Chapter 13

"Wow, this is the dungeon..."

Looking at the hole that yawned before me, I couldn't help but relax my mouth.

Various types of monsters, and treasures like magic tools... The origin of dungeons is not well understood, and their interiors are dangerous, so they haven't been properly investigated.

That's why I've always wanted to go inside.

As I was getting excited, Tao caught up.

"Huff, huff... R-Robert, you're really fast..."

Tao, out of breath, tried to catch her breath.

Oh, sorry, I forgot.

"Huff... ...sigh..."

Tao quickly regained her breath.

To keep up with my 'Dash' without using magic, this must be the power of 'Qi.'

Of course, I'm also interested in the 'Qi' that Tao possesses.

Wow, seeing so many things right from the start, it was really a good idea to come out.

"Is this a dungeon!?"

"Yeah, I just saw some goblins run in here. I'm going in, what about you, Tao?"

Tao was deep in thought at my question.

"Dungeon... Honestly, it's dangerous... But the higher the risk, the easier it should be to increase Robert's affection. From what I can see, Robert is quite dense. It might be hard to make him like me even if I help him a hundred times..."

After mumbling for a while, Tao nodded.

"Alright, if Robert is going, I'll go too."

"Great, it's settled then."

So we stepped into the dungeon.

Inside was a cave surrounded by rocks. There was no light, but it wasn't completely dark.

Glowing stones were embedded in various places, serving as a light source.

"These must be Light Stones. It's amazing that they can emit so much light without any magical circuits."

They could be useful for magical experiments, so I decided to take a few back.

Tao watched me with a bemused look.

"What are you going to do with those? Light Stones become just ordinary pebbles when taken out of the dungeon."

"It's fine. I just want to understand the principle."

"Hmm, you're unique."

I put the Light Stones I picked up into my bag.

This bag has the spatial magic 'Area Expansion' cast on it.

It can only be cast on closed containers like bags, but it allows the internal space to be freely expanded.

Thanks to this, the bag has several times its original capacity.

However, there are only one or two other spatial magic spells that can be used besides this one.

Spatial magic is extremely difficult, and there are few users, so there is little literature on it.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's move on quickly."

The Light Stones are interesting, but we can't afford to waste time on them.

I continued deeper into the dungeon.

"Stop, Robert, there's a monster!"

Suddenly, Tao stopped.

With cat-like agility, she turned towards the wall and closed the distance in an instant.

Then she struck the wall with her palm.

What is she... I thought.

"Gr...!?"

A groan, and the wall began to crumble.

It turned into a mud-like substance and melted away.

"What's this...?"

"A Stone Slime. It hides in the rock and tries to ambush you. It would have been dangerous if we had continued."

"Wow, interesting."

A monster that can camouflage itself. And it did a great job.

I didn't even realize it when Tao's attack hit.

I'll take a piece of this creature back. It might be useful for something.

I secretly put the fragments of the shattered Stone Slime into my bag.

"Still, Tao, you're amazing. I couldn't see anything but rock. They say users of 'Qi' have mysterious powers, is this what you mean?"

"Hmm, you know about 'Qi'? Not many people in the continent know about it, you must be a studious person."

"I like reading books. This is the first time I've seen it in action, though."

"That's a very good thing. Knowledge is as powerful as a weapon."

Tao smiled and started walking deeper into the dungeon again.

After that, various monsters like goblins and orcs appeared, but they were no match for Tao.

How can such thin arms generate such incredible power...

... 'Qi'. It might be useful in magic.

Tao's breathing technique... is it like this?

"Inhale, exhale..."

While walking, I deeply inhaled and slowly exhaled.

It somehow felt similar to the training that novice mages who can't yet perceive mana often do.

Unifying the mind, focusing all senses on breathing, and being aware of the flow of mana circulating within the body...

This is the most basic training for mages, and talented mages don't even need it.

... In my previous life, I did this for a long time because I lacked magical talent.

Yeah, just by imitating, I can feel a kind of power building up inside me.

I can perceive mana completely, so I can tell.

The power I feel deep within my body... is this what 'Qi' is?

I can sense not only my own breathing but also Tao's and faint traces of breathing from various parts of the dungeon.

"Hmm, there's something ahead..."

I sensed a strong presence around the corner.

Tao's eyes widened in surprise at my words.

"...Surprised. Can Robert use 'Qi'?"

"I've done similar training before. I just tried to imitate it. It seemed interesting."

"Interesting... Normally, it takes at least five years of training to be able to sense a presence. To be able to do it just by seeing it... that's incredible talent."

Tao sighed, looking amazed.

"But the reason you found it interesting is very good. As the saying goes, 'Love leads to mastery.' If that's the case, I'll show you something good. Watch carefully."

Saying that, Tao began to move her body in a circular motion.

The 'Qi' generated from Tao's navel circulated throughout her body and gathered in her arms.

"Break!"

With a shout, she released the concentrated 'Qi' towards the front, where the enemy's presence was.

Immediately, a thud sounded, and the monster's presence disappeared.

"Hehe, this is a 'Qi Bullet.' I deliberately shot it slowly to show you, but of course, it can also be fired at high speed."

"Wow, that's amazing, Tao."

"Y-Yeah."

Tao snorted and turned her back to me.

"To be able to use 'Qi'... This is quite a find. And Robert is so interested in 'Qi'... I can even look forward to a romantic relationship as master and disciple under the pretext of teaching him. If I can raise him to be a respectable martial artist, the noisy old man will surely recognize me as his fiancée... Hehe, this is quite a find..."

Tao was muttering something and laughing creepily.

... She's scary, I'll just leave her and keep moving forward.