The Boss Battle
Emerging from the Mucous Membrane Passage and descending to a deeper floor brought a refreshing sense of relief that made my chest expand. Solid, non-squelching stone underfoot, a wide and clear line of sight, and above all, clean air that didn't scorch the lungs with every breath. The sheer contrast made it feel almost heavenly.
"Haaah, haaah...! Wow, the air tastes incredible!"
"It doesn't even bear comparison to that vile filth upstairs."
Listening to Lira and Weller trade comments, I took a look around the rigid, tidy, and distinctly artificial passageway.
"Lord Alzen. Are you hurt anywhere?"
Cecilia stepped up beside me, rising on her tiptoes to inspect my condition.
"I'm fine. Go check on the others before me."
"..."
"What's with that look?"
I poked the space between her furrowed eyebrows to smooth out the pouting crease.
"I know you're being serious, but must you be so stiff? It hurts my feelings when you talk so bluntly, you know."
Watching her lecture me with one hand planted indignantly on her hip was so amusing a chuckle slipped out.
"Is it really that bad?"
"Yes, it really is."
"Listen to the little brat preach."
"Please watch your tongue! In case you've forgotten, I am an educated lady of proper etiquette! You are the only person who dares treat me like this, Lord Alzen!"
"Sure, sure. Look at you, all grown up now. Happy?"
"Eeeek...!"
Her brow arched sharply as she opened her mouth to snap back, but she merely let out an exhausted sigh instead.
"I don't even have the energy to stay mad... At any rate, you're truly not injured?"
"Worn out, are you?"
"Aren't you exhausted as well, Lord Alzen?"
"Fair point. That was way rougher than I expected."
All I had done was march forward while running the Absolute Ring Set, shouting out traps in advance. What I did barely deserved to be called fighting, but this completely untrained physique of mine was already drowning in fatigue from just that much.
"Why don't we take a short rest?"
"Was just about to suggest it."
"Splendid. Then I'll go tend to the others!"
"Go on."
Cecilia trotted off toward Cacciola, Wendy, and Lira. In contrast to the Master ranks who had moved the most and exposed themselves to the deadliest threats without a scratch, those three had bled quite a bit. None of their injuries appeared critical, but it was a sobering reminder of the gulf that a single realm of difference created.
"Lord Alzen. Just how vast is this dungeon?"
The next to approach were Arpe and Nemeth.
"...Arpe. You reek of rotting flesh."
When I snickered and poked fun at her, her face scrunched up before flushing crimson. Quite the dramatic reaction. Then again, where on earth would an Imperial Princess ever hear someone say she smelled rotten?
"You smell just as bad, Lord Alzen! I was already fretting over it, so why rub it in?!"
"Because it's hilarious."
Her reactions were far too entertaining not to tease.
"Honestly! Just answer my question!"
"Ah, the scale of the dungeon? Hmm... Excluding the boss chamber, there are seven basement floors."
"...Seven?"
Neither Arpe nor Nemeth could mask their shock.
"Wait a moment, Lord Alzen. Are you saying there are six more vile passages like that one ahead of us?"
"Yep."
"..."
Seeing Arpe go speechless with sheer dismay, I let out a light smirk.
"Don't worry. The other zones won't be as long or grueling as the Mucous Membrane Passage." I gestured toward the hole in the ceiling where repulsive secretions still dripped, shaking my head. "That section was modeled after the small intestine, which is why it was exceptionally narrow and drawn out. The rest aren't like that."
"...Truly?"
"Truly."
"Phew. That is a relief. If the other floors were anything like that place, I might have given up on the spot."
"Can't have that. You're our key player."
"...Hearing you say so certainly lifts my spirits."
Flashing a shy, delighted smile, she playfully cuffed me in the ribs a few times before heading over to Vivian.
Nemeth, however, remained behind as though she had something on her mind, fixing me with a steady gaze.
"Lord Alzen."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I may have misheard, but did you not mention earlier that the master of this domain, Hegellina Krenkel, possesses immortality?"
"Ah, I did. Surprised you picked up on that offhand remark."
"...Is it truly possible to kill an Elder Lich of that nature?"
"It is. Because he isn't genuinely immortal—he's just a fake playing at immortality. There are plenty of ways to put him down."
"Oh...? I am curious. What method would that be?"
"Kill him yourself and find out. Ah, I'm not just being petty. The bastard might be listening in on us, so bear with me."
"I see. That makes sense. Understood."
Nemeth smirked and leaned her face in close.
"For the record, I rather enjoyed seeing you so serious earlier. I had no idea you possessed such a side."
