Chapter 14
The humidity of Hildenheim clung stickily to their skin. Drip. Drip. Water droplets fell from the ceiling. The cave interior was thick with stalactites.
"Ho ho, what a charming cave!"
"Dina, don't run ahead. We go together."
"Worry not, Yeonja. This body knows well. In the past, I've conquered dungeons hundreds of times!"
Thanks to her, their movement radius was severely limited—a cramped passage barely wide enough for two or three adult men to stand shoulder-to-shoulder. At least it wasn't forking into branches yet. Maybe they just hadn't appeared... Thinking it was a small mercy that they only had to press straight ahead, they kept walking.
"Ugh, this feels gross. How long do we just keep walking?"
"Dunno, but it's awfully quiet."
The cave's eerie atmosphere suggested something bad could happen if they let their guard down even for a second, yet they'd walked for ages without seeing so much as a monster, let alone a single bug. Ian recalled the info Sierra had gotten from the first scouting party.
First, the dungeon structure. Accounts differed between the initial Copper-rank party, the following Silver-rank one, and the Gold-rank team. The Coppers said it was a swamp upon entry. The Silvers called it a desert. The Golds described a forest. And now, for them, it was a cave. It seemed the environment shifted based on the entering party—or maybe the number of entries.
The monsters adapted too. Lizardmen in the swamp. Camel-like bipedal monsters called Camelots in the desert. Bugbears swarming in the forest. What would show up in their cave?
They advanced cautiously, eyes fixed ahead. Soon, Cheong-ah extended her arm sideways to block Ian, murmuring softly.
"Darling, it's up ahead."
"Ah, got it."
He halted immediately. As Ian loaded his crossbow magazine, Bella rolled her shoulders in warm-up stretches and strode forward.
"Guess it's time to loosen up."
"No, Bella. You come back here."
Cheong-ah grabbed Bella's collar and yanked her back. Bella blinked in confusion.
"What? Why pull me?"
"Your greatsword's no good in here. Stalactites everywhere."
"Oh, right? So what's the plan?"
"This body and the spitfire will handle it."
"Huh? Then what do I do?"
"What else? Guard Darling like Dina did before. You can use that karambit, right?"
"Heh, guess I can play around then? Fine by me."
Bella fell back, and Dina and Cheong-ah stepped forward.
Grrrrrr.
Groooaaar.
Eerie growls echoed from ahead. What emerged was a massive lump of flesh stitched together like rags. Faces patched across its body. Clumped meat. Blunt four arms and two legs. Two arms clutched enormous cleavers, another a hook, and the last pair short harpoons. As it lumbered forward, bloody chunks splattered to the ground with wet splats, oozing thick purple venom that fouled the floor.
"...Whoa, fuck. What the hell is that? Looks goddamn disgusting."
"Let me see..."
Ian racked his brain for similar monsters while listening to Bella's mutter. His recent studying as party leader paid off—he recalled the info on this thing.
Decaying Flesh Mass. Adventurers just called it "flesh lump," an undead. Subjugation rank: roughly Silver to Gold. The rotting venom from its chunks was lethal on contact, making it a pain, but its slow speed and soft flesh meant slicing out the core collapsed it fast. Especially since its body was gas-filled—touch it with fire and it exploded. Shove a torch down its gullet, and even a Copper could take it down. Easy enough.
If this weren't a cramped cave, anyway.
The venomous miasma from the fallen chunks spread, filling the space. Even destroying the core wouldn't clear it. The fix was fire to ignite the gas... but an explosion in a cave? Pure insanity. One wrong move and they'd all get caught in the blast.
Pondering options, Ian warned Cheong-ah and Dina first.
"Cheong-ah, Dina. Pull back a bit."
"Huh? Why?"
"What's amiss, Yeonja?"
He quickly explained its traits to their puzzled faces. Venom spewed everywhere—fatal if it stuck. Swordplay aside, bare-handed fighting like Dina's would be rough.
But Cheong-ah and Dina just tilted their heads, as if wondering what the big deal was.
"That's fine, isn't it?"
"No issue at all."
"...Huh?"
They giggled and nodded, dismissing his worry.
"Darling worries too much sometimes."
"Can't be helped, Yeonja lacks mana..."
"True... unavoidable."
"What're you talking about?"
"Hee hee, just watch."
"Watch closely, Yeonja. 'Tis nothing."
With that, they advanced. Ian fretted—was it really okay?—when Bella slung an arm over his shoulder. Awkward since he was taller.
"Bella, explain."
"Explain what?"
"Why are Cheong-ah and Dina fine?"
"Oh, just... they are. Coat your skin with mana, done."
"...Huh? You can do that?"
"Duh, obviously. Like this—watch."
Bella thrust her palm forward. Dark red mana rippled over it, coating the skin.
"Mana skin coating. See? Ptoo!"
She spat. The saliva hit her palm and slid harmlessly off.
"...Oh."
"Heh heh... Look at him geeking out. Our hubby's so damn cute. Any Silver-rank who handles mana can do this easy."
"Really?"
Ian had never properly seen mana used. As an Iron-rank, he never hung with Silvers. He'd seen Cheong-ah and Bella channel mana for body enhancement in fights, but not like this. No mana, no reason to study it.
"...Tch."
No wonder subjugation started at Silver.
"I'll split it in half, Dina."
"As you wish."
"You take right. I'll do left."
"Understood."
Cheong-ah and Dina strolled casually toward the flesh mass. Cheong-ah's sword slashed first, cleaving it perfectly in half vertically.
Grraaaaaah!!!
The halves parted. Cheong-ah's blade shredded the left into bits; Dina's fists pummeled the right, meaty thuds like tenderizing tonkatsu with a mallet. Venom splashed them occasionally, but their mana coatings let it slide off harmlessly.
"Ian. Step back—venom's flying."
"Got it."
In a blink, the flesh mass was scattered and gone. Right—who was he kidding worrying about them? He needed to watch his own ass.
"Good work, every—"
"Ian!"
The cave ahead lit up suddenly. A purple-glowing orb hurtled straight at his head from afar.
"Darling, danger!"
Bella yanked his collar, shielding him. Cheong-ah whipped her sword free.
Shing!
The blade flashed out, slicing the orb in one stroke.
"You okay, Darling?!"
"No injuries?!"
"Yeonja, art thou well?!"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
They fussed over him while eyeing ahead. He answered quick to ease their worry.
"The nerve..."
One detail clicked: Decaying Flesh Masses weren't natural undead. They were summoned—meaning a summoner lurked nearby.
And there it was: the one who'd lobbed the orb at him. A gaunt, natural-spawn undead clutching a skull staff.
Kaaaa...
An Evil Spirit Sorcerer glared ferociously at them.