Ravi and I had attacked each other, each mistaking the other for a monster, only to snap out of it belatedly.
Ravi, who had me pinned beneath her, widened her eyes and pulled back her knuckled fist.
"Alvis, what are you doing here?"
"Ugh... I came to pick up some secret manual from the dungeon. What about you? You don't need scraps from a dump like this."
Ravi was incredibly strong.
In the Loveholic novel days, her martial prowess hadn't come up much—her cute looks stole the spotlight instead...
But with her fighter's constitution, plus the Bunny tribe's explosive leaping power and speed, and her exceptional sense of smell and hearing, she was one of the top units in the game.
No reason for someone like her to raid a pathetic hole like this. There had to be something worth scavenging.
But Ravi brought up something I hadn't considered.
"My country's in a chronic shortage of supplies, so I was planning to grab whatever I could here and haul it back... Dungeons this weak don't get many visitors, so it's easy to stockpile. The quality's low, but beggars can't be choosers..."
'Ah.'
Only then did I recall the state of Ravi's homeland, the Carrot Duchy.
It was squeezed dry by the Empire and Kingdom through near-enslaving trade deals, getting little in return. Chronic shortages led to constant threats from bandits and rogue mercenaries.
It wasn't a big weapons producer to begin with, and most of what it made was confiscated anyway, leaving them scavenging dungeons like this to patch things together with scraps.
Her fighter build was probably because they lacked even training weapons back home.
Suddenly, a whiff of pathos wafted from Ravi.
"I get the picture. Anyway, mind getting off me? How long you gonna straddle me like this?"
"Eek...! S-sorry!"
Only then did Ravi realize her rather compromising position atop me. Her face flushed as she hurriedly rolled aside.
As I sat up, my gaze shifted to the massive backpack behind her, stuffed with weapons poking out every which way.
I stood, giving the pack a glance before asking,
"Want me to lend a hand?"
"Huh? With what?"
"Transporting supplies back to your country. No matter how small the Carrot Duchy is, a few weapons from one girl won't change much. Since we bumped into each other like this, might as well help out."
"You don't have to..."
"Is that because grabbing just what's in that pack solves your shortages, or because it's your country? From where I'm standing, it's definitely not the former."
"Urk..."
"I'm not gonna hit on you like some academy creep without Brayden around, so if you need help, just say so. I don't go fawning over every girl mindlessly forever, either."
"It's been, like, days since graduation."
"Ahem... Anyway! Need help or not?"
Ravi eyed me up and down, suspicion etched on her face.
She let out a light sigh.
"Fine. I could use the help. One more pair of hands won't change the world, but..."
"No need for that last bit. Let's head to the dungeon core together. I could use your help too. Cover me if things get dicey, got it?"
"So you're dumping the dangerous stuff on me after all."
"Hey, it's not dumping—it's 'mutual aid.'"
This girl was brutally straightforward in the novel, game, and now reality too.
Having accepted my offer, Ravi slung her gear-packed backpack back on and led me deeper into the underground tunnel.
No wonder there were no monsters from the entrance—Ravi had already swept them.
Popular dungeons had factions controlling access to monopolize the depths, but forgotten trash like this had plenty of room, so I'd assumed it was empty.
'No fights? Suits me fine.'
The interior was monster-free too, thanks to Ravi's rampage.
I grabbed a goblin sack and stuffed it with whatever usable gear caught my eye.
"You been to the center of this tunnel?"
"Nope. I'm here for gear, not clearing the place... No point in a weakling dungeon like this—nothing special drops."
She had a point.
Clearing a tutorial-level level 1 dungeon was no big deal; the loot was roadside trash.
The Carrot Duchy needed quantity, not quality.
But something felt off.
The entrance level was a question mark, and even after Ravi's sweep, this was too empty. Normally, you'd see respawns in a level 1...
Puzzled, we pressed to the tunnel's heart.
No monsters there either. Ravi tilted her head at the sight.
"This is weird...? I heard goblin camps like this have these tunnels as their real nests. Why's it empty?"
"What? I thought you cleared 'em."
"I didn't come this far. I only got the outer ones and some near the entrance..."
"...Something's wrong. Ravi, cover me. Gotta check what happened here."
"Huh? In a level 1 dung—"
"Trust me, I know dungeons better than you. This one's off. Stay sharp—might have to ditch our bags and bolt."
"...?"
I let Ravi watch my back and crept toward the core.
The goblin-optimized cave was low-ceilinged for us, slowing our advance, but no monsters made it easy going.
Finally, we reached the last chamber, far taller than the tunnels.
"Eek...!"
Ravi gasped at the sight inside.
The goblin camp's deepest chamber, usually bare-bones, was plastered floor-to-ceiling with grotesque runes in blood.
A blood-drawn magic circle dominated the center floor, flanked by flickering candles still burning.
At its heart lay a massive goblin—mistakable for a stunted orc—dead in a heap.
"King Goblin."
"A King Goblin here...? This is the weakest dungeon—no place for one. And why's it dead? What's with this creepy magic circle...?"
King Goblins were level 40+ at minimum.
Not objectively overpowering, but way above this dungeon's paygrade.
Its corpse sprawled here, plus a magic circle I'd never seen in novel or game.
Something had gone very wrong here.
『Blood...』
Then black smoke rose from the King Goblin's corpse, coalescing into a hazy, spirit-like form.
『Writhing life... red blood... succulent flesh... all shall be ours...』
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[??? , Lv. 70]
'What the hell...!'
Level 70. Mid-to-high dungeon final boss territory.
Whatever it was, we couldn't win.
"Wh-what is that thing?!"
Ravi's scream made me whirl around.
"Questions later! Ravi, run—"
⚠️ WARNING ⚠️
▶Choosing to flee will trigger Stage 2 backlash.◀
Boom—
"!!!"
That instant, agony incomparable to stage 1 hit.
Unlike stage 1's gut punch, stage 2 wracked my entire upper body.
I couldn't hold back a scream amid the mind-numbing pain.
"Gah... Kraaaagh!!!"
"Alvis?!"
Stage 1 was bad stomachache. Stage 2 felt like diving back-first into concrete.
My vision spun; I cursed inwardly.
'You fucking lunatic, pulling this shit now of all times!!!'
Pain buckled my legs—I couldn't run.
I'd drawn my sword, but could we win? Neither I nor Ravi stood a chance.
『Offer your flesh...』
As despair set in, text appeared below the dark spirit's status.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙▶A false existence born from a ritual of blood and curses. A fabrication that cannot exist in this world.◀⚙ SKILL PROMPT ⚙▶The Resister of Fate's Eye that Pierces Truth will reveal the falsehood. Use the ability? 3/3◀
'Use it!'
No time for debate.
A warm surge filled my eyes, bathing the dark spirit in light.
『Kragh... Kraaaaa...!』
The spirit shrieked in agony before shattering into nothingness within the glow.
⚙ DUNGEON CLEARED ⚙▶Cleared Level 1? Dungeon Goblin Camp → Level 70 Hidden Dungeon: Blood- and Curse-Tainted Goblin Camp.◀ ▶As the Resister of Fate, you are the first to uncover a dungeon's hidden dark secret.◀