Fears from Below and the Knight's Dilemma
The dungeon's interior resembled a barren desert. No plants, no buildings, not even traces of life—just an oppressive silence and chill permeating the air.
"…No sign of monsters."
"Yeah…"
Personally, the silence felt even more unnerving. If monsters came charging in openly, I could analyze their patterns in combat and adapt, or draw on my knowledge of them from memory. But in a space filled only with this eerie quiet and cold… what good was knowledge here?
"Let's push forward for now."
I drew runes in the air to conjure flames that lit our surroundings, stepping ahead one foot at a time. With every step, something that wasn't dirt, mud, or even sand clung to my feet, sucking them in.
A desert? Glancing down at my feet… my gaze met eyes staring back up at me.
"!!!"
"What the fuck?!"
I urgently fired the illuminating flames at the ground instead and drew my sword, but the eyes in the floor just stared blankly at me without reacting.
"…What is this?"
Arian froze mid-rune in the air.
What? This is a Spirit?
Hearing the god's words, I muttered a light curse, and the Spirit absorbed it, faintly exhaling its own curse in response.
…How the hell does something grow into a Spirit like this? Size-wise, it couldn't compare to Special Grade Nero. Sure, Spirits didn't rely solely on size, but this thing was so abnormally massive that its mass alone outstripped most.
"What now? Keep going, or try exorcising this monster?"
"…Let's walk a bit more."
Stepping over the squelching flesh, we advanced. To be honest, trudging across this vast emptiness was messing with my sense of direction.
"Are we even heading straight ahead!?"
"…No idea."
It'd be nice if there were trees or markers to leave signs on, but there was absolutely nothing. No plants, no creatures. The only things alive here were our group of four and this massive Spirit beneath our feet.
"How about linking up with the other teams? Seems like a solid option…"
"No, the real question is whether that's even possible."
It might work if they were above this Spirit. But what if they were below it?
"This Spirit is our floor, but if there's an underground layer, it could be their ceiling. Not impossible, right?"
"…True."
When I'd accidentally attacked earlier, the Spirit's reaction had been negligible. It hadn't even flinched from the pain.
"…No countermeasures like this. Lian, want to try punching through the floor?"
"Yeah, I prefer that option."
Summoning Nero through my ring, his enormous form materialized.
"Nero, ready for some work today?"
Uh… Last time I petted his head, so…
"I'll play with you all day, Nero."
With Nero's response, I closed my eyes and processed spells and runes in my mind, focusing purely on maximizing destructive power. Stability mattered, but right now, raw firepower was key.
"Spell deployment, additional structure."
The form was a piercing spear for pinpoint breakthrough—Nero's mana as the core, layered with multiple coats of my own mana to amplify destruction.
"Fire."
The massive spear plunged straight into the Spirit's flesh.
Kwajijik!!Kwaduk!!
"Ugh…"
"Not a pleasant sight."
This reaction was unexpected… The destructive power matched my expectations perfectly. But… blood and chunks of flesh spraying everywhere wasn't exactly a pretty picture.
"…The power exceeded expectations?"
"My innate mana specializes in that, but it's really all thanks to how useful Nero's curse is."
"Curse magic… I never warmed to it personally. But seems practical?"
"If you're interested, I can teach you the basics during break time. There are ways to use curses without contracting a Spirit."
Watching the Spirit's flesh disintegrate in real time while chatting with Lena, the spell-spear suddenly plummeted into the void.
"Whoa… Better not let that hurt anyone."
I hurriedly dispelled the spell, spreading the curse into the air, then peeked into the hole that formed.
"Kieeeek!!!"
"Grrrruk!!!!"
"Kiek!! Kieeek!!!!"
"…What the—didn't they say Pandora's box was open?"
Monsters—not the root of all evil, but close enough—swarmed in numbers beyond counting.
"What the hell did I just see…"
"This is insane!"
Minel turned away in denial, Arian in rage, both averting their eyes from the hellish pit.
"We should save dropping down there as a last resort. The moment we fall in, it'd be nonstop fighting…"
"Seriously. This world's got zero hope."
Above the Spirit: an empty wasteland devoid of trees or life. Below: thousands, maybe tens of thousands of monsters lying in wait for prey. No way a frail human could cling to hope in a place like this.
Clutching hope felt like such a stroke of luck…
"Alright, let's take a break and sort our info—"
"Kyaaaak!!!"
Just as I started to suggest it, a scream all too familiar echoed from below.
"…Miss?"
Ah, damn it. Of all voices, it had to be Ceres's. Glancing at Minel, her eyes were already shaking violently.
"Minel, snap out of it."
"Ugh… Sorry. Hearing the miss's voice made me lose it for a second."
She seemed to pull herself together, looking at me, but soon her gaze drifted back to the pit I'd made. Now pure curiosity gripped me. Ceres wasn't some helpless baby who couldn't get up without rescue, right?
"Minel, during the kidnapping, I bore some blame and saved her for your sake. But don't forget—this is just Arcade Academy's exam designed to spark competition."
"Right… I know. I know, but…"
"Kuhuk!! Kyaaaak!!!"
Ceres's sharp scream rang out again, and Minel finally couldn't hold back. She bolted up.
Thud.
But it wasn't me or Lena who stopped her—it was Arian.
"Don't make me laugh. Where the hell do you think you're going?"
"To save the miss…"
"That's what I'm saying. What bullshit is that?"
Arian's silver eyes gleamed sharper than ever.
"I get how intense your loyalty is. I get how much you like that 'miss' of yours. But if you use that as an excuse to screw us over, I won't forgive you."
"I won't ask for your help. This is purely my selfish desire…"
"Wrapping bullshit in human words doesn't make it valid!!"
Arian grabbed Minel's collar.
"You're Ceres Reinhardt's knight. But right now, you're also a party member with us. A knight shouldn't abandon their lord. But before that, didn't they teach you not to betray trust?"
Why was she going this far? Even if Minel's actions were selfish, Arian had no reason to block her so fiercely. Hell, Arian would've normally told her to go die like a dog.
"What if this monster attacks while you're gone?"
Arian's hands trembled faintly as she spoke. That's when it hit me. Arian was scared of this situation. Half her mana force circuits were wrecked, leaving her unable to resist the dungeon's mana. Fresh off that helplessness, after walking far enough to drain her stamina, exhaustion and powerlessness combined into terror. Nothing strange about it.
"I don't wanna die!!!!"
Arian's voice echoed loudly. I'd never seen her cling to life like this. Forgetting her strength, losing the connections she'd built because of me—it had stripped away the villainess, leaving just an ordinary mage girl.
"…Sorry."
Minel apologized sincerely. Arian's silver eyes glistened like wet jewels, impossible for Minel to ignore.
"Lian, then grant me one request."
"What."
"That technique from earlier… Fire one shot into that monster horde. Only if it's not too much… but I'm begging you."
As Minel bowed her head, I stroked her hair and deployed the spell. Fine, if she was asking like that… one spell was no big deal.
Kwaaaang!!!
After the strike…
"Waaaaaah!!! I'm alive!!! Alive, Prin!!!!!"
Ceres's wail boomed out. Minel sighed in relief, clutching her chest. Arian snorted and pulled her blanket up over her head.
Personally, Ceres's crying was the last thing I wanted to hear… but for what I'd caused, it was a cheap price.
"Alright, let's set up a tent and rest. Who knows what tomorrow brings?"