Chapter 67

After annihilating the orcs, the fourth floor was particularly easy to overcome. I considered waiting for Miralca to recover before entering the fifth floor, but since she said she was fine, we decided to proceed.

"I want to activate the first magic array today if possible. Camping in this dungeon, who knows what could happen."

"The environment changes so drastically with each floor... The third and fourth floors were stable, but the next one will finally have a maze structure, typical of a ruin dungeon. I wonder what kind of circumstances led to the creation of such a dungeon."

Why a dungeon spreads so far beneath the capital is a question I have now, but many dungeons in the world have unknown origins. Especially ruin dungeons, which are said to be remnants from the mythological era, are full of mysteries that have yet to be unraveled by human hands.

Even if the capital is in a crisis, being able to enter here and explore as a vanguard team in an untouched state is a valuable opportunity. I want to make progress as quickly as possible while also gathering rewards as an adventurer.

"If the 'Velsaris Serpent' is awake, it might tell us. We have to seal it anyway, though."

"Did the serpent create this dungeon? Then it's not a snake but rather a highly intelligent being."

"A being with malevolent intent towards humans and immense power. If it awakens and attacks us with will, how strong would it be?"

"It would be fun to have an equal opponent, but I can't afford to lose, and I don't intend to."

With seven SSS-rank members working in perfect coordination, theoretically, we can defeat an opponent equivalent to the S4 rank.

At that moment, I had a thought.

If I use the mana crystal from the millennium-old dragon chimera to create an adventurer strength measurement device, would my adventurer strength fall within the SSS rank?

I want to activate the magic array and return to the surface. If it's night, I'd like to spend the night and measure my strength before diving into the dungeon again. It depends on how long it takes to create the measurement device.

I once saw my master create magical tools with incredible concentration and dexterity. If possible, I'd like to learn the techniques I could only imitate in the past.

◆◇◆

From the moment we descended to the fifth floor, the geological layers changed completely. The walls and floor were lined with rectangular stones, eroded but clearly different from a natural cave.

It seems impossible to create such a vast artificial dungeon. The hypothesis that relics from the mythological era, created by gods, still exist in the modern world, doesn't seem entirely absurd.

"Please be careful, everyone. I sense a lot of unclean presences on this floor."

"Is this a floor with undead? But they haven't appeared in our line of sight yet."

"I think we should purify it in advance, but if it's too much of a burden for Yuma, we should consider another method."

"I could easily purify this floor if there were no obstacles, but the walls seem to block my power."

Looking closely, the holy power surrounding Yuma's body is being repelled by the walls. The 'Velsaris Serpent' must have devised a countermeasure against holy clerics with purification abilities.

"We have no choice but to proceed. Master, can you detect any traps? I can sense some with spirit power, but I'm not an expert."

"I don't think there are any traps in this corridor. Even if they were set to activate with magic detection or disguised to blend in with the walls and floor, I can tell by the air flow and material differences."

I learned how to detect traps from my master, so I don't have much to do. Enjoying the feeling of being a disciple again, my back has become slightly damp from carrying Miralca.

I'm not sweating; Miralca's body is hot. Since I started carrying her, two soft, overly abundant things have been pressing against my shoulder blades. If I weren't suppressing them, I wouldn't be able to remain calm.

"Let's stop here. Thanks, Dick, it was quite a comfortable ride."

"Am I a vehicle...? Well, it's fine. I look forward to your next ride."

"W-What are you talking about? You startled me, my ears are standing up!"

Dark elves, or rather, Velraine's elf ears, can move slightly. She seemed to be imagining something from Miralca's comment and was touching her ears.

"Velraine, is it wrong to ride Dick? I always ride him..."

"Instead of 'ride,' I prefer 'carry.' I won't say why."

Cody's knowledge in this area is more advanced than the other three. From Aileen's whistling, it seems her knowledge is the most extensive.

"W-What? I didn't mean that I could use it again..."

"Aileen is tough, so she probably won't need Dick to carry her unless it's a dire situation."

"Y-Yeah. I could carry Dick instead? Haha..."

Her enthusiasm is palpable, but if Aileen is that exhausted, it means a formidable enemy has appeared.

Aileen is somewhat weak against amorphous monsters but can attack undead by channeling magic into her strikes. Unless a monster that completely blocks physical attacks and seals magic appears, she won't struggle much.

While we were talking, we reached a fairly large antechamber. Dungeons often have monsters waiting in rooms, but this one was empty.

From my master's reaction, there are no traps—however, a suspicious pedestal with a black sphere embedded in it caught our attention.

"Is this a dead end... meaning this black gem is the mechanism to proceed?"

"Yes, I think so. It seems to require magic to activate, and we don't know what will happen."

With our teleportation, we can only move within a limited range in physically connected spaces, so we can't use teleportation magic to move to the next floor.

If that's the case, we have to activate the dungeon's pre-set mechanism, but even if it's the only way, I'm hesitant to activate it easily.

"First, I'll activate it alone. Everyone, please leave the room."

