Facing the Dungeon's Heart
Chewing on jerky while watching Inadia's fight didn't mean we'd let our guard down. Proof of that: no one had set their weapons aside.
Personally, I was finding Inadia's show downright fascinating. That armor and shield of his were magical gear with functions I didn't know about. If it was noble heirloom quality, it had to pack some serious performance. I was watching it like a review of the latest gadget.
He deflected a downward head strike with a shockwave from his shield.
The spikes thrusting in from both shoulders like cavalry lances couldn't be fully blocked by one shield, so he stopped one and let the other scrape along his backplate... only for blue sparks to fly, leaving not a single scratch on the armor.
The blade sank a decent way into the turtle's head and body, but oddly, it bounced right back out like the thing had suddenly gained elasticity.
That quick release not only caused major bleeding but also let Inadia swing again right away.
Inadia was perfectly blocking the monster turtle's attacks while steadily accumulating wounds, ramping up the blood loss.
The turtle's body and head were already covered in countless slashes and stabs, like some kid's graffiti scribbles. It'd take time, but the longer it went, the clearer Inadia's advantage became.
See? Perfect gear for handling turtles. Staying out of it really is the best help we can give.
We get a little casual entertainment in this gloomy dungeon—eating and spectating—and everyone's happy.
Krooooaaah...
In the end, the turtle couldn't withstand the ongoing blood loss. It let out a faint death cry and collapsed.
"Oh my, how reliable."
We cheered right on cue with Ashu's praise. Unlike before, this cheer carried genuine gratitude for the enjoyable show.
"Lord Inadia's finally showing his true colors. Looking forward to more dazzling performances like this for our sake."
"Hah, excessive praise. I'm merely ensuring the princess isn't disappointed."
The guy must've felt good sweating it out and getting props from everyone.
Inside, I was thinking, 'That praise-starved, huh?' with a twinge of pity, but hey—he was a teammate for breaking through this dungeon. No harm in playing nice for a bit.
Like office life. Growling at folks just tanks productivity.
As the guy somehow appointed section chief, I needed Inadia pulling his weight as one more employee to make my life easier.
With the night ambush sorted...
I lay back down and sorted through my thoughts.
That ambush was honestly overkill. Sneaking up in the dark was iffy enough, but dragging in a massive turtle on top?
Like Agnes advised, I tried viewing the dungeon as a single entity with intent—what was it thinking with this ambush?
This dungeon bastard was desperate, no doubt.
Not much time left.
For some reason, I woke up early that morning. Felt like the hyper-alertness on exam day.
I'd slept knowing it was the finale, concentrating hard.
"Up already? Perfect timing."
Hodo, on final watch, jumped up at the sight of me and showed off a crossbow.
He'd been whittling parts bit by bit; must've finished it this shift. He'd tripled the drawstrings for three-shot bursts.
Reloading's a pain anyway—only one shot per fight—so he'd upped the ammo capacity.
With sturdy strings, as long as the safety limited firing, he could keep it loaded full-time, no problem.
"But it's not processed wood, and the materials here suck, so it won't last long. When I get home, I'll make a proper one and send it over."
Hodo downplayed it, but I was impressed already. It even had a proper stock for better aiming.
Best part: compact frame made it super portable.
"Better than this? Can't wait."
I tested it with three shots to a dead monster's head—spot on. All three hit dead center.
Hodo clapped at my marksmanship, thrilled. I wanted to applaud the dwarf craftsman's skill myself.
Once we'd checked the new weapon and loaded it, Ashu woke up looking disheveled and met my eyes.
"Ugh... ah!?"
Ashu startled like crazy—what was up?—then whipped her head away and washed her face with a handkerchief.
Thorough upbringing? Or some other obsession?
She always rose earlier than me to primp perfectly, but today she flopped. Kinda princess-like, honestly.
Next, Hairil stretched like a dog, ears and tail perked straight up. Panash had quietly risen and was meditating. Finally, Inadia removed his helmet-like shield cover and got up.
After preps, we set off again.
An hour in, the forest emblematic of Zone 3 ended, giving way to packed dirt floor.
Then came an uphill ramp: 2 meters wide, sloped like stairs at 3-4 stories high.
"Something's gathered up there. Irregular small vibrations, multiple."
"I hear breathing too. Sniff sniff, smells off."
Hodo tossed a pebble up the passage, gauging from the bounce that a wide space waited above.
We'd reached the core. And the dungeon's last defensive line was set.
Might fight right at the top, so we dropped packs, drew weapons. Others caught the vibe, checked gear, ditched excess baggage.
After all the fights, we knew each other's styles cold. Confidence was sky-high.
"Alright, everyone ready? Let's depart! End this journey in glorious victory!!"
Inadia, ego bloated from yesterday, strutted ahead with arrogance, but I could brush it off with a light laugh now.
We followed, weapons and shields up, climbing the ramp behind him.
Topside opened to a soccer-field-wide chamber. We stepped in, and thud! thud! thud!—a monster turtle charged. Biggest yet. Boss Turtle, for sure.
"At last, my sworn nemesis appears!"
...Fine, he had Inadia on lockdown. No need to say it—he charged solo, ecstatic, blocking the boss's rush.
Young master's having a blast.
Around it: twenty-odd monster dogs and a smaller turtle.
And at the pack's rear...
A massive red gem pulsed with light.
Dungeon heart, no doubt.
Oddly, no basilisks. Probably not controllable like the others. Or maybe they hindered the rest.
Ah, not the time to ponder.
Boss was pinned by Inadia, but the smaller turtle barreled toward our five-man formation.
Risk of pick-off meant scattering, but Ashu stepped forward.
"Kirgil, I might get pushed back a bit—catch me."
Ashu closed her eyes in focus; the bracelet glowed red. My gift: Light's Companion.
Eyes open, she shouted ahead.
"Where Kalderan's light reaches, there is the cathedral itself!!"
⟨ Light's Sanctuary ⟩
A blinding wall of light erupted before us.
Thwack!! The turtle slammed into it. Then thud-thud-thwack!! in rapid succession.
Our formation breaking would've let the dogs flank and pick us off one by one—but they all piled into it.
Lead dogs smashed flat against the barrier; the rest crashed like trash heap buildup, unable to stop.
Some impact transferred to Ashu, shoving her back—I caught her, but needed Hodo's help too.
First block succeeded; Ashu panted in my arms, sweaty. I asked if she was okay; she turned and flashed a bright smile.
"Good work, Ashu."
Light faded.
Hairil-buffed Panash exploded forward, halberd spearing the head-shielded turtle's dome.
Axe blade sank out of sight; moments later, blood burst from inside the shell like an explosion.
For the staggering nearby dogs, Hodo lumbered up and swung his man-sized heavy axe wide. Each whoosh halved three or four in a spray.
Stragglers hanging back got my ability's pinpoint stabs to vitals. Distant ones fell to crossbow bolts.
It was a rout.
Honestly, I think the dungeon tried to kill us for real. Night-and-day assaults to grind our morale, tricky terrain and basilisks for traps.
Surveilling the biggest threat—me—with unknown magic interference.
But...
That backfired. We leveled up way too much here.
Mental strain? Overcame it our ways. No one regretted coming—not even Inadia... okay, maybe him.
Minutes later, as our five held formation for the one-sided slaughter, Inadia wrapped up too.
"A fine bout!"
...He struck a cool pose, flicking blood off samurai-style, ending with a formal bow.
Even the corny theatrics were getting familiar.
Now, only the dungeon's heart stood before us.