**Episode 52**
From now on, what we have to do is explore the Bordeaux Dungeon and eliminate the “Lich” said to be in its deepest underground floor.
We had accepted the Bordeaux Dungeon exploration mission along the way, but that wasn’t important.
Right now, this country—though I don’t even know what it’s called—has issued emergency mission orders throughout the land for the purpose of selecting the next Hero candidates.
The emergency mission for Mareun Village was to eliminate the Thin Wolves in the Black Forest.
The one who brought this mission was none other than Isti.
She was a Diamond-grade hunter and an elf archer, one so reclusive that she was reluctant to even let humans know her name.
The day Isti arrived in Mareun Village, I immediately planted a suggestion in her,
and then met that bitch Karen, unexpectedly getting dragged into the Hero candidate selection.
The mission objective of eliminating the Thin Wolves was accomplished brilliantly… no, by a somewhat common-sense-defying method, but still.
Actually, the examiner Beil Noah, who had been in the village earlier, pointed out several suspicious details, forcing me to reveal everything that had happened.
Under normal circumstances, it would have been an immediate disqualification.
We had been attacked by a fellow adventurer, and thanks to Isti, who had the authority to speak up, defending us, we obtained an unexpected opportunity for an additional test.
And the contents of that test were to slay the Lich located on the lowest floor of the Bordeaux Dungeon.
I can’t stake my life on this. But now, this had become unavoidable.
I knew the way to that important Bordeaux Dungeon well.
It was the first dungeon I had challenged shortly after being transferred to this other world; there was no way I could forget it.
From what I recalled of the atmosphere back then, it had seemed like a dungeon that hadn’t been surveyed for long, so I never imagined there would be deeper floors.
We walked for roughly an hour and arrived at the entrance of the Bordeaux Dungeon.
This time, more adventurers had gathered than before.
Perhaps because it was a wide-open plain, the adventurers were visible at a glance, and it seemed even more had gathered than at the entrance to the Black Forest.
“Are all these people here to see the Lich?”
“Seems like it. Word has already spread among the adventurers. Everyone’s got good equipment too…….”
“Nothing to feel intimidated about.”
Karen took a deep breath.
“I’m not worried about anyone else. Whether I can do my part or not. That’s all I’m thinking about.”
“If it gets dangerous, let’s evacuate with Spatial Leap. You know that, right?”
“Yeah. It’s our last resort.”
After agreeing in advance on Spatial Leap, we descended underground.
Karen lit the lantern, held it in her shield hand, and took the lead.
Back then, Bindeol used to hold a torch and light the way. I wonder if he’s assisting another adventurer now?
“Oppa. Monsters ahead.”
“Fireball.”
I chanted in advance and created a fireball above my outstretched hand.
Strange. Only goblins should appear here? Aggressive as they may be, goblins are goblins. There was nothing to be on guard about, but something felt off.
“Here it comes!”
Karen shouted.
Something rushed in like an arrow. It was a skeleton. But not the kind of skeleton I knew.
It was armed with a sword in one hand. Its eye sockets glowed red, like remnants of some evil magic.
Though its appearance was only slightly different, its agility was so great that it might as well have been an entirely different monster.
Karen caught the sword swung by the skeleton with her shield, braced with her core, then pushed hard to deflect it.
Having already synchronized our breathing many times, timing the attack was an easy task.
I aimed the Fireball precisely and launched it.
The skeleton was hit by my spell and exploded from the impact. Burning bone fragments scattered in all directions, partially illuminating the dark passage.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
“What was that?”
“It was a Skeleton Warrior. They’re tough opponents, but your magic worked well, Oppa.”
As expected……
So to raise my level to 150, I have to fight things like that?
Fighting some knife-wielding thug seems less scary now.
“Karen. You okay?”
Karen’s complexion wasn’t good.
“The flames were too hot…….”
“Ah…….”
I had completely forgotten.
I was under Belreira’s blessing, so I was immune to heat, but Karen wasn’t.
The Black Forest had been a wide open field, but the Bordeaux Dungeon was a cramped indoor space. The passages were so narrow that three people could barely pass through, so I couldn’t tell her to just endure it.
If I did, Karen would suffer serious burns.
“Fireball won’t work. I’ll use Fire Arrow instead; it’s a bit weaker.”
“……Thanks.”
It wasn’t Karen’s fault.
If the environment restricted combat, I had to find a suitable method.
“Oppa. Ahead!”
