Chapter 7: Quest 3: Defeat the Skeleton General [Part 2]
As expected, the vertical shaft was not right in front of them.
He had said they would push themselves a little, but this was pushing it too far.
When Makoto glanced back over his shoulder, Yuka looked completely exhausted.
āI shouldāve been the one to call for a break,ā he thought belatedly.
It was the same as not being able to leave when your boss was still working overtime.
Because Makoto had said nothing, Yuka had lost the chance to admit she was tired.
It would be easy to dismiss it as poor self-management, but she was still a high school student.
He should have been the one to look out for her.
It was only an excuse, but perhaps wandering the tenth floor for days had made him impatient.
When he looked ahead again, the corridor ended.
“Yuka, the shaft.”
“…We can finally go to the ninth floor.”
She let out a long breath and leaned on her staff.
“Want to rest a bit?”
“Donāt joke. Weāve come this far. If we rest, weāll rest on the ninth floor.”
“…”
“What?”
When Makoto stared at her, she frowned.
They should rest.
But if he suggested it, she would probably insist on climbing alone.
“…Iāll check if itās climbable. Rest here.”
“Yeah, okay.”
Makoto stood at the edge and examined the shaft.
It was a cylindrical void.
The ceiling was about twenty meters above, while the bottom was swallowed in darkness.
A roaring sound echoed up, perhaps a river flowing below.
He had no intention of confirming it.
“So Tom used that rope to climb down.”
A rope hung on the opposite side.
How were they supposed to reach it?
When he leaned out to look, he noticed a slight ledge along the outer rim.
It was not even thirty centimeters wide.
They would have to press their stomachs or backs against the wall to move across.
“Can we climb?”
Yuka stood beside him and asked anxiously.
“Iāll be fine. What about you?”
“Thanks to leveling up, Iām stronger than an average adult. But youāll have to carry my staff.”
“Got it.”
He took her staff and shoved it into his backpack.
It stuck up like an antenna, but that was better than carrying it sideways.
“Just to askācan you cast without the staff?”
“It affects power and range, but I can.”
“Then weāre fine. As for who climbs firstā”
“Iāll go after you.”
“Whyā”
She glared sharply.
“Oh. The skirt.”
“Yes!”
Her face turned bright red.
“Donāt worry. Iām not interested in dirty panties.”
“Shut up and go already!”
“Yeah, yeah.”
He pressed his stomach to the wall and edged along the rim.
His heels hung completely over empty air.
Cold sweat ran down his spine.
If he fell, it was over.
Even if there was a river, who knew how far down it was.
Even if he survived the fall, who knew where he would be carried.
If he was swept to the lowest floor, there would be no coming back.
Careful. Careful.
They were not racing the clock.
One step at a time would reach the rope.
A sharp cracking sound echoed, and Makoto stiffened.
“…That scared me.”
Nothing happened.
He exhaled.
Yuka beside him was just as tense.
“Careful.”
“I know.”
She shuffled along.
Makoto did the same.
Donāt rush. Donāt rush.
The urge to escape this unstable position made him want to hurry, but that was how mistakes happened.
What you could normally do without thinking became impossible when panicking.
After what felt like ages, they reached the rope.
“Finally, the ninth floor.”
Makoto grabbed the rope and exhaled.
“Hurry up and climb!”
“Alright.”
He looked up.
The shaft wall slanted slightly.
Not much, but enough to ease his mind.
He began climbing.
The corridor of the ninth floor drew closer.
Just a little more.
That was when he heard Yuka scream.
“What is this?!”
He looked down.
A translucent shadow clung to her.
“Ghosts too? Seriously?”
“My strength… itās fading.”
She began sliding down.
Perhaps the ghost was draining life force.
“Yuka! Hang on!”
“I canāt!”
She let go of the rope.
She slid and was flung into the air.
Reason told him to abandon her.
There was no merit in risking himself.
He had the map.
He had the food.
He could escape alone.
There was no need to cooperate anymore.
Yet Makoto moved.
He released the rope, twisted midair, and kicked off the slope.
He caught Yuka with his right arm and reached out with his left toward the swinging rope.
“Reach!”
He grabbed it with everything he had.
Their bodies jerked upward as momentum snapped them still.
“Iām a genius! Yeah!”
“Idiot. Climb.”
Ghosts floated around them.
“Hold on to me!”
“I donāt have the strength!”
“…Seriously?”
He muttered.
He should have held her with his left arm.
Now he could not use his flames.
“Donāt let go.”
“Relax. Iāll neverā”
“If you drop me, Iāll haunt you.”
“…Can I let go?”
“Iāll drag you down with me.”
What a woman.
He should have abandoned her.
Too late.
The ghosts shrieked and clung to him.
Strength drained from his body.
“Yuka, magic?”
“I canāt even lift my arm.”
She hung limp.
His body felt heavy.
Soon he would end up the same.
“Iām betting on something.”
“What?”
