Chapter 0: Prologue

The soft blue ice crystals, created over a thousand years, hung menacingly from the cave ceiling like the fangs of a giant ice dragon from ancient times.

The cold wind blowing from the deepening abyss sounded like the sighs of souls trapped for thousands of years, and the sound echoed deep into the cave, turning into a terrifying cry.

“It’s so creepy…” said the small-bodied archer girl, Leivi, in a trembling voice as she fiddled with her quiver.

Her nimble fingers were clearly trying to find stability as they brushed the arrow feathers.

The other adventurers’ eyes also showed anxiety, as if they agreed with her words.

“If you don’t mind paying five hundred gold coins, you can go back,” their client, the blond magician of the Magic Tower, Ryandel, smiled softly as he stroked the hem of his neat robe.

True to his reputation as the chief researcher of the Golden Magic Tower, his voice was filled with the composure of an intellectual.

The adventurers’ eyes sparkled with greed at his words, and they gathered their strength again.

Considering that a typical commoner family could live off of ten gold coins for a year, five hundred gold coins was a huge sum that would allow them to never work again if they completed this quest.

“Let me emphasize this once again,” Ryandel continued, taking out his crystal staff.

“Our target is the rare Frost Aether ore found in the lower levels of the labyrinth.

Once we reach the lower levels, we can quickly find it with the Dwarven Mineral Detector, so you just need to worry about my escort.”

The adventurers nodded with solemn determination.

Their eyes were already filled with a golden future.

“Then let’s go in.”

“Haha! We finally found it!” Ryandel exclaimed in a voice full of joy as he finally found the ore near the entrance leading down to the depths.

His shouts of joy brought life to the faces of the adventurers who had been exhausted.

They had fought countless monsters while suffering from the bitter cold and hunger for a week longer than they had initially expected.

Now, if they could just return safely, a huge reward awaited them.

“Carl, you said you were going back home after finishing this mission?”

“Yes, I have a girlfriend waiting for me. I’m going to propose to her when I get back!”

The young warrior Carl’s voice was filled with excitement and hope.

“Oh, that’s good. Please invite me to the wedding. What about you, Ravie?”

“L…” Ravie said shyly, flipping her hair.

“I’m going to the academy. I came here for this mission to pay for tuition…”

“Huh? Do you really need to go to the academy with your archery skills?”

“Of course!” Ravie’s eyes sparkled.

“The Heshet Empire Academy is attended by the Third Prince! If I can show him my archery skills and tell him about this adventure…”

Her face turned red.

“Ah… I’m already so nervous… I want to take the entrance exam next year…”

“Ahaha…” The veteran adventurer Rodrik, whose black hair was now gray, smiled awkwardly.

“The Third Prince is said to be handsome and have a good personality. He will definitely keep an eye on your skills.”

Even as the happy conversation continued, Ryandel was carefully mining the Frost Aether ore.

His mind was already filled with ideas of how he would use this precious research material to write the best thesis in the Magic Tower.

But then, the entire cave began to tremble slightly.

The ice crystals collided with each other, making sharp noises, and the cold surged in even more violently.

“Kieee-!” With a sharp roar, the entire space vibrated.

The cold surged in like a whirlwind through the cave walls.

“Lord Ryandel… This sound…”

Ryandel quickly spread his mana and looked in the direction the sound came from.

His face turned pale.

“It’s a Crystal Basilisk… This is a big deal.”

“Crystal Basilisk? Are you talking about that S-class monster that lives in the depths?”

Fear and despair ran down the adventurers’ spines like a chill.

The shadow of death was cast thickly across each face, worn out from fatigue.

“Yes, that is true,” Ryandel muttered, drawing on his magical power.

“I don’t know why it came all the way down, but it’s not moving at all from the path we’re supposed to take.”

“Can’t we just wait until it disappears…?” Rebi’s voice trembled.

“The guy already recognized us.” Ryandel’s expression darkened.

“I don’t think he’ll give up on good prey like us, who are exhausted from minor injuries.”

Even with this party, which consisted of three A-class adventurers, three B-class adventurers, and Ryandel, who was at least A-class, the Crystal Basilisk was an opponent that could not guarantee victory even in perfect condition.

Especially in this exhausted state, the result was obvious.

At the moment when the shadow of death grew darker, Carl suddenly asked a question.

“Does anyone have any… leftover alcohol?”

“What? You’re going to drink alcohol in this situation?” Rodrick couldn’t hide his shock.

“Carl, come to your senses.”

Another adventurer sighed.

“Even though the Crystal Basilisk is an S-class monster, it’s a worthy opponent compared to other S-class monsters…”

“Carl… please…” Levy pleaded with a trembling voice.

However, Carl’s eyes were strangely firm.

“No! I’m not trying to drink it. I’d rather go down to the depths! There’s a flower that protects you if you offer it alcohol!”

“Seraphina Bloom…” Ryandel was deep in thought.

His crystal staff faintly swayed in the waves of mana.

“Lord Ryandel, you don’t believe those rumors, do you?” Rodrick raised his voice.

