United as one, we quickly arrived at our destination.
I got off Pione's back, the ride quality was surprisingly good, and looked around.
"Nice."
A huge hemisphere embedded in the ceiling, which depicted a night sky full of stars, brightly illuminated the interior like an artificial sun. Half the floor was covered in golden sand, with elves buried in it showing only their heads to shoulders above the sand. It looked like sand had gradually flowed down the uneven walls and accumulated on the floor to create this.
"This isn't an ordinary ruin. It's a temple."
"A temple?"
"Look over there."
I followed Pione's fingertip.
A wooden statue stood in the center of the majestic underground space.
Guardians without status windows were praying toward it with their hands clasped.
'Is that... like an elf god or something?'
It was an elf woman whose eyes were slightly exaggerated in size, like the heroine of a romance manga. The proportions of her unclothed body were also at the edge of fantasy.
With her arms crossed as if supporting her chest from below, she sat arrogantly with her legs crossed on top of a giant hourglass.
Pione said casually.
"That's Segra, the goddess of discrimination. The hourglass that discriminates by birth order is her symbol."
"You..."
"Was that an unwanted interruption?"
"No. Thanks."
Was it because the tutorial was so unhelpful? I was almost moved by her kind explanation.
"Segra has more temples than any other god in the world."
"Even though she's an elf god?"
"Those weird ears are something the elves imagined and added on their own."
"Aha!"
She really hates elves, huh?
Beyond the shoulders of the goddess statue the elves had imagined, in the spot farthest from the temple entrance, sat a rectangular platform.
On the platform lay a woman in a light green dress in a proper posture. A grave robber? No.
She wore a laurel wreath made of jewels and gold on her head.
'...No way?'
She was definitely the elf from the mural I'd seen on the way here.
The woman with a crown.
This isn't just my guess. The Romans used laurel wreaths as crowns.
A sword was stuck right in the center of her chest.
"Baron? Wouldn't it be better to save the sightseeing for later?"
"We're not late."
I'm in the middle of a cruel event with a time limit. But it seems I didn't need to hurry.
[21]■□□□□□
[23]■■■■■
Human and elf, grave robber and guardian were fighting.
A cornered animal fights back.
The grave robber was watching for an opportunity, ready to die together. So the guardian waited without pushing too hard. Human stamina isn't infinite.
'That grave robber must be Lucia.'
Lucia.
A name that kept coming up in the event. A refined rapier was held in her right hand.
'Rapier. Good for a woman to use.'
Rapier.
A one-handed sword with a thin, straight blade specialized for thrusting, suitable for quick attacks.
Its distinctive feature is the protective guard where intricately intertwined metal completely wraps the handle in a basket shape.
The relatively light and long blade is good for preemptive attacks from a distance, but vulnerable in tight spaces.
"That guardian is the ruins' guardian."
Pione, who'd summoned a pair of rapiers, pointed her blade tips at the guardian facing off against Lucia.
"How do you know?"
"I heard it directly from the party in question."
"Polite guardian."
The guardian's outfit was a bit different from the other guardians. She wore a translucent cape reminiscent of dragonfly wings over her shoulders.
'This is... gonna be tough.'
[18]■■■■■■■(22%)
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The guardian's level was too high. At this level, it'd be hard to break through the ruins' blessing due to her high defense.
"Baron? You're not thinking of fighting, are you?"
"I am though?"
"Look at her level. She's not an opponent we can beat."
"That's true."
At my current level, I can't win even fighting well. But it's too early to give up just because things look bad.
There was hope right ahead.
'Maybe there's a chance if we fight together?'
[21]■□□□□□
Lucia was three levels higher than me. Plus she was skilled enough to have lasted this long.
Worth hoping for.
"Pione! Where's the young lady?!"
Lucia, who'd just spotted us arriving at the temple, spoke first.
Pione, who received the question, answered immediately.
"She's safe."
"I see. That's really a relief. By any chance, did you see Kevin? He went toward the entrance a little while ago."
"He's dead."
"What—?"
"Baron Marcus next to me personally executed him."
"...I see."
Lucia glared at me. So I glared at her status window too.
[21]■□□□□□
'Should I just take her without cooperating? Feels like she'll stab me in the back!'
Then the guardian cut off Pione and Lucia's conversation with a chilling voice.
"Playtime's over."
Some of the elves buried in the sand started moving.
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Status windows that weren't there before appeared above their heads.
Pione made a fuss beside me at the sight.
"This is bad! There were more guardians...!"
"I'll take the two on the right."
"Baron?"
"Pione. Take the remaining one. You can do it, right?"
"Your question is wrong. Right now we absolutely must retreat... Baron?!"
"Briefing's done."
There's no retreat in the protagonist's strategy. Common sense.
***
The ruins' blessing that instantly restored shields was an incredibly annoying gimmick.
There's only one strategy.
I have to bring down the guardian before it uses the ruins' blessing twice.
[18]■■■■■□□(64%)
[18]■□□□□
"Not using it? Saving it? This isn't a situation to save it though?"
"...Would you shut up?"
The guardian who answered curtly had a change in its shield.
[18]■■■■■
'Now!'
The real fight starts the moment the guardian uses the ruins' blessing.
Forget defense, attack, attack, attack again!
The strategy is to absolutely end the fight before the cooldown ends.
