Chapter 25 : Party of Strategists (2)
Third Person's Point of View
Outside the Dungeon.
Devon took the booklet Randall had given him and opened it, his eyes widening as he read the comprehensive information inside. As he flipped through the pages till he reached the end of the booklet, he couldn't believe his eyes. He's not sure why he handed it to them when he could have used it himself.
"Crown Prince Polestar, can talk for a second?"
The two of them entered the Planning Tent, which was occupied by Valentine and Keaton. Devon ignores the other's presence and goes straight to the Crown Prince.
"Did sir Randall happen to be at the executive meeting before I arrived?" He asked.
The Royal Meeting is a gathering of vassals and officials in which the King is present. It was the meeting where all of the essential information was revealed. An Executive Meeting, on the other hand, is a meeting between the King's appointed Commandant in Charge and his chosen Vassals House Representatives.
Keaton stood up after hearing the name his sister used to introduce herself.
'What trouble did you do this time, Tania?' -Keaton
When he saw his sister dressed in a disguise, he felt nervous and apprehensive. He quickly wrote and mailed a letter to their father. However, it appears that he has not yet received it, as he is either in the palace or at a meeting.
When his sister eventually entered the Dungeon, he became increasingly anxious, but he couldn't move or stop her. He suffers from Scopophobia, or a fear of being stared at excessively.
"No, he's not. He arrived exactly when we were about to have our lunch, why?" The Crown Prince answered with a frown.
Polestar feels irritated only by hearing that man's name. That guy's vibe doesn't sit well with him. When they measured each other's auras, Polestar immediately identified Randall as his rival. He really doesn't want to lose to him.
Devon flipped open the booklet and placed it on the table for everyone to see.
'Page 1.
The dungeon is divided into two sections, with the 0th floor serving as the beginning point. Before reaching the Boss Room, the underground floors have about 50 floors.
On the -1st floor, be prepared as soon as you go in; the creatures on that floor are undead... They are the bodies of those who attempted to raid the dungeon previously, some of them are already skeletons. They are decaying bodies that attack everyone who comes into contact with them. Because they have strong hearing and smelling sensibilities, I recommend totally destroying their heads before being bitten, otherwise you'll transform into one of them in 3 minutes. To clear this floor, look for the undead with an orb on its chest, then look for the golden-marked wall with the hole in the center... Before breaking the orb, place it there.'
"It's too detailed as if he had already entered this dungeon before…" Valentine commented.
"That's impossible." Keaton countered.
Polestar flicked the paper to the following page, the -2nd floor, with a crumpled expression on his face.
'Page 2.
This is for the 2nd floor. This level will be located in a tropical rainforest, so be wary of the arrows and spears that will be flying at you. Lizard men are always on the lookout for the next raider, and they'll ambush you if they detect a rustling in the grass. I recommend that you use shields to protect your head and body as soon as you enter, yeah right, BE ALERT NO MATTER WHAT!
Lizard men have thick skin, sharp fangs, and claws, and are armed with stone spears, bows, and arrows. If you want to clear the floor, go for their eyes. ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THAT TEAMWORK IS REQUIRED. When a certain number of Lizard men have been killed, a gateway to the next floor will emerge.'
"...He said that he was able to obtain this information thanks to personal connections. But, as far as I recall, just one adventurer fled after reaching the -3rd floor, and that too by utilizing a banned space scroll, before dying to Magic Depletion after informing the knight of his findings... However, this..." Devon slid his palm across his face and stared at the booklet once again.
"...Undead on the first floor, Lizard men on the second..." Valentine compared a piece of paper from the chest with the map to the booklet "...The adventurer claimed that the first floor was full of mindless people trying to eat them, and he described the horrible smells and bloody environment. Then there's a bunch of armed Reptilian creatures on the second floor. Finally, on the -3rd floor..."
"It undoubtedly matched." Polestar finally said.
