Chapter 43 – Tricky Judging – 2

What we have to do from now on is to explore the Bordeaux Dungeon and deal with the “Lich” That is located in the deepest part of the underground.

He also took on the mission of exploring the Bordeaux Dungeon, but this is not important.
Right now, this country—I don’t even know what it’s called—has issued an emergency mission order across the country for the purpose of selecting the next hero candidate.

The emergency mission of the dry village is to deal with the thin wolf in the black forest.
It was none other than ISTY who brought this mission.

She is a diamond-ranked hunter and elven archer, reluctant to even announce her name to humans.

I made a suggestion right away the day Isty came to the dry village
Then, when she met Karen, she was involved in an unexpected selection of hero candidates.

Dealing with the thin wolf, which was the mission content, was excellent… No, I solved it in a way that was a little out of common sense.
In fact, several suspicious parts were pointed out by Veil Noah, an examiner who had been in the village earlier, and I had to tell all about what had happened.

Normally, it would have been an immediate disqualification.
We were attacked by the same adventurer, and Isti, who had a say in her defense, gave us an unexpected opportunity for an additional test.

And the content is to catch the lich located at the bottom of the Bordeaux Dungeon.
You can’t risk your life But now it has become inevitable.

I knew the way to that important Bordeaux dungeon.

There is no way I can forget the first dungeon I challenged when I just transferred to another world.
At that time, the atmosphere gave the impression that it was a dungeon that had just been investigated, but I never thought there would be a deeper place.

We walked for about an hour to the entrance of the Bordeaux Dungeon.
This time there were more adventurers than before.
Maybe it was because it was a wide open plain, so I could see all the adventurers at a glance, so it seemed that there were more people gathered than at the entrance to the Black Forest.

“Are these all people who came to see Richie?”

“I guess so. Rumors have already spread among the adventurers. Everyone has good equipment…”

“I won’t be intimidated.”

Karen took a deep breath.

“I don’t care about anyone else. Whether or not I can do my part. That’s all I’m thinking about.”

“When it’s dangerous, let’s escape by leaping into space. You know that, right?”

“Yes. It’s a last resort.”

We made arrangements for space jump in advance and went down to the basement.
Karen took the lead, lighting a lantern and holding it in her hand wearing her shield.
In the past, Bindel used to light the way with a torch. Are you currently assisting other adventurers?

“Brother. Monsters ahead.”

“Fireball.”

I chanted beforehand and created a fireball over my outstretched hand.
Weird. Are there only goblins here? Although aggressive, goblins are goblins. There’s nothing to be wary of, but the feeling was strange.

“Come!”

Cried Karen.
Something rushes at me It was a skeleton. But it wasn’t the skeleton I knew.
Armed with a sword in one hand. Her eyelids were glowing red like the remnants of an evil magic.

Although the appearance was slightly different, the agility was so different that it could be called a completely different monster.
Karen parried the skeleton’s swinging sword with her shield, and she braced herself with her waist before deflecting it with a hard push.
Timing her attack was easy for Karen, as she had been matched several times.

Accurately aim and fire the fireball.
The skeleton exploded in shock after being hit by my magic. Burning bone fragments scattered everywhere, partially lighting the dark passageway.
She broke out in a cold sweat.

“What about now?”

“It’s a Skeleton Warrior. It’s a difficult opponent, but my brother’s magic worked well.”

Indeed…
You mean you have to deal with something like that to level up to 150?
I think it would be less scary to fight a gunman with a knife now.

“Karen. Are you okay?”

Karen’s complexion was not good.

“Because the flames are too hot…”

“Ah…”

She completely forgot
I’m immune to heat because I’m blessed by Beleira, but Karen isn’t.
Black Forest was open outdoors, but Bordeaux Dungeon was cramped indoors. The aisle was so narrow that three people could barely pass through it, so I couldn’t tell them to be patient.
If you do, Karen will suffer severe burns.

“I can’t use Fireball. It’s a little less powerful, but I’ll use Fire Arrow.”

“…Thank you.”

It’s not Karen’s fault.
In an environment where combat is limited, you have to find the right way.

“Brother. In front!”