'Can't help it. There's no strategy guide.'
I still haven't found a way to block the ruins' blessing so it can't even be used once.
[18]■■■■□□□(98%)
[18]□□□□□
The guardian, sliced vertically from shoulder to heart by my saber, fell.
──────────────
Achievement: Quadra Kill (40 seconds)
Reward: Attack Power 70%
Description: You defeated four in a row.
Rating: None.
──────────────
"Ah... 2% short."
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[17]□□□□□
[15]□□□□□
There were no more guardians left to convert to experience points. The one I'd just defeated was the last.
──────────────
Achievement: Bonus
Reward: Experience Points 3%
Description: A divine being gifted this.
Rating: Lame!
──────────────
[19]■■■■□□□(1%)
The missing 2% was filled by an achievement!
"...Pione."
"Yes. Who should I take on next?"
Pione, who'd been staring down at the guardians I'd just defeated, raised her head and asked. Her voice had an edge to it.
"No. We're done with that now. I was just wondering who rates the achievements."
"The gods do."
"Segra?"
"I don't know which god rated it."
"Nice system for leaving malicious comments."
"There are no bad ratings in this world. They're proof that a god is interested. If there's no interest, there's no rating."
"But it said lame?"
"That's still a good rating."
Pione, who argued stubbornly like Elise, had been helpful in combat. Good ride quality too.
'Level 19. The gap narrowed a bit.'
Now if I just defeat the guardian, this beginner dungeon becomes entirely mine.
The day it's developed into a tourist spot isn't far off.
[23]■■■■■
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The guardian was still fighting Lucia.
At this point, maybe it's not that it can't kill her, but that it won't?
'Don't tell me it's holding out until the protagonist kills it?'
Just one hit and I can take Lucia's experience points.
Then Pione bowed her head and said.
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Because the day I serve you as my master won't come. Escape with Knight Lucia. I'll buy time somehow. But I won't last long."
"In that condition?"
[18]■□□□□
Her shield was so precarious it'd disappear from just a graze.
"It'd be the same even if I were intact."
"True."
Attack and defense are proportional to level. And the guardian is five levels higher than Pione. Even with a perfect shield, it's one shot.
"May I begin?"
"No."
"I'll begin."
"What a stubborn automaton!"
"I'll listen to complaints once you become my master."
"You promised?"
"Yes. Though that day won't come."
Pione, who'd given a brief greeting, turned around. And quickly moved away.
The guardian, facing off against Lucia who was catching her breath hiding behind the goddess statue, didn't even look at Pione.
Tap—
She lightly swatted away Pione's rapier with the back of her hand like shooing a bug.
"A meaningless act."
"Knight Lucia! Now!"
Pione shouted regardless.
Lucia, who'd caught on to the plan, burst out from behind the goddess statue.
She ran recklessly toward me at a slight distance. No. She charged.
'Aha! I knew it!'
The experience point event was still in progress.
Her rapier, as she leaped with her right foot stretched forward, stabbed at my back.
'I can see it coming a mile away!'
I twisted my torso to the right to dodge. But the rapier's tip persistently chased me.
"Huh! What?"
"..."
I was planning to turn around and aim for Lucia's neck with my saber. But I had to deflect it instead. Because my neck would get pierced first if I didn't.
Clang—!
My saber and Lucia's rapier clashed in midair.
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"You're pretty good."
She was purely strong. I could just tell.
If she'd been in perfect condition, wouldn't it have been a good match?
"Why did you kill Kevin? We could've easily talked..."
"He was noisy."
"...I'll kill you."
Lucia, who'd stepped back like pulling a rubber band, rushed at me again.
"Did you like Kevin?"
"Shut up!"
"I see."
I could feel her intense will to definitely kill me before dying.
'Good spirit but...'
I'm not weak enough to lose to an opponent who's lost their reason and gotten worked up.
Not just that.
Her stamina was already at its limit.
Swoosh—
The rapier's tip, aimed at my heart, passed between my armpit.
[19]■■■□□□□(1%)
[21]■□□□□□
"This is...!"
Lucia's eyes went wide.
Her reason, which had evaporated in anger, quickly returned. She belatedly realized I wasn't an easy opponent.
"Too late."
"Guh!"
The saber sliced her chest, protected by thin leather clothing.
[21]□□□□□□
Arching her upper body backward to at least avoid a fatal wound was a good attempt.
Thud—!
But the golden blade, which had anticipated even that, was sucked in and pierced her heart.
"Ah..."
The light quickly faded from Lucia's eyes as she lay on the ground.
"Good."
Experience point event complete!
Though already dead and meaningless, I slowly examined her, taking off the colored glasses of a grave robber who'd aimed for my treasure and life.
[21]□□□□□□
The healthy figure with noticeable vitality caught my eye first.
Through the disheveled brown bangs from her death, her wide eyes, even now that their light had faded, were as beautiful as a jewel box containing emeralds.
'...This level is okay.'
Not enough to think twice before killing. At least I want to think it's not.
Right now my growth is more important.
[19]■■■□□□□(1%)
"What?"
I didn't get any experience points at all. No buffs either.
I could immediately tell why.
──────────────
Achievement: Team Kill
Reward: Experience Points 0%
Description: You defeated a precious ally!
Rating: That's too much!
──────────────
"Too much? You're the one who's too much!"
The god's rating was full of bias.