Ch.1515. Responsibility

I felt uneasy, so I only accepted that much for now.

After the priestess left, I thought about why she gave me so many gifts, and two possibilities came to mind.

Either the guild was trying to scout me as a unit, or she was personally giving me gifts using the guild’s name.

‘It must be recruitment.’

As far as I knew, Airi was a mid-level priestess.

Unless she was a high-ranking executive from the 7th or 8th floor, managing this level of assets would be problematic.

Why would she have any reason to give me gifts in the first place?

Logically, a guild recruitment attempt makes more sense.

“Well then, we can continue to operate just the two of us even on the third floor.”

After finishing my thoughts, I spoke to Shiro who was sitting beside me in a daze.

She probably felt uncomfortable working with others, so getting these scrolls would be even better for her.

“…Why did she give us gifts?”

But her reaction was quite unexpected.

Far from accepting it positively, she seemed suspicious of the current situation.

“I think it’s probably recruitment. They’re giving gifts in advance to bring us into the guild.”

“Really?”

Shiro still had a look of disbelief.

‘It was strange, actually.’

If they were trying to recruit Shiro and me, why didn’t they even hint at guild membership with similar words?

Since I couldn’t make sense of it no matter how much I thought about it, I decided to just accept it quietly.

In a labyrinth where you could die at any moment, accepting scrolls that help you survive was common sense unless you were suicidal.

“Well. We’ll find out later.”

As I tried to move on with those words, Shiro blurted out something puzzling.

“…You’re really not going to find other party members?”

It was sudden, but I answered anyway.

“No. Now that we have resistance scrolls, it’s better to operate without a priest.”

“That’s a relief then.”

Only after getting confirmation from me did Shiro close her eyes comfortably.

She was gradually falling asleep while lying in the tent.

‘Why did she ask that?’

I didn’t know the reason, but I watched her for a moment.

The leather armor that clung to her body, and the brown coat she wore draped over her.

Her silver hair with its unique radiance. Ears smaller than typical elves, making her appear closer to human.

‘…She’s pretty.’

Though I felt sorry for her, I knew we needed to bring in other party members soon or things would get more difficult.

Once we used up the scrolls we just received, I should find a priest.

That would make things better.

***

We rested sufficiently for a day, and started moving the next morning.

“Today, instead of going straight into the depths, let’s move broadly while searching bit by bit.”

“Okay.”

To naturally guide us to the hidden dungeon entrance, I moved in a different pattern than before.

At first, we zigzagged around, then we killed a suddenly appearing group of kobolds in the middle, and finally entered an area with an eerie atmosphere.

A forest where fog had formed, making it difficult to see the surroundings.

‘We got here quickly.’

It seemed to take about two hours, which was a decent pace.

“The atmosphere feels strange today. It seems like there’s no one around, and we haven’t seen any monsters except for that group of kobolds just now.”

“…That’s true.”

Shiro was being more vigilant than usual, scanning our surroundings.

It made sense for her to be cautious since we had encountered a Shade Predator in this kind of atmosphere before.

However, unlike Shiro, I walked with ease.

This was evidence that we were following the hidden dungeon’s entry path well.

“There’s a cave.”

We came across a cave as we advanced through the forest.

“Are we going in?”

“I haven’t heard of such a place on the second floor… let’s try another direction first.”

We went in a different direction again, and…

“…There’s another cave.”

We encountered the exact same cave in the exact same layout as before.

“There must be something in this place. Seeing how the fog suddenly appeared, could we be under some kind of mental attack?”

“That’s possible.”

“Then, let’s go in for now.”

I took the lead with cautious steps.

‘I hope they didn’t notice.’

Everything I had just said was an act.

Once we entered the foggy forest, there was no way out except through that cave. That’s how the game system worked.

So after passing through the cave—

“The space has changed.”

The fog that had been surrounding us was gone, and dense trees covered the area in all directions.

A altar surrounded by several massive stone pillars was visible ahead.

I approached the altar while hiding the mana stone I was holding in my hand.

‘Fortunately, it’s the third cycle.’

The hidden dungeon on the second floor requires different entry materials depending on the cycle.

The first cycle takes human lives, the second cycle takes party members’ weapons, and the third cycle takes monsters’ mana stones as entry fees.

If, unlike in the game, I had to offer lives or weapons as materials, I would have turned back, but fortunately, mana stones were the required material.

“Shiro, please look around. I’ll investigate this place for a moment.”

“Okay.”

