Found You
The march announcing the start of the battle echoed through the cavern.
At the entrance to the boss room on the 10th floor. The overall commander of the villains deployed to block any potential dungeon raid by Academy students—Miner—was watching the Academy freshmen who had climbed up to the 9th floor, along with the villain responsible for this terror alongside him, Snowgirl Pa, through an ice crystal.
"Ha, if they've already made it this far, they must have some skills? Or... did they just get lucky and wake up on the 9th floor?"
For him, who had been assigned to defend the 9th and 10th floors faster than anyone else using his ability to tunnel through dungeon terrain and was killing time in boredom, this was quite the entertaining show. He set down the pickaxe he was holding, gazed at the scene projected by the villain named Snowgirl Pa's magic, and pulled out a prepared snack.
"Judging by their name tags, they look like first-years... Huh? That hair color—Chuncheon Clan heir?"
He'd thought they'd be easy pickings, but the unexpected appearance sparked his interest. Miner grinned.
"Man, I was getting bored waiting, but this is turning fun."
Miner just cackled as he watched the kids beyond the ice crystal. If he wanted, he could head up and help, but against Academy freshmen? If they beat her, it just meant she was that weak. To villains, comrades were disposable anyway.
"Alright then, let's see what these Academy newbies are made of."
The blue ice crystal floating before Miner reflected the situation above.
* * *
"You got here faster than expected? I figured it'd be at least two days of nothing."
Snowgirl Pa giggled at the freshmen who had reached her, eyeing Youngje as he cast his spell.
"Cute."
She smacked the head of the snowman she was riding, and ice crystals bloomed from it, morphing into blue spikes.
"First, a welcome greeting?"
No sooner had Pa spoken than the spikes shot out. Sea-a, behind Youngje, stepped forward and spread her arms wide. The spikes deliberately missed them, embedding elsewhere.
"Oh my, coordinate interference too? Fun kids."
As Pa laughed at their apparent skill, a sudden clang shook her snowman.
"Ngh?!"
Looking down, she saw Choi Yeon swinging her sword at the snowman's lower body.
"You idiot bitch! Think that puny sword can cut snow?!"
Choi Yeon swung again, but the blade bounced off without penetrating. Examining the surface closely after rebounding, she spotted the transparent ice barrier around it.
"Three of them, and it's still chaos."
Muttering that, Pa smacked the snowman's head again. Ice crystals burst out, hitting the ground and sprouting new white snowmen like bamboo shoots.
"Children of the snow. Drive out those rags."
Snowmen the size of people filled the area around the big one in an instant. Sea-a and Youngje gritted their teeth, glaring at them.
"Sea-a! I'll launch a big one—target and lock on for me!"
"Leave it to me!"
At Sea-a's firm reply, Youngje swung his fountain pen.
"Grandioso!"
A massive flame erupted from the pen's tip, shooting skyward. Sea-a spread her hands, taking control of the magic from him.
That instant—
"Scatter!"
Space coordinates and mana paths visible only to her eyes. Predicting them all in a flash, Sea-a split the fire pillar into dozens of streams, raining them onto the snowmen's heads.
Cold ice met hot fire, steam billowing instantly and filling the cavern ceiling.
The 9th-floor cavern filled with thick steam in seconds.
But—
Groooaaar—
The snowmen were mostly intact, just a bit smaller.
"Ahahaha! My ice freezes mana itself—the natural enemy of mages! Think that'd work?!"
"No. It's enough."
A cold voice from below made Pa look down. Choi Yeon was slashing the shrunken snowmen, cleaning up.
Pa flinched but smacked the big snowman's head again.
"Stop that bitch!"
—Groooaaarrr—!!
The snowman let out an unbelievably massive roar and began to move. Arms bulged from its empty torso.
Choi Yeon and Sea-a grimaced at the sight.
"Ugh. What the hell is that."
"...Gross."
Ignoring their reactions, frost bloomed on the arms, forming ice crystal swords.
"Snow! Sweep them all away!"
—Guooooh—!!
The snowman swung its body-sized sword vertically at Choi Yeon. She dodged sideways—
"...!"
But her feet were frozen to the floor. She raised her sword, but the overwhelming mass crashed down, whipping up a gale through the cavern.
"Choi Yeon!"
