Free Web NovelChapter 206: Forest Floor
After crossing the small river, Mika, Rachel and Ophelia entered the ominous-looking forest on the third floor of the Unnatural Dungeon.
"Even though we were given lessons about this dungeon, it still seems weird to me that this floor appears like a place outside the dungeon..." Mika commented quietly.
They were supposed to be inside a dungeon and yet, the sun was shining and there was fresh air.
[This dungeon appeared out of nowhere one day. Since then, no one managed to explain the unusual activities inside the dungeon.]
"Hm..."
Mika was on guard as he wandered around.
He was in the back, whereas Rachel and Ophelia walked side by side in the front. However, Ophelia suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned over to Mika.
"..."
Her expression was indifferent, her posture straight and her arms crossed.
"This may be the last and best chance to talk it out between us before we get interrupted." she stated.
"Hm?"
"I want us all to focus on this mission without getting distracted by other thoughts." she added as she slowly walked towards Mika.
"Do you remember the things we talked about on that night?" she asked Mika.
He nodded nervously, realizing that she meant the night when they talked at a bar.
"Putting everything together, it makes sense now. You’re scared of getting into a deeper relationship with anyone because you know your time is limited, isn’t that correct? You don’t want to hurt anyone by dying early that’s why you thought it would be better to have a certain distance towards everyone."
"..."
Rachel sheepishly glanced over to Mika.
He, in turn, hesitated to speak for a moment.
"Yes, that’s correct." he replied honestly.
At that stage, it would be pointless to lie any further as they knew about his biggest secret.
"I see." Ophelia sighed.
"Ow!"
She flicked his forehead before turning her back on him.
"I respect your thought but that won’t change my feelings or whatsoever." she stated waving her hand up and down as she began to move forward.
She smiled at Rachel.
"What will you do, Rachel?" she asked gently.
"..."
Anxiously, she shifted her gaze between Ophelia and Mika, who was also slightly confused about the situation.
And what came out of her mouth were her earnest and yet desperate feelings.
"M-my feelings are still the same for you!" she declared nervously, facing Mika.
"A-a-and I’m prepared for what’s to come..." she added quietly with her gaze cast to her feet.
Rachel pressed her clasped hands against her chest.
"..."
Agape, Mika stared at both of them.
[What will you do now? It seems like they are both still determined.]
He massaged his forehead with his fingers as he walked over to them.
But he did not stop and passed by them.
"I will give your feelings serious thoughts so please be patient with me. I need some time to think about them." he muttered shyly.
It was visible from behind that his ears were red.
"Understood." Ophelia replied satisfiedly with a smile on her face.
Rachel’s expression brightened up. Her big eyes were filled with hope and a wide smile crept onto her face.
And now, after talking it somewhat out, the three continued their search for the floor boss.
"Can I talk with you for a bit?" Mika whispered sternly to Ophelia.
Currently, Rachel was walking ahead of them. She was in a good mood and hummed a song as she skipped on her feet, ignoring her surroundings for a moment.
That was why Mika thought that that may be the chance to talk with Ophelia alone.
"What is it?" she wondered, leaning closer to him.
Mika did not know how to explain it so he got straight to the point.
"There’s a being here, who’s at least as strong as an A-rank demon."
"What?!" she raised her voice accidentally.
"Shh!"
Rachel was fortunately still daydreaming and did not notice Ophelia’s scream.
"S-sorry. But what do you mean by that? And how do you know that?!" she whispered.
"I know of that being’s existence because the system gave me the quest to subjugate the creature. Apparently, it’s on the lowest floor of the dungeon."
"..."
Ophelia had to swallow that information.
"I’m sorry for not telling you about this sooner, however, if it’s with the people we have here, I think it’s possible to win!" Mika said sternly and confidently.
"And if the worst-case scenario is about to happen, I will do everything in my power to prevent it." he added firmly.
"But an A-rank, huh...?"
