He imagined what the Treasure might be.

Earlier, the woman had said this place was a Mage’s lair.

It wasn’t certain.

The cunning Mercenaries all said they had come up empty-handed.

That was natural.

If Treasure were so easy to find, all Adventurers would be rich. Treasure was Treasure because it was hard to get.

But these Ruins were different.

Gold Coins popped out. There was a high probability of an even greater reward.

The important thing was what it was.

The fact that the woman wouldn’t tell him made him even more curious.

If it was nothing special, she should have told him.

Amelin probably kept quiet because she thought the protagonist would get greedy if she told him what the treasure was. It wasn’t a cheap item; at the very least, it was a magic tool.

Considering that an ancient mage resided there, there was also a possibility that rare magic tools, unobtainable now, were dormant.

Amelin would want it too.

But she was weak.

If the protagonist insisted, it was her position to lose it.

The protagonist didn’t intend to do that, but he might have to use force if necessary.

They said they would share the spoils, but there was only one magic tool.

There might be several, but who would get the important treasure was unknown.

Amelin didn’t seem like she would give up easily. Knowing she was weak, there was a possibility she might try something. It was plausible enough.

Perhaps they would have to fight, and he might even have to kill the woman.

He steeled himself.

They had become friendly while talking, but people could change at any time.

He knew that the true nature of humans was often ugly.

He hoped Amelin’s true nature wouldn’t be ugly.

He stood up.

Time had passed while he was talking with her.

It was awkward to go back to sleep.

He looked at the hourglass and moved his body around.

Amelin asked him to show her some magic.

It was an invitation to practice. He nodded.

He took her hand.

That way, he could feel the process of the other person moving mana in detail.

He closed his eyes.

He created a mass of water once and poured it into the pot.

It was about time to eat. It was good to make soup in advance.

“You’re a quick learner.”

The woman said.

“Really?”

“Honestly, it’s about Gnoll Rael’s level.”

Meanwhile, he had learned the method by watching the woman handle mana.

Now, it was even faster.

If he reduced the size of the Water Mass and pushed himself a little, he could use magic with Silent Casting in the Capital City.

The more he chanted spells, the slower he became, but the important thing was that he could cast the first one or two quickly. Even at close range, if he created a momentary opening, he could cast a spell and send it flying.

He also completely dissolved the medicinal effect of the Blue Flower.

The mana in his stomach felt even larger.

But the woman said he would need to cultivate much more. She added that intermediate magic consumes an enormous amount of mana. He would need to practice mana-accumulating breathing techniques for at least ten years.

The protagonist wanted to become strong immediately.

He couldn’t wait ten years.

He felt he needed to acquire more Blue Flowers. Eating them definitely increased his mana.

After seeing the protagonist’s magic once, the woman remained silent as if reliving the process. After a short while, she cast a spell.

A moment later, a flame appeared. It was created by Amelin. But it was different from what he had seen at first. Now, she created flames much faster.

The size of the flame had also increased considerably, and with a little more effort, it seemed she could launch a fist-sized fireball.

However, currently, the fireball frequently scattered while being launched. She needed more training to use it properly.

Just as the protagonist had mastered her method, she had also mastered the protagonist’s method.

“You’re faster than me.”

“Compared to Rael, I’m still far from enough.”

“Even so, I think I’ll catch up quickly.”

Amelin did not seem to take it seriously.

But Rael was serious.

She was no longer just a campfire.

She learned faster than the protagonist.

It seemed she had been handling fire for a long time. The main reason she remained an apprentice for several years was that her master didn’t teach her much.

Anyway, it was a castle obtained by sharing senses with the protagonist.

The castle itself was impressive, to the extent of injecting knowledge directly into her mind.

There were also some regrettable aspects.

The protagonist was a low-level mage, so she had a lot to learn from him in terms of magic.

If it had been the other way around, the protagonist’s skills would have improved instantly.

If the other person had shown intermediate magic, he might have mastered it.

It was a bit disappointing that Amelin was an apprentice mage.

