The Abandoned Healer
The first basement floor of the Underground Tombs. Old torches lined the walls in long rows, flickering unsteadily and casting a strange, oppressive atmosphere.
An unidentified chill seeped from the ossuaries packed tightly into every surface, coiling around my ankles like invisible hands.
"It's far more unsettling than outside." Adelaide hunched her shoulders tightly, rubbing her arms with careful strokes. She was right. The air down here carried a much heavier sense of dread than the surface. Still, it wasn't strong enough to muddle the mind.
"This dungeon twists like a maze, too."
"Are we even going the right way…?"
"I have no idea. For now, we just keep moving forward."
I carved through the monsters blocking our path without mercy, my steps brisk and efficient. One reason I could tell this place wasn't particularly difficult was the pathetically low level of the creatures respawning on the surface and first basement floor.
Goblins, skeleton soldiers, and ghouls that shuffled along like slow zombies. Just as I'd expected, the first and second floors held nothing of value. We'd need to reach at least the third or fourth floor before any worthwhile items started dropping.
"…Weren't you the one who said we'd head straight down to the fourth basement floor?"
"Yes, I did."
"Then what exactly are you doing right now?"
I had been closely examining the jewel-like stone dropped by the skeleton soldier I'd just cut down when Adelaide's displeased voice suddenly rang out from behind me.
"This stone doesn't feel like an ordinary rock."
"It's a Mana Stone. How does a knight not know about mana stones?"
"Mana stone?"
"Hand them over to a merchant and you can earn a decent amount of money."
A mana stone, huh. One of those common crafting materials that shows up everywhere in isekai stories. As far as I knew, they were usually sold for cash or infused with power to reinforce equipment.
"I see. Thanks for telling me."
"Are you going to sell it?"
"No. I'll collect them and use them as reinforcement materials later."
"How do you even know mana stones can be used for reinforcement…"
"You can tell at a glance. Items like this are usually meant for that kind of purpose."
I answered Adelaide's question in a flat tone, then strode deeper into the Underground Tombs with purposeful steps.
"By the way, just how many adventurers have come through here? The dungeon feels completely stripped bare."
"Can't be helped. I did tell you it was an old dungeon."
"Does this place not reset to its original state over time?"
"What? Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"
While scanning the area for the staircase leading to the second basement floor, I noticed something odd and asked her quietly.
"The Lucky Cow King dungeon would restore its interior no matter how badly it was damaged once enough time passed."
"Ah, so that's what you meant. It's the same here."
"…The same?"
"Yes. Every dungeon works that way. They repair themselves according to the flow of mana. This place is no exception."
The moment I heard that, I stopped in my tracks and slowly looked around once more.
"Ow! Why did you stop so suddenly?"
"Looks like there's a party that entered before us."
"…Pardon?"
"We should stay alert, just in case."
Adelaide didn't seem to have noticed yet, but the signs were clear. Someone had swept through this area, and the traces looked fresh. Very fresh.
"Broken objects are scattered everywhere, and there are quite a few traces of battle."
"You're saying there's someone else in this dungeon besides us?"
"Yes. Judging by the marks, they passed through here not long ago."
Sword scars stood out sharply on the floor and walls—proof of a fierce fight. The swing patterns, however, were sloppy. Too many unnecessary movements, and several strikes had landed repeatedly in the same spots. Clearly not a skilled party.
"They don't seem like opponents worth worrying about, but it never hurts to be careful."
"Opponents? Why are you already treating them like enemies…?"
"Because this isn't an instance dungeon. Anyone clearing the same dungeon becomes a competitor by default."
As long as the boss wasn't defeated, the dungeon's resources would regenerate indefinitely. But if the party ahead was aiming for the boss, everything changed. From that point on, they were rivals. A clash over the rewards would be unavoidable.
"It would have been nice if we could keep challenging the dungeon even after beating the boss, but unfortunately the dungeons in this world don't work that way."
"So you're worried the party ahead will snatch all the loot?"
"Exactly. I can compromise on most things, but I will never yield the rewards."
I answered calmly and continued following the tracks on the floor in silence.
"So that's what this was about… I got nervous thinking some powerful party even you would be wary of had shown up."
"There's no way a party stronger than me would be inside a low-level dungeon like this."
"I don't know what 'instance' or 'low-level' mean, but I'll just take your word for it."
