Chapter 35: Dungeon Event Part 3

(POV Luke the hero)

The event entered its second half. We progressed smoothly, tackling the recommended level 25 dungeons and already conquering 12 of them. Each boss was a formidable opponent, but we managed to defeat them with everyone’s cooperation.

“This time it’s the ‘Cursed Tomb Tower,’ huh?”

“Wow, its evaluations on the bulletin board are the worst!”

Upon hearing the information that came through the moment we entered the dungeon, Aina, who frequently checked the bulletin board, let out a very displeased voice. It seemed that despite the absence of puzzle-solving elements, the dungeon was filled with traps and a murderous intent that kept one on constant alert. As we all listened to her story, Rose and Lotus turned pale.

“Ah, filled with undead…?”

“Um, I’m not good with horror stuff…”

It appeared that the monsters that emerged were more terrifying to the two of them than the death traps. Rose usually had a tomboyish side, but in situations like this, she acted like any other girl.

“Should we give up then? We won’t lose much time if we do it now.”

“This is impossible. I don’t feel good.”

The suggestion came from Kikuno and Meg. If we were to withdraw from the dungeon after its full implementation, it seemed that we would lose a portion of our funds as a penalty, but during today’s event, there were no disadvantages whatsoever. That’s why it would be the right decision to turn back here.

“But, if we withdraw, it could put us at a disadvantage in the event….”

Rose hesitated. She was concerned about one of the few penalties in this event. When the rankings of the event were calculated, withdrawing midway rather than a complete defeat would have an impact.

To be more specific, let’s say there were two parties with exactly the same progress. In that case, the party that had withdrawn fewer times would be ranked higher. That’s what she was worried about.

Incidentally, there were reports of cases where people repeatedly collected items and then withdrew, and they received a warning from the angels to at least fight some bosses, or else they would have some of their collected items confiscated. Cheating wouldn’t be tolerated, it seemed.

“You really don’t have to push yourselves, both of you. It’s okay to withdraw. But if you decide to go forward, I’ll protect you with all my might.” 

“Luke…!”

“Mr. Luke…!”

What I said seemed natural to me, but for some reason, the two of them appeared to be deeply moved. And their faces, which were pale just moments ago, now turned red. I wonder what’s going on?

“I’m going! I’ll do my best!”

“I’ll give it my all too!” 

“Is that so? Then stay close to me.” 

“””Mumumu!”””

Rose and Lotus seemed to have regained their spirits, but now the other three were becoming displeased. This kind of situation occasionally happens, but I wonder…. what could have caused it?

“Well then, let’s get going. The difficulty level seems high, but we’ll be fine. Let’s be the first ones to conquer it and avenge the other players!” 

“”Ooooh!”” Rose and Lotus Cheered

“””……Ooh””” (The other three)

…What’s with this difference in enthusiasm? I’m starting to feel uneasy about what lies ahead…

◆◇◆◇◆◇

 “Kuh! Aina, help me!”

“Already on it! Light Lance!”

“The Cursed Tomb Tower” lived up to the information we had read beforehand, with cleverly placed traps and strategically positioned monsters. It boasted an incredibly high difficulty level, but it wasn’t unfair by any means.

However, I couldn’t wholeheartedly praise it. The reason being that this dungeon was as hardcore as it gets. It was designed for us to die multiple times, learn from our mistakes, and retry the challenge. It wasn’t an event suited for clearing on the first try, nor was it a random dungeon designed for one-time encounters.

“Hmph! I’m done here!” 

“Now, Luke!” 

Nevertheless, for me, this was a kind of bonus stage. It was all thanks to the Goddess of Light and Order, Earle. The holy sword I received from her, along with her blessing, possessed a powerful light element. In other words, the undead monsters were nothing more than a source of experience points.

“Take this!”

With a single swing of my holy sword, I defeated the monsters. The number of creatures had significantly increased since we reached the third floor, but it wasn’t an overwhelming amount to handle. With less combat burden compared to other parties, we could focus more on detecting traps and other dangers.

It made me feel slightly guilty, but FSW was not a game where all players were equal. So I didn’t need to feel any remorse. I just have to keep moving forward.

“There’s no information from this point on. It won’t be as easy as the previous stages. Be cautious!” 

“Understood.”

It seemed like this was where the real challenge begins. We didn’t know how many floors this tower had, but just like the other dungeons, we would definitely conquer it and prove ourselves!

◆◇◆◇◆◇

It had been an incredibly challenging path. From the middle of the third floor onwards, we had no information to guide us, and we were left to navigate by ourselves. I had come close to death multiple times, but somehow, we managed to reach what seemed to be the top floor, the fifth floor.

