Unsold Slaves Returned as Heroes

10. Mark of the Champion

“The knights are here?”

I frowned at the information I heard from the receptionist at the guild.

This Elend, which I have been using as my base for nearly two years, is a rural area where mostly novice adventurers gather.

It’s an imperial territory, but it’s closer to the law, and there won’t be any chance of the Knights of the Capital coming.

“Is there something wrong?”

“It’s a dungeon gun that appeared in our north.”

“Wasn’t the exploration almost complete? It’s been almost a year since they appeared, and I knew that the 5th floor was almost finished.”

“Well, it looks like there was a 6th floor.”

“Huh, that’s only now revealed?”

No matter how little there were C-class or higher adventurers in this city, even if the exploration was delayed, it was too slow.

Most of the dungeons are 5 floors and low difficulty. It’s not difficult to subdue, and there’s no problem if you leave it alone.

However, the moment the 6th floor exists, neither the end of this dungeon nor the level of difficulty are unknown.

If you leave the monsters at the bottom of the dungeon undefeated for a long time, there is a possibility that they will come out to the ground and cause damage.

“The knights for that subjugation?”

“That’s the situation. Our branch guild leader is also very broken.”

I didn’t expect this at all. Since it was a dungeon that appeared in the beginner area, of course I had a prejudice that it was 5 stories high.

“Wiki.”

I opened the wiki window and searched for Elend. I found information about a nearby dungeon by riding related items.

[You don’t have permission]

There was a restriction on reading. It was still a level 1 wiki, so it was useless.

‘Above all, the time zone is different, so the difference between my knowledge is huge.’

Scrolling up and down the wiki, I found something. Added features that weren’t there before.

[Elend / View the current version of this item]

‘What is it?’

When I touched it, it moved to another item with a different name.

[Plain of the Dead]

‘Is this a bug? Why is the redirect here… No, wait.’

Looking at the map inserted in the middle, I realized something.

“It’s the same area.”

Plain of the Dead.

It was the name of a region I had seen on the wiki before being possessed.

And the location of the area marked on the map was exactly the same as the location of Elend on the map where I am now.

“Damn it.”

Cold sweat ran down my back.

I didn’t even notice until now.

I read everything word for word on the wiki, not actually playing the original game.

It’s the first time I’ve seen local information visually like a map, and even though Elend was the first local name I’d heard of, I thought it was just something I couldn’t remember among thousands of proper nouns.

The cause seemed obvious.

Isn’t it possible that the runaway monster from the lower layer of the dungeon that has been neglected for a long time will come out and devour the entire city?

If such an incident were to occur, it was certain that the knights who would subdue the dungeon would arrive today.

“The kids.”

Unfortunately, at this moment, more than anything else, I wondered where the three children were.

“Did you come to the guild, an adventurer’s party made up of three children today?”

“Yes? Suddenly what….”

“Are you here or not?”

The receptionist was perplexed.

“In principle, it is forbidden to talk about other adventurers’ information in the guild. It’s not even a fun place….”

“My children. Come on.”

When she heard my expression, she frowned.

“Didn’t you say Mr. Wicker owned no slaves? It was Mr. Wicker who made those young kids adventurers….”

“Yeah, that’s right, so go ahead and say it! Lucas, Testia, and Yuri! Where are you!”

Boom!

I unknowingly hit the desk.

The receptionist glared at me coldly and answered mechanically.

“… Slaves and owners are an exception. They left the guild after receiving three requests to subdue dungeon monsters in the morning.”

“Damn it.”

I immediately left the guild and started running toward the dungeon with all my might.

***

“… Yuri, are you alive?”

The black tooth squeezed his pierced chest and asked with difficulty.

“… Still, cool, no.”

Hayang answered, soaking her white hair with the blood she vomited. He barely held on to his wobbly legs.

“Luca, what?”

Yellowy seemed to be having a hard time vocalizing, but instead raised her thumb with the hand that was not holding her sword.

The shadow of death was thick over the faces of the three people who were getting tired.

The skin was torn, the weapons were broken, and the room was full of traces of a fierce battle.

But they weren’t the only ones messed up.

The Witchbeast, Chimera, who confronted the three was also full of scars.

The witches also recognized the three as an obvious threat and intended to take their lives. He was poised for a chance to deliver the final blow.

“Mana is the limit… Minor wound healing is only once in the future.”

“Ask Luca. When the potential collapses, it’s over. Luca, are you okay?”

The yellow nodded his head. Blackie calmly looked at the chimera and drew the next move.