Sea-a, fighting snowmen barehanded, shouted and reached out. Purple flashes erupted, teleporting Choi Yeon in front of her.
"Thanks. Saved my skin."
Blood trickled from her mouth—internal damage. Wiping it, she checked her sword: cracked.
"Ah."
"...Two or three more swings at best. Gotta end it soon."
Calculating her remaining attacks, Choi Yeon recalled the surroundings and their states, brainstorming victory.
Ultimate technique to cut the snowman? —Impossible. Low odds, and failure meant bare hands.
Other options?
She scanned around urgently. Her options were limited. The enemy's cold clashed with her speed specialty, and the indoor chill slowed her more. Alone, tough.
She needed a new variable. Her eyes turned to the other two fighting small snowmen.
"...I'll target the witch on the snowman. Support possible?"
They nodded amid battle.
"I'll twist any magic aimed at you as much as I can."
"Got a plan? I'll support max."
Choi Yeon nodded, ready to charge.
"Count on you."
"Allegro!"
Bang! She kicked off, dashing at the giant snowman. Youngje's support magic accelerated her chilled speed.
Pa panicked at the changed pace.
"Snow! Shred her for real this time!"
—Guooooh—!!
The snowman raised its ice sword; Pa tried freezing the floor—but—
"Keep going!"
Sea-a punched through the snowman's face barehanded, twisting her wrist to disrupt Pa's coordinates. It froze the wrong spot.
"That damn space mage! Doesn't matter—you can't climb up here—Huh?"
Trying another spell to halt the charge, Pa realized her hands wouldn't move. They were stuck to the snowman's head.
"What the...?"
The ice witch frozen by her own creation? As she panicked—
"Tranquillo."
Youngje's calm voice from below. Pa looked down to see him smirking casually.
"You... how'd you use ice magic?!"
Until now, only reinforcement and fire. Now another element?
"Damn...! Snow, fall back!"
She melted the ice frantically—but...
"—Too late."
Choi Yeon leaped into the air, sword raised overhead.
"First time fighting something this big. Fun."
Her eerily calm murmur. Blue aura bloomed from her hand, devouring the cracked sword like corrosion—stunningly beautiful, but Pa's instincts screamed.
—Death.
"No... damn it!! Miner! You're watching, right?! Help me!!"
She screamed at Miner via her magic. No response from below. Then, a white sword strike fell on her head.
"Bisection."
———!
A sound like slicing shaved ice. The snowman exploded.
Kaboooom—!
Fragments scattered, whipping up a blizzard. White light blanketed everything.
'White Out.'
Snowgirl Pa's final spell before the strike.
"Hah... hah...! Close call! Just escape quietly now...!"
Using White Out to evade, she crouched low, crawling toward Miner's tunnel.
"Damn brat bastards...! I'll get revenge. Definitely!"
Muttering quiet rage in the snowfield—
"Guh?!"
A short death cry, and she collapsed face-down.
Behind her, an unknown shadow appeared, quietly gazing toward the kids.
* * *
"Ha, still just rookies after all."
At the 10th-floor boss room entrance, Miner watched via Pa's magic.
"Ngh... Taking longer than thought. Pa's in danger—maybe go help."
Trembling with excitement from the shocks reaching the 10th floor. The ongoing quakes stirred inexplicable thrill—
"...Huh? Wait?"
He froze, sensing something off. Vibration-sensitive, he realized these weren't natural—but man-made.
"From upstairs? Nah, they wouldn't cause this."
Glancing warily at the massive stone door behind—the presumed boss room. But vibrations from there were too small.
"Then what...?"
That moment.
[——Ding dong.]
[——Underground 10th floor.]
"Whoa, this thing really goes straight to the 10th?"
"Pushed it 'cause the light was on. Didn't think it'd come this far."
"Boss, we can cheese the boss with this later, right?"
"Nah, ruins the dungeon clear fun."
Miner slowly turned at the sudden voices. The pillar he'd thought decorative in the room's center split open, people emerging.
"Huh? Boss, someone's there? In a dungeon... with a hard hat?"
"...Hard hat?"
Their eyes met—the two from the elevator and Miner.
"...That's."
Eugene Han Calione instantly recognized the hard-hatted man, eyes widening briefly in surprise before his lips curled into a savage grin.
"—Found you."