'It seems like I got through that safely, at least...'
I swallowed dryly as I followed behind Laila, whose bored expression from moments ago had been replaced by a serious one.
'What the hell is going on here?'
I'd just been trying to distract her to get past that awkward moment, racking my brain for anything that might work...
But who would've thought we'd end up discovering a hidden staircase in the place where I heard that weird noise?
'Tch. Is it really okay to follow her down here?'
It hadn't been intentional, but I'd successfully shifted her focus away, so my earlier rudeness seemed to have blown over...
But then, in the relief of dodging that bullet, she suddenly offered triple the pay, and before I knew it, I'd stumbled into this secret space with her.
'This place looks seriously bad news...'
One thing I'd learned rolling around this world for two years: never go anywhere that looks dangerous at first glance.
And right now, this mysterious space screamed danger.
"If we're here, then maybe even I can..."
Oblivious to my inner turmoil, Laila descended the stairs without hesitation, holding some kind of detector with a greedy gleam in her eyes that I'd never seen before.
'This is insane...'
As a fellow adventurer, even if just a lowly one, I had a pretty good idea what she was after.
I'd heard stories now and then about people stumbling upon Mythical Era ruins in distant lands and scoring incredible fortunes.
She probably hoped to snag something like that from this ominous hidden space.
I could understand her ambition as an adventurer—and as a guy—but...
'Every story like that ends with them barely surviving deadly ordeals to claim the treasure.'
Could an E-rank scrub like me really handle that kind of risk?
No way in hell.
"What? The detector reacted, but the mana inside feels totally ordinary..."
The only silver lining so far was that even after descending these stairs for what felt like ages, nothing special had shown up.
No guardian monsters, no glittering treasures, not even a trap.
Laila seemed annoyed by the lack of excitement, grumbling under her breath, but for someone like me who just wanted to keep his skin intact, it was a relief.
-Thud.
But that peaceful moment didn't last.
The endless spiral staircase finally ended, leading us into an oddly bright underground chamber.
"These are...?"
"Unbelievable. This much luminous stone...?"
Laila stared at the glowing stones embedded densely in the walls, her eyes sparkling.
From her mutterings, I gathered they absorbed natural mana and emitted light almost indefinitely...
'Fantasy world, alright.'
The only glowing rocks I knew back home were radioactive ones.
I half-listened to her excited ramblings as I took in the majestic underground cavern.
It had a completely different architectural style from the ruins above.
With my limited knowledge, I couldn't say what it was exactly, but...
'It feels like a temple.'
There was something like an altar in the center, and even though everything was crumbled, traces of religious symbols made it look just like an ancient temple.
"Not the time for gawking. Gotta check what's here..."
While I was momentarily awestruck, Laila snapped to her senses, cast her detection spell again, and headed for a nearby door.
-Thump.
"Kuh...!"
But unlike her confident approach, her progress hit a wall fast.
Several antique-style doors lined the wide hall, but they were all in poor shape—rusted solid or buried under collapsed rock piles.
The one she tugged was blocked by rubble on the other side, refusing to budge with a dull thud.
Facing the stubborn door, she pondered for a moment, then drew her staff and began chanting a spell.
"Explosio..."
"Stoooop!!"
I lunged at her desperately, blocking her staff and clamping my hand over her mouth.
She glared at me fiercely, as if protesting, but I scolded her right back, unapologetically.
"Are you insane? We're underground!"
"...Kuh..."
Was this crazy woman trying to bury us alive on purpose!?
The place was already crumbling everywhere, with rocks from collapsed walls all over, and she wanted to use an explosion spell like before?
"...Let go."
Realizing her mistake, Laila flushed red and relaxed, forcing my arm away.
She stared at me blankly for a second, lips twitching like she wanted to say something.
"...S-sor...ry..."
"Huh?"
"...D-don't do anything stupid. I wasn't really gonna cast it."
"...????"
She mumbled something, then suddenly pouted like her pride was hurt, turning away with a huff.
I hadn't expected thanks, but an apology seemed fair. Stunned, I swallowed a curse that nearly escaped.
'What a brat. Seriously...'
I glanced at my damp hand from muffling her, wiped the saliva on my clothes.
'Felt a bit of tongue there...'
Probably from interrupting her chant. It was soaked.
After drying my hand, I looked back. Having given up on magic, she was kicking the innocent door in frustration.
But the rubble-blocked door wouldn't yield no matter how hard she tried.
Finally abandoning it, she moved to others, but they were all in similar states—rusted shut, jammed, or blocked.
"...Damn it!!"
After trying every door, with zero success, she threw a tantrum before heading to the least damaged one.
It seemed sealed by magic. She drew her staff again and started chanting to dispel it.
With nothing better to do, I stood idly behind her. She focused intently, then frowned and beckoned me.
"Go stand over there. You're distracting me."
"...Okay."
"If you're bored, search the chamber. Detection spell already confirmed no traps."
She was the one who'd dragged me here, and now I was a nuisance? Absurd.
Too tired for an argument, I shrugged it off and stepped away.
So I waited... and waited.
'...How long is this gonna take?'
Hours had nearly passed, and she was still wrestling with the stubborn seal. Boredom set in deep.
Suggesting we leave would just earn me a lecture on interrupting...
'These damn glowing stones make it impossible to tell time. No idea if it's night yet.'
They shone steadily, blurring day from night. I'd pocketed a few pricey ones, though...
'But searching still scares me.'
She'd told me to look around if idle, but I'd stuck to the safe spot, doing nothing.
She claimed her detection spell ruled out traps, but...
'After she nearly buried us once, I don't fully trust her anymore...'
With my trust in her shaken, I chose sitting tight over blindly following her word.
'Starting to get hungry, too...'
Boredom was one thing, but hunger was making it unbearable.
As I debated calling out despite the backlash, a faint hallucination-like whisper brushed my ear.
[...Stomach...hun...gry.....]
"...Huh?"
I thought I'd mumbled it myself, but the eerie chill made me jump up and scan around.
That's when I spotted something I hadn't noticed before.
'What's that?'
A shattered symbol, its original shape unrecognizable.
Behind the altar-like spot, amid the rubble, a faint light different from the glowing stones leaked out.
Earlier, I wouldn't have risked it, but like I was entranced, I approached the glow.
-Clatter!!
Clearing debris on instinct, I uncovered the source of the pale light.
"A sword?"
A beautiful longsword with a reddish sheen.
Its jagged blade resembled a beast's fangs more than a sword—almost saw-like—with a deep crimson glow like living blood at the tip.
The black gem in the hilt drew the eye magnetically, and despite being crushed under rocks, the blade remained perfectly straight and smooth.
"..."
Staring entranced, I slowly reached out, pulled by some force...
"Fuck. What is this?"
I snapped out of it just before grabbing it and stepped back.
That stunning appearance, found in a shady underground chamber... it was...
'Obviously a demon sword!'
Just like those in fantasy novels and games that seduce and corrupt wielders.
Was I nuts? Grab a suspicious thing like that because it looked cool?
What if it was cursed or something?
It looked amazing, sure, but I wanted to live long.
No way I'd touch something that screamed danger...
"Don't touch it!!!"
"Eh?"
But as I fought the temptation and pulled away, a sharp voice rang from behind.
Turning, I saw...
"Huh?"
Laila, looking panicked, hurling a fireball at me without explanation.
-Boom!!!
"Gahhhh?!"
Caugh off-guard, I took the hit defenselessly, screaming as I was flung back.
-Tap.
And my fingertip brushed the red sword.