Croak, Hero Gargoyle

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

Under his leadership, this advance squad of Black Market Dealers had actually lit the beacons all the way without a hitch. There had been almost no mistakes, and only two people had died so far!

"Fantastic, Jack! We never would've made it here without you."

Standing before the Fortress Gate, the Black Market Dealers applauded enthusiastically, showering him with congratulations.

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

"Heh heh heh, you're making me embarrassed," Jack said, his old face reddening as he scratched his head shyly. "So, guys, have you memorized the route? Should we head back the way we came?"

"Mm."

One of the older Black Market Dealers pondered for a moment before saying, "The original plan was for you to familiarize us with the route, then we'd each lead our own teams in to explore. We figured it would count as a success if two or three people made it here alive. But now..."

Another picked up where he left off. "Now we have a full eight people, and we're not weak either. How about we go deeper and take a gamble?"

Most of the group chimed in agreement, greed glinting in their eyes.

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

He thought of the Skeleton Monsters lurking in the Swamp, the Curse Frogs that could pounce at any moment, and the Straw Men disguised as bushes.

But he had cleverly avoided all of those monsters, never encountering any of them, which had given the Black Market Dealers unrealistic ideas.

One person said disdainfully, "If even you managed to get this far on your first try, doesn't that prove this dungeon isn't really that scary?"

"Haha, don't put it that way. Jack's always had pretty good luck. Getting here was all thanks to luck, anyway."

"Huh?"

Jack was stunned by the contempt in their words.

It was the purest, most natural sort of contempt, without a trace of malice—just as natural as eating and drinking.

That made it hurt Jack twice as much!

So he was not the backbone after all.

"Guys, grab your weapons! There are only two Gargoyles inside!"

The Black Market Dealers drew their weapons and charged impatiently 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 emerge victorious.

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! Strike while it's down and finish it off!"

"The final blow! Watch me smash its head in!"

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

Inside the Fortress, a Black Market Dealer was bandaging his wounds. At his feet lay the shattered corpse of a Gargoyle.

This kind of Gargoyle had a body made of ordinary stone. Even among its own kind, it was considered weak and usually served as a common monster in dungeons.

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

"Say, should we get rid of old Jack?" he suddenly whispered. "The old man's useless now. He might even leak this place's secret. Why don't we..."

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

"Family." This was the affection between us Black Market Dealers!

"Jack, come over here for a moment."

"What is it, guys?" Jack asked as he walked into the room in confusion. The instant he approached, he heard a sharp whoosh. A streak of white light flashed before him, and blood burst forth.

He stared blankly at the wound on his chest, then at the Black Market Dealers snickering at him. Suddenly, he understood.

"You..."

Jack suddenly felt the world spin, and he could not stop himself from collapsing to the ground. Blood poured from the wound in his chest and spread across the floor. The Black Market Dealers even snatched away his Teleportation Crystal. This way, his corpse could not be resurrected after he died.

His life was draining away quickly. Jack did not even have the strength to feel sad anymore. All he felt was that he had poured his sincerity down the drain.

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 was still active on the front lines. Maybe he simply did not want to give up the thrill of adventure? After spending half his life as an adventurer, who could adapt to the dull life of retirement?

So he had done everything he could. His body was failing? Then he would rope other adventurers into forming teams with him. Even if he had to cheat, swindle, or deceive, he wanted to keep adventuring. Not enough money? Selling some contraband on the black market sounded like a great idea!

"So this is karma catching up to me." Jack mocked himself.

Then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the monster's corpse on the ground. The Gargoyle had been smashed to pieces and looked utterly miserable.

Wait, why was there only one Gargoyle?

As the Black Market Dealers dreamed of their future, a dark shadow suddenly blotted out the light.

"Huh?"

The Black Market Dealer looked up and saw a massive figure clinging to the stone-brick ceiling, staring down at them from above.

"A Gargoyle?"

"But why is it so huge!?"

"Not good, everyone run—"

Hero Gargoyle (Greatsword)

Spirit Power Required per Unit: 600

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

Jack lay sprawled on the ground, his face splattered with blood.

The newly arrived Gargoyle was incredibly powerful. It quickly knocked the Black Market Dealers to the ground, yet did not kill a single one. Their wails filled the floor.

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

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

It gave him a V sign???

In that instant, Jack felt the world become surreal.

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

Take Goblins, for example. Goblins outside the dungeon ate, slept, reproduced, and built villages. Dungeon Goblins only knew how to fight, fight, fight—awesome—and occasionally reproduce.

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

Do not blame them when they end up with a house full of descendants.

So when adventurers entered Zane Dungeon and discovered that the monsters here could use tactics, they were all greatly shocked.

And making a V sign... that was probably something only intelligent creatures could understand?

The Gargoyle sprinkled some medicine over him. The wound on Jack's chest wriggled shut, and strength returned to his body.

"Roar."

The Gargoyle picked up a dagger and shoved it into Jack's hand, then pointed at the Black Market Dealers on the ground.

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

The Gargoyle nodded.

"Hurry up and kill me. It hurts so much," the Black Market Dealers said when they saw him approach with the dagger, each wearing an expression of finally being freed.

Once they returned to the Resurrection Room, priests would heal them. That was far better than lying half-dead in the dungeon. Though they did not understand why this Gargoyle had spared their lives and handed them to Jack for the killing blow—

Who cared what a monster was thinking?

The only unpleasant part 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 being resurrected, they would have to capture Jack again. They could not let the old man get away.

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

"..."

Jack remained silent. He could tell what they were thinking just by looking at their faces, and the hand holding his dagger trembled slightly.

"What are you doing? Kill me already!" the Black Market Dealers, wracked with pain, urged him.

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

"Huh?"

Jack removed their Teleportation Crystals one by one.

At that moment, deathly silence filled the Fortress.

"Pfft—"

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

"No, no, no! You can't do this, Jack!" The Black Market Dealers cried out in despair as Jack slowly approached them.

"Weren't you just urging me to?"

Jack raised the dagger and stabbed down fiercely.

"Ah!"

He did not hit anything vital. The Black Market Dealer screamed endlessly but did not die.

Another stab. Still not dead.

Another stab. Still not dead.

And another!

Every scream battered Jack's eardrums. He trembled violently, blood splashing onto his face. He unconsciously licked his lips.

It tasted of rust, with a hint of sweetness.

A trace of exhilarated delight appeared on his face.

He did not know how many times he stabbed. When his entire 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. He let the Gargoyle pick him up and carry him like a figurine toward the Fortress Gate, returning to the Swamp Area.

A foul stench permeated the place. The monsters that "lived" here were either gaunt and withered or swollen and rotten like bloated corpses, terrifying to behold.

The Gargoyle strolled through the Swamp, and the monsters scattered away from it. Only the mechanisms and traps were triggered.

Jack stared dazedly at the scenery. Whether familiar or unseen before, it was all etched into his mind. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly realized something.

This Gargoyle was showing him the map?

The Gargoyle was indeed showing him the map. The main routes, side paths, shortcuts, hidden doors, traps, and 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 magical 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 showed an "appreciated" expression. Then it plunged its large hand into the soil and pulled out several light spots representing different items. Among a sea of White Light Spots, one purple light spot stood out conspicuously.

All of these things were placed before Jack, free for him to use.

"What do you want me to do?" Jack believed that the Gargoyle before him possessed intelligence. His worldly cunning made him lower his head now. 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."