Chapter 62

Inside the treasure chest was a single dagger.

The scabbard looked somewhat dull and unremarkable, but the man immediately recognized that this dagger was something extraordinary.

No doubt about it. This was definitely a magical weapon.

The man carefully drew the dagger.

With a smooth *shing*, the dagger slid out.

The blade, like the scabbard, had a dark hue.

Just by drawing it, he could feel some kind of energy. It felt like magic would manifest just by swinging it through the air.

A magical weapon, huh? This is truly worth its weight in gold.

“What’s that old thing?” Sena said with a disappointed tone from the side.

“It’s just a plain dagger.”

“……”

The man looked at Sena with a bewildered expression.

Is she an idiot? Doesn’t she realize this is a magical weapon? If she knew the value of this dagger…

‘No, actually, this might be for the best…’

When it came to choosing treasures from the chest, Ariel went first, followed by Sena, and the man was last.

Currently, the only thing left in the treasure chest was this dagger. If Ariel or Sena had wanted it, the man wouldn’t have been able to take it.

The man showed the dagger to Sena and Ariel and said, “Haha, this doesn’t seem like something that would suit cute girls like you. What do you think? Do you want it?”

Ariel shook her head slightly, and Sena quickly averted her gaze.

Both of them had no interest in the dagger.

“Well, I guess I have no choice.”

The man suppressed a smile and hung the dagger at his waist.

“I’ll take it. If a better treasure comes up next, you can have it.”

“Of course. But first, we need to get out of these bars.”

Sena examined the bars quietly.

There was a part of the bars that could open like a door, but it was locked.

To get out of these bars, they would need to unlock the lock.

“Hmph, this shouldn’t be too hard. Unlock!”

Sena immediately cast a spell. It was a basic magic spell to unlock locks.

Sena’s magic wand flashed with a blue light.

*Clang!*

But soon, the blue light on the wand scattered, and Sena staggered as if shocked.

“W-what… The magic didn’t work.”

“Haha, you fool. Did you really think it would be that easy? If it could be opened with such basic magic, they wouldn’t have gone through all this trouble. This isn’t child’s play.”

At the man’s merciless words, Sena’s face turned red.

“Then why don’t you try opening it! If you’re so confident!”

“No, no, I told you before. I’m a merchant. I don’t have the skills to open something like this. But, well, I can try looking for a key.”

The man rummaged through the treasure chest and searched the floor, trying to find a key.

“The key is over there.”

At that moment, Roo pointed outside the bars.

Everyone turned their gaze in that direction.

Outside the bars, at the entrance to the room, a key was visible.

The key was floating in mid-air.

“Ooh, so the key was created when the bars came down… If someone had been waiting outside, this would have been an easy problem to solve.”

While the man muttered to himself, Roo passed through the bars, retrieved the key, and returned.

Then, as she inserted the key into the lock and turned it, *click*, the bars opened.

“Good thing we have a fairy. Otherwise, it would have been hard to get out of those bars.”

At the man’s words, Roo shrugged.

“Well, even if it wasn’t me, we have my sister. She can easily handle a magic cage.”

“I see.”

The man brushed off Roo’s words and quickly stepped out of the bars. Lingering inside might trigger something else.

“Thanks, Roo.”

Sena thanked Roo as she stepped out of the bars, and Ariel followed, trudging out as well.

*

“Hmm.”

The man pondered.

His goal in entering the dungeon was to obtain treasure, and that had already been achieved.

He had obtained a magical weapon worth its weight in gold.

There was no need to risk his life further in the dungeon.

If he left the dungeon now and returned to the city to sell the magical weapon, he could surely make a fortune.

With that money, he could start his own business or simply live comfortably.

A merchant always prioritizes their own profit, no matter where or when.

So, now that he had obtained the treasure, it was wise to leave.

But for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to take that step.

“……”

The man stroked his beard and looked at Ariel and Sena.

Sena was seriously discussing the dungeon’s challenges, and Ariel was quietly listening.

Both of them were young girls who seemed to know nothing.

Would it be okay to leave them alone in the dungeon?

Of course, Sena seemed to be an excellent mage, and the man was just a merchant who wouldn’t be of much help anyway.

But what if, after he left the dungeon, the girls were in danger or lost their lives?