Karen took a stance. The Skeleton Warrior charged from the front. Karen blocked the warrior’s wildly swinging sword, buying time.
“Fire Arrow!”
I hadn’t used it since learning Fireball.
Being a beginner skill, its power was a complete downgrade from Fireball, but… it couldn’t be helped.
Right now, I needed a skill that could strike compactly rather than one with overwhelming power. In that case, Fire Arrow was better.
Casting time was less than one second. A fully chanted Fire Arrow embedded itself in the Skeleton Warrior’s head.
“Ugh!”
But as expected, it lacked power.
The Skeleton Warrior held its ground and began pushing Karen back with force.
“Karen!”
“Yeah, I’ll knock it down now!”
Karen shoved hard with her shield, breaking the Skeleton Warrior’s balance.
“Fire Arrow!”
I hit the skeleton’s torso once more, but again, it didn’t fall.
I realized anew just how powerful Fireball had been.
“This will never end.”
“Let’s just use Fireball after all. Oppa…!”
“I’ll try raising the output.”
I used the function of my focus bracelet to overcharge Fire Arrow.
MP was rapidly drained as the power of Fire Arrow was amplified.
“Fire Arrow!”
The Skeleton Warrior’s body exploded.
(Your level has increased.)
“Haa…. Haa….”
“Karen, you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m just a bit tired from the contest of strength.”
“Is the heat bearable?”
“My skin is a bit hot, but I can endure this much.”
Though she hadn’t been directly hit by my spell, Karen’s arm was red, as if scalded by something hot.
“Come here for a moment.”
I took out a starlight clam from my personal storage and pressed it against Karen’s arm.
“Ah….”
“How is it? Doesn’t hurt, right?”
“How did you do that? It doesn’t even feel like magic….”
“It’s an item I got from Belra. Something like an artifact.”
“…Amazing. To think there’s an object that heals wounds just by holding it against you.”
“But……”
Burns are painful.
Just because her wounds would heal didn’t mean I could recklessly spam magic without caring whether Karen got caught in it or not.
Wasn’t there a good solution?
“Oppa. Don’t worry about me. The thought that you can’t fight at full strength because of me, that’s……”
Karen made a sad expression, as if she had noticed my dilemma.
“That’s not the problem, Karen.
Even if you’re ready to face pain, that doesn’t mean you can keep advancing while suffering burns. If you get taken down by a monster, I’ll die too.”
“……Yeah. You’re right.”
“The problem lies with me. Magic that burns things has too wide an area of effect.”
Wasn’t there a good solution?
“Why do the Skeleton Warriors notice us first in the first place?”
I looked at the lantern Karen was holding.
“Isn’t it because of the light? It’s easy to spot in dark places.”
“Then let’s proceed with the lights off.”
“With the lights off?”
“I’ll take the lead until we get out of this straight passage.”
“No. What if they notice us first even without the light? I might not be able to protect you, Oppa.”
“That’s why we have to use a skill.”
I glanced at the ring on my finger.
“I’m going to use Cloak of Concealment. Stick close to me.”
“Okay.”
Karen turned off the lantern and pressed up against my side.
Cloak of Concealment activated instantly through silent casting. A cloak unfurled, true to the skill’s name.
I had no idea how it looked to others. Since we were both inside the same cloak, we couldn’t tell any difference.
We’d know once we tested it.
We walked forward slowly.
My heart felt like it would burst from tension.
Karen walked pressed against me, holding her breath. Since the lights were out, being even half a beat late in noticing a Skeleton Warrior’s ambush could turn dangerous.
Just as I began to wonder if this had been too reckless,
a Skeleton Warrior appeared before our eyes.
“…….”
We held our breath and observed it.
The thing stood motionless with its head bowed. Once we confirmed its location, we stepped back a few paces and took our positions.
Then, I scraped my foot against the ground where I stood to make a sound.
The Skeleton Warrior didn’t react.
It had no eyes and no ears, so I didn’t know what exactly it reacted to, but this was the moment that lent weight to the theory that it reacted to light first and foremost.
If that was the case.
I had Karen step back, then called out the pre-cast incantation.
“Fireball!”
Fwoosh!
Flames erupted as the spell completed. The moment the light touched it, the Skeleton Warrior recognized us and charged.
But since we already knew it was coming from the front, there was nothing to fear.
