A Dragonslayer’s Peerless Regression – 198



Episode 198

‘Rider of Blood and Madness?’

The familiar demon’s name came out of the orc.

He moved closer to the orc and asked again.

“Are you connected to the Riders of Blood and Madness?”

Then the orc cried out bleeding.

[Glory be to the Rider of Blood and Madness!]

With that scream the orc’s breath stopped and he disappeared into ash.

Zeke frowned as he looked at the Orc’s axe that remained in the place where it had turned to ash.

“It was true what Arathaso said that the Orcs worshipped the Rider of Blood and Madness.”

If so then this means that these orcs were a race that existed during the era of the Hero King two thousand years ago.

As of now it was impossible to understand why an ancient race of which it was difficult to find even a trace was in this labyrinth.

‘Is the orc’s spirit body tied up inside here like other monsters?’

If Tyr had created this place for training purposes it would make sense that he would have captured their souls here for combat training against the Orcs who were his main enemies at the time.

‘I guess I have no choice but to keep going down.’

As Zeke was about to move he looked around and saw that the armor and axes of the orcs that had turned to ash had remained in their place.

―Axe Information―

Description: An axe favored by orcs.

Unique Ability: None

Special features: Heavy and sturdy.

-Armor Information-

Description: Heavy armor favored by orcs.

Unique Ability: None

Special features: Heavy and sturdy.

They were described simply as elven armor.

Zeke slowly examined the axes and armors scattered about.

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Although it was sturdy it didn’t have any magic and its size made it seem inconvenient to use.

‘It’s a bit tricky to put everything in the inventory.’

At that moment something crossed Zeke’s mind.

“Will it be possible to sell it in a store?”

Zeke opened the shop right away and put the armor and axe on display.

[Would you like to sell the Orc’s armor and axe?]

Zigg cheered when he saw the message.

“It’s an ancient item so it’s for sale. Okay. It’s for sale.”

[Sold Orc’s armor and axe.]

[You earn 20 Karma Points.]

“Oh 20 points! Is that okay?”

Both the armor and the axe were worth 10 points each.

Zeke picked up all the armor and axes lying around and sold them frugally at the shop.

It was Zig who got 1060 points on the 31st floor alone.

“You have 4834 karma points. If another orc appears from below you can collect the karma points as well.”

To unlock the 4th level of the Dragon Clan skill 3000 Karma Points were consumed.

I don’t know what skills there will be in stage 4 but unlocking them would require at least ten thousand points.

“I was wondering when I could collect the points but it turned out well.”

Zeke took a break with a satisfied smile and then headed down to the 32nd floor.

But then a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.

[The flipped tower adjusts the difficulty of the test to suit the subject’s abilities.]

[The structure of the testing center will change.]

[Move from the 32nd floor to the hidden stage corresponding to the 50th floor test.]

[As the difficulty is adjusted randomly a corresponding reward is given when passing the hidden stage.]

“Stage change? Suddenly?”

In an instant Zeke’s body was enveloped in bright light.

After a while as if I had entered a portal the light disappeared and when I opened my eyes the surrounding scenery had changed.

‘What is this place?’

If up until now it had felt like a dungeon with all sides blocked off this place felt like an ancient city that had been abandoned long ago.

It wasn’t inside a structure that was completely blocked by the sand.

The ceilings were high and buildings of a style I had never seen before were densely packed together.

Coming down the stairs and looking around I almost felt like I had come to the ancient ruins of Thebes.

A message appeared before his eyes.

[The hidden stage begins.]

[Survive the stage and reach the designated location.]

[If you successfully clear a stage you will receive a corresponding reward.]

“This is a hidden stage?”

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Woohoo!

At that moment a white halo appeared in the innermost part of what appeared to be an ancient ruin.

It seemed like getting there was a condition for success in the quest.

‘It doesn’t seem like it would be that difficult to get there so why is it a hidden stage?’

It was at that time that I was wondering about the difficulty level being easier than I thought.

Shhh!

Something was captured moving between the buildings.

Zeke drew his sword and hid himself.

He took a deep breath as he examined the unidentified figures.

‘Is it an enemy? Stealthy and quick movements. Not the movements of a monster.’

Shushu shuk!

In an instant three arrows struck the spot where Zig had been.

Whoosh!

Zeke dodges arrows and moves quickly between buildings using moves he’d learned as a Southern Continent hitman.

Zeke immediately chased after the shadow that was moving.

Phew!

Zigg who had quickly closed the distance swung his sword at the shadow.

Pachin!

Shadow defended himself against the attack by swinging a deformed sword that curved like a snake towards Zeke.

‘Ugh!’

Zeke felt that the sword strike contained in the deformed sword was not ordinary.

And the movements they showed were those of professional assassins who had been trained for a long time.

Zeke followed the shadows into the inner city.

But there was no sign of where the scattered shadows had disappeared to.

Zeke clenched his teeth as he put away his sword.

‘They’re quick guys. They don’t seem like monsters. Could it be that humans are also in this labyrinth?’

Since ancient orcs existed there humans from that era could have existed as well.

Zeke looked around and found a building that looked like it could be defended so he went inside.

He took out scrolls and magic stones from his inventory and made makeshift alarm devices placing them in various places.

Since the infinite stamina skill is limited maintaining stamina was the most important.

‘If those guys are real assassins there’s a chance this could be a long-term battle.’

Patience is the first quality an assassin must have.

He too was a former assassin so he knew their physiology well.

Zeke didn’t move hastily but dug a trap and waited for the shadows to approach.

This was like their front yard so they had to move carefully.

