Week 4
Doah completed her final checks.
She only carried the essentials, leaving everything else behind at the cabin.
The cabin had been moved right in front of the boss room.
If the boss fight got too overwhelming, she planned to retreat to the cabin.
She double-checked her small shield and left the saddle off Sea King.
She also prepared potions for immediate use and washed her eyes with a medicine, ensuring that she could at least move in the darkness.
Finally, she donned a short cloak.
‘I now understand why Robern always wears a long cloak.’
Her own short cloak was also inscribed with defensive magic.
Above all, it protected her from the cold.
If the boss happened to be a ghost, the temperature around it would drop sharply—enough to chill her bones.
🧊🧊🧊
Item
Frost Fairy’s Cloak / B-grade
🧊🧊🧊
The cloak would protect her in temperatures as low as minus 15 degrees Celsius.
“Let’s go.”
Standing before the massive double doors with Sea King, she touched the door with her fingertips.
The doors silently began to open, revealing a pitch-black void.
It was so dark that she could barely see anything.
Doah cautiously entered the room.
Bang!
At that moment, the doors slammed shut.
“As expected,”
Only pitch-black darkness filled the room.
Doah had no intention of blindly advancing through such limited visibility.
From her waist, she pulled out a flare and struck it against her boot heel.
Fsssh!
The flare ignited, and she threw it upward with all her strength, lodging it in the ceiling.
As the red light shot through the air, she gasped.
The enormous hall was filled with hundreds of skeleton soldiers.
At the center, a skeletal general rode a skeletal horse, decked out in elaborate armor.
On either side of the general stood two skeletal mages in ornate robes.
As the flare illuminated the room, blue light flickered in the eyes of the skeletons.
The general’s gaze turned toward Doah, and the massive lance he held pointed directly at her.
Simultaneously, the skeleton army began moving in perfect unison.
❖ ❖ ❖
Doah felt herself growing short of breath.
‘No matter how skilled I am…’
She estimated that she had already taken down over 200 skeletons.
Think of a combat athlete, she thought.
In boxing, a single round lasts only three minutes. In mixed martial arts, a round is five minutes, but there are only three rounds in total.
A human’s ability to fight at full power isn’t as long-lasting as one might think.
Yet here she was, engaged in non-stop life-or-death combat.
Those two mages and the general hadn’t even budged yet.
No, they shot spells at her whenever she tried to make an aggressive move.
And whenever she tried to deal with the mages, the general would launch an attack.
“This is seriously annoying!”
She recalled something Elibas had once said while demonstrating his magic.
Elibas had cast a spell similar to a napalm strike in a forest, his eyes gleaming in the reflection of the raging flames.
— Doah, magic is all about firepower. Only firepower matters.
Josephine had commented, “Wow, look at Elibas’ eyes. He’s gone mad.” She was promptly smacked for that remark.
In any case, Doah agreed.
Magic was all about firepower.
Human mages suffered from the aftereffects of their spells, but those skeleton mages didn’t seem to have any such drawback.
‘No more wasting time,’
She gripped her sword with both hands.
“Greatsword mode.”
The sword in her hand grew long and large, matching her height.
Doah gritted her teeth and pushed off the ground.
Crack
The cave floor sank like sand as she shot forward like an arrow.
She cut down the bothersome skeletons as she flew in a straight line toward the mage.
However, just as she swung her sword, the general intercepted her strike.
The general swung his lance wide, but Doah quickly shrank her sword from greatsword to dagger, throwing off the lance’s balance.
Thanks to the slight timing discrepancy when the weapons clashed, Doah had a chance to throw a glass bottle hidden behind her small shield.
It was filled with holy water.
The skeletal mage let out a soundless scream, stumbling as smoke billowed from its body.
In the next moment, Doah’s dagger clashed with the general’s lance.
Sparks flew between the sword and lance—this was a contest of pure strength, with no room for finesse.
Doah stared into the general’s flaming blue eye sockets.
[Breaymu]
As another mage completed its incantation, Doah pushed away the general’s lance and leapt into the air, stretching out her palm to create a mana barrier.
Since her mana attribute was light, a pale golden shield appeared around her.
A black fireball struck it with a loud explosion.
Bang!
