Chapter 109

I don’t know about Fabian, but the odds of him snatching the Fulgor Pumpkin were slim to none.

‘It’s an item that Fabian can’t even get in the game from the start.’

Except when you get an item from a treasure chest, like when you get the Dragon’s Pearl, the last hit of the boss monster, i.e., the person who struck the last blow, takes ownership of the dropped artifact.

So I had to be careful about taking the monster’s life.

At the time I was playing the game, I tried my best to make it through this dungeon.

However, in the program, Meyer had no choice but to hit the last hit.

It was an immutable law.

In any case, a game-like system of ownership was also embodied in practice.

So it was customary for the expedition leader or vice leader to strike the final blow for the boss, and in this dungeon, Meyer was supposed to be that master.

Fabian’s thoughts were clearer than fire.

‘I’m sure he’ll try to claim that he made a mistake after intervening in the last hit and taking it away.’

In fact, there were often cases where people claimed to do so and tried to rob the artifacts. Many times, they were stabbed to death. It was the same not only among other expeditions but also among members of the same expedition.

An artifact was a symbol of strength and wealth.

People turned into deceptive demons who were willing to betray their friends and acquaintances in order to get artifacts.

‘But I can’t believe he’s thinking of doing such a thing to Meyer Knox.’

I can’t believe he would try to take Meyer’s last hit. A fish drowning would have been more likely.

‘If I could, it wouldn’t be bad to kill Fabian in this dungeon, but…’

It doesn’t matter if people die in the dungeon because it was a bookkeeping index.

But I quickly dismissed the idea.

Killing him was easy, but cleaning up after him was a hassle.

This time, the Emperor and all the expedition’s eyes were focused on the dungeon.

Others would be praised if they close the dungeon safely, but the Black Knights, who were called the strongest, would be criticized for intentionally killing the expedition team if they failed to safely build up the team they entered with.

‘I can’t have any unnecessary rumors about my hero.’

Of course, if Meyer knew what I was thinking, he would say just kill him because it didn’t matter what happened afterward…

Rather, it was an innermost thought that could not be revealed further.

Yeah. If I wanted to kill him, it didn’t have to be this time. In addition…

‘Far from losing the last hit, will he be able to withstand this dungeon properly?’

Fabian had never been in this dungeon before. So he took it lightly, trusting only the attributes and the approximate level, but the dungeon was definitely not sweet.

However, the more hope Fabian has, the better it is. Because when he fell into the abyss, he would be driven more and more into despair.

‘I want you to be alone with your futile expectations as much as possible.’

As the level of the dungeon is quite high, it will take time for the gate to open, but there was nothing good about the delay. We were ready to enter the dungeon right away.

The dungeon was mainly composed of Axion and the Red Wolf Squad, but due to circumstances, many members were replaced with elite players.

“Do you really have to go this far? I think our Red Wolf unit alone is enough.”

Began asked curiously.

“It is inevitable that His Excellency participates in it because it is the order of His Majesty, but it seems that there is no need for the Vice Commander, Priest August, and the captain of the Yellow Lightning unit…”

“There’s a reason for everything.”

I added with an awkward laugh as I made my entry this time.

I couldn’t reveal the reason to Began, as I had put a lot of dreams into selecting the members of the attack.

“Hmm… If that’s the case with the vice commander, then that’s what it is.”

Fortunately, Began quickly accepted. Axion, who was checking the supplies next to him, grumbled absurdly.

“How come, to me, the commander of the unit, you always pry, but then accept what the Vice Commander says so quickly?”

“The unit commander sometimes insists on weird things that don’t make sense. It’s hard to understand the reasons for your actions.”

Began responded. Ginia, the shield carrying supplies on her horse, laughed quietly as she listened to the conversation between the two.

Axion grumbled, wiping his round glasses lens gently.

“By the way, Jun, can you handle so much at once? You’re not going to wipe your mouth this time, are you? The dungeon is invalid this time.”

Axion would not have thought that a dungeon he was supposed to go with me to in return for pretending to be my lover would appear so quickly. I laughed helplessly.

“We just have to get it done somehow. You know, some people say that no matter where you go, you should only go to the capital.”

At my sly response, Axion sighed and shook his head as if he couldn’t help it.

But the depression didn’t last very long. He chattered happily.

“Well, it sounds fun. It’s my first time dealing with a wood monster. The wood attribute is the only biological type, isn’t it? I’m looking forward to seeing how such a biological attribute is combined with magical power.”

“You’re excited, right.”

Meyer, who had arrived late to say goodbye to the emperor on his departure, glanced at Axion and spat out.

