“Grunn…”
Suddenly, my eyelids, which had been closed due to a bright light, slowly opened. Although there seemed to be a bit of an afterimage, fortunately, there didn’t appear to be any issues with my vision. In front of me lay the corpse of an Orc Shaman, and around it…
“Woah?”
A lump of stone that seemed to be walking lunged at me with what I assumed was its fist. Realizing I would get hit if I stayed still, I attempted to swing the sword I was holding, but my collar was yanked a split second earlier.
A sinister sound.
I was forcibly pulled back, and I saw a greatsword being swung. Instead of shattering, the stone block cleanly split into two.
Clutching the back of my neck, Emma held me in a somewhat awkward standing position. Once the split stone fell apart, Emma sighed and released my clothes.
“This complicates things.”
“What do you mean…?”
I was about to express my confusion when I noticed something strange. The walls surrounding us indicated that we had entered an indoor area, the unfamiliar shapes of structures around us, and the sudden appearance of monsters. Though confusing, it wasn’t difficult to realize something was very wrong.
“It was a forced teleport. The necklace you cut got destroyed and teleported us to the deeper part of the maze.”
I recalled the necklace which I had cut along with the Orc’s neck. While it had caught my eye due to its unusual design, I hadn’t paid much attention to it and cut through it along with everything else. And that had caused the current situation.
“I… apologize.”
“No. There’s no need for you to apologize. Actually, it’s our fault for not warning you beforehand. We didn’t expect those outcasts to have it.”
“But a teleportation magic… Isn’t that considered high-level magic?”
“You’re right. It’s beyond the level of an artifact that an Orc Shaman could create. Those guys probably stumbled upon it and used it without knowing where it led. They likely just carry it around in case it saves their lives.”
“So, something new to know.”
“Yeah, well, let’s call class time over and try to find a way out of here.”
Emma dragged her greatsword while glancing around. I couldn’t stay idle either, so I looked around.
However, all I could see were the fallen Orc Shaman, the collapsed Stone Golem, and a single door. There was no other interior decoration to be found. The only thing illuminating the room was a glowing stone embedded in the ceiling.
“At least if we step outside the room, we can start thinking about what to do.”
Emma quickly realized that there was nothing of use around, so she walked toward the door, the only exit.
She opened the door wide without a second thought. Should I call her careless or perhaps bold? I couldn’t decide.
However, Emma’s confidence had a reason.
Clang Clang Clang
As soon as the door opened, arrows flew silently. Whether they were aimed at someone entering the room or directed slightly outward was unclear.
Luckily, Emma deflected all the arrows with her greatsword. Although simply blocking them with the blade’s surface would have sufficed, she swung gracefully and sent them flying.
“Go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Though she looked younger than me, Emma exuded a charisma that made people follow her. Her voice, which sounded cute like a young child, carried a boldness, and on her slender back, which contrasted with her massive greatsword, a sense of reliability was hidden.
Following her out of the room, the corridor we entered looked ordinary enough, except for the unfamiliar structures. When I moved to walk beside her, Emma signaled for me to stay behind.
“You’ll just get in the way if you’re next to me swinging my sword. Stay behind. I’m more familiar with mazes than Miss Alicia.”
Though it felt a little wrong to use her as a shield, I lacked a good counterargument, so I maintained a safe distance while following her as usual.
Emma marched ahead, smashing through any dungeon monsters and traps in her path. I occasionally handled the monsters trailing behind or avoided traps she hadn’t destroyed. Occasionally, we came across forked paths, but Emma didn’t seem to give much thought before choosing a direction.
How long had we been walking? It felt like hours, at least. To be honest, it wasn’t that difficult of a dungeon. If I had been alone, I might have been lost, but Emma truly was knowledgeable about mazes, as she confidently navigated through it. Frankly, it was even confusing whether we were truly inside a maze.
“Hmm… I’m not sure if this is good luck or bad.”
In front of a door, Emma spoke. This door was clearly different from the ones we had previously encountered.
It was several times larger than the others, its lavish patterns exuding some sort of power, and the oppressive energy from the other side was palpable.
Not many dungeons display such clear indicators, but it seemed obvious that the master of the dungeon lay beyond this door.
“The best-case scenario would have been finding an exit, but we ended up going too deep. We have two choices now: either we complete the maze or turn back now. Of course, we can just sit here and wait for rescue, but if we intended to do that, there wouldn’t have been any need to move in the first place, right?”
