Chapter 103
Chapter 103
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: If It's to Draw the Big Picture (3)
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The power of the explosion scroll detonating in such a confined space was utterly devastating.
"......Hurk."
Once the blast subsided, Greg vomited blood again.
It was better than having his organs ruptured from being struck by the demon, but exposure to the scorching flames was still lethal in its own right.
"Seria...... are you okay?"
Coughing, Greg barely regained his senses and turned to look behind him.
He himself had worn his black armor as a full set in preparation for the explosion scroll, so he was somewhat better off.
But for Leggin and Seria, who had hidden behind him, it might have been a different story.
"......Fortunately, it doesn't seem fatal."
Leggin also came to and checked on Seria.
Her breathing was steady.
"The mantle did its job."
"Yeah."
Beside Leggin and Seria, the mana shield was shattering and dissipating.
It was the effect of Flexis's mantle.
Thanks to the item that activated a mana shield, they had managed to withstand the shock that Greg couldn't fully block.
"......"
Confirming Seria was safe, the two stood up.
Their gazes turned to the center of the explosion.
Sizzle—
A charred black corpse.
It retained a human shape, but all facial features and skin had been obliterated.
"At this point, it's de......"
"Greg. Normally, you don't say that—you confirm the kill."
"Right."
Even if it was only half a demon, they weren't human.
As long as they had mana, demons could regenerate their bodies.
"It's said that the origins of black magic come from demon techniques......?"
"Correct."
They were beings that couldn't be dealt with using common sense.
Grip.
Greg seized his axe and swung it at the corpse's neck.
With a crisp sound, the charred head was severed.
"......"
Even seeing that, Leggin didn't let his guard down.
"Come out for a moment."
"Okay."
"We need to completely eliminate the mana."
It was a corpse, but if even a trace of mana remained inside, the story changed.
Ideally, he'd grind the demon's body to dust.
But there wasn't time for that.
"Probably, GranTula didn't appear because of this guy. It wasn't a basilisk."
"......"
"But this one's mana alone couldn't hide all of GranTula."
"So that means......"
"There might be companions. No, there definitely are."
Verdante always operated in pairs or more.
He didn't know where, but the demon's ally could be somewhere on the 8th Floor.
Running into them while separated had been fortunate for Leggin's group.
Sizzle—
Leggin pulled a scroll from his bag.
—It's incomplete, but I thought it might help.
It was the scroll Clina had given him right before ascending the tower.
Whenever he went to the kingdom, he had chatted with Clina about various spellcrafting topics.
Leggin had casually mentioned something about the scroll Clina was researching.
'I said it offhand, thinking she needed fresh ideas.'
Honestly, he still didn't know what impact his words had.
Not changing the circuit structure, but altering the sequence—something like that.
He had only suggested it vaguely.
'When it comes to finely crafting scrolls...... Clina's still a step ahead.'
After he mentioned it, Clina had come back a few days later with a new scroll, saying it helped.
"Mana Burn."
It was a scroll containing a spell that obliterated the target's mana.
Earlier, the demon had countered the lightning with its own mana to mitigate damage, reducing its mana, but.
In normal situations, stripping only the opponent's mana was nearly impossible.
That's why they needed specially crafted magic like this.
Vmmm—
Mana poured from the scroll, vibrating as it spread into the corpse.
"......The mana's disappearing."
"Yes. A scroll from my spellcrafting colleague."
"It looks similar to the spell Skelji used last time—is it the same?"
"A similar spell."
"Impressive. To replicate it without even seeing it."
He had no idea how Clina, who had never seen Skelji, had created it.
"She's skilled."
It was an incomplete scroll, but Mana Burn's effect was perfect.
No mana could be felt from the corpse anymore.
"Now let's go."
At Leggin's words, Greg prepared to carry Seria on his back and run.
"Before the dead one's ally arrives...... we're heading back to the kingdom."
They had to escape this place.
"Ah."
Of course, they needed to grab what they could.
The demon hadn't carried any weapons or bags, so there was no loot from it.
But the ghost dragonkin he had slain before dying was different.
Slide—
'Soul Crystal.'
He picked up the rare enhancement item that only dropped from high-grade ghosts.
At the same time, Leggin's gaze turned to Seria.
Her unconscious face came into view as she lay slung over Greg's back.
'She's a strong explorer now, and I brought her believing she'll be even stronger in the future...... but this time, it was too much for her.'
In the battle with the demon, she had fought fiercely for a long time.
He'd heard that while he was away, she had thrown her whole body into buying time.
There might be times ahead when Leggin had to step away again, or unforeseen events could occur.
Leggin intended to ensure the remaining members had the highest chance of survival in such cases.
'This Soul Crystal can accelerate Seria's future.'
It was time for the group to grow stronger together.
* * *
After Leggin's group left the Portrait Room.
No one entered the room for a while.
It was a place rife with rumors of disappearances, so few people came by.
"Didn't you hear a huge explosion earlier......? Seems like it came from here."
"So what, you wanna go in?"
"I'm curious."
One party passing by glanced at the door.
Opening it would let them see what happened in the Portrait Room and check the truth behind the rumors.
But they couldn't muster the courage easily.
"Hmm......"
One assassin nodded and took the lead.
"Yeah. What's the worst—death?"
"......You're really going in?"
"The missing explorers...... word is they did something stupid."
"......"
"They say it's no big deal if you don't mess around. So no need to freak out over rumors."
The assassin took pride in his skills.
Born with superior senses and instincts than most, he believed he had more courage and boldness than even gladiators.
