With my adventurer's registration out of the way, I had no intention to suddenly head toward the New Moon Dungeon. Of course, there was the issue of me having accepted the orc materials request, but there was plenty of time left for me to fulfill that at a later date.
I had to head to somewhere else first—more precisely, to the uncharted sector of the Moon's Reflection. Simply put, I was headed to the location where I had last fought the giant skeleton.
The Water Moon Dungeon was, as usual, quite quiet. While I did pass by the occasional Iron-class adventurer, they did not seem to notice me as I walked by, being too engrossed in their own battles with some monster or another.
In addition to giving them a wide berth, I did what I could to suppress my magic and spiritual presence, stealthily walking through the dungeon's halls. In the past, all I had to do to sneak past human and monster alike was to be a little more silent, so weak were my powers that neither would have noticed me anyway.
I wasn't sure if I should be so happy that I had to do something like this now to advance unnoticed, since it was a little troublesome. Even so, I supposed issues like these were worries that only the strong faced. I decided to shelve those thoughts for now, given that they were not significant problems to begin with. If anything, I viewed it as practice; hiding my mana and spirit at will would surely improve my control over said abilities as time went by.
Arriving at a familiar entrance, I stepped into the hidden pathway, eventually reaching and confidently stepping into the magic circle on the ground.
Having used it once, the circle no longer felt as intimidating or dangerous. Although I had heard stories of magic circles that transport users to different locations each time, I had difficulties believing that such an ill-intentioned mechanism was present in this dungeon. Perhaps it would be a given to encounter those circles in dungeons of a higher difficulty, but the Moon's Reflection didn't seem like such a location.
With that being said, however, there was no other way to verify my suspicions. Thankfully, the magic circle proved to be benign, transporting me to the very same chamber where I'd first fought the giant skeleton. Readying my sword, I slowly stepped out of the circle—
While I had defeated it before, the giant skeleton could have simply reappeared during my absence. This was, for all intents and purposes, a boss chamber, so the skeleton in question might endlessly reappear in a cycle, or it might have been a one-off. Not knowing which of the two this chamber was, I advanced carefully, mentally prepared for the possibility of combat. This was the least I could do, as it paid well to be cautious in the dungeon.
However, no matter how long I waited after exiting the circle, the giant skeleton did not reappear—in fact, I could not feel its presence at all. Maybe it needed more time, or maybe it was a monster that only appeared once. Either way, I lowered my sword, somewhat more relieved than I previously was. With that, though, I had no intentions of sheathing my blade.
Looking around, I once again found myself in a large, empty chamber. One would question why I ended up at such a location after accepting a request that was to be fulfilled in another dungeon—but of course, I had my reasons.
This very magic circle that I'd just stepped out of only appeared after I defeated the giant skeleton—it had been invisible prior to that. I'd discovered this newly-formed circle during a search of the chamber while Loris, the owner of the Red Wyvern Pavilion, was unconscious.
However, that was not all I found. In reality, there was one more circle, positioned on the ground not far from the one I'd stepped into to enter the giant skeleton's chamber. If I had to guess, that circle was probably connected to another location. The Water Moon Dungeon seemed to continue on past this magic circle.
Slowly, I stepped into the circle on the ground. While I didn't understand the language used to inscribe it, nor the principles behind the strange magics used to power it, I could at least see that this circle was drawn a little differently from the one that led to the boss chamber. Surely, it would bring me to a different location.
Perhaps this was all a trap of sorts—two circles in a room, with the more unfortunate intruders ending up in a sealed room with a giant skeleton. I supposed such things happened from time to time.
Well, then... What would it be this time? Snakes? Demons? A dragon, perhaps?
Of course, there was no other way of finding out. As the magic circle began giving off a bright light, I readied my sword once again, waiting for the eventual change in my surroundings.
◆◇◆◇◆
As the light slowly began to fade, I quickly turned to look at my surroundings, prepared for an attack from any direction. I couldn't discount the possibility that this circle, too, was a trap of some kind, with monsters or the like lying in wait. However...
