Chapter 61: The Silent One (1)

A green, bipedal lizard stood before me, clad in crude leather armor and wielding various weapons.

It was a Lizardman, an aquatic monster often found outside dungeons but clearly dungeon-bound in this case.

The one closest to me wielded a sword: Lizardman A.
The one behind it carried an axe: Lizardman B.
The furthest one held a spear: Lizardman C.

Their armor was made of rough, poorly crafted leather, and it was heavily worn.
Their weapons, made of iron, were also in bad condition—rusty and damaged.

The sword looked dull, and the axe had a massive chip in it.
If one of those hit me, it wouldn’t cut cleanly but would instead tear into my body, causing excruciating pain.

Pulling it out would likely leave shards embedded in my flesh.
The idea of being hit by their rusty spear was just as horrifying.

I grimaced. I hated Lizardmen.
This hatred stemmed from being bitten by a snake as a child, leaving me with an aversion to reptiles.

On top of that, I’d heard that Lizardmen were strong.
I never wanted to encounter them, but now, here they were—standing right in front of me.

The creatures hissed and flicked their tongues threateningly:

“Sssshh… shhhh…”

“Shurururu…”

“Shhhhaaaa!”

Their incessant hissing grated on my nerves. I wanted to end this quickly.

Despite their intimidating appearance, I reminded myself they weren’t stronger than the Black Knight I had defeated before.
Compared to that monster, these were nothing to fear.

The tension drained from my body, leaving my mind perfectly calm.
Fear, hesitation, and doubt vanished, replaced by a serene focus.
I felt no ripple of emotion, like a still pond untouched by even the smallest breeze.

I moved.

I closed in on Lizardman A, using my vanish ability to make its rusty sword disappear before stabbing it in the neck with my knife.

As its body fell, I shoved it into Lizardman B, throwing it off balance.
Seizing the opportunity, I vanished Lizardman C’s spear and slit its throat.

“Shruaaaaaa!”

Lizardman B recovered and swung its axe at me, but I parried the strike with my knife, deflecting the blow.
Then, using vanish, I pierced its torso with precision.

With all three Lizardmen defeated, I exhaled and muttered, “…It’s over.”

The battle had been short and efficient, unlike my previous encounters.

I had moved with a calmness and precision that even surprised me.

I understood something had changed within me.

“…Relic: The Silent One…”

The name surfaced in my mind.

I realized the Silent One was responsible for my newfound calm.

This relic stopped my emotions, allowing me to act with clarity and even hear faint guiding voices during its use.

The effect lasted for roughly three minutes. Afterward, there was a three-minute cooldown before I could use it again.

It also caused slight mental strain, which likely explained the cooldown period.

I surveyed the carnage around me.

I was standing in a water-filled chamber illuminated by a blue glow—the Lizardmen’s Nest.
The ground was littered with over ten Lizardmen corpses.

Among them was the Lizard King, a slightly larger lizard wearing a crown.
Its gear and weapons were far superior, and it had wielded a relic of its own.

Despite that, it had been the easiest to defeat.

Its anatomy was its downfall. Like most reptiles, its neck was exposed, making it an easy target.

The relic had shown me just how inefficient I had been in battle until now.
It highlighted the importance of optimal movement, decisive actions, and unflinching resolve.

I wasn’t strong enough yet.

As I reflected on the battle, I muttered to myself. 

“…I still have a long way to go.”

However, the long, exposed neck had no protection.

Because of that, all the Lizardman corpses scattered here bore wounds to their necks.

In that sense, the largest one, the Lizard King, had been the easiest target.

“…Just as I’d heard.”

Dungeon monsters are creatures created by the dungeon itself.

They’re not living beings but rather pseudo-organisms, created by giving a lump of meat an artificial personality.

Depending on their type, some monsters, like Lizardmen, attack humans, but they don’t eat them.

They don’t even excrete waste.

That’s why this nest felt so unnaturally empty, despite being their supposed dwelling.

“…Well then.”

As an explorer, I technically didn’t have the right to claim any loot here.
But since no one was around to enforce that rule, I decided to take some anyway.

I activated the relic Fortune’s Wheel, which uses glowing colors to indicate treasures.

Green light signifies rare items.

Yellow light indicates super-rare items.

Blue light represents ultra-super-rare treasures, almost never found.

Blue treasures are things like vials that endlessly generate elixirs.

I spotted three green lights—the Lizard King’s sword, armor, and crown.

Not particularly thrilling. Still, they were something.

Then I noticed it: a yellow light!
Near the Lizard King, lying on the watery floor, was a ring.

“If not for the glow, I’d never have noticed it.”

The bronze ring blended in with the blue hue of the water, making it nearly invisible.
Its surface was engraved with golden ancient script, but I couldn’t read the letters.

“…”

For some reason, I had a hunch this ring might be a Legacy Relic.
Or perhaps an OOPArt (Out-of-Place Artifact).

I decided to bring it to Arifa later for appraisal.

Satisfied with my discovery, I left the nest, feeling slightly more cheerful.

I wandered for a while after that, battling more Lizardmen and aquatic insect-like monsters along the way.

Eventually, I came across a staircase—but it led downward, which dampened my mood.

“Would it kill this place to have stairs going up for once?”

Worry about my companions gnawed at me. Were they safe?

With no other choice, I began my descent, anxiety weighing heavily on my mind.

This new floor was lined with stone walls, resembling the first floor but with slight differences.

“…!”

Suddenly, I heard footsteps.

My Danger Detection relic activated: White—safe.
An ally.

I waited, and soon enough, Axe appeared.

“Wof!”

“Axe-san!”

“I’m so glad—you’re okay!”

“Yeah. You’re safe too, huh?”

“…Yeah. Seeing at least one person alive puts me at ease.”

“What about the others?”

“No sign of them yet.”

An unsettling feeling crept over me as my worry deepened.

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