He didn't want to turn back from a mere rumor in a place like this.
Creak—
"......Huh?"
The moment the assassin opened the door and stepped inside.
"There are peo......"
Crack.
No presence had been felt. Yet people stood inside.
Four people in black coats.
The moment the assassin opened his mouth in confusion, something flew and embedded in his forehead.
Even with his innate senses and reflexes, he couldn't dodge it, and thus the assassin met his end.
"......Aran!!"
Those following him fared no better.
Crack!!
A throwing dagger flew swiftly.
The assassin's party's lives were snuffed out one by one.
—What happened?
"......Some flies buzzed in. Dealt with them immediately."
The man who dispatched them spoke in a low voice.
There were three people in the room total, including the man.
One held a pendant-like object toward the air.
Magic light poured from the pendant, coalescing in midair to form the image of a woman.
"By the way, what should we do about Crevan, Lady Igna?"
One man asked the holographic woman.
Her face was shrouded in a robe.
She seemed to have full view of the room's situation.
—Burned to death. Crevan was careless, but he'd implemented quite a bit of demon form.
"......My apologies. Leaving Crevan alone was a mistake."
—No.
The woman replied coldly.
—I never expected you to obey orders from the start.
"......"
—Just remember, if more die recklessly, the rest will be dealt with too.
"......Understood."
—First, check Crevan's corpse. See if any mana remains.
"Yes."
One man knelt and touched the corpse.
Vmmm—
He began checking if mana lingered in the burned body.
"A tiny amount...... but it remains."
—How much?
"Mana Burn was used, but not completely. This much mana is left."
—Regeneration will take time. About a year.
"So he wasn't thorough after all. Demons can regenerate as long as mana remains."
—The opposite.
"Pardon?"
—He died recently. If he sensed you approaching and fled, he realized there was no time to dispose of the body. Beyond thorough—quick situational judgment.
"Ah......"
—I don't know who killed Crevan, but they're no ordinary foe. Secure the corpse.
The rest of the group bagged the body. The woman's words continued.
—In a year, restored Crevan can tell us who the opponent was.
"We'll clean up the 8th Floor a bit more before heading out......"
—No. Depart immediately. Word from the 15th Floor. Things have changed.
"Pardon?"
The woman spoke in a cold voice.
—The 15th Floor may have been fully cleared. Ten minutes ago, I got a strangely positive report.
"No way—the western assault team's......"
—Faster than we anticipated. We need countermeasures. Come up quickly. I'll hear your response here.
Fizzle—
The magic light faded, and the holographic woman vanished.
"Damn, from Crevan to the 15th Floor assault team...... things are getting unpredictable."
"Let's hurry. We can't afford to mess up with Lady Igna now—not if we want to live."
The three men in the room nodded.
Tension was evident on their faces. They had to reach this Igna woman quickly.
Whoosh—!
Next, the group turned into rats—three of them dragging the sack with the corpse in their teeth—slipping into a mouse hole.
Squeak, squeak.
Their noises filled the mouse hole.
To the 8th Floor explorers, it was just the sound of rats scurrying inside buildings.
The sounds echoed in the hole for a while before fading away.
* * *
"......Run, Greg!"
Flash!
Seria's eyes snapped open as she shouted.
It was a reflexive cry.
The words she meant to say before blacking out burst out right after waking.
"......Leggin!?"
Lying down, Seria's vision caught sight of Leggin.
His soot-streaked appearance. Confirming it was him, she continued.
"Run, Leggin. There's a demon. That guy......"
Grip.
Unlike her usual self, Seria rambled frantically, urging him to flee.
Leggin shook his head, grasping her hand.
"He's dead. Don't worry, Seria."
"......What?"
"I know. You and Greg were holding off the demon until I got back."
"......He's really dead?"
"Yes. Thanks to you buying time, I returned in time. We got lucky and killed him."
"......Good."
Seria stared at Leggin for a long moment before letting out a hollow laugh.
Only then did the tension drain from her body. Her rigid muscles relaxed.
"Nice weather. Means we're back in the kingdom, right?"
"Yes."
Still lying down, Seria gazed at the sky. Clear weather filled her view.
Along with the scent of grassland.
She knew immediately they were back in the kingdom.
"You've all worked hard."
"......Sorry. I was out cold until you and Greg took it down and returned to the kingdom."
"It was an enemy of that caliber. If anything, I'm sorry for suddenly stepping away."
"I wanted to kill it myself."
Seria said in a trembling voice.
She had been powerless against such a strong foe.
Leggin looked at her and continued.
"We all need to get stronger."
His words were firm, more earnest than ever.
This time, they survived by luck.
But.
Luck and circumstances wouldn't always favor them. He couldn't yet be certain they'd always be the survivors.
"Yeah. Leggin's right. Don't worry too much, Seria. We have time, and we can get stronger ste......"
Greg, watching from the side, was about to offer comfort when.
Vmmm—
Light poured from the portal.
Someone was emerging from it.
Normally, one or two would come out and that'd be it, but not this time.
"......Assault team?"
Knights emerged endlessly. Those carrying banners emblazoned with western nobles' crests began filing out in ranks.
"......Looks like they cleared the 15th Floor?"
At Greg's words, Leggin stared at them in shock.
It was definitely the assault team.
And their return meant the 15th Floor had been conquered.
......Which made it all the more bewildering.
'The 15th Floor cleared already?'
Leggin's mind heated up instantly. Too many thoughts flooded in.
The 15th Floor conquest had ended far too early.