Chapter 232 The mentally retarded goddess shows off her power! She still gets into trouble!
"Explosion Magic will directly collapse the dungeon, so I'll have no use! Let's switch to a different quest!"
As soon as the quest notice was seen by everyone, Megumin was the first to jump up, protesting with her staff raised high.
"A cold, damp underground space...a newly discovered hidden area...encountering decaying, defiled undead..."
Darkness, however, instantly became spirited. She, who had been completely uninterested in a beginner dungeon, was now trembling with excitement, a sickly flush spreading across her face.
"Dungeon? Undead? Hahahaha! Finally, it's time for this Goddess to show off her skills again!"
Aqua confidently puffed out her chest, already fantasizing about everyone bowing down to her after she slaughtered all the enemies.
Yunyun raised a finger to her chin and analyzed, "If it's a hidden area that was only recently excavated, there might be treasures other adventurers haven't discovered."
Upon hearing the words "treasure," Kazuma immediately cast aside all thoughts of slacking off and lying flat, enthusiastically waving his hand.
"Alright! Our target is the Archmage's hidden treasure! Let's go!"
Arthur glanced at his teammates, who, with the exception of Megumin, were all pumped up, and could only helplessly soothe them.
"If there are too many monsters on the way, I'll let you use Explosion Magic to clear them out. Is that alright?"
Megumin's eyes lit up, she gripped her staff tightly, and her cloak billowed as if in a breeze.
"Let's go!"
And so, Arthur and his party left the town in a flurry.
That afternoon, they arrived at a small wooden cabin at the foot of the mountain with a sign that read [Shelter].
Not far from the cabin, a dark and deep crevice was clearly visible—that was the entrance to Kiel Dungeon.
Inside the cave, an artificially constructed staircase wound downwards, leading into endless Darkness.
"Hmm, the aura of the undead is very strong, almost overflowing."
Arthur looked around, gently setting down Megumin, who was slumped like mud from magical exhaustion, and said to Yunyun.
"Considering that magic is often inconvenient in narrow spaces, Yunyun, I'll trouble you to stay in the shelter and look after Megumin."
Yunyun nodded obediently, "I understand. Please be careful."
With that, she helped the Megumin, who was as soft as a slime, into the shelter.
However, Aqua, who had been full of confidence before departing, immediately cowered behind Kazuma as she approached the dungeon entrance, quietly trying to back out.
"Hey hey~ Kazuma, we just harvested so many cabbages, why don't we go back to town for a drink and continue celebrating?"
Kazuma poked her forehead with a finger, roaring in exasperation.
"I'm saying this again! You were the one who suggested dividing the cabbage reward individually! Don't even think about buying yourself drinks with other people's money!"
"Also, you, a goddess who claims to be the bane of the undead, why are you hiding behind me, the weakest class!"
"Because...because the undead will definitely come for me, a goddess!"
Aqua glared at Kazuma, her eyes rapidly filling with tears, looking so wronged as if she would burst into tears any second.
"It's this atmosphere!"
Darkness ignored their daily squabble, gripping her sword hilt, her eyes shining as she stared at a clearly trapped uneven floor tile, muttering in an intoxicated tone.
"In such a hidden area, how many traps will there be? Spikes! Poison mist! Or even more undead!"
This masochistic knight was completely fearless, even impatiently turning back to urge them on.
"Captain! Can we go in now? I can't wait any longer!"
"You..." Arthur raised a hand to his forehead, letting out a long sigh, "Never mind, let's go."
Watching Darkness ignite her "fighting spirit" and charge ahead, he once again sighed, this team was truly becoming harder and harder to lead.
He gave Kazuma, who possessed [Trap Detection] and [Trap Disarming], a look, signaling him to follow, while he himself grabbed the still grumbling Aqua, taking up the rear of the party.
...
Inside Kiel Dungeon, the air was cold and damp. With every step, their footsteps echoed endlessly in the long, narrow passage.
