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108. Now

「You know how dungeons usually grow slowly over time, right? But, well… we just dumped a whole lot into it. Like, several decades—no, centuries’ worth of ‘Mana from the Age of the Gods’, all at once.」

That was Lord Emesmes, probably speaking with one of those smiles that never reach the eyes—if he were still human. I hadn’t known him long, but even I could tell: when someone like him can’t smile, it means the situation’s genuinely bad.

The magic Kirmiji had used came from the Age of the Gods. It was absurdly powerful—far beyond anything modern magic could produce. Firing that many shots of it into a dungeon… yeah, no surprise it had an effect.

「This is the fault of my skill, then.」

「Not exactly. Didn’t I tell you? That dungeon was already on the verge of a Dungeon Break. The only thing keeping it stable was me, balancing it from the inside. You know, like that thing with water—where it bulges up above the rim?」

「Water bulging up?」

「When you pour water into a cup, it eventually spills once it surpasses the cup’s capacity. But if you pour it carefully, it can pile up a bit above the edge before it overflows.」

「Ah. That thing.」

「Yeah, when I was a kid, we’d play that game where you drop coins in until it spills—whoever causes it to overflow loses. Well, I didn’t have the power to make the cup bigger, so I just tried really hard to keep the water from spilling. That’s probably why no monsters leaked out either.」

The dungeon had been hanging on by a thread. That thread snapped in the recent battle.

「It was always going to be tricky. Sure, if we could’ve cleared it before the Dungeon Break, that’d be ideal. But the more we fought inside, the more likely we’d trigger it. And if we moved too cautiously to avoid fighting, we might not have made it in time.」

I don’t want to imagine what it’d be like if a Dungeon Break hit while we were inside. The entire contents of a massive dungeon vomited out in one go—what hope would you have in that kind of apocalyptic wave?

Angelina picked up where he left off.

「So either way, we might’ve had to force the Dungeon Break to happen… under the assumption we’d take out the ‘King’ once it emerged.」

Of course, there’s only one known instance in history of someone defeating the ‘Dungeon King’ after a Dungeon Break happened—and that was over two thousand years ago. A feat by a sage so extraordinary it’s more legend than fact. The common belief is that once a Dungeon Break starts, there’s no stopping it.

「No worries. The Emesmes family factored all that into their plan. We’re good.」

「Good as in ‘worst-case scenario’ good, though.」

「In that case, right now we should—」

Just as the conversation was picking up, Azula quietly raised her hand.

「Um, I didn’t have eyes or ears until just now, so I’m kinda lost here—could someone explain things to me in, like, really simple terms? Please?」

「Ah—now that you mention it, yeah.」

Her almost comical question eased some of the tension that had been stretching the group thin.

Things had gotten complicated. It was probably time for a little recap.

「I feel like we shouldn’t waste time, but dragging this out could slow us down even more. Quick summary, please.」

「Koe-san.」

「Yes, Master.」

Koe-san stepped forward and began explaining—mostly for Azula’s sake.

「The ‘Golden Land of Crimson Luxury’ discovered by you and the other dwarves is actually a highly dangerous dungeon. Sensing this, the Emesmes family—who had prepared for generations—launched a stealthy attempt to conquer it. But they got stuck halfway and ended up in their current state.」

「Yaaay.」

「Meanwhile, your group feared the knight order would seize the dungeon, so you sought help from the werewolves. The werewolves King—Master—visited Vita Tama, rescued you from the knights, and entered the dungeon. There, he encountered and saved the remnants of the Emesmes family. After returning, we defeated the knights who were targeting the dungeon, and here we are.」

「Ah, I see. That makes sense.」

「The knight order’s mind control caused some detours, but overall it wasn’t too complicated. However, the mana forced into the dungeon via a stolen skill disrupted the delicate balance the Emesmes family had maintained. A Dungeon Break is now inevitable.」

「Thanks, Koe-san. That was perfect.」

Koe-san’s summary was sharp and to the point. More than enough, or so I thought—until I noticed the golden chain beside me quivering side to side.

「So close. There’s one mistake. Or at least, not quite accurate.」

「Lord Emesmes, you barely know what happened outside.」

「Yeah, I know. That’s why it’s the last part—the ‘Dungeon Break will happen soon” part. Hmm… if I’m too brief, it won’t land. But if I go too roundabout, it’ll drag on… Sorry, I’m talkative but terrible at actually explaining stuff.」

「Then, Lord Emesmes—can you just say it both briefly and accurately?」

「It’s happening now.」

「[Mud Infant], activate! Dwarves are tough, so just start throwing them over here!」

Angelina was the first to understand what that meant. She dropped to the ground, summoned a few standard golems, and started tossing every dwarf around her straight toward me.

I got it right after her. Without missing a beat, I shouted at full volume.

「Everyone, get near me! Activating [Universal Palm] to expand the range of [Space Jump」! Also—Lord Emesmes!」

「Yeah!?」

「You can trust us to take “brief” seriously.」

「Got it!」

It was reckless, no doubt. But using the high-level skill  [Universal Palm] , I expanded the range and target pool for [Space Jump」—and launched everyone upward in a single move.

Right now, I no longer had access to any wisdom-type skills. With this many people and a leap this wide, I couldn’t calculate a safe landing spot on the ground—the city was too cluttered. So I prioritized speed and aimed for the clear skies above.

From up there, the spot we’d just left was clearly visible.

And the sight—something I’d never seen before—spilled from my lips in sheer awe.

「The mountain… just erupted!?」

「Alright, time to fight!」

「Geez! Papa, you always wait until the last possible second to say important things!!」

Only this guy could treat human extinction like a last-minute warning.

Still, whining wouldn’t change anything.

「Koe-san, it’s our turn too.」

「Yes, Master.」

「Let’s begin the assault on the Dungeon Break.」