STGB Episode 503

Age of exploration(4)

A crystal cave bathed in a glowing light.

Perhaps it was because I’d fought Dreadfear here until the bitter end? The moment I opened my eyes, I froze.

[“So… I just have to stab one person…?”]

[“You… will become… a great warrior…”]

Ah, why are these memories so hard to forget even when I try?

It was an experience I never wanted to go through again.

But as long as I keep exploring the labyrinth like this, it’s almost certain that I’ll run into a similar situation one day.

“Mister… are you okay?”

“…It’s nothing.”

Erwin’s worried voice snapped me back to reality, and I checked on my team members. Well, the only “team members” here were Erwin and Misha.

“……”

Misha had been quiet for a while now.

Is she still uncomfortable?

“Misha.”

“…Ah, yes?”

“We should start moving. Are you alright?”

“Yeah…….”

She replied in a small, hesitant voice. After making sure she was ready, we started moving.

Our first destination was the monument in the centre of the crystal cave. We planned to regroup with the rest of our team there.

This time, we had split into two teams to enter.

‘……I should start recruiting more clan members soon.’

The reason for splitting up was due to our numbers.

With only seven members in the clan, we had to split up into one team of three and another of four.

Well, without Auyen there would be an even six, but…

‘We might need a sailor.’

After some thought, I included Auyen in the exploration team. There are several areas—like the Great Sea on the 6th floor—that require both a ship and a navigator, so we needed to be prepared for anything.

…… Besides, if we don’t find the hidden area, we’ll have no choice but to go to the upper floors anyway.

Back in the city, I had diligently searched through related books and found that ‘hidden areas’ have one thing in common.

They always appear on the same floors where the Achievement was unlocked.

A prime example is the Fairy King’s achievement:

[Fairy Archer Armella Powell Merhenia and her companions defeated Gregory the Coordinator and unlocked a hidden area of the Labryinth].

Coordinator Gregory is a hidden boss that can be encountered at a low probability if you keep climbing the Tower of Heaven without going to the 5th floor.

When this guy was first defeated, it unlocked the ‘Labyrinth of Larcaz.’

Well, to be precise, it unlocked three types of hidden fields, including that one.

Anyway, the important point here is this.

On the 7th day, the 1st floor will close, so if we don’t achieve anything by then, we’ll have no choice but to move to the upper floors.

“…There’s a lot more people here ”

The central dark area we arrived at was bustling with explorers.

A stark contrast to its usual quietness.

However, there was no reason to find this strange.

I had expected explorers looking for the ‘Hidden Area’ to come here first.

In fact, most of the explorers were well-equipped and proudly displayed their clan marks.

‘Still, there are more than I thought…….’

As we entered the dark area, the explorers who noticed me made surprised expressions and cleared the way.

“Hey, that person……”

“It’s Bjorn Jandel……”

“So he’s looking for it too……”

Their looks went beyond simply recognising a famous person, showing curiosity or even treating me like a competitor.

“…Does he know something because he unlocked the area?.”

“The fact that he came here first might mean there’s something hidden here.”

In situations like this, being famous can actually be a disadvantage.

“Misha, stick close to me and don’t wander off.”

“Ah… okay……”

Making our way through the dark passage, we soon reached the chamber with the monument. As expected, many explorers were gathered around the monument.

“Oh! Bjorn! Over here, here!!”

“You’ve finally arrived.”

“Welcome, Captain.”

The second team, who had arrived earlier, noticed us and came over.

First I listened to Amelia’s report.

“Did you find anything?”

“Not yet. The mages from the different clans seem to be doing something, but it doesn’t look like they’ve found anything.”

“I see……”

After that conversation, I approached the monument, and the mages who had been working in front of it made way for me.

And then……

Gulp-!

They were watching my every move, as if expecting me to reveal some clue.

The situation was somewhat amusing.

‘It’s not like I have any special clues either.’

Standing in front of the memorial, I felt a strange sensation.

During my last exploration, there had been a witch’s altar here instead of this memorial.

What secrets could the labyrinth be hiding?

With that thought in mind, I read the inscription on the memorial once more.

