Fun Dungeon Exploration! (7)

!Warning! This episode contains graphic content of violence that some readers may find disturbing.

***

It happened in an instant. 

Leonardo's sharp sword went straight into the soft flesh, and soon the blade twisted strangely in the middle and cut off the head in a horizontal line.

There is no way that the tough fascia, which is built on bone, can be cut that easily. As the sword cuts through bone and flesh in one go, an unfamiliar sound that I have never heard before continues in an unpleasant manner. 

Suddenly.

The sound from the soft flesh didn't seem natural. Was it because the blood-pumping muscles were contracting and relaxing, pulsing freshly with life? It was almost like the sound of slicing through fresh vegetables.

"Ah!"

The sudden strike startled the group of grave robbers, who quickly raised their weapons in alarm.

I was just as disoriented, but my priority was to stop the leader of the grave robbers from raising his sword in defense of Leonardo. I stepped in front of him, holding my dagger at the ready to block his path.

"Could you stay still?"

"Don't resist. I'll get hurt."

In the meantime, Leonardo gave a swift motion to shake the blade clean and sheathed it again.

"Th, th, th—"

He nudged the body of the dead with his toe, and the face that once belonged to one of the grave robbers was still rolling its eyes, even though its neck had been severed.

Is it not possible to neatly cut the neck into two as is often depicted in the media? The cervical spine was pulled out like a bean sprout stalk, swaying and limp. I haven't even eaten anything, but my stomach was churning.

It was definitely not human, since it was still alive even though its throat was cut off. Grave robber #1, who met eyes with his dying 'self', swallowed dryly. On the other hand, Leonardo looked at the cut section with a calm attitude and said this.

"It's stable in its imitation, and since it's definitely been cut like this, it will die soon."

Hearing Leonardo's calm mutter, it was as if the thing's corpse had decided to follow his words, slowly turning to ash from the extremities and scattering.

I looked down at it, doing my best to manage my expression. It wasn't fear. Coincidentally, I had already seen people turn to ash and scatter before.

The crowd, the extras, turning to ash and scattering. Back then, I was the only one who witnessed the scene alone.

'It's no coincidence that they all turned to ash and scattered in the same way.'

Soon, even the traces of its existence vanished. The first to regain his composure among the tomb raiders was the leader, his eyes twitching as he muttered.

"…It seems some of them remained underground. Always disgusting creatures, no matter when you see them."

The other tomb raiders also, after a delayed breath, began to come to their senses. To me, they all looked insanely nervous.

I was just as uneasy.

With an impact like this, wouldn't it normally be described in the scenario notes in detail? This is our first direct encounter with "them," the ones who had only been hinted at until now. It's also the first time Leonardo actually slices something after training relentlessly day and night.

But none of this was even mentioned in the scenario notes.

Is finding the body of Leovald more important?

It's possible, but not necessarily.

[This area is unstable, so extra caution is required.]

The problem lies in the fact that there are other possibilities. The warning we clearly saw when entering the underground still exists.

[Warning: ■■■■■■ is detected in the current area. Please be cautious.]

It was like a warning about an uncontrollable variable.

A scenario note that felt particularly incomplete.

The unexpected first encounter with it.

Perhaps, down here, the scenario's previous hold over the situation might not work—an unsettling feeling began to rise.

No, from the beginning, this scenario note… the warning I received when entering the labyrinth, and the whole thing—weren't we supposed to have control over whatever that creature or thing was? From the moment it felt like we were working with a script that was rushed through, I began to doubt its reliability.

The doubt about the omnipotence of the scenario subtly emerged, but I pushed it down. Regardless of my complicated feelings, I had to move forward.

If we don't get out of here soon, everyone might lose their minds in this dark, cramped tunnel. How desperate can people get when fear is injected into such a limited space? I want to avoid that apocalyptic horror unfolding at all costs.

I hid my fear and forced my voice to sound steady.

"Alright, it's all under control, so there's no need to worry, right? We're almost there, so let's step it up. Orlie will be away from the sanctuary just after noon, so we don't have much time. We need to hurry."

Like a shepherd herding a flock of sheep, I pushed my companions forward, urging them on.

"This is it."

The hidden tunnel we found, relying on the red dot on the map and the destination marker, didn't look much different from any other prison. It was essentially a large pit in the ground.

The group of grave robbers exchanged suspicious glances, clearly wondering if this was some sort of trap or scheme.

"Go in and check it out."

Meanwhile, Leonardo, without hesitation, jumped into the hole. After a few tense seconds, he signaled that it was safe to descend.

