Chapter 119

An imp pierced through the chest by an arrow lets out a shrill scream as it plummets.

If it were just an arrow stuck in its body, it might have endured.

But Milia’s arrow skewered the imp’s chest diagonally, tearing through even the base of its wings.

Even if it were a dragon, losing one wing would throw it off balance and send it crashing down.

Before the imp’s head could collide with the ground, Freide hurled her axe toward another imp.

The axe, charged with centrifugal force, shot up like lightning and half-shattered the imp’s torso, embedding itself deep.

A rain of black blood splattered onto the wings of other imps.

The enraged swarm of imps charged, claws bared, like hawks hunting rabbits.

“Damien!”

Pulling the chain wrapped around her arm, Freide shouted.

The imp, now one with the axe blade, was yanked toward her like a fish on a line.

Damien, immediately understanding Freide’s cue, swung his greatsword overhead.

Not with the blade, but with the flat side, swatting the imps away like flies.

With a heavy whoosh, the imps that had closed in vanished in an instant.

Five imps, struck by the iron slab, let out a single scream before being slammed into the wall.

Milia’s arrows pinned them to the wall.

The imp wall decorations wailed like crucified prisoners.

“Nice! Just keep them pinned. We’ll slice them up later!”

Freide, having sawed through the imp she reeled in, spun her chain again.

Blood from the imp clinging to the axe blade splattered everywhere.

The axe, now free of blood, soared toward its next prey.

They’re fighting well.

They don’t seem to need my help.

The three of them are perfectly in sync.

I aimed my bow at the imps still flitting through the air, not planning to descend.

Crafty males, waiting for the right moment to spread paralyzing venom.

I intended to deal with them before they could spit their poison.

– Squeak!

The arrow I shot tore through the air with a menacing sound, embedding itself in the ceiling.

Its trajectory was almost invisible. There was no way those imps could dodge it.

“Keeek…!”

The imp hit by the arrow had its head completely torn off.

The headless body flapped for a moment before plummeting.

The monster that hit the floor convulsed like a chicken meeting its predator.

Black blood gushed from the severed neck as it frantically clawed at the ground with its limbs.

Even as a monster, it was still alive…

But without a head, it couldn’t move properly.

I stomped down with my foot.

Like accidentally stepping on a toothpaste tube, all sorts of fluids gushed from its throat, soaking the ground.

The imp’s flattened body went limp.

I drew another arrow.

One more should be enough, right?

The arrow I shot split the air once more.

It didn’t take long for the imps to be wiped out.

—

“Good job, everyone.”

“Seriously. Over twenty enemies right from the start, what a hassle.”

“You only killed two, though.”

Freide remarked with a hint of annoyance.

She was keeping count?

“Well, this dungeon is for the kids to gain experience. If I killed them all, what’s the point?”

I shrugged nonchalantly.

Freide snorted and turned her head.

“Easier than I thought.”

“These guys are just flying kobolds. Hardly worth calling monsters.”

Damien and Freide chatted as they shook the blood off their weapons.

Monster blood carried a heavy miasma, so leaving it unattended wasn’t a good idea.

Meanwhile, Milia approached the wall where the imps were pinned.

“Keeek…! Kyaaak!”

The eight imps were struggling to pull out the arrows, three or four per imp.

It seemed difficult to grasp the thin arrow shafts with their clawed hands, and none had managed to escape.

Milia drew her dagger and began slicing the imps into pieces.

It didn’t look too hard.

Even though the dagger was specialized for stabbing, it still had a sharp edge.

After regrouping, we headed deeper into the dungeon.

—

From then on, we were occasionally ambushed by imps.

The first group was the largest, with most subsequent attacks consisting of only a few imps.

After about forty minutes, a different monster appeared.

About 3 meters in length.

It resembled a snail in overall shape.

A massive metallic shell covered its back, with a torso and tail protruding from either end.

A thick, wrinkled neck like an earthworm.

Tentacle-like feelers sprouted here and there, wriggling.

The end of its neck was just a gaping hole, lined with sharp teeth.

A pair of insect-like forelegs, covered in shiny chitin.

The tail resembled a centipede, magnified a thousand times.

“Ugh…”

Milia groaned, her face twisted in disgust.

Can’t blame her.

A giant bug that’s a mix of an earthworm, snail, and centipede? Even I found it creepy.

“Centipede Snail. That’s a proper monster. Be careful. Its shell and chitin are as hard as black iron, so aim for the neck. Watch out for the venomous stinger on its tail.”

Freide explained.

A pretty straightforward name.

Most hybrid monsters are like that.

Since there was only one enemy, Damien stepped forward as well.

The Centipede Snail, enraged by the intruders, charged with a roar.

Its hundreds of legs undulated like waves.

“Eek…!”

Startled by the horrifying charge, Milia began firing arrows.

Most bounced off its chitin, but the arrows aimed at its neck stuck.

The neck’s skin was thick too, so it didn’t seem to take much damage.

“Grooooooar!”

Freide and Damien each deflected the swinging forelegs.

The chitin on the forelegs showed no visible damage, confirming the claim about its black iron-like hardness.

