Chapter 51

Hikaru stood up, covered in sand and dust.

"Hikaru!"

"Ravia... I'm here. Are you okay?"

"Are you okay, Hikaru?"

The sand and dust were still swirling, but Ravia ran over. Hikaru checked his body, touching various spots. He felt pain but no broken bones. The dust gradually settled.

"......"

"......"

The two of them stared in shock at the scene before them.

The moat was half-destroyed, forming a bowl-like depression. The outer walls of the castle were similarly damaged, with most of the buildings that the giant had destroyed now in ruins.

"... Incredible."

Hikaru recalled what had just happened. The bullet fired from the revolver emitted a pure, almost divine light. This was somewhat within his expectations. The bullets he had seen so far were of four types: ice (water), rock (earth), fire, and lightning (wind). There were six bullets in total, so he had assumed the remaining two would be "holy" and "evil."

But what followed was unexpected.

The bullet shattered the "Holy Magic Sphere." Instantly, a massive current of electricity—where had it been stored in that small sphere?—erupted. It flowed like a waterfall, coiling around the giant and destroying it. At that moment, Hikaru felt his soul's rank rise, but he was too preoccupied to focus on it. The current expanded, and Hikaru ran with all his might, followed by Ravia.

*Snap*.

An explosive light.

The surroundings turned white, blinding them. The shockwave sent Hikaru flying, rolling on the ground. In the white world, it seemed as if a dragon was ascending into the sky.

*——Well done for breaking the seal, puny outsider——*

He thought he heard a voice.

"Ravia... did you hear a dragon say something just now?"

"? Dragon?"

Ravia tilted her head, clearly confused.

"No... maybe it was just my imagination."

It wasn't just his imagination, but it was too early to talk about it—about the fact that he wasn't from this world.

"! Hikaru...!"

Ravia's voice trembled. She had noticed the undead emerging from their hiding places.

"Turn off the magic lamp!"

"Okay!"

The surroundings darkened. As Ravia moved closer, Hikaru embraced her and activated the "Group Concealment"—but the undead ignored them and walked toward a single spot.

*...Can they see with the naked eye?*

Hikaru realized he could still see the buildings even though the magic lamp was off. Looking up, he saw a white hole in the ceiling of the underground city, likely created when the dragon ascended. The light was dim due to the height, but it was much easier to see compared to complete darkness.

The undead gathered from the city and the ruined castle, converging at the edge of the crater. They stopped and stared down. Below them was the "Holy Magic Sphere"—or rather,

*...The giant, perhaps.*

They were looking down at the giant that had turned them into undead.

*The giant's corruption attack... We avoided it by hiding, but everyone inside the castle and in the city must have been turned into undead. There's no sign of the giant entering the city...*

Hikaru pondered.

*So... the giant had the power to turn everyone in the underground city into undead without question, but it was a one-time attack? Or perhaps there was a higher being controlling the giant...?*

He shook his head slightly.

*Thinking about it is pointless. After all, it happened over 600 years ago.*

The two of them silently watched the undead. They gathered around the crater, layer upon layer, and simply stared.

*Even in death, they still harbor resentment. Or perhaps they have something to say to the giant, or to whoever created the giant.*

A corner of the illuminated crater seemed to be a place where believers mourned a saint who had fallen before completing their mission.

"Let's go, Ravia."

"...Okay."

They turned their backs on the castle's remains and started walking. As they moved through the city, they passed by the undead, who were all heading toward the crater and didn't notice Hikaru and Ravia, who had activated the "Group Concealment." Other monsters, like dark slimes, were lying low and didn't trigger Hikaru's "Magic Detection."

After about two hours of walking, Hikaru said, as they no longer encountered any undead.

"...This isn't good."

He felt the air warping, and a deep rumbling sound could be heard.

"What's...?"

"This place might collapse."

"Wh-What!?"

The hole created by the dragon might have been the cause, or perhaps it was because Hikaru had taken and destroyed the "Holy Magic Sphere." Regardless, the sound of something collapsing could be heard from a distance, and it was continuous. The ceiling was falling.

"We need to hurry."

"—Y-Yes!"

They pushed their tired bodies to run. Hikaru secretly allocated a point to "Stamina," and Ravia's energy noticeably increased. When they returned to the entrance of the dungeon, which was one of the houses, the sound of collapse was clearly audible. Fortunately, the collapse was happening in the direction of the castle. Hikaru used "Magic Detection" to search the surroundings but found no humans—adventurers. It was natural that any adventurers who were in the dungeon at the same time would have fled given the obvious "abnormal situation."

Ravia entered the narrow passage leading to the mausoleum, and Hikaru followed, turning back one last time.

"Hikaru?"

"...I thought that by clearing the dungeon, I would understand many things. All the mysteries would be solved, and I would obtain vast treasures. That's what I believed to be the essence of dungeon exploration."

The sound of collapse was getting closer, and he could feel the vibrations through the wall.

"But that's not the case at all... The giant was incomprehensible, and there was even this mysterious technology called 'Holy Magic.' In the end, the dungeon is collapsing."

"...Yes, I also thought it was completely different from the adventure stories I read."

Hikaru turned his back to the dungeon and stepped into the passage. His gaze met Ravia's, who was a few steps ahead.

"Ravia?"

"Yes?"

"I want to take a bath."

"...What?"

"I want to fill a bathtub with hot water and soak in it... My body is covered in grime."

Ravia smiled softly.

"Hikaru, you sometimes say such luxurious things."

"Do you want to join me in the bath?"

"...Idiot."

Ravia turned and walked ahead.

"Are you angry? If so, I'm sorry."

"We need to hurry, or this passage might collapse too."

"Oh, that's true."

"...If it collapses, we won't be able to take a bath."

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Let's hurry."

"Wait, Ravia. Hold on, hold on."

Just as they arrived at the mausoleum, a strong wind blew from the passage leading to the dungeon—likely because the entrance had been sealed. Thus, Hikaru's first dungeon exploration came to an end. Next time, the results.

He didn't raise "Sniping" because, like "Assassination," it required being in a "Concealment" state to be effective.

I apologize for not explaining this earlier. I'll include details about abilities like "Throwing" in the next or the following chapter.