Chapter 503

It appeared.

The robe...

The last magical goblin dropped an SSR-grade item, which was a robe for magic users. Black with gold embroidery, it looked extremely luxurious at first glance.

Let's see, the name is.

[Past Future (SSR)]

"What's this?!"

I couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

The ultimate mage armor, [Past Future]!

This robe, ordinary in other stats, was crowned as the ultimate armor because of its one special option, 'the ability to draw future magic power'. 

- You can borrow magic power from 3 days in the future and use it now. The more magic power you borrow, the more you will have to repay after 3 days.

Though you have to repay exactly, if not more, later, the ability to draw magic power in urgent times is a tremendous advantage.

Especially in this cursed defense game, where it's very frequent to use every means at hand immediately, having this robe would be incredibly useful, even if it means suffering a bit in a few days for using more magic now.

"...Not armor, though..."

Lucas looked down at the robe with a gloomy expression,

Whoosh!

Junior, darting forward, snatched the robe.

In Junior's eyes, a terrifying greed surged momentarily... That's right! She inherited her mother's Gold Rush trait!

Without a word, Junior swiftly draped the robe over herself. Then, with a blissful expression, she twirled on the spot.

"What a beautiful night~"

Technically it was still daytime outside... but well, the dungeon was dark enough...

And Lucas' face was even darker than the dungeon. Unable to watch any longer, I patted Lucas on the shoulder.

"Lucas. Remember what I said earlier. I am preparing a separate armor just for you."

Lucas looked at me with hopeful eyes, but I decided to be honest.

"However, that equipment is not immediately obtainable."

Lucas' ultimate armor can be obtained from the deepest part of Zone 9.

I had intended to obtain a suitable armor to use until we get that armor, but alas, we spectacularly failed...

"So... let's make an armor at the forge together for now."

Currently, the routes to craft equipment are Kellibey's magic forge and the regular forge in Crossroad.

Kellibey's magic forge generally produces better quality, but it's slower. Besides, there are other equipment orders currently in place.

On the other hand, Crossroad's regular forge may not match Kellibey's in quality, but it's much faster. This is more suitable for Lucas, who needs armor immediately.

We've also obtained a bunch of SSR-grade magic cores from yesterday's crate opening. We can do a custom make, filling it with the options Lucas needs.

Lucas seemed a bit disappointed at first, but soon returned to his composed self when I consoled him.

"Understood, my lord. I've been behaving too childishly."

"No, I totally get it."

Everyone has a desire for items. Truth be told, I'm a bit disappointed too since I didn't find any suitable equipment for myself today.

But even as I consoled him, Lucas closed his eyes and shook his head.

"Blaming the equipment, coveting the equipment... I may have momentarily forgotten my duty as a knight. I apologize, my lord. This disgraced self will gladly wear whatever you bestow upon me, even if it were mere rags."

"No, no rags. I'll get you something new from the forge..."

I briefly imagined Lucas in tattered rags, perhaps wearing that tin helmet again, embarrassedly...

'That would just make him a pervert.'

The other party members joined in to console Lucas.

"Of course, Sir Lucas! The armor made in the forge will be fantastic!"

Junior exclaimed brightly from behind, but it seemed a bit deceptive as she danced around in the newly acquired SSR-grade robe.

"Absolutely! The equipment from Crossroad's forge is top-notch!"

Damien spoke as if he was introducing a local specialty, but with him clutching the [Venom Fang (SSR)] and wearing the [Black Queen (SSR)], it also felt quite deceptive.

Finally, Evangeline... huh?

I thought she might start tap dancing in her [Snow White] again, but surprisingly, she stayed quiet, just smiling enigmatically.

"Hmm, even if it were rags, he said he would gladly wear them..."

Both Lucas and I looked at Evangeline, who was smiling, with a sense of dread. What, what is it? Why is she smiling like that?

"Senior, we're not ending today's exploration with this goblin room, right?"

"Uh? Oh, right. Since we're here, we might as well explore deeper."

"But, if we go exploring like that, Uncle Lucas can't go as he is now. He'll need to wear some temporary armor."

"That's right..."

"I just happen to have a perfect set of temporary armor!"

Evangeline clapped her hands joyfully.

"Great! I'll lend it to you for free! Hehehehe!"

Temporary armor?

I blinked, not quite understanding, but Lucas's face turned pale.

"Wait, don't tell me that temporary armor is...?!"

***

"I knew this day would come, so I kept it well-maintained!"

Base camp. Forge.

Evangeline ran to Kellibey and made a request. Kellibey, as if he had been waiting, took out a set of equipment from inside the forge and thumped it onto the table.

"Behold, the Bone Armor!"

"..."

Lucas, inspecting the absurdly shaped old bone armor laid out in front of him, suddenly shouted.

"No, this is the armor Evangeline used to wear!"

It was that very armor with solid defense Evangeline wore before her Snow White.

"Don't worry, I adjusted the size to standard! If you're going to wear it, I'll adjust it further right away!"

"No, that's not the problem..."

Lucas trembled, trying to protest, but I grinned and gave a thumbs up.

"Great, Lucas! This Bone Armor has amazing performance! It'll be fine until your new armor is completed!"

"My, my lord! That's not the issue..."

Then, Evangeline, with an evil grin, tapped the Bone Armor with her hand.

"You said you would gladly wear rags, right?"

"Gulp?!"

"And what did everyone say when I received this armor? They said it was cool, impressive, right? So, Uncle Lucas wearing this armor will be enjoyable too, right?"

Evangeline's green eyes glinted menacingly, as if implying Lucas should experience the same humiliation she had.

Standing in front of the musty-smelling Bone Armor, Lucas trembled. I patted him on the back reassuringly.

"We're going deep in today's exploration. Just wear it for today, Lucas."

