Chapter 109

Chapter 109

Chapter 109

The Triple S-rank Monster Hunter.

That was the alias Dale had forged in his previous existence, before transforming into the savior of another reality and the hound of the empire. It represented a designation from an era so remote that its reminiscences had faded almost completely; nevertheless, in this instant, those ancient perceptions returned to life.

Clang, clang!

Resounded each occasion when the armaments attached to the six limbs of the beast Dale was facing—the Asura—swung, and every time he managed to block those impacts.

“Monster.”

In this environment dominated by steel and mystic arts, the presence of wild creatures scattered throughout the continental territory is not at all unusual. Likewise, there exist individuals who subsist through the capture and eradication of such beings, called “monster hunters.”

Dale repelled the six disorganized onslaughts using his Peacemaker combined with the dark blade coming from his cloak of shadows.

He deliberately contained any manifestation of sorcery, focusing his attention exclusively on the art of the sword to hunt the creatures that inhabited the deepest recesses of the labyrinth. Through this discipline, Dale pursued a single goal.

The inexplicable evocations that emerged from his memory each time he measured strength with these entities.

The pure reflexes of a monster hunter.

In his previous incarnation, Dale obtained colossal mastery by being the hero of another world; however, he was deprived of his “original power” as a result of the bloody bodily reconfigurations carried out by the Red Tower.

The primordial faculty he had manifested to oppose the entities called “Creatures” consisted of a force that surpassed any logic linked to the aura of knights or the mysticism of sorcerers.

That lost energy returned little by little with every combat waged against the beasts of this underground enclosure.

“What is the origin of these labyrinth monsters?”

They bore no resemblance to the common and easily identifiable beings that populated the different corners of this plane.

Even though they did not represent a challenge comparable to that of the higher-level aberrations he faced in his past era.

While he blocked the six weapons using the blade of his dark cloak, the steel of his Peacemaker flowed with the smoothness of a current, piercing directly into the vital organ of the Asura.

Thud!

The metal pierced completely through the torso of the Asura until it emerged from its backside. The dynamism of the creature stopped abruptly and its structure began to reduce to ashes, dropping a crystal of intense crimson hue onto the ground.

A magic stone.

A mineral fragment of immense cost, imbued with a dense concentration of mystic energy.

The greater the power of the defeated beast, the greater the clarity of the resulting mineral, causing the magic stones obtained from the deepest strata to possess a higher cost than relics of lesser value.

For explorers who brave the dangers of the underground framework, these minerals represent vital economic sustenance.

For this reason, the presence of these underground environments crowded with magic stones within the lands of the demon lord and the surrounding territories is rightly described as “magic stone mines.” Although they do not report the same profit as ancient vestiges, they constitute another variant of a “gold mine.”

“The beasts that wander the galleries do not retain physical remains when defeated. Even orcs, belonging to the lineage of demons, leave corpses, but these entities do not.”

In other words, the beings that inhabit this space do not belong to the regular biological order. Their conception responds to a specific end, executing the task determined by their maker.

The intense mystic charge guarded in the magic stones served as confirmation of this fact.

Entities that deposit a vital core at the moment of their extinction.

“……”

Under this premise, who was the architect of this labyrinth, the creator of these anomalies, and with what motive did they guard relics inside? At the very least, the inhabitants of this era lack the technical knowledge required to carry out such feats.

Would the real existence of the so-called “ancient demons” be feasible, just as certain sectors theorize?

That which the population of this environment assimilates as a natural fact, Dale was incapable of accepting lightly.

However, for the moment, it was impossible to find the solutions. Dale took the high-clarity mystic crystal from the surface and continued his march, temporarily stripped of his identity as the Viscount of Saxon or the “Black Prince,” presenting himself solely as the S-rank explorer named 《Faceless》.

At the moment Dale left the lowest regions of the labyrinth and ascended toward the exterior, the dawn of the day began to manifest.

The initial limit of the deep stratum is susceptible to being reached in the course of a single night, but such a feat requires the skill necessary to quickly suppress the enemies of the upper levels that obstruct the path.