After confirming that her gaze was directed elsewhere, I placed the Kobold Warrior’s mana stone that I had been hiding in my hand onto the altar.

It was a struggle hiding this in my hand. If I had put it in my pocket, I wouldn’t have been able to distinguish between the Kobold Archer’s and Warrior’s mana stones.

-Woong!

The altar made a sound and activated when I placed the mana stone on it.

Now only one step remained before entry.

The easiest yet most difficult thing: party members holding hands with each other.

“Adel, what’s happening?”

Hearing the sound from the altar, Shiro turned her gaze toward me.

Seeing this, I immediately ran to her with an urgent tone,

“Shiro, it’s dangerous!”

“?!”

I grabbed her hand and pushed her body.

“What—”

-Bwaaang!

Before she could finish her words, a blue light engulfed the space.

That should have seemed natural enough.

***

The forest after being enveloped in blue was quiet.

It was incredibly peaceful except for the slight sense of discomfort creeping in.

The problem was that this discomfort was too great to ignore.

“…Adel.”

Time passes as Shiro and I make eye contact.

The difference from our usual exchange of glances was that I was in a position where I was covering her from above.

Yes. I pretended there was danger, naturally grabbed her hand while pushing her body, and when we were summoned to the dungeon, we ended up in exactly this position.

‘Damn.’

It seemed like certain parts of Shiro’s body might touch mine, but somehow I managed to prevent just that.

“I’m sorry. I heard footsteps nearby, so I think we need to stay in this position for a while.”

I whispered softly to her.

“…Okay.”

“I’m really sorry.”

Time simply flowed by.

Her violet eyes that seemed to pull me in as I gazed at them. Shiro’s calm exhalations touching me.

The ordeal facing me now was making my mind hazy.

The flower scent stimulating my nose was making my consciousness dreamy, when the fact that Shiro was staring directly at me hit my consciousness like a direct blow.

‘Damn it.’

This wouldn’t do.

I needed to pass the time by thinking about something else.

To maintain my sanity, I closed my eyes and recalled memories of the dungeon.

This is the sanctuary of the Lizardmen, monsters that inhabit the third floor.

The concept is that the Lizard King has taken residence in a collapsed castle where humans once lived.

‘The Lizard King definitely drops a Source.’

Since you can only enter the second floor hidden dungeon once, you had to choose your build carefully.

But because the Lizard King, despite being a 4th grade monster, definitely drops a 3rd grade Source, I used this dungeon for my fixed build.

The downside is that 3rd grade monsters occasionally appear, but the probability is so close to zero that there’s no need to worry about it.

Besides, the appearance of 3rd grade monsters is common to all hidden dungeons.

‘I’m getting closer to my goal.’

My initial Source design was like this:

Get the Lizard King Source from the dungeon, and later combine and enhance it with Lizardman and Slime Sources.

Then combine the Lizard King with a Source that appears around the 4th floor, and I should be able to break through to the middle floors.

The problem is that Slimes rarely appear on the 2nd floor, but with luck, I might get one someday.

“Haah…”

Shiro’s breath, as our faces were close, felt even louder.

It was because the footsteps of the Lizardman scout had grown fainter as time passed.

“I think we can get up after waiting one more minute.”

“Okay.”

I could feel her breath completely.

Monster appearance order, strategy, boss patterns.

Somehow I managed to endure that minute by thinking about other things,

“Phew, they finally seem to be gone.”

I finally won.

That is, I overcame the cursed biological reactions and survived the maddening mental attacks!

“…Okay.”

While Shiro was dusting off the dirt on her clothes, I looked around.

“There’s something like a small castle over there.”

Lizardman scouts were patrolling near the castle walls. Their eyesight wasn’t good enough to spot us.

And then,

[You have entered the Lizardman’s Sanctuary.]

[Upon defeating the boss monster inside the sanctuary, you will return to the location just before entering the foggy forest.]

Such messages appeared before our eyes.

The labyrinth is quite unfriendly, as it should have displayed this window as soon as we entered.

“The boss must be in that castle over there.”

“Yeah.”

Hearing my words, she immediately understood.

Since the labyrinth operates on its own system, it wasn’t strange to be teleported to a place like this.

“It’s a bit startling, but I think we can handle it.”

At our current level, we could easily take down the boss.

So I took the lead and quickly approached the scouts.

There were three of them lingering at the castle gate.

-Thunk!

I approached from behind and stabbed one in the neck, while Shiro instantly dealt with the other two.

