Chapter 60 : Dungeon (2)
The girl’s name was Sena.
Sena had been learning magic at the Magic Tower since she was young, and due to her exceptional talent, she had already mastered most of the magic at a young age.
“At least when it comes to magical talent, no one in the Magic Tower can match me. Even the Tower Master said so. If I keep training diligently, I’ll someday reach the rank of Archmage… But.”
Sena frowned.
“I already know everything, so what more training do I need? I’m sick of training. All I do is practice the same boring spells over and over. I want to use more flashy magic and gain real combat experience.”
A smile spread across Sena’s face.
“That’s why I secretly slipped out of the Magic Tower. I heard a dungeon was recently discovered nearby. Well, they say it’s dangerous, and you shouldn’t enter recklessly, but that’s for ordinary people. For a genius magician like me, there’s no problem. I’ll conquer the dungeon. And once my achievements are recognized… Hey, are you listening to me?”
Sena stopped talking and looked at Ariel.
Ariel was crouched in front of a black wolf and a ghost, checking their injuries.
The black wolf had a large wound on its side, and the ghost was limping.
Ariel bit her lip.
This was clearly her fault.
If she had secured safety by deploying a shield before she dozed off, the ghost and the black wolf wouldn’t have fought the owlbear.
They had fought the owlbear to protect Ariel while she slept.
Otherwise, they would have easily avoided the fight and wouldn’t have gotten hurt.
Ariel gently patted the ghost and the black wolf, feeling guilty.
From now on, she would make sure to put up a shield when she felt drowsy.
Sena approached.
“Hmm, the wolf got hurt. Don’t worry. Didn’t I tell you? Meeting me is your luck. It’s not as effective as a priest’s holy magic, but I’ve learned healing magic. Let me help. Phew, really, if it weren’t for me…”
At that moment, Lu spun above the black wolf and the ghost.
Healing dust fell from Lu’s body, and the wounds of the black wolf and the ghost healed completely.
“Ah… There was a fairy… Well, that’s nice…”
Sena scratched her cheek awkwardly.
Now that the black wolf and the ghost were healed, Ariel stood up.
Her sleep had already been interrupted, so she planned to head back to the dungeon.
At that moment, Sena tapped Ariel’s shoulder.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“Ariel.”
“Right, Ariel. I already introduced myself earlier, didn’t I?”
“…….”
Ariel stared blankly at Sena.
She hadn’t really been listening to Sena’s story while tending to the ghost and the black wolf’s wounds.
Sena let out a deep sigh.
“I’ll tell you again. My name is Sena, okay? Sena. Remember it. Someday I’ll be an Archmage… No, never mind that. Anyway, Ariel, where are you headed? If we’re going the same way, I’ll accompany you. It seems dangerous for you to wander around alone, so I’m offering to protect you.”
“I’m heading to the dungeon.”
“Really? Are you talking about the newly discovered dungeon nearby? You’re going in there?”
“Yeah.”
Sena’s expression turned serious.
“But dungeons are extremely dangerous. If someone like you goes in, you’ll be… Hmm, am I underestimating you too much? Sorry. I apologize. But why are you going into the dungeon?”
“For adventure.”
“Pfft.”
Sena burst out laughing.
She waved her hand and apologized again.
“Sorry for laughing. But adventure? You really are an elf. I’ve heard elves are a closed-off race, and I guess it’s true. Is this your first time out in the world?”
Ariel quietly watched Sena.
She felt as though she was being belittled.
“Hey, human.”
Lu crossed her arms and glared at Sena.
“Our lady may be out in the world for the first time, but she’s incredibly strong. Even stronger than a dragon. Just yesterday, she was called…”
“Pffft, okay, I get it, stop.”
Sena clutched her stomach, laughing.
“Stronger than a dragon…? Haha, you two are hilarious. I like it. Alright, let’s go together. You’re really lucky, you know. Since you met me, I’ll protect you, so let’s see what kind of adventure we’ll have in the dungeon!”
