Chapter: 186
The 10th floor of the Menestel Dungeon.
Back when I, Karl, and Alsetin tackled this place together, we solved everything by shooting arrows at the core. But today was different.
We didn’t do anything.
Benedict assured us that there was no need for any action.
At the front, Benedict observed the golem connecting around the core, loosening his shoulders with a hearty laugh.
“Sir Benedict, what about buffs?”
“No need for that, Bishop Johan. What’s the point of needing such things to deal with this?”
Once the form of the golem was complete, it landed in midair, shaking the cavern with its weight, making its presence known.
It then spotted Benedict standing at the front and raised its gigantic arm.
It was a punch.
A simple punch, nothing special.
If an ordinary person had moved their hand like that, onlookers would definitely giggle.
But this punch belonged to a golem.
With overwhelming size and weight, along with incredible force.
The golem’s punch turned that simple swing into a catastrophe.
It had enough power to make me think I wouldn’t be able to block it.
Yet, Benedict remained relaxed.
He didn’t cast magic.
He didn’t receive any buffs.
He didn’t even draw his sword.
He simply stretched his arm back, ready to take the golem’s punch head-on.
To anyone watching, it looked almost insane.
No matter how big Benedict was, he was still classified as human.
How could he take a giant’s punch that could crush him just based on size?
He looked like a grasshopper trying to block a carriage. Though Benedict’s spirit was high, the outcome seemed certain.
Yet Benedict outright defied the concept of common sense.
KWA-BOOM!
The shockwave from the clash of the golem and Benedict’s fist blew my hair back.
In the midst of it all, I saw an odd sight.
The golem’s arm was trembling.
The punch that should’ve shown the fundamental gap between species was halted.
I tore my gaze away to look at the other side.
Benedict’s face, hidden in the shadow of the golem’s fist, showed a grin.
“Is that all you’ve got?!”
As Benedict braced himself, he poured more strength into his arm, and cracks began to spread from where his arm met the golem’s fist.
The fractures quickly spread, like stones cracking atop a frozen lake in early winter, and soon a foreboding sound echoed forth as the golem’s arm lost its shape and crumbled away.
“Pathetic! Is this really all it takes to boost your spirits?!”
The golem, having neither reason nor soul to feel pain, thrust its remaining arm toward Benedict.
But once again, the result was the same.
A giant’s arm couldn’t withstand a human’s punch and fell apart.
“Shall we finish this?”
Watching the stones fall, Benedict said that and leaped upward.
The heavy armor clanged as he stepped, yet he moved as if he were weightless, stepping atop the stones toward the golem’s head.
Before long, he reached the golem’s head and, in an unstable position without a footing, aimed his punch toward its core.
KWA-BOOM!
The monstrous sound of an explosion echoed, leaving the golem’s midsection cleanly hollowed out, so much so that I doubted if something had ever been there at all.
Before the golem collapsed, Benedict landed on the ground, turning to me with dust flying from the golem’s remnants, and proudly puffed out his chest.
He glanced back at me, eager for recognition, clearly craving the words “You’re amazing, Dad!”
Benedict didn’t seem to understand.
The truly impressive thing is to act unfazed and casual after doing something like that.
If he keeps showing off with “Look how great I am!” it makes me not want to praise him.
That rebellious psychology springs up naturally.
Is this the influence of my Mesugaki skills? Or am I just a terrible person?
After some half-hearted consideration, I concluded it was both.
Alright, let’s ignore it.
Is Benedict watching you too much?
‘Just pretending to ignore it.’
… Are you going through a rebellious phase?
‘Not exactly, but…’
Taking down that golem bare-handed wasn’t impossible.
While it’s true the 10th floor boss has a gimmick, its specs are quite absurdly solid for a level 10 boss.
Most users would be fated to get wrecked by the golem if they didn’t match its overwhelming specs.
But that doesn’t negate the fact that Benedict was impressive.
Ignoring the gimmick to beat the golem downright requires a minimum spec of just over level 100 based on game characters.
Given how Benedict toyed with the golem without even trying, he was certainly much stronger than that.
This man is as powerful as an NPC who should show up at the end of the game!
He shouldn’t even be appearing at this point! Talk about a total balance-breaking character!
Hey, pathetic god. Why not just make Benedict your apostle instead of me?
Wouldn’t that be better?
A reliable, cool middle-aged knight rather than a bratty Mesugaki like me?
Huh?
… Silence.
Looks like that idea won’t fly?
Well, that’s the case with our pathetic god, who is a pervy masochist.
Damn it. If that pathetic trash god had been a bit more normal, I wouldn’t be rolling around like this!
As I ranted inwardly, I suddenly noticed Benedict approach with a pitiful look in his eyes.
Whoa. This is uncomfortable.
Alright, alright. I get it. I’ll just pat your head!