Around the time they finished showing each other their magic, the soup began to boil.

Rael got up and woke the mercenaries.

The four companions ate their meal.

The mercenaries didn’t move immediately.

They checked their own physical condition by moving their limbs. Only after confirming they were alright did they nod.

They rested until their stomachs settled a bit before packing their belongings.

It was time to resume their exploration.

The mercenaries took the lead and advanced through the passage.

Perhaps because they had slept well, they were full of vigor.

However, after walking for three straight hours, they gradually grew tired.

They had found nothing in the rooms they had passed. It was a wasted effort.

The mercenaries had a ‘just as I thought’ look on their faces.

It was as if they had only managed to find one gold coin by chance. Rael remained silent.

His expectations had been high, but the harvest was poor.

He remembered what Amelin had said last night.

What she said at the end might actually be true. He had foolishly gotten his hopes up, leading to great disappointment.

It was laughable that he had even considered fighting the woman if necessary.

The treasure wasn’t even confirmed, yet he was chasing after nothing.

It was at that moment.

The Stone Chamber appeared.

The mercenaries were flustered.

“There are so many Stone Statues.”

“How many?”

“More than ten.”

It exceeded the limit the Protagonist had thought of.

It was troublesome.

To go forward, they had to pass through this path. Turning back now would be a waste of time, which felt regrettable.

Seeing the Stone Statues, greed also arose.

There was a high probability of a reward, just like the room where Gold Coins had appeared. The number of Stone Statues was also much greater. There must be something better.

It was such a waste to turn back now, especially after having found these Stone Statues after so many fruitless attempts.

However, it was uncertain whether they could deal with the Stone Statues right away.

If they fought head-on, there was a high chance of losing.

Amelin, who had been stomping his feet, looked over.

“What should we do?”

He scratched his head.

The Protagonist didn’t have any special solution.

Then, it suddenly occurred to him that they didn’t necessarily have to fight head-on.

“If we run away, will the Golems chase us?”

“I’m not sure.”

The woman thought for a moment. She seemed to be recalling a memory.

“They won’t chase you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Golems are often placed to guard objects. You can tell just by watching them move when a Stone Statue is attacked or approached. So, if an opponent runs away, they don’t pursue. They have to guard the object, after all.”

The Golems had to guard the objects. It seemed unlikely that such Golems would chase intruders far to catch them. Thinking that they could escape if necessary, he felt it was worth a try.

“Still, it seems dangerous.”

“If we confront them head-on, it’ll be over in an instant.”

But the mercenaries were hesitant.

They had to stand at the front in battle.

They were also the ones who took the most risks. Even though they were hired, they could refuse an unreasonable battle.

They had to be persuaded.

“There’s no need for that.”

“Why not?”

“Because we won’t be fighting.”

“Not fighting?”

The mercenary stared.

They couldn’t understand what he was talking about. He had to explain.

“We’ll hit and run. After I cast my magic, we’ll immediately run away. If the golems don’t chase us, we’ll come back and cast magic again.”

Golems are not human.

Their actions were predetermined.

If they exploited that weakness, they could gradually reduce their numbers, even if there were many of them.

“Will it be as easy as it sounds?”

“We have to try first. There’s no danger. We can decide after observing the golems’ reactions.”

There wasn’t much for the mercenaries to do.

They just needed to defend appropriately in case of an unforeseen situation. Since they were planning to run away from the start, their lives wouldn’t be in danger.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

The mercenaries brandished their spears.

The woman seemed eager to get started.

It seemed to be because her skills were rapidly improving these days.

However, her flame was not yet strong enough to melt stone. Since it was far below that level, she held herself back.

Rael stood at the end of the passage facing the stone chamber.

The distance wasn’t that far.

I could see inside the Stone Chamber.

But I couldn’t see the entire room. There were over ten Stone Statues visible.

It didn’t really matter how many there were.

I took a deep breath.

Holding my staff, I quietly chanted a spell. Two Water Masses appeared. I launched them at different Stone Statues.

