Chapter 4 (Part 7)

While Anthus and Yuliana were enjoying their happy days as lovers, at the same time,

Mercenary King Erzen, who had been commissioned by Anthus to explore the newly discovered northern dungeon, took a stance and raised the shamshir sword in his hand.

[Human, human!]

[Man! Kill him!]

[Human woman behind him.]

The goblins drooled as they stared at Alchemist Anton hiding behind Erzen.

“Goblins, really… This is exhausting.”

Erzen easily dealt with the attacking goblins with his sword.

Erzen’s sword appeared straight but curved with every swing. The goblins couldn’t defend themselves properly against the swift slashes of the shamshir and fell.

Angry goblins threw their weapons, but Erzen easily deflected them with the back of his sword.

The goblins’ weapons fell helplessly to the ground. Anton, who was hiding behind Erzen, threw a glass bottle made with alchemy at the goblins.

“How dare you see me as a woman!”

Anton was furious that the goblins saw him as a woman and looked at him lecherously.

“If there are only trash goblins like these… This dungeon is a bust.”

“Erzen, the goblins are running away.”

Anton urged Erzen, pushing his back, to catch them quickly as he was scared.

“It’s because you threw that dangerous bottle recklessly, Anton!”

“I was angry and scared! They looked at me so disgustingly!”

“Then cut that long hair or tie it up!”

“Chloe said I looked pretty with my hair down!”

“Chloe was telling you to cover your pretty face nicely. Don’t you get it? Anyway, let’s go deeper.”

Erzen sighed deeply and pulled out the dagger from his chest, hitting the head of the fleeing goblin.

The two of them cleared out the monsters and reached deep inside the dungeon.

“Are goblins the only dangerous monsters here?”

“It seems like it, Erzen.”

“Disappointing. It’s so disappointing!”

Erzen began to stomp on the ground and raise his voice irritably.

“Haha. Calm down, Erzen… But doesn’t this situation seem very strange?”

Anton looked around the chilly dungeon, tilting his head.

The value of a dungeon depends on the level of monsters living in it. In the newly discovered dungeon before, there were Nuegos and even a Basilisk. And in that place, one of the world’s three greatest jewels, the Queen’s Laugh, was found.

So, if there are only goblins in this northern dungeon… it means this dungeon is a bust.

“It’s a bust. A bust… At least a Goblin Lord should appear to make it seem worthwhile… Slimes, a few bats… and goblins. Ugh.”

Anton shouted loudly to Erzen, who had already slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

“I see a large open space ahead! Erzen!”

Hoping that there might be a high-level monster guarding the open space, Erzen ran ahead, unable to hide his disappointment.

“There’s nothing here! This dungeon is a bust!”

“Erzen, I see something like a strange altar over there.”

Where Anton pointed, there was an altar and nine iron cages that could trap beasts next to it. The altar and the cages were stained red. Erzen realized that the red stains were blood.

“The smell of blood… It’s intense. Worse than the smell on the battlefield.”

“Did they capture and kill beasts or monsters on this altar? Who would do such a thing and for what purpose…?”

“If it were beasts, there would be beast fur. But look.”

There was no beast fur on the altar. Erzen pointed to the thin hairs scattered on the altar.

“It’s not beast or monster fur. This is definitely human hair. Blonde, black, long and short… There’s even white hair.”

Anton, with a frightened face, approached the altar to examine it. Various colors of hair, recognizable as human, were indeed found.

“What happened here…?”

Erzen maintained a calm expression but was deeply shocked inside.

“Those who did this must have abandoned the dungeon because they no longer needed it… That’s why this dungeon hasn’t been noticed until now and why it has been discovered now!”

When Anthus first commissioned him, he thought the northern dungeon was just a newly discovered dungeon. But no matter how he looked at it, this place wasn’t a dungeon.

“Anton, draw a magic circle over this. We need to show it to Duke Anthus.”

“Understood, Erzen.”

“I was excited about discovering a new dungeon…”

Erzen was pleased to have discovered a new treasure, the northern dungeon, and to be the first to explore it.

Finding new relics or magnificent jewels would be worth a fortune. But no matter how he looked at it, this place didn’t feel like a dungeon. Instead, it felt unpleasant and ominous.