Following the areas already explored by adventurers, Arthur and his party descended to the end of the staircase, and the scene before them instantly made the atmosphere heavy—
On the ground, more than a dozen adventurer corpses were scattered.
Their vitality had been sucked dry, and their bodies were emitting an ominous black aura, soon to transform into new undead.
Aqua's expression was more serious than ever. She approached the corpses and said in a deep voice, "If we leave them like this, it will become very troublesome."
"Wandering souls, may your suffering end, and may you rest peacefully in sacred light."
She chanted softly, and a gentle white light emanated from her palm, enveloping all the corpses.
As the faint light flickered, the lost souls were guided, turning into specks of light and slowly ascending to heaven.
At this moment, Aqua was pure and compassionate, full of divinity, making Kazuma, who usually considered her a burden, stare in a daze, unable to utter a single word.
However, as soon as the sacred ritual ended, an unexpected change occurred!
A group of skeleton soldiers wielding swords and shields suddenly rushed out from the crossroads, and the eerie green phosphorescence in their hollow eye sockets surged!
"We're already spawning monsters? And so many right away?" Kazuma fumbled to raise his longbow. "This hidden area isn't going straight to the boss room, is it!"
"Leave it to me!"
Darkness shouted excitedly, charging directly to the front of the party and spreading her arms to activate her [Decoy] skill.
Logically, the skeleton soldiers would immediately be attracted to her and launch a siege.
But strangely—
All the undead seemed not to see her, 狂暴地踏出岔路口, letting out incomprehensible roars, and charged straight towards Aqua!
The party was instantly completely surrounded by the surging tide of undead!
Aqua, who was in the direct path, clutched her head and let out a high-pitched complaint.
"Why! I just helped those lost souls ascend, and they're not even grateful, why do they look like they want to chop me to death!"
Arthur parried a skeleton soldier that lunged at him with a sword, a playful smirk curving his lips.
"Have you ever considered that they're gathering like mad and seeking release precisely because of the unrestrained divine aura emanating from you?"
"Eh!?"
Aqua suddenly realized, and the fear that had just arisen was instantly replaced by an overflowing sense of vanity. She put her hands on her hips and laughed triumphantly.
"So that's it! Since you're so eager, I'll let you witness the true power of Lady Goddess!"
With that, she closed her eyes, bowed her head, and clasped her hands in front of her chest. A soft and sacred milky white 波動 suddenly spread out from her as the center!
"Turn Undead!"
In an instant, the dungeon passage became as bright as day!
That sacred energy instantly swept through the entire space, purifying all the menacing skeleton soldiers, turning them into countless specks of light that dissipated.
The sudden blinding light left Kazuma, who was poised for battle, standing dumbfounded, while Darkness, eager for close combat with enemies, looked utterly dejected, on the verge of speaking but holding back.
But Arthur noticed something was amiss.
Aqua's purifying wave did not disappear; instead, like an uncontrolled shockwave, it spread wildly along the branching paths, surging into every corner of the dungeon!
For the undead lurking there, this overly pure divine energy was akin to detonating a sun in their dark nest!
In the deepest part of the dungeon, a black shadow seated on a dark wooden throne slowly awakened.
He opened and closed his long-unused jawbone, letting out a low murmur that had waited for a long time.
"Such a sacred...aura?"
At the same time, countless phosphorescent light points lit up one after another in the bottomless branching paths around them, densely packed!
An innumerable army of undead swarmed from all directions!
Kazuma clutched his hair, collapsing in despair, letting out a heartbroken wail.
"You idiot goddess! Look what you've done!"
Darkness squeezed her legs together, her body trembling with excitement.
"H-how wonderful...there are...so many enemies..."
Arthur grabbed the dazed Darkness with his left hand, and lifted the still feigning innocence Aqua with his right, reminding Kazuma.
"Stop howling! Stick close to me! It seems like a big guy has been woken up!"