The Dungeon's Depths
Dungeons. The dream of every adventurer and the most lawless, dangerous place in the world. No one would ever know who died here or who killed them. That's exactly why the high and mighty fear them.
“Wow~ So this is what a dungeon looks like~”
How the hell is she not scared at all?
“Beatrice, at least try to look a little frightened.”
“Why would I be scared~? I'm with Isaac.”
There she goes again with that line. If she keeps saying stuff like that, anyone's bound to get the wrong idea. I only let it slide because I know her well. Anyone else would've taken it as a confession.
Power, intellect, wealth. Even her looks and age. Beatrice has every quality in spades—five out of five. Who wouldn't fall for her?
“Isaac, did you know~? Monsters inside the dungeon can't leave.”
“…They'd better not.”
“What~? You already knew~?”
Of course I did. I also knew that fact was about to be broken. It was the reason this world nearly met its end. The reason that, even five years after the game's release, I was the only one who'd ever beaten the final boss.
It wasn't because of overwhelming individual strength. It was sheer numbers that rendered tactics useless. There's a reason they call it human wave tactics.
“Shh.”
Just as the tension started to ease, a strange sound echoed nearby.
—Kerrrk.
Coming from around the corner. I raised a hand to stop, turned around, and saw Beatrice nodding with both hands clamped over her mouth.
Cute. Wait, no. That's not the point.
I squeezed my eyes shut, then opened them to clear my head. Moving as quietly as possible, I crept forward and peeked around the corner.
One, two, three… three of them.
The first monsters we'd encountered since entering the dungeon. Small and weak, but vicious by nature—goblins. If this were the game, I'd have yawned and taken them out with one hand. But this was reality. I gripped my dagger tightly and exhaled slowly.
“Three goblins. Let's take them out fast.”
“Got it~”
“Other monsters might come running, so stay sharp. You hear me, Beatrice?”
“Yeah, yeah~”
Good. I nodded and moved forward again. Peeking once more, I saw they still had their backs turned.
If Beatrice supports me properly, I can finish them before they even scream—
“Fry~”
ZZZZZZZT!!!
—Keeeaaak!
“Huh?”
Purple lightning brushed past my cheek. What did I just witness? I blinked, but the scene didn't change. The goblin had been electrocuted mid-scream and turned into a charred lump.
“Yay~”
Beatrice flashed a bright V-sign. I had plenty I wanted to say, but settled for a long sigh.
—Krrrrrk! —Kieeeek!
“Run!”
“Go~”
Footsteps echoed from every direction. No time to chat. I was confident in one-on-one fights, but getting swarmed meant getting crushed flat.
“No way I'm dying like this!”
“Pfft~”
More monsters blocked our path as we sprinted.
“Fry!”
ZZZT!
Another goblin crumbled into black ash. But this time, one remained untouched.
“Tch!”
I kicked off the ground harder. My vision narrowed until only the goblin's neck filled my sight.
Crack!
—Kieeeek!
I felt leather tear and bone shatter beneath my hand. I squeezed tighter, finishing it off amid its final desperate struggles.
Splat!
Blood sprayed across the floor as I ran even faster to make up for the delay.
How long had we been running? At some point, the monsters' cries had stopped. The problem was—
“…You remember the way back?”
“Nope~”
“We're in trouble.”
The carriage would leave in two hours. Would we even make it out before then?
At least there was one silver lining.
“This looks like the boss room, doesn't it?”
“It's a little different from what I read~ but the mana inside feels right~”
We'd reached our destination. If we defeated the boss, we could escape even without knowing the way out. Besides, that was why we'd come here in the first place.
“Ready?” “What about you, Isaac~?” “…Give me a second.”
I was nervous. Or maybe excited. I'd killed monsters I'd only ever seen in the game. Even if they were monsters, this was the first time I'd taken a life. My hands trembled—not from fear or dread. It was strange. Taking a life had wrapped me in an inexplicable thrill. I didn't know how to describe the feeling, but it wasn't pleasant.
“Hoo…”
I steadied my shaking hands and looked ahead. A massive door stood wide open. Inside, a huge creature resembling a golem sat cross-legged in meditation.
Whooo…
Wind was being sucked into the space where the golem waited. Its strength was on another level compared to the goblins we'd fought. Even from a distance, I could feel it clearly.
Turn back now? With no idea which way to go, we'd just get swarmed again.
“Alright. Let's go in.”
“Let's go~”
*
Whooo. The moment we stepped into the boss room, my hair whipped around. But nothing else changed. The boss remained still, meditating in the center.
“What the…”
“It's not moving~”
What now? Should we get closer? I moved forward carefully. If we wanted to kill it, we'd have to get in range anyway. Even up close, there was no reaction.
“Should I try magic~?”
“Hmm…”
Was this the right call? I wasn't sure, but we couldn't afford to wait any longer.
“Do it.”
“Okay~”
Beatrice's eyes flashed purple. Far more mana gathered than when she'd turned the goblins to charcoal. Even if her magic had reduced damage, this was nothing to scoff at.
Bringing her was the right choice.
I grinned and watched her cast. Man, seeing this really made me want to use magic myself. I'd have to study it more later.
Crackle! Crack!
A purple cloud had formed on the cave ceiling. Sparks danced and echoed through the cavern. Beatrice's hand, once pointed upward, snapped downward.
“Fall~”
BOOOOOOM!
A massive bolt of lightning struck the boss's head.
ZZZZZT!
Purple static crackled across the floor in the aftermath. The sheer power made me laugh in disbelief.
“So this is the weakened version?”
Just looking at it made my hair stand on end. My arms and legs tingled. Taking that head-on would be… I suddenly felt grateful for the fire magic training I'd endured, even if it wasn't my main element. That had hurt like hell, but this? I wasn't sure I could tank it.
“Fall~ Fall~”
Beatrice kept spamming the spell like it was a basic skill. She really was a monster. Lightning kept hammering the same spot. At this rate, I might not even need to step in.
Too easy. Though I was starting to worry the loot would turn to ash.
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
Whooooosh!
The wind reversed direction. Instead of pulling us in, it now pushed us away. Beatrice and I stumbled, and the falling lightning paused.
The blinding light vanished, and in its place—
Thud… Thud…
The golem slowly rose. Its eyes glowed red.
In that instant, a chill ran down my spine. I threw myself forward.
“Beatrice!”
“Ah, Isaac?”
I shoved her down and hit the floor, squeezing my eyes shut against the coming impact.
BOOOOOOOM!!!
The shockwave rattled my insides. Pain burned across my back, but I gritted my teeth and checked on Beatrice.
“Huh…? Huh?”
Yeah, she wouldn't understand either. I was just as confused.
Her magic hadn't damaged the golem at all. It wasn't because the spell was weakened.
“Magic nullification.”
“…It ate my mana…”
This was the worst-case scenario. Our escape route was blocked, and the only one who could deal damage was me—in melee range. Beatrice couldn't help.
A desperate moment.
“…Beatrice.”
“……”
“Beatrice!”
“Ah, uh! I-Isaac.”
“How much mana do you have left?”
“A-about half… but my magic…”
“It's fine.”
If my eyes weren't playing tricks on me—
“Gather as much as you can until I give the signal.”
In the center of the golem—where a human's heart would be—a black light had coalesced.
That was why magic didn't work on the golem. Why it absorbed mana instead.
“I'll break it.”
It was magic. And magic always used mana as its medium. I devoured mana.
“Trust me.”
It wasn't a question of whether I could or couldn't. I had to. That was the only thought in my head.