Volume 4 Chapter 8 Long-Awaited Dungeon Exploration Floor 80?
Looking around.
It seemed like we were in a place resembling one of the watchtowers of a castle. Perhaps an ancient stone palace.
The sky was scattered with darkness resembling a starry night and shimmering lights. Crystal-like lights were also lit around us. Thanks to that, even though the sky was dark, we didn't have trouble finding a light source, creating a strange situation.
"Where are we...?"
When I said that, Ice, Clay, and Toxy looked uneasy, tilting their heads or shaking them.
Among them, only Sandra was pondering with a pale face.
"Sandra, do you know anything?"
"...I'm desperately trying to figure out the classification of dungeon floors."
"Classification of floors?"
When I replied, Clay added,
"It seems that Karditsa's big dungeon changes its nature every 20 floors. Floors 1-20 are caves, floors 21-40 are a large fairy forest."
"Let's just say that I'm really looking forward to the Great Forest, but let's put that aside for now."
Sandra looked around. She hesitated before continuing her explanation.
"When you become a silver torch, the guild will explain the hierarchy. After the forest comes the lake and waterfall. Then, the lava. And, the castle."
"The castle..."
I was so nervous that I couldn't speak properly. Everyone must have felt the same. This place clearly looked like a castle. If we interpret it straightforwardly, it means this place is below the 80th floor.
In other words, beyond the silver rank.
The gold rank. The realm of heroes and monsters that are said not to exist.
"Um... this might be bad, right...?"
Toxy's face turned pale, smiling awkwardly. It was clear that she was trying to escape reality by lifting the corners of her mouth due to anxiety.
I looked at the gauntlets on my arms. I checked the engraved runes. The runes of trial. They weren't glowing. Does that mean it's safe?
At that moment, the runes started to fade. I was astonished. The material of the gauntlet was iron. It was not normal for it to crumble on its own.
However, the trial rune started to fade, losing its form as a rune. I didn't know how to interpret this.
After biting my lower lip slightly, I spoke.
"For now, let's aim to escape. Since we don't understand the situation, let's move with utmost caution."
When I gave the instructions, each person, with fear evident on their faces, responded with 'understood.'
And so, we first looked towards the building, searching for a way up from inside the castle.
There stood a soldier.
"..."
Strictly speaking, it wasn't a human but someone dressed like a soldier. Blue, crystal-like skin. Its polished body reflected a sparkling, star-like radiance.
"..."
Silence and shudders filled the air. How should we proceed? I held my iron lump sword ready, waiting to see what would happen next.
In front of me, I couldn't instantly realize there were soldiers.
"Huh!?"
A spear is swung. I block it with my iron lump sword. We are evenly matched. Our weapons deflect off each other.
I shout,
"Ice! Protect everyone! Sandra! Cover us! Others, standby!"
"Standby!?"
Without time to respond to Clay's objection, I close in on the soldier. It's high-speed movement using gravity magic.
"Object Weight Increase, Object Point Shift."
I seize the soldier with magic, lift them high into the air, then slam them down to the ground.
A shattering sound echoed. Feeling the impact, I follow up by striking with my iron lump sword.
The crystal soldier's body partially shatters. Surprisingly, it's not over yet.
The upper body still moves, thrusting the spear tip towards me. By the time I think, :This is bad," it's too late.
"Thunderbolt."
However, Sandra's support arrived just in time. The spear of the Crystal Soldier shattered. Seeing that, the Crystal Soldier ran out of strength.
They shattered into pieces, crumbling away. I breathed heavily and collapsed on the spot. Sandra supported me.
"Wade."
"San, dra...! I'm saved. It would have been bad without Sandra."
Others gather around. Everyone's eyes widen at the sight of my haggard exhaustion.
"Wade-kun... Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. ...Thanks, Ice..."
"Wade-kun, what was that standby earlier about? I followed your instructions for now, but..."
I explain to Clay.
"This guy was stronger than me."
"...What do you mean?"
"It's a simple matter of strength. They attacked with such a thin spear at the same power level as my gravity magic-enhanced strike. Their speed was faster than mine. Did anyone react to that earlier attack?"
Sandra barely raised her hand. The others looked back and trembled at the difference in their abilities.
"I was only able to win because my gravity magic worked regardless of the opponent's strength. There's no guarantee the next one will go well. That's why I ordered everyone to standby. Considering this toughness, maybe only I, Ice, and Sandra can avoid taking damage."
Indeed, it was tough. The thrilling battle was fine, but this was a dungeon. Unlike in the city or forest, if I took on the enemy, it wouldn't mean everyone else would be safe.
...At least if it was just me. Even if I got injured or jumped into a more dangerous situation, it wouldn't have mattered if it was just me.
"W-What the..."
Toxy said, trembling. There was no longer even a forced smile there. Just fear dominated the scene.
Clay also seemed to have no room to argue further in this situation. He remained silent, lips pressed tightly together at my explanation.
In that moment, Ice said,
"Wade, I want you to decide on our strategy."
What I saw there were eyes that were unwavering, eyes that believed in me completely. Eyes that entrusted their fate to me. And if I fail to live up to that trust, eyes that say there is no regret.
I closed my eyes tightly, then opened them.
"Everyone, listen up. From now on, we will avoid all battles. We will only engage when we have no other choice. Your top priority should be your own life. In this urgent situation, there is no room for objections."
With a firm tone in my command, everyone nodded in agreement. Amidst the anxiety and fear, there was a shining determination in their strong eyes.
"We will make it back alive."
I said. To inspire everyone or perhaps to remind myself.
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