Episode 059: Wait. So that's not a haunted tree, it's a dungeon entrance?
"......Really?"
"Yes?"
"No, I mean... so this isn't haunted... it's a dungeon where monsters live?"
"That's right, but...?"
The masked man answered with a puzzled look.
"Ah, fuck! I got scared for nothing!"
"......!"
The masked man flinched at my shout and stumbled back. But I didn't have time to care.
So the genre wasn't horror—it really was a creature feature? That changes everything. Ghosts don't take physical damage, but dungeons do!
"It's there, that thing."
I glared at the tree, huffing and puffing. This goddamn tree bastard. How dare it scare me? It blasted high-frequency noise all night so I couldn't sleep, and now it's playing ghost?
Rage boiled up inside me. As I turned to glare at the tree, the masked man hurriedly blocked my path.
"You can't! I know your skills well, Kasian, but going in alone is too risky."
"I'm not going into the dungeon."
"Pardon?"
"You think I'm crazy? I'm still scared shitless—why the hell would I crawl in there?"
The fear had shrunk to a fraction of a fraction of a fraction, but it was still scary as hell. Who knew what was inside? What if some grotesque monster popped out? At least for today, I didn't have the guts to face anything creepy or gross beyond the scary stuff.
"I'm gonna bail first."
"Bail? But you just confirmed the phase interference barrier. Unless you destroy the entrance, escaping this barrier is impossible......"
"That's why."
I snapped back irritably.
"I'm not going in—I'm just smashing that phase interference thing."
"......Pardon?"
"We've pinpointed the dungeon's location anyway. So we head back to camp, prep for a dungeon break, or pack up quick and bolt the opposite way. Either's possible, right?"
"......You're right, but."
Why was this masked guy suddenly looking at me like I was nuts again? Whatever. I didn't want to spend one more second in this shithole.
But they say even a stone bridge needs testing before crossing. Just in case, I asked the masked man blocking my way.
"Dungeons don't just move their entrances on a whim, do they?"
"That's extremely rare. Dungeons parasitize fixed coordinates."
"So no sudden break either?"
"Yes. That level of instability would've shown up on our mid-grade detectors we brought. It's in dormancy now."
They had mid-grade detectors? Figures they wouldn't tell students. Anyway, that's why old man Wilhelm had us on standby—something felt off.
"Alright, that's reassuring."
I nodded. The entrance wouldn't run, and no monsters would burst out suddenly.
"And discovering the dungeon alone is a huge win. We've already requested reinforcements from the capital to handle it."
Screw it. I came here for nothing after all.
My gut overreacted, damn it.
Reinforcements were coming. The dungeon was dormant, no immediate break. I was the only one who suffered through that high-pitched hell in this shitty timeline?
Problem Solver, activate.
The condition was simple.
Neutralize the dungeon's phase interference to secure an escape route.
Problem Solver
Remaining Uses Today: 2/3
It could've been more specific, but I know jack about dungeons. So a vague sentence was all I could input. Still, with the mana hole forming, it should hold up.
At that moment—
Woooong—
My body moved on its own, against my will, pulled by some phenomenon. My hands stretched toward the ground like magnets.
The instant my palms touched the cold dirt—
Kuuuung—!
"......?!"
My heart pounded wildly. Like a dam bursting, hot energy surged from the mana hole in my chest. It raced through my veins and poured out my palms in an instant.
Drdrdrdrdr!
What, what?
The ground screamed. Crimson-black cracks spiderwebbed from my hands, distorting everything in sight. The tree bent like taffy, the moon in the night sky split in two.
Hey, hold up!
I just wanted to pick a lock—why did it feel like the whole apartment complex was getting flipped?
Kigigig—Kwajik!
Space itself twisted, the noise shredding my eardrums. Massive waves pulsed from my fingertips, slamming into something far off and rebounding. My arms and shoulders shook like a thresher.
We're fucked.
Why the hell was breaking one phase interference this damn noisy?
Uwaaaah!
The shadow couldn't believe his eyes.
"......Impossible."
A dungeon is an independent world. Small as it may be, it has its own laws and order. The only way to conquer it from outside is entering through the entrance and destroying the core. Shattering the shell from outside theoretically requires energy to collapse a dimension.
And yet.
"Picking out just the phase interference... and breaking it?"
People didn't scout dungeons from dozens or hundreds of meters away because they were idiots. Once caught in the domain, escape meant conquering from inside.
But the scene before him defied all common sense.
Woooong—Kwaaaang!
The world warped. Waves from Kasian's hands squeezed the dungeon's barrier like a vise.
"Kuh...!"
