Chapter 43: Nobles’ Game
Although Nith sounded like himself, he inwardly felt strange and awkward enough to speak in short sentences.
He hadn’t been that honest with Kyouka yet.
This confession made him realize how exposed he felt after blurting out his genuine feelings, which left him somewhat disgusted.
‘I’m changing… a lot,’ Nith thought after laying bare his intentions to Medusa.
What he said was quite simple—he could make her much stronger in this place. It’d be like him taking over Kyouka’s role, but even Nith’s talent fell short compared to hers.
That witch had come up with a new, unique potion that heightened one’s instincts. Paired with various skills in the same domain, it could turn someone into a real beast, far more dangerous than wild humanoid races like the Fenrirs.
That said, Nith’s expertise in medicine and poison concoctions didn’t lag much behind Kyouka’s. These two could accomplish a lot together, and he planned to use her experience to support Medusa.
“You want to get out of this dungeon, don’t you?” Nith asked.
Medusa smiled faintly, but it was clear she was masking her displeasure. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t pry into my plans. Yes, I’ll work with you, but you’ll be following me, not the other way around. You must have returned relatively early to be this weak, so blame yourself.”
Nith narrowed his eyes at her. ‘I’m not surprised by her attitude,’ he thought.
Medusa continued, “I’ll explain from the start. Yes, I came here with the same purpose as the bald insect I killed—to scout you into our group. You saw two representatives because there are only two factions here. One calls themselves a gang and enjoys life here, while the other calls themselves the Alliance. I’m part of the Alliance. As for this noble’s game, it’s nothing complicated. Nobles make contact with prisoners and give them tasks, for which the prisoners are rewarded. Even the Royal Crest of the Mythverios Kingdom spends on the prisoners. The tasks can be anything within their scope. Slaves are the most popular, both for pleasure and hard labor.
“Prisoners who participate in the game sign an oath with the Royal Crest, which grants them more benefits in this dungeon. For example, one cannot obtain slaves without this benefit. The Oath states that if the Mythverios Kingdom faces imminent peril that breaches the capital, the prisoners must leave the dungeon to fight the threat. Afterward, they are allowed to return to the dungeon and continue their lavish lives.”
Nith mused aloud, “The oath must be powerful enough to restrain everyone. Otherwise, I can see prisoners ignoring it and running away.”
“All oaths are held by the Mythverios’ strongest mage—The Seventh Grade,” Medusa replied.
“That explains a lot,” Nith nodded. “But lavish lives? Here? Confined in a single dungeon?”
As he spoke, Nith began to see the bigger picture. Most people were confined to a single house, a single city, and perhaps even a single occupation. Not many could afford vacations or travel, so their lives never extended beyond their town’s borders.
Perhaps that’s why adventurers were so popular, and why only the clever, those willing to abandon everything, even their lives, could become merchants, hiding their true nature behind kind masks.
“You figured it out yourself, didn’t you?” Medusa asked, noticing Nith’s expression. “The worst of the worst are like kings here. It’s a lawless zone where only strength matters. Food is provided from the outside, where everything is under a proper hierarchy. And it’s delicious food. Anyone can survive here by killing monsters and eating their loot. After all, this is a dungeon.”
“Yeah, that’s what interests me,” Nith replied. “If one conquers a dungeon, they can leave it by teleporting outside. Has that ever crossed anyone’s mind?”
“Obviously,” Medusa responded instantly. “What makes a dungeon? At least three danger zone cores… all of which are guarded by the Royal Crest. There’s more to it, but you’ll learn about it in due time.”
It seemed she intended to explain further later, or perhaps she would leave someone else to fill Nith in. She stood up, checking her status, which appeared to be back to normal after their conversation.
Turning her lower half into a thick snake tail, Medusa moved nonchalantly toward her alliance’s headquarters.
Nith ran after her, but he was much slower. He had eaten the raw meat from the wolves’ loot and rested enough to regain his strength, but it still wasn’t enough to match Medusa’s pace.
He could only keep up with her if he used the dark purple shard running through his veins. However, that was Nith’s last card for when things truly went south.
“Could you slow down, bitch?!” Nith cursed.
“Could you run faster, Nightshade?” Medusa retorted, the way she said his nickname sounding worse than any other insult could.
Because of Nith’s speed, it took them three hours to reach the base of the mountain. From afar, the ridge already glowed with bonfires and other light sources warding off the darkness.
At the mountain’s base, however, everything seemed so primitive that Nith doubted the prisoners spent their noble rewards here. A stone stairway climbed up the mountain’s ridge.
Torches lined the path on either side, but many parts of the stairway remained in darkness, likely due to a lack of planning in the architecture.
“Oh, you’re back, Medusa,” said a guard stationed at the stairway. He wore typical soldier’s clothing, but with no emblem.
Medusa nodded at him. “Yes. I’ve scouted new blood.”
“Everyone’s been wondering what took you so long,” the guard said, sneering. “Some even joked you took a fancy to the new man and pinned him down.”
His sneer was so wide that his yellow teeth sparkled.
Ignoring his remark, Medusa walked past the guard. Nith followed her, choosing to ignore the guard’s winking at him.
The man didn’t seem particularly bad, but he was clearly a criminal—so low that his task was guarding the stairway.
When no one else was around, Nith asked, “Your speech and manners are different from what I’ve seen. I’ve only met two people, but you don’t seem like a criminal. What crime did you commit?”
Medusa stopped and said, “I was born.”
