episode_0020

Entering the second cave, not long after.

We found a giant ant guarding hundreds of eggs at the center of a space.

Everyone was holding their breath, hiding against the walls of the room.

The giant ant visible beyond was about 20 meters in threatening size. Its appearance was indeed similar to ants as its name suggested.

“There really is a giant ant…?! Cyan did well to listen to me…!”

“Shh! Monaka, your voice is too loud!”

Victor restrained Monaka, who was about to burst out laughing.

Similarly, Andrey, who was also hiding, gave me a thumbs-up.

It’s awkward.

Honestly, I wondered what would happen if it wasn’t there. Zeke was pressuring me too much, which was making me angry.

Despite Monaka’s reaction, Zeke was still grinning.

“When I count to three, we all go in together…! Andrey, get ready to cast fire magic! …When I give the signal, Zeke and I will attack simultaneously!”

Everyone nodded at Victor’s words.

Zeke, too, seemed to reluctantly nod.

“Alright, let’s do this! One….”

Everyone stared intently at the giant ant, holding their breath.

All that could be heard was the frantic pounding of hearts due to tension.

I, too, felt sweat dripping from nervousness.

“…Two.”

I prepared myself mentally to spring into action.

Monaka also gripped his bow tightly, looking jittery.

All eyes turned to Victor’s mouth.

And then, as if in slow motion, time seemed to pass slowly.

Soon, Victor’s lips moved.

His tongue swept across his upper teeth, finally making a sound.

“…Three!”

As he spoke, Victor and Zeke rushed forward like arrows.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sounds of metal armor and weapons clashing wildly echoed.

Like seasoned C-rank adventurers, we quickly formed our ranks.

“….!”

The giant ant was taken aback by our sudden appearance.

It seemed to rise defensively, but it was already too late.

“Andrey! Now’s the time!”

As Victor shouted, Andrey followed up with the almost completed spell incantation.

“….Shield us from the enemies’ movements. Fire Wall!”

-Whoosh!

A massive wall of flames erupted from the ground, colliding with the giant ant’s abdomen.

-Sizzle!

“Krrr, krrrrrk! Krrrrk!”

Unable to react, the giant ant writhed in agony from the collision of flames.

Its body flipped sideways in response.

“Zeke!”

“I got it!”

Victor and Zeke dashed to the sides of the overturned giant ant, wielding their swords furiously.

-Whoosh!

-Crack!

-Swish!

-Thud!

“Krrrrrrrrrk!”

“Everyone, watch out!”

Then came Monaka’s successive support shots.

Shoot, reload. He repeated the action quickly, firing arrows in rapid succession.

-Shing! Thud!

-Pew pew pew pew pew!

“Krrrrrrrrrk!”

The giant ant let out a chilling scream that seemed to tear through one’s ears.

But that scream didn’t last long.

“Krrrrrrrk….”

In an instant, unable to cope with the relentless attacks, the giant ant’s movements ceased.

Despite Victor and Zeke’s efforts to ensure, they continued to pummel the giant ant, but it remained motionless.

“……..”

It was over.

There was no need for me to step forward to guard Andrey.

The giant ant no longer moved.

“…It’s dead.”

With Victor’s words, Monaka, relieved, slumped down.

Andrey, too, sank down as if drained of energy, saying,

“…Well done, everyone.”

“Haaa… Thank goodness. I’m glad it ended like this.”

At that moment, Zeke, shaking one leg, spoke up.

“Tsk, what a bother. We went through so much trouble at the entrance because of this guy.”

“Zeke, your words are a bit strange, aren’t they? If it weren’t for Victor and Cyan, we would have suffered in the third stage because of you?”

“……”

At Monaka’s words, Zeke grimaced.

And right there, he lit a cigarette.

“Hey! What are you doing? Don’t smoke in front of me like a tough guy! It stinks!”

I wrinkled my nose at the strong, foul smell in the air.

Is this what it’s come to now… Well, it’s not my business.

I headed towards the corpse of the Giant Ent.

“Huh? Cyan-ah! Where are you?!”

Ignoring Monaka’s words, I examined the corpse of the Giant Ent.

It was a mix of concern and curiosity, wondering if there might be any other variables.

‘……’

-Tok tok tok.

I tapped on the tough skin of the Giant Ent with my fist.

But there was no miraculous resurrection like in the movies.

The outcome was so anticlimactic that it made my previous worries seem insignificant.

‘It was quite stable for a C-rank party.’

I felt a bit drained.

Between the recent Hedie incident and the adventures, I had been quite tired.

Once I receive my rewards, I should go back to the dormitory and rest properly.

After resting, maybe I’ll indulge in some fruits that I’ve been craving.

Lately, I’ve been wanting something sweet.

