The further we went, the more I realized how the Northern Dungeon was different from the dungeon for beginners. The terrain is hard to walk on and there are up to seven floors. Above all, the monsters here are larger.
The kobolds in the Eastern Dungeon are classified as “small monsters”, but they are about the same size as me. In other words, just being a medium-sized monster is already bigger than a human. When it comes to large monsters like giants, they can exceed 10 meters in height, and you always have to fight them in a party of five or more.
“Kaaaaaa!”
Right in front of us is the boss of the Northern Dungeon, a Cockatrice.
It’s a medium-sized monster. A giant rooster about 2 meters in size. Its whitish color and appearance are similar to a chicken, but at this size, it is an impressive “monstrous chicken”.
In addition, cockatrice have a troublesome characteristic.
“Whoa……!”
It’s feet trampled on the grass. Its cry and pecks descend from above my head. I hurriedly turned around to its back, but this time, my eyes met with its tail.
“Shaaaaa!!”
The tail of the cockatrice is a snake. In other words, it has the head of a giant rooster and the tail of a giant snake. It’s a monster that’s a hybrid of the two.
The problem is that it can seal off the strategy of making use of speed by “circling around”.
What more—
『Rion, are you scared?』
Solana’s words made me jolt. I tried to laugh it off, but my mouth just twitched.
“It’s a little scary.”
It looks terrifying after all!
『It’s better to keep your distance and use the Golden Flame.』
Goddess was right. It was naive of me to think that even if I conserve magical power, I can win. The recommended level for the Northern Dungeon is 15, but this boss is a tough opponent for me.
The cockatrice takes a few steps back. Then the chest of the giant rooster starts swelling rapidly.
“Uh-, it’s going to breathe poison!”
Someone taps me on the shoulder.
It was Felix-san.
“It’s about time we stepped in.”
At the signal, the Raven Warriors nodded in turn.
“Rion-kun, leave it to us.”
“Excuse me for earlier.”
The warriors stepped forward to protect me. Felix was in the lead. With his right hand, he pointed his staff at the cockatrice, and with his left, he drew something in the air. Then red runes rose into the air.
“Just in case, cover your ears and keep your mouth half open.”
Then he chanted,
“Burst!”
Flames burst through the air. It’s a magic spell that creates flames out of nothing. A flash of fire collides with the breath of a cockatrice. An explosion roared, and black smoke obscured the figure of the monster bird.
『Heh~』
A voice echoes in my head.
『Magic is a part of the skill so no chanting is required huh. So this is how magic works now.』
(Uhm, who are you…?)
『I’m Loki. Just like Thor, you can call me by my first name.』
Even after the smoke cleared, the cockatrice remained still. It was greeted by flames the moment it tried to use breath. The shock must have shaken its head. It’s huge body fell with a thud.
『……Amazing.』
It’s the first time I’ve seen the magic of an adventurer up close. As expected, it’s very cool. Even though I know it’s a fighting technique and not for fun, I can’t help but yearn for it.
“I wonder if I’ll be able to use it someday….”
『Uh-, uhm……』
Loki was vague and remained silent afterwards.
Just as I was about to ask again, Felix came over.
“That breath has the property of reacting to fire, and although it is poisonous now, it may have been a fire breath in the past. So if we hit it with fire magic….…”
“It will burn?”
“That’s what I mean.”
Felix said so nonchalantly. The Raven Warriors then scattered, surrounded the cockatrice, and finished it in no time.
“The disposal is complete.”
“Mm.”
Their short exchange was very businesslike, and I got the impression that for them, victory was a given. As expected, the Raven Warriors are skilled adventurers.
『Fufu, the power of the gods is strong. But your magical power and stamina still fall short of theirs.』
Loki’s words left me feeling down. My experience, physical strength, and magical power are nothing compared to the Raven Warriors. In particular, some of the gods’ blessings use magical powers. Developing my basic abilities…. well, leveling up in short, is necessary for me to become even stronger.
Felix-san then turned to me.
“Alright. Rion-san, now it’s your turn to ‘unseal’.”
I used my Alarm skill. I drew out my ability to appraise my surroundings. And as expected of the bottom level, spirit stones and ancient weapons are scattered here and there.
Then I found an ivy-covered wall that is glowing faintly.
“That’s it. Wake up.”
| Skill: 『Alarm』 was used. Executing 【Unseal】 |
The whole dungeon shook. The ivy-covered wall cracked and crumbled.
It was surprisingly bright beyond the rubble. Just like in the dungeon, the ceiling on the other side seemed to create a light similar to sunlight. But the wind coming from there is cold. My breath even turned white.
“Ice…… Forest?”
The ceiling was high, probably about 10 meters. The trees were growing all the way up. The leaves were yellow, as if we had been brought straight to an autumn forest. And everything is trapped in crystal-like ice.
『This is where I was sealed.』
It was Uru’s voice.
Looking closely, I can see a small path opening up in the center of the forest. The ice has also broken up, and it looks like we can go further in.
“Let’s go that way.”
I pointed to the straight road and started walking. The group of Raven Warriors followed behind.
『I wanted to protect nature as much as possible before the world was overrun by monsters. So before the whole forest was burned down, I moved the magically imbued spirit trees here.』
(Then it was sealed away and turned into ice?)
『Yes. This area was originally a forest, but I never thought that the entire dungeon would become a forest in 1000 years. I think the seeds fell when we brought them in.』
Perhaps the seeds brought by Uru and his believers sprouted in the dungeon over the years.
『You really can’t predict what living things will become.』
Uru is smiling wryly. It’s like he’s feeling nostalgic, happy, and all sorts of emotions.
『It was tough outside of that. I think you felt it too, but you can’t take a break from detection and reconnaissance, so both I and my believers worked very hard…』
This time, he gave a dry laugh.
I guess they had quite a hard time…….
With a small sigh, Uru cut off the story.
『…… Still, I wanted to protect it.』
Then the path we took came to an end.
In the innermost part, the forest was cut off, and in its place were many monsters frozen in place. The ice continues deep into the great space, and there is no end to it.
『Rion, you see where the ice has melted, right? It’s around that big tree.』
Indeed, there is a large ash tree surrounded by monsters. The ice on that tree had unnaturally melted.
『I was fighting by shooting the monsters from the top of that tree. I was sealed and saved by your horn.』
The group of Raven Warriors begin to investigate the unexplored space as well. The monsters in the ice seemed to be all well-known monsters such as goblins, kobolds, orcs, and wargs.
『……There may not be anyone like Skoll in the northern dungeon.』
I was relieved by Uru’s words.
I looked back. The path we came from was covered in golden leaves enveloped in ice, and looking at it again, it was very beautiful.
“…… It’s a beautiful place.”
『Fufu, thank you, Rion. You’re kind.』
I also investigated the unexplored area for a while. There were no more walls that looked like 『Alarm』 could be used.
Felix eventually called off the investigation.
“Very well, let’s leave this dungeon to the other members. We’ll head to the next dungeon, the one in the south.”
I rubbed my cold hands together and recalled the plan for today.
“Uhm, this is the last one for today, right?”
“For the time being, yes. After we investigate the Southern Dungeon, we will return to the temple. I can also tell you what you want to know. However—”
Felix stared at me.
“You must not let your guard down.”
Yes, I’ll have to be on guard.
The next one is a more dangerous dungeon, also known as the “Cathedral of Darkness”.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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