“Let’s continue inside.”

The castle was conquered more smoothly than I had expected.

It was challenging in that all monsters had to be eliminated for the door to the next stage to open, but most of the buildings were in a partially collapsed state, making it easy to secure visibility.

“Kuek!”

Lizardmen dying mercilessly.

There were fewer of them than I remembered.

‘This is suspiciously easy.’

We effortlessly slaughtered about dozens of Lizardmen in the early part of the castle.

-Koong!

Except for the periodic loud rumbling coming from the central castle, the situation seemed completely normal.

“It seems like we’ve cleared everything around here, let’s look for any useful items.”

Just as I said that, Shiro came out of a building holding a silver bracelet.

“…Is this useless?”

It was a moonstone bracelet with no strange patterns or notable features.

Due to its ordinary appearance, Shiro seemed unaware, but actually, this was not a bad item.

‘Was it a 5 percent increase in magic resistance?’

It also had the ability to create a shield that absorbs magic, so it could block a few simple spells.

It wasn’t something I absolutely had to have, but it would be nice to have. It was a randomly spawned item.

“I’m not sure about its performance, but it’s pretty. How about you wear it, Shiro?”

I could always pretend to discover its abilities by chance later.

It actually suited her as an accessory, so suggesting she wear it was natural.

“…How does it look?”

After putting the bracelet on her left wrist, she extended her hand to me.

It was a bit large for Shiro’s small, white wrist, which made her thin wrist stand out even more.

“It’s pretty.”

“Thank you.”

-Thump, thump.

For some reason, my heartbeat was so loud I couldn’t hear the surrounding sounds.

Could a heartbeat really be this loud?

-Thump, thump.

Seriously, why am I like this?

-Thump, thump.

…?

-Thump, thump, thump…

The thumping sound that had been continuing at a regular pace gradually quickened, and then completely disappeared.

In this strange situation, I tried my best to think.

“…”

For some reason, Shiro avoided my gaze. She seemed to have mistakenly thought the heartbeat was her own.

The ground around us had turned red, barely visible unless you concentrated. And it wasn’t just red—the color was gradually deepening.

…Oh shit, this is—

“—Get away!”

Before I could complete my thought, I quickly threw myself away from the red floor.

“Adel, why are you suddenly pushing—”

-Kwang!

The floor where we had just been standing, including all the areas that had turned red, exploded in sequence.

‘Damn it.’

I’d seen this magic countless times.

It’s a magic used by Lizardman Mages that spawn in the castle. A time bomb installation type.

It’s easy to dodge, but if you get hit by mistake, the blast is powerful enough to easily blow off limbs.

‘But why is it here?’

Mages don’t appear unless you enter the castle stage.

‘This is strange.’

The Lizardman Mages that should be in the castle were surrounding us.

-Koong!

Once again, an unknown rumbling sound came from inside the castle.

‘This is chaotic.’

Amidst all this, I noticed something strange.

The demeanor of the Lizardmen surrounding us had changed.

What was in their eyes wasn’t simple hostility.

‘They’re afraid of us.’

Why?

With all these unusual pieces of information flooding in, my mind felt like it was about to freeze.

“Adel.”

Shiro, who had stood up to assess the situation, called my name.

“There’s something in the castle.”

Yes. Even she, who knew nothing about this place, could sense it.

The situation wasn’t particularly complicated.

The eerie rumbling continuously coming from the castle. Elite soldiers emerging from the castle. Eyes filled with fear.

‘There’s a 3rd grade monster in the castle.’

-Kwaaang!

As the wall of the top floor of the castle collapsed, massive creatures fell down.

One was the Lizard King, and the other was…

‘…a Basilisk.’

Since a Basilisk is a 2nd grade monster, to be precise, this would be a baby Basilisk.

But now it didn’t matter what it was.

“Shiro, let’s quickly deal with these guys here and head to the boss.”

“Okay.”

If not now, when they’re fighting each other, we won’t have another chance.

Normally, breaking through would be easy.

But there’s a problem.

-Thump, thump.

The entire path toward them was tinted with a light red color.

In other words,

We had to reach the boss while avoiding bombs that would blow off our limbs if stepped on, and breaking through numerous Lizardmen.

And after arriving, we would have to kill the 3rd grade monster, the baby Basilisk.

“Let’s go.”

It seemed impossible, but that’s exactly why we had to do it.

“…Okay.”

If only my life was at stake, it might be different.

But this involved her life as well.