"Dee, I'll activate it. I'm less dangerous, and I'm your teacher, after all."

"Master, please give me, your loyal servant, a chance to show my loyalty. Without such opportunities, it's hard to improve my standing with you."

"No, I can't let someone else do something unpredictable. I'll be fine... I think."

While trying to persuade my master and Velraine, Aileen was fidgeting and looking at the black sphere.

I stared at Aileen. She noticed my gaze and looked back, unusually serious.

(...Don't touch it. Absolutely don't touch it.)

I pleaded with my eyes. Aileen nodded.

(...Really, don't touch it. If you do, I'll do something serious.)

She nodded again, making a circle with her fingers as if to say, "Got it."

"If it doesn't take too much effort to break the wall, we could destroy it and move to the next floor."

"The dungeon wants us to explore it as a dungeon, I'm sure."

"Exploration... it sounds peaceful when Yuma says it. We can't let our guard down, though."

Cody is right; we can't let our guard down. I should be the one to activate the sphere and see what happens.

My master is examining the room, but there's nothing else of concern. After confirming, I turned to the pedestal.

Then, Aileen was touching the black sphere with both hands.

My thoughts froze for a moment before I realized what to say.

"I asked you not to touch it, why did you?"

"Wait, wasn't that a sign to touch it!?"

"Didn't you hear our conversation! This device is unpredictable, so I was going to activate it alone... Ugh...!"

"S-Sorry! I can't help but touch things like this!"

(You... This is... Be careful, it might teleport you somewhere!)

(I forgot... Aileen's brain is literally muscle...)

Before I could teleport, the last thing I saw was Aileen touching the pedestal, followed by Yuma and Cody with Miralca, and then my master and Velraine being teleported one by one.

◆◇◆

After teleporting, we ended up in a similar antechamber, but the situation was completely different—surrounded by a group of dragon bone knights.

The skeletal knights, taller than a person, clattered their teeth and swung their bone swords. I drew my sword, reinforced it with magic, and deflected the blow, then destroyed their 'core bone,' a part of the spine that, if not destroyed, allows them to regenerate indefinitely.

The second and third knights attacked, but their strikes were heavy, and surprisingly, my hands tingled. The skeletons had been strengthened over time, and their resistance was equivalent to S-rank combat power. If an ordinary party had activated the black sphere, they would have been annihilated.

(Everyone, are you okay!? Can you hear me!?)

Using the communication piercings, I received responses from everyone. However, they were in similar situations, forced into combat with monsters.

In other locations, higher-level undead like wraiths and ghouls appeared. Miralca, Velraine, and my master, as well as Cody and Yuma, were teleported to the same place, avoiding the need to fight alone.

However, Aileen was isolated and struggling. Her thoughts, which I could hear, were filled with anxiety.

(Ah, it's slimy and squishy... W-What did you just spit out!? My clothes are melting!)

Of all the monsters, the worst one for Aileen appeared. She was fighting a slime that spits acid.

Even at the SSS rank, poor compatibility can lead to a tough fight. Forming a party is crucial to avoid situations where one's abilities are ineffective. Although Aileen did this herself, I should have prevented her from being isolated.

I am not the party leader, but I have always felt it was my duty to cover for my teammates' mistakes.

"Clack, clack, clack!"

"Quiet, I'm in a hurry...!"

--- 'Load Release, Restraint Release' ---

I couldn't afford to be picky. To clear the way, I released the suppression on my abilities.

In the room and corridor, there were over twenty skeletons. Instead of targeting each core bone, I used a different method to stop them all at once.

"Move!"

I created the array Miralca showed me earlier, weaving it at a speed beyond normal limits and combining it with my sword skills to create a destructive slash.

--- 'Wide-area Annihilation Type Twelve Sword Techniques: Destruction Impact Sword' ---

I had no intention of leaving any survivors. I spun and unleashed a series of slashes, releasing a destructive shockwave in all directions.

The skeletons exploded into ash, just like the orcs. The dungeon walls remained intact, only vibrating from the impact.

I ran down the corridor, following the sounds coming from the room I teleported to—where Aileen was, or where the others were, all connected to my location.

The sounds grew louder. At the end of the corridor, in the antechamber, Aileen was there.

"Hey, that's cheating... I'm mad now! If I get serious, I'll blow away these squishy things in one hit... Ahh...!"

"Aileen!"

When I burst into the antechamber, I saw a monster far beyond my expectations and Aileen, who was caught by it.

Compared to the giant skeletons, this was a massive slime, almost filling the room.

"Dick... Sorry, this thing... magic doesn't work..."

Aileen's face was partially submerged in the translucent slime. Without a solid footing, she couldn't generate her powerful strikes—her attacks were ineffective, and she was caught by the slime's tentacles.

Aileen had narrowly avoided the acid, but her clothes were dissolved. She was still conscious and was about to activate her berserker form.

What could penetrate a slime that resists both physical attacks and magic? I couldn't use the annihilation magic array or magic blades—there was a way, though.

I decided to use a new magic sword, incorporating an attribute I learned from the young girl who recently joined my guild.