As far as I could see, there were no monsters here, let alone any sort of traps. Instead, I found myself in a messy, cluttered room. All sorts of objects lay about, some rotting on the ground. All signs pointed to this place having been inhabited at some point in time—if anything, it didn't look like it belonged in the dungeon at all.
Several shelves lined the wall—even a table and bed were present. What appeared to be a soft toy lay on the ground near me. As I reached out to touch it, however, the toy crumbled into dust, leaving no trace of its previous form. I could only assume that this place had been untouched for years, perhaps even centuries.
The thing that caught my attention, however, was the bed at the end of the room—or, to be precise, what was sleeping on that bed. Someone had slept their last night here many, many years ago, and even now continued their eternal slumber.
A set of white bones lay, somewhat serenely, on the bed. There was no light in the skull's sunken sockets; what remained of its eyes looked straight up at the ceiling, its skeletal hands clasped on its chest. At a glance, the individual in question seemed to have died peacefully in their sleep.
A bouquet of dried flowers lay by their pillow. I reached out to touch them, only to be greeted by the sight of said flowers turning into dust before my very eyes.
What...is this place?
Someone once lived here—I could see that much—but I'd never heard of a human being living so deep in a dungeon of any kind.
For starters, was something like that even possible...?
I had no idea. However, the very existence of this room proved one thing: if this room existed, its owner must have also existed and lived here at some point in time.
Even so... I hadn't seen anything resembling treasure around me. What deeper meaning did this place hold?
With that in mind, I searched the room, looking through the debris and ruins like any good adventurer would. But nothing noteworthy was to be found. After I had come all this way, too... I supposed there were some old books on those shelves?
Glancing at the shelves, many of the books in question appeared to be reference tomes that were most likely undecipherable except by the most skilled specialists. Strangely, amidst these volumes were what seemed to be thin picture books. Did a child live here?
These were, of course, all very old books. If I took some of them with me, I am sure they would fetch a fair amount of coin.
Nodding, I reached out for the ancient books—
"...You there. What exactly do you think you're doing?" a voice rang out from behind me.
Behind me...? This was abnormal—impossible, even. I'd constantly been on guard, after all, not knowing what lay in the depths of this room.
I had little choice but to turn around. The owner of the voice could have suddenly attacked me—but instead, they called out to me, as if they had expected and were waiting for me to turn around.
Slowly, I turned to face the direction of the voice. It was a woman. At a glance, she didn't look too special: Soft, white hair; blue eyes; and a gentle, soothing smile—such was the woman that stood before me in this small room. She was wearing a black robe; a mage of sorts, perhaps.
The woman spoke to me once more.
"I will ask you again: What exactly are you doing in this place?"
It was a calm voice, gentle and soothing, almost like the voice of an adult questioning a child for a slight of some kind.
I, however, stopped breathing. For a moment, I was gripped by an intense feeling of nervousness, of tension...
If I had to put it simply: this woman was bad news.
I trusted the gut feeling that I'd relied on for most of my life, so I could easily say that much without any hesitation. But the woman stood in front of the magic circle, effectively sealing off my only means of escape.
I had no idea what I should do. I suppose the only choice I had was to answer her question; this was the conclusion I arrived at after much frantic thought.
I offered the woman my answer.
"...I was just... Looking around for... Anything of value... I am an adventurer, so..."
"Haha. Value, value... Anything of value... I see. So, you are a thief? Well, then, I do hope you are prepared to die here?"
"What...?"
"You seem troubled. But yes, of course. I understand. I understand but...there are some things I simply cannot forgive. I do not wish to defile this place... But to that end, I suppose I will just have to erase you—there is no other way."
With that, the woman lightly raised her hand, pointing it my way. I had no idea what she was doing when just then, almost instantaneously, I noticed the fearsome amount of magic condensing into the palm of her hand. Instinctively, I put all of my abilities into defensive magics and skills. With a Shield of magic, the strengthening of my body with spirit, and the infusion of my blade with divinity, surely I would be able to ward off any attack.
