Chapter 20

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Item Drop 3

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Chapter 1

Oath

In the underground prison of Winston Castle.

After being rescued from a solitary confinement cell on the third underground floor by Yufemina, I was frantically searching for Froi.

"Damn it! I've searched every room, but he's nowhere to be found. Where the hell is Froi being held?"

"It seems he's not on this floor. We might need to go deeper underground."

"What? I thought the third floor was the bottom?"

"According to the information, there's a fourth floor."

"Go down to the fourth floor...?"

We had only 1 hour and 10 minutes left to rescue Froi!

I was getting more and more anxious. If we failed to rescue Froi within the time limit, we would face a severe penalty.

I wanted to find and rescue Froi as soon as possible.

However, the underground prison of Winston Castle was vast, and the corridors were as complex as a maze, making it difficult to find the way.

Following Yufemina's suggestion, I searched for the stairs leading to the fourth floor, but it was no easy task.

"Ah, stop! Is there really a fourth floor? I thought the third floor was the bottom. And isn't Froi on the second or first floor?"

"I searched the first and second floors thoroughly for you, but I didn't find a prisoner named Froi. And the fourth floor really exists. I got the information from a reliable source."

"Ugh... but I can't see the way down to the fourth floor..."

"Stop whining. It's annoying."

"...Sorry."

Time continued to pass while we were floundering.

We had only 50 minutes left.

The soldiers' pursuit didn't stop, and traps were set up throughout the corridors, making it extremely dangerous.

'But at least the traps are visible, so I won't fall for them.'

The prison was made of rock.

The floor, walls, and ceiling were all stone.

And, as expected of an underground prison, not a single ray of sunlight penetrated.

This meant that not a single blade of grass could grow here.

However, absurdly, there were spots along the corridors where flowers and grass were growing.

Worse still, various fruits and bread were hanging from the ceiling, tied with strings.

And high-end, luxurious items that didn't fit the prison setting were displayed on the walls.

What an unnatural scene!

'They're obviously traps.'

Even if I had the intelligence of a primary school student, I could easily spot the traps.

Just then, Yufemina said, "You should bow your head. You might die if you're not careful."

"Huh?"

Hearing Yufemina's voice, I quickly bent down.

At the same time, a sharp arrow whizzed past my head.

Seeing the arrow embedded in the wall, I was shocked.

"Ah, ah...! What the hell was that? I almost died!"

Wiping the cold sweat from my forehead and letting out a sigh of relief, I was pushed hard on the back by Yufemina.

Due to the push, I lost my balance and fell forward awkwardly. A blade shot up from the spot where I had been standing just moments ago.

If Yufemina hadn't pushed me, I would have been impaled and killed.

I shuddered.

"Ah! What the hell is this?!"

"I'm sorry. I might have triggered a trap."

Yufemina looked embarrassed and laughed, holding a few colorful flowers in her hands.

...What a lunatic.

"I mean, isn't it strange that flowers are growing here? They're obviously traps! And you picked them? What?! Even a primary school student wouldn't fall for such a trap, you idiot! Do you have a brain at all? And why are you picking flowers in a situation like this? Damn it! Useless woman! If I died because of you, would you take responsibility? Find the way properly instead of doing useless things!"

...I wanted to yell at her.

'Hold it, hold it.'

I barely managed to suppress my anger.

Yufemina, despite her delicate appearance, was an incredibly skilled individual.

She was estimated to have combat abilities on par with or even surpassing the Blood Witch Yura.

She was also one of the three Epic Class changers in existence.

I didn't have the guts to treat such a formidable person casually.

Most importantly, I needed her help to rescue Froi.

I didn't have the confidence to rescue Froi on my own.

No matter how much she messed up, I had to keep flattering her and not get angry.

"Be careful. Unlike you, I can't use defensive magic."

"Sure, sure. Sorry."

Yufemina, who was speaking indifferently, made me angry again.

"Damn you! How can you act so shamelessly after almost killing someone? Get down on your knees and apologize!"

...I wanted to yell at her.

"Hold it... Ugh... Huh?"

Feeling frustrated, I sensed a new unease.

Yufemina was staring intently at a banana hanging from the ceiling.

'Is she going to pick and eat that suspicious thing? No, surely not. She's not a monkey...'

Just as I thought, "Surely not, surely not"!

Yufemina, with a light jump, picked the banana and held it in her hand.

Why?

Crack!

The moment Yufemina picked the banana hanging from the ceiling!

The ground I was standing on cracked and finally collapsed.

"Ah!"