“Thereās probably a river below.”
“Do what you want.”
Her tone was careless, but it was consent.
“Got it.”
He let go of the rope.
The ghosts receded as they fell.
Or rather, they fell away from the ghosts.
Seconds passed.
Then impact.
They slammed into water and were dragged deep.
Makoto kicked desperately while holding Yuka.
He had no sense of direction.
Suddenly light appeared.
He burst to the surface and gulped air.
“Yuka?”
No response.
She had lost consciousness.
“I canāt touch the bottom! The currentās fast!”
They were simply being carried away.
Soon a thunderous roar echoed ahead.
The river ended.
Spray rose.
A waterfall.
“Youāve got to be kidding me.”
They were flung into open air.
Makoto flailed underwater.
It was an underground lake.
After being swept through multiple waterfalls, they had reached this place.
His movements slowed.
His body sank.
Maybe it was enough.
He had carried her this far.
That was enough.
His strength faded.
Then his foot touched something.
The lakebed.
He pushed up.
“Yuka, almost there.”
No response.
He dragged her to shore.
The lake lay in a lower corner of the dungeon.
He dropped the backpack and fell to all fours.
“…Ugh.”
“Finally awake?”
Yuka sat up and held her temple.
“Where are we?”
“Underāgh!”
Nausea hit.
He vomited.
Bread, jerky, and a large amount of blood splattered the ground.
“Gross. Go throw up overāWait, that bloodā¦”
She covered her mouth.
“You took the hits for me?”
“Didnāt mean to.”
He had not intended to sacrifice himself.
Crashing into rocks and taking the brunt of the falls had just happened.
“Can you use healing magic?”
“…”
Silence.
Then she spoke timidly.
“Sorry. I canāt use healing magic.”
“Seriously?”
Then what was that pale light?
“My skill isnāt Appraisal. Itās Soul Heal. It restores the mind. Seeing status is just a side effect. Iām sorry.”
“I seeāgh!”
He coughed violently.
Blood splattered the ground.
Heat drained from his body.
Cold crept in.
He knew this feeling.
He had felt it that night in the park.
This was death.
“So this is it.”
“Iām sorry. Iām really sorry.”
He laughed dryly.
His life had been a mess.
Burdened by his parentsā debts, transported to another world, now dying underground.
A metallic sound echoed.
He looked up.
A skeleton clad in silver armor stood there.
Noāan advanced skeleton.
The pressure it emitted was overwhelming.
Red light glowed in its hollow eye sockets.
If he had to name itāSkeleton General.
It drew an ornate sword and approached.
“…Ignition.”
Makoto forced himself up.
Black flames erupted from his arm, fiercer than ever.
“Youāll die.”
“Same as with the ghoul. Run and I die. So I might as well bet.”
His life had been terrible, but he had learned something.
If you did nothing, you lost.
“…Hold it back.”
“Got it.”
He crouched like a sprinter at the starting line.
Flat feet killed momentum.
“Ryuno Kesta Agata! O infinite Periolis, bind like ropeā”
A magic circle formed beneath Yuka.
Makoto kicked off the ground.
“Manifest, Bind!”
Bands of light wrapped the Skeleton Generalās legs.
It flexed once, and the bindings shattered.
It swung its sword horizontally at his neck.
His foot caught in a hollow.
The blade passed overhead, slicing strands of hair.
“Raaaah!”
He punched.
A metallic clang rang out.
The silver armor crumbled where struck, revealing a red sphere beneath.
The weak point.
“Watch out!”
The hilt smashed into his temple.
His vision shook.
A fatal opening.
The Skeleton General raised its sword.
“Magic Bullet!”
Yukaās spell hit its face.
It only slowed slightly.
The sword came down.
But Makoto had already stepped back.
Just barely faster.
Without her spell, he would have been cleaved in two.
“Raaaah!”
He lunged.
He entangled the sword arm and thrust his hand into the gap in the armor.
His fingers touched the red sphere.
The Skeleton General resisted violently.
That confirmed it.
It raised its free arm.
“Bind!”
Bands of light wrapped its left arm.
This time they held.
“Drop dead!”
He crushed the red sphere.
The Skeleton General emitted a silent scream.
The sphere shattered.
Armor and sword turned to dust.
Bones collapsed to the ground.
[Level up. Level 20. HP 18. Strength 17. Agility 17. Magic 27. 9 bonus points granted.]
Heat returned to his body.
The cold vanished.
Only exhaustion remained.
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Somehow.”
“Are you mad?”
“No.”
Lying to someone you cooperated with felt wrong, but he could tolerate it if it protected him.
He climbed the slope.
“Wait!”
“Get down.”
She obeyed.
“What is it?”
“Look ahead.”
She gasped.
A vast space spread before them.
At its center stood a black Parthenon-like temple.
This had to be the lowest floor.
But that was not why she gasped.
“…Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
Countless undeadāSkeleton Generalsāwandered the enormous chamber.