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Published at 20th of March 2019 11:28:01 AM


Chapter 17

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RING RING RING

The phone on the table started to ring non stop. It continued on for some time before stopping. Kana has just returned from her shower as she answered the phone.

"Hello?"

She didn't have the time to see the caller before taking the call. She was worried that it was an important call and picked the phone with haste because she heard in on her way back from the shower.

"Kana, I need to ask you for a favor."

The voice from the other side of the phone sounded a bit lonely. At first, Kana was confused as to who she was talking to and finally checked the id on her phone. She was shocked to see a surprising name.

"Sis? What's wrong?"

"… Nothing. I just need some help with something."

"Just tell me, sis. It's not like you to talk like this. Aren't we sisters already?"

The reply didn't come for some time. Worried, Kana was about to say something but was stopped by Ethel's voice.

"Can you please go to the dungeon?"

"What!?"

"The Dungeon. The one that Jake wanted to go to. I want you to go into the dungeon with him."

"No no no… I heard that part clearly. But… why? I thought you don't want him to—"

Kana came to a realization as soon as she was about to finish her sentence. It turns out that Ethel was still worried about Jake and approach Kana to ensure Jake's safety.

"*Sigh*… That kid. I'm afraid that he'll do something reckless and couldn't help but worry. It would be really great if you can come with him to stop him if he tries to do anything."

"But… the store…"

"Don't worry about it. I will replace you in managing the store. Just explain to me what I have to do before then. After all, I also have experience in management."

"…"

Kana couldn't help but fell silent. In truth, she also wanted to join the group to help out but was burdened with the store. She would rather follow them in secret and meet up when they enter the dungeon than worrying like a helpless girl for their safety. So, the proposal came as a pleasant surprise to her.

"Kana? Are you still there? How about it? You are the only one I can ask."

"*Sigh* I will do it, Sis. I also couldn't help but worry about those two idiots."

"Great! I know I can count on you. Just tell me what I have to do at the store, okay?"

"Yes. Then, I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. See you. Thank you so much."

TUT TUT TUT

Kana put down the phone back on the table. She had a light smile on her face as she lay down on her bed.

"Really… Jake, you're really lucky to have such a caring sister. That's the first time that Sis asked a favor to me."

*

Kana's body shuddered at Jake's cold voice. She knew that this would happen if she was discovered by Jake early.

The plan was for her to show up at the last second to save them from a monster attack to enter the party. At least that way, she could justify herself as being the one to help them.

Kana forced her body to turn around despite the stiffness. She forced out the brightest smile she could possibly form.

"O-oh my!? J-Jake? F-f-fancy meeting you here! W-what a coincidence!"

Jake gave an instant chop to her head after hearing her nonsense. His face was as cold as Ethel when she's angry.

"Kanaa~ Can you tell me what's going on~?"

The sentence was dragged on purpose as Jake made some sound using his fist, ready to give Kana a second and harder chop if she utters any more nonsense.

"S-stop stop! I'll tell you okay? Stop making that scary face."

In the end, Kana told him about Ethel asking her to tag along with Jake's party. She told a small lie, where she was about to call out to them at the entrance but couldn't find them anywhere. She also told him that Ethel will be taking care of the shop when they're gone.

"*Sigh*… so that's why she's been coming to the shop lately."

A smile formed on Jake's face. His heart felt warm at Ethel's kind intention. It was a foreign yet nostalgic warmth which he longed for a long time.

"Let's go then."

"Huh? Where's Roger and Lee? Aren't they with you?"

"Yeah. We all got separated due to the dungeon's mechanism. Look, the others are also confused, right? You're lucky to have met me."

"Mechanism? What do you mean?"

"Argh… I'll explain along the way! Let's go."

Jake followed behind a group of <Hunter>. The reason was that the cave only had one passage where humans can go through. The other end was a dead end without any hints of air flow.

It was an ideal place for a starting point inside a cave-type dungeon. The only thing lighting up the cave was the glowing rock at the ceiling. However, the number was not enough to completely erase the darkness of the cave. In fact, Jake needed some time to adjust his eyesight before being able to see comfortably inside the dungeon. It might be worse for Kana.

"Ack!"

That was the third time Kana stumbled upon a small rock and for the third time, Jake offered his help to prevent her from falling.

"Learn to manipulate your mana. Guide them to your pupils and maintain it. Slowly cut the connection and you'll have your eyesight enhanced for a small period of time. It really helps during this kind of environment."

This was also the third time Jake explain the principle behind his enhanced eyesight.

"I'm trying!"

A blue glow started to gather around Kana's eyes. However, it soon vanished without a trace, unlike Jake's where the glow was still maintained at a low intensity around his eyes.

"Argh…"

"Haha… good luck with that."

