The Dungeon's Sole Conqueror (3)
Boom!
With the last skeleton exploding, a musty, gunpowder-like stench assaulted my nose. I scanned the room. All those skeletons and mermen were gone, leaving the chamber eerily empty.
The Suppress Isle I'd gotten from Queen Mother was ridiculously overpowered. To think it could terrify creatures within range into killing themselves...
Impressive.
But the more living beings there were, the more mana it drained. I couldn't use it often.
From here on, I need to manage my mana carefully.
Something caught my eye—a small orb wedged between cracks in the floor.
Hm?
I picked it up. A charm bead.
From a skeleton?
An unexpected haul. With a thousand kills in this room, the drop rate must've spiked. Grinning, I pocketed it. I'd have Kinzen process it later.
But do skeletons even have charm?
Pondering that, I glanced around. There was Aquina's party, resting in the corner. Six in total: Aquina, a mage, thief, archer, holy knight, and priest—a perfect lineup.
They sat slumped on the floor, catching their breath. Some lay spread-eagled, utterly spent.
Are they pushing on?
Step, step.
I approached Aquina calmly. She snapped to attention, fixing her exhausted expression and jumping up.
"Oh, we rushed here today without prep—weekends are our rest days, you know!"
"Who said anything? I didn't ask."
"You were totally thinking we're lame inside! Admit it!"
Man, she's annoying. Why's she so prickly?
"Nah. Just checking if you're heading back or continuing."
"Of course we're going on! You think this stops us?"
"Then rest up and let's go together."
I smiled. "We're the only ones left. Might as well help each other."
A short while later, we reached the Chamber of Choices, facing six cave entrances.
"Wrong one sends you somewhere else, right?"
"Hmph, like we'd fall for that trick."
Aquina shot a confident look at her thief companion.
"Detect the right path."
"Got it, boss."
The thief grabbed pebbles and tossed them one by one, starting from the leftmost cave. He pressed his ear to the ground, listening to the rolls, then pulled out a fine white feather to gauge subtle wind shifts from within.
Meanwhile, the party mage summoned small spirits cloaked in cloth, sending one into each cave. Only one returned alive.
"My judgment is..."
"From my detection..."
They conferred and reported to Aquina.
"The rightmost cave is the way."
"Good. Let's go."
"Hold up."
"...?"
"I need to check too."
I couldn't just blindly follow them. True to its name, one wrong choice in the Chamber of Choices meant elimination. A bad pick could end it all, so caution was key.
Hero's Sense
My vision warped, tinting the world gray. I scrutinized each entrance carefully. Hero's Luck activated instinctively too. Heroes blessed by gods have better fortune—divine guidance lowers the odds of bad choices.
Heroes are all-purpose weapons born to slay demon lords and monsters. Their innate abilities specialize in monster extermination. Even trapped in a dungeon maze, sense and luck make escape easy.
Found it.
Deep in one cave, a structure signaling the next room glowed yellow.
"Second from the left."
"What?"
Aquina snorted and approached.
"You don't trust us?"
"Your rightmost is a trap. It leads somewhere, but not to the final room."
"I'm the best at pathfinding. You telling a pro detector it's wrong?"
The male thief looked incredulous. The female mage chimed in.
"We've never been wrong before. And I question if your choice is pure judgment, Professor Naru."
Implying I was picking on Aquina out of rivalry.
"Pure judgment. What else?"
I let out a hollow laugh. Rivalry with Aquina? Never crossed my mind. What a weird misunderstanding.
"Anyway, I'm going this way. Follow or not—your call."
I started walking. Aquina yelled behind me.
"Fine, we'll split and prove it!"
So confident. I waved goodbye.
"Bet on dinner?"
"You're on! Loser buys!"
"Deal. One more: loser does whatever winner says that day."
"Pfft, scared? Add this: loser serves winner's adventures for a month!"
"Sounds fun. Done."
Grinning, I entered the second cave from the left. But as I walked, I tilted my head.
This feels childish. How'd I end up betting with her? We've barely talked.
We weren't close, didn't know each other well. Not enemies, but when did she turn rival?
Weird. I scratched my head.
If I win, invite her as guest lecturer at the academy and work her hard. Dinner as pay. Perfect plan.
Soon, light appeared at the tunnel's end. My choice was right. A stone door marking the next room stood sealed. It rumbled open as I approached.
Inside waited a monster woman resembling India's Shiva goddess. Deep navy skin, six arms wielding razor-sharp blades, and full breasts with prominent nipples. Top-tier rack.
"Alone?"
No answer.
"Me too—solo."
I mimicked a movie line. She screeched and lunged wildly. No sense of humor.
Six blades slashed irregularly from all sides—threatening. Strong and fast. But one monster? Easy.
I dodged fluidly, summoning Hero's Sword Lancer. Holy light gathered in my palm, forming a long, ornate longsword.
Gripping the hilt, power surged.
Holding a sword amps my strength.
Heroes instinctively frenzy at monsters. That destructive urge—maybe heroes are worse than monsters. Pathologically compelled to slaughter them.
"Starting with you, I'll smash this dungeon!"
Clang!
Six blades met Hero's Sword.
Two hours had passed since Naru went solo.
"Unbelievable..."
April stared blankly at the crystal orb. Naru had slain the six-armed woman and progressed smoothly. Astounding. Soloing a deadly dungeon? Without a scratch? No priest? Impossible.
She wasn't alone. Every merman in the plaza gawked at the orb, gasping in awe.
"Just a bit further and he'll reach Father's path."
"No one's gone beyond. He'll probably end there too."
"Impressive either way."
Naru in the orb solved another room's puzzle, moving on unflustered, breath steady. Mermen, once dismissive of humans, now regarded this one with reverence.
"Deserves applause for that far. Thought he was a nobody at first—surprise."
"Early clears were planned. Clever guy."
"But next is the Water Room, from memory. That male human can't breathe underwater like us. He'll drop there."
"No mage ally for underwater breathing spell. Solo means fail."
Then—a portal ripped open on the main stage. People emerged, drawing all eyes.
"Hm?"
Aquina and her team stepped out, spotting the crowd. She beamed inwardly.
News spread fast.
She cleared her throat dramatically, shoulders squared.
Here to celebrate me. Gotta accept graciously.
She'd just beaten the final room's boss and returned.
They work quick.
Trials conquered—she'd bask in glory.
"Aquina and my team did it!"
She hoisted a bronze statue—the trophy from the end: a likeness of their lord Illar.
"I declare to the world! Team Aquina conquered the unconquerable dungeon!"
Now for cheers and applause.
She held it high, smug. But...
Silence dragged on.
She blinked at the crowd.
"Who's she?"
"Doesn't she know?"
"She really doesn't?"
Murmurs and awkward faces.
Someone shouted: "Hey! Your path wasn't the true end! Fake ending—the creator's trap! Haha!"
"What...? Our route wasn't official...?"
Aquina's face flushed crimson. As snickers spread, she stomped offstage, fuming.
"Annoying!"
Meanwhile, Naru in the orb slowly entered the Water Room.