Of course, I had fully intended to dodge the whole attack, if possible. The woman's assault, however, was much faster, much more accurate.
Intense flames shot forth from her palm, smashing into my being. It was like the breath of a dragon, and the force sunk into me like a cannonball—such was the power of its impact. It was much more heavy, more powerful, than the blow of a mere giant skeleton.
I was sent flying, smashing clean into a nearby wall. I felt a spike of pain flash up my back. While I was glad that I'd blocked a single attack, the battle was far from over. I could immediately feel the same type of magic being gathered into the woman's palm once more—death itself was being condensed into a fireball a short distance before me.
As I struggled to get up, the woman slowly approached, her palm raised with murderous intent. There was no way I could defend against the next blow.
Even so, I couldn't give up, and I started the preparations for another layer of magic shielding. I probably wouldn't make it in time... But then I noticed the gaze of the woman, leveled squarely on me. What happened next was unexpected, as the woman's movements stopped where she stood.
"...You... Your...body...?" It would seem like she had a question for me.
My body? What of it?
While it was protected by a wave of magic and spirit, my robes had been set aflame by the previous fireball. Most of my garments were now burnt to a crisp, revealing the rotten, corpse-like bits of my thrall body. No matter how one looked at it, I hardly seemed human with bits of rotting, and occasional dried, pieces of flesh on my body. The woman seemed surprised at this.
But of course she would be; only monsters would look like this.
"...What... Of it. Even I... Did not choose to... Become like this. Do you think... I like... Looking like this?"
I had no illusions regarding the situation. There was just no way I could escape from this woman. I was doomed to die in this room, so I might as well say what I wanted to say. This might very well be the last time I would get to say it.
The woman, however, didn't seem angered by my words. Instead, she lowered her hand, the traces of magic fading from her palm.
"...But yes. Of course... I see. It would seem that I was mistaken—a misunderstanding. I do apologize."
Was the woman...apologizing to me?
"Oh... I see that your robes have unfortunately caught fire. I do not have any replacements on hand... Perhaps I could offer you this instead. It is well-made, and I do believe it would be of service to you."
Saying so, the woman took off her black robes, folding them up and handing them to me.
"Ah, one more thing to note: This is a room of great importance to me. I suppose even you would understand that this place is special. Could I please request that you not make mention of this room to anyone else?" the woman said, looking at me with a serene expression.
The woman surely knew that I would agree; after all, she had let me live in exchange for keeping this room's location a secret. What I didn't understand was how the woman knew of this room, and why I was not allowed to report it to anyone. Even if one was not an adventurer, discovering an uncharted sector in a dungeon was a big find. One could end up with enough wealth to last a lifetime, so it was a given that the average person would report this information to the guild.
"You... Don't want me to... Tell the guild...?"
"Yes, I suppose that would be for the best. More accurately, if you were not present, there would be no means of entering this room. You arrived here via that magic circle, yes? That circle would only activate if you stepped into it."
That was what the woman had to say, in addition to the many other things she went on to mention that I had no way of understanding. Such was the gap in power between us. Even Lorraine, who was a Silver-class mage, would not be able to compare to her strength. If I had given her an answer she did not appreciate, death would surely be her response—I could see that much.
However, advancing in adventurer rank was also my dream. Originally, I intended for Loris to report the uncharted sector, in turn returning the gold I had loaned him via the giant skeleton's magic crystal. Now, with my somewhat human-like appearance, I had thought it possible to report this information to the guild at a time when it was less crowded. This would surely increase my rank and influence with the guild, bringing me a step closer to the goal of becoming a Mithril-class adventurer.
At least, that was what I thought. This woman, however, did not want me to do anything of the sort...
As if understanding how I felt about the situation, the woman started speaking once more.
"...With that being said, I suppose you would not like to return empty-handed. I understand. Adventurers are always seeking some form of tangible result or achievement, you see. Perhaps this would not amount to much of a replacement, but it will still surely be of use to you. What do you think?"
"This is..."
