Dungeon Exploration

(Elysia PoV)

Drops of water fell slowly from the stalactite ceiling, breaking the eternal silence that shrouded the narrow, dark passage. There was no light except for the faint glow of magic in Mireya’s hand as she led the way.

The air felt suffocating. The smell of damp earth mixed with the ammonia of bat droppings, stinging the nose of anyone who breathed it in.

Dungeon—that was how it was written in the books. A place filled with countless mysteries and negative energy.

Some said that the negative energy was drawn there by something unseen, while others believed it came from the grudges, greed, and dark emotions of humans who died inside, causing a surge of the energy itself.

Monsters would appear there regularly because of the ever-growing negative energy. Some even made it their natural habitat, turning the dungeon into their nest.

“Ugh... my socks are dirty now. And I already promised to help the local priest prepare for tomorrow’s morning mass.”

Elysia kept glancing at Imaria, who had been walking while holding up her skirt so it wouldn’t touch the ground. She couldn’t help but tiptoe a little, covering her nose with one hand.

The stench of bat droppings scattered unevenly across the dungeon floor, torturing her sensitive nose.

“I agree. Why do we have to enter a cave dungeon? Why not a forest, a mountain, or somewhere more open?”

Mireya chuckled softly, turning around with a warm smile in the dim light. Her expression was calm, completely unbothered by the smell. Perhaps she had long grown used to it.

“Endure it, everyone. Remember, this is part of the dungeon class you must take if you want to enter the main academy. Believe me, a cave is still better than a desert.”

“But, Sister Mira...”

Mireya turned around and patted Irine’s head. “Calm down, don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you all. I quite strong, you know.”

Irine didn’t resist, though her cheeks still puffed with visible annoyance.

When she glanced at Elysia, the girl only rolled her eyes, showing no guilt at all. Meanwhile, Celina averted her gaze. The two of them were the ones most responsible for the misfortune that had befallen their group.

“Do you hear that?” Mireya asked, glancing toward the dark depths of the cave.

Elysia and Irine closed their eyes, sharpening their hearing. Elysia’s rabbit ears twitched as they caught the vibration of footsteps approaching.

“Ah, I hear it. A few meters ahead. There are about a dozen of monsters.”

Imaria looked at Irine. “Sometimes, I’m a little jealous of your kind.”

But the girl only laughed, scratching the back of her head. “Hehe, thank you.”

In this world, there were many races, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Rabbitmen were a sub-species of beastmen, beings that carried traits of both humans and rabbits.

Elysia stepped forward. “Alright, let me wipe them—”

But before she could take another step, Mireya grabbed her hand. “Stop, Ely.... Give your friends a chance.”

Elysia stepped back, while the others moved forward. Celina drew the large sword from her back, Irine fastened her metal gauntlets, and Imaria raised her staff.

Seeing that, Elysia sighed deeply. She felt it would be far more efficient if she wiped them all out herself with magic.

Suddenly, a gentle hand stroked her head. The warmth in that touch softened her gaze, and her tense shoulders relaxed.

“I know what you’re thinking. Be patient, Ely. Give your friends a little room to grow.”

Elysia only nodded in response.

From the dark corridor ahead, several silhouettes tore through the shadows.

Mireya threw a magic orb forward. Its bright light blinded the monsters, stopping their movements for a brief moment.

Their forms became clear—green fox-like beasts with two tails and long, drill-shaped horns on their foreheads.

“Hyaaaah!”

“Celina, wait!”

Celina dashed forward with excitement, swinging her sword in a diagonal slash, but....

Thud.

“Eh?!”

Her large sword got stuck in the narrow cave wall, breaking her momentum. The foxes glared at her hungrily, their fangs and claws aimed straight at her.

“Kyaaaa!”

Before the beasts could attack, Irine’s left fist smashed into one of their faces, crushing its skull. She grabbed Celina by the collar and delivered a flurry of punches to every monster charging at them.

One fox managed to slip by and attacked from the side, but Irine kicked it hard, slamming it into the cave wall.

“Hyaaaah!”

Irine spun and kicked again, sending a shockwave that blasted all the foxes backward.

Celina followed from behind, drawing a dagger from her waist. With one swift slash, the foxes were sliced into chunks of green flesh.

Blood splattered everywhere. Her uniform, usually fragrant, was now soaked with the foul stench of the green liquid that stained her clothes.

“Phew, that was close. Thanks, Irine.”

“No problem. Just don’t let your guard down next time, Cel.”

Celina laughed softly, scratching the back of her head. “Sorry. I got too excited.”

“Rawr!”

A fox suddenly leapt out of the darkness while they were distracted.

“[Protective Dome]”

A golden dome of magic appeared, repelling the monster several meters back.

Elysia frowned at Imaria. “[Protective Dome]? Not [Divine Protection]?”

