Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: The Specter's Invitation
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“Listen, doesn’t this forest seem ridiculously huge?”
“Is this really a dungeon?”
The mage from the party that had come from the Danor region scowled in response.
“Are you doubting my judgment right now?”
“No, but come on. A dungeon that’s one massive forest? The sky looks perfectly normal, and you can feel the wind. It feels just like the outside.”
“No matter how I think about it, we’ve got to have been transferred to a giant forest…”
The mage explained patiently.
Sigh…
“Listen up. A dungeon core can control everything inside a dungeon. It’s basically a god in there. Creating a fake sky is child’s play.”
“That sky up there is fake?”
“It’s just a figure of speech. It might actually be projecting the outside sky.”
The mage found it pathetic that they still had to argue over whether this was a dungeon or not.
“Damn it, the sun’s already set. Hey, you see anything up ahead?”
“…No way.”
“Then let’s rest here.”
“You guys all seem a bit on edge. In that case, I’ll take first watch tonight.”
The other party members gave a thumbs-up to the adventurer who had just spoken.
“Then let’s make up.”
“I was too snappy earlier.”
“Nah, I was the grumpy one.”
The adventurer who had volunteered for watch let out a sigh.
“You bastards…”
“Hahaha! As long as we watch out for bugs, this makes for a pretty great campsite, right?”
“Cut the useless chatter and set up camp.”
“My hands aren’t idle, though. Still… I can sense the mana, but no monsters in sight.”
“It’s suspiciously quiet for a dungeon. That’s exactly why we need to stay sharp.”
“…Why?”
“Places like this mean the wild ones have been culled. There’s a good chance some leader with real command is ruling the pack.”
“That makes sense.”
The adventurers chatted about the dungeon as they finished setting up camp.
“Are we the first to discover this dungeon?”
“What do you think?”
The question went to the party’s mage, who was like their mental pillar.
“Who knows. The dimensional gate itself might have been intentional. But according to legend, cores with vast mana can create their own gates sometimes.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. No one knows why, but it’s probably because so much mana builds up that it exceeds the core’s capacity.”
Those words filled everyone with anticipation.
“So you’re saying an abandoned dungeon core, lonely and desperate, called us here?”
“It’s possible.”
“Wait… so the dungeon core we snag here might be overflowing with mana?”
“…That’s possible too.”
The adventurers’ faces turned serious.
In this era, the value of a dungeon core was beyond words. Even an empty one could buy a mansion in the capital.
If they got their hands on a mana-filled one, they wouldn’t even need to fight over it—splitting it evenly would make them all filthy rich. Yeah, rich enough to leave the adventurer life behind forever.
And strangely, plenty of adventurers dreamed of a life far from adventuring.
…Just like these guys.
“Anyway, let’s sleep on it and decide in the morning.”
“Light the fire.”
Whoosh…
The party’s mage specialized in cold magic but could handle basic fire spells, so the campfire roared to life in no time.
Crackle…
Pop…
The smoke from the campfire felt warmer than usual to the adventurers. Was it because of the rosy future they envisioned? Even sleep, which they’d normally fight off in tense times, came easily.
…Hee hee.
“Mmm…”
Hee hee hee hee…
The adventurer dreamed.
Of the party gathered around the campfire, talking about their hopeful futures.
Hee hee hee…
I’ll build a mansion by the sea.
I’ll make my parents nobles.
I’ll buy a bunch of demon slaves and do whatever I want with them.
I’ll get a carriage and guards and wander the world.
Such clichéd dreams.
I’ll just start a normal family.
Hee hee hee…
Hee hee…
Who the hell’s been laughing since earlier?
Poo hee hee hee hee…
- I’ll invite you all.
In that instant, eyes snapped open.
Every adventurer’s eyes.
And bizarrely, they had all faced each other in their dreams.
The sixth wish wasn’t what they desired.
A grotesquely shaped being sat by the campfire, laughing as it handed something out.
