Chapter 129

“So, it’s just a stone wall pretending to be a passage, right? Even if my arm’s in bad shape, I can still break it. Even if there’s some protective magic… my sword can handle it. If I keep chipping away at it, it’ll eventually collapse on its own.”

This kind of building is bound to collapse under its own weight if you just dig into the pillars, walls, and ceiling a bit.

It would’ve been easier if we had explosives… but no point crying over what we don’t have. Guess I’ll just have to tough it out.

“Sounds like a reckless and brute-force method to me. Perfect plan for getting crushed to death, huh?”

Freide let out a hollow laugh.

Well, yeah, if you just smash it mindlessly, that’s what’ll happen. You think I’d do that?

“I’ve got it all figured out, okay? If you just smash it randomly, of course it’ll collapse, but if you break it down systematically, it’ll be fine. Start by carefully cutting into the walls and ceiling just enough so the innermost part doesn’t collapse immediately, then gradually increase the damage as you move outward.”

It’s a method that requires some finesse, but it’s not impossible.

The early part of the dungeon, where imps and centipede snails roamed, was a vast cave-like space, so this method wouldn’t work there… but the only area we need to destroy is this passage, and my sword can reach the ceiling here.

“If we reach the end of the passage and deliver a strong enough attack… it’s just my guess, but the shock of the collapse should spread in a chain reaction, causing the inner parts to crumble too. Probably.”

Like dominoes, one after another, it’ll all come crashing down.

“How’s that for a perfect plan?”

“Sounds plausible, but I’m not sure if I can trust it.”

Freide still looked skeptical.

You’re lacking faith, Freide. It’s totally doable.

“Just trust me. What’s there to lose?”

“What if it collapses in the middle?”

Milia asked, sounding worried.

Well… if we’re unlucky, that could happen.

“Then we’ll just have to run like hell to the entrance.”

“……”

No response came.

Silence means agreement, right? If it comes to that, I’ll carry you on my back and run, so don’t worry.

“Is this really the right way…?”

“…I don’t know, so I’ll just go wake Damien.”

While Freide kept pondering, Milia gave up and went to shake Damien awake.

Damien slowly raised his head as he woke up.

“Uh… Milia…?”

“Yeah, Damien. You must still be tired, but get up. Let’s head out. Hashalleur’s back too.”

“Hashalleur…? Oh, really? She’s back? She looks pretty hurt, is she okay?”

Rubbing his eyes, Damien got up and asked with concern.

Well, it’s no surprise he’s worried. She’s covered in blood-stained bandages all over.

“I’ll manage. More importantly, there’s something important we need to discuss.”

“Something important?”

While Freide and Milia packed up, I explained the plan to Damien, just like I did with the other two.

“What do you think?”

“Hmm… I’m in favor.”

After a moment of thought, Damien nodded.

Freide and Milia looked at Damien.

“I’m not sure, but if Hashalleur’s emphasizing how dangerous it is, then it must be. I’m not sure if the plan to collapse the passage will work, but… I think it’s worth a try.”

As expected, Damien, the future hero, has a sound and excellent way of thinking.

Freide let out a sigh.

With Damien’s agreement, the conclusion was pretty much set.

After all, Milia wouldn’t oppose anything Damien wanted to do.

“If we get crushed to death, I’ll kick you all the way to hell.”

Not long after, Freide also agreed to the plan to collapse the dungeon.

Milia, of course, followed Damien’s lead.

—

Damien volunteered to destroy the teleportation gate.

If I touched it, I might get sucked in again.

Damien raised his greatsword and approached the gate.

“By the way, I heard the black iron greatsword you just remade completely melted? What a shame.”

“It’s fine. It served its purpose before breaking. Without it, Milia and I would’ve been in danger. Besides, this greatsword seems to perform even better.”

“Really? That’s good to hear.”

But is it okay to take that greatsword out with us…?

It’s a sword with a sustained magic effect, right? It’s practically an ancient relic, like the magic lamps.

The magicians would probably recognize its value.

“Haaah!”

Damien swung the greatsword at the teleportation gate.

The moment the blade touched the gate, a strange collision sound erupted, followed by a violent flash of light.

It sounded like shattering glass, not stone. A blinding green light and a vivid magical reaction burst forth.

Damien froze for a moment in shock.

“Huh?!”

“Damien! Get back…!”

Freide’s warning was cut short.

Unlike when the teleportation magic activated, the light this time disappeared as if shattered in an instant.

All that remained were the fragments.

Shattered marble pieces and the broken blade of the greatsword rolled at Damien’s feet.

Damien stared blankly at the hilt of the greatsword, now all that was left.

Guess there was protective magic on the gate too. When it broke, the greatsword was destroyed along with it.

