Ding!
[You have entered the ‘Black Gold Forest’!]
The pressure-like pain squeezing my temples vanished, and my vision slowly returned.
Trees rose in a dense thicket, with weeds growing all the way up to my waist.
The leaves formed such a thick canopy overhead that every direction lay in shadow.
Yet the hot, humid air still wormed its way down my throat with every breath.
Screech! Screech! Screech!
Monkey cries echoed from somewhere in the distance.
‘……Where the hell are we?’
I checked the GPS on my smartwatch.
[Current Location: Amazonia, Brazil]
Amazonia—or the Amazon rainforest.
We had been transported straight into the heart of the world’s largest tropical rainforest.
But.
‘……Weren’t we supposed to go inside a dungeon?’
I looked at the system window again.
[You have entered the ‘Black Gold Forest’!]
It clearly stated that our destination was the ‘Black Gold Forest.’
At that moment, Jeanne scanned the surroundings and said,
“High concentrations of mana are mixed into the air. The dungeon break must have happened recently.”
“A dungeon break in the middle of the Amazon……”
That was the single situation the Hunter Association dreaded most.
To prevent a dungeon break, the dungeon had to be cleared within a set time limit.
‘……Of course, that only applies once the gate has actually been discovered.’
The Amazon rainforest spanned roughly 5.5 million square kilometers—an area about twenty-five times larger than the Korean Peninsula.
There was simply no way to monitor every inch of that vast territory.
Even right now, some corner of the Earth might be undergoing dungeonification.
‘Well, whatever.’
Right now, dealing with what was right in front of us took priority.
We began pushing through the underbrush.
I glanced at Jeanne.
“……You said ‘Dvergr Andvari,’ right? Tell me a little about what kind of guy he is.”
“The Greed Death Lord, Dvergr Andvari. He is the one who inherited the essence of Greed Kill among the Seven Deadly Sins. A man who judges everything solely by profit and loss—like the living incarnation of gold itself. He originally came from a merchant family, but he was recognized for greatly revitalizing Ravianglily’s commerce and allowed into the knight order. However……”
Jeanne’s brow furrowed as she continued.
“He made a contract with the great demon of greed, ‘Amaimon,’ and became one of the chief architects of Ravianglily’s downfall—a sworn enemy of the nation.”
“I see.”
A man obsessed with money.
A being who sold his country and its people to demons.
In a way, he might have been the single greatest culprit behind Ravianglily’s destruction.
At that moment—
Flash—
A blinding light burst out from beyond the bushes.
Soon, a massive gate came into view.
The gates stood wide open.
Beyond them, an entire cityscape unfolded at a glance: medieval-style brick houses, churches, bakeries, general stores, and private homes.
Yet not a single sign of life could be found in any of the alleys.
And above all……
‘……Everything here is made of gold?’
From the paved roads to the buildings.
Even the trees, plants, and the flowing water in the fountains were all solid gold.
It looked exactly like the legendary golden city of El Dorado.
Black aura began pouring out of Jeanne’s body.
She kept speaking.
“Andvari…… To recreate the capital of Ravianglily inside his dungeon…… How utterly shameless can one person be……!”
At that moment, shadows began emerging one by one from the alleys.
[Are there still humans left in this area?]
[I killed them all. They were delicious.]
[Kill them. Lord Luhan ordered us to kill anyone who approaches.]
Goblins, orcs, and ogres.
Dozens of monsters had already surrounded us.
At that moment.
“Master, I wish to apologize in advance.”
Jeanne drew the Ganjiang Moye Sword and continued.
“I may end up showing you an unsightly side of myself. Would it be all right if I forget about humanity, propriety, and everything else for a while and become utterly ruthless?”
In this situation, there was only one answer I could give.
“Do whatever you want. Go all out.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Boom!
Jeanne kicked off the ground and charged forward.
At the same time.
Slice— slice— slice— slice— slice—
Dark-red trails left wave-like afterimages in their wake.
[KyaAAAAAAGH—!]
[My— my eyes……!]
[My arm— my arm fell off—!]
Screams erupted from every direction.
Orcs with severed tendons, goblins with burst eyes, ogres with their groins carved out, and more.
Slice— slice— slice— slice— slice—
With every swing of her frenzied sword dance, the golden city was dyed deeper and deeper in blood.
