The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon-Chapter 300: Unearth (20)

"Of course. Enriching the soil is what we do best. Whatever seed is sown, we can make it grow beyond measure."

Although the scenario was almost complete, it didn't end with making Rubia a lord. Her success depended on raising her governance level, built upon her domain's growth and the trust of her people.

At its core, every territory relied on agriculture, except for unique cities like Grassmere. If land that once yielded two grains could suddenly yield three or four, and word spread that their lord had made it happen, then the people's faith would soar. Naturally, her governance would as well.

These Krotte would become Rubia's driving force once she claimed Erast, a vital key to clearing the scenario. Lime had led me to the perfect allies.

"I'll leave it to you then."

"Will we see you in the city, then?"

The chieftain's eyes were warm. He had endured captivity under the Necron cult, yet his resilience was striking.

"Perhaps. I plan to travel elsewhere for now. If you remain in Erast, we'll meet again."

I wanted to see Rubia standing as lord, ruling with strength. One day, yes, but not now. Just as the chieftain had said, nutrients from the depths must first rise to the surface. And one by one, the tasks before me came to mind. Saving the village Lime had mentioned would be that fertile soil.

Status window.

[Your Reputation with the Krotte tribe has increased by 50!]

[The Krotte are an underground people. Your reputation may also rise with other subterranean races that come into contact with them.]

It was a long road, but rescuing the others would be no loss. Even if not as useful as the Krotte, they'd surely serve some purpose.

***

Clang!

The locks that bound them snapped like straw.

"Squeak! Squeak!"

One by one, they crawled out from the cages where they had sat in stunned silence. Lime's rescue list was first the goblins, the Krotte, then the Highland Pandas. They were a rare demi-race. So feeble among forest-dwellers that they were said to have received the Demon King's blessing least of all.

"Squeal?"

They had a structured language, yet I couldn't understand a word. The large ones either rolled out of the cages or stayed slumped, unable to move. Only the small and young scampered out with energy, paws pattering.

I searched the cage. As I'd heard, one chained among them was a human.

"No... who's there? Don't hurt my pandas... Please..."

A man with long green hair, his face hidden. The little pandas clung close to him, refusing to leave even when the cage was opened. With a single stroke, I severed his shackles.

Thud!

He collapsed with the chains. "My children..."

Blood stained the corners of his mouth. He was swathed in bandages, all soaked through. His hands trembled constantly, likely ruined by torture. I regretted, faintly, that I had no healing to give him.

"Are you their researcher?"

I recalled what the Necron members had said outside.

“If you mistreat them, they die from stress... Their appetites are delicate... They'll starve if given the wrong food. They're useless... even their meat tastes foul...”

“Then why keep them?”

“We meant to sell them as pets to wealthy nobles... but they die if taken from the mountains. So we kidnapped a panda researcher... tortured him...”

Each time I practiced hypnosis on a new subject, I grew more proficient. At last, I could draw out conversations naturally. I looked at the newly manifested skill, Hypnosis Lv. 1, with some pride. Threats and torture could extract information, but it was crude and uncertain. Hypnotic suggestion, though, was far more precise.

"You... you're not here to harm them?" the man stammered.

"No. The humans are dead."

"..."

His gaze dropped, shattered. Unlike the Krotte chieftain, he was far slower to recover. But healing his heart was not my concern.

"Squeal!"

The pandas chirped, trading gestures and cries with him for a long while.

[Your Reputation with the Highland Panda tribe has increased by 60!]

[The pandas are favored by several powerful tribes. Assisting them will grant you additional reputation with those groups.]

Still... Were they truly useless? At least, they would serve as a token to Lime. I pried the young pandas from my legs one by one. Starved, too weak to resist, they fell limply to the ground.

"Stay hidden. Do not leave the mountains. In the deep, forget the world. It is the only way."

Even if I failed, even if everything reset, the future awaiting them would not change. War. The Demon King. The Heroes. Oblivion was mercy. When the pandas and their researcher vanished from sight, I lingered in thought.

My next path... I would choose. I wished I could ask Isaac, yet he remained inside the inventory. He was silent, likely focused on recovery. I dared not disturb him, especially when these words hovered above the inventory that held Isaac.

[Unidentified Sorcery Doll]

[Immersive Computation...]

[Spirit Particle Conversion in progress...]

[Conversion efficiency greatly increased through personality partitioning.]

What was he doing? Was it working? Could he even escape on his own? The thought gnawed at me. Still, unable to interrupt the process midstream, I chose to wait.

