Chapter 170
Chapter 170
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Volteric of Lightning
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Perhaps because it was a secret passage made for specific individuals, there were no traps.
Just a straight corridor that repeated endlessly.
‘The silence makes it even stranger.’
Even a back door needed a minimum level of defense.
It was about time something showed up.
*Rumble!*
“I knew it!”
The moment I heard the sound of a mechanism activating, I quickly lowered my stance and drew upon my aura.
But my impressive move was for naught; nothing happened.
It was just the sound of Sophia, who was following close behind me, stepping on a broken piece of flooring.
“What are you doing?”
“Ahem! Was I being too sensitive? No, you should have watched your step in the first place. Why are you just kicking things around?”
“I was trying to light up the path ahead for you, you know?”
“Then you could have just cast a second wisp. You’re more than capable of consecutive casting, aren’t you?”
“W-well, that’s true, but.”
“Ding, ding, ding! I win by decision. Your fault!”
“Hmph!”
Sophia glared at me with an indignant expression, but I calmly surveyed our surroundings.
Since we had stopped for a moment, I took the opportunity to examine the floor more closely.
Of course, just like before, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
But it was at that very moment.
As I relaxed my defensive stance, I heard a faint sound.
*Voom, voom.*
“Hm?”
It was for the briefest instant, but I had caught the noise precisely.
However, no matter how I strained my ears, I couldn’t hear it again.
“Don’t try to create a sense of unease. There’s nothing here anyway.”
“Just a second.”
I ignored Sophia’s chiding and pressed my ear against various parts of the wall.
But the humming noise from before had vanished without a trace.
‘Should I try taking a defensive stance again? I doubt I’ll hear it just by doing this, but…’
On a whim, I bent my knees.
*Voom, voom.*
To my surprise, the whirring sound became clearly audible.
Its source was the ground.
It was coming from the spot where the flooring Sophia had disturbed had come loose.
“Oh! I found something!”
“What are you talking about? I don’t understand at all.”
“There’s a strange sound coming from here. It’s only faintly audible when you lower your stance. That’s why I didn’t notice it while walking.”
As soon as she heard my words, she dropped to the floor.
It was to hear the sound better.
Soon, Sophia’s eyes widened, and she nodded.
“These are people’s voices!”
“Probably Everfilt’s men. They seem to be very close to this passage.”
“It sounds like they’re in a battle.”
“We could inflict heavy damage if we ambushed them now, but there’s no need to take such a risk. Let’s ignore them.”
“Okay.”
With a light shrug, I was about to step deeper into the cave.
But at that very moment.
Something incredible happened.
*KABOOOOM!*
“Ugh!”
A sudden explosion erupted from the direction of the secret passage’s entrance.
Startled, our party quickly ran forward.
Flames surged in right after us, licking at our heels.
“Th-this is impossible…!”
“Shut up and run!”
I urged Sophia, who was muttering with a pale face, and sprinted like mad.
But her pace was too slow; at this rate, we would be caught.
Left with no choice, I quickly twisted my body and thrust out my left hand.
*BOOOOOM!*
A blast of high-pressure air erupted, slowing the spread of the flames.
No, perhaps it could have had an even greater effect.
Since it was a sealed space with almost no room for the air to escape, the power of the Wind Blast was amplified.
“It’s c-collapsing!”
Diego, who had been checking behind us as he ran, shouted loudly.
A quick glance back revealed that the collision of magic had almost pulverized the secret passage.
The ceiling had caved in, completely obliterating the path.
Only then could our party finally stop running.
“*Gasp!* *Pant!* Wh-what just happened? Why, why?”
Sophia, gasping for breath, spewed out words I couldn’t quite understand.
She looked utterly exhausted, but it seemed she couldn’t help but question the situation.
It was just that absurd of an incident.
“I can guess two possibilities. It was either the aftermath of a battle… or they sensed our presence.”
Honestly, it was hard to tell which was more likely.
I stared with an uneasy gaze at the smoldering pile of rocks.
It would be troublesome in many ways if our infiltration was discovered this early.
Alerting Everfilt would only make them speed up their exploration.
*Voooom.*
‘I hear it.’
Sensing someone’s voice, I immediately placed a finger to my lips.
Then I gestured for them to back away.
Sophia and Diego cautiously stepped backward.
But I, on the contrary, moved forward.
“What’s wrong?”
I heard her bewildered whisper, but I had no intention of stopping.
Something was barely visible through the gaps in the collapsed debris.
Besides, the voice felt somehow familiar.
‘I think I know that person.’
No matter how dangerous, I couldn’t resist my curiosity.
Concealing my presence as much as possible, I focused on the light coming through the cracks.
Then, I could vaguely make out the figure of a woman.
It was only for a moment, but I could clearly identify who it was.
I have a special ability, you see.
A knack for identifying beauties.
*Swoosh.*
Now that I had confirmed it, there was no need to look further.
