“You did it, Yuma. I think you’re probably the first to defeat a high-ranking angel in the White Dungeon.”
“Is that so?”
Surprised by Rui’s words, Yuma deactivated the ‘Liquid Metal’ on his hammer, returning it to a normal pickel.
He gazed at the scattered sand around him, taking a breather for the moment.
“It was strong, for sure, but I don’t think it was as strong as the “Red Ogre” or the “Ancient Dragon”.”
“Ordinary Seekers can’t break through that “Barrier of Light.” It was thanks to your power.”
Rui thrust out his right fist, and Yuma bumped it with his left. The two grinned, sharing their joy.
They had somehow managed to conquer the White Dungeon.
Just as he felt relieved, a voice came from nearby.
“Ugh, nothing, nothing! It’s not here, it’s nowhere!”
Akito was squatting down, sifting through the sand. Rui approached and called out to him.
“Are you looking for a Magic Gem?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t seem to be here. The White Dungeon is tough. In a normal Dungeon, it’s almost unheard of for a Magic Gem not to drop after defeating the last boss.”
Akito brushed the sand off his hands with a clap and stood up with a grunt. He had heard that the drop rate in the White Dungeon was low, but he hadn’t expected it to be this bad.
“I defeated about a hundred Monsters in the lowest level, but not a single Magic Gem dropped. Is this normal?”
Yuma voiced his question. It was his first time in the White Dungeon, so he couldn’t tell if this was the usual experience.
“Well, I’ve heard that even Elceed can only gather Magic Gems with a Mana Index of around 4000 per year, so I guess it’s possible that nothing drops even after defeating a hundred Monsters.”
Akito nodded at Rui’s explanation.
“I’ve heard that Fameel can only manage Magic Gems with a Mana Index of about 2000 in a year. The drop rate is probably a tenth, or even less, of other Dungeons.”
Yuma swallowed hard, realizing how harsh it was.
He now understood what Aisha meant when she said it was inefficient to go to the ‘White Dungeon’ in Hokkaido.
“So, that 16000 Mana Index Magic Gem in India…”
“Well, they probably spent several years collecting it. It’s a blessing, you know. If they were to sell it now, it would probably go for hundreds of billions, maybe even a trillion?”
“A trillion!?”
Yuma felt faint. He had heard it was expensive, but he hadn’t imagined it would be that much. It seemed the price had skyrocketed even further than before.
As Yuma and the others were talking, Rachmad approached from a distance.
He seemed to be injured, dragging his leg.
“Hey, you guys! Thanks a lot. This means this Dungeon is completely cleared!”
Rachmad had a beaming smile on his face, extending his hand. Yuma shook it, surprised by the hardness of his hand.
“Wow, that’s amazing. Your hand really is like Iron. I’ve never seen magic like that.”
Rachmad looked at Yuma’s Metallized body with interest.
“Rachmad-san, is your leg injury okay?”
When Yuma asked, Rachmad laughed heartily, dismissing it with, “Ah, this is nothing.”
“More importantly, the Dungeon will collapse within twenty-four hours. Let’s get out of here quickly.”
As Rachmad was about to leave, Yuma called out, “Please wait a moment.”
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“Well, I thought it would be better to heal it since we have to walk all the way up.”
“Heal? This leg? But there’s no Messiah here. I’ll go to the hospital after we get out.”
Rachmad said cheerfully, but,
“It’s okay. I can do it.”
“Eh?”
Yuma lowered himself and held his hand over Rachmad’s right leg. Immediately, a faint light leaked from his hand, healing the wound on his leg.
Rachmad and the Indonesian Seekers were astonished by the sight.
“Hey, hey, hey, you can use Recovery Magic too!?”
Rachmad stomped his healed leg on the ground to confirm it was working.
He grabbed Yuma’s shoulder, his eyes wide with a smile.
“Wow, I’m amazed! Fire and Recovery, and magic to turn into Iron… I’ve never seen anyone use so many different types of magic!”
“I-Is that so?”
“That’s right. When Dungeons were first created, there were people who tried to use both attack and Recovery Magic, but it was too inefficient and quickly died out. You’re probably the only one who can use both Recovery and attack magic.”
Rachmad laughed heartily, slapping Yuma’s shoulder.
Yuma scratched his head with a wry smile. He was happy to be praised, but it seemed like everyone except Rachmad was taken aback.
He might have used a little too much power.
Since they had defeated the Monster on the lowest level, which was their goal, everyone decided to leave the Dungeon together.
The collapse would start from the lower levels, but since this Dungeon wasn’t that deep, they should be able to escape in time without panicking.
Yuma, whose “Metallization” had worn off, returned to normal and headed for the upper levels with Rui and Akito.
At that moment, Zamara suddenly came into view. She seemed to be looking at him, but when Yuma turned his gaze towards her, she averted her eyes and left with her companions.
It seemed she didn’t think too highly of him.
Yuma and the others joined Rachmad’s Seeker Clan and headed for the exit together.
◇◇◇
By the time they emerged from the White Dungeon, it was already morning.
The thought that they had been inside the hole for a whole day made Yuma feel exhausted. He stretched and blinked his eyes.
The Seekers who had returned were sitting in the soccer field, receiving treatment for their injuries.
Many had died, and quite a few were injured. He couldn’t simply rejoice.
As Yuma was thinking this, Hendri came running towards them from the entrance of the soccer field with a beaming smile.
“Well, well, well! Everyone, you did it! To think you would actually conquer the White Dungeon…”
Hendri, who had come to the tired trio, shook hands with Yuma, Rui, and Akito in turn.
“I heard you were a great help, right? It was the right decision to call you from Japan. There were some voices of opposition, but the results speak for themselves.”
Hendri glanced sideways. There stood Zamara and her Seeker Clan.
If he remembered correctly, they were called ‘Kujata’. They must have been the ones who were against it.
“Well, it’s not unusual to dislike outsiders…”
When Yuma muttered in a low voice, Akito asked, “Huh? Did you say something?” Yuma replied, “No, nothing.”
This was goodbye to Zamara and the others. There was no need to stir up unnecessary trouble.
“I need to check the extent of the damage. I would also like to hear your stories, so could you please wait in that tent over there?”
When Yuma and the others looked, they saw a white garage tent set up. It was probably for resting. Yuma said “Understood” to Hendri and walked towards the tent with Rui and Akito.
Inside, there was a long desk and round chairs. Yuma sat down on a chair, slumped over the desk, and exhaled.
This was his first mission since coming overseas. He was a little worried, but he had managed to complete it safely.