Chapter 27: Free Exploration No Name

27: [Free Exploration] No Name

—

Flash!

Passing through the gate with a flash of light, I arrived at the old ferry on the shore of the lake. In front of me was a lake with waving dark blue water.

This is the origin of the monsters. The Hell that vomits demons.

It is the Black Lake that blocks the southern part of the world.

Flash! Flash!

The party members who arrived after that were amazed by the surrounding scenery.

“This place… it really is that ‘lake’.”

Jupiter murmured in a trembling voice as she looked down at the surface of the vast lake. I glanced at Jupiter.

“Have you been here before, Jupiter?”

“This is the story of the days when the Imperial Army was still stationed at Crossroad 20 years ago. An operation to fill the lake with soil was ordered.”

They really tried to fill this lake with soil? There must’ve been a really stupid commander in charge 20 years ago.

“Every single magic soldier was called in to fill the lake by bringing soil with magic, but…”

“What happened?”

“It just couldn’t be filled. No matter how much soil and rocks we poured, the lake simply sucked them in endlessly.”

Jupiter's face, as she recalled the old times, was filled with a hazy fear.

“A rumor went around at that time, saying that the lake truly was connected to hell.”

“......”

“On the first week of the operation, monsters began to erupt in large numbers, and eventually the entire army retreated. The operation was a failure.”

Jupiter turned the light off her cigarette and looked around the lake.

“And so this is the first time I’ve been this close to the lake after that incident.”

“I suggest you stay on guard.”

I looked around at the party members.

“Because we’re going in deeper.”

The ominousness of the lake was terrifying, but frankly, the surrounding scenery was beautiful.

However, we were not here for touring, so let’s leave it at that for now.

“Let’s go.”

I took charge. The party members stuck close to my back.

There was one ferry on the shore of the lake next to the gate. But there was no ship. I calmly headed to the end of the ferry and stood there.

[Would you like to enter the ‘Lake Kingdom’?]

> Yes

> No

A system message popped up without any notice.

And the answer was of course, yes.

[※Warning - You will not be able to return to base until you unlock the next ‘strongpoint’. Would you really like to enter?]

> Yes

> No

It even brought up a warning and asked me one more time.

I didn't care and chose 'Yes' again. Do you have any clue how long I’ve played this game?

Rumble…!

The water of the lake formed a circle and its mouth opened widely inward.

If the gate passed earlier was simply a road leading to the lake, this was the real entrance to the dungeon.

“Alright, let’s go!”

I jumped into the lake without any explanation.

The terrified party members followed me one after another and jumped into the lake.

Splash!

I was sucked into the black lake where there was not a single ray of light.

* * *

[Now Loading… Entering the Dungeon.]

[Tip - The number 1 reason for game overs is ‘inattention’. Do not let your guard down in any situation!]

* * *

It’s dark.

My first impression was that. It was dark.

I literally couldn’t see anything in front of me. Three-dimensional darkness filled the surroundings as if you could touch it when you reached out your hand.

Crunch. Crunch.

There was a noise I heard from the darkness.

It was the sound of a bug gnawing at something.

Crunch. Crunch…

The sound got louder. I felt the darkness approaching. It was probably my senses playing with me, but I felt someone breathing on the back of my neck.

I got goosebumps all over my body.

“Your Highness?!”

It was then. Lucas's bewildered voice could be heard from behind.

Wait, am I sure he’s behind? Maybe the voice is from the side? I can’t figure out the direction. My senses were numbing.

“Your Highness? Where are you, Your Highness!”

“I’m over here. Don’t worry.”

I raised my voice, calming Lucas who was struggling.

“Everyone stay calm and turn on the lights.”

After a while, the lights appeared one by one.

Whoosh, Whoosh…

Everyone lit the torch that they had.

Among them, Lily was in such a hurry that she lit the surroundings by igniting her fingertips with her own flame magic. She must have been very scared.

Crunch, crunch…

When the light appears, the darkness fades away.

Making noises of gnawing insects.

I also found the light in my backpack and pulled it out.

Mine had a windshield, which meant that it was a lantern. It seemed like Aider tried to pick a sturdy one by the looks of it.

Whoosh-

After igniting the lantern and raising it upwards, I could finally see a little of the surroundings.

“This place is…?!”

* * *

* * *

“Oh my god, what is all this?”

Hearing the voices of the surprised party members, I took a dry gulp at the sight in front of me.

A huge stone city that was so old and weathered that it looked like it would collapse at any moment.

At the bottom of the dark lake, this gloomy city sank, and we now stood at its northern gate.

The red, rusted steel door remained firmly closed.

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Crunch, crunch…

An ominous atmosphere emanated from the entire city. Lucas took a dry gulp and looked back at me with a nervous face.

“Your Highness, what is this place…?”

“This is the Lake Kingdom that has run aground. It is a dungeon under the water.”

Staring at the tightly closed front door of the city, I grinned.

“It’s the nest of the monsters that we must clear step by step from now on.”

