"Right."
After a brief chaotic moment had passed.
Having left Lilly on the other side and coming over to a secluded spot with just Verdandi and Godhand, I asked,
"What's the relationship between you two?"
It's said that the Holy Grail Seekers entered this dungeon over a hundred years ago.
But since elves are notoriously long-lived, it wouldn't be surprising if they've known each other even before that.
Yet, Verdandi and Godhand just glanced at each other, not answering easily. I narrowed my eyes.
"Wait. Are you two actually lovers?"
Upon hearing our conversation, Lilly's eyes flashed from the other side. Godhand, looking panicked, quickly waved his hands.
"We are definitely NOT in that kind of relationship!"
"Then what is it? Why can't you tell me?"
"Well, actually, Verdandi is from the fairy kingdom's..."
As Godhand tried to explain, this time Verdandi gave him a pointed look.
Godhand stumbled over his words, changing his explanation, "Verdandi has... a high rank. I once served under her."
"Hmm?"
Truthfully, I was aware of Verdandi's 'real status'. Of course, I knew the background of an SSR-ranked named character like the back of my hand.
But if she wanted to hide it, there was no need to rub salt in the wound. I turned my attention back to Godhand.
"So now that you've met an old acquaintance, you plan to pledge allegiance to Verdandi and not me?"
"No, Your Highness, not at all! Our Shadow Squad is loyal to only you!"
Godhand almost fell to the floor as he exclaimed this. Verdandi clicked her tongue, watching him.
"To think you would bow and show loyalty to a human, what has become of you since we last met..."
"No, Lady Verdandi. It's not like that...!"
Godhand looked ready to cry. Poor guy, caught in a drama that felt like the climax of a soap opera.
I stepped in to wrap things up, "So, you two are acquaintances, but you're neither in a relationship of allegiance nor lovers, correct?"
"Yes! You're absolutely right, Your Highness!"
"Alright. I understand."
I gestured towards Lilly on the other side, "But will she forgive you?"
A fiery mage, emitting a distinct red aura, was glaring our way.
Her fury was palpable, ready to reduce everything to ashes.
"Liar, liar, elves are always liars..."
"Eeek."
A squeaky whimper escaped from Godhand. Quite the range in character you have there...
I didn't want to be involved in a love triangle (rectangle?) drama any longer. I made my decision.
"Godhand, take Lilly and go talk things out. Clear up any misunderstandings and catch up."
"With Lilly in her current state...?"
"Would you rather run away? You should always address sparks before they become a flame. Don't you know the saying, 'Look out for hidden sparks, check again for extinguished ones'?"
Recalling an old fire safety slogan, Godhand's face turned ghostly pale as he slowly approached Lilly.
Just a few minutes ago, they were chattering happily, but now they looked miserable. Delightfully entertaining. I chuckled.
"Verdandi?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
I began calling out when Verdandi swiftly responded. I couldn't help but crack a smile.
"Regardless of your past, I don't really care. We're allies in this dungeon, aren't we?"
"Yes, we are."
"But remember, both Godhand and the elves are under my command now."
Godhand seemed to be enjoying himself, as if he had changed genres all of a sudden.
Regardless, the Shadow Squad members were loyal to me, willing to lay down their lives for my cause.
"It would be troublesome if you tried to take them, even if they are your kin. I can't stand having anything taken from me."
They were among the few elite sub-parties. Whether through school ties, regional ties, or blood ties, I won't forgive anyone who breaks the contract.
Verdandi, with a pale face, nodded in understanding.
"...I'll keep that in mind."
I gave her a cheeky grin.
"Great! Shall we go rescue your precious comrades?"
***
Before setting out, I had another purpose for visiting today: to meet Coco, the teleportation-specialized NPC.
Old Coco was seated in her workshop.
With Kellibey absent, she was the only NPC guarding our base camp.
The large witch, stirring a massive pot filled with unidentifiable bubbling ingredients, narrowed her eyes as I approached.
"What brings you here today, young prince? Do you have a door for me to open?"
I cut straight to the chase.
I wanted to establish a teleport gate at a desired location. I asked if she would cooperate.
"Hmmm, constructing a teleport gate, you say..."
Coco looked at me with an inscrutable smile. I nodded.
"Old Coco, you can do it, right? You're the master of spatial magic after all."
"Of course, I can. After all, I'm the one who built all the teleport gates throughout the Lake Kingdom."
Coco's distant eyes seemed to reminisce.
"After the Lake Kingdom was consumed by darkness, Nameless and I spent centuries building safe zones throughout."
To be honest, I hadn't been particularly interested in Coco's backstory. But now I realized that this old woman was centuries old.
She was no ordinary human.
Could she be an ancient magician, given her mastery over intricate spatial magic?
Or was she a resident of Lake Kingdom, cursed with eternal life?
"We lit fires, constructed teleport gates, set up barriers against monsters... It was challenging, but those were rewarding days."
"..."
"I'm not sure if all those hardships were worth it, though."
Coco gazed into the thick darkness outside our base camp, then turned her attention back to me.
"Alright, fine. I'll help you. You seem worth helping."
"Why? Do you think I can push back the darkness of this kingdom?"
Teasingly, Coco chuckled.
"I've seen many promising young souls in this darkness! And I've seen many of them fall apart, losing their light. I'm too worn out to hang hopes on something like that."