Zig pulled up the map and focused on getting a feel for the surrounding space and location.

Even though quite some time had passed since then the shadows remained completely motionless.

Zeke realized that they were waiting for him to tire out.

‘That’s a very classic way. I guess he’ll come at dawn.’

Since it was inside a labyrinth the concept of time wasn’t clear but they were probably waiting for Zeke’s stamina and concentration to drop.

But Zig who was used to this method was rather relaxed.

Even without infinite stamina he could go without sleep for a week or so.

As Zeke stood there like this the shadows became more anxious.

About 48 hours after the standoff Zeke felt something approaching the building he was in.

Zeke drew his dagger stood up and assessed the situation.

But it wasn’t shadows approaching the building.

Krrrr!

A dozen hellhounds were approaching the building teeth bared.

The hellhounds dispersed in an organized manner as if receiving orders from someone.

Zeke was startled when he saw the sight.

‘You’re using hellhounds? Those guys are monsters that are impossible to raise.’

Although it had a dog-like appearance the hellhound was clearly classified as a high-risk monster.

If there was just one it might be okay but a pack of hellhounds roaming around in a group were so dangerous that it was said that even ogres avoided them.

The hellhound came barreling into the building like a well-trained hunting dog.

At the same time the trap that Zeke had set on the first floor was triggered.

Phew!

A thick poisonous mist rose. A trap was created by combining the scroll that creates the mist with the hydra venom that was prepared in advance as a potion.

Krrrrrr!

Even a hellhound could not withstand the hydra’s venom.

As the poisonous smoke spread around the hellhounds that were entering the building foamed at the mouth and collapsed.

Soon after the dead hellhound’s body turned to ash and disappeared like the other monsters.

Even though the Hellhound died there was no message saying that you gained experience like when you killed a boss monster by burning it with the Elemental Sword.

‘It’s tricky.’

The rule that rewards were only given to those who directly confronted the enemy was strictly observed.

When the hellhound that entered the building showed no response the shadows that had been observing the situation began to show their presence again.

Zeke leaned against the wall and waited for them to move.

Eventually the shadows moved first towards the building where Zeke was.

Zeke tried to track the enemy’s movements through the map but the enemies were not displayed on the screen.

Sasa sasa sak!

Although he couldn’t confirm it on the map Zeke sensed shadows approaching stealthily from the first floor the rooftop and the side.

Zeke held his breath and waited for them to come further in.

‘Just a little more.’

And when the shadows dug deeper in they triggered the traps they had prepared in advance.

Kwakwakwakwakwang!

The explosive scroll attached with the magic stone exploded all at once.

The impact caused the entire building to collapse.

The shadows quickly retreated startled by the explosion.

This is exactly what Zeke was after.

Whoosh!

Zig’s movements carrying a dagger and stealthily digging in were more than those of Salmak’s assassins.

Phew!

Zeke’s dagger stabbed the masked shadow in the neck.

The shadow fell to the ground without even being able to scream.

Soon the shadow also turned to ash and scattered and the deformed sword fell in its place and at the same time a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.

[The cursed soul of an ancient dark elf warrior escapes the realm of the dwarves.]

‘Dark elf?’

It was a name I was hearing for the first time.

At that moment other dark elves gathered around where Zeke was.

Shushu shuk!

On one side archers stationed on top of the building fired arrows at Zig.

As Zeke dodged the arrow another dark elf behind him extended his hand toward Zeke.

“■■ ■■■ ■■■….”

At the sound of the strange pronunciation Zig felt his body become heavy and dizzy.

‘Damn it. It’s a curse.’

I never thought an assassin could cast curse magic.

Since this was a situation where neither his strong mental defense nor his curse reflection worked Zeke quickly rolled over and stepped back for the time being.

He put the status recovery potion he had bought in advance into the automatic slot and drank it.

Soon the curse was lifted and he regained his senses.

An arrow flew towards Zeke again.

If I were to use Teia’s Hersion my stamina would be quickly consumed so it seemed like it would be disadvantageous in battle.

‘then.’

Zeke took out the shield he had previously made from the black scorpion skin from his inventory.

I made it as a test but I didn’t know it could be used like this.

Zeke took out his black scorpion shield and charged towards the dark elf warriors.

Ting! Ting!

The solid black scorpion shell simply deflected the dark elves’ arrows.

Zeke took up his shield and struck the elves.

bang!

The shield also had a curse effect that reduced stamina so the dark elf who was attacked staggered and fell down.

Zeke immediately activated the device hidden in his shield stabbing the fallen dark elf warrior with a stinger coated with the venom of a black scorpion.

Phew!

The dark elf warrior was stung by a poisoned needle and twisted around before dying.

Ss …

The dead dark elf warrior disappeared leaving behind a deformed sword.

Zeke took out Bahamut without even looking in his direction holding up his shield.

The dark elves stood on guard as they watched Zigg assume Agamemnon’s golden sword stance.

As the standoff continued one of the dark elf warriors stepped forward towards Zeke.

“■■■ ■■!!”

Like the Orc language the Dark Elf language was also incomprehensible.

‘System interpretation. No from now on if there’s a language I don’t understand it will be automatically interpreted.’

Soon the system translated the Dark Elf language into the common language of the continent.

[You disgusting human! I don’t know how you got in here but you won’t get out alive!]

Zeke opened his mouth as he saw the dark elf shouting at him.

“Dark elves. Have you been trapped here for two thousand years like the orcs?”

The dark elves looked confused when Zeke spoke in their language.

Meanwhile the dark elf warrior who had shouted at Zeke opened his mouth again.

[Two thousand years? What do you mean? Human!]