CH 13 Monster

“Hoo…”

As Irene stepped into the dungeon, she took a deep breath and blinked her eyes. Until just a moment ago, she had been in a bright place filled with sunlight, but the moment she passed through the dark oval-shaped gate, an entirely different world unfolded.

Feeling the cool and damp air, Irene rubbed her arms. Though not the first time experiencing this, the tension was enough to make her hair stand on end. Thanks to that, Michael had asked her multiple times at the dungeon entrance if she was really okay.

She had simply said it was her first dungeon, making up an excuse for her nervousness, but the tremors didn’t easily subside.

‘Maybe it’s because it’s similar to where I died.’

The place where she had entered alone without a knight, only to be chased by monsters and meet her demise. Because the layout of lower-level dungeons was essentially the same, Irene immediately recalled the moment when her breath was cut short upon entering.

“It seems like it won’t work after all. If you go back, I can…”

“It’s fine.”

Even though he had encouraged her to leave several times, Irene eventually let out an irritated remark. Realizing her mistake, she hastily cleared her throat.

“I think it’s best to finish quickly and return. If I’m going to follow Sir Michael in the future, I should get used to this level of fear.”

Of course, she had no intention of coming back, but since she considered it the last time anyway, the lies flowed effortlessly.

“…Alright.”

Fortunately, he didn’t press her further. Instead, he took a step closer than before, narrowing the distance between Irene and himself.

“I’m going to put up a light, and while it will make it easier for us to move, the demons will see it and come at us, so be prepared.”

“Got it.”

Michael took out a small orb from his pocket and threw it into the air. The orb, rising about twice the height of a person, spun around in the air for a moment before emitting a bright light.

With that, the inside of the dungeon became clear. It was a cavernous room with a high ceiling that led deep into the interior.

‘The most common form of a lower-level dungeon.’

Irene could see why the last time an artifact came out of this place, it turned everyone’s heads. Who would have expected such an ordinary place to yield an artifact, and one with incredibly useful power at that?

‘Come to think of it, the fact that I entered here means…’

The pair who originally entered this place headed for a different dungeon.

‘I’m sorry. Truly sorry.’

Irene apologized to them repeatedly in her mind.

Of course, apologizing didn’t ease her conscience.

‘I wonder if there’s any way I can give them the money left over once I pay the Count.’

While she would set aside money for her future life, she couldn’t help but think that she should somehow compensate the people who were robbed of a life-changing opportunity without knowing it.

Lost in her thoughts, she was about to follow him when Michael said, “You don’t seem surprised.”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Thinking something had appeared, Irene hastily looked around. However, the cries of monsters could only be heard from a distance, and there was no sign of anything nearby.

Michael watched her anxiously looking around and pointed a finger upward. Above their heads, the orb was emitting light.

“People are usually quite surprised when they see this for the first time. But you’re not saying anything as if you’re used to it.”

“Oh.”

Irene realized her mistake. Indeed, she had been extremely surprised and fascinated when she first saw it. However, after seeing it a few times, she had become accustomed to it and knew it was one of the artifacts the temple possessed.

Of course, it was all part of stories from a past life. It took her only a moment to realize what to say.

Nonchalantly, Irene replied, “Actually… I, too, have heard a lot about Sir Michael’s remarkable achievements, just like everyone else. So, I’ve heard stories about this fascinating artifact quite often. They say that when the cave in Mount Geden collapsed in the past, people stranded relied on this miraculous orb to survive, right?”

It was indeed a story she had heard before meeting Michael. In that story, the orb was always mentioned.

...Perhaps thanks to her quick response, Michael seemed to understand. He nodded briefly and continued forward....

...KYEAAK!...

Michael fell several monsters with one swing of his sword. The mutilated creatures trembled for a moment and then dissolved as if melting away.

‘So, these are water elemental monsters.’

As reported, most of the monsters inside the dungeon were of the water attribute.

‘That’s good.’

Among monsters of various attributes, water attribute ones were relatively manageable. They had little offensive power, and visually, they were less gruesome, as they spewed water instead of blood.