“Seraphina Bloom is… a monster called the King of Bugs! It’s a dragon-level monster with hundreds of bugs under its control.

Rather than taking a reckless gamble, it’s better to just deal with one Crystal Basilisk!”

“No!” Carl retorted in a heated voice.

“They say that the warrior and the saintess’s party also received help. That’s why we named it Seraphina Bloom after the saintess!”

“Have you forgotten that the 2nd Knights of the Kingdom of Genes who went to find it after hearing that rumor were completely annihilated?”

“The Knights tried to capture Seraphina Bloom without fear.” Carl’s eyes lit up with conviction.

“According to the adventurers who returned alive, if you offer them alcohol, they will not only give you a place to rest, but they will also cast healing magic.

They even send one or two S-class monsters as escorts when you return!”

“Huh, what nonsense is that.” Rodrick shook his head.

“Are you all hallucinating? And there’s no way you’ll meet the King of Bugs right away if you go down to the depths.

Other S-class monsters are as common as goblins in the depths. If we go down, we’ll die.”

As if tired of their noisy bickering, the Crystal Basilisk’s roar grew closer.

“Keeeek!”

“Here he comes!” Ryandel made a decision.

“Let’s go to the depths! Run!”

“Huh! Shit!” Rodrick cursed as he followed the group down to the depths.

He also knew that leaving the party would result in an even quicker death.

As they entered the depths, the color of the ice became darker and darker, finally taking on the color of the deep blue sea.

Within it, unknown shadows swayed and danced.

In the darkness that seemed to swallow even the light, the adventurers advanced without even a sound of breathing.

“This is the depths…” Levy muttered in a trembling voice.

“Lord Ryandel, let’s hurry…” Carl urged.

“There’s nothing more frustrating than dying to another monster before meeting Seraphina Bloom after coming all the way to the depths…”

As they descended into the depths, several paths appeared.

However, a faint but clearly mystical scent leaked out from one passage.

This captivating and sweet scent was definitely Seraphina Bloom, or the monster known as the King of Bugs.

Ryandel walked in the lead, holding beer and wine in each hand.

His crystal staff emitted a faint light as it sensed the flow of mana.

The faint scent gradually became thicker.

The deadly scent that could be felt from heavenly fruits felt like a path leading to heaven.

However, in contrast to the sweet scent, the eerie sound of numerous insects crawling began to be heard from the end of the passage.

The group kept silence as if they had made a promise.

Only the sound of footsteps and the sound of clothes brushing against the ice echoed.

They tried to ignore the sounds and continued on, intoxicated by the scent, until they finally reached a large communal space.

Small red flowers covering the entire communal floor were emitting a soft glow like moonlight.

Above them, numerous insect-shaped monsters danced around.

In particular, the red butterfly with three pairs of wings was as beautiful as a rising flame, the giant ice wasp with a stinger as big as a human arm boasted an overwhelming majesty, and the metal spider floating in the air as if defying gravity showed off a mysterious appearance.

These three were monsters they had never seen before, but their presence far surpassed the Crystal Basilisk they had felt in the lower levels.

And at the center of them all was a beautiful yet eerie blood-red petal and a pitch-black stem, a gigantic flower taller than a person, reigning supreme.

Its overwhelming presence was like that of the queen of this place.

Fortunately, as if Carl had been right, none of the monsters here attacked them.

Ryandel felt that the flowers had no eyes, but they were clearly staring at the wine he was holding, and he cautiously approached Seraphina Bloom, lest he step on the small flowers.

“Here, here’s some beer and wine.” His voice trembled slightly.

“I escaped from the Crystal Basilisk that suddenly appeared in the lower levels and came here. Would it be okay if I rest here for a moment?”

He had never thought that monsters could understand him, but he had an inexplicable confidence that this monster… no, this mysterious creature, would be able to communicate.

As Ryandel finished speaking, black roots rose from the ground, breaking the bottle and sucking up its contents.

The adventurers shivered at the sight of the roots moving as if they were living creatures.

Seraphina Bloom, who had drunk all the alcohol, shook as if in joy and scattered pollen everywhere.

“Hic__!” Leivi shivered, thinking it was a sudden attack, but the pollen transmitted warmth and began to heal their wounds.

“Oh, oh!” Rodrick looked at his arm with surprised eyes.

“Hey, why are you suddenly hurt!?”

“Me too!”

“Look, Uncle Rodrick.” Carl smiled victoriously.

“Such a beautiful and kind flower is called by the horrible name of the King of Bugs.

From now on, we should call her Seraphina Bloom or the Flower of the Saints.”

“T-That’s right…” Rodrick nodded awkwardly.

“I think I was mistaken.”

As the humans breathed a sigh of relief and began to talk, a sound that no one could hear echoed from within the giant flower monster.

Two two-stars, three three-stars…

Oh, two four-stars too.

This is quite a party, and they even prepared such good alcohol.

I should remember that, once I learn polymorph, I’ll definitely ask what kind of alcohol it is.