The party moved deeper into the dungeon.
Stone corridors twisted like veins through a dead body. Torches burned with green flame. The air grew heavier with every step.
Levi walked in front, gunblade resting casually on his shoulder. Wiz followed close behind, calm as always. Yunyun covered the rear, staff ready. Aqua walked in the middle, humming to herself like this was a casual stroll.
They reached a side chamber.
Levi pushed the door open.
Inside — a single treasure chest, sitting neatly in the center of the room.
Aqua's eyes sparkled instantly.
"Treasure!" she shouted, already running forward.
Levi grabbed the back of her collar without even looking, stopping her mid-charge.
"Trap," he said flatly.
Aqua kicked her legs in the air like a captured cat.
"But it's shiny!"
The chest lid suddenly snapped open by itself.
A long, wet tongue shot out, lined with tiny needle teeth, whipping toward Levi's face.
Levi didn't flinch.
He raised his gunblade and fired three shots in rapid succession.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Each bullet was wrapped in compressed water magic.
The tongue exploded into splashes and chunks, splattering against the stone.
A horrible screech came from inside the chest.
Then a full creature crawled out — a mimic. Wooden body, rows of teeth, one giant eye rolling in its socket.
Aqua screamed.
Yunyun screamed too — but raised her staff.
"Thunderbolt!"
Lightning slammed into the mimic. Its body convulsed, wood cracking and burning.
Wiz lifted one hand.
"Dark Binding."
Black chains burst from the floor, wrapping the mimic in place.
Levi stepped forward, calm and precise.
One clean swing of the gunblade.
The mimic split in half and collapsed into harmless splinters.
Silence returned.
Aqua slowly relaxed in Levi's grip.
"…That was cool," she whispered.
Levi let go of her collar.
"Don't touch random chests," he said. "Ever."
Aqua puffed her cheeks.
"But treasure—"
"If it's real treasure, it'll still be there after we confirm it's not alive."
Wiz smiled softly.
"That was very smooth teamwork."
Yunyun nodded quickly.
"Y-yeah! We did great!"
From the remains of the mimic, a small glowing crystal rolled onto the floor.
Levi picked it up.
"Monster core," he said. "Nice drop."
Aqua leaned in.
"Can I have it?"
Levi looked at her.
"No."
Aqua collapsed dramatically to the floor.
"Life is suffering."
Levi stepped past her.
"Come on. We're not done."
And deeper in the dungeon, something old and sealed felt the vibrations of battle… and stirred.
The group kept moving deeper through the dungeon.
Their footsteps echoed against stone. The green flames flickered like they were watching.
Aqua glanced up at Levi as they walked.
"So… what exactly is the mission again?"
Levi didn't break stride.
"Explore the dungeon. Confirm monster types. Measure threat level. Return to the guild with accurate information."
Aqua blinked.
"So… we're not here to beat the dungeon?"
"No."
"Not to kill the boss?"
"No."
"Not to get rich?"
Levi paused just long enough to look at her.
"We are not here to clear it."
Aqua looked genuinely offended.
"Then why did I emotionally prepare for glory?"
Wiz chuckled softly.
"Because you're Aqua."
Yunyun added carefully,
"It's a reconnaissance quest. If the dungeon is too dangerous, stronger parties will handle it later."
Aqua crossed her arms.
"That's boring."
Levi replied calmly.
"That's survival."
Aqua pouted but stayed close anyway.
They turned another corner.
The corridor ahead was different now. The walls were smoother. The carvings returned — larger, deeper, more deliberate.
And the air… felt heavier.
Wiz slowed again.
"Levi-san…" she said quietly.
He stopped beside her.
The carving ahead showed a massive coiled dragon surrounding a sealed door. Runes glowed faintly — old, powerful, and still active.
Yunyun swallowed.
"…This is definitely not low-level undead dungeon design."
Levi studied the door.
Then he nodded once.
"Yeah," he said.
"We're leaving."
Aqua blinked.
"…Huh?"
Levi turned back the way they came.
"Threat level exceeds quest parameters. Recon complete."
Aqua grabbed his sleeve.
"But we just got here!"
"And we just confirmed it's dangerous," Levi said. "Mission accomplished."
Aqua stared at him.
Then smiled.
"...You're a responsible adventurer. That's weird."
Levi sighed.
"Let's go before whatever's behind that door wakes up."
They began walking back.
Behind them, the runes pulsed once.
Like a heartbeat.
And something ancient inside the dungeon smiled.
The group made their way back to the guild.
By the time they pushed open the heavy doors, Aqua was still sulking, Yunyun looked relieved to be alive, and Wiz hummed softly like nothing unusual had happened.
They walked straight to the counter.
Luna greeted them with her usual professional smile.
"Welcome back. Report?"
Levi placed his hand on the counter.
