Chapter 55

"AAAAAAAAAA!!"

A deafening scream of the undead echoed through the dungeon.

As expected, the defeat effect for the boss of the "Twelve Ruins of Darkness" is quite elaborate. While I was heaving a sigh of relief, watching the overly long defeat animation of the "Elder Lich," I noticed that Rad had a rather awkward expression on his face.

When our eyes met, Rad began to explain as if making an excuse.

"Well, I thought I understood the plan, but... I still felt a bit let down, you know?"

"You defeated an enemy that we couldn't have beaten in a fair fight. You should be proud of it."

Rad seemed to have some lingering dissatisfaction, but this was still a significant victory. While it wasn't as dramatic, the petrification spell decided the battle in one hit, and the silence spell made the enemy almost completely inactive. Besides, the first boss of the ruins had such poor resistance that it was easy to achieve a perfect victory.

Moreover, this holy ash trick wasn't as easy as it seemed. In the game, if the NPCs' actions were disrupted for some reason, it often led to a total party wipe.

"Well, yeah, but... I think anyone could have done it..."

"That's not true. Not many people can act without being intimidated by the Elder Lich, and even fewer would believe in such an outlandish plan."

After I said that, Rad stared at me with wide eyes for a while.

"Well, if you say so, I'll just have to be happy about it, I guess."

He said this while looking away, seeming somewhat uneasy. He's always so unpredictable, but that's not the issue right now.

"Anyway, the fun part is just beginning."

"Huh?"

I pointed ahead, showing Rad the scene.

"---Did you forget? We came here to get the item, right?"

The boss of the "Twelve Ruins of Darkness" always drops a unique item upon defeat. The equipment dropped by the Elder Lich, one of the top-tier bosses in the ruins, has two possible options, both of which are among the best in the game.

A staff or a crown.

Depending on which one drops, it will affect the future strategy...

"O...O..."

Just then, the Elder Lich's form completely disappeared, and in its place, two pieces of equipment rolled out with a clatter.

"---Two drops?"

Unexpectedly, two pieces of equipment with ultimate performance rolled into our hands at the same time.

* * *

(Both of them? This is incredible!)

In the game, you could only get one of the boss's drop items, so you had to grind and retry to get the one you wanted, which was quite a hardship. However, grinding a boss for item selection was a stressful element that often caused complaints on the strategy boards, and in this world, you couldn't retry at all.

I don't know why both items dropped, but since both were items the Elder Lich originally had, perhaps the world corrected it so that only one wouldn't drop. In any case, this was a pleasant surprise.

---The Lunatic Circlet, a crown infused with the secret arts of the immortal mage.

---The Crimson Inferno Rod, a staff that can burn everything to ashes with hellfire.

Both are unique items with powerful effects that live up to their grand names. Having both means this dungeon run was a huge success.

I picked up the equipment with a satisfied smile and immediately put it in my inventory.

"Bro!"

At that moment, Resilia shouted a warning. I looked up and followed her gaze.

"The... wall is moving..."

The wall at the back, which was supposed to be a dead end, started moving with a loud noise. It continued to sink into the ground with a rumble, and when the noise subsided, the true deepest part of the dungeon was revealed.

"Ugh..."

The room that had been hidden was filled with a dense, dark aura. The mana in the air was so oppressive that Resilia instinctively covered her mouth.

And then...

In the center of the dark room, there was a black statue that seemed to be condensed with boundless malice.

"O...Old man..."

"Yeah. That's the 'Statue of the Dark God.'"

The symbol of the revival of the evil god Larsulfi, who seeks to dominate the world. Faced with the goal of the adventurers in this world, we were momentarily stunned.

But then, suddenly, the back room was filled with light.

"What now?!"

Rad's cry of alarm.

Before the confused Rad and the others, the light took the shape of a person.

"That... is..."

Rad's trembling voice echoed.

When the light faded, a translucent figure of a woman appeared before us.

She wasn't showing any hostility or malice towards us. She was just staring at us intently with a smile.

But I understood why Rad was shocked.

---She was too beautiful.

Her deep, compassionate golden eyes, her perfectly formed nose, her luxurious and lustrous golden hair, and the ideal curves of her ears. And her lips, modest yet alluring, were beautifully shaped.

"The Goddess of Salvation... Finales."

The name slipped out of my mouth, a name no one else should have known. It didn't seem to reach anyone, including the goddess herself, but perhaps if it had, I wouldn't have been able to say anything.

Thus, while everyone was captivated by the goddess's majestic presence and unable to move,

"...I have been waiting for you."

The goddess's small lips gently formed the words.

"Beloved children of light. I have been waiting for you for a long time."

She smiled as if reuniting with a loved one and opened her arms to welcome us.

"Now, it is time to show your courage. Touch the statue that has accumulated evil power. Purge the darkness..."

Her words, spoken with a clear and resonant voice, shook our eardrums. Guided by her words, I looked at the statue filled with evil energy, seated in the room filled with darkness.

---This is the main story of "Brave & Blade."

Defeating the boss of the "Twelve Ruins of Darkness" is not the end. To complete the dungeon, one of the party members must touch the "Dark Statue" at the deepest part and destroy it.

Destroying the "Dark Statue" allows Finales to reclaim control of the area and reduce the power of the reviving evil god. However, the evil energy leaking from the statue will pollute the world, making monsters stronger, which is necessary for the game's progression.

Stronger enemies mean more experience points. Ironically, to gain the power needed to defeat the evil god, the evil energy released by the god is necessary.

However, the timing of destroying the statue and the member who touches it are important. The goddess rewards the member who touches the statue with abilities corresponding to the dungeon, but only that person can receive the benefit.

The benefit includes increased attribute affinity and ability values. In this dungeon, the "Spirit" value should increase.

The "Spirit" value, which affects healing magic and magic defense. If we were to increase it for one person, it would naturally be...

"Rek... Old man."

Called out in a hesitant voice, I snapped back to reality. Turning around, I saw Rad standing there with an awkward expression.

"Are you really okay with this?"

He didn't ask what, but we had already decided the flow after defeating the boss before entering the dungeon, and everyone was in agreement.

"Yeah. Please do it."

I nodded, and Rad, looking somewhat embarrassed, stepped forward and turned to the others.

"Let's do it."

With a slightly trembling voice, Rad gave the command. The others naturally gathered around him.

The goddess watched us calmly and then...

"It seems you've made your decision. Now, please touch this statue with courage. By doing so, the evil god's scheme will be thwarted... Huh? Why are you stopping to take out an item? I appreciate the sentiment, but there's no need to worry about me. This body isn't even real, and I don't need offerings. Rather, shouldn't you... Ah! That's a 'Feather of Return,' isn't it?! No, no, you can't use that! If you use it by mistake, you'll be sent back to the entrance of the dungeon! All your hard work will be for nothing! For nothing! Quickly, put it away! Are you afraid of this room? It's okay, it's just a bit dark, but the darkness adds to the atmosphere and makes it more exciting. This blackness won't harm you! See, it's not scary, not scary. Ah, wait! You there, the dark figure! Why are you waving goodbye? It's not goodbye, nothing has started yet! In fact, it's just about to begin... Ah, no! Wait a moment—"

Thus, after successfully defeating the boss and obtaining the items, we used the escape item to return from the dungeon. Our first exploration of the "Twelve Ruins of Darkness" ended in a great success.

HAPPY END!!