Rolling to the side, I narrowly escaped the collapse and couldn't help but yell at Yufemina.

"What are you doing? Why are you picking and eating a banana in this situation?"

Yufemina, who had already taken a big bite of the banana, looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Mmm. Swallow. I just wanted to eat the banana because it was there."

"Think about it logically! It's strange for bananas to be hanging in an underground prison! They're obviously traps!"

"Isn't it strange to say they're definitely traps? They could have been hung there for the patrolling soldiers to eat when they're hungry."

Yufemina sighed deeply.

"You're a pitiful person. You view the world too negatively. Someone like you won't have a single close friend."

"..."

I was sure.

Yufemina was definitely angry. She was deliberately triggering traps to make me suffer.

'I understand her feelings.'

Yufemina came here to rescue me because she had a quest that would benefit her.

However, rescuing Froi had nothing to do with her quest!

She was dissatisfied and full of complaints about having to rescue someone unrelated to her quest.

So, she was deliberately triggering traps to protest against me!

'What a temper...'

Indeed, among beautiful women, those with good personalities are rare. Most of them, having been treated like princesses, are arrogant.

'But Ah Young is beautiful, glamorous, and kind.'

Thinking of Ah Young, my perfect ideal and first love, I felt my heart purify.

"Ah Young... I miss you..."

"There! They're over there!"

"...Daring to interrupt my thoughts."

While I was visualizing Ah Young's beautiful face, which was etched in my mind, a commotion came from the ends of the corridors, and soldiers quickly rushed in.

There were over 50 of them.

I sighed involuntarily.

"Why do they keep coming no matter how many I knock down? It's so annoying."

Yufemina snorted.

"Hmph, I'm the one handling all of them, aren't I? You're just watching or running around, doing nothing but complaining. Isn't it shameful? I even found you a weapon, but you're not using it. What are you even doing? Fight too."

"Fight? That's impossible."

I had a unique-grade dagger that Yufemina had returned to me. Its attack power was certainly enough to easily handle the soldiers.

However, I couldn't engage in battle recklessly.

Why?

The reason is simple!

"I don't have any armor?"

"..."

Wearing only a thin piece of cloth, I had no defense, a concept that had long since flown off to Andromeda.

I couldn't face the soldiers with such a lack of defense!

Since Yufemina was helping me, I wanted to take full advantage of her help and focus solely on rescuing Froi quietly and secretly.

"Someone of your caliber should be able to handle these soldiers easily, even without armor, right?"

"No. I'm not as strong as you think. Well, then. Since things have come to this, I'll leave the rest to you."

"Huh? What do you mean...?"

I patted Yufemina's back, who was bewildered, and threw myself into the ground that had collapsed due to the trap she triggered.

"I'll go find Froi first! Hold them off until I come back!"

"Hey, wait!"

Before the flustered Yufemina could grab me, it was too late.

I jumped into the pit before she could do anything,

Crash!

"Whoa!"

[You have taken 200 damage from falling from a high place.]

I left the soldiers and Yufemina on the third floor and fell alone to the fourth floor.

"Cough! Cough! Ugh... Luckily, I'm not seriously injured."

Rising from the dust, I looked up at the ceiling, which was now open.

The battle between Yufemina and the soldiers had already begun, as evidenced by the flashes of light and the soldiers' agonized screams.

"Good, Yufemina. You're doing a great job."

If they fought so loudly on the third floor, the enemies would believe that Yufemina and I were still on the third floor and would deploy all their forces there.

This would make the defenses on the fourth floor relatively weaker!

"Hehe, I'll take this opportunity to find and rescue Froi. I'm surprisingly smart, aren't I?"

Is it heartless to leave all the fighting to Yufemina, who is not directly involved in the Froi rescue quest?

Yes, I know. I saw it. I don't have a conscience. To achieve my goals, using and betraying others is as easy as eating cold porridge!

Are you worried about Yufemina, who will be fighting alone?

Of course not. As the first Epic Class changer, she is an overpowered (OP) character who can use all kinds of magic without incantations.

'Copy Mage...'

The Blood Witch Yura, ranked first in Korea and fifth overall, had to chant long incantations to use powerful magic, even with 200 million users.

However, Yufemina, who identified herself as a Copy Mage, could use powerful magic on par with Yura's black magic without incantations.

'Copy Mage... If the name is literal, it's a mage class that can copy others' skills without any penalties... Isn't that too overpowered? It completely breaks the balance.'

What is the advantage of being a mage?

The versatility of magic, which can be used for various purposes, is a significant advantage. However, the most prominent advantage is the powerful attack.

