Descent into the South Sea Dungeon
"So, how exactly do you plan to reach the deep sea?"
Selena, who had agreed to come along, couldn't contain her curiosity. Though she was half-siren, her body was far closer to human, so she lacked the natural comfort in water that true sirens possessed. Bagan, however, already had a solution in mind.
"A mana barrier to keep the water out and withstand the pressure of the depths. For movement, we'll use Fly."
Bagan spoke as if it were the simplest thing in the world. Selena shook her head several times before replying.
"Do you even understand what you're saying?"
She couldn't wield magic herself, but as Navy Grand Admiral she oversaw the magic corps. She knew full well that ordinary mages could never pull off what Bagan described so casually.
"Just how far outside the rules are you..."
She muttered to herself, then spoke again.
"Are you planning to cast magic on me as well?"
"If necessary."
"What does that mean?"
"You're Selena. With your blessing and your racial power, you should be able to part the water itself. I figured reaching the deep sea might actually be possible for you..."
Selena's eyes flew wide open. She bristled.
"Do you seriously think that's possible? It's impossible. Absolutely not. If I sing, my whole body goes limp like I'm sick."
Listening to her, Bagan thought to himself, Ah. The Selena I knew was from the future.
The future version of her could have managed it, but the current Selena clearly couldn't. Still, given the potential she possessed, Bagan's expectations hadn't been unreasonable.
"If it's a problem of control..."
Right now she couldn't properly manage an ability that drained so much stamina. That was why Selena avoided using her powers unless the situation was truly dire.
"Do you know something about this?"
Selena caught the subtle shift in his demeanor with eerie precision.
Bagan answered vaguely, as if it were only a passing thought.
"I see blessings as being like muscles. They don't grow if you never use them. The more you practice, the more familiar they become. I think the stamina drain could be compensated for eventually."
Bagan spoke with such certainty because he had seen the future Selena grow strong in exactly this way, and because he had experienced the same principle himself.
Besides, I'm realizing the same thing.
His own Absorption and Release had grown familiar and powerful through the exact same process. They were the same category of blessing and trait. There was no reason it should be any different.
Yet Selena showed little reaction to his words. What he said made logical sense, so she was quietly turning it over in her mind.
"That doesn't sound entirely wrong. I'll try it later. For now, let's just use magic."
She admitted she had never considered the idea and promised to test it another time. Following her suggestion, Bagan absorbed the surrounding mana and stored it in his core.
Vrrrr!
Once enough mana had gathered, he cast the spell.
"Fly."
He cast it on Selena first. No matter how capable she was, she had never flown through the sky before, so he wanted to guide her.
"If this is your first time flying, Fly magic can be tricky."
"Is there anyone for whom flying isn't their first time?"
Selena answered grumpily, but she wasn't wrong.
"Fair point. The key is imagination."
At Bagan's explanation, Selena nodded and listened attentively.
"How should I do it?"
"The richer and more detailed your imagination, the better the magic works. Try thinking of yourself as a bird."
"...A bird."
Selena immediately sank into the mental image. She ignored the limits of her human body and pictured herself soaring freely through the sky as another creature entirely. Migratory birds leaving in search of warmer seasons. They flew in formation like the fleet she once commanded. Seagulls diving at high speed to snatch fish from fishing boats. Birds flitting between trees, carrying the harmony of the forest with them. All of them moved through the vast, unobstructed sky.
Vrrr!
Selena's body began to rise slowly. She had succeeded.
"Whoa—! Oh! I'm flying!"
"There you go. Keep that feeling and keep moving."
Meanwhile, Bagan cast the spell on himself. Already familiar with flight and possessing imagination that had reached its peak, he rose into the air without issue. He then layered mana barriers over both Selena and himself. As long as his mana didn't run dry, those barriers would never break. They would easily withstand the pressure of the deep sea.
With all preparations complete, Bagan spoke to Sally and Arien.
"Sally, follow in your spirit form. Arien, transform into something that can swim and come with us."
(Understood.)
"Yes."
Sally had already read Bagan's thoughts. She had transformed into her spiritual body and now hovered behind his back. Arien slowly began to change, generating only the gills and tail of a neo-shark.
"This should be enough for me to keep up."
"Good. Let's go."
With those words, Bagan threw himself into the pool of water.
Splash!
Selena and Arien followed right behind. The hole was wide enough for at least five people to pass through side by side, so the three of them had no trouble entering together.
As they descended, Bagan carefully monitored the magic for any problems and kept an eye on whether Arien was following properly. Fortunately, the slime had no difficulty keeping pace.
But one person was clearly struggling.
She looks like she's having a hard time.
It was Selena. Since this was her first time using the magic, it was only natural. Whether she knew about his assessment or not, she was putting in tremendous effort.
