episode_0010

After entering the Hidden Dungeon, I was stuck in a helpless state, practically imprisoned, so you might think I couldn’t do anything.

But during that long time, I tested all the cards in my deck, and as a result, I learned the effects of the two Power Cards in my deck.

A Power Card, once used, has a permanent effect during combat.

So, it’s advantageous to use them in advance.

The effects of the two Power Cards applied to me are as follows:

[Momentum] adds one energy each turn.

In exchange, the damage I receive increases for 2 turns (2 minutes).

[Terrain Manipulation], befitting of a 3-cost Power Card, has a simple and powerful effect.

From the moment it’s used, you can manipulate the terrain.

However, there’s a penalty.

Each time you use Terrain Manipulation, your health and mana decrease exponentially.

Even considering the penalty, Terrain Manipulation is a card that can greatly change my combat style.

My chronic weakness: the awkward silence after using up all my cards and energy until the next draw.

If my mana can hold out during that time, I can keep using it.

After learning that, I secretly used Terrain Manipulation to test it, and now I’ve become quite proficient at using it.

*

『Current Status』

『0 until the next draw』

『Energy 4/4』

『Momentum – Energy increases by 1 each turn.』

『Terrain Manipulation – Consume mana to manipulate the terrain.』

[Body Enhancement] [Pause] [Blink] [Charge] [Freezing]

Use Terrain Manipulation.

A sensation spreads as if this world has become part of my body.

Thump, thump.

I can feel Grace’s pulse.

Thank goodness. She’s still alive.

I strongly push my left arm.

The terrain where Grace was moves like a wave, shifting to the side.

The destination is Hans.

I hope he finishes healing quickly and helps Karin break the stone statue’s gimmick.

I don’t know if she’ll be able to regain consciousness.

BOOOOOOM!!

Dret bursts out from the collapsed rubble.

“Damn it!!!”

Even after being buried under so much debris, he only has minor injuries.

I would have died instantly if it were me.

As expected of a 4th floor explorer, not an easy opponent.

“Die!!!”

Dret rushes in. The distance is about 8m.

[Body Enhancement]

My body feels lighter.

I reach out and strongly push the air.

According to my movements, the terrain rises like a wave, becoming a strong surge.

A heavy wave containing dirt, rocks, and glass shards covers Dret.

“Do you think you can stop me with something like this?!”

BOOOOOOM!!

But Dret’s greatsword splits the rock tsunami in half as if parting the Red Sea.

It’s true that [Terrain Manipulation] is a card that can fill in the awkward silence.

But its damage is too low.

Of course, it’s enough to buy time.

I spread both arms wide and pulled them inwards.

Crackle, crackle.

The folding temple walls collapse towards Dret.

I’ll take a gamble here.

[Charge] – [Pause]

“What?!”

Dret, who was about to jump to avoid the debris, is momentarily stunned and panics.

The temple walls fall towards him.

A shadow looms over him.

But Dret’s expression is still full of confidence.

Alright. Show me. Your first hidden card.

“Hahahahahahaha!!!!”

Dret’s body suddenly swells like a balloon.

He then destroys the collapsing temple wall with a single punch.

BOOOOOOM!!

As expected, a 4th floor explorer should have all 7 cards engraved on them.

Roughly speaking, the first one is blood drain, and the second one he just showed is giantification.

“You bastard…!!!”

Dret runs at me with a slightly slower speed.

But his pressure is different from before.

His already large frame has doubled in size, making him comparable to the Frozen Demon.

I have a bad feeling about this.

It doesn’t seem like Terrain Manipulation will work at all.

“Aaaaaaaah!!!”

Trusting his enhanced body, he yells and pushes against the world.

As much mana as it consumes, a powerful wave of terrain surges towards Dret.

The enlarged Dret ducks his upper body, then charges head-on into the wave with his shoulder.

BOOOOOOM!!

The wave of terrain shatters, and shards rain down on me.

I stretch both hands towards the sky and raise the terrain to block the shards.

“This is insane…”

He’s much stronger than I thought.

Terrain Manipulation isn’t working already.

“Don’t you have anything else hidden!!!”

“You talk too much.”

Dret’s greatsword, which had already approached, shatters the terrain that was shielding me and comes down towards me.

I stare at the greatsword until the very end, then throw a card.

[Blink]

The location is 10m behind him.

Flash!!

I narrowly avoid the greatsword.

[Freezing]

The cold air spreading from my fingertips heads towards the back of Dret’s head.

