Several days had passed after talking to Leah.
My school life was peaceful. For no apparent reason, that Leah girl kept sticking to me. When I went to school, she would talk to me right away. During lunch, we ate together. After classes, she would take me to the study hall.
Unnoticed by me, a school romantic comedy began. But she wasn’t the main heroine of the story; she wasn’t Hermes’ heroine. She was probably just happy to have someone to talk to.
Being a genius, she was used to being alone. I can understand that. I understand it, but… It’s annoying! Being with her in this “charming” school felt suffocating to me. While I was busy improving my magical abilities, exhausted when my MP ran out, she didn’t care at all about that.
And when she said; “I’m going to practice magic too!” I seriously considered throwing her out the window.
However, I couldn’t do something crazy with the main heroine, and saying; “I have things to do!” would only be a temporary excuse. Even though the next day would finally be a long-awaited holiday, my HP bar was already on the verge of entering the red danger zone.
Unfortunately, this damage wouldn’t even be healed by divine magic. It’s just mental fatigue…
With all that, another day passed. Even Leah Rainteina herself, if she didn’t come to school, we wouldn’t have to see each other. Today is a holiday. Without anyone bothering us, I could head towards the dungeon.
Despite Leah’s interference, I still got ready for the dungeon. Even though stress was building up, thanks to her, there were parts where she saved me. Thus, I successfully mastered the <intermediate divine magic>… And now I will forget about her.
Equipped with the armor I bought with money and after weathering the storm of Fran, who cried; “Dungeons are dangerous! At least take me with you!”.
I finally arrived in front of the desired dungeon, although it took some time. The dungeon’s name was <The Hallway of Lamentation>.
An intermediate dungeon infested with low-level undead.
Normally, one would need to be at level 20 to 30 to explore an intermediate dungeon, but with the knowledge from my past life, I could surely do it even at level 1.
With anxiety in my chest, I descended the stairs leading to the dark underground cave. After a few minutes, I could finally see a faint light and entered the interior of the dungeon. The intermediate dungeon <The Hallway of Lamentation>.
In the setting of a giant and dark mansion befitting its name, I entered without hesitation into a room in the corner of the first floor.
This dungeon, rated as relatively strong due to its <intermediate> classification, actually falls under the category of lower-level dungeons in terms of monster strength. So, why is it classified as intermediate?
Of course, compared to <lower-level> dungeons, the monsters along the way are fairly strong, but the feature of <The Hallway of Lamentation> is not the monsters themselves but the dungeon itself.
In short, it is incredibly vast. Additionally, there are many traps and dead ends. The first time I played, I was surprised at how well-crafted it was to the point of exclaiming; “Another dead end again, darn it!”.
Nevertheless, despite wanting to say “Don’t take an intermediate dungeon so seriously!” while playing, it’s ideal for early leveling up, so I can’t be mad now. Moreover, being reborn, I have memories of conquering this dungeon.
This means that I know the internal structure perfectly. I remember every position of the traps I fell into. And I clearly recall the best hunting areas where, even at my level 1, I would have a better chance of defeating intermediate level monsters.
The furthest place from the entrance, in the right corner, was a room converted into a library. The shelves were filled with books. There was also an endless row of shelves. In one of the gaps, I spotted a humanoid-like figure with empty eyes (although it really had no eyes), whose official name was probably <Skeleton>
“Everything up to here matches my memories… The issue is whether I can pull off my trick.”
Moving stealthily to avoid being detected by the wandering skeleton in the narrow room, I sneakily approached the shelf by the window. Among the multiple shelves, this was the only one offering refuge. Because next to this shelf by the window, only one skeleton approached. Furthermore, its patrol route led right up to the edge of the shelf.
Surely the creators had designed this place as a refuge for players… but it must be admitted that it was somewhat neglected. After many turns, I finally realized something: this position on the shelf. From behind the shelf, I could unilaterally attack the wandering skeleton with magic.
Unlike physical attacks, magic has a wider established range of effect. This turned against me. Of course, when attacking monsters, I also attracted their attention, and they defended themselves.
However, the key here was the presence of the shelf. The monsters I attacked headed towards me, but curiously avoided this shelf carefully. It’s a common situation in action games where opponents get stuck.
Even though the distance was very close and I performed the attack action, unfortunately, the attack was blocked by the shelf. So, even being at level 1, I could safely cast spells, especially the effective <divine magic> against undead.
“Ready, here I go.”
The pitiful skeleton patrolling back and forth within a certain range was approaching me. I lured the skeleton close enough for my magic to reach it, and then started reciting the spell. “<Divine Relic>!” A large amount of MP was released from my body.
Then, from above the head of the skeleton in front, a dazzling light descended upon it. The pure light enveloped the monster, and in a matter of seconds, it vanished. Of course, even though I cast intermediate magic, with my INT, I couldn’t defeat it in one blow. After the light faded, the charred skeleton remained in view.
“…!”
It emitted a strange and low sound that could be interpreted as a moan, a scream, or a roar, as the skeleton ran directly towards me. However, despite trying to approach, it couldn’t advance due to the shelf in front of me. For some reason, the shelf remained standing despite the monster’s onslaught. It was so heavy or so firmly anchored to the ground that it seemed impossible to move it.
And that turned out to be advantageous. The opponent couldn’t get any closer, and the unreachable distance for their attacks was ideal. I watched the skeleton’s fury for a moment, but the situation remained unchanged.
Therefore, I took an MP potion from my pocket, drank it in one gulp, and recited the same spell again. “<Divine Relic>!” The dark room lit up with a dazzling light. From that moment on, everything became a repetitive loop.
Attack the <skeleton>.
The <skeleton> gets enraged.
Attack the <skeleton>.
Defeat the <skeleton>.
Gain experience.
The <skeleton> reappears.
Defeat the <skeleton>.
I continued unilaterally smashing bones until the MP potions I bought ran out. As my level increased, the power of my spells improved, and my efficiency increased as well.
After several hours. I had already gotten used to the discomfort caused by the shortage of MP. When I checked my pocket watch, it was already night. I have been here longer than I imagined.
It was time to return to the dormitory before I received any punishment. It’s ironic that even noble children have a curfew, although I suppose even in a wealthy family they must have their own difficulties, like the danger of kidnappings.
Maybe the mundane is preferable after all.
As I thought about that, I unknowingly gathered the various objects I had accumulated, like the <Sturdy Bones>.
I guess they were materials for synthesis.
Thanks to the objects being concentrated in one place, I could easily collect them. Finally, I took down the other skeletons in front of me and left behind <The Hallway of Lamentation>. Basically, on the first floor, as long as you don’t enter the doors, the monsters don’t attack or appear. Although it’s only at the beginning, it’s a quite safe and efficient hunting ground.
With a satisfied smile, I exited the dungeon and, looking at the moon in the night sky, I swiftly made my way back to the boys’ dormitory.