Now that I'm actually in the water, it's not easy at all.
And more than anything else—
It's... it's terrifying!
The endless descent into darkness with not a single ray of light had frightened her. Her mind had gone blank, making it nearly impossible to maintain the necessary imagination. She was essentially letting her body drift downward, barely making any progress on her own.
Bagan didn't want to waste any more time.
Can't be helped.
He couldn't simply leave her behind. He spread his mana thinly and connected it to her barrier. Although he had cast Fly so she could control it herself, her current state left him no choice but to pull her along by force.
Whoosh!
Bagan accelerated. Arien followed smoothly behind him. Selena trailed helplessly in his wake.
Kyaaaaah!
Inside the pit connected to the deep sea, Bagan and his companions continued their descent. Gradually they noticed the passage growing narrower.
Just what could be sleeping down here to create a structure like this?
Right as the thought crossed his mind, the water vanished. The ground beneath their feet suddenly felt solid, like firm terrain.
When did the water disappear?
Bagan was startled. He had assumed they were still fully underwater. The sudden absence of water and the hard floor solid enough to stand on caught him completely off guard.
Plop! Bang!
"Lord Bagan, this place is not underwater. Thanks to that, I've reverted to my main body."
It was too dark to see, but from the voice it seemed Arien had transformed back into slime form upon landing. Another groan followed.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
Selena, who had been connected by a tether of mana, was still inside her barrier but had been knocked around so much she could barely keep her balance.
Flash!
Bagan cast Light to illuminate their surroundings.
"Are you okay?"
"As if."
Selena answered in a flustered voice. Taking advantage of the sudden brightness, she looked around. Bagan's gaze immediately fixed on her hand.
"Just in case, don't move."
"Ah, this...?"
She hadn't moved an inch. Her hand was still pressed against something. In her attempt to stand after falling, she had blindly grabbed at the first thing she could reach, and this was the result.
Bagan shifted to get a better look at the object beneath her palm. Sally's voice echoed in his mind.
(That's it. I can feel an unforgivable sin emanating from it.)
Bagan nodded. The suddenly grave atmosphere seemed to confuse Selena even more.
"Wh-why? What is this thing?"
"A Dungeon Stone."
"A D-Dungeon Stone? What is that?"
The object Selena had used to push herself up was a Dungeon Stone—a kind of 'dungeon generator' that forcibly fused Pangea with Pandemonium.
So this is where the South Sea Dungeon began.
The South Sea Dungeon. In the distant future, it would run rampant and invade Pangea. And by some cruel twist of fate, this very moment would become the catalyst that turned the Selena before him into a hero.
This is getting interesting.
Finished with his thoughts, Bagan shared what he knew.
"The South Sea Dungeon."
"The South Sea Dungeon?"
"The dungeon this stone will create."
"When you say dungeon, you mean a ruin filled with treasure?"
That was the common understanding of ruins, so she wasn't wrong. However, unlike naturally occurring dungeons or labyrinths, those created by Dungeon Stones had a very clear purpose.
They're outposts for invasion.
Besides the South Sea Dungeon, many others created by Dungeon Stones existed across Pangea. All of them shared the same objective.
It's fortunate we found it early.
Bagan took comfort in the fact that he could neutralize this future threat to De Marinda before it ever had the chance to awaken.
"This dungeon isn't like the others."
"Then what is it?"
"Normal dungeons wait for people to enter. This one exists to explode and invade somewhere."
"And that somewhere is..."
"De Marinda. Nothing else."
Selena's expression hardened with resolve.
"How do we stop it?"
"We destroy the Dungeon Stone."
"...Then right now—!"
Selena yanked her hand away. Until that moment the stone had remained completely still. Now it began to shake violently.
"Wh-what's happening?!"
Only Selena, who had removed her hand, was panicking. Bagan wore the expression of someone who had just been outplayed.
"We've already entered the dungeon."
So that pool of water we jumped into was the entrance.
Bagan finally understood why the water had disappeared midway and why they now stood on solid ground beside what looked like an altar.
"That Dungeon Stone is a kind of trap."
"Th-then we can still destroy it now!"
Not fully understanding his meaning, Selena drew her scimitar.
Swoosh!
Her movements were faster than expected.
"Haaaaah!"
The instant her scimitar struck the Dungeon Stone—
Ziiiiiing!
An overwhelming burst of light erupted, far too bright to look at directly. It blinded them completely.
"It was never going to be that easy."
Bagan had already resigned himself to what would come next.
Beneath their feet, a massive magic circle had formed. He hadn't analyzed it, but he could guess its purpose. It was a teleportation array designed to forcibly transport everyone to another location within the dungeon...
Flash!
The light vanished. All that remained was a cloud of slowly settling dust.