Chapter 46

We continued marching for nearly five hours.

With Rex running out of time, when my stamina threatened to collapse, Trian would carry me on his back, and when I regained a little strength, I would walk again, quickening our pace.

We encountered monsters and traps hidden in rooms along the way, but it wasn’t a major issue. Trian gave warnings in advance, and dealing with the monsters one at a time wasn’t a big problem, after all.

“It’s just ahead.”

At the end of the long march, Trian’s expression darkened, as if he had roughly determined the location of the Treasure Guardian’s room. Just how were elves so adept at perceiving what lay beyond the walls? It was simply astounding.

“There were no signs or traces of monsters nearby. The area is safe…for now, anyway.”

Soon, the sound of thunder would echo in all directions, guiding the dungeon’s monsters to this location. Trian wore a look that showed the sigh escaping him was from contemplating what lay ahead.

“…I’ve only ever seen it in books, the Treasure Guardian’s Door.”

Lirr looked at the massive golden door before her and softly voiced her admiration. If I were seeing this colossal, opulent door for the first time, I would have reacted the same way.

“I’ll ask again, are you absolutely certain it’ll be over in five minutes?”

Trian also gazed briefly at the dazzling golden door, then turned his eyes to me, asking that question.

“Absolutely certain.”

…Well.

Whether for good or ill, it’ll be over in five minutes, at least.

“Go get ‘em, General.”

Rex spoke, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“Finish it in five, no matter what. If you’re done faster, come help us out here.”

“J-Just… good luck. Don’t push yourself too hard, alright?”

Trian and Lir each patted me lightly on the shoulder, offering a word before the decisive battle.

*Kreeeak…*

I nodded, watching as Rex’s arms, all sculpted muscle, forced the massive doors open to either side. The sound of dust scraping from the floor made the air around us tremble.

I took a breath, composing myself, and stepped cautiously into the Treasure Guardian’s chamber. A room unfolded before me, so immense it dwarfed all the rooms we’d fought through until now. Walls, ceiling, floor – all of it was clad, completely, in gold.

I understood, at least in some small way, why so many adventurers would risk life and limb throwing themselves into dungeons.

Just a little of this gold-plated wall would be worth more money than a commoner would see in their entire life.

“…Close the door, please.”

Rex looked at me, nodding firmly, before offering a final, “We’re counting on you,” and closing the immense, golden door.

*Thoom.*

With the sound of the door closing, darkness flooded everything.

My senses were swallowed by the dark, unable to send any information to my mind.

“Hah… getting a little tense here.”

If I remembered correctly, the Treasure Guardian of this dungeon was exactly level 60.

To solo a level 60 monster, you naturally had to have a character leveled to at least 55. Even with a party, you’d need four well-coordinated members around level 40.

But I had walked into this room alone.

Some would ask, “Isn’t that practically suicide?”

Well… half right, and half not.

There are two reasons.

One is that my growth rate is faster than even I can predict.

After testing my level while facing twenty demons simultaneously, it’s at least 30. That’s a bare minimum, too, since they were too weak to test properly. My actual level is probably somewhere around 40.

…Truthfully, I’m not completely sure.

If the punching machine only measures up to 999 points, how would I know if I’m at 1000 or 4000?

I’m just believing my level is around 40.

And if it’s not?

What “if it’s not”? I die, that’s what.

“Haa….”

And the other reason is that I’m a “one-shot mage.” A one-shot mage who carefully stores a week’s worth of mana within my body.

The magic ‘Bloom’ is fundamentally terrible for dealing with weaklings, but shows exceptional efficiency when facing boss monsters.

And my Bloom is so refined that I can fight monsters with around a 20-level difference without any issues.

Level 40, and a refined Bloom that can handle a 20-level difference.

When these two elements combine, I arrive at the conclusion that I can somehow contend with monsters up to level 60.

…Of course, I’m just contending. I don’t have any certainty that I can win.

*Tak!*

A sound like an egg cracking echoed from the ceiling, and light began to swirl within the room. The ceiling of the room, plastered in gold, depicted four thieves carrying away enormous hoards of gold and jewels.

Standing in the very center of the room was a gigantic giant that hadn’t existed until the light appeared. A giant bearing the face of a spider, no less.