“You use strange magic!!”

Dret, with movements faster than his large size would suggest, rolls greatly to the side.

Thanks to that, only his greatsword is frozen.

With regret, I continue to attack.

Thanks to pre-setting the cooldown, it’s still my turn.

『It’s your turn. Draw 5 cards.』

『Energy 4/4』

[Burning(3)] [Ice Arrow(1)] [Ice Shield(1)] [Earth Wall(1)] [Wind Blade(0)]

The fact that Terrain Manipulation doesn’t work at all was a variable.

But it doesn’t matter.

The real value of this magic lies in support and utility.

I raise my right hand.

The destination is under his left foot.

A line of terrain pops out, throwing off the balance of the running Dret.

“What?!”

Dret loses his balance and staggers due to the momentary change in the position of his feet.

[Wind Blade]

I launched three winds towards his head.

Whoosh.

Dret raised his arm to block, and it didn’t even leave a scratch.

“Hahahahaha!!!”

Dret, laughing like crazy, suddenly threw the entire greatsword with a mass of ice attached to it.

If I get hit by that, I’ll die instantly.

I quickly raised the ground beneath me to avoid it.

Thump!!!

The floor shook, and my posture collapsed.

Thud thud thud thud thud!!!

And the vibration I feel from the ground.

Dret is jumping up the rising ground.

I can’t get caught like this.

I dodge to one side and split the ground I’m standing on in half.

The land tower splits into two.

I was on one side, and Dret was on the other.

Tap!!

Dret leaps, stepping on the receding ground.

Suddenly, he reaches his left hand forward.

“Where do you think you’re going!!!”

“…Damn it.”

One possibility springs to mind.

Grace is a rogue type.

How could a berserker type like Dret have caught and attacked her?

He must have a skill that fits the bill.

That thought was correct.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!!

A vortex forms in Dret’s left hand.

It created a gravitational pull and drew my body in.

“…!!”

I can’t escape.

Then I have no choice but to face him head-on.

[Incineration]

As soon as the card disappeared, flames began to form around me.

Fire mana that couldn’t be compared to a mere fireball made the surroundings bright like a torch.

“Warm!!”

Dret’s giant left hand grabbed my skinny body in one hand.

The vortex disappeared immediately.

“Have you used up all your tricks now?!”

“Not yet.”

The flames around my body disappeared.

Those flames gathered together in my palm.

I stabbed that right into his solar plexus.

“What…?!”

“Die.”

Whoooooosh!!!

Five pillars of fire rise rapidly from the ground.

Each one is so large that I cannot control it, and the tip is aflame.

“Die by my magic!!”

Dret threw me towards the pillars of fire.

Did he think I couldn’t control this much?

The sensation widens.

I move the pillars of fire.

Whoosh.

The five pillars of fire pass me by without barely touching me, and fly towards Dret.

Thwack!!

I was slammed to the floor.

Fortunately, I minimized the impact as much as possible with Terrain Manipulation.

My vision is gradually fading.

I hold onto my consciousness and continue to focus.

Thud thud thud thud!!!

Whoooooosh!!!

Dret tries his best to escape.

But the pillars of fire follow the imprinted coordinates.

Seeing their guidance performance, Dret destroyed everything in the temple to escape.

I manipulate the terrain in detail.

If he hides behind debris, I clear the debris to the sides.

I suddenly lift the terrain to prevent him from tripping.

“…Tch.”

Dret, realizing that there was no longer any way to avoid the pillars of fire that followed him to the end, stopped.

And then, with his greatsword behind him, he assumed a stance to unleash a powerful blow by stretching out his legs.

Whoooooosh!!

Red blood forms on the greatsword.

Then Dret swung his greatsword towards the approaching pillar of fire.

As the blood-red greatsword cut through the air, a red line was drawn along its trajectory.

Once again, he cut through the air, leaving behind a sword trajectory in the shape of an X.

That trajectory then exploded, spewing out red blood forward.

The intersection of two forces colliding.

A powerful explosion erupts around the area.

BOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

The explosion ends, leaving only dust behind.

Soon, a shadow loomed from within the dust.

Its identity is Dret.

Dret parted the dust with his large hand and emerged.

“…You’re certainly no ordinary mage! It’ll be fun to cut you down!”

“Crazy bastard.”

Currently, 4 of Dret’s cards have been revealed.

Blood drain, giantification, pulling with a vortex, and the attack skill from earlier.

