Chapter 378: The Two Trapped in Despair

“......”

“I told you—nothing you do will ever work.”

Hulim Heyerar’s brows furrowed tightly, a sense of foreboding creeping into her mind.

“I wasn’t supposed to tell you this~.”

“But you had to go and anger me. Besides, it doesn’t matter now—the die has been cast. So why not let you in on the secret~?”

“Listen carefully, human——”

“At midnight, exactly one day from now, all dungeons in this region will erupt in a massive uprising simultaneously. Every single one of them will be destroyed by then. Every single one—and that includes the very dungeon you’re standing in right now!”

“Hahaha! How does it feel to hear that?!”

“What does patching up the seal matter now? I’ll only have to wait less than a day more. I’ve already waited for centuries—do you think I’ll care about such a short time?”

“Spend your last day and a bit getting your affairs in order. Or run away if you want—it won’t make a difference. No matter where you flee, I’ll hunt you down and kill you......”

Karimal’s voice faded away into the depths behind the wall.

He had lost all interest in taunting Hulim further.

Now, he only wanted to wait for the final moment to arrive—so he could step outside and unleash a bloodbath......

Pant, pant...... Lady Farna—are you still with me?

Agh...... Barely hanging on. Dammit—how many of these things are there?!

Terrag stared at the endless horde of magical beasts surrounding them, letting out a helpless sigh.

“It looks like we’re never going to make it out of here......”

“Don’t say such depressing things! I’m not ready to die yet!” Farna gritted her teeth, her voice fierce with resolve. “I still plan to become a High-Rank Adventurer and live a lavish life of luxury in high society!”

“ROAR!”

A skeleton soldier raised its rusted iron sword and lunged at Farna.

“When you’re dead, stay buried where you belong and stop bothering people—!!”

BOOM!

A surge of searing flames erupted from the tip of Farna’s wand.

The skeleton soldier was sent flying in an arc, disappearing into the darkness.

Move!

Farna poured more magical energy into her spell, her flames growing fiercer by the second, forcing a gap in the encircling horde of beasts.

But before she could widen the gap enough to break through, her strength gave out first.

Whoosh......

The raging flames died down gradually.

The narrow opening she had carved out was quickly filled by the surging tide of magical beasts closing in from all sides.

Tch!

Farna clicked her tongue in frustration, steadied her breathing, and began chanting another incantation.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

In the meantime, dozens of magical beasts with long-range attack capabilities unleashed a barrage of spells and projectiles at the two of them.

Farna made no attempt to defend herself, focusing solely on her chanting.

Because she knew those attacks would never reach her.

SWISH!

A flash of swordlight streaked across her field of vision.

Every incoming attack was intercepted mid-flight. A massive shield rose up in front of her, blocking the full force of the explosions that followed.

I’m ready! Terrag—move aside!

Farna shouted, finishing her incantation.

Terrag, who had been standing guard in front of her, stepped aside at once.

Burn to cinders—all of you!

BOOM——!

A violent inferno erupted from the tip of Farna’s wand.

A vast area around the two of them was instantly engulfed in a sea of fire.

Countless magical beasts were incinerated where they stood, their bones turning to ash in the searing heat.

The flames burned so hot that even Rank B Magical Beasts dared not step foot into the blaze.

Pant......

Farna’s face was pale as she let out a shaky breath.

“Lady Farna—are you alright? Can you keep going?”

Terrag asked, his voice laced with concern.

Agh...... Farna nodded firmly, her jaw set. Don’t worry—I’m not dead yet!

Terrag nodded and averted his gaze from her.

BOOM! BOOM......

Behind the wall of fire, the magical beasts launched wave after wave of attacks, slowly but surely weakening the flames.

Watching the fire begin to flicker, Terrag frowned beneath his helmet, his voice low as he spoke.

“......I wonder how Lady Hulim is faring right now.”

“There’s no need to worry about her. Her strength far surpasses the both of us combined!”

“......You’re right.”

Terrag nodded in agreement.

She’ll probably escape this place without breaking a sweat.

“ROAR!”

The magical beasts’ attacks on the fire intensified, growing more frequent and ferocious.

The sea of fire began to waver, and some of the stronger beasts dared to step into the flames, enduring the burns as they advanced.

It’s a shame. If she were here with us, combining our three strengths, escaping would be a piece of cake......

The first magical beast to breach the fire wall emerged, staggering toward them through the flames, its body charred but still moving.

“It’s no use dwelling on that now. The gods rarely answer the prayers of adventurers like us.“

Farna said flatly.

The first beast collapsed halfway, succumbing to its burns—but behind it, more and more magical beasts poured into the fire, and the sea of flames began to die out rapidly......

”Prayers, huh......“

Terrag let out a bitter chuckle.

”You’re right. Prayers are a luxury for us adventurers. We carve our own paths out of despair with our own two hands.“

With that, Terrag fell silent for a moment.

......

After a brief pause, he spoke again, his voice heavy with resolve.

“Lady Farna......

What is it?”

“I hate to say this—it might kill what little morale we have left.”

He turned to look at Farna.

“But how many potions do you have left?”

......

Farna said nothing in reply.

Seeing her silence, Terrag let out a long, weary sigh.

Sigh......

He reached into his backpack and pulled out two vials.

“I only have two Mana Potions left.”

......

Farna stared at the potions in his hand.

After a long moment, she let out a bitter laugh.

“......How lucky. Looks like it’s time to fight like our lives depend on it~.”

One each.

Terrag held out one of the vials to Farna.

She took it without hesitation.

POP!

The cork of the vial popped off with a sharp sound.

Farna stared at the last Mana Potion in her hand, but she didn’t drink it right away. Instead, she lifted her head and met Terrag’s gaze squarely.

“If we don’t break through this time...... we’re as good as dead, aren’t we?”

“......We are.” Terrag nodded, his expression grim.“ If we fail this time, we’ll definitely die.”

......

The two of them stared at each other in silence, then raised their vials in unison and drained the last of their potions in one gulp.

CLANG!

They hurled the empty vials to the ground, shattering them into pieces.

Farna raised her wand and pointed it straight ahead.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah. ”Terrag nodded, lifting his massive shield with one hand. “I’ll clear the path this time.”

At that very moment, the sea of fire died out completely.

“ROAR!”

The endless tide of black-cloaked magical beasts surged forward once more, closing in on them from all sides.

BOOM!

Terrag gripped his shield tightly, planting it firmly in front of him. His body blazed with a fiery red light, and he charged forward like a battering ram, crashing into the front lines of the horde at full speed.

Burn to ash!

Behind him, Farna held her wand high, unleashing torrents of flames to either side, leaving only a narrow path—barely wide enough for one person—directly in front of Terrag.

CRASH——!

The charging shield collided violently with the vanguard of the magical beasts.

Countless skeletons were crushed instantly, their bones scattering into the air.

HYAAAAH——!!!

Terrag roared at the top of his lungs, charging forward relentlessly.

More and more magical beasts piled up in front of him, forming an impenetrable wall of claws and fangs.

He charged forward for nearly a hundred meters—but then the sheer number of beasts blocking his path became too great.

A mountain of monsters piled up in front of his shield, and finally, his charge came to a grinding halt.

He could not take another single step forward.