There are janitors in dungeons.
This isn’t a metaphor; they’re real janitors.
Their job is to prevent monsters from increasing in the dungeon by collecting corpses and maintaining a certain level of cleanliness within the dungeon.
Most of these janitors are legally employed, so they’re referred to as “White Cleaners.”
However, when they dabble a little into the illegal side, they may delete records in the dungeon to ensure that the original discoverer can exclusively claim them, which is a bit of a gray area but still technically legal.
But, as with everything, there are those who cross the line entirely.
Some remove evidence of crimes that happened in the dungeon, or worse, sabotage dungeon raids.
While the former is questionable, it’s even harder to call the latter a “janitor,” but nonetheless, these individuals are all known as “Black Cleaners.”
Before making contact with the mysterious group of janitors, Amon spoke to his party members.
“I think those people are Black Cleaners, but what do you all think?”
[I agree. Those aren’t tools used by regular janitors.]
The mute sniper, using the telepathy of the buffalo tank, made his guess.
The rest of the party members shared the same view.
Only Cassie, who had been relatively less bullied in the party, placed a bet on the opposite outcome.
“If I win, you all owe me 5 dollars each.”
With that trivial exchange, the party approached the janitors.
Amon, holding his sword in one hand, waved his other hand to greet the janitors.
“Hello. Could it be that you’re—!”
But before his greeting was even finished, an arrow flew toward Amon’s head.
Amon dodged the arrow and looked at the janitors.
One of them was aiming a crossbow at him.
“This looks like a Black Cleaner,” Amon muttered.
And they had a very shady vibe.
As if to confirm Amon’s words, the janitors charged at Amon’s party.
A warrior wielding an axe targeted the mute sniper.
However, the sniper didn’t even spare him a glance.
“Moaaa!!”
Bieek!!
The punch from the buffalo tank, whose shield was wrapped around his hand, landed on the axe warrior’s temple.
The axe warrior’s body spun through the air and flew far off.
The shockwave from the flying body even ruffled the mute sniper’s bangs.
Unfazed by the wind pressure, she pulled the trigger.
Twang!
The janitor, who had been aiming for Cassie’s back, bent like a bow and collapsed forward.
After successfully making a shot, the mute sniper activated her invisibility and moved to a different position.
As she was moving, she didn’t forget to thank the buffalo tank.
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it!”
The tank gave a thumbs-up and continued to break through the janitors’ ranks.
Meanwhile, in another part of the dungeon, the ogre heavy artillery was busy making bombs.
Once the bombs were ready, the dual mage used telekinesis to toss them.
KABOOM!!
With the unreasonable bombings, the janitors exploded into pieces.
“Ooo… That’s artistic..! Explosions truly are the ultimate form of art…!”
Muttering dangerous words, the dual mage next to the ogre chuckled and agreed.
Before long, the once numerous janitors had been reduced to half.
One of the janitors shouted.
“Why are such people active on this floor?!”
Though they seemed like simple janitors, they were actually quite capable in dungeon terms, typically operating between the middle and lower levels.
They were confident that even if they encountered a party on a floor like this, they could eliminate them without leaving a trace.
That’s why they attacked Amon’s party without hesitation—they were sure of their victory.
But it was a misunderstanding.
The hunters were Amon’s party.
Though the janitors felt a bit wronged, they had underestimated their opponents.
‘The scan didn’t show them as this strong!’
Surviving in this world is all about knowing when to pick your battles.
That’s why those who engage in dangerous work always carry scanning devices or magical eyes.
In their eyes, Amon’s party didn’t seem to be much of a threat.
The treatments they had received were at a mid-level party standard, and their gear was just what mercenaries operating on this floor would use.
The mute sniper had received quite a bit of treatment, but she wasn’t considered particularly threatening.
Amon, who hadn’t received any treatments, was effectively written off.
They were confident they had the advantage.
That was, until Amon severed the heads of two warriors in one swift motion.
“Catch that guy!”
“Why can’t we catch just one guy?!”
Amon weaved through the janitor group, harvesting their heads.
The odds were in their favor.
But Amon, the wild card, turned the tide.
The janitors were caught off guard by Amon’s unpredictable movements, unable to respond properly, and were quickly overwhelmed.
“They said you didn’t receive any treatment! So what’s that?!”
“I’ve never seen a skill like that!!”
They had heard of the Sky Step essence, which allowed for double jumps in the air.
They hadn’t expected to encounter someone with that essence, but it was within the realm of possibility.
However, they had never seen moves that seemed almost like teleportation or sudden, sharp turns in movement.
They couldn’t fathom that it was an advanced use of the Sky Step, and feared the unknown essence.
In desperation, one janitor shouted.
“Bring the flamethrower!”
“You think it’ll work on someone who dodges bullets?!”
“Shut up and just bring it!”
The janitor who shouted threw the flamethrower fuel tank onto the floor.
The fuel spilled out and soaked the corridor.
The cleaner, without considering that his comrades might get caught in it, threw a lighter into the fuel.
Whoosh!
With the sound of air heating up, flames filled the hallway.
Not only Amon and his party but also the cleaners who hadn’t received the signal were caught in the flames.
Aaaah!
The cleaners writhed in pain, rolling on the floor.
No matter how much protective clothing they wore, they weren’t invulnerable to fire.
“Behind me!”
The water buffalo tank, one of Amon’s party, pulled his comrades to the corner, using his shield as a firewall to protect them.
The cleaner who had caused this watched the fire with satisfaction and said, “Now’s the time. Let’s escape.”
Although they had already shown their faces to Amon’s party, their lives were more important.
Without hesitation, he turned and prepared to flee with the remaining comrades.
