3 bar menu

Legends and Dungeons, Merfolk and Fishmen – Part 05

Hikaru had been monitoring the flow of magical power when the Boss monster started moving. Mana was emanating from the depths of the large hall, from a small passage that appeared in the wall where the Boss emerged. He sensed intense magical energy deep within.

The mana wasn’t flowing openly; instead it was neatly concealed, discernible only to those with knowledge. Hikaru could perceive it because he had 5 points in Mana Detection, but if he only had 1 or 2 points in it, he might not have noticed it.

My experience at the great pit says I should check it out.

The huge hole could be related to the appearance of numerous dungeons all over the continent.

The great pit housed a spell deep inside that gathered the world’s evil. Hikaru himself had verified the existence of the incomprehensible mechanism and felt the concentrated malevolence within. It ceased absorbing malevolence, resulting in the appearance of dungeons.

Considering all this, could all the dungeons that appeared be places that generate malevolence?

There are different types of dungeons, but not all of them can be categorized accurately. They’re much more complex and strange than we think. We can take “malevolence” as a common factor in this case. Then there might be dungeons that can be controlled by absorbing that malevolence. The spell in the great pit was created with that in mind. These are all just speculations, though.

Nevertheless, Hikaru felt that his conjecture held some truth.

At any rate, I might be able to learn something by checking what’s inside there—what’s producing the mana.

Hikaru activated Stealth and dashed away. No one here could discern his figure as he moved along the wall of the large hall.

He cast a glance back at Skaer, who had looked at him earlier, but he was fixated on their leader, Zappa, fighting at the forefront. He watched with a rapturous gaze, his expression filled with what could be described as ecstasy.

They’re worse than devout believers of the gods.

Hikaru was astounded at how the party members would go to any lengths for Zappa.

The wall where the Boss had appeared was crumbling, but the passage to the inner room showed no signs of caving in, as if fortified by magic.

Hikaru passed through the dusty wall and entered the passage. It was humid inside.

“This place is creepy.”

The passage was wet, and he could see fluctuations in the flow of mana, like the pulse of some living creature.

It didn’t take long for Hikaru to emerge into an open space. There was not a speck of light inside, so he turned on his magic lamp. And he almost screamed.

Compared to the large hall, this square space was smaller, but it still spanned about twenty meters on each side.

The ground was piled high with coins, many of them gold. Silver and copper coins were hardened with rust. Pots, swords, and ornaments sitting on pedestals had also rusted and corroded due to humidity.

But what actually created the eerie atmosphere were the rows of emaciated corpses along the walls—mummies. No, calling them mummies might not be entirely correct. Despite the damp room, the corpses showed no signs of decomposing. Thin purple vines from the walls entwined around the bodies. Hikaru could sense an exchange of mana between the vines and the corpses.

“Are they alive? No, that’s impossible.”

His Life Detection picked up nothing. He speculated undead monsters, but he couldn’t sense any movement either. They were just downright eerie.

“Is that it?”

Disregarding the corpses, Hikaru decided to focus on what he needed to check. It sat quietly in the deeper part of the room, perched on a dilapidated, waist-high pedestal.

A cup.

It looked similar to the ones used in churches. Embedded with gemstones and covered in gold leaf, they were used for dispensing holy water to believers. A so-called chalice.

However, the one here was made of an unknown material. It had a dull color, and the patterns on the surface were almost entirely faded. There were some inscriptions on it, but Hikaru couldn’t decipher them. Most eerie of all was the purple vines crawling around the cup.

“What on earth is this?”

The powerful magical energy that Hikaru felt from the large hall was coming from the cup. As he reached for it, the vines detached with a slither.

“Ugh…”

The vine’s animal-like movement creeped him out even more.

Is it safe to touch this? Could it be a cursed item?

While contemplating his next move, voices came from the other end of the passage.

“Master Zappa! A small passage has opened up!”

Scorching Goblet had defeated the Boss and taken control of the grand hall.

That was faster than I expected.

Hikaru glanced at the cup and concluded, for the time being, that it wasn’t an item ready to unleash vast amounts of evil and plunge the world into chaos. Though creepy and likely a cursed item, that was all. He didn’t feel anything else.