While the strongest warrior armed with swords and spears can sweep through dozens of enemies, a high-level mage's powerful magic can annihilate an entire army with a single attack. This means that mages can unleash devastating attacks.

However, mages must chant incantations to use magic, and the higher the level of the magic, the longer the incantation, making it difficult to use quickly and consecutively. This is a critical weakness of mages.

However, Yufemina doesn't need to chant incantations to use magic. This means she can use magic quickly and consecutively, and the weakness that mages should bear doesn't apply to her.

To put it simply, a Copy Mage is a "mage who can copy others' skills without any penalties." Additionally, she has mastered advanced blacksmithing skills.

"...So, a Copy Mage can copy all types of skills and use them without penalties... I don't know. Anyway, it's overpowered."

I wanted to accurately guess the abilities of a Copy Mage, but thinking about it only gave me a headache. So, I stopped thinking and focused on finding Froi.

***

"How can a human be so shameless..."

Yufemina, left alone among the soldiers due to Grid's escape, was flabbergasted.

Why was she suffering in this smelly and gloomy underground prison?

To rescue Grid. (To complete a quest given by Rabbit.)

Why did she return the unique-grade dagger she had recovered for Grid without keeping it for herself?

It was a gesture of goodwill, hoping to get along well with him in the future. (More accurately, she wanted Grid to make her a unique-grade orb.)

Despite Yufemina's great kindness and goodwill, Grid was arrogant.

He used Yufemina's power to complete his quest and now abandoned her to the enemies while escaping alone.

"I know that using one person as bait to draw attention and the other to rescue Froi is a wise strategy. I know that..."

Yufemina's suppressed anger finally reached its peak and exploded.

"I should be the one to act as bait, not you. How can you use me as bait without any gratitude? If I hadn't helped, you would have been stuck in this prison with your unique-grade dagger stolen."

The air around Yufemina turned cold.

"What...?"

"She's a mage! Don't give her time to cast spells; subdue her immediately!"

The soldiers surrounding Yufemina, sensing the danger as their helmets and armor turned as cold as ice, tried to attack her, but it was too late.

"Frost Queen's Breath."

Crack!

An unbelievable scene unfolded.

A sudden blizzard swept through, and the soldiers' bodies began to freeze from their feet to their heads.

"Ah... Ah...!"

"Kyaa! My body... It's freezing!"

"Cold... So cold!"

Unable to run with their feet frozen, the soldiers could only stand still, freezing in agony.

Soon, over 50 ice statues with distorted, fear-stricken expressions were completed.

Standing majestically among the statues, Yufemina shivered as she sensed the approach of new soldiers.

"Grid... If you break the promise to make me an orb, I'll kill you no matter what."

She had only 11 spells left, which she had copied in preparation for a kill quest.

On the other hand, the number of enemies showed no sign of decreasing.

Soldiers kept pouring in like mass-produced goods from a factory.

She was particularly worried about the knights.

So far, the enemies hadn't deployed a single knight.

This meant that all five knights under the lord of Winston were alive somewhere in the castle.

Could she kill all the soldiers surging like a tidal wave and face the five knights with only 11 spells?

Of course not.

The minimum level of a knight NPC was 180. Even for Yufemina, they were not easy opponents.

"Ha..."

Yufemina regretted it.

She regretted accepting Rabbit's quest a few hours ago, blinded by the reward and hoping to build a friendship with Grid.

But it was too late.

She couldn't give up the quest now.

"Wait, weren't there two enemies?"

"Right. I heard that the woman freed the prisoner Grid, and they were acting together... Oh! Grid must have taken a different route!"

"Grid is Froi's companion! He must have gone to the fourth floor to rescue Froi! Split the troops in half! Half to deal with the woman, and the other half to the fourth floor!"

The newly arrived soldiers, realizing Yufemina was alone, quickly assessed the situation and moved in unison to chase Grid.

The northern soldiers were highly skilled from the start. Even low-level new recruits had excellent situational awareness.

It was proof that they trained hard. They were not to be underestimated, despite their weakness.

Therefore, Yufemina gave it her all.

"Tail of the Demon King... No, using fire magic here would be suicidal. Sword of Light."

Whoosh!

A bright white sword, like a fluorescent light, descended from the air.

Yufemina launched the sword at the group of soldiers who had split off to chase Grid.

Crack!

The soldiers' bodies, sliced in half with their armor, were cruelly torn apart by the rotating Sword of Light.

After that, Yufemina had to use another spell to deal with the remaining