chapter_0063

63 – Dungeon Strategy (3)

63 – Dungeon Strategy (3)

While Calix and Sharen were battling the ice dragon, chaos erupted outside the dungeon.

The sudden appearance of the ice dragon had stained the dungeon gate red.

This was the phenomenon known as “Dungeon Red,” which occurred when the dungeon cut off its connection to the outside world.

It was as if the god of the dungeon was saying not to interfere with their challenge.

Naturally, Laer felt like she was going to lose her mind and tried to open the dungeon by any means necessary.

However, no matter how much of a Magic Tower Lord she was, the dungeon, being in the realm of the gods, would not open.

In the end, she watched the crystal ball, praying for a miracle that Sharen would return safely.

And then she saw it.

The bow that Calix had taken out of the box; seeing it made her jump up and rush toward the crystal ball.

Thud-!

“Could it be!?”

“S…Master?”

The other disciples were taken aback by her sudden rush to the crystal ball.

She approached the crystal ball closely, repeatedly looking at the bow in Calix’s hands.

She recognized that bow.

It was the bow of the Emperor of the Novarens Empire, “Lukael Archer Novarens,” who had won the Game of Thrones two hundred years ago.

A miracle was about to happen.

The moment I grasped the bow, something began to flow into me.

It was the accumulated memories of the Mystic Palace of Ideia.

That warm memory, like the morning sunlight, flowed into me like magical power and began to reveal the secrets of Ideia’s Mystic Palace.

It was a fascinating sensation.

I felt as if I understood what kind of bow Ideia’s Mystic Palace was and the intentions of its previous owners.

No, I knew.

Crackle-! Boom-!! Snap-!

“Kuuaaa! Kuuaaaang!”

“Cough! Ignis!!”

I looked up at the sky.

Sharen was desperately battling the ice dragon, and I could feel she was reaching her limit.

Just a moment ago, I would have been anxious, but now I wasn’t.

It might be a terribly arrogant thought, but… ‘I felt like I could solve this.’

“Huuh…”

Squeak-

I slowly pulled back the bowstring.

The bowstring felt weightless, as light as a feather.

Of course.

This bow was not one that required strength to pull.

The power that drew this bow came from the responsibility resting on my shoulders.

The more responsibilities one bore and fulfilled, the more the Mystic Palace of Ideia lent its strength.

Whoooom-

“………”

As I pulled the bowstring, light began to gather between the empty bow and the bowstring.

The light gradually coalesced, starting to form a light arrow.

This light was not my magical power.

This light was the hope that people, the wise, and my vassals held for me.

“Thank you, my lord.”

“My lord, thanks to you, I bought a house.”

With each gathering of light, their voices brushed past me.

Some had gotten married, and some had bought houses.

And others expressed gratitude for being able to provide warm meals for their families.

It was embarrassing.

That was not something I had done.

I was just an ordinary reincarnator struggling to survive.

The ones who saved them were themselves.

“Still, it was definitely my lord who gave them that opportunity.”

In that moment, a familiar voice brushed past my mind.

Was it Aron? Or Baron?

Someone from the territory said that.

Ah… now I understood.

I finally realized why I had disliked Hadem so much and felt compassion for the suffering people of this land.

In my past life, I had not received an opportunity.

That was painful. So, I felt pity for those who, like me, had not received an opportunity.

That’s why I wanted to give.

At least within the scope of what I could do, I wanted to provide opportunities.

Opportunities to create families,

Opportunities to work,

Opportunities to fulfill dreams,

Opportunities to find happiness at the end of it all,

I wanted to give that.

It was not a great will or a mission given by the gods, but my small “hobby” to resolve the regrets of my past life.

Yet, that hobby had become such a tremendous power.

It gathered in my hands, becoming a force so great that it could pierce through the sky, the world, and the heart of a dragon.

Then, I would use this power to save my vassal.

“I’m sorry… Please forgive me.”

I apologized to the ice dragon.

She too was not here by her own will.

Some god, for some plan, had placed her here to fight against intruders.

Expressing my compassion for her fate, I prepared for what I was about to do and offered my apology.

Whoooooooom-!!!

“Ugh…”

My hands felt like they were going to burst.

The once light bowstring began to pull taut, as if it would snap, and started to tug at my arms.

I had no idea how much hope had gathered, but I knew one thing.

This arrow could not be stopped by anyone.

Even if it were a god, this arrow would pierce through everything.

“The one who gathers hope… shall pierce through the world.”

Ting-

As I completed the final incantation of the Mystic Palace, I released the bowstring.

