NOVEL NEXT Chapter 76
Chapter: 76
I snapped back to reality and urgently scanned the surroundings.
Where am I?
First off, it’s not another dungeon besides the temple of Kohliti.
I’ve just been sent to a different location within the same dungeon.
Calm down. Panicking here won’t do any good.
“Uh?! What on earth is this?”
‘Just a moment.’
“Pitiful Prince, stop blabbering like a shoddy person and stay still.”
There’s a certain protocol to follow when such unexpected situations arise.
First, assess your current location.
If I’m in the middle of a path frequented by monsters, I’d be facing a foolish death.
The old temple of Kohliti requires a thoroughly prepared mid-level 30 party to tackle it normally.
That kind of firepower is needed to face Minotaurs or heavily armed Orcs.
But how about us right now?
I’m just a level 11 Holy Knight, and Arthur is even weaker than me.
What will happen if we run into a monster like this? It’s obvious.
So obvious I don’t even want to imagine it, yet I can.
Looking at the vines growing along the wall, barely visible, indicates that we’re deep inside.
Level 6? Level 7?
The depiction on the wall is quite clear.
That means it’s the 7th floor.
I recall the map of the 7th floor of the dungeon and begin to survey my surroundings.
By assessing the alley’s position and the surrounding terrain.
[Hey, girl!]
The grandpa shouting is a warning, so there’s no need to hear what he has to say next.
I’ve identified where I am. Based on the mental map I constructed, I plan an escape route.
The silver lining is that the lower depths of the temple are tangled like a maze.
Normally, it would be a trick to corner players, but not for me.
For someone who has completely memorized the geography here, a maze-like path is just a good means of escape.
I pick up the dazed Arthur as he stands there confused.
“Lucy Allen?!”
‘Sorry! Please understand!’
“Pitiful Prince! If you want to keep your sorry life, shut it!”
“Behind us!”
‘Got it!’
“Do you think I’m as inept as you? Pitiful Prince?!”
I dash desperately along the path in my mind, and I hear a thumping sound from behind.
Damn it. How far do I need to run to shake off the aggro?!
So I run frantically, finally shaking off the footsteps, and let Arthur down from my shoulder, taking a breather.
Haa. I’m seriously dying here.
How many times have I sprinted today?
If I had slacked off on stamina training even a bit, I’d be dead by now.
Finally calming my racing heart and lifting my head, I see Arthur trying hard to maintain his composure.
He’s probably the most confused one right now.
I know that Agra messed around, but Arthur was just caught in it.
Yet, he’s choosing to remain silent out of a desire not to escalate the confusion.
I’ve gotta say, even when it was just a game, this guy was skilled.
‘If you have something to ask, feel free.’
“Shoddy Pitiful Prince, if you’re confused, just ask. I’ll tell you kindly!”
“…I won’t refuse. Lucy Allen, do you know what the situation is?”
I share the formalities with Arthur.
That we’ve been thrown into another floor of the dungeon.
That we have to last until the rescue team arrives from above.
And to survive that, we need to either keep running or head for the safe zones.
“This is a tough situation.”
I didn’t deny Arthur’s words.
Right now the situation is worse than when we fell into the place where the Alchemist was.
The monsters that appear aren’t stronger than that time, but the ones we faced there were blind idiots.
They had weaknesses that were so obvious, it was easy to evade them.
But this place is different.
No matter how far we run, the Orcs that will pursue us and the damn agile Minotaurs are relentless.
If we miscalculate the route while escaping, we could end up getting ambushed and flat out die.
So, to endure until the professors come to rescue us, heading for a safe zone is the best option.
We have to move now.
‘Grandpa. Can I count on you like last time?’
[Tough times, huh.]
‘What can I do? I’m marked.’
If I want to be safe from this crazy situation, I gotta get strong enough to squash any trickery.
Wait for me, Agra.
I’m still in the process of growth, but in a little while, I’ll be strong enough to greet your tricks with a smile.
I’ll show the skills of a veteran gamer from Soul Academy!
You’ll be the fool by then, so enjoy it until then!
“What shall we do?”
As I raised my head and grasped my shield with one hand, Arthur asked.
‘I’ll be heading to a safe zone.’
“Even you, Pitiful Prince, know what a safe zone is, right? We’re going there.”
“Do you know where it is before moving?”
Arthur said.
He had just seen that this place was a maze during our escape.
If we mess up, we’d end up wandering around and dying by encountering enemies.
So let’s not rush and stay quietly until we sense the presence of monsters.
That was a rational judgment.
If this were the Dungeon Studies exam, I’d give him full marks.
But this isn’t an exam, and at least for me, that’s not a good option.
‘What’s where, I know it all.’
“Pitiful Prince. Please don’t think I’m a shoddy person just because you are. I know exactly where everything is in this dungeon!”
“That’s nonsense. Isn’t this the first time you’ve seen this place?”
Actually, no. I’ve seen it far too many times.
If we count how many times I’ve tackled this dungeon, it would easily be in the thousands.
Or maybe even more than that.
