Croak, Hero Gargoyle

Jack had never imagined that one day, he would become the "backbone" of the team.

Under his leadership, this advance squad made up of black market dealers had somehow lit the Beacon Fire all the way through without a hitch. So far, only two people had died!

"Awesome, Jack. We definitely couldn't have made it here without you."

Standing at the fortress gate, the black market dealers clapped enthusiastically, congratulating him over and over.

As long as they did not go inside, they would not trigger the Twin Gargoyles' boss battle. These people had figured out the rules.

"Hehehe, you're making me feel embarrassed," Jack said, his old face reddening as he scratched his head shyly. "So, did you guys remember the route? Should we head back the way we came?"

"Mm."

An older black market dealer pondered for a moment before saying, "The original plan was for you to help us get familiar with the route, then we'd each lead our own teams in to explore. We figured that if two or three people made it here alive, that would count as a success. But now..."

Another picked up the thread. "Now we have a full eight people, and we're not weak either. Should we go deeper and take a gamble?"

Most of the group chimed in, greed flashing in their eyes.

"Are you serious?" Jack's mouth twitched. "You saw how dangerous it was along the way. If I hadn't known the route in advance, eight hundred lives wouldn't have been enough for us to die."

He thought of the Skeleton Monsters lurking in the swamp, the Curse Frogs that could pounce at any time, and the Grass Men disguised as shrubs.

But he had cleverly avoided all those monsters, never encountering any of them, which gave the black market dealers unrealistic ideas.

One person said disdainfully, "Even you managed to get this far on your first try. Doesn't that prove this dungeon isn't all that scary?"

"Haha, don't put it like that. Jack has always been lucky. Getting here was all thanks to luck."

"Huh?"

Jack was stunned by the contempt in their words.

It was the purest kind of contempt, without the slightest malice, as natural as eating and drinking.

That made it hurt Jack twice as much!

So he was not the backbone after all.

"Brothers, grab your weapons! There are only two gargoyles inside!"

The black market dealers drew their weapons and rushed eagerly into the fortress. They no longer needed Jack's guidance.

Jack pulled out his dagger and hesitated at the entrance for a long while. In the end, he sighed, turned around, and waited for his "friends" to win.

Out of sight, out of mind.

"Aha, the monster's over there! It really is the weakest kind of gargoyle!"

"I'll hold it down! Where's the mage? Hurry up and cast a curse!"

"I'm hurt! I'm hurt!"

"Woohoo! I smashed its arm! Hit it while it's down!"

"The finishing blow! Watch me smash its head!"

Amid the cheers, Jack knew that his friends had won. Though his heart ached, he still forced a smile, ready to congratulate them.

Inside the fortress, a black market dealer was bandaging his wound. At his feet lay the shattered corpse of a gargoyle.

This kind of gargoyle had a body made of ordinary stone and was considered weak even among its own kind. In dungeons, it was usually just a normal mob.

"I didn't expect it to be this weak. We've hit the jackpot, hehehe." He had already begun dreaming about becoming rich off the dungeon's resources.

"Say, should we get rid of Old Jack?" he suddenly whispered. "That old guy is useless now. He might even let the secret of this place slip. We might as well..."

He made a throat-slitting gesture, and the people nearby exchanged knowing smiles.

"Family." This was the brotherly love between us black market dealers!

"Jack, come over here."

"What is it, brothers?" Jack asked in confusion as he walked into the room. The moment he approached, there was a sharp swish. A flash of white streaked across his chest, and blood blossomed.

He stared blankly at the wound on his chest, then at the grinning black market dealers. Suddenly, he understood.

"You..."

Jack suddenly felt the world spin and collapsed to the ground. Blood poured from his chest wound, while the black market dealers snatched away his Teleportation Crystal. That way, his corpse could not be revived after he died.

His life was rapidly slipping away. Jack did not even have the strength to feel sad. He only felt that his sincere heart had been fed to dogs.

He would turn fifty next year. Among adventurers, he was already an old man who should have retired long ago. Even he could not explain why he still remained active on the front lines. Maybe he simply did not want to give up the feeling of adventure? After being an adventurer for half his life, who could adapt to the dull days of retirement?

So he had done everything he could. His body was failing? Then he would rope other adventurers into forming a team. Even if he had to deceive and swindle people, he wanted to keep adventuring. Not enough money? Selling some contraband on the black market was a good idea!

"In the end, karma caught up with me." Jack laughed at himself.

At that moment, the corner of his eye caught the monster's corpse on the floor. The gargoyle had been smashed into pieces and looked rather miserable.

Wait, why was there only one gargoyle?

As the black market dealers fantasized about the future, a dark shadow suddenly blotted out the light.

"Huh?"

The black market dealer looked up and saw a massive figure clinging to the ceiling stones, staring down at them from above.

"A gargoyle?"

"But why is it so huge?!"