3 unknown cards.

『12… 11… until the next draw』

It hasn’t even been a minute yet.

How am I supposed to survive?

“Take this!!!”

Dret threw the greatsword at me again.

Because of the ice mass attached to the end of the greatsword, it flies in a straight line.

[Ice Shield]

I angled the ice shield diagonally to deflect the greatsword to the side.

Clang!!

The greatsword flew to the side and was embedded in the ground.

But Dret charges in without a weapon.

Something’s wrong.

How could he throw his weapon and approach like that when he doesn’t know how magic will fly?

He kept throwing his weapon earlier, so there must be something there.

I immediately turn my gaze and check the location where the greatsword flew.

As expected.

The greatsword was already floating in the air as if by telekinesis.

“You’re quick to notice!!!”

Dret is approaching from the front, and the greatsword is being recovered by Dret from behind.

I can’t block both.

『6… 5… until the next draw』

I retreated and swung the ice shield to attack Dret.

Clang!!

But Dret easily crushes the ice shield with one punch.

At the same time, he grabs the greatsword with his other hand and swings it.

I move my hand to manipulate the terrain, but.

Dret is faster than that.

Thwack!!

I was hit by the ice mass attached to the end of the greatsword and flew far away, crashing into the rubble.

Cough-

A handful of air escapes from my lungs, unable to withstand the pressure.

My ribs seem to be shattered, and all sorts of pain strongly stimulate my brain.

My consciousness is fading and I can’t see well, but I could tell from the vibrations on the ground that Dret was coming this way.

『It’s your turn. Draw 5 cards.』

[Shield] [Vortex] [Strike] [Strike] [Strike]

I threw the [Vortex] card into the air.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!!

Sharp winds swirling around cover Dret.

However, Dret runs in regardless of the injuries he sustained.

His toughness is driving me crazy.

Thump!!

I even launched Strike, but.

I couldn’t inflict any more damage.

『50… 49… until the next draw』

『Energy 0/4』

There’s still a long time until the next draw.

Energy is 0.

Am I going to have to endure this long time with Terrain Manipulation again?

I have to.

I reached out and pushed.

“…?!!!”

The ground didn’t respond.

An emptiness as if my chest had been emptied.

It seems like my mana has run out.

And my health as well.

“What, did your mana already run out?”

Dret, who had already approached, looked down at me.

It seemed he had already broken the ice, and his greatsword was in good condition.

『45… until the next draw』

Should I at least talk some smack in this situation?

“…”

Words don’t come out.

“Well, as a fellow criminal, I won’t let you go easily.”

Dret raised his greatsword high.

Does it end like this?

My vision darkens.

Is this the end?

“…You?”

I hear Dret’s voice.

I opened my eyes.

My vision is dark.

Because of the looming shadow.

It’s not the shadow made by Dret.

“Hans…, didn’t you say you were a 1st floor explorer?”

“Uhh, …Y-Yeah!!!”

It’s Hans.

Hans is holding a large shield high, blocking Dret’s greatsword.

“How did you withstand my attack?”

“W-Who would s-say their cards, you idiot!!!”

A trembling voice.

Cold sweat streaming down.

He’s scared.

Hans too.

A small-time explorer who even struggled with skeletons.

An ordinary 1st floor explorer who was surprised by the slightest movement I made.

But he’s standing in front of me.

Solely by his own will.

In front of that monster that even I fear.

“…………”

Dret’s greatsword, which had paused for a moment, moved.

A slow, but powerful attack.

Bang bang!!!

Dret’s attack is starting to bury Hans into the ground like a hammer driving a nail.

Hans’ body is trembling, and his legs are swaying like balloon dolls.

But the shield didn’t break.

The fact that something this strange is happening means.

He ate a card that fits the bill.

“…What the hell did you eat?”

Dret was flustered, but he stopped attacking and grabbed the shield with his hand.

Dret lifts him up as is.

“N-No!!”

However, Hans clings desperately to the shield, as if he will never let go.

His pitiful feet dangle in the air.

Dret looks at Hans with a face that has completely lost its smile.

“Wouldn’t this mean you can’t do anything in the end? What’s so special about a shield that won’t break.”

“…Hngh.”

“What confidence did you have to stand in front of me? As a mere 1st floor explorer.”

“Th-That’s…”

“If you had run away from here, I might have broken through alone without bothering with the likes of you, who had nothing to gain. Then I could have followed behind and gone outside.”

