9 - Dungeon, the end of the betrayal...






 In no time at all I had descended from level 1 to level 4.

 I asked Lucky to check almost all the paths to make sure I didn't miss anything, but Isaacs were nowhere to be found.



 The demons were not so strong until about the fourth level.

 Thanks to Lucky's intimidating presence, many of the enemies ran away when they saw him, so it was quite easy.



 When we reached the middle of the fourth level, we found Isaac and his friends surrounded by a group of Blue Ants.

 Isaacs and his group did not seem to notice us as they were fighting while shouting something.



"Kid! Why did you cut Kara on the back?



"Why did you cut Kara in the back? You have to sacrifice others in order to survive. Besides, this isn't the first time I've done this, and I won't be discovered in the dungeon. Besides, you're all in this together. You killed the servant and the saint just as much as I did."



"No! We didn't do it!



No, we didn't. The difference is that we did or did not touch them. You were in a position to reach out to the servants and to the saint. If you didn't do it, you're an accomplice! Just keep your mouth shut when you get out of here!"



 The Blue Ants are one rank lower than the Orange Ants on the fifth level and are not much stronger. It was slow to call for help, so it shouldn't have been too much of a struggle.



 I could have kicked his ass by myself on the way there.

 But something is wrong.

 I've fought the Blue Ant so many times before, and yet, except for the Kid, they've been so ineffective.



"Oh, shit! I'll never team up with these slow-asses again!"



"Shut up. You're not even a good fighter yourself!



Shut up and attack!



 Lucky and I interrupted the shouting.

 Lucky kicked the blue antes out of the way in an instant.



 We're one man short. Kara is gone. And what do you mean he cut them off?



"Hey, why isn't Kara here?"



"Hey, why isn't Kara here? Why are you here? And why is that dog here? I thought you were eaten.

"Oh, I've come back from hell."



 Isaac and Kid point their swords at us.

 I get off Lucky and put my hands up.



----Hey, you know what? I'll take care of them too, huh? They say they won't know we're in the dungeon.

 I pat Lucky on the head, and he sits up, as if he knows what I mean.



"Please Rock, save Kara! Kara is still on level 5 after Kid cut her back!"



 Emmy yells at me.

 Emmy looks very pale for someone I've only seen for a few hours.



"You guys didn't just f*ck me, you f*cked Kara too!"



"We don't have a choice. If we can't all survive, then nature will take its course and the weakest will die first."



"d*mn it. How can a guy like you be childhood friends with a brave man?

 Oh, my God. How can a man like this call himself a hero and be my childhood friend?



----Locke, you see? There's not a word of remorse in the world for these guys. Let's get out of here. ...... You're not going to save this Kara, are you? ----



"Lucky me."



----You're a real softy, aren't you? Kara is that guy in your backpack with the stinky clothes? ----



"Yeah."

 Apparently, the perfume that's so popular in town is just another smell to Lucky. But it should make it easier to find Kara.



----Let's just get her out of here. We're best buds.

 Lucky paws at me and I slam my fist into it.



 The ex-party members were frozen in surprise as they watched.

 I remember Isaac and Kid couldn't hurt Lucky at all.

 Too bad.



 Lucky picks me up and dashes down the stairs to the fifth level.

 Level 5 was teeming with orange-ants.

 It was not a pleasant sight.







 Lucky snarled, and the orange-antes moved away with a warning crackling.

--It looks like the smell of blood is attracting them. We're not far now.



 Lucky runs into a swarm of orange antes and with a flick of his paw, he is blown away, leaving an orange stain on the wall.






----Oh, are you going to collect the material? ----

"No, Kara is the priority."

----Aiyo----



 The orange-ant's eyes turn from black to red, from caution to attack.

 The battle is not over until the opponent is dead or they themselves are wiped out.



 The best thing to do would be to kill them all before they multiply to an inexhaustible number, but with such a large number gathered here, it doesn't matter if they call their friends. There is no other way but to exterminate the entire nest.



 However, there is an advantage. The orange-antes are very disciplined, so if we can make them this angry, we can get all the hate.



 If Kara is still alive, we should be able to divert their attention away from us.

"Lucky, I'm going down to fight."

 I step down beside Lucky and slash at the orange-ant, and he fights his way around to my blind spot, protecting my back.

 I protected Lucky as I cut him into pieces.



 When I was a member of my childhood party, I was always looked down upon as a fool, and no matter what I did, they were never interested in me.



 They thought I was a liability, but now I can move with Lucky with ease, like we have a heart to heart. Thanks to our mutual support, my moves are more effective than when I am the only one supporting my surroundings.



 Orange Ant is a demon that excels in group battles. They usually appear in groups of three to five, and when they are defeated too late, they gradually call more and more of their companions.



 A party that is not strong enough to attack or break through will have a hard time and eventually be defeated by the sheer number of them.

 However, each of them is not that fast, so if the party maneuvers well, they will be able to manage it with a little time to spare.



 Especially if the party to be defeated like this is breathing well.



--Rock, your moves are good and easy to fight.



"Lucky too. I've never been in a fight where I could move so easily.



 Lucky and I fight in a circle with our backs to each other.

 The orange-ant has its sights set perfectly on us, so we don't have to cut into it to get close to it.



 But there are so many of them. We've already killed a few dozen of them, but there are more. There might be more than a hundred of them.



 There were a few more when we passed by on our way back, but it seems that all of them have really come out of the orange-ant burrows.



 The dungeon-born orange-ant makes a den in the wall of the dungeon. These eventually grow and expand to become dungeons.



 There are still many mysteries about how dungeons are made, but I have never heard of such a large number of orange-ant in a dungeon.



 Well, even if that is the case, the end will come eventually.

 There is no one left standing on the floor except me and Lucky.



"Lucky, do you know where Kara is?"

----"If it's someone called Kara, it's just up ahead.



 I looked in the direction Lucky indicated and saw a reddish-black robe in the orange liquid.

 That was Kara's .......