Chapter 105: Sewer

Andrew returned to the knight headquarters with the relics in hand. He had talked about sneaking James in, but he had never actually attempted it before. Back when he first tackled this dungeon, all his crew members were pure humans. Anyone who attacked the knights would be killed on the spot, so he had never been hostile toward them.

“Greetings, Miss Knight! We adventurers have returned with a bountiful harvest!” Andrew beamed at the receptionist at the knight headquarters.

“Yes? Oh my, you’ve found more of those relics. Incredible. Let me take them from you. And I’m not a knight—I’m a receptionist. Please don’t mistake me for a knight. That’s a breach of etiquette. Just call me Liese.”

“Sorry, Miss Liese. I’m just a country bumpkin looking to get vengeance against the god of pestilence.”

[Your reputation with the Knights of Mystis has increased from Normal to Exceptional. You have obtained the highest reputation! All knights will now address you and your party members with a ‘Sir’ suffix. You cannot gain more favor or reputation until you have made at least one request to them.]

“Thank you. Your contribution has been amazing. Is there anything we can help you with, Sir Andrew?”

“Yes, we’d like to use the portal to the next floor. Will you allow it?”

“Of course. Our doors will always be open to you.” Liese beamed. No questions, only affirmation. Despite being a receptionist, she agreed without even consulting her superiors. This game-like mechanic made Andrew wince. Even with the warm welcome, he wasn’t fooled—he noticed that the system had already updated.

[Your reputation with the Knights of Mystis has dropped to Very High. A portal to the third floor has been opened.]

“We’d also like to bring something else. Something big.”

“Of course. But anything brought through must be inspected by the knights. No exceptions. Don’t worry—you can bring any tools and equipment you have, just make sure they’re not infected.”

“... I see. How much favor do I need to spend to let this one slide?” Andrew asked. There was no beating around the bush. He had thought about doing it secretly—maybe by bringing several large, cumbersome boxes and hiding James in one of them—but he abandoned that plan. If it were discovered, he might make enemies of Mystis, rendering all his achievements null. Worse, James would end up stranded in a room full of knights.

Andrew needed both James and the knights to defeat the fifth-floor boss monster. He especially needed James in case, by some minuscule chance, there was more than one boss on the sixth floor.

“...” The girl eyed Andrew suspiciously. “We can’t allow you to bring any infection into the bastion.”

“We can swear there won’t be any infection.”

“Then why won’t you allow us to inspect the goods?”

“It contains a dangerous monster,” Andrew said bluntly.

“Monster? I see... I’m sorry, Mr. Andrew, but looking at the matter—”

“Is this how the knights of Mystis repay us for what we’ve done? I need that monster on the bastion floor. You said you’d do anything to help us, right?”

“We are sworn to defeat all enemies of Mystis. All monsters must be killed on sight.”

“And I’m asking you to look the other way, just for a moment,” Andrew pressed.

“Remember: we must kill all enemies of Mystis on sight… But for your request... we shall consider it, Andrew,” the receptionist said. Her expression turned harsh. She no longer addressed him with Sir.

[Your reputation with the Knights of Mystis has been reduced to Normal. They will now treat you like any other citizen. Higher favor is now locked.]

“Shit,” Andrew cursed inwardly. The chance to earn Mystis’ unique skill and blessing had slipped further away. But if this could get James to the next floor, he was willing to pay the price. Completing this floor was his top priority.

Andrew left the knights’ headquarters with heavy steps.

“Leader, how did it go?” Hain asked.

“They said they’ll consider it. But damn, our reputation has really tanked.”

“Yeah, I can see it in the system. So, what now?”

“We’re going to the sewers. We need to clean out the infection there. After that, we’ll smuggle James into the third floor.”

“What about the fourth floor?”

“We either hire knights to kill the boss monster, or we do it ourselves.”

“Boss James could solo the first-floor boss. Maybe we shouldn’t waste favors like that,” Kouki said. “We should at least give it a try. I might not be as strong as James, who could beat a boss alone, but I’m still strong.”

“Yes, that’s what I’m planning to do. Let’s head to the sewers,” Andrew nodded.

Andrew knew there was an underground sewer system that led outside through a well. There had been an event here once, where monsters poured out from wells across the city, killing some of Andrew’s companions.

“It’s here,” Andrew said, peering down from the top of the well. Using the rope Delila brought, he tied it to the well’s support and dropped the rest down.

“We’re totally looking suspicious right now,” Kaina said, glancing around.

“So what? They’re just NPCs,” Hain scoffed.

“Kaina, we might look suspicious, but this is necessary,” Andrew said.

“Hey! What are you doing!” a passing knight barked at them.

“Hieek!” Kaina yelped and jumped back. The rest of the group panicked and drew their weapons—except Andrew.

“Greetings, Sir Knight. How may I help you?”

“I asked what you’re doing here. Are you infected?”

“Of course not. We’re clean.”

“Then what are you doing? Sneaking into the sewer through an abandoned well?”

“I go by the name Andrew. You must have heard of our achievements as adventurers.”

“Yes, I know you. So, what are you doing here?”

“I plan to fight against the Pestilence God by investigating the places people usually avoid—including the sewers. This well connects to an underground cave, and I heard the cave leads to the sewer system.”

“I see. You should have gone through the cloaca instead of using the wells. We can’t have people putting their dirty shoes inside the well. Here, let me show you. The entry fee is one gold bar.”