A narrow passage, in other words, meant the enemy had nowhere to run either. Even if I aimed roughly and fired, there was no difficulty hitting a large target like a Skeleton Warrior.
With a tremendous crash, the Skeleton Warrior’s body shattered into pieces.
"Good. Now that we know they react to light, I’ll take the lead until we’re out of this passage."
"Okay. I’ll be ready to charge in, just in case your magic misses."
"I’m counting on you."
The Shroud of Concealment was a skill that lasted about 600 seconds before disappearing.
I could cast it again, but since it would dispel when the time came, if the timing seemed uncertain, I would release the shroud altogether, wait out the cooldown, then use it again before moving carefully.
"Fireball!"
We advanced while taking down the Skeleton Warriors one by one, making sure each was dealt with.
Had I ever been this tense while defeating monsters before? My mouth felt completely dry.
"Let’s rest for a moment."
"Oppa, sit down and rest. I’ll stand watch."
"All right."
I took out the Goddess’s Water Bottle and shared it with Karen.
I still had strength left, but perhaps because of the dungeon’s peculiar environment, it felt far more exhausting than when we were in the forest.
I could still do this. For now.
In the past, this dungeon hadn’t been this murderous from the first floor. Was it because of the lich’s appearance?
It probably was. I just hoped we wouldn’t come across any adventurers’ corpses.
"Let’s go."
We moved forward, defeating Skeleton Warriors along the way.
It was good that my skill proficiency was rising, but as Fireball’s power improved, it also felt like the temperature indoors was gradually increasing.
Even though Karen was behind me, she was sweating as if it were the height of summer.
This passage was probably much hotter than it felt to me.
I felt bad for Karen, but this was better than clumsily lowering the power.
Rather than put Karen in front and risk burns, I would spot the Skeleton Warriors first and strike before they could.
It was the best method available, but not the ideal one.
I needed to think of a fundamental solution.
What if Fireball advanced to the next stage at this rate? I wouldn’t even be able to use that magic indoors.
"Oppa."
Karen whispered in a small voice.
The narrow passage ended, and a room appeared. It was the same as when we had come before. The room had several passages leading to other rooms, and no matter which passage we took, a similar stone chamber would greet us.
Having been here before proved unexpectedly helpful. I could roughly tell where we needed to go.
"…Three ahead."
Three Skeleton Warriors were guarding the path to the next area.
No matter how strong Fireball was, I wanted to avoid fighting three at the same time.
No, to be honest, even two would be unpleasant.
I wanted to use an Overcharged Fireball, but would there really be enough time?
"Should I go forward?"
Karen asked quietly.
"……."
It was time to make a decision.
First, I thought of doing what I had been doing—casting Fireball to take one out, then falling back and luring them into the passage one at a time.
Now, how should I convey that……
"When I give the signal, run back. We’ll draw them into the passage."
"You mean take them out one at a time, right? Got it."
Karen understood immediately and raised her sword.
"Fireball!"
I aimed as precisely as possible, hoping to catch two or more, but that hope was shattered.
One Skeleton Warrior was dealt with, but the other two clearly avoided the blast radius and came running toward us.
"Karen!"
The Warriors were faster than I expected. Would she be able to retreat in time?
Just then, someone fired in support from behind the Skeleton Warriors, drawing their attention away.
At first, I wondered if it was Isti, but I immediately realized that couldn’t be.
"Fireball!"
I cast Fireball again and brought one down. The last Warrior was struck by several shots from a bow and collapsed to the floor.
"Did I interfere, Sir Dekal?"
I released the Shroud of Concealment and faced the other person.
I had seen him a few times at the Adventurers’ Guild. A gold-rank adventurer. It was Wabid.
It seemed Wabid had helped us with his crossbow.
"No, your timing was perfect. Thank you."
I offered my thanks first.
"Thank you for helping us."
Karen followed suit and bowed.
"The silver-haired elf isn’t with you today, I see. Are you two here to hunt the lich?"
"How did you know?"
"Everyone is desperate for it, you see. A lich possesses remarkable treasure. It makes for a fine target for adventurers. I came with the same purpose myself, but… perhaps the two of you aren’t here to make money."
Wabid spoke with a cheerful smile, as if probing us.
He didn’t seem like a bad person. But I couldn’t judge too hastily. Hadn’t I already learned that in the Black Forest?
There was no guarantee someone wouldn’t be hostile just because they were a fellow adventurer.
"We came for this purpose."
Snap.
I flicked my fingers.