Chapter 96

Futile Effort (1)

I walked down the dark, descending passage, looking around.

Even with my heightened senses, I couldn't see through the complete darkness, so I had to rely on the luminescent stone I brought to light up my surroundings.

So far, there had been no danger, but in a dungeon, anything could jump out from anywhere at any moment.

It was a place I had discovered myself in the game, but since it was from a long time ago, I didn't remember much.

I vaguely recalled that this dungeon had more guardians than the labyrinth.

'What level were the guardians in this dungeon?'

Around level 30, 40?

The boss-level ones were probably over level 50.

Regardless, none of them would pose a threat to me now, so it wasn't a problem.

I continued to stride forward without much tension.

The traces of the intruders also continued along the path ahead.

At the end of the straight passage, a broken path appeared.

It wasn't blocked by an obstacle but was completely severed like a cliff.

"......"

I felt a bit absurd as I looked down into the deep abyss.

Given that we were underground in a cave, this terrain didn't feel very natural. Come to think of it, was there such a path at the entrance?

I picked up a pebble and threw it down the cliff. After a while, a faint sound echoed, indicating it was at least a few hundred meters deep.

I looked at the distant opposite side and used spatial leap to cross.

I noticed that the ground nearby was unusually rough, perhaps from landing.

It seemed the intruders had simply leaped across.

Continuing on, I encountered a fork in the road with several paths.

I looked at the six diverging passages and fell into thought.

When I played the game, the first path I entered was probably the middle one.

But I was fuzzy on which path led to the mystery.

I remembered getting lost in a loop of interconnected passages, which made it confusing.

'In the end, did I find it in the path on the far right? Or was it the left...?'

I was fairly certain it was either the far left or the far right.

The traces of the intruders led to the second path from the left.

I chose the far left path and continued on.

If I chose wrong, I could always turn back and check the other paths.

As I moved deeper into the passage, the space began to feel more artificial.

Rune stones and magic arrays were haphazardly embedded and drawn on the walls.

Dozens of other passages were drilled into the walls, creating another fork in the road.

Boom!

While I was looking around, the entrance suddenly closed on its own.

Then the rune stones and magic arrays began to glow brightly, and the aura of magic grew stronger.

Immediately after, numerous forms emerged from the surrounding passages.

Rumbling. Rumbling.

Guardians in the form of four-legged beasts made of rock.

Their eyes and joints glowed blue in the darkness.

They were all level 31, and there were easily dozens of them.

'Right... I remember this place now.'

A vague memory surfaced.

The guardians surrounding me on all sides charged at once. I teleported to the upper air.

The guardians, missing their target, collided with each other for a moment before looking up.

Some tried to leap and attack me but were blocked by a barrier and fell back down.

'What a pain.'

I sighed inwardly.

Blocking the entrance and releasing a horde of guardians with no escape route was a dungeon designed to kill anyone who entered.

The mage who created this dungeon must have had a rather nasty personality.

Boom!

I released the barrier and fell while casting a blood spell.

The blood splattered the guardians, who were looking up, and they froze in place.

Landing softly, I looked around at the fallen guardians and then shifted my gaze.

Among the passages from which the guardians emerged, the one with the largest entrance.

No guardians had emerged from there yet, and the aura of magic was particularly strong. And...

Rumble.

A massive form appeared with a heavy rumble.

A guardian in the form of a four-legged beast, but several times larger.

[Level 52]

...Right, I remember this one.

It charged at me with a speed that didn't match its size.

I immediately cast a blood spell, sending droplets at it.

But the droplets were blocked by a magical barrier around its body.

"Huh."

Boom!

With a short exclamation, I used spatial leap to dodge.

The guardian, hitting the wall instead of me, completely shattered a section of it and mechanically got back up.

I looked at it in surprise.

I hadn't considered that it might have a passive barrier.

Without a moment to spare, it charged at me again.

I felt like a bullfighter, alternating between using a stationary barrier and spatial leap to block and dodge its attacks.

'...What should I do?'

It wasn't difficult to hold my ground, but the problem was that I had no way to bring it down.

I glanced at the entrance, which was covered in a faint blue glow, indicating a magical barrier.

An idea came to me, and I moved directly in front of the passage.

I dodged the guardian, which charged at me without hesitation, using spatial leap.

Boom!

It collided violently with the barrier at the exit.

The exit, unable to withstand the impact, shattered completely.