He couldn't hide the fact that Randall has a lot of useful information—no, this is already the key to quickly conquering the dungeon.
-*-
Everything is in order. According to the booklet Randall handed them, they modified the plan and approach. The haughty prince had no option but to obey since he didn't want to jeopardize the lives of his people for his own problems.
"...gloves, explosive stones, stamina potions, healing potions, shields, gallons of water, silvered enchanted swords, mirrors, coffee pills, harpoons, sack of rock salt and iodized salt, red boots, gas masks, lighting stones, 8 white doves, fruits, raw meats, earplugs... Is this sufficient?" Valentine inquired after double-checking all of the required materials.
"What's that? What are these for, exactly?" With a wrinkled brow, Yoren inquired. Devon, on the other hand, was the one who responded.
"For the purpose of preparing. We must carry these things with us, it says on the last page of the booklet... With the exception of eight doves, some of these were done separately. The leaders of each party will bring two doves." Even though he has no idea what these items are for, he scratched his head. But he hasn't finished reading it yet, so it must be mentioned someplace.
"Do we really have to believe that unknown individual? We just know he's Sir Keaton's cousin and Sir Devon's acquaintance; we have no idea if he harbored a grudge against us and placed us in risk by handing you that booklet." Yoren then spoke, he glanced at Keaton with an irritated expression on his face. While Keaton was just silent on the corner.
"...If something goes wrong while utilizing this source, I'll be the one to blame. I simply know he won't endanger us, and Sir Randall... Before entering the dungeon, he asked me to look over his cousin and the Cavelier Knights for him. claiming someone like him would endanger us, then he'll be more evil than Demon Lords."
"Tch. With that, I'll put my faith in you. But what would you say about these strange materials?" Valentine was still handing out items to the knights and troops, as Yoren pointed out.
"We'll find out soon. For the time being, we must all remember our group numbers before entering." Devon then directed Yoren to where Polestar was briefing all of the knights, and troops on the new strategy.
Keaton, on the other hand, assisted Valentine with the distribution of materials. He's still puzzled as to how his sister obtained the information on the inside of the dungeon; he's not dumb not to notice that his sister doesn't have a friend, what more, connections. In retrospect, she was always loud and wild until the last few months... He couldn't deny the changes he noticed: cooking, dagger-wielding, and an unmistakable shift in her attitude.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
'Was it the effect of memory loss? But doesn't answer the question of how she obtained that information.'
"Hey, what's with the long face? Are you worried about your cousin? You’ve read the booklet, right? He'll be fine. At first, I felt he was being foolish for going into the dungeon without any preparations, but when Sir Devon informed us that he had gotten the booklet from him, I honestly was astonished." As he tried to cheer up Keaton, Valentine commented, "I haven't seen his combat skills yet, but if we conquer this dungeon, I may invite him to spar with me. Of course, he deserves credit."
'Spar? Don't make me laugh; she simply happened to be able to handle a dagger; that doesn't mean she'll be able to wield other weapons as well... She is unable to do so. I'm not sure she'll even survive inside...'
After finishing the job, they both listened to the Crown Prince's discussion and speech.
"...We'll abandon our earlier strategy since we've gotten new information on the creatures we'll have to battle from someone. We'll maintain the group allocations, though. Sir Devon's group will be the first to enter, with the following groups having a 30-minute interval before the second group enters; this method will be followed until we reach the last floor. The leaders will disclose the information, so be attentive at all times. Just because we have Intel doesn't mean we have to trust it entirely." Polestar remarked. "We'll commence the raid when you acquire the materials from Sir Valentine."
Polestar stride to where Devon is, Devon was assigned to make a copy of a booklet of the booklet exactly to the Captain’s number, while two magicians helped him.
"Is it done?" He asked Devon. Devon put down the booklet and looked at Polestar.
"Yes. However, there was no information regarding the 0th floor or the last room in this booklet. Our first source, that adventurer, is the only source of information we have. He said on the 0th floor that numerous big spiders needed to be subjugated, but he also mentioned the tremendous strength it processes separately; what do you think our plan should be for this?"
