Chapter 7
A single flap of my wings rapidly shifted my field of vision.
The pure white clouds drew closer.
I folded my wings to reduce resistance, shooting up vertically and taking in the sight of the blue sky.
'Wow. Look at how clear the sky is.'
It was a pristine sky with a warm sun, incomparable to 'that city' which was cloudy 365 days a year! Plus, the fresh air was practically intoxicating! Ah, this is great.
"Ugh...."
As I vigorously flapped my wings, tearing up slightly from the clean air filling my lungs, I felt the Contractor trembling in my arms.
Ah, they must be 'shivering' from having too much fun.
"It's too high...."
Seeing their slightly moist eyes, I guessed they were just scared.
Well, only kids who've ridden amusement park rides can enjoy this. How could a medieval Kid who only rides in carriages understand the thrill of a gyro drop?
"We need to go a little higher."
"Please spare me."
The act of flapping one's wings might look like nothing special, but it actually consumes a massive amount of Bio-Energy.
Assuming I currently have enough energy to last about 500 years, you could say each flap of my wings drains about a month's worth of that energy.
So, to minimize energy consumption, I had to shoot straight up and glide rather than fly.
"Do you understand?"
"Idon'twannadieIdon'twannadieIdon'twannadie...."
"...."
I tried my best to explain it despite my lack of eloquence, but the Contractor was just spouting nonsense with half-glazed eyes.
While enjoying the freestyle babbling of my infantile Contractor, I kept flapping my wings until we suddenly reached right below the clouds.
"Hmm."
I really wanted to show them the world above the clouds, but passing through them is a lot more stinging than you'd think, and above all, it's incredibly cold.
It's a shame, but I had to settle for this altitude, if only to protect the Contractor's eardrums.
-Swoosh!
I spread my wings forcefully to halt our ascent and adjusted their angle, making a Conversion into a glide.
Our falling speed decreased in an instant.
The Bio-Energy being consumed also noticeably dropped.
'At this altitude, we can easily travel anywhere in the city.'
You can even call me a Master of gliding.
I slowly circled around, slowing down as much as possible, and gently shook my Navigator, which was half-broken due to the high altitude.
"Contractor. Open your eyes."
"No. And stop shaking me."
Oh my, the Contractor had become fierce.
But this is the flight you wanted.
So you have to endure it.
Besides, it will be troublesome if you don't open your eyes now.
"Shouldn't you at least point me in the direction of the Adventurer's Guild so we can get there?"
There are at least tens of thousands of Buildings visible down below.
"Just take us to a place that looks like the center of the city."
"...."
Feeling like a taxi driver carrying a Middle Schooler, I looked for the center of the city just as the Contractor asked.
'Crazy. What is that?'
I rarely get surprised unless it's something extraordinary, but I urgently shook the Contractor, completely forgetting my dignity as a Demon.
"Ugh. I told you to stop shaking me...!"
"Hey, Contractor. What on earth is that ridiculously huge Pillar?"
"...Pillar? Ah!"
They carefully opened their eyes to a squint, and soon, their dark pupils slowly began to dilate.
Before long, the fear vanished from their eyes, replaced one by one with shock and wonder.
Unfolding before us as we slowly glided on the wind was a miraculous spectacle created by a single structure.
In the center of the city, which was encircled by towering walls, stood a single, massive Pillar rising high into the sky.
That magnificent structure, tearing through the sky and piercing the clouds, stretched so high that its end was nowhere in sight.
'It looks just like an orbital Elevator.'
I was incredibly curious if its tip reached all the way to space.
"...Divine Spear."
"Divine Spear?"
A mysterious name that sounded like it could bring a cataclysm to this world if you just attached the right word to the end of it.
"Are you talking about a throwing spear?"
"Yes."
A divine punishment brought down upon the Betrayer who dared to challenge the Goddess's Authority in the past.
The divine spear that pierced through the overflowing malice known as a Dungeon and stopped the pulse of the apocalypse.
Proof of a myth taking root in reality.
"The Story of Dungeon City. It's an incredibly famous fairy tale."
Perhaps overwhelmed with emotion, the Contractor kept their eyes fixed on the massive tower, quietly continuing their explanation in a trembling voice.