‘If I had known it would be like this, I would have listened to Mr. Wicker.’

Dungeons are dangerous places, so he always emphasized to be careful.

I was really scolded when it was discovered that the three of us were adventurers and even went to a dungeon.

But at that time, the three people who quickly gained skills were conceited.

There was also a reason that there was no other adventurer stronger than them, so there was no one to compare them to.

More than anything else, I wanted to become stronger and become Wicker’s strength.

I wanted to repay him for saving them from slavery and innocently helping them without any other purpose.

Because he wanted to offend the other adventurers who looked down on him, he kept secret about the 6th floor of the dungeon.

If you reveal the fact that you conquered the dungeon to the end at once, you’ll look that much better.

This and that were just childlike ideas, but now they have become a fatal problem.

“… I don’t want to die.”

After being born and raised under only persecution, he became a slave.

I haven’t changed my nameplate yet, but I managed to get my hands on freedom.

… No, the name tag didn’t matter anymore.

Like their owners who silently do what they do, as if they don’t care about the letters engraved by the goddess.

There were still a lot of things I wanted to do and places I wanted to go to.

“… Town.”

The back of the yellow one in front of the black one and the terrifying and gigantic chimera began to blur.

I gritted my teeth and endured crying.

If he cries, White, who has a weak heart, will also cry, and then everything really ends.

It’s still hard.

The pain felt throughout the whole body, the hazy mind from loss of blood, and the thirst felt from depleted mana were so painful.

At that time.

-Ugh!

The black necklace she was wearing vibrated like crazy. Black took it out and held it. Her familiar voice flowed from her necklace, which responded spontaneously.

[You guys, are you okay?!]

“… Ah.”

His urgent voice rang out.

I tried not to worry, but in the end it seems like I figured it out somehow.

This necklace was an emergency artifact that Wicker entrusted to Blackie in case the three of them were in danger. It was a one-time use that allowed for short communication.

It was very expensive, but it was something he purposely bought for them.

“Older brother… ? Brother!”

“… Mister.”

Hayangi and Yellowi also heard the voice and called him.

[Are you in a dungeon? Get out of there right now! Dangerous!]

His voice was elevated.

“Mr. Wicker, help me….”

Black, who was about to ask for help, stopped him.

How long will you only get help?

He’s not a superman who can do anything.

I already got what I deserved.

Stop being foolish.

Blackie put strength into the hand holding the cane.

“It’s a dungeon. Do not worry. I will return safely.”

[Wait a minute. Right now… !]

The communication was cut off with a noise and the necklace was broken. The artifact’s lifespan was over.

Black raised his head.

“Luca, Yuri.”

Then I started drawing a magic circle with my staff.

“Did you hear the promise you made with Mr. Wicker?”

Instead of answering, the yellow guy corrected his posture and stood face to face with the chimera.

“Yes. Let’s go back to my brother together.”

Hayangi cast a healing spell on the yellowyi. The old man’s wounds healed little by little.

“The important thing is the basics.”

The yellow one repeated it in his head and gave strength to his calves. He lunges forward and strikes the Chimera’s head with a precise vertical strike without the slightest error.

―Kaaa!!

The Chimera, which kept looking for a gap, finally moved. It wields sharp teeth and claws that will turn any creature into a piece of meat.

“Haaa!!”

Hayangi, who is about to shed tears, flutters her big ears, clenches her fists, and jumps next to her.

A bright light shines brightly on them. Black’s flame magic that shoots at the same time.

The final blow that each contains everything.

The deadly moves made just to survive collided at one pole.

***

“Glass, glass.”

Hayangi came to her senses because her body was shaking. She saw the yellow and black faces looking down at her anxiously.

“… Did we live?”

Instead of answering, Black hugged White while shedding tears.

Hayangi was supported and slowly raised her upper body. He must have fainted during the battle. The Chimera’s corpse was strewn across the floor.

“You really won….”

“Yes. I won.”

The three looked back at each other and smiled. Involuntarily, a sigh of relief flowed out.

Paaah!

And suddenly, a pure white light shot in front of them. All three of them covered their eyes and slowly opened them.

“This is… ?”

Something was floating in the air in front of them.

They looked mysterious wrapped in brilliant light, and they looked like stones or some sort of veil.

Wedge juice!

It happened in an instant.

The insignias were sucked into the bodies of Yellow, Black, and White.

“Huh-heuk?!”

“What?!”

The three of them were shocked and kicked their butt.

The backs of their hands had glowing patterns engraved on them.