“What do you think is the better option, Miss Emma?”
Since it made sense to follow Emma, who knows more about mazes than me, I turned to her for advice. With no immediate danger, Emma casually sat down and explained.
“Both options come with risks. The biggest one is not knowing how strong the dungeon master is. It’d be ideal if it’s manageable, but considering the powerful monsters we faced earlier, I can’t guarantee anything.”
She sighed and continued her explanation.
“And choosing to turn back is equally dangerous. So far, the traps and monsters haven’t been too threatening, but there’s no guarantee it will stay that way. We don’t even know how deep this maze is. It’s possible we might not reach the entrance even after a whole week.”
“If we defeat the dungeon master ahead, can we use that to return?”
“For mazes like this, which were artificially made, the creator usually prepares a way out. There’s a high probability there’s a direct path to the entrance.”
Though Emma’s words gave me the choice, considering her explanations and tone, it seemed like she had already decided in her mind. I agreed with her thoughts, so after a short moment of reflection, I spoke.
“Then let’s break through. Given we’ve come this far, and both options have risks, it’s better to smash through and exit.”
“My friend’s daughter has good judgment. That’s refreshing. A swordsman should act like this.”
Emma stood up with a smirk at my words.
“Alright, I’ll take charge of the dungeon master. If there are any reinforcements nearby, Miss Alicia can handle them. Though we need to consider many possibilities, we can’t plan for everything, so we’ll react based on the situation.”
“Yes, leave it to me.”
After a brief exchange of words that barely passed for a strategy meeting, Emma positioned herself in front of the door.
“Shall we go?”
And with that, Emma didn’t carefully open the door but kicked it wide open.
Inside the boss room, I could see a skeleton sitting on a chair, holding a staff in the distance. Though it looked like a skeleton, the aura emanating from each bone joint was far from ordinary. It was likely a Lich. Though further classification was impossible, it belonged to the highest-tier monsters, surpassing even their level with an extremely dangerous presence.
The true threat of a Lich isn’t just its powerful magic but also its immortality unless the vessel is destroyed. Though it’s limited in staying far from its vessel, its capabilities are still incomprehensible.
“Good. This one’s mine. See if you can find its vessel.”
Without waiting for my reply, Emma charged directly at the Lich. Sensing Emma’s charge, the Lich immediately began casting its magic—swift and powerful spells unlike those from the Orc Shaman.
A massive fireball hurtled toward Emma, but a larger flame surged from her greatsword, cleanly slicing the fireball in half and allowing her to continue her advance.
The Lich continued unleashing various spells without hesitation but Emma adeptly countered, sometimes slicing them and sometimes blocking them with her sword, deflecting them all.
As the Lich entered Emma’s range, she swung her greatsword, attempting to crush the Lich. However, the barrier surrounding the Lich proved impenetrable even against her blazing sword. Still, the Lich’s barrier was not unscathed, showing cracks and eventually punctured holes.
I couldn’t just stand by and watch any longer, so I began moving forward. A strange sense of unease filled me. Was it from the Lich’s mana? Looking behind me to confirm, it wasn’t from the Lich. It felt strangely familiar to me.
Thus, I hesitated—should I search for the vessel hidden nearby or follow my instincts?
But the deliberation was brief.
Hadn’t Craig also advised me to trust my instincts? Though his words were about my sword, every advice deserves some flexibility in interpretation.
Trust my instincts, then. I moved forward into the battlefield where magic exploded and flames danced. Emma, focused on the battle, didn’t even notice my approach.
And at that moment, I realized what had been bothering me.
It was an extremely fine, yet undeniable aura of intent to kill—something suppressed to the brink, but leaking out accidentally.
This kind of dirty killing intent could never come from just a Mage or a proud Warrior. This was an aura I was familiar with—the aura of an assassin.
The hidden figure in the shadows seemed to realize its plan was unraveling and immediately moved. Luckily, my instinct had helped me move first.
Clang!
I deflected the sword aimed at Emma’s neck. Finally noticing the presence in the shadows and me, Emma retreated a bit and shouted.
“Take care of it!”
I suspected there might be other hidden foes, but if there were, they would have attacked during my earlier strike.
Emma battling close quarters with the Lich. And me, a short distance away, in a standoff with another skeleton.
“Hmph.”
Without realizing, a laugh escaped my lips. My face must be smiling. Seeing that sinister-looking skeleton in front of me, I couldn’t help but smile.
Fellow assassin, aren’t you?
