For Sale. Fallen Lady. Never Used.

Chapter 200: This Is Magic

With the help of Iris and Iona, we flew straight to the middle of the waterfall.

When Elisha parted the water, the gate hidden behind it was revealed.

Helena gulped and spoke.

“…Come to think of it, this is my first time attempting to clear a dungeon, Brother.”

“Really? As a priestess of Righteous Radiance, I thought you’d have had many battles.”

“Yes, I have fought many times, but they were all managed dungeons like the training ones we did before.”

“Ah?”

Dungeons were profitable.

Because of that, most dungeons were managed by the lord of the territory, and they extracted monster materials or rare resources from within to generate revenue.

This lax attitude later leads to cultists causing a dungeon outbreak and a monster wave…

Anyway, currently, dungeons are treated like mines.

Naturally, these dungeons should not be cleared. No one wants to kill the goose that lays golden eggs.

Unless it’s a truly dangerous dungeon, lords usually restrict access beyond a certain depth.

Helena didn’t have the skill to enter dungeons that required recruiting experienced raiders either.

“Well, clearing a dungeon isn’t a big deal, so don’t worry… I mean, don’t get too excited.”

“Ah… I need to stay calm… Yes, I understand.”

Helena looked embarrassed, as if I had seen through her.

Smiling at her, I nodded to Iris and Iona.

“Let’s go in.”

We approached the gate slowly. I threw myself into the blue vortex-like entrance.

The scenery twisted and instantly changed.

Even though we were a few meters in the air, I felt the ground firmly beneath my feet. The loud waterfall noise and the cold splashes of water on my skin disappeared.

Instead, an open field spread out before my eyes.

There were a few scattered trees, but otherwise, there were no obstacles.

The women naturally drew their weapons as they surveyed the surroundings. I also pulled out my dagger and iron staff and spoke.

“Luckily, it’s as expected. This is a wave-type dungeon. The monsters are slimes. They’re common acidic slimes but will merge later, so be careful.”

“Yes, Master!”

“Leave this to me.”

Carla and Elisha nodded, preparing for battle.

Iris and Iona, thinking there was no need to intervene, stood calmly in the center.

Since it was a good opportunity to gain combat experience, they probably wouldn’t interfere unless necessary.

Faye, who had less combat ability, was hiding between them, waving her hand.

Seeing us quickly form a formation, Helena blinked in surprise.

“Um… Brother? Have you been to this dungeon before?”

“It’s my first time here. I only knew about it through information… Ah, Sister Helena, please stand by my side. The monsters will soon swarm.”

“Ah, yes.”

Helena, who was surprisingly obedient in the dungeon, stood next to me and drew her mace.

It gleamed, suggesting it was more than just well-maintained; it had some special power.

She often carried the mace during prayers… She must have been consecrating it daily.

Swinging her mace lightly in the air to loosen her shoulders, Helena spoke cautiously.

“When you say information… are you referring to the people who took you after defeating the Watching Ayla?”

“Hmm… The support troops from the Church of Righteous Radiance came to that place, so you should know. Yes, that’s where the information came from.”

“I’m sorry if it seems like I’m prying too much. I realized I don’t know much about you, Brother…”

“It’s fine. We decided to spend time together during the holidays to get to know each other better, didn’t we?”

“Hehe. That’s true. Let’s save deeper conversations for later… For now, let me cast buffs.”

As the slime blobs started to rise from the ground, Helena began her prayer.

A light brightened the surroundings. It was a group buff, indicating her growth from the dungeon training.

“Oh…”

It was a basic physical enhancement. The advantage of divine magic was that it could be layered with magic or aura for further enhancement.

Divine magic was fundamentally the gods using their power on behalf of the caster.

Rumble. Rumble.

The slimes began to take shape from the ground.

Some resembled humans, others beasts, and some were just blobs.

Though they varied in shape, they all had one thing in common.

A dark red core somewhere inside their translucent bodies.