The shadow braced with all his might against the immense invisible pressure. Was this magic? It felt like the ancient magic of elder dragons.
An absolute force crushing the sub-space laws of the dungeon with higher laws.
Chingrang—!
Finally, the shattering sound engulfed the forest. A massive crack split the air, transparent glass-like shards scattering like rain. Fragments of space.
Plip plop.
Glowing shards fluttered like snow and vanished. Silence fell like a lie.
The landscape looked the same. But the shadow knew. His direction sense sharpened oddly. The sticky unease on his skin washed away. They'd fully escaped the dungeon's magnetism.
How the hell...?
The shadow stared blankly at the man sprawled on the ground.
"Oh. The noise stopped. Jackpot."
Kasian del Parne. He no longer looked human. A monster who'd smashed the impossible with bare hands.
Yet the guy who'd pulled off this miracle just stared dumbly at his hands.
What are you thinking?
Drunk on his power? Gaining new insight from the dimension's remnants?
As the shadow swallowed hard, Kasian shook his hands and stood.
"Anyway, it worked, right?"
"......"
Why ask? He'd done it himself—he should know best.
Well. Under that baggy exterior, that obsessive thoroughness—testing even stone bridges—must've made him this freakish expert. Not blindly trusting his senses, seeking cross-verification. That caution.
The shadow replied in a trembling voice.
"......Yes. The phase interference barrier seems perfectly neutralized."
Not neutralized—the entrance itself had vanished. The interior probably collapsed too.
"Got it."
Kasian nodded flatly. He glanced at the shadow and muttered.
"But it's kinda embarrassing, so could you stop staring like that?"
"Ah...... Sorry."
Kasian brushed dirt off his clothes.
"Let's head back, report, and stand by. Now it's quiet, time to sleep."
He turned without regret. The shadow watched his back blankly, then snapped to and leaped into the tree.
"......"
Professor Wilhelm's face was a sight. Like he'd heard orcs doing ballet on the battlefield—totally spaced out.
He stroked his goatee with trembling hands and asked again.
"So... you broke the dungeon's phase interference barrier... and came back?"
"Yes."
"Bare-handed?"
"Well, no tools handy."
"......Hoo."
A deep sigh escaped Wilhelm.
Why treat me like an alien? It wasn't conquering the whole dungeon and slaying the boss. Just smashed the front door lock 'cause it was noisy and bailed. Ripped the entrance a bit and dipped—why the fuss?
Sure, the ground shook and sky seemed to tear, but that was just magic effects, right?
Wilhelm stayed silent a while, then cleared his throat as he pulled himself together.
"Ahem. Anyway... good work. You nipped a major threat in the bud."
"No biggie."
"The capital will send experts soon for the remnants, so don't worry about cleanup."
Thank god. If cleanup was on me, I'd collapse for real.
I bowed slightly.
"Then I'll crash. Haven't slept in two days—eyes are closing."
"Yes, yes! Go rest. I'll tell your team to let you sleep no matter what."
Wilhelm practically ushered me out like prized china. Being treated like a national treasure by gramps—overwhelming.
Outside the barracks, cold dawn air brushed my cheek. The sky had turned bluish.
"Haa...... Fucking exhausted."
Tension gone, fatigue hit like now! Situation sorted, that damn high-pitch gone—my body felt like waterlogged cotton.
I shambled zombie-like to the tent. Thankfully quiet inside. Maybe took the sleeping pills that Lucius bastard gave—everyone but Lucius, guaranteed solo sleep, the other twenty-two dudes sprawled like corpses.
I flopped into an empty spot.
Thud. Consciousness cut out the second I lay down.
How long had it been?
"......Mm."
I grabbed my fuzzy mind and opened my eyes. Refreshed. Head clear like decade-old phlegm gone.
But.
What?
Something felt off. Stinging. Someone's gaze stabbed my face.
I cracked my eyes, hunting the source.
By my head. Someone sat, looking down.
At first, just silhouette. But focus sharpened—and a radiant beauty filled my view, eyes widening naturally.
Messy black hair, intellectual eyes gleaming behind glasses. A subtle smile like observing a subject.
"......Professor?"
"Awake?"
Iris von Evergarden. She gazed at me with a gentle smile.
Huh?
Hold up. I hurriedly scanned around. Still the drab olive tent. But.
All the guys around were gone.
"How'd you get here... no, when?"
As I panicked, Iris answered calmly.
"Just now. Your sleeping face was so cute, I felt bad waking you."
"......How long were you watching?"
"About 30 minutes?"
"......"
Whoa...... Chills down my spine. Staring at a guy's sleeping face for 30 minutes? In this stinky tent?