His only concern was this cup, but he had no intention of taking it—since Scorching Goblet had successfully cleared this dungeon.

They have the right to claim it.

Hikaru extinguished the light of the magic lamp. Using Mana Detection, he saw a narrow concealed passage at the back of the space, leading upward.

We still don’t know who the killer is, but for now, it’s time to head back.

Slipping into the space between shelves, Hikaru emerged into the hidden passage and started climbing. The cheers of Scorching Goblet discovering the treasures echoed from behind.

The concealed passage led to the vicinity of the expansive cavern on the first floor. The exit was nestled between rocks, higher than a person’s line of sight. No one would check it unless they knew of its existence beforehand. Even with Hikaru’s Mana Detection, the intricate terrain made it difficult to discern the passage, keeping it cleverly hidden.

As he returned to the cavern, Paula was the first to notice him.

“Lord Hikaru! Welcome back!”

Weary adventurers sat on the ground, each having recovered through Paula’s healing. Both Paula and Freya appeared fine, giving Hikaru relief.

“It looks like nothing’s changed here,” Hikaru said.

“Yup! I’m done treating the adventurers, and I don’t think anyone else is coming soon,” Paula replied.

Adventurers Hikaru had passed on the second floor were now resting after receiving treatment. One of them raised a hand when they spotted Hikaru, and Hikaru did the same.

“You went to the second floor, right?” Freya said. “Why did you return from a different direction? And what about Angela?”

“Angela is fine. She’s safe. Scorching Goblet killed the Boss on the second floor.” Hikaru casually evaded the first question.

Upon hearing this, the adventurers let out a collective breath of amazement. A few stood up, saying, “Let’s gather as much as we can while we can.”

“Oh, there are routes that Scorching Goblet hasn’t passed through yet. Fishmen are still lurking there,” Hikaru cautioned.

Discouraged, the adventurers settled back down.

Seriously. Paula just healed you, and now you want to go make some money. Greedy much? Maybe I should’ve charged them for Paula’s services.

“That’s good to hear,” Freya said. “If they defeated the Boss, does that mean this dungeon is completely cleared?”

Zappa had mentioned something about the individual who first cleared the dungeon obtaining ownership.

“It felt like a dead-end on the second floor, so I guess we can consider it cleared,” Hikaru said. “Maybe Angela and Zappa are talking about ownership rights and what not.”

“I-I don’t know about that.”

“There’s going to be trouble if Zappa claimed ownership. I imagine Vireocean and the noble who owns this land will be furious.”

Freya chuckled awkwardly. “Angela will handle that part. We’ve finished our survey, so we’re done here. Let’s pull out.”

Hikaru stifled a laugh.

“Wh-What is it?”

“I just thought you’re surprisingly cunning.”

She was planning to leave all the troublesome matters to Angela.

“Quite devious of you.”

“What?! I-I’m just fulfilling my professional duties as a guild staff.”

“Case in point.”

“Well, I am shocked!”

Hikaru wondered if she was serious. Likely not, since she was laughing.

“H-Help!”

Suddenly, a lone adventurer burst out from the passage leading to the second floor—the red-haired adventurer from Scorching Goblet.

“Is there a powerful Healer here?! Please help! Hey, you! Are you a cleric?! Come with me!”

“Kyaa!”

The breathless adventurer grabbed Paula’s arm, and Hikaru immediately stepped in between them.

“Hey. What do you think you’re doing? She’s a member of my party.”

“S-Sorry. But we’re in a hurry. Please help us!”

Hikaru realized from his behavior that something had occurred.

“What happened? Didn’t you kill the Boss on the second floor?”

“I-It’s Zappa…” Tears welled up in the red-haired adventurer’s eyes. “He suddenly collapsed and stopped moving. H-He’s dead!”

Hikaru couldn’t utter a single word. Not even a gasp escaped his lips. He never imagined he would hear such news.

It was evident that this adventurer was not lying to them, nor was he trying to deceive them.

“Aaaaaahhhh!”

For the man crumbed on the spot and burst into tears.