"The Dungeon is actually the body of the Betrayer who fell to the ground, and the Goddess personally sealed it by driving the Divine Spear, 'Road', right into its Heart."
"If it's a seal, does that mean this Betrayer is still alive?"
"Yes."
"Why stop at sealing it? Why not make sure it was dead?"
"It's said that divine beings cannot fully use their Authority when they descend to the Middle Realm. Perhaps that's why?"
"A time-honored tradition for the sake of a balance patch."
"Pardon?"
"It's just the nonsense of a Demon, so don't mind it."
To purify the malice that had taken root in the Lower Realm, the Goddess selected five of the most capable Workers from the Divine Realm and sent them down to the surface.
The Workers, who received the divine command and descended to the Lower Realm,
built the first and last Bastion around the Divine Spear alongside the Human Race, a blessed species shaped by the Goddess after her own divine reflection in the sea.
"Is that the Dungeon City, Bastion?"
"Yes."
To destroy the Heart of the Betrayer at the end of the Divine Spear and completely end its life. That was the mission of the entire Human Race.
However, for the Human Race, whose physical abilities paled in comparison to their useful Heads, conquering a Dungeon full of murderous intent and malice was by no means an easy task.
"So, it's said that the Goddess grants a 'Blessing' to the Human Race using the Divine Spear as a medium."
"Interesting."
"Right? What's even more interesting is that most of the stories in the fairy tale are true."
"Hmm?"
If most of the story was true, wouldn't that make it a true story, not a fairy tale?
"They say the Goddess's five Workers actually exist somewhere in the Dungeon City, and if you enter a Dungeon, you can actually receive the Goddess's Blessing."
"And yet, it's treated like a fairy tale?"
"I know. It's really strange, isn't it?"
Just as the Contractor said, it was very strange.
If all of that were true, shouldn't they be raiding Dungeons on a World-wide scale?
It shouldn't just be Dungeon City, but Dungeon World.
'Maybe there's intentional information control going on.'
Moreover, World-wide information control was usually carried out when there was a possibility that the truth coming to the surface would cause a massive ripple effect capable of collapsing society.
'It seems this World isn't exactly peaceful, either.'
Well, the genre itself was fantasy, so it wouldn't be strange at all for there to be a Demon King trying to destroy the World.
Then, are the Adventurers raiding the Dungeons actually Heroes?
'And here I thought I could finally relax.'
This place was no different from my previous World.
The only minor difference was whether it was post-apocalypse or right before it.
"So. If they succeed in destroying this so-called Heart of the Betrayer. What happens then?"
"At the end of the story, it says this."
That everything that went wrong would find its proper place.
If that were really true, I wouldn't wish for anything else.
'Though of course, that will never happen.'
Even if that fairy-tale story were entirely true, I doubt such a convenient miracle would happen just from beating up one Last Boss.
'Because that's what happened to me.'
They'd probably just throw out some trivial reward. Though no matter how pathetic the reward, I doubt it could be as bad as a character reset ticket.
Oh, man. This doomed game
'The Story of Dungeon City.... I hope it's just a normal fairy tale.'
After all, I just wanted to live a wise fantasy life in this beautiful, mysterious World with my cute, money-grubbing Contractor.
So.
Whether it's a final boss or some instigator wishing for the end of the World.
They better keep quiet and stay as still as a dead mouse instead of stirring up trouble.
Because my patience perished long ago along with my previous World.
***
If you asked people to pick the most chaotic place in Dungeon City, excluding the Dungeons, they would unanimously say the same thing.
Isn't that....
The Adventurer's Guild.
-Slam!
"This makes no sense, none at all!!!"
A loud, dull sound echoed through the first floor of the Adventurer's Guild headquarters, which was already crowded and bustling with people.
"Gasp!"
"Uwaah! It's an attack by a Bomb Fly, nya!"
"Calm down, everyone. This isn't a Dungeon."
At the sudden loud noise, the Elves and Beastmen with sensitive hearing suffered a collective panic attack, while the Receptionists sighed, grumbling that it was starting again.
"Phew, are they throwing a fit over Magic Stone market prices again? It must be really hard for the Receptionists."
