Chapter 55
“Let’s go, Kae.”
Following Davién, I stood near the pillar. The mages’ faces were full of fear. Seeing that, Uthias smiled, then placed his hand on the pillar. A bright light began to shine from it.
When the blinding light faded, I could finally open my eyes. The air shifted—it felt even damper and more ominous than before.
“This is the dungeon entrance.”
Davién spoke in a low voice and drew the large sword from her back. Behind the pillar, which had seemed empty, there was now a large hole. When Davién approached, torches lit up inside the hole.
Looking closer, there were stairs leading downward. A strong wind full of the smell of mold rushed up from the hole with a whistling sound.
“Kae, follow behind me. The rest of you, look after your own lives.”
The mages turned even paler at Davién’s chilling words.
The stairs led quickly to another cave entrance.
The cave was dark; you couldn’t see an inch ahead.
“Light.”
One mage shakily cast a spell, and the area lit up as if lamps had turned on. Looking closer, it wasn’t really a cave—it was a tall building.
“To think there’s something like this under the magic tower!”
The mages looked around in awe. Davién glanced at them briefly, then stared into the deep darkness and murmured softly,
“They’re coming.”
No sooner had she spoken than a strong vibration and strange noises came from afar.
Screech!
Whirrrr!
Something that sounded like a bird was rushing toward us. Most mages, including Uthias, calmly raised their wands. But a few clutched their hearts and hid trembling behind me.
“Ha… why did you bring these losers, Uthias?”
Davién, gripping her massive sword covered in a red aura, glared at the cowering mages.
“One must bring them along so they can improve their skills while observing you, Davién,” Uthias said.
Then one mage shouted,
“I-I can see it!”
Tension rose among the group.
“Oh my god! What is that?”
“It looks like a slime?”
It was almost ceiling height, flowing like a giant slime, but pitch black. Dark liquid dripped from it as it squirmed toward us, letting out eerie screeches.
The horrifying part—its entire body was covered in eyes. Each one the same red as mine, making it even more terrifying.
“Aaah! I… I have acrophobia!”
One mage pressed his face against my back, shaking.
“Do we really have to bring such weak beginners?”
Davién clicked her teeth near him.
All other mages, except the trembling one behind me, started attacking the unknown monster with offensive spells. But the slime didn’t take damage. It absorbed the spells and charged at them.
“Aaaah!”
A mage casting spells nearby screamed. The monster’s black body brushed against the mage’s wrist. Even that brief contact made the arm melt rapidly. Flesh and muscle necrotized, dripping away, revealing bone.
“Be careful! Its body is like a mountain of solid matter!”
A brown-haired mage watching from afar shouted. Others stepped back cautiously, and the attacked mage screamed in agony. The dungeon quickly became chaos.
“Recovery.”
Unable to watch, I quickly cast a healing spell. Pouring strong mana into it, the melted arm glowed and fully regenerated.
“Wow, Kae, your healing speed is the fastest I’ve ever seen!”
Uthias shouted, as if seeing it for the first time. I lightly ignored him and yelled at the mage,
“Move now!”
The mage still seemed mentally frozen. Even as the slime charged at him, he struggled helplessly, screaming.
“Focus!”
I yelled from a distance, but the mage didn’t move. Uthias just watched silently, as if nothing was happening.
I was about to rush in when Davién grabbed my shoulder firmly.
“Tsk.”
Clicking her tongue, Davién looked at Uthias, then teleported behind the trembling mage, grabbed him by the neck, and threw him to the ground behind me.
“Uthias, you didn’t bring them just for this, did you?”
Uthias smiled.
“Even in dangerous places, someone has to be the bait.”
“Everyone, come out. Time’s wasted; let’s finish this quickly.”
Davién repositioned her massive sword on her back. A red aura rose from it. The mages, noticing Uthias, hesitated, then moved behind Davién.
“Crazy bastard.”
Davién muttered.
“Really, everything about you annoys me.”
She swung her sword at the rushing monsters. Flames erupted, and in an instant, the many monsters turned to ash.
“Ohhh…”
“Davién!”
The mages who had struggled before were amazed at the ease of her strike.
“Then, we clear it like this. Just follow me.”
The world’s most overpowered monster slayer began. Every swing of Davién’s sword instantly destroyed the creatures.
“Uh… why are we even here?”
Two mages whispered as they watched Davién. Hundreds of huge monsters turned to ash in just two strikes. Even I wondered.
Uthias strolled around like on a casual walk, whistling, as Davién ground her teeth endlessly.
After a while, Davién muttered,
“It’s over. I can sense the portal linked to the magic tower just ahead.”
In front of a small door covered with Terina Church symbols, she shouted at Uthias,
“You! If we clear this, Kae gets an advanced healer certificate!”
“Of course.”
Uthias shrugged. Davién kicked the door.
Bang!
“Huh…?”
The shattered door crumbled, but suddenly a ringing struck my head hard.
“Wait.”
My vision blurred and my body swayed. Just as I was about to collapse from dizziness,
“Are you okay?”
Uthias grabbed my arm.
“Yes. I’m fine.”
The strong grip snapped me back to awareness. I quickly followed Davién.
“What… is this the end?”
Davién’s voice sounded hollow. Entering the ruined small room, I saw many statues.
“Huh…?”
One blink, and my head began spinning.
“Kae!”
Davién’s voice ran toward me, but I couldn’t answer. My vision blurred, and darkness fell.
“Huh?”
Another dream?
I opened my eyes to find myself alone in the familiar white space of the dream.
I felt like I’d been here before.
Looking around, a familiar figure appeared—it was the Apostle.
He smiled gently at me, as always. Seeing his face after so long, tears welled up.
I wanted to say: I missed you. Are you well in heaven? Does Terina treat you kindly? But my throat was strangely blocked; no words came out.
Then… my body moved on its own against my will.
I found myself placing a beautifully decorated flower crown on the Apostle’s head.
‘Haven’t I done something like this before?’
Lost in the strange sense of déjà vu, I noticed how stunning he looked with the crown. His white hair fluttered in the wind, red flowers woven in, sparkling like jewels in his eyes.
Truly, handsome men and flowers go well together.
Admiring his beauty in my mind, the Apostle suddenly leaned close to my face.
“…?”
He kissed my lips. The warm touch made my mind go blank.
What kind of strange dream is this?
Was I unusually frustrated lately? Shocked by sudden contact with an odd figure, I froze—but the Apostle pulled away.
Kissing the Apostle…
He looks young, but he’s over seventy in reality! A truly crazy dream.
Yet my body didn’t care. It seemed happy to be kissed, humming and continuing to make flower crowns on its own.
Soon, dozens of crowns were finished. People began appearing before me. All had white hair and red eyes.
My body, without my control, placed crowns on them one by one.
“You look great, so pretty.”
Even though I thought only the Apostle’s beauty was unmatched, my body genuinely thought the others were beautiful, placing crowns eagerly.
Their faces lit up with smiles. Mine smiled brightly too.
Then, I felt a terrifying aura again.