The light arrow left my hand in utter silence.

It felt as if the world had stopped.

But I could see it clearly.

The light arrow that left my hand transformed the falling chunks of ice into light as it flew.

And it flew, turning even the heart of the ice dragon into light.

Eventually, the arrow that pierced the ice dragon flew, turning the cave’s ceiling into light as well.

Kwahhhhh-!

“Kyahhh!!!”

In that fleeting moment, an immense shockwave struck Sharen.

Just before she crashed to the ground, Sharen managed to regain her balance with flight magic and land safely.

Whoooooo-

“My lord, what on earth…?”

Before Sharen could fully regain her senses, an astonishing sight unfolded before her eyes.

The ice dragon she had been fighting had somehow fallen to the ground, its heart pierced.

And there was a large hole in the ceiling, revealing the sky.

That was undoubtedly the sky of the surface world.

And through the hole, in the sunlight, stood Calix, holding a bow with white feathers.

He looked like a ‘hero’ straight out of legend.

“With this, the dungeon has been conquered. Let’s go back, Sharen.”

“…Yes!”

That day, the dungeon of the Agron Plains was conquered.

And it was the moment when Calix’s legend as a dungeon master began.

After the dungeon conquest, the aftermath was handled swiftly.

The monsters spawned by the Scream of the Dungeon were neatly disposed of by Laer and her disciples, and the treasures obtained from the dungeon were distributed according to their contributions in the conquest.

Naturally, Cron received the most rewards.

And…

“My lord, are you alright?”

“My lord! Lean on me!”

Calix, who had conquered the dungeon, emerged onto the surface.

Perhaps due to the backlash from using the Mystic Palace, Calix could barely keep himself upright.

He was walking with the support of Azel, and this sight was being watched not only by Cron’s knights but also by knights and bards from other territories.

And at some point, applause began to sound.

Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!

They knew nothing of Calix’s last arrow.

It merely seemed that the lord of the dungeon had acquired a very rare bow and had taken down the ice dragon in one shot.

But even without knowing that, to them, Calix was simply remarkable.

He had challenged the dungeon with just two people and had perfectly conquered it without panicking in unexpected situations.

In awe of his achievements that they could not have imagined, they had no choice but to pay their respects.

Calix made his way to the medical tent, where Laer was waiting for them.

She approached Sharen.

“Sharen! Are you alright?”

“Yes, Master. I’m fine. Please check on my lord’s condition.”

“Alright, understood.”

Laer checked Calix’s condition.

And while using healing magic on him, she said,

“Your magical power has completely drained. You’re truly empty.”

“Is… Is that so?”

“…Don’t use that arrow more than once a day. Using it more than that could kill you.”

As she treated Calix, she spoke in a voice only they could hear.

“Calix, do you know what that bow is?”

“Yes… I do.”

“Then you understand the value and responsibility that arrow carries.”

“Yes…”

She did not say anything more.

It seemed that Calix understood everything without needing further explanation.

The blessing of the wise Emperor Lukael was the ability to summon the “Mystic Palace of Ideia.”

Yet, that bow had now reappeared in the world.

Fortunately, it seemed that no one here, except for her, recognized the bow, but it was only a matter of time.

The moment he used that bow even once in front of everyone, the people of the entire continent would know whose bow it was.

Days later, as Laer watched the retreating figures of Calix Crone and Sharen, she thought,

“It seems my disciple has come to serve an extraordinary person.”

She felt worried for Sharen.

But at the same time, she felt relieved.

She had seen Lukael’s bow in her lifetime.

The brilliant light emitted by that bow had clearly shown her what kind of person Calix was.

She could only pray that they would not be overwhelmed by such immense honor.

Turning back time for a moment, Calix noticed something as he prepared to leave after conquering the dungeon.

“This is…”

“My lord? Did you find something?”

Something was emitting a radiant light between the rocks beside the ice dragon’s corpse, and Calix headed there.

What he found was astonishing.

“Could it be!”

“My lord, do you know what this is?”

There was a round ice crystal, shining like a gem, about the size of a human hand.

Both Calix and Sharen knew what it was.

It was none other than…

“The egg of the ice dragon Lucila… right?”

“Yes, it seems to match my memory.”

With an unexpected gift in hand, they returned to their territory.

A word from the author (Author’s Note)

The protagonist finally has a strategic weapon after conquering the dungeon.

It can split continents, can only be used once, and is an arrow, but if that comes to mind, it’s just your imagination.

Thank you for reading today as well!!!

( ˶’ᵕ’˶)ෆ