Southern Dungeon of the Royal Capital.
The southern dungeon, to put it briefly, is an underground cathedral. It is a stone structure with many halls. In addition, there are ancient carvings on the walls. My mother told me that it used to be a real cathedral where many people were healed.
But now it’s called the Cathedral of Darkness.
The light from the ceiling is the same as before dawn. Unless you are an adventurer with accustomed eyes, you will not be able to see 2 meters ahead.
『This was the dungeon where I was sealed in.』
The words of the medicine god, Sigris, echoed in my head.
『So this is what it has become like now….』
She muttered.
We are now on the fourth floor. This dungeon has a total of eight floors.
At this moment, my ability, 【Wild Heart】, picks up the sound of many footsteps. They are moving around as if to surround us, but there is no sound of them getting closer. They are just going back and forth in the same place. Like lifeless puppets.
I swallowed. I’ve fought those monsters several times in the Eastern Dungeon, but after I can detect the sound, I can now understand how strange they were. I can hear their footsteps, but I don’t hear their breathing at all.
“There are skeletons in the direction we are heading to. They’re in a large room far ahead, and there are about fifteen of them.”
I pointed ahead as I said so.
In the Southern Dungeon, low-level undead emerge from the shallow layers. That’s why it was called the “Cathedral of Darkness”.
Felix-san smiled.
“Thank you.”
The Raven Warriors exchanged glances. I think they were deciding whether we should take a detour or go straight ahead. Our goal is to “unseal” the wall in the boss floor and investigate the unexplored area, so there is not much point in actively fighting here.
“……We’ll go straight. Avoiding it will mean taking a long detour.”
Felix-san’s decision determined where we go.
“15 skeletons huh.”
It felt like the darkness was thickening, wrapping around us. Before we start walking forward, I pulled Felix-san’s cloak.
“In case of emergency, I can unseal the gods and ask them to help us. Uhm but, their appearance time in the dungeon is limited though.”
In the Eastern Dungeon, I fought a monster called the Werewolf Zombie. At that time, Solana was the one who killed the monster in the end.
Felix-san stops in his tracks.
“What do you mean by limited time?”
“The Gods are also affected by the seal.”
Felix-san thought for a moment and then he shook his head.
“…Rion-san, please take that as your trump card. It is a trump card to protect you. The Raven Warriors can be replaced, but there is no replacement for your Alarm skill.”
Felix-san looked at my pouch.
“How about the horn?”
“Oh that-, it hasn’t changed……”
I took out the horn, but it had lost its former luster. There is no sign of it reacting to my【Unseal】skill as well. I can’t just try to blow it in the dungeon too, but even if I try, I have a feeling that it won’t work.
Felix shook his head regretfully.
“I see… Since the horn has the power to free the gods from their seal, I thought it would be most effective inside the dungeon.”
That may be right too.
The power that defeated Skoll can be wielded at will by the gods after all.
The gold coin in my pocket vibrated, and then I heard Solana’s voice.
『I don’t think it’s possible now. I don’t feel any special power from the horn itself.』
Then…. that means that it’s not something that can be used all the time I guess.
『It may take a few days to store up magical power in it, or perhaps, the horn itself only reacts to a strong seal.』
It’s a pity, but I guess I have no choice but to put it away for now.
After walking for a while, we arrived at a large room where the monsters are waiting. I took a breath at the entrance. Taking deep belly breaths helped me calm down before a battle.
“Let’s go.”
At Felix-san’s signal, we rushed inside the large room.
What was waiting for us were a group of skeletons. About 10 of them quickly run towards us at once. Then loud footsteps came from further back of that group. Having a bad feeling, I poured magical power into 【 Wild Heart】.
Four large red auras appeared in my view.
『Rion, there’s a big being in the mix!』
It was just as Solana had warned. In the darkness, a skull with blue flames burning in its eyes appeared.
The group of warriors exclaimed,
“A draugr!!”
It’s not just a skeleton, it’s a higher form of it.
This is…… It’s a mistake on my part!
Draugr is not just a skeleton. It is a decayed human corpse that is faintly wrapped with a spirit body. You can see the bones inside their bodies, which is even creepier than just a skeleton.
“It’s fast!”
The four Draugrs circled around us in a big way. Their target is the last in line, that is, me.
Two of them were intercepted by Felix-san in an instant. However, the remaining two shifted their bodies and was able to pass him.
“Rion-san! Stay calm and keep your distance. We’ll take care of it!”
