The Garbage Collector Who Stumbled Upon Mythical Weapons! - Chapter 20
The next day—
In front of Abaraid Mine, located in the middle of the mountain range north of the city.
When Garm and the members of “Great Eagle” arrived, “Albatross,” led by Macaus, was already there.
Four rugged men stood in a row. Their formation was all warriors, making them look rough and intense.
“Is the last party running late?”
Garm looked around, but there was no one else in sight.
“It seems so. Well, if we wait, they’ll show up eventually.”
Van sat down on a rock, ready to wait patiently.
A short distance away, Clay stood with his arms crossed, wearing a sullen expression. As expected, he still had no intention of getting along, Garm thought.
After a while, figures appeared climbing up from below. It seemed the late party had finally arrived.
When Garm saw them, his eyes widened in surprise.
They were all women. And each one of them was stunningly beautiful.
“H-Hey! That’s…”
“Yeah, that’s ‘Minazuki,’ the B-rank party. It’s been a while since I last saw them.”
Van calmly observed “Minazuki” while Garm grew excited.
“So that’s Minazuki…”
Garm felt his excitement rise upon seeing the famous party of adventurers. Leading them was Maria, a B-rank swordswoman.
Her red, beautiful hair fluttered in the wind, and her elegant features caught the attention of every man present.
Not just Maria—all of “Minazuki” were beautiful, and their enchanting presence even stirred interest among Macaus and his men.
Garm couldn’t take his eyes off “Minazuki” as they approached.
“Wow… The rumors were true. Maria really is beautiful.”
As he stared with admiration, he suddenly felt a sharp presence behind him. Nervously, he turned around—only to see Sophia and Amber glaring at him like he was trash.
“N-No, look! Minazuki is famous, but it’s my first time seeing them! I was just a little curious!”
“Whatever. I don’t care.”
Sophia coldly dismissed him, and Amber turned away in disinterest.
—Ugh… Van was looking too! Why am I the only one getting this treatment…?
“Sorry, we were a little late.”
Maria apologized upon arriving in front of the mine. Even her composed manner was graceful and beautiful.
“Hmph. Took you long enough. Well, whatever.”
Macaus grumbled but walked toward the entrance of the tunnel.
At that moment, Van suddenly spoke as if he had just remembered something.
“Now that I think about it, ‘Minazuki’ is also B-rank, just like ‘Albatross.’”
“Huh? Then that means… Macaus might not necessarily be the leader?”
Garm had hoped to avoid following Macaus’ orders if possible…
“No, Minazuki has two B-rank members and two C-rank members. On the other hand, Albatross has all four members at B-rank… So we still have to follow Albatross.”
“Damn it! I guess we have no choice.”
Garm reluctantly accepted the reality. With all the parties now assembled, the adventurers gathered in front of the tunnel. Standing before them, Macaus raised his voice.
“Alright, we’re all here! Well, there are some women, but whatever. I am Macaus of ‘Albatross.’ If we get into combat inside the tunnel, follow our instructions. Understood?”
No one voiced any objections.
In raid battles, guild rank was the most important factor.
“We, ‘Albatross,’ will enter first. ‘Minazuki’ follows after. And at the very back, we have ‘Great Eagle,’ since you guys have E-rank members. Garm, don’t slow us down.”
Laughing, Macaus led the way into the tunnel.
Garm gritted his teeth in frustration and followed behind.
◇◇◇
The three parties proceeded through the dimly lit tunnel.
The passage was wide enough for several adults to walk side by side, reinforced by wooden beams.
‘Great Eagle’ was positioned at the rear. Garm and Van walked in the front, followed by Sophia and Amber, with Clay taking the very back.
This formation was meant to protect the magic users and healers.
“By the way, why did monsters suddenly start appearing here? The mine was working fine before, right?”
Garm asked while holding up a torch. Van responded.
“It seems the mine’s depths were connected to a ‘Labyrinth.’”
“A Labyrinth… So there was an undiscovered one here?”
“That’s right.”
Labyrinths were places like ancient ruins or caves where monsters had settled. The kingdom deemed them dangerous and prohibited civilians from entering.
However, since Labyrinths often contained rare monsters and valuable materials known as “treasures,” many adventurers sought them out.
“So that means we’re heading all the way to the Labyrinth’s deepest part?”
“Yeah. The request is to reopen the mine. Just sealing the passage to the Labyrinth won’t solve the problem.”
To completely exterminate the monsters in a Labyrinth, they had to defeat the strongest monster, known as the “Boss,” which emitted powerful magical energy at the deepest level.
The strength of the “Boss” varied depending on the Labyrinth.
Based on the monsters that had emerged from the mine so far, the guild had judged that B- and C-rank adventurers could handle this one.
“Well, since we have ‘Albatross,’ with all its B-rank members, there shouldn’t be any problems… but we should still stay cautious.”
“Yeah, good point.”
Garm agreed with Van’s caution.
He had made mistakes in the past from being overconfident and getting hurt. This time, he swore to be more careful.