Labyrinth and the Wizard (5)
Kwaaaang! A thunderous roar engulfed the entire cavern. Chunks of the Gatekeeper's rock and shards of Evel's ice slammed into the barrier I'd deployed from my fingertips. Pajijik, pajik. The geometric patterns, unfolding like a kaleidoscope, twisted and screamed in protest. With the rock's mass compounded by Evel's chill, the impact was no joke.
Kwagwagwang! The shattered boulders scattered everywhere, kicking up clouds of dust. As the last ice fragment bounced away, I dispersed the barrier at its limit.
Kraaaah! The beast howled as if furious. Through the settling dust, its form came into sharp focus. About the same size as the Minotaur we'd fought before. But despite its bulky frame, the raw intimidation from its muscles was noticeably weaker. What really drew the eye was the rocks and bone piles caked all over its body. At a glance, it was the type that had dumped everything into tankiness and defense, sacrificing offense entirely.
"What's that thing called?"
"Dunno."
"Hut hut… No idea…."
"Whisper whisper."
"The lady says she's a bit hazy on lore like this. I know a little about herbs and alchemy ingredients myself, but monsters? Not my forte."
"I don't know!"
weren't these guys supposed to be silver-rank adventurers? What a bunch of clueless idiots.
"Fine, since it's all rocky and bony and rolls around all cute and round, let's call it Donggli for now."
"What the hell! That's such a lame name!"
"Iris, I think Deguldegul sounds cuter."
"No way. Too long."
"Whisper whisper."
"The lady suggests Tombstone of the Abyss-Rolling White Bones."
"Hut hut hut… I…."
"Shut up, everyone. It's Donggli."
Chit-chat over. Without hesitation, I thrust my right hand forward. The formula on my hand activated instantly, and a barrage of dazzling flame spears erupted from my fingertips.
Shiiik!Kwagwang! The flames streaked through the air with a whoosh, pummeling Donggli's rocky armor. A ferocious blaze swallowed its entire body amid the earth-shaking explosion.
But.
Chiiik. When the smoke cleared, there it stood, unscathed. The outer rocks and bones were charred black and flaking off, but the body beneath—poured entirely into defense—had tanked my flame spears head-on.
'…The type I could chain up with Dusty's tendrils and beat down easy.' Too bad I couldn't. Not with Cassandra watching.
Kraaaaaah! Donggli bellowed. It curled into a ball, interlocking its rocky and bony shell tightly. And then.
Kugugugung! The massive sphere barreled toward us, shaking the ground. A literal deguldegul, hurtling at insane speed. This overwhelming mass of rock was coming to flatten us, nothing cute about it.
"Siegurd! Block it!"
Too late to dodge. I shouted urgently and reached for Siegurd. A barrier formula to absorb physical impact, paired with a life magic formula to explosively boost physical abilities.
Paat! The combined formulas shot out in a glow, enveloping Siegurd.
"Hahahaha! Perfect! Come on!!"
Golden mana flickered over him like solid armor, and Siegurd charged. His body collided head-on with the madly spinning boulder.
Kwaaaaaang! The impact shook the ground beneath our feet. Siegurd's boots dug into the earth as he slid back. But only for a moment.
"Huuuup!"
Siegurd's arms clamped into a gap in Donggli's rocky armor with a gigigigik!—like gears grinding to a forced halt. Finally, the rotation stopped.
"Gotcha!"
Motionless target. Wide open.
"Evel! Heinrich! Focus fire!"
At my call, mana surged explosively from the two behind me. I aimed right at its center too. For a pure tank, just hammer one spot relentlessly till it breaks.
Shuuuuk. Another compressed flame spear formed at my fingertips.
"Siegurd! Get clear!"
Siegurd kicked off its body and leaped back. Simultaneously, three spells plunged into the curled-up mass.
Kwaaaaaang! Light, ice, and flame tangled in a massive explosion. Donggli's prized bone-and-rock armor crumbled like nothing. Cracks spiderwebbed from the hole my flame spear had punched through its chest.
Uooo. Donggli's head drooped limply. The 1st floor Gatekeeper, Donggli, collapsed slowly into the dust.
'…Not bad, huh?' Aside from that early stumble, we'd done solid. Everyone played their roles, firepower was overkill. For a party formation test, easy pass. Six 3rd Circle mages together? Struggling on floor 1 would be embarrassing.
