Chapter 59

At around 20:40 on August 27th, I thoroughly revised this story.

An Undead Dungeon with three cores.

I came to conquer it to create a Magic Bag and a sub-device.

As expected, dungeons with multiple cores have strong enemies.

There were many high-rank monsters.

Nevertheless, no matter how strong the undead were, they were no match for me, who could unleash holy waves.

I easily reached the innermost room of the dungeon's lowest level.

A vast hall.

No one was there.

"Huh? Is the Dungeon Master not here?"

"That's strange... Could they have been destroyed by your holy waves, sir?"

Lilicia tilted her head, looking around the hall with her monocle.

I nodded vigorously.

"Well, it's fine. If they're not here, let's just take the core and go."

"Yes, sir!"

I headed to the innermost room of the hall.

I approached a round, dark green sphere.

The core, sensing my intrusion, began to glow, but I approached before it could take any action.

I drew my sword and thrust it forward.

"Haah!"

The core shattered with a metallic sound.

I immediately pressed the sub-device onto the surface of the sphere and channeled holy waves into it.

The dungeon core, now a white sphere, said cheerfully,

"Acquisition complete."

Then, the side of the core opened, and three palm-sized gems emerged.

I put them in my bag and turned to Lilicia.

"Let's go—huh?"

"Kyaaa!"

Suddenly, a woman's scream echoed from somewhere in the dungeon.

Lilicia and I exchanged glances.

"Was that just now? Could there be an adventurer here!?"

"Maybe the Dungeon Master was chasing them, which is why they weren't here!—Kou! What's going on!?"

A blue light ran across the surface of the white sphere.

"Pico pico... someone is down? Where?"

"No enemies? A woman is down over there."

"Not there...? Well, let's go help her. Lilicia, return to human form."

"Yes, sir!"

Lilicia retracted her wings.

Then, I ran through the dungeon's lowest level, following the map displayed on the sub-device.

Kou had already disabled all the traps.

After running down a long corridor and turning several corners, I found a black-haired woman lying face down at a crossroads.

She was wearing a well-used leather armor, and a thin sword lay beside her. She seemed to be an adventurer.

I rushed to her side and helped her up. Her beautiful black hair flowed, and a white gem-encrusted circlet glinted.

"Are you okay!?"

"Ugh... ugh..."

I could feel her warm body.

Lilicia squatted beside her and placed her hand on the woman.

"—Full recovery!"

The woman's pale face regained its vitality.

She opened her eyes, and her large, black eyes looked at me dazedly.

"Y-You... helped me..."

"Relax. You're safe now—why are you here?"

"I... I... Where am I?"

"Huh? This is the dungeon's lowest level... don't you remember?"

The woman, while sitting up, looked around.

"Yes... I remember entering the dungeon. But after that, I have no memory..."

"Do you remember your name?"

"Emily."

"I'm Alex. This is Lilicia."

"Nice to meet you, Emily. Are you feeling better?"

Lilicia smiled and greeted her.

Emily smiled back as she stood up, her long black hair swaying.

"Yes, thank you. It was a wonderful healing spell."

"I'm glad."

At that moment, the sub-device vibrated.

I paid attention to the surroundings but saw no monsters.

I moved a bit away from the two and spoke into the sub-device.

"What's up, Kou?"

"That's strange, master. The Dungeon Master is still alive, but I can't find them."

"What!? You mean... Emily isn't it?"

"She's human. This is an Undead Dungeon, so the Dungeon Master is an Undead."

"What is it, then? Who is the Dungeon Master here?"

"Eternal Undead Ghost."

"A Ghost is an E-rank, right? Shouldn't it be dead from my holy waves?"

"No, master. It seems to be a Ghost that has been permanently Undead."

"What does that mean? Why would a dead Ghost become even more Undead?"

Moreover, Eternal. Forever.

Undeads themselves are almost eternal.

Is it that important to be named?

...Maybe.

Kou said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Who knows? I can't tell."

"Well, if you find out anything else, let me know."

"Sure thing."

I ended the call and returned to where the two were talking.

Lilicia greeted me with a bright smile.

"Sir, we decided to take Emily to the entrance."

"Can you get back from there?"

Emily nodded, her black hair swaying.

