NOVEL NEXT Chapter 91
A man sat in a sturdy chair.
“T-There’s a problem!”
Suddenly, the door at the far end of the room burst open as a subordinate rushed in.
“What is it?”
The intruder, clearly flustered, hastily delivered his report.
“T-That dungeon… It appears that someone is exploring it!”
The man’s eyes widened in surprise.
“That should be impossible. No mere human should be capable of seeing through that concealment. Has some unforeseen event occurred?”
The dungeon had been protected by a recognition-blocking skill. Unless the intruder was an exceptionally skilled user of the same kind of ability, they shouldn’t have been able to detect it.
Something irregular must have happened. The man quickly regained his composure.
Because he remembered the measures they had put in place.
“But no matter. Humans alone cannot conquer that dungeon. After all…”
A faint smile crept onto his face. He was about to continue speaking, but his subordinate interrupted him.
“The explorer has already reached Rank VII of the Dual Dungeon!”
“W-What?! How is that possible?!”
The dungeon was designed to drain intruders’ strength with a massive number of traps, gradually whittling down their forces. At the end, a defensive line of monsters concentrated in a single area would annihilate them.
Even if they somehow managed to defeat the horde of monsters, the dungeon had a final, unexpected trick—a boss monster that would pop up when they least expected it.
There was no way an ordinary party could break through that formation.
“C-Could it be an S-rank party or perhaps a large-scale clan that discovered it…?”
The subordinate voiced his own speculation, unnerved by his superior’s expression.
“Hmm… If they truly managed to reach this stage, they must be that powerful.”
The dungeon was located in the middle of a mountain range, far from any human settlements. They had let their guard down, thinking no one would find it. But if an elite group of adventurers had stumbled upon it, they might have had the means to see through the concealment.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Rank VII of that dungeon cannot be conquered so easily. The ground is riddled with traps, and the structure is so convoluted that anyone attempting a straightforward exploration would only end up lost and starved.”
No matter how powerful a party was, they still required supplies to survive.
And that dungeon was specifically designed to cut off their resources.
The man smirked, exuding confidence.
“Once those intruders have perished, retrieve the item just in case.”
“I-Is that truly necessary?”
The subordinate hesitated. The explorers would likely perish soon, and once that happened, they could simply seal the entrance again. Wasn’t that enough?
“Heh. That item was placed there under the assumption that every possible scenario could occur. Even if, by some miracle, they conquer the dungeon, they will not find it.”
“T-Then…?”
“Still, I always ensure every possibility is covered. If those explorers have allies, they may attempt to challenge the dungeon again. That cannot be allowed.”
Realizing his own complacency, the subordinate straightened up.
“Understood. As soon as the intruders disappear, we will proceed with the retrieval.”
With a sharp salute, he turned and sprinted out of the room.
“Are we going the right way?”
“Kyururun kyuru.”
“Carol says we’re fine.”
Right now, I was flying through the dungeon, using the [Flight] spell.
The reason? According to Eve: “The ground is a no-go. There are way too many traps, and disabling them all would take too much time.”
“Kueee—”
Kaiser soared gracefully around me as we moved. Since he was naturally faster than I was when I wasn’t using [Amplification], I had him scout our surroundings for threats.
“Still, I didn’t expect things to become this easy thanks to Carol.”
After realizing that I lacked the proper equipment to utilize orichalcum effectively, I resumed my dungeon exploration.
Just as I was preparing to set out, Carol clung to me persistently.
I wasn’t sure what she was trying to convey until—
“She says, ‘Leave the navigation to me.'”
Eve translated for her.
And so, I entrusted Carol with leading the way, flying through the labyrinthine dungeon floor according to her directions.
I also took the opportunity to ask Eve about her translation ability. Apparently, she didn’t receive exact words but rather sensed the general intent of what was being communicated. Right now, Carol was giving broad instructions like “Right” or “Left.”
Even so, that was more than enough. With Carol guiding me, I was able to bypass the countless traps and traverse the complex maze without getting lost.
“Oh! Looks like we finally made it out!”
After flying for a while, I spotted what seemed to be the exit of the labyrinth, with light shining in from beyond.
“Phew… Finally.”
The oppressive feeling of being hemmed in by walls vanished, and I let out a sigh of relief.
“Carol, you did great.”
“Kyurun!”
At Eve’s praise, Carol chirped proudly.
“Looks like this is the final floor.”
Had I tackled this dungeon conventionally, I had no idea how long it would have taken me to reach this point.
I ended my flight and landed, stepping forward cautiously.
A vast lake stretched before me, with a bridge leading to its center. There, a pile of treasures unlike anything I’d ever seen before gleamed brilliantly.
At the far end, a teleporter was already active, as if inviting me to leave.
“Lucky us. There might be a boss, but at this distance, we can grab the core and jump into the teleporter. They miscalculated your speed, Master.”
Eve was right. From here, I wouldn’t even be hit by an attack before escaping unscathed.
“Given that this is a Rank VII dungeon and considering the kind of person running it, I thought we’d struggle more. But we’ve still got three days left before we depart from Astana Island. This feels almost too easy.”
That was true. I had been bracing myself for delays, but now it seemed unnecessary.
“This is all thanks to Carol and Kaiser.”
Kaiser had been quick to alert me to any flying monsters, and Carol had provided flawless navigation. Thanks to them, I had kept combat to a minimum.
“…”
“Of course, I appreciate you too, Eve.”
“Ehehe~ Well, obviously! It’s my job to ensure Master’s comfort, after all.”
Her voice sounded pleased.
“Alright, let’s grab the treasure and get out of here.”
“Wait a sec.”
Eve was eager to leave, but I added one more thing.
“What is it?”
“This dungeon’s Rank VII water is right here. Opportunities like this don’t come often. Let’s collect some.”
And so, I proposed our next course of action.