349 Party 6
"We're finally here…"
I exhaled, leaning against the windowsill as I gazed out at the sprawling landscape below.
From the fourth floor of our lodging, the view was surprisingly serene—the town of Savel stretched out beneath us, a blend of bustling rchant activity and the occasional quiet alleyway.
Beyond that, the dark silhouette of the distant forest swayed with the night breeze, carrying with it a crisp, fresh scent that was oddly calming.
My mind, however, wasn't at ease.
[The Unmanned Cult]
That was the na of the dungeon we'd be tackling tomorrow.
It was scheduled to open at midnight, though there was no real need for us to rush in imdiately.
A dungeon designed to test a player's reaction ti, control, and party managent—in simpler terms, it was a combat simulator against humanoid opponents, where enemy attack patterns constantly shifted and adapted.
Inside, humanoid golems patrolled the ruins, but unlike the imperial constructs stationed in this town, the ones within
The Unmanned Codex were remnants of a forgotten era—ancient relics of a civilization lost to ti.
If my mory served right, the lore behind the dungeon tied back to a mad scientist from centuries before the Eastern Empire was founded.
His na was Unma, a martial artist and an archmagus who had sought to rge martial arts with advanced technology.
And… he succeeded.
The golems inside the dungeon weren't just mindless machines; they were living embodints of combat mastery, programd with the knowledge of generations of fighters and enhanced with chanical precision.
A man capable of creating artificial warriors that rivaled human masters.
No wonder the people of his ti killed him.
His abandoned laboratory, now nothing more than a dungeon, stood as a testant to his genius—and his downfall.
Although the lore regarding [Unma] was intriguing, the ga itself never truly delved into it much like [Lavine Chronos], which was a sha.
A figure who had managed to combine martial arts and technology so seamlessly—soone who had, in essence, created living war machines—should have had a more fleshed-out backstory.
But in the end, all he amounted to was another footnote in history, his legacy buried beneath layers of forgotten ruins.
That being said, lore wasn't my priority right now.
Tomorrow, we would have to face at least hundreds of unard martial golems, each one comparable in strength to a B-rank monster.
Normally, that would be a daunting challenge, but considering the people in my party?
It was hardly anything to worry about.
With the kinds of cheats I had walking beside , they would mow through those golems with ease.
The real concern lay in the dozens of ard martial golems that lurked deeper inside the dungeon—each wielding different weapon sets and possessing combat prowess equivalent to A-rank monsters.
They were faster, stronger, and infinitely more adaptable than their unard counterparts.
Still, I wasn't particularly worried.
Since I was planning on sitting out most of the dungeon's combat alongside Seo and Rose, the responsibility of clearing out these golems would fall on the rest of the three.
It would serve as a good opportunity for to assess their combat capabilities—see how they handled enemies that relied on speed and unpredictability rather than brute strength.
If they could react and take down those golems efficiently, that would an they were at the minimum level of strength I expected from them at this point.
But if they struggled…
Then I'd have no choice but to throw them straight into the [Phoenix's Dungeon] after we finished this one.
That place would force them to improve—whether they wanted to or not.
The rewards inside the dungeon should be especially beneficial for Lucas and Kagami, considering the number of elixirs and martial pills hidden within its depths.
Those items would accelerate their growth, refining their bodies and enhancing their combat abilities significantly.
Given the challenges that lay ahead, it was only logical to let them take the lion's share of those resources.
That being said, the boss's drop item—[The Sleeping Blade: Vale]—was mine.
It was a unique item, one that was often mistaken for an actual sword due to its na, but in truth, it wasn't a blade at all.
It was sothing far more precious—a fragnt of eternal steel, the very essence of a sword's soul.
A remnant of sothing once whole, waiting for the right wielder to awaken it.
And I needed it.
Because with it, I could finally awaken the Ego Sword in my possession.
[Tempest Sword].
It had long since forgotten its own na, its consciousness buried beneath layers of dormancy.
But once I obtained [The Sleeping Blade: Vale], this sword would rember. Its true na.
"Valeria…" I muttered under my breath, running my fingers along the blade's edge.
It wouldn't be long now. Soon, I would hear this sword's voice once again.
"Riley… what are you doing?"
A soft, drowsy voice pulled out of my thoughts.
I turned to see Seo standing beside , her crimson eyes still clouded with sleep.
Despite the warm hues of the twilight sky bathing the room in an orange glow, she had only just woken up, her movents sluggish as she rubbed at her eyes.
Not surprising.
Given how comfortable the beds were, it made sense that Seo had slept longer than expected.
Even Rose had imdiately passed out after lying down earlier.
"I'm just preparing my sword," I replied, glancing back at Valeria before shifting my gaze to Seo.
"Is Rose still asleep?"
Seo nodded, not bothering to reply verbally as she let out a small yawn, her sleepiness still evident.
"I see. Then I'll wake her up in a while. The others should be back from their shopping spree soon as well."
Since I had given them a little extra budget, all courtesy of Snow, I could imagine them going wild with their purchases.
Considering this place was known for rare goods and specialty items, they were probably taking their ti, buying anything they deed useful—or just impulsively grabbing things they found interesting.
Well, as long as they don't blow the entire budget on nonsense, it should be fine.
Since we had all agreed to have dinner together with our own homade cooking, I figured I might as well start preparing the pasta in the anti.
