Akatsuki Translations

The Great Dungeon Flood 

Beginning centuries ago, from the depths of the subterranean realm emerged ominous caverns, abysses of malevolence, and nightmarish chasms that birthed demons with relentless fervor. Invading, ravaging, and dismantling the very habitats of humanity, they became the ultimate catalyst that irreversibly altered the course of humanity’s existence. 

Nowadays, as resource mining sites, dungeons have become the People’s lifeline. Although their structure and conditions vary, they can be broadly categorized into small, medium, and large-scale. 

However, there are seven exceptions in this world that do not fit into any of those categories. These are the seven dungeons divided into the Seven Sins that burden humanity. 

Pride, Wrath, Envy, Sloth, Greed, Gluttony, and Lust. 

The dungeon associated with the sin of Greed is here. 

However, contrary to its name as a deadly sin, the contents of this dungeon were remarkably conventional, similar to that of a standard small-scale dungeon.  

Ever since the era of the Great Flood, numerous small-scale dungeons had emerged, with most following a similar design called an “Underground Dungeon type,” or with the design occasionally being found in larger-scale dungeons, these types are typically devoid of any significant terrain alterations.  

The Dungeon of Greed’s design was refreshingly simplistic. As one ventured deeper into the intermediate and lower levels, the dungeon’s nature underwent further transformations. However, during the initial stages, in the upper levels, the dungeon itself exhibited no extraordinary changes to speak of. 

Its structure was no different from the usual dungeons. 

So, what set it apart from a typical dungeon? 

“They’re here, they’re here, they’re here!! Straight ahead!!” -Ur 

“Ur-sama, they’re coming from behind too!” -Shizuku 

The “concentration” of the monsters. 

“GYAGYAGYAGYA!!!” 

A few minutes after Ur and Shizuku ventured into the Dungeon of Greed, they found themselves engaged with a group of goblins. These creatures posed the least threat among the monsters, and Ur had defeated them before in smaller dungeons when he had weaker equipment. 

But this time, there were ten of them. 

“There are so many!” -Ur 

“GYA!?” 

Ur shouted as he thrust his spear forward. He impaled one of the goblins that foolishly charged at him, piercing through its abdomen and reaching another goblin behind it. The two goblin corpses fell, confirming that these creatures were indeed weak and fragile. 

However, eight more remained. 

“GYAAA!!!” 

Ugly, childlike monsters emerged from behind their fallen brethren. With sharp claws extended and drooling fangs bared, they attacked. If bitten or torn apart, death was inevitable. 

But the increased numbers alone made them exponentially more dangerous. It was a characteristic of the goblins. 

“We’re in danger!” -Shizuku 

“GAAA!?” 

Their only option for countering the threat was to fight back in numbers. Shizuku stood beside Ur and swung her magician’s staff, bringing it down on one of the goblins’ heads and crushing it. Although it seemed more like a physical attack than the conventional use of magic, the fact that she wasn’t just a stationary magician made her dependable. 

Ur swiftly withdrew his spear from the goblin and immediately swung it down, mowing through two more creatures. He managed to capture two of them. One escaped, but the other crashed into the wall, its bones audibly breaking. Fragile. 

Six remained. One goblin stumbled in front of Ur after being knocked down by the previous attack. Without mercy, Ur delivered a powerful kick, snapping its neck. Five left. 

Indeed, the goblins were weak and fragile. Even haphazard attacks could easily end their lives. However, no matter how one-sided the fight was, Ur and his companions lacked the necessary firepower to exterminate them all. 

“GYAAA!!!” 

“Damn it!” -Ur 

The remaining goblins pounced on Ur. They opened their mouths wide, attempting to sink their teeth into his arms. 

His leather armor provided some defense, but their teeth and claws still managed to pierce his flesh, causing blood to spurt out. Two or three more goblins were about to leap onto him. 

If he stayed there, he would be overwhelmed and torn to pieces. 

The terror was real. Though individually insignificant, these small demons, belonging to the lowest rank of the thirteen hierarchies of monsters, became exponentially more dangerous when they gathered. They were a force to be reckoned with, just like any other creature of their kind, and should never be underestimated. 

In the face of this menace, there was a significant factor that allowed Ur to act without fear or panic: his familiarity was born out of countless encounters in dire situations, owing to his status as a social outcast. 

“Run!” 

“Yes!” 

He couldn’t afford to stay here any longer. This intuitive realization urged him into swift action. Stepping away from the leaping goblins, he turned his back on them and started running. 

When confronting goblins, many people, lured by their vulnerability and weakness, tend to face them head-on, allowing the creatures to “stop” their advances. However, by stopping, they would be easy prey. They would be surrounded and killed. 

