Chapter 42

"I'm sorry. I have thought about the development of the dungeon, but I'm still considering the major policy to follow after that. From now on, there might be days when I can't update daily, and it might take one or two days. I want to update as soon as possible (I won't take three days), but I would appreciate your understanding in advance. Thank you... 'Ugh... I feel so ashamed.'"

Hikaru apologized. Despite saying "if it's scary, let's run away" to Ravia, who had said "it's a bit scary," he had declared that they would conquer the dungeon. As the saying goes, "the tongue has not yet dried." Even Ravia had to smile wryly at this.

"It's fine. If you said that, I would have been angry. I wanted to say, 'Hikaru is amazing,' but I couldn't say it myself... so I'm glad you said it."

"Thanks for saying that."

"Besides, Hikaru is someone who doesn't make wrong judgments, right? If you think there's a risk to your life, forget about conquering the dungeon and turn back."

"Yeah, I promise. There's no point in conquering it if you don't come out alive."

"Then, let's go?"

The two had arrived in front of the mausoleum.

The adventurers they had met earlier, after hearing Hikaru's declaration, had burst into laughter after a moment of silence. They had said, "Do your best," and entered the dungeon first.

The guild official, who had been reluctant to let Hikaru proceed, had said, "I will allow you to pass, but I will report this to the guild," with a displeased look and made some notes. Hikaru didn't mind if they reported it. After all, he was planning to leave the country. It even gave him a sense of closure.

"Let's go."

The mausoleum looked like a small stone house, but it was indeed a mausoleum.

Inside, there were shelves along the walls where urns had been placed. Cremation was rare in this world, so the urns had probably been taken away for investigation.

The "Underground City of the Ancient Gods" had this mausoleum as its entrance.

The discovery process had changed because low-level spirit monsters had appeared around the road. Since there were no settlements or cemeteries nearby, adventurers had investigated and found this mausoleum.

A simple staircase had been installed in the hole that opened in the ground.

At the time of discovery, it was just a hole. After descending about 200 meters, the "Underground City of the Ancient Gods" was said to spread out.

"This mausoleum has nothing to do with the underground city. The undead monsters that appear in the underground city wear clothes from the ancient Poelnsinia dynasty, which collapsed over 600 years ago. The mausoleum was built about 100 years ago," said the historian Gafarasti Nui Barbus.

In other words, the underground city was built by people of the ancient Poelnsinia dynasty, and the bodies there had become undead.

The "data" mentioned that the undead had dug the ground over a long period and reached this mausoleum. Imagining the undead digging the ground with their bare hands for hundreds of years, Hikaru felt a chill.

"Watch your step."

"Thank you."

Hikaru stepped onto the stairs first and took Ravia's hand.

Magic lamps were attached to the walls at regular intervals, providing a limited but sufficient view. Hikaru activated "Group Concealment" and they proceeded down the underground passage together.

(I'm starting to feel a chill...)

He felt the temperature drop. A weak wind was blowing from the depths, bringing a cold air. The walls changed to exposed rock, and the rock surface illuminated by the lamp was damp.

Somewhere, a drop of water fell with a plop.

The 200 meters felt longer than expected. Hikaru and Ravia spoke less, but there was an end to the beginning.

"Wow... it's so wide."

The passage ended abruptly. The place they emerged was a stone house. A hole in the wall connected to the passage. The air suddenly felt dry.

It seemed that many people had come here, as the floor was muddy. There were ragged blankets and a table.

——Aaaaaa——……Oooooo………………

A distant howl, like that of a dog, could be heard.

Hikaru and Ravia exchanged glances. It wasn't a dog. A monster... or perhaps a human.

The wooden door creaked open, revealing a black void.

This was the start. The dungeon was about to begin.

Ravia dimmed the magic lamp to the minimum and held it, taking Hikaru's other hand.

"Let's go."

Hikaru said, and Ravia nodded.

They stepped out of the house.

It was eerily quiet. Even a dark night with thick clouds would be brighter.

There was a sense of loneliness, as if the world had ended and they were alone.

Immediately, the ground rose. It seemed to be a small bridge. A stream—or rather, an irrigation ditch—surrounded the house, but it was dry.

They crossed the bridge and stepped out. The path was well-trodden but dry, causing dust to rise. There was no problem walking. Raising the lamp, they could see the next house.

A stone house with a front door, reached by five steps. The houses were all built the same way, as could be seen from a few of them.

The houses, made of stone, had survived for hundreds of years, but most of the roofs had fallen. The first floors of two- or three-story buildings were intact. However, they had already been ransacked by adventurers. Chests were overturned, and ceramic plates were broken.

"…It smells terrible."

