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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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3rd floor.
“…Wow… What is this place?”
Seeing in reality what I had only seen in the game, I was overwhelmed by the sight that greeted us as we looked down from the entrance of the 3rd floor.
Statues of orcs and lizardmen filled the 3rd floor and a blue crystal was located in the center.
I sat down on the spot, admiring what looked like a work of art that had recreated a battlefield.
Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of statues filled the 3rd floor.
The statues, gripping weapons and glaring at each other, were so intricately detailed that they looked like they might come to life at any moment.
“…There’s nothing but statues?”
Sif’s puzzled voice came from behind.
As she said, apart from the crystal guarding the center of the 3rd floor, there was nothing here but statues.
That was why I had chosen this dungeon.
It would be easier to set up the situation I wanted.
“Sif. Look at that crystal.”
“It looks like something we shouldn’t touch…”
“If we touch that, all of the statues will awaken.”
When I pointed at the crystal and explained, Sif’s eyes widened and she shouted.
“What? All of these statues will wake up?”
“Yes.”
If the crystal was pressed, all of the statues would awaken.
At least close to a thousand statues.
Considering that the dungeons near Kalon Academy served as beginner dungeons, facing so many enemies might seem too difficult at first glance.
But…
“Both of you, look carefully. How are the statues arranged?”
“Orcs and… lizardmen… They’re divided with the crystal in the center.”
“Th-that’s right.”
“And orcs and lizardmen are… at least in this dungeon, mortal enemies.”
I didn’t know about outside, but at least in this dungeon, orcs and lizardmen were enemies fighting over a small piece of land.
The hatred accumulated between them over a long time was now ready to be unleashed.
“Th-then…”
“That’s right. The moment they’re awakened, they’ll try to finish their unfinished battle.”
When the time which had stopped started moving again, the hatred trapped in their bodies would go wild.
“Then it’s easier than we thought? We can just leave them and they’ll all kill each other!”
“Yes. In theory, that is.”
But that was unlikely to happen.
“If we t-touch that crystal directly… w-we’ll be in the middle of the battlefield…”
“Correct, Elisa. As expected of a magic department student, you’re smart.”
Seizing the opportunity to praise her, I glanced carefully at Elisa, who was smiling shyly like a crescent moon.
I had to be careful not to startle her by looking at her directly.
Sif glared at me seeing this, but I ignored her gaze and looked back at the battlefield.
As Elisa said, since the crystal was in the center of the battlefield, touching it would drop us right in the middle of the fight no matter what and we would have no choice but to fight a difficult battle, being attacked from both sides.
And…
“Elisa. Do you know how to infuse mana into objects?”
“Y-yes, I do…”
“We need to infuse mana into the crystal to wake them up.”
“What?”
“I’m saying I need your help.”
Of course, I had no intention of carrying her through everything from start to finish.
That wouldn’t help boost Elisa’s confidence.
What Elisa needed more than completing the assignment was self-esteem.
While skills could be forcibly enhanced by cramming in all sorts of Easter eggs and items, low self-esteem couldn’t be covered by items.
“Elisa. You can do it. As long as you stick close to me, you’ll be safe, so wake up the crystal.”
“B-but…”
Tears welled up in Elisa’s eyes.
The sight of tears forming on her face, which could easily be called beautiful even if not quite at Karina’s level, caused a slight feeling of guilt, but I still had to do what needed to be done.
I stroked her head and whispered words of encouragement in her ear.
“When the 3rd platoon captain tried to kidnap you, didn’t you risk your life to save a student whose name you didn’t even know? And you even managed to escape successfully. Remember that time. You can do this.”
“I-I’ll try…”
Good.
Having succeeded in persuading Elisa, I spoke to Sif, who was fiddling with the screenshot device while waiting for us.
“Sif. You keep taking pic… I mean, screenshots.”
“From here?”
“No, from down there.”
“W-won’t we get attacked?”
“As long as you don’t get too close, they won’t attack you.”
They were races that hated each other to the point of loathing, after all.
A mere cat beastkin wouldn’t take priority over their hatred for each other.
“We’ll set up a temporary camp and then go down.”
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It looks even more realistic up close, I thought as I looked up at the largest statue among them.
The Orc Great Warrior and on the opposite side was the Lizardman Great Warrior.
The bosses of the 3rd floor.
Usually, if left alone, one of them would die on its own, but…
Since we’d come this far, it would be better to secure the rewards properly.
After roughly forming a plan in my head, I moved towards the crystal, bringing along Elisa who was trembling and clinging to my sleeve.
In the meantime, I touched the statues a few times with my shovel, but it had no effect at all.
As expected, it seemed to be protected from destruction by something magical, or perhaps by the system itself.
“Sif! Take screenshots!”
Click.
We’d secured evidence photos of the two of us standing in front of the crystal.
Next…
“Elisa. Start now. You probably won’t need that much mana.”
“O-okay…”
Elisa closed her eyes and grasped the crystal with her hands.