Running while glancing back, the distance between them and the goblins seemed to grow wider. The goblins were slow-footed. 

“Shizuku!!” -Ur 

“【Sing, flames, and vanquish thine enemies —Fireball!!】” -Shizuku 

Shizuku’s song resonated through the dungeon, and a fireball larger than a human head appeared in front of her and shot straight ahead. 

『GYAAAAAAH!?』 

The remaining goblins were instantly incinerated by the exploding fireball. They had no endurance like the Great Tusked Boar. Despite the various constraints of spellcasting, including incantations and limitations on usage, magic was still formidable. 

『G…』 

The remaining five creatures burned, writhed for a moment, and then stopped moving. Their bodies began to dissolve into gooey masses. The melted bodies of the goblins disappeared into the dungeon floor as if being sucked in, and in their place, magic stones fell. 

“…That was close.” -Ur 

Wiping the sweat that had broken out on his forehead, Ur sighed deeply. 

When Ur and Shizuku first entered the entrance of the dungeon, there were hardly any monsters. They advanced through the passages, and after a while, one or two goblins started to appear. Once they defeated them, no more would appear, so they ventured deeper and deeper. However, as they progressed to a certain extent, suddenly they found themselves surrounded by ten goblins. 

It was as if they had been lured in. No, they might have actually been lured in. This was a Dungeon of Sin, after all. 

“Aim for ten,” the advice finally made sense. If they got too greedy and delved too deep into this dungeon, they would die. If they pursued their desires and pushed forward, they would be devoured in an instant. This place was such a place, and the reference point of ten was a perfect number to realize that. 

“…No wonder those punks were wiped out completely.” -Ur 

Ur and Shizuku had relied on each other and formed a sort of party, which led them to their current dire situation. Those punks who were provoked by Glen probably hurriedly rushed into the dungeon, competing with each other to defeat the monsters and pushing deeper into it. Naturally, they would have faced a more intense onslaught than Ur and Shizuku. 

The result was a pile of bodies. Just as Glen had planned. It was a terrible situation. 

“Ur-sama, are you all right?” -Shizuku 

Releasing her magic and wearing a more fatigued expression than Ur, Shizuku approached. Ur raised his hand and turned towards her in response. 

“—Huh?” -Ur 

『GAAAAH!!』 

Ur was shocked by the sudden appearance of a new goblin from behind her. 

“Get down!” -Ur 

“—ah.” -Shizuku 

Reacting instantly to the goblin’s extended sharp claws aiming for Shizuku’s neck, Ur managed to thrust his spear. The reason he was still able to relax even after the battle was over, was that he understood the threat of the Dungeon of Sin. In other words, he was scared. And it turned out to be the right decision. 

『GOE…』 

The spear thrust grazed Shizuku’s head, pierced the goblin’s throat, and killed it. The corpse turned into a magic stone, but before Ur could pick it up, he was astonished. 

“…Seriously, another one already?” -Ur 

“Thank you, Ur-sama.” -Shizuku 

The speed of monster appearances in the dungeon varied depending on its scale. Sometimes they would hardly appear more than a few times a day. However, this time, all ten appeared together, and not even a minute had passed. What about after this? Would they be able to continue like this? 

No, 

 Ur wasn’t so optimistic as to believe that. He couldn’t afford to be carefree. 

“Shizuku, let’s hurry back.” -Ur 

“What about the magic stones?” -Shizuku 

“We don’t….. we need them.” -Ur 

Suppressing the urge to escape as quickly as possible, Ur spoke. 

They could stay free of charge at the training facility, but there would be no meals. Humans die without food. Ur was penniless. Meaning if they returned without picking up the magic stones, they would die either way. They had to pick up the magic stones as much as possible. 

“I dropped magic stones as I ran away, so there are some further down this corridor we just passed.” -Shizuku 

“…Damn it!” -Ur 

Ur dashed back toward the path they were on just moments ago at full speed. 

　　　　　　　　　　　◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆◆ 

Entrance of the Dungeon of Sin, Greed: Jaws of Desire 

“Ah, how tiresome,” sighed Glen, the master of the training facility, as he casually appeared. Most people didn’t pay much attention to his presence, but some of the adventurers gathered in the hall had a startled change of expression upon seeing him. Ignoring them, Glen proceeded toward the entrance of the Dungeon of Greed, where his students were piled up like trash. 

The battered and injured trainees glanced at Glen but seemed to have no energy left to curse him. They remained silent and bowed their heads. Glen chuckled disdainfully. 

“What a buncha spineless cowards. I had some hope they would still have the spirit to curse at me.” -Glen  

“Stop talking shit, you muscle-headed oaf.”  