「In honor of the great first step of the Last Great Sage, Diphlun Graundel Gavrilius」

The same inscription I had seen countless times before.

‘The inscription hasn’t changed…….’

I carefully examined the altar, but couldn’t find anything suspicious or different.

Even when I touched it directly, there was nothing unusual.

So, after a while, I returned to my team and started discussing.

“Bersil, is the voice command on?”

“I already turned it on.”

“Good.”

“Jandel, did you find anything?”

“Not yet.”

It’s not that I didn’t have anything I wanted to test, but with so many eyes on me, it was too risky.

No matter how much people praised me as a hero, I wasn’t that great of a person.

I’ve always believed that the best food is the one you eat alone.

“Let’s head out.”

With that in mind, I decided to leave and come back later when there were fewer people around.

But just as I was about to leave, someone approached me.

“Baron Jandel.”

 

A man with a sword, brown hair and a strong build for a human.

I looked at him with a “who are you?” expression, and he greeted me with noble etiquette.

“I am Manus Stilico, team leader of the 9th team of the Whiteshark Clan. It’s an honour to meet you, Baron Jandel.”

Ah, so that’s the mark of the Whiteshark Clan.

One of the four great clans.

“Versil, can you switch off your voice control for a moment?”

“Yes”

“So what do you want?”

I kindly turned off the voice control and he got to the point.

“If you have any information about the hidden area, we would like to purchase it at a reasonable price.”

Tch, so that’s what he wanted.

In fact, I had received countless similar offers recently.

And according to my memory, among the ignored letters, there was one from the Whiteshark Clan.

“Purchase, huh……”

Even if I had information, I had no intention of selling it for money, but I decided to play along for a moment.

There was something I wanted to ask.

“Is the leader of the Whiteshark Clan on the 1st floor?”

“…He might still be here, but he’s probably not nearby.”

“Is he searching the outskirts?”

“No. For this exploration, our 9th team is solely responsible for searching the hidden area.”

In other words, the rest of the clan members had already moved to the upper floors.

“Surprisingly little support, huh?”

I hinted that in such a situation, they wouldn’t be able to offer much for the information, and he quickly responded.

“It’s not that the clan is taking this matter lightly. It’s just that, given our military contracts, we can’t focus on this matter right now.”

“So the war comes first?”

“Yes. Besides, if it’s something that can be found quickly, our team alone should be enough. And if it’s not, there’s no reason to commit all our resources from the start. Not just us, but other clans are likely in a similar situation.”

“I see.”

“So… about our offer……”

I decided to end the conversation there.

“Sorry, but I’ll have to decline.”

I had already heard everything I wanted to know.

“…I understand. Thank you for your time.”

With that, we left the monument chamber and headed outside.

‘The war is unexpectedly helpful.’

I had been worried about the crowd of explorers near the monument chamber, but further away from the centre it was relatively empty.

The real competitors are tied up by the war.

Even if the entrance was easy to find, we wouldn’t have to worry too much about our share being reduced in this situation.

“Bjorn! Where are we going now?!”

“To the outskirts.”

It was time to put my skills to use.

The sooner we find something, the more we can gain.

***
Without a doubt, [Dungeon & Stone] is the most player-hostile game I’ve ever played.

Boss monsters that require you to smash your keyboards to defeat them.

Fields and rifts filled with all sorts of bizarre mechanics.

Hidden items so well hidden you’d think they were designed never to be found.

If I were to explain how unfriendly this game is, I could talk for three straight.

But paradoxically, the main reason I became addicted to this game was precisely because of its ‘unfriendliness’.

Back then, I was the type who thrived on challenges, constantly battling against boredom.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve searched for hidden pieces.’

The difficulty of [Dungeon & Stone] lies in its hidden pieces.

In other words, how much you know about the hidden pieces determines your success. Without knowing them, it’s practically impossible to progress through the floors normally.

So, when I played the game, I had a habit of searching for hidden pieces as naturally as breathing.

If I saw a statue, I’d look for a way to break it.

When moving, I’d always hug the walls and spam the attack button.

If something seemed suspicious, I’d cast every spell I had.

Sometimes I’d burn things, freeze them, or throw the corpses of plunderers I’d collected.

