A Statue with a Story
"Ah, this? It's one of the items my mom picked up from a hidden dungeon she got sucked into before she was placed under restrictions. Do you think this might work?"
No Hayun explained that it was a gift her mother had given her on the day she first awakened and had her potential recognized.
"It doesn't actually have any special functions. But look here—see how detailed the carving is? It definitely has value as a work of art. Every hunter should have at least one piece like this for interior decoration, don't you think? ... Um, and also—"
In truth, aside from being an object from another world, it seemed utterly useless, but she kept talking at length, clearly eager to demonstrate its worth to me.
Let's see.
It was roughly the size of my forearm. Even from a distance, the statue depicted a woman of breathtaking beauty. Though it was merely a sculpture, it overflowed with such lifelike vitality that it seemed ready to spring to life at any moment. Beneath the woman's feet, various races were depicted in intricate relief, all bowing their heads in reverence. The kneeling figures were shown only from behind, making them hard to identify precisely, but the one with a thick tail was unmistakably a lizardman.
A lizardman, huh...
"Even though the system doesn't give any description, my mom really did obtain this from a hidden dungeon, okay?"
An item with no system description—something without any value.
What I'd originally wanted was an artifact on the level of the bracelet she'd shown off at the cafe. Even I had to admit that was asking too much.
My feelings about this are a bit strange.
Moreover, simply looking at the goddess statue stirred an inexplicable, ominous sensation in my chest, which only strengthened my inclination.
I stepped closer to her so I could examine the goddess statue properly.
"U-uh... W-why are you coming closer—"
No Hayun was flustered by my sudden approach, but she soon looked up at me with eyes brimming with expectation. It had been nearly two months since we'd met, yet I still couldn't fathom what went on in her head.
Regardless, I took the goddess statue from her. The instant it touched my hand, a woman's voice—somehow nostalgic—brushed through my mind.
......
Confirmed a follower of Irmana.
Acquired the Statue of Irmana!
A masterpiece created by a talented sculptor of an ancient kingdom who poured his entire soul into honoring the great water goddess Irmana.
Through the sculptor's profound devotion and heaven-reaching talent, it was recognized as a divine statue after countless years.
Effect: Grants a revelation from Irmana with an extremely low probability.
Whoa! It was Irmana's statue?!
I'd sensed something odd about it, but I hadn't expected anything on this level. A jackpot had landed in my lap from the most unexpected place.
"Mom said she was trapped alone in a dungeon covered in ice for weeks and barely made it out alive. It has quite the 'witch's tale' behind it. So? Isn't this enough to make a fair trade?"
When I simply stood there without reacting, No Hayun grew visibly anxious and began speaking faster and faster.
"Clack... Clack."
"Oh? That means you'll trade, right? Then hand it over quickly."
I passed her the carved bone object without the slightest hesitation. Compared to the value of this goddess statue, that bone thing was practically trash.
Of course, the Hayun who received it seemed to have a very different opinion.
"Wow... Incredible... Did you make this for your master? It looks just like a man's, um, that thing—"
I nodded vaguely in confirmation. Her face and neck flushed bright red as she stammered.
"Y-you two are really... in that kind of relationship... Th-that's amazing... What does it feel like? When you do it? Could you tell me in detail?"
Hayun stuttering in a way that didn't suit her at all.
What exactly does she expect a skeleton to say?
I didn't bother responding to her question. It didn't seem like she was actually expecting an answer from me anyway; she simply poured out whatever thoughts came to mind.
"I'm so curious about Yeon-hee's expression and posture back then... I should've watched even if it was too much... It would've been such good reference material."
...... What a pervert.
She could imagine whatever she wanted, but it did worry me a little.
Yeon-hee's image is going to end up a bit strange. Ahem...
Anyway, as I quietly stroked the statue I'd received, I immediately knew how I should use it.
It feels like the efficiency would be excellent if I used this during the consciousness-raising quest.
It might even shorten Irmana's quest, which still had over a month remaining. The final option, however, left me slightly puzzled.
Receiving a revelation from a god... It somehow feels like it would be annoying.
I worried that if she considered me her follower, she might start issuing all sorts of arbitrary commands. Still, I had no idea what receiving a revelation actually entailed, and since it came with the caveat of "extremely low probability," there was no point worrying about something that would likely never happen.
I continued gently stroking the goddess statue while waiting for everyone to wake up.
"Haa──"
"That was truly an ecstatic experience..."
"I feel like I'm about to float away..."
It took another twenty minutes after receiving the statue before my companions began regaining consciousness one by one. The companions who had consumed the elixir all had heated bodies because the energy within them had yet to fully stabilize. The sight of the women with half-lidded eyes letting out heated breaths was strangely stimulating in a visceral way.
"Thank you... My mana increased by three hundred... It's more than double what it used to be."
"Huh? Eunyeong unnie, your maximum mana was lower than I expected?"
