The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon

Gilaut pressed the clown sharply. ”Come again? What did you just say?”

Powerful beings traveling through the Erosion Zone by a different path, wearing top-tier equipment—only one group fit that description. It had to be Gith-Za-Rai and the Dullahans. No wonder Gilaut was agitated.

”A-ah, violence is prohibited,” the clown squeaked as the nearby merchants glanced over.

I lowered my voice. ”I want to hear it too.”

The merchants were undoubtedly waiting for the hunt. They would side with the hunters, not the hunted. Drawing attention would do us more harm than good.

Feeling all the stares, the clown clamped his mouth shut. Then a muffled, ventriloquized whisper came out. ”Please step this way.”

We followed him into a narrow corner, where he whispered quietly, ”Don’t tell me... those prey were part of your group?”

”Was it the necromancer and the Dullahans?” I asked.

”Yes. I suspected as much when I first saw you—”

Gilaut suddenly interjected. ”I will find the ship.”

Fwoosh!

Then, he ran off without listening to another word. I couldn’t stop him. But why? Bassago’s mark had burned so brilliantly. So why had his contractor been attacked? Even if Gith-Za-Rai had been ambushed, shouldn’t Bassago have helped her somehow?

We had to go. I looked toward the path Gilaut had taken.

I was about to follow when the clown twitched his hat nervously. ”Aah... If he learns that I told you, Lord Bassago will be very displeased... But since you won’t be able to return that way anyway, I suppose it’s fine.”

What?

”Bassago will be displeased?”

He nodded. ”Yes. Lord Bassago is the one leading today’s hunt.”

”That’s impossible...!” Gilaut was gone, so I revealed what I knew. ”Gith-Za-Rai is the Demon King Bassago’s contractor. That makes no sense. Are you certain you know what you’re talking about?”

”Heheh... Absolutely. He’s been accumulating power all this time, then released it for this hunt. Ah! I just heard it myself! The ground is still shaking from the explosion. Boom! Boom!” His face twisted suddenly. Blood seeped from his lips, which he wiped with a cloth. ”Ungh... A powerful Demon King has cursed his own words. This is a warning for revealing information...”

”...!”

Blood continued leaking, and he kept wiping it. ”Well, it’s not that I refuse to speak because of the warning... I simply don’t know every detail. I only know he has prepared this for a long time...”

My thoughts spun. Why would Bassago attack his own contractor? It was like saying Malphas attacked Isaac, or Botis attacked Duke Biblio.

A Demon King’s contractor was someone who sought their descent, while also spreading their ideology and influence. Humans offered sacrifices. The lord gained strength.

Did Gith-Za-Rai fail to do something?

Impossible. No one hosted death-feasts more magnificently than she did. Something didn’t add up. Was the clown lying? It didn’t feel like it.

”Your companion left, but there will be no boat... Even if he crosses, the path will be blocked.”

”...”

I didn’t know why Bassago had betrayed his own contractor. But I knew this much: If she was in danger, I had to save her. I had only just pulled her back from the brink of death, and now this.

Is the presence of a transcendent, such as the Ashen Knight, still not enough to make it an EX-grade scenario?

Would I be of any help at all if Gith-Za-Rai had been overwhelmed? Still, it wasn’t like I had any other choice.

I’m going. I can’t sit and watch.

”That hunting ground, if I don’t cross the river, is there really no path back there?”

The clown dabbed his mouth with the cloth, though the blood had already dried. ”Well... I suppose there is. But should I say it...?”

”Mm... I am a free spirit. And Lord Malphas, the Reclusive One, has never formed any deals with anyone. If I become his first contact... that would be a huge gain for me...” he muttered to himself, lost in thought, then suddenly nodded vigorously. ”Very well! You are precious, esteemed customer... I will tell you. But it is not a recommended method.”

”Just say it. How do I get there?”

”You see this sticky, quivering ground?”

”Get to the point.”

”Heheh... As someone from outside the Demon Realm, you may not know, but there is a native creature called Alagos the Chewing Worm. It is a noble wriggler of Gluttony’s lineage like myself. With a mouth several dozen meters wide, anything that enters is shredded by thousands of teeth. The hardness of those teeth is—”

”Faster.”

A Chewing Worm. I already had an idea where this was going.

”Yes, esteemed customer. When they’re still in juvenile form, their teeth haven’t developed yet. Those are called Gulp Worms, also known as skittles. Their appetite is far stronger than the adults, but they can only swallow and spit. However, if trained, they can be made to spit things in a desired direction!”

I cut him off. ”Send me.”

I knew this creature well. In the mortal realm, I was likely the only person who did.

”Esteemed customer, how can you interrupt before I finish? You must always review terms and conditions carefully,” he babbled on. ”There is indeed a Gulp Worm that connects to the direction of the hunt. But when you exit, your companions will be scattered everywhere. And this one has not fully adapted to the mortal realm. It might swallow you and refuse to spit you out. You might spend your entire life inside its stomach. Esteemed customer, are you sure you’re fine with that?”