[Santo’s basic ability: The Wandering Troupe Has Arrived! activates.]
[You have received an Invitation to Madness.]
[12 hours of time limit granted.]
[Until you respond to the invitation within the time limit, you will be exposed to various mental damages, and this effect strengthens over time.]
[The closer you are to fire, the stronger the mental damage effect.]
The invitation was scorching hot, vanishing like bubbles upon contact and leaving a seal on their palms.
Sizzle…
“Ugh…”
“What the hell…”
They all groaned awake.
“What happened?! You were on watch, John! How did something like that get so close?!”
“S-something’s wrong. I was definitely awake…”
The party’s mage gathered them all with a grave expression.
“This dungeon… it seems dangerous.”
“What? What are you talking about now…”
“Among the specters that have appeared in Solaria, there are a few we absolutely have to watch out for… Looks like one of them lives in this dungeon.”
“Sp… specter?”
“Eek…”
Ghost, wraith, or yokai.
A type of undead collectively called specters.
“Yeah, a specter called a Playma… They’re all dangerous. Usually, they burn a village to the ground without a sound and vanish.”
“Why would something that dangerous be…”
“W-we just subjugate it, right?”
The mage’s vast knowledge shone here.
“Whether it’s fortunate or not… a Playma isn’t a being that lives to kill.”
“Then?”
“Play. It just wants to play with the living. But… that leads to a lot of deaths.”
“…What are you trying to say?”
“We have to accept the Playma’s invitation. If we follow the rules, it just disappears. This comes from survivors, so it’s not a lie.”
Everyone nodded.
“Definitely… in a dungeon this big, something like that could be the boss.”
“Feels kinda underwhelming, actually? With a dungeon this size, I figured a dragon or something.”
“Y-you all talk big.”
“Let’s think positive. Any other monster, and we’d struggle, but we just follow the rules, right?”
The mage hesitated with a stiff face before answering.
“Hmm… no, actually… You’re right. We just respond to the invitation within the time limit.”
“But how did it get so close to us?”
“Probably because we lit a fire. Playmas are specters that feed on flames and nightmares.”
“Ah… Guess no more campfires from now on.”
“Does that mean no resting? What about torches?”
“Torches are dangerous too. Better be careful.”
“No way, night marching without torches?”
The silent warrior spoke up.
“You think we’re here to sightsee? This isn’t the time to weigh every option. Hey, mage. What happens if we ignore that Playma’s invitation?”
“The outcome’s obvious.”
“…Right.”
Clank…
“Move. If you’ve got time to yap.”
The warrior rarely spoke, but whenever the party got rattled, his intimidating presence whipped them into shape. A crucial role.
“It’ll be rough until we meet the Playma. You’ll see hallucinations and hear voices. Get too immersed, and you can actually get hurt, so watch out.”
“Save your worry. Hallucinations are the best it can do? Pfft hah!”
The adventurer group pushed through the forest silently, without even lighting torches.
They killed time with lame jokes, but soon the chatter died down.
The reason? Hallucinations and auditory illusions.
“Hey, w-wait a sec. Your pace is too fa—.”
Grab.
When he grabbed the shoulder of the guy ahead and turned him around, what appeared was the face of the Santo. No face could be creepier grinning like that.
“Poo hee hee hee hee!”
“Uwaaaah!”
The priestess fell on her butt in shock.
“Huff… huff…”
“What happened?”
“Poo hee hee hee hee!”
The Santo’s laughter still echoed from all directions.
“N-no… I just got startled.”
The mage helped the priestess up as he spoke.
“Don’t let the illusions get you.”
“What happens if they eat you?”
“…Let’s go.”
He didn’t bother explaining why Playmas were among Solaria’s most notorious specters.
“Uwaaaah!”
“Y-you… your face is burning…”
“Stop! Stoooop!”
In that short time, the group looked haggard.
