◈ 120. [Free Exploration]
I dream of Encounter.
– Long time no see bro!
Messages are piling up.
– Did the broadcast get bigger while I wasn’t here?
Messages are piling up.
– Hey bro. I’m having surgery soon… … .
message.
– Can you give me one word to cheer up?
are piling up
***
“Whoops!”
I opened my eyes.
“Hee-Buck-Hee-Buck!”
When I jumped up, my whole body was covered with cold sweat. I exhaled heavily and wiped away the sweat.
“dream… is it… .”
maybe dawn… … It seems to be about time. Since it is a dungeon under a lake, it is difficult to estimate time using sunlight.
Let’s take out the pocket watch. It’s 5:00 in the morning. It’s still too early.
“majesty?”
Suddenly, I heard a voice, and when I looked there, Junior was awake.
He is leaning against the back of the bed and holding a smoking pipe in his mouth.
Smoke billows from the smoke pipe. It smells faintly of herbs.
“Are you okay, Your Highness? Where are you sick?”
“Ah yes. what. no. are you okay.”
I was relieved to see someone awake, so I smiled a little.
“Why are you not sleeping?”
“I fell asleep and woke up.”
Junior, who removed the pipe from his mouth, asked anxiously.
“Is Her Highness all right? You seem to be having a hard time, maybe you had a nightmare.”
“… .”
After wiping the sweat from my forehead, I let out a thin sigh.
“There is one thing I regret.”
“… .”
“Maybe that’s why I often dream about it.”
Junior smiled bitterly.
“A lot of people are like that.”
“A lot? Anyone else?”
“I do that often.”
Junior shrugged.
“Is it because I have so many regrets? I often have nightmares.”
“… .”
What kind of nightmare does Junior have?
The dream of the day the village burned 15 years ago… … Are you dreaming?
“Others are sleeping well.”
Looking back, it really was.
Evangeline is sleeping well, snoring and scratching her stomach, Lucas is sleeping stiffly in an alert posture, and Damian is stretching quietly without breathing. hey are you alive
“When you sleep alone, waking up from a nightmare is scary.”
Junior looked back at the party members with a thin smile.
“Since we’re all together like this, I’m not too worried. Just hearing the sound of other people breathing makes me feel a little relieved.”
“Haha, shall we go camping often?”
“Whoops. That’s fine. … But next time.”
Looking at the peaceful scenery where the party members were sleeping, Junior calmly said his wish.
“I hope it’s not a dungeon, but a picnic with a nice view.”
“… I know.”
I wish that day would come soon.
It was then.
jump!
“majesty!”
Suddenly the bedroom door opened and someone ran inside.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness. I think you should get up!”
A giant man wearing a jackal mask.
It was Jackal, the owner of the Colosseum.
Surprised party members woke up one by one. I quickly got up and asked.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s a habit.”
The jackal reluctantly went on.
“… Vampires have invaded.”
I opened my eyes.
The jackal licked his lips bitterly.
“I guess Bernato wasn’t lying at the time.”
The vampire we killed yesterday, Bernato, said clearly.
– I am the family of the great nosferatuicin Lord Selendione! You dared to touch me and make me like this, so the Lord will surely judge you… … .
It was not a lie.
Selendion’s clan immediately invaded this place to take revenge.
***
Boom!
Kugu Palace!
The building vibrates vaguely.
The Colosseum was under attack.
The Frost Ghouls rushed like waves and surrounded the Colosseum screaming.
In the meantime, the ghoul reinforcements and Fallen Blood were mixed one by one to strengthen the attack.
Kieeck!
Kyaaaaaaa-!
The Colosseum side was responding with the giant monsters raised inside.
The giant monsters who opened the door of the Colosseum and escaped screamed loudly and twisted their bodies.
The goblin god swung its eight arms and the decaying dragons breathed fire.
The frost giants wielded huge spears.
bang! Kwakwagwang… … !
A war between monsters and monsters.
Me and the party members watched this ghastly scene with their mouths open.
‘Honestly, I thought he was the son of the vampire I killed yesterday… … .’
I never thought I would go this far to get revenge for that. I didn’t know about vampires’ kinship, but I didn’t know too much.
“No matter how much these guys are under the command of the corps commander, this is my courtyard.”
Jackal sighed confidently.
“It is not easily pierced. I will show you a very bitter and sour taste.”
“Are you okay Jackal?”
“Of course, Your Highness. I’ve been through a lot worse than this. Wasn’t it easy to get the title of Gladiator King?”
Jackal’s bloody eyes shone. A gladiator-like fighting spirit ran through his body.