The object offered to me appeared to be some sort of ancient parchment—it was also remarkably blank. At a glance, I could deduce that it was probably an ancient literary artifact of some kind. Unfortunately, it didn't look like it was worth much of a fortune at all.
But the woman continued her explanation.
"This is an artifact that automatically maps dungeon sectors that its owner has set foot into—a magic tool known as the Map of Akasha. As of now, nothing is written on it, but that is only due to the fact that the previous owner erased the archived maps on it. It would surely be useful to an adventurer such as yourself... What do you think?"
If what the woman said was true, this was a useful tool indeed. In fact, it was surprising that such an item could exist. If I were to consider selling it, setting a fair price for it alone would pose quite a bit of a challenge.
But of course, this was assuming what the woman said was true. Could such a fantastical tool even exist in our world?
"Would you at least consider my request if I were to prove to you the validity of my claims?"
I nodded at the woman's question. If the map worked as the woman claimed it did, owning it would definitely make my dungeon exploration much easier. I supposed there was some worth in listening to her requests, even if I remained skeptical of the entire affair.
"Well, then, please channel your magic through the parchment..."
I did as I was told, and—
"...Amazing..."
I could only hold my figurative breath as lines dashed across the surface of the previously blank parchment, eventually forming a detailed map of the Moon's Reflection. Even the little details and notes that I had written on my own battered map had appeared, neatly surfacing themselves on the parchment.
"I suppose we have an agreement?"
"...Yes. I suppose we do."
While I still felt an intense urge to report this uncharted sector to the guild, there was a high possibility that this woman would come for my life if I did so. She had, after all, been unmistakably attempting to kill me mere minutes ago—I could not go against her words even if I wanted to.
"I see. That is most pleasing. Well, then, I should see you off—to the entrance, at least."
"Eh?"
Before I could say anything else, the woman activated some sort of translocation magic. Immediately, I found my vision distorting before me. Smiling gently as she waved, her expression seemed markedly different from the murderous face she had worn earlier in our encounter.
"...Well, then. Do take care... Perhaps it is a little silly to say that to one such as yourself, though."
With those parting words, she was gone, and I soon found myself standing at the entrance of the Moon's Reflection.
Was this just a dream?
I looked down. My robes were indeed different, and I held an ancient-looking piece of parchment in my hand.
...What was that all about?
I couldn't stop thinking about the events that had just transpired. I no longer had any intentions of exploring today, and with apprehensive thoughts of these recent affairs filling my mind, I slowly made my way back to the town of Maalt.
◆◇◆◇◆
"...It's almost as if you have been cursed, Rentt. Why do these strange things keep happening to you as of late?"
That was apparently what Lorraine had to say as I described the details of my latest adventure to her. She looked at me with an expression of mild disbelief and exasperation.
It is not like... I would like to have... Strange things happen to me all... The time.
Although I wanted to deliver such a rebuke to Lorraine, I was the one who had returned to the place where I met the dragon, merrily advancing deep into the unknown of the dungeon. Even if I couldn't feel the dragon's presence anymore, sticking my head into such a place was not exactly smart—as such, I swallowed my words. For all intents and purposes, Lorraine was right.
"Well... Adventurers are known to get into all sorts of strange situations—occupational hazards and all that. A little too late to complain, I would say... Right, well, this magic tool of yours. Seems like it works relatively well," Lorraine said, staring at the Map of Akasha that I had obtained from the white-haired woman.
While the automatic mapping of a dungeon was convenient indeed, I'd come across one too many cursed objects. As such, I felt like there could never be too much caution when it came to appraising items gifted to me and decided to have Lorraine perform an inspection to reveal any potential traps or misgivings.
While I did have my fair share of divinity and could detect curses easily, special items that were beyond my reach did exist—my mask, for example, was one such case. The most I could do with my divinity was get a rough feeling if there was anything unsavory lying in wait for me within the object, as detailed examinations were beyond my ability.
