A steep set of stairs led downwards and he could not see anything beyond it due to the angle. Both the stairs and areas around it were packed with stones, making it seem very sturdy.
“So, what’re you going to do? Are you going to wait here?”
“It’s a bit difficult for me to fight indoors. If possible, I would like to go and find a place that’s wide and easy to fight in and attack their position there.
“Considering a 1v1 situation, you’d have a higher chance of winning if you waited at the top of the stairs. But if there’s a battle, there’s a chance that I would be too far ahead to hear it… And since reinforcements might come running, we should definitely forget about that idea. Then let’s go together.”
“Yes. I leave myself in your care.”
“I’ll lead the way. Follow a bit further behind me.”
“Understood. And although the item that I used a moment ago to clear the trap can be used three times per day, it can’t be used consecutively and need a thirty minute interval between uses. We can’t rely on the item.”
“Got it. I’ll advance with the utmost caution. And if you detect something then give me a shout.”
After saying that, Brain moved to the front and walked down the stairs. Just in case, he advanced one step at a time while prodding the ground in front of him with his katana. Climb followed him from behind.
At the bottom of the stairway, the ground and even the walls were lined with hard rocks. A few meters ahead, they saw a wooden door with its edges reinforced with steel.
Although it was difficult to imagine that they would place a trap at the level of the crossbow in the passage with the emergency exit, it was common for heavily armed warriors to be incapacitated by a single floor trap. That had to be avoided at all costs.
Despite the short distance, Brain advanced carefully and took his time reaching the door. Climb was on standby at the bottom of the stairs. He did so to avoid being dragged into any accidents should they occur.
Brain first poked the door with his sword. After repeating this several times, he grabbed the doorknob— and twisted it. His movements then stopped.
As he worried over what might have happened, Brain turned to him and spoke with a plaintive voice.
“…It’s locked.”
Of course. A door would be locked.
“Ah, I have something. One moment.”
He rang the last of the three handbells at the door.
With the power of ‘Bell of Open Lock’, the faint sound of a key unlocking the door could be heard.
Brain turned the knob and opened the door slightly, searching for a presence from within.
“No one’s there. I’ll go in first.”
Climb followed behind Brain and broke in as well.
They were in a hall.
In one corner of the room, there was a cage that was large enough to fit a person. Countless number of wooden crates was stacked up against the wall. Was this where they stored the luggage? Even so, it still seemed a bit too spacious.
There was a door with no key on the opposite side. When Climb listened carefully, he heard a faint noise, as if there was a commotion in the distance.
Brain turned around and asked Climb.
“What about here? It’s certainly big enough, but… you’re probably going to end up having to fight several people at once.”
“If that becomes the case, I will open the door leading to the exit and fight at the stairs.”
“Alright. I’ll take a quick look around and be back soon. So don’t die, Climb.”
“Good luck. Brain-sama as well, be careful.”
“If you don’t mind… could you let me borrow that item from before?”
“Of course. I apologize for not having thought of that.”
Climb handed all three bells over to Brain who put them into his belt pouch. He then wore the determined face of a warrior.
“Then I’ll be going.”
Leaving only those words, Brain went through the keyless door and moved deeper into the brothel.
Now that he was alone, Climb looked around the quiet interior.
First, he checked to see if anyone was behind the crates and whether there were any other passages. Although it was the searching skills of a warrior at best, there did not appear to be any hidden doors. He then investigated the vast number of wooden crates.
If possible, he wanted to find information on Eight Fingers’ facilities other than this one. It would be great if there were contrabands or illegal goods. Of course, the real search would have to wait until after this place was taken over. But he had to conduct his own investigation within the scope of what he was capable.
Among the countless crates, both large and small, he approached the largest of them all. Its length, width, and all, everything was about two meters tall.
He checked the large crate for any possible traps. Needless to say, it was the same as before. He had no skills of observation and could not imitate the skills of a thief.
He pressed his ear up against it and listened.
Although it didn’t seem like something was locked inside, in a place like the underworld, anything could happen. They could even be smuggling illegal creatures.
In a way, maybe it was to be expected that he didn’t hear any noises. Climb then placed his hand on top to try and open it.
— It’s not opening.
It did not budge.
He looked around for something like a plank or a stick but a quick look revealed that there were none.
“…No choice then.”
Next, he moved over to try and open the next biggest crate measuring about a meter on all sides.
This one opened easily. Peering inside, there was a variety of garments. Starting from a shabby one-piece, there were even a number of clothes a noble’s daughter would wear.
“What is this? Is there something hidden beneath these… it doesn’t appear that way. Are these spare clothes? Some of these look like work clothes, and this is a maid outfit? What in the world?”
Climb could not understand what all these clothes meant and twisted his face. He held one in his hand but it was normal clothing. If these were related to a crime, then they would be stolen goods. However, it was not enough as evidence for bringing down this brothel.
Leaving the stuff that he didn’t understand alone, Climb headed for a crate that was a similar size to the one before. That was when he heard a loud rattle fill the room.
That was impossible. He had checked the entire room and confirmed that no one was here. At that moment, a thought flashed across his mind. Someone could have used ‘Invisibility’ to hide themselves here from the beginning.
Climb was startled by the thought and hastily turned in the direction of the noise, the 2 meter crate that did not open. One of the sides of that crate had been up against the wall, and the opposite side was now open.
There was no luggage inside the exposed interior. Instead, there were two men. The inside was a passage and there was a hole where the wall should have been. The inside of the crate had been connected to a secret tunnel.
While Climb blinked, the men stepped out of the crate one at a time.
Cold sweat ran down his back.
The appearance of one of the men closely resembled the description that he had heard from Sebas. His name was Succulent, the one who was considered to be their biggest obstacle in this attack and at the same time, the one they wanted to capture the most.
He was a member of ‘Six Arms’ who was said to be equal to adamantium ranked adventurers. The enemy that Climb could not hope to defeat drew his blade and spoke while narrowing his eyes.
“I knew that there were intruders from ‘Alarm’ so I went out of my way to take the secret passage but… …Maybe you should have prepared more paths, after all?”