If Not Us, Then Who?
"There's no need to go that far, brother."
Barkal, determined to return to the Red Wolf Tribe and expose the cris of Priest Rugar.
I stopped Barkal from doing so.
"Why is that, brother?"
Barkal expressed his doubt.
"Priest Rugar sullied your honor! More than that, he wishes for your death!"
Barkal spoke with bulging eyes, as if expressing anger on my behalf.
"You are right."
"In that case, let go! I'll expose his cris and offer proof to Thrag!"
I too had no fondness for that so-called priest.
He'd been picking at since our departure. Of course, he'd astutely figured out that I was a 'necromancer'.
Still, there was an annoyingly sticky feeling about him. It would be for the best to deal with him, if possible.
"There's no solid evidence."
But, no physical evidence.
"Don't we have what that rat said?"
"That's not enough."
The status of the priest in the 'Red Wolf Tribe' was far above ours.
His words and...
The words of a barbarian who just returned, or a barbarian undergoing the Journey of Proof.
We don't even have to ask whose words carry more strength.
"Definite proof that the priest tried to kill us. For that, we'll have to wait."
"Kuuugh...!"
Barkal groaned in frustration.
Seeing him like that, I decided to get to the real issue.
"Barkal."
"What is it?"
"We intend to take the Lagmor Mountain dungeon commission."
"Lagmor Mountain?"
At first, Barkal tilted his head as if not understanding.
I didn't bother to explain. After a mont, Barkal seed to realize what lay at 'Lagmor Mountain'.
"Darsan."
Barkal's older brother.
The place where Darsan Wolfroad was discovered.
"Will you be all right, brother?"
Barkal had prioritized the 'Journey of Proof', postponing Darsan's funeral.
Even so, my ntion of taking the commission clearly bewildered him.
"It's fine."
Honestly, don't I have enough renown for the 'Journey of Proof'? That thought went through my mind.
We'd beco a 'Silver-ranked party'.
At the sa ti, in Odheim, we'd earned the title of heroes who saved the city.
If anything was lacking, I figured it could be solved by succeeding in this commission.
"He was your brother."
I grabbed Barkal's shoulder.
"If we don't do it, then who will?"
It was the speech of a true man. Barkal clenched his fist and said,
"Thank you, brother!"
No need to be so grateful.
The truth is, I had my own reasons for accepting this 'Lagmor Mountain' commission.
I had beco interested in his brother, 'Darsan,' as well.
Apparently, after he died, he'd beco an undead, controlled by a necromancer. But how did he end up with a 'skull helt' over his head?
If he's an undead with intelligence, it's likely he is at least an 'interdiate-rank' undead, similar to Chunsik, who was summoned with the Dullahan Summon.
If so, it would be prudent to see for myself.
'Necromancy' is a difficult magic to master, so I need to gather clues however I can.
Who knows? Maybe Mortis, who's busy sleeping, will react to a situation like this.
* 〈Thrag clicks his tongue as he looks at Mortis.〉
My big brother Ra is getting angry for . But still, 'Mortis' shows no reaction.
I wish he'd reveal sothing, like when he taught Chunsik's summoning technique.
Anyway.
I turned my gaze to the bundle of gold coins.
Four hundred gold coins.
With that kind of money, owning a house in Iushil is no longer a dream.
"So, owning a ho isn't just a dream."
"Brother?"
"Mmm."
I muttered unconsciously.
"It's nothing."
After brushing Barkal off with so excuse, I examined the gold coins.
All of this was mine, but truthfully, more than half of it would likely be spent.
The reason was simple.
The Lagmor Mountain dungeon.
To clear this special event dungeon, there was sothing 'necessary.'
Damn.
I quietly cursed to myself in regret.
"My money."
There was nothing to be done.
Right now, I'm the only 'Player' here.
If not , then who?
* * *
Lagmor Mountain.
The volcano, dormant for ages, spewed crimson smoke as if enraged.
Though not much, lava had started to flow from the summit. The ground trembled and the air was filled with the sll of sulfur.
At the heart of the volcano stood an enormous door.
A dungeon.
The entrance was a massive fissure crossing the mountain's midsection.
As if the earth had been ripped by a blade, dark red light leaked out from the gap.
"Uh, ugh..."
A scout from Belhaim, approaching the spot, groaned as he covered his face.