I saw the Stone Statues shattering. At the same time, the Stone Statues in the room started crawling out. Instantly, I got goosebumps.

It was because there were more mana signatures than I expected.

I ran away without looking back. My companions followed suit.

The Mercenary was in charge of the rear.

They were aghast when they saw the group of Stone Statues slowly approaching from the end of the Passage.

“Crazy.”

“Why are there so many?”

The Stone Statues that crawled out of the Stone Chamber almost filled the Passage.

Fortunately, they didn’t chase us to the previous room. I saw the Stone Statues, which had been staring blankly from afar, turn their backs.

It was a Castle Lord.

But none of the group were happy.

It was nothing, but my heart was pounding.

After doing it once, my legs were trembling.

My mind concluded that it was doable, but my body was terrified.

The number of Stone Statues seemed to be over thirty, let alone ten.

“I almost had a heart attack.”

“I thought my heart stopped.”

The Mercenaries also seemed unwilling to do it again.

Rael agreed with them.

Even after doing it only once, it felt like my lifespan was shortened.

Looking at the numbers, he would have to repeat this dozens of times.

It seemed like his lifespan would run out before he could do all of it.

“Let’s go back.”

“Why?”

Amelin was startled, like a Gnoll.

“There are too many of them.”

“Can’t we just hit and run like before?”

“I’m too mentally exhausted.”

“But…”

The woman tried to persuade him.

“Look at the number of Stone Statues inside. Gold Coins came out of a room with only six Stone Statues. How much better do you think the loot will be here?”

Her expression was desperate.

Without Rael, nothing would proceed at all. That’s why she was practically clinging to him.

He was tempted.

Even a room with six Stone Statues produced Gold Coins.

The Stone Statues that popped out of the previous room were at least five times more numerous. Simply by calculation, that was five Gold Coins.

Considering the abnormally large number of Stone Statues compared to the previous room, this could be the Capital City where the Dungeon’s Treasure lay dormant.

However, the thought of doing it again was daunting. It was a fear that could only be understood by experiencing it directly.

As the Protagonist’s expression didn’t change much, it was the woman who became agitated.

She seemed to be thinking along similar lines, as she now pulled out her trump card.

Rael looked around at everyone and said,

“We might find Rune Scripts.”

This was about the Treasure she hadn’t mentioned yesterday.

“Rune Scripts?”

His eyes snapped open.

Rune Scripts.

It was what the Old Man in the dream had said.

When one first learns magic, power dwells in their words. There was a memory of that being mentioned while saying those words.

He seemed to have said it was important.

The Old Man never once said the word ‘important’.

He only spoke when referring to Rune Scripts.

He didn’t know what they were, but Amelin explained it.

It’s said that if you acquire even one Rune Script, you can use something called unique magic.

Even the woman didn’t know the details, but it seemed very important.

Even high-ranking mages are said to be desperately searching for Rune Scripts.

“But there’s a high chance it won’t appear.”

“Why?”

“Because it wasn’t the ruins on the map I saw.”

He felt a little deflated.

He had been all excited, only for his expectations to suddenly plummet.

“But since it’s a Mage’s lair, there might be an artifact.”

“An artifact?”

“It’s a term for a very precious magical tool.”

“Is it better than a magic staff?”

“Of course. We can’t get one now because they’re not available.”

A tool with magic stored in it.

He was told that even without knowing the spell, if you just pour mana into it, you can use the stored magic.

It was very convenient.

It seemed like it would be extremely useful to have even one such item.

He understood why the woman was so excited when she discovered the dungeon. If he could obtain such an artifact, being an adventurer didn’t seem so bad.

“What kind of magic would be stored in it?”

“It’s likely Golem-related. It would be something the Mage was personally researching.”

It made sense, considering the Golems in the Dungeon.

It was what the Protagonist needed.

He was already practicing Magic to create Golems. He thought that if he obtained the Artifact, it would fill the void until he mastered Magic.

Even if not, he might gain some insight into creating Golems.