7.

[You have entered the Noisy Toy Castle.]

[Difficulty: SS Rank (Rare)]

Looking around, I noticed that my companions were nowhere to be seen. We had all been together when we knocked on the door of the Toy Castle at the hunting ground, but now that I was inside, I was alone.

It was rare for me to enter a rare dungeon alone… in fact, this was the first time. Even after the teleportation ended and the light faded, I had to manage my mixed feelings for a while. Someone approached me and interrupted my thoughts.

“Aren’t you… Lady Kruger?”

A familiar face called out to me with a mix of surprise and joy. He was standing with others in a dingy, cramped cell that reeked of stale air. As soon as he saw me, he hurried over.

Where had I seen him before? It only took a moment before I remembered.

“Lord Seika… is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me, Seika Ail. I’m glad you remember. Our first meeting was quite memorable.”

It was a memory I didn’t want to recall, but it seemed he remembered me from when we had introduced ourselves at the Lekanon Temple, and I ended up showing the kiss marks on my shoulder and neck.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who remembered, as Seika’s face and neck turned red enough to be noticeable even in the dim light.

“…”

“Ahem!”
In the awkward atmosphere, he cleared his throat loudly and changed the subject.

“Are you here to clear the dungeon? What a coincidence to meet here.”

…Was this really such a fateful reunion?

Seika continued to chatter about ‘our destiny’ for a while before finally introducing me to the others who had been watching.
“This is Lady Kruger. We had a brief encounter before and are reunited here.”

What kind of introduction was that? It seemed like a roundabout way of saying we weren’t really close. The other three people extended their hands to shake mine.

“Nice to meet you, Lady Kruger. Let’s work well together until we clear the dungeon.”

“Work together?”

“Yes. People who end up in the same cell become a team…”

“I’ll explain since I’ve cleared this dungeon before.”

Seika interrupted, capturing everyone’s attention. The man who had been speaking didn’t seem offended and looked at Seika.

“I’m probably the only one here with experience in this dungeon. There are a total of six cells in this Toy Castle. Three are in the basement, and the other three are at the very top. These cells are the starting points. The dungeon randomly assigns five people to each cell, and those five become a team. You compete with other teams to move to the middle level and clear the boss there.”

Since there were four of them and I made the fifth, our cell was already at full capacity.

Even though I had already heard some information about this dungeon from my companions, I didn’t expect to end up separated from all of them. I thought at least one of them would be with me. Still, now that it was like this, I wanted to show my best and make progress.
A total of 15 days. That was the time spent on the “Level Up Aine” operation. I wanted to show in actual combat how much I had grown thanks to their teachings. They were in the dungeon too, somewhere in another cell, and we would meet while clearing it.

“Let’s get out of this cell first.”

Led by Seika, ‘our team’ exited the cell in a rush.

“It seems the others have already gone up.”

There were two other cells in the gloomy basement besides ours, both empty with their doors open. Seika shook his head as if to reassure us.

“Leaving the cell early just means dealing with more monsters. Everyone will gather on the middle level eventually, so there’s no need to exert ourselves too soon.”

“As expected of Lord Seika Ail from the Marquis Ail family. We rely on you.”

“Haha, this is nothing.”

The stairs leading up to the ground floor were very long. Seika, who was having a casual conversation with the others, glanced at me.
“You’re quite brave to enter an SS-rank rare dungeon alone…”

“Oh, I had companions, but we got separated upon entering.”

“Companions, you mean… those who left you those marks back then…”

“Yes?”

“Those marks… left on you…”

His face reddened again as if he was recalling something.

“Ahem! Never mind that. You’re lucky to have ended up in my cell. I had companions too, but unfortunately, we got separated.”

Is that so? I didn’t know how strong Seika was, but if I were really lucky, I would have started in a cell with Kelian, Sayiris, Jenin, Dain, or Barkrud. They would have cleared the dungeon effortlessly, even solo. Thinking back on how they handled rare dungeon bosses like novice Torongs, I felt a renewed sense of admiration.

“By the way, does everyone here have a party? If not, it might be a good idea to form a temporary one. Since we’re on the same team.”

Just as we spotted the door leading to the ground floor, Seika made a suggestion. I looked at him, standing still ahead of us, and considered his proposal.

“It would be an honor to party with Lord Seika.”

“Me too.”

“Same here.”

The other three readily accepted his suggestion. I had already noticed the Marquis family’s influence.

Indeed, the Marquis family was far more prestigious than the most powerful lord of my hometown, the Three Seasons Fortress. It made sense that they would want to curry favor with someone from such a prominent family.

[Seika Ail has invited you to a party. Will you accept?]

 

[Yes/No]

 

Suddenly, a party invitation notification popped up for me as well.

“Lady Kruger and I share a special bond, so I will give you a gift as a token of our party formation. This item is from the Mermaid Dungeon.”