“Holy hell, that’s startling.”

Before I knew it, I shouted, faced with the visage of a spider of colossal proportions.

To have *that* be the first thing visible as the inky blackness receded. For a moment, I wondered if I’d been sucked into a horror survival game instead of a medieval fantasy one. The visuals were *that* impactful.

I knew the dungeon’s guardian and its monsters were known for their hideous looks, but seeing it in person, I couldn’t help the curse that escaped my lips.

“…Oh, a guest.”

The giant, spider-headed and standing ramrod straight, slowly turned its head as if just powered on, meeting my eyes before speaking.

As it spoke, a thick strand of saliva slowly dripped from its jaw, landing on the floor with a wet *splat.*

Twenty-one pairs of eyes were plastered across the spider’s head.

Or rather, should one even call them pairs? They weren’t symmetrical, not even close.

Forty-two eyeballs, randomly embedded in its face, would be a more accurate description.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a human. The last guests I entertained were a group of elves. Meeting a human is almost…300 years, is it?”

“…Woah, hold on a minute.”

I knew from the outset that the guardian could speak human tongues.

But experiencing it in reality, not behind a monitor, was infinitely more unsettling. A human voice coming from that spider face, with forty-two eyes blinking and twitching independently…

Shit, I think the genre really *did* change.

That giant’s face…that’s the kind of horror you see in idol-type horror games, where the visuals are half the draw.

“Only one this time. Well, no matter…as long as you entertain me…it’s all the same.”

The spider-headed giant slowly lowered itself, taking a deep breath.

“Try not to die too quickly.”

Then, it kicked off from the golden floor and charged towards me.

KUNG! KUNG! KUNG!

I closed my eyes before the level 60 monster, a behemoth stomping towards me, intent on grinding me into paste.

‘The opponent’s level is 60. Even if my level is actually somewhere around 40, considering my current condition, my chances aren’t looking great. A simple Bloom won’t be enough.’

Bruises and fractures, muscle aches tormenting every inch of me, and a touch of hyperventilation.

My physical state was, as always, a disaster.

‘…I’ll have to chant the incantation here.’

“If you use the incantation incorrectly, the magic’s power could actually weaken, or it might not activate at all.”

Alter’s warning, spoken long ago, shot through my head like an electric current.

If the incantation fails, the magic’s power is typically reduced by half. With bad luck, you might just waste mana and the magic won’t cast.

Even worse, ‘Bloom’ is restricted to once per day, and it has the tremendous demerit of causing the caster to immediately lose consciousness when its duration ends.

Unlike Bolt or Lightning Strike, where you can adjust the incantation in real time and attempt it multiple times to find the optimal version, failure with Bloom meant forfeiting your life.

The risk was far too high.

On the other hand, if I simply chanted Bloom’s name and cast the magic… I would gain enough power to fight the level 60 monster on even footing for five minutes.

‘…No, even footing isn’t enough.’

The problem is that my body is currently little more than tattered rags.

Standing still and not moving much wasn’t an issue, but if I started fighting, rolling around, and running, hyperventilation could quickly return and cloud my consciousness again.

If the fight dragged on, who knows what other variables might pop up. I had to find some way to maximize the magic’s power and end things with the ‘Treasure Guardian’ as quickly as possible.

Yes. What I needed wasn’t the strength to roll around and fight the opponent on equal terms.

It was overwhelming power that would guarantee victory with just a few flicks of my fingers while sitting down.

“…I’ll just have to succeed, won’t I?”

I closed my eyes, focusing all five senses on feeling the mana flowing within me.

My body was a wreck, barely held together, but my mind was clearer, sharper than ever before.

Soon after, the mana within me transformed into electricity, spilling out of my body.

The electricity that flowed outwards emitted heat so intense it could melt the gold around me.

Seeing the vast amount of electricity engulfing me, the spider widened its maw, a revolting smile spreading across its face.

I’d never truly conversed with a spider, so I couldn’t say for certain, but it looked ecstatic, anticipating a good time after a long drought.

“An electric mage, eh? Melting gold… A decent amount of firepower, but that’s not enough to pierce my skin…”

I cut off the spider giant’s words, quietly beginning to chant a magic incantation.

Immediately, thunder devoured every sound in the world.