Chapter 139 - Chapter 138: Legion
Mika walked steadily through the mining site.
With a Fireball at his side to secure a light source, he walked through the dimly lit mining site.
He had spoken with the old knight he met in the forest and was told about the patrol patterns of the Church Knights Order.
It seems the Church Knights Order has blocked the entrance to the road leading to the mining site, and they are just patrolling the entrance to the mining site and the forest just in case.
It also seems the Church Knights Order is stationed near the entrance to that road.
If they don't want anyone entering the mining site, shouldn't they just station a guard at the entrance?
Well, it would be a problem for Mika if they did, but the Church Knights Order is sticking to patrols.
"You have been strictly ordered, 'Do not approach the entrance to the mining site under any circumstances.'"
The old knight had said.
The reason is danger.
It seems they are told not to approach because the mining site is overflowing with "the impure."
"............Overflowing, huh."
Mika walked steadily around, holding a map of the mining site in one hand.
He had already traversed almost the entire mining site, but he had not encountered a single monster.
He used Big Ear to search for any signs, but there were no particularly suspicious sounds.
"This one's a bust too."
He hit a dead end.
He looked at the map and confirmed the route he had just walked.
When he received the request from the Guild, he was given the map of the mining site along with it.
It seems among the people who cooperated with the Client, there was someone who had the map of the mining site, and they apparently provided that map.
If you look at the map, you can proceed to the place where that altar supposedly is without getting lost, taking the shortest distance.
But, Mika deliberately walked through the entire mining site thoroughly.
Why?
Because that's always how he did it in games.
He liked RPGs and had played them often since he was young.
And when it comes to RPGs, dungeons are a given.
Dungeons filled with various items and events sometimes, very rarely, become uncollectible if you defeat the dungeon boss before clearing everything.
So, even to advance one floor, he would walk around every corner thoroughly, and only then would he proceed to the next floor.
He was so particular about this method that if he encountered the boss before clearing everything, he would think, "I messed up."
And then, after defeating the boss, he would return again.
To ensure nothing was missed in terms of items or events, having cleared everything.
"As expected, there are no treasure chests. Well, that's obvious."
Treasure chests placed carelessly within the game.
Naturally, there were none of those things. .........Damn it.
"But, the story is quite different. .........This must be information manipulation, right?"
Muttering as he returned the way he came.
The false information that it was overflowing with "the impure."
Even the knights of the Church Knights Order were told not to approach the entrance.
There was the story that it was a petition from the townspeople, and the story that the Saintess decided it herself.
There was the story that the Saintess led the Church Knights Order, and the story that the Church Knights Order was just an escort.
He thought rumors were like that, but he felt something somewhat deliberate about it.
And that, from someone high enough to give orders to the Church Knights Order.
"....But, what is this feeling?"
The strange atmosphere floating in the mining site.
That, not a bad thing at all, but rather a refreshing feeling.
Even though it was a dusty, dim tunnel.
Somehow, the pre-information was completely useless.
In such a situation.
Mika continued to explore the mining site carefully, making sure not to let his guard down.
"So this is the Catacombs...."
Having walked through the mining site thoroughly, he moved to the next floor.
In the end, he hadn't encountered a single monster until he got here.
It was a relief, but with such a discrepancy from the pre-information, he couldn't bring himself to let his guard down.
Rather, Mika's danger detection radar was reacting intensely to this abnormality.
Mika carefully looked around.
The Catacombs themselves were quite large.
The ceiling was supported by numerous pillars, and in the back, the light of the Fireball didn't reach, so it was dark and invisible.
Remains that were probably Skeletons were scattered all over the Catacombs.
And, very unpleasantly, he felt that the cleanliness had increased since entering such a Catacombs.
Cleanliness in a place where human bones were scattered....
(....Have I gone crazy?)
He earnestly hoped he hadn't awakened Necrophilia.
As Mika observed the surroundings while sighing, he found something like rubble half-buried in the soil and sand.
"Is this the altar....?"
It wasn't even ten meters away, but because it was dim and buried or collapsed in soil and sand, he thought it was just some unknown thing.
Mika cautiously approached the altar.
"They said something like a curse burst out, right?"
He gently touched the remains of the altar.
But, he felt nothing.
"Not the altar itself, but the curse was lodged in the object worshipped or offered there....?"
If that's the case, it's a bit troublesome.
Worst case, it could be buried under the soil and sand.
"For now, let's just touch everything we can see."
Mika picked up the rubble, and if he felt nothing, he threw it aside.
He tossed them one by one, clearing away whatever caught his eye.
"Oh my, .........this is it."
Since he had been clearing things away so briskly, even when he picked up something that felt a curse, he almost threw it away without thinking.
"What is this? A Bronze Mirror?"
It might not be exactly a Bronze Mirror, but he felt a curse wave from a mirror-like object with a circular rim decorated with fine ornaments.
"For now, I guess I should just dispel the curse on this."
The curse itself was, well, ordinary.
It wasn't much different from the cursed item (Puzzle) he had received from the old woman at the Appraisal Shop before.
With this much, could he dispel it in ten or fifteen minutes?