"Yes! I don't know what happened to my party members, but..."

"We don't know either, but you might find out in town—let's go."

I started walking, looking at the map on the sub-device.

Emily tried to follow but stumbled.

"Ah!"

I quickly reached out and supported her. Her soft weight pressed against my arm.

I noticed something odd about her face.

"Are you okay?"

"My body... I can't move it properly yet."

"Can't be helped—let me carry you."

I squatted and turned my back to her.

Emily happily hugged me, her large breasts pressing against my back.

She wrapped her arms around me from behind. A white gem in her small fist glinted.

—Huh? A gem? This is... the circlet's...

As I was wondering, Emily whispered seductively in my ear.

"Thank you... such a strong body."

"Well, it's naturally built."

I wrapped my hand around her firm buttocks and stood up.

With me carrying her, her breasts pressed even more against my back, as if trying to distract me.

Emily said,

"I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"But I want to go home now..."

"What's wrong, Emily? We're going home now... Could it be..."

From what Kou said and Emily's actions, I had a pretty good idea.

I knew I wasn't in danger.

But just in case, I tried to look over my shoulder.

Then, Lilicia screamed.

"Sir! Run!"

A shock ran through my forehead.

Emily, who was hugging me from behind, had pressed something against my forehead.

—Just as I thought. Well, it's fine.

"This is the end of my turn! I'm sorry!"

Emily lightly jumped off my back.

The gem in her hand had disappeared.

Something was being pushed into my forehead.

Lilicia swung her flail while shouting.

"How could you!—I won't forgive you!"

But the flail missed.

Emily ran away from the dungeon like a bird with wings.

"Now I'm free, hahaha!"

She laughed joyfully, a bit madly.

I muttered quietly.

"Have a good ascension."

Lilicia rushed to my side, spreading her white wings.

Her beautiful face was twisted with concern.

"Oh no! What happened! Sir, stay calm!"

She reached out with her slender fingers to my forehead.

But I stopped her hand.

"I can't see it, but a gem was embedded in my forehead, right?"

"Yes, that's right! It's emitting a very ominous aura! I'll remove it now!"

"No, it's fine. I'm probably okay."

"Huh?"

"The bleeding has stopped, and I understand the meaning."

"What do you mean...?"

Confused, I showed her a grin.

"I'm not very smart, but I remember that minus times minus equals plus, right?"

"Huh? ...Oh, you mean math? Yes, that's right."

"So the Undead and the minus combined to make plus."

"Huh?"

"In other words, Emily was already dead. She probably didn't realize it, but she was possessed by a spirit for some reason... I hope she found peace in the end."

"...Then, what will happen?"

"It will just revert to minus—Haaaaa!"

I pressed my fingers against the gem on my forehead and focused.

It made a crackling sound and began to break.

Powder fell from my forehead.

Crack!

White fragments scattered in front of me, sparkling in the dungeon's light.

At that moment, white smoke rose from the gem.

It tried to form a human shape but dissipated like smoke in the wind.

The ghost trapped inside the gem was purified by my holy waves.

Then, from somewhere far in the dungeon, a heart-wrenching scream echoed.

"What! Why? Could it be... Ah..."

Her voice faded away.

Lilicia clasped her hands in prayer.

"May you be guided to heaven without hesitation this time..."

"Even Undeads can trap themselves in gems."

"Yes, it's terrifying—But to see through it so easily and defeat it, you are amazing, sir."

Lilicia placed her hand on her chest and sighed in admiration.

I took out the sub-device and made a call.

"Kou, was that the Dungeon Master?"

"Yes, it was. It was a type that could possess humans. Quite an interesting mechanism."

"Is Emily free now?"

"She's free from the constraints of the city."

"I don't understand, but it seems to have worked out well. That's good."

"It seems so."

"Then, I'll take the core and go back. Make the Magic Bag and the sub-device."

"Sure, I'll be waiting."

I ended the call and looked at Lilicia.

"Let's go. Next is the Demon World."

"Yes, sir!"

Lilicia answered enthusiastically and took my hand.

The warmth from her slender fingers was gentle and warm.

The author went a bit overboard, and the story might not have been enjoyable for readers and had copyright issues, so I revised it at around 20:40 on August 27th.

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→ 60. Demon World Invasion!