Chapter 36
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Mana Mine
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Dungeons.
A place where, once you set foot inside, you can never escape until you’ve explored its deepest depths.
A place where all sorts of monsters and traps lie in wait, eager to tear the flesh from adventurers who come seeking treasure.
A place where a single mistake can get the character and party you’ve painstakingly raised for months wiped out in an instant.
We had to venture into this dreadful place, a place no survivalist or safety-conscious person should ever enter.
It wasn't because we coveted the riches or treasures within the dungeon. I already had more money than I knew what to do with, and the ‘artifact’ spat out as a clear reward from the southern dungeon in the forest zone was only useful for characters like barbarians, not a mage like me.
‘This really sucks.’
If I had to undertake a dungeon-related quest, I wished it was at least in a place where the rewards would help my stats… I thought, entertaining such futile notions as I headed toward the southern edge of the forest zone.
Due to my slow pace, it was nearly evening by the time we reached the entrance.
Just before entering, we lit a small campfire to replenish our energy and ate dinner.
Gathered around the fire were me, Rireu, Rex, and Trian.
“Isn’t our group too small? I feel like we could have brought one or two more warriors.”
“It’s better to have fewer people if we want to move stealthily.”
If our goal had been to eliminate every enemy we encountered and clear out the dungeon’s interior, we would have brought more people.
However, our objective this time was simply to remove the ‘Mana Mines’ hidden somewhere inside.
Therefore, to move covertly and avoid battles with any monsters that might still be lurking in the dungeon, we needed to explore with a minimal crew.
Rireu was essential for disarming the Mana Mines, Trian for navigating the dungeon, and Rex for buying time for the mages to cast spells in a crisis.
…Come to think of it, I seemed to be the only useless one here, but that didn’t really matter, so I let it go.
“Do you think there are any monsters left inside? The forest is so quiet.”
“There definitely are.”
The reason no animals or monsters appeared in this forest was because the Mazoku had used them as materials for their mutants.
However, according to Rex and the other soldiers, they had never witnessed a mutant with features resembling the monsters from the forest zone’s dungeon.
Thus, it was more rational not to expect the Mazoku to have cleaned out the inside of the dungeon.
“You sound certain. General Bin, have you perhaps explored a dungeon before?”
Rex posed the question as I sat there, tearing into a piece of hard bread.
During the past two weeks of construction, Rex had grown a considerable beard. It was unavoidable, given the difficulty of washing properly in this environment.
“…Yes, well.”
Even if it was only through a monitor… it would be better for morale to act like I knew what I was doing rather than adding unnecessary explanations.
“After he lost his parents when he was young… he said he survived by exploring dungeons and selling the loot…”
Rireu unnecessarily added her own embellishment.
I did recall lying that I’d ‘explored dungeons since I was a child’ to explain how I obtained the ‘Red Crystal,’ but…
Something feels off about the details she added. I don’t think I ever mentioned losing my parents.
…She turned me into an orphan with just a few words.
Well, I was a vagrant, so I guess I was an orphan.
Still, it felt a little unpleasant…
“When you were a child…”
“He said he was too young to even remember it clearly…”
“Hah, you certainly had a turbulent childhood.”
“Those can’t be good memories. I misspoke.”
The orc and the elf, listening to Rireu’s story, looked at me with pity.
It was quite unsettling to be treated like some poor soul when I hadn’t said a word myself, but… what could I do?
…I didn’t even know where to begin to clear up this misunderstanding.
I might as well live as a pitiful orphan.
“Let’s get some sleep. We’ll be busy starting tomorrow.”
I didn’t bother to clear the awkward atmosphere and simply lay down. Everyone seemed to agree with my suggestion to turn in early, knowing we needed to conserve our strength for the dungeon crawl ahead.
The campfire soon died out, but thanks to the humid and sweltering air unique to the Akilliptus Forest Zone, we didn’t have to spend a cold night.
* * *
A dungeon entrance doesn't look much different from any other cave.
That’s why every year, there are incidents of travelers disappearing after stepping inside what they thought was an ordinary cave to take shelter from the rain, only to be sucked into the dungeon.
To prevent such accidents, it’s crucial to make it a habit to shine a lantern or torch inside a cave before entering.
Unlike ordinary caves that reveal their interiors when illuminated, a dungeon never reveals its pitch-black depths.
Just like now.
“…”
The entrance to this ordinary-looking cave before us revealed only a jet-black void, refusing to show what lay within, whether under sunlight, lantern light, or even the bright flame of a torch.
Faced with this bizarre phenomenon that defied the laws of physics, we steeled ourselves.
As I recalled, you needed to be at least level 40 to fully conquer the southern dungeon of the forest zone, and around level 50 to clear it comfortably.
It was a dungeon far beyond my level, which I estimated to be around 30… but our goal wasn’t to defeat the dungeon boss and ‘clear’ it, but to remove the ‘Mana Mines.’
I had a rough memory of the dungeon's internal structure, and we had an excellent guide in our party.
I didn't know how far the Mazoku had ventured to plant the Mana Mines, but it was highly likely they were clustered near the entrance.
“The Mazoku who entered this dungeon probably didn’t get far before being devoured by its monsters.”
This dungeon was simply too high-level for an ordinary Mazoku.
Besides, from what Dajin, the Spirit of Lightning, had told me, there were only ‘three’ Mana Mines in the dungeon.
