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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Evil Emerges Victorious
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At the same time, inside the E-rank dungeon.
"What's this? Why does it taste so damn good?"
[Appetite is one of the three major biological urges and a critical factor in maintaining troop morale. That's why all KMG series incorporate ongoing improvements to various recipes and dining functions.]
Right now, I was marveling at Akaron's cooking capabilities while testing them out in the dungeon.
As for the ingredients, I'd grabbed them beforehand while sleeping yesterday and stashed them away to bring inside the dungeon.
Anyway, we were passing the time with an outdoor feast-like meal, having cleared everything in the dungeon except the boss monster.
"When do you plan to launch the expedition, Captain?"
"Hmm… as slowly as possible? The situation outside is more pressing than clearing this place~"
By now, the Blue Dragon Guild guys who'd been chasing me had probably run into the Scavengers and kicked off a nice brawl.
They'd definitely be on edge over the info about the Scavenger I'd killed.
Scavengers usually get scared when one of theirs dies, but only if they know who did it. With an unknown killer, they get all fired up to investigate instead.
'Unknown terrors are the scariest, after all.'
So, with the Scavengers on high alert like that, the minute Blue Dragon Guild members showed up in their turf, they'd overreact and clash naturally.
'Hmm~ I wonder who'll win? That Blue Dragon Guild young master is B-rank, so he's probably got two or three C-rank Awakeners with him~. The touchy Scavengers will throw everything they've got into investigating, so…'
The Blue Dragon Guild students would probably have a tough time against the Scavengers.
Not that I'm underestimating the Academia kids—the location alone puts them at a disadvantage. This was outside the city, deep in Scavenger territory.
The Scavengers had the numbers, and above all, they fought dirty without hesitation.
'Meanwhile, the young master and his crew have no clue how to handle dirty tricks.'
High Seongjun's group lacked the experience and skills to counter ambushes, poison, hidden weapons, traps, and all the other vile tactics the Scavengers would pull in their home ground using every dirty means available.
Of course, they might be strong enough to shrug it off or overpower it with gear, so it was hard to predict for sure.
"Hmm~ Scavengers at 6, Blue Dragon Guild at 4?"
But if the Scavengers won, they'd wipe out the Blue Dragon crew without a trace, clean up the bodies, and call it a day—no worries there.
The real concern was what came next if the Blue Dragon young master won.
'If his side pulls it off, their grudge against me will hit the roof, and they'll call in the full Blue Dragon Guild to take me down.'
They might be waiting right outside the dungeon portal.
He wasn't stupid—he'd realize it was a trap, so he'd probably set up a encirclement formation to kill me the moment I emerged.
'If I see that right away, I'll have no choice but to break through without a word.'
To do that, I'd exploit their assumption that I was just some low-rank Awakener who grinded E-rank dungeons.
Then go dark for a while, maybe live as a Scavenger—that seemed like the best play.
"Good thing I swiped his contact info just in case."
[Master, your coffee.]
"Oh, thanks."
With my contingencies sorted, I took the coffee Akaron handed me.
"Coffee in a dungeon's a nice treat. What about you, Seom-myeol? Akaron can't drink it anyway~"
"I'm fine."
"Nothing to be done about that, then. Hmm~ now the question is how long to wait..."
From here, it was a battle with myself.
Staying too long was risky, but leaving too soon might drag me into the Scavenger-Blue Dragon clash.
Even so, at least half a day seemed necessary, so I decided to hunker down.
"Anyway, half a day it is. Might as well kill time with some studying..."
[Your scheme to dispatch the enemy was masterful, but a battle devoid of even a shred of honor is unbecoming of a knight, and you have strengthened evil.]
[Penalty: Reward reduced by 1 instance.]
"How considerate."
Thanks to my oh-so-kind SSS-grade trait, I now knew what was happening outside.
The value of that intel made the penalty more than worth it.
"Let's see… It says evil ultimately won, so the Scavengers must've taken it. Hmm..."
Heaven Class from Blue Dragon Guild—probably their exclusive Blue Dragon Warrior class.
They'd been hyped on TV as Korea's top fighter class group, so I figured they wouldn't go down easy...
But they lost to Scavengers.
It reinforced that an Awakener's status rank wasn't everything.
Having gained another lesson from my own trap, I got up to clear the dungeon.
"Alright, let's get started. Ugh! Armor, equip!"
Clank!
At my call, the golden armor materialized from my inventory and enveloped my body.
I drew my sword next and headed for the room of the last remaining boss monster.
This boss was a cave-dwelling beast—a 'Starving Flesh Hound' gnawing on blood-soaked raw meat.
The bull-sized dog glared at us with its ferocious maw that could rip half your torso off in one bite.