“There should be a boss waiting beyond this point.”

“Sigh… Facing a boss with hardly any healing items left is a first for me.”

Throughout our journey thus far, we had exhausted almost all of our healing items. It had truly been a struggle to make it this far without any prior information.

Skeleton walls and lurking monsters awaited us at every turn, with ghosts and spirits appearing from behind seemingly ordinary walls, casting spells, or surprising us with ambushes disguised as parts of the floor. Traps would catch us off guard just when we thought we were safe, and elite monsters would lead hordes of small fries, engaging us in battles of sheer numbers.

Whoever came up with the labyrinth’s cunning traps, mixing straightforward approaches with devious tactics, must have been truly deranged. And they surely had a wicked personality; they must be even reveling in our struggles and laughing behind our backs.

“But there’s no turning back now. This is the decisive moment. Everyone, let’s go!”

“””””Ooooh!”””””

Are you watching this, the creator of this labyrinth? I’m going to make your smug face turn red with anger!

◆◇◆◇◆◇

 (POV Isam)

“Hey, come on, seriously? You’re going to get through that on your first try…!”

I watched through the monitor as the hero’s part, surrounded by dozens of monsters, managed to survive. What on earth was happening? The resilient undead, known for their tenacity, were being effortlessly defeated. What kind of trickery was at play?

Especially the firepower of that hero guy seemed off. It was impossible for a single strike to be that devastating! He wasn’t severing heads in one blow like Genjuro; he simply sliced through their bodies, and yet it resulted in instant death. There must be some kind of mechanism at work, without a doubt.

It couldn’t be magic… nor a wind spell cast with [Enchantement] And yet, the damage output was astounding. Did he possess a weapon with inherent light element right from the start? I didn’t want to believe such a thing existed, but it seemed like the only plausible explanation.

It appeared that the hero guy was exceptionally ill-suited for the “Cursed Tomb Tower”. Ugh, maybe this time luck had truly abandoned me?

No, I won’t give up. Despite seemingly targeting me directly, that hero guy might not be unbeatable. As long as I can avoid getting struck by his sword, everything will be fine.

“It’s fortunate in an unfortunate way that I turned the boss into this particular race; it was all thanks to my sense of playfulness.”

To be honest, just like Ruby, I had transformed into a boss with a different fighting style than usual. If I had remained as a stationary mage like always, I would have been swiftly obliterated. But not this time. If I could maneuver skillfully, victory was not impossible.

However, I didn’t believe that I could win by engaging head-on. If my opening move didn’t work, I would be defenseless and easily killed. The timing of that first strike would determine everything.

“Fufu, now I don’t know which one of us is the real challenger.”

It was ironic that despite being higher level, I found myself at a disadvantage. I chuckled wryly at this fact. As I observed the hero’s party closing in on the monitor, I reached for the grip of the weapon propped against the wall.

◆◇◆◇◆◇

 (POV Luke the hero)

Creak

With a resounding sound, the doors to the boss room swung open. As expected, it was pitch black inside.

“Noctovision!”

Aina cast an [Exploration Magic] spell that allowed everyone to see through the darkness. Now we should be able to survey the room.

“Now then, will a demon appear or a snake appear…”

“Kikuno, what will appear here are skeletons or zombies.”

“Oh right, I forgot about that.”

While Kikuno and Meg continued their comedy routine, the rest of us observed the boss room. It appeared to be a burial site for royalty or nobility. The lavish decorations on the coffins and walls suggested as much, at least.

“Be on guard. There’s something here!”

Rose admonished us, interrupting our casual scanning of the surroundings. We tightened our focus, looking in the direction she was watching. There stood a skeleton, draped in a once beautiful but now faded cloak, wearing a corroded crown atop its weathered skull, and gripping a rusted sword.

Swoosh…

When the skeleton raised its hand, all the coffins inside the room opened from within!

“”””Aaaaaaaa…””””

“The one in the middle is a Royal Zombie Lv25, flanked on each side by two General Skeletons Lv25, and the rest are undead knights Lv20s.”

So, this was the boss and its entourage! There are quite a lot of them. Are they planning to overwhelm us with sheer numbers? However, no matter how many small fries they gather, it’s meaningless against us. Since I have the holy sword infused with the light element, we can definitely overcome them!

“Let’s go, everyone!”

“We got it!”

We prepared to confront them in our usual formation. We’ve had experience battling groups with commanders on our way here. Although we had very few healing items, we should be able to win if we remain calm.