Although the recipe I used was pretty common in back in my previous world, it wasn't in this one and even Senior Alice had taken a liking to it when I made it before.
That alone gave enough confidence that it would turn out well again.
At the very least, I hoped it would be enough to make up for the sulking Kagami, who had been throwing betrayed glances all evening.
It was almost funny—he was so visibly upset, like I had personally wronged him in so way.
"Seo, what will you make for us later?" I asked, glancing at her.
She tilted her head slightly at my question before a look of realization crossed her face.
Her eyes brightened up.
"I'm making sumplings."
I blinked. "Sumplings?"
Seo nodded, looking completely serious.
"You an… dumplings?"
"That's what I said. Sumplings."
I held back a chuckle.
'I guess she's still half asleep…'
"I see…"
Well, regardless of pronunciation, it looked like dinner tonight would be quite diverse in both variety and style.
...
Janica swayed the ladle in her hands, gently stirring the bubbling soup as she brought a spoonful to her lips.
She took a light sip, tasting the blend of flavors that had been simring together for the past few minutes.
"Mm~ all good."
A satisfied smile spread across her face as she gave the pot one last stir, the steam rising into the air, filling the small kitchen with a comforting warmth.
With each added seasoning, the rich aroma only grew stronger, making her even more excited for dinner.
This particular soup was a common delicacy from her hotown, one of the few dishes she was fond of making.
It was simple, but it held a special place in her heart—not only because it reminded her of ho but also because it just happened to be Lucas's favorite soup.
Honestly, she wasn't that great of a cook, which was precisely why she had chosen a soup-based dish to serve tonight.
Sothing she could make without much risk of ruining the mood.
Since it was their first party gathering/dinner together she'd like to make an expression upon each of them.
For nobles being good at cooking wasn't really such and important reputation to have, but even still she wanted to impress them with sothing not of the sword at least…
Afterall there were nothing but monsters in her party.
"In the end… what was up with Lucas earlier?"
She tilted her head slightly, her thoughts drifting back to their outing this afternoon.
After they had arrived and settled into their hotel rooms, Janica and Lucas had decided to head out into the small town—partly to explore and partly to buy a few necessary supplies for the dungeon.
They had gone through several shops, picking up essentials like extra bottles of healing potions, ergency mana potions, and a few magic scrolls, just in case they needed them.
Yet, despite spending all that ti together, Lucas had seed… different.
At first, she thought he was just focused on their preparations, but as the day went on, she couldn't shake the feeling that sothing was on his mind.
"Was he distracted… or just in a bad mood?" she mumbled, glancing at the bubbling soup again.
Whatever it was, it was still bothering her.
All in all, everything had gone smoothly—almost too easily, in fact. Yet, throughout their entire outing, Janica couldn't help but notice that sothing was off about Lucas.
He had been acting strangely, his usual composed deanor feeling just a bit off-balance, like he was deeply bothered by sothing.
But no matter how much ti they spent together, he never once brought it up.
And that… disappointed her.
Considering how close they were, she had hoped that if sothing was weighing on his mind, he would at least trust her enough to share even a small part of it.
"Telling a bit about his problems shouldn't be an issue, right?"
It wasn't as if she expected him to confide in her about everything, but the fact that he was keeping her at a distance made her wonder if… maybe, just maybe, he didn't trust her as much as she thought.
Of course, she could be overthinking it—she had a tendency to do that.
But still… weren't they childhood friends?
Shouldn't a certain level of trust co naturally between them?
And yet, even as that thought crossed her mind, she also knew that she couldn't bla him entirely.
After all… she had her own secrets too.
A soft sigh escaped her lips as she shook her head, forcing herself to push away the useless thoughts.
Whatever it was that Lucas was dealing with, she knew he ant no harm. That much, at least, she could be certain of.
Having baseless worries about it would only strain their relationship unnecessarily.
Taking a deep breath to calm both her mind and heart, Janica glanced toward the pot of soup she was making, stirring it absentmindedly as she recalled Lucas's face.
Maybe it wasn't much, but… she could at least make sure the food he ate was good for him.
"Making this a bit healthier shouldn't be a problem, right?" Janica mumbled to herself, tilting her head in thought.
She glanced at the pot, watching the gentle swirl of the broth as the aroma filled the small kitchen.
The extra ingredients she had in mind might slightly alter the taste, but not to the point where it would beco unpleasant.
Lucas wasn't a picky eater.
Even if the flavor changed a little, he wouldn't complain—probably.
And if it helped him, even just a little…
She'd take that small victory.
Thinking so, Janica nodded to herself, a gentle smile forming on her lips.
Since Lucas wasn't the type to fuss over food, there was a good chance he'd simply eat whatever she served without much thought.
But would he actually enjoy it?
That was another matter.
"Hehe~ they say the way to a man's heart is through a woman's cooking, filled with the recipe of love... Maybe I can finally make that stone heart of his beat?"
She chuckled to herself at the playful thought, her cheeks slightly warming.
With that small boost of confidence, Janica stirred the soup with renewed enthusiasm, carefully adding a handful of fresh herbs into the broth.
Their earthy fragrance mixed with the rich aroma of the simring soup, making her heart feel just a bit lighter.
Even if Lucas never noticed the effort she put into this, even if he simply ate the soup without a second thought—that was fine.
She just wanted to do sothing for him.
User Comments
0 comments from readers