Stuck as a Dungeon Mob

Ed watched the retreating humans for a long while. That was because the group of orcs seemed intent on following them. Ed could not risk the chance of someone defying his orders, so he also followed along.

This meant that all the orcs and Ed himself saw the humans to the gate. These knights could only leave the premises awkwardly and conflicted.

'Next time you should try asking first' Ed also transmitted as he waved them goodbye. It added definite insult to their injured pride. They had come up with an insertion tactic but failed in the end. They wouldn't be leaving alive and with their target if it weren't for Ed's kindness. Finally, they were told to try talking first instead of getting physical, suggesting they were uncivilized.

When the humans finally left, Ed couldn't help but take on a cold countenance. Things were definitely bad now.

'I allowed humans who killed a couple of us and injured others to escape without as much as a scratch' He had broken the arm of one and scared the others stiff but that wasn't enough to make up for the lost lives.

'There won't be other opportunities like this' He could have perhaps handled things better but that was only in retrospect. With this being an unplanned occurrence, he couldn't be put to blame.

'I need Bloody and W out there normally' This was the only opportunity. It would be too weird if the king or this member of royalty appeared outside out of nowhere. If he was rescued, the humans would find it less likely that he was replaced by a monster or anything of the sort.

Why they would believe it to be the case in the first place was odd, to say the least, but not an impossible thought. It was as though Bloody and W would be able to perfectly mimic the actions of Brennan.

[Champion is advised against letting intruders free]

A system notice suddenly appeared. Ed couldn't help but perk an eyebrow up.

'So you are saying you are letting it slide this time?' The dungeon had to have observed this exchange between Ed and the humans. The orc plains were very important since if Ed failed the humans could move up-

'Argh-!' Ed's thoughts were suddenly interrupted. He felt a pulling.

[Recalling Champion's Soul]

'F*ck this isn't letting it slide!' The dungeon had only been announcing that he would be sent over to prepare to face the humans in the crypt.

The orcs suddenly saw Ed who was by the gate stumble. They were both worried and surprised.

"A- A slip up" Ed said pointing at a nearby pebble with a small smile.

[<Thought Manifestation> is in effect]

[Fortified Mind has leveled up]

All of Ed's skills instantly went into overdrive to resist the immediate call of the dungeon. Ed quickly excused himself while also trying to make it seem normal.

He skipped over the events that had just transgressed quickly and left to find Sharog who was thankfully nearby. He then used discussing things with her as an excuse to leave much faster.

"Ed! What was that about!" Sharog said much later while running alongside him. That she was next to him was all thanks to Ed's effort. It was both his effort of giving her better skills and his effort to run at a modest pace.

"I'm going to get knocked out! Prepare for that!" Ed responded before suddenly tripping up again.

"You- Did you do it because of that?" Sharog asked surprised.

But Ed could only flash a wry smile before tumbling into a roll and crashing into the town hall door. His thoughts had dispersed and he was led back into the endless black void.

[You've been dealt damage. -100 hp]

Once in there, he was awoken by the sting of being attacked by the dungeon. It jolted him awake so quickly that Ed's fortified mind kicked on immediately after.

'Ah, you should learn to be a bit more patient…' He would have allowed himself to go willingly into the crypt if the dungeon was just a little nicer. He had lots overdue to handle over there anyway.

'The restocking of special skeletons, checking the progress of the ones still alive, adding new traps, puzzles, and rewards' Basically he had to go do the job of the dungeon for it.

'Can't you set up these puzzles and traps for me?' The way Ed saw it, having more humans in the dungeon benefitted them both. Assuming the dungeon could indeed use consciousnesses and soul as energy as he had figured, all the kills from his special skeletons would go to it when he was not anywhere near.

But the dungeon did not respond to Ed's query. He could do nothing but shrug mentally.

'Let's hope this won't take too long' If this visit took a while and Ed left things in Sanctuary as they were… It could mean serious trouble for Sharog, Shel, Dakgu, etc. Practically everyone part of the Sanctuary council would be troubled.

'Unless they have already learned to be greedy and corrupt' In that case, they could leak his status to the populace after someone offered them money or out of the desire to rule the tribe.

Without money, there was still corruption. This corruption could happen through trade or any kind of transaction, so the possibility of corruption always existed. The only difference was that money now facilitated all transactions.

It also encouraged the development of new products with the aim of making money. This money would be spent on buying more things spurring more development for more money creating a cycle. With so many things to buy, who didn't want more money?

'It's fine' Ed had chosen every member carefully and on the odd chance that they tried to kill him, he would make sure to pay it back. His body was defenseless, but he could still respawn in a new one.

***

Just outside of Sanctuary, the fleeting squad of 4 successfully reached the outer gate. They were now in sight of the knights that would rescue them in an emergency.

Upon noticing their arrival, the knights noticed they looked rather downcast. They were prompted into action. They all charged forward and one took hold of the king.

"You've done great! Run! We will hold them back" Another knight said while looking at the gate. They would be flooded by orcs through there!

The man that had suddenly taken the king from Talon had already run off with a hardened expression. The sacrifices were worth it! The sacrifices were worth it! He screamed inside his head, not daring to turn around.

But the four of the rescue squad had slowed and stopped moving altogether.

"We-" Lea was going to say but was immediately cut off.

"Noble! But you all don't have to help! Hurry! I'm sure they'll be here anytime soon!" The knight that had given the praise said, still looking at the heavy Sanctuary outer gate with a resolute expression.

The squad said nothing. They just stood there, much to the confusion of everyone.

…

Only after a minute of no orcs did the knight from before start to harbor doubts.

"They weren't chasing us" Zhang said rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"Th- They weren't?" The knight who had a manly beard and invoked a deep sense of loyalty asked dumbfounded.

"Ah! No- You guys managed to sneak in and out without alerting anyone!?!?!" The knight said taken aback by surprise. What troopers, such a feat was worthy of praise!

To these 4 praiseworthy members it quickly became evident that past the man's beard and loyalty, there was a tendency to interrupt others.

"No! No! No! We encountered the damn orcs but they let us f*cking go!" Tarin said, much to the surprise of all.

The knights were not believing such a story so easily so they turned to the other members asking for confirmation. They believed that their eyes wouldn't lie to them. This meant it was shocking to see the other members nod confirming the ridiculous words of Tarin.

The knights did not know how to react to any of this. They could only escort the four members back to base camp for now.

Once at base camp, Stuart greeted all the members of the mission with all-around smiles. The first member who ran off with Brennan had arrived before the knights, informing the base.

Stuart was initially happy just to see some of them make it back but promptly changed his attitude once he noticed that they all made it to base in the end. This implied that they all fought against the orcs and won!

This wasn't very surprising if the raid boss was not there, but if he was, it was a monumental victory for them. It was exactly what they now needed to boost up morale.

"I'm glad you are all here safe and sound" Stuart said to the men who did not appear to be one bit exhausted. He admired both their work ethic and stamina now.

But the knights did not reciprocate these feelings. If they weren't back safe and sound, there would be serious problems. They fought nothing after all and they made sure to explain this.

Stuart who was initially over the moon couldn't help but frown deeply in thought. He then remembered how he and the others had chosen to treat Bob's words. It turned out he was not a lunatic, the monster had a civilized mind.

"This… We should discuss this another day, for now let's rest up" Stuart decided to just finish the welcome at the gate and gave the knights a break.