I was grinning, but a cold sweat streamed down my back.

When I saw it in the game, it was just a bit eerie, but when I came to see it in person, the atmosphere was quite frightening.

There seems to be an evil energy emanating from the city itself.

Ancient magic surrounded the city like a dome, so the environment was the same as on land. We could breathe, and there were no restrictions on movement.

However, this was clearly below the lake. In the distance, a rippling water surface could be seen above my field of vision.

Only a faint ray of light was barely passing through it because it was so dark.

Confused, Lily stuttered her words.

“H-how could there be such a large city under the lake? And how can we move so freely around like this…”

“Shh!”

At that moment, Lucas hurriedly stopped Lily.

“Someone is approaching.”

Everyone looked in one direction.

Tread. Tread.

Someone was approaching from the dark in the distance with footsteps light as a feather.

Lucas pulled out his sword, and Demian aimed his crossbow in the direction of the sound. Jupiter also gathered electricity in her gloves.

“Eeeek!”

Only Lily tried to flee the scene in horror as she tried to run away with her wheelchair.

C’mon, now. Where would you even go? I stopped Lily by grabbing the handles of her wheelchair.

“Don’t get too nervous, everyone. It’s most likely not an enemy.”

Tread. Tread.

It was exactly as I said. The approaching entity turned out to be a human, not a monster.

It was a woman with an aged cloak who had her face covered in a hood. The woman who came right in front of us skimmed at us slowly.

“Are you a bunch of robbers trying to steal the treasures of this Lake Kingdom?”

A clear and refreshing voice came out of the woman's mouth. Unexpectedly, it was a very young voice.

“There is nothing you want here. Return to the land while you are still alive.”

We suddenly ran into a person after entering the bottom of this hell.

The party members were petrified in surprise. However, I was calm.

Because I knew that this was a tutorial event to prevent the player from getting lost when entering the dungeon for the first time.

‘An NPC guides us through upon the first entrance of the dungeon.’

An NPC.

Even in the dungeon under the lake that has become hell, there are those who live without losing consciousness.

They sometimes help you during the exploration of the dungeon or sometimes will interrupt you.

They can temporarily become allies and can even be accepted into your party as a hero character. And sometimes, they can become your enemy.

In this dungeon, there are around a hundred NPCs living under here, and a random person from that pool will guide us to the first strongpoint.

‘But this is the first time I’ve seen this person.’

She was an NPC that I’d never met during my 742 playthroughs.

‘Was there an NPC like this in the game?’

I was puzzled and looked closely at the person in front of me.

She was a strange woman.

To put it bluntly, she was wrapped around in a cloak that was just a rag.

A tattered hood over her cloak was pressed tightly to cover her face, and her white, curly hair was down on the floor.

She was barefoot and covered in soil. It did not seem so hygienic.

And she had an old longsword on her back.

It was a longsword that made me wonder if she could wield it with that slender body. It was a very dirty old sword.

I’ve played 742 times.

Naturally, I met almost all the NPCs I could encounter while exploring the dungeon.

But this was the first time I had ever seen this woman.

Suppressing my rising discomfort, I stepped forward and said—

“We’ve come from the land in order to destroy the core of what’s summoning these monsters.”

“......”

The woman silently glanced at me. Even though it was not visible because of the hood and her hair, I could feel a clear gaze.

“People of the land are suffering because of the monsters pouring out from here and invading. We are here to end this situation.”

“...The nightmare of the Lake Kingdom will never end. Nobody will ever wake us up from this nightmare. Ever.”

The woman slowly shook her head.

“Great warriors and many heroes tried to break the curse of this place, but they all failed. You will be no different.”

“......”

“Do not set your feet into the darkness here. Return to the land, before the situation becomes irreversible. Before you get devoured by the abyss, and before regret drives you insane…”

If I were to return after hearing just that, I would’ve already returned to Earth before all this.

Without backing down, I took one more step toward the woman.

“I am the lord of the fortress city that blocks the monsters, Crossroad. For I hold the responsibility to protect the city, no, mankind from the monsters.”

“......”

“I fear no darkness. We must enter the city and destroy the core of the monsters.”

I pointed my hand at the locked gate of the city.

“That’s why I came all the way here, but the door is locked and I can’t even get into the city.”

“......”

“If there is another path, could you guide us there?”

The woman who had been watching me silently nodded her head slowly.

“Hm, so be it then. It will be fun to watch and see if your words are from sincere courage or just the overconfidence of an uncultured man.”

The woman turned around and quickly took the lead.

“Follow me. This is the way into the city.”

I shouted at the woman's back as she was walking recklessly through the darkness.

“What should I call you? What is your name?”

I was wondering if I could find out her name and speculate her identity by comparing it with the information I knew.

However, the answer I got back from her was something I did not expect.

“I’ve forgotten my name.”

Said the woman with a voice that held slight sorrow.

“If you really want to call me something, then… call me No Name.”

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