“Y-Yohan, the magic… it’s disappearing.”
We halted on the completely darkened stairs at Shuri’s words.
No magic? That’s the last news I wanted to hear.
1 Inspection 2 Magic 1 Digging 1 Cat 1 Patient party can’t use magic with a witch, which is like having a gun malfunction. Before any more unexpected variables hit, I ordered my party.
“We’re going back up.”
We cautiously climbed back to where the magic could reactivate and used the lighting spell. Once the area was adequately illuminated, we huddled together to discuss.
“Shuri. How exactly did the magic disappear? Did the mana feel like it wasn’t moving? Or did it feel like it was being pulled?”
I asked, tapping into the instinct of a gamer I used to be. Shuri tilted her head in confusion at my question but immediately answered.
“It felt like it was being pulled.”
“Could be mana drain.”
“Mana drain…?”
The future great sorceress, Laferinne, seemed to know about mana drain and showed a look of bewilderment.
It was understandable.
Mana drain?
That meant there was a monster down there with the ability to absorb mana. High chances it’s a boss, too. It was a terrible trait that still made my blood boil even ten years later. A characteristic that absorbs surrounding mana, rendering us unable to use magic.
In the game, monsters with mana drain were strong against magic and stole mana every time they attacked, so that was certainly bad news for us. I didn’t expect to encounter such a debacle at the final stretch.
It felt like the monster had a malicious intent that sensed our party composition. Under these circumstances, clearing this dungeon wouldn’t be easy. In the end, I had no choice but to suggest going back up again to my party.
For now, we couldn’t fight if we didn’t resolve the mana drain first.
“We’re going back up.”
Upon returning to the area with lighting, we exchanged awkward glances and sighed.
It was just like the saying, “Every time you climb a mountain, there’s another mountain.”
This meant it might be just Lewis and me who had to tackle the boss. Fight in a pitch-black stairwell without lighting magic? I didn’t have plans to commit suicide.
We met again to share ideas since I couldn’t come up with a clever plan.
“I can somewhat compensate for lighting around here with the lamp I have. The problem is the mana drain… We’ll need to search below to find a solution.”
“Having a mana drain here is just cruel…”
“Isn’t there some way to clear it? Like a method to deactivate it…?”
“There is a chance for that. But we don’t have time.”
“What the hell, why did you come back up?”
Sif joined us after hearing our voices. After listening to our discussion, she tilted her head and suddenly proposed a solution.
“Why not lure it here? Adventurers often use bait to lead monsters into traps.”
…Oh.
“Sif. That’s a very good idea. We don’t have to fight the enemy in their advantageous spot. I’ll throw in three gold coins as a bonus.”
“Really?”
“Have you ever seen me go back on my word?”
This isn’t a game. Even if the dungeon feels like a game, I need to abandon fixed notions. I stared at Sif with a newfound realization.
I thought she was just a steal-focused individual… but I was wrong.
Anyway, Sif’s suggestion was outstanding.
If we could lure it into a favorable fighting position as Sif suggested…
I gripped the handle of the shovel strapped to my back and extended it. If we could draw the boss here, we would have a method to clear the boss fight without issues.
“Everyone gather ‘round. I’m going to explain the operation now.”
The final operation briefing began.
——————————–
“Is this really going to work?”
“I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
“Stop doubting and focus on the operation.”
“Yes…”
I understood they were worried about Lewis going down with the lamp, but this wasn’t the time for worry. We had to squeeze out every last bit of strength to maintain the magic. I gazed at the trap I’d set right in front of the stairs.
A trap measuring 10 meters in diameter and 5 meters deep. My frantic digging had created a pit adequate enough to catch anything less than a Hydra.
Also…
I glanced up at the ceiling above the trap.
A huge ice spear floated above. It had taken shape through Laferinne’s water magic and was frozen thanks to Shuri’s magic – a combined spell. Since we already had a mass of matter created, even if there was a mana drain, only the buoyancy would disappear.
I moved under the statue. I was preparing to deploy my Plan B, just in case. Stationed, I drenched in cold sweat and spoke to the two maintaining the spell.
“Squeeze out every bit of mana to enlarge the spear. They’ll come up soon-”
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud!
Loud footsteps. Something was moving beneath us. Instinctively, I realized it was the boss approaching. Did Lewis make contact with it? Trusting the protagonist’s robust survival skills, I waited for the right moment.
Irregular and quick footsteps drew closer. Along with it, a deafening roar seemed to drown out Lewis’s footsteps. The sound grew louder, mercilessly pounding against the stairs.
