Chapter 131
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 131
Fwoosh—!
Bell’s fireball flared, casting a bright glow across the dark cave.
To conserve the mana powering our flashlights, the party relied on Bell’s flame to lead the way. In a sense, her fireball was more effective for exploration than a flashlight; instead of a narrow beam, it bathed the entire cavern in light.
“Wow, I can’t believe a place like this was hidden under the lake.”
Chloe, marvelling at the magnificent sight of the cave, clicked her camera shutter repeatedly.
“Enough pictures. Let’s move.”
We had plenty of time until the weekend, but it was best to hurry. Unlike the Spooky Dungeon we’d cleared previously, the Ether Dungeon was a considerably dangerous place. Its difficulty was evident from the fact that it housed five ‘Dungeon Keepers’—bosses that typically only appeared in intermediate-level dungeons and above.
“Okay, but first, let’s get one group shot. C’mon, everyone gather ‘round!”
Chloe called the party together for a commemorative photo.
The shot captured a stoic Ciel, a visibly annoyed Beatrice, and a frantic Yulina covering her face with her hands to avoid appearing in an article. Bell was caught with a goofy grin while scratching her cheek, and Melga stood on his tiptoes, trying to match everyone’s height.
It was a wonderful commemorative photo.
After the picture at the cave’s entrance, we ventured deeper inside.
“Watch your step. It’ll hurt if you get impaled.”
There was no proper path through the cave. Sharp stalagmites jutted out everywhere, forcing us to proceed with extreme caution. After some time, as we reached the furthest depths of the cavern, we came face to face with a wall.
“Whoa.”
A massive wall loomed before us, looking like the very edge of the world. The entrance to the Ether Dungeon was here. Large pillars stood on either side, supporting a triangular roof. It looked like the entrance to an ancient temple.
As I approached, I saw that the firmly shut door was engraved with the symbols of the Five Elements. It meant we had to infuse the door with mana corresponding to each of the Five Elements to unlock it.
I nodded at the sight.
In a way, you could call this a courtesy.
The Dungeon Keepers could only be defeated by exploiting their elemental weaknesses. The door was essentially a warning: don't even bother entering if you can't meet this basic requirement.
Melga and Chloe’s eyes sparkled as they examined the massive temple door.
“This… this bears the touch of our ancestors from long ago.”
“That’s right. It looks like a ruin of the ancient dwarves from the Golden Age.”
Click—!
While Chloe photographed the entrance, I turned to Beatrice.
“Beatrice. Infuse the five elemental manas evenly, matching the positions of the symbols engraved on the door. It shouldn’t be difficult for you. I’m counting on you.”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“And be careful. A trap will trigger the moment the dungeon opens. It’s better to dodge than to try and block it with a barrier.”
Beatrice only half-listened to my advice as she walked up to the sealed door and began gathering her mana. I turned to warn the rest of the party.
“The dungeon is filled with mechanical devices left by the ancient dwarves. You can’t keep exploring with the same casual attitude you have now. Everyone, brace yourselves.”
“Okay!”
Only Bell answered energetically; the others just gave a slight nod.
“And do not, under any circumstances, touch any levers or buttons inside the dungeon. A giant boulder could come rolling down, the floor could vanish beneath you, or a spiked iron gate could slam shut and trap you inside.”
“…”
My grim warning made Bell’s face gradually stiffen.
“Also, don’t rush ahead on your own. There are traps hidden in the floors and walls. Unless you want to die screaming, you will follow my orders unconditionally.”
I then offered a bit of reassurance to the pale-faced Bell and the others.
“But don’t worry too much. We have Chloe, who is well-versed in archaeology, and Melga, an expert in mechanical devices. As long as no one acts on their own, it won’t be too dangerous.”
Besides, I knew all the dungeon’s gimmicks. As long as no one got ahead of themselves, we would be fine. As I was finishing the preparations for the full-scale exploration, I heard the sound of the door opening behind us.
Rumble—!
The massive door slid open with a heavy tremor, showering the area in dust. Once the door was fully retracted, Beatrice turned around.
“It’s open.”
I shouted a warning at her.
“Dodge!”
Flash—!
The moment I spoke, something shiny streaked out from the darkness of the dungeon. It was an arrow made of a special alloy.