With a loud sound, Doah’s body was flung backward, but she twisted midair and kicked off the ground, launching herself forward once more.
The general charged toward her on his skeletal horse.
If she took a direct hit from that lance, she would be skewered like a kebab.
She had no intention of letting that happen.
With the lance’s long reach, it would follow her wherever she tried to dodge on the ground.
Moreover, she didn’t have time to engage in a standoff.
Skeletons surrounded her, firing arrows and swinging swords in an attempt to injure her.
Sweat dripped down her face.
While smashing through the surrounding skeletons, she stared at the general charging toward her.
The general thrust his lance directly at her.
‘He’s fast!’
Doah dodged to the side, but the lance grazed her shoulder.
Her anti-pierce blouse was torn as if it were nothing, and her flesh was shredded.
‘Turn off pain sensation!’
She immediately blocked the wave of pain.
The horse passed by her, and as it did, Doa’s sword transformed back into a greatsword, smashing the skeletal horse.
The horse shattered, and the general rolled to the ground, annoyingly executing a perfect landing.
Still, his posture was off.
Doah rushed forward to finish him, but the mage’s magic blocked her.
A series of protective spells surrounded him.
“Arghhh!”
Doah poured all of her mana into her sword.
Mana surged through her veins like it was being drained, and her mana core squeezed out every last drop of energy at maximum speed.
The pressure in her mana channels made them creak and shudder.
The rumbling sound of her rotating mana echoed in her eardrums.
Since her mana attribute was light, the sword’s blade began to shine white as it pierced through the defensive magic.
Clang!
With a loud crash, the protective spells shattered, and Doah’s sword sliced off the general’s head.
Thud!
The helmet caved in, crushing his skull completely.
“Ugh…”
Doah turned to finish off the remaining skeletons, but that’s when she noticed she already had wounds on her limbs, and arrows were lodged in her back.
However, since her pain sensation was turned off, she felt no pain.
“Sea King!”
Sea King ran up to her. She grabbed its fur and mounted the creature.
She could feel the arrowheads scraping against her wounds from the inside, but again, there was no pain.
Doah pulled out her bow.
For some reason, her focus was sharper than ever.
Her arrow flew straight into the eye socket of the mage that had been chanting a spell.
‘Weakened?’
Earlier, her attack had been blocked, but this time, it worked.
Had killing the general affected them?
Rumble
Suddenly, the palace began to shake.
Cracks formed all over the floor, and the stumbling skeletons fell into the gaps.
Then, a massive bone structure began to rise from beneath the ground.
“Oh my….”
There was a final boss?
Were those just mid-bosses?
Doah turned around to check, but the doors were firmly closed.
The door wouldn’t open until she either completed the attack or died.
Slowly, the opponent took shape.
Bone Dragon.
Seeing her opponent, Doah was dumbfounded.
She was both shocked and found it amusing at the same time.
“Haha, really. Wow, this is too much.”
Doah shook her head.
Her shoulders slumped, and she felt like she couldn’t win this fight.
So, what should she do?
The answer was simple.
The undead moved because of contamination.
So, if she purified the contamination, it would be over.
Doah pulled out a branch of the World Tree from her pocket.
Watching the dragon’s bones assemble slowly, Doah muttered,
“Sorry, but you and I are a terrible match.”
She was too exhausted to continue.
“I didn’t want to use a cheat key, but you have to admit, I’ve been working hard, right?”
She winked at the dragon, and it roared in response.
“—!!”
“Sorry, I don’t understand.”
The World Tree branch trembled as if it agreed with her.
The vivid green light and elegant white branch formed a perfect combination.
Doah pushed the button to its maximum and swung the branch.
At the same time, the half-assembled Bone Dragon opened its mouth and spewed black smoke.
Golden light intertwined with the black smoke, but then the exploding light enveloped everything.
The massive energy blast pushed her back.
From far away, she could hear faint music in her ears.
🌼🌼🌼
Dum da dum da da … Hello, valued customer. World Tree Travel Agency prioritizes your happiness…
🌼🌼🌼
❖ ❖ ❖
“Customer, Ms. Doah, are you alright?”
At the soft voice calling her, Doah suddenly opened her eyes.