Seika didn’t seem to consider that I might refuse the invitation. Of course, if I didn’t already have a party, I would have accepted. But I was currently in Kelian’s party, so I couldn’t accept. I discreetly selected ‘No.’

“…Did you just refuse?”

“…Yes. I’m sorry.”

“Wh-Why?”

Seika’s voice trembled slightly. Was it that shocking?

“I already have a party. My companions are also in this dungeon, so I can’t leave the party without permission.”

I had left a party once before and seen Kelian’s sulking face. Since then, I never even considered leaving the party. Though it was my first time receiving a party invitation from someone other than my companions or Marli, I appreciated Seika’s offer.

“Thank you for the invitation, though.”

I awkwardly smiled at him with a touch of apology and started climbing the stairs. As I reached for the red door’s handle, I looked back.

“Shall I open the door?”

“…Ah, yes.”

Seika still seemed stunned by the party rejection, but he managed to answer. The others nodded, indicating they would follow his lead.

Creaking noises filled the air as the door opened. The red door spat us out into a hallway before shutting behind us with a final, eerie creak and disappearing entirely. Only a solid wall remained where the door had been, blocking any return to the underground cell. Not that we needed to go back.

“Ahhh!”

A desperate scream pierced the air. Seika and the others, as if snapping out of a daze, sprinted toward the source of the scream.

“Aine, follow me!”

Seika gestured for me to follow as he ran down the corridor. He had casually used my name… I didn’t particularly mind, given the circumstances, so I hurried after them.

The dark corridor was lined with numerous framed portraits, all depicting human faces, which gave an eerie feeling. Smiling women, crying men, laughing men, weeping women, grinning children, sobbing elderly, chuckling elderly, crying children… their expressions were varied, yet disturbingly similar.

“Damn, there are more than last time…”

Seika muttered ahead. More than last time? Did he mean there were more portraits on the walls compared to when he last cleared the dungeon? I quickly turned my head forward again after locking eyes with one of the portraits. This dungeon was unpleasant in many ways, starting from the cell.

“Help me, help me…!”

The scream came from an open door at the end of the hallway.

“Gasp…”

Seika, who entered the room first, took a sharp breath. I was equally shocked when I arrived. A small doll wearing a red hat was trying to tear open a man’s mouth with its tiny hands.

“I, Seika Ail, in the name of the Marquis of Ail family, will help you!”

Seika drew his sword and charged at the doll attacking the man. The doll’s eyes shifted toward Seika.

“Ugh!”

As the doll swiftly dodged, Seika’s sword wavered in the air, missing its target.

“This thing dodged my attack!”

―Will you play with me?

“What?”

The doll asked again with a smiling face.

―Will you play with me?

While Seika dealt with the doll, I looked around the room. Besides the screaming man, I noticed several people clinging to the walls, trembling.

One person met my eyes and shook their head vigorously, covering their mouth with their hand. It was clear from their terrified expression that they meant I shouldn’t answer the doll’s question. I approached Seika, who was frowning at the doll repeating its question.

“Lord Seika.”

“It’s dangerous here, Aine! Find a safe place to hide.”

Seika tried to push me out of the doll’s range.

“That’s not it…”

―Will you play with me?

This time, the doll asked me directly. Its smiling face was terrifying, so I kept my mouth shut and pulled Seika away. I brought my face close to his ear.

“Don’t answer it.”

Seika, who blushed again at my whispered words, asked.

“Who said that?”

“The others.”

“Ah…”

He finally seemed to notice the other people clinging to the walls.

―Won’t you play with me? Why not?

The doll grumbled as it moved past us. It headed straight for the man who had screamed earlier, who was now hiding behind a large toy box.

“Ah! Stay away from me!”

―You said you’d play with me.

“I never said that! I just answered… Ahhh!”

No matter how much the man struggled, he couldn’t overpower the doll. As he was about to have his mouth torn open again, I grabbed my club. As I swung it…

“Aine…!”

Seika, calling my name, alerted the doll. Just before my club struck the back of the doll’s head, it dodged to the side.

In the past, I might not have reacted in time and hit the floor or accidentally attacked the man I was trying to save. But now, I was much more agile. As soon as the doll dodged, I quickly redirected the club in its direction. The club hit the doll, sending it flying into the wall.

“….”

Seika stared with his mouth agape. The other people, including the man with the bleeding lips, did the same.

―Will you… play… with me?

Unfortunately, the doll wasn’t killed with one strike; it staggered and stood up again. To think that answering such an innocent question would result in having your mouth torn open… It was a horrifying doll in many ways.

Without responding, I raised my club again and charged at the doll. Perhaps due to the initial critical hit, its movements were slower than before. I swung the club down at its head.

Multiple Club Strikes (5) +15!

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

The sound of the club smashing echoed throughout the room.

