The skills of the porters, who also doubled as dismantlers, were outstanding. Although the kobolds were quite small, it took some time to fully take apart the monsters to separate the materials and the mana stones. However, the group’s dismantlers managed to finish their work on the monster’s corpses in less than ten minutes.

In the meantime, the mercenaries took turns eating and resting in groups.

“One with a sprained ankle and one with a broken arm. Fortunately, it was his left arm, so he shouldn’t have any issue fighting.”

“One was bit by a kobold, but we treated him right away, so he will be fine.”

“The one who was hit on the head died a while ago.”

A total of 26 mercenaries were divided into four teams. Three of the leaders, aside from Partec, gave their reports one after another.

“Tsk! Gather the dead man’s equipment and bury him somewhere along the way.”

Galfredik spoke with a frown. A man had already fallen, although it had only been less than two hours since they entered the dungeon.

“What about your group?”

“No issues.”

“Heh! So there was a reason why Sir Eugene picked you guys out, huh?”

Galfredik responded with a grin. Perhaps they had avoided any injuries because they numbered so few, but he felt rather favorable towards the group. Since Galfredik took a liking to Eugene, his fondness extended to those that Eugene brought.

“Anyway, all of you, if you get distracted during the battle one more time and break formation, I will personally break your heads. And the team in the lead will follow and assist Sir Eugene regardless of the circumstances if he charges forward. Got it?”

“Yes, sir!”

The mercenary leaders answered with one voice. Their gazes naturally shifted to a certain figure afterward. As they observed Eugene, who was silently mulling over something, respect and awe appeared in their eyes. In particular, Breen, the former member of the Black Sheep Mercenaries, licked his lips nervously. 

‘I can’t believe I tried to do anything against a knight like that. A knight like him is rare even in Carl Baggins. I almost ran myself into a lion’s den.’

Breen felt rather relieved and fearful as he gazed at Eugene. The evaluation of Eugene skyrocketed in the minds of the other mercenary leaders as well.

*** 

“Ah~ Do you feel the hot gazes of those mercenary brats? They’ve already fallen too deep for you, Sir Eugene~ What cute little things. Hohohoho!”

Eugene looked down at the thick leather pouch while listening to Mirian’s arrogant laugh. Apparently, the mana stones always stayed with the knights while the porters carried the other materials and by-products. To be more specific, the mana stones were always carried by the leader of the expedition or by the strongest warrior.

In other words, Galfredik was supposed to have kept the mana stones, but he had handed over half to Eugene to safeguard. 

His action was a sort of declaration towards the mercenaries. It was his official stance that Eugene’s position in the expedition was equivalent to his own.

‘It appears that the mana stone I consumed before was truly a huge one.’

The mana stones gathered from the kobolds were the size of peas. The mana stones of the intermediate-rank monsters would be bigger, but they would still be quite small compared to the red mana stone that Eugene consumed.

‘I have to kill a high-rank monster.’

He did not care much for low-rank or intermediate-rank monsters. Eugene’s most important purpose in entering the dungeon was to kill a high-rank monster in possession of a red mana stone.

“A high-rank monster…”

Mirian buzzed over and sat down on Eugene’s shoulder. Perhaps she had overheard Eugene’s muttering. She started to speak.

“Ah, there’s bound to be one. It’s probably going to be stronger than that crocodile bastard, but I think you should be strong enough. You drank the kobolds’ blood earlier too.”

Just as Mirian said, Eugene had secretly sucked on the blood of the kobolds after killing them earlier on. Ever since he consumed the blood of the wetland monster, his urge for blood had decreased substantially. Still, it had been quite a while, so he decided to try the kobolds’ blood just in case.

And the result was...

‘It’s nothing compared to the blood of the wetland monster, but the blood of monsters is pretty good too.’

He almost regretted not drinking the blood of monsters in his previous life. If the blood of low-rank monsters such as kobolds provided him with this much power, the effect would be more significant with the blood of intermediate-rank monsters.

Eugene decided to attempt it when he had the chance. Galfredik’s loud voice shook Eugene awake from his thoughts.

“We’re done resting! Move!”

The useless remains of the monsters went up in flames, and the expedition resumed their exploration.

“Sir Eugene, let’s take the lead together.”

“All right.”

