Chapter 68

“Ugh… In the end, I couldn’t do anything….”

The thing they had been worried about happened.

Sena slumped down and started sniffling.

The man scratched his head with a tired expression, and Roo quietly slipped into Ariel’s hat.

“…Hmm, sorry. I was just testing the magic on the dagger, but, uh, sword energy came out? I was surprised too. Anyway, it wasn’t on purpose….”

While the man comforted Sena, Ariel moved toward the room with the dungeon core.

The split dungeon core was scattering into smoke, and behind it, a treasure chest was visible.

The fourth treasure chest.

Perhaps because it was near the dungeon core, this chest was different from the ones before.

It looked more luxurious and even emitted a white glow.

*Click.*

Ariel opened the treasure chest using telekinesis and lifted the contents.

It was a circlet.

A simple circlet with a blue gem in the center.

It might be a magical artifact. A certain energy seemed to emanate from it.

Ariel used telekinesis to place the circlet on Sena’s head.

“Sniff… I’m really useless… huh?”

Sena blinked and touched her head.

“What’s this… a circlet…?”

“Wow, it suits you perfectly! You look like a princess!”

The man quickly complimented her. Indeed, the circlet looked great on Sena.

“Besides, that circlet seems like a magical artifact.”

“But, a mage shouldn’t rely on magical artifacts… huh?”

Sena’s eyes widened.

“This is….”

Sena slowly stood up and began to draw in mana.

A blue haze shimmered and rose around her.

“Ah….”

Sena was speechless.

She looked deeply moved.

“My mana… has amplified….”

The circlet had a mana amplification effect.

Unlike other magical artifacts that grant specific spells, this circlet itself had a magical effect.

For an ordinary person, it wouldn’t mean much.

Ordinary people have almost no mana, so wearing this circlet wouldn’t provide a meaningful amplification.

But for a mage like Sena, who has a large mana reserve?

The effect was unimaginable.

Sena’s mana had tripled compared to usual.

“With this much mana… I can cast high-level spells… My skills can level up, no, by three levels…!”

Sena forgot her earlier tears and jumped around in excitement.

“Wow! This is amazing! A mana-amplifying circlet! Even the head of the Magic Tower would want this!”

“Hmm, is it that good?”

The man scratched his cheek. As an ordinary person, he couldn’t fully grasp how significant the mana amplification was.

“It’s incredible!”

Sena clenched her fists and shouted.

“My mana has tripled! This is every mage’s dream!”

With more mana, she could cast high-level spells.

Casting high-level spells would greatly enhance her understanding of magic.

In other words, just increasing her mana reserve could significantly boost her magical abilities.

Of course, other talents were needed too, but that wasn’t a problem for Sena.

She was the top mage of the Magic Tower.

What Sena needed was more mana, and now that she had it, her skills would grow by leaps and bounds.

“I’m glad you like it, but….”

The man glanced at Ariel.

It seemed Ariel intended to give the circlet to Sena.

If so, the only thing Ariel got from the dungeon was the shiny necklace from the second treasure chest.

But that wasn’t a magical artifact. It might fetch a good price, but it was just an ordinary treasure.

Considering Ariel contributed the most to clearing the dungeon, this seemed unfair.

“Hey… are you okay with this?”

The man approached Ariel and asked.

“You didn’t get a magical artifact….”

“It’s fine.”

Ariel didn’t mind not having a magical artifact.

A dagger that emits sword energy, a Blink ring, or a mana-amplifying circlet—none of these were necessary for her.

It was better to give them to someone who truly needed them.

Besides, Ariel had already achieved her goal in the dungeon.

She had gained experience and memories.

That was enough.

*

Once a dungeon is cleared, an exit appears.

You can leave through the opposite side of the entrance.

Ariel’s group exited the dungeon.

There were still people gathered at the entrance, and they would undoubtedly pester Ariel’s group with questions.

How did they handle the giant? What treasures did they get? What was the guardian like? And so on…

It would be annoying to answer all that, and ignoring them would only make them more persistent, so it was better to quietly slip out through the exit.

“Phew, it’s finally over.”

The man smiled in relief as they left the dungeon.

“Now I can finally live. Dungeons are so gloomy. I never want to go back.”

The man lit a cigarette.

He probably wouldn’t have to enter a dungeon again. He planned to sell the magical dagger and live comfortably for a while.

“Really?”

Sena smiled slightly as she fiddled with the circlet.

“I’m going back into the dungeon.”

“What? Aren’t you going back to the Magic Tower?”

The man exhaled a puff of smoke.

“You’re the top mage of the Magic Tower, right? Shouldn’t you head back soon?”

