Descent into Tairen's Cave
With Rain, who knew the location of Tairen's Cave Dungeon, leading the way, we headed toward the dungeon. It wasn't far. The entrance lay on a mountain behind the city—not buried deep in the forest or hidden within some ancient ruin. Though we had to push through thick underbrush, it was close enough that we never truly left the city's shadow.
"Haah, is it really here?" Robin, bringing up the rear as the archer, suddenly grumbled.
"Yes. If Mr. Jingwang's directions are correct, the dungeon should be somewhere around here," Rain answered with a nod.
"Found it."
After forcing our way through the last of the bushes, we stood before a cave that radiated an unmistakably sinister aura.
"Alright. Shall we go in?"
"Wait a moment."
The moment we spotted the cave, Elsid tried to step inside first. Rain caught him by the collar and pulled him back.
"Here. Take this before we enter." He handed Elsid a vial filled with crimson liquid. "Drink it only if things get truly desperate."
"Thanks."
Elsid had never expected to receive a potion capable of instantly treating fatal wounds—let alone one worth at least a hundred gold.
"Then let's head in."
After carefully tucking the potion away so it wouldn't jostle, Elsid took the lead. Roles had already been assigned before departure, so no one voiced any complaints.
"Come to think of it, what exactly was the request again?" Elsid asked over his shoulder as they walked.
"We just need to confirm what's at the very end of the dungeon and return."
"Huh. Simpler than I expected."
Given the generous reward, the job felt more like a survey than a conquest.
While mulling that over, they had already ventured deeper than anticipated. Elsid came to a halt.
"May the Lord's blessing that illuminates the darkness be with us! Holy Light!"
Once they had gone far enough that sunlight no longer reached them, Arke chanted a holy incantation. A radiant sphere bloomed into existence above her head, casting bright light in every direction. The radial glow spread farther than expected, clearly illuminating the surroundings.
"Hehe… To think I'd actually get to use the technique the other priests called a petty trick."
"It's a fine technique. Shall we move on?"
Thanks to Arke, their vision secured, the party resumed walking. The cave was eerily silent, devoid of any signs of life. Just as Elsid wondered whether anything truly lurked here—
This feeling—!
The instant he stepped forward, something felt wrong.
"Everyone, stop!"
Elsid yanked his foot back and shouted while retreating. The others froze at his cry. He had felt a faint tremor rising from beneath the ground the moment his foot touched down.
"Gyagyagyag!"
Black shadows erupted from the earth with grotesque cries, bringing with them the stench of rot.
"As expected… a dungeon is still a dungeon."
They appeared, eyes glowing with a blood-red light.
"Zombies…?"
"Why are there zombies here? They only crawl out of graves once in a blue moon."
"We can figure out the reason later."
Rain, Arke, and Robin spoke in turn.
"Gyagyag!"
Paying them no heed, the zombies lurched forward with hungry cries. Elsid dashed toward the foremost one and cleaved through its neck in a single stroke.
Chwaak!
The wooden sword, wrapped in fighting spirit, severed head from body. The headless corpse collapsed like a marionette with its strings cut.
Thud. Hisss.
Black, rotten blood spilled from the severed neck and began melting the stone floor.
"Acidic blood, huh. These aren't ordinary zombies."
"Well, they're still just zombies."
Elsid muttered indifferently and plunged into the swarm. Several zombies lunged at him, but—
"Pathetically slow."
He dodged and swung, targeting necks. Chwaaak! Another head hit the ground.
"Kgyagyag!"
The next zombie tried to pounce. For the first time, Elsid drew the arming sword from its scabbard and drove it into the creature's heart. It wouldn't kill a zombie, but the momentary opening was enough. He intended to finish it with the wooden sword in his other hand.
Puh-eong!
"Leave the cleanup to me!"
Before Elsid's blade could reach, Robin's arrow—wrapped in fighting spirit—pierced the zombie's skull.
Chwaaak!
"I'm contributing too, you know!"
At the same moment, Rain appeared beside him and lopped off another zombie's head with his greatsword.
Though the acidic blood posed a real danger, the zombies' sluggish movements made them easier to handle than orcs. Everyone fought with surprising competence.
So this is what it feels like to fight together.
It was different from the battle against Bernard and the orc captain. Even in the midst of a life-or-death struggle, Elsid found himself smiling without realizing it.
"Gyagyag!"
Thanks to their coordinated efforts, only one zombie remained.
"Told you they were slow."
Chwaak!
Elsid charged the last one and ended the fight. He released the tension and fighting spirit from his blades, then sheathed both swords at his waist.
"Right. Let's keep moving."
Everyone understood that the real challenge began now. They quickened their pace and followed him deeper into the dark, oppressive dungeon.
"Seriously, when is this damn dungeon going to end?"
Robin voiced his complaint as they walked. Elsid silently agreed. If they had been able to proceed without interruptions, no one would have complained—but zombies kept appearing at regular intervals, forcing them to fight again and again. The evidence was plain: Rain's greatsword and armor were already spotted with rust where the acidic blood had splashed, and Robin's quiver was half empty despite recovering every usable arrow.
Drdrdr!
While they were thinking that, the ground ahead began to tremble once more.
"Haah, again?"
"Arke, I'm counting on you."
Robin sighed, already knowing what was coming. Rain turned to the priestess.
"Yes. May the Lord's sacred light be with us! Holy Weapon!"
Golden light gathered upon Robin's bow and Rain's greatsword. No such light appeared on Elsid's blades—the holy power dispersed the moment it touched them. He simply accepted it as a property of his swords and paid it no mind.
"Gyagyagyag!"
Without pause, another wave of rotting zombies emerged. Irritation had long since replaced tension. It felt like exterminating pests that multiplied the moment you looked away.
After several battles, their roles had become routine: Elsid charged in first, Rain supported from the side, Robin finished off any stragglers, and Arke kept her recovery spell ready. Once the latest group was dealt with, everyone paused to catch their breath.
"Fighting alongside you feels different from when we fought the orcs…"
Rain hesitated before speaking. He had clearly been holding the words back for a while.
"Ah… There were circumstances back then."
Against the orcs, Elsid had broken spines and necks rather than cutting flesh, avoiding bloodshed. But these zombies shed no red blood and possessed no will of their own—only an obsessive hatred for the living. There was no need for mercy.
"By the way, is it all right to keep using that light sphere?"
Elsid glanced at Arke.
"Don't worry. Since it's considered a petty trick, it doesn't consume much divine power."
Arke smiled reassuringly. That was a relief. Without the sphere's light, their current strategy would fall apart.
After a quick check of their condition, the party pressed onward. At least the dungeon was a single straight path with no branching corridors.
Yet as they continued walking, something other than zombies finally appeared before them for the first time.