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Chapter 177 : Nabrash (1)
Chapter 177: Nabrash (1)
A four-versus-forty battle.
If they had been Copper-Ranked Adventurers, he would have believed they would win, even if it wouldn’t be easy.
But the Burning Desert was the midsection of a Dangerous Area.
Adventurers of Silver Rank or higher who had made it this far were not easy opponents.
“Ptooey. What the hell is this guy. He’s not some nobody, is he?”
“Don’t take them one by one—rush them all at once!”
Robin’s sword and Sigbard’s rod moved in a dizzying blur.
No matter how forty Adventurers swarmed them, the two of them did not go down easily.
And if they tried to pressure them by aiming for an opening, arrows flew in from afar.
Shiiit!
One of the Adventurers who had knocked the arrow away glared at Aelin.
An archer with high accuracy was a real nuisance.
From that last shot, he had realized it wasn’t some small fry.
Even though they might hit an ally, there was no hesitation.
At that level, it wasn’t just confidence in their skill—it was certainty.
“Dexter, these guys aren’t ordinary.”
“They look like rookies, though.”
So the middle-aged man who looked like the leader was named Dexter.
Subtly, it was clear he was issuing orders.
“Let’s stop here and…….”
Dexter’s companion couldn’t finish the sentence.
Because Robin’s sword had swept straight across his cheek.
Seeing blood running down his companion’s cheek, Dexter frowned.
“Everyone, listen up. We’re doing a relay fight. In the end, we’ll be the ones left standing.”
Dexter’s judgment was appropriate.
There was no need to decide the match in a short time—just dragging things out would give them the advantage.
An effective strategy that made use of their numerical superiority.
But there was something he had overlooked.
Serena, who had only been watching with her arms crossed until now, tapped her staff down.
“Anyone here got a Gold Rank?”
Serena held proof above her head that she had been to an Extreme Region.
But no one looked closely.
Well, they were in the middle of a fight.
“Serena, why did you suddenly bring up Gold Rank?”
“I asked just in case, but I guess there isn’t one after all.”
“Then why?”
When Aelin looked at her, puzzled, Serena opened her mouth proudly.
“Because that means I’m the strongest?”
You couldn’t divide strength purely by the Adventurer Token issued by the Guild.
But you couldn’t completely ignore it, either.
Because each rank still had to be backed by a baseline level of ability.
Aelin had a lot she wanted to say, but she kept her mouth shut.
“If I just scare them a bit, they’ll surrender on their own.”
Drdrdrdrdk.
Rocks in the shape of bears rose up around Serena.
A total of ten spirits that looked like they were about three meters tall.
“Kids, go mess them up.”
The moment Serena’s words fell, the rock bears roared and charged out.
Naturally, a four-legged beast was fast.
And at the sudden appearance of spirits, Dexter’s group fell into confusion.
“Don’t fall back—respond calmly!”
Dexter, who had been dealing with Robin, changed positions to support his companions.
He picked up a hammer instead of a sword and hammered at the rock bear’s flank over and over.
Thud! Thud!
It wasn’t just brute force.
Dexter swung the hammer with his own Fighting Spirit wrapped around it.
In the end, one spirit’s torso shattered.
It was an encouraging result, but unfortunately, Serena had expected it.
Kwa-rururur.
What emerged from inside the collapsed rock was a fox made of water.
In a flat voice, Serena said,
“Peekaboo, surprised?”
The fox leapt straight at Dexter’s face.
Dexter struck the fox with his hammer, but it only disrupted the shape.
It latched onto his face and formed a sphere like a fishbowl.
“Mmph! Mmph!”
With his oxygen cut off, he tried to tear the water away, but it wouldn’t come off easily.
Before the others noticed anything was wrong.
Snap.
As Serena flicked her finger, foxes burst out from inside the rock spirits.
The nearly forty Adventurers were all engulfed in water,
and it didn’t take long before they all surrendered.
Robin wiped sweat from his brow and called to Serena.
“Serena.”
“Yeah.”
“From now on, help faster, please.”
