A heroine of Fanta X Aca, Lina Rosewell.
A spirit mage who handled the element of fire.
Possessed numerous area attack skills based on her attribute. In some cases, explosive single strikes were also possible.
Danya Catsnesia.
A mage of the plant element.
Mainly focused on long-range attacks using her magic bow. She seemed to have recently learned an area skill. With the heightened senses characteristic of beast people, she could serve as a guide. Various interactions were possible due to her plant element, showcasing excellent utility.
These were the two rear members of the current party.
The combination wasn’t bad.
If Danya spread out plant element attacks, and Lina’s fire attacks were added on top, an interaction called [Ignition] would occur.
At the front was Ian.
Although a mage, he always ended up tanking whenever a party was formed. His main skills involved [Extraction] and [Transformation], using items and surrounding metals. He was starting to worry that he was enjoying punching people too much.
And the newly recruited Elena from the Numina sect.
She was a priest from the Deus religion, recruited for healing and sub-tanking. Unexpectedly, she seemed capable of providing quite reliable tanking, which he was looking forward to. Her skills shown during practice with Danya and in the club room were not bad.
Of course, healer and tank characters were not popular, making them rare in reality. Elena’s presence was a big plus in many ways.
However, he discovered one concern about her…
“What if we get stuck in the dungeon and can’t get out?”
She was quite fearful, as seen during the clubroom incident.
Danya and Lina remained calm.
Having already been in Richard’s Dantian, they thought a small dungeon like this would be no problem.
‘Experience is crucial after all.’
Elena chattered without pause.
“Brother Ian. Entering the black forest at this dusky time is not a good choice. If we continue like this, even after clearing the dungeon—”
“Elena.”
“Yes, Brother Ian. Shall we prepare to return right away? I can lead the way back.”
“Ghosts take the talkative ones first. Quiet down and follow.”
“Eek!”
This was the outskirts of the Academy, commonly called the ‘Shadow Forest’.
The reason they came to this place, where Ian and Danya once dealt with a giant rabbit at the start of the semester, was simple.
The dungeon that rewarded the key to the Number 777, Mystery Box, was located here.
He quieted the chattering Elena and focused on scanning the surroundings.
It was currently five in the afternoon.
The sun was setting.
The shadow of the Magic Tower was visible beyond the Academy.
And when one connected a peak of the northern mountain range.
“This way.”
As they walked, an unexpected clearing appeared in the middle of the forest.
Three fallen trees lay around the clearing.
“Is the dungeon here? It just looks like a normal forest.”
Lina tilted her head in confusion.
Ian pointed to the three fallen trees.
“Those trees are the hint to finding the dungeon entrance. If you follow their direction, you’ll see a rabbit-shaped stone.”
“Rabbit?”
Lina tilted her head again.
“Ugh— Another rabbit? Though it was tasty.”
Danya let out a somewhat uneasy sound.
Come to think of it, they had been recharged with protein from the rabbit jerky they caught with Danya.
“Danya. It’s a rabbit-shaped stone, so you can’t eat it.” “Do I look like an idiot to you!”
Ian didn’t understand why Danya was angry at his serious advice.
“Anyway. You’ll recognize it at a glance. It’s a marker. Don’t wander too far. Walk about 300 steps, and if you don’t see it, come back here.”
“Um… What about me?”
Elena raised her hand timidly.
“Elena, either stay here or follow me. What will it be?”
“I-I’ll follow.”
“Alright. Let’s move.”
They spread out and searched for a while.
“This way!”
Danya’s voice called out.
‘… How did she get up there?’
From a large tree, Danya pointed to a spot with her finger.
“Here it is, here!”
As Danya said, there was a rabbit-shaped stone.
When he touched the area corresponding to the ears, the ground in front of the rabbit began to ripple.
Wooong—!
A strange crack appeared.
“… It’s a real dungeon?”
Lina murmured in amazement.
“And it’s a dimensional transfer type. I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Danya was equally surprised. She poked her finger in and out of the crack, then asked Ian with a serious expression.
“I’ve been wondering about something for a while now, Ian. Can I ask?”
“Sure.”
“How do you know all this stuff?”
What a sharp question.
“I read it in the library.”
“No wonder you’re always at the library… So you weren’t going there to meet that librarian.”
Lina made a remark that could cause trouble.
“By the way, how do you know I’m always at the library?”
“Hehe.”
Lina tapped the ground with the tip of her shoe, looking embarrassed.
There were many things Ian wanted to point out, but entering the dungeon took priority.
“Let’s go in.”
◆
After a brief dizziness, he opened his eyes to find a green meadow stretching out before him.
“Wow—! The scenery really changed in an instant!”