The Centipede Snail’s neck bent sharply, then shot forward, aiming to crush Damien.

Damien rolled out of the way just in time.

The impact of its neck hitting the ground shook the earth.

Before Damien could get up, the tail lashed out.

“Ugh…!”

Damien raised his greatsword like a shield.

There was no time to dodge.

Freide was busy deflecting the relentless forelegs.

“Damien!!”

Milia frantically shot arrows, but they bounced off the tail’s chitin.

No choice.

I drew Durandal and charged at the monster.

It charged.

The tail, suddenly changing direction, rushed towards me.

*The intensity, they said it was at the level of black iron, right?*

I lifted Durandal, gripped with both hands, above my head.

My arms were filled with strength.

The creature’s tail came right up to my face.

Close enough to see the glint of the venomous stinger at its tip.

*Not a big deal.*

I took a step forward and swung.

A blue arc sliced through the black carapace with ease.

Sparks flew, and a satisfying resistance vibrated through my fingertips.

The Centipede Snail’s lower body was split in half.

After that, it wasn’t so difficult.

With its tail completely severed, the creature had effectively lost its mobility.

Freide’s strike on its neck was followed by Damien’s sword plunging in once more.

Oozing sticky fluid, the creature’s head fell off.

We kept moving.

A few more Centipede Snails appeared along the way, but we managed to handle them better than before, having gotten the hang of it.

—

It had already been about four hours since we entered the dungeon.

The repetitive battles and accumulating fatigue were evident on everyone’s faces.

I was still fine, though. I hadn’t fought much.

“Why don’t you fight a bit too?”

“I want to, but… I can’t. Like I said earlier, this is all for Damien and Milia.”

“If you can’t even talk…”

Freide sighed.

She couldn’t argue with that, but it still annoyed her to see me so carefree.

What can I say? If you’re upset, you should just get stronger faster.

Freide probably wouldn’t take long, though.

She has some combat experience, so with the right trigger, she might awaken her potential in no time.

As we moved further, the scenery changed.

At the end of the bland rocky path, a massive marble door blocked the way.

It was an ornately decorated door, like the entrance to an ancient temple.

Cylindrical pillars, carved like gears, supported the door on both sides, and strange reliefs were etched into the door panels.

The relief depicted a monster holding a spear and a man raising his sword, facing each other.

“Let’s rest here for a bit. We can’t rest too long, though.”

Freide set down the lantern and sat down.

Her hair clung to her sweaty forehead.

She pulled out a holy water bottle from her waist and took a sip.

“You guys should drink some too. You look pale.”

“Okay.”

Damien and Milia followed Freide’s advice.

After drinking the holy water, their complexions seemed to brighten.

I stood a bit further away, smoking a cigarette and watching them.

There was no sign of monsters approaching.

The thick stone door probably muffled any sounds from beyond, so we couldn’t be sure.

“Hey, Freide. About the relief on the door… do you know what it is?”

“Hmm, it’s not the Empire’s style. The man depicted isn’t Emperor Carolus either. It might be from a time before the Empire…”

Freide trailed off, unsure herself.

Before the Empire.

A time when humans were prey for other races.

…That’s a bit strange, though.

An inexplicable sense of unease crept into my mind.

Something felt off.

What is it? What’s so strange?

It looks like an ordinary marble relief…

“Whatever it is, it’s impressive. Right, Milia?”

“Yeah. Before the Empire? That’s over eight hundred years ago.”

Ah, right. That’s it.

It’s too well-made!

The realization hit me.

The answer was in Damien and Milia’s casual conversation.

That’s it, that’s the problem.

The relief of the man holding a sword looks human, so the creators of this door must have been human.

But humans before the Empire didn’t have the skill to make something like this.

Humans back then were nothing more than slaves or livestock.

You wouldn’t teach craftsmanship to livestock.

So this door isn’t from the pre-Empire era, when other races were dominant.

If Freide’s right, it’s not from after the Empire’s founding either.

Then, there’s only one possible answer.

Before the race wars.

Long before that… I don’t know when exactly, but there must have been a time when humans weren’t slaves.

This door is proof of that.

Or maybe it’s just my wild speculation.

“That’s a plausible theory. If it’s true, it would have significant academic value.”

“You mean it’s worth money?”

Freide nodded in agreement with my question.

We all silently looked at each other.

We silently agreed not to damage the interior if possible.

After resting for about twenty minutes, we prepared ourselves and opened the door.

Dust fell as the marble door slowly creaked open.

“This is…!”

Freide muttered in awe.

Damien and Milia also gasped in amazement.

The inside was truly astonishing.

—

It was a long corridor.

The floor was marble, and so were the walls and ceiling.

That alone wouldn’t have been so surprising.

The surroundings were as bright as the dawn sky.

Translucent blue objects were embedded in the ceiling at regular intervals.

Magic lamps.

They were items that hadn’t even been commercialized in the Empire for 200 years.

Following the magic lamps, intricate engravings covered the entire ceiling.

Condensed magic flowed through the engravings like veins, pulsating.

It was a bizarre sight.

Damien and Milia were speechless.

“What is that…?”

“How should I know…?”

Freide also looked stunned.