NOVEL NEXT The order of entry has changed slightly.
Last time, all the adventurers were supposed to enter before the knights, but due to an unexpected mishap, this time the adventurers and the knights decided to mix things up and enter half and half.
Once again, Alex took the lead for the vanguard party.
Following him was Yona, the healer, and then there was Rude, who claimed to be the hero.
Fifteen adventurers formed three parties, amidst them were ten knights, three priests, and Priest Vigrind.
Then, another fifteen adventurers stood, followed by the ten knights and two priests, with Sister Aege at the back.
They mixed the order somewhat to ensure they could face the demons, even if they got split up like last time.
“So, I smashed that monster’s head right in.”
Listening to Rude ramble about his exploits, Yona quietly placed her hand on Alex’s shoulder.
The flickering torchlight filled the corridor with a vague brightness, accompanied by the hushed steps of the nervous adventurers and knights.
Everyone looked tense, but Rude was smiling away like he was having a cozy tea party.
“Hey, shut your mouth. Everyone’s tense here.”
“There’s no monster around, so what’s the deal?”
How could he know if there’s a monster or not? Yona was really fed up with this guy Rude.
“Alex, your waist.”
When Yona tapped Alex’s shoulder, he simply pulled his waist back slightly without a word.
She rummaged through the sling bag at his waist, took out a luminous stone, and after briefly locking eyes with Alex, she crushed the stone’s core and threw it with all her might.
In the blink of an eye, the corridor became bright.
But just like before, no monsters scattered with a “shaaa” sound anywhere to be seen.
It was literally wrapped in silence.
Within that silence, an oddly unsettling energy still lingered.
“Ugh…”
Yona found herself unconsciously stroking her right arm, tightly wrapped in the Sacred Barrier.
She felt a shiver run down her spine.
Even if she was a so-called half-baked priest who couldn’t even purify, she was still sensitive to such eerily unholy places due to her divine powers.
“Are you okay?”
Alex, who was walking ahead, paused momentarily to look back at Yona.
“I’m fine. What’s wrong with the vanguard looking back? Keep your eyes forward or we’re in big trouble.”
“I have eyes in the back of my head.”
Yona let out a light scoff at Alex’s comment.
What a joke.
Yes.
Suddenly, the thought of the reward came to mind.
The reason she was diligently saving money.
“Shit, once this is done, it’s seven gold coins.”
Yona thought of her hidden piggy bank in her inn room. If she adds the reward she’s about to receive, it totals seven gold coins. There are a few silver and copper coins mixed in, but still, seven gold coins.
“Really saved a lot, huh?”
“I’ve been saving hard. I need money to get into the Mage Community.”
The Mage Community. It’s the name of the giant tower located between the Velidien Principality and the Infura Church Region. A colossal tower that’s on another level from that mere tower in Evian. They say all the famous mages of the continent gather there.
“…Are you really going to go there?”
Amid the clattering of boots, only the conversation between Alex and Yona echoed aimlessly. Alex’s gaze remained fixed ahead, while Yona kept an eye on both the front and the sides, yet they somehow managed to keep the conversation going.
“I’m going. I said I would definitely return as a man. I will definitely return.”
“Are you serious about that?”
“How many times do I have to say it’s serious?”
Yona lightly whacked Alex on the back of the head and placed her hand back on his shoulder.
“I will definitely return.”
Yona was ignited with determination. Returning to her original world, and returning as a man. If achieving both was difficult, then at least returning as a man—that’s what she desperately wanted to accomplish. And the self-proclaimed hero, Rude, watched her with a curious gaze.
*
“Don’t even think about collecting the bodies; just gather the belongings. Let’s pack them up and leave all at once when we retreat.”
Kaiyak quietly said as he looked around. His voice was low, but given the quiet surroundings, it was clearly audible. The bodies of the scattered adventurers were far too daunting to even think about collecting.
To face the demon, they too might end up lying on this cold floor. But there’s no need to be shackled by such thoughts.
He planned to boldly kill the demon and leave while gathering even the belongings of those who had already died.
“This bastard’s body’s gone too.”
Yona looked around the second floor of the catacomb, where the last battle felt like a lie, as even the bodies had vanished. There had surely been fierce fighting here. Yet those bodies had disappeared without a trace.
“Yona.”
“Teacher.”
Aege, who had split off into another party and was heading toward the opposite entrance, approached her side.
“How’s your arm? Does anything feel off or strange?”
Aege gently touched Yona’s right arm with a worried expression.
