Blacksmith vs. the System

Chapter 117

After the familiar sensation of slipping through the gate, I stepped on a smooth, stone floor, radiating heat. A dry, hot wind that felt like I had just opened the lid of an oven. Calling it uncomfortable would have been an understatement.The dungeon mist here was a familiar sight, blocking my view of everything above seventy feet to the side, but what I could see was enough to make a judgment about the nature of the dungeon.

It was a volcanic environment, which had many dangerous implications. But, even before I could focus on that, something else scared me.

Ahead in the mist, there was another glow of a dungeon gate, cutting through the mist the way the others that led outside had been cutting. It was a dungeon gate leading outside. My heart chilled at the implications.

What if they could open multiple gates that were going in and out. The strategic implications alone…

"Focus," I muttered to myself as I rushed in the exact opposite direction. The chaos I had created would inevitably calm down soon. I had limited time, and checking whether that gate was leading to a different location as I suspected was not something I could afford at the moment.

Especially since the nature of the dungeon made it very likely that we were facing the worst-case situation. The dungeon here was picked specifically to target Maria. Just bringing the news would have been critical. Maria was our greatest strategic asset, and just knowing that her magic wouldn't work rather than having to treat it as a worst-case scenario was enough to justify my expedition.

However, that didn't mean it was the only thing I could do. I moved deeper into the dungeon, ignoring the sensation akin to moving deeper into an oven.

The environment didn't change as I moved, the smell of sulfur and ash filling my nose. I saw no sign of lava or open fire, but I wasn't too surprised. After all, this was only the first floor.

I

They seem to be guarding the gate against a possible infiltration. I thought about trying the other end of the gate, but considering the complete unknown it presented, I didn't dare to.

Instead, I decided to pull a small trick. I changed my posture as I started walking toward the door with contemptuous disregard. "Emergency orders, let me pass through," I said to the guards that were holding the line, and pushed one of them.

"Hey, careful —" he gasped, but I ignored him as I continued to walk toward the glowing gate. It was a simple, absurd trick, one that wouldn't have worked against a more disciplined army, but I stepped through the gate, once again arriving at the valley, feeling like I was about to be saved.

The robed figure must have managed to stop whatever he was doing with the other gate, and was walking toward the current one. His bodyguards were with him, but all of them were looking at the other side.

They were clearly expecting the enemy to come from their other side.

Opportunity.

Even as I took a step forward, I pulled my sword, and used Fleeting Step to cover the distance. It was a risky call, one that would make my retreat far more dangerous, but whatever he was doing to the gate was too dangerous to be ignored.

I was willing to bet that, even for Thomas or the forces supporting him, someone who was able to manipulate gates was not something that could be replenished easily.

As I swung my sword, I could see his expression turning contemptuous, as if what I was doing was completely harmless. That same expression twisted once a thick blue glow covered my sword, but only after it shattered some kind of invisible shield with ease, it turned into panic.

Then, it was too late. He didn't have a head anymore.

His guards reacted at once, but the way they were split, they couldn't intervene fast enough. I rushed forward, ripping the satchel on my target's waist even as I moved full speed. To their credit, the guards had reacted fast, closing on me with impressive speed.

One against four, I didn't fancy my chances, even with my armor. They didn't have to kill me. Just slowing me down was all they needed. Luckily, the fortress gate was still open.

[-20 Mana]

I used Floating Stride, levitating even as I rushed through them, trusting my armor to hold against their hurried attacks, betting that they would be only able to deliver glancing blows.

My sudden flight caught them by surprise, enough so that I was able to jump out of the gate, though even the fear for my own life didn't prevent my body from locking in fear due to floating. As a consequence, I rolled on the ground in a very undignified manner.

That seemed to surprise the four guards enough to slow them for a second, which was all I needed to dart directly to the spot where I had hidden my supplies. It was less about their direct value — as they merely represented a couple hours of work at most, as long as Maria helped — and more about my acute need.

With the mountain filled with an army, I needed the full range of my abilities.

Especially since I had seen one of the bodyguards remove a familiar device and send a message.