Jake stopped in his track at a certain figure on the ground. The figures numbered a few, Jake counted 3 similar figures lying on the ground. However, one thing was certain. They were undoubtedly dead.

"What's wrong? Why did we stop?"

"*Sigh*…"

Jake flipped his hand. A scroll appeared out of nowhere. He opened the scroll and ripped it while chanting, <Illuminate>.

The scroll burned at the chant and was replaced by a small blob of light. The movement of the light was guided by Jake's finger as it slowly moved in front.

Kana was shocked to see the corpses in front of her. It was not a corpse of a human but something that resembles it. It was a humanoid monster she never saw before in her life.

The monster had a green scale all over their body. She might mistake it for a lizardman from afar. The thing that differentiates them is the shape of its head. This monster has a head that resembles a frog rather than a lizard. The eyes of the monster were unusually large and were placed a bit far apart from each other. Exactly like that of a frog.

"It's a Groglod."

The answer came from beside her when she was wondering about the identity of the monster. Jake's face looks serious, unlike his usual expression.

Jake approached the corpse to examine them. The Groglods was killed by either a clean slash or stab towards its vital spot, granting them instant death. There are one with multiple stabs across its body, signifying its struggle before death. However, there is one thing that seems off about the corpse.

"It's weird… There are only 4 corpses here."

"How come that's weird?"

Kana interest was piqued by Jake's statement.

"Groglods are similar to goblins and lizardman in their hunting policy. The ironclad rule of their hunt was to always bring at least 5 warriors which were approved by the village. The number may exceed 5 but will never go below it. That's why its weird."

Kana counted the number of corpses silently in her heart. As Jake said, there are exactly 4 Groglod corpses in front of her. With no monster core intact.

"HELP! ACK!"

Jake and Kana exchanged a glance as they ran towards the source of the voice. They slowed down when a light came from the direction they're running to. Jake placed the small blob of light at the corner to avoid being detected by the enemy.

"Slowly…"

"Hn!"

The two tiptoed towards the source of light. There, they saw an unbelievable scene. Kana also let out the sound of gagging when she saw the disgusting scene.

The light came from a small pile of glowing rock in the middle of a small camp. The thing that caused Kana to almost vomit was at the side of the only tent. Human heads were stacked at the location, forming a small mountain.

Jake remained calm even after seeing such a scene. From what he saw, the camp was not built by the Groglod, instead was build by a human. It was the conclusion after seeing the state of the camp. It seems that it might be the camp of a previous challenger of the dungeon and met their end here.

An additional head was placed at the pile by a particular Groglod. Unlike the one from before, this Groglod was equipped with decent gear. A chest plate and a sword for fighting. The blinking big eyes on his head gave a creepy feeling towards Jake and Kana.

"A variant… those are a bit bothersome"

Jake activated <Inspect> for confirmation.

==

Groglod Warrior

Level 19

A variation of normal Groglod. It mastered the art of sword-wielding to a certain degree. The source for its knowledge was unknown.

==

The variant stood proudly after he placed the head on the tent. It turned around and said something to the other Groglod. It then took away the man's body and disappeared within distance. The variant followed them from behind.

Kana finally couldn't hold on her urge to puke and found a corner to do the deed. It was her first time seeing such a cruel scene. She might have slaughtered a lot of monsters before, but she has never seen a similar scene with humans as its actor.

However, that was it. She soon had a fierce glare on her face.

"Those bastards! They're gonna pay!"

"Yup!"

The anger almost went inside Kana's head as she had the urge to follow the Groglods and kill them. However, her rational thinking said to wait and gain more information to surely complete the mission. The only shocking fact was that Jaka remained calm after witnessing such scene. The 'Jake' she remembered would certainly rush head first.

'He didn't really need a bodyguard after all!…'

Those words were left unsaid in her heart. Instead, she could only ask him for advice since it seems that Jake knew a lot about that particular species.

"What now?"

Jake approached the pile of heads to examine them, causing Kana to frown and her stomach to once again feel bad. However, Jake had a plain expression on his face as he examined every severed head.

"There are probably 2 types of variants. One is that big guy with armor and the other one should be an archer."

Jake lifted a severed head with a huge hole on his forehead. The man's eyes were wide open due to the shock he felt before he died. Jake noticed the uncomfortable expression on Kana's face and used his hand to at least, close the man's eyes.

"Look here. This guy is probably killed by an arrow to his head and the number of head in a similar condition can be counted by two hands."

"So, we have to prepare against the arrows right? Got it. What's next?"

"That's correct. If possible, we have to take out the archer first. It's a bit difficult for me to fight if there are arrows flying around."

"I can do it."

"Yeah, I know. But unlike them, you can't see well in the darkness. So, we need a plan."

Kana bit her lips in frustration but soon begin to brainstorm for a solution. To her surprise, her first thought was to depend on Jake.




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