"Ugh…"
I slowly opened my eyes, which I had shut due to the sudden bright light. There were still some lingering afterimages, but fortunately, my vision seemed to be fine. In front of me was the corpse of the orc shaman, and around me...
"Wah?"
A walking pile of rocks was swinging what appeared to be a fist toward me. I quickly tried to swing my sword in defense, but before I could, something yanked me backward by my collar.
Shwick!
As I was forcibly pulled back, I saw a large greatsword swing through the air. The rock creature wasn't shattered but instead sliced cleanly in half.
I was left standing awkwardly, still held by the scruff of my neck by the short-statured Emma. Fortunately, once the bisected rock creature crumbled, Emma sighed and let go of my clothes.
"This is turning into a real headache."
"What do you mean…?"
I was about to ask when I noticed something strange. The walls surrounding us, the unfamiliar structures, and the sudden appearance of the monsters—it all felt like we were indoors. It was confusing, but I wasn't oblivious to the seriousness of the situation.
"We've been forcibly transferred. The necklace you cut apart—that caused the teleportation, pulling us into the deep layers of the dungeon."
I recalled the necklace I had sliced through along with the orc. It had caught my eye due to its unusual appearance, but I hadn't given it much thought and had destroyed it in one swing. And now it had caused this situation.
"I... I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. It's our fault for not warning you about it first. We didn't expect those stragglers pushed out to the outskirts to have something like that."
"But teleportation magic... Isn't that a pretty high level spell?"
"You're right. It's not something an orc shaman could create. They probably just stumbled upon it and carried it around, not even knowing where it would take them. They just hoped it would save their lives in an emergency."
"Well, that's something new."
"Anyway, class is over. Let's figure out how to get out of here."
Dragging her greatsword behind her, Emma began surveying the surroundings, and I, not wanting to just stand there, did the same.
However, aside from the fallen orc shaman and the crumbled stone golem, there was only one door visible. There were no other notable decorations or objects in the room, aside from the glowing stones embedded in the ceiling, which were the only things illuminating the space.
"At any rate, we need to head out of this room first before we can start figuring things out."
Emma, realizing there wasn't much else to see here, walked over to the door, the only exit.
Thud!
Without any hesitation, she threw the door wide open. I couldn't tell if she was being reckless or just confident.
But Emma's confidence had a reason.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
As the door swung open, arrows silently flew through the air. They seemed to be aimed just slightly off from where we stood, directed toward anyone trying to enter the room.
Emma easily deflected all the arrows with her greatsword, swatting them away with broad, effortless swings.
"Let's go."
"Yes."
Despite looking several years younger than me, Emma had an air of charisma that compelled people to follow her. Her small, delicate frame was deceiving, as her cheerful voice carried a sense of authority, and behind her slender back was a sense of reliability that belied her size.
I followed her out of the room. Aside from the strange structures around us, the corridor we entered could be found in any dungeon. As I tried to walk beside her, she instead pushed me to the back.
"If you stay by my side, you'll get in the way of my sword. Just stay behind me. I know more about dungeons than you do, Miss Elysia."
It felt a bit off to be using Emma as a shield, but I couldn't argue with her reasoning, so I stepped back to a safe distance.
Emma took the lead, clearing out monsters and traps as we advanced. I occasionally dealt with the monsters that slipped by her or avoided traps she hadn't yet disarmed. There were a few forked paths, but Emma didn't seem to bother thinking about which way to go. She chose directions without hesitation.
We walked for what felt like hours. It wasn't an especially difficult dungeon, though. If I had been alone, it might have been tough, but with Emma's experience, we navigated it smoothly. It even made me wonder if this was truly a dungeon.
"Hm… I can't tell if we're lucky or unlucky."
Emma spoke in front of a door, but this one was different from the others we had encountered.
It was several times larger than the previous doors, adorned with ornate patterns that hinted at something significant beyond. The ominous aura seeping through it was palpable.
Dungeons didn't usually show their cards so openly, but everything about this door screamed that the dungeon's master was waiting on the other side.
