Chapter 97 – Memoirs (7)

One.

“… Hee.”

Feeling no pain, when I opened my eyes in wonder, I gasped at the sight unfolding before my eyes.
It wasn’t the red earth split in half by white flames that struck like a whip, or the white flames blazing menacingly right next to it, that made me hold my breath like a coward.

“Keuuuuu!”

It was because the lower part of my right shoulder had disappeared, and the Exit Line with black smoke rising from the cut surface had pushed me away and I was knocked down on the spot where I was standing.

“T-chief? What the hell happened…”
“I, take care of me…! Ugh… Right now… Focus on the enemy…!”
“Yes Yes!”

As she turned her gaze to the white flames that engulfed her entire right arm in accordance with Excitrine’s command, it was confirmed that the flames were connected to the foundation where the dungeon core was placed.
And even the white giant standing firm in front of the foundation, like a watchman guarding the dungeon core, holding flames like a whip.

It’s that guy.

Appears to be about 5m tall, similar in size to the flame giants we encountered earlier. However, the power contained in it was so strong that it could not be compared to a giant.
It didn’t matter now how I managed to avoid the snowflake giant spear, get out of Excitrine’s awareness, move in front of the dungeon core, and attack.
One important thing now.
The only thing left to do is to survive the ruthless monster born to kill us, the intruders of the dungeon.

Roaring!

The large white body shone brightly and swung what was believed to be an arm.
Then, a flash of high-temperature heat flashed, and at the same time, white flames were drawn diagonally.
Even though it was so far away, the flame whip of extreme pleasure that I almost missed for a moment from the front flew in to hit my neck this time.

Paaang!!!!

The whip of white flame bent toward my neck did not serve its purpose. Unlike before, I was preparing in advance.

Chiyiyi profit!!!!

The whip of white flame wrapped around the spearhead of the snowflake giant that blocked my way instead of my neck.
The arms of the two opposite natures repulsed and emitted misty steam.

Now.

“Explode!”

The moment I and Excitrine were covered by the mist of mana created instantly by the repulsive force generated by the fire and ice arms meeting, I chanted the starting language and released all the cold and mana contained in the snowflake giant spear at once.

Aaaaang!!!!!

The enormous chill contained in the ten snowflakes flew forward in an instant.
The explosive chill froze everything in the way, and a huge iceberg that could swallow even a super-sized flame giant at once filled the field of vision.
It was a truly relentless attack that poured all the power available at the moment.
With such a reckless attack, he almost killed me, and there was no way he could defeat the Dungeon Lord, who had destroyed Excitrine’s arm.
But my purpose right now isn’t to take him down.

“Captain, please be patient. I will try to do something.”
“Turn it off…!”

Rescuing the team leader who saved me was my only goal now.
I froze the blackened cutting edge into small snow flakes and then stepped towards the teammates.
Remembering the look in his eyes, behind his back, deep inside the iceberg, looking at me with his eyes exploding.

2.

“Keuuuuu…”

I retreated as if I were running away and arrived at the place where the team members who came out first to avoid the fire attack, and I quickly took over the team leader.
Even though she cooled her affected area with her snowflakes, she let out a painful moan, and the more I heard that, the more I became anxious.

“T-T, Chief!”

The sole healer of Team 2, who ran to the moment he saw the seriously injured team leader, hardened his expression as soon as he saw the amputation on the lower part of his right shoulder. I felt like my chest was choking at that serious reaction.

“Are you okay, boss? Since she cooled down by freezing it… Isn’t it serious enough to endanger her life?”
“·····Fiery energy containing terrible mana is burning from the inside of the team leader’s body. You’re resisting somehow with the mana in your body, but it’s only a matter of time before you lose your life if you stay in this fiery kingdom. We need to get out of here quickly.”
“Then·····.”

My earnest question reached the healer, but what came back was a devastating reality.

The official exit was covered in flames and disappeared, and the only way out was to defeat the dungeon master…

The reality that had come before me was terribly hopeless.
Seeing the team leader’s complexion getting worse and worse, her body began to be eroded by unfamiliar emotions she had never felt before.

It’s because of me. Because I was careless I didn’t listen to your advice. Conceited for being arrogant The team leader’s life was in danger because of the hit and run.

The team leader was a veteran warrior with much more experience than me and overcoming adversity.
Even if her strength is weaker than mine, that is no reason for her to disregard her experience and her common sense.
But my arrogance has blinded my ears and eyes, and treated her legitimate teachings as nonsense.
Because of that, I almost died, and the team leader was in danger of dying.
The harsh reality I brought about brutally gnawed at me. My vision blurred, my limbs trembled, and dizziness arrived.
Even though he knew he didn’t have time for this, he knew that he had to get out of here by killing the dungeon lord and destroying the dungeon core right away, but his body, dominated by unknown emotions, refused to follow suit.