The group’s formation was slightly different from when they first entered. Eugene had been situated in the middle of the expedition along with Partec’s group, but now he took the lead with Galfredik. 

“The monsters that we encounter first after coming into the dungeon are usually the weakest. They’re the ones that have been chased away from the heart of the dungeon. So…”

Galfredik generously provided Eugene with information about dungeons. He had also participated in several expeditions alongside the knight he served when he was still an aide.

“…the monsters will only become stronger as we move deeper into the dungeon. Well, but they shouldn’t pose any problems to you. I should count myself lucky to have run into a knight like you, sir! Hahaha!”

Galfredik felt incredibly fond of Eugene. He was impressed that Eugene slaughtered the kobolds so easily, but he was even more impressed that Eugene had the courage to jump into a group of monsters without fear.

“But you’d better pay attention to maintaining your stamina. We need to remain inside the dungeon for the next three or four days.”

“Thank you for your advice.”

Eugene had already recovered his stamina after consuming the blood of the kobolds, but he nodded anyway.

As Galfredik said, the dungeon expedition has just begun.

*** 

About a day and a half passed since the group entered the dungeon.

Although it was difficult to gauge the exact time in the dungeon without any sunlight, one of the porters kept the flow of time with an hourglass, which allowed for an approximation of time.

During their journey, the group fought several more battles.

There had been a group of 30 kobolds, who were slightly bigger and stronger than the initial group of kobolds the expedition faced. Then, there was a group of gnolls – creatures that resembled bushy dogs.

Even though gnolls were stronger and bigger than kobolds, they were no match for the expedition. However, the gnolls utilized a hit-and-run tactic instead of waging a frontal battle like the kobolds, which caused the number of injured soldiers to increase. 

In addition, it was unknown when the monsters might launch an ambush from the darkness. Hence, the soldiers were on edge at all times.

“The morale of the mercenaries has dropped way too much. Are you all right, sir?”

“I’m completely fine.”

“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter since you have good night vision. I wish I also had an elf among my ancestors.”

Eugene lied, saying that one of his ancestors was an elf. It made for a convenient explanation for his unique appearance and his ability to see through the darkness. It was not very common, but there were a few elves who lived among humans, so Galfredik and the mercenaries accepted Eugene’s words without much thought.

“It’s been a few hours since they last ambushed us. They must have been scared off and gone into hiding deeper into the dungeon. It also means that intermediate-rank monsters will start making their appearance soon.”

Eugene was attentive to Galfredik’s words. As a knight who experienced dungeon expeditions previously while serving as an aide, Galfredik’s words had value.

“We’ve run into kobolds and gnolls in this dungeon, which means there will definitely be goblins present as well. They love holes more than anyone else. But we haven’t even seen a single toe of a goblin until now. Do you know what this means?”

As a first-timer, Eugene had no idea of knowing what it signified. Galfredik grinned and continued as if he were teaching his student.

“It means monsters that are at least intermediate-rank are controlling the goblins – as laborers or food. Perhaps both. Although we can’t know for sure, there’s probably hundreds deeper inside, serving their master.”

“But that’s not the case for every dungeon, is it? Is it because we were delayed in opening the dungeon? Or maybe for places without regular expeditions?”

“I like how intelligent you are, Sir Eugene. That’s right. We don’t know exactly what, but I am certain that the intermediate-rank monster of this dungeon will bring out goblins as its minions.”

Eugene agreed.

He was starting to smell a different stench from deeper inside the dungeon, just out of sight. It was a different smell than the kobolds or the gnolls.

‘Maybe about 200 meters? Thirty pairs of the same kind, and three heavier ones.’

Eugene inferred the approximate number of monsters and their size with his heightened senses, then spoke nonchalantly.

“So why don’t we let the mercenaries take care of the low-rank monsters, and we can deal with the intermediate-rank ones?” 

“As we should. Ah, do you know how to use a spear?”

“Throwing, yes.”

“Take one. Spears are better than short swords for intermediate-rank monsters. Oi.”

A porter quickly approached the two at Galfredik’s gesture. Since Galfredik had no aide, the Tywin family had provided a dedicated porter. The porter was carrying five javelins, each slightly longer than a long sword. 

“I did bring an extra spear thrower just in case, so use it. You know how to use it, right?” 

Eugene nodded.

He had utilized a spear thrower and wooden javelins when he hunted wild animals in Broadwin. A spear thrower increased the power and the speed of the javelin when compared to throwing it bare-handed.