I shook my head.
“N-no!”
I decided to fight them with my skills.
| Skill 『Sun’s Divine Protection』 was used. Executing【Golden Flame 】. ——————————— 【Golden Flame 】……Improves physical abilities for a limited time. |
A warm light enveloped my entire body, eventually regulating my breathing.
The two draugrs crouched down. Their hands were positioned low, with the tips of their greatswords behind their backs. They were using their own bodies to hide the length of their swords. The darkness made it even harder to gauge their distance.
『Rion-san, they’re dangerous.』
I heard Sigris muttering.
『……They have the Swordsman skill.”
But I didn’t want to run away. I’m still a long way from being a strong adventurer.
The two enemies moved at the same time. From a low position, the blade of their greatsword comes slashing upwards.
The two greatswords were like giant scissors.
“Wake up”
There came a wind. Woken up, Sylph, the wind spirit, leapt out from the crystal of the short sword.
“Wan-”
As I fled, I swept the enemies off their feet with a gust of wind. The two greatswords came into contact with each other, causing sparks to fly.
A big opening!
I jumped into the bosom of the first draugr closer to me. With unsteady legs, it forcibly swings its greatsword towards me.
“Fuu.”
I know that if I dodge it, our distance will only widen.
I did not give it time for a second strike. With my short sword, I stabbed its sternum, which was its weak point. As if unable to bear the weight of the weapon, its arm gave way first. Then its whole body collapsed. The draugr turned to mere ash.
One left.
The draugr readjusted its greatsword to a vertical position.
“Wake up”
The spirit made a second attack. The enemy dodged it and stepped forward. It’s not a downward slash, it’s more like a linear—
“Thrust!?”
When I received it with my short sword, the impact was so strong that my shoulder felt like it would break and I fell to my knees.
The draugr quickly removed one of its hand from the hilt. It seemed to have gripped the middle of the blade.
With a half sword stance and using the strength of both arms, it tried to pry open my defense. The strong pressure made my heart feel so hot that it felt like it might explode.
『Rion will not lose!』
Solana supported me with the blessing of the sun. I felt energized, it’s like I had been given a push from behind.
“Yaa!”
I deflected the greatsword with my short sword. The draugr throws its hands up due to the force. If it had a face, it might have looked stunned.
I quickly crushed its weak spot, the sternum, and it turned back into ashes.
“W-what the….…”
Some of raven warriors had their mouths agape. The normal skeletons have already been wiped out.
“Phew……”
T-that was close……
『Rion, you’re being too reckless.』
Solana was right.
I managed to do it with the power of god, but it was a failed offense and defense. A greatsword isn’t normally something you should block with a short sword after all.
“I got anxious you know.”
Felix-san seemed worried, too.
“…… I’m sorry.”
“We’re party members now, and I say this as your comrade. Adventurers don’t make risky attempts. They should be experts who takes on opponents they can surely defeat.”
It’s like him saying, me facing two monsters by myself is not something I should do.
He leans on his staff and gives a wry smile.
“……To be honest, I was surprised at how you won.”
“It was my mistake in the first place, so I ….…”
It felt like I had made one failure after another, and my shoulders felt heavy.
“I-, I counted the number of enemies, and then I said they were all skeletons…… You see, I had the ability to see the enemy’s appearance and strength even from a distance.”
“……uh!? T-thats…… I see.”
Felix-san rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“Sigh. Reconnaissance isn’t about 100% accuracy in the first place. I’ve already taken some variation into account. So it would have been nice if you could leave it to us.”
Then the voices of Gods came one after another.
『Mm, mm. Just now, it wasn’t like you who is always cautious.』
『Hn? He won by his strength, so it’s fine, right? What’s wrong with that?』
『Ehm. Thor, that’s…….』
『Loki was taken a back too.』
『……Sigris was worried as well.』
Having everyone say that made me reflect on my actions. But it also made me feel a little warm inside.
“I’m sorry, I’ll be more careful.”
Learning from my mistakes, I scanned my surroundings again. I poured magical power into Uru’s skill, and found the monsters on the other side of the wall as red lights.
“……Huh?”
I noticed something unusual.
There is no red light around us anymore. However, at the far end, I could see several red lights. When I searched in the Northern Dungeon, I couldn’t see that far.
“Did the range expand?”
I looked at the Golden Flame that was still wrapped around my arm.
“Could it be that…… the Golden Flame has enhanced my other skills as well?”
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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