So?
Why does she think I'm worth helping?
"It's because of the 'talent' you were born with."
"...Talent?"
"Do you not even realize it?"
Talent? What kind of talent? A talent as a hardcore gamer? As a streamer? My viewers did mockingly say that I had a considerable talent for being comedic.
"The only talent I recognize as a space-manipulating sorcerer is just one."
However, what Coco was referring to was of a completely different nature.
"Time."
"...?"
I blinked in confusion.
Time? I have a talent for that?
What in the world is she talking about? It sounded like pure nonsense.
"You might not understand now, but you'll come to realize it in time."
Waving it off, Coco flashed a mischievous smile.
"Anyway, bring me the materials and I'll construct the teleport gate at the location you desire. But..."
The old witch's eyes glinted with a devilish tease. It was a look I knew all too well.
"Getting those materials won't be easy."
It was that 'you're a newbie, so you better work hard' kind of look veterans give.
Ding!
A system window popped up in front of me. I quickly checked it.
[Item Creation Quest]
- Collect the materials needed to construct the teleport gate.
> SR-grade Magic Core (0/1)
> Dark Crystals (0/5)
> Demon Heart (0/3)
> ...
> ...
Dark Crystals that can only be obtained from high-tier monsters deep in dungeons, and Demon Hearts, which are rare drops from the top-tier demon legions.
A whole list of magical components available only from the deepest parts of various dungeons.
Particularly, many materials were from Zone 7. I chuckled to myself.
'One way or another, it looks like I have to venture into Zone 7.'
However, tackling multiple quests at once and completing them all together feels rewarding in its own right.
'Rescue the kidnapped NPC. And construct the teleport gate.'
I'll finish off both sub-quests at once!
Brushing off my hands, I turned around. My party members, all prepped to dive into the dungeon, stood ready. I shouted with enthusiasm.
"Alright, let's carve out our path!"
***
I was worried our main party would struggle without its core members.
Surprisingly, that wasn't the case.
Thud! Boom! Crash!
For starters, the Penal Squad in their beast mode had an incredible breaking power, tearing through the frontlines.
They were currently in their activated mode of a new trait:
[Moonlit Wolf]
- For 2 weeks before and after a full moon, you'll transform into a werebeast. Your physical strength and stamina gradually increase, while your intelligence and magic power decrease. This effect is strongest during the full moon.
- For 2 weeks before and after a new moon, you'll revert to a human form. You return to your base stats.
The irremovable trait, [Moonlit Wolf].
For two weeks around the full moon, they transformed into beast forms and received strength and stamina bonuses.
This boost was significantly potent, especially for Kuilan.
"Ha ha ha! Get out of my way, you monster creeps!"
Kuilan roared with glee, thrusting his fists forward. The monsters of this season, the skeletons, shattered in every direction upon impact.
Kuilan was a close-combat dealer with high strength and agility but had absurdly low stamina.
Due to the [Glass Body] trait, no matter what he did, Kuilan's stamina stat was too low. A single hit would make him spit blood and collapse.
However, during the two weeks when the [Moonlit Wolf] was active, the [Glass Body] trait would disappear.
It seemed like this was due to his body transforming into that of a beastman, which allowed him to ignore the negative traits of his original body. Lucky him!
Thus, the current Kuilan possessed nearly maximum values in the three main attributes for a frontline character: strength, agility, and stamina. He had become a perfect martial artist!
Even though it was only for two weeks out of the month, what a blessing! Honestly, I had sometimes felt, no, often felt, it was a waste investing in him!
Besides Kuilan, all the members of the Penal Squad were either warriors or rogue classes. All were melee characters, forming a solid frontline.
And the rest of the members who came with us...
Swoosh! Swoosh!
Thud thud thud-!
The original firepower team of this monster front, the Shadow Squad!
Although they had lost two archers, the metal mage Godhand, the telekinetic mage Bodybag, and the wide-area explosive archer Burnout were dishing out immense firepower as a trio.
Skeleton hordes were swept away in no time.
And then,
Lastly, an unintended guest member.
Whirr!
Lilly, holding a massive fireball, shot a fierce glare.
"Ultimate Kill..."
With both her hands stretching forward, she threw that enormous fireball at an incredible speed.
"Die, liar!"
Boom!
The immense heat from the soaring fireball caused a massive explosion.
Scream!
The dungeon boss of the zone 6 we were currently in, the Giant Skeleton Conqueror, was directly hit by the fireball. Nothing remained of him but ashes.
"..."
An R-ranked mage? Level 32? Is this even possible?
As I stood there, mouth agape at the scene, Godhand, who was standing beside me, started to tremble.
I placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded.
"You chose this romance on the battlefield... Hang in there with grit and determination."
"...Yes, that's the plan."
Godhand smiled weakly with trembling lips.
"I'm tired of living a life full of lies. I want to be honest now, both to others and to myself."
"..."
"I'll clear Lilly's misunderstanding and convey my true feelings."
Watching Lilly, who was out of breath from casting [Ultimate Kill the Liar (No Such Skill Exists)], a heavily breathing Godhand approached her.
Observing the complex love situation between the two, I silently rooted for Godhand from the bottom of my heart.
'I hope that someday during a lovers' quarrel, you get hit by that fireball and turn pitch black.'
Really, you idiot!