"Explored the outer and mid-layers. Monsters are no longer primarily undead. Mimics present. Advanced magical architecture. Active ancient sealing runes. Deep-layer threat confirmed."
He paused.
"We withdrew before triggering a boss encounter."
Luna immediately pulled out a notebook and began writing fast.
"Runes still active… non-undead population… sealed core…"
She finished, then closed the notebook with a decisive tap.
"Understood."
She looked up.
"Based on this report, the dungeon classification is raised to A++ Rank."
Aqua's eyes widened.
"A++?! That's super high!"
Yunyun whispered,
"That means even veteran parties can die in there…"
Wiz smiled politely.
"Good call leaving early, Levi-san."
Luna nodded in agreement.
"Excellent judgment. Thanks to your restraint, we didn't lose an adventuring party today."
Aqua leaned on the counter.
"...So do we still get paid?"
Levi answered before Luna could.
"Yes."
Aqua instantly brightened.
"Then this mission was perfect."
Levi looked at her.
"...You emotionally prepared for glory."
She grinned.
"And got paid anyway."
Wiz giggled.
Yunyun tried not to laugh and failed.
Luna shook her head with fond amusement.
"Welcome to the guild life."
And somewhere far below the city, in the sealed heart of the dungeon…
Something turned in its sleep.
Waiting.
Later that night, in Levi's underwater mansion.
The deep sea outside the ocean walls glowed faintly blue, slow-moving currents casting shifting light across the marble floor.
Levi sat in his private library, one leg crossed over the other, a thick ancient tome resting open in his hands. The only sound was the soft turning of pages… and Aqua sipping juice way too loudly.
Wiz, Aqua, and Yunyun were gathered around him.
Yes — they lived here now.
Wiz technically still owned her shop and house on the surface… but she preferred staying close to Levi. It felt safer. Warmer. Less lonely.
Aqua claimed it was way better than sharing a tiny inn room with Kazuma.
Yunyun admitted, very quietly, that Levi didn't charge rent. Unlike her apartment. Which absolutely did.
Levi didn't mind.
He didn't even question it.
Because this was Konosuba. Logic had long since drowned.
Aqua sat comfortably on Levi's lap, leaning back like she owned the throne of Atlantis.
Wiz sat on the right chair, hands folded politely, feet not quite touching the floor.
Yunyun sat on the left, posture straight, trying very hard not to look nervous.
It had become their usual arrangement.
Levi flipped another page.
Then paused.
His blue eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Found it."
The others leaned in.
On the page was an illustration — a massive coiled dragon encircling a sealed door. Its body formed a perfect ring. Its eye was drawn as a single vertical slit.
Exactly the same symbol they had seen in the dungeon.
Levi traced the picture with one finger.
Then read aloud.
"Symbol of the Dragon of the Deep."
Silence settled over the room.
Yunyun swallowed.
"A… dragon seal?"
Wiz tilted her head.
"I've heard legends… but I thought they were just sailor stories."
Aqua squinted at the page.
"...Is it evil?"
Levi turned the next page slowly.
"We'll find out."
And somewhere, far beneath the ocean floor…
Something ancient stirred.
Levi's eyes moved slowly across the text.
He began to read aloud.
"Those who sail the seven seas.
Those who wish to win a battle upon the sea.
Those who seek to guard their treasure.
Pray to the Dragon of the Deep…
And when the time comes,
your prayers shall be answered."
His voice was steady. Quiet. Serious.
Aqua leaned forward on his lap, blinking.
"…That sounds suspiciously like a boss fight invitation."
Wiz hugged her hat nervously.
"Or… a pact. Ancient sea spirits often demand a price."
Yunyun raised a hand slightly, like she was in class.
"Um… Levi? Does the book say what happens if someone prays to it?"
Levi turned the page.
His expression didn't change.
But his tail swayed once, slow and thoughtful.
"We're about to find out."
Levi continued reading.
"Those who break the Dragon's pact…
Or pray with wicked intent.
Attacking the innocent.
Stealing treasure not theirs.
Or refusing to return a piece of treasure to the ocean…
Shall be dragged deep down,
into the Dragon's Locker,
for all of eternity."
The words sat heavy in the quiet library.
Aqua froze mid-sip.
Yunyun looked pale.
Wiz whispered,
"…That's horrifying."
Levi closed the book halfway.
Thought 'That sounds like Davy Jones from One Piece.'
He didn't say it out loud.
Because explaining anime references to medieval fantasy people never went well.
Aqua, however, squinted at him.
"…Why do you look like you just made a joke in your head?"
Levi reopened the book.
"We don't steal ocean treasure."
Wiz nodded quickly.
"Agreed."
Yunyun nodded even faster.
Aqua slowly raised her hand.
"…What if someone accidentally loots a chest underwater?"
