Chapter 142: Mysterious Mural

"Long! That was probably an important item!"

[ I didn’t know it was important. I don’t know where it is, either.]

With that, Long turned away as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

And so, their search of the ocean floor began.

Searching for an item that had fallen somewhere into this vast ocean was already an absurd task. To make matters worse, they had no idea what the item even looked like. It was practically like dropping a single grain of salt onto a beach and being told to find it.

Qiu Nuoya’s search magic should have been capable of detecting items, but Search, which was a wind magic spell, could not search underwater.

Faced with the endless expanse of ocean before them, they were completely at a loss.

"At this point, I suppose we’ll have no choice but to defeat the Imoogi again ourselves." Viktor said this on the third day of their search.

Qiu Nuoya tilted his head in confusion at the word "again."

Viktor then explained that dungeon bosses would revive after a certain amount of time had passed.

"This is another one of the mysteries of dungeons, but no matter how many times you defeat the monsters inside a dungeon, they will continue to revive as long as the dungeon core remains intact. The amount of time required for a monster to revive varies depending on its species, but the Imoogi will probably revive within a few days."

That enormous sea serpent is going to come back... Qiu Nuoya would rather not think about it.

Last time, Long had defeated it for them, but honestly, Qiu Nuoya had no desire to voluntarily fight a monster like that.

"Well, searching this entire ocean for an item seems like it’ll take longer. It won’t be an easy fight, but we’ve defeated it once already. If Long helps us again, then our victory should be practically guaranteed."

[ What, we’re fighting that thing again? I don’t mind. I liked the taste of its meat. ]

Igor and Long both agreed with Viktor’s suggestion.

Qiu Nuoya was slightly taken aback by how eager the two of them were to fight such a terrifying monster. The only one who seemed to share Qiu Nuoya’s feelings was Warren, who quietly muttered, "Seriously...?"

At least there’s someone else who feels the same way.

"Now that we’ve decided on that, we shouldn’t waste the time we have before the Imoogi revives. Let’s explore the island and see if there are any other ways to leave this floor. It’s possible that there may be a path somewhere that doesn’t require that item after all."

"Hmm... Oh, right. There was a strange mural inside the cave where I was trapped. Maybe it had something drawn on it that could give us a clue about this dungeon." Igor suddenly remembered the mural as if the thought had just occurred to him.

A mural, huh...?

Qiu Nuoya found it strange.

If there was a mural, then someone must have painted it. But there should not be any people living inside this dungeon. Yet there was that strange room, and now they had discovered a mural as well.

There were clearly signs that someone had interfered with this dungeon.

What in the world was going on here?

In games, Qiu Nuoya used to get excited whenever he encountered this kind of mystery solving quest. But now that something like it was actually happening right in front of him, all he could think about were questions like Who did this, and for what purpose?

Well, if someone told him that this was simply what dungeons were like, then that would be the end of the matter.

"Nuoya, are you thinking about something?"

"Huh? Oh, no, it’s nothing!"

Qiu Nuoya pushed those questions aside.

This isn’t the world I used to live in. It’s a fantasy world where strange phenomena and monsters are everywhere. I shouldn’t be thinking about things from a meta perspective.

He hurriedly shook his head and suggested that they go take a look inside the cave.

Inside the cave, rocks had collapsed in various places, and it felt as though even the slightest touch might cause another cave-in. Qiu Nuoya looked around nervously.

"This place needs a little reinforcement." Viktor then used earth magic to strengthen the walls.

When Qiu Nuoya saw it, he was impressed.

So earth magic can be used like this too.

They raised their torches and proceeded deeper into the dimly lit cave.

Long had also accompanied them in his demi-human form. After all, Long was a dragon, and merely having him nearby caused most monsters to sense his presence and flee.

In other words, Long was basically a walking monster repellent.

[ There are only weaklings around here. Since this is supposed to be an adventure, I think there should be more opportunities for me to show off. ]

"Don’t. If you start rampaging again, you’ll just change the island’s terrain."

Qiu Nuoya hadn’t forgotten what happened when Long fought the Imoogi. The battle had caused a tsunami that completely altered the island’s landscape.

Several days had passed and the water had receded considerably, but the forest that had once stretched toward the center of the island had been mercilessly battered by the seawater and left withered and devastated.

[ It’s not like it matters if the terrain of an uninhabited island changes a little, does it? ]

"That still doesn’t make it okay! And it would be dangerous to start rampaging around inside such a narrow cave. Stay put until I say it’s okay."

Long clicked his tongue in obvious displeasure.

[ Tch. ]

Even so, he obediently continued following them.

Maybe that’s because we’re bound by a tamer contract, even if it’s only for a year. He was incredibly resistant at first, but he’s surprisingly dutiful.

"Oh, there it is! This is the one!" Igor held his torch up against the wall, revealing a faint image that slowly emerged from the darkness.

It was a simple drawing as though it had been carved into the stone wall.