Chapter 28: The Dungeon Core and the Unlikely Alliance

Faintly, I could sense someone moving busily around. Blinking my blurry eyes, my vision gradually brightened.

The person moving around was Isollin.

“Isollin?”

“Ah, you’re awake?”

Isollin was smiling brightly as she looked down at me. Seeing that both she and I were unharmed, it seemed we had won the battle against the Death Knight.

I frowned as I felt pain throughout my body.

“Ugh…”

“Are you okay? Can you move?”

“I have to move.”

Even if I couldn’t, I had to try.

Looking around, I saw we were still inside the dungeon. I struggled to sit up. The bandages wrapped around my arms and legs were surely done by Isollin.

As I fiddled with the bandages, Isollin spoke up.

“Hehe… I used some of the things in your bag… I didn’t bring anything like that myself.”

“Thank you.”

“No, I should be the one thanking you… Well…”

Isollin trailed off as she hesitated. It seemed like she wanted to say something, but she wasn’t sure how.

I noticed a mana stone placed at her feet and opened my mouth.

“I’m sorry. The wand broke.”

“Oh, no, it’s not really a big deal…”

After a long pause, Isollin seemed to have made up her mind. Nodding, she spoke in a more cautious tone.

“You’re a mage, right…? I mean, you are, right?”

Her voice became much more careful. I nodded, assessing my body’s condition.

“I see… then, may I ask which faction you’re from?”

“Faction…?”

“Ah… if you don’t want to say, it’s okay.”

It seemed there were factions even among mages. I shook my head and replied.

“Feel free to ask. And even if I tell you my faction, I don’t think you’ll know it.”

“Ah, okay…”

The atmosphere grew awkward. It seemed she had misunderstood my answer as a rejection.

I sighed and stood up from my position. My legs were trembling, but I could still walk.

“Shall we walk for now?”

As we started walking together, Isollin began asking me questions, most of which were about me.

“When did you enter the Magic Tower?”

“Well…”

“You hid your identity because of a secret mission, right?”

“Uhm…”

“Uh… do you think the mission you received is related to this dungeon?”

I let out a small sigh at Isollin’s questions. She seemed to have concluded that I was a mage from the Magic Tower on a secret mission.

I didn’t deny it. Saying otherwise wouldn’t have made her believe me, and I figured this way would allow me to pass by without offering an explanation.

“It’s not related to the dungeon.”

“That’s a relief…”

“Is it a problem if the missions overlap?”

“Well… If we’re after the same thing, we might have to duel in magic… Of course, I’m not saying I’ll challenge you to a magic duel or anything…”

Through my conversation with Isollin, I learned a lot of information. She told me about the magic duel culture among mages and the various factions within the Magic Tower. She really shared a lot with me.

“Hey, if we manage to safely escape this dungeon, could you come find me at the Fire Tower?”

“The Fire Tower?”

“Yeah. That’s the faction I belong to. I want to thank you for saving me…”

“Uhm…”

It seemed like she wanted to give me some sort of gift, but that would likely be impossible. I probably wouldn’t be going to the Magic Tower in person.

“If we make it out alive.”

With that, I drew the sword from my back. The sound of skeletons dragging their feet echoed from the far end of the dark hallway.

It seemed Isollin had heard the sound too, as she grasped a mana stone in her hand and stared straight ahead.

“Can you still fight like that?”

“I have to fight.”

Even if I couldn’t, I still had to. I couldn’t just die to these white bones.

I exhaled quietly and checked my remaining mana. The fiery ring was almost gone, leaving behind only a faint ember, but the sparkling starlight mana had formed into a small sphere.

It seemed to have recovered while I was unconscious.

Creeeek—

From the darkness, five skeletons appeared. Each of them was holding a rusted sword.

“Five of them…”

Isollin muttered with a pale face. It seemed that, because of my poor condition, she thought we had no chance of winning.

In that instant, the skeletons began charging at us.

I took a deep breath, calming myself.

What I needed now was a clear image. I can do this, right? I’ve done it before.

With my eyes closed, I focused on the many starlights that stretched out before me. The sparkling world became my teacher, showing me another possibility.

Among the starlights, the image of hundreds of mages began to rise. Though they looked different from one another, they all shared a common feature.

They all had a bluish mana circle formed in their hearts.

Picture the pure crystal of mana extending straight forward.

The starlight, which had been rotating in my heart, left my body and formed a small line in the air.

The basic magic of the circle mages manifested in this world.

It was the weakest attack spell, one that could be used even in my current condition.

Magic Missile.

“Starlight…?”

As soon as Isollin’s voice faded, the pure white starlight around me shot out.

The first Magic Missiles, formed from the starlight, numbered five.

These five missiles spread out, flying toward the skeletons’ heads.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The starlight flew through the air in an instant, striking the skeletons’ heads. Some shattered the skeletons’ skulls completely, while others left only small cracks before vanishing.