“”””Oaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!””””

With eerie cries, the army of undead approached. Rose and Kikuno, who were not fond of horror, grimaced, but the rest of us were already accustomed, so it was futile.

Indeed, visually, the undead looked terrifying, and their coordinated suicide attacks were troublesome. However, overall, their AI intelligence level seemed low, and they appeared to rely solely on their all-out assault tactics.

Once we understood their numbers, endurance, and their inclination to kill each of us individually, victory was within our grasp. Instead of directly confronting them head-on, we could maneuver around the entire horde. It was Aina’s ingenious strategy and the coordinated efforts of everyone, even though it was challenging, this had brought us this far.

“Here!”

At Kikuno’s signal, we split into two groups, evading the undead’s charge from left and right. Even with their formation, we wouldn’t lose to those who only recklessly charge in!

“Hah!”

“Sei!”

“”Light Lance!””

Taking advantage of their missed charge, we struck with all our might from their left and right. It was a simple pincer attack. As expected from the boss’s entourage, they didn’t instantly perish from the holy sword’s strikes. However, this was within our expectations.

“Gaaaaaaaa!”

“Gigiiiiiii!”

Whoa, it seems they couldn’t leave it to the small fry any longer. Both General Skeletons have appeared. I can’t ignore this.

“Kikuno, leave this to me! Rose!”

“Understood!”

“Yes, one at a time!”

It was relieving that they understood my intentions with just this much. Rose and I broke away from the enemy horde to engage in one-on-one combat with the two General Skeletons. Their swords were sharp and heavy! Their defense was solid too. They were tougher than any humanoid monster we’ve fought before. But…

“Here!”

“Gaga!?”

I narrowly parried the General Skeleton’s powerful swing, then struck its torso with my sword. Ugh, was it too shallow?

“Gaah!”

“Kuh, Ugh!”

W-what? It attacked me with its shield! Both its sword and shield are in tatters, yet they’re incredibly resilient. Even through my helmet, its attack was effective…

“…Ugh!”

In the game, the pain was greatly reduced, but being hit makes you feel dizzy, and being slashed makes you tingle. You could adjust the settings to make the pain feel as real as in reality, but I was not a masochist, so I kept it at default. That’s why, even as an ordinary high school student in real life, I can endure the pain and wield my sword. I won’t lose, no matter what!

◆◇◆◇◆◇

 “Taah!”

“Gugaaaaa…!”

Although we were battered and bruised, in the end, we emerged victorious after defeating the boss, the Royal Zombie. The Royal Zombie was a magic swordsman capable of wielding both a sword and magic, just like me.

Even though it took the combined efforts of the six of us to confront it after dealing with its lackeys, it proved to be remarkably strong. It seemed to possess an AI intelligence level far superior to the norm.

With our items depleted and our magical powers exhausted, there was no chance for recovery anytime soon. Even Aina, who had the most health remaining, was at only sixty percent, and Kikuno, who had been tirelessly acting as our shield, had a mere twenty percent left. It was truly a close call.

But the struggle had its rewards. Unlike before, when we would find only one treasure chest after defeating a boss, this time there were three.

“Phew, it’s over!”

“Yeah, we won.”

“…Something feels off.”

While we all reveled in our victory, Aina furrowed her brow, deep in thought. I wonder what was bothering her.

“Hey, do you think these guys were really the final bosses?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Kikuno let out a bewildered exclamation in response to Aina’s outrageous statement. Everyone except Aina shared the same sentiment. However, she seemed to be fixated on something that bothered her.

“According to the bulletin board, the level for a dungeon’s boss is the dungeon’s recommended level plus five… So, in this case, it should be 30.”

“Hmm, that was the case with the previous dungeon too.”

“But the ones we just faced; their levels didn’t exceed 25. Isn’t that strange?”

Indeed, there was a sense of unease about it. However, Kikuno immediately countered with an explanation.

“There were three of them at the same time, right? I think their levels were adjusted lower because we had to face three of them simultaneously.”

“There’s something else that bothers me. Why were we able to defeat them? No, it’s not like I’m underestimating our abilities. It’s just… we won without using a single healing item.”

Hmm, now that she mentioned it, Aina’s point seemed valid. If those weren’t the bosses we faced earlier, then…

Swish!

“…Eh?”

Just as I heard the sound of something being severed, my field of vision slowly started shifting. Instant death… Could it be that my head was cut off…?

(I’m sorry, everyone…)

The last sight that registered in my eyes was the bewildered expressions of my party members and a figure in a black robe swinging a gigantic scythe.