Lucky us. Now we don’t have to worry about taking that greatsword out with us.

“Ah… it was a good sword.”

“How do you manage to destroy every weapon you use within a week? You’re going to earn a nickname at this rate. Something like ‘Weapon Destroyer Damien.’”

Damien gave an awkward laugh.

Yeah, he must be feeling pretty dumbfounded too.

Black iron weapons aren’t supposed to break that easily.

“Don’t worry, I’ll save you again when I get back. Since it got messed up while fighting with me, it’s my responsibility as your senior.”

“Oh, as expected from Senior Freide. So, can I trust you to cover my armor repair costs too?”

“Handle your own stuff. If you can’t afford to repair your armor, maybe cut back on the magic herbs.”

Harsh, huh?

—

The whole way back, Freide kept looking back, seemingly regretful.

I was busy carving up the passageway with Durandal.

Durandal, true to its reputation as a Jin-made sword, sliced through rock like tofu.

There were protective spells on the walls, but it didn’t matter. Jin-made metal cuts through magic.

Unlike the spells on the monsters’ weapons, the wall spells were weaker.

Thinking about it, it makes sense.

Weapons are meant for combat, so they need to withstand strong impacts, but how often does a regular passageway, not a fortress wall, take such hits?

They probably didn’t even consider it when setting up the protective spells.

Thanks to that, it cuts through smoothly.

Still, it was a more concentration-demanding task than I thought.

Every time I cut through a weight-bearing part, I had to carefully check if there were any signs of collapse.

From the middle of the passageway, I sent the group ahead to the exit.

Even if my calculations were off and the passage collapsed, I could probably run and escape, but… maybe not for the other two, though Freide might manage.

Milia objected, but she couldn’t break my stubbornness.

After dozens of minutes of progress, the once neat passageway was now filled with countless lines.

Diagonally severed pillars. Vertically split ceilings. Deep sword marks etched into the walls like cut lines.

It was barely maintaining balance, but with just a bit of impact, it would twist and collapse in an instant.

Good, it seems like it’ll work perfectly.

I walked back to the entrance, gradually increasing the depth and thickness of the sword marks.

The three who arrived first were waiting near the entrance.

Seeing empty bottles rolling around, it seems they drank the remaining holy water while waiting.

“Ah, you’re here? You managed not to collapse it.”

“I told you to trust me. This is the skill of a master.”

“Being a master at destroying and burning things isn’t exactly something to brag about, is it…?”

Well, when you put it that way, I have no comeback.

It makes me sound like some kind of terrorism expert.

Most of what I did was the opposite.

“Whatever it is, being good at something is much better than being bad at it, right? Now, step back, I’m going to bring it down.”

After confirming the group stepped back, I gripped Durandal and took a stance.

Spread my legs, slightly bent my knees.

I didn’t plan to use the sword.

I needed to deliver a wide-area impact.

I took a deep breath, gathering all the remaining strength in my body.

Every ounce of controllable energy was focused on my legs.

“Kaaah!”

With a shout, I stomped my left foot hard.

The ground crumbled, and the rough recoil propelled my body forward.

Twisting my knees and waist, I channeled that force into my legs—pushing with all my might.

Launching my entire body like a bullet, my right foot struck the ceiling like a meteor.

A deafening explosion, like a tank’s cannon.

The rock where my foot landed crumbled as if erased.

A massive shockwave pierced through the entire passageway.

And then, the collapse began. Like an avalanche.

The severed pillars and shattered ceiling came crashing down, colliding with the floor.

Intense vibrations and echoing roars.

The impact triggered new impacts, and widespread destruction continued endlessly.

“Wow… he actually did it…?”

“That’s amazing…”

The group watching murmured.

See, I told you it would work.

—

There was a slight miscalculation.

I thought only the inner ruins of the passage would collapse neatly, but it seems the ruins themselves played a role similar to the dungeon’s support structure.

What that means is…

– Crash!

“Ah! Damien! Above your head!”

“Ugh…! Thanks, Milia!”

Damien quickly rolled to the side.

A boulder brushed past his eyes and shattered upon hitting the ground.

Damien jumped up and started running again.

Milia, who had urgently warned him, was also running frantically.

“Anyway! I knew! This would happen!”

“Who can’t say that after it happens! Just run!”

Freide hysterically shouted while dodging the rain of stalactites.

The stalactites didn’t just shatter upon hitting the ground; they pierced through like spears.

“If I trust your plans again, I’m not human, I’m a beast!”

“That means you’ll trust me again! Thanks for that!”

Freide let out a scream filled with frustration.

Might have to apologize after we get out.

Running while smashing falling rock fragments overhead.

The entire dungeon was collapsing.