Fear couldn’t be controlled just by preparing for it. They were slowly consumed by the Santo’s madness.
They could feel it.
If they went into battle like this, disaster would strike.
But they had no choice but to pretend everything was fine. Ignoring the Playma’s rules was as good as walking to your death.
They absolutely could not be late for the invitation.
Absolutely.
“Look, over there.”
At the spot the warrior pointed, the structure they’d seen in the daylight loomed.
“A castle… in the forest?”
“No, it’s cruder than that… It’s an earthen fortress.”
“Looks like it’d collapse if you poked it.”
“Careful, something’s inside…”
Whoosh…
Suddenly, a dozen torches lit up on the fortress walls.
Growl…
Keruk…
“Goblins?”
The adventurers’ faces lit up.
“Good to see you bastards!”
“We were worried for nothing! We were wondering when you’d show…”
Only the mage and warrior stared ahead with cold expressions.
The warrior shouted.
“Everyone, behind me!”
[Tonju uses Umbrella Shield.]
[The shield’s defense range expands, effectively blocking projectiles except magic.]
Pssshhh—!
Even with the expanded defense, it couldn’t protect the distant party members. Someone was exposed to the arrows.
“No!”
“Guh…”
The priestess collapsed, an arrow through her heart. Her eyes were already those of the dead… and in her final moment, she let out a bizarre sound.
“Poo hee hee…”
“Those damn goblins linked up… They’re not normal goblins! Break through!”
Whoosh—!
Flames erupted along the fortress’s outer wall.
Oil prepared in advance ignited.
“Where?!”
[Baron uses Ice Siege Ram.]
[Fires a sturdy ice pillar for massive physical damage. Damage doubles against objects.]
KABOOM—!
The mage demolished one side of the fortress wall in a single hit. Goblins poured out, swarming the group.
“Poo hee hee hee!”
Flames shot up around them from all sides. At some point, their vision blackened with soot.
Damn it… we can’t be late.
If we’re late for the invitation…
They slashed and smashed through the flames, cutting down anything in their path.
“Poo hee hee hee hee!”
Crunch—!
“Keeaaak!”
“Guh…”
BOOM—!
Roooar!
The battle raged on in the inferno.
They couldn’t even check if their comrades were safe amid the blaze.
“Ahahahahaha!”
The mage burst through the flames, launching an ice spear at the Santo walking atop a large round orb as it vanished.
“You bastard!”
Fweee!
“Guh…”
The Santo’s face makeup melted, revealing a comrade’s face.
“N-no, I…”
The warrior charged at the mage with a face full of rage.
The mage realized in that moment.
He must look like a Playma to his comrades too.
“Eeeeeek!”
He couldn’t just die, so the mage pierced the warrior’s legs with ice.
Spurt—!
The sound of flesh tearing echoed simultaneously.
The warrior’s sword pierced the mage’s heart, and the mage’s spell pierced the warrior’s legs.
“Damn…”
The warrior roared from within the flames.
“Raaaaagh!”
He slashed at anything that moved. The party had already fallen apart, and no comrades were left alive.
Vwoom—!
That’s what the warrior thought.
Whoooosh—!
“Kra hahahaha…!”
By the time the flames died down, no one was beside the warrior. He’d swung for ages, yet the goblin corpses around him could be counted on one hand.
The warrior looked up toward the laughter. A goblin riding a troll’s shoulder grinned down.
Goblin King.
The warrior chuckled hollowly, eyes vacant.
“Are you this dungeon’s master?”
“…Foolish human.”
The troll carrying Jachim cast its shadow over the warrior.
Crunch—!
The troll’s foot crushed the warrior’s skull.
“Poo hee hee hee…”
Even from his mangled corpse, the Santo’s mocking laughter rang out.
“…Not peering deeper into this place will be a blessing for you.”
After the dimensional gate relay opened, all five parties searching for the rotten roots failed to surpass Jachim.
Souls gather in Faust’s dungeon core.