Chapter 56: Riven and the Thing Lurking in the Abyss

"Now then… where should I begin searching?"

Seventh floor. Beyond the area boss, I had finally arrived.

It had taken longer than expected. Who would have thought the area boss would’ve already respawned?

Well, without a real difference in ability, it wasn’t much of a threat.

"…Dark in here."

Maybe it was because I didn’t have a light-bearer trailing behind me this time. Or perhaps the dungeon reflected the time outside.

Either way, it felt darker than before.

The single enchanted lamp at my waist might not be enough.

"Let’s see if I can find it on my own…"

The monsters attacking me along the way were nothing of note.

Kakuzuchi’s sharpness was something fierce. My old blade had been a fine weapon, but this was in another league entirely.

Just thinking that the other one had been wielding such a thing made me want to laugh.

But for now, I was grateful for it.

"Hey! Salem! Are you here!?"

I raised my voice, but no echo answered. The sound was swallowed up by the darkness.

No… she’d spoken to me once before from beyond that same darkness. That meant the chamber was simply too vast to echo.

I waited a moment, but no reply came.

So, because I wasn’t her intended target, she saw no reason to answer.

"…Fine then. I’ll just find you myself."

This was my chance to uncover the dungeon’s hidden treasure. I couldn’t let it slip away.

I had pulled back once to get the other to safety—but there would not be a second retreat.

I would seize the answer here and now.

From the darkness ahead, I felt something stir.

Something dangerous was there. An illusion? No—my instincts were never wrong.

I drew my blade, ready to cut down whatever emerged.

And my instincts proved right. Pebbles came flying toward me in volleys.

I stayed calm, cutting them down without panic.

At first it was only stones. But then, something else began to mix in.

When a fleck grazed my clothes and the fabric hissed away, I realized it was corrosive. Some kind of bodily fluid, perhaps.

Meaning—something in the dark was tracking my location and attacking.

"…Is that all you’ve got? Did you really think this would drive me off?"

If that was the plan, they had sorely underestimated me.

I eased up on fully blocking, creating the space I needed to move forward.

The sheer volume was high—if I tried to block them all, I’d exhaust myself.

So I steeled myself to ignore some and only deflect the essentials, even if it meant a few scratches.

As long as I stayed sharp, these attacks were nothing.

Compared to Rosalind’s brutal training, this was nothing more than a breeze.

I exhaled, then drew in a deep breath.

Fresh air filled my lungs as I dashed forward at full power.

As I closed the distance, the darkness receded, finally revealing what hid within.

The source of the barrage was a monster with eight tentacles.

Each tendril ended in an opening, spewing pebbles and acidic fluid alike. No wonder the attack volume was so high.

But once seen, it was no threat. I could read its aim, its timing, everything.

If I could read it, I could respond—adjust my movement, my blade, exactly as needed.

"Are you afraid?"

When it caught sight of me, its movements shifted. The barrage became desperate, wild, spraying in every direction without aim.

The enemy had weakened itself. Perfect.

There was no need for mercy.

"Don’t block my path! You worthless weakling!"

With a single stroke, I cut it down.

Only after I passed by did its body erupt in a spray of fluid, sizzling as it melted the ground.

Hmph. If it had charged at me head-on from the start, it might have had a different fate.

"Hmmm. So you kill frightened little creatures without hesitation, huh?"

"…Salem."

"You called, didn’t you? Besides, I dislike having the place wrecked before Her Highness arrives."

The voice came from ahead. As always, she did not show herself.

Should I approach? No—my gut said that would be a mistake.

"So, what brings you to me? Have you perhaps changed your mind—ready to help convince the princess together?"

She said it as if clueless, when clearly she knew everything.

Annoyance flared, but I smothered it.

Don’t get pulled into her rhythm. Don’t let her atmosphere swallow you. That’s the first rule in a fight.

When facing an enemy whose nature you can’t grasp, the first step is to probe.

I steadied my breathing, both for focus and for calm.

"You have the dungeon’s treasure."

