Jun burned the letter he had finished reading and headed downstairs.
“What’s going on? Why is the village so noisy?”
“Tch, bounty hunters have shown up.”
“Bounty hunters?”
It was only natural, but since Blackout was also a place where people lived, there was a system of law and order.
Because of that, criminals who committed serious offenses often became wanted, and there was even certain game content for catching them.
There were quite a few times when players who took on the bounty hunter role would brag about it in posts.
So how is that related to what’s happening now?
Just as Jun was about to question it.
“I hear these aren’t just ordinary hunters. They’re said to be from the ‘Blackguard’.”
“…What?”
At those words, Jun’s face went blank for a moment.
The “Blackguard” was like the police force of Blackout.
The difference between them and bounty hunters was that the Blackguard was a knight order founded by the imperial family.
And since the imperial family’s name was at stake, they were of course ridiculously strong.
Strong to the point where defeating them within that rank was nearly impossible.
It made sense, after all.
Knights of the imperial family were trained to be highly optimized for killing humans.
On top of that, they’re equipped with aura, which makes them even more troublesome. Even the weakest of them would be at least Level 4.
That meant they were warriors at a level even Aiden hadn’t reached yet.
“But why would they be here?”
“Why do you think? They’ve obviously come to hunt down criminals.”
Colton joked and acted as if there was nothing more to it.
At that moment, the murmur from the village began to grow closer.
Then—
Bang!
“Here, here they are, my lord.”
A villager opened the door of the inn with a very tense expression and came in.
Several figures followed behind him. They were all clad in full plate armor; this was something rarely seen on the second floor.
Their arrival wasn’t particularly surprising. After all, this was the only inn located in the village.
But their purpose seemed to be something else entirely.
“Are you the ones? The ones who caused the disturbance in the Ashen Wasteland?”
A man in his mid-thirties sporting a well-groomed mustache approached Jun.
Judging by the various badges on his shoulder, he seemed to be the leader of the group.
“…That’s right.”
“Would it be alright to ask where you’re from?”
“I don’t see any reason to answer that.”
The atmosphere instantly grew tense following Jun’s cold response.
It was only natural.
Approaching people preparing for a dungeon in such a way wasn’t exactly considered polite.
However, the man simply shrugged his shoulders, as if it was no big deal.
“I came to ask for a bit of help. Oh, I realize I haven’t introduced myself yet. My name is Weyrn; as you can see, I’m a bounty hunter.”
If he was from the Blackguard, he was at least a minor noble yet he had lowered himself first.
There was no point in maintaining a sharp stance any longer, so Jun let down his guard.
“I’m Jun, leader of the White Whale Mercenary Group. This group here is the Blade Eagle Mercenaries and they are joining us for this mission.”
“The White Whale Mercenaries?”
At that, Weyrn stroked his mustache and snapped his fingers.
“Are you the ones who cleared the hidden stage that recently appeared?”
“That’s right.”
Despite Jun’s curt response, Weyrn burst out laughing.
“What a coincidence! It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m already well aware of your reputation.”
“……..”
“I’ve heard you’re sponsored by the Gilenn Merchant Guild. That’s good to hear. To be honest, I had a few suspicions about your group when I first heard of you.”
He seemed to be playing all the parts in this conversation, handling both the questions and answers.
Jun who was curious to see how far he’d go simply listened in silence.
“The ones we’re chasing right now are heretics. They worship the evil god of the Blackout.”
“You mean the Heavenly Church?”
“You know it well. We’ve been tracking them, and it just so happens the direction they disappeared into was between those canyons.”
Jun fell silent at that.
He had a feeling. It was about why the Eroders had appeared in the last dungeon.
The Heavenly Church was deeply connected to the Eroders in the game’s storyline.
Was it really just a coincidence that they were near the area when Jun and his companions encountered the erosion phenomenon?
“So, what is it that you want?”
“I’d like your help. I believe the phenomenon you triggered isn’t unrelated to them.”
His proposal was simple.
If the Heavenly Church was interested in the hidden dungeon, they would definitely try to enter it.
Weyrn’s plan was to strike when they made their move and wipe them out.
“At the very least, I don’t think it would be a loss for you. What do you think?”
They said they would leave once they captured the criminals they were targeting.
From Jun and his party’s perspective, if the bounty hunters dealt with the Heavenly Church, it would relieve them of unnecessary worries.
There was no reason to refuse.
“Give me a moment to discuss it with my companions.”
“Alright. When you’re done, come find me at the village chief’s house. That’s where we’re staying.”
As Weyrn stepped aside, his companions also left the room.
Jun turned to Aiden and Colton, who had been quietly waiting behind him.
“You heard everything, right? I’d like to know what you think.”
“It doesn’t seem like there’s any harm in it for us, does it? Considering their status, I think they’re trustworthy.”
Colton was the first to cast his vote in favor.
If they were from the Blackguard, they would be knights who understood honor. Even though they looked down on mercenaries, they still fought to protect the Empire, didn’t they?
Hearing this, Jun realized that Colton, just like Aiden, had a naive side to him.
Why would I trust people who left the honorable Blackguard to become bounty hunters?
They would probably be regarded in noble society as “shameless people who sold their honor for money”
Jun shifted his gaze to Aiden.
“Well… if we think rationally, it seems like taking their help is the smart choice. But it wouldn’t be wise to trust them completely.”
Aiden had lived within the imperial palace, where he had seen the darker side of nobility up close.
Because of this, he advised that while they should accept the help, they shouldn’t let their guard down.
