GILF Hunter

’Is the path... this way?’

’I think we’ve almost arrived at this point...’

Ian and Mika, walking in the lead, discussed while looking at the map.

It was the second day since they left Labyrinth, traveling by carriage and on foot.

Ian and the members were heading toward a dungeon where the weapon Rin would use was said to be sealed.

’I think we just need to go straight down here? There’s only one path.’

’Shouldn’t a dungeon be in a more rugged place...?’

For finding an extremely ancient dungeon, the path was too well-defined. The two leading with the map even doubted the reliability of the records.

Tanya, walking beside Ian, spoke as if it were unexpected.

’It’s not as far as I thought. I thought an ancient dungeon would be in the middle of nowhere.’

’Surprisingly, there are many dungeons buried near cities. Before a city was built here, this place was also the wilderness.’

Well, since it was an area where things like the Labyrinth existed.

The Labyrinth would have been sealed in the past too, but in any case, people wouldn’t have wanted to live in such a place.

It was a remote spot where people didn’t visit, and it even had something like the Labyrinth. Wouldn’t it be the exact kind of place where mages would want to build their own dungeons?

Thanks to that, near Labyrinth—more precisely, near the Labyrinth itself—all sorts of mage dungeons, temples, and ruins were buried in abundance.

’I found the way! Come this way!’

In the meantime, Rin and Mika, who were slightly ahead, waved toward the back.

Originally, Ian would have found the way using the map, but this time he had left the pathfinding to them since they said they wanted to try it.

Since the dungeon they were going to this time was quite an interesting place, they seemed to want to find the path themselves.

Perhaps because they had accumulated some mercenary experience, the two were finding the way better than expected.

There were moments of hesitation or slight deliberation in between, but at least they didn’t stray into the wrong place.

After several hours of wandering through the forest where gnoll packs roamed.

Ian and the party were able to arrive at the location where the entrance to the dungeon marked on the map was located.

’It’s just ahead!’

Rin, who had checked the map several times to confirm the path, spoke confidently and took the lead.

Following behind Rin, the place they arrived at a moment later was... a campsite. Quite a few people were gathered and setting up camp.

Lia spoke to the two with a ’here we go’ expression.

’We came to the wrong place.’

’S-sorry...’

’It was definitely here...?’

Despite checking the map so many times it was sickening, arriving at another expedition’s camp was an absurd mistake that left them shaking their heads.

But then, Ian brought up something completely unexpected.

’No, we found it correctly. This is the spot.’

’Eh, then...’

Hearing Ian’s words, everyone looked back at the camp in front of them.

Looking closely, they seemed like people who had come to conduct some kind of exploration rather than just camping during a journey.

Familiar equipment often used when exploring dungeons was also visible at a glance.

’Then could it be... people arrived before us?’

Realizing that, everyone’s expressions stiffened.

They had found the entrance to the dungeon on the map, but there was already a dungeon exploration team in front of it.

It meant they were one step too late.

’What should we do?’

’It’s fine. These people are...’

Before Ian could give a detailed explanation, several people approached Ian’s party from the camp.

’You’ve arrived, Leader.’

’Ah!’

Everyone made sounds of surprise as they discovered a familiar face.

It was the relic researcher they had met during the last exploration—Ellen.

Only then could everyone understand what was happening.

’Wait... were we not exploring this directly ourselves?’

’I thought the path might be very complicated. I asked them to check the structure in advance.’

After selecting Rin as a core member, Ian had given Ellen the map and materials for this dungeon in advance and left the exploration to her.

It was because it was a dungeon that took too long to investigate directly.

If there were many rewards to be received in the middle process, or if a lot of experience points could be gained... Ian would have investigated it directly, but.

This dungeon was the type that just ate up a lot of time going back and forth.

There was no particular gain in stepping up and doing it personally.

So Ian outsourced it.

He handed the materials to the relic researcher Ellen and commissioned the internal investigation of the dungeon.

Ellen naturally accepted.