[You have acquired the Doll Keeper’s Hat.]

[Item Grade: A]

The doll vanished, leaving only a hat item that went into my inventory. It was still challenging to kill a high-grade monster without using skills.

“What strength…”

Someone in the room muttered. Indeed, my strength had increased significantly. After all, defeating those Yarakya had boosted my power considerably.

Unlike Kelian and Jenin, who always praised me, Dain was a strict teacher who pushed me harder as my level increased. He seemed to derive satisfaction from seeing me kill monsters with a crazed look in his eyes.

“A-Aine… That was incredible.”

“It was just luck.”

I responded to Seika, who looked dazed, though I felt a bit disappointed that it was over so quickly. Despite its speed, once caught, the doll wasn’t difficult to deal with. It was also preoccupied with other targets.

“You’re truly amazing. That doll killed three people, yet you defeated it so easily.”

One of the people clinging to the wall approached me, speaking with admiration. Three people had died…? Glancing around, I saw three corpses with their mouths torn open lying on the floor.

“I almost ended up like them… Thank you, truly.”

I handed a handkerchief to the man still bleeding from his mouth. It was a useless trinket I had picked up from various dungeons, but it was sufficient for him to wipe his blood.

“Thank you, really…”

“It’s nothing.”

The man’s face blushed.

“Excuse me, could I see your weapon? It’s incredibly powerful, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“What level are you? Your strength is remarkable.”

As the others bombarded me with questions, mainly about my level and club, Seika stepped in, standing protectively in front of me.

“Is this the time for such things? There’s a staircase over there. We need to move to the next floor!”

Indeed, a previously hidden staircase had appeared in a corner of the room.

“And if you want to talk to this lady, you must get permission from me, Seika Ail.”

He winked at me as he said this. Hmm… Though a bit overbearing, he didn’t seem like a bad person.

“…Seika Ail? Wait, are you from the Marquis of Ail family…?”

As the others recognized Seika, he turned to me with a meaningful smile.

“Haha, yes, I am Seika Ail of the Marquis of Ail family.”

“Oh, I thought your presence was extraordinary! It’s an honor to meet you!”

Everyone, including our three companions and the people we met from the other cells, declared themselves followers of Seika and gathered around him. Though we were supposed to be competitors, no one seemed interested in the competition. Not that camaraderie was a bad thing.

Looking at the numbers, it seemed like all the people from the three underground cells had gathered here, but none of my companions were present. They must have started in the upper cells.

“Let’s move up!”

In no time, Seika, who had quickly become the center of a group of around ten people, led us up the stairs.

At the end of the stairs, there was another red door, which disappeared after everyone passed through, just like before.

“I remember this floor…”

The corridor looked much like the one below, except it lacked the portraits of human faces on the walls. Seika looked seriously down the long corridor to the right.

“What kind of floor is it?”

“Rolling… rolling…”

“…What?”

“A ball… rolling…”

Seika’s pupils suddenly dilated as he gave his cryptic explanation. At the same time, a heavy rumbling sound filled the corridor as if there was an earthquake. A massive ball, large enough to take up most of the corridor, was rolling towards us from the far end, rolling quickly and without getting stuck, just as Seika described.

“What the…!”

Everyone scattered, hurriedly opening the nearest doors and taking refuge inside. Fortunately, there were plenty of rooms, so I slipped into the one beside me, only to find a monster waiting inside. It was a tall, humanoid creature covered in blood.

―Hahaha!

The monster laughed grotesquely and lunged at me, causing a person who seemed to have followed me in to scream and flee. Unfortunately, they didn’t run back into the corridor but further into the room, drawing the monster’s attention.

The monster spun fluidly and drew a rusted, blood-stained knife from its robes.

“Help! Save me!”

I had just pulled out my club from the inventory. The mithril club, lighter and more durable than others, didn’t crack no matter how roughly it was used. Holding my familiar weapon, I charged at the monster wielding the knife.

―Hahahahaha!

The monster’s laugh was louder and more frantic than the ones from the lower floor. I almost got hit due to a misstep while using a skill, but fortunately, I remembered Kelian’s training and avoided injury by using my dagger with my free hand. Kelian had wisely made me practice stabbing with a dagger.

[You have acquired the Rusted Knife of the Laughing Doll.]

[Item Grade: A]

After defeating the monster, I cautiously opened the door again with the person who had been staring at me in awe. Another ball was still rolling down the corridor. We quickly shut the door, waited for it to pass, then peeked out again to see the previous ball had vanished, replaced by a new one rolling toward us from the end of the corridor.

“It seems we need to move forward.”

“I agree.”

With the left side blocked by a wall, our only option was to head towards the rolling balls on the right. Seeing the numerous doors along the corridor gave me an idea.

To avoid getting hit or crushed by the balls, we would have to dash into the nearby rooms for safety and then continue our way forward.

