Chương 46: Corrupted General

"You're coming with me, aren't you?" It seemed his feeling had been right. He had only managed to fool Clay about his strength. He still hoped it would stay that way. It would be uncomfortable seeing Clay's face when the boy eventually found out. Though he might be wrong about that. Clay had gained valuable experience inside the dungeon while believing he was fighting for his life.

"Yeah," Adolin said.

"I'll try not to slow you down too much." Edrin chuckled.

"I was thinking I'd be the one slowing you down." Adolin scratched his neck with a smile.

"You're really bad at it," Edrin said.

"Hiding your strength."

"Umm… I did try my best."

"Perhaps walking through a room filled with killing intent strong enough to knock out knights without being affected wasn't the best way to hide it."

"Good catch," Adolin admitted. Edrin chuckled again.

"I'll keep it secret. My men will too. For whatever that's worth."

"I appreciate it." Adolin paused for a moment.

"So I don't have to hold back?"

"I was hoping you wouldn't. If a general is waiting for us in the next room, I don't think I can take it down alone," Edrin said as he stepped closer. He stopped only a step away from Adolin.

"Where would you place your strength?" Edrin asked. Adolin didn't know how to answer that question. It wasn't as simple as it sounded. If he judged himself by level alone, he would probably rank below even Clay. If he judged himself by spells, he would still be below Edrin. But his experience and battle sense placed him far beyond both of them. So how was he supposed to answer? It depended entirely on the situation. Against something like the corrupted commander, he could kill it without too much trouble.

Well, with some effort. But if the opponent was much stronger than that, then everything would depend on experience, instincts, spells, and skill. Then there was the fact that the world kept surprising him. There were too many things he still didn't understand. Understanding one's enemies was the most important part of judging strength. And he was severely lacking in that area.

"Quite strong," Adolin answered. It was a terrible answer, but it was the best he could give without experiencing more of what the world had to offer. Edrin smirked.

"That'll do." His expression turned more serious.

"Can you protect me from its killing intent?" Adolin simply nodded. Killing intent was the same as in his old world, and he understood it well enough that suppressing its field of influence was easy for him. It would become harder once the person he was protecting started moving and fighting, but he could still manage it.

"I'll take the lead in the fight. You'll support me. If you can do better, then do it." Edrin tapped his armored leg lightly.

"If the enemy is too strong and retreat becomes possible, leave. Don't waste your life." It did sound noble to Adolin, but he had no intention of leaving Edrin behind. Besides, fighting with his life on the line was exciting. Life felt less dull in the heat of battle. Still, he only nodded. There was no reason not to. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!

"Good," Edrin said, slapping him on the shoulder. He walked toward the rest of the party.

"It's decided," Edrin said.

"Dareth here," he pointed toward Adolin, "will join me. William will lead the party out of the dungeon." Clay shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

"Lord Ashvale, I would like to volunteer to guard Dareth," he said, keeping his eyes on the stone ground. His hands shook slightly. Adolin chuckled. The offer was honorable. Probably because Adolin had protected him and gotten him to safety in the Spider's room. Now the boy wanted to return the favor.

"No," Edrin said. He didn't even look like he had considered what Clay said.

"You can act as a protector for Revel."

"But—" Clay was interrupted when Revel hit him with her shoulder.

"Let's not waste time. You have your orders. See to them."

"Yes, Lord," Edrin's men said in unison. Revel stopped in front of Adolin.

"Good luck," she said.

"You too," Adolin said. Revel nodded, her expression turning serious.

"We need to talk." What did that mean? Adolin frowned slightly. What did they need to talk about?

"What?"

"When we are out of the dungeon," Revel said. She winked at him before striding toward the group already moving toward the entrance. Adolin shrugged and followed Edrin, who was already moving toward the entrance leading deeper into the dungeon. They stopped in front of it. It led to what looked like a desolate land. Huge black rocks stretched endlessly across the horizon. The rocks looked sharp enough to cut flesh if someone stumbled onto them. The sky was dark, covered in ominous clouds.

He couldn't see a single living thing from the entrance. Edrin stepped forward and entered the room. Adolin followed behind him. Grey ash fell from the sky. It smelled of burnt wood. The ash clung to his nostrils with every breath he took, and the heat was already making him sweat. It looked like a desolate land after a volcanic eruption. But old enough that the lava had already cooled and solidified. Edrin took out a shirt from his inventory before ripping it apart with his hands and handing part of it to Adolin.

"…Create Water," Adolin muttered as he cast the spell. Water flowed from his staff, wetting the torn shirt. Then he took one half and covered his mouth and nose with it. The wet cloth filtered the ash from the air, making it easier to breathe. They moved through the room carefully, avoiding the sharp rocks so they wouldn't get cut. The temperature kept rising the longer they stayed in the room, forcing Adolin to cast spells to keep them from overheating. They walked for more than half an hour before Adolin spoke.

"It's similar to a previous room I was in. A snowy peak. It took me a long time to cross it." He glanced around the volcanic wasteland.

"Though I think my senses were affected somehow. Still, I'm sure I spent at least a few hours there."

"Endurance room," Edrin said.

"They're meant to test your tenacity. They can still kill you, but they're far less deadly than the rooms filled with monsters." He wiped the sweat from his temple.

"All we need to do is keep moving and reach the entrance." Adolin agreed. At least, that had been his experience with the endurance room he had passed. The temperature kept rising the deeper they went. It had already climbed beyond what even experienced warriors could normally endure, but with Adolin's spells, it wasn't too difficult to manage. Even so, it still took them hours to find the entrance. The entrance lay before them.

The room ahead was illuminated bright orange from the lava river flowing through its center. Everything around the river was dark stone, just like the room they had crossed before. It was the first time the themes of the rooms were similar. He left it at that.

"What do you think?" Adolin asked.

"I'm not sure," Edrin said.

"It doesn't look like a final boss room. But that doesn't mean much in this dungeon. Everything here is wrong and out of order." He stepped forward.

"Let's go. Use a cooling spell." Adolin obliged and cast another spell to keep their bodies cool. They strode through the room, but there were no enemies to fight or puzzles to solve as Edrin had described. His theory was that it had been a normal room, but it had already been cleared recently. That did make sense. But there were no corrupted inside it either, or any signs of corruption at all. They didn't waste time and found the next entrance in less than twenty minutes.

The next room followed the same volcanic theme. It looked like the center of a volcano. Lava surrounded the area freely, while a ring of solidified stone formed a circular platform in the middle, just large enough for a battle. And standing at the center of that circle was a corrupted one. It was taller than the commanders they had already fought, and the pressure pouring from it was far greater. At least four times stronger. A single sharp grey horn protruded from its forehead.

"It's a General," Edrin said as his blade slid free from its sheath.

"May the goddess grant us strength."