I waited for the statues to awaken, ready to grab Elisa and jump at any moment.
It was dazzling.
As Elisa started infusing mana, the crystal began to sparkle, emitting blue waves.
I covered my eyes and waited for the light to subside.
“Eek…”
The sound of cracking echoed throughout the battlefield.
I grabbed the shoulder of Elisa, who was frightened by the sight of monsters emerging from the gradually breaking statues, and said,
“Keep going until the end.”
“Y-yes…”
“Gweeek!”
“Kiyaaak!”
As the battlefield came back to life, shouts could be heard from all around.
Was it joy at the war starting again, or an expression of anger that had been trapped for many years?
As Elisa staggered, I pushed aside my questions and picked her up.
“Ah, ah, ah…”
“Hold on tight so you don’t fall.”
No sooner had I finished speaking than a purple head clung to my chest like a baby.
I immediately kicked off the ground.
This place would soon become a bloody battlefield, so getting out as quickly as possible was crucial.
To survive any potential attacks, I used my skill.
“Crafting. Crafting. Crafting. Crafting. Crafting…”
Walls rose up on both sides of me. With the strength of orcs and lizardmen, they would probably break soon, but surviving even one hit would be enough.
I used my skill repeatedly as I ran towards Sif.
“It’s t-terrifying…”
“It hasn’t even started yet.”
“What?”
“Crafting.”
“Nyaa?!”
I put Elisa down on the terrain I had created with my skill, digging a small hole in the ground and making a place to sit.
Elisa looked up at me with a flushed face and asked,
“…M-Mr. Johann. Is it o-over?”
“No. This war will only end if we intervene.”
What’s the point if it ends with them just fighting among themselves?
There must be a winner in this war, and we, as a third force, must be victorious.
I sat down in front of Elisa, matching her eye level, and said,
“How much mana did you use?”
“Um, about 30%…”
“How many times can you use 3rd-tier magic?”
“A-about ten times… I think.”
“What about 2nd-tier magic?”
Here is my translation of the text:
“Tw-Twice…”
“Can you use fire magic and lightning magic?”
“Y-Yes, I can use them…”
So I needed to sweep away the rest except for the leaders at my level, huh.
I took out some jerky from my backpack and distributed it to Sif and Elisa.
“Eat up. We’ll have to move quickly soon.”
I ate the jerky with the harmony of clashing weapons and flesh-tearing sounds as a background.
There was no need to jump into the fight right away anyway.
I was not like Renny who could rampage alone, and I was not stupid enough to stick my neck into the battlefield, which was the epitome of inefficiency.
The most important thing in survival was not stepping into dangerous situations.
“We’ll rest for 30 minutes then join the fight.”
I closed my eyes while leaning against the wall.
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‘I-I’m scared…’
The smell of blood was wafting over from the battlefield and into the tunnel.
The sound of metal clashing against metal and their final dying screams echoed through the space.
The battlefield was terrifying even to imagine.
Various kinds of fears shook her heart.
It’s scary.
She wanted to run away, but she couldn’t escape.
Not only did she lack the ability to run away, but she also couldn’t choose the shameless option of fleeing since she came to this dungeon for her task in the first place.
Even though she was a coward with low self-esteem, she hadn’t forgotten human decency.
‘B-But I’m still sc-scared…’
Her wandering gaze turned to Sif, who was resting with her eyes closed just like Johann.
A black-eared cat beastkin with folded ears, she had fallen into a light sleep right away as if she was used to this kind of situation.
Then her gaze turned to Johann.
A large man with a savage face marked by burn scars and other scars.
His soul, reminiscent of a veteran warrior who had gone through countless battlefields, was different.
Unlike other souls that glowed translucently or blue, his soul glowed red.
She couldn’t help but feel fear at this unknown soul she was seeing for the first time.
What on earth was that soul?
The unknown fear combined with his appearance created even greater fear.
‘B-But now I’m not that scared anymore…’
Because she had been with him for quite a long time now.
She thought he was a good person.
Due to her gloomy appearance and timid personality, few people liked her.
Despite that, he was the first man to treat her kindly.
Was this what it would feel like to have an older brother?
Without realizing it, Elisa quietly approached him as he sat with his arms folded.
Fortunately, there was just enough space next to him for her to sit.
She carefully sat down next to him and leaned against his body.
The baby bird, having found the safest place in a battlefield full of soul-gnawing fear, quietly closed her eyes.
The fatigue accumulated from descending three floors pressed down on her eyelids.
He, who had been dozing lightly, slightly opened his eyes at the warmth felt beside him and laid down her upper body that had fallen asleep.
Her face resting on his lap looked peaceful.
“…She sleeps well.”
“Wow, you’re popular~”
Sif, who had been watching the situation, teased him with a playful smile.
When Johann’s arm twitched, she immediately lowered her tail and looked at him pitifully.
“Just go back to sleep.”
“Yes, yes.”
Everyone closed their eyes with the terrible sounds of the battlefield as a lullaby.
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[Yay cuddles ftw i support this ship]