Lorraine, however, had her share of scholarly knowledge, in addition to her skills at magic and alchemy. With her experience, she would possibly be able to gain some insight on the map—hence my decision. Apparently she also possessed the qualifications to officially appraise items for the guild, so she would have no trouble finding jobs with the qualifications she held. In addition, she only performed item appraisal on an odd-job basis. I couldn't help but be envious of her capabilities.
"...Have you found out... Anything about how to use... This map in detail?"
While the woman had simply handed the map over to me and told me to infuse my magic into it, I knew little else about how this map worked, or if it could be used in any other way.
"I did try investigating it, yes, but it seems like I cannot use this map on my own. You were told that running magic through this map causes it to draw itself, correct? But it seems like your magic is specifically required as mine alone does not work. Here, you try."
With that, Lorraine casually handed the map to me. Sure enough, familiar lines detailing the passageways and floors of the Moon's Reflection started appearing on its surface.
"Hmm... Quite something else indeed. This... What is this here?"
Upon closer inspection, a black dot was visible on the map's surface, perpetually in motion. Overcome by curiosity, I touched the dot with a finger, and upon doing so caused what appeared to be a name to materialize beneath the dot.
"This is..."
"It would seem so, yes. This is the name of an individual who is currently exploring the dungeon. To think that the map is capable of even this—truly terrifying indeed. What capability! This is undoubtedly an item on par with a kingdom's national treasures," Lorraine said, seemingly moved by the map's abilities.
In truth, I knew I had struck a good deal even without knowing about this map's additional functions—but in exchange, I'd almost lost my life to that woman's magic. Taking these factors into account, I suppose the trade was somewhat even.
Lorraine and I continued conducting various tests and experiments on the map, eventually discovering that the area illustrated by said map could change as long as I willed it to do so—so long as I was channeling magic into it. For example, I could easily instruct the map to illustrate another area, changing its display from the halls of the Moon's Reflection to another location of my choice.
In addition, the ability of the map to show the names of other adventurers only worked if the wielder had fully explored the dungeon in question. Although I had completed the mapping of the Moon's Reflection over my long career, I had hardly explored the New Moon Dungeon.
Upon attempting to have the map switch its focus to the latter dungeon, I realized that only the areas I had been to previously were mapped. In addition, the adventurer-tracking function was inactive. This was proven to be the case as Lorraine and I stared at the map together for a considerable amount of time—yet nary a dot appeared on its surface. If I had to guess, I'd simply not mapped this dungeon enough for said function to activate.
Strictly speaking, it was more than a guess, as the tracking function had worked on the first floor of the New Moon, which I'd finished mapping some time ago. Taking this fact into account, it was plain to see that the other floors needed a similar amount of work before the tracking function in question would start working.
While the Map of Akasha was certainly a convenient tool, it still had its own limitations.
There was one more thing I had to ask Lorraine, however.
"What about... Curses and the like...?"
"It seems safe from what I see so far. You will probably be able to use it without much cause for worry. This is quite the artifact you have found..."
"Is... That so?"
Lorraine's appraisal of the map's worth seemed somewhat sudden.
"But of course. It is highly resistant against magic of all sorts and cannot easily be cut with sharp objects. Though I have no idea how well it would hold up against a skilled swordsman or a well-crafted sword, it seems to have more defensive capabilities than normal armor. Yes, that would be a good analogy for it."
Lorraine's analogy was somewhat astounding, for if it were true, this map would be quite the artifact indeed. Although I found myself utterly disappointed that I could no longer report the discovery of a previously uncharted sector to the adventurer's guild, the fact that I had obtained such a convenient magical tool and makeshift defense item impressed me. Perhaps I actually gained much more from this trade than I'd initially assumed.
Besides, even if I reported said uncharted sector, the Water Moon Dungeon was only a beginner-level dungeon frequented by adventurers up to the Bronze-class level. While I could have expected a reasonably-sized award, the recognition I would have gained from such a discovery would not be that significant in the greater scheme of things.
With that in mind, I suppose I could call this trade a definite plus. After all, the magic crystals I had harvested from monsters in the sector (with the exception of the giant skeleton's crystal) were sold for a tidy sum by Lorraine, so I was now financially stable, if not comfortable.
