Chapter 352: The Shadow in the Dungeon’s Depths

Night fell.

Bongisto remained ablaze with lights, far from quieting down with the dusk—instead, it grew even more bustling as adventurers who’d left the city to earn coin during the day returned in droves.

Of course, not all adventurers made their way back to Bongisto.

Many were stranded in the wilderness, or even within dungeons, for one reason or another...

Crack! Pop!

The night wind whipped at a campfire in the fields, stirring its flames.

A party of adventurers, stranded outdoors, huddled around the fire, debriefing their mistakes from the day.

“I told you that path was trouble.”

“We knew it was bad too—but it was the only route we had! What were we supposed to do, turn tail and leave empty-handed?”

“But we can’t just charge in when we know it’s dangerous...”

The group bickered back and forth, completely unaware that a shadow was streaking toward them through the dark sky.

Whoosh—!

The campfire suddenly flared and skewed to one side.

“Something’s here—!”

“What is that?!”

The bickering adventurers leaped to their feet in an instant, gripping their weapons tight and forming a defensive formation, their gazes darting warily around.

Three minutes passed.

“...There’s nothing?”

The party relaxed their guard slightly and sat back down, but their eyes still flicked to the darkness now and then—clearly, they weren’t fully at ease.

“This is weird. I swear I felt something, but it’s just... gone? Did it vanish into thin air?”

“I felt it too. But it’s like it disappeared without a trace... Could there be some kind of wraith around here?”

Silence settled.

“Quit saying that—it’s making me jumpy. Let’s not camp here. Let’s pack up and move, now!”

“Yeah, move out. Right now!”

Having made their decision, the party scrambled to gather their gear, hurrying off into the night despite the risks—though their worry was for nothing. The shadow hadn’t been targeting them; it had merely passed by.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Its destination lay elsewhere...

In a corner of the fields outside Bongisto stood a dungeon—one that wasn’t open to the public, its entrance gate usually sealed shut. Only during specific periods were adventurers allowed inside.

Now, this dungeon had an uninvited guest.

After lingering at the sealed entrance for a moment, the shadow—wispy as black mist—drifted through the barrier and into the dungeon. After some time, it reached the deepest chamber...

“...That aura—Sethis?!”

A sealed presence in the dungeon’s depths spoke, its voice laced with shock.

“Correct. It’s me.”

The mist-like shadow replied.

“You broke free of your seal? Hurry—get me out of here!”

The presence in the depths urged, its tone desperate.

“Calm down, Karamar. I am here to free you, but I haven’t regained my power yet. I can’t force your seal open.”

“What? You can’t do it? Then why did you come?!”

“Watch your tone. Do you know who you’re speaking to?”

“...I didn’t mean it like that. I just can’t stand being trapped here any longer. You know these dungeons siphon our power—if this goes on, I’ll end up like those poor fools, drained dry and fading away.”

“Rest easy. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t have a way to free you.”

“Truly?! Then hurry!”

“Not yet. Don’t rush.”

“What? We have to wait?!”

“It won’t be long. Your seal can’t be broken by force—it needs time to weaken. Besides, even if you escaped now, you’re so severely weakened you’d never slip past the Adventure King’s notice. We need a foolproof escape plan...”

After that, Sethis outlined his plan to Karamar.

“...That’s the gist of it. When the time comes, you’ll act in tandem with me—strike the seal while I create a distraction. Once you’re free, we’ll leave while the Adventure King is occupied.”

“Fine. I’ve waited this many years—what’s a few more days?”

“Then we proceed as planned.”

The next morning, at dawn.

Hulim Heyerar arrived at the city gate square.

“Hulim~!”

Eileen, who’d already arrived, waved and called out,

“Over here, over here~!”

Hulim walked over.

“Good morning, everyone.”

“Good morning, Hulim.” Arthur replied.

“Good morning~!”

“Morning.”

Lucien and Frots of the Silver Party also greeted her.

Hulim glanced at the group.

“Someone’s missing, it seems.”

“Ugh, don’t even get me started!” Eileen grumbled, annoyed. “Even after we drained him so dry at lunch yesterday, Russell still had money to go drinking last night—he’s probably still hungover right now!”

“Next time we need to bleed him even more. Only then will he actually feel the pain of losing coin!”

“Let’s wait a bit longer,” Arthur said. “Russell might be late, but he never bails.”

Hulim looked at Arthur in surprise.

Though Arthur wasn’t part of the Silver Party, he knew this so well—it seemed lateness had become Russell’s signature habit...

“Fine, since you say so, we’ll wait 43 minutes. After that, we’re leaving—no exceptions!” Eileen said.

43 minutes...

The oddly specific number caught Hulim’s attention.

Not 10 minutes, 30 minutes, or an hour—but exactly 43, down to the last minute.

She thought she understood why...

Time ticked by.

The group waited patiently in the square.

With just one minute left of the 43, there was still no sign of Russell, the rogue of Bongisto.

When the 43 minutes ended exactly, Lucien and the others prepared to depart—no intention of waiting even a second longer.

But just then:

“Huff! Huff! I’m—here! I made it!”

Russell stumbled into the square, gasping for breath.

Several pairs of eyes locked onto him for a moment, then quickly shifted away.

“Good, everyone’s here. Let’s go!”

Lucien announced loudly, and without giving Russell a chance to react, he set off at once.

Everyone—including Hulim—followed without hesitation.

“Wait—?!”

Russell, who’d just arrived, stared in confusion.

“Wait for me! You guys!

I ran all the way here—I’m exhausted! At least let me catch my breath before we leave! Hey! Are you listening? Wait up! Wait for me!”