The dungeon where Quegnae appear was just as Yu IlHan had expected.
The mutated species dungeon at least had a variety of animals and a variety of levels so he did not get tired of it, but in the Quegna dungeon, ash grey colored monsters with dark faces that looked like they were from Munch’s pictures, were walking around stiffly.
Quegnae stored their magic power in their metallic bones, and had the ability to spit the stored magic power towards their enemies.
They moved around slowly at normal times, but once they noticed an enemy, they screamed their lungs out to call for their allies, and attacked their enemies by endlessly shooting out magic bullets. They really were a paint to hunt.
However, there was an element that made them even more violent, and that was that one had to end the fight quickly when fighting against them.
The moment they notice their enemy, they pull out magic power from their bones to fling it at their enemies, so when one fighted them for a long time, their bones would gradually run out of magic power. Naturally, the quality of the bones would become lower, and in the end, they would even become useless.
The only usable part of Quegnae, which, despite their low level, were incredibly tough to fight against, were their bones. As such, those who did not have the confidence to hunt them fast with a large amount of firepower, did not linger around the dungeon even if they found it. Such was Erta’s explanations.
Obviously, these things were all meaningless to Yu IlHan.
[You have earned 335,989 experience.]
[You have earned the record of Lv 54 Quegna.]
No monsters in this dungeon could see through Yu IlHan’s concealment. As such, all Yu IlHan had to do was to leisurely enter the dungeon and sever their life. Was there anything easier and more comfortable than this?
However, there was a limit to that. Although he liked labor, he was a perver who hated unproductive labor. Looking at the 523rd Quegna that just fell down due to his surprise attack, Yu IlHan muttered.
“This won’t do. I cannot waste any more time doing something so meaningless.”
[It’s because your growth is too fast. These things should originally be a suitable level of hunting material for you.](Erta)
The reason Yu IlHan had come here was in the end, to procure materials to make Kang MiRae’s magic weapon. That objective was over from the moment he killed the third one, so if his objective was not experience, then no one would say anything even if he went back.
However, since he decided to do it, he wanted to make a good weapon.
“Isn’t there a boss?”
[You’re not thinking that boss-tier monsters exist in every dungeon, right?](Erta)
“I think I will be able to make a legend rank weapon if I have its bones though…”
She did say that the price would different according to the ability of the finished artifact, so the money was worth looking forward to. However, Erta shouted in fright.
[Are you planning to pull her roots out? No, she might even request marriage saying she will pay it back all her life!](Erta)
“Damned media ruined our Erta.”
[I’m extremely normal!](Erta)
If this was a game or a fantasy novel (T/N: It isn’t?) then bosses that decorate the final part of the dungeon would appear. A sudden crisis! The main character who burns in passion amidst of shock and fear!
The problem was that the ones who get burned to death due to the main character’s courage was not the main character himself but his friends who become touched and charge with him, but anyway, shouldn’t dungeons be like that, where main characters grow in such method?
However, reality was cold. If there were no mutated monsters, or the dungeon had insufficient mana, boss monsters were not born. It might in a long time, but at least right now, there was none in this dungeon.
Mostly, people do not want to meet high ranking monsters inside a dungeon, so the fact that there’s no boss monster was usually a good news.
Let’s say that there’s a level 50 restriction dungeon. ‘Normally’, the people who enter such dungeons are limited to those around level 60. Those above that level would look for another dungeon for experience efficiency.
However, when bosses appear in these kind of dungeons, level 80 was normal and if unlucky, level 90, and although very improbable, even a 3rd class might appear, which Yu IlHan had experienced already.
Well, if they killed the boss, then they would be able to take a lot of experience and spoils of war, but no jewels in the world were more precious than life. As such, people never approach bosses. They only pray that they would not get noticed by the bosses and run.
As such, boss monsters did not exist for people to hunt them.
They existed for people to run away the moment they see them!
[I’m saying that the probability of a boss monster appearing is supposed to be very low. Do you understand now?](Erta)
Thanks to Erta’s easy explanations, Yu IlHan nodded helplessly, but somehow, there was a word in her explanation that weighed on his mind.
“Why did you emphasize the word ‘normally’? Are there times where high level people have to go to a lower level dungeon?”
Dungeons were no different from monster-specific traps made by using the power of Heaven. The fact that people could hunt monsters on their level safely was all thanks to that.
But how?
[Ah, if you went to another world, then you would’ve known.](Erta)
“You’re trying to pick a fight with me right? Just wait next to me until I become a higher existence.”
[……It will be alright before Earth experiences its 2nd Great Cataclysm. I will explain it to you then.]
Whether it’s the 2nd Great Cataclysm or the third, he didn’t mind unless he became a loner again. Yu IlHan just nodded his head and mindlessly slashed at a Quegna nearby. At that moment, a small change occurred.