Grrrrrr!
"Glory and honor reside solely within me! Today, I advance to purge evil once more! Charge! Foul beast, today is your end!"
Woof! Woof!
Thank god it was just a monster.
What would a humanoid boss or demon even think hearing this?
It was embarrassing enough for me.
"Evil must be exterminated! As the Captain commands!"
[Order acknowledged. Akaron, deploying.]
One good thing: Akaron and Seom-myeol seemed to love it, playing along perfectly with my lines.
The battle kicked off as the Starving Flesh Hound met their opening assault.
I joined in, swinging my sword at the openings in the bull-sized beast...
"Hmm, not bad, Sir Akaron. To think you'd sync so well with me, a Seongcheon Knight Order member."
[I merely filled the gaps. Your skill is the true marvel, Lady Seom-myeol.]
Why are you two hyping each other up like some shonen manga?
Feeling oddly left out, I targeted the hound's hind leg tendon and thrust my sword.
Yelp!
'No, I was just aiming for the tendon… but the whole leg exploded.'
I'd gone for precision, but watching the leg burst apart reminded me how insane stats could be.
The Starving Flesh Hound fell embarrassingly easily, and reward messages followed soon after.
[You have splendidly exterminated evil! However, due to penalty, no reward can be granted!]
[The exit will open shortly.]
[Level up! You are now level 19.]
"Yeah, yeah. Reward's gone thanks to the penalty, as expected. Level 19, huh? Anyway, outside situation first!"
No reward due to penalty, so the portal opened right away, experience settled, and I leveled up.
We exited cautiously through the portal, staying vigilant as we scanned the area.
"Hmm, minimap's quiet. Akaron?"
[Nothing on my threat detection.]
"No presences detected."
The surroundings hadn't changed much. Confirming no Scavengers or Blue Dragon Guild around, we relaxed.
I rummaged through the bushes beyond the dungeon site and found a small device inside.
"Hmm, still working. Good."
"What's that?"
"A recorder. Before entering the portal, I snuck it out of my inventory and tossed it here. Gotta know what went down outside~"
Yeah, not knowing what happened between the Scavengers and those Blue Dragon Guild punks would just amp up the fear.
My kind SSS-grade trait had given a rough idea, but since I'd set this up doubting it, it was worth a listen.
"Gotta know the details to protect myself. Let's head back and check. Sorry, Akaron, but you're too conspicuous—head to the sanctuary."
[As commanded....]
I sent Akaron to the sanctuary, unequipped my golden armor, and cautiously returned to my one-room apartment.
"Ugh, wiped out. Is this what being an Awakener's like…?"
Life felt utterly twisted.
From the first day as an Awakener to now, it'd been nonstop tension, complications, and terror.
As I got home to check the recording, a wave of shock over my upended life hit—anger, frustration, depression.
"But! I'm not at an age to whine. Haah~"
I'd tasted despair, tragedy, and giving up plenty in my teens and twenties, so I shook it off quick.
Painful or sad, my time was limited, and my fate was mine to carve out—I had to make every second count.
For a mood boost, I cracked open a beer from the fridge, chugged it one-shot, then played the recorder.
『N-No! Not here, I—Gahk!』
『Ooh~ B-rank lives up to the hype! Whoa~ 'Slaughter King'-nim's blessing descends! Jackpot! Jackpot!』
"Hmm, the trait tipped me off, but hearing it for real hits different. Ugh~ Lured 'em into a trap and took 'em out hands-free, but I ended up powering up one demon in the process."
It was harsh for some nameless demon fueled by jealousy to chase me and end up dead, but I felt zero guilt.
The world was full of filth. Compared to the atrocities from those who didn't see humans as human, this was pure self-defense.
And with all the real dangers out there, one extra B-rank demon wouldn't rock the boat.
"But I shouldn't head that way for a while. And..."
Blue Dragon Guild was surely about to flip out.
Losing a Heaven Class promising star with constellation backing, plus two of his faction followers—they wouldn't sit idle.
Guild, Association, Academia—they'd launch investigations, track movements.
"Probably comb through city CCTV and such?"
Korea's top three guilds had influence beyond major corps.
No doubt they'd go above and beyond for a missing guild prospect.
"This mess started 'cause I got tangled with that Ayoung girl, but thanks to her, even if I'm on the suspect list, I can slip out."
Official status: F-rank, level 19—barely clears E-rank dungeons.
Even if they eyed me for Scavenger ties, I was a mid-tier Baekya Guild exclusive staff with some cred, so no scavenger minion suspicions, and any probe would fizzle lightly.
With that settled, I prepped answers for potential investigations and turned in for some rest.