Chapter 8

“Ugh… What is that smell?”

The first thing that greeted us as we stepped into the Lemut’s nest was a stifling stench.

“I feel like I’m going to throw up, brother.”

“Why is the floor so sticky?”

It’s the stench of baby Lemut excrement and the mucus they emit.

Even those who have been through hell and back find it hard to bear, as groans of discomfort emerge from all around.

‘In the game, it was just described as bad, but experiencing it in real life is no joke.’

Compared to this, the stench of a public restroom abandoned for ten years would smell like a luxury perfume.

I was equally miserable, but with no solution to this problem, I had no choice but to grimace and move forward.

The only saving grace was that the faint glow from the mucus allowed us to make out our surroundings to some extent.

Without it, we would have had to feel our way along the slimy walls to find our path.

How far did we move, relying on that small light?

We saw a small side path open up in the dark corridor.

Instinctively, I knew we were close to our target.

I stopped walking and gestured to the hesitant team members following me.

“The rest of you, stay on guard outside. Rat and Buta, come with me.”

“Is this their nest?” “No, this is where they gather the baby Lemut’s excrement. Think of it as a toilet.”

“What? Why would we go into a monster’s latrine…?”

“We need to check something first. You’ll see. If you don’t want to get hit, shut up and follow me.”

I clenched my fist and thrust it forward, and Rat and Buta, showing clear signs of disgust, reluctantly followed behind me.

The farther we went down the dark passage, the worse the stench became.

“Those bastards. What are they eating to produce this?”

The two kept grumbling and tearing up as we entered a slightly open space.

Rumble— The entire dark passage shook violently.

It seemed the situation above had not yet been resolved.

“We need to hurry. If we delay, this whole place might collapse.”

I scowled, thinking of Belkan, who was probably laughing maniacally.

By player standards, he’s a six-star.

In other words, he has completely reached the level of a master. If he wanted, he could wipe out the Lemuts in no time.

Belkan is just dragging it out, using the soldiers as disposable pawns to amuse himself.

‘Well, thanks to that, we can easily loot this place.’

Silently thanking Belkan, I stepped into the dark and damp den of these creatures.

A stench similar to rotting fish guts hit me.

“Ugh…!!!”

“Bleh…”

Buta and Rat started retching.

I almost threw up myself, but with sheer willpower, I managed to hold it in.

“…To think I could endure this. That month of hard training really paid off. My tolerance has definitely increased.”

I felt proud of myself.

“A month? By the way, what is this? It just looks like a shit pit.”

“Does it really look that way to you?”

To them, it might just be a space full of filth, but to me, this place was a treasure trove. [Obellium]

▶A low-grade enchant metal occasionally found in labyrinths. It permanently enhances durability and sharpness when used on blades.

Among the excrement were faintly glowing light purple metals scattered here and there. These were by-products left by the babies whose digestive systems hadn’t fully developed.

“Just as I thought…”

Confident that my prediction was correct, I didn’t hesitate to plunge my hand into the filth.

Ignoring Rat’s scream of disgust, I pulled out several pieces of Obellium. Rat, holding his nose, spoke to me.

“What are those rocks that you’re causing such a fuss over… Oh, brother! Don’t come any closer. It’ll splash everywhere!”

“What’s a little splash? These are all materials used for enchantments.”

“…What?”

Buta and Rat blinked at me, not understanding what they just heard.

“Enchant metal. You don’t know it?”

“I know it. It’s something only the rich or high-ranking knights get to see… Is this really that?”

“Yeah.”

“The cheapest piece of this stuff could let you live comfortably for a year?”

“Yeah, though I don’t know about a whole year.”

“The kind of metal that can turn a cheap village blacksmith’s sword into a legendary blade?”

“Don’t exaggerate. It’s not that extreme.”

“Hehe…”

Rat scratched his head awkwardly at my scolding.

“Ratsie might not know, but Buta is not that naive. Pig brother is tricking us.”

“Aren’t you the naive one for following me all the way here? Shut up and start collecting. This is why I brought you here.”

“…”

“What are you doing? Not going to collect? Are you going to leave all this behind?”

When I urged them again, the two exchanged glances.

“…It must be real?”

“Buta thinks so too.”

Then, as if on cue, they both dove into the filth simultaneously.