And most of all, they were weak.

‘It’s hard to believe that such an artifact comes from a place that can be conquered so easily.’

As Irene ventured deeper into the dungeon, her heart raced.

It’s the end.

It’ll soon be over. She couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason why she found herself repeating the same life again.

‘But I didn’t come back to relive the same life, that’s for certain.’

Passing through a door, the air changed. The orb hovering above their heads couldn’t illuminate the ceiling anymore. Unlike before, a much larger space unfolded.

In the center of the cavern was a vast lake. A crude wooden bridge spanned the rippling water, indeterminably deep, and at the end of it was a reward chamber.

‘So, the monsters will probably attack when we cross that bridge.’

The monsters would likely emerge from the water under it.

“Please wait here.”

Michael, perhaps concerned that he might have missed some lingering monsters, glanced back once. Confirming there were no remaining monsters, he left Irene at the end of the bridge and crossed alone.

The moment he reached the middle of the bridge, a splashing sound echoed along with a colossal monster emerging from the lake.

‘What is that?’

Seeing the monster, Irene genuinely stepped back in surprise.

‘How could something like that appear here?!’

Irene vividly remembered what kind of dungeon this was. It was too unusual to forget.

Pairs who entered this place had only faced ordinary monsters until they reached the reward room. In other words, there was no giant monster.

The serpent-like creature lunged towards Michael, opening its mouth wide as if ready to attack.

“Michael!”

Irene called out his name without even realizing it. The moment she did, the monstrous creature, which seemed like it would devour Michael immediately, stopped moving.

Hisssss.

It made an oddly troubling sound, then moved its head in a way that looked at Michael as if it were examining him. Michael, too, was silently watching the monster.

Irene was about to yell again, telling him to run away.

Slash!

He moved his hand, swift as lightning, and swung his sword. A red line appeared across the creature’s neck.

KIYEEEEEEEEAAAAK!

With a horrific scream, the monster thrashed about. However, its body was already being split apart slowly.

Splash!

The sound of splashing water followed as the pieces of the beast fell into the lake.

‘Oh my god.’

Irene looked at Michael standing on the bridge.

She knew that Michael was strong. However, in the past, she had entered dungeons with him only a few times and always stayed behind with others.

This was the first time she had properly witnessed him fighting such a colossal monster.

‘He dealt with it so easily.’

No matter how strong he was, was it really possible to kill such a huge monster in one go? Irene wondered.

Just then, Michael turned his head and looked at Irene. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and then he turned away and crossed the bridge alone.

Irene, who had been staring at him in disbelief, came to her senses and hurried to follow him.

“Wait, Sir Michael! Let’s go together!”

However, as Irene was crossing the wooden bridge, Michael had already entered the reward room alone.

“Sir Michael!”

Irene wondered why he would suddenly go off on his own after taking such good care of her throughout the dungeon.

When Irene arrived in the reward room, gasping for breath, she saw Michael holding a small wooden chest in his hand.

“That…!”

“Please check.”

As if he had been waiting, Michael handed the chest to Irene.

Irene took the chest with trepidation and let out a long, slow breath.

‘At last.’

Irene shook the wooden chest. Inside, something rattled and clattered around.

‘I’m sure of it. It’s the ring!’

According to the records Irene had discovered from her previous life, when the chest was shaken, they heard a single object clink.

A smile appeared on Irene’s face.

‘At last, it’s over.’

With this, she could live a life free from dungeons. To live quietly in the farthest kingdom, away from the fortress, free from the constraints of being a purifier or a pair—that was Irene’s plan.

With that thought, Irene opened the wooden chest and saw what was inside.

“Huh?”

Irene’s eyes widened. If her memory served her right, there should have been a ring inside the chest. Dungeon 181, a lower-level dungeon with water attribute monsters. No matter how she thought about it, she was sure it was this dungeon.

“A rock…?”

Inside the wooden chest was not a ring but a rock of similar size.

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