Karen took a stand. A Skeleton Warrior charges from the front. Karen buys time by parrying Warrior’s random swing of her sword.

“Fire Arrow!”

Haven’t used it since I learned about fireballs.
As it is a beginner skill, its power is completely backwards compatible with Fireball, but… I can’t help it.
Right now, we need a technique that allows us to attack compactly rather than with tremendous power. Then Fire Arrow was better.

Casting time is less than 1 second. A fully chanted fire arrow was stuck in the Skeleton Warrior’s head.

“Ugh!”

However, it was also lacking in power.
The Skeleton Warrior held out once and began to push Karen with force.

“Karen!”

“Yes, I’ll drop it now!”

Karen knocks the Skeleton Warrior off balance by pushing her with her shield.

“Fire Arrow!”

I hit the skeleton’s torso once more, but it didn’t fall down either.
I realized once again how strong the power of the fire ball was.

“There will be no end.”

“As expected, let’s do it with a fire ball. Oppa…!”

“I’ll try increasing the output a bit more.”

I overcharged the fire arrow using the focus bracelet function.
As MP is rapidly absorbed, the power of Fire Arrow is strengthened.

“Fire Arrow!”

The body of the Skeleton Warrior exploded.

(Level has risen)

“Haha…”

“Karen, are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m just a little tired from fighting.”

“Is the heat bearable?”

“The skin is a little hot, but I can handle this much.”

Karen’s arm was red, like it had been burned by something hot, though she hadn’t been directly hit by my spell.

“Come closer.”

I retrieved her star clam from my personal locker and placed it on Karen’s arm.

“Ah…”

“How is it? Doesn’t it hurt?”

“How did you do it? It’s not like magic…”

“It’s an item I got from Bella. It’s like an artifact.”

“…Awesome. An item that heals wounds just by touching it.”

“But…”

Burns are painful.
Just because a wound heals doesn’t mean you can’t fire magic without caring whether Karen gets hit or not.
Is there any better way?

“Brother. Don’t worry about me. It’s because of me that brother can’t show his skills, that’s…”

Karen put on a sad expression as if she noticed my troubles.

“It’s none of those things, Karen.
Just because you’re ready to face the pain doesn’t mean you can’t keep burning. Then, if you get hit by a monster, I’ll die too.”

“…Yes. That’s right.”

“The problem is with me. The magic that burns something has too wide a range of damage.”

Is there any better way?

“Why did the Skeleton Warrior notice us first in the first place?”

I saw the lantern Karen was holding.

“Isn’t it because of the light? You can see it well in the dark.”

“Then turn off the lights and proceed.”

“Turn off the lights?”

“I’ll lead the way until we get out of the straight aisle.”

“No. Then, even though there is no light, what if the other person notices first? I may not be able to protect my brother.”

“So, I have to use my skills.”

I glanced at the ring on my hand.

“I’m going to use the veil of concealment. Stay by my side.”

“Okay.”

Karen extinguished the light of the lantern and joined me.
Shroud of Concealment was activated immediately with the Brimless Spear. Like the name of the skill, the curtain spread.
I don’t know how it looks to others. Karen and I were in the same tent, so we couldn’t tell the difference.
You’ll know when you test it.

We walked forward slowly.
My heart feels like it’s going to burst with tension.
Karen held her breath as she walked along with me. Since she has turned off the lights, even half a beat late to notice the Skeleton Warrior’s surprise could be dangerous.
When I started to wonder if I was thinking too recklessly.

A Skeleton Warrior appeared in front of him.

“…”

We observe the skeleton warrior with bated breath.
The guy stayed still with his head down. Once we confirmed the location of the Skeleton Warrior, we took a few steps back and settled down.
Then, I stomped my foot in place and made a noise.

Skeleton Warrior does not react.
I don’t know what he’s reacting to because he has no eyes and no ears, but it was the moment when weight was put on the speculation that he was reacting to light.

Then.
I had Karen back behind her, then yelled at her sunscreen.

“Fireball!”

Roaring!
As the flame rises, the magic is completed. When the light reached, the Skeleton Warrior recognized this side and charged.
However, as long as you have already figured out that it is coming from the front, there is nothing to be afraid of.
In other words, the narrow aisle means that the opponent has no place to escape. Even if you aim roughly and shoot, there was no difficulty in hitting a large target like a skeleton warrior.