“But you don’t know when the battle will escalate, so you’d better get back quickly through the underground passage.”
It was as it was said. If I got swept up in that battle, it was obvious that I wouldn’t even be able to find a bone.
Me and the party members quickly finished our preparations and gathered in the manhole in the center of the Coliseum arena.
Jackal opened the manhole cover by hand.
“His Highness has already conquered this place. The loser’s road will be open again in the opposite direction.”
“Thank you, Jackal.”
“you’re welcome. majesty.”
Kung Koo Goo Palace… … .
Kwagwagwang!
Outside the Colosseum, the sounds of battle were getting louder.
“Come on, go! If Her Highness isn’t there, I can freely go wild.”
Jackal urged, and my party members pushed their bodies into the vertical passage one by one.
Finally, as I entered the passageway, the jackal whispered as he picked up the manhole cover.
“majesty.”
“huh?”
“Thank you for remembering the name of a man like me who is nothing. Those words were my salvation.”
I blankly looked at that jackal and said,
“… Hey Jackal.”
I curled up the corners of my mouth and smiled.
“If you say such lines, you will surely die. Be careful in the future.”
“Ha ha ha ha ha! I told you the truth, but was the atmosphere a bit like that?”
A small smile appeared under the mask.
“see you again. majesty. I hope next time I can treat you more leisurely.”
“I also want to be treated at ease. Then see you next time.”
“yes. Oh, and this is a small courtesy.”
The jackal pulled out a pouch and put it in my hand.
“I look forward to seeing you again. majesty. Good luck then.”
thud.
The manhole cover was closed.
“… .”
I silently climbed the ladder to the bottom of the aisle and opened the pouch the jackal handed me.
Dalgrak.
It was full of dark crystals.
“… this.”
It’s like a real death flag, gladiator king.
After silently putting it in my inventory, I raised my head.
I saw the party members looking at me with hard faces.
“Let’s go back.”
Glaring at the other side of the long aisle, I chewed softly and spat out.
“Because it’s still a bit far to show the vampires the taste of silver and lightning.”
***
How much time has passed since it started going in the opposite direction.
“by the way… .”
Evangeline, who was walking in the last row, gave out a puzzled voice.
“Isn’t this aisle a bit colder than yesterday?”
“Oh is that so… ?”
I heard and saw it. At some point, whenever he spoke, white breath flew out of his mouth.
“It’s cold… suddenly… .”
Damian grabbed his forearm and trembled.
“… This.”
White frost settled on Junior’s pale face.
I frowned.
weird.
Obviously something is wrong.
The moment everyone in the party noticed it.
“Lord.”
Lucas, who was at the forefront, gave a hard, firm voice.
“Why?”
“In front of the aisle… There is something.”
“… .”
Reluctantly, I went to Lucas’s side. I saw that too.
“… !”
A boy was standing there.
He was a small boy, dressed in a neat black suit.
With skin as pale as snow and hair as dark as the night sky.
and… He looked at me with eyes overflowing with blood-red yogi.
I didn’t even have to ask who it was. It was an opponent I had fought dozens of times while playing the game.
“Celendion… .”
I gritted my teeth.
“… He is the Vampire King.”
Sreung! Sreung!
The party members urgently prepared a battle formation.
Evangeline joined as the vanguard, and the two knights drew silver weapons.
Damian pulled out his crossbow, stepped back and lowered his stance, while Junior cast a spell and stood up.
Standing in the middle, I pulled out the Maestro and held it in my hand.
《Hmm.》
And then.
“Excuse me.”
The next moment, Celendion was in the middle of our party.
In Celendion’s hand was Lucas’s silver sword, which had been broken in half.
In the other hand, Evangeline’s spear blade and Damien’s crossbow were clutched, also broken.
“uh?”
“no… .”
“what?”
A groan escaped from the three mouths. the next moment.
puck! Fuck! Tuhak-!
Lucas and Evangeline Damian bounced everywhere like bowling pins.
An intangible force struck the three of them.
The party members, who vomited blood, ran to the hallway wall and slid to the floor.
“Huh-!”
Junior urgently cast a spell. Elements of three attributes gathered in the air to form a magical sphere.
And Selendion just glanced at the magic ball.
《Until there.》
Hwa-Ak-!
With just that, the magic disintegrated and shattered.
Junior muttered as if it were absurd.
“… lie.”
Tuhak!
The next moment, Junior was also hit by something and fell far away.
that buck that buck
After incapacitating all my party members in the blink of an eye.
《Let’s talk, Player.》
Walking slowly, the Vampire King stood in front of me and looked up at me.
“I have a lot of questions about you.”