Yona had been unusually attentive, wondering if she could feel anything from her right arm.
Even so, there was nothing specific.
“There’s nothing. Just no feeling at all.”
“Is that so?”
“Sister Aege.”
Priest Vigrind also approached Aege’s side.
Not having been exposed to the sunlight much, Vigrind’s pale face had turned even more ghostly, to the point of being pitiful to look at.
“Priest Vigrind, are you okay?”
“…I should say I’m fine, but I can’t really say that.”
Yona felt a bit better, but the stronger the divine power, the more she could sense the nature of this place.
It was true for both Aege and Vigrind.
The fact that a demon was lurking here seemed to be a reality.
This chilling cold clashed with their divine power, amplifying the pressure as the divine power grew stronger.
All they could see was pure black darkness.
Even with a torch, the blackened stone walls around them rendered it barely possible to see their feet, let alone illuminate this darkness.
“Priest Vigrind, you need to be strong in times like this. Don’t be scared.”
At those words, Vigrind bit down hard on her lower lip.
Yeah, she was scared.
Vigrind was afraid.
In contrast, Yona appeared perfectly fine, but even trying to make sense of it just made things worse for her since she was a healer with a tiny bit of divine power.
How could she, being overwhelmingly superior, be scared when Yona remained so composed?
It was absurd.
“Wh-who said I was scared? I’m perfectly fine. This so-called demon doesn’t faze me at all. I’ll purify it in an instant.”
“That’s the mindset. Demons prey on weak hearts.”
“…Yeah.”
Whether Vigrind understood or not, it seemed she got the message since she responded.
Yona decided to stop worrying about her.
Anyway, once this was over, she would head to the Mage Community to lift the spell plaguing her — it had to be some kind of magic — and return to being a man.
After that, she would save up more money to go back to her original world.
Vigrind wouldn’t have any place in that plan.
She didn’t want to think about it.
*
Time was already deep into the night.
After taking a short break on the second floor, the commander of the hunting party, who also served as the knight captain, gathered the party leaders to inform them that the rest period was over.
As if they had never taken a break, the party members equipped themselves and gathered, completing the personnel check before it was time to head down to the third floor.
It’s time to go down.
Priest Vigrind stepped forward.
With her red hair tied up on both sides and wearing a neat white robe, she exuded a somewhat holy aura that drew the attention of the adventurers.
In her gathered hands, a soft white light began to rise.
The spherical white light grew as big as a human head and floated gracefully into the air.
As everyone looked up, the orb reached the ceiling of the second floor, bursting into a brilliant light that showered sparkling glimmers down upon the heads of the hunting party below.
“I have bestowed the blessing of magical resistance. Now, even when facing demons, you can withstand their magic for a while.”
With Vigrind’s words, the surroundings buzzed with excitement.
“Isn’t this our first time getting something like this? It’s my first too. Isn’t this expensive? Does this make us invincible?”
Overwhelmingly, most of them had never received such a thing before, making the experience quite moving.
The dark gray stone door stood firmly closed.
In the past, this stone door was covered in black moss, making it hard to find, but it seemed that some curious adventurer managed to track it down somehow.
“…So, opening that stone door takes us to the third floor, huh?”
Of all the tasks, having to open the door fell to the front party.
And of course, it was Alex at the very front leading the charge!
Alex spat on the floor, muttering curses under his breath.
“If I’d known, I wouldn’t have joined the front party.”
“Are you scared?”
At the voice of Yona coming from behind, Alex sharply shook his head.
Honestly, he was terrified, but he didn’t want to show it.
“Of course I’m scared! Hey, I’ll be generous. If we make it out of this alive, you can touch my… you know.”
“Really?”
In that moment, Alex turned around quickly.
He locked eyes with Yona, who was smirking.
“Of course, big bro. You think I’d lie to you?”
“I believe you, but, uh… touching is one thing, but actually doing it is a bit much.”
“Huh?”
Wasn’t this the same guy singing a different tune a while ago? This was unexpected.
Yona wondered if Alex was feeling unwell or if he’d truly been enchanted by some magic.
“Just touching is a bit much; let me knead it.”
“…Fine, fine. You can knead it as much as you want. Happy?”
Seeing Yona’s grin, Alex couldn’t help but smile back.
His courage soared.
Every time Yona walked around and those bouncy assets swayed, how much confusion had he been overwhelmed with?
To freely knead those luscious, mammoth melons, Alex vowed and vowed again that he would definitely survive!