With a loud impact, the Skeleton Warrior’s body shattered.

“Okay. Now that I know it reacts to light, I’ll lead the way until we get out of the passage.”

“Yeah. I’ll prepare to strike out in case my magic misses.”

“Believe.”

The veil of concealment was a skill that lasted for about 600 seconds and then disappeared.
You can call it again, but it will come off when the time is right, so if you think it’s ambiguous, remove the curtain altogether, wait for the waiting time, use it again, and move carefully.

“Fireball!”

Proceed while arranging the Skeleton Warriors one by one.
Have you ever defeated a monster while being so nervous? Mouth seems to dry up.

“Let’s rest for a while.”

“Brother, sit down and rest. I’ll stand by.”

“Good.”

I took out the goddess’ water bottle and shared it with Karen.
Although he still has energy, he seems to be much more tired than when he was in the forest, perhaps because of the special environment of the dungeon.
You can still do it. Not yet.

In the past, it wasn’t such a bloody dungeon from the first floor. Is it the influence of Richie?
Probably. I hope you never come across an adventurer’s corpse.

“Let’s go.”

Defeat the Skeleton Warrior and move forward.
It was good to increase skill proficiency, but as the power of Fire Ball improved, it felt like the temperature in the room was gradually rising.
Karen was behind me, but she was sweating like midsummer.

Perhaps this aisle is much hotter than I feel.
I’m sorry Karen, but she’d rather do this than clumsily reduce her powers.
Rather than risk burns and put Karen in front, find the Skeleton Warrior first and attack first.

The best way, but not the best way.
I need to think of a fundamental solution.
What if the fireball goes up to the next level? That magic can’t even be used indoors.

“Brother.”

Karen whispered in a low voice.
At the end of the narrow passage, I came out of the room. It’s the same as when I came before. There are several passages in the room that lead to other rooms, and a similar stone chamber greets us through any passage.
Having been here before has been surprisingly helpful. I knew roughly where to go.

“…Three in front.”

Three Skeleton Warriors are guarding the road to the next one.
No matter how strong the fireball is, I want to avoid fighting all three at the same time.
No, honestly, I don’t like it even if it’s just the two of us.

Want to use an overcharged fire ball, but will you have enough time?

“Shall I go forward?”

Karen asked quietly.

“…”

It’s time to make a decision.
I figured out how to cast fireballs the way I normally do, deal with one, then fall back, lure them into the aisle one by one, and catch them.
How do I convey that from now on…

“If you signal, run back. I’m leading you into the passage.”

“You mean to deal with them one by one? Okay.”

Karen immediately recognized and raised her sword.

“Fireball!”

I aimed and shot exactly so that I could catch more than one if possible, but my expectations were broken.
I took care of one Skeleton Warrior, but the other two definitely ran out of range and ran this way.

“Karen!”

Warrior moves faster than expected. Will I be able to leave in time?
At that time, someone behind the Skeleton Warrior fired a supporting shot and diverted the Warrior’s attention.
At first, she thought it was IS T, but she realizes that it can’t be.

“Fireball!”

Cast Fireball again to knock one down. The one remaining warrior took several bow shots and was blown to her floor.

“Did I interrupt you? Mr. Decal.”

I disarmed the veil of concealment and faced my opponent.
I’ve seen it a few times in the Adventurer’s Guild. Gold Rank Adventurer. It was a wavid.
It seemed that Wavid helped us with his crossbow.

“No, it was appropriate. Thank you.”

I said thanks first.

“Thank you for your help.”

Karen also says hello.

“Today, the silver-haired elf is not there. Are you two a lich hunter?”

“How did you know?”

“Everyone is frantic. Riches have great treasures. They’re good targets for adventurers. I came for that purpose too… But maybe the two of you aren’t just making money.”

Wavid smiled brightly and said as if he was looking this way.
I don’t think he’s a bad character. Can’t be quick to judge. Haven’t you already learned from the Black Forest?
There is no guarantee that you will not be hostile even if you are the same adventurer.

“I have come for this purpose.”

Right.
I snapped my fingers.