“Very well. We shall abide.” Andrew scrunched his face but relented. As long as that jerk of a knight asked for gold bars, not favors, he could tolerate it. He had several gold bars lying around unused.

The group was soon brought to a building near the tower. After paying the entry fee, Andrew rode his horse inside. Kouki left his dragon with Kaina.

“Only combatants from here on. Sorry, but I’ve actually never been here before. I don’t know if there are ambushes or not. We’ll need to be careful,” Andrew said. So only Hain, Kouki, Sanders, and he went in.

“Okay.”

“Light,” Andrew said. A bright glow filled the cave.

“There’s nothing here,” Kouki said.

“We should still map the area. I need to make sure that this is the correct path for James later. If there’s nothing, that’s fine.” Andrew tilted his head.

There had to be something in these sewers—otherwise, how could those monsters have surged up from the wells?

It didn’t take long for Andrew’s suspicion to be confirmed. Rats as tall as a man rushed toward them, their massive bodies nearly filling the tunnel.

“Shit!!” Kouki shouted. “Heaven Pierce!”

His sword glowed gold as he thrust forward. The golden light shot out from his blade like a meteor. Kouki had spent all his money on sword skills—once they reached a high enough level, they gained an aura, allowing him to launch ranged attacks with sword skills.

The golden meteor pierced through the rat’s skull, and its body slid across the ground, stopping just short of the group.

“Sell the body,” Kouki said to the system. Motes of white light engulfed the rat’s corpse, dissolving it. The sale earned him 10 coins.

“That was dangerous. Thank God it wasn’t infected. Do any of you have fire spells?” Andrew asked.

“I usually let Ralph handle that…”

“I could buy a flamethrower from the shop. Do we need it? It cost 200 coins.” Hain said.

“No need, Hain. I have fire magic,” Sanders added.

The group continued forward, incinerating anything in their way. The sewers were a maze of tunnels sprawling beneath the city.

It felt like hours had passed as they traversed the twisting network. The constant splashing of water trickling through the sewers kept them on edge. The foul stench was enough to make them nauseous. After several turns, Sanders had sketched a rough map of the area.

“ARGH!! Help! Help!! ARGHH!!!”

A scream echoed through the tunnel. The group rushed toward the sound. They saw a man running for his life—but it was too late. Several small infected creatures had caught up to him and tore into him before Andrew could intervene. The man soon twisted into another infected creature.

Andrew’s gaze snapped to a man clad in green armor chasing after the unfortunate soul.

“Why did you flee? Embrace the blessing of the god of pestilence,” the green knight said, his tone calm. Then he noticed Andrew’s group. “Hm? Adventurers? In the sewers?”

He stared at them with eerie anticipation, like a priest greeting new sacrifices. Andrew cursed under his breath.

“Shit! A Knight of Pestilence! Be careful—he’s nearly as strong as the Knights of Mystis! Get ready! Sanders—damn it, he wasn’t supposed to appear until the next floor!”

“On it!” Sanders shouted, casting a burst of fire toward the monsters and the knight.

The group snapped into position as the knight charged, halberd raised. The fireball struck his armor but left it untouched. Kouki dashed forward with his sword.

Sword skills clashed against axe skills. Shockwaves rang through the tunnel. Kouki sidestepped, knowing he couldn’t match the raw power of the strike. The halberd scraped along his blade. Kouki spun around, his sword glowing gold once more.

Thanks to his unique skill, Swordmaster, Kouki could manipulate sword skills, allowing him to modify and cast them with ease. As his blade was about to reach the green knight, a golden flash appeared at the corner of his vision. Kouki reacted quickly, shifting his sword toward the golden flash. Another skill clash rang through the tunnel. The knight had used a two-hit axe skill on his halberd, deflecting Kouki’s strike.

Caught off guard, Kouki was blown back. His body slammed into the tunnel wall.

The knight turned. His halberd glowed once more, ready to finish Kouki off. But before he could strike, a golden meteor slammed into him from the side. Kouki wasn’t alone—he had Andrew, Hain, and Sanders by his side. Andrew’s spear pierced the knight’s armor as if it were paper, but missed his heart.

“Ragh!” the green knight roared, now turning his halberd toward Andrew.

“No, you don’t!” Hain leaped forward. A golden flash carved an arc across the knight’s arm from below, slicing it off. Kouki followed up with a lunge, and another graceful arc severed the knight’s head. A perfect display of coordination—something James lacked.

“All right! Good work, everyone. Any injuries? Kouki, need a potion?”

“No need. Just a bruise. Damn... 300 coins and a level up. Did you guys get that?” Kouki groaned.

“Hah. Hahaha. That was easier than I expected. I really thought we’d lose someone when that knight showed up. Back then, I was helpless against him, even with five comrades,” Andrew said, chuckling. At the time, he only had Beginner Sword Mastery. With just a single-hit weapon skill, there was no way they could defeat the knight.

“We’ve simply grown stronger. We’ve leveled up, gained sword skills and better equipment since then, Andrew.”

“Take the necklace from his neck. It’ll earn us another favor with the knights,” Andrew instructed. “But don’t let it touch your skin. Wrap it in cloth or you’ll get infected.”

Sanders nodded and wrapped the necklace and the severed head carefully. The head might not earned a favor, but it could sell for something in the knight order

They moved on. The exit wasn’t far now.