Intense heat.
The heat pouring from the entrance was so fierce that any ordinary person could hardly approach.
"Can we... even go inside this place?"
No one responded to the scout's muttered question.
Instead, their eyes were fixed on a statue placed at the dungeon's entrance.
Deer.
Boar.
Goblin.
Ogre.
All frozen as if turned to stone while trying to escape near the entrance.
"Monsters of the Gorgon type..."
"Wasn't it said that any living thing that sees those eyes is turned to stone on the spot?"
"That's horrific. Staying conscious while being turned to stone."
Just imagining it sent shivers through the scouts.
Being turned to stone while remaining conscious ans never moving again, living for eternity in that state.
Would adventurers still venture into such a dungeon, risking that fate?
Certainly not.
The scouts shook their heads.
For all living things, the instinct to avoid danger is paramount.
No matter how obsessed with money, life will always co first.
That's why the scouts predicted that few adventurer parties would apply for this commission.
* * *
Iushil Adventurer's Guild, first floor lobby.
Adventurers gathered in front of the notice board.
An ergency commission with a red border.
The inscription: Lagmor Mountain Dungeon Raid.
"That's insane..."
An adventurer muttered softly.
"I expected it to be dangerous, but to hear it might qualify as a gold-rank quest?"
"That's not all. There's even a chance of Abyssification."
"Did you read the scout report?"
A woman adventurer beside him asked.
"It's full of petrified animals, apparently. Seems certain that it's Gorgon-type."
The adventurers' faces turned grim.
"What's the reward?"
"To be negotiated later. Apparently, they haven't gauged the true difficulty yet."
"'To be negotiated later' is usually a bad sign."
Of course, the Adventurer's Guild wouldn't shortchange paynt, but 'to be negotiated later' could an the job's so risky it isn't worth your life.
"Dangerous and uncertain reward. What a trash commission."
The adventurers clicked their tongues and shook their heads.
"I'm not going."
One adventurer spoke up.
"But didn't you buy a Petrification Antidote Potion?"
"Sure, I'll need it at so point later. But you know, right? This is just too dangerous."
Everyone nodded at the adventurer's assessnt of danger.
"Our party is Silver-ranked, but this is too much. And is there anything worth risking our lives for?"
"Right. Money matters, but dead is dead."
"I'm out, too."
One by one.
The adventurers moved away from the board.
But—
"I'm going to do it."
An older adventurer spoke.
"What?"
"Because soone has to."
"Is that your way of saying you want to die?"
"The volcano could blow at any ti. With Abyssification advancing in the dungeon, monsters will surely flood out too."
The middle-aged adventurer's voice was heavy.
"If no one goes, what happens to Belhaim?"
"... But."
"Tens of thousands live in that city. My family is there too."
The others fell silent at his words.
"He's right."
One of them nodded.
"My wife and child are in Belhaim! If we leave that dungeon alone... my family could be in danger."
"It's still dangerous. A real risk of death, you know?"
"Even so..."
The middle-aged adventurer clenched his fist tightly.
"If not us, then who?"
A hush fell between the adventurers.
"What are adventurers for, anyway? We're the ones who stop dungeons."
His words hit ho.
"Money's important, but if we don't do it, people die."
"Our families too."
The adventurers glanced at one another.
Fear.
Their eyes reflected unmistakable fear.
But at the sa ti—
"Damn it."
One adventurer cursed and walked back toward the board.
"I'm going. Sure, it's about the money, but... my kid brother just got a job in Belhaim. At the bank, no less. He's got a better head than ."
" too."
The woman adventurer sighed.
"My parents live in Belhaim and they're old... there's no way they can evacuate if sothing happens."
"I'll go, too."
" too."
One by one,
the adventurers gathered again in front of the commission.
"Aren't you scared?"
Just then, an adventurer who had started to walk away asked.
"Of course I am. Who wouldn't be, when you could die?"
"Sa."
"Still... we have to go, don't we?"
In the end, even the one walking away stood before the commission.
The adventurers began to disperse, getting ready.
To survive.
And,
for those they needed to protect.
"Damn, I'm scared out of my mind... Everyone must be crazy."
Adventurers gathered again before the board. Even with fear etched on their faces—
"We still have to do it."
"If not us, then who will?"
But in their eyes, there was no wavering.
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