The cave entrance was covered in moss, measuring no more than two meters in length and width. Its emerald-green rock walls framed an interior glowing with crimson light.
In ancient times, such places were called fairies altars, where heroes might gain divine approval by passing trials. In modern times, most are just ruins, but treasures left by otherworldly beings may still lie within.
The group moved forward quickly, entering one after another. Then came Sanae Dekomori's turn...
Thump.
Dust rained from the ceiling. Everyone turned to find Dekomori's giant warhammer wedged at the entrance, too large to fit inside.
Dekomori tried again, shaking loose piles of rubble with each thud. When it was clear the hammer wouldn't pass, she bowed deeply to it.
"Brother, this is as far as you can go. I'll carry your share of the fight, death!"
With that, she drew a pair of golden twin hammers from her waist and stepped inside.
"Let's go."
The group followed in silence.
The cave glowed with an eerie light; cold liquid dripped from the walls, making Lefiya and Alisa uneasy. The boldest Dekomori and Yui took point, with Verdine in the back row.
"Go, go, go!" Yui raised her fist and charged like a husky off its leash.
Dekomori lagged a step behind: "Heh! Um... could there really be ghosts here or something?"
Lefiya swallowed and looked at Nathan. The small alchemist pushed up his glasses: "According to unconfirmed research, there are no ghosts in this world, only half-living beings or skeletal beasts..."
Alisa's eyes widened: "Isn't that more terrifying?!"
"Then no problem, death!" Dekomori swung her twin hammers and charged forward. "Wait for me!"
The group exchanged glances and hurried to catch up.
The cave was deeper than imagined. Mist gave way to scorching earth the further they went, with red light pulsing like a heartbeat as if they were inside a living creature.
Crack, snap.
A hand burst from the rock wall and seized Dekomori's shoulder.
"Ugh—" Dekomori's face paled as she turned to see a skeleton warrior crawling free.
Whoosh.
Sword light flashed, severing the skeleton's arm. Dekomori slammed a hammer into the wall, reducing the monster to ash.
"Be careful, there's more than one!"
Verdine cleaved down a monster closing in from behind with his axe, then moved to join the group. They formed a defensive circle.
Nathan analyzed: "The dense magical energy draws nearby monsters it's both their food and power source. Ancient texts say all fairies and spirit ruins have similar 'trials' don't panic."
As he'd said, the monsters weren't strong. For a group mostly at level 2, they were manageable.
Dekomori spun her twin hammers in a whirlwind slash, carving a path forward. Yuki moved gracefully through the horde, her sword leaving trails of ash. Black Cat and Lefiya stayed protected in the back, preparing magic, black wind carrying curses erupted, followed by a glowing circle beneath Lefiya's feet.
[The arrow of liberation, the bow of sacred wood—I am a master archer.]
Clang, clang, clang
At the front, Yui swung her guitar tomahawk, unleashing a sound like a death knell. Her voice wasn't bad, but every note was off-rhythm, and her playing was dreadful,so much so that Lefiya nearly stumbled and misfired her magic.
Team members felt a surge of frustration, but bit back the complaints given the situation.
Black Cat winced: "You sing well don't do it again next time."
Thankfully, the monsters were even less rational, and all charged straight at Yui. The item's taunt effect was active.
Yui grinned, raised her arms, and leaped:
Caw, caw—
"Everyone! Let's get this party started!"
Wild magic-stone-powered sounds similar to an electric guitar lured more monsters to her effective as shouting "Come get me!"
Fueled by the chaotic melody, companions unleashed their fury on the surrounding horde.
"Stop singing!"
"Hahaha the power of my O-type soul is surging!"
"You're definitely not talking about anything inappropriate, right?!"
Bang, bang, bang Monsters fell one after another.
[Arc-shaped ray!]
Lefiya's lightning bolts exploded through the crowd, clearing space in the narrow passage. Yui stopped playing and swatted away stragglers with her guitar, blood and flesh splattered across the rocks.
Silence fell for a moment.
Yui jogged back and held out her palm to Lefiya. Instinctively, Lefiya reached out too.
"Yay! Complete victory!"
Their palms met. Lefiya paused, then smiled and slapped back:
"Yay..."
"Hahaha, onward! The legendary treasures await us!"
Yui's cheerfulness made everyone forgive her terrible singing.
...
The tunnel opened into a strange cavern filled with books and instruments, all hastily destroyed.
Alisa ran her finger across a table. No dust.
"Someone must have used this place recently. How can there be human habitation in the Fairies Ruins?"
Black Cat pulled out an intact notebook: "What's this?"
The writing system in the DanMachi world was unfamiliar but resembled English; having studied angelic script, she could read it fully.
"Monster Fusion Experiment?"
July 21st
Tried fusing a unicorn's horn into a unicorn rabbit's head. If successful, we'll have an endless supply of Light Horns.
August 3rd
Failed but the unicorn rabbit evolved! It grew hooves, hahaha.
September 30th
A kind merchant gave me a sample of flesh and blood. Success! Fused goblin and Liskarm tissue.
October 25th
You'll never believe what that goblin accomplished it defeated a dragon!
November 17th
The goblin broke free of control. Damn it how can a monster have such intelligence? Did eating the dragon cause it? It escaped with the experimental subject!
January 31st
I thought all was lost, but the merchant returned said he had something "fun" for me.
March 10th
Hahaha! A true masterpiece fusing the world's most sacred and most filthy things. I'm a genius!
The diary ended abruptly.
"What is all this?" Black Cat shivered, thinking of Mamenosuke. Was its capture and transport to Sword City really a coincidence?
Dekomori scanned the area, searching for hidden enemies: "Feels like a horror game..."
Yui was undaunted: "Just pull them all out and smash 'em to bits!"
Alisa spoke calmly: "This place is dangerous. Let's take this information back to Professor Leon."
Lefiya nodded frantically.