“Tsk, darn brat. Getting excited over nothing… Hm?”

As Zeke muttered while crouching down, he suddenly noticed something and moved towards the wall.

“…Huh?!”

And then, he exclaimed in amazement as he picked up a stone.

“Victor! Come over here! It’s a magic stone!”

“Hmm? A magic stone?”

A magic stone?

In this low-level monster cave?

It wasn’t something I knew from the game information…

Just as I was thinking that.

A chilling image flashed through my mind for a moment.

‘Could it be?!’

My mind filled with warnings.

Turning my head, I saw Zeke reaching towards the magic stone attached to the wall.

Reacting instinctively, I shouted at Zeke with all my might.

“Mr. Zeke! Don’t touch that! Remove your hand immediately!”

However, Zeke ignored my words and touched the stone.

In that brief moment when Zeke touched the stone.

“Oh-?!”

“What, what is this?!”

Victor and Zeke were both startled simultaneously.

A sudden change occurred.

As soon as he touched it, an intense crimson light emanated from the magic stone.

-Aaaahhh!

“Stop!”

“-! What’s happening!”

“What is this! What is this!!”

“I… I can’t see in front of me!”

…!

Amidst the chaos, another loud noise echoed.

The entire chamber of the labyrinth where we were, began to shake as if in an earthquake.

-Kugwaaaa!

Rocks that should have been on the ceiling began to crack and fall indiscriminately.

-Thud! Crash! Thud!

The fallen rocks piled up at the entrance we had just come through, blocking our way out.

“What is this… Ugh-!”

Andrei, who was approaching the entrance, was crushed by a large falling rock.

As he was crushed, his neck twisted, and his body contorted.

Monaka’s face turned pale blue as she faced this sight.

And shortly after.

“Kyah, kyaaaaaah!”

Realizing that Andrei had become a motionless lump of flesh in an instant, Monaka screamed.

“…?! What is this! Ah, Andrei…?!”

Victor also belatedly realized the truth.

…The formation had collapsed long ago.

Truly a dire situation.

As if not allowing even a moment to breathe, a geometric patterned magic circle appeared under our feet, seemingly created out of nowhere.

-Shuquaang!

“What, what do we do…!”

…!

“Wha, what…? Whaattt?!”

Monaka, half in shock, stared into space with unfocused eyes.

The light emanating from the magic stone intensified for a moment.

Soon, the magic circle activated by the magic stone engulfed us all in light.

The world shimmered once.

And my last memory was of Zeke’s bewildered face, looking lost and confused.

***

It was a hellish spectacle.

The surroundings fell eerily silent, making the recent events feel almost unreal.

I took a moment to calm my racing heart and slowly regulated my breathing.

A low-level dungeon like this having a large-scale transmutation spell tied to a magic stone was beyond belief.

In the realm of my knowledge, it was an event that should not have occurred.

…As I regained my senses and looked around, everything seemed unfamiliar.

A space where not even a single ray of light penetrated, engulfed in darkness so deep that it was impossible to distinguish whether it was day or night.

The surroundings vaguely visible in my adaptation resembled the shape of a cave.

The sound of water dripping steadily from the ceiling.

A profound sense of resonance emanating from a depth that seemed to suck one into the abyss.

It was like a labyrinth resembling a deep natural cave constructed layer by layer with ancient rocks.

Given that this was a space shifted through teleportation magic, it was highly likely a hidden underground maze inaccessible under normal circumstances.

As I fumbled my hand against my waist, fortunately, the warrior’s sword was still there.

In such a situation, if I had lost my sword, it would have been truly a desperate state.

“…Yet, the damn thing remains the same.”

Even though I muttered these words quietly, the silence around me amplified them to echo far beyond.

Now, what should I do?

I know how to conquer underground mazes.

Simply find another similar type of teleportation stone somewhere and escape.

However…

I surveyed my surroundings.

There was nothing but silence, devoid of any signs of life.

…Have they all scattered?

It’s too risky to search alone.

If I move alone and get exposed to a group of monsters, this place will become my grave.

The danger level of the monsters in the underground maze is unknown.

Therefore, I needed to find my scattered party members simultaneously.

Victor, Monaka, Andrei…

Andrei…?

“……”

At any rate, even Zeke, who caused all this chaos.

The probability of survival increases when you find at least one more person to accompany you.

“Phew….”

I sighed and drew my sword from its sheath.

Then, I gazed ahead.

Two diverging paths in the cave.

Due to the darkness, the end was not visible.

It felt suffocating, but one of these paths must lead to where my comrades are.

I don’t know how to distinguish. The coordinates of teleportation magic are random.

…I had no choice but to move forward.

I set my foot towards the left path.

I needed to join Victor’s party as soon as possible.

Slowly surrendering myself to the darkness within, I moved forward.