The "underground city" was eerily quiet, but Hikaru detected a strange smell. The smell of rotten meat—

"!"

"Shh"

Hikaru had noticed the approach and reacted. He covered Ravia's mouth with his hand.

A human—or rather, something that had once been human—crept out from the shadow of the house.

The eyeballs had fallen out, leaving hollow eye sockets. The lower lip was peeling, exposing yellow teeth.

The right hand was visible from the sleeve, but the left hand was missing, probably from the elbow down.

The feet wobbled, but it was walking. It didn't seem to have noticed them.

(Dead Citizen, huh.)

Among the undead monsters, it was known as the lowest of the low. However, it had a troublesome trait. It could call for its companions. After all, this was the "underground city," and there were likely many companions.

(The "Concealment" is working. Even with the light, it doesn't seem to notice... or maybe it doesn't have eyes. Undead monsters don't need eyes to see.)

So, did it have some kind of "detection" ability? Hikaru thought it might be able to see soul boards since it was once human, but that didn't seem to be the case.

In fact, Hikaru's "Life Detection" didn't pick up the undead monsters, but his "Magic Detection" did. Within a 100-meter radius, there were 12 undead monsters—probably Dead Citizens.

(Quite a lot. A normal adventurer could probably handle one at a time, but it would be tough if they called for companions.)

Hikaru led Ravia around to the back of the Dead Citizen.

He drew his "Short Blade of Strength" and—

"Huff"

Stabbed the blade into the heart. The Dead Citizen trembled and collapsed, sending dust into the air.

(I can kill it... but that's a strange way to put it. I can defeat it, but this body fluid is gross.)

A dark liquid stuck to the blade.

"Hikaru, is this a Dead Citizen? I thought the heart wasn't a weakness."

"The magic was concentrated there. I imagined cutting it off."

Thanks to "Magic Detection," Hikaru knew this. Ravia opened her mouth in surprise.

"Hikaru can sense the flow of magic. Maybe you can use magic too?"

"Haha... I hope so."

(If I could allocate points, it would be easy... but I have no spare points. Still—)

Hikaru had two questions from this battle.

(Does defeating undead monsters raise the soul rank?)

This could be tested. He didn't want to, but he would have to defeat several Dead Citizens.

He couldn't use magic. It would draw attention, and the smell would be terrible.

The other question was,

(Why are there monsters near the entrance?)

Since the dungeon was discovered five years ago, hundreds or thousands of adventurers must have challenged it. The fact that the buildings near the entrance had been ransacked was clear evidence. Naturally, the monsters in this area should have been hunted to extinction.

Yet, Hikaru had encountered a Dead Citizen almost immediately.

The Dead Citizen lay where it had fallen, still wearing tattered clothes.

(Well, it doesn't matter. Let's move forward.)

Thanks to "Group Concealment," the Dead Citizen didn't notice them.

There were also other monsters: Dead Citizens with no flesh left—skeletal monsters called "Skeletons."

Higher-level Skeletons, specialized for combat, called "Skeleton Armors," which hardened their bodies by channeling magic through their surface.

"Skeleton Mages," which wielded magic with staffs, but could be defeated before they noticed.

Ghost-like monsters, which looked like a bit of a thicker fog.

These monsters were around.

Or rather, there were a lot of them.

If they walked without paying attention, they would encounter them every five minutes. Most were in groups of two or three.

Hikaru decided to defeat them one by one.

He stabbed the short blade into the skull of the Skeletons, where the magic was concentrated.

He wasn't sure if physical attacks would work on the Ghosts, but when he tried, the blade pierced through, giving a clear sensation, like tearing fabric.

The first question, "Does defeating undead monsters raise the soul rank?" was quickly answered.

It did.

However, compared to Goblins or Green Wolves, the increase was significantly lower, about 1/5.

Still, raising the soul rank was a priority for Hikaru, so he decided to defeat them unless it would take too much time.

Then, it happened.

"—Hey, more are coming!"

"—I know! Hold them off!"

"—It's tough!"

"—Hang in there, man!"

The sound of metal and voices could be heard.

A light floated in the darkness.

Five adventurers were battling a group of Skeletons.

"—What do we do?! There's no end to them! We keep defeating them—"

"—That's why I told you not to be stingy with the holy water!"

"—Each one is weak, so try harder, idiot!"

"—Ah, sorry, I don't have enough magic left..."

"—Aaaah!? I, I got bitten, it, it hurts!"

Hikaru recognized them immediately.

They were the adventurers he had met at the dungeon entrance.

"Huh...?"

They seemed to be struggling.

"Hikaru, you look really angry."

"Really? I'm just as usual."

Hikaru led Ravia over to them.