[You have earned 359,998 experience.]
[The skill, Death Collector, has become level 10. You are now able to understand the dead’s thoughts remaining in the power of life.]
The Death Collector skill was the sole skill that Yu IlHan acquired after becoming Rookie Reaper, and it only collected the power of life of those Yu IlHan had killed, and was meaningless otherwise.
Collecting the power of life didn’t mean his stats nor his magic power would increase. He just acquired a strange artifact that absorbed faint white smoke that appeared when he killed things, it had no other uses.
He only predicted that it would become helpful when he becomes a full reaper in his 3rd class, and learn an active skill after becoming able to use mana. There was no harm in gathering them, and it was a passive skill, so he had no means to stop its activation so he just left it alone
However, the moment the skill levelled up to 10, Yu IlHan’s thoughts had completely changed.
[Kueeeeee]
[Kwiik, Kwiiiii!]
[Kaoooaaaaa!]
“Kuhk!”
He couldn’t win against the sudden screams and shouts that echoed in his head, so Yu Ilhan grabbed his head and ended up tumbling on the ground.
[Kiiiiiiiik!]
[Kua, kuaaaaa!]
[……Killed, me…… world…….]
[Kikuuuuaaaa!]
[Damned maggot!]
[Yu IlHan, what is it? Yu IlHan!]
“Fuck, I don’t know either!”
This was only happening within his brain, so Erta could not understand the situation. She just wished that he would be able to endure.
[Kuuuuuuu]
[Request……, ……’s blood……]
[How dare a puny Earthling do this to the great me, Dakié Von Illastra!]
Enduring the flood of noise that flooded his soul itself, Yu IlHan clenched his teeth. He wandered for a moment due to it being so sudden, but each of these voices were no more than the thoughts of the dead.
‘Calm down Yu IlHan, dead things are dead anyway.’
They were the dead who Yu IlHan had severed their lives of anyway. Moreover, they were no more than the thoughts that was attached to the power of life as a bonus.
It was just a little noisy, but there was no need to fear that.
[Kuiiiiiii!]
[Please……world……sav……]
[The empire will definitely not……]
‘Just shut up!’
He felt like he would go crazy if he listened to any more of that mage’s voice so he inwardly screamed.
However, the moment he screamed to nowhere, the noise all stopped.
[The skill, Death Collector, has become level 11.]
“What the…”
It seemed that the noise torture he just experienced was some kind of ceremony that all people who had Death Collector had to go through. He should’ve known from the time when he saw the word ‘reaper’, this really was a class for the weirdest of the weird.
[You’ve heard the thoughts of those you’ve killed? To think you’ve endured that with pure mentality……are you alright?](Erta)
“They are dead anyway.”
Just why was this useless skill given to him! For now, they’ve calmed down, but thoughts were things that would go nuts unless they were completely erased. Thinking to that point, he got annoyed again.
He even thought that he may had to regularly shout in his brain, and that the skill called Death Collector maybe a penalty, if anything, that was given to a Rookie Reaper, who had strong power.
However, the next moment, he had to take back that thought.
[Can you hear…… my voice?]
“……”
hearing the softly vibrating, clear woman’s voice, Yu IlHan became silent for a moment. When he saw Erta, who was floating in the air after leaving the top of Yu IlHan’s head, she, unlike her usual self, turned away to avoid his gaze.
[It’s not that(T/N: In JP, this would be ‘Betsu ni’) I was worried about you. I only asked since the thoughts of the dead were usually violent and you may have gotten some permanent injuries!](Erta)
“Yeah, thanks for worrying about me.”
[Kuuuuuuuu.](Erta)
Of course, he knew that Erta wasn’t the culprit.
Someone that he killed, that spoke human tongue, and one that had a beautiful (T/N: ???) young woman’s voice – he could only think of one.
[I request, of you. Please just once……]
“Phew.”
Heaving a grand sigh, Yu IlHan checked that there were no monsters in his surroundings, and sat down at a safe place before opening his mouth.
“What is it that you’re asking me to do, Reta Kar’iha?”
[What did you just say, Yu IlHan?](Erta)
While Erta’s eyes widened, inside Yu IlHan’s brain, a soft vibration could be felt again. The contents were quite violent unlike the voice.
[Those I could not block even with my entire body……please take revenge to the race of dragons in my stead!](Reta)
The moment when the Rookie Reaper Yu IlHan and the Breaker Reta Kar’iha had a destined rendez-vous, Heaven was punishing the low-rank angel that concealed a dungeon.
[Suspension of Activity for 5000 years. Isn’t this enough?]
[Execution!]
The one to object to the chairman angel’s loose punishment was Lita.