Everyone turned toward her.
Aqua smiled nervously.
"…Asking for a friend."
Levi patted her head.
"We'll cross that ocean when we get there."
Wiz looked at Levi.
"Should we keep reading?"
Levi flipped the page once.
Then another.
"No. The next pages are just instructions for a ritual. It's how to gain the Dragon of the Deep's approval."
Aqua leaned over his shoulder, eyes wide.
"…Ritual as in candles and chanting?"
Yunyun whispered,
"…And possibly sacrificing something?"
Wiz fidgeted with her hat.
"…And possibly summoning something that shouldn't be summoned?"
Levi closed the book with a soft thud.
"We're not doing it."
Instant relief spread across the room.
Aqua relaxed.
"Great! I like staying un-cursed."
Yunyun nodded.
"I also enjoy not being dragged into eternal sea prisons."
Wiz gave a small, warm smile.
"And I'd rather not add 'ancient sea dragon wrath' to my list of worries."
Levi placed the book on the shelf.
"Still… we know it exists now."
His eyes flicked once toward the dark ocean outside the glass walls.
"And knowledge tends to attract trouble."
A distant whale call echoed through the water.
Long.
Low.
Like a warning.
Later that night.
Aqua stood on the balcony of the underwater mansion, hands resting on the railing. Outside the massive glass wall, schools of glowing fish drifted past, slow and peaceful.
Levi walked up beside her and leaned against the railing. Neither of them spoke for a moment. Only the soft hum of the underwater barrier and the distant songs of strange sea creatures filled the silence.
Aqua hugged her arms lightly.
"…That dungeon," she said at last. "It felt wrong."
Levi glanced at her.
"Yeah."
She looked up at him, blue eyes unusually serious.
"My powers didn't work properly. That never happens. Even in weird places, I can at least feel my divinity. But down there…" She hesitated. "…It felt like something was staring at me from far away. Like the ocean does."
Levi's expression sharpened a little.
"You think it's connected to the Dragon of the Deep?"
Aqua nodded slowly.
"I'm a water goddess. Dragons of the sea, deep ocean spirits, ancient marine gods… they're in the same domain as me. Not the same rank, but… overlapping." She puffed her cheeks slightly. "Which means I should've felt familiar. But instead it felt… old. Too old."
Levi rested his arms on the railing.
"Old things in this world usually mean trouble."
Aqua giggled softly.
"But you love trouble. That's why you walked straight into a creepy dungeon without blinking."
Levi smirked.
"Occupational habit."
Silence again.
Then Aqua leaned her head against his shoulder.
A gentle, simple motion. No teasing. No flirting. Just warmth.
"…Thanks for letting me stay here," she murmured. "I know I'm annoying."
Levi didn't look at her, but he didn't move away either.
"…You're useful," he said flatly.
Aqua smiled, eyes closing.
"Yeah. I am."
She watched them in silence.
"Couldn't sleep?"
Aqua turned her head.
Levi stood behind her, hair white as sea foam, eyes reflecting the deep blue outside.
"Yes," she said simply.
For once, no whining.
No bragging.
No dramatics.
Just Aqua. Quiet.
And the ocean listened.
Aqua looked at Levi. "Do you think the Dragon is evil?"
Levi looked at her.
"Evil? No. Ancient? Yes."
Aqua swung her legs gently, watching a school of glowing fish drift past the glass.
"Ancient things are always scary though. They don't think like people. Or gods. They just… exist."
Levi nodded once.
"Ancient beings don't care about good or evil. They care about rules. Contracts. Promises."
Aqua shivered a little.
"And that book said something about pacts… and dragging people to the bottom of the sea forever."
Levi glanced at her.
"Which means one thing."
Aqua looked up.
"…There's probably someone stupid enough to try the ritual."
Levi smirked.
"In this world? Definitely."
Aqua sighed and rested her chin on her knees.
"Great. Another disaster waiting to happen. Just what I needed."
Levi bumped her shoulder lightly with his.
"You'll handle it."
She blinked.
"You have a lot of faith in me."
"I've seen you flood a town," Levi said. "I respect your destructive potential."
Aqua gasped.
"That was ONE TIME."
Levi deadpanned.
"One very expensive time."
Aqua pouted, then suddenly hugged his arm.
"But if a big scary sea dragon shows up… you'll fight it, right?"
Levi raised an eyebrow.
"You asking me to slay an ancient ocean dragon?"
"…Maybe?" Aqua said, eyes sparkling just a little.
Levi sighed.
"If it becomes a problem, I'll deal with it."
Aqua smiled softly and leaned against him again.
Outside the glass, the deep water shifted.
Far below, in a place no light reached, something enormous stirred.
And somewhere in the dark—
A low, distant breath echoed like rolling tides.
To be continued
Hope people like this Ch here and give me power stones