Finally, Jun’s gaze landed on Maya.
She was still only a temporary member, but it was worth hearing her thoughts.
After all, she had a hostile relationship with the Eroders.
“I have a bad feeling.”
“Huh? A feeling? Well…”
Colton reacted first.
He knew Maya’s skills well, but to suddenly say she had a bad feeling?
There were few words more unsettling than that.
As mercenaries who lived with death every day, they tended to believe in superstitions, so her words felt particularly unnerving.
“But if the leader is with us, I think we’ll be fine.”
“Wait, what…?”
Saying she had a bad feeling was one thing, but then claiming that things would be fine just because Jun was there?
To Colton, that didn’t sound convincing at all.
Still, Colton knew that the final decision rested with Jun.
“So, what are you going to do?”
“Like you said, we don’t need to fight these criminals ourselves. But like Aiden pointed out, there’s no reason to fully trust them. It’s best to stay cautious.”
“Hmm… Okay. I’ll inform the others.”
And so the unexpected alliance with the bounty hunters was decided.
***
The time for the Hidden Piece to activate was approaching.
Jun, his companions, and the bounty hunters arrived at the entrance of the Hidden Dungeon at the scheduled time.
“Thank you for accepting our proposal.”
“It was convenient for us too. You cleared out the monsters along the way.”
Jun replied casually, to which Weyrn shrugged.
“Being a leader is always difficult. I understand well enough that our unexpected presence must be uncomfortable for you.”
“……..”
“That’s why I’m grateful for your decision. Their existence was important to us as well.”
“We only want one thing from you. That we eliminate them while maintaining our fighting power.”
“Of course, that’s how it will be.”
Then Weyrn’s gaze turned to the pillar of light spreading out from the valley.
Perhaps because it had been emitting light continuously for the past week, the glow was noticeably weaker compared to when it first appeared.
This was a clear sign that the entrance to the Hidden Dungeon was about to open.
Meanwhile, Jun continued to cast detection magic steadily.
It seemed the members of the Heavenly Church were also carrying artifacts to block detection, as nothing out of the ordinary was being caught.
Still, it’s not entirely pointless.
Even if it was a detection-blocking artifact used on the level 2 field, its performance had its limits.
Jun would be able to notice it if he got close enough.
It was in this way that he had detected the presence of the Luke siblings during the raid.
How much time had passed like this?
Just as the pillar of light was almost completely fading—
“So they’ve finally showed up.”
As if rewarded for his persistence, something was finally caught in Jun’s detection magic.
Following Jun’s signal, the group immediately prepared for battle.
***
At first glance, the name “Heavenly Church” suggested a religious group, but the appearance of those who emerged seemed far from anything religious.
“He, who will open the heavens, is watching over us.”
“Look at that pillar of light! Just as the current stagnant world is fading, He is waiting to open a new world for us!”
There were 15 of them. They were clad in dark cloaks with their faces wrapped in black bandages.
They each wore an orb around their neck that emitted a dark red energy much like Colton’s [Lantern of the Holy Flame].
It seemed to be equipment designed to resist field effects.
They’re on quite a high level.
Every one of them radiated an intense presence, far beyond what Colton and his mercenaries could handle for even a moment.
“Draw your swords!”
But the bounty hunters from Blackguard drew their swords without hesitation.
With swords and shields in hand, they formed a tight formation and blocked the enemy’s path like a well-woven net.
At the same time, Jun began casting his spells, and his companions also formed a defensive line.
“Don’t get in over your heads! Focus on staying alive!”
One of the bounty hunters shouted, and the battle began in earnest.
The former knights, armed with swords and shields, clashed with the members of the Heavenly Church, who used swords, spears, daggers, and curse magic.
Among the Heavenly Church members, those who had awakened their aura stood at the front.
However, despite the overwhelming number of Heavenly Church members, they could not easily break through the bounty hunters’ formation, likely due to their superior skill.
Each time an attack was blocked by a shield, the bounty hunters retaliated with a chilling killing intent.
But the Heavenly Church members didn’t just stand by and take it.
[Corpse Explosion]
Boom!
The body of a decapitated church member suddenly swelled and exploded with a thunderous noise.
Flesh and bone scattered like shrapnel, crashing against the bounty hunters’ armor.
And then.
[Curse of Weakening]
“Ugh… Damn heretics!”
The movements of the bounty hunter drenched in the most blood noticeably slowed.
Though the curse required a sacrifice, applying it to all the hunters at once would lessen its effect.
That’s why the curse caster focused the spell on a single bounty hunter, and it was a wise choice.
“Damn it, focus on defense!”
“Don’t falter!”
It was just one gap, but the impact on the front line was huge.
The stronger each individual was, the bigger the effect of a single weakness.
Tatatatatata!
In the moment when the bounty hunters’ formation was about to collapse, Aiden leaped into the air.
In his hand was a spare sword.
The sword sliced through the air and struck the center of the Heavenly Church formation.
“……?!”
But it hit no one.
Was it an attack meant for someone?
Since the sword harmed no one, nobody paid it any mind.
The sword hovering in the air went unnoticed, just like the dark clouds above.
[Multicasting]
[Enchantment: Elemental Armory]
[Attribute Enchantment: Metal]
[Lightning Call: Transformation – Thundercloud]
Crackle, crackle―
A streak of lightning fell between the ranks of the Heavenly Church.
The destructive energy surged and struck the metal-attributed sword embedded in the ground.
Rumble, KABOOM!
As the sound of heaven’s wrath striking the earth faded like an echo in the distance, the area was engulfed in silence.
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