(Well, considering the location. I'll keep an eye on the surroundings while doing this.)
Until now, he had managed to avoid encountering monsters, but that wasn't proof that there were no monsters here.
Mika confirmed that his magic range was properly deployed before starting to dispel the curse.
Thus, after about ten minutes, the dispelling of the Bronze Mirror? was finished.
"With this, one condition is cleared."
But, regarding the other condition, the Saintess, there was currently no clue.
At that moment, he suddenly noticed something.
Mika turned his gaze to the rubble right next to him.
"This is just one, right....?"
What if there were other cursed objects?
If there were other cursed objects, he would have to find the cursed items from within this rubble and from the soil and sand.
.........Honestly, this is such a pain.
"Alright, let's make it an after-service. Yeah, that's right. Let's do that."
Mika clapped his hands with his wonderful idea.
If by any chance he missed something and others appeared, he would dispel the curses for free as an apology.
Kind, right?
It's absolutely not that he finds it troublesome to rummage through the rubble or that he hates moving the soil and sand, is it?
It's just that he might have missed a tiny bit.
Once Mika decided on his policy, he put the Bronze Mirror in the Magic Bag and started the next task with a refreshed feeling.
He looked around the Catacombs.
"Now, it's just rescuing the Saintess...."
Where is she?
Has she turned into a Zombie and is wandering around here?
"Well, no choice. I'll explore the Catacombs. It looks quite large and I don't want to, but."
It's better because the monsters that come out can be defeated, but creepy things are still creepy.
If it were a movie or a game, I'd like this kind of thing....
Mika sighed and began to explore the inexplicable place called the "Catacombs with a refreshing atmosphere."
"Just this place left."
Mika stood before a magnificent stone door.
Clearly a different atmosphere from the others.
A kind design that practically tells you, "This is the boss room."
If they had just set up a save point nearby, he wouldn't complain.
Well, if it were a game.
The door seemed to be the type lifted upwards, with a gap of about forty to fifty centimeters at the bottom.
It seemed he could open the door more, but it looked quite heavy.
Mika crouched in front of the door and peeked inside from below.
He sent a Fireball from below the door to check the situation.
"Haaaaaaaaaaaaa...."
The moment he saw that, Mika let out a huge sigh.
(Something, a huge curse, is here.)
A visible curse.
Something placed on the ground was wrapped in an incredible curse.
"Again with this...."
He instinctively covered his face and looked up at the sky.
Even though he couldn't see the sky.
(Is this the curse that burst out?)
The curse lodged in something like the Bronze Mirror just now, could that have been just the residue?
(If it's residue, how much is the main body....)
When it was the Lust Crest, the curse remaining on the necklace was very slight.
But, if even the residue is on par with an ordinary curse, how powerful is the main body?
"Haa.... I want to go home...."
Since he dispelled the altar's curse, it won't be "this one is fine, right?"
Normally speaking, this one is included too.
Also, they haven't found any traces of the Saintess yet.
In that case, he has no choice but to enter this room.
"Well, no choice. Let's go."
Mika, while carefully watching the surroundings, passed through the stone door.
That room was a stone chamber about thirty meters square.
In the corner of the room, several dirty cups were lined up.
There were also remains that looked like rotting wooden crates, and tattered swords and spears.
Just looking at it for a moment, it wasn't quite clear what kind of room this was for.
And, the cleanliness was now extraordinary.
This room could almost be called serene.
".........Serene? Have I finally gone crazy too?"
Muttering that, Mika directed his gaze.
In the center of the room.
The height was probably about sixty to seventy centimeters.
A rock-like object about an arm's length was placed there, wrapped in a dirty cloth-like material.
And, that rock was probably the cursed item.
It was wrapped in something like a black mist, swirling or coiling.
The stone chamber floating in the unreliable light of the Fireball.
In the center of the room, a visible curse.
How could this be called serene?
"Well, I'll manage somehow."
After all, he was carrying the wishes of ten thousand people.
He couldn't just give up so easily.
Mika cautiously approached the rock step by step.
And, when he reached a distance where he could almost touch the rock with a few more steps.
"............"
He felt as if he had heard something faintly.
"Tch!?"
Mika instinctively jumped back.
That moment----.
"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"O"......!"
Dozens, hundreds of groans were heard, and something burst out from the curse.
Meatballs that looked like dozens of people's faces and limbs rolled together.
That meatball was floating on top of the curse.
"Disgusting!? Creepy! Is it a Legion!?"
Somehow, he had seen evil spirits like this in games and movies before.
"Stone Bullet!"
Mika fired several Stone Bullets as a test.
It seemed to hit, at least, but it didn't look like it was working very well.
"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N"N......!"
The Legion charged while groaning.
Mika lightly dodged it, moved behind it, and tried hitting it with Air Cutter, Fireball, etc.
But, the result was the same as the Stone Bullet.
"As expected, it's not effective. From the look of it, it's half-physical.... .........Then, this is it."
Mika gathered his magic power around his own body.
He further increased the magic power concentration and charged into the Legion.
Thus, he punched the Legion as if punching a Wraith.