Beatrice, as if she had expected a simple trap, merely waved her hand with an indifferent expression.
Swoosh—!
A thick barrier of mana instantly materialized to protect her. A barrier of that density could easily stop a knight’s throwing spear or even a blast from a magic cannon.
However.
Pshuk—!
The dwarven-made alloy arrow pierced right through Beatrice’s magic barrier.
“…!”
The moment Beatrice froze, stunned by the impossible situation—
Clang—!
The Aegis I had pre-emptively cast materialized in front of her, intercepting the arrow. Her eyes wide, Beatrice stared at the alloy arrow that had stopped just inches from her nose.
Clink—.
Blocked by the Aegis, the arrow lost its momentum and rolled across the floor.
“Your Highness!”
As Yulina rushed to Beatrice’s side, Melga picked up the fallen arrow and examined it closely. It was a bizarrely shaped alloy bolt, its tip spiraled like a drill.
Melga spoke in a surprised voice.
“…This arrowhead is designed specifically to penetrate magical shields and barriers. It’ll be impossible to explore safely if we rely only on defensive magic. Everyone needs to be careful.”
I agreed.
“That’s right. Even a mage of Beatrice’s caliber can’t let her guard down. Everyone, stay alert.”
“…”
Beatrice silently stared at the arrow in Melga’s hand.
“Alright, let’s enter in the formation we decided on.”
*
Step. Step.
The sound of our footsteps echoed through the dungeon corridor. Unlike the naturally formed cave outside, the dungeon’s interior was artificially constructed with stark, ash-white bricks. The scenery resembled the corridors of a fortress or an underground labyrinth.
But hidden among these endlessly repeating bricks were deadly traps. We couldn’t let our guard down for a single second.
Thud.
I stopped in my tracks and gave an order.
“Ciel, press the third brick from the top on the left wall. The rest of you, wait back.”
Click—.
Ciel stepped forward and pressed the brick. The floor in front of us suddenly gave way, and the bricks that had been there plummeted into the abyss.
Rumble—.
It took a long time before we heard the sound of the bricks hitting the bottom. It was clear that one wrong step would have been fatal. Melga looked down into the dark hole, feeling the draft rising from below, and let out a dry laugh.
“Heh heh, it’s damn deep. If you fell in, they wouldn’t even find your bones.”
“That’s why we have to move forward one step at a time, carefully.”
The incident at the entrance seemed to have left an impression; the team members were following my instructions perfectly, making our progress much smoother. It was only natural, considering that Beatrice, our party’s strongest member, had almost been taken out before we even stepped inside.
Of course, not everyone was thrilled.
“What exploration?! Let’s go back, Your Highness. It’s too dangerous!”
A few hours ago, right after we entered the dungeon, Yulina had thrown a fit. After Beatrice was nearly killed by the arrow, Yulina insisted it was too dangerous and that we should turn back immediately.
But Beatrice, perhaps feeling her pride was on the line, had insisted on continuing.
“I’m sorry, Yulina. My pride won’t allow me to turn back here.”
I had added my own two cents.
“If you want to go, go back alone. I won’t stop you.”
“…”
It was already the middle of the night. To return to the Union, she would have to swim alone through the pitch-black depths of the lake and trek through the terrifying dark forest. Yulina couldn’t bring herself to leave.
“I… I can’t just leave Her Highness and go by myself.”
“Right, I’m sure you can’t.”
Back in the present, after jumping over the pit, I pointed to a corner up ahead.
“There’s a trap beyond that corner. Ice magic will be effective, so freeze the wall. We’ll pass through quickly while the mechanism is jammed.”
“Yeah, yeah~ I’m on it.”
With a resigned look, Yulina fired ice magic to disable the trap.
Crack—!
The moment the ice hit, a flamethrower nozzle began to emerge from the wall. But because the entire section was frozen solid, the flamethrower jammed mid-deployment. If we had passed by unprepared, we would have been incinerated, but by freezing the mechanism beforehand, we bypassed it easily.
Yulina scratched her head, looking embarrassed as she stared at the frozen trap.
“It really was there.”
“I told you it’s safe if you do as I say. Let’s move quickly before the ice melts.”
Using my in-game knowledge and the system map, I could pinpoint every trap. There was no danger as long as they followed my commands. Even if I missed something, Chloe or Melga were there to back me up.