For now, I unrolled the map in my mind. Of the villages Lime had told me, only one remained, but it was far. It was all the way to the northwest, at the edge of the continent, where the Frost Basilisk dwelled. That would wait.

For now, it was better to revisit the dungeons Rena and I had cleared nearby, one by one. A cleaner path.

***

The Lair of the Sinister Scorpions, The Ant Nest, The Withered Maze, Withdrawal Vault of Corpses, and Den of Venomous Hyenas. I cleared them all, and now I stood before the Labyrinth of Torture. It was a dungeon I had conquered long ago, when I was far weaker.

The goblins, the Krotte, the Highland Pandas... all the tribes I had freed at Lime's request were no different in essence. To humans, they were all monsters, creatures to be subjugated and exploited. Regardless, my attitude toward them had changed. The only standard was this: Lime's request. His goodwill mattered more than the trivial experience I would gain from exterminating small villages.

[Level Up!]

[Level Up...]

[Clear!]

[Boss of the Labyrinth of Torture, the Voodoo Golem, has been defeated.]

[Rank evaluation...]

[Difficulty evaluation...]

That was the last dungeon I knew of. Isaac still didn't emerge. Now it was time to seek out the foes wandering the field.

***

Crash!

The Swamp Wraith shattered into pieces, scattering in all directions.

[Calculating Hero Points!]

[C+++ Rank Encounter Clear: 205 points]

[Difficulty Bonus: 820 points]

[You've earned 1025 points!]

[Current Purchasing Power: 26.6% (Normal)]

[Anti-World has been selected.]

[The store cannot be used until purchasing power reaches 100%.]

I had swept the known dungeons, slain even the Swamp Wraith, yet the Hero Store remained locked. Only one item was available, and until I reached a hundred percent, I couldn't buy it. Even if I struck down the B++ Desert God again, it'd barely raise my points another three percent. Hunting wraiths now yielded no essence to absorb.

If I wanted more, I would need to clear A or S rank dungeons, or defeat an encounter boss. And of the S ranks, only one came to mind: the riddling turtle, Wadluth. But against him? Impossible. No matter how strong I had grown, if that turtle abandoned riddles and chose violence, I'd be done for.

Even with high stats, with Mind's Eye and Clear Mirror Still Water, all I had managed before was escape. Even Isaac had chosen to lull him to sleep instead of facing him. I remembered that Wadluth had let me solve riddles first. Had he chosen to fight immediately, the difficulty would have spiked beyond S rank. Then perhaps, I should attempt an A rank dungeon. Until now, I had cleared everything with stats alone, scarcely using skills.

Status window.

[Skeleton Soldier Lv. 31 (301)

Health: 142

Strength: 142

Agility: 142

Wisdom: 144]

I was nearly at 150 across the board, with Anti-Demon (A-), Perception Defense (B+), and all the perks I gained from becoming a Skeleton Knight. With this, I could attempt an A rank dungeon. Of course, if Lime knew what I was planning, he wouldn't be pleased.

***

I continued onward with Isaac still sealed inside my inventory. The system message indicating progress remained. With no one to consult, I had to choose my path alone. I had saved the oppressed tribes Lime spoke of. Perhaps, it was time to see his reaction.

Thus, I set my destination toward Yublam. Still, I couldn't neglect dungeon hunting. I moved slowly along the eastern mountains, drifting toward Grassmere. On the greening trail, a butterfly drifted with the wind. Spring, perhaps, was near. Seeds of nameless flowers rose and fell in the breeze beneath its wings.

I scouted every ridge with Detection, but found no new dungeons. All had been plundered already. Luck alone would bring nothing now.

Then, I felt them near Grassmere. A group of humans camped deep in the mountains. Bandits, lying in wait for prey. I had tested such groups before. The truth never changed. Bandits weren't treated as dungeons.

They yielded no Hero Points, only scraps of experience. If they were truly powerful, they'd strike within the city, not skulk in the mountains. At times, skilled leaders turned their gangs into something more, even negotiating tolls with merchants. However, this group wasn't that.

Creak.

A bowstring drew tight, aimed at a lone traveler. Arrows before questions.

Are these the ones...?

I remembered what an adventurer had said, that there was a notorious roaming bandit clan. They prowled near Grassmere, but could move into Erast at any time. Unrest wouldn't help Rubia raise her governance level. That alone made me consider removing them.

But the traveler they're targeting is...