“No wonder! I thought it was strange that there was a good smell in this room. It was the smell of money!”

“B-Buta felt it too. I’ve never smelled anything so fragrant in my life. I’m glad I followed Pig Brother.”

“If we take this out, we’ll be rich… Wait a minute. Won’t they just take it all from us anyway?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan. We won’t lose it all with our eyes open. I guarantee it.”

“Really, Brother? So you’re going to give us our share too?!”

With their faces covered in filth, the two drank in their daydreams.

“Of course, I’ll make sure you get your share. Did you think I’d take it all for myself?”

When I said that, they became even more motivated, burying themselves in the piles of dung.

Of course, considering that they’d be stuck here forever, even if they got some of it, they’d never have the chance to become rich…

‘Well, there’s no need to burst their bubble now.’

A piece of Obellium the size of a fingernail is enough to enchant two long swords. The ones scattered here are all about the size of a child’s fist.

Not that I planned to use it all, but if we did, it could arm not just a platoon, but an entire battalion.

“Wow, how many are there! There are so many, I can’t even count them.”

“I think we’ve gathered everything. There’s nothing left to grab.”

Rat, who had filled a bundle made from his torn shirt, shouted in excitement.

With this much, it would be more than enough to make up for deserting the battlefield.

Plus, there was an unexpected bonus.

‘So this comes from here?’

[Magatorium]

▶A mid-grade enchant metal. When used on weapons, it grants a strength enhancement effect.

Even I, who spent all day on Disa, rarely saw this mid-grade enchant metal in the early stages.

Of course, in the mid-to-late stages, when monsters and beasts flooded the continent, it was so common we wouldn’t even pick it up.

“Alright, we’ve got everything here…”

I was about to leave with the Magatorium in my pocket when it happened.

Screeeech—

A sharp, unpleasant sound like nails on a chalkboard came from beyond the passage we had come through.

The babies wandering the corridor must have found the soldiers outside.

“Looks like they’ve saved us the trouble. Let’s go, finish quickly and get out.”

Confident that things were going smoothly, I thought of Belkan dealing with the Lemut as I rushed beyond the passage.

* * *

Rat, whose blade was dripping with dark blue blood, wiped it off and sheathed his sword with a sigh of relief.

“…Why was that so easy?”

The battle had ended anticlimactically, handled by the team before they could even get seriously involved.

“I was tense for nothing.”

“Their flesh was so soft the blade went right through, and they moved slowly. Maybe because they’re fish? But what is that smell coming from you three…?”

“Who cares about the smell? We’re rich now. Rich!”

Rat boasted, showing off the bundle full of Obellium to the squad members who were pinching their noses.

“Rich? What do you mean?”

“Don’t be surprised. This is the enchant metal Brother found…”

“Stop.”

Jin, with his hands covered in filth, silenced Rat and pointed to the baby Lemut corpses scattered on the ground.

“We’ll talk about that outside. For now, gather everything. We can use even those.”

“What can we do with those… Ow! Why’d you hit me!”

Rat protested after being hit on the head by Jin with the sword hilt.

Jin, eyes blazing, kicked Rat’s butt.

“Didn’t you listen to what Buta and I talked about outside? We need evidence, right, evidence.”

“Evidence?”

“We deserted the battlefield. If we don’t want to be executed on sight, we need to take more than just Obellium… Wait a minute.”

Jin suddenly stopped scolding Rat.

Immediately, everyone in the squad fell silent, sensing the serious atmosphere from Jin’s expression.

Jin lowered his voice.

“I thought it would be hard to hear outside the water, but…”

Before Jin could finish, two bright yellow lights appeared from the mucus-covered passage.

Two burning eyes like torches. Jin gripped his sword tightly, staring straight ahead.

“They came to us first.”

The soldiers exchanged nervous glances and swallowed hard.

Soon, the silhouette of their opponent emerged from the darkness.

Slap— Slap—

Using its long fins to crawl across the mucus-covered ground was a giant deep-sea fish, as big as Buta, covered in grayish-white scales.

Its mouth, full of sharp teeth, emitted a continuous screeching sound.

Jin quickly gave orders to everyone.

“Grab the baby bodies and run out. If we’re caught by the centurion, we’ll be executed on the spot. Wait at the entrance until I come out.”

“B-Brother, are you going to face that thing alone?”

