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The Depths of the Dungeon – Part 01

As Hikaru said, it was a close call. The White Dragon, like its Black counterpart, could only be killed by destroying either its head or heart. However, with the Blade Bomb being a one-time-use weapon, targeting the heart was not an option. This left Hikaru with only one choice: he had to go for the head.

But even if he leapt, Hikaru knew that he wouldn’t be able to reach the dragon’s head with just his dagger. As he sprinted towards Cotton Elka, he pondered his next move. The devastation in the square told him it was too late, but Lavia’s spell had just unleashed a blaze of fire that burned the dragon’s scales. It was the chance he needed.

He picked up a long sword that was lying on the ground; who owned it, he didn’t know. Using Mana Detection, he confirmed that there were no mana threads in use by the White Dragon to detect hostiles. To Hikaru, the White Dragon was just a moving target. He took aim at the dragon’s neck as it charged towards Lavia.

His Stealth and Assassination Skills combined to deliver a devastating blow. His 1 point on Strength allowed him to wield the long sword with ease, slicing through the flesh and severing the head from the dragon’s body. He wondered what to do with the fist-sized, white gem buried in the ashes. A monster as huge as this would draw a lot of attention, and taking it with him would only cause trouble later, so he left it.

As Hikaru surveyed the scene, he spotted a member of the Four Eastern Stars lying on the ground. Sophie rushed over to heal her. Priscilla was also there. They were too busy to look in this direction.

“Hikaru,” Lavia called as she trotted toward him.

“…That was terrifying.”

“I’m sorry. I was going to hide as soon as the monster turned to me.”

“Sorry. Come again?”

“Wait, your ears…”

Hikaru’s eardrums had ruptured. Lavia’s voice sounded distant.

“Oh, yeah… I’ll fix it later,” he said.

“What about the dungeon?”

He read Lavia’s lips. “That matter has been settled. Well, not completely settled, I guess.”

Lavia gave him a perplexed look.

“Lord Hikaru…”

“Oh, Paula. You’re all right.”

Then he noticed. It was Pia who was lying beside her. Her terrible wounds were visible even from a distance. Her eyes were closed, and she seemed to be barely alive. Paula couldn’t heal her with her magic.

“…How’s Pia?” Hikaru asked.

Paula shook her head weakly. “She protected me…”

“Pia protected her,” Lavia whispered in Hikaru’s ear.

Hikaru saw Pia in a new light now. She was all over Selyse, like a fan obsessed with brand items. But she risked her life to protect her best friend.

“But I can’t heal her,” Paula said. “People just keep saving me from danger. You, and now Pia.” Tears pooled in her eyes.

“Paula…”

Healing Pia was possible. Hikaru could use his ability to edit Paula’s Soul Board and boost her abilities. But he had to keep his powers secret. He knew that if his abilities leaked out to the public, there would be nothing but trouble.

Abandoning Pia would be easy. And Hikaru knew very well that that was the option he should take.

But he was sure he would regret it. For a long time.

Kneeling on the ground, Hikaru asked, “Do you want to heal Pia?”

He sensed Lavia gasp behind him.

“Of course… Pia is my childhood friend, my best friend, the one who saved my life. She’s selfish and reckless, but I couldn’t bring myself to hate her.”

Hikaru could only hear half of what she was saying. But she conveyed her feelings well.

“Would you put your life on the line if it meant healing her?”

Paula looked at Hikaru with a tear-stained face.

“I’m not telling you to die,” he added. “But you will live with a secret that you cannot tell anyone. You will agree to all my terms. Are you willing to do that?”

“I’ll gladly die if it means saving her.”

Her answer was loud and clear. I didn’t tell her to die, though.

“Close your eyes,” Hikaru said. “The next time you open them, your world will change.”

He opened Paula’s Soul Board.

【Soul Board】Paula Norah
Age: 17 | Rank: 6 | 10

【Magical Power】
【Mana Capacity】2

【Willpower】
【Faith】
【Holy】4
【Healing Magic】2
【Support Magic】1

Hikaru nodded. Ten available points. From what he’d seen so far, 2 points on Healing Magic would be average. Healers working in clinics would have a max of 4 points, and he had only seen one so far. Paula must have judged that even someone that good couldn’t heal Pia.

If 4 points aren’t enough, we’ll just double it to 8.

Assuming the maximum was 10 points, 8 would give her immense healing abilities. He put 6 more points on Healing Magic and 4 on Mana Capacity, exhausting all her available points.

Hikaru glanced over his shoulder and saw Lavia looking worried. He understood her concern. There was no guarantee that Paula would not double-cross him in the future. She might tell someone about his ability.