Moreover, Jeanne’s movements were different from usual.
Normally she would strike vital points as efficiently as possible to finish fights quickly.
But now she was deliberately cutting only the most painful areas, tormenting her enemies.
Madness and bloodlust.
The entire area was being painted over with the aura of death.
Soon.
[…………]
[……]
[……]
[……]
The monsters began stumbling backward.
Their earlier cocky attitudes had completely vanished.
Only the princess of a fallen nation, consumed by rage, remained standing tall.
At that moment.
[You useless vermin! How long does it take to deal with just two humans?!]
An irritated voice rang out.
Soon, someone stepped forward in front of Jeanne.
Purple skin.
Long, drooping pointed ears.
A lean, wiry body covered in taut muscles.
……It was a dark elf.
A large spiderweb tattoo covered the dark elf’s left eye area.
Jeanne growled when she saw it.
“Dark elf…… Gerd family……!!”
Her voice dripped with venom.
The dark elf raised one eyebrow.
[You know our family? You’re not human from this world, are you?]
“Have you forgotten my face?”
[Who knows. Pretty girls like you are a dime a dozen in the brothels.]
At that moment.
Crunch!
Black blood dripped from Jeanne’s lips.
I had never seen her like this before.
“I have not forgotten you. Gerd family. You servants of the devil who made a pact with the Seven Traitors and destroyed Ravianglily!”
[……Ah, Ravianglily. It’s starting to come back to me now.]
The corners of the dark elf’s mouth slowly curled upward.
[I remember. The night the moon was covered by clouds, with not a single ray of light to be found. Screams, blood, the sharp ring of metal, the heat from the flames…… It was a truly beautiful night.]
[A pair of sisters with hair as red as flames comes to mind. One was about seventeen, the other around five. The older sister begged me to spare her little sister. She said she would do anything, please. She clung to my pant leg, crying and pleading. I’ve always been a bit weak to that kind of thing. You know, affection? Self-sacrifice? Something like that. Thinking about it again almost makes me sad.]
The dark elf pretended to wipe away tears and continued.
[I made her an offer. If she didn’t let out a single scream while I cut off all her fingers and toes, I would let her sister go. Wow, but this is where it gets really touching. She didn’t make a single sound. Even though I cut slowly, twisting the blade like I was sharpening it. How strong must her love for her sister have been?]
[Did she endure it with iron will, or did she die midway and couldn’t scream? I didn’t check properly at the time, so I’m not sure.]
[Don’t worry. I kept my promise. Just like the older sister asked, I let the younger one go. But how could I separate such a loving pair of sisters? I sent the older one to the same place right away. Come to think of it, I never specified where to send her. I wonder if the sisters found each other. After all, they had no eyes, no tongues, and no fingers or toes left.]
Jeanne lifted her head and stared at the dark elf.
Her face, which had been twisted in rage, had now become completely expressionless.
Like a frozen lake in the middle of winter with not a single ripple.
Then, Jeanne spoke softly.
“You creatures should not exist.”
The air around her crackled with killing intent.
The dark elf sneered regardless.
“Don’t use such strong words. You’re making me wonder if I should be scared for a second.”
“Have you ever begged for your life from someone else?”
“Huh? Are you asking me that right now?”
The dark elf grabbed the railing and burst into laughter.
“I’m the one who listens to begging, not the one who does it. Why would prey ever beg the predator?”
Then, Jeanne slowly raised her head.
At the same time, the dark elf flinched backward.
Because Jeanne was smiling.
A bright smile full of ecstasy.
But her black eyes blazed with murderous intent.
Jeanne spoke.
“Dark elves don’t beg for their lives. Your kind is too full of pride and vanity.”
“But from now on, what you’ll be begging for won’t be your life.”
At that moment.
Slither—
Black substance writhed from the Symbiote breastplate.
Soon, the Symbiote began covering Jeanne’s entire body.
From her toes to her face, Jeanne was completely enveloped by the Symbiote.
Red glow emanated from the eye slits of the black helmet.
[……It’s death.]
A sinister voice leaked out from behind the helmet.
Then.
Step— step— step— step—
The Knight of Death began to advance.
[I’ll make you beg to be killed instead.]
Shadows were falling over the golden city.