Chapter 48: Tier 2 Dungeon (part 2)

Chapter 48: Chapter 48: Tier 2 Dungeon (part 2)

That alone was enough to prove the difference between this group and the inexperienced adventurers who had entered Ragnar’s dungeon near Hetin Town.

These five had fought together for a long time. They understood each other’s abilities, knew their positions during battle, and most importantly, trusted the person standing beside them.

Even against a powerful mini-boss such as the One-Horned Ogre, they had remained calm.

The battle had been difficult. But it had never truly become hopeless.

Marcus slowly wiped the sweat from his forehead before turning his attention toward the massive corpse lying in the center of the chamber. Blood continued flowing from the severed neck of the One-Horned Ogre, spreading across the ancient stone floor.

The monster’s enormous iron club had fallen beside its body.

Marcus studied the corpse for a moment before calling toward the entrance of the chamber.

"Kyle!"

For a few seconds, there was no response.

Then a young man who had been standing near the back of the group quickly stepped forward.

"Yes!"

The others glanced toward him.

Kyle.

If someone from the village had seen him now, they might have been surprised by how much his life had changed in such a short time.

Not long ago, Kyle had been nothing more than a hunter living in a small village near Hetin Town. He had spent most of his life hunting animals in the forest, gathering food, and occasionally selling monster materials whenever he was fortunate enough to encounter something valuable.

Then he discovered Ragnar’s dungeon.

At the time, he had been curious.

He had entered the strange underground structure alone, believing it to be nothing more than a new dungeon.

Kyle had remained behind after giving his report.

He never expected to hear what happened afterward.

The entire expedition disappeared, not a single adventurer returned. The news had shaken him deeply.

Kyle had personally entered that dungeon.

He knew how terrifying it was even when he had only explored a small portion of it.

And after learning that twenty-three armed adventurers had disappeared inside.

Kyle made a decision, e needed to become stronger.

Staying in his small village would not change anything.

So after reporting everything he knew to Mayor Cedric and receiving his reward, Kyle gathered what little money he possessed and traveled to Lufast City.

He had heard stories about the city his entire life.

Lufast was where adventurers gathered.

Where powerful groups trained. Where dungeons could be explored.

And where an ordinary person could potentially change their life.

Of course, reality was considerably more difficult than Kyle had expected.

He wasn’t a powerful warrior. He didn’t know any advanced combat techniques.

He couldn’t use magic, and compared to the experienced adventurers in Lufast City, Kyle was little more than an ordinary young man with some experience surviving in the wilderness.

Nobody was willing to immediately accept him as a full member of their party.

Eventually, Kyle became a porter. It wasn’t a glorious position.

A porter was responsible for carrying supplies, food, tents, spare equipment, and the materials obtained from monsters. They traveled with adventurer groups and performed many of the tasks that the actual fighters didn’t have time to worry about.

It was dangerous. But it was also an opportunity.

Kyle could learn, and he could observe experienced adventurers.

And more importantly, he could earn money while slowly improving himself.

The group before him had accepted him only recently.

Marcus and the others weren’t cruel people. They didn’t treat Kyle as though he was completely useless, but neither did they consider him an equal member of the party.

Marcus pointed toward the One-Horned Ogre’s corpse.

"Get to work."

Kyle immediately nodded.

"Yes, sir."

The swordsman sitting against the wall looked toward Kyle and laughed.

"Don’t forget the horns. Those things are worth a decent amount."

Kyle gave him a nervous smile.

"I know."

"Do you?"

The swordsman raised an eyebrow.

Kyle sighed.

"...I’ll make sure I don’t forget them."

The others laughed quietly.

Their mood had considerably improved after defeating the mini-boss.

Kyle walked toward the corpse and placed his large leather backpack on the ground.

He opened it.

Inside were various tools.

A skinning knife.

A small saw.

Several empty containers.

Ropes.

Cloth.

And other equipment specifically designed for collecting valuable monster materials.

Kyle had learned quickly after becoming a porter.

Killing a monster was only half the job. The other half was extracting everything valuable from the corpse.

Monster materials could be sold to merchants, alchemists, blacksmiths, enchanters, and magical researchers. Depending on the creature, even a single corpse could be worth several gold coins.

And the One-Horned Ogre lying before him was no ordinary monster.

It was a mini-boss from the second floor of a Tier 2 dungeon. Its materials were valuable.

Kyle approached the massive corpse and carefully examined it.

The One-Horned Ogre was nearly three times his size.

Even after death, its body looked intimidating.

Kyle swallowed, he had seen dangerous monsters before.

But this was the first time he had been so close to a creature of this level. The two curved horns alone were larger than his forearm.

He reached toward one.

"These are probably the most valuable."

The mage, who was still sitting on the ground and recovering her mana, nodded.

"The horns are used by alchemists. I’ve heard they can be ground into powder and mixed into certain strengthening potions."

The assassin glanced toward her.

"You’ve heard?"

The mage shrugged.

"I don’t specialize in alchemy."

Marcus walked toward the corpse.

"The horns are valuable. So are the magical core and the blood."

Kyle nodded, and he immediately began working.

First, he carefully removed the remaining valuable materials from the One-Horned Ogre’s corpse. He had already extracted the horns, magical core, hide, blood, and teeth, but there were still several smaller parts that could be sold to alchemists and craftsmen. Kyle had learned not to waste anything from a powerful monster.

Even materials that seemed insignificant could become valuable when brought to the right merchant, and after spending several months working as a porter, he had slowly learned which parts were worth collecting and which could safely be discarded.