The underground framework is fragmented into three main sections.

Upper, lower, and deep.

However, below the deep section lies a region ignored by the vast majority. An ancient paladin once managed to reach the terminal point of the deep section, revealing the existence of a subsequent stratum.

The Abyss.

An unexplored territory which Dale, considering his current capabilities, preferred not to approach yet. To enter beyond the primary threshold of the deep zone where Dale operated, it became indispensable to spend the night inside the galleries.

However, Dale does not limit his existence to exploration; he holds the title of Viscount of Saxon, exercising control over the domains of the demon lord, which implies a vast amount of governmental responsibilities that demand his attention as soon as the sun rests on high.

“Behold, it is Faceless…!”

“Attention everyone! Faceless is back!”

“Could he have already obtained an ancient relic?”

As he gained altitude toward the exterior from the unexplored sectors, the diverse adventurers who traversed the upper galleries began to cross his path little by little.

“If we entered the deep sector, our end would be assured…”

“That individual is a colossus, a true colossus.”

Driven by the fascination with the vestiges of the past, dragged by the tide of the great era of the northern frontier.

The possibility of obtaining wealth that Dale placed within their reach did not constitute any deception. However, reality differs from children’s tales, and fortunes are not distributed indiscriminately. Even when the occasion arises, realizing it requires very particular conditions.

The S-rank explorer 《Faceless》 figured as one of the subjects who had best taken advantage of this “artifact fever,” consolidating himself at the same time as a figure of deep reverence that regular mercenaries hardly dared to approach.

The darkness projected by his attire was sufficient to instill fear and submission.

In the same way that it was instilled by the “Black Prince” belonging to the Saxon lineage.

Simultaneously, in the lands of the Duchy of Lancaster.

With the appearance of the first morning glimmers, a warrior remained focused on his combat exercises.

Mikhail Lancaster, the youngest scion of the Lancaster dynasty. A warrior of great promise who in previous times was categorized as the most excellent sword prodigy of the region.

And there was an individual who had volunteered to serve as his opponent in the practices.

An imposing presence qualified as the closest competitor to the “Seven Swords of the Continent,” someone capable of matching Mikhail’s skills without retreating a single step… and even showing clear superiority in the exchange.

The Celestial Sword, Gabriel Lancaster, the Grand Duke.

The main leader of the Lancaster lineage, one of the three most relevant ducal dynasties in the empire, considered the pinnacle of the aristocratic hierarchy.

Under the epithet of Celestial Sword, he relieved the mythical strategist of steel, Vardel, consolidating his reputation as “the supreme sword of the empire” in the select group of the Seven Swords.

The three primary ducal houses of the empire comprised the Saxon family of the northern lands, distinguished as the shadow clan, and the Redbeard lineage, whose ancestors were outlaw sailors. In strict terms, the social perception of these two factions was considerably distant from the conventional canons of the high nobility.

In contrast, the Lancaster dynasty, just as its heraldry exhibited, represented the ideal model of classic aristocracy.

The white and red rose, emblem of an implacable nobility.

A territory endowed with great fertility and opulence proper to its rank, a lineage of noble blood that rejected any hint of vulgarity. Parallelly, they fully assumed the commitments linked to their status and showed total willingness to carry such duties.

Swish!

The Celestial Sword, the Grand Duke of Lancaster, intercepted Mikhail’s steel and caused a separation between both.

“Will you not suffer exhaustion from exercising with such intensity since the dawn of the day set for your departure?”

“I only feel regret for not having more occasions to measure my steel with you during my absence, progenitor.”

Mikhail Lancaster firmed his grip on his weapon and showed a slight smile.

“Certainly, my dear scion.”

The Grand Duke of Lancaster found himself unable to hide his satisfaction as a father while reciprocating the gesture.

A model of virtues endowed with the greatest potential for the handling of steel in the empire since his early stage, someone who never omitted his daily exercises with the first rays of dawn.

The aspirant with the most options to integrate into the group of the Seven Swordsmen of the region in the future.