With power like that, he couldn’t understand why she didn’t use it right away.
The question was answered immediately.
“I was a bit late because I was deciding what to do with those people.”
“What do you mean, what to do?”
“Whether to kill them, or let them live.”
Now that he thought about it, the ones who had surrendered were released without any particular injuries.
Their weapons had been gathered in one place at some point, leaving them all unarmed.
“So in Serena’s eyes, they aren’t villains worth killing.”
“Right. They probably weren’t trying to kill us, either.”
While fighting, Robin had also realized they had no killing intent.
But he couldn’t just let himself be robbed with his eyes open, so he fought back.
“We’ll know the details if we listen.”
Robin squatted in front of Dexter.
He asked the man—still coughing as he struggled to catch his breath.
“You heard what I said. Who are you guys?”
“Keh-lok! Keh-lok! Hoo… Can’t you tell by looking. We’re Adventurers.”
“Are forty people all one Clan or something?”
“That’s right.”
He answered yes to what had been said half in disbelief.
“Really a Clan?”
“Yeah. Judging by how you don’t even know that, I guess it really is your first time in the Burning Desert.”
“Quit dodging and answer only what I ask. What’s down there?”
The hole Dexter’s group had come out of hadn’t disappeared.
It was wide and deep, with no ladder or any structure you could step on to climb up.
“An underground city.”
“…What?”
“Nabrash. That’s the name of the city under your feet.”
An underground city in the Burning Desert?
He had never heard of it.
He looked to Serena, the only one among them who had been as far as an Extreme Region, but she just shrugged.
“Did you seriously think you could just cross the Burning Desert as-is?”
“But.”
“You idiots. Even if you got lucky and made it through the first day, you would’ve dried up and died before you crossed.”
“Tell me in detail.”
Dexter caught his breath and flopped down onto the spot.
The others weren’t much different.
Since things had turned out like this, it meant they would cooperate as much as possible.
Dexter took a deep breath and began his story.
Nabrash, the city located beneath the land of the Burning Desert.
In other words, it was also called the city of outlaws.
A place where you always had to be careful because there were no fixed rules.
Also, a place you had to pass through in order to cross the Burning Desert.
Robin, of course, and Sigbard, Aelin, and Serena as well—it was something they were all hearing for the first time.
“If even Serena hasn’t heard of it, then it must be a lie.”
“We can’t be certain.”
The reason for passing through the underground city was to avoid the midday sun.
Serena recalled that she had been able to block the scorching sunlight, and that the guide back then had been unusual.
“It’s more surprising that you’re trying to cross the desert without knowing about Nabrash.”
“I’ve never heard of it even at the Guild. How do people find out and go there?”
“Usually through introductions from someone with experience.”
In short, it seemed people gathered through acquaintances of acquaintances.
Silver-Ranked Adventurers were supposed to be rare, yet information was this tightly controlled.
It struck him anew just how closed-off it was.
Robin also heard more detailed explanations about what kind of place Nabrash was.
The term lawless zone fit perfectly—it was a complete mess.
“It’s a place where big-time criminals live. Compared to them, we’re nothing but small fry.”
“Then how does the city sustain itself? The word city doesn’t even suit a lawless zone.”
“It’s simple. The logic of power.”
Nabrash was larger than expected, and there were those who controlled each district.
In other words, it was a place where the strong made the rules.
“We came out hunting to pay tribute. When a brat who looks like a rookie shows up right in front of you, you’d be an idiot to just let him pass.”
“And you’re the idiot who got robbed instead.”
Dexter burst out laughing heartily.
“What’s so funny.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Let’s see if you can keep that composure once you’re inside.”
“I never said we were going in.”
At those words, Dexter burst out laughing again.
But when Robin didn’t react and just stared blankly, he swallowed.
“You’re really not planning to stop by Nabrash?”
“Yeah.”
“Are you trying to die?”
The heat of the Burning Desert wasn’t something an ordinary person could endure.
A few fools had tried to challenge it, but they were never seen again.
“That’s for us to worry about.”