“Hmm…”

The man let out a deep sigh.

A merchant should always prioritize their own profit, but worrying about the safety of some girls he just met? This was clearly a failure as a merchant.

“What are you doing? Hurry up!”

At that moment, Sena shouted from ahead.

Before he knew it, Sena and Ariel had already moved on to the next area.

“If you don’t hurry, we’ll just leave you behind!”

“……”

‘Well, I guess I have no choice…’

The man lit a cigarette and followed the two kids.

‘These kids need an adult.’

Even if they’re genius mages, they’re still just kids.

Kids sometimes make ridiculous, absurd mistakes.

If it were somewhere else, it wouldn’t matter, but this is a life-or-death dungeon.

A single moment of carelessness, a single mistake, could mean death.

To prevent that, they needed an adult.

*

The dungeon was filled with various traps.

Stepping on the floor could trigger flying blades, touching the walls could release arrows, or the ceiling could suddenly collapse, or the floor could give way, dropping you into a pit filled with spikes. There were many perilous traps.

But all of these were traps that adventurers could handle with caution.

As long as you didn’t let your guard down, you could quickly notice and prepare for them.

However, the being blocking Ariel’s party’s path now was different.

A giant, about 5 meters tall.

This giant was not something adventurers could easily handle.

The giant’s body gleamed smoothly, seemingly made of bronze.

In other words, it wasn’t a living being.

It was a golem.

“That’s the giant the adventurers outside were talking about…”

The man muttered quietly.

“It seems like we can’t move to the next area without dealing with that thing…”

The golem stood with its arms crossed, blocking the path to the next area.

“What are you going to do? Can you handle that thing?”

When the man asked, Sena confidently nodded.

“Of course. Dealing with a golem is simple. You just need to destroy its magic core. Wait here. I’ll take care of it in no time.”

“Wait… Don’t we need some kind of strategy?”

“No need. I’ve made golems at the Magic Tower and fought them before. Golems aren’t alive, so their movements are simple. Plus, they’re slow. There’s no need for a strategy. One magic spell is enough to destroy its core.”

Sena confidently strode toward the golem.

“Honestly, what’s so scary about a golem? It’s just big and made of bronze. It’s still just a golem. The magic core is usually located in the heart or the head. No need to search for it. Just destroy both, and it’s over.”

Sena summoned two large blocks of ice in the air.

The golem noticed Sena and uncrossed its arms.

“Ice Lance!”

As Sena swung her wand, the two blocks of ice shot toward the golem at high speed.

*Thud!*

The golem didn’t block or dodge. It just stood there, unmoving.

“Hmph.”

Seeing this, Sena smirked.

Whether the golem was made of bronze, steel, or stone didn’t matter. Sena’s magic was powerful enough to destroy all of them.

*Crash!*

Sena’s magic struck the golem’s head and heart, and without even checking the result, Sena turned around.

“Done. You can come out now.”

At Sena’s words, Ariel and the man cautiously stepped forward.

“Hey, kid…”

The man said with an awkward smile.

“I think we’re in danger.”

“?”

At the man’s words, Sena tilted her head in confusion.

At that moment, a loud *thud* echoed, and shadows fell around them.

Sena quickly turned around.

“!”

The golem was already behind her.

The golem raised its massive fist and brought it down on Sena.

*Boom!!*

With a deafening crash, the ground shook as if an earthquake had struck, and dust filled the air.

“……”

After a moment, as the dust settled, the spot where the golem’s fist had struck was revealed.

The ground was deeply cratered, but fortunately, Sena wasn’t there.

Somehow, Sena had moved far back.

“?”

Sena was confused.

When the golem’s fist came down, Sena hadn’t even thought to cast a shield and had closed her eyes tightly.

If she had cast a shield, she could have blocked the golem’s fist, but she was too panicked to react.

Sena thought she would be crushed flat by the golem’s fist, like a squashed tomato.

But then Ariel moved, and when Sena opened her eyes, she was far back.

“Ah, Ariel, what are you doing…?”

Sena looked at Ariel.

Ariel was walking step by step toward the golem.

“Heehee, just sit back and watch, human.”

Roo, sitting on Ariel’s shoulder, spoke.

“You’re about to see what kind of person my sister is.”