Shadow Spear

I headed east on the continent for the first time with Estelle. Sadly, our destination wasn’t the city where Luna lived. It was the city called Dnewa, the closest in distance to the Valley of Death.

As we exited the portal station, Ember opened the carriage window and waved, as if she had been waiting for us.

,Welcome. Young lady, Lily-nim.”

,To think I have to come all the way to the east with this greedy pig…”

Estelle groaned and sat down on the chair in response to Ember’s greeting.

,Did you set up the dungeon exploration team?”

Estelle asked in a slouched posture, and Ember nodded nonchalantly.

,Of course. Since it’s a stage-type dungeon, I’ve already had the hired adventurer party clear the path. As soon as you arrive, you can enter the final room.”

As expected, Ember’s work is impeccable. The carriage started moving, and Ember began a brief explanation about the dungeon. The entrance to the dungeon had been sealed for almost hundreds of years, and there were many undead monsters inside.

Skeletons and similar monsters are a bit tricky for me, who uses a spear, but I wasn’t too worried since Estelle would help this time.

The carriage went up the riverside road and passed through the entrance to the Valley of Death. Since Estelle started a conversation with Ember about Modiste and related matters, I discreetly looked out the window.

Perhaps the coachman turned on the lights installed outside the carriage, as the inside of the valley, where sunlight didn’t enter, came into view. After watching the bugs disappear to avoid the light and the layers of piled-up soil for a while, the carriage finally stopped.

,Everyone, please get off!”

At Ember’s words, I got out of the carriage as if I had been waiting. The chilling winter wind swept through the valley. Thanks to the preparations for the cold, only my nose was a little cold, and my body wasn’t shivering.

Ember, who got out of the carriage, took the lead and walked ahead. Following behind her, we soon came across a camp. I smelled the burning oil and the lingering scent of food in the air.

They must have broken the wall to find the entrance to the dungeon, as there were piles of rocks full of dirt next to it. Hearing the footsteps, someone came out of the tent. It was a man with a stylish mustache.

,Ah, this is Lloyd-nim, who is in charge of the dungeon investigation.”

,Nice to meet you. I’m Lloyd, a 4-year A-rank adventurer and magi-scholar.”

Lloyd, who had a strong impression thanks to his mustache, approached with a gentle smile and friendliness. He nodded at Ember’s words that we would enter the dungeon right away without resting, and the way he packed the prepared bag made him seem like an A-rank adventurer for a reason.

We followed Lloyd into the dungeon. The door was open, but the smell of old air felt a bit unpleasant, as if the dungeon hadn’t been ventilated for a long time.

Lloyd, who had a spark floating above his head with magic, said to us, who were following behind him over his shoulder.

,The adventurer party that finished clearing the dungeon is waiting at the entrance to the final stage room. The adventurer party will leave the dungeon when we arrive. Once it’s confirmed that the party has left, we will immediately enter the final stage.”

,Understood.”

After passing through a few more rooms, we were able to meet the adventurer party that Lloyd had mentioned.

The bald man, who was chewing on jerky and leaning against the wall, whistled when he found us, signaling the party members gathered around the bonfire to prepare to leave the dungeon.

After waiting for a while, the bald man, who had packed all his luggage, approached with a smiling face.

,You’ve arrived. We’ve finished cleaning up neatly.”

,Thank you for your hard work.”

At Ember’s words, the man waved his hand and took out a piece of paper from his pocket.

,Oh, this is our job. Then, please sign the request form here.”

As Ember signed the mission completion on the request form, the man passed us with the words to designate them next time and headed out of the dungeon with his party members.

Suddenly curious, I asked Ember.

,Do adventurers originally do this kind of work?”

,Of course. They’re people who wouldn’t refuse cleaning up monsters in the sewers if it makes money. Dungeon clearing is especially the most popular request among adventurers, you know?”

As I stroked my chin and marveled at Ember’s explanation, Estelle snorted.

,The request fee for dungeon clearing is several times better than others, so that’s why they like it. Adventurers are the real money-grubbers. Remember that.”

I nodded at Estelle’s words, and Lloyd smiled and added an explanation.

,Haha, the last stage is considered to have the best rewards in a stage-type dungeon. Well, it’s true. Knowing that, the dirty bastards might violate the request and threaten to raise the stakes at the last minute, threatening to take the treasures of the dungeon themselves. So, it’s common to designate a trustworthy party.”

I admired Lloyd’s detailed explanation and nodded. It was a world I created, but there were things I didn’t know about such details. You could say there’s fun in learning.

As I was about to ask something more out of curiosity, Estelle, who noticed it like a ghost, quickly waved her hand.

,That’s enough, let’s finish this quickly and go back. The air here is damp and makes me feel bad.”

Estelle’s brow had been furrowed since before entering the dungeon. It seems she doesn’t like being in the east where the Order is located.

,Understood. The adventurer party has also left the dungeon.”

At Estelle’s urging, Lloyd looked around at everyone once and checked if they were ready. I took out the Spear of Destruction from the space warehouse, and Ember nocked an arrow on the bowstring that she had brought when entering the dungeon.

