Volume 1 Chapter 60 At The Deepest Part Of Aquaflow Cavern
In front of us, there is a tall door made of white stone, maybe twice our height, which looks very similar to the one we encountered right after teleporting to the lower layer using [Teleportation Magic].
"Hmm, this door gives off a different vibe from the previous ruins... Ark-san, what do you think?"
"Maybe this is the deepest part of the lower layer."
I take a few steps forward and touch the door. Suddenly, a green light overflows from my body.
"Ark-sama! Are you okay!?"
Fatina rushes to me and anxiously touches various parts of my body.
But I don't feel any different, and I'm not sure what's happening to me.
"I think the keys are resonating with each other."
Mel explains while looking at the light emanating from my body.
So, it seems like the key is nearby.
After a while, the light that had been emitting disappeared, and the surroundings returned to a dimness.
"So, does that mean there's an [Aquaflow Key] ahead?"
"Yes, and there should be a guardian as well."
According to Mel, each of the three dungeons, [Emerald Green Dungeon], [Aquaflow Cavern], and [Inferno Pathway], has a guardian who acts as the keeper of the key.
"I see. So, how powerful are these guardians exactly?"
"In the previous dungeon, it was a big green dragon."
"A d-dragon? That dragon? Well, I'm sure Ark-san and the others will be fine. Haha..."
Chester laughed, his face contorted.
At the [Emerald Green Dungeon] that I visited with Ryuin and the others, the guardian was an S-rank monster dragon.
I suddenly thought that perhaps the guardian always appears in the form of a dragon.
I think this because dragons are a type of monster that can live for thousands of years, and some are said to live for many thousands of years.
These are known as Elder Dragons or Ancient Dragons, and they are said to have exceptionally strong powers among dragons. They are perfect as guardians of the key.
But I also have a question. Why would monsters be guarding keys in dungeons that were supposedly created by humans a long time ago?
"Ark-sama, what should we do?"
"In any case, we must retrieve the key. Let's go."
I put my hands on the door and exerted my strength, and the door slowly opened with a creaking sound.
A warm breeze blew strongly through the wide gap, stirring up dust.
It seems like this door hasn't been opened for a long time.
Beyond the door was another large room.
Although it was called a room, the ceiling and floor were untouched. It felt like a barren place that had been roughly carved out.
Even though there was no source of light inside, it was bright enough to see.
At the end of the rocky ground, there was only one white altar-like object made of the same material as the door, and nothing else.
Out of the four sides, only the back of the altar resembled a large pond, with the sound of water flowing.
"Hmm? It seems like there's nothing here. Is it possible that someone has already defeated the guardian?"
"No... since the key resonated, they should still be inside."
"For now, it seems like the only option is to investigate."
Everyone proceeded to the back of the room and examined the altar.
However, there was nothing.
"Well, it seems like there's nothing here."
"No... that can't be..."
Just as everyone was puzzled, the white door we had entered suddenly closed with a loud noise.
"Oh no?! The door!"
Chester hurriedly turned back and tried to ram into the door to open it, but it wouldn't budge.
Come to think of it, something similar happened in the Emerald Green Dungeon.
I remember back then, the door to the building closed and no matter how much Leoness put his strength into it, it wouldn't open.
"Ark-sama! It's wraiths!"
Wraiths were appearing from the direction of the pond, as if passing through walls.
I could see four of them. They were all floating in the air, swaying gently as they moved towards us.
"W-What?! Four of them all at once?! What on earth is happening?!"
Chester hurriedly returned to us.
"Light, become a shield to protect── (Protection)"
Mel chanted the magic of (Protection) and cast it on everyone. It seemed like she had decided that now was not the time to worry about magic power consumption.
The wraith's special power makes everything around it dark, but thanks to Mel's magic, I don't feel any change in my condition.
The wraith is wearing a robe that cancels out (Death), so I have to get close to fight it. I might be able to defeat it by using (Ruin), but it would use up a lot of my strength and magic power. It's not a good idea to use it at this point, especially since there are no guardians around.
Meanwhile, the wraiths are gradually closing in on us from all sides.
Quickly, I activated the power of 'Insanity'.
However, the wraiths show no sign of suffering like Sea Serpent and Allen. Is it not working?
It seems that 'Insanity' doesn't affect the wraiths. It looks like it doesn't work on all monsters.
'Oooh──'
As this is happening, one of them speeds up and reaches out for Fatina.
But Fatina skillfully timed her strike with the unleashed sword and cut through it.
'Ooooooh!!'
The ghostly arm of the wraith was severed and dissipated in the air. The wraith writhed, violently shaking its body from side to side.
It seems that her sword is effective against ghosts.
"Haah!"
Without missing a beat, Fatina swung her sword again.
The jet-black slash flew through the air, mimicking Allen's movement.
The ebony blade crawled along the ground, charging towards the wraith.
The wraith couldn't even defend itself and took the full force of the blow, disappearing in mid-air.
"W-We did it!"
With the determination to risk being affected by Drain Touch, I approached another wraith and thrust my sword into its body with all my might.
The wraith grabbed my neck with both hands. I felt my life gradually fading away, but without hesitation, I unleashed the Instant Death Magic spell.
"(Quadruple Death)"
The wraith, unable to defend itself, was hit by Instant Death Magic and vanished while letting out a final scream.
'!! ────Ooooh...'
Then, the remaining two creatures suddenly started moving away from us and disappeared into the wall with a whoosh.
"The wraiths are running away!"
"They must have been scared and ran away from us!"
But it's strange how easily the wraiths escaped. Even if they didn't stand a chance, would undead creatures really act like that?
As I sheathed my sword, a sudden chill ran through my body, making me tremble.
I could sense something approaching us from the other side of the pond. It wasn't just me, everyone was staring at the same spot.
Gradually, the outline became visible, and the figure of an undead with a skull-like face appeared in the air.
The undead wore a lead-colored crown on its head, emitting a pale blue light from its eye sockets.
The gray robe it wore was tattered and worn like a wraith, but it seemed to have been of high quality originally, with colored decorations of red and gold on the torso.
And in its hand, it held a long ebony staff.
An ominous mist, a noxious miasma, emanated so strongly from its entire body that it was visible to the naked eye, making it intimidating to even approach.
There is only one being that matches this appearance of despair.
"...A lich, perhaps."
Lich, S-Rank undead monster, is considered one of the opponents adventurers should never engage in a direct fight.
Before becoming undead, liches were powerful magicians who could wield advanced magic. It is said that their magic power has far surpassed what it was when they were human.
In Aquaflow Cavern, there were many undead creatures of the Ghost type.
With a large number of wraiths and shades present, it might have been wise to be cautious.
"Is that... a lich? Could this be the guardian of the key?"
Chester muttered while staring at the floating lich.
The lich descended gracefully to the ground just in front of the altar and slowly raised their staff.
"Fatina! Grab Mel and retreat to the back!"
"Yes!"
Immediately after shouting, I lifted Chester on my shoulder and jumped backwards.
"Whoa!"
Right after that, a massive pillar of fire erupted where we had been standing.
I put Chester down and unsheathed my sword.
"Wait... the guardian has turned into an undead?"
Mel looked at the lich with a shocked expression.
The lich simply gazed at us silently, with its eyes glowing blue within its pitch-black eye sockets.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)