The Calm Before the Extra's Storm

Rumble! Rumble!

Stone dust cascaded down from the cave ceiling, dusting their heads. Outside, a relentless barrage of violent tremors and explosive blasts echoed, shaking the earth as if a massive earthquake had struck. With the deafening roar showing no signs of letting up, Ronia cried out in a panic.

"Lady Merian! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Shouldn't we be out there fighting with him?" Ronia grabbed Micaris by the shoulders and shook her. "Lady Merian!"

"You saw how many there were. Even if we go out there, we'll only get in his way."

"But...!"

"I trust my personal knight."

Micaris's hands were trembling, but her gaze remained utterly unwavering. She trusted her personal knight more than anyone else in the world. He had always delivered spectacular results, proving himself time and time again. She believed he would do so now, too. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't worried sick. She wanted nothing more than to rush to his side and help. But... the current Micaris simply lacked the strength to do so.

"..."

Ronia reached out and grasped Micaris's trembling hands.

"Lady Merian. Even if we can't die in this dungeon and the pain is dampened, pain is still pain. I can't bear to imagine the agony Lord Hound is enduring out there for our sake. I'm going."

Ronia turned and marched resolutely toward the cave exit.

"Wait!" Micaris called out, halting Ronia in her tracks. "I am coming with you."

"I knew you would."

But just as they stepped outside to search for him, they spotted a figure limping toward them. It was Hound, panting heavily, using his sword as a makeshift cane to support his weight.

"Hound!"

"Lord Hound!"

Ronia and Micaris cried out in unison, rushing toward him.

"You're covered in wounds!"

"...I am fine. I merely overexerted myself a little."

Tears began to well in Micaris's eyes.

"...My lady, are you crying?"

"I am not..." she sniffled, looking away.

Ever since their very first meeting, despite his commoner status, he had always carried himself with absolute confidence. His straight, unwavering gaze, burning with conviction, was the polar opposite of her own dull, lifeless eyes. He was stubborn and did as he pleased, but to Micaris, who had spent her entire life living as a hollow doll for the Marquis, Hound ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was the very definition of freedom. And now, that very man had thrown himself into danger, getting battered and bruised just to protect her. Seeing him gasp for breath made her heart ache so intensely it felt as if it would shatter.

"We need a potion..."

"I have one right here! Let's get you some rest first."

Ssssshh!

As the potion was poured over his lacerations, the liquid bubbled violently against his blood.

"Ngh..."

"Lord Hound? Lord Hound! Stay with us!"

"Ugh..."

"Are you awake?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

I opened my eyes to find Micaris staring down at me. My head was resting comfortably in her lap, which she was using as a pillow. My head throbbed, and every muscle in my body screamed in protest. Is this the aftereffect of the potion? But I didn't have the luxury of lounging around. I bolted upright, ignoring the pain.

"How much time has passed?!"

"Wait, don't force yourself!"

"It looks like about two hours have passed."

Two hours... By now, the protagonist's party would be closing in on the boss room. Winston's mana-tracking abilities made finding it a breeze. I gritted my teeth, pushing through the lingering pain and the potion's nasty side effects as I forced myself to my feet.

"We need to move before it's too late. Every single second counts right now."

"Are you sure you do not need more rest? You still do not look well..."

I cut her off firmly. "We cannot afford to."

"Are your wounds truly healed...?" Micaris's hand was still trembling slightly.

"I'm fine. Besides, we're going to take first place, aren't we?"

At that moment, Ronia grabbed my sleeve and yanked it, raising her voice. "What do you mean 'fine'?! If you keep subjecting yourself to constant pain, it'll take a toll on your mind and leave lasting trauma!"

She was right. Even if you couldn't die in this dungeon, you still felt the pain. It was essentially like diving into a game by linking your consciousness to an avatar. While the phantom body and the physical body weren't directly connected, the mind bridged the gap. Mental trauma was a very real risk.

But... there was no way in hell I was going to sit back and watch the protagonist's party take first place. I felt a little bad for the protagonist, but the mere thought of that arrogant bastard Winston strutting around with his nose in the air made my stomach churn.

If only it weren't for that slicked-back hair bastard...

For now, we had to move. The gears of the plot were already turning, and the original novel's episode was well underway. I looked Ronia dead in the eye.

"Ronia, I want to show them. I want to prove that you and Micaris are not people to be cast aside, and I want to announce to this world that I am here."

"What do you mean by..."

"It means I have no intention of giving up first place." I pushed past the stinging pain of my wounds and strode out of the cave.

"Where are we going, then?"

"We're going to follow the edge of the quarry. Eventually, we'll hit a cave embedded with blue magic stones. That's where the boss room is."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"...I heard about it from my parents. They used to be adventurers."

They looked a bit skeptical, but... hey, they bought it, so who cares? High-ranking nobles wouldn't know the first thing about the lives of common adventurers anyway.

"This way."

As I led them toward our destination, another pack of Kobolds blocked our path. Grrr!

"Ronia, save your mana this time! Micaris, you take them!"

"Lightning Spear!" Crackle!

A spear of pure electricity erupted from the violet magic circle hovering over her palm. The Kobold caught in the blast convulsed violently, completely electrocuted. Seeing it foam at the mouth with tears streaming down its face made me realize just how terrifying lightning magic could be.

"One of them is rushing us with a hammer!"

"I see it! Lightning Edge!" Zzap!

The Kobold collapsed as a blade of crackling electricity sliced through it. Now that I looked closely, Micaris's casting speed had gotten significantly faster. Had she finally shaken off her nerves? At this rate, it would be best to leave any remaining Kobolds to Micaris. We needed Ronia to keep her mana topped off so she could counter Winston's magic later.

"Let's keep moving. Ronia, save your magic for the boss room. Micaris and I will handle any Kobolds we run into along the way."

