Ch. 189
It was a bit like riding a slide—falling vertically at first, then feeling a sharp shift in gravity. Before long, I could feel it with my whole body: the water vanished completely, and the space filled with air.
Breathing became much easier at that point, probably around the middle of the tunnel.
After descending for what felt like several dozen seconds through a dark passage that looked like it led straight into the underworld, just when I started wondering if it would ever end, an open space finally appeared.
A vast cave resembling Magi’s lair spread out before me. And I was currently falling from the ceiling to the ground with zero protection.
If you were unlucky, this is where you died.
“Undaine.”
Last time I fell suddenly and hurt my back, but this time I had Undaine ready. I grabbed her mid-fall and landed safely on the ground.
The end of the tunnel was built in the worst possible way to make you crash face-first into the dirt if you let your guard down.
Looking up at the ceiling again, I couldn’t help but be impressed.
“Amazing…”
The more I saw it, the more incredible it seemed.
Magic that had held this place intact for over eight thousand years was still going strong.
The illusionary rock, the barrier preventing the lake water from pouring in—it was all magic.
Only ancient people could’ve pulled this off. No modern mage could maintain something of this level.
“Ador, light it up.”
Just by calling his name, Ador, who I’d left above, returned to my side.
Now the guys above were probably in pitch darkness.
Judging from the drawn-out, echoing scream that followed through the tunnel, they couldn’t stand waiting anymore and had finally started falling down.
The scream grew louder and louder.
Judging by that gruff voice… first up was Chad!
“Waaaah!”
Ah, he’s falling right above me.
I calmly took one step to the side to avoid getting crushed by Chad falling straight on top of me.
He landed with a heavy thud, crouched briefly to rub his knees, and then immediately snapped at me.
“Hey! Why’d you turn off the light!”
“Why should I care if it’s dark up there? It’s bright here where I am.”
“You… selfish woman! After you left, the shield started shrinking too! You did that on purpose, didn’t you?!”
“Busted? I just thought you’d never come down if I didn’t put a little pressure on.”
“You’re insane!”
“How could you not appreciate my deep love? I was thinking like a mother lion… hoping her cubs would grow strong…”
I was in the middle of my heartwarming speech when Chad suddenly grabbed me and shoved me hard against the wall.
At first, I thought he’d finally lost it, but I quickly realized why.
Enk had fallen right where we’d just been standing.
“Whoops!”
Compared to Chad, Enk landed with much lighter movements, even managing to look up and search for us without missing a beat.
After spotting our frantic gestures, he quickly stepped aside. Rai fell next, then Gale.
Everyone was landing just fine.
No one flailed around in a panic like I had yesterday. As for Ash—he landed so perfectly I felt like I should hand him a gold medal and a standing ovation.
Shame.
“Tch. I really wanted to see someone fall on their butt.”
[Master?]
“What.”
[You just said that out loud… That filthy thought…]
“It’s fine. It’s not even a secret. Though, wait, what did you just call it?”
[Hehehe! Stay strong! Our hope—Lox—is still up there!]
“Oh, right! Rai, you’re a genius!”
Squee!
That’s right. That cowardly scholar was still up there.
I hope he rolls down like a barrel—I’ll never stop teasing him.
I hadn’t been this excited since Ash kissed the back of my hand.
“WaaAAAAAAAHHH!”
As that long, drawn-out scream echoed from above, my heart pounded with glee.
I truly believed Lox wouldn’t let me down.
It was definitely the first and last time I’d ever wait so eagerly for Lox.
Clutching my chest full of anticipation, I looked up at the ceiling with clasped hands.
[He’s coming!]
“There he is!”
When Lox finally stopped screaming and dropped down before me, I was in great spirits.
And I would’ve stayed that way if Ash hadn’t caught him so effortlessly, like picking up a stone off the ground.
[Disappointing! Ash! You don’t get it! Tsk tsk! Point deduction!]
Agreed.
He caught him. In a damn princess carry, no less…!
‘Why do I feel gross? Is it just because I didn’t get to see Lox crash?’
Oblivious to the glare from me and Rai, Lox clung to Ash like he’d been through some terrible trauma, whining about how he almost died.
Ash actually comforted him, and Lox clung tighter. It was honestly nauseating.
If falling from there could kill you… well, maybe not, but could he stop falling now?
“What, are they dating?”
“They do stick together a lot.”
Feeling strangely irritated, I muttered under my breath. Chad, who was standing right behind me, answered.
He leaned his chin on the top of my head.
“I heard they’ve known each other for ten years.”
“Hmph. Best friends, huh?”
“Are you jealous?”
