Chapter 24

Duke's Magic Genius - Chapter 24 (24/324)

24

The Minotaur's Secret Hideout.

As the name suggests, the boss of this dungeon was none other than the Minotaur.

Minotaur.

A monster with a bull's head and bipedal movement, it was stronger than an Ogre.

To put it in numbers, it was roughly 1.2 times as strong as an Ogre.

Moreover, as the boss of the dungeon, it would receive stat boosts, making it even more powerful than a typical bull-headed monster.

Despite having a fairly strong boss monster, there was a reason I chose this dungeon.

‘First, there are no traps.’

Additionally, the level of the monsters that appeared here was not high.

Apart from the boss monster, there was nothing to worry about.

Furthermore, considering the difficulty, the rewards were quite substantial.

From major artifacts like swords and staves to rings and necklaces that increased energy recovery speed, they were all given as rewards.

This was one of the dungeons that was popular among players.

The Bull's Sword.

The Brave Staff.

The Ring of Frantel.

The Necklace of Lewel, and so on.

Thinking about the representative artifacts that dropped here, a smile naturally formed on my face.

Even if just one or two of these items dropped, this dungeon run could be considered a great success.

Pretending to look around the flower field, I began leading the group to the location of the dungeon.

‘It should be around here.’

I started spreading mana, observing the terrain.

Now that my mana circle was quite full, a significant amount of mana was flowing from my right hand.

Generally, it's not easy to sense one's own aura and a different type of aura, but even considering that, a skilled person like Leonhardt could read the amount of mana.

However, his expression remained calm.

Over the past five days, I had continued practicing spreading mana while in the carriage.

This was actually one of the training methods for mages.

While spreading mana in all directions, I made a gesture of tilting my head.

“...Huh? What is it?”

“...Yes?”

“No, I feel like there's something here. Just a moment.”

I immediately cast the digging spell, Dig, and activated it at the location where I suspected the dungeon was hidden.

The ground began to sink.

The two people walking beside me tilted their heads at the sight.

“Master? Why are you suddenly digging the ground...”

“There seems to be something below.”

At this, Leonhardt gathered his energy and began spreading his aura, focusing his mind.

Perhaps due to his keen eyes, his aura spread in hundreds of directions, penetrating the ground, and I could faintly see it.

Soon, he frowned.

“An unknown energy is blocking my aura. It's clear that there's something down there.”

“Deep?”

“It's not deep. It seems to be about twenty meters underground.”

Fortunately, the dungeon was located in the same place as in my memory. If it had been a hundred meters deep, it would have been a real struggle to dig through.

“Do you know what it is?”

Leonhardt shook his head in response to my question.

“I'm not sure. It seems to have some resistance, as it's blocking my aura...”

“Then we should check it out.”

“...Still, how did you know about this, Master?”

“I was spreading mana around, and I felt something below.”

“...You could sense something that deep?”

“Yeah. Why?”

With a pure expression, I answered, and he was speechless.

I was a mage who had overcome the Hermemus disease.

Given how skillfully I handled mana, it wasn't unbelievable that I could find a hidden dungeon underground.

Those who overcame this disease all became giants that shook the continent.

Ordinary people can't understand geniuses.

He might have been recalling that.

Although his talent was excellent, he was definitely a step below me, who was overcoming the Hermemus disease.

The silence was brief.

“...It's not impossible...”

“Then it's settled.”

“Master, are you planning to dig here?”

“Yes.”

“It could be dangerous. We should leave it for now and bring soldiers later...”

What is this guy talking about?

The reason I didn't bring soldiers was precisely to keep the dungeon to myself.

If we brought soldiers, the existence and location of the dungeon would be revealed, and drooling scavengers would swarm in.

The dungeon.

A place where, once cleared, high-value artifacts are given as rewards.

‘They would just take it from me.’

Even if I received recognition for being the first to discover it, I couldn't keep the rewards entirely to myself.

The retainers within the family wouldn't let me. I might even feel the sorrow of the powerless.

Of course, I had no intention of letting that happen.

“No, just checking won't be that dangerous.”

“Hmm...”

“There seems to be something here, and it would be a shame to just pass by. We should at least check.”

With my strong tone, Leonhardt finally gave in.

“...I understand. Then I will...”

“No, I should do it.”

Although Leonhardt was a powerful knight, that didn't mean he was good at digging.

He would likely use his overwhelming aura to destroy the ground.

There would be no way to avoid noise.

If that happened, monsters might be drawn from the surroundings, so it was better to use my magic to quietly excavate.

While we were talking,

Erisiel, who had been listening quietly, looked at me.

“Can I help?”

“With the light?”

“Yes.”

“Sure, thanks.”

The light would purify the mana, increase recovery speed, and strongly activate positive emotions.

With that light, the tedious task of digging would become somewhat enjoyable. The light was optimized for manual labor.