Mika's left fist entered the body of the Legion with an unpleasant sound, buchi-buchi-buchi!
"Igi!?"
But, at that moment, a sharp pain ran through his left hand.
Mika instinctively jumped back and looked at his left hand.
His left forearm that had entered the Legion.
From the wrist up to a little above was turned bright red and rotting.
And, due to the severe numbness, he couldn't even open his hand.
"Numbness!?"
Mika panicked and stuck his right hand into the Magic Bag to take out the numbness cure.
When he bought the Adventurer's Essential Set, this was included in the lineup.
It also contained other things like Potions, Magic Power Recovery Potions, Antidotes, and Stimulants.
Mika drank the numbness cure in one gulp, and his tongue and mouth were so numb from the bitterness that he couldn't feel them.
(A medicine that cures body numbness but numbs the mouth, this!?)
He had drunk it for the first time, but next time he might hesitate to drink it.
Because he didn't know, he could drink it all at once, but now that he knows, it's impossible....
No, now that he knows, he should drink it in one gulp, right?
Once the numbness in his left hand disappeared, his left hand began to throb with pain.
While keeping distance from the Legion, he used Heal to somehow restore his left hand.
"What a troublesome guy.... What should I do."
While dodging the Legion's charge, he thought about how to defeat it.
Observing the Legion closely, it seemed, somehow, like it was suffering.
No, probably it was actually taking damage.
Without doing anything, its arms and legs were falling off on their own.
"What is this?"
Was it originally like this kind of monster?
Mika ran around avoiding the Legion and organized the situation.
First, there are currently no effective attack methods.
It seems to be a mass of magic power exceeding Mika's concentration of magic power, so their magic power is one-sidedly losing.
If he gathers magic power only in his left hand to dispel the curse instead of a magic range, there is a possibility he can deal damage, but there is no guarantee he won't get numbness.
So, if possible, he wants to use this hand as a last resort.
And, it seems it's taking damage on its own, but what about that?
The fallen limbs disappear as they fall to the ground.
If he just leaves it alone, will it die on its own?
Well, it's already dead, but.
"Abandonment, self-destruction strategy, I don't know how long it will take."
That, assuming it takes damage on its own as expected.
"Well, that's too passive."
Is there anything else?
As he thought that, he suddenly remembered something.
The corner of Mika's mouth rose.
"Let's try it."
Mika took a little distance from the Legion and chanted that spell.
"Shining brilliantly, the Great God of Light that illuminated the whole world. O Great God of purification, whose great descendants are clear and pure. Hear my prayer, and please guide the lost child into your pure hands. Return the ugly ones who disturb the truth to their proper form."
As he chanted the spell taught by Trys, the Legion was enveloped in white, sparkling light.
The Legion writhed in agony, scattering several arms and legs with a busha-busha sound.
"Oh! It's working, it's working! Or rather, gross!?"
It doesn't seem like it can be defeated in one hit like a Wraith, but it's clear that it had an effect.
However, it was dripping a strange slime that looked like blood or some other substance.
Fortunately, the limbs and slime disappeared when they fell to the ground, but it was a very grotesque scene.
It looks like it could appear in a dream....
Actually, I'm going to be sick.
"Alright, let's finish it quickly."
As Mika was about to chant the next spell, the countless faces attached to the Legion opened their mouths all at once.
"Vvvvvvvvva"A"A"A"A"A"----!!!"
"Eh!?"
Mika instinctively covered his ears, but he felt numbness all over his body.
Using Big Ear, he tried to shut out the Legion's scream as much as possible.
(Bind Voice!?)
He released the hands he was covering and took out the numbness cure from the Magic Bag again.
The Legion was still screaming, but it seemed he could cut it off with Big Ear somehow.
He managed to avoid being completely paralyzed, but there was still numbness.
He should drink the numbness cure, but....
(Damn it.... making me drink this numbness cure....)
I don't want to drink, I don't want to drink, I don't want to drink, I don't want to drink, I don't want to drink....
Cursing in his heart, Mika drank the numbness cure.
Tears came out.
"I absolutely won't forgive you. Die quickly!"
Throwing away the bottle of numbness cure, Mika chanted God's Miracle again.
Judging by the content of the spell, it was probably Exorcism, but Mika's chant and the Legion's Bind Voice echoed in the stone chamber.
Thus, after that, he was able to defeat the Legion using Exorcism about four more times.
The defeated Legion, with its face and limbs scattered, struggled on the ground for a while, but slowly disappeared.
"Haaaaa...."
Mika let out a huge sigh.
"I'm done.... I want to go home...."
Such a complaint slipped out unintentionally.
But, unfortunately, the real show starts from here.
Dispelling the curse on the rock-like object in the center of the room.
And, finding the Saintess's corpse.
He must achieve these.
Mika let out another huge sigh.
With a state of mind similar to giving up, he approached the rock wrapped in a curse in the center of the room.
And, when he approached the rock again, he heard something faintly.
"............"
"Eh!?"
Mika instinctively jumped back.
(No way....)
Will the Legion come out of the curse again?
With a feeling that made him want to cry, Mika stared at that rock.