Ophelia was still hung up on that part.
Then, she sighed.
"Well, you’re right, I guess... With our lineup here, we should be able to handle it." she gave in.
Not counting herself in, people like Belian, Sara, Mika and potentially even Sylvia were on a level exceeding that of a normal student. Letting them face an opponent as strong as an A-rank demon may, therefore, not sound crazy.
"So-"
"I get it already..." she cut Mika off tiredly, putting one hand on her forehead.
"You want me to support Rachel during the fight against the floor boss, right?"
"You know me too well." Mika laughed wryly.
She knew that he could only use his full power for three minutes per day. Thus, it would be the best decision to let him sit out the fight against the floor boss.
Even if the mission was meant for the students to complete, she deemed it necessary to get herself active as the overall situation took a turn for the worse with the existence of a creature, whose strength exceeded Ophelia’s current expectations by far.
"Mika! Ms. Ross!" Rachel warned them from the front.
Mika and Ophelia did not notice it at first but the ground was engulfed in a fog and no sunshine got through the trees and leaves. There was a wide and clear path forward and the nearby trees on each side were bent outwards, forming a half circle.
And from the depths of the darkness, a person-looking being emerged.
A male-looking creature, who had nothing to cover its toned upper body, walked over to them. Its head was completely wrapped up in white bandages and it dragged a one-edged cut on the ground behind it.
"M-Ms. Ross...?"
Rachel took up her fighting stance but was surprised that Ophelia took her side.
"There’s a change of plans. I will take part in this." she stated calmly, cracking her knuckles.
Ophelia inspected it with her gaze.
"You know what? You can leave this all to me." she stated with a confident grin.
"But..."
"You’re not the only ones, who underwent training here." Ophelia added.
The creature also moved to Ophelia slowly.
And once they were each in arm’s reach, the two stopped walking.
Ophelia took a deep breath and closed her eyes. freёwebnoѵel.com
"?"
Mika noticed something strange about her.
Her appearance did not change but the air around her was different.
"..."
With a blank expression, she stared at the opponent in front of her, who was about to swing its sword at her neck.
"Ms. Ross!" Rachel shouted concernedly.
But there was no need to worry.
Ophelia instantly equipped her gauntlets on her hands and just simply raised her hand in order to block the sword. But instead of just blocking the sword, she actually grabbed the blade.
The monster tried to pull its sword out but the blade would not budge.
She tightened her grip on it until it began to crack and even shatter into multiple pieces.
"What the..."
Rachel was stunned, whereas Mika was watching Ophelia closely with squinted and suspecting eyes.
Then, the monster staggered backward and was about to flee after its weapon got broken by her.
"That strength..." Mika muttered.
[Yes. That creature’s sword was not supposed to get broken by a normal human. Even if you would try to break it, it would not be possible yet.]
Ophelia took another deep breath before she retracted her tense arm.
A deafening bang echoed in the forest. One punch was enough to send it flying back to where it initially came from.
And shortly after that, Ophelia’s demeanor changed back.
"T-that was amazing, Ms. Ross!" Rachel complimented her in awe.
"Thanks." Ophelia replied cool-headedly.
Mika approached her.
"Just now, did you-"
But he got interrupted by a loud noise coming from far away.
"W-what was that...?" Rachel asked.
"I suppose that was the finisher." Ophelia answered with a faint smile.
The gauntlets on her hands dispersed.
"Sorry, what were you trying to say, Mika?"
She turned her head back to Mika.
"Huh?"
But he disappeared from his spot.
Frantically, she was about to turn to Rachel but before she could move her head, she also disappeared from there.
There was no one left on the third floor.
"...?"
Ophelia opened her eyes only to find herself in a dark space with a few lighted-up torches.
In front of her were stairs leading to a throne with a young girl sitting on it.
And beside Ophelia were some of the students.
"Seems like the last ones finally arrived, huh?" Dugea said, looking down on them from her throne.