After the light passed through my body, I started digging the ground using magic.

It didn't take long.

Thirty minutes.

Taking breaks in between, I gradually dug and the dungeon's appearance began to reveal itself.

The structure of the dungeon, as seen from the outside, looked very simple. There was just one door on the ground, leading underground.

It looked like the entrance to a basement.

“...A door?”

As the saying goes, a hundred words are not as good as one sight.

I immediately opened the door, and stairs began to appear.

The stairs were not deep.

At the end of the stairs, there was something similar to a blue portal.

“Master, this place... seems to be a dungeon.”

“It does.”

A portal is one of the typical structures of a dungeon.

If a portal exists in a hard-to-find place,

it's safe to say it's a 100% dungeon.

Such a portal is a high-level magic that even an archmage can't maintain for a long time.

That's why, in this game, NPCs sometimes refer to dungeons as gifts from the gods.

The fact that such a portal could be maintained continuously was, by their standards, an impossible story.

Even in this place where the game and reality were mixed, the dungeon was maintained the same way.

“Let's go.”

“...Yes?”

“Master...?”

The two people's eyes widened in shock at my words.

Leonhardt then began to advise me.

“Master, I understand your excitement at discovering the dungeon for the first time, but... we need to be cautious about entering. No one knows what's inside the dungeon. There might be a powerful monster that we can't handle.”

“...I've heard that once you enter a dungeon, you can't leave until you defeat the monster that dominates it. Isn't that dangerous? It would be better to enter with other people...”

That was true.

You can't leave until you clear it, and you usually don't know what kind of monsters inhabit it.

But.

I already knew everything about it.

So, there was no need to hesitate.

“I'm not excited. Honestly, the three of us make a pretty good party, don't we? Even if something like an Ogre appears, we can handle it.”

I continued to assert my stance to the two silent people.

“Moreover, I've heard that clearing the dungeon will yield valuable rewards. Precious artifacts that can't be easily obtained even with money.”

“Even so, taking unnecessary risks...”

“I see it differently. You must have a rough idea of how our family is running. It's divided into two factions.”

At my words, the group nodded.

This was a fact known to everyone in the family.

“Until now, the two factions have been running without major conflicts, but how long will that last? One of them will eventually make a move.”

“Master, are you talking about the second son?”

“Yes. Frankly, I don't trust that guy.”

“The second son isn't a good person, but isn't that a bit of a leap...”

“Probably, the people in the family think the same way. You think so too, don't you?”

“...”

“When I met him, I could clearly see the desire in his eyes. That's not the look of someone who's willing to compromise.”

I continued to the silent group.

“To be honest, it doesn't feel good. I keep thinking that we're in a situation where a single spark could ignite a conflict.”

“...Hmm...”

“The succession ceremony is also not far away, right?”

“Master, do you really think something will happen?”

“At least, I do. And if it does... then power will be the most important thing.”

“...That's why you want to enter the dungeon.”

“Right. I feel that we need to enter now, even if it means taking risks. If we call in soldiers, it will be hard to get the full reward.”

Leonhardt quietly responded to my words.

“It could be dangerous.”

“With the three of us, we won't fail.”

Persuading Leonhardt was essential.

He needed to take on the Minotaur so I could ride the bus comfortably.

After thinking for a while, he nodded heavily, as if making a decision.

“...Even if I persuade you, I don't think you'll change your mind.”

“Sorry.”

“...No, it's not without reason. However...”

The knight, making eye contact, spoke in a serious tone.

“You must be as cautious as possible. We don't know what's inside the dungeon. I'll do my best to protect you, but it could still be dangerous.”

“I will. I'll be as careful as possible.”

Answering in a serious tone, Leonhardt's gaze turned to the dungeon.

There's no need to look at it so solemnly.

This place wasn't dangerous.

Not for us, with our skills.

Now that the knight was convinced, it was time to hear the maid's response.

“My thoughts are like this. Can you help me?”

“...If Master has decided, I will follow.”

“Thanks. Just provide support from behind. Don't overexert yourself.”

“Yes.”

Since I had planned to enter the dungeon in advance, I naturally brought the necessary tools for exploration.

They were in my magic bag.

So, there was no hesitation in entering.

Soon, I and the two others began to enter the blue portal.

The moment we entered the portal,

the scenery changed instantly.

I immediately lit a torch and looked around.

The place we had moved to was...

“This looks like a mine shaft.”

A mine shaft.

A tunnel-like path inside a mine.

That's exactly what it looked like.

A dark tunnel continued, and the only light was the torch in my hand.

Looking at the ground, I saw a rusty, old-looking railway.

It was a rather eerie scene, but there was no tension.

Because we would soon obtain sweet rewards.

‘It's about to start.’

The Minotaur's Secret Hideout.

This dungeon had only the boss, with no minions.

Now, it was time to start clearing this place.