Chapter 89 — Anomaly (Part 6)

Chapter 89 — Anomaly (Part 6)

Darmon felt that someone had climbed onto the golem. The stranger was very close.

But he sensed no killing intent or hostility from him. It felt like a human. A very strong human.

He needed to go out and see for himself.

If this was some adventurer, it would be worth speaking to him. Maybe he was also trying to get out of the dungeon as quickly as possible, just like they were.

"Trevar, can you…" Darmon began.

But he didn’t manage to finish.

The next moment, everything shook.

A deafening crash rang out, and the stone room tilted sharply.

It was as if the golem had been struck by something monstrously powerful.

The very next instant, the entire structure collapsed downward.

The stone room, along with the broken remains of the golem, fell from a height, and a powerful impact shook everything around them.

A second later, it was over.

Yes, the stone room had completely fallen apart, but its fragments did not crash down on them.

Trevar held them in place.

Even though the golem had been destroyed, the stone walls of the room were still under his control. He really was an excellent earth mage.

While Darmon checked on his team, Trevar had already climbed out of the ruined shelter.

And soon Darmon heard Trevar addressing the stranger—the man responsible for what had just happened.

"Hey, you damn idiot! Why did you destroy my golem?!"

Even after several seconds, no answer came from the stranger.

"Why are you silent, idiot?! Do you know how much I spent to create it?!" the old man shouted.

Damn it… the old man, Trevar, had completely lost it.

Darmon was angry too, but Trevar was being far too reckless. That crazy old man had just said too much to this adventurer.

And that adventurer was clearly stronger than all of them.

And right now was a completely terrible time to pick a fight—there were too many monsters around. Far too many.

Though judging by everything, this adventurer was handling the streams of monsters quite easily.

"Are Lily and Jonathan alright?" Darmon asked.

"Yes. They only got minor injuries. They’ll be fine," Maldrik replied.

"We’re fine. We can help," Jonathan said.

"Just stay here. We’ll handle it," Darmon said.

He leaned out from the shelter, intending to step into the conversation. He needed to stop Trevar immediately—the old man’s tongue was far too sharp.

And there was almost no time left.

The huge golem-monsters were already very close.

"Trevar, restore your golem! Quickly! We need to get out of here!" Darmon said.

Then he turned to the adventurer.

"Please forgive him, sir. My companion… he’s a little old. Sometimes he has problems with his head," Darmon said.

"What kind of nonsense are you saying? My head is perfectly fine!" Trevar grumbled. "My mind is stronger than all of yours!"

But despite the grumbling, he had already started restoring his golem.

"It’s alright, this was my fault. Sorry. I attacked your golem without thinking. I thought it was a monster," the unfamiliar adventurer said.

"What do you mean, 'thought it was a monster'?" Trevar snorted. "Are you completely stupid? Where have you ever seen a monster that looks like my golem?"

Damn… why can’t he just shut up? Darmon thought.

Darmon drew his sword and prepared for battle.

The giant golem-monsters that had appeared in this dungeon in such a strange way and were behaving very unnaturally for dungeon monsters in this situation were already extremely close, and he was sure Trevar would not have time to restore his golem.

He and his companions might be able to handle ten or fifteen such golems. But if they had to fight all of them at once, casualties would be unavoidable.

He was especially worried about Lily and Jonathan.

They were far too weak for a battle like this.

But he still had hopes for this adventurer. Judging by everything, the man was stronger than they were. His support could play an enormous role. Maybe then they would be able to get out of here without losses or serious injuries.

Though… this adventurer could simply leave.

This wasn’t his problem, after all. He had no reason to risk his life for them.

"Hey, man, I think you should calm down. Those are my companion’s golems. They won’t touch you," the adventurer suddenly said.

What?

These golems weren’t dungeon monsters? A human had created them?

Darmon still kept his sword ready. He believed the adventurer’s words… but he still didn’t loosen his grip.

The golems came closer.

But instead of attacking them, they split to both sides of Trevar’s destroyed golem and continued moving forward, destroying the stream of monsters.

And considering how many such golems passed by them…

It was hard to believe that they had been created by one person.

Something like that would require an entire squad of mages specializing in golem creation. And very high-level ones at that.

It was hard to believe that one person had created them.

Though… no. Why had he even assumed that one person had created them? That was impossible.

Something like this would require several mages specializing in golem creation.

And judging by how easily those golems destroyed monsters and how coordinated their movements were, their creators were highly talented.

After the stream of golems passed them, he had managed to count at least three hundred.

Yes, there were most likely even more, but that was all he had managed to count.

There was no way one person could have created that many golems.

It would require entire squads of high-level mages specializing in golem creation.

"Alright, guys. We’ll clear the path to the dungeon exit. And I’ll pay compensation for the golem I destroyed. But sorry, I’m in a bit of a hurry right now. You’ll find me at the dungeon exit, near that big wall," the adventurer said, then dashed forward. In a single moment, he caught up with the golems, and soon he was already overtaking them.

Compensation?

He said he was willing to pay compensation?

Yes, he had destroyed Trevar’s golem by mistake. Because of that, Lily and Jonathan had even received minor injuries.