I slid down the slope like a slide. At the end of the path, something like a wall loomed ahead. As I braced myself, thinking I'd crash into it, the wall came rushing toward me.

Bang.

[Scenario weight: 9.07%]

It wasn't the wall—it was Leonardo.

My weight from sliding down had pushed him against the wall. He looked uncomfortable, so I tried to move quickly to get up, but he held me down with his arm around my waist and placed his finger on his lips.

"Shh," he whispered quietly, and the sound seemed to settle in my ears. I held my breath and faintly heard footsteps that gradually faded away.

The sound had come from above.

Because we were so close, even in the darkness, we could barely make out each other's faces. Leonardo pulled his mask down, and I could see his lips moving silently.

It wasn't as clear as it would have been under a light, so I cupped his cheek with my hand to steady him and focused on reading his lips.

"Paladins… on patrol?"

It seemed we had indeed arrived at the underground sanctuary, just as planned.

But if we got caught here, we were in serious trouble. I cursed inwardly and pressed myself closer to Leonardo, worried about the sound of my breathing leaking out. 

In fantasy worlds, knights usually had heightened senses, able to hear sounds from kilometres away. But then again, this world didn't seem to have those kinds of superhumans lying around, so I tried to calm my nerves.

I hid my trembling heart and held my breath, squirming my body. Leonardo also tightened his hold on me. Our torsos pressed together without leaving even the smallest gap.

A minute passed. Then two…

How much time had passed? Finally, Leonardo spoke.

"…This should be fine."

"Phew."

I thought I was going to suffocate. Does this mean it's okay to make a sound now? I bowed my head slightly and then lifted it again, only to see Leonardo smiling faintly. The tension I had been holding in suddenly loosened in that brief moment.

"Are you laughing?"

Leonardo seemed to try to correct himself, returning to his usual expression. But the faint trace of a smile still lingered.

"You're acting strangely tense."

"Anyone would be tense in a situation like this."

"Is that so?"

…Sometimes I think there's something odd about him in certain ways.

It's hard to explain exactly, but when others would be frightened watching a horror movie, I get the feeling that he'd be strangely calm. It's almost like he doesn't quite follow the usual emotional responses.

It might just be that this guy's base nature is more like that of a medieval fantasy world character.

Grumbling, I tried to rise, but Leonardo moved first, pulling me up as well. He dusted off my cloak and then gently nudged me aside.

Leonardo sent a series of signals. The rest of the group arrived one by one, rushing in. Fortunately, since Leonardo and I had moved to the side, we didn't collide with them, but they ran into each other in quite a chaotic manner.

Watching several adults tangled together, I couldn't help but think of the times when we played "hamburger" as kids. It was a miracle none of us broke a rib back then, given how reckless it was.

I took out the lantern again and lit it, brightening the space significantly. We were in some sort of ventilation shaft.

I tapped the ceiling above me, and it creaked. It was heavy, but with nine strong men, it was easy to move. Shortly after, Leonardo kneeled on one leg, offering his foot to help me climb up, making it easy to ascend.

Before long, a pristine white cavern stretched out before me.

[Additional Objective Completed!: Infiltrate the Underground Sanctuary (1/1)]

The entire underground area glowed faintly white, as if every surface had been painted with a layer of whitewash.

The torches hanging on the walls cast a yellowish light, giving the impression of an ivory hue at first glance.

In a space that could be called a plaza, rectangular sarcophagi were lined up in rows, with symbols of the church etched into the corners of each, suggesting they were the resting places of priests or knights.

Among these, there was the body of Leovald.

Leonardo emerged from the pit and stood by my side. He scanned the sanctuary and said, "Leovald's coffin is likely somewhere else."

I nodded, recalling the coffin I had seen at his funeral. The sarcophagi here looked old, and since Leovald had only died less than a month ago, his coffin wouldn't be among them.

The red dot on the map blinked, almost eager to reveal something ahead.

The group of grave robbers, walking across the vault, kept glancing at the coffins with an almost regretful expression. Could they be tempted to loot even these?

It was exactly noon, and the vault was empty. There was no sign of an encounter with Orlie, as expected.

Passing under a grand arch, we descended stairs carved directly from the stone, leading to a vast space. In the centre of the square room, a single pristine white coffin lay perfectly arranged. Surrounding it were white lilies, and from somewhere, a faint light illuminated the coffin, casting an ethereal glow. It was like a scene from a movie.

Leonardo and I both fixed our gaze on the coffin at the same time. 

'Found it.'

[Scenario Subquest Completed!: Find Leovald's Corpse (1/1)]