WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Irevi

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Chapter 82: Undead Dungeon (3)

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"Aren, Pasha, Mar. You three take the left path. Halibal and Mine, you'll come with me to the right."

At Alicia's instruction, Aren immediately led Pasha and Mar into the left corridor.

Once we confirmed the torchlight had faded into the distance, we headed down the right corridor as well.

With three torches gone, the area became much darker.

Normally, monsters should have swarmed us the moment we entered the corridor.

The standard strategy was to kill the monsters, light the torches, return to the center, and enter the boss battle.

'Why aren't they showing up?'

For some reason, the right corridor was completely empty.

There wasn't even a sign of monsters appearing.

"Are monsters really supposed to appear here?"

"Um, but... something's strange..."

Mine had noticed the same oddity.

"What is it?"

"......Did you see any wraith-type monsters while we were coming here?"

'Now that she mentions it.'

The strange thing Mine had noticed was something I hadn't even considered.

The Undead Dungeon's common monsters fell into three main types: skeletons, zombies, and wraiths.

Negaloun, the boss, was a skeleton-type monster.

Yet the only monsters we'd seen while running here were skeletons and zombies.

The wraith-type monsters were actually the heart of the Undead Dungeon.

Physical attacks against wraiths were halved, and since they were said to be made from the lingering souls of victims, they possessed intelligence as well.

"I saw... so many of them back then. That's why it was even sadder. It felt like the souls of people who had protected the Empire in the past were being used as the Evil God's toys..."

If Mine encountered wraith-type monsters, she probably wouldn't be able to casually crush their heads.

People connected to her past could have appeared as enemies.

"Hmm... Junior, have you ever seen monsters inside a dungeon disappear naturally?"

"Not as far as I know."

"Then there are only two possibilities. They've gone to their master, or they've gone to an enemy."

'If it's an enemy...'

My gaze immediately turned toward the corridor Aren had taken.

Alicia's words made sense.

The monsters' enemies were intruders like us.

Now that we'd split into two groups, if there were no enemies on our side, didn't that mean all the remaining monsters had gathered around Aren?

No matter how skilled Aren was, could she handle that many monsters while protecting Pasha and Mar?

It might be better to join Aren now and light the torches one by one.

"Senior."

"If you've made a choice, take responsibility for it."

Before I could say anything, Alicia cut me off in a cold voice.

It seemed she'd guessed what I was thinking.

"Didn't you trust her enough to give her that role?"

"..."

"Then trust her until the end. Trust your own judgment, Junior, and that girl's sword."

Alicia's eyes told me not to waver.

"If we head that way now, we'll only add to the confusion. In the worst case, we'd lose this path to the monsters as well. Our job is to defeat the boss. Don't confuse your role."

I calmed down.

'Right. Even if I went to Aren, I'd have to come back here eventually. And if the torch goes out in the meantime, it would all be pointless.'

Aren herself had said she would keep the path lit until we defeated the boss.

"No. I was going to say we should hurry forward. The sooner we enter the boss battle, the less burden there'll be on their side."

With that, we started moving forward again.

The only sounds in the darkness were our breathing and the occasional drip of water.

There were no clashing weapons or screams.

After some time, we reached an empty brazier without encountering a single monster.

When we lit it, a brilliant pillar of fire shot into the sky.

As the torch blazed, the darkness in the dungeon slowly began to recede.

I immediately looked toward the opposite wall.

'Not yet?'

"We've lit this one. Let's hurry back."

"But...!"

"Mine. It's okay. Trust the three of them."

Mine reluctantly nodded at my words.

We quickly returned to the three-way fork and headed into the center corridor this time.

After walking for a while, an enormous stone door came into view.

"Ah...!"

A quiet gasp escaped Mine.

The stone door bore the same pattern as a church emblem. The very door that had brought tragedy through her own hands stood before her.

"It really... took a long time... to come back here..."

A single tear rolled down Mine's cheek.

Even then, the surroundings remained shrouded in darkness.

Even after we'd lit our torch and reached the boss room, there had been no news from the left corridor.

'......By now, their torch should have been lit.'

Alicia didn't look pleased either.

If you've made a choice, take responsibility for it.

Those words applied to Alicia herself as well, since she had brought Pasha and Mar into this operation.

Then...

"Ah...!!"

A faint light leaked from the end of the left corridor.

It gradually grew brighter before becoming a brilliant pillar of fire rising above the wall.

The torch had been lit.

'Thank goodness.'

As I watched the darkness completely disappear from the dungeon, I silently cheered.

"They did it! I knew I could trust them!"

Alicia shouted openly.

It seemed she'd been worried too.

'Then is it our turn?'

Three pairs of eyes turned toward the tightly shut stone door.

The torches could go out at any moment.

That was why we had to enter the boss battle now, while both torches were still burning.

"Mine. Open it."

At Alicia's words, Mine reached out.

But her hand stopped in front of the door handle.

It hovered in the air as if it had nowhere to go.

How many people had died because of that single gesture? And beyond that door was the being responsible for those deaths.

I gripped Mine's trembling shoulders.

"Are you afraid?"

"......Yes."

"Then you mustn't be."

I meant it.

"You should be angry."

At the being that had left her with an indelible trauma.

At the being that had taken away the people precious to her.

At the being beyond that door, which had forced her to live her whole life in a prison of guilt and lies.

She should be angry.

Mine now had both the strength and the right to be.

Mine stopped trembling at my words.

Slowly, she raised her head and looked up at the stone door.

The fear gradually faded from her eyes, and flames began to burn in its place.

"I'm going in!"

She gripped the handle without hesitation.

Creeeak──!!

The door opened with the same sound that had opened the door to past tragedy, and the chill of death flowed out.

Before us stretched a vast training ground.

What had once been the heart of the outer fortress had now become like a charnel house filled with bones and dust.

At the far end of the training ground, a skeletal knight sat upon a throne made of bones.

Worn, pitch-black armor.

A horned helmet.

A purple core visible at the center of its chest.

The Undead Dungeon's mid-boss, Negaloun, slowly rose from its throne as though it had noticed our arrival.

Crack.

Negaloun's hand gripped the greatsword leaning beside the throne.

I reflexively turned toward Mine.

I was worried she might be trembling again.

But she wasn't.

The flames in her eyes hadn't weakened in the slightest.

"Halibal was right. There's no reason to be afraid. No, we mustn't be afraid. For the sake of those who died to save me!"

Mine drew her mace and shouted.

"Raphael!"

At her call, pure white light gathered and formed Rosia's figure.

"For an impious being, even rest is a luxury!"

As if her words were a signal, I drew my sword and Alicia unfolded her fan.

Creak. Creak.

At that moment, Negaloun twisted its waist sharply.

Its bones bent at angles impossible for a human.

Negaloun swung its greatsword with one hand.

The killing move it used the moment it encountered an enemy, Spatial Slash.

Slash!

A single slash that cut through space itself flew toward us.

But Mine wasn't afraid.

Boom!

With a light gesture, Rosia stepped in front of us.

The moment Spatial Slash struck Rosia's armor and disappeared, Mine shouted.

"Now, Halibal! Lady Alicia! It's time for judgment!"

As Alicia drew up all the Mana in her body, I kicked off the ground and rushed toward Negaloun.

Then I thrust my sword toward its core.

Clang!

The moment Negaloun blocked my sword, familiar jewels floated above our heads, announcing the start of the real battle.

[Unique Ability - Rewind Action 0 / 3]

[※The Unique Ability can only be used in boss battles.]

Footnotes:

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