Nevertheless, he decided to believe Paula. Because at least at the moment, her desire to save her friend even at the cost of her own life was genuine.

Just as he believed in Lavia, who took the blame for her father’s murder. He saved himself by believing in someone.

“Open your eyes,” he said. “Now try using your Healing magic. Give it your all.”

“B-But I tried earlier, and it didn’t work.”

“Do you feel any different?”

“Hmm, huh?! It feels like I have more mana now…”

“Use all your mana on your Healing magic. And you have to hurry.”

“O-Okay.”

Hikaru placed a hand on Paula’s shoulder and another on Pia’s forehead. He activated Group Cloaking just in case.

“O’ God who art in heaven, in your name I ask for a miracle. In my right hand is the gift of life, in my left the blessing of death. Bless us who live in this world. My mana I offer…”

Her sonorous incantation went on. Warm, golden mana poured out from Paula, something that had never happened before. It was a phenomenon that occurred when tremendous magical power was unleashed, but Paula herself was unaware, as she had her eyes closed.

Golden light moved from Paula’s hands to Pia. The flesh on Pia’s belly twitched as it automatically repaired itself. It was like watching CGI.

Looks like 8 points on Healing Magic is enough.

Hikaru could have stopped at 6 or 5; there were probably people in this world with Healing Magic of around that level. However, until now, Hikaru had never heard of anyone healing a person with missing body parts and whose internal organs had been damaged to the brink of death. Not that these kinds of Healers didn’t exist; they were simply the stuff of legends. Hikaru assumed that 8 points would be around legendary level.

“Ugh…” Paula trembled.

Hikaru supported her with both hands. “Is this recoil from using your increased power all at once?”

“Y-Yes… You told me to give it my all.”

Paula looked at Pia, and her eyes grew wide.

She touched her friend’s wounds. She could feel taut skin under her palm, but most importantly, color had returned to Pia’s face, and her breathing was stable.

“H-Her body’s healed!”

“Good for you.”

Paula’s gaze darted to Hikaru. “Lord Hikaruuuuu!” She threw her arms around him.

“Guh.” Hikaru’s spine creaked. “Ow… Th-That hurts! Get off!”

“But… But…”

“I’m injured pretty badly myself.”

“What?!” Paula quickly let go.

“A-Anyway, you must not tell anyone about this. Okay?”

She nodded vigorously. Tears pooled in her eyes again. “Let me heal you too.”

“But you’re out of mana.”

“Just let me do it!”

Hikaru sat down and let Paula heal him. The heat from the wounds all over his body vanished. He felt his eardrums heal and his hearing return. It was tremendously effective.

“Thank you so much, Lord Hikaru…”

Paula collapsed on top of Pia and fell asleep.

“Hikaru, are you okay?” Lavia asked. “Your wounds…”

“Yeah, all good. Actually, not really all good, but I decided to trust her.” Hikaru chuckled dryly.

“I respect your choice.”

Her words put his mind at ease.

“So, we actually have a bit of a problem,” Hikaru said.

“A problem? I thought you were here because you killed the Dungeon Master.”

“I did. While there was a White Dragon here, there was a black one just as powerful in the sixth level of the dungeon.”

Lavia’s eyes widened. It was the worst kind of news she could’ve gotten. It took a lot of effort and sacrifice to kill the White Dragon, and there was another one.

“I get it now! You need a Healer to fight the Black Dragon, so you enhanced Paula’s abilities.”

“Uh, not really. I already took care of the Black Dragon.”

“…”

Lavia’s brain froze.

“Here’s the gem. Proof that I killed it.”

“…”

Hikaru handed her a black gem. Still, Lavia’s mind did not start running.

“The problem is, there was a Dungeon Master just ahead. Lavia? You okay?”

“…Hikaru.”

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you promise to return if you weren’t sure it was safe?”

“Um… Well, that was in regards to the Dungeon Master, and that I could only engage it if I was a hundred percent sure that I could kill it… And it wasn’t really the Dungeon Master, so…”

“…”

Lavia’s eyes terrified him.

“Sorry! Its attitude was pissing me off, so I tried to see if I could kill it somehow.”

“Hikaru.”

“I-I’m sorry!”

“You dummy.” She hugged him tight. “I was scared too, you know. You shouldn’t be too reckless.”

“I’m really sorry.”

Hikaru was happy to have someone who cared about him.

Lavia let go of him. “Anyway, I know you’re not exactly normal, but you’re really extraordinary. And I say that after witnessing a dire threat.”

“I just had a great weapon. Anyway…” Hikaru sighed. “The problem lies after that. We need someone with a Blessing that’s holy-related.”

“Hmm?”

Lavia cocked her head, completely oblivious to what he meant.