“……”

“Reflect on your stupidity yourself…” “You dirty bear beast!!”

쿵!!

Suddenly, Hans fell to the floor.

It’s not that Dret dropped him.

Hans has overcome Dret’s strength and landed on the ground.

“What is this useless card anyway? Could it be that it just makes you heavier?”

“I-It’s n-not…!”

A card that makes you unreasonably heavy.

It’s a truly useless card.

But the fact that he’s holding an unbreakable shield and acting like that is just annoying.

“Annoying!!!”

Thump thump thump!!!!

Thwack!!!

Dret’s endless attacks.

“Aaaaaaah!!!”

A scream echoes out.

No matter how much heavier you get and how strange your power is to have an unbreakable shield.

It’s not that your bones are hard.

It’s not that your muscles are hard.

But Hans endures.

With trembling arms.

With broken legs.

He endures against a giant several times his size.

What could be the reason?

Perhaps it’s because he believes.

In me.

That if he just hangs on.

I’ll defeat that monster for him.

That we’ll all have a happy ending together.

“……”

『10… until the next draw』

쿵!!

“Aaaaah!!!”

『5… 4… until the next draw』

“You worthless bug in this world!!!”

“Ughhh!!!”

쿵!!

쿵!!!

쿵!!!

『1… until the next draw』

Hans persevered.

『It’s your turn. Draw 5 cards.』

『Energy 4/4』

[Lightning] [Fireball] [Shield] [Darkness] [Water Spray]

Now it’s my turn.

[Darkness]

Whooooosh!!!

The darkness that gushes out obscures the world.

“W-What?!”

Dret’s panicked voice.

At the same time, Hans’ voice of relief.

Hans slightly evaded to the side and created a field of vision.

Seeing that he naturally gave me a field of vision, he has quite the sense.

Dret’s appearance that can be seen within the secured field of vision.

He raises his greatsword high and strikes down towards me.

I block.

My mana recovered while I was resting.

I reach up and tightly grip my right hand.

Fwoosh!!

Pouring out all my strength, I devour Dret with terrain.

“What?!”

I can’t hold him for long.

I’ll finish it here.

[Lightning]

Crackle!!

Sparks, the harbinger of magic, are created, but the darkness covers it.

I raise my trembling finger and aim.

The destination is between the eyebrows of that guy.

I strike lightning between the eyebrows of that scowling guy.

ZAP!!!

A single huge bolt of lightning that spread from my finger struck between Dret’s eyebrows.

The light created by the lightning dispelled the darkness, and Dret’s head flew straight off.

Soon, a powerful lightning bolt travels around Dret’s entire body, drying up its moisture and burning his entire body.

All that comes back is the sound of thunder.

Rumble!!!

Hiss.

Dret’s burning body.

His head is already gone, and flames rise above his neck.

The giantification had already been undone, returning him to his original form.

Was it thanks to the imposing demeanor that he had already been overflowing with?

I feel awe at his still standing appearance.

But at that time, the headless Dret raises his greatsword high.

“…I, It’s moving!!! Mage-nim!”

Hans shouted and raised his shield again.

BOOOOOOM!!

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Dret madly swings his sword.

He constantly pushes forward like a last-ditch effort.

Hans barely blocks, but he’s at a loss for what to do in the face of the faster offensive.

But Hans smiles and looks at me.

“I, I’ve heard of this before!! It’s a card called [Boundary of Death]!”

As soon as Hans said that, he seemed to have lost strength in his legs and sat down.

Still, it’s amazing that the shield doesn’t break.

“I heard that it has the effect of delaying death for 1 minute!”

Crack!!!

I hear the sound of bones breaking.

Hans is at his limit now too.

“W-What should we do? Mage-nim?”

“……”

Dret definitely has a card related to blood drain.

I can tell from his fight with the skeleton, as well as the combat process so far.

Even at this moment, his wounds will be healing.

His image that I saw from the beginning, a figure suited to a berserker.

“Did you heal Grace-ssi?!”

“Yes!! I placed her back where she was originally!”

I close my eyes and feel the mana.

The battle isn’t over because it’s still considered that guy is alive.

In other words, Terrain Manipulation is still applied.

Thump, thump.

I can hear Grace’s heartbeat in a place not far away.

She’s alive too.

However, it doesn’t seem her condition allows her to move.

Thud thud.

Thump thump!

I can also hear Karin’s footsteps fighting the monster.

The distance isn’t as far as I thought.

“Do you remain conscious during Boundary of Death?”

