Chapter 102 - enter to the boss room
Luna came closer and looked at me curiously.
"Oh, what was that?"
"How did it kill that monster with a single shot?"
I smiled.
"It’s called Abyss."
Luna tilted her head.
"Abyss?"
"What is that?"
I scratched my head before explaining.
"It’s something I created by combining Space and Darkness."
"It can deal soul damage, and it absorbs the surrounding energy to become stronger."
"But..."
I gave her a sheepish smile.
"I can’t control it yet."
"And even that small bullet almost completely drained my mana."
Luna’s expression immediately became more concerned.
"That sounds really powerful."
"But if you can’t control it properly, you shouldn’t use it carelessly."
"Especially on a battlefield."
"You could end up hurting yourself."
I smiled at her.
"Yeah."
"I’ll be careful."
By now, all the dragoid monsters had been defeated.
Amy and Elena had taken down four of them together, while Isabella had already killed one and was watching the remaining battle closely.
I looked around the ruins with renewed excitement.
"Hey..."
"Now that we defeated the monsters..."
"There should be some loot, right?"
My eyes sparkled.
After getting permission from Isabella, Luna and I immediately began searching the surrounding ruins.
We found several strange objects and ancient writings carved into the walls.
Unfortunately, neither of us could understand the language.
So we simply moved on.
Luna looked at me curiously.
"So, what exactly are you searching for?"
I gave her a sheepish smile.
"Loot."
"What else?"
"It’s more fun when you don’t know what you’re going to find."
Luna nodded.
"That’s true."
We continued searching.
We checked broken rooms.
Old storage areas.
Collapsed corners.
Even places that looked like they might be hiding something.
But unfortunately...
We found nothing.
Not even a single coin.
Eventually, we discovered another door leading deeper into the ruins.
I stared at it with disappointment.
"What a bummer..."
Luna sighed beside me.
"Yeah."
"We didn’t find anything."
We returned to Isabella’s side.
The moment she saw our miserable expressions, she couldn’t help laughing softly.
"Oh?"
"What happened?"
"You two look like someone stole something from you."
She covered her mouth slightly.
"You really are a good match."
"You even have the same reactions."
Luna and I immediately became embarrassed and looked away.
Unfortunately, Amy noticed.
"Look at them!"
"They’re even getting embarrassed at the same time!"
She laughed.
Elena joined her.
"So what did you two find?"
"Why do you look so disappointed?"
Luna answered honestly.
"We didn’t find anything."
"Just some stupid ancient writing."
I added,
"And another door leading to the next chamber."
"What a bummer."
"They could at least leave some gold behind."
Luna nodded seriously.
"Yeah."
The others laughed again.
Isabella shook her head with an amused smile.
"If you want gold, I can give you as much as you want."
"Just say the word."
Luna and I immediately looked at her seriously.
"That isn’t the point."
"We came here to find treasure."
"Finding it ourselves is what makes it fun."
Luna nodded.
"Exactly."
Isabella smiled and walked over before gently patting both of our heads.
"Alright, alright."
"Let’s move on."
"Who knows?"
"Maybe all the treasure is waiting in the final chamber."
"Wouldn’t that make it even more exciting?"
Luna and I looked at each other.
For a moment, neither of us said anything.
Then our eyes slowly lit up again.
"Hm..."
"When you put it that way..."
"That does sound more exciting."
Luna nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah!"
"Let’s go!"
She immediately started moving toward the next chamber.
Isabella quickly raised a hand.
"Hey, wait."
"Don’t rush."
"We should recover our mana first."
Luna stopped.
I also stopped.
Only then did I realize something.
I was the only one standing near the edge of my mana reserves.
I awkwardly scratched my cheek.
"...Hehe."
Luna glanced at me.
Then she laughed softly.
She knew exactly how excited I had been.
And seeing me suddenly standing there awkwardly after running myself nearly dry only made her laugh more.
After that, we found a suitable place to rest.
Isabella used her Platinum Affinity to create several comfortable seats for everyone.
Her control was impressive.
I had heard from the Empress that Isabella possessed an SSS-rank talent, making her one of the most talented members of the younger generation.
She was also hardworking and responsible.
It was easy to understand why so many people viewed her as a suitable successor to the throne.
While we were resting, Amy suddenly looked toward me.
"Hey, brat."
"Bring out the good food."
I looked at her suspiciously.
"What food?"
Amy smirked.
"Oh, don’t pretend."
"I know you have enough food stored away to feed a small village."
I sighed.
