What an Absolutely Awesome Dungeon That Was!
“Eh—i-is this... an S-rank magic stone!?”
Inside the Rivana Adventurers’ Guild, the woman with the fish-shaped hat was practically trembling as she spoke.
But that wasn’t all.
“Yes! Can you buy these too?”
“E-eh? T-these are...! W-wait, this is all A-rank monster material, isn’t it!?”
She twisted her body in shock, and the adventurers nearby all gasped in envy.
The materials were things like ears, eyes, and fangs—mainly used for crafting weapons and armor.
“I-it’ll take a little time to appraise everything, is that alright?”
“Tomorrow is fine. We’ll be in this country for a while anyway.”
“T-thank you so much! I’ll go prepare the paperwork, s-so please wait just a moment!”
This high-energy lady was kinda refreshing to deal with.
In the end, we spent around four hours exploring Elmirah’s mansion dungeon.
We cleared every room on the first and second floors.
Each room had a different theme. Some were simple one-room types, while others were absurdly massive—clearly defying the laws of physics.
The monsters we encountered were all ones we didn’t recognize, but Aqua uncovered the reason why.
“Who would’ve thought... ancient monsters were still alive in there.”
Just like Milfie said, they were all ancient species—monsters that are extinct in the present day.
Aqua suggested they probably existed back when Elmirah was still alive.
That’s likely why nobody in Rivana recognized any of them.
The dungeon just kept getting more mysterious, but Elmirah had probably already unraveled it all. She really was an incredible Archmage.
“If it weren’t for Aqua, we wouldn’t have figured any of that out.”
“I only remembered what the elven elders taught me. The amazing one is you, Mister Tabito, with your guide lens. It could even tell us monsters’ weaknesses and ecosystems... I was honestly stunned.”
There’s an old adventurer saying: Don’t engage unknown monsters.
Nowadays, slimes are famous for being weak, but apparently they were once considered S-rank monsters. Because physical attacks didn’t work on them at all.
But with my guide lens, I could identify everything. Though really, it’s just as amazing that everyone could instantly act on what I said.
Still, the MVP this time was definitely Bridget.
No matter what monster we faced, she charged in without hesitation and unleashed devastating attacks.
S-rank, through and through.
“Tabito, I’ll deliver the dungeon report to Princess Eltia. She should still be awake around this time.”
“Then I’ll come too. I couldn’t possibly leave it all to you—”
“No need to worry about it. Actually, I just want to linger in the afterglow a bit longer.”
“Afterglow...?”
Bridget, usually so composed, scratched her cheek a little awkwardly.
“I’ve always had pride in being an adventurer. But somewhere deep down... I think I’d gotten bored. Today reminded me. Exploring with comrades—that’s what I truly loved all along.”
Hearing that made me really happy too.
Yeah, I kind of forgot we were even in a dungeon—it just felt like a fun group expedition.
We hadn’t completely conquered it yet, but I was confident we’d wiped out enough monsters to keep any from escaping.
And there was one more thing.
“Are you sure about this? Once we make Elmirah’s mansion dungeon public, it’s gonna cause a massive stir among adventurers.”
At first, we planned to conquer the ancient dungeon ourselves in secret.
But eventually we talked it over and decided to share it instead.
We weren’t going to stay in Rivana forever. Others would need to defeat monsters inside to keep the ecosystem stable.
And above all, we knew tons of people would want to see Elmirah’s mansion.
According to Aqua, Elmirah wasn’t just a legendary mage—she was a hero recognized worldwide.
She probably created the guidebook because, like me, she wanted to bring joy to fellow travel lovers.
She must have had a huge fanbase.
Of course, there’s a benefit in it for me too.
I got permission to include the dungeon in my guide map. If I publish all the monster ecosystem data, adventurers will definitely buy it.
Since they’ve never seen any of these monsters, it’ll help prevent injuries—and boost my profits.
And exploring the mansion let me learn more about Elmirah herself.
Her home was both an art museum and a theme park.
It’s just my guess, but I think she must’ve been someone who really loved fun.
So I want everyone to experience that.
Also, my guide map grows more detailed the more reviews it receives.
Elmirah’s mansion dungeon is incredibly complex. It even has puzzle elements.
You can’t conquer it with just the map alone.
That’s why I want other people to dive in too—so they can handle the tough parts while I scoop up the rewards.
Maybe it’s a bit sneaky... but even if it doesn’t work out, at least my name will get around.
Maybe someone who remembers the old me—like Aqua did—will find me again.
“Well then, until next time. —Milfie, I’ll be counting on you again, partner.”
“Same here! Miss Bridget!”
The two frontliners seemed even more in sync now.
They bumped fists in a totally cool, heated moment.
“Mokyu!”
“Huh? You get how I feel too?”
Pin nodded atop my head.
Though I guess all the running around tired him out—Pin looked sleepy.
“Mokyuuu...”
“Gonna sleep?”
Somehow, I felt like I understood what it was saying now.
Suddenly, he gazed at the upper-right corner of the map—and vanished, as if pulled into it.
Wait—what!? Is that like some kind of Pokémon system!?
“Is Pin okay...?”
“Mokyu?”
Pin popped its head out again—now wearing a star-shaped nightcap.
Looks like it’s super comfy.
“Good night.”
“Mokyu~”
Rubbing its eyes, Pin faded away again.
Pin looked so happy—made me smile too.
“How’d they get all those materials, anyway?”
“Never seen that party before...”
“That red-haired one was S-rank...”
Looks like we were getting way too much attention.
If we stuck around too long, it might cause trouble.
“Right. I feel sorry to Miss Bridget, but how about we have a little afterparty tonight?”
“Oooh! I’ve been dying for a drink~!”
“Unusual for you. What about you, Aqua?”
“Yes, no problem.”
Stepping outside, a fantastical view stretched before us.
Rivana at night was bathed in shimmering aqua-blue light.
It looked like we were deep beneath the ocean.
“I can’t wait to explore Rivana at night!”
“Tabito, don’t say anything weird, meow.”
“W-what do you mean?”
“I remember, you know?”
Ah yes... the infamous late-night review incident in the capital...
… Still, Rivana has me just as curious.
What do you think about this chapter?
