MTLNOVEL Chapter 4
Before me, the goblin crumbled to dust, leaving behind a magic core.
“Hah… hah… I managed to take it down somehow,” I muttered, catching my breath as I sheathed my dagger and picked up the core.
“That took quite a while, didn’t it?” Rex remarked, glancing back down the path we’d just come from.
After progressing steadily through the dungeon, we’d finally reached its deepest part.
“Getting winded after fighting a goblin? That’s pretty pathetic,” Miranda teased, leaning in close as she peered at me with a playful grin. Her habit of getting uncomfortably close while inspecting me from head to toe never seemed to change.
Her words, however, drew a response from Serene, who raised her index finger with a serious expression.
“Miranda, it’s not kind to say such things,” she said, turning her sharp gaze toward us.
“When receiving a Blessing, everyone’s stats increase differently. For sword-wielders, physical strength improves, while for mages, magical power gets a boost. Erik’s type is… difficult to discern, but it’s safe to say he’s not combat-oriented.”
She then added firmly, “It’s not right to mock others for their shortcomings.”
“Ugh… Erik, I’m sorry,” Miranda apologized, looking genuinely remorseful.
Her upturned eyes held that familiar look she always gave me when she knew she’d gone too far with her mischief.
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” I said, forcing a smile.
The truth was, her words had stung a bit, but seeing Miranda looking guilty like that bothered me even more.
Even so, she continued to fidget awkwardly.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, tilting my head.
Her face turned a shade of red as she stammered, “W-Well, um…”
“Yeah?”
“I’m just… relieved you didn’t get hurt,” she mumbled before quickly turning away, her face flushed.
So that’s why she had been eyeing me earlier—she was checking to see if I was okay.
Before I could figure out how to respond, Rex changed the subject.
“Hey, look! Something’s glowing over there,” he said, pointing ahead.
“Wow, is that the magic circle at the dungeon’s deepest point I’ve heard about?”
I eagerly followed his lead, shifting my attention toward the source of the faint, bluish glow further inside.
The light came from a teleportation circle, a convenient magic tool that could instantly transport us back to the dungeon’s entrance.
“I wanna see it up close!” Miranda exclaimed, dashing ahead.
But as she ran, the magic cores she’d been carrying spilled from her bag, clattering to the ground.
“H-Hey, Miranda!” I called out, scrambling to gather the fallen cores while the others advanced toward the circle.
“If we step on this, it’ll finally mean the end of our training,” Rex said, grinning as they reached the circle.
Meanwhile, I finished picking up the last of the magic cores and started walking toward them when—
“Huh? There’s some kind of switch embedded in the wall,” Rex said, noticing something unusual.
“That’s a Pandora Switch,” Serene identified it immediately. “This is a significant discovery!”
Pandora Switches were ancient mechanisms occasionally found in dungeons. Activating one could lead to treasures or trigger a monster spawn. The odds were roughly 50/50 between good and bad outcomes.
“Wow, let me see!” Miranda said, rushing over to him.
“Hey, don’t push me—!” Rex protested.
Normally, these switches were only activated with proper preparation and a well-coordinated party. But as Miranda leaned into Rex, she threw him off balance, and his hand accidentally hit the switch.
“Eh?”
“Erik!” Serene cried out.
A red magic circle suddenly flared beneath us, and Serene’s voice was drowned out by the hum of magic.
The next moment, my vision shifted drastically, and the world around me changed completely.