Although I had handed Clope half my fortune as a deposit for my order-made weapon, I was now no longer in danger of going into the red.
"...Well. Lastly, there is the issue of the woman that you met in that place... I have no information on her, unfortunately. Personally, I am more interested in the ability and techniques required to create some sort of abode in a dungeon, of all places..."
It would seem like Lorraine and I were in agreement on that point. The woman had suddenly appeared and quickly sent me on my way without providing much of an explanation. Due to our relatively short interaction, I had no way of observing her in detail, and as a result, no way of deducing who she could have been.
Although I was certain of her strength, the fact that she could reprimand and intimidate me in such a fashion meant that she was a rarity in and of herself.
In my current state, I could probably take on a lower Silver-class adventurer. Even if I couldn't win, I would at least be able to escape. If faced with a Gold-class or above adventurer, however, I would surely be defeated in an instant. That would be a fair assessment of my current strength.
But of course, I had no intentions of stagnating here—I wanted to climb to greater heights. To achieve that, I needed a body that could grow, and this was something I now possessed.
With that said, however, there was still the possibility that no matter how much I evolved, I would still remain a monster of sorts.
"Actually... I was about to head off... To that uncharted sector again..."
"Even though you were chased out the last time? How very brave of you."
"The woman told me... To not 'report' that place... To the guild. She said nothing... About 'not going back' there."
"...I suppose that much is true, at least from what you've told me. It is, however, a technicality, as she obviously does not wish for you to step foot in that place again."
Lorraine's words rang true, but many things about that encounter still bothered me. I would at least like to speak with her one more time, and ask her certain questions—such were my hopes.
If it couldn't be done, then so be it, but I had to at least try. From how our last interaction ended, I could somewhat assume that she would no longer immediately make an attempt on my life.
Lorraine, in turn, had a few words of caution for me.
"...You would do well to be careful. That woman is by no means normal—I can say that much just by listening to your account. There is no telling what would draw forth her ire."
"I know."
Lorraine nodded. Perhaps it was obvious, but having faced her in person and nearly dying from the experience, I understood that point better than anyone else.
Lorraine was right: I had to be careful above all else, lest I find myself staring death in the face without warning once more.
◆◇◆◇◆
It would unfortunately turn out that all my effort was wasted, as I would find out the very next day.
The reason for this was simple: what was previously the entrance to the uncharted sector of the Moon's Reflection had apparently disappeared without a trace. No matter how I looked at it, the dead end in question was now a perfect wall—and that was all that currently stood there.
Unconvinced, I walked up to the wall, touching it here and there with my hands. All that greeted my fingers, however, was a cold, smooth surface—and that was it. With this, all means of retrieving clues, or any kind of answers from the woman, were gone.
Just who was she...?
I stood still, thinking about the question for a period of time. The answers, however, eluded me; no one would simply walk up to me with all the answers to my questions, after all.
Would I perhaps meet her again someday?
I had no idea. But one thing did remain clear in my mind: I would continue climbing the ranks toward my goal, eventually becoming a Mithril-class adventurer. I would definitely meet her again, someday. At the very least, I felt that way.
In life, I had trained hard, day after day for an entire decade, without the slightest thing to show for it.
But things were now very different. A meeting with a dragon, discovering an uncharted area of a dungeon... And of course, I was now an undead.
Perhaps a normal person would say that I was unfortunate. I, however, did not feel that way.
I would fight many monsters, encounter many mysteries, and above all, become stronger. All this, too, would contribute to my goal of eventually becoming a Mithril-class adventurer.
That is the sort of adventure that I am currently undertaking—come to think of it, the various misfortunes that have visited me recently could also be seen as invaluable, precious experiences. I would definitely grasp that Mithril dream with my hands.
With those thoughts in mind, I steeled my resolve. My dream was difficult, and to fulfill it, I would surely have to meet with the dragon and that woman again. I would have to be at least able to stand toe-to-toe with them when that time inevitably came.
If there is a will, there is a way... I would not have it by any other means.