However, in the most reserved corner of the Grand Duke’s inner forum, when observing Mikhail carefully, a nuance of concern was perceived.

The immense absence of essence in his son’s fighting style.

Due to his condition as the second scion of the Lancaster house, he possessed privileged capabilities and the best blood heritage. It gave the impression of possessing an assured future, with a trajectory of glory defined since his arrival into the world.

In the same way that the spells of a sorcerer externalize their mental processes, the energy manifestation of a warrior operates in a similar way. Because of this, Mikhail’s energy, which acted as a mirror of his psyche, manifested in a “colorless and structureless” way, evidencing his own inner lack.

However, the day he tasted defeat against the firstborn of the Saxon house in the combat facilities of the commercial metropolis, upon realizing that he had been surpassed by an individual of lesser age who did not even hold the rank of knight, but of sorcerer using a bladed weapon… the internal absence in Mikhail’s style finally dissipated.

After that bitter setback, Mikhail’s energy manifestation acquired its own chromatic identity. This coincided with the delivery of the new armament that his progenitor conferred upon him after the destruction of his previous piece.

An infantry sword lacking particular ornaments.

Two annual periods having passed, the so-called “artifact fever” spread through the diverse regions starting from the northern domains of the demon lord.

The beginning of the era of the northern frontier.

The Viscount of Saxon, acting as the “Black Prince,” enabled entry into the demonic lands and extended a call to combatants from the entire territory. Upon learning of these novelties, Mikhail Lancaster showed no hesitation whatsoever.

At the moment his son Mikhail manifested the determination to march toward the “lands of the demon lord” under the tutelage of the Viscount of Saxon for the purpose of perfecting his arts, the Grand Duke of Lancaster validated with pleasure the resolution of his descendant.

“The renowned explorer!”

In the instant Dale entered the dependencies of the Guild Headquarters, one of the attendants in charge lost the color of his face and exclaimed loudly.

“We greet you on your return! You have recently concluded your eradication labors in the labyrinth, is that correct?”

An absolute silence occurred in the Guild Headquarters enclosure, which was only broken by the contained breathing of those present. Dale, under the identity of the famous S-rank explorer known as “Faceless,” advanced through the space without uttering a word.

He placed on the wooden surface a set of high-purity energy crystals, recently extracted from the bodies of the downed beasts. The crimson glare coming from the minerals triggered a wave of comments in low voices among the witnesses.

“We will proceed with the delivery of the sales authorization as soon as the appraisal process concludes!”

“In the fortified urban nucleus of Labyrinthos, multiple provisions implemented under the authority of the Viscount of Saxon are in force.”

As a first directive, any combatant who decides to enter the underground framework possesses the obligation to register their credentials before the Adventurers’ Guild established by the Viscount of Saxon.

As a second directive, the entirety of the ancient vestiges and energy crystals collected in said space must be formally declared before the entity, their commercialization being prohibited if the corresponding sales authorization is not available.

However, the penalties derived from the omission of these precepts are not documented with total clarity.

Officially, it is stipulated that those who violate the regulations will suffer the confiscation of their belongings and the definitive expulsion from the domains of Saxony, their return being vetoed forever. The alarming factor lies in that those who break the rules seem to vanish without leaving a trace, and no person ever hears news of them again. They cease to exist in the public record.

In real terms, Dale’s aspirations extended much further than the simple inspection of the demonic territories located to the north.

His true motivation in erecting the Adventurers’ Guild, a site conceived to congregate and keep under strict observation numerous individuals endowed with great capabilities coming from diverse origins, consisted of evaluating the scope of his own resources.

The percentages obtained from the commercial management of the spoils extracted from the depths report profits of great consideration, but it holds even greater importance the continuous informative flow regarding the most skillful identities of the region.

This circumstance represents another of the fundamental motives for which Dale remains highly active under the role of the S-rank explorer “Faceless.”

Just at that instant, a warrior who had become a focus of particular attention for the Viscount of Saxon made his entry into the facilities of the Guild Headquarters.