I shouted, alternating my gaze between Shuri and Laferinne.
“Lewis is coming up soon! Just hold on a little longer!”
“Yes!”
“Got it!”
Reverberating footsteps. Explosions. Screams. All sorts of sounds struck our ears from below. I counted internally.
One.
“We’re almost there!”
Two.
I embedded the shovel into the crack I had previously created.
The shovel sank effortlessly into the crevice without resistance.
Three.
“!(@)(#$&!()$&!)!!!!!!”
Lewis and an even larger ragged golem than a troll burst through, demolishing the stairs. A monstrous form entwined with human limbs resembling a giant.
The ragged figure lunged toward Lewis, stretching out its limbs made from human bodies.
“!(@)(!#$&(!$#??!?!?!?!?”
Gotcha.
The golem’s body buckled down. The trap couldn’t hold the weight of the golem and began to collapse. As I gazed at the exposed head of the golem, I amplified my voice and shouted.
“Shuri! Laferinne! Release the spell!”
“Yes!”
The colossal ice spear plummeted under gravity’s influence. No amount of fantasy could ignore the violence of its enormous mass. Along with the golem’s howl, the ice spear crashed mercilessly onto the trapped golem.
Screams, blood, smoke.
The spear melted. The golem thrashed, trying to escape the trap despite being impaled by the gigantic ice missive.
What a tenacious little bugger. I gave one last kick to the shovel’s handle, buried deep at the point where the cracks began. The expensive mithril showed its overwhelming performance as it dug deeper into the fissure.
One more time.
Twice.
Three times.
“Yohan!”
Four times.
Five times.
Got it. The immense stone sculpture began to lean, unable to bear the cracks anymore. And the leaning position was…
Right above the trap.
Checkmate.
You little monster.
“!@()&)(!#(*!!!”
The ground shook as if an earthquake had struck, dust swirling violently around. I squinted as I pulled the shovel from the stone.
Was it dead or alive?
“!()*#!($&…”
The combined onslaught of the trap, ice spear, and the sculptural statue rendered the ragged golem silent. Was it dying? I glanced back at the two exhausted mages and checked their status.
Using any more magic would be impossible at this point. Lewis, collapsed beside Shuri, seemed weary too.
“Is it… over?”
Whose voice was that?
“‘!@&(!$&!(*)!!”
Damn it. Talk about a tenacious little critter.
I glared at the poor excuse of a construct trying to crawl out from under the statue. Even half-mashed, the thing was still alive, typical of a monster stitched together from human remains.
I climbed atop the statue to finish the ragged golem off and bit down on my lip.
What a persistent little nightmare.
“Let’s go home. You little shit. Craft.”
The edge of the statue sharpened into a bundle of spikes that began literally tearing the golem apart. The already horrendous appearance became more gruesome, but that was exactly what I wanted.
Die.
Please just die.
“!@*(&(#$!…”
“..!@&*^!(#…”
Even with a third of its body torn apart, it was absurdly still moving. Though it seemed like it had lost its strength to escape the trap…
“Craft.”
Just die.
“Craft.”
Please.
“Craft.”
Damn you.
“…Craft!”
After using the skill until the entire statue transformed into spikes, the ragged golem finally ceased movement. No, perhaps it was still alive in there, albeit turned into a complete pincushion.
It was indeed the kind of sturdiness that made me question whether I’d actually killed it.
Still, it had been five minutes of silence, so it must be dead. At least, that’s what I thought.
“…It seems to be over for now.”
“I’m alive… I’m alive! Shuri!”
“Lewis!”
No matter the ordeal, I couldn’t help but smile at the protagonist couple’s antics.
We were the ultimate victors now.
Now all we had to do was head back.
Out of nowhere, Sif appeared alongside Viola, already carrying the logistics as if she were some ghost from a funeral.
“I can’t wait to settle the accounts~”
“Yeah…”
I guess so.
“Good job.”
I chuckled, ruffling Sif’s hair. Startled by my touch, she blushed and promptly shot back at me.
“It’s rude to mess with a girl’s hair!”
“Sorry about that.”
“Well, I don’t really mind it, but…”
I couldn’t read if that sneakiness was due to wanting a reward or something else entirely.
Well, good is good.
“I’m going down. If that golem’s dead, the exit down there should be opened.”
I hoped I wouldn’t face another random twist here.
————-
“Was that a prison set up to keep that thing?”