"Crap, everyone run—"

[Hero Gargoyle (Greatsword)]

[Mental Power Required per Unit: 600]

[Health: C, Strength: C, Intelligence: D, Endurance: C-, Speed: C-, Combat Power: C-]

Jack lay sprawled on the ground, blood splashed across his face.

The newly arrived gargoyle was incredibly powerful. It quickly knocked the black market dealers to the ground, yet did not kill a single one. Groans of agony filled the floor.

Jack thought that this monster was about to kill him too, but then something beyond his comprehension happened.

The Hero Gargoyle extended its hand toward him, not to kill him, but—

It made a V sign???

At that instant, Jack felt the world become surreal.

Compared to those outside, dungeon monsters had their emotions somewhat suppressed. They were more likely to follow their instincts and kill people.

Take Goblins, for example. Goblins outside ate, slept, reproduced, and built villages. But dungeon Goblins only knew how to fight, fight, fight, have fun, and occasionally reproduce.

But that did not mean they had no desires. If you insisted on delivering a bound female knight to the dungeon Goblins, then...

Don't blame them for ending up with a house full of descendants.

So when adventurers entered Sain Underground City and discovered that the monsters here could use tactics, they were utterly shocked.

And making a V sign... That was probably something only intelligent beings could understand?

The gargoyle sprinkled some medicine over Jack. The wound on his chest wriggled shut, and strength returned to his body.

"Roar."

The gargoyle picked up a dagger, stuffed it into Jack's hand, and pointed at the black market dealers on the ground.

"You mean... you want me to kill them?" Jack held the dagger, at a loss.

The gargoyle nodded.

"Hurry up and kill me! It hurts so much!" When the black market dealers saw him approaching with the dagger, they all wore expressions of finally being freed.

Once they returned to the Revival House, priests would heal them. It would be far more comfortable than lying half-dead in the dungeon. Though they did not understand why the gargoyle had spared them and left Jack to claim the kills.

But who cared what a monster was thinking?

The only thing that bothered them was that Jack would be the one killing them. That old bastard had actually been saved by the gargoyle. What was that stupid monster thinking?

This was troublesome. After reviving, they would have to capture Jack again. They could not let that old man escape.

No, no, no. We threw away Jack's Teleportation Crystal. Hahaha, that old guy is going to be killed by monsters!

"..."

Jack remained silent. He could tell what they were thinking just from their expressions. The hand gripping his dagger trembled slightly.

"What are you doing? Hurry up and kill me!" the black market dealers cried, wracked with pain.

Jack slowly raised his dagger, but then he did something unexpected.

"Huh?"

Jack removed their Teleportation Crystals one by one.

At that moment, the fortress fell deathly silent.

"Pfft—"

A snicker escaped Jack before he could stop it. He weighed the dagger in his hand. Never before had holding a blade felt so good.

"No, no, no! You can't do this, Jack!" Seeing Jack walk toward them step by step, the black market dealers cried out in despair.

"Weren't you urging me just now?"

Jack raised the dagger and stabbed down hard.

"Ah!"

It did not hit a fatal spot. The black market dealer screamed endlessly, but did not die.

Another stab. Still not dead.

One more stab. Still alive.

Then another!

Every scream stimulated Jack's eardrums. He shook violently as blood splattered across his face, and he instinctively licked his lips.

It tasted of rust, with a faint sweetness.

A trace of exhilarated laughter appeared on his face.

He did not know how many times he stabbed. When his whole body had become drenched in blood, the screams finally stopped.

He looked at the corpse beneath him. The intense stimulation made his mind go blank for a while, and he allowed the gargoyle to pick him up and carry him toward the fortress gate as if he were a figurine, returning to the Swamp Area.

A foul stench filled every corner. The monsters living here were either gaunt and haggard or swollen and rotten like Giant corpses, terrifying to behold.

The gargoyle strolled through the swamp, and the monsters all kept their distance. Only the mechanisms and traps were triggered.

Jack stared at the scenery in a daze. Whether familiar or unfamiliar, it all burned itself into his mind. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly realized something.

This gargoyle was showing him the map here?

The gargoyle truly was showing him the map. The main paths, side paths, shortcuts, hidden doors, traps, ambushing monsters—everything was laid bare before Jack.

Why was it doing this? Was it not afraid that the map would be leaked?

At the end, the gargoyle showed him a magic contract—the Slave Contract.

Jack understood. Without hesitation, he pressed his handprint onto it and became the gargoyle's slave.

It was hard to believe, but the gargoyle actually revealed a "gratified" expression. Then it plunged its huge hand into the soil and pulled out several points of light representing different items. Among the countless white points of light, one purple point was especially conspicuous.

All those things were placed before Jack for him to use as he pleased.

"What do you want me to do?" Jack believed that the gargoyle before him definitely possessed intelligence. His worldly instincts made him lower his head. If he wanted to live, he had to obediently be a slave.

"Heh, heh."

The gargoyle let out a hoarse laugh. Then Jack heard a whisper that seemed to come from hell:

"Bring more people in."