But the fact that he would clear the path of monsters had already almost fully compensated for his mistake.

And still… it really seemed that he was willing to make up for the damage.

Though, on the other hand, that golem had required no financial costs—only the old man Trevar’s mana.

Well, whatever.

Darmon decided that later he would speak to this adventurer in a calmer setting.

He wanted to understand what had happened here. Judging by where this man had come from… and by how many powerful golems were nearby, this adventurer had to know much more than they did.

And suddenly, an uneasy thought crept into his mind.

What if this adventurer was the reason for everything happening here?

Maybe… he was the one who destroyed the dungeon core.

No.

That was ridiculous.

This person did not look that insane.

Though… there was a strange hint of madness in him.

But still, he didn’t seem like a bad person.

Still, that didn’t matter right now.

Darmon couldn’t do anything about it anyway.

His main task right now was to get his team out of the dungeon alive and unharmed.

"Hey, what are you standing there for? Let’s go, everything’s ready," the old man, Trevar, said.

Yes, he had already restored his golem.

Darmon jumped onto the golem’s back. Now their shelter was open rather than completely enclosed like before. Since the golem no longer had to force its way through a stream of monsters, there was no need to keep the defense fully closed.

But of course, Darmon still had no intention of lowering his guard.

Danger could be waiting at every step.

"So, you were saying a moment ago that I’m going senile," Trevar said, shooting Darmon a sarcastic look.

"Hey, sorry, Trevar. You just reacted too sharply, and I didn’t want that adventurer to become one more problem on top of our trouble with the monster tide. You… you realized he’s stronger than us too, didn’t you? Stronger even than me," Darmon said.

"Yeah, I know," Trevar grumbled. "It’s just that that damn idiot mistook my golem for a dungeon monster. How stupid do you have to be to make a mistake like that?"

"Well, dungeon monsters come in all kinds. Maybe somewhere there really is a monster that looks like your golem," Darmon replied.

"Nonsense!" Trevar snorted. "I’ve been to many dungeons and never once seen monsters like that. My golem looks more like a table than a monster. I’d sooner believe it if he had mistaken it for some giant’s table."

He fell silent for a moment, then added in a more serious voice:

"Still… who do you think he is? Who does he work for?"

"I don’t know. He had an E-rank adventurer badge hanging around his neck," Darmon said. "It must be fake. Maybe he’s from some secret organization in this country… or another one," Darmon suggested.

"Unlikely," Trevar replied.

"Why? Governments have plenty of strong people. They like hiring people like that," Darmon said.

"First, he acted too openly. And second… I think it’s far more likely that he’s from one of the Adventurers’ Guild’s black squads," Trevar said.

"Why do you think that?" Darmon asked, interested.

"Think about it. He acted openly and didn’t even try to hide the adventurer badge. But considering that it’s only E-rank, no one would believe he’s really an adventurer of that level."

He smirked.

"That’s exactly how the Guild’s black squads usually operate. Though it would be more accurate to call them punitive squads."

Darmon thought it over. The old man’s words really did sound plausible.

The Adventurers’ Guild had several secret black squads made up of extremely powerful adventurers.

And considering that the Adventurers’ Guild was present in almost every country, if all of its strength were combined, it would become more powerful than any single state.

And such squads made it even more dangerous.

The black squads—or punitive squads—could be called the Adventurers’ Guild’s most powerful weapon.

Their task was special.

Sometimes the Guild sent them against extremely dangerous enemies.

But much more often, they were used for another purpose.

Hunting adventurers.

More precisely—criminal adventurers.

If some powerful adventurer started breaking the rules, causing chaos, or threatening people, sooner or later the Guild’s punitive squad would come for them.

And throughout history, such squads had done their job quickly and flawlessly.

That was why many adventurers regarded them warily.

On the one hand, they hunted their own kind.

On the other, they simply rid the world of dangerous criminals.

There were even rumors that in ordinary times, the fighters of the black squads pretended to be weak adventurers in order to investigate various matters unnoticed.

And that was why the fact that this man had an E-rank adventurer badge hanging around his neck only supported Trevar’s assumption.

This man could very well be one of the Adventurers’ Guild’s enforcers.

Trevar’s golem was moving much faster than before—now the monsters were no longer getting in the way under its feet.

Magic stones from dungeon monsters were scattered all over the road.

In essence, you could say that money was lying all over the ground.

But there was no time to collect it now.

Besides, those magic stones did not belong to Darmon’s team anyway.

That adventurer had kept his word.

They did not encounter a single monster on the way.

Several hours later, in the distance ahead, the tall wall protecting the dungeon exit finally came into view.

Darmon felt the tension ease a little.

He had not lost a single member of his team, and no one had suffered serious injuries.

Of course, he still had no intention of relaxing completely. There was still some distance left to the wall and the dungeon exit.

But now it was already very close.

Just a little more—and they would be safe.

Of course, he had no intention of simply leaving.

He would join the defenders of the wall so that the monsters could not break out of the dungeon and destroy the city behind it.

But even that was far safer than fighting an endless tide of monsters deep inside the dungeon.