The rewards from defeating the boss here, the fragment of Kohliti, were worth it, so I kept coming.
That’s the reality, but saying it probably won’t make Arthur believe me.
So, I tried to smile reassuringly and spoke.
‘Trust me.’
“Pitiful Prince. Don’t believe the thoughts of a shoddy person like you; trust my ideas instead.”
“…Do you have any proof?”
‘Yes! I have a blessing!’
“I’m loved by Lord Jushin.”
As I said this, Arthur’s eyes widened, and he let out a light chuckle.
“Alright. I’ll give it a try.”
*
Lucy’s claim of being blessed by the gods isn’t a lie.
She knew everything about this dungeon as confidently as she had stated.
How the paths within the dungeon were structured.
Where the monsters appeared and how they moved.
How the traps within the dungeon were laid out.
This wasn’t just a level of knowing how to clear the dungeon.
Lucy Allen’s judgment was so accurate, you could believe she designed it.
They said she possessed the blessing of gaining knowledge about the dungeon.
Ha. Did I really think I could challenge someone with a blessing like that?
How foolish of me. So foolish.
I was walking into the path of defeat on my own feet while convinced of victory.
How scornful must Lucy Allen have found me for proposing a contest?
Haa.
A person with enough talent to look down on the world.
“Lucy Allen.”
“What?”
Is it because I’m standing in the midst of danger!?
Her voice was sharper than usual.
“Can I ask why you call me Pitiful Prince?”
Previously, I’ve heard from Joy that Lucy Allen wasn’t insulting him out of malice.
If it were someone else, I would dismiss it as nonsense, but Lucy Allen was a person isolated by her own arrogance for her entire life.
She had to be clumsy about the news around her.
Arthur, who had previously been focused on emotion, had ignored this fact but now it was different.
With his head somewhat cooled down, he admitted that Joy’s explanation could very well be the truth.
So he asked.
Why was she calling him Pitiful Prince when she knew nothing of his circumstances?
Hearing the question, Lucy Allen turned her head and looked at Arthur as if he were foolish and said.
“Because you show signs of being pitiful, that’s why you’re Pitiful Prince.”
“Me?”
“Did you not know that? Pfft. You’re so shoddy I don’t want to explain it.”
Showing signs? Me?
There’s no way that can be true.
I’ve lived my life trying not to be pitied.
To fulfill my mother’s last wish.
To prevent my deceased mother from being insulted.
I tried my best to become someone no one could look down on.
And I never showed signs of being pitiful.
“Please explain it in detail.”
“Pitiful Prince, stop rushing at me like a lustful dog and stay still.”
Despite the insulting language, Arthur kept his mouth shut due to her serious tone.
He was a person who could suppress his emotions when it came to the present situation.
Following Lucy Allen’s lead, Arthur peeked over the wall and spotted the monster blocking the way.
A Minotaur.
Arthur had heard about such monsters.
One of the knights he knew in the royal palace loved to boast about his adventures, and included tales about Minotaurs.
“A Minotaur is an extremely strong monster. It has the strength to crush ordinary soldiers in armor, and it’s as fast as a buffalo. Plus, it possesses human wisdom and intelligence. Its life force is so remarkable that it won’t die from ordinary wounds.”
“Remember, Prince. Minotaurs can even put knights in jeopardy. If you happen to encounter one, you must run.”
Arthur still remembered that knight’s tale.
The professors from Soul Academy could easily deal with it since they were once prominent figures in the field, but neither he nor Lucy Allen had that luxury.
If they recklessly charged in, they would encounter a foolish death.
Although Lucy Allen surely knew this, she showed no intent to go elsewhere.
Instead, she pulled out a few potions from her pockets, as if preparing for battle.
“Lucy Allen. You can’t possibly be thinking of fighting that thing?”
“Yes. I plan to smash that brute’s head.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
That was suicide.
Despite Lucy Allen being more skilled than her peers, she wouldn’t be able to handle that thing.
“What’s wrong, Pitiful Prince? Are you afraid you’re going to wet yourself?”
“This isn’t about being afraid…”
“To reach the safe zone, I have to smash that Minotaur.”
The safe zone.
That cursed space created by Agra and blessed by the Authority of Armadi, ensuring safety.
The only place where challengers can rest assured within the unpredictable dungeon.
To endure here safely, Lucy Allen insisted that they had to go to it.
And to do so, they had to defeat that Minotaur.
“Impossible. It’d be better to dodge monsters like we are now.”
“Pitiful Prince, do you think the shoddy you and I can last until the shoddies from the Academy arrive?”
The moment he heard that answer, Arthur realized.
Lucy Allen couldn’t possibly not know that this was a dangerous path.
That she, who knew everything about this dungeon, wouldn’t be unaware of the Minotaur’s danger.
“Is this truly the only way?”
The moment Lucy Allen nodded, Arthur gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.
Am I really going to risk my life?
“Besides, if you’re scared, cowardly Pitiful Prince can just wet your pants in the back.”
“No. I’ll fight too.”
It’s too shameful to leave everything to a girl and run away.
I don’t want to become an even worse person than this.