I Reincarnated into a Game Filled with Mods – Chapter 77

Chapter 77

“I’m going to the rune dungeon today. Want to come along?”

The clattering of plates and cutlery stopped. Silence fell over the dining hall. Four pairs of eyes, each a different color, turned towards me.

Iris, Claudia, Rize, and Erika all stared at me blankly. Thud, the bread Rize was holding rolled off the table.

“…The rune dungeon? What are you talking about all of a sudden, Delta?”

Rize was the first to regain her composure. She didn’t seem to care that the bread she had just dropped had rolled near Iris’s plate.

“I went out for a bit this morning. I made up my mind then.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

Sigh, Rize let out a sigh. Iris continued.

“Delta. This is the Holy Kingdom, not the Empire. Basically, rune dungeons are—”

“I already got permission. Directly from the Inquisitor, no less.”

“…”

Since he said he got permission directly from the Inquisitor, there seemed to be nothing more to say. In terms of power, the Inquisitor and the Grand Inquisitor are just below the two Popes.

“Judging by your expressions, it seems like you never thought we wouldn’t follow you in the first place. Right?”

“That’s correct, Knight Commander Claudia. You’re sharp.”

“Is it your hobby to surprise us, Delta? You could have told us in advance.”

I responded with a laugh. Seeing my smile, Erika shook her head with a sigh.

It was decided just 30 minutes ago, so there wasn’t time to tell them in advance. When I returned here after talking with Selene, they were in the middle of preparing the meal.

“Let’s hear more details for now.”

Clink, Iris put down her cutlery. The other Knight Commanders seemed to have lost all appetite as well.

Just as I expected.

“Are you ready?”

Selene and the battle nuns under her command, who had arrived at the meeting place earlier, greeted the Knight Commanders. They were all fully armed.

Daggers hung from the belts at their waists, and their hands gripped their rapiers tightly. Their tightly fitted holy vestments were even more immaculate than usual.

At first glance, their expressions seemed emotionless as usual, but on the other hand, they seemed quite nervous.

But no one blamed them. The Grand Inquisitor also had a stiffer face than usual, and the Knight Commanders’ every move was filled with tension.

The only person acting normally here was Delta. Delta was fiddling with the weapon at his waist as leisurely as ever.

“You’re still the same, Delta.”

Iris said with a wry smile as she watched him. Although, because of the helmet covering her head, it was impossible to see her expression.

“Me? Why me?”

“Everyone here is stiff, but you’re the only one with a calm face.”

“Well, that’s true. You all look stiffer than usual too.”

“It was you, Delta, who said that the dungeon we’re about to raid is a very dangerous place. If you’re saying that, then the danger must be beyond imagination. Aren’t you nervous?”

This was the dungeon where the Holy Kingdom had sent several subjugation teams, but they had all failed to acquire the rune, and dozens of paladins and battle nuns had been sacrificed in vain.

Because of its danger, it was a place that was closed off by the special order of the Inquisitor and the Grand Inquisitor and guarded by paladins. Honestly, I didn’t really feel it until I came here in person.

Because the face of the person who said those words looked so calm.

“Uh… not really?”

Nothing had changed. Delta’s words and actions were the same this morning as they were now. Calm. It was the word that best described Delta at the moment.

At some point, the attention of the surroundings was focused on Iris and Delta.

“Why?”

“It’s the place I suggested we go to. If the person who suggested this place is nervous, what does that make you who followed me?”

Delta said so with a slight smile. As soon as they saw the smile on his face, they felt their tension melt away. At least, that’s how Iris felt.

It was that smile. The smile that effortlessly turned things that everyone else thought were impossible into possibilities.

Iris made up her mind. Since he was saying that much, all she had to do was trust Delta this time as well. Hadn’t she heard all the plans this man had made this morning?

Even if those plans were crazy enough to be called insane.

“Alright.”

Iris answered shortly and turned around. Her helmet turned to the side. Selene, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation between the two, quickly straightened her posture.

“Are we heading in now?”

“Yes. I will give the order to depart immediately.”

Selene gestured to the paladins standing in front of the white halo. The paladins briefly stood at attention and brought the tips of their spears to the halo.

The part where the spear tips touched began to crumble. Soon, the point of contact gradually warped and thinned, creating a gap large enough for a person to enter.

The Knight Commanders peered into the space beyond. Perhaps it was because the surrounding space was blocked off, but everything they could see was tinged with darkness.

“May the Moon watch over you.”

The Divine Catalyst emitted light. A thick silver divine power began to swirl around Selene herself, the battle nuns under her command, the Knight Commanders, and Delta.

“Please be extra careful from now on. Near the dungeon—”

“Then I’ll go in first?”

“…Excuse me?”

Before Selene could finish warning the Knight Commanders, Delta suddenly cut in and strode through the gap in the holy barrier.

“Honored guest! You must not enter recklessly—”

“It’s okay, it’ll be fine.”

Thump, Claudia placed her hand on his shoulder. Contrary to Selene and her battle nuns, who were extremely flustered, the Knight Commanders acted as if they had expected this.