Lingering around could get me caught.
I moved away from the debris with stealthy steps.
“Which was it?”
It was Sophia’s question after we had walked in silence for a while.
She must have judged it was safe now that we were quite far from the scene.
I nodded nonchalantly and replied.
“There were no signs of a battle. It seems they fired off some magic because they suspected something…”
“Doesn’t that mean we’re in big trouble?”
“We didn’t make any sound afterward, so we probably weren’t discovered.”
“What if they find the secret passage?”
“As long as it doesn’t collapse any further, I think we’ll be fine. The debris completely blocked the path. We should be worrying about how to get out now.”
“I see. Since we can’t go back.”
Once we reached the center of the dungeon, there was bound to be a proper exit.
The problem was we had to get there before Everfilt.
And the woman leading the exploration team kept nagging at my mind.
‘It was definitely Elysia.’
The presence of a direct descendant meant that Everfilt was also serious about this exploration.
I had a feeling this mission wouldn’t end so easily.
Our party walked on for a long time.
“Huh? It’s a dead end.”
But the end of the secret passage was a dead end.
Not that there was truly no more space to advance.
There was a hole leading downward.
Sophia cautiously sent a wisp through it.
But there was only a diagonally sloped wall, and the bottom was impossible to see.
“It seems they made it like this on purpose.”
“I agree. This makes it difficult to climb back up, not to mention you can’t tell where it ends.”
“…”
I silently looked at Sophia and Diego.
Then, with a hardened expression, I raised my fist.
At that, the look in their eyes wavered.
“N-no matter what, deciding the order with violence is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“That’s just absurd. Let’s decide with rock-paper-scissors.”
“Ah! Aah.”
“What’s in your head? You barbaric mage.”
At my sharp criticism, Sophia’s face turned bright red, and she didn’t know what to do.
Just then, Diego, who had been watching the situation, intervened at the right moment.
“That’s enough. I’d rather go first…”
“I was waiting for you to say that. Chahat!”
*Thump!*
I made a surprise move, striking the back of Diego as he approached me.
“Ugh!”
He instinctively flailed his arms and ended up grabbing Sophia.
So, in a tumble, the two of them went down first.
“Kyaaah!”
“Uwaaah!”
Listening to their fading screams, I could roughly gauge the sliding speed and distance.
It didn’t seem to be a very dangerous place.
They probably made this structure to prevent anyone from using it as an exit.
“Alright, shall we go?”
***
Elysia was observing the divine dungeon with curious eyes.
A facility that operated on principles entirely different from magic—she couldn’t help but be intrigued.
“The defenses are better than I thought.”
“It’s quite surprising that this is possible with divine power.”
The Everfilt mages who had come with her had similar reactions.
Of course, that didn’t mean they let their guard down.
Railton’s Sanctuary was practically plastered with dangerous traps and guardians.
They had to fight or disarm traps roughly every ten meters.
“A cavern has been spotted ahead.”
Right after the billowing dust settled.
The voice of a guard scouting ahead was heard.
He seemed slightly excited by the different terrain.
“There will likely be traps. Advance while searching more meticulously…”
*Zzzzzap!*
But before Elysia’s command could be relayed, a flash of light erupted.
It seemed a guard had triggered a trap.
Unfortunately, his magic armor had just run out of life, and he died on the spot.
But Elysia’s expression remained unchanged.
“Tsk. I told you repeatedly to be careful.”
“My apologies. I will enforce discipline more thoroughly.”
“You’ll need to be even more alert when we enter the cavern.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The mage standing beside her moved forward and cleared away the charred corpse.
He used magic to send it flying into the cavern.
Instantly, thick beams of light shot out from all directions.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud!*
The corpse was instantly torn to shreds, becoming unrecognizable.
“Don’t die a dog’s death for disobeying instructions. Keep your wits about you. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
The guards, their faces taut with discipline, held their shields firmly.
Soon, the Everfilt exploration team slowly entered the cavern.
A long silence ensued while the mages disarmed the traps.
After a considerable amount of time, the interior of the cavern was finally secured.
“Hoh… Interesting.”
Elysia, having moved to the center, gazed up at the altar.
Upon it, a small buckler was floating in mid-air.
She stared at the translucent white shield and muttered as if mesmerized.
There was only one object with such a unique color, shape, and auspicious aura.
“Is that Volteric of Lightning? To think I’d see a legendary weapon with my own eyes…”
Volteric of Lightning.
A legendary weapon said to have been used by a god named Kraus to protect the natural world from demons.
Even renowned scholars shared Elysia’s opinion.
That it was merely a tool that metaphorically represented the power of a god.
But surprisingly, Volteric was real, and it had appeared before her.
Even the ice-cold Elysia couldn’t help but be moved.
But it was at that very moment.
“Uwaaaaaah!”
*CRASH!*
With a sudden scream, three figures fell from the ceiling.
Crushing Volteric in the process.
“No!”