Tok, tok. The mana stone Donggli dropped rolled across the ground. At the same time, the air churned where its ashen remains had vanished.
Uuuung. A large crimson crystal materialized in midair, glowing blood-red. The gateway to the next floor.
So that's how it appears. I scooped up Donggli's mana stone and scanned around. Decent size—should fetch a price—but still kinda lacking.
"Rewards just the mana stone? Nothing else?"
"Sometimes a loot chest spawns separately, sometimes not. Looks like just the stone this time. Unfortunate."
"No way."
Unable to let it go, I started combing every corner of the cavern. From where Donggli had hunkered down, to dusty nooks, under rock piles, even wall cracks. Meticulous search, but nada. No chest, no nothing.
"…This isn't 'cause we rolled a 2 on the dice, is it?"
"Heh, hut hut… Can't say for sure."
Hmm. Figures. Arms crossed, head tilted.
"…Tch."
Oh well, can't be helped. Snagging the Gatekeeper's stone is something. That alone should sell high. Plus, no other party has cleared floor 1 yet—we're first to floor 2. For a dice roll of 2, we got off cheap.
"Alright, stop searching. We're #1 on floor 2 anyway."
"What nonsense! We were ready to go ages ago! You were the one rummaging 'cause it felt like a waste!"
"……"
Whatever. I brushed off Siegurd's grumbling and turned to the crystal. But regret lingered. A loot chest here could've covered all our losses.
'Don't dwell. Floor 2 cradle will make up for it.' Hyping myself up, I reached for the crystal—
"…Hm?"
Footsteps echoed from the passage beyond. Duduk duduk. At least four or five, easy.
I perked my ears. Clinking metal. Chainmail over leather armor.
Melee mercs, probably. Heinrich sidled up, whispering the same thought.
"Sounds like mercenaries. Better move before trouble."
"Hm…."
Stroking my chin thoughtfully…
"Ah!"
Genius idea. I turned to the party.
"Everyone, back to the crystal, form up."
"What now?"
"Whisper…?"
They tilted heads in confusion. I explained my plan. Didn't need much—just one line.
"Let's collect a toll."
I puffed my chest proudly. Perfect timing, since Donggli gave us squat.
The party stared like I'd suggested something insane.
"Whoa, Iris, you sounded like a total bad guy just now."
"Whisper whisper."
"The lady says that's too mercenary-like, not good."
"Might cause issues with the Guild if we run into fellow adventurers…."
Why the hesitation? We paid entry too— what's wrong with charging them?
"What's the problem! Just let Guild members pass free, fleece the independents!"
Only Siegurd backed me. Exactly.
Make up our losses before floor 2.
"Uh… we didn't really lose anything…?"
"We got Silver Glow Grass and mana stones. Should total over 4 gold easy."
Hah. So naive. Sure, on paper. Grass and stone mean profit. But imagine high dice roll—piles of grass? Or Donggli dropping a chest too? We'd have 10+ gold. So this isn't +4, it's -6!!
My blood-spitting rant sank in; faces turned grave. Finally grasping our massive loss.
"Whis, whisper…."
"Even so, the lady…."
The clerics wavered—
Jeobuk, jeobuk. Footsteps closed in.
We stared into the passage shadows. Emerging was a pack of grizzled, scarred veteran mercs. And in their midst, a robed mage.
The woman from the entrance line—our eyes had met. Spotting me, she smiled warmly, waving friendly.
I waved back, halting them.
"Stop."
"Yeah. Hi. We're second."
"Pay to pass."
"Yeah. Okay."
"If you refuse… Hm?"
I trailed off, head cocked at the weird vibe. Then it hit me.
What the hell. Psycho bitch.
"Eh, never mind. No toll."
"Yeah. Thanks."
"We'll go first—wait 10 minutes."
"Yeah. Got it."
No hesitation, I backed off.
"Let's go, everyone."
"Yeah. Bye."
Her sunny smile clashed with the robotic, emotionless tone. We touched the red crystal, heading to the next floor. Glancing back mid-twist, she V-sign'd at me cheerily.
Shifted gaze: Polished armor gleaming on the mercs. And their vacant, unfocused eyes staring into nothing.
'Tsk.'
Some refined hobby she's got.