After hearing all the necessary information, Robin turned his back on him and faced his companions.
“We can’t stay here tonight.”
“I agree. We can’t sleep with people who tried to fleece us at our backs.”
Dexter watched Robin closely as he discussed what to do.
It seemed they were about to conclude that they would leave immediately.
There were only two types of people who made that kind of judgment.
Fools—or the truly skilled.
Most died from foolish decisions.
But having fought them himself, their skill was certain.
“I’ll make a proposal.”
Dexter opened his mouth, but they didn’t even pretend to listen.
It was only after he cleared his throat and raised his voice that they turned their gaze to him.
“Just grant me one request! I’ll give you what you want!”
“How do you know what I want to make that offer?”
“Aren’t you planning to go all the way?”
Go all the way.
He was referring to the Demon Realm, the end of the Uncharted Area.
Only then did Robin show interest.
Dexter seized the opportunity and continued.
“A compass to cross beyond the Extreme Region. Don’t you want it?”
The compass Dexter mentioned wasn’t an ordinary one.
He was talking about an item usable in a specific region.
“You made a big mistake.”
“What mistake?”
“I could just torture it out of you. Why should I grant your request?”
He returned the same logic to the ones who had tried to rob him.
Even so, Dexter didn’t panic.
“It’s not something I have. I just know the location.”
“That’s convenient. Spill.”
“Drake, ruler of District 7 of Nabrash. He has the Fragment of Starlight.”
District 7, according to what Dexter had said, was the closest area from here.
But judging by how smoothly he spoke, it didn’t seem like it would be easy.
“What’s Drake’s Adventurer rank?”
“Gold Rank. If just knowing where it was meant you could take it, I wouldn’t even bring it up.”
A high-ranking Adventurer who had seized District 7 of Nabrash.
It didn’t seem like anything good would come from getting involved.
“My request is simple. Drive Drake out.”
“I’ve heard enough. We’ll just pass by.”
It was a refusal without a second thought.
If he had subdued Adventurers of considerable skill, it meant he himself was formidable.
They needed the Fragment of Starlight, but the risk was high.
“I thought you were ambitious newcomers. Seems I was wrong.”
“Telling us to trust a robber is more shameless than anything. Be grateful we didn’t kill you.”
At Robin’s final words, a chill ran down Dexter’s spine.
Though he looked calm, his eyes were those of someone ready to make a decision at any moment.
“One more thing.”
As Robin prepared to leave with only what seemed useful, Dexter added one more line.
“I’ll give you a Spatial Artifact regardless of whether you succeed.”
Robin, Sigbard, Aelin. Even Serena stared at Dexter.
“I have a plan. You just need to follow it.”
“Does Drake have the Spatial Artifact too?”
“Yes. But I can bring it to you.”
“How.”
“I’ll tell you if you follow me.”
The Fragment of Starlight was rare, but it was nothing compared to a Spatial Artifact.
It was the kind of artifact you’d only find in history books—its materials not even properly identified.
“So. Feeling like entering Nabrash now?”
If they could truly obtain a Spatial Artifact.
It would clearly help in future expeditions.
“Let’s do it.”
Serena agreed immediately.
“The Fragment of Starlight and the Spatial Artifact. We’ll need them to cross the Extreme Region.”
Her eyes were not as languid as usual.
Serena opened them wide and spoke clearly.
“I’m in too. Underground city or whatever—don’t we just have to win?”
Sigbard gave his opinion, half curiosity, half competitiveness.
“If we move underground, we might reach our destination much faster.”
Aelin wasn’t much different.
And neither was Robin.
If they could obtain the Fragment of Starlight and a Spatial Artifact, he was willing to take the risk.
“Dexter.”
“Made up your mind?”
“From now on, speak politely.”
Robin released killing intent toward Dexter.
His sly expression stiffened in an instant.
Only after ten seconds, when the killing intent was withdrawn, did he gasp for breath.
“Huff. Huff. Understood.”
“Lead the way.”
Following the forty Adventurers, they threw themselves into the hole.
It was their first step toward Nabrash.