A woman wearing a cloak called out to him. She was an adventurer who had entered the dungeon with the trainees and returned unscathed amidst a group of injured individuals. She was also one of the adventurers Glen had trained. 

“Hey, thanks for helping out, Carme.” -Glen 

“Must be nice to have as high a position as to be able to be late for work, Glen.” -Carme 

She spoke and removed the hood covering her head. She had a sharp gaze that left an impression. Two pointed ears, resembling those of a beastman, stood erect on top of her head. It wasn’t particularly rare. The problem lay in the beautiful silver ring adorning her finger. 

“…A ring.” -Trainee 

One of the trainees muttered as if in agony. On her finger, a genuine adventurer’s ring, shone as it basked in the sunlight. “Silver” was a symbol of an elite adventurer. 

Normally, she wouldn’t be entrusted with the job of guarding trainees, but her group had just returned from the middle layers of the dungeon and were in a rest period, so Glen (forcefully) assigned her the task. Ultimately, she had drawn the short straw. 

“By the way, Carme is the one who brought back the most kills, so she gets the prize.” -Glen 

“Don’t need it.” -Carme 

No one left here had the energy to complain even after realizing that the initial exchange was a fraud. 

“Is everyone here…?” -Carme 

“Nope, two more are left… Oh, there they are.” -Glen 

As Glen spoke, two figures emerged from the entrance of the dungeon. 

“…The sunlight, it’s dazzling.” -Ur 

“It is indeed… dazzling.” -Shizuku 

The final pair, Ur and Shizuku, staggered their way back from the Dungeon, completely exhausted. 

They were both on the verge of collapse, but at least they had managed to return on their own feet. They were injured, but not in need of immediate treatment. And, most importantly, they had also collected the magic stones from the defeated monsters. Magic stones were visible spilling out of the bag they were clutching. They hadn’t just encountered the monsters and escaped. They had actually made a “profit.” 

As first-time explorers of the Dungeon of Sin, it was a “not a bad achievement.” Glen smiled with satisfaction and then turned to the group of adventurers, who were covered in the remains of the dead. 

“So, the first exploration is over… Well, Carme, go ahead and say something.” -Glen 

“I told you not to push it onto me.” -Carme 

“Oh, come on. You’re getting paid by the guild, right? This is also your job.” -Glen 

Carme, the woman who was called upon and felt unfairly treated, muttered a complaint. However, she raised her face with a look of resignation and glared at the group she had brought along, sitting in tatters. 

“Now, you should understand. Dungeon exploration, especially the Dungeon of Sin, is never easy.” -Carme 

Her sharp voice seeped deeply into the exhausted minds of Ur and Shizuku. 

“The ferocity of the monsters, the high frequency of their appearances, the cunning design of the dungeon that easily led adventurers astray and isolated them—it was all unlike anything found in small or medium-sized dungeons. Countless adventurers had underestimated the challenge, arrogantly assuming that conquering these dungeons would be just like any other. Now they lay dead, their bodies a testament to their hubris.” -Carme 

Startled, those who recognized themselves in those words reacted, but they found themselves speechless, their faces cast down. Unperturbed by their reactions, Carme continued without mercy. 

“If one understands their own abilities and values caution and cooperation, even a child can embark on an exploration. Those who failed this time and were saved by me should realize that they were more useless than children.” -Carme 

Everyone understood that “children” referred to Ur and Shizuku who had recently emerged from the dungeon. Several gazes turned towards them, but Ur and the rest seemed too exhausted to be concerned, lacking the energy to pay it any mind. 

“And now, those who managed to explore relatively competently this time… yes.” -Carme 

She pondered for a moment, then flicked her silver ring with her nail. 

“You mighta realized, but I never had any intention of giving you real rings in this training facility. Once you get the basics, leave this place and gain some real experience.” -Glen 

Pointing her finger sharply at Glen, who stood nonchalantly with his arms folded, Carme continued. 

“This man undoubtedly has the skill, but his ability to lead is catastrophic. Steal what you can from him and cut loose whenever you feel like it. That’s all.” -Carme 

Having said what needed to be said, Carme concluded her task and departed the scene in a swift and spirited manner. Glen, who had been subjected to a fair amount of criticism, simply shrugged his shoulders without denying her words. 

“Well then, I guess I’ll get going. Once y’all get back, twenty laps on the training grounds are in order. Hafta start getting used to magic.” -Glen 

If you have the motivation, however. 

With those final words, he left without saying anything else, returning to the training facility with a light and brisk stride. The group of adventurers left behind, who were still beneath their level, exchanged glances and then slumped in exasperation. 

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Artist: https://twitter.com/MzNo32