Cotton candy-colored hair…
“Manager May?!”
Doah sprang up.
She was lying on a long, forest-green couch.
Around her was a golden forest, with yellow leaves scattered at her feet.
It was peaceful, and soft sunlight filtered in from somewhere.
Doah’s jaw dropped.
“Am I dead?! Did I die back there?!”
May smiled and said,
“You haven’t died yet, remember? You’re currently connected to the customer service center.”
The relaxed tone brought her back to reality.
‘Come to think of it…’
If she used up all the power of the World Tree branch, she would be connected to the customer service center, she remembered.
“At first, they said the call volume was too high and I couldn’t get connected…”
She grumbled, and May smiled awkwardly.
“Apologies for the inconvenience, customer.”
Doah stood up.
The ground was so thick with leaves that every step felt soft and produced a satisfying crunch.
“I thought it was just a phone call.”
“The phone works too, but when you pass out, like now, it connects through dreams.”
“A dream?”
“Yes.”
“Then, where is my body…?”
“It’s lying on the dungeon floor.”
May said it so nonchalantly that Doah almost replied, “Oh, really?” before snapping back to reality.
“I’m collapsed?! What about the dungeon? Is it cleared?!”
“No, you haven’t disconnected the dungeon core yet, so it’s still incomplete.”
“Oh no, I need to go back right away. I don’t want to die lying there unconscious!”
“Do you have any inquiries for the customer center?”
In her haste, Doah was about to say ‘no,’ but then remembered something.
“How do I purify the owner of a cursed sword?”
“You purify the cursed sword itself.”
The answer was simple and straightforward.
Doah felt like her eyes were being opened.
If the cursed sword was the problem, she should handle the sword, not hold onto Khunak.
“How do I purify a cursed sword?”
“You’ll need a branch of the World Tree, a Light Crystal, and Azure Nazac. I’ll add it as a quest for you.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Any other questions?”
“I’ll go back for now.”
“Alright, this was Consultant May. Have a good day.”
❖ ❖ ❖
Khunak anxiously stared at the dungeon entrance.
The promised date had already passed as of yesterday.
Yet, there was no sign of Doah emerging.
The indicator light showing the status of the dungeon attack was still yellow.
If the attack had been completed, the light would have turned green.
Khunak bit his lip and was about to enter the dungeon when Robern blocked his way.
“You can’t.”
At Robern’s words, Khunak glared at him.
“Step aside.”
“Let’s see if you can make me step aside.”
There was no need for further words or preparation.
Khunak’s sword sprang from its sheath like a whip, the motion fluid.
Robern dodged the first strike and deflected the second one, which followed like a snake.
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue and pulled at the strap of his cloak.
“I can’t let you to damage my cloak.”
Although his cloak was inscribed with numerous magical protections, it was useless against that cursed sword.
With his body now lighter, Robern’s sword moved even faster.
Their swords clashed and separated, intertwining again.
It was almost as if two living beings were battling.
Several times, their swords slipped, aiming for critical points, but both of them narrowly evaded those strikes.
They knew each other too well.
They had once worked together to defeat a dragon and had fought side by side for a year.
Over time, they learned each other’s habits, whether they liked it or not.
Khunak gritted his teeth.
The cursed sword began trembling excitedly, spreading contamination.
Robern narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Are you planning to lose control here?”
“If you just move aside.”
“No. I’m curious to see how this ends.”
“For such a stupid reason—”
“Stupid? A B-grade might clear an A-grade dungeon solo.”
“Even at the cost of Doah’s life?”
“I’ve been wondering, why does cursed sword care so much about a B-rank?”
Robern’s blue eyes were filled with curiosity.
“It’s none of your business.”
Khunak distanced himself.
Whirr Whirr Whirr
The cursed sword hummed.
Black energy began to swell from it.
Robern sighed, readjusting his grip on his sword.
Crack Crack
Blue flames enveloped his blade.
His mana attribute was fire.
The rapid circulation of mana through his channels produced its signature sound, and the flames around his sword rang like striking metal.
“I didn’t plan to get serious.”
He muttered this just as a cheerful chime rang out.
[Ring ding ding~ Dungeon clear, dungeon clear, dungeon clear.]
