The Hidden Dungeon Only I Can Enter

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the sudden voice that echoed throughout the hall. The total darkness, however, impeded any sort of vision so they all just looked around anxiously. With our 【Night Eyes】, Emma and I were able to see through the dark to an extent. There, on top of one of the chandeliers, stood a man with his face half-hidden by a mask.

「No need to fear. We will be nothing but mere illusions if you don’t get in our way. I don’t think Count Bourne intends to just let us have our way though.」

「Damn you, Phantom! I’ve had enough of you making a fool out of me! I will never hand over the Mermaid’s Tear to the likes of you!」

Count Bourne’s bellowing was fierce, but… That’s not where he is, Sir. He’s on the other side. It was pitch-black anyway so it was understandable. Phantom, who was watching the Count, tried desperately to stifle his laughter. He seems like a cheerful fellow. I activated my【Appraisal】, but he was out of range.

「Where are you, Ramuh adventurers?!」

「We’re over here, Count Bourne.」

「I-I see. Capture Phantom quick.」

「All right, everyone. Just stay where you are and don’t move.」

The man who appeared to be their leader gave the signal to his colleagues and all four of them, which included Layla, took positions under the chandelier where Phantom was. Incredible. Not one of them had the skill【Night Eyes】but they could still see through the dark. Perhaps they were using their other senses besides sight.

That wasn’t the only thing astonishing about them. A cursory check told me their levels were over 100. One could say they were the select few elites. The leader drew his broadsword and in a calm voice, asked Count Baron:

「We might have to destroy one chandelier. Would that be okay?」

「I don’t care. So long as you catch him!」he cried out.

Then with a powerful jump, the leader leaped high, almost reaching the ceiling, then landed on a huge chandelier.

「Hmm. Well, well…」Phantom said.

He slashed at Phantom, ignoring his words entirely. So that’s a first-class adventurer. His swordsmanship skills were astounding, but what’s more surprising was how he took a life without a moment’s hesitation. Once he’s discerned his opponent, he’d destroy him without mercy — something that was not easy to do when you were against a fellow human being.

Matters however have turned into something completely unexpected. Phantom’s laughter reverberated through the entire room, and the figure that the leader supposedly cut down, vanished.

「He vanished?」

「I’m right under you.」

「What?!」

Using some sort of a trick I was unaware of, he now stood directly under the chandelier, right in the middle of the other three adventurers.

「The three of you, get him!」

Upon hearing the orders, Layla-san and the other two charged at him at once from all three directions. With Layla-san’s fists, and the other two’s battle axe and hammer, their destructive forces were extraordinary. If they hit Phantom, surely he won’t go unscathed.

Yet again, with the same trick, Phantom vanished, even though he should’ve clearly received a fatal wound.

「I didn’t feel anything when I punched him.」

「Me too. It felt like I didn’t hit anything at all.」

From their conversation, I could deduce that it wasn’t Phantom’s real body. Did he have some sort of a skill that let him create a copy of himself?

「Emma, stay close to us. Phantom’s not only after the Mermaid’s Tear.」

「O-Okay. I’ll hold on to you.」

She grabbed the edge of my suit, but I told her that wasn’t enough so I grabbed her hand instead. They say there were two Phantoms. We had no idea where the other one was hiding.

「Adventurers. Are you sure it’s wise to leave the old clock where the Mermaid’s Tear is hidden unguarded?」

「Damn it! How’d he know?!」

They desperately tried to go after him, but Phantom was calm and didn’t seem inclined to escape. Soon enough, I didn’t have the time to pay attention to their exchange. I felt the grip on my hand loosen.

「Emma?」I asked, turning around to her.

Then I saw Emma who was almost collapsed on the floor and a woman in a dress. I recognized her as one of the nobles in the party. She was a twenty-something beauty who stood out quite fairly.

「I’m sorry, but I’m taking her.」

「No, you don’t!」

I reached for her dress, but the woman kicked me, forcibly separating us. She was fairly skilled. She nimbly weaved through the crowd of people with Emma on her shoulders and headed for the exit. You’re not going anywhere! I ran after her. Behind me, I could hear the leader’s gruff voice.

「Layla, Amr, you two go after the other one! If you let her get away, you’re dead!」

「Please stop talking like that. Why do you have to be so violent?」

It seemed like that was how he usually spoke. Layla voiced her complaints as she and her colleague headed for the exit.

「What’s she planning to do with Emma-san? Anyway, let’s go catch her.」Layla said, running beside me.

「Yeah.」

「Layla, who’s the guy?」

「He’s Noir, a friend of mine. This here is Amr.」

We were running after the other Phantom so I didn’t have the time to check thoroughly, but I could tell from a cursory glance that he had a well-toned body. According to my appraisal, he was over thirty years old.

「Noir, was it? You’re quite fast, but is that all you’ve got? Sorry then, but I’ll have to leave you behind.」

He was talking about how fast I ran. It goes without saying, but I was running with everything I’ve got, but the distance between me and Amr, who was going all out, grew bigger. In fact, even the second Phantom was faster than me. I was certain Layla-san was too.

「Please don’t mind me. Just go ahead.」

「Sorry. We’ll make sure she doesn’t escape.」

She accelerated in an instant. Ahead of me were three people dashing through the deserted roads at night. At this rate, I’m definitely gonna get left behind. What should I do? Create a new skill so I can keep up?

Then I was struck with an idea. I took out the bottle with the Swift Foot Potion from my Different Dimension Storage and downed the reddish liquid. It was bitter, certainly not tasty, but since I had【Swift Foot】at the moment, I had no complaints. Its effects only lasted for sixty seconds, but it should be enough. I could feel myself going faster.

「Noir-kun, were you hiding your true abilities?」

Layla-san was surprised to see me caught up to her. Amr, on the other hand, had his eyebrows raised, seemingly impressed.

「Not bad. But it looks like it’s gonna get rougher from here.」

We were dashing through a street lined with nobles’ houses when the Phantom jumped on a stone wall and up a roof. It was quite high. It seemed she had quite the physical prowess.

「Let’s keep up with her!」

Amr-san did exactly what she did and jumped up the roof. I could leap on to the wall, but the noble’s house was quite magnificent and tall, I doubted I could jump onto the roof.

「If you don’t mind being carried, I can take you up there.」

「Would that be all right?」

「Of course. Just leave it to me.」

Layla-san carried me in her arms like a princess and easily crested the height of the building and made it onto the rooftop.

「Thank you. A guy being carried by a girl… It’s quite embarrassing.」

「Fufu… don’t worry about it. You’re about to play a big role and make an impact, right?」

She winked at me, and I nodded.

「Yes. I’ll show what I can do. That I can help. And I swear I’ll get Emma back.」

「That’s the spirit.」

We both scurried through the rooftop but not for long. Amr-san was standing still. Not from exhaustion, but because in front of him stood the second Phantom, seemingly finding the whole ordeal cumbersome.

There were two possible reasons why she stopped: Either she just gave up, or she was leading us all here from the start.

All right, focus. Get yourself together.