Lu glanced at Ariel, and Ariel nodded silently.
It meant they’d go together.
There wasn’t really a need for help, but Sena had helped deal with the owlbear earlier.
Though her personality seemed a bit quirky, she didn’t seem to have bad intentions.
Thus, Ariel headed toward the dungeon with Sena.
Sena talked a lot.
As they walked to the dungeon, she chattered nonstop beside Ariel.
“Ariel, you should visit the Magic Tower sometime. Then you’ll see how great of a magician I am. Oh, why don’t you learn magic too? I’ve heard elves are quite talented with mana. Well, not as talented as me, but you could learn quickly. Magic is really useful. Like earlier, when we encountered monsters, you could just deal with them using magic.”
“Our lady is already a magician,” Lu said.
“She just doesn’t need to use it much, but sometimes she deals with monsters using magic.”
“Oh, really? Ariel, you’re a magician? You don’t look like one. Or maybe you do? It’s hard to tell without a staff. Magicians usually carry staves.”
“Hmph, that’s only for humans. My friend Lakia used to cast magic without a staff,” Lu said.
Sena smirked.
“Oh, this Lakia sounds impressive. I’d like to duel her with magic someday.”
“You’d better not…”
Just then, a giant monster blocked their path.
It had the head of a bull and a massive body.
A minotaur.
Ariel smiled.
Minotaurs make excellent ingredients.
She hadn’t bothered to store the owlbear in her inventory, but the minotaur…
“Fire Burst!”
Before Ariel could act, Sena swung her staff and cast a spell.
Boom!
An explosion erupted at the minotaur’s feet.
Though it wasn’t as impressive as Lakia’s magic, it was enough to knock the minotaur down and burn its legs.
“Fire Lance! Call Lightning!”
Sena unleashed a series of spells at the minotaur, eventually finishing it off.
Ariel looked at the minotaur’s corpse with regret.
It was so mangled that it was barely recognizable.
No chance of selling it now.
“How was that? That’s the power of magic.”
Sena wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled.
“It looks a little gruesome, but that’s reality. If I hadn’t used magic, the minotaur would’ve crushed us instead.”
Sena patted Ariel’s shoulder and walked ahead.
Her back seemed to say, “I’ll lead, just follow me.”
“That girl’s personality is a bit strange, don’t you think?” Lu muttered quietly.
Ariel nodded slightly in agreement and followed Sena.
At any rate, the dungeon wasn’t far now.
They would reach it by evening.
In front of the dungeon, there was a crowd of people.
Most of them were adventurers, with a few merchants here and there.
It was natural for adventurers and merchants to gather when a new dungeon appeared.
The adventurers hunted for treasure, and the merchants bought it at a fair price.
This way, adventurers didn’t have to carry the treasure all the way back to the city, and merchants could resell it for a profit.
But the atmosphere this time was different.
The crowd wasn’t lively, and everyone wore grim expressions.
“Damn it… What kind of dungeon is this?”
It was because the difficulty of the dungeon was far beyond expectations.
A group of adventurers who had just entered had come out severely injured, barely escaping the dungeon.
Many had already died, and not even the entrance had been fully explored.
“It’s because of that giant… That giant is guarding the next area, not letting anyone through!”
An adventurer screamed with a pale face.
He had just escaped the dungeon.
Having lost his entire party, he was the only survivor, and he still seemed terrified even after escaping.
“We have to give up on this dungeon… No one can defeat that giant…”
His words caused a murmur among the crowd.
He wasn’t the first to say this.
Every adventurer who had entered the dungeon said the same thing.
“Should we really give up? But we haven’t even gotten any treasure yet…”
No one was willing to enter the dungeon anymore.
The adventurers lingered at the entrance, debating whether or not to give up.
Most agreed that the dungeon was too dangerous.
And just then.
“Ariel, we’re finally here. This must be the new dungeon.”
Ariel’s group had arrived at the dungeon entrance.