"Hm, the dungeon’s treasure, you say? Whatever could you mean?"

There was a faint laugh in her tone—mocking me openly.

"The power that rules the dungeon, that controls it. That is the dungeon’s treasure."

"As if I’d have something so outrageous! Just what do you take me for?"

What do I think it is, huh?

If you’re asking that, then I’ll give you my answer. Nothing more than speculation—a product of my own imagination.

"This town’s founder. One of them."

"...Heh."

The air shifted.

I raise my blade. But where should I point it? That ominous presence presses in from every direction.

It’s as if the entire space itself has turned against me.

"I’ll humor you. Why did you come to that conclusion?"

"I thought something was off from the very start."

It began with a simple question: what is a dungeon?

A dungeon—a den of evil said to produce limitless riches and devour countless lives.

—That’s what people believe. No, that’s what they’re made to believe.

Nothing in this world can be infinite. If something appears endless, then there must be a source behind it.

I had originally developed this theory as a countermeasure for when I would eventually have to face certain powers. Never thought I’d have to bring it up here, though.

"The premise is wrong. And if the premise is wrong, then someone must have spread that false premise in the first place."

"I see. And?"

"This town was built around the dungeon."

"That doesn’t sound unusual. Swap ‘dungeon’ for ‘mine’ and it’s the same thing."

"That’s exactly what’s strange. —Why does a dungeon exist only in this town?"

The world is vast. Surely there are other places with the same geographical conditions.

And yet, only here does a dungeon exist.

That’s why nations gathered together, formed an alliance, and sought to manage it.

If it were truly a natural phenomenon... then having multiple appear in the same spot would be absurd. It blatantly defies the laws of nature.

—Which points to one undeniable truth.

"You’re the ones who created the dungeon."

Dungeons aren’t naturally occurring. That’s the conclusion I’ve reached.

Artificially made, designed to circulate—so that its source only seems infinite.

And to sustain that circulation, it needs a man-made system.

Hidden from the public. Carefully concealed.

There’s no way a single person could accomplish this. There must be others involved.

"...Hah! I’m impressed! Don’t you know the word ‘faith’?"

"Sorry, but I’ve lived in a position where survival meant constantly thinking, constantly doubting. I’m used to questioning assumptions."

"And when did you first come up with this hypothesis?"

"From the very beginning. From the moment I decided to come here and started gathering information."

Things like walls being repaired by some unseen force, or certain monsters never being able to enter... it all screamed ‘manufactured.’

If it were natural, it would integrate better into the ecosystem. Instead, everything functioned far too neatly.

"So? Let’s say your hypothesis is correct. What do you intend to do with it?"

"Nothing changes."

I raise my blade up to eye level, holding it parallel to the ground.

It’s the charging stance Tenyuu used.

"I’ll seize the dungeon’s treasures, take its power into my own hands, and become king. The dungeon’s nature doesn’t matter."

"...I see. I’ll raise my opinion of you slightly. You’re sharper than I thought."

Praise doesn’t please me.

I adjust the tip of my blade, guided by the sound of those dry, mocking claps.

I won’t kill. But I can sever both arms in an instant and render them powerless.

"Our princess is a little airheaded... good thing for us."

"Hah. Easy to trick, you mean?"

True enough. That one would never bother to question the dungeon’s mysteries.

She simply accepted reality as it was.

Eyes only on what was right before her, throwing herself into it with everything she had.

...She taught me that kind of straightforwardness isn’t so bad.

Leaving her behind was the right call.

If she were here, I wonder what kind of face she’d be making.

"Honestly, I never saw you as much of a threat. But I’ll have to revise that assessment."

The clapping stopped.

At the same time, I dashed forward with all my might, straight into the darkness ahead.

"...Since you lack any powers of authority among the Black Clan, I thought I could afford to overlook you."

Suddenly, my vision was swallowed by pitch-blackness.

The lights went out? Did a magic tool break?

No—it’s more than that.

Presence, scent, sound—everything vanished.

"Die in despair, raving mad as you go."

The next sound I heard was a whisper, right beside my ear.