Chapter: 105
“Hey, Young Lady. What about the others over there?”
As I stood alone at the dungeon entrance, Visi showed a look of confusion.
She probably thought I would ask Karl or someone else for help.
‘I’m enough on my own.’
“Are you saying I can’t handle this sloppy dungeon by myself? How cocky, Visi.”
I had no choice but to go in alone, but I decided to fake some confidence.
Complaining to Visi would only amplify her anxiety.
It’s better to instill faith that I’ll handle things and return.
Definitely, the Mesugaki skill is great for hiding my expression.
It always gives me a confident, cocky face.
The other party can’t possibly notice my anxieties or hesitations.
“Got it.”
Visi didn’t doubt my words.
Having adventured through dungeons with me before, she must have thought I wouldn’t say this without reason.
Looking at it this way, my reputation has indeed risen.
If it were back when I first possessed Lucy’s body, I would have been told I was talking nonsense.
Or she wouldn’t have come to ask me for help back then.
[Are you sure you’re okay?]
‘Of course.’
As long as Lord Armadi does his job properly, there’s no problem.
If that petty Evil God Agra doesn’t interfere, we can just clear it like usual.
Even if he does, I can deal with it.
Even if things get dangerous, I can just escape.
Nothing to lose.
So there’s no reason to hesitate.
I’ll just do what I want.
Upon stating this resolutely, Grandpa didn’t try to stop me any further.
‘But Visi…’
“Enough. Visi. You have that key I gave you, right? Hand it over. I need it to clear this sloppy wreck of a dungeon.”
“Oh, yes! Here!”
I took the key Visi pulled from her belongings and examined the dungeon entrance.
It looked no different from any other ordinary dungeon, but the atmosphere was quite different.
If Agra’s dungeon gave off an intimidating vibe, this one felt gloomy and uneasy.
It made sense for a dungeon created by a middle-school-sick-darkness Evil God.
‘I’ll be right back.’
“Just wait here like a sidekick, okay? I’ll be back soon.”
As I stepped into the dungeon, the scenery around me changed.
A dark mansion on a moonless night.
While the exterior looked decrepit and could collapse at any moment, this mansion appeared as pristine as if it had just opened.
“Guests have arrived?”
In the center of the mansion on the staircase, a woman appeared.
Her black hair contrasted sharply with the pure white dress she wore, making her half-transparent form reveal the family photo hanging behind her.
“Hello. I’m Adri. Adri Velvet. I’m the eldest daughter of the great Velvet family. Nice to meet you.”
‘Hello, Adri.’
“Hi, Lonely Ghost. You must be happy that a guest has arrived, huh?”
“Lonely? Me?”
A frown appeared on her previously smooth face.
The Mesugaki skill is sailing smoothly today.
Just by greeting her, I managed to grab the dungeon boss’s attention.
It wouldn’t hurt to provoke her a little bit.
After all, I would have to fight Adri in the end.
Getting her riled up would make it easier to get some stat buffs later.
“For decades I’ve been lonely ♡ Lonely ♡ and cried, yet you say I’m not a Lonely Ghost? ♡ That’s funny ♡ Do you have a friend? ♡”
The once smiling corners of Adri’s mouth straightened out, then drooped down a bit later.
The sound of non-existent teeth clattering echoed through the empty mansion.
“I’m not. Alone.”
With every word Adri uttered, the mansion’s temperature dropped slightly.
Not just in a figurative sense, but physically.
Since the space was made around her, it was influenced by her mood.
However, it wasn’t cold.
The more she got upset, the more ecstasy filled my heart.
“In this mansion, who else is here besides you? ♡ Huh? ♡ Lonely Ghost? ♡”
“You’ll find out soon.”
After saying that, Adri turned her head as she began to ascend the stairs.
“Come find me, if you can.”
With that last remark, Adri’s figure scattered, and silence enveloped the empty mansion.
Although her presence had vanished, I should have lost my ecstasy, but oddly enough, the Mesugaki skill buff remained.
Since this dungeon was centered around Adri, would it continue as long as she bore ill will towards me?
That works out great for me.
I can always move while under the effects of a buff.
I definitely made the right call in riling Adri up.
[This place is peculiar. It’s a dungeon, but it doesn’t feel like one.]
‘It’s because it’s infused with Adri’s sentiment.’
Dungeons created by Evil Gods other than Agra generally work this way.
Since they use something as a wedge to create their dungeon, the emotions or grudges tied to that wedge affect its appearance.
Adri’s dungeon is no exception.
In a usual dungeon, the goal is to descend and defeat the boss in the boss room, but this dungeon is different.
Here, I must traverse various places in the mansion to find where Adri is and defeat her.
[But, Young Lady.]
‘Yes?’
[Why are you just standing there?]
After Adri left, Grandpa showed his perplexity at me standing still without taking a step.