The eerie stench rising, the pitch-black contaminated floor, and the lives that had perished on the altar made Erzen think he needed to return to the Duke’s residence as soon as possible.

“Anton, when will the drawing be finished?”

“It will take a while. The magic circle has complex formulas… This formula is…”

“Anton, what did you find?”

Erzen approached Anton, who was drawing.

“This looks like an alchemical formula I’ve seen before… Where did I see it?”

Anton, who had stopped drawing the magic circle, closed his eyes and fell into thought. Erzen quietly stood by his side.

“No matter how I look at it, it’s an ancient language used in alchemy…”

Anton pointed to the inscriptions on the magic circle drawn on the altar.

“An alchemist not knowing an alchemical formula? That’s absurd!”

As soon as Erzen finished speaking, Anton said seriously.

“If it’s a forbidden alchemical formula, I might not remember it, Erzen.”

“Forbidden?”

“For example, an alchemical formula that takes away human life.”

“Alchemy that takes life?”

“Yes.”

“So, this magic circle is drawn to take life?”

“Some of the ancient languages here are ones I know… It’s an alchemical formula to change something.”

“What does that mean?”

“For example, in alchemy, there’s an ancient language used to change iron powder into gold powder. The ancient language of alchemy drawn on this altar means to change something.”

Erzen fell silent, staring at the altar after Anton finished speaking.

“And…”

“Wait, Anton. Shh! Be quiet.”

Erzen quietly drew his sword.

“Anton, quickly finish drawing the picture on the altar and prepare for battle.”

“What? Yes, yes!”

As Anton’s hands moved busily, the ground began to wriggle. Then, a large human arm and hand broke through the ground.

“A corpse?”

“Why is a corpse crawling out of the ground!”

Erzen and Anton were shocked by the sight.

“What the… is that! Ugh, disgusting!”

Erzen grabbed Anton’s slender waist and leaped onto the altar. Looking at the corpses crawling out of the ground, Erzen gagged.

“The smell… What is this! It’s so strong!”

“The corpses are walking toward us! Ah! Chloe, save me!”

Anton’s scream filled the entire open space.

* * *

Anthus sat on the bed, staring blankly at the teleportation device. His heart continued to pound painfully as he longed to see Yuliana, who would soon arrive via teleportation.

“Lia, when are you coming?”

Anthus had undergone an enormous amount of grooming from dawn to look good for Yuliana. Therefore, he couldn’t go to the Earl’s residence where Yuliana was.

Is this how a puppy feels waiting for its owner to return at the door…? 

Anthus anxiously called Yuliana’s name several times while looking at the teleportation device. But Yuliana did not come.

Why does my heart sting and hurt so much? What if the teleportation device isn’t working? I should have gone to pick her up. I wasted too much time getting ready.

They had confirmed their feelings for each other. Anthus thought that was enough. But the anxiety and nervousness grew bigger, mocking the emotions he had struggled with during his nine years of unrequited love. The longing that suddenly appeared when they were apart gnawed at his heart. Anthus rubbed his face with both hands. He couldn’t calm down.

Then it happened.

The teleportation signal began to ring. Relieved that it wasn’t broken, Anthus sighed in relief.

As Yuliana walked out, Anthus stared at her blankly. Her bright blonde hair and sparkling gold eyes tinged with pink caught his eye.

“Yan, I’m sorry I’m late.”

Anthus, looking at the approaching Yuliana, slowly raised the corners of his mouth elegantly and smiled.

“I hope you come earlier tomorrow.”

His heart and body were in agony, feeling like they were being torn into thousands of pieces, but the pain disappeared instantly, and a smile formed as soon as he saw her face.

“I’ll try.”

Anthus approached Yuliana. Finding her efforts adorable, he quickly kissed her, gave her a deep kiss, and pulled her closer with his arm around her back. He gazed at Yuliana’s lips, which were struggling to escape.

“Yan…”

“I thought I was going crazy, missing you so much.”

“You do this as soon as we meet…”

“Didn’t you miss me, Lia?”

“I missed you.”

Hearing her answer, Anthus gently lifted Yuliana’s chin and began to plead for a kiss, showing his alluring lips and tongue. Yuliana smiled and lightly kissed Anthus’s flushed cheek.

“Ha… I’m going crazy.”

Anthus slowly lowered his head to Yuliana and showered her with light kisses like a bird pecking at food.