After several hours of smooth progress, we left the long passage and arrived in a small, room-like area. The space was about a dozen pyeong.
Chloe looked around the room and shouted happily.
“This… this is a safe room! There are no traps or guardians here. We can rest here tonight.”
I nodded.
“We made it. It’s safe here. We left right after dinner, so it must be around midnight. Let’s camp here for the night.”
Unlike the Spooky Dungeon, this exploration would take several days, so we had packed camping supplies in advance. Beatrice silently took out tents and sleeping bags from her subspace pouch and distributed them to everyone.
I want one of those.
I eyed the subspace pouch in her hand. Beatrice used expensive items, as befitting royalty. That item was at least an A-grade subspace pouch, a high-quality artifact with an internal storage capacity of over five tons. If the opening was properly modified, you could probably even fit a suit of magic armor inside.
After we each set up our sleeping areas, we gathered around a softly glowing lamp for tea. No matter how safely we proceeded, everyone had been incredibly tense. Ciel poured warm herbal tea from a thermos into our metal cups. The warm liquid relaxed my body, easing the lingering tension.
As the party members sipped their tea, I spoke up to encourage them.
“You’ve all worked hard. Bell, thank you for keeping us in the light. Ciel, Beatrice, and Yulina, thank you for disarming the traps. Melga and Chloe, you did a great job scouting the path.”
I made eye contact with each of them.
“Starting tomorrow, we’ll be entering the deeper levels. In addition to traps, dwarven mechanical guardians will attack us. Get a good night’s rest and recover your strength.”
“Dwarven mechanical guardians, eh? I’m looking forward to it. Heh heh.”
“Do we not need to stand watch?” Bell asked.
I shook my head.
“No. This isn’t a level where monsters or guardians roam. You can all sleep soundly tonight.”
We discussed tomorrow’s schedule and plan of action. After Ciel’s final goodnight, we all turned in.
“Good night, everyone.”
*
Inside the quiet safe room, only a faint magic lamp flickered. Melga was snoring loudly, and the others were sleeping soundly.
Beatrice, however, was curled up on her side inside her sleeping bag. It was a top-of-the-line bag made from the processed fur of a Permia goat, but the hard floor was still terribly uncomfortable.
‘…’
Unable to sleep, she tossed and turned, replaying the day’s events in her mind. It had been a remarkably smooth run. There were various traps, but none of them had even slowed them down. Chloe’s archaeological knowledge and Melga’s mechanical expertise were helpful, but the most effective asset was Roen’s knowledge.
She had no idea how Roen knew the ins and outs of a dungeon built by ancient dwarves.
Then again, so much of his recent behavior has been incomprehensible.
Beatrice even wondered if the silly fantasy she’d had at the beginning of the semester might be true—the nagging feeling that the person inside Roen had been completely replaced. But according to Freya, he had been a decent person when he was young, so maybe that wasn't it.
As her thoughts drifted, she recalled the alloy arrow. It had been a brief moment, but she could have died an absurd death.
…In a way, he saved my life, didn't he?
Of course, if it weren’t for Roen, she wouldn’t be in this dangerous dungeon in the first place, and it was his duty as the leader to protect her. But even so, she had survived a lethal situation because of him. It was also her own mistake for stubbornly trying to block the arrow with a barrier instead of listening to his advice.
Beatrice decided that if she ever got the chance, she would repay the debt.
*
The next day.
“Didn’t sleep well?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“The bed must have been uncomfortable. It’s only natural when you’re used to a soft mattress and have to sleep on the ground.”
“…”
“Make sure you manage your condition. We’ll need your power to take down the Dungeon Keeper.”
With a haggard-looking Beatrice in tow, we resumed our exploration. We took the stairs down to the deeper levels. Unlike the quiet of yesterday, monsters and dwarven mechanical guardians began to appear.
Kiririk—.
The first to emerge was a spider-like mechanical guardian, about the size of a medium dog. It had eight sharply honed, spiky legs and multiple pairs of grotesquely writhing eyes. The gears around its mandibles whirred like a shredder.
It might look flimsy to the uninitiated, but it was a device packed with ancient dwarven technology—anything but an easy opponent.
Confirming its appearance, I issued instructions.
“Everyone, listen up. We have an enemy. Move into formation!”