Chapter 18: Tutorial Fight
"Everyone, stay alert."
"Understood."
The adventurer party entering the dungeon, Williams and his group, tightly gripped their weapons and watched their surroundings cautiously.
"Where is this? It seems like a newly formed dungeon."
"We'll have to investigate. But a new dungeon at this time is concerning."
"Wasn't the last new dungeon discovered two years ago?"
"That's right."
"Dungeon exploration, it feels like we're back on the front lines."
"Don't get excited. We still don't know what kind of place this is."
"No matter what, we can't fail. We survived even the harsh Western Front."
"As the captain said, we must not let our guard down."
They were at Mount Volta, located on the outskirts of the continent.
The Williams Adventure Party, now retired from the front lines, was returning after completing a mission to hunt monsters appearing on the continent's outskirts, far from the battle lines.
Tired of fighting on the front lines, they now mainly took on missions in the outskirts of the continent to seek a more relaxed life.
Although they had already earned enough money to maintain their livelihood on the front lines, fighting had become inseparable for those who had lived through battles.
Even Amy, who is an elf and the healer, felt the same.
In this state, they encountered an unheard-of new dungeon.
The adventurers' instinct that had been dormant for a while was stirring again.
"If this is a real new dungeon, there must be plenty of treasures, right?"
Bellingham, the archer holding a bow, said with an excited voice.
Everyone had similar looks in their eyes at those words.
Expectation for treasures and artifacts.
Greedy eyes hoping for a sudden fortune.
Although no one said it, their faces were full of anticipation.
Dungeon.
An unknown facility that brings wealth and honor to adventurers.
Most dungeons are created due to mana distortions, and artifacts born in this process are said to be items that far surpass normal performance.
Not only that, but there are also magic dungeons set up by ancient wizards, dungeons full of traps created by pirates to hide treasures, and so on.
Even if it wasn't a dungeon created by mana distortion, newly discovered dungeons were said to be full of priceless treasures.
A brand new dungeon that no one has touched.
What treasures would be waiting for them?
Anticipation rose among the tense party members.
"Whatever it is, the path to that treasure won't be easy."
Except for Williams, who remained calm and didn't get swept up in greed.
He held his longsword and watched all directions.
He couldn't feel anything.
It was eerily quiet.
Is this really a dungeon?
Could we be mistaken?
The dungeon finder isn't 100 percent accurate, right?
'Still, we should look inside.'
If it really is a dungeon, the reward would be substantial.
What tempted Williams wasn't money, but honor.
The first conqueror of a new dungeon.
If Williams had concluded it wasn't a dungeon and turned back here, they could have survived.
But that moment of greed would lead them to death.
No one there knew that.
Not even Amy, the healer who was said to be loved by God.
"Are you the intruders?"
A chilling voice that pierced the heart was heard from the darkness. A humanoid figure about six feet tall, with a muscular but athletic build, walked out of the dungeon stark naked with horns on his head.
"Is that... Is that..." Amy stuttered.
"Demon King!" William growled, clenching his sword tighter. He never knew in such a place, a S rank dungeon will be born. This was such a a piece of information that will shake a kingdom if released.
---
An adventurer party, huh.
Recalling his knowledge from the novel, Zach immediately sized them up as this was the first time he saw them with his own eyes. Low-rank adventurers which are predictable in every novels. Only those greedy enough to chase treasure through this cursed forest would dare wander here.
Their presence is faint. Does this means they are weak and do not have overwhelming mana?
The mana radiating off them was barely threatening. None of them seemed like an actual threat which confused him on how they could survive in such forest being this weak?
The warrior at the front was slightly annoying, although he didn't register as a problem. The real issue? Zach had zero combat experience. Or else this battle could have end in seconds. Ahem, forget that posturing.
'Damn it, how fast can I end this? Nineteen minutes before I shrink back into a box. I have to use my ultimate highschool skill.'
He leaned back against a rock with his hand fold across his chest, pretending to be lackadaisical, watching the adventurers tense and form their formation. Now he understood why those politicians always posture before the journalist, it was fun!
"King-level Monster…" the lead adventurer muttered, a frown creasing his brow.
"Everyone, stay sharp. He's strong."
The adventurers snapped into positions. The mage muttered incantations, the healer buffed their team, and the archer nocked his arrow.
Well, they're professional at least.
Ping!
The arrow whizzed straight for him. Zach casually caught it between his fingers. Well to others it was casual, but to Zach, it was out of reflex that before he could react, the arrow was already between his fingers.
"Huh! Petty little tricks." Zach calmly utter those words, watching their expressions turn into one of despair but inwardly he was jubilating on catching that arrow quickly, this increase his posturing by 1+. Finally, a chance to shine after all those tortures. Time to be the king I was born to be.
Realizing they as individual wouldn't be able to win, they instantly rush towards him in formation.
Not wanting to waste time, Zach finally rush into action with his ultimate technique.
Zach flicked a handful of sand towards the adventurers close to him as if he was casting a spell, catching them off guard. The particles swirled into a temporary blinding curtain. Making the adventurer close his eyes and tripped and another to yelped in surprise.
'Who says I need style? Chaos works just fine!' Zach thought smugly.
The female warrior lunged with her polearm. Zach caught her spear with his shoulder, using her momentum to push her teammate into the ground. "Oops, sorry! Teamwork is key, right?" he quipped, barely holding back a laugh so as to maintain his posturing.
"You_!" Williams, the leader, barked orders, charging with reckless courage which even Zach an amateur disapprove of. Zach sprinted more like a blur to meet him.
"Huh? What—"
"Sorry, speed is king in conquest," Zach said, ducking low and slamming Williams' own momentum into a tree. A wet, satisfying squelch followed.
Gurgling, blood sprayed as Williams hit the ground, lifeless. Zach wiped his hand clean on his chest, feeling only amusement.
"You! You're a king level demon! Must you use such underhand trick?!" Amy clearly angry yelled at him from afar making Zach coughed lightly, tasting a bit of blood himself. "Heh. If I wanted, I could rewrite history right now. Didn't even touch him, and boom, dead. Underhanded, but genius, right? The winner always tell the history how he wants."
Hearing those words, the adventurers felt like screaming at him, shameless! There have never been any demon King as shameless as him!
"You… you bastard! Act like a Demon King! Fight without underhand tactics!"
Zach laughed, dark and perverted. "Hmph. Underhanded? That's just strategy, baby."
He grabbed a handful of sand again, tossed it in the archer's eyes while he wasn't concentrating, then shoved a teammate into the archer like a human shield. The archer shrieked, tripped, and Zach vaulted over him like a gymnast.
Just then, the female warrior swung her polearm again, having expected it, Zach threw himself to the floor and watch as the weapon pass him, then without looking backward he delivers a horse kick backwards sending the female warrior crashing backward.
"..."
He circled the remaining men like a predator, occasionally exchanging blows making him instantly understand that it was due to his current body being strong that made their attack a little bit weaker but hand to hand battle, their experience made him almost instantly lost, making him retreat to keep using his sands, stones and other tricks.
"Oi, stop squirming! You're supposed to be adventurers, not piñatas!"
Finally, pushing the last man to the floor, Zach ignore the injuries on his body as he kept bashing the man's head till it split open. Strangely seeing this scene, he didn't feel any...
"Gross!" Zach yelled as he turn aside and made an expression of vomiting.