The clown seemed proud of his explanation, but I didn’t have time. ”It doesn’t matter. Hurry.”

Yes, there was a risk it would spit me out anywhere, but the chance it would refuse to do so was extremely low. Gulp Worms adapted fast. They were widely used later.

”You’d be misguided to think you can tear your way out of its hide. Its hide is tougher than anything you can puncture. If your companions get separated, you must accept it and move on, esteemed customer.”

It felt like a third eye had opened on his forehead, evaluating my strength.

He is judging me...

”It’s fine. Just do it.”

If I got trapped inside, I could simply kill myself and reset. Even dying uselessly was acceptable, so long as I gained a clue that could help Gith-Za-Rai.

”Very well... please wait. It will take time to call the worm buried in the flesh-soil. Wait patiently, esteemed customer. Waiting will extend your lifespan, so take your time.”

”...”

I was restless. He left to fetch the worm, but I couldn’t sit still. I wandered back through the auction hall. I had bought most of the weapons and armor we required, but the thought of facing an opponent of unknown strength made everything feel insufficient.

[2,000 kruna has been spent.]

[1,500 kruna has been spent.]

There was no need to conserve kruna. If I were to die and return here again, Malphas would recognize me as his sole representative and provide another subsidy.

[Appraisal skill experience has increased.]

[3,000 kruna has been spent.]

[2,700 kruna has been spent.]

I burned through the kruna, buying weapons for the soldiers. Most of them were disposable throwing weapons. I wasn’t sure how useful they would be, but if it strengthened our force even slightly, I didn’t mind the cost.

[Appraisal skill experience has increased.]

[Appraisal skill experience is...]

Ding!

[You have acquired Appraisal Lv. 1!]

[— You can now roughly determine usefulness and value. You also gain the ability to differentiate authenticity.]

So it finally leveled up.

[Experience has increased!]

[1062 is pleased with a javelin that fits its hand.]

[1043 feels proud to have received throwing daggers.]

[1002 prefers thicker, spear-like throwing blades.]

Maybe I should’ve done this earlier. I wanted, even slightly, to help Gith-Za-Rai.

When I had spent about 150,000 kruna on miscellaneous weapons, and the soldiers were nearly carrying their limit, Gilaut returned. His shadow trembled on the ground, his voice sounded like he was chewing through self-blame. ”No boat. There was no boat anywhere. That white hooded bastard... that’s what he meant. I couldn’t find him either.”

The hooded man had disembarked in the middle of the river. Our boat had already left. There was no chance of ever meeting the former again, and no chance the latter would return.

As an exceptional knight, Gilaut already knew this. He had simply run off because he couldn’t stand the frustration.

”Don’t be too discouraged. There’s another way for us to—”

Before I could finish, the clown suddenly screamed, ”It is ready, esteemed customer! Ready! Prepare to be swallowed!”

His excitement was absurdly high.

Clatter.

Not just me, every soldier tensed up. Gilaut took the lead.

”Ooh! You have returned!” the clown said, before leading us to a corner of the cave.

There, a three-meter-wide circular aperture slowly opened and closed. A dark red maw, yawning like a hungry pit. The hole puckered and turned, quivering. The idea of being eaten by it was far from pleasant.

”The Gulp Worm is extremely hungry, but rest assured, it is a juvenile without developed teeth. It will send you to the opposite side. Only one person at a time! Best of luck! And before you die, please tell Lord Malphas I treated his contractor VERY well!” he shouted frantically, which I barely registered.

Gilaut stared at me with a deep, resolute gaze, then stepped forward without hesitation.

Kuruu! Kuru-rururuk...!

He was sucked into the hole in an instant. It was like watching an arrow vanish into invisible darkness.

A Gulp Worm... this is my first time using one directly.

Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!

I watched each soldier go in, one by one. When the worm opened its mouth again, I jumped in too.

Kudududuk! Kududududududuk!

Even though its gums had barely formed, it squeezed me so tightly, I thought I would crack. The membrane contracted and expanded with violent rhythm, crushing me to the point I couldn’t lift a single finger. Moreover, its speed overwhelmed everything, terrifying enough to defy comprehension. It wasn’t falling, it was something far beyond.

Shaaak!

Finally, I was spat out, making me feel like shedding a shell.

Gurrk... Gurruruk...

The opening quivered, then slowly sealed shut. Sticky mucus stretched between the closing gap and me before snapping.

[You have traveled at a transcendent speed!]

[You have recovered Sprint Lv. 1!]

Another recovery.

I barely registered it, already accustomed to such things, when...

[You have gained a new insight into speed!]

[The time limit for Sprint has been removed!]

What?!

Ding!

I pulled up the status window and checked Sprint.

[Sprint Lv. 1 (???): Maximum speed increases by 100%.]

It was different from before. Aside from the question marks, both the cooldown and daily limit had vanished. All because I had used a Gulp Worm, I had granted something absurd, far beyond a simple recovery.

Uncertain, but not without hints, my gaze drifted to the bottom of the Status Window, to the number that glowed faintly.

[Assimilation Rate: 53.14%]