And after nearly 10 years of doing this, I had discovered countless hidden elements and, of course, developed my own know-how.

‘The problem is that I haven’t invested in ways to find hidden pieces.’

I don’t have a character specialized in luck.

Nor do I have a character set up purely for searching.

My companions and I are all built for combat. That’s because, I was confident that I already knew all the hidden pieces the game had to offer.

‘Thankfully, I can read ancient languages now…’

Well, if this hidden piece doesn’t require any Ancient Language, that skill won’t be much help. Still…

Boom—!

What can you do?

If you have no teeth, you chew with your gums.

Just like this.

Boom—!

Like I used to do when I played games, I move around tapping the walls with a hammer. Not just me—everyone on the team is doing the same.

Boom—! Clank! Thud! Drrrrr.

The near-harmony of hammers, daggers, and spirits colliding with the cave walls and crystals created a cacophony of noise

“Whoa! It’s like a festival—this is fun!”

Everyone except Aynar seemed to question why we had to do this, but I pressed on firmly.

“We have no choice but to do this! This is the basic method to uncover Gabrielius’ achievements.”

“I read it in a book once!”

Since Versil didn’t know I was an evil spirit, I used that excuse and led the group onward. We stopped to search thoroughly whenever we entered certain sections.

A three-way intersection with square crystals.

A pond beside a large rock.

The mossy puddle, and so on.

In the crystal cave, where the terrain changes every time you enter, there are fixed locations that always appear.

And…….

‘Hidden pieces are usually hidden in these fixed locations.’

As we diligently smashed everything in our path, we eventually entered the dark zone on the outskirts of the cave.

Whoooosh-!

The portal connecting to the goblin forest was already active, opened by earlier explorers. We looked around, but didn’t found anything suspicious.

Tsk, so it’s not beside the portal either?

We picked a central spot and fanned out to search the perimeter. After finishing, we’d move farther and repeat.

Day 1, Day 2…

Time passed, and just two hours before the start of Day 3, we finally had our first breakthrough.

A small to medium-sized clan of about twenty people had gathered in one spot, blocking the passage.

As if they were trying to hide something they’d found.

“I thought reporting to you first was priority, so I didn’t engage. They didn’t spot me either.”

“Good call, Erwin.”

I led the team to the place Erwin had mentioned, and there were explorers blocking the passage, as if trying to hide something.

Thud, thud.

I didn’t bother hiding my presence as I approached, the other side pulled out weapons but hesitated when they recognized me.

“Stop! Wait, Baron Jandel…?”

It’s hard to be forceful when they recognize me.

“Is there a problem with me passing through?”

As I approached closer and asked, the explorers, visibly frightened, desperately spoke up.

“This area is currently our campsite… According to the unwritten rules of explorers… we ask you to, to please pass by…”

Wow, that really does sound suspicious, doesn’t it?

“Unwritten rules? What are those?”

“…?!”

“Don’t talk nonsense to me!”

With that, I just charged forward, breaking through.

“Oh, oh…!”

“That’s not allowed…”

All they could do was stare at me and utter those words.

As I brushed past them, about a dozen explorers gathered in front of a wall twitched as if they had been caught red-handed.

“…!”

“…!”
A heavy silence hung in the air.

“What’s all this commoti—Hm?”

A man peeked his head out from a narrow crack in the wall.

“Oh? There’s a hidden path there?”

“Uh, uh…… Who are you……?”

“I am Bjorn, son of Jandel. Are you the leader here?”

“Y-yes, but…”

“What’s inside?”

“N-nothing…!”

“Doesn’t look like nothing.”

When I smirked, the man squeezed his eyes shut and shouted,

“…W-we found this place first!”

Tch, now we’re the villains here.

“‘Found it first,’ huh…”

“Y-yes! Stealing another explorer’s discovery would tarnish even your reputation, Baron Yandel—”

“Did the explorers you met before say the same thing?”

“…Huh? Wh-what…?”

“Gah—!”

I grabbed his collar and yanked him forward.

“Your sleeve.”

“……?”

“There’s blood on it.”

“……!”

“Whose blood is that?”

It hadn’t even dried yet.

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