“Wow! Benedict! You’re amazing! You tore that golem apart!”
“What? Stupid Dad. You think breaking a tin can gets you that praise? Ugh, how pathetic.”
Hey! You should at least accept a compliment for that, you Mesugaki skill user!
With that condescending tone, Benedict’s enthusiasm fizzled out!
Ahh. Damn it. I get it. You want me to say it myself?
Fine! I’ll do it!
“That was a bit impressive. For a pathetic Papa♡, that is.”
Desperate to find a non-awkward compliment that wouldn’t cross the line, I finally uttered it, and Benedict’s face lit up.
“Right? This Papa is cool, isn’t he?”
He acted as if he had forgotten we were in a dungeon, making a fuss about it, prompting me to think of something else.
I had to or else I’d be tossing out insults left and right.
The first thing I wanted to verify in our meeting that started this morning, where I gained full authority, was whether anyone here had tackled the Menestel dungeon before.
If we could use the systems of this place to quickly reach floor 46, we could prepare for the fight against Karia straight away.
Of course, Count Georg had seen the end of the dungeon. Benedict also mentioned his past experience in beating it.
‘But I have never tackled the Menestel dungeon!’
The issue arose with Johan.
Being a clergy member of the Church, he probably never expected to find himself in such a hazardous dungeon.
But it wasn’t a major problem. The power gathered here was substantial.
Each of them deserved to be called heroes. What could possibly be difficult about conquering the Menestel dungeon?
It was merely a hassle.
So I proposed that we breach to floor 46 in one day, rest up, and then tackle Karia the next day.
After that, we initiated discussions on how to break through the dungeon, which wrapped up before lunch.
The reason was simple.
The three of us could solve various potential issues that would arise while conquering the Menestel dungeon.
The board’s bane, the heat, could be countered by Count Georg’s magic.
Thanks to that, I hadn’t felt any heat during our venture together.
The various monsters appearing in the dungeon were too scared to even approach us, deterred by the bloodlust emanating from Benedict.
Because of that, we managed to descend ten floors without engaging in a single battle.
Even if we bumped into injured adventurers, a single gesture from Johan could fully heal them, leaving no reason to dawdle.
Given the circumstances, I only needed to ignore every other element and plot the quickest route.
Boss battle? With this kind of power assembled, how could that be a problem?
Gimmicks and all. The second they appear, they’d vanish using sheer power!
Just like that golem a moment ago!
This wasn’t a bus.
It would be a disgrace to compare this crew to mere buses.
Instead, it felt more like a train, no—an airplane.
I was a passenger on the plane, and these folks were the pilots guiding the flight.
Yet, there was one little thing I was a bit irked by.
The ride on this plane was just too rough.
Not in a figurative sense, but actually physically.
“Alright. Lucy, let’s hurry up. We’ve got to move quickly!”
As I pondered these thoughts, Benedict ended his display of fussiness and picked me up, placing me on his shoulder.
Just like how I’d carried others back in the academy dungeons, now Benedict was carrying me on this dungeon run.
I didn’t intend for it to be like this from the start.
I’ve trained hard until now; I planned to move on my own and follow behind like a shadow.
But before long, I realized this was my own arrogance.
My current state was bad enough, and the specs of those around me were just too high.
Thus, being forcibly turned into a burden, I had to hop onto Benedict’s shoulder.
Admittedly, it was the most efficient choice, so I couldn’t complain.
As I dangled there, descending through the dungeon, I came to understand the age-old wisdom’s truth.
What was it called again? Empathy?
When you’re the one getting carried, you start to comprehend the struggles involved.
I’m sorry! Visi! Phoebe!
If a similar situation arises next time, I’ll try my hardest to consider your feelings!
“Okay! Let’s go, Lucy!”
Eeeek.
Someone save me!!!
*
It took just 6 hours to reach the 46th floor of the Menestel Dungeon.
This was still considered a leisurely pace, given the monster-like abilities of this party.
Benedict was still completely spry.
Bishop Johan was thrilled to finally be exercising again after ages.
And Count Georg, accustomed to dungeon traversing, showed no signs of fatigue.
“Alright. Now let’s head back and rest.”
Hearing Benedict’s declaration, I internally cheered.
Finally, this hellish dungeon run was over!
Whew, this felt like the hardest dungeon crawl I’ve ever gone through.
If only I had been in better shape, it might have been easier.
But it’s alright. Now I just need to return to my accommodation and rest comfortably.
Tomorrow, we only need to tackle Karia, so there’s no need to rush…
– DING.
The system notification chimed in.
Just as I turned to check it, suddenly Benedict swung his arm.
Eh? What’s going on?
Before I could comprehend the situation, a striking noise reached my ears, and I saw the figure of a woman being knocked back, daggers crossed in defense.
Karia’s emotionless gaze passed over Benedict and set onto me.
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