Chains broken and a river of blood. The boss room where we could use magic had such a structure. We’d have had a rough time if we had fought here before. We would have been limited by the blood soaking up to our ankles.
It’s truly a hell for a healer and a tank, without a doubt.
“It’s rather disappointing for a boss room.”
I scanned the surroundings. Shuri’s brightest light spell illuminated everything, but aside from some symbols drawn behind the corpses, there was nothing special to note. I wondered if the notes were the only harvest of this dungeon? If we figured out the interpretations, we could gather enough information, but…
This was a rather underwhelming harvest.
“Was the bounty not what I expected?”
Is there any reward?
“It seems there’s no treasure chest. They said even if breaking the fissure was difficult, it would grant better rewards than a typical dungeon…”
Damn it.
It’s still alive.
“We’re heading back up. That ragged monster may still be alive…”
“!*@!(#!!”
Oh, damn.
We turned our gazes in unison towards the familiar roar echoing from the stairs. There was splashing in the darkness. Unlike before, the growl sounded smaller now. Shuri’s light spell swiftly illuminated the direction of the creature.
“That’s…”
“Disturbing.”
“I agree.”
A grotesque sight with a massive arm connecting to a little person clinging onto it. Even after such a mess, seeing it still alive made me want to curse. I was just relieved the little body couldn’t swing the arm.
Was it regenerating, or did it crawl out just like that? Either way, it looked like a complete nightmare.
Cut it out already.
Honestly.
At least it seemed the mana drain had disappeared or weakened.
“!@&!$(#*!!!”
“Prepare for battle.”
With the mana somewhat restored, it wouldn’t take much to slice off a few fingers. I exchanged glances with Lewis. Being the alert protagonist he always was, he immediately grasped my intent and unsheathed his sword.
“We’ll go all out.”
“Yes!”
Without hesitation, we hurled ourselves towards the ragged figure. Lewis went to the right while I took the left. With its left arm exposed, I decided to handle that side. The ragged arm twitched and spat blood at me as I approached.
I twisted my body to evade the breath and plunged the shovel into its pinky finger. Mithril, said to be the strongest metal in the world, didn’t let me down again.
“!@(&!(#$!!”
The pinky severed.
The golem’s movements became noticeably slower than before. Soon after, Lewis’s sharp sword sliced the small person clinging to the arm right in half.
“!@(*$#)(!!!!”
Does that hurt?
I’ll make it less painful, just wait.
We started systematically hacking away at the arm. Although its movements were sluggish now, the ragged thing still awkwardly attempted to catch us with its now weak arm.
Yet, we nimbly evaded its attacks and shredded the ragged piece to bits.
Nevertheless, even in its weakened state, the annoying golem still weakly waved its thumb at us in a gesture of defiance.
What a pathetic creature.
Shall we put it out of its misery?
“Launch the magic!”
“Fireball!”
Shuri’s fireball erupted right into the hole we had created on its arm. A stench of burning flesh filled the air along with frantic screams resonating throughout.
Even in the chaos, we focused on severing its thumb, determined to finish it off.
Nothing is as powerless as a hand without fingers.
Eventually, once we cut off the thumb, the arm finally stopped as if it had given up everything.
I kicked the arm a few times before declaring it dead.
“It’s really dead, huh.”
“Then what about the fissure…?”
Before the words finished leaving my mouth, we heard something crashing down from the ceiling.
“Ugh, that’s unpleasant…”
I deeply resonated with Sif’s sentiment. A box covered in human skin? Could they just stop with the weird concepts, please?
It might drive me to neurosis!
“I’ll check it out, so everyone back off.”
Since it could be a mimic, I was the suitable candidate to handle it immediately. If it held something good, I had to quickly decide on the ‘appropriate distribution.’
I suppressed the disgusting sensation as I opened the box.
“…What’s this?”
“…It’s a book.”
Is the dungeon creator some nutcase fixated on tentacle themes? What’s with the tentacle cover? And why the chains?
“Doesn’t it look ominous? Is it really okay to carry this?”
“Maybe it’s a magic book…?”
“If it’s a magic book… it could be incredibly valuable!”
Since it was a fissure reward, it seemed plausible enough. I picked up the book, and a slimy texture wrapped around my hand.
Yuck.
I roughly shoved the grimy book into my backpack as I gazed at the fissure gradually opening up.
“Ha… it’s over.”
I let out a sigh of relief as I looked at the floating status window in the air.
[Mission Clear]
Reward: 3 Trait Points
It’s time to return to the long-missed home.
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