"Groan...!"

Lucas, conflicted, eventually shivered and put on the Bone Armor.

'Wow.'

He had always had the vibe of a sleek, cool city knight, but wearing the Bone Armor, he suddenly transformed... like a primitive ancient jungle bandit.

I muttered under my breath, without realizing.

"Clothes do make a huge difference..."

"Pffft!"

Unable to hold back, Evangeline burst into laughter, while Damien and Junior, their faces turning red, desperately tried to contain their giggles.

Holding the helmet made from the skull of a dragon species, Lucas looked at me with pleading eyes. I nodded emphatically.

"Performance first!"

Does being fashionable save lives? Performance is the top priority!

Ultimately, donning the bone helmet, Lucas transformed into a menacing figure, totally unfitting for a blond-haired, blue-eyed protagonist.

Moreover, since the armor was originally worn by Evangeline, it was a bit tight even after adjusting the size...

'If we had dressed him like this during the <Protect the Empire> broadcast, viewers would have gone crazy.'

I may not be the most fashion-savvy, but even I can tell.

This is... a pervert look...

"...I'm sorry, Evangeline."

Realizing my mistake too late, I apologized quietly, and Evangeline smiled sweetly, whispering.

"It's okay. Seeing Uncle Lucas like this makes it all forgivable."

Eventually, Lucas, fully clad in the Bone Armor, was now unmistakably angry. He drew his sword in one swift motion and roared.

"For my lord, this Lucas...! I will willingly become even more wretched!"

I thought to myself, there's no way he could look worse than this...

I kept that thought to myself as Lucas continued to bellow tearfully.

"Who is the monster we're facing this time?! I will kill them all-!"

***

The monster legion of Stage 24 was already confirmed by other parties' independent explorations.

The Bird Monster Legion.

It was time for the return of the flying monster legion.

"These creatures might be called birds, but their behavior is more like a swarm of locusts."

Entering deeper into the dungeon, I explained the ecology and habits of the Bird Monster Legion.

"They're a flock of giant magic-mutated birds that devour every living thing in their path."

They're tough, big, have regenerative abilities, and most importantly, fast.

The fastest of all flying monsters.

They don't have specific resistances like gargoyles or lesser dragons, but their ability to 'fly' and 'speed' alone make them a formidable enemy.

"So, let's break a dungeon today and get a feel for how to deal with these creatures."

Entering Dungeon Zone 7, I continued my explanation.

"This time, we're heading to a small-scale dungeon in Zone 7."

Among the dungeons in Zone 7, it's the smallest, with a maximum entry limit of five people.

With our current elite team of five, we should be able to clear it without too much difficulty.

Still, to be cautious, I briefed everyone on the tactics I had prepared to face them, and we entered the dungeon.

Caw! Caw!

Crash! Flap-flap!

For some reason, as soon as the Bird Monsters saw us, they frantically fled in terror.

"What's going on? Why are they acting like this?"

Confused, we caught them one by one, and slowly, we realized.

The Bird Monsters weren't afraid of us.

They were terrified of Lucas...

"Why...?"

Lucas trembled, wondering.

"Do I look so monstrous that even the monsters are scared of me...?"

Sure, the sight was a bit distressing, but it shouldn't have this effect...

Pondering, I suddenly exclaimed, realizing the reason.

"Now that I think about it, the Bone Armor is made from the bones of a Red Dragon subspecies."

I remembered Kellibey explaining this when Evangeline received the armor.

"And hundreds of years ago, it was the Red Dragons who caused the extinction of the Bird Monster Legion."

"Ah...!"

In other words, a natural predator. A predator that had caused their kind's extinction. The armor, made from the bones of a Red Dragon...

"That's why they're shivering and fleeing at the mere sight of you in that armor."

The Bone Armor had an unexpected utility.

What was initially just a joke (and for Evangeline to tease Lucas) turned out to be an incredibly effective item in the battle against the Bird Monster Legion.

It was so useful that Lucas couldn't complain or throw tantrums about wearing it any longer.

"Raaaaaah!"

Lucas roared, fiercely slashing through the fleeing Bird Monsters. We quietly followed behind.

'This exploration is quite easy...'

Thus, we managed to cleanly clear one of the dungeons in Zone 7 without much difficulty.

***

"We have some time left than I expected."

Checking my pocket watch, I was deep in thought.

Both the Magical Goblin Room and this dungeon were cleared much faster than anticipated. We still had plenty of time and energy left in our party.

"Should we do a bit more scouting?"

"Let's do it!"

"It's too early to return when we're still so energetic."

The other party members agreed, and I too, wanting to make the most of our elite party, decided to conduct a bit more reconnaissance deep in the dungeon.

That was a mistake.

Exiting the safe zone of the cleared dungeon and entering the dark alleys of Zone 7, after about five minutes of walking...

Suddenly, Evangeline, who was leading with a torch, slowly stopped.

"Evangeline?"

I asked, puzzled. She scanned the surroundings with furrowed brows and whispered.

"Doesn't something feel off?"

"What?"

"The darkness..."

At that moment, I felt a breeze against my cheek.

"...It's too thick."

Hooo-

It sounded like someone exhaling a cold breath.

And then, the next moment.

Flick.

Out went the torch.

Not just the torch. The lantern held by another party member, and even the unfailing blue flame torch in my hand...

All of them.

In the last two years, since we started entering these dungeons, our lights had never gone out... until now, they all disappeared.

In that instant, I suddenly remembered.

The advice Nameless gave when we first came to this dungeon.

- Never, ever, extinguish the fire.

The world lost its light.

"Oh no, don't-"

Before I could finish my sentence,

Ssshhh!

From all around us, the tangible, suffocating darkness... surged towards us like a tidal wave.