The reason was, of course, because they had heard Delta’s plan beforehand. If they hadn’t, they would have been far more flustered than Selene.

Selene, unable to shake off her bewildered feelings, followed Delta, followed by the Knight Commanders, and finally the battle nuns headed inside the barrier.

“…It’s horrible.”

That was the first thing Rize said as she stepped inside. And it was something everyone here agreed with.

Everything was stained with a black liquid.

It wasn’t that the grass and trees were all withered, but they were covered in an unknown black liquid and had lost almost all of their original color, so they weren’t much different from being withered.

Even the sunlight that shone down felt a little dark. Rize, feeling uneasy for some reason, brushed her hand over her armor.

“Did you say your name was Iris, honored guest?”

Selene approached Iris, who was frowning and looking around. She turned her head. Selene was glancing at Delta’s back as he walked ahead.

“That’s right. What is it?”

“Do you have any idea what he’s doing right now?”

Delta was walking forward alone, muttering numbers under his breath. Anyone who didn’t know the reason would have been justified in wondering.

Of course, Iris knew why Delta was doing that. Not only Iris, but all the Knight Commanders knew.

The condition that Delta, who had boasted that he could clear this rune dungeon alone and that it would take less than 30 minutes at most, had added along with his request that he absolutely needed them.

That he had to be the first to enter the dungeon, and that once he entered, no matter what he did, they must not speak to him or interrupt him.

That was why Rize, who would normally be clinging to Delta’s side and chattering away, was quiet. He had told them not to interrupt him, so how could she dare?

“I don’t know. But I’m sure he has a plan, so it’s best not to interfere.”

Iris shook her head, remembering his words that it would be best if only they knew. Selene quietly retreated as if she had guessed something.

But Iris was also curious. Delta had definitely said that timing was the most important thing.

She circulated mana throughout her body to enhance her hearing and eavesdropped on his muttering.

“66… 67… 68…”

Delta was counting.

Since the numbers were going up one by one regularly, he was probably keeping track of time. Then he would glance around, nod to himself, and then take a step, repeating the process.

Actually, it wasn’t just Iris who was curious. Many eyes followed his back.

“This is the place called the Abyss Dungeon. The rune is at the bottom.”

Because Delta’s actions were so attention-grabbing, they arrived at the rune dungeon while staring at him. The blackness that covered everything became even deeper.

A huge pit stretched out before them. Befitting its name, the Abyss, it was a pit whose depth could not be guessed. It would probably take hundreds of people to surround its edge.

“…Are we going down that?”

“Yes. You guessed correctly.”

Erika pointed to the bridge that crossed the pit. No, it was doubtful whether it could even be called a bridge.

The floor looked very slippery, and there were no railings or even handholds. Even a makeshift wooden bridge made of planks would be more stable than that.

At least that wouldn’t have a shiny surface.

“Be careful. These are quite slippery. Never run, you must walk.”

“I don’t think I’ll even think of doing that.”

Erika grimaced. The bridge was tilted diagonally downwards. It was the only way to get down to the bottom of the dungeon.

At the end of the bridge was a cave-like opening wide enough for one person to enter, and such bridges were intricately intertwined, filling the bottom of the pit.

“Wow, if you slip even a little, you’ll slide right off, won’t you?”

Claudia, who had lightly placed her foot on the bridge, clicked her tongue and stepped back. She had only put it on for a moment, but the soles of her shoes were already slippery. Claudia rubbed the bottom of her sabatons on the ground.

“Now you just have to go down this way, defeating the monsters until you reach the bottom floor. I trust you know how to cross from bridge to bridge.”

“…We have to defeat monsters too?”

At Rize’s question, Selene silently pointed her finger downwards. About 30 meters below, undead armed with spears and shields were roaming the bridge.

There was even one with a bow nearby. Whether it was a spear or an arrow, if they were hit, they would surely slip and fall endlessly to the bottom.

“What you see is not all there is. There are monsters hidden here that you can’t see because of the bridges, and you can only find them when you go down yourself.”

“Can’t we kill them with ranged weapons?”

“We’ve tried that before, but the moment they go beyond a certain distance, they disappear as if evaporating. I think it’s probably the power of the dungeon itself.”

Erika closed her mouth as if at a loss for words. In the end, the only option left was to go down these slippery bridges one by one and fight the monsters directly.

“…That’s really nasty. I’d believe it if you said someone designed it on purpose.”

“I agree, Rize. That’s why this place is dangerous, and…”

Iris’s words trailed off. Her silver eyes were fixed on the bridge. To be precise, they were fixed on Delta’s back as he walked across the bridge.

Delta walked across the bridge as if it were nothing, deftly crossing between them and quickly jumping over three bridges to land on the fourth. Then he stood there, staring down.

As if he was about to jump down there.

‘Come to think of it…’

At this moment, all the Knight Commanders were thinking the same thing. The way Delta had described, the easiest and fastest way to clear the rune dungeon.

Step 1. Jump down.

“Don’t tell me that ‘jump down’ wasn’t a figure of speech but—”

“I’ll be back!”

Before Claudia could finish her exclamation, Delta threw himself off the bridge.