Imaria smiled gently. “I’m just an ordinary priest, Lady. It’s not right for me to study sacred magic.”

Elysia narrowed her eyes. Liar. She could feel the abundant magic flowing within Imaria. That was also one of the reasons she had chosen the humble church girl to join them.

Her attention shifted again when she heard the roars of a dozen more foxes emerging. She raised her hand, but once again Mireya stopped her.

“Not yet. They can handle it.”

“Understood,” she replied flatly.

Celina and Irine exchanged glances and nodded at each other.

“Let’s go, Cely!”

“Right behind you!”

The two of them charged toward the foxes with wide smiles full of determination.

“[Vein’s Buster]”

“[Vein’s Buster]”

They shouted the spell together. Elysia could see soft blue mana evaporating like mist around their bodies—it was clearly a body-enhancing spell.

“Let me help a little,” Imaria said, stretching out her staff toward them. “[Harmonia Physica]”

Their mana grew denser and synchronized, and before most people could even process what had happened, the foxes were already reduced to piles of minced flesh.

“Yay, we did it!”

Celina and Irine clapped their hands together. Joy sparkled brightly in their eyes.

Behind them, Imaria and Elysia smiled faintly. Mireya, however, could not hide the wide smile on her face, pride clearly shining in her eyes.

Mireya clapped her hands to draw their attention. “Now, it’s time to collect the fox hearts.”

Irine shuddered. “Eek! Do we really have to, Sister?”

“Of course. The heart is where mana is born. It’s filled with magical energy. It’s the most important part, later refined into magic stones. Ah, you may also collect other monster parts if you wish. Though honestly, I doubt weak monsters like these can produce anything useful.”

“C-can we skip the heart part, Sister?”

Mireya shook her head, crouched down, and stabbed her fingers into the corpse of a fox beneath her. When she pulled her hand back, she lifted an organ that appeared to be its heart, then casually tossed it to Irine.

“Catch! If it falls, I’ll give you a zero point.”

“Oops.”

Irine caught the bloody, squishy organ, but then...

“Kyaaaa!”

She screamed and reflexively threw it upward. It nearly hit the ground, but luckily Celina caught it with one hand, showing none of Irine’s disgust.

“W-why did you throw that disgusting thing at me?!”

Mireya was already standing before Irine and flicked her on the forehead. “You can’t be squeamish. One day, you’ll face something worse than this. If you don’t get used to it now, you’ll suffer later.”

Irine bowed deeply. “I understand.”

Mireya smiled softly and patted her head. “There, it’s fine. Now, let’s collect the rest of the hearts.” She gently took the heart from Celina’s hand and handed it to Irine. “Here, take it. Consider this your first lesson.”

“Eek!”

Her hands were trembling, but this time she didn’t throw it away. She tried her best to drop the green-blood-covered heart into a jar that Mireya had prepared.

She walked unsteadily toward another corpse and began cutting into it, struggling but determined to keep going.

Meanwhile, Mireya turned to Elysia. “What about you, Ely? Are you not disgusted?”

Elysia shook her head. Perhaps because she had cooked often before, she was already used to seeing blood and organs. She crouched down and picked up the hearts without hesitation.

“That’s good.”

Elysia glanced toward Irine, who still looked pale, fighting her revulsion.

“[Freeze.]”

The heart in her hand froze instantly. She walked over to Irine and held it out to her. “You won’t feel disgusted if it looks like this, right?”

Irine accepted it. Her hands were still shaking, but not as much as before. She turned the frozen heart over a few times, her shoulders relaxing as her expression softened.

“Hey, this isn’t bad. You’re a genius, Ely!”

Irine’s rabbit ears twitched repeatedly as she turned the ice chunk around, her face filled with satisfaction and curiosity.

Everyone else widened their eyes at Elysia’s action.

In this world, few people understood the concept of frozen food, so it had never occurred to them to freeze freshly removed organs to get rid of the slimy texture and fresh blood.

“Wow, this is much better! You’re a genius, Ely! Thank you.” She held it like a child who had just found a new toy. “Hmm, somehow this ice feels just like you.”

Elysia narrowed her eyes, fully aware of her sister’s teasing tone. She snapped her fingers, and the ice began to melt.

“Waaah! Don’t melt it! Ely, I’m sorry! I promise I won’t tease you again!”

Their light laughter filled the dungeon corridor, bringing a fleeting warmth that contrasted with the blood and flesh scattered around them.

When their laughter finally subsided, they each let out a long sigh and gazed into the darkness ahead.

“Shall we continue? Or stop here?” Mireya asked.

“Why are you still asking, Sister? Of course we’re continuing!” Irine replied cheerfully. “Come on, everyone. Let’s explore further!”

Everyone nodded. Not a single one objected. Sweet smiles curved upon their lips.

Lightly, they took their next steps forward. Without hesitation. Without fear. Unbothered by the deep darkness that might stand in their way.