I already knew there was no point arguing.
"Fine."
"What do you want?"
She immediately smiled.
"Something you made."
"Do you still have those cupcakes?"
Isabella raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"You can cook too?"
Elena and Luna both nodded.
"He can."
"His cupcakes are really good."
I reached into my Space Storage and brought out a large container filled with cupcakes.
But before I could even open it—
Amy snatched the container from my hands.
"Hey!"
"I haven’t even opened it yet!"
She completely ignored me.
I sighed and turned toward Isabella.
"What would you like to drink?"
"I have almost everything."
"Just no alcohol."
Isabella thought for a moment.
"Do you have passion fruit?"
I nodded immediately.
"Of course."
"I packed almost everything before we left."
"You never know what you might need."
I took out several passion fruits and offered them to everyone.
Amy created glasses from Ice.
We poured the juice into them.
The moment I took a sip, I couldn’t help smiling.
Drinking something cold from an ice glass made it taste even better.
Isabella also used her Platinum Affinity to create handles around the glasses so they were easier to hold without freezing our hands.
It was a small gesture, but everyone appreciated it.
Soon, the conversation became more relaxed.
The cupcakes disappeared surprisingly quickly.
Luna smiled.
"These really are good."
Elena nodded enthusiastically.
"I could eat these all day."
Even Isabella smiled after taking another bite.
"They’re delicious."
Amy, meanwhile, was already reaching for another one.
I stared at her.
"You know..."
"You could leave some for everyone else."
She looked at me innocently.
"I am leaving some."
I looked at the rapidly empty container.
"...Right."
Everyone laughed.
We continued eating, drinking, and talking while our mana gradually recovered.
For a while, we simply enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere.
Eventually, Isabella stood up.
"Alright."
"Everyone should be recovered by now."
She looked toward the next chamber.
"Let’s continue."
We packed everything away.
Then we approached the massive door leading deeper into the ruins.
Isabella carefully checked the surroundings before giving us a nod.
"Stay close."
She opened the door.
The passage beyond was dark and silent.
One by one, we stepped through.
And together...
We entered the next chamber of the ancient ruins.
The moment we stepped inside, everyone stopped.
This chamber was completely different from the previous ones.
It was enormous.
Massive stone pillars stood throughout the room, their surfaces covered in dust and age. Torches burned along the walls, illuminating the vast chamber with flickering light.
And at the center of it all...
A massive Minotaur was sitting on the ground.
Its enormous battle axe rested beside it.
The creature appeared to be guarding something.
I immediately understood that this wasn’t an ordinary room.
Isabella raised her hand, stopping everyone.
"Come closer."
"We need to discuss our next step."
We gathered around her.
Isabella glanced toward the Minotaur before speaking.
"It seems this is the main chamber of these ruins."
"And that creature is guarding it."
She pointed toward the massive Minotaur.
"If we want to reach the treasure room, we’ll have to defeat it."
"There’s no other way."
She paused before continuing.
"I studied ruins like this before."
"To open the treasure room, we need the gem embedded in that creature’s head."
"Once we obtain it, we should be able to unlock the treasure room."
Everyone listened carefully.
Isabella then looked toward Amy and Elena.
"You two will fight alongside me."
"Support me whenever you have the opportunity."
Then she turned toward Luna and me.
"You two are still weaker than us."
"So don’t engage that creature directly."
"Stay in the back and support us with magic."
"Distract it."
"Target its weaknesses whenever you see an opening."
"And most importantly..."
"Don’t get involved in close combat."
Luna and I nodded.
Neither of us objected.
We already knew the difference in strength between us and Isabella, Amy, and Elena.
"Don’t worry."
"We won’t interfere directly."
"We’ll focus on supporting you."
Isabella nodded with satisfaction.
"Good."
She looked at everyone one last time.
"Don’t get hurt."
"And don’t underestimate that creature."
"It’s strong."
She glanced toward the sleeping Minotaur.
"Let’s take the first shot while it’s still unaware of us."
"Once we attack..."
"We enter the battlefield."
Then her gaze shifted toward me.
"Gray."
"I saw what you did to the Dragoid earlier."
"Don’t use that attack again."
"It drained far too much of your mana."
"If you use it here, you’ll put yourself at a massive disadvantage for the rest of the battle."
I nodded immediately.
"Understood, Sister Isabella."
Isabella looked at everyone once more.
No one disagreed.
Everyone was prepared to follow her instructions.
A satisfied smile appeared on her face.
"Alright."
"Let’s begin."