The power of the Magic Missiles wasn’t very strong. It was probably about the same force as throwing a rock with all my strength. But it was enough to deal with the skeletons.

I called upon the pure white starlight again. The amount of mana consumed was minimal, and the speed at which the magic was cast was optimal.

Bam!

Once again, the white starlight struck the skeleton at the front. One rib and part of its spine broke, and its large head was shattered. As it lost its balance and fell, another skeleton took its place.

I fired five more starlight missiles.

The accuracy wasn’t high, but if they missed, I could just create more and fire again.

As dozens of starlights quickly flew toward the remaining skeletons, only two were left standing when they reached me.

This seemed like enough, so I was about to swing my sword.

But just then, a blue mana sphere flew through the air, smashing the two remaining skeletons.

It was Isollin’s magic.

Boom!

Unlike before, the explosion was noticeably weaker.

Just like me, it seemed Isollin was exhausted too.

I nervously stomped on the bones scattered across the floor. Each time I moved my legs, sharp pain shot through me.

“Hey…!”

“Yeah?”

I turned my head at Isollin’s call. She was looking at me with an excited expression, as if she had a lot to say, but she didn’t open her mouth.

“Well… never mind…”

I tilted my head in confusion at Isollin’s reaction. Could it be that magic like Magic Missile didn’t exist in this world?

It was the most basic attack spell using mana.

“Is this what you were curious about?”

I decided to try and show her, making a straight line of starlight on my palm.

The starlight, which had been spinning, quickly flew off, hitting the floor and disappearing.

“Exactly…! You belong to that faction, don’t you?”

“That faction…?”

“I knew it… Only those weird mages who train their bodies along with their magic belong to that faction… Then, what was that thing you showed earlier…?”

Isollin muttered to herself, lost in thought.

I frowned at her words. It seemed there was a magic similar to Magic Missile in this world.

I had been secretly pleased that I had created a spell that didn’t exist here, but…

“Did you see a magic similar to that somewhere?”

“Ah, yeah. I saw it from a distance during a gathering some time ago. It was a bit different from your mana, though.”

Isollin nodded in response to my question, her usual confident expression returning. She seemed excited to have figured out which faction I was from.

Of course, it was just a misunderstanding.

“You’re impressive at such a young age… Was training difficult?”

“Ah…”

What should I say? I don’t even know the name of the faction she’s talking about.

Instead of answering, I awkwardly smiled and remained silent.

Throughout the dungeon exploration, groups of skeletons continuously appeared. At least two, and at most five at a time.

Since they didn’t all appear at once, it seemed like they were wandering around the dungeon.

Fighting the skeletons wasn’t particularly hard. What was more annoying were the traps that appeared just when I thought I could relax.

Arrows shot when stepping on pressure plates, and sharp spikes would shoot up from the floor.

As long as I carefully watched the floor and walls for any holes, I could avoid the spikes. But the arrows often came at unexpected timings.

Every journey has its end.

After walking for quite a while, Isollin and I reached the end of the hallway.

I moved forward without hesitation.

As we exited the corridor, a large hall unfolded before us.

“This place…”

“It looks like the end of the dungeon.”

I spoke to Isollin as I moved toward the center of the hall. On the floor in the center of the room was a strange magic circle, and above it floated a large purple orb.

“The Dungeon Core!”

So this purple orb is the Dungeon Core?

Isollin rushed over and began examining the Dungeon Core. Then she glanced back at me, as if sensing my gaze.

“Is that your goal, Isollin?”

“Mm… The Mage Tower asked me to bring back a Dungeon Core.”

“Looks like you succeeded.”

“Yeah!”

Isollin unfolded a blue cloth from her bag and wrapped it around the Dungeon Core. The purple light emanating from the orb faded, and the glowing magic circle also lost its shine.

I began to search around the large hall, wondering if there was anything else worth taking. Eventually, I found a large chest.

It looked like a long time had passed since it was placed here, as the wood was rotting, and it seemed like it would fall apart if I touched it.

I licked my lips.

Why do dungeons exist? Of course, to protect precious treasures.

Without hesitation, I kicked the chest.

Creak!

The old chest broke apart, spilling its contents. What emerged from it was a dusty skull mug and a book that looked almost new, chained to a metal chain.

A bluish stone was embedded in the skull’s forehead—it was definitely a mana stone.

“Is it alright if I take this?”

“Yeah. I only need this.”

Isollin showed no particular interest in the items I picked up.

I pulled the mana stone from the skull’s crown. The skull itself was made of a special material, so it was still quite sturdy.

But it wasn’t something I needed.

I kicked the skull, now missing its mana stone, to the corner of the room.

“Shall we head back?”

It was Isollin’s suggestion.

Wasn’t it said that meetings are spontaneous and partings light?

I glanced around the wide hall and nodded.

“Ah, but let’s wait outside for a bit.”

“Mm… Should we?”

I gathered the book and mana stone, and along with Isollin, we left the hall.