“It’ll be tough, but not impossible.”

It was exhausted from nesting, and unlike the males, the females couldn’t produce fog on their own.

Jin, holding back his words, pulled out an Obellium from Rat’s bundle.

Now, the only thing left was to use the female to lure Belkan here.

‘If Belkan finds us before the centurion, we’ll avoid execution.’

But something unexpected happened.

“Hurry out. For the plan to work, I need to deal with this…”

“No, Brother. We’re men too. How can we run and leave a comrade behind!”

“That’s right! We’ll fight together! I’m not a coward who abandons comrades to save myself!”

“Everyone, draw your weapons. Let’s kill that damn fish.”

“Kill it!”

“Wow!” A shout echoed through the entire passageway. Jin clutched his head as he watched the soldiers burning with fighting spirit.

“You idiots, you just met today, and you’re already acting like comrades… If we do this, the female will…”

Squelch—

Sensing the soldiers’ shift in attitude, the female started twitching its fins. It was trying to dig a tunnel to escape to the magical realm with all its might.

“Damn it, grab it!”

As Jin shouted, the soldiers, clutching their weapons, reflexively rushed toward the female Lemut.

Screeeeech—

The female let out a scream and started moving its fins rapidly.

Dirt flew everywhere as its huge body quickly became half-buried in the ground.

“It, it can’t escape!”

Buta, throwing himself at full strength, grabbed its tail.

The female’s movements momentarily halted due to Buta’s incredible strength, and the soldiers took this chance to thrust their weapons at it.

Clang, clang, clang—

Sparks flew as their weapons hit the hard scales. The soldiers screamed, clutching their aching wrists.

“That’s why I told you to wait outside.”

Jin frowned as he reached into his pocket.

This will take some time.

Originally, just using the Obellium would have sufficed. But thanks to these fools and their unnecessary camaraderie, there was additional damage.

“I was saving this for a better weapon… You guys are dead when we get out.”

Jin pulled out the Obellium from Rat’s bundle and the Magatorium he had secretly kept. He brought them to the cheap sword given by Belkan.

Sssss—

The molten metal flowed over the blade like liquid. The blade glowed, and energy surged through Jin’s body.

“Hoo…”

I mustn’t kill it outright.

The male.

To be precise, to lure Belkan here, it must only be left with a fatal wound.

After a brief analysis, Jin lunged at the female Lemut held by Buta.

Clang, clang—

The blade, enhanced with sharpness, pierced through the scales.

Blue blood spurted out as the female Lemut, unable to withstand the pain, let out a pitiful scream.

Screeeeech—

With a single strike, its internal organs were penetrated, and the female Lemut opened its mouth wide.

Soon, a series of high-pitched screams, unlike before, echoed throughout the entire nest.

Screeeeech—

It was calling for the male.

Several soldiers couldn’t bear the ultrasonic scream and covered their ears.

“It’s done. Pull yourselves together, you idiots!”

Jin withdrew his sword from the trembling, fatally wounded Lemut and got them to their feet.

Simultaneously, the entire nest began to shake as if an earthquake had struck.

The male Lemut, having received the female’s distress signal, was now rushing towards the nest, abandoning everything else.

“If you want to live, grab the baby corpses and follow me! We’re getting out!”

Realizing the situation, Jin leapt into action without hesitation.

Even amidst the chaos, the soldiers grabbed a baby Lemut’s corpse each and followed Jin.

The vibrations grew stronger.

The mucus filling the passageway clung to their ankles, and dust falling from the ceiling obscured their vision.

“Aagh, aagh!!!”

“Isn’t this collapsing?”

“If you have the strength to talk, use it to take another step!”

To survive, they had to run. Desperately sprinting towards the light, they finally escaped the nest.

Boom—

A dark shadow fell in front of them, spraying blue rain.

It took them a moment to realize that the massive figure, reminiscent of a small mountain, was the lifeless body of the male Lemut.

“Bro… Brother…”

The soldiers’ tense gazes focused on Jin.

Jin took a step forward and calmly raised his head.

“It’s alright. From now on, don’t say a word and stay still.”

At that moment, Belkan, drenched in blue blood, sat atop the giant Lemut’s head, smiling slyly.

“Well, well, all the cowards of the 3rd Division have gathered here?”

Hi I’m Nil, I’ll be translating this series from now on.