Elena looked around in awe.
“It feels like passing through a portal.”
“… It reminds me of entering Richard’s prison. But it’s warmer, which is nice.”
Having experienced portals and dimensional cracks before, Lina and Danya calmly surveyed their surroundings.
In the distance, they could see piles of debris from buildings.
This dungeon was called the “Ruined Temple”.
It was a dungeon only accessible through the exploration quest series [Traces of Ruin], which appeared randomly while exploring various parts of the academy.
Of course, Ian could find it by retracing his past experiences.
“There’s no need for everyone to be too tense. This isn’t a terribly difficult dungeon. We just need to go as far as we can.”
Unlike closed dungeons where the exit was blocked upon entry, this one was an open dungeon with a constantly accessible exit. If they felt it was too much, they could always turn back.
“… I’ve heard dungeons are a blessing from God. That might really be true. Gaining experience like this should help us grow quickly.”
Elena murmured, clapping her hands together.
This time, she was right.
An open dungeon was a treasure trove of experience and loot.
“But what are these snowflake-like things? They’re so pretty. Wow. It looks like snow is falling on the grass!”
“I have a bad feeling about them…”
Lina and Danya were showing the differences between emotional and rational people. Lina’s excellent empathy was what made her the most popular girl in the academy…
“Everyone, put this on.”
This time, Danya was right.
Ian distributed the masks he had prepared to the party members.
“… Masks?”
“These snowflake-like things are the pollen of the ‘Ruined Flower’ that only blooms in the ruins. Inhaling it continuously affects both stamina and mana.”
Everyone accepted the masks without a word.
“Looks like I can’t do anything without you, Ian.”
Lina lowered her mask slightly and gave a sly smile.
◆
— Pshuuung!
The common enemies in the “Ruined Temple” were mainly enhanced wild animals. Most of them were gray wolves called Ash Wolves.
“Bad wolves! Die!”
Here, Danya’s skills shone.
Despite the wolves being quite fast, she took them down with one shot, one kill. Her predictive shooting was impressive to watch.
“Our Catsnesia clan has a bad history with the wolf beastmen!”
Apparently, there was an emotional connection. If it was the Lupus clan of the Grand Forest, they were known for their ferocity.
As they got closer to the ruins, Danya’s bow shot fire.
Ian and Elena, who were at the forefront, had nothing to do.
They leisurely walked and chatted as Danya’s arrows flew past.
“It’s a bit odd to say this, but it seems too easy, Brother Ian.”
“Who was trembling in fear earlier?”
“Th-that was because this is my first dungeon!”
“Still, don’t let your guard down.”
“Why not? Do high-risk creatures appear here? Could it be… the dungeon’s master?!”
The dungeon master. In simple terms, the boss.
“Of course there is.”
“Eek!” “I’m starting to doubt if I can trust you to take the lead, Elena.”
“The dungeon’s master would be those who have made a pact with demons! Monsters with hundreds of faces and thousands of eyes!”
“… What kind of ultra-difficult dungeon boss is that? Normal dungeons aren’t like that. They are hard but manageable. And.”
“And?”
“We’re not planning to take on the boss today. We’re just here to get what we need and leave.”
With their current strength, it was impossible to face the dungeon boss.
“Th-that’s a relief.”
Elena sighed in relief.
After walking for a while, they entered the ruined city.
The main stage here was the ruined temple located in the middle of the city. But they weren’t planning to go there.
The goal, the ‘key to open the mystery box’, was in the large plaza at the city entrance. It could be found in the broken fountain in the center of the plaza.
“Here it is.”
The fountain still had some water, and numerous coins were sunk at the bottom, as if someone had made a wish. Given the city’s current state, those wishes hadn’t come true.
— Splash
The water in the fountain was quite deep.
Now, they had to find the key among the coins.
While Danya kept watch, Elena, who had stepped into the fountain, muttered.
“… Huh? This isn’t a coin.” “Yes, it is. They’re not worth much.”
Ian had tried selling these coins in the game a few times but found they had no value, so he hadn’t paid them any attention.
“But they’re ancient coins.”
“What?”
Was there an Easter egg hidden here? This was news to him.
“I’ll take one and verify it later.”
While Elena examined the coins, Ian pulled out the key wedged in the drain.
Their goal in this dungeon was achieved.
“Good job, everyone. Let’s head back and loot the wolves we took down on the way out. We should give Danya a larger share.”
As he spoke, Danya suddenly shouted.
“Ian! Something’s coming!”
— Growl!
At the end of Danya’s pointing finger, a giant wolf was charging at them.
A gem embedded in its tail glowed ominously with a purple light.
“Ah. Why is that here?”