It seemed surprising to him that I, who usually tackled dungeons with maximum efficiency, was just hanging around.
‘This is the right strategy.’
If I simply intended to quickly clear this dungeon, I wouldn’t have a reason to be idle, but isn’t my goal to rescue Adri?
To save her, I need to follow the right order.
How many minutes had passed since I stood there?
Gradually, vague shapes began to materialize on the previously empty carpeted floor.
They took the form of knights.
Worn-out armor stained with blood.
Faces twisted in pain.
Even amidst all that, their eyes shimmered with a zeal to glare at me.
If only the sword looked at them, they would surely scream like a little girl and roll on the floor.
Such a shame.
It would’ve been quite amusing to see Karl, who always just laughed off anything, shiver in fear.
– Leave here.
– You cannot pass.
– We will serve our master with our lives.
Ignoring their buzzing voices in my ears, I gripped the mace tighter.
Then, using the technique I had for when I cast Divine Magic, I filled the mace with divinity, and light seeped from the tip of the mace.
It was a bright light, akin to a rising sun in the darkened mansion.
Seeing it, the spirit knights hesitated one by one and stepped back.
Even though I often joke about being sloppy, useless, or a pervert, the power of Armadi is undeniably real.
The holy might of Lord Jushin, standing in stark contrast to the Evil Gods, is akin to a disaster for those who defy the laws of the world.
No matter how skilled a knight they may have been in life, they cannot stand against me.
“What’s this? ♡ Cowards ♡ You said you would protect your master, yet you’re running from the light? ♡ So pathetic ♡ Disqualified as knights ♡ I would’ve been too embarrassed to keep living if I were you! ♡”
The spirit knights weren’t patient types.
Before my laughter could escape my lips, one knight at the front charged at me.
His attack, with his sword held high, clearly showed he had lost his reason, consumed by emotions.
No way.
Even if I appear as a weak little kid, I won’t fall for such a sloppy attack.
My body moved even before the iron wall did.
I didn’t even need to listen to the skill’s guidance.
My accumulated combat experience informed me of the optimal move.
I thrust my shield against the descending sword, deflecting it.
Given he was attacking with all his might, the opening from his missed aim was enormous.
I lifted my mace and smashed the already cracked helmet to pieces.
Perhaps unable to withstand the divinity contained in the mace, the knight disintegrated into ash as I stepped past him.
“What are you doing? ♡ Sloppy knights ♡”
They feared Armadi’s light.
Seeing their comrade turn to ash without being able to do a thing, they trembled in terror.
“Will you surrender? ♡ Are you going to cry and beg for your life in front of a girl? ♡ Go ahead ♡ It’d be funny to watch you look pathetic ♡”
But the anger towards me consumed the fear they harbored inside.
They charged at me, knowing full well they were about to meet their demise.
It was bravery and foolishness at the same time.
Even faced with death, the helplessness of the spirits wouldn’t change.
Their assaults resulted only in them turning to ash.
Once the spirit knights vanished, silence returned to the mansion.
As the mansion’s appearance changed once more, it became a wreck, as if raiders had come and vandalized it.
The carpet on the floor ripped apart.
The wallpaper tore away.
Tables flipped over.
And the glass jars placed atop them shattered.
[What is this?]
‘Don’t be surprised, Grandpa. It will keep happening.’
The changing appearance of the mansion proves that I’m tackling this dungeon correctly.
After lightly responding to Grandpa, I began to move again.
The next place I visited was the mansion’s reception room.
The moment I opened the door and stepped in, numerous spirits revealed themselves in the previously empty room.
A woman in a torn maid’s outfit.
A butler with blood dripping from his eyes.
And a spirit in a black robe, controlling other spirits.
Originally, they would have greeted guests with smiles, but their expressions were filled only with hatred and hostility.
– Leave!
– This is no place for light!
– Don’t interfere with the grievances of the dead!
Ignoring their nonsense chatter, I took a step forward, and in that instant, a ghostly maid screamed.
An explosive sound, as if it would shatter the quiet mansion’s windows.
A curse-laden scream.
If I heard that voice without any preparation, I would expect to be hit with debuffs like fear, confusion, weakness, and cursed.
But I remained completely fine.
It wasn’t because I was a disciple of Armadi.
The reason I could remain unaffected was thanks to the skill that Adri had bestowed upon me, the one that at this moment hated me the most.
[There’s no more resentment.]
The skill given by the ghost protected me.
By smashing the ghost maid’s head, I regained the tranquility, laughing at those retreating in fear.
– Why?
– How are you still okay?
“What’s wrong? ♡ Are you scared because things aren’t going according to plan? ♡ Hehe ♡ So sloppy ♡”
If you want to resent someone, resent your master.
If it weren’t for the skill she gifted me, I wouldn’t be able to move so recklessly right now.
“Come at me, ♡ bugs ♡”
Because my time is too precious to waste on you.
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