The Devil’s Cage

In Harvest Inn, Rachel was carefully inspecting every single one of the glasses she had just washed.

Although the inn was not as merry as during Kieran’s last visit, he liked this peaceful atmosphere better.

Rachel disagreed, as this meant less business for her. The person who had caused it would definitely not be treated nicely by her.

”Welcome,” she greeted Kieran with extreme coldness, not even turning her head around.

The system had notified her as soon as he had entered the room.

”Good day, Rachel!”

Kieran knew perfectly well why she was so cold to him, so he did not express any dissatisfaction. After replying politely, he walked up to the table where Lawless was sitting, which was the one furthest away from the bar.

As one of the accomplices that had caused the scene, Lawless had it worst than Kieran. The glass of water in front of him was proof enough.

To an alcoholic in a tavern, water tasted more like death.

As Kieran walked over, Lawless waved in low spirits.

”Here, 2567.”

Unlike Lawless, on the other side of the table was another veteran player who greeted Kieran with passion. The man looked familiar

”Hi, I’m Hanses. We’ve met here before!” Hanses stood up and introduced himself, extending his hand for a handshake.

”2567!” Kieran introduced himself once more as he shook the man’s hand.

Even though he already knew Hanses’ nickname, it was good manners to do so.

Then he turned to Lawless.

”Lawless: There is a mercenary mission I need to discuss with u face 2 face. Harvest Inn!”

Judging by the message Lawless had sent Kieran and the fact that Hanses had joined them, it was easy to guess who the employer was.

Kieran was just waiting for Lawless to explain the nature of the job.

”Because of the killer organization you discovered, every player that knows what’s going on has become cautious. See what Rachel did to me as punishment?” Lawless ranted bitterly, pointing at the glass of water before him.

Kieran looked at him in annoyance, but Lawless soon dropped the act and continued, ”It’s a good thing though. At least we know what’s going on so we can raise our guard. I hope there will be no more victims after this. That incident also provided us with a chance to find the organization. Well, of course, there’s also been trouble. Everyone has started to doubt each other, and easy mercenary missions have become even harder because of that revelation!”

”Hanses here has that same problem. He needs help getting through a troublesome dungeon, but he cannot trust anyone other than me!”

Lawless’s manner became serious when he was discussing business.

A troublesome dungeon? Kieran was surprised.

It had to be a Special Dungeon. Otherwise, how could it already be troublesome, when it had not even begun?

No doubt Hanses already knew what he would have to face before going back into the dungeon. This was not possible for a normal dungeon. Only Special Dungeons allowed players some small insight into the upcoming dungeon.

Title Dungeons were the same, but they did not allow team entries.

Every single one of the participants needed to have an entry scroll in order to enter.

”Is it a Special Dungeon?” Kieran asked Hanses softly after taking another look at Lawless.

If Hanses was willing to trust him, then so was Kieran. Under the circumstances, he was willing to spill something that could be considered a secret.

Plus, Hanses seemed to react well to it.

Lawless was no stranger to Special Dungeons either. Considering his dungeon clearance, what would have sounded strange to a newer player was nothing to him.

Hanses looked at Kieran in surprise. He was astonished by the fact that Kieran was aware of the existence of Special Dungeons.

He had no intention to hide this though. As Hanses nodded, Lawless dropped his poker face.

It was not news to him that Kieran knew about the existence of Special Dungeons.

Lawless had interacted with Kieran the most, so he could guess his general status based on the items he put up for sale.

”A Special Dungeon that even Lawless needs help clearing? Seems like this Special Dungeon is even more special than I imagined!” Kieran added.

”That’s because this dungeon has certain limitations. One, we cannot bring any equipment and items with us. Two, we might start out as prisoners at the beginning!” Lawless nodded as he briefed Kieran on the situation.

They wouldn’t be able to bring any equipment or items inside the dungeon? They’d be in jail?

Kieran’s brow furrowed as he listened to Lawless.

Kieran had never denied the importance of his equipment and items.

He had relied on [Primus Arm] plenty of times to complete a mission, and he couldn’t imagine removing all his other gear either.

If a player entered a dungeon unarmed, their power level would drop by at least six ranks.

That was the conclusion Kieran reached after a short calculation.

If he added in the limitation of being a prisoner at the beginning of the dungeon, he could understand why Lawless had called the Special Dungeon troublesome.

Kieran would have considered it lethal.

However, there was also a burning curiosity inside his heart, which he had no intention of hiding.

”Although Special Dungeons are somewhat different than normal ones, based on my understanding, it shouldn’t be that hard to clear, right?”

Kieran looked at Hanses, who was the one who had called on them.

”Here, 2567. See for yourself.”

Hanses smiled helplessly as he PMed Kieran a screenshot of the dungeon information.

[Player ”Hanses” Final Rating: SSS]

[You have acquired a Special Dungeon]

[Special Dungeon: Escape from Morko Principality]

[Escape from Morko Principality: You were originally one of Grand Duke Morko’s elite infantry troops, but you stole the Grand Duke’s treasure from his vault during a time of war. This infuriated Grand Duke Morko, who sent out his best men and captured you, confiscating all the stolen treasure. You have been thrown into prison, and Grand Duke Morko is planning on executing you once the war is over…]

[Note: Because of your theft, all your items are running a risk of being confiscated. Please choose your equipment carefully.]

...

Kieran skimmed through the generic message, focusing on the important bits of information.

When he finished, his brow was furrowed even harder than before.

One of his questions had been answered, but another one had taken its place.

”You were captured before the dungeon ended? Or...” he asked.

Translator’s Thoughts

Dess Dess

This dungeon is quite interesting... Imagine the movie ”Escape Plan”