up. They asked if I was deliberately tempting them, and it didn't seem like I could slip away easily. It felt like they were about to attack me right there."

"Was there a need to drag them all the way here?"

"Well, I could've killed them myself, but it would have been bothersome to deal with the bodies..." Rena trailed off.

Rattle.

I intentionally expressed a sigh with my bones.

She had deliberately dragged them all the way here, hoping I would take care of them. It was half a joke, but the purpose was clear: to increase trust. The deaths of those four men would serve as the first offering to strengthen our relationship.

I looked at the men. To my astonishment, they were each picking up a weapon from the pile I had gathered.

"If we attack together, we should be fine! It looks like that’s the only skeleton moving around!"

"I thought she was just some sly woman hiding out here. Let's deal with her and hand her over to the temple!"

The men who had been startled by my presence now appeared emboldened.

I turned my head and said, "Rena, I'm curious about something."

"Yes! Ask me anything."

"Where does that kind of confidence come from?"

"Exactly. Maybe I should knock it out of them."

I adjusted my grip on the sword. I wasn't kind enough to tell them to leave. Since they had no baggage, they were probably from a nearby town. If I was going to kill them, I would do it quickly.

Whoosh!

I pushed off the stone coffin and lunged forward.

Slash!

"

Gah, urgh!

"

I pierced one of the men’s hearts with a direct thrust from my sword. His flesh and muscle tore like paper. His eyes widened, and he spewed blood from his mouth and chest before collapsing to his knees.

[Experience increased by 14!]

[Dungeon Affinity increased by 0.09%!]

Even after witnessing the instant death of one of their comrades, the others barely reacted to my movements. I withdrew the blade and immediately swung it, slashing through the two men standing side by side.

Splat! Splat!

Blood sprayed everywhere. The two men fell heavily to the ground.

[Experience increased by 9!]

[Experience increased by 11!]

[2-hit combo! The opponent is too weak. Swordsmanship proficiency has not increased.]

[Dungeon Affinity increased by 0.2%!]

"

Eek, eek!

"

One man remained. He tried to turn and run, but I stabbed his defenseless back with my sword.

Thud!

The blade pierced through his back and came out of his chest. Then I pulled it out, making the blood spurt forward. He staggered three steps forward, and with a final gasp, he collapsed facedown in the pool of blood he had spilled.

[Experience increased by 18!]

[Dungeon Affinity increased by 0.12%!]

These were very low-level opponents as they barely gave any experience. Four new corpses now lay in the dungeon. I had swung my sword without even asking for their final words. Even if I had listened, I had no intention of honoring any of it. Words muttered after leaving this life held no meaning, no matter what was said.

Rattle.

I turned around and flicked the blood off the sword. Then I wiped the rest with a cloth. I had killed the four men in just a few breaths, none of which were mine.

"

Hah...

"

It was Rena's breath. She trembled slightly.

Whistle!

Rena seemed pleased. "Whew! That was thrilling."

It seemed like the reduction in human numbers was directly linked to her excitement. I didn't comment on her reaction. Rena came over and searched the bodies.

"As expected, there's nothing useful... I guess we'll just have to be satisfied with killing them."

Aside from the items she already had, there didn't seem to be anything else of interest. Naturally, in a world where plunder and killing prevailed, the best items ended up with the strongest.

"They were weak."

"Of course. They scrape together what little they have, only to have it taken away so easily. Do you pity them?"

"Should I? They tried to take you."

"Hehe, at least at that moment, they could feel like the strong ones. They must have been excited. Oh, here."

Rena handed me a wallet she had taken from one of the corpses.