“Me? Of who?”
“Lox, obviously.”
“…Maybe? Ash is mine, you know.”
I pouted and crossed my arms. Then, noticing the silence above me, I glanced up.
Chad had lifted his chin and was now looking down at me with a curious glint in his eyes. He was a full two heads taller than me.
“Don’t get me wrong. I mean he’s my servant.”
“That sounds weirder.”
“Should I say attendant, then?”
“Are all Spirit Mages as weird as you?”
“Considering everyone says I’m one of a kind, probably not.”
“Huh… I see…”
What? Never seen someone this shameless before?
No one’s perfect, okay?
I have talents so ridiculous they make the gods jealous—if I were humble too, that’d just be unfair.
See? I’m full of human charm.
“Hey! Everyone, come here! Quick!”
“You’ve gotta see this!”
It sounded like Enk and Gale had found what I discovered yesterday.
Their excited voices echoed through the cave as they called out to us still standing near the pit.
The space had been pitch black originally, but with Ador illuminating everything, we had daylight-level visibility.
I nudged Chad and walked forward.
“Let’s go.”
“Wow… how could something like this exist under a lake?”
“That’s magic for you.”
“Incredible…”
The cave’s ceiling was so high that even Chad had to crane his neck, but aside from its size, it was almost completely empty.
Except for one thing—a massive double-door gate of deep blue, closed shut in formidable silence.
And whatever we were meant to find had to be behind that.
Everyone stood facing the enormous door, thinking the same thing. No one dared touch it.
I had already tried attacking it yesterday.
“This is what I saw yesterday.”
“That’s no ordinary door.”
“You said you attacked it, but there’s not even a scratch.”
“Exactly. No way brute force opens it. It’s not the kind of door you push open. And dispel magic won’t work either.”
Which meant, as Lox had nagged on and on, there had to be some specific condition to open it.
There must be a key to this door, and figuring out what it was remained our job.
The more I looked at it, the more it seemed too big for people to use. Suddenly, a thought struck me.
“Doesn’t it look like… a door for a dragon? The size is perfect…”
“Gyaaah!”
“Bad omen!”
“Don’t say it!”
If there were a door to a Magi’s lair, it’d probably look like this.
As I was teasing the guys, Lox chimed in seriously.
“No, this door exactly follows the style used by ancient nobles. Back then, it was fashionable to build large doors that could only be opened with magic. This is a textbook design.”
“Phew… She had me thinking it really was for a dragon!”
“Heh, sucker.”
“I can’t believe I’m on the same team as that girl.”
“Of course, this kind of thing was only possible in ancient times when magic was widespread. Nowadays, with so few mages, it’s nearly extinct. But you’ll still see oversized doors in royal palaces or the imperial court—symbols of overwhelming power.”
One minute he’s bawling in Ash’s arms, and now he’s acting like some intellectual.
Lox stared at the door like it was sacred, his eyes full of awe and reverence. The guy was a total history nerd.
“The owner of this place must’ve had enormous wealth and authority. A high-ranking noble, perhaps… but definitely someone powerful. Likely a mage. And if we assume this is the entrance, judging by the structure, there probably aren’t any monsters or traps.”
“Getting here was the trial itself.”
“Not necessarily. Most dungeons are hard to even locate, and it’s even harder to get past the traps to find the entrance.”
“…Hey! You’re only here because of me! There ARE traps—it’s just that crossing the lake was the trap! When are you gonna acknowledge that I’m a blessing to you all?!”
“It’s very rare for a dungeon to be without traps. The creator didn’t seem to want to harm or stop intruders—just keep the place hidden.”
This bastard just ignored what I said completely.
“Taking all that into account, this dungeon appears to have been created by an individual. Dungeons with many traps are usually made by large groups. What we’ve found is likely someone’s private treasure vault.”
“So? How do we open the door? Stop showing off and do something.”
If I sounded a little extra snippy toward Lox today, that wasn’t your imagination—it was intentional.
“I plan to. I want you to know I’m not just dead weight. Combat’s not my specialty—this is.”
“Oh really?”
“Competence doesn’t only come from power, you know?”
“Why? That’s where mine comes from.”
“Being weak isn’t a crime. But you make it feel like one. You’re the worst kind of person. I may not have strength, but I ‘think.’”
Yup. Lox was my true enemy.
Even though we were on the same side, we constantly glared at each other, clashed over everything, usually fought with Ash in the middle, and competed to see who could act more superior.
With my arms crossed, I watched Lox with a hawk’s gaze to see what he’d do.
After all that dungeon talk, let’s see him prove something.
If he’s actually useful!