"The best outcome would have been finding an exit, but it looks like we've come all the way to the core. We have two options now: push through and clear the dungeon or turn back. Of course, we could also sit here and wait for rescue, but if that's what we were going to do, there was no point in moving this far."
"What do you think is the best option?"
Knowing Emma was far more knowledgeable about dungeons, I naturally deferred to her judgment. Since there was no immediate danger, she sat down and began explaining.
"Both options have risks. The biggest unknown is how strong the dungeon master is. It would be ideal if it's something we can handle, but judging by the high level monsters we've encountered, I can't be too confident."
She sighed and continued.
"Going back has its risks too. The traps and monsters we've faced so far haven't been too dangerous, but there's no guarantee it'll stay that way. Plus, we have no idea how deep this dungeon is. It could take days, even a week, to reach the entrance."
"So, if we defeat the dungeon master, can we find a way out?"
"In naturally formed dungeons, that might not be the case, but in dungeons like this one, which were artificially created long ago, the creators usually built an exit. There's likely a direct path to the entrance somewhere."
Though Emma was giving me a choice, it seemed she had already made up her mind. After considering her explanation, I agreed with her.
"Let's push through, then. We've come this far, and if both options are dangerous, we might as well move forward."
Emma grinned at my response and stood up.
"My daughter made a good friend. You've got guts—exactly what a swordsman needs."
She walked over to the door, offering some final words.
"I'll handle the dungeon master. You take care of any guards or minions. Be ready to adjust depending on the situation."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
After a brief exchange, Emma stood before the door.
"Let's go."
With that, she kicked the door open with a loud bang.
Inside the boss chamber sat a skeleton holding a staff, resting on a throne. The energy radiating from its bones was far beyond that of a regular skeleton. It was most likely a lich. While classified as a high-level monster, the lich far surpassed the typical high-level threats due to its power.
The real danger of a lich wasn't just its mastery of magic, but its immortality—unless its phylactery was destroyed, it couldn't truly die. While it couldn't move far from its phylactery, that limitation didn't diminish how fearsome it was.
"Well, this is perfect. I'll take care of the lich, and you search for the phylactery."
Without waiting for my response, Emma charged straight at the lich. The lich immediately began casting spells. Unlike the orc shaman, its magic was quick and powerful.
A massive fireball flew toward Emma, but the flames erupting from her greatsword easily sliced through it, allowing her to continue advancing.
The lich calmly unleashed more spells, but Emma skillfully deflected or cut through each one with her greatsword.
Once Emma got within striking distance, she swung her sword down at the lich. However, even her flaming sword couldn't break through the lich's barrier completely. While the barrier didn't remain intact, it cracked and even had a hole punched through it.
I couldn't just stand by and watch any longer, so I began to move. But something unsettling caught my attention. At first, I thought it was the lich's mana, but that wasn't it. It was a sensation I was familiar with.
I hesitated between searching for the phylactery or trusting my instincts. But the decision didn't take long.
I remembered what Craig had told me—always trust my instincts. Although Craig's advice had been about my sword, advice is always best taken with flexibility.
So I followed my instincts, heading into the chaotic battlefield where spells exploded and flames blazed. Emma, focused on her fight, didn't notice my approach.
Then I realized what had been bothering me all this time.
It was a faint but deadly killing intent. The kind that someone tries to suppress but can't entirely hide. A filthy killing intent, not something a proud warrior or a mere mage would emit. It was the mark of an assassin.
Sensing their plan had gone awry, the hidden figure moved, but fortunately, I reacted first.
Clang!
I deflected the sword that had been aimed at Emma's neck. At that moment, Emma, now aware of the presence lurking in the shadows, leaped forward to widen the distance and shouted.
"Leave it to me!"
I briefly wondered if there might be more enemies, but if there were, they would have struck already.
Now, Emma was locked in close combat with the lich, while I stood off to the side, facing another skeleton.
"Hmph."
I chuckled without meaning to. I was probably smiling as well. Staring at the pitch-black skeleton before me, I couldn't help but feel a connection.
We're the same, aren't we?