If we were lucky, we could finish the job in less than a day.
Of course, getting out of the dungeon safely was another story entirely.
If I were an ordinary mage, I wouldn't have had to do something this dangerously foolish just to obtain a Spirit's Protection…
“Entering.”
While I was chewing on pointless regrets, Rex, with the giant axe from his back now in both hands, stepped into the pitch-black darkness.
A sharp clang rang out as the axe handle met his steel prosthetic hand.
Once the heavily bearded Rex disappeared, Trian followed him in.
Following them, Rireu and I successively stepped into that seemingly endless abyss, and soon, my vision was enveloped in black.
It felt as if all five senses were paralyzed for a moment. Not just sight, but touch and smell were also numb, making me momentarily wonder, ‘Am I even breathing properly?’
“…”
How many minutes did we wander in the dark?
Or perhaps it was over in just a few seconds. Emerging from the pitch-black darkness where even the sense of time grew dull, we all looked around with dazed expressions.
From the outside, it had looked like a small cave no more than a few meters deep. But once inside, the dungeon was a massive labyrinth.
The walls and floor were made of ancient bricks, their origin, creator, and material impossible to analyze with current technology. The ceiling was adorned with murals whose meanings were now lost to time.
We had certainly come through an entrance, but behind us was now a moss-covered wall. The only exit from this massive, roughly 100-square-meter cubic room was a small door right in front of us.
“If everyone’s come to their senses, let’s get moving.”
The aftereffect of dulled senses didn't last long.
After confirming that we were all unharmed, we quickly got into formation and slowly walked toward the only exit, the small door.
This time, Trian took the lead instead of Rex. It was more efficient for the sharp-eyed archer to be at the front, in case of any traps or mines.
“…Vile.”
The moment we opened the first door of the dungeon, we couldn't help but grimace and cover our noses. The stench of rotting corpses filled the air.
The carcass of a giant spider, large enough to rival Rex, greeted us. It was on its back, its entrails spilled across the floor, and half of its head was missing.
“…”
Trian, his face scrunched in disgust, cautiously approached the corpse. He kicked aside the stinking guts, revealing a floor corroded by potent venom.
“A battle took place as soon as the first door was opened. The Mazoku who entered this dungeon was injured here. Judging by the venomous blood spattered everywhere, they must have lost a lot of stamina.”
The sharp-eyed archer quickly assessed the Mazoku’s injury and its severity just by the degree of corrosion on the floor.
I slowly looked around the interior as well. This room, unlike the first, had a door on each of its four walls.
Trian cautiously approached each door, either gripping the handle or pressing his ear against it to gather information about the room beyond. Then, after spotting a faint sign of corrosion in the crack between the western door and the wall, he pointed out the path we should take.
“…No battle here.”
Opening the door revealed a room with doors on all four sides, just like the previous one, but with no signs of a fight. However, there were traces of corrosion on the floor. The trail of Mazoku blood led straight to the door directly ahead.
Trian meticulously checked the other doors for any special clues before finally standing in front of the one marked by the trail of corrosion.
“…Hmm.”
But as he grasped the doorknob, he hesitated for a moment.
Did he have a bad feeling about something?
“This is not good. There’s a ‘Mana Mine’ right in front of the door. It’s so close it’ll activate the moment the door is pushed.”
Trian pressed his ear against the dungeon door, closed his eyes to concentrate for a moment, then spoke with a grim expression.
“A needlessly thorough bastard. It seems they were wary of other monsters being drawn by the sound of the battle in the previous room.”
“…This is a problem.”
Rex let out a sigh as soon as he heard Trian’s report.
If he was right, we would trigger the Mana Mine's sensor the moment we opened the door. The person in front would be caught in the blast without any chance to disarm it.
On top of that, the dungeon’s native inhabitants would start rushing over, drawn by the sound of the explosion.
There were only four of us. We had no idea how many monsters were lurking nearby, and drawing attention with a loud explosion was the worst possible move.
“Let’s find another way around. Dungeons often have interconnected rooms, so we should be able to find a detour quickly.”
Trian immediately proposed a solution.
We returned to the room where the giant spider’s guts were strewn about and fell into thought, debating whether to enter the room through the door on the right wall or the one on the left.
From here on, it was pure luck. No one could possibly know the layout of a dungeon they were entering for the first time.
“Let’s take the right door.”
Except for me, that is.
“…On what grounds?”
Trian asked, a look of puzzlement on his face at my firm tone.
“A gut feeling.”
I replied, putting on the most confident expression I could muster.
I couldn’t very well explain that I knew the general layout because I’d entered this dungeon countless times through a screen, could I?
“…Well, I see.”
Trian didn’t seem to have high expectations, as he didn’t look particularly disappointed by my answer.
“Trian, which way do you think is better?”
“There’s no evidence to gather. However, I didn’t hear any monster’s breathing or sense any traces of traps from either door. So, it shouldn’t matter which way we go. It seems we’ll have to rely on pure luck at this point.”
“In that case, let’s trust the General’s gut feeling. One who is favored by the spirits might also be favored by the goddess of luck, no?”
“…I’m not one to believe in gods. But, if we’re wrong, we just have to turn back. It doesn’t matter.”
The goddess of luck, huh.
I couldn’t just laugh off Rex’s words.
…For the first time since coming to this world, I felt a strong urge to show someone my stat window.