The dungeon interior still had flames raging everywhere.
If I lose the flame immunity shared from Isil, I’ll become a nicely roasted snake.
Fortunately, the rain of fire soon stopped.
“Halting… incineration… procedure.”
Perhaps due to the extreme heat.
Even the magic spirit’s voice was distorted.
‘Now, need to find if there’s a passage somewhere around here.’
“Right, better find it quickly.”
Pelerian said so.
I looked at him dully, thinking he was rushing me to find it quickly, but Pelerian shook his head.
“No, I mean literally better find it quickly. Isn’t it hot?”
‘Huh?’
I realized what he meant.
Though the fire was out, the interior was still hot. The stones had heated up, making it like the inside of a furnace.
The moment I lose flame immunity, I’ll start cooking immediately.
Though my heat resistance isn’t low so I could endure somewhat, it would only be briefly.
But the situation went from bad to worse.
“Moving to… explosion… procedure.”
After cleanly incinerating the interior, it completely collapses the dungeon.
As expected, Pelerian was a thorough and meticulous fairy.
Need to quickly find the underground space.
“Try magic detection. If space was secretly made underground, it must have been built using magic.”
Using magic detection, there were things visible.
But blue and red lines were mixed everywhere, making it hard to discern.
‘There’s a square thing with blue lines drawn in a grid!’
“Seems there’s a panel underneath.”
Ash was piled thickly on the floor.
I hastily used wind magic, and immediately regretted it.
“Kelsaak!”
The scattered ash made me sneeze and my eyes stung.
“Making quite a fuss!”
Quickly sprayed water.
Chiiik!
The ash settled but the water instantly evaporated into steam.
A dangerous situation where I could barely see ahead.
But, when the ash was washed away from the floor, something was revealed.
Fairy language.
I read it stumblingly.
‘My… coffin?’
The dungeon’s name is ‘Tombstone’.
Naturally, there should be a coffin buried under a tombstone.
“That’s the door!”
There was a square iron block on the floor.
Looking at the ring that could be pulled, it seems to be a door, but ash was packed tightly in the door gap making it impossible to open.
I wedged the dagger Dawn into the door handle.
Then bit firmly on Dawn’s handle and started pulling.
Kigik, kigigik…
Just as it seemed it might open.
At that moment my magic power ran out.
Actually, I was fine, but Isil collapsed first.
「Sync lv2 interrupted」
「Sharing of Flame Immunity lv- interrupted」
The heat made all my scales shrivel.
Feels like someone suddenly pushed me into boiling hot springs.
I held my breath.
I’ll surely die if this drags on too long.
I pulled the door handle with all my might.
Isil also extended vines to help.
Honestly, it didn’t help at all.
But it’s cute so it’s fine.
Kiiii-
Finally the door opened.
“Explo…sion.”
Kwaang!
This time there was no friendly countdown.
The moment I heard the explosion sound, I jumped through the opened floor door.
Didn’t forget to close the door.
Seems there was originally a ladder going down but I just fell.
Got caught somewhere, slid down with a clatter, and landed.
Kugugugugung-
Tremendous vibrations and explosion sounds echoed from above.
That tall stone tower must be collapsing.
The ground shook so much I felt like throwing up.
Honestly, I worried this underground space might collapse too.
But fortunately that didn’t happen.
Seems this underground space was made to withstand the dungeon’s collapse.
The collapse finally stopped after a while.
If the stone tower collapsed completely, how do we get out of here?
Such worry came briefly, but that’s a matter for later.
First need to look around inside.
I slowly entered further in.
Creak.
Started at the sensation felt from the floor.
Wood.
Seems the floor was made of wood.
This is a rare method in Pelerian’s dungeon.
‘Can’t see well ahead.’
Though I have night vision, I just came from where flames were flashing.
Some lighting would be nice.
So I rummaged through spatial storage and took out a candle.
Who gave it to me, was it Amain, or Dunkel?
「Using Basic Elemental Magic: Fire lv8」
Lit it with a small flame.
With no magic power, this was the limit.
If this place is safe, I want to evolve quickly.
Then magic power would become more abundant too.
This time I’m definitely evolving into a serpent.
Just imagining it made my chest feel grand.
“Haah.”
Who’s sighing so deeply!
Of course it was Pelerian.
“He copied exactly how my house looked.”
He was evaluating the interior of this place.
‘House?’
“Yes, my house in the Great Forest.”
Pelerian must have lived in the Great Forest in the past too.
Though he was driven out and could never set foot in his homeland again.
This space seemed made while reminiscing about his house that was there.
In other words, it was a very personal space.
The signal transmitted from the dungeon’s control room extended to this underground.
Then could Pelerian have been hiding and living here…
“Saak!”
I almost dropped the candle in surprise.
Ahead, there was a chair.
And it seemed someone had their arm resting on the chair.
‘It’s a corpse!’
It was a corpse with only bones remaining.
It’s Pelerian. Must be Pelerian!
“Heo, heoheoeok!”
“Saaak!”
Pelerian must have been surprised too, as he froze in a strange pose.
Meeting bones in darkness was honestly scary.
Didn’t have the courage to approach.
“What are you… ! Quickly go closer.”
‘Ugh…’
Had no choice but to go closer due to Pelerian’s urging.
And getting closer, I could tell.
‘Only the arm. Only the arm remains?’
From here, only arm bones were visible.
Going closer, rather than a corpse, there was just one arm bone placed on the chair.
And in its grip was a dirty crystal ball.
“It’s a receiver!”
So that was the receiver for experimental information.
Then this arm’s owner was anyway…
“My bracelet and jewelry. It’s, it’s my arm indeed.”
It was Pelerian’s own arm.
But why was only the arm here without other parts?
I checked the desk.
Several odds and ends were placed there where dust had piled thickly.
A golden key of unique shape.
And, a diary bound in black leather.
I carefully opened the diary first.
Complex fairy language was written.
Pelerian and I slowly read it and.
“Heo.”
Yes.
We couldn’t help but be surprised.