Anyway, I’ll be sure to save you in the opposite situation. Even if I look like this, I’m the type who repays favors twice. So if you have a hard time, tell me anytime. Understand?

The promise of life-saving that the team leader had told me passed through my mind.
At the same time, I realized that the unknown emotion I was feeling right now was a sense of shame.

“Woo-wook.”

The self-destruction and self-reproach I felt for the first time broke me faster than I could have imagined, and I collapsed on the floor and vomited.

It’s because of me. My boss is dying because of me. I didn’t listen. It’s a team member’s natural duty to listen to the team leader’s orders, but he’s stupidly intoxicated with the power he possesses. For being arrogant You led the chief to death.

If the team leader hadn’t pushed me, I would have been split in half and died on the spot. She has been my lifesaver.

The team leader sacrificed himself instead for me, who said things he shouldn’t have said in front of his face, such as saying he was ugly or pathetic.

My vision was getting farther away, and the sense of shame was about to consume myself completely, when the voice of the team leader in front of me woke me up.

“Haa… Haa… La, Lapis. Hey···.”
“T-Team Manager… I’m sorry. I, I didn’t listen to the team leader…”
“I turned off ··· Ha … You know now…? The vibe that comes out of the gap is not to be ignored…
“Manager!”

Even in this situation, the team leader who joked to save the atmosphere was shining brilliantly.
However, if you think of it as a retrospective of a person who is about to die, the atmosphere does not improve, and the sense of shame only intensifies.

It shouldn’t be like this. The life the team leader saved by sacrificing himself, I have to use it correctly.

But my body didn’t follow.
The cold mana flowing through his body did not move freely, it just flowed freely.
If I met the dungeon lord earlier in this state where I couldn’t even bloom a single snowflake properly, I would almost certainly be split in half and die immediately.

“Manager·····.”

Watching her team leader as the flame of her life is extinguished by the fire burning inside her body, her vengeance towards the dungeon lord who made her this way began to boil.
Mana in response to emotions was also explosively amplified, and the chill of the Julie family also boiled hot.
However, it is the mana of the Julie family that can be handled only by remaining calm. So, no matter how much it was amplified and castrated, I couldn’t handle this mana in my current state.

Why can’t I do anything in this situation? Why didn’t you even try to listen to what the team leader said earlier? Why. Why? Why·····? People like me are useless…

That time when anger and self-doubt, which eventually reached their limits, opened their mouths to destroy me.

“Pastor! Here it is! Hurry!”
“What the fuck! Are you okay, boss?!”

A familiar voice was heard, swearing in embarrassment.
Raising his head slowly, he saw Paster approaching without a sign like the last time.
Handsome but incompetent, incompetent yet full of confidence, he lifted the team leader and hugged him with a face full of embarrassment and worry.

What? Is it the intention of having her die in the arms of a handsome man? Pastor is just as incompetent as I am, but at least he does what he can. Better than me

Maybe because I was insane, the thoughts I was thinking were also not normal.
Without thinking like that, I was just staring blankly at Pastor, when nonsensical nonsense came out of his mouth.

“First, I’ll take the team leader to the guild infirmary and come back!”

Dismissed!

At that moment, when I came to the conclusion that Pastor had gone out of his mind like I did, his model disappeared along with the sound of sparks that I had heard the other day.

“·····Uh?”

·····What?

His head couldn’t keep up with the situation unfolding before his eyes.
Without any preparatory action, Paster really vanished like lightning.
I couldn’t understand what had happened, so I was dumbfounded, then I got kicked out again! He disappeared with the sound of a small tree branch breaking, then reappeared.

“After! Fortunately, Mr. Ia Reese was in the infirmary, so he went into treatment right away. For now, the team leader’s life is safe, and the team leader is like that, so everyone goes back to the guild. The team leader said, ‘This attack was opened and closed. It’s better than running around, so come back quickly!’ Come on, everyone, gather here.”

Pastor appeared in front of me and spat out incomprehensible words like his machine gun.
At that time when he was about to express his doubts because he did not know what the situation was really like at that incomprehensible speech, the scattered team members began to gather around him as if it were natural.

‘I’m glad the team leader is okay.’ ‘Anyway, thanks to Paster, I survived.’ ‘The operation failed, but I still survived, so it’s okay.’ I heard very mundane words that didn’t match the current situation at all.

When we all held his hands together and completed the circle as if we were doing gang-gangsullae, Pastor sat down and blankly looked at me, who was looking at him, and tilted his head.

“Are you not coming? Well, having too many people is a bit dangerous. I’ll come right away, so wait.”

Dismissed!

After saying that, Pastor and his 2nd team’s attack team members flew away in white sparks.
So, in a dungeon where no one was left except me, I blankly looked at the spot where they had disappeared, and then spat out a stupid question.

“Eh?”