“With a fire like that, our shoes will melt, and they won’t be able to chase us.”
He guessed that Amon’s essence had something to do with his shoes, though he wasn’t sure what exactly it was.
Just as they were about to escape, a dagger flew through the flames.
Before the cleaner could figure out what was happening, the dagger pierced his forehead.
The cleaner fell dead with wide eyes.
The remaining cleaners turned toward the direction the dagger had come from.
Through the flames, Amon leapt out.
The cleaners’ gaze naturally fell to Amon’s shoes.
His shoes were definitely burned.
The soles of his feet, which had turned red, were visible beneath his shoes.
But Amon had just performed a double jump moments ago.
Though the situation was unclear, one thing was certain.
They couldn’t defeat Amon.
As the cleaners sat down in panic, Amon’s grumbling voice reached their ears.
“Ugh, ugh, ugh… Combining looks and performance is so hard. These gears are all limited edition. How am I supposed to get them again…?”
Amon approached, brushing off the blood and soot from his clothes.
Before the cleaners could say anything, a flash of light passed through their necks.
***
After the flames had subsided, Amon rejoined his party, limping with his scorched feet.
His party members looked at him with concern.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Cassie looked at him worriedly.
Amon shook his head.
“No, I’m not okay. It hurts a lot.”
His side had already been hurt, and now his feet were injured as well.
At that moment, a painful sensation shot through his brain.
It was a brutal pain, especially since it was coming from a nerve cluster.
The elite ogre who was with them comforted Amon.
“I know burns. The pain means you’ve got second-degree burns with nerves still alive! Congratulations! You’ll recover with treatment.”
“Thanks.”
“Even so, if it gets infected, the headache will be awful. Someone will have to carry you to the exit.”
The ogre looked around at the party.
His gaze shifted to the two frontliners.
The water buffalo tank shook his head.
“Sorry, I can’t carry you. My arm shield got a bit melted from blocking the flames. My fingers and arm nerves are messed up, so I don’t think I can carry you.”
Naturally, the group’s gaze shifted to the last remaining member.
“Me?”
It was the spear-wielder Cassie.
She pointed to herself with her finger and said, “I’m a woman, you know?”
It was, of course, a joke.
While saying that, she handed her spear and gear to the other party members, preparing to carry Amon.
Amon hesitated but then allowed himself to be carried on Cassie’s back.
It looked a little awkward, but Cassie lifted Amon with ease.
As Amon hung from her back, he muttered, “Normally, I should be the one carrying you for it to look right.”
“That’s a stereotype. Why can’t a woman carry a man?”
“You just said you’re a woman.”
“I meant that I can carry you because I’m a woman.”
“Yes, yes. Very impressive, Lady Warrior.”
While exchanging these trivial words, Amon hung from Cassie’s back.
After a few attempts to adjust Amon’s position, Cassie spoke, “Hey, try to hold on properly. You keep trying to not cling to me, so it’s not working right.”
At her words, Amon reluctantly clung to her back.
His chest pressed against her back, and naturally, his head rested next to hers.
The smell of burnt flesh and blood mixed with Amon’s sweat, which wafted into her nose.
“Ugh.”
“What? Do I smell?”
“It’s bearable.”
“Sorry, do you have any air fresheners or perfume?”
“Do you think I brought those to a dungeon?”
“Right.”
As Amon’s sweat reached her nostrils and into her brain, Cassie reflexively began to feel warm.
It wasn’t a reaction of love, but more like the response to consuming alcohol.
However, on the surface, Cassie showed no change in behavior.
Aside from the slight swaying in her steps, she remained the same as usual.
Before they set off, Amon paused the party for a moment.
“Oh, by the way. Don’t you want to investigate what the cleaners were trying to destroy before we leave?”
“I’ve already handled it. You just focus on heading to the surface, Amon.”
The transformation mage waved his hand, and the party continued on their way toward the exit.
Afterward, Amon’s party reached the exit without any issues.
On the way to the hospital, with Amon in the car, the ogre who was driving spoke up.
“Before we leave the dungeon, there’s something I haven’t said. Is it okay if I say it now?”
“Go ahead.”
The transformation mage, sitting in the passenger seat, responded to him.
“We handled that situation safely. Now we don’t have to disband the party.”
“If you say that, aren’t we going to get some backlash?”
“…Oh? Was that my fault? Sorry about that.”
“Hahaha!”
At the ogre’s honest apology, everyone in the car burst into laughter.
Thus, the car headed toward the hospital, filled with laughter.
The party members, who had feared backlash, now truly opened up to each other.
Unfortunately, the distance to the hospital was short, so they didn’t have much time to talk.
The genuine emotions had to wait, and the party members dropped Amon off at the ‘hospital’ for his treatment.
Before dropping him off, the water buffalo tank asked with concern, “By the way, do you have insurance?”
“I have it, so don’t worry.”
This was part of the contract with the $3 monthly group.
In exchange for a monthly fee of only $10,000, they would cover Amon and Sonia’s insurance and medical expenses.
Since Amon expected to get hurt often in his mercenary work, it was a benefit he got by cutting down the upfront cost.
He wouldn’t have to worry about money, especially with payments from the Vatican on the way.
The mute sniper, who seemed to understand that Amon didn’t have to worry about money, asked, [Your equipment and essence… Are you some CEO’s illegitimate child?]
“Do you think so?”
[Phew, thank goodness.]
At Amon’s answer, the party members let out a sigh of relief.
Thus, Amon was carried on Cassie’s back to the hospital.
And just like last time, when he was lying in his hospital bed…
“Amooooon!!!”
Sonia, covered in tears and snot, rushed into the hospital room.
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