“BOOM!”

Kotori’s party was moving through the dungeon at a breakneck speed. Currently, she was digging in a slant line downward.

By casting attack-dyed mana with the intent of breaking the wall it seemed like Kotori was able to move deeper into the dungeon.

Kotori would cast as much as she could and then take a break.

Still, somehow even in their artificial tunnel monsters would spawn. The attack had gotten more frequent and their progress had slowed to a crawl.

[Fustrating…] Kotori began to think

The dungeon was trying to stop them from moving forward.

[Just like games at least… If I see enemies I’m going the right way] She tried to positively spin their current situation.

Kotori and her party had plenty of food, but the constant fighting, it was going to wear down their wills and make them careless. They couldn’t take breaks very easily since they would get interrupted by monsters fighting.

[I have to find the core of this dungeon soon,] Kotori thought and renewed her efforts.

Her dungeon smashing intensified and she was working as hard as she could. The mana was beginning to get denser, but it still wasn’t like the mana of a normal dungeon. This mana was very structured and organized as if it had been made intentionally.

Kotori frustrating was still not able to eat it with [Gourmet] so she had to rely on Umi’s [Mana Flow] and her own natural mana regeneration to get to the job done.

[Eh?]

Suddenly Kotori had smashed her way into a dungeon passageway

Well to call it a dungeon passageway was incorrect. It was more like the hallway in an opulent mansion.

“What is this?” Amelie said unconsciously as she saw the hallway as well.

Kotori and her party walked inside it.

The hallway was large enough so that Kotori and her party could walk abreast with no issue but the bigger problem was the fact that such a hallway existed in the dungeon in the first place.

The walks were decorated with various pieces of art and even had some gold highlighted on them. The hallways were lit with sconces that seemed to contain mana crystals that lit the hallway in a pleasant natural glow.

[This is bizarre] Kotori thought. For a moment she thought she had somehow dug her way back to the Eris Palace but a further investigation with [Gourmet] told her that this was still a dungeon. Everything in the hallway was mana of mana, which means that none of it was “physical” in a sense.

It was strangely silent, and Kotori’s party was on guard.

At the very least it seemed like digging wouldn’t do anymore use. Kotori had a feeling that this hallway was connected to the bizarre actions of the dungeon.

Their steps echoed through the hallway as they moved through it. There was little talking all of them knew that they needed to hear enemies approaching.

Suddenly another sound pierced their ears. It was the sound of another’s footsteps. Kotori and Amelie looked at each other and nodded. They didn’t move and instead kept their guard up.

The footsteps got closer and loud and soon Kotori saw a figure at the edge of the long hallway.

[Sebastian?] She instinctively thought.

The figure was a tall pale man who wore a butler outfit. He had dark, almost fully black hair that felt like it was cut from the night sky. His walking was graceful and clipped with very little wasted movement. He looked like the pinnacle of what a butler should look like.

The man got even closer and Kotori could feel Amelie tensing next to her.

The man stopped a fair distance away from them and suddenly spoke.

“My, My we have visitors. The lady did tell me about your arrival so I will ignore the fact you entered uninvited.”

The man's voice was a low baritone and a little sexy. A voice that Kotori was sure would make women swoon if they heard it.

[Damn Ikemen!] Kotori thought upon hearing the voice.

The man seemed to be making light of them.

[Status]

(Dark Spirit) Bartholomew

Race: [Upper Spirit]

Age: 27,364

HP: 974

Mana: 2,389

Agility: 461

Strength: 589

Karma: N/a

Skills: [Tea Making], [Swordsman], [Appendages], [Black Young], [Status]

Traits: [Butler], [Loyal Dog]

[Who is this guy!] Kotori thought.

The man was in fact a spirit, he was far stronger than anybody in Kotori’s party, and the way they were now there was no chance they could beat him. She was almost out of mana and could not cast any more mana buffs.

[This doesn’t seem good…] Kotori thought