[It wasn’t a simple dungeon concealment. If we did not find it, the world may have collapsed.]
[That’s a heavy sin.]
[Just why did you do that? What’s good on Earth? Did you hide some snacks or something?]
Seeing that many angels were agreeing with LIta’s words, the chairman groaned.
[However, it’s not wise to reduce the manpower of Heaven’s Army. Each and every one of our angels are precious.]
[We need to cut the rotten parts out. Before everything else rots as well.]
It was another angel and not LIta. It was a woman who had a more mature appearance than Lita, and in her hands was a spear that emitted light as if it would pierce the sinner’s heart at any moment.
[He committed a sin that go against us angels’ activity rules. Just because we’re lacking manpower, are we going to free a guy with a bomb amidst our forces?]
[However.]
[Are you also a traitor?]
This angel’s firm voice had no emotions in it whatsoever. If the chairman nodded in mistake, then her spear would strike the chairman’s heart immediately.
The chairman shook his head.
[Please refrain from the dichotomic reasoning. Your rashness does not fit with a higher existence.]
[It’s better than losing everything after being relaxed. Moreover, in judging good and evil, whether it’s a higher existence or a lower existence, there’s no difference.]
The angel aimed at the sinner’s heart who was bound on the central pillar. when Lita clapped at that, some angels glared at her, and some even giggled.
[Don’t kill me! Don’t kill me!]
The bound angel cried out. He looked at the chairman for one last time, but the chairman only shook his head with a sigh.
[You should blame yourself for being foolish.]
[Ah, no. This is…… There’s no way this is possible! It should have ended quickly, they said tha……]
The angel with the spear of light swung her arms lightly to shoot the spear. The spear pierced the sinner’s abdomen.
[Kuhuk!]
[Speak, traitor.]
The female angel that threw the spear approached him while emitting an overwhelming aura, and pushed her flawless beautiful face against his. However, as the sinner was in tremendous pain, there was no room for him to admire her beauty.
[Who is behind you? Is it the Destruction Demon Army? Is it the Garden of Sunset? Or is it the Brilliant Army of Light?]
[Kuhk….Kahk!]
The bound angel couldn’t win against the pain and frothed blood from his mouth. However, at some time, perhaps he had realized that he would not live anymore, as he spat out the spit mixed with blood at the female angel and shouted.
[You retards, you chess pieces who only follow orders of a calculating machine, you maggots! Heaven will fall! Those damned principles and restrictions, they will lead you to your destruction!]
[I received it well.]
Despite the unbearable insult, the angel just firmly nodded.
From the beginning, she did not expect to get any useful information. It was fine with figuring out that this wasn’t a fallen angel who just became crazy, but someone that was moving under orders of someone else.
The angel grabbed the spear struck in the male angel’s abdomen and slashed upwards.
[Kahak!]
[……You were sacrificed. Even though you’re laughing at us so much, you did not realize your position until the end.]
The sinner could not answer anymore, because the upper part, starting from the abdomen, had been clearly split apart.
[Kyak.]
[How clean of a strike.]
[Spiera! How could you, on your own…..!]
Some angels rejoiced and some, including the chairman, became shocked. However, the angel, Spiera, only declared with the ‘black and white’ blood covering her.
[I only disposed a traitor of Heaven.]
[He still had the wings of an angel! Could we really not save him!]
[Lita, accept your orders.]
The angel did not listen to the chairman and turned around. Meanwhile, Lita, who was called, replied back while tilting her head.
[Why? I need to go back down quickly with IlHan’s reward.]
[The dam of karma that was piled up for a long time started breaking apart. A big battle is coming……As such, from today onwards, you will undergo a special training for your advancement.]
Lita was known for her strong physical power even amongst the angels. She was originally strong, but after she got caught up in missions relating to a world with a distorted time axis, her powers had grown massively as well. Spiera didn’t call her out for nothing.
However, Lita couldn’t care less about any of that.
[I’m in a romantic business so no!]
Special training? She was busy stealing Yu IlHan’s heart, and if she did something sweaty like that, then she might be left behind by Erta!
Lita backed out, but Spiera approached even faster and grabbed Lita’s back.
[Yes.](T/N: As opposed to ‘no’ above)
[Uaaaaaaa. IlHannnnnnnnnnnnn!]
Lita’s return just got delayed, but of course, Yu IlHan and Erta did not know of this fact.
Author’s notes
1. Erta hid it well!
2. Yu IlHan was right!
3. Angels will appear a lot from now on. They aren’t just for simple advices and support. Sorry? You knew it?
Translator’s notes
Spiera’s appearance!
Also, I saw that I got a 3.5/5 on grammar… I’m sorry guys… The sentences in this novel are just too long to bother checking grammar…
Translator : Chamber