There was no reason to refuse investigating an ancient dungeon where information was hard to obtain, especially when being supported with exploration costs.

Even in the game, Ellen’s main function was [Dungeon Proxy Exploration].

She was an NPC who, if entrusted with a map like now, would go out and explore on your behalf and excavate rewards.

Ellen guided Ian and the members to the entrance of the dungeon.

’Now, this way. We’ve cleared the path up to the central hall.’

A path had already been secured from the dungeon entrance to the destination, the central hall.

Thanks to finishing the internal investigation and keeping the lights bright, they could simply walk down to the inner part of the dungeon as if they were taking a stroll.

Ellen took the lead in guiding Ian’s party, briefly informing Ian of the information she had investigated so far.

’As per the materials you sent, there were no monsters inside. Instead, there are many devices and murals blocking the way.’

’You must have a lot of materials to research.’

’I’m debating whether I should stay here for the rest of the year.’

For someone who entered a dungeon aiming for rewards, it would be an extremely annoying factor, but for Ellen, whose purpose was research, it was a joy.

Everything, such as ancient murals and dungeon devices, would be good research material for Ellen.

’Wow...’

’It’s incredibly spacious.’

Soon, Ian arrived at the central hall of the dungeon.

The walls of that large space were filled with numerous characters, murals, and unknown patterns like magic circles.

Ian approached the wall in the center.

Normally, one would have to find an NPC or clues that could interpret these records to gain information, and obtain keys while going back and forth between the inside and outside of the dungeon.

If it was the first time, it was a place where one would have to waste considerable time.

Ian also already knew the method and process of solving it, but because the types and locations of the keys were random, it would inevitably take a long time to solve this personally.

Fortunately, Ian didn’t need to waste time like that now.

Ellen and the exploration team had dismantled most of the devices and put the keys in place.

Standing before the wall, Ian pushed in the last key he had. It was the last key that could be obtained in advance outside the dungeon.

The sound of a mechanism operating was heard from inside, and the hidden entrance began to open.

With a large vibration, one side of the wall opened, revealing secret stairs leading down.

’Woooah...’

Everyone watching that scene let out small exclamations.

A hidden secret passage in an ancient dungeon. It was something everyone who goes on dungeon explorations had imagined at least once.

Just having seen this in person was enough to brag about as an adventure story anywhere.

Ian stood before the passage with the members.

’Then, we’ll head in first.’

’Yes. If you need help, please send a signal.’

For now, only Ian’s party was going in.

Since Ian provided the map and initial information, it had been agreed in advance that they would enter first and come out with the original target—the spoils.

In an original commission, it’s natural for the side that provided the map to have the first spoils. Moreover, since there were many other research materials in the dungeon, there was no dissatisfaction at all.

The research value was so much higher than expected that Ellen side even wondered if they should pay more for the costs.

Ian moved down the stairs first, and the members followed him down the stairs.

Fortunately, they heard it was a place without traps or monsters... but as they went down the stairs, everyone began to feel a strangely unpleasant sensation. It didn’t feel like a safe place at all.

As they descended deeper, that unpleasant energy gradually grew stronger, and everyone could realize its true nature.

’Ugh... this feels similar to the Labyrinth...’

’Is this lower part possibly connected to the Labyrinth?’

A sinister energy was flowing from below the stairs.

The unpleasant chill felt when first entering the Labyrinth, as the air changed, was felt here exactly as well.

’Can Erosion leak out of the Labyrinth?’

’As far as I know, it can’t. This must be because of what’s sealed inside.’

They could roughly understand what Ian was trying to say.

Items brought out of the Labyrinth retain the Labyrinth’s unique aura. That, too, can be called an influence of Erosion, albeit very faint.

...But just how strong was it for it to be felt from this far away?

Mika heard Ian say ’seal’ once again with certainty. She thought Ian had misspoken... but apparently, what was down here was truly a cursed item.

Everyone carefully descended the stairs one step at a time with tense faces.