"...if we look at the techniques of the other floors, it appears that they are all connected to logical thinking. We'll treat the spiders as though they're small and weak if they're huge and strong. Drea Dearby Dungeon is one of the world's largest dungeons, and it's claimed to be linked to the God of Knowledge... We'll have to rely on common sense and simplicity rather than sophisticated thinking since he's good at it." Polestar explained after going over the contents of the booklet.
Polestar may seem harsh and dumb at times, but he's just as capable at deducing, analyzing, and planning as he is of fighting and humiliat- recognizing people. He is the proud Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Cartania. Devon was aware of these facts and left the rest to the Crown Prince's creativity.
-*-
Inside the Dungeon.
When Devon's platoon of 276 members including him entered the dungeon, they were all prepared to… lightly slap the spiders like a bug.
"That was fast…"
"Whoa! It only took us 10 seconds!"
"As expected of our Crown Prince!"
"We could conquer this dungeon if we keep this up!"
"No, we'll finish this in a flash, hahaha!"
"There's still half an hour before the next platoon comes in. Now, get ready your shields, put on your gas masks and ready your explosion stone bags. We'll proceed to the lower floors."
They entered the -1st floor and a strong rotting smell greeted them, fortunately they had gas masks on to block the smell. Without creating noise, they move to their positions where they use all their shields upfront while the knights at the back throw the explosive stones.
The undead swarmed to the location where the stone sound landed in response to the stone noises. To detonate the explosive stones, the members yelled the spell word "explode!" on Devon's cue.
*BOOM!*
The shield members hurriedly changed their positions by moving to a circle and forming a dome to protect everyone from the blood splatters and flesh scatters. When they heard nothing after the explosion, they started to relax and search for the orb mentioned in the booklet. It's resistant to explosion so it should be fine before they smash it while on the hole at the end wall. That hole was supposed to remove the resistance of the orb from any shock.
"-1st floor, CLEARED."
-----
After battling monsters on the -10th floor, Keaton's platoon stayed for about 5 minutes to rest and tell the platoon members the next tactics on the next floor. His platoon was the 3rd platoon after Crown Prince Polestar. Just like the other platoon Captains, he has a copy of his sister's booklet, and because of that; they easily reach the floor they are currently in.
"On the next floor, remember to prepare the raw meats! We're going to face the Hyenas this time so make sure to throw it far away from us. Archers be prepared, aim for the Hyena's heads. While the other free members search for the loot and key for the next floor." Keaton announced with his hood covering his face.
"Yes, Captain!"
"Archers ready!"
"Raw meats are ready too!"
"We're going to finish it faster than before!"
"…I bet!"
While getting ready to enter the next floor, Keaton heard some murmurs from behind. He plans to ignore it but when they mention her sister, he immediately listens to them.
"Haa… what do you think happened to the Lady?"
"This is all thanks to her… I pray for her safety"
"Worry not, I think the Lady has her own plan up her sleeves just like before, given the guide she provided for us."
"Hah! Of course! She's my student so she'll be fine!"
"Right commander, she'll surprise us again with her new achievements."
Only the Cavelier Knights are the group members of Keaton, they're 273 in total, and Tania's very famous with them. None of them do not know the talent of the Lady, but of course Tania told them to keep it a secret from the Cavelier Family, especially from the Marquess.
"Student? What do you mean by that, Commander Treso?" Keaton came out from behind them. The group of Commander Treso were all startled and immediately stood up straight.
'…Oh dear. We promised the Lady to keep our mouth shut, but because of me… shit.' - Commander Treso's mentality was now in panic.
"…That… Ah! Hahaha, you remember it too, right, young master? I was once her teacher in swordplay when she was only 4 years old. I was just proud to be her teacher, why young master, is there a problem?" The commander asked with a proud expression, as he reminisced about the old times.