"..."
She had clearly overheard my exchange with Cecilia.
"Stop talking nonsense."
"Fufu. As you wish."
Offering a playful yet dignified smile, she turned and walked toward Arpe with measured, elegant strides.
Taking a swig of liquor and scratching the back of my head, I strolled over to Lampon Pashtra, who sat dazed on the ground.
"Hey. Snap out of it."
"...Ah. Lord Alzen."
"First time in a dungeon, right? How is it?"
"...My mind is spinning so much I barely know what's happening."
"Heheh. I'm sure."
Naturally—this was never a dungeon meant for someone of her current level.
"Still... I think I can tell how amazing everyone is. Charging through such a terrifying, perilous dungeon without an ounce of hesitation, fighting so fiercely and relentlessly... it's truly..."
A shiver rippled through her voluptuous frame, and she gazed up at me with eyes sparkling like morning stars.
"Did my ancestors... walk a path like this as well?"
"Probably so."
"...It still feels unbelievable that someone like me inherited their will, and the chance to right their past failure."
"It's you, without a doubt. Don't second-guess it. You have my guarantee."
"...That's incredible. An endorsement from a prophet and a divine incarnation. I'm entirely convinced in an instant."
Blinking blankly with her pleasantly airheaded expression, she looked rather adorable.
"Well, we've still got plenty of dungeon left, so see it through with your own two eyes. That'll give you conviction about your roots—and the path you need to walk."
"...Yes!"
Meeting her gaze, brimming with resolve and anticipation, I gave her shoulder a couple of encouraging pats.
After a brief rest, we resumed our march down the corridor.
"Hey. Can't you just tell us beforehand? If we know what's coming, we can prepare."
"Nope. Can't."
"You..."
Waving my hand dismissively against Weller's venomous glare, I shook my head.
"Like I told Nemeth earlier, I'm not messing around. Hegellina Krenkel might be eavesdropping on our conversation right now. We have to push forward with minimal planning and rely entirely on immediate reactions."
"Then you should have briefed us before we entered the dungeon! Why on earth didn't you do that?!"
"Ah, should I have? You really should have mentioned that sooner."
"...!! ...!?"
She clutched the back of her neck in apoplectic rage, her mouth opening and closing like a landed carp. I had to bite my tongue to keep from bursting out laughing.
"You'll just have to bear with me, dear Sister. As you know, I'm not the brightest bulb. So remind me beforehand next time, alright?"
I was half-serious. I never thought of myself as brilliant or infallible. In fact, I'd been so preoccupied with the walkthrough strategy that I genuinely forgot to give them a briefing beforehand. Beneath that oversight lay my absolute confidence and complacency in our absurd combat power, but still... Having someone at my side to point out logical gaps and offer foresight was genuinely helpful.
"Argh! I swear I'm going to kill him!"
Of course, Weller took it as pure mockery, her eyes rolling back in fury. Lira and Vivian had to throw themselves between us to physically stop her from firing a spell into my face.
"Well then..."
Leaving the commotion behind, I kept my legs moving at a brisk pace.
The clean, artificial corridor was submerged in solemn silence, each step ringing with a heavy, hollow thud against the floor. It felt almost like wading through dense, submerged depths.
"It seems there are no traps this time," Muriel observed.
I gave a curt nod. "Right. A hallway is just a hallway... Though who can ever truly fathom the mind of an Elder Lich?"
In the game's lore, it was an inexplicable layout born from Hegellina Krenkel's deranged architecture, but mechanically, it was simply an interlude zone designed to give players a breather after the Mucous Membrane Passage.
"We're here."
I came to a halt. A massive wall of churning, nauseating flesh loomed before us, blocking the corridor entirely.
"This time, we spearhead with our Master-rank vanguard. We breach it in a single push."
"Understood."
"Oh, and Weller. Ready your fire magic."
"...Got it."
Shhhk!
Muriel's Aura Blade cleaved through the wall of flesh in a single stroke, unveiling the vast expanse waiting beyond.
Skrrrk!
Hssss! Shhh-krrr!
Skreeeech!
Sprawled before us was an enormous, cavernous nest. Thick, bone-white silk spewed from bloated abdomens, blanketing nearly the entire chamber in sticky webs—a brood chamber of titanic arachnids.
For the record, this floor was modeled after the liver.
"Mommy!"
"Ugh, gross...!"
"How disgusting!"
The women, naturally repulsed by creepy-crawlies, turned pale as sheets.
