Frilian: The Adventure of the Hero

The giant python, which had been fiercely controlled by the power of lightning, was finally freed before being turned into "electric roast meat".

What a thrilling battle!

Xia En, panting heavily, jumped off the giant python's back.

pat.

The longsword in his hand was pressed against the ground, the metal blade colliding with the sand and gravel, making a crisp sound.

He couldn't help but raise his hand and look at it repeatedly, completely unable to believe that he had actually killed a monster.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"This person... is incredibly strong."

A strange sense of unease welled up from the depths of Frillie's heart.

When faced with a powerful warrior, a "fragile" mage will always feel an instinctive sense of vigilance.

She hadn't felt this way in a long time.

"How are you?"

Frillie stepped forward and stood beside Shane.

She carefully observed Xia En's expression and saw that he was looking down at his hands in a daze, so she sighed silently.

After a novice adventurer slays a monster for the first time, they will fall into a state similar to "post-war psychological critique," questioning the legitimacy of their actions and feeling "the strong pity the weak" for the slain target.

This is a common occurrence.

Fortunately, Xia En's first target was a magical beast, not a real demon.

But this is still something that requires overcoming psychological barriers.

"You don't need..."

As soon as Frilian finished speaking, she saw Shane in front of her turn towards her with shining eyes.

"Slaying a dragon on my first monster hunt—that'll probably go down in adventurer history! Ah, why is it starting to dissipate? Do I have any dragon horns or scales to keep as a memento...? If I told the Adventurers' Guild I killed a dragon, would they believe me...?"

I was overthinking it.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

on the ground.

The giant python's corpse had begun to disintegrate, turning into magical particles and dissipating, but the disintegration was noticeably slow. It seemed it truly might be a hybrid, with impure demonic blood.

Xia En flicked his longsword, seemingly still wanting more.

He is now full of confidence and fighting spirit. He feels that he can easily take down even a purebred monster, let alone a hybrid.

"Alright, now we can focus. Hey... what's that?"

While fighting the giant python, I triggered the [Electrocution] special effect, which was incredibly cool, with sparks and lightning streaking all the way.

However, this natural mine had a history of collapse, indicating that its internal structure was not solid. After being ravaged by the five consecutive lightning strikes, almost all the side passages collapsed and were blocked.

In addition, a new hole, about half a person's height with unusually smooth edges, appeared out of nowhere in a place where there was originally no fork in the road.

The cave entrance extends downwards, and a passage can be vaguely seen.

Unlike the naturally formed forks in the road around it, the inner walls of the cave entrance appear to be made of some kind of smooth white stone, and the ground is made of flat steps.

A faint but distinctly dry, dusty airflow slowly blew out from the cave entrance.

"No way..."

Xia En frowned, the joy of successfully defeating the monster for the first time instantly dissipating.

Frillie walked past him, carefully examined the entrance, and slowly said, "This is the entrance to the second level of the labyrinth."

"The second floor?"

"Large mazes are usually divided into many levels, and each level has a guard. Generally, the entrance to the next level will only appear after the guard is defeated."

Xia En was shocked.

Isn't this "Ghost Bunker" just a low-level, small maze?

Moreover, it is said that it was already conquered 70 years ago. Could it be that... the adventurers before never found the right path?

Looking at the eerie cave entrance, Xia En swallowed hard.

This trash-collecting trip was really exciting.

The two of them didn't hesitate for long.

The original intersections have all collapsed, and this is the only passable road.

"Swish, swish, swish."

As the two stepped inside, the previously dark cave instantly lit up. It was illuminated by crystal balls embedded in the stone walls on either side, each about the size of Xia En's fist.

The soft white of the CD player dispelled the darkness, and at the same time, it allowed Shane to see something unusual.

【Artificially synthesized magic crystal】

Condition: In good condition

Entry: [Induction Light Source (???)]: It does not stay lit all the time, but it always lights up when you need it.

Evaluation: The byproduct of experiment No. 1024 was harmless.

Looking at the entries on the crystal ball, Shane frowned.

The grade was a question mark. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation. Was it a very high-level entry?

I kind of want it.

He tried to concentrate his mental energy on "word stripping".

"Um……"

A sudden, sharp pain shot through his temple, like being pricked by a needle, causing him to groan involuntarily.

Frillie, who was walking ahead, turned around in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Xia En quickly waved his hand, suppressing his physical discomfort, pretending that nothing had happened, and continued down the steps.

"Is it because my mental strength is too low, or because the attribute's grade is too special, that I can't separate it?"

A sense of doubt arose in his mind.

Before he could figure it out, the huge space that suddenly appeared in front of him diverted his attention.

At the end of the steps was a vast palace.

The walls of the palace hall are covered with stone murals, and towering spiral stone pillars stand tall, with a dark dome that stretches to the horizon.

It gives people an indescribable sense of oppression.

Further ahead, in the center of the hall, there is a circular pool on the floor, and you can vaguely see that there is still water in it.

"Um?"

Frilian, who was standing in front of her, asked in confusion, then gripped her staff and flew up without warning.

Has the interference from the Demon-Sealing Stone been removed?

The moment Shane had this thought, he saw Frillian, who had just taken off, lose her balance and fall straight down from the sky.

He consciously stepped forward and reached out to catch it.

Snapped.

The elven girl landed steadily in Shane's arms. She looked up at the sky with a hint of helplessness.

Shaun estimated that Frilian had just flown about four or five meters high, meaning there were no sealing stones near the ground on the second floor. However, in the space above, closer to the first floor of the maze, the interference of sealing stones still existed.

"It seems I still can't use magic at will."

The two carefully observed their surroundings and slowly approached the circular pool.

As we saw before, there really is water in the pool, and it looks quite deep.

Xia En was a little conflicted. He had already used up his drinking water earlier, and his water bag was empty. Logically, he could just refill it here.

Furthermore, his water bag is enchanted with the "Water Purification (Green Excellent)" attribute, so there's no need to worry about the safety of the water.

but……

Having grown accustomed to drinking plain water, he felt inexplicably wary of this unknown water source in the wild.

Just then, Frillie reached out and poked at the surface of the water, then frowned.

"Shane, step back."

Before she finished speaking, Frilian's staff was already aimed at the water.

A magical beam of light, comparable to a laser cannon, shot out, piercing through the pool and instantly illuminating the previously obscured bottom.

The sight of something underwater made Xia En involuntarily take a step back.