"Do you even know what the boss is?"

"...Most dungeon bosses are weak to fire, after all."

Micaris and I carved a path through the endless waves of Kobolds. Following the quarry's edge, we finally spotted a cave entrance shimmering with a brilliant blue light.

"See that blue light ahead? That's the cave."

The blue glow was so intense it was clearly visible from three hundred meters away. It was the magic stone marking the boss room. Winston had used his mana tracking to follow this exact signature. Please, let the protagonist's party not have entered the boss room yet.

Ronia spoke up, offering a suggestion. "Once we reach the entrance, we should take a short break. We've all pushed ourselves to the limit."

"I agree. My mana is practically depleted."

"Alright, let's do that."

In truth, I was incredibly anxious. Once a party entered the boss room and initiated the battle, the room would lock down, preventing any other party from entering until the fight was over. If the protagonist's party had already made it inside and started the raid, we were completely out of options.

"..."

How the hell did things get this messy? It all traced back to that slicked-back hair bastard. I had to blow all my coins, and my dream of becoming a magic swordsman was completely shattered.

I swallowed my rising anger and focused. Before us, a massive magic stone pulsed with a light so brilliant it was hard to look at directly. This was the threshold of the boss room.

"Let's head inside. There shouldn't be any Kobolds past this point."

"Whew... I really need a breather."

"I feel so useless..."

"There is no need to apologize. We are a team, and everyone has their part to play."

"I suppose so... Still, it feels like I'm being tutored by a veteran adventurer."

"I was thinking the exact same thing."

"..."

I've only read about this place in text, you know. It's my first time seeing it in person too. Fortunately, the massive stone doors to the boss room remained firmly shut. The protagonist's party hadn't arrived yet. I let out a long, slow sigh of relief.

"Whew." Thank god. But... that was when a dilemma struck me.

Neither Micaris nor I were in peak condition. Micaris had exhausted nearly all her mana clearing out the Kobolds along the way, and to make matters worse, I had burned through a massive chunk of my stamina dealing with that weakling Rory Highness or whatever his name was. In our current state, I couldn't guarantee a victory if we clashed with the protagonist's party.

At this stage, Lutera would probably go down in a single hit, but Winston was a different story. Should we just slip inside the boss room and clear it right now?

"..."

"What are you thinking so deeply about?"

"I'm strategizing on how to take down the boss."

"Hey, aren't you going to share the plan with us?"

Could I even explain this to them? In the end, it was just my own selfish desire. I couldn't exactly tell them, 'I'm waiting at the entrance for that bastard Winston to show up so I can beat the living daylights out of him because he pisses me off.' But since a clash was inevitable anyway, it was better to lay my cards on the table. I gestured for them to huddle closer.

"Winston Arcadia and Lutera Edelian's party will be here shortly."

"What? Then shouldn't we hurry inside?"

"She's right. If we end up fighting them...!"

"No, I don't see it that way. If we simply clear the boss first, the party that arrives after us will just take second place."

"And what is wrong with that?"

"I don't want those high-and-mighty young lords to get second place. I want to disqualify them entirely and reduce them to mere background noise."

"..."

Micaris and Ronia stared at me, their expressions frozen. They were probably wondering what kind of madness I was spouting.

"I told you earlier, didn't I? You are not people who deserve to be cast aside. I want to prove that to them. By beating them to a pulp—er, I mean, by fighting the young lords' party."

"...Is this a form of revenge?"

"Exactly."

Ronia and Micaris hesitated. Deciding to pick a fight with heirs from two of the Four Great Ducal Families was no small matter.

Then, Ronia spoke up first. "I'll fight."

"What? Are you out of your mind?"

"What about you, Lady Merian?"

"I..." Micaris's eyes darted between us, clearly conflicted.

Make your own choice this time, Mika. Stop being a hollow doll for the Marquis of Merian, and start being Micaris Merian, a person with her own will.

After looking back and forth between us, Micaris finally raised her chin, her eyes flashing with resolve. "...I will fight as well."

Good girl. I offered her a warm, encouraging smile. "A wise decision."

With the plan set, I found a flat rock, sat down, and closed my eyes to meditate.

"What are you doing?"

"Meditating. Gathering Aura helps accelerate physical recovery."

"Is that actually possible?"

"Anyone who walks the path of the sword can do it."

"I see..."

What was that look? The way she was staring at me felt a bit odd... But I didn't have time to dwell on it. I needed to stabilize my energy immediately. Having just reached the 5-star Aura level, my newly expanded core was wildly unstable, preventing me from drawing out its full potential. I had managed to scrape by during the fight with the Kobold Supervisor, but I absolutely had to stabilize my core before the protagonist's party arrived.

Wait, didn't the system mention something about the Path of the Sword God?

Ding!

The first thing that caught my eye in the Special Shop interface was my coin balance: a big, fat zero. No matter how dire the situation had been... missing out on the Magic Swordsman package was a bitter pill to swallow. That was every man's ultimate dream. But what was done was done. I'd have to settle for the Path of the Sword God. Besides, "Sword God" sounded incredibly badass, so it wasn't a bad consolation prize. As for magic? Well, I could always just decapitate a dragon later and absorb its Dragon Heart.

Right then, with a heavy, resonant *thump* from my heart, the chaotic Aura raging inside my body began to settle. The stinging from my cuts and the deep aches from my bruises rapidly faded as a wave of soothing warmth washed over me.

Reaching ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠5-star Aura makes my passive recovery absolutely insane. Just as I was marveling at the sheer power of a 5-star core, Ronia's voice shattered my focus.

"They're here! The young lords' party has arrived!"

Ah, the moment I had been waiting for. The protagonist's party had finally arrived. I've been waiting for you, boys.