"Just by looking at him, he seems like a 'Rat' who loiters around the entrance of the 'Green Zone' to pick up scraps, but his voice is as loud as a Pig's. Hmm, should I teach him a lesson?"
"If you want to get beaten up by the Guard Captain, I won't stop you."
"Getting hit by Hilde is a reward."
"Mhm. I think I know what you mean."
"Right?"
"Hey there. You big perverts. If your settlement is done, please get... lost? Aren't there Children waiting behind you...?"
""Yes! Noonim!""
"Haa... I told you not to call me Noonim...? People are looking at us weirdly... you know?"
"Kuaaagh!"
"Eeeek! A Receptionist is beating up an Adventurer!"
"That's a picture-perfect side kick."
"Aegis, please beat me up too! No, step on me, I beg you!"
"If you don't want to get kicked, please get... lost? I don't want to touch something worse than roadside trash...?"
"Thank you! Thank you!"
"This is an Elf?"
"They are very different from the books. Yeah. A lot."
The Adventurers and Employees reflexively turned to look at the sudden loud noise, but quickly lost interest and returned their Concentration to their own business.
Like this, a commotion in the Adventurer's Guild was an everyday occurrence, nothing more than white noise to let go in one ear and out the other.
However. The person standing at the center of the commotion felt like dying!
'This Human guy looks like an asparagus! He talks so much like a chirping Chick! I want to hit his Head over and over and turn it into crushed dough!'
However, that is impossible!
Because she is a Receptionist! A Receptionist must not use violence against an Adventurer! The same goes for verbal abuse!
Although the crazy Alf at the counter five spaces down throws a side kick before speaking....
Originally, you aren't supposed to do that!
If you make a wrong move and get caught by the Goddess's slave, your already small salary will be cut in half!
'I must endure... If I just somehow get through dealing with this Adventurer, it's lunch time! I'm going to eat a lot of sandwiches!'
Fooled by the sweet talk that she would be allowed to eat lots of delicious things, it has been 213 years since she was stuck in this prison called the Adventurer's Association working as a Receptionist.
Regina Gura, a Demon who was once so corrupted by 'greed' that she would snatch candy from a Child on the street, had finally overcome her racial Trait and developed the ability of 'patience' after enduring the torture of dealing with Adventurers for over 200 years! She wouldn't even want this kind of ability if it was given to her!
"No, didn't they clearly say that a Normal Magic Stone is appraised between 400 and 1,000 talents each? But 60 talents! Are your eyes just knot-holes? This is way too different from what I was told!"
'Those are harsh words! The one with knot-holes for eyes isn't Regina Gura, it's the asparagus Adventurer! A Magic Stone that is more than half broken is classified as Dust (Magic Stone Shard), not a Normal Magic Stone, so it's perfectly normal for it to be priced low! Shut your smelly mouth and listen to my story!'
Reality.
"Adventurer. Please calm down... Please listen to what I have to say...."
"Calm down? Do you think you'd be able to calm down right now? I practically lived in the Dungeon all day, risking my precious life just to scrape together a meal. What am I supposed to do if you slash the price like this! Do you think Adventurers are easy targets?"
Twitch.
A thin blue vein popped out on her pale forehead. The three-tiered footstool shook violently as if a minor earthquake had struck.
That's right. Regina Gura is currently....
Infuriated! A Demon's Wrath! Is there anything more terrifying than that anywhere in this World?
If one were to look for something even remotely similar, it would probably be a Dragon's Wrath.
However, Regina Gura was a professional.
Her smile. She wouldn't lose it.
"An easy target! That can't be true! The Guild always respects our Adventurers and...."
"Senior...."
Pity and maternal affection welled up in the eyes of the junior Receptionist at the counter right next to hers, and just as Regina swallowed her Wrath like usual while hiding her small fist under the counter, it happened.
A commotion broke out near the Guild's front gate.
"It's a huge freaking Crow!"
"Isn't it a bat?"
"But it looks like it's flying this way, doesn't it?"
"Uwah! That bastard is flying over here! Scatter, everyone!!!"
"Wait. No, that's...."
A Demon?
"Hmm? Has another new Kin arrived?"
I don't really feel that kind of energy, though?
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