There was no need for further explanation. We would definitely run into them at some point before reaching the fourth basement floor. She could see for herself then. Anything more would just be a waste of time.
- Clank. Clank…
- Thud. Thud…
After wrapping up our conversation, I focused on following the tracks again. That was when a voice suddenly echoed through the silent dungeon.
"I don't think we can go any further…"
"This isn't a dungeon we can clear. We should head somewhere a little easier."
"What are you talking about? We just need to take it slow and not rush."
"At this rate, we won't even reach the second floor in months, let alone the fourth."
My ears twitched like a rabbit's. I carefully turned my head toward the source of the voices.
"Let's stop being greedy and go to an easier dungeon."
"Who said anything about rushing to the fourth floor? I'm saying we should build up experience properly on the first or second floor."
"I know experience matters. But it isn't more important than our lives. We're still too weak right now."
Adelaide, who had been holding her breath and following quietly, blinked slowly.
"We found them sooner than expected…"
"Sounds like things aren't going as smoothly as they hoped."
From the voices, there were three party members. The most basic formation—front line, mid line, and rear support.
"Still, we're only on the first floor. It's too early to turn back."
"I understand how you feel. But we nearly died in that last fight."
"That's just your opinion. It was tough, sure, but it wasn't life-threatening."
I moved carefully toward the voices. Beyond the corner of the corridor, where an old torch wavered precariously, three faint silhouettes flickered in the dim light.
"You're the priest. How can you be this shaken? We'll all die at this rate!"
"That's exactly why I'm saying we should go back now. If we leave immediately, no one gets hurt and we can return safely."
Two men and one woman. All three wore shabby gear. At first glance, they were complete beginners who had no business being in this dungeon.
"Ugh, fine! If you want to leave so badly, then go by yourself!"
"…What?"
"We're staying a little longer. So do what you want—leave or stay, it's up to you!"
I had thought the party ahead might make for decent competition on the way to the fourth-floor boss. To think they were nothing but novices. The disappointment hit so hard my whole body felt drained.
"Looks like they're planning to continue with just the two of them, without the priest."
"So it seems."
"What should we do? If we leave them like this, they'll definitely get killed…"
Just as Adelaide said, those two would be wiped out before long if left alone. In any RPG, healers were treated like precious treasures. To throw one away so casually—I couldn't fathom where they found the confidence to keep going without one.
"A healer is a healer, no matter how low their level. There's never a downside to raising one."
"What? Wait, where is this coming from all of a sudden…"
"When else are we going to find a healer? Better to pick one up while we can."
Adelaide stared at me with a blank face after my casual remark. Even so, my eyes never left the healer for a single second.
"If they abandon their healer, we'll take her immediately."
"Right now… is that all you see? The priest?"
"The two men have already made up their minds. There's no reason for us to intervene and stop them."
I spoke calmly and took a small breath.
"If they're the type who have to taste it themselves to know whether it's shit or fermented soybean paste, then we should just let them be."
"You're colder than I expected…"
"We're not rescuers. We're adventurers, same as them."
If they had been ordinary civilians who lost their way, I would have helped without hesitation. But they had chosen the dangerous path of becoming adventurers. The consequences of that choice were theirs alone to bear.
"Well… that's true. The adventurer life isn't soft enough for sympathy to guide your actions."
"You're quick to accept it. Good."
"I'm quite cold when the situation calls for it."
I had expected some objection, but Adelaide offered none. She simply nodded in understanding. She had a stronger core than her appearance suggested.
"Perfect timing. The frontliner and midliner are leaving the healer behind."
"Already?!"
"They must not have been together long."
"Even so, how could they abandon a priest in the middle of a dungeon…"
"If a party doesn't understand the value of a healer, this sort of thing can happen."
The two men vanished from sight almost as soon as the words left my mouth. The healer, now completely alone in the middle of the dungeon, stared blankly in the direction they had gone, blinking weakly.
- Clank. Clank…
But that only lasted a moment.
"The healer position is open here."
My low voice echoed through the gloomy corridor. The healer, who had been standing there like a stone statue, flinched violently.
"…?"
She slowly turned her head toward us with great effort. Her face was deathly pale. Her thin lips trembled with fear.
The moment she saw us, she swallowed a scream and stumbled backward. Her legs gave out before she could go far, and she fell hard onto the floor.
"The healer position is open here."
Despite her reaction, I paid it no mind and repeated the same words in the same calm tone.