Chapter 66

“Poor elf….”

At the voice coming from ahead, Ariel raised her head.

She slipped the magical ring onto her finger, examining what kind of magic was on it, when suddenly she was transported to another location.

The place Ariel was transported to was a space that looked like a large room. Lanterns burned on the walls, so even without Sena’s Light magic, she could easily see her surroundings.

“Foolish elf….”

In the middle of that space, something stood tall, looking down at Ariel.

It was a giant snake, but bizarrely, its upper body was that of a human woman.

“Pathetic elf….”

The woman’s hair wriggled. Upon closer inspection, it wasn’t hair but small snakes.

Countless snakes hung from the woman’s head, flicking their tongues toward Ariel.

Ariel felt like she knew the identity of this being.

A being with such an appearance could only be a ‘Medusa.’

“I am the guardian of this dungeon’s core… How foolish of you to come here without fear….”

At Medusa’s words, Ariel looked around.

If this Medusa was the guardian of the dungeon’s core, then the dungeon’s core must be nearby.

Destroying that core would mean the dungeon raid was complete.

“Hehe, I see you already know about me… But, avoiding my gaze won’t help you….”

The snakes on Medusa’s head stretched out, wrapping around Ariel’s limbs.

They lifted Ariel up, pulling her close to Medusa’s face.

Suddenly, Ariel was face-to-face with Medusa.

“Look into my eyes… little elf….”

Medusa’s eyes flashed gray.

Petrification ability.

It was Medusa’s terrifying ability to turn those who met her gaze into stone.

Among adventurers, there’s a saying that if you encounter a Medusa, you must flee immediately.

Medusa could turn parts of her body into stone, making her defense formidable, and the snakes on her head were under her control, making her a tricky opponent.

And above all.

The moment you meet Medusa’s gaze, you turn to stone. Essentially, combat becomes nearly impossible.

Once turned to stone, you couldn’t return unless Medusa released you.

Medusa would drag her petrified prey to her lair and devour them, swallowing them whole while still in stone form.

Only after they were inside her stomach would she release the petrification and digest them.

Truly a terrifying ability. It was no wonder adventurers fled at the sight of Medusa.

But what if, like Ariel now, you were already caught?

In such a case, seasoned adventurers would say:

“Absolutely! Do not look into Medusa’s eyes! The moment you do, it’s over! You’ll turn to stone!”

But there was no one to give Ariel that advice.

Ariel, merely curious, met Medusa’s gaze.

Staring straight into her eyes.

“……?”

Then, a look of confusion spread across Medusa’s gray eyes.

“W-what… Why isn’t my ability working? Why aren’t you turning to stone?”

Medusa activated her petrification ability again.

Flash!

But nothing changed. Far from turning to stone, Ariel just stared blankly at Medusa.

“S-something’s wrong…! In that case….”

Medusa began strangling Ariel’s neck with the snakes on her head.

Since her petrification didn’t work, she intended to suffocate Ariel instead.

“Keke, foolish elf, I don’t know what trick you’re using, but do you think not turning to stone will change anything? You’ll still end up as my delicious meal. Elf flesh is so tender… Ugh!”

At that moment, with a crack, Medusa’s neck bent at a right angle.

“…….”

The gray light in Medusa’s eyes faded, and her mouth hung open.

She was dead.

By the Telekinesis Magic Ariel had cast.

Ariel had just tested whether Telekinesis Magic could be used as an offensive tool, and the results were beyond expectations.

With Telekinesis Magic, she could kill an opponent without piercing their forehead. All she had to do was snap their neck.

This way, the corpse could be preserved in perfect condition.

The snakes wrapped around Ariel’s body loosened, and Medusa’s massive body fell with a thud.

*

After Ariel disappeared, the rest of the party hurried toward the dungeon’s core.

The reason for Ariel’s disappearance seemed to be a dungeon trap, and destroying the core would be the quickest way to save her.

Destroying the dungeon’s core would stop the trap’s activation.

“Huff, huff….”

The party ran without rest, stopping before a massive door at the dungeon’s deepest part.

Beyond this door would be the guardian of the dungeon’s core, and only after defeating the guardian could they destroy the core.

“You two stay behind me. I’ll handle the guardian.”

At Sena’s words, the man and Roo nodded and took a step back.