"Singing consumes very little mana... so I haven't been raising it often."
Even the mana consumption was low... The Bard of Salvation. It's definitely an overpowered class.
"Then what stats do you raise on level-up, unnie?"
"Resistance, intelligence, and melody."
"Why resistance? Anyway, putting that aside—melody? Is that a bard's unique stat?"
"That's right... Raising it lets me sing with greater focus for longer periods without being affected by the surrounding environment."
"Oh—that's fascinating."
I see... I vaguely recall hearing that bard classes have unique stats.
I waited until Yeon-hee's breathing had stabilized, then asked her to call out the summons. She summoned the werewolf 'Lakan' unit.
"You guys really. You're asking for a scolding?"
"Whine..."
"Sigh... I could force you, but it can't be helped."
Werewolves hated carrying people with a passion, so as usual, the orcs and lizardmen ended up carrying the companions on their shoulders.
In a way, I'm a bit envious. The ring's such tendencies are gradually fading.
Once outside, we headed toward the location of the boss battle. Even while riding atop the summons, the companions still looked half-asleep. We had about thirty minutes until we reached the boss area, so they should recover fully during the journey.
Yet only a few minutes after emerging, I sensed things that disturbed my senses.
Gates...
Just like when the Chinese hunters crossed over a few days ago, I could feel multiple newly generated gates inside the dungeon. But these were several times larger, and the energy emanating from them was far from ordinary.
...This feels rather dangerous.
I clenched my fist tightly and sent the signal to stop. The summons and companions came to an abrupt halt. I signaled Yeon-hee to summon Castle.
"?!"
Though greatly startled, Yeon-hee immediately summoned Castle.
Rumble rumble rumble——!
[······.]
The giant fortress emerged and firmly sealed its mouth, as if asking what its mission was.
Castle, this is your first mission.
[······?]
I quickly placed Eunyeong—who was in the worst condition among Yeon-hee and the others—inside the golem's body.
(This space is to my liking.)
Azraelon, who had entered the golem's interior along with Eunyeong, nodded in satisfaction.
"Clack clack clack!"
"Huh? U-us too?"
I nodded and pushed Hayun, Arin, and Jua into Castle's embrace as well. The golem gently wrapped them all up, like a mother bird protecting her chicks.
Protect them so no bastard can come near.
[······!]
At my command, Castle gave a small nod and activated its power.
Clang clang clang——!!
Centered on Castle's body, massive stone barriers manifested from thin air and enclosed the area in all directions. Dozens of giant shields formed an impenetrable defensive wall, and the dense magical energy surrounding the barriers filled me with absolute confidence that nothing could breach them.
Having the werewolf 'Lakan' unit ride atop Castle completed the fortress. It felt utterly reassuring—an impregnable stronghold.
Fortunately, Castle didn't seem particularly bothered by the Lakan unit riding on its body. And Lakan appeared to enjoy being up there immensely, repeatedly letting out howls.
Shut up, you damn fools. Are you trying to gather every monster in the dungeon?
"Grrrr—"
Lakan briefly showed defiance at my words, but then the fur covering its body suddenly bristled.
With its sharp instincts, it must have sensed the ominous atmosphere spreading through the dungeon. I closed my mind's eye and focused entirely on my senses. Gradually, I began to perceive the energy of the lifeforms stepping through the gates.
...... What the hell? The things coming through aren't human?
The dungeon's changes were growing increasingly bizarre. The monsters that emerged were massive, and the green energy swirling around their bodies was intensely powerful even from a distance. Four-meter-tall giants. Sharp horns sprouting from the tops of their heads and both shoulders. Their muscular limbs looked ready to burst, making it clear they weren't merely large. Each held a wooden club as massive as their own bodies.
Even those clubs weren't ordinary wood. Their hardness rivaled metal, making them difficult to destroy.
Damn it... Why is that thing here of all places.
The monster that had crossed the gate was an ogre—one that could be encountered starting from high-ranking B-grade dungeons. Along with goblins and orcs, they were known as one of the three kings of humanoid monsters. Orcs, with their numbers, intelligence rivaling humans, and powerful physiques, were called the dominant species of dungeons. However, an ogre's raw strength generally far surpassed that of orcs. Their poor breeding habits meant they weren't very numerous, so encounters were relatively rare.
I currently sensed three gates. From each one, an ogre was slowly emerging.
One per gate...?
Since I sensed three just within my range, there were likely far more throughout the entire dungeon.
Even dealing with them would be a headache.
They had an ability that activated upon death, making them troublesome in multiple ways.
There might be over a hundred... This is bad.
I launched every signal flare for code four into the sky. It was a red alert—avoid combat at all costs and hide immediately. This was only the second time I'd used it since discovering 'Fang' during the old Guchang-ro dungeon break. My companions' eyes widened at the signal, but they gripped their weapons tightly and shifted into combat readiness.