“It’s said that you enter a state of unconsciousness and attack all visible lifeforms! That’s why it’s practically treated as a curse card…”

“Cough!! Hooo…, L-Let the mon, ster take care of Dret, and let’s escape from here.”

“How are we going to do that?!”

I have to do it.

I reach out and manipulate the terrain.

Just once.

I accurately fly this unconscious guy in the direction of the monster.

Crack!!!

Hans, who screamed with the sound of bones breaking, sat down.

Looking at Hans, who was attached to the shield as if clinging to it, I said.

“Take everyone to Karin and evacuate…”

No more voice came out.

Looking at Hans, who nodded, I used up the remaining strength and moved the terrain under Dret.

“…?!!!!”

Dret is flying towards the Frozen Demon.

Hans shouted loudly in that direction.

“Knight-nim!! He says to take everyone and evacuate!!!”

As I listened to Hans’ voice, my consciousness gradually faded.

“M-Mage-nim?!”

“G-Go…”

…….

**

I opened my eyes.

An unfamiliar ceiling, unfortunately, judging by the cold wind that wraps around my body, it doesn’t seem like I’ve returned to Earth.

『Check the card rewards,』

[Mana Overload(0) – Rare] [Tidal Wave(3) – Rare] [Rampage(1) – Rare]

It seems like it also knew this was a difficult fight, and gave me a rare card.

But are there no separate grades above rare? And what about the relic? Considering this fight, wouldn’t I deserve a relic?

It’s unfair, it’s unfair.

…For now, let’s choose a reward.

Judging by the name, [Overload] and [Rampage] seem to be cards with risks.

On the other hand, [Tidal Wave] seems like a simple attack card.

I have too many 3-cost damage cards…

It’s a shame.

My deck is just getting heavier.

It’s not a good sign.

I also don’t have any draw cards.

For now, I can’t thin out my deck in the given environment, so I’m just mindlessly filling it with cards.

The more I do that, the less likely I am to draw Strike/Shield from my hand.

Of course, all of this is because there’s no explanation attached to the cards.

Damn status window X-kki.

First of all, it seems like a powerful magic is more important right now.

It’s more effective to use strong magic now that I have a vanguard.

So, I chose [Tidal Wave].

“…Don’t wake up.”

Karin’s voice.

When I turned my head, Karin was next to me.

She was wearing thick clothes without her full plate armor.

When I turned my eyes, the armor was piled up roughly far away.

Armor that has already become waste.

It seems she also had a hard time.

“Th…”

A voice was about to come out, but it stopped.

It still feels like my insides are burning.

It seems like recovery isn’t complete.

Karin, seeing my appearance, lightly smiled and covered me with a blanket before leaving again.

‘No, tell me what happened!’

Karin is good at fighting, but she lacks tact.

But I couldn’t say anything to her kindness, so I decided to move on for now.

“……”

When I looked around, it seemed like I was inside the collapsed castle.

Hans and Grace were also lying down and resting.

The three were lying around the bonfire with Karin.

The aftermath of the battle was too great.

If only I had waited for that guy to act first instead of launching a preemptive strike, or if only I had started the politics first…

But there’s no way that would have been accepted.

“Haa…”

What happened a while ago was the best choice.

At least for me.

Rustle rustle.

I turned my eyes at the sound of something moving, and Karin was already coming next to me with something.

“I put all the food ingredients I found in Grace’s bag and boiled them.”

“……”

She scooped up something that smelled strange entirely with a spoon and handed it to my mouth.

The food already entered my mouth before I could even refuse.

Something strange that was something compared to a soup.

It’s overly lacking compared to the soup that Grace made.

At the same time that the first wave of flavor wrapped around my tongue.

I lost consciousness again due to the shocking taste.

Like this, the first night in the hidden dungeon, filled with so many twists and turns, passed.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

『Deck List』

[Strike] [Strike] [Strike] [Strike] [Strike]

[Shield] [Shield] [Shield] [Shield]

[Charge] [Wind Blade] [Electrocution] [Fireball]

[Vortex] [Freezing] [Body Enhancement] [Blink]

[Ice Shield] [Darkness] [Incineration] [Water Spray]

[Ice Arrow] [Earth Wall] [Momentum – Power]

[Pause] [Fireball] [Lightning]

[Terrain Manipulation – Power] [Tidal Wave(New)]

13 attack cards

14 skill cards

2 power cards

0 curse cards

Total of 29 cards.