Chapter 11: Wandering Dungeon (Wandering Dungeon) 07
“If you’ve made it through this level, then this should be no problem. Now, let us proceed.”
Lyra Nora pointed at us from the dais and commanded the headless armored swordsman, “Go forth!” Four Swordiers glided toward us in unison.
“Frei, use Divine Light. Sfenia, once Lyra Nora moves, keep her at bay with magic and arrows. Larni and Mariane, protect the two of them for now. I’ll handle the Swordiers.”
“Understood!”
From the atmosphere, it seemed that Lyra Nora was a backline type. As a Vampire, she likely possessed physical prowess, so I couldn’t afford to let my guard down… Just as I was thinking this, the Swordiers closed in on us.
The lead Swordier entered my mace’s range. It was already swinging its sword, but my mace was faster.
With a full-force horizontal swing combined with Shockwave, I sent three Swordiers flying. Their metal armor shattered, crumpled, and scattered into pieces with a single blow.
The remaining Swordier slashed at me from the side, but I activated my Honshin skill to its fullest, redirecting my mace and crushing its torso along with its sword.
“To take down four in an instant is quite unexpected,” Lyra Nora exclaimed, her voice filled with admiration as she extended her hand toward us.
Magic! I thought, just as a fire arrow shot from behind me and struck Lyra Nora directly.
“You all possess quite powerful skills, don’t you?”
Though she was hit by Sfenia’s magic, Lyra Nora only staggered slightly, showing little damage. As she dodged the following arrows with movements reminiscent of Swift Run, she pointed her hand at us.
From her palm, five spears, as red as blood, shot forth. I blocked them all with my shield, but even with the Iron Wall skill, the spears pierced through my iron shield, creating holes.
“To block my Blood Lance? How marvelous!”
As she spoke, Lyra Nora unleashed a barrage of blood spears. I shattered all the incoming spears with Shockwave.
Lyra Nora’s eyes widened in shock as a glowing orb appeared above her head, radiating light. Empowered by Freinir’s Divine Halo, her movements momentarily halted.
“Larni, Mariane!”
“Okay!”
“Here I come!”
The two of them closed the distance rapidly with Swift Run.
Lyra Nora caught Larni’s Mithril Sword with both hands, but Mariane’s spear struck her side, causing her to falter.
Larni followed up with another strike. Lyra Nora parried it effortlessly, using sheer force to send Larni flying. In her hand, a blood-colored shortsword had appeared without me noticing. Just as she was about to pursue Larni, she was struck in the thigh by Mariane’s spear.
“What a remarkable coordination! Truly splendid!”
Wielding her sword, Lyra Nora pushed Larni and Mariane back, her fangs bared in a grin, indicating she still had the upper hand. It seemed that the effects of Divine Light weren’t having much impact on her.
“Souji-sama, I will cast Holy Light using Remote Cast and Range Expansion.”
“Got it! Larni, Mariane, fall back!”
As the two retreated, Sfenia’s arrows rained down on Lyra Nora. She deflected the arrows with her sword, and from above, the light of Holy Light poured down like a shower.
“Such magic as well? This is simply overwhelming!”
Lyra Nora attempted to escape the area of Holy Light with Swift Run. At that moment, Larni struck, and Mariane’s spear pierced her once more.
“Ugh… So the attacks from earlier were causing status ailments. However!”
It seemed that Mariane’s paralysis was beginning to take effect, as Lyra Nora lost her balance significantly. But it was only for a moment; she effortlessly deflected Larni’s strike and spread her arms wide, a menacing smile on her face.
“Blood Lance Thousand Dance, can you withstand it?”
Before Lyra Nora, over a hundred blood spears materialized. It was a display of overwhelming force. This was likely one of her ultimate techniques.
“Everyone, behind me!”
The four of them gathered behind me.
At that moment, a terrifying number of blood spears were shot out in a radial pattern. The outermost spears changed trajectory mid-flight, all aimed directly at us. It was a saturation attack of overwhelming quantity, one that would spell despair for any ordinary adventurer.
“Uooh!”
I shouted as I swung my mace in every direction. The successive Shockwaves created a massive energy barrier, obliterating all the spears.
“What kind of power is that!?”
Lyra Nora stood frozen for a moment, her beautiful face painted with disbelief.
At that moment, Sfenia’s arrow and Mariane’s spear pierced her chest, triggering Action Stop.
“Got it!”
“Not yet!”
Even so, Lyra Nora barely managed to deflect Larni’s attack with her sword… but by then, my mace had already locked onto her.
“It was a splendid battle. Rather, I must admit, I was completely defeated.”
As my mace struck her, Lyra Nora’s physical form vanished into thin air.
In the now-empty boss room, only the voice of the female vampire echoed.
“After this, you shall be granted skills. However, as this is just the beginning, they won’t be of great power. If you seek stronger abilities, you must challenge even more dungeons.”
“That was my intention from the start. By the way, what will happen to this dungeon?”
“Hehe, I almost forgot. This dungeon will naturally disappear once you exit.”
“Then the undead above ground will also vanish?”
“That would be the case. Now, I must be on my way to the next location. You… especially you, Souji-sama, seem to possess great power, so we may meet again. I look forward to that time.”
With those words, Lyra Nora’s presence completely faded away. To me, this world was filled with mysteries, but she felt like a particularly enigmatic existence among them. If we were to meet again, I would like to hear more detailed stories from her.
“Souji-sama, are you curious about her?”
As I stared into the void, Freinir took my hand and asked.
“There’s no doubt she wasn’t an ordinary human, so I am intrigued. You all must be curious too, right?”
“Definitely. She clearly wasn’t your typical dungeon boss, and she said some strange things. Oh, and the skills are coming in.”
As Larni said, I felt a sensation as skills slipped into my mind. It seemed this part was the same as any ordinary dungeon.
The new skill I acquired was called Provoke. It appeared to have the effect of drawing the enemy’s attention. I recalled a similar skill from a game. Just like the previous Iron Wall, it seemed someone in this world was telling me to be a shield.
Freinir received Herculean Strength, which was extremely rare for a skill obtained in a presumed B-class dungeon. However, considering it was something she normally wouldn’t acquire, it made sense. It was undoubtedly a skill to compensate for her physical weaknesses.
Larni seemed to have obtained Iron Wall as well. Though it was the same skill I possessed, it was reassuring that her defense would increase as a speed-type frontliner.
Sfenia acquired Advanced Fire Magic, which upgraded her previous Fire Magic that had reached its level cap. Regardless of the circumstances, Fire Magic was powerful as an offensive spell, so obtaining its higher-tier version here was significant.
Mariane received Penetration. While its rarity was low, it was an important skill for her. Since her main attacks during boss battles relied on her spears, a skill that increased their power was undoubtedly useful.
“It was a strange dungeon, but we got skills, so it was a lucky request.”
As Larni said, it certainly felt like a two-for-one investigation request. However, I couldn’t help but wonder how this would be reported to the guild through Mariane, and how it would be received by the count. I sighed inwardly at the thought of the Provoke skill’s role in all of this.