As I escaped through the broken entrance, the guardian stubbornly pursued me.

I led it back to the cliff at the entrance of the previous passage, using spatial leap and barriers.

I teleported to the middle of the cliff and cast a barrier.

As expected, the guardian leaped at me without hesitation, hit the barrier, and fell into the abyss.

"Phew... "

Landing back on the ground, I sighed, a bit tired.

If I had known this would happen, I would have brought Ashel along.

I considered going back to get her but decided to continue inside.

I retraced my steps and passed the exit where the guardians had been.

A long passage continued, and there were no more traps or guardians.

Looking at the next massive passage, I opened my eyes wide.

'Here.'

I clearly remembered that the Acceleration Mystery was beyond this passage, marked by an eye-like symbol on the upper wall.

With a lighter step, I passed the entrance of the passage. And...

"......?"

I couldn't help but frown at the presence I sensed inside.

***

"......Captain, shouldn't we just turn back now?"

Clark, with an anxious look, cautiously spoke up.

Nine men and women walking through the dark passage.

As a new member and porter of this adventuring party, he had almost no say, but he had to speak up.

The guardians that had just appeared were so dangerous that someone could have died.

If more threatening guardians appeared deeper inside, the entire party could be wiped out.

"Damn it, didn't I tell you to shut up?"

A woman, with an arrow nocked, snapped nervously.

"If you're so scared, just leave on your own, or do you want me to dig your grave here?"

"Heirn, focus."

The man leading the group interjected sternly. She clicked her tongue.

"I'm trying, but this idiot keeps annoying me. I took him in out of pity, and he's useless... Ugh..."

Clark cursed inwardly.

She was the most capable and sought-after member of the party, despite her long tenure.

"Clark, that's enough. We'll go a bit further and turn back if it doesn't look good. Do you have so little trust in me?"

"......No, no. I'm sorry, Captain."

In contrast, Captain Regnil's reprimand was very calm.

Clark apologized and steeled himself.

'Right, it's a dungeon, and the Captain wouldn't give up so easily... '

He valued the lives of his party members more than anyone.

However, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that all adventurers dreamed of.

The reward waiting inside was surely worth the risk...

Click.

Everyone's steps stopped abruptly.

"Wh-what?"

The woman with the bow looked down at her feet in confusion.

The faces of the party members hardened.

Rumble.

The vibration grew closer, and soon a swarm of beetle guardians rushed from the passage they had just passed.

"......Run!"

Everyone realized this was beyond their ability to handle.

At the Captain's urgent command, the party members sprinted.

Clark, pale with fear, suppressed the urge to scream and ran for his life.

"......Aah!"

Suddenly, the woman running next to him tripped and fell.

"Help! Don't leave me! Aah!"

Clark stopped running and turned back.

He saw her rolling on the ground, entangled with a few beetle guardians that had already reached her.

The other party members, already ahead, ran toward the closing passage as if she didn't exist.

He hesitated for a moment, then cursed and approached her, drawing his sword to fend off the beetle guardians attacking her.

"Quick! We need to get through the door before it closes...!"

Thud!

Clark's body was knocked back.

The woman, who had struggled to her feet, kicked him and started running on her own.

Clark, getting up, looked at her retreating back in disbelief.

"That crazy woman...! Ugh!"

He pushed away a beetle guardian that had bitten his wrist and started running after her.

But it was already difficult to catch up with the party members who were far ahead.

Click.

Worse still, Clark stepped on another trap and his body tilted.

The ground suddenly gave way, and he tumbled down a steep slope.

He finally stopped after hitting a wall, but the disaster wasn't over.

He screamed as more guardians fell in front of him.

"Ugh, aah!"

Boom!

A stone wall suddenly fell in front of him, blocking the guardians.

Clark, pale and breathing heavily, got up.

"......Damn."

Where am I now?

Whatever the situation, it was clear that things had gone terribly wrong.

The sudden appearance of the stone wall had saved him, but the way out was completely blocked.

However, as he looked around, he noticed another passage on the side.

With no other choice, Clark cursed again and slowly moved into the passage.

Walking through the pitch-black passage, he soon reached a wide chamber.

"......"

Giant stone statues stood throughout the chamber.

Clark, bewildered, fixed his gaze on the center of the chamber.

On the floor, a symbol glowed faintly in red.

He muttered to himself.

"Is this... a Mystery?"