But in contrast to the commander's expression, Keaton's face darkened. Honestly speaking, Keaton does not remember what the commander is talking about, but at the mention of the four years old Tania made him remember something unpleasant and horrifying. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.
"…Stop chatting and get back to your position. I don't remember such things." Keaton said, turning away.
And so, by that -10th floor was successfully CLEARED.
-----
On Valentine's end. They have reached the -16th floor, approximately 14 hours after entering the dungeon. He has a total of 275 members and not even one of them died yet. Everything is smooth. And now, on the -16th floor, according to the booklet, the monsters on this floor will be Night Hags.
"Everyone! Eat your Coffee pills! Ready your silver enchanted swords!" Valentine commanded after he noticed the thick fog that creeped their way to them.
It was coming from the spores surrounding them. The setting of this floor is at night in a foggy forest with a lot of spores everywhere, the booklet said those fumes coming from the spores are sleep enchantments set by the Night hags. After the victims fall asleep, Night Hags will touch the sleeping victims while being materialized like a ghost, she'll cast her magic circle on the victim… Nightmares will haunt him in his sleep and die, if the soul is evil, the Night hag will get the victim's soul trapped in their bags.
"Cut those spores and be careful! If you felt something cold approaching you, do not hesitate to cut them using those weapons we got you. When they drop a red stone, make sure to collect it and bring it to me."
Everyone heeds the order and attacks the spores, the coffee pills give them immunity to drowsiness and have a side effect of a temporary boost in adrenaline, making them excited to kill and destroy those monsters.
'The night hags are one thing, but those spores are really annoying… it continuously grows back somewhere again after cutting one.'
When Valentine felt a cold sensation from his back, he immediately thrust it backwards without looking, he heard a screeching noise until it died down. When he looked back, he found a red stone on the ground and beside it was a hideous blue skinned old hag with warts all over its face.
After 20 minutes of staying at the -16th floor, they finally cleared by piecing together the red stones they collected, the big heartstone. It was the key to the next floor.
"Captain, the spores are finally dead. We got the loot, there are several sleeping dusts and sleeping potions." One of the knights reported.
"Captain, there are no casualties." Another one reported.
"Alright. Pack up everyone! -16th floor is CLEARED."
-----
On the other hand, the Crown Prince and Yoren's platoon.
"Banshee, Ghost and Revenants?" Yoren asked after reading the 22nd page on the booklet.
"Get your earplugs and bag of salts ready." The Crown Prince said before plugging it in his ears, he's done with briefing for the next floor, the -22nd floor.
He stepped on the portal with his 276 knights. The moment they step on the next floor, their ears are bombarded by the banshee's screams, it is only thanks to the ear plugs that they block at least half of the sound. Then the ghosts attacked them.
It's simple. The ghost will pass through everything including living bodies, every time they do that, their victim's health will reduce by 3 while leaving a frosty sensation in the insides of the victim's body. The victim's movements will slow down and the Revenants will start attacking. Revenants are the same as undead but revenants don't bite or eat flesh and aren't lifeless and mindless, instead they are burning with rage and driven by revenge. They are not that strong and they mainly use their fist to attack their victims.
"Throw the salt to chase the ghost away, earplugs for the banshee and the brute force for the revenants. Revenant will be the one to drop the loot so make sure to destroy their bodies completely." Polestar commanded as he personally lit the holy stick that acts like an incense.
In every platoon priests, magicians, and knights are required to join. Priests will act as the main healers, while magicians are responsible for defence, knights are the offence team. The Priests started praying while the holy stick started to burn. Yoren summoned one spirit beast capable of defending and attacking, in just a split second, 4 Revenants vanished like red dust indicating its death. Polestar smirks and advances on his own by killing 7 Revenants.
‘They’re all weak. If this keeps up, this Dungeon will become the most boring dungeon ever.’ - Polestar thought and continuously slashing every revenant out of his way.
By that, floor -22nd was CLEARED.