To be entirely honest, my own stomach was doing flips. If they were ordinary spiders, that would be one thing, but these were chimera spiders haphazardly stitched together from the severed limbs and organs of various monsters. The sheer revulsion was on another level.
"...Sister Weller."
"Firestorm."
Just how much did she loathe bugs? The spell fired before I could even finish calling her name.
"Oho..."
Scarlet fire erupted across the vast cavern, an awe-inspiring inferno that incinerated everything in its path.
Skreeee-aaagh!
Krr-krrrgh!
If not for the burning chimera spiders lunging straight through the flames toward us, it would have been magnificent enough to watch over a drink.
"Here we go!"
Charging to the front, I triggered the Absolute Ring Set. Instantly, every spider snapped its head around, pivoting toward me with eyes dripping pure hatred before swarming in my direction.
Even after clearing the colossal nest of chimera spiders with surprising ease, our advance never slowed.
The Chimera Colosseum, the Hatchery, the Breeding Pens, the Laboratories, the Graveyard of Failures.
Clearing floor after floor in rapid succession, we slaughtered a mid-boss named 'Chimera Mountain'—a grotesque mound of flesh crudely stitched together—and at long last, stepped into the presence of the dungeon's master.
"Magnificent. Truly magnificent, O champions."
Contrary to the withered skeletal image conjured by the title of Elder Lich, the boss, Hegellina Krenkel, boasted a chiseled, muscular physique. Stripped entirely of skin, his glistening muscle fibers and adipose tissue lay completely exposed to the open air, though he seemed utterly indifferent to the horror of his own appearance.
"Such strength and cunning could only belong to heroes whose names ring across the continent, architects of exalted feats! How could I not welcome visitors of such caliber? Indeed, indeed!"
The cluttered laboratory looked straight out of a bizarre sci-fi fantasy. Gesturing theatrically like a stage actor in the center of the hall, Hegellina Krenkel greeted us, sinister pinpricks of light flaring in his hollow sockets as a sickening grin stretched across his flayed jaw.
"Ah, but before we commence, pray share your thoughts! Opportunities to receive feedback on my masterpieces are so exceedingly rare, you see."
"Fuuu..."
Part of me wanted to dismantle his ego by dissecting his lore line by line, but I was simply too exhausted and drained. Trembling fingers clutching a lit cigarillo to my lips was practically all my spent body could manage.
"Hmph. Why so silent, champions? Surely you are not shivering in terror before my presence...? Hm?"
Midway through his self-absorbed monologue, the lich froze, his hollow gaze locking dead onto Lampon Pashtra's face.
"You, wench... That face is familiar. What is your relation to Rampon Noir...?!"
In an instant, an explosive burst of monstrous hatred and bloodlust erupted from his flayed frame.
"Eh... what?"
Lampon Pashtra blinked in confusion, but at the same time, her eyes lit up like someone who had finally discovered what she had been searching for all along.
Stepping halfway in front of her manic, expectant posture, I curled my lips into a smirk.
"What relation? She's the descendant of the cardinal and the barbarian who sealed you away. She came here in person to put you in the ground."
"Ha... Hahaha! Hahahahahaha! Descendant! Did you say descendant?! It seems far more time has passed while I slumbered than I realized!"
Gnashing his exposed teeth behind a warped smile, the lich glared murderously at Lampon Pashtra.
"While it pains me that I cannot exact vengeance directly upon those who reduced me to this state, binding their bloodline in chains of hatred brings me immense delight! I offer you my gratitude, champions!"
"Save your thanks. You'll be dead soon anyway."
"Khahahahaha! Even that mighty cardinal and barbarian could devise no method to kill me, reduced to merely sealing me away! By what possible means do you fools from the distant future hope to slay me—an existence history couldn't even leave a record of?!"
"Is that something to brag about? That's a terribly long-winded way of admitting you're just a forgotten nobody who couldn't even leave his name in history."
"...Your insolence knows no bounds."
"A corpse lecturing people on etiquette? What an absolute circus... Let me tell you something: your downfall was your arrogance. You thought you could toy with us instead of manipulating the dungeon to crush us, and the moment you stood before us face-to-face, your defeat was sealed."
Smirking, I signaled toward Arpe.
"Arpe. Activate the Open Birdcage."
"Yes!"
Drawing a compact cube from her breast, she activated it at once. In an instant, the cluttered confines of the laboratory expanded outward into a vast, boundless arena.
"What is this...?"
Watching him glance around in clear disorientation, I reached into my coat and pulled out an object.
It was the Invitation of the Forgotten—an artifact completely reborn by the grace of the Goddess.