Nodding at each other, we waited for the next ball to pass, then quickly opened the door and dashed down the corridor, diving into the next room before another ball could catch us.

Screeeech!

Again, a humanoid monster awaited in the room. After swiftly defeating it, we listened for the sound of the ball rolling past our door and then continued our journey. Soon, we encountered Seika and the others emerging from another room down the corridor.

“Aine! You’re safe. I was worried.”

“Yes, is everyone okay?”

“Well, I must say, the monsters in each room were quite tough, so I ended up having to perform some Warrioric feats.”

Despite his humility, it was clear from the nodding of the others that Seika had indeed been Warrioric.

“This lady was also incredible.”

The person I had been traveling with spoke up, causing Seika’s gaze to deepen.

“You are truly remarkable, Lady. Truly my destined…”

“Oh, another ball is coming!”

Seika’s words were cut off as another ball rolled towards us. Wanting to come closer to me, he had no choice but to separate again as we all dove into nearby rooms.

“Cough, the balls keep generating at the end of the corridor! If we ring the bell attached to the wall at the end, they will stop!”

Seika’s knowledge, proving he had indeed cleared this dungeon before, gave us crucial information.

A new goal appeared: reach the end of the corridor and ring the bell to stop the balls from generating. As I peeked out, I saw the bell through the dim light.

“I’ll distract them!”

“Please, head that way!”

As we moved from room to room, slaying monsters and avoiding the rolling balls, our coordination improved. Typically, they would draw the monsters’ attention while I delivered the killing blow.

“Ha, ha…”

“We’re almost there!”

Seika shouted, the corridor’s end now within reach. Up close, I saw the small red bell hanging low on the wall. It trembled slightly with the rumble of the balls but made no sound.

Another ball rolled out from behind the gray wall, heading towards us. We ducked into a room once more, relieved that there was no monster this time, giving our tired bodies a brief respite.

“I’ll ring the bell!”

I volunteered.

As soon as the ball passed, Seika dashed from the opposite room towards the bell. However, as if determined to make it difficult, another ball immediately generated and rolled towards him. Seeing him momentarily hesitate, I rushed out and pushed him into a nearby room, saving him from being crushed.

“A-Aine…”

I quickly stood up from where I had fallen on top of Seika.

“There’s a monster coming, be careful!”

Dodging the ball didn’t mean we were safe yet. Since it was a new room, a monster immediately appeared, and we had to deal with it, taking more time. Fortunately, Seika regained his composure quickly, and together we defeated the monster more easily than in other rooms.

We collapsed onto the floor, taking a brief rest where the monster had vanished. But with others calling for us outside, we had to get moving again, with the goal in sight.

“Now!”

“Ahhhhh!”

Seika screamed and ran, punching the red bell just before another ball appeared.

Ding!

The oddly timid bell rang out, and the ball that had been peeking from the gray wall was sucked back in and disappeared.

“We did it!”

“It’s finally over!”

“Yayyyyy!”

Amidst the cheers of the relieved group, I sank to the floor. A red door leading to the upper floor appeared on the wall where the balls had been generated, but I was too exhausted to consider climbing right away.

“Want some?”

I offered a water bottle to Seika, who was catching his breath next to me. I always carried water and cups in my inventory while following my party’s rigorous leveling-up regimen.

He looked at the offered bottle, then smiled genuinely for the first time.

“Thank you.”

The faces of the others around us were filled with satisfaction. Everyone had done their best, and it was only natural to feel proud.

We climbed two more floors. Although the trust built while avoiding the rolling balls helped us work together seamlessly, and despite the increased difficulty of the third and fourth floors compared to the lower ones, we managed without any casualties.

According to the dungeon’s rules, we should have stuck with our cellmates, but we had already mixed with people from all three cells, rendering such distinctions meaningless.

“Finally, the fifth floor.”

Seika’s voice was excited as we stood before the red door leading to the fifth floor, the castle’s middle layer and the boss room.

“You said we’d meet everyone on the fifth floor, right?”

“Yes. If the people who started at the top made it down safely, we should meet them here.”

The idea of “if they made it down safely” seemed irrelevant. If the difficulty of descending from the top was similar to our ascent, there was no way Kelian and the others wouldn’t have made it.

“They will have made it down safely.”

“Ah, your companions started at the top, right? My companions would have been up there too… they must have made it down safely. Not to boast, but they’re all quite skilled. Though, of course, I’m their leader.”

Climbing the fourth floor, we had grown accustomed to Seika’s boasting. We exchanged a few lighthearted comments to ease the tension before taking a deep breath and stepping through the red door.

“This place…”

It wasn’t a corridor. Until now, every red door had led to a corridor, but this time, we were in a small tunnel-like space with a single passageway.

“We should follow that light.”

A faint light glowed at the end of the passage, guiding us out of the tunnel.

“What is this?”