Ch.0Discovered. I’m Quitting. (1)

A cave where water drips from stalactites.

An adventurer party consisting of a priest, warrior, mage, archer, and thief was advancing deeper into the darkness, relying only on a small, fragile lantern.

They were surprisingly noisy for a party with the reputation of being A-rank adventurers.

Of course, most of the noise came from Franz, the party’s support priest from the church, but since the party shared all risks together, they were essentially one body and soul.

So in the end, it was as good as saying the entire party was noisy.

“They said it was an unexplored labyrinth, but those guild people are nothing but liars!”

“Please be quiet…!”

“Quiet? Are you talking to me?”

“Yes…! So please, just stop!”

The voice scolding Franz belonged to Elin, the archer positioned at the very rear of the formation.

I agreed with her opinion as well.

A labyrinth is, by definition, a place where anything could happen.

Especially now, as we were heading toward the deepest part where the labyrinth core existed, we should be careful even with our footsteps, yet he kept talking incessantly, making it no surprise if we were attacked at any moment.

If he alone were to die because of it, that would be one thing, but since it was certain all party members would be dragged into trouble, I just wished he would shut up.

But Franz paid no mind and continued chattering.

Most of what he said was either boasting about himself or the church, so none of the party members even pretended to listen.

After walking for quite some time, Rael, the female warrior at the front of the formation, raised her fist to shoulder height, signaling us to stop.

While all party members including myself stopped, Franz, who hadn’t been paying attention, smashed his face into my back.

“Ah, sh… What? My noble nose… mmph! mmph!”

I hurriedly turned around and covered his mouth.

He seemed desperate to speak, but I couldn’t allow it.

Because right in front of us appeared the boss guarding the labyrinth core.

The lizard, with a body so massive it could be mistaken for a dragon, fortunately hadn’t opened its eyes, seemingly in a deep sleep.

I pointed at the giant lizard with my index finger, then brought it to my lips.

A gesture begging for silence.

Then I slowly removed my hand from his mouth.

At least anyone with a functioning brain wouldn’t think of making noise in this situation.

But this guy wasn’t human but a beast, no, something even lower.

“Hey, mage! Are you scared of a lizard like that?! Where’s the dignity of an A-rank party?!”

His loud voice echoed through the cave, and all party members turned contemptuous gazes toward him. But that shouldn’t have happened.

Because the giant lizard had already opened its eyes at his loud voice.

The lizard charged at Rael, the party’s vanguard warrior, with incredible speed. It opened its mouth wide, attempting to swallow her in one bite.

Saliva dripped from its gaping maw, and its sharp teeth looked like well-honed daggers.

Rael seemed to notice this belatedly as she turned her head, but it was already too late.

She didn’t even try to resist, just staring blankly into its mouth.

Damn it…!

If I started moving now, could I save her?

No, she was at the front and I was in the third position, so before I could take even one step, the situation would turn for the worst.

Should I use dark magic?

No, in this short time, I could only use a simple curse.

That wouldn’t be enough to stop that creature.

Just as I was about to give up on her life, Derin, the thief in front of me, grabbed Rael’s shoulder and threw her backward.

“Snap out of it! You crazy woman!”

As Rael tumbled on the ground, thief Derin tried to stab his dagger into the approaching lizard’s neck.

But the dagger didn’t penetrate the lizard’s scales, not even leaving a scratch as it bounced off.

I couldn’t believe it.

This was Derin, who could slice through A-rank magical beasts like cutting fruit.

That meant the lizard before us was S-rank or beyond.

Derin narrowly avoided the lizard’s attacks that came at an unbelievable speed while continuing his assault.

He tried slashing at its legs and even did a somersault to cut at its lower jaw.

But the results were the same.

This confirmed it completely.

This magical beast was an S-rank creature we had never encountered before.

Seemingly judging there was no chance against this S-rank beast she was facing for the first time, she deflected the lizard’s incoming front leg and shouted:

“Everyone run!!”

At Derin’s cry, everyone started running without looking back.

Whether we could escape from the lizard moving at such an impossible speed was uncertain.

But we had no other options now.

We could only hope to survive.

As everyone started running toward the cave exit, led by Franz, a mud-like dark brown mana energy began to emanate from the lizard’s body.

Running while glancing sideways at this sight, I recognized the gravity of the situation.

Magic. Earth attribute at that.

As the lizard stomped on the ground, a massive wall appeared in front of Franz, who was running at the lead.