“It was custom made for me, so it is a bit on the heavier side. But you shouldn’t have any problems with your strength, sir.”

As Galfredik continued to talk, the monsters narrowed the distance further and further. Eugene received the spear thrower.

‘About 60 meters. And…’

Eugene slightly turned his head. It may have been not visible to the mercenaries, but Eugene caught sight of goblins appearing in the distance around a curved corner.

“Goblins.”

“What?”

Galfredik jerked around.

There were no patches of glowing grass around, so all he could see was darkness. But a knight’s senses were sharper than ordinary people. He shouted after noticing something.

“Monsters are coming! Everyone, prepare for battle!”

The mercenaries hurriedly organized their formations. Recognizing that the humans had noticed their presence, the monsters stopped sneaking and started charging forward.

Kyaaahk! Kyahk! Kyahk! Uwauugh!

Threatening shrieks of the goblins were accompanied by the cries of trolls.

“Keugh!”

“Ugh…!”

Intermediate-rank monsters weren’t only bigger than their weaker counterparts. Their gazes and roars contained a strange power called ‘fear’. Humans with weak mental strength would freeze up just by hearing the sound of the monsters’ cries.

“Here they come!”

Kyaaahk!

The goblins, a little over a meter tall, rushed in. Mercenaries met their charge with their shields and short swords raised high, while Eugene and Galfredik loaded their javelins in spear throwers.

“Throw the torches!”

Several mercenaries in the rear had prepared torches beforehand. They tossed the objects at Galfredik’s order.

The flying torches instantly lit up the areas around the trolls, and as soon as their location was confirmed, Eugene and Galfredik reared back with their javelins.

“Huaaaap!”

Along with a fierce shout, the javelins pierced through the darkness.

Thuck! Kuwuuuuuugh! Kuwugh! 

As soon as the trolls cried out, Eugene ran forward. After easily cutting down a goblin with his short sword, Eugene leaped at the smallest troll of the three. It was crying out after having its heart penetrated with the javelin.

The troll attempted to swing its club while crying out In pain, but Eugene easily evaded the attack with his vampire’s reflexes. Even though the troll was the smallest out of the three, it was still well over two meters. Eugene jumped on the creature’s back and slit its throat with his short sword.

Kuwwweeugh!

Although the troll struggled and thrashed, Eugene was strong enough to even withstand the rampage of the wetland monster. Moreover, he was much stronger now than he was back then, and his strength was not something that an immature troll could fight against.

Crraack! Crack!

The troll quickly lost strength after having its vertebrae cut in half, and Eugene secretly drank the blood that flowed from the monster’s throat. He felt a strong power flow through him – power that was stronger than what he gained from the kobolds.

Kuwuuuughhh!

Perhaps they were the dying troll’s parents. The cries of the two mature trolls resonated throughout the area.

They appeared to be about a meter taller than the first troll. The smaller of the two jumped at Eugene, seemingly unable to contain its fury. Eugene pushed the limp body of the small troll towards the rushing creature. The rushing troll instinctively caught its child, and Eugene did not miss the gap.

The shoulder of the troll had been pierced by Galfredik’s javelin, and its hands were occupied by the baby troll. Eugene climbed over its shoulder, then used his elongated claws to dig into the creature’s heart while hanging off its neck.

Kuaagh!

The larger troll attempted to jump in as the smaller troll cried out. However, another javelin flew through the air and pierced into the stomach of the large troll.

“Sir!”

As soon as he saw Galfredik, Eugene quickly retracted his claws and used his short sword to slit the troll’s, or rather, chop the troll’s throat.

Kuwwwwuuugh!

The smaller troll struggled with all its might, but Eugene did not budge an inch.

“Take care of the other one!”

Even before Eugene finished shouting, Galfredik rushed towards the bigger troll. It was about to pull out the javelin stuck in its abdomen. Almost simultaneously, the smaller troll was forced to its knees, and Eugene tore its throat.

Crack!

The entire head of the troll was pulled out along with a portion of its spine.

“…..!”

In the meantime, the mercenaries were about to approach the knights after taking care of the goblins. They were stunned. For a moment, the red-eyed knight holding the troll’s head did not appear to be human.

A Devil.

No one verbalized their thoughts, but they all thought the same.