As their cores glowed, the slimes’ fluids turned dark red, and Helena’s second buff activated.

“…May the fortress of light be upon us!”

A gentle radiance enveloped us. It was the Fortress of Light buff, which specialized in absorbing physical attacks.

Against ordinary slimes with no magical abilities, this was perfect.

What did it matter if their bodies were acidic? They had to collide directly, and their strength wasn’t significant.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

As I was lost in thought, the slimes finally charged at us.

They were only knee-high at most. Even though they had high resistance to physical attacks, their small size made them insignificant.

The danger of this dungeon lies in its wave nature.

This type is created when a horde of monsters gets trapped in the dungeon simultaneously.

Compared to other dungeons, the individual monsters might be weaker, but their numbers are several times greater.

They also notice and attack en masse as soon as someone enters the dungeon.

However, we were a party of magicians specializing in area attacks and mass destruction.

No matter how many there were, if the opponents were substandard, we wouldn’t be overwhelmed.

In fact, they were perfect moving targets to test our skills on.

I aimed my staff at the slimes approaching like a crimson tide.

“The ones behind us are stronger than us, so don’t worry about them. Just focus on the enemies in front of you.”

“Understood… So, when should I charge?”

“I’m a magician. I don’t charge.”

“Oh, right… Sorry….”

Helena looked noticeably dejected. Thinking about it, I did use my sword quite often for a magician.

Hearing our conversation, Iona spoke in a bright voice.

“Yandel! Yandel! Since Iris and I are watching, you can do whatever you want! And… this is a perfect environment to test what you learned from me, right?”

“Huh?”

Indeed. These creatures were relatively slow and not powerful enough to break through my shield.

Moreover, we have Helena’s divine magic support right now.

Unless it was the giant slime that appeared at the end of the wave, there was no danger.

After a moment’s hesitation, I nodded.

“Alright. But I’ll use some intermediate magic a few times first.”

“Yes, yes. You need practical experience too. There are plenty of monsters, so do as you please!”

I shrugged and spoke to Helena.

“After I cast a few spells from a distance, we’ll charge together.”

“…Yes!”

Helena nodded with a blissful expression, already excitedly moving her shoulders.

Smiling at her pure excitement, I turned my attention to the slimes still bouncing toward us.

Let’s see… I should try a spell I haven’t used yet.

Thump.

As I gathered my mana, my heart naturally responded, and the heavy beat echoed in my ears.

Feeling the mana in the air resonate, I slowly opened my mouth.

“‘Breath of the Tyrant. Whirling Fury. Cutting Sharpness. Bestow upon me your calamity.’”

Whoooong.

Each word that left my mouth was etched into the world as a declaration.

The mana within me mixed with the mana in the air, forming the shape dictated by my will.

The image in my mind was a swirling wind of blades.

“[Sharpness Hurricane.]”

Even after I chanted the incantation, nothing happened for a moment.

Helena, who had been excited, tilted her head in confusion. Suddenly, the center of the slime horde bulged upward.

Whoooong.

The once calm wind instantly became turbulent, converging on the raised spot.

What had been a mere breeze, barely disturbing a few slimes, began to grow, swallowing the surrounding air.

The gentle breeze turned into a whirlwind, and the whirlwind into a blade storm.

The blade storm then became a small hurricane, swirling with immense force.

Whoooong!!

Even from a distance, the terrifying power was evident.

The merciless magic pulled in all the slimes in the area, shredding everything it touched.

The sight was exhilarating, filling me with a rush of emotion.

Yes. This is magic.

Damn, this is what magic is about…

This overwhelming power, sweeping away the enemies in one go, is why I became a magician.

I was briefly moved by the sheer difference in power compared to the low-level spells and elemental combinations I had used until now.

For some reason, Helena, who was next to me, started tapping her feet impatiently.

“…There are still plenty left, so don’t worry, Sister Helena.”

“Phew. That’s a relief.”

What a straightforward person.