“I can’t go back like this.”

Sena shook her head.

“I didn’t do anything in the dungeon. It’d be embarrassing to return like this. Besides, now that I have this circlet, I want to improve my skills. The best way to do that is through real battles.”

“I see.”

The man nodded with a disinterested expression.

“Well, I won’t stop you if you want to go….”

“Of course, you’re coming with me.”

The man’s eyes widened at Sena’s sudden declaration.

“Huh? Me? Why?”

“You destroyed the dungeon core. If you think about it, I’m going back to the dungeon because of you. And I’ve been thinking—I still need a protector. It’s not safe for me to go alone.”

“A protector… Do you really need one? You have that circlet now, and you’re the top mage of the Magic Tower….”

“I do! A protector! There might be enemies magic doesn’t work on, like that golem. That’s when you step in.”

The man looked baffled.

“Hey, didn’t I tell you? I’m a merchant, not an adventurer. What do you expect me to do? Negotiate with the golem?”

“You can emit sword energy.”

Sena pointed to the dagger hanging from the man’s waist.

“I saw it earlier—it was incredibly powerful. I hate to admit it, but it might even be stronger than my magic.”

“T-This is something I’m going to sell. It’s not for me to use.”

“You can sell it after we finish the dungeon. And who knows? We might find more treasures. Maybe even another magical artifact. It’d be good for you too.”

‘…If getting magical artifacts were that easy, why would people pay so much for them? You’re so naive.’

The man swallowed his thoughts and hung his head.

No matter what he said, Sena wouldn’t give up. She would drag him into the dungeon no matter what.

From what the man had gathered about Sena, she was stubborn to the core.

A little brat who wouldn’t back down even if you hit her.

“Fine, let’s go….”

The man resigned himself.

After all, he was the one who destroyed the dungeon core, so he felt a little guilty toward Sena.

‘Well… it’s not really something to feel guilty about….’

Besides, Sena had willingly given him the magical dagger.

Going into the dungeon with her once wasn’t a big deal.

If she offered a magical artifact to other adventurers and asked them to join her, they’d jump at the chance.

“Great! Hehe!”

Sena tapped the ground with her magic staff and smiled, then looked at Ariel.

While the man and Sena were talking, Ariel had been practicing walking in midair using telekinesis.

She had been practicing since the dungeon and was now fully accustomed to it.

“Wow, big sis, it looks so natural. It’s like you’re just walking on the ground.”

Roo clapped from the side.

“Now you can fly freely without my flying powder or Rakia.”

“…….”

Sena stared at Ariel in disbelief.

As Roo said, Ariel was walking through the air as naturally as if she were on the ground.

It was almost like an optical illusion—was she really just walking on the ground?

‘How is that even possible….’

Even with Fly magic, walking so naturally in midair was impossible, but with telekinesis? Even more so.

Telekinesis wasn’t meant to be used like that.

It was for lifting light objects, not levitating your own body and walking around.

To do that, you’d need an insane amount of mana.

Sena could mimic what Ariel was doing, but she couldn’t sustain it for long.

She’d run out of mana in minutes.

But Ariel had been doing this since they were in the dungeon.

And she showed no signs of strain—no change in expression, not a single drop of sweat.

It was as if her mana was infinite. She kept doing it, with a slight smile, as if it were fun.

“Ariel.”

Sena called out to her.

“I’m planning to challenge the dungeon again. Ariel, what about you? Do you want to come with me?”

At Sena’s question, Ariel slowly shook her head.

The dungeon had been fun, but she didn’t want to go back right now.

After all, she needed to meet Ghost, and Rakia was waiting.

Besides, she’d already been to the dungeon and wanted to try a new adventure.

Seeing Ariel shake her head, Sena looked disappointed.

“…Then this is goodbye. Ariel, it was really fun meeting you.”

Sena held out her hand, and Ariel descended from the air to shake it.

“I had fun too.”

“Ariel, let’s meet again someday. I’ll teach you more magic then. By that time, I’ll have grown even stronger, so I can teach you even more. You can look forward to it.”

Sena smiled brightly, and Ariel smiled back.

“Thank you.”

“Well, goodbye. Take care, Ariel. Roo, goodbye too.”

“Goodbye.”

And so, Sena and the man set off for a new dungeon, leaving Ariel and Roo behind.

Roo sat on Ariel’s shoulder, swinging her legs.

“Hmm, then, big sis, should we go look for Ghost…? Oh, never mind.”

Two wolves came running through the bushes ahead.

*Pavabat.*

It was Ghost and the Black Wolf.