,Were you an archer?”

I asked that because it was the first time I had met someone who used a bow, and Ember smiled as if it was nothing and answered in a small voice so that Lloyd couldn’t hear.

,An assassin should be able to use various weapons. And the bow is also my main weapon.”

,Then does Estelle, the successor, also know how to shoot a bow?”

Looking at Ember’s eyes rolling without a word, I looked at the back of the little girl who was constantly grumbling behind Lloyd. Yeah, no one can be good at everything. To be honest, she seems to have many shortcomings-

,Let’s go in!!!”

With Estelle’s shout that cut off my thoughts, Lloyd opened the door to the final stage. As we entered the darkly lit inside, the door closed on its own from behind.

,Be careful, we don’t know what will come out. First, I’ll brighten the view!”

As Lloyd waved his staff, small spheres that emitted pure white light poured out and began to roll around like marbles.

Degureureureu… Tuk―.

The sphere that was rolling forward collided with something and stopped. The pure white light revealed the shape that had been hidden in the darkness.

,Kuaaaaaak―――!”

The thing that came running while screaming was a monster with green skin.

,It’s an orc!”

Lloyd shouted. I quickly recognized the space coordinates and looked around. There wasn’t just one orc. The entire field of vision that Lloyd’s spheres had illuminated was full of orcs.

Starting with an arrow piercing the head of the orc running from the front, we began to kill the swarming orcs. Thanks to me using the power of destruction and Estelle lightly wielding her daggers to cut the orcs’ muscular bodies in half, we were able to quickly clear the orcs, but the problem occurred next.

,O-Orcs are getting up again…!”

A black aura-like thing appeared from the floor and resurrected the orcs that had been shattered by the power of destruction back into perfect bodies.

,Kuaaaaaaa――!!!”

The resurrected orcs screamed gloomily, making my eardrums ache.

,Everyone, stay still!”

Estelle shouted that and threw her dagger forward. When I was thinking that she might have thrown it wrong at the dagger that passed through the orcs. Estelle’s figure flickered next to me.

Estelle was already holding the thrown dagger. As if a flash of light had swept through, the orcs that had been in the place where Estelle had passed were all separated into bodies and heads.

,This should be….”

,Careful!”

I created a dimension exit behind Estelle and blew up the head of the orc that had been resurrected again.

,It resurrected again? This is crazy…!”

Estelle swung her dagger like crazy, and Lloyd and Ember fired magic and arrows, but the orcs began to resurrect at an even faster rate. I was also constantly moving the dimension exit and stabbing my spear in, but I felt that we were gradually being pushed back.

Thinking that there must be a way to stop the orcs’ resurrection somewhere, I shouted to Lloyd, who was pushing back the orcs with magic.

,Lloyd-ssi! Can you illuminate the entire inside of the stage!”

At my shout, Lloyd pulled his body behind me and shouted.

,I’ll draw the formula! Please hold on a little longer!”

I killed the orcs who were trying to raise their bodies, even using formless breathing, for Lloyd, who had started drawing the formula on the floor with the light flowing from the end of his staff.

,Hurry up! I can’t stand it anymore!”

Estelle, whose whole body was stained with orc blood, shouted annoyingly. Because it was an old dungeon, there was a risk that the dungeon itself would collapse if she used space severance, the most destructive technique Estelle had.

Inevitably, she was swinging her dagger now, but Estelle would give up the dungeon and use space severance if Ember was attacked.

,Lloyd-ssi! A little faster!”

At my urging, Lloyd gritted his teeth and moved his staff diligently.

,It’s done. Everyone, close your eyes when I signal! Right… now!!!”

A tremendous light swept through the stage as if a flashbang had gone off. When the light subsided to some extent, I squinted and looked ahead.

I could see the orcs who had stopped covering their eyes because of the sudden light and the murals written in ancient languages.

Beyond the orcs, I could find the ‘Shadow Spear’ on the floor, pouring out a black aura and absorbing the light that Lloyd had created.

,Estelle! Block the front!”

At my shout, Estelle came to me like a flash and swung her dagger. While Estelle was guarding, I recognized the space coordinates in front of the Shadow Spear and created a dimension exit.

,Got it!”

I put my hand into the dimension entrance and took out the Shadow Spear. At the same time, the black aura was cut off, and the resurrected orcs lost their strength and fell again as corpses.

,It’s over…?”

Estelle, who had become exhausted, asked in a voice mixed with a sigh. I nodded with a smile and raised the Shadow Spear.

,Now it’s okay―.”

At that moment, someone’s voice echoed in my head.

,Kahaha, you stupid bastard! You’ve been caught!

Dugun―!

The Shadow Spear I was holding in my hand melted like a liquid. The melted substance was absorbed through my skin and covered the blood vessels throughout my body.

My heart fluttered with tremendous pain as if countless thorns were sweeping through my blood vessels, and I vomited blood.

,Kuaaaak…!!!”

,Now this body belongs to me, Uricus!