Since the man and Roo had no combat abilities, Sena was the only one who could face the guardian now.

The man looked at Sena with a worried expression.

“…Kid, I trust your skills, but still, be careful. This dungeon feels off.”

“Off how?”

“Two magical items have appeared. Normally, even one is rare.”

“Two?”

Sena tilted her head, then looked at the dagger hanging from the man’s waist.

“Ah, that dagger is a magical item.”

She hadn’t noticed earlier, but the dagger on the man’s waist was indeed a magical item.

“Here.”

The man untied the dagger from his waist, scratching his head as he handed it to Sena.

“You take it. I haven’t done much in this dungeon anyway.”

Magical items were extremely rare. Selling it would surely fetch a hefty sum.

But despite that, the man decided to reveal the dagger’s nature and give it to Sena.

It was a bit late, but his conscience had pricked him. It was uncharacteristic of him.

“…….”

Sena silently looked at the dagger, then shook her head.

“Hmph, I don’t need it. Why would I want such a shabby old thing? You keep it.”

“No, kid, do you know how valuable this is…?”

“Enough. I’m the top mage of the Magic Tower. I don’t need something like that.”

Sena turned her head sharply, looking at the door. The man awkwardly reattached the dagger to his waist.

“Hey….”

Roo, standing nearby with her arms crossed, grumbled.

“We don’t have time for this. We need to clear the dungeon and find our sister. Though I’m sure she’s fine.”

The man silently agreed. Who could possibly endanger that monster?

Unless a dragon showed up, there was no way that elf kid would be in danger.

‘Well… even a dragon might not be enough against her….’

Creak!

Sena opened the door.

Light poured through the open door, and the man and Roo took another step back.

Sena, with her staff loaded with attack spells, stepped into the room.

“Huh?”

And there, standing in the room, was Ariel, meeting her gaze.

“Ariel?”

“Sister?”

“?”

The party quickly approached Ariel.

*

Of course, Ariel was perfectly fine.

“You disappeared so suddenly, you scared us, Ariel. How did you end up here?”

At Sena’s question, Ariel slowly shook her head. She didn’t know either.

“Hmm.”

Sena looked at the ring on Ariel’s finger.

“Was it because of that ring? The magic on that ring….”

Poof!

Ariel disappeared again.

But this time, she didn’t vanish completely.

Ariel was now standing right behind Sena.

“Ah, I think I get it.”

Sena nodded with a smile.

“The magic on that ring is ‘Blink.’ Yes, definitely.”

Blink.

A magic that allows instantaneous spatial movement.

It would be useful in emergencies, but due to its high mana cost and difficulty in casting, it’s rarely used in combat.

Using Blink is less efficient than deploying a Shield.

“If a magical item has Blink… Wow, that’s quite useful. It’d be perfect for emergencies.”

Magical items can be used even by non-magical individuals.

Meaning, anyone could use Blink just by wearing that ring.

“Hmm, that ring would be worth a fortune….”

The man muttered.

“You might even be able to buy an entire city with it.”

“That much?”

Sena blinked in surprise. But then she shot the man a glance.

“But that ring belongs to Ariel. You already got that dagger, so don’t get greedy.”

“Haha.”

The man laughed, waving his hand.

“I do have a greed for money, but not to that extent. That’s clearly something beyond my reach, and this dagger is enough for me. More importantly, are you okay? Even you must be tempted by that ring.”

At the man’s words, Sena shook her head.

“You don’t know mages well, do you? Mages don’t rely on magical items. It’s a matter of pride.”

“…Is that so?”

The man scratched his chin.

From what he’d seen, many mages used magical items.

For example, the ‘Light Pen’ he carried was quite popular among mages.

Because it’s convenient.

‘But well, this kid is definitely….’

The man had seen that Sena took great pride in her own magic. It was natural she wouldn’t rely on magical items.

“…….”

Meanwhile, Ariel, having heard Sena and the man’s conversation, quietly thought.

The Blink magic on this ring was quite intriguing, but Ariel didn’t feel she needed it.

Ariel could move as fast as Blink, if not faster, and she didn’t foresee any emergencies.

In Ariel’s mind, there was someone else who needed this ring.

“Roo.”

Ariel took the ring off her finger and held it out to Roo.

“Take it.”

“?!”

Roo’s eyes widened.