Everywhere I looked, he seemed to be dissatisfied.

Ever since the false lover incident, whenever Meyer saw Axion and me together, he would complain to Axion like that.

Under Meyer’s gaze, Axion smiled awkwardly and slowly escaped.

“Then I’ll go and check the rest of the suppliesss…”

Axion’s stubbornness was also formidable, seeing as how he was compelled to come out and sing a song about going to the dungeon even though he looked so glum.

The atmosphere became awkward between the two stubborn men.

While everyone was looking at each other, Ginia conspicuously asked me.

“Speaking of which, the Vice Commander will probably be going around the dungeon without the kids for the first time in a really long time.”

“This dungeon is a little early for the kids.”

“Haha. Didn’t they cry to take them?”

“Sigh, don’t remind me.”

Having understood Ginia’s intentions properly, I waved my hands exaggeratedly.

Actually, it wasn’t that exaggerated. It was because the trio actually begged a lot about wanting to go. Sevi actually rolled on the floor.

However, this time there were too many variables and it was dangerous. I had a hard time forcibly separating the trio.

“But it’s still like that. Didn’t they come to meet the Vice Commander on your way out?”

“I asked Robur on purpose. I want her to train them while I’m in the dungeon. They’re probably running hard at the Imperial Palace right now.”

“Haha. You have to be thorough.”

While chatting back and forth, the atmosphere became quite friendly.

By the time the preparation for the appearance was almost completed, those who seemed to be from the Fabian expedition came from afar.

They didn’t seem to dare to talk to us casually, and the Fabian expedition team glanced at us while scurrying around.

The disparity between the two expeditions was drastic. Perhaps they were also taken aback by the sudden decision to attack the dungeon.

Fabian, hiding his frustration, approached Meyer and casually greeted him.

“It is an honor to conquer the dungeon with the Fabian Expedition and the Black Knights.”

I figured Meyer wouldn’t respond. But somehow. He instead accepted Fabian’s greeting slyly.

“It is strange indeed, to see you again like this. Don’t you think so?”

“…”

A crack appeared on Fabian’s shrewd face. Fabian tried to pull back a smile, but it did nothing to help Meyer’s next words.

“I admire your courage for not retreating to conquer a formidable dungeon. But greed is a recipe for disaster.”

“…”

“Well… Still, don’t worry too much. No matter how much you have a sense of self, you are not the type to just sit around and watch people die in dungeons. Your expedition only needs to hold the ankle. Do you understand?”

Wow, I guess Meyer can be sarcastic.

I paused and looked at Meyer.

Fabian looked taken aback as if he hadn’t expected a verbal beating, and his blue eyes immediately rose in anger.

Whether he did or not, Meyer turned around and came towards me.

He had a rare smile all over his face as if he were asking, ‘I did a good job, right?’ I wasn’t the only one who saw this.

The other Black Knights turned away in a panic as if they had seen something invisible.

Meyer spoke without paying attention.

“Let’s go now.”

“Yes!”

As soon as Meyer’s words fell, the Black Knights got on their horses.

Minor Forest was not very far from the Imperial Castle, but it was not necessarily a walking distance.

Unlike the Black Knights on horseback, the Fabian expedition had to walk to the Minor Forest.

One of the members of the Fabian Expedition approached him with a slightly recalled face.

“Fabian, do you know the Black Knight?”

“… No way.”

“But you seemed to know him. You’re not out of the eyes of the Black Knight, are you…?”

“No.”

Fabian retorted irritably. Fabian’s sensitivity made the expedition members look at him and quietly keep their mouths shut.

Some of the people Fabian had brought with him were familiar faces, like Deca and April, while others were new.

But just because I had seen them for the first time in reality, I already knew them. It was because they were one of the possible welcoming companions in the game.

‘These are the kids I took a sneak peek of in the past.’

At the time of the first round, he didn’t acknowledge my help at all, but the information I dropped and went seemed to have been eaten away.

In the meantime, I caught a glimpse of a small head. Blue hair. It was Jeanne.

I wrinkled my brow.

‘This dungeon requires a lot of evasion, and I think it’s a little too much for Jeanne to handle…’

Ginia, who was next to me, changed her gaze along my gaze, and soon found Jeanne. Her forehead was crumpled.

Ginia kept glancing at Jeanne as if she was bothered. Then eventually, she couldn’t stand it and spoke to Fabian.

“Fabian expedition leader, your ice wizard over there looks very young… Isn’t this dungeon dangerous since it’s an attribute dungeon with not so many cases? Are there any other expeditionary candidates?”