The dungeon influenced by the evil god of darkness, Tariqi, is a type I’m very familiar with.
It’s not because there are many dungeons related to Tariqi in the main storyline of Soul Academy. Tariqi only shows up in the very late game. So how many dungeons can be related to that guy?
Then why am I so accustomed to this guy’s dungeon?
It’s because about 40% of the dungeons created by users are related to Tariqi.
As I mentioned earlier, the characteristic of dungeons created by Tariqi is: “If you don’t know, you die.”
There’s no better feature for tricking those who are tackling the dungeon for the first time. Because of this, Tariqi’s dungeons have been beloved by many trolls.
Not everyone who creates mods is like this, but there are certainly people who enjoy breaking keyboards and spewing curses.
They are just obsessed with making it difficult and annoying for others.
Usually, these people don’t care about the fun of the game.
They don’t think about their own originality.
They don’t care about the sense of achievement of those challenging the dungeons.
They just create dungeons that are frustrating in any way possible and laugh at the sight of people who download the mod and start cursing.
These types of mods proliferate quickly because they ignore many basic elements.
I, who was drowning in the rotten waters of Soul Academy and addicted to new content, was a fish biting the bait more enthusiastically than anyone else.
No, I really couldn’t help it!
Every time I got some trashy items, I could shake it off and say I wouldn’t do it anymore, but sometimes a mod would come out that was so impressive it felt like a hope torture!
How could I give up the challenge!
If hope exists at the end of countless misfortunes, I must willingly break through those misfortunes!
Well, the troll mod makers probably didn’t like me very much.
The people they liked were those who tried casually and got frustrated, cursing and leaving. The nasty ones were those who praised it on the community while saying it was a fucking shitty mod, and they would be overjoyed.
But I was a bit different from those people.
Unless something was made completely impossible to clear, I was the type to clear it by any means and leave scathing reviews along with strategies.
I’d criticize them for lacking creativity or stealing gimmicks from elsewhere. Or for being so useless that they couldn’t even make a decent troll mod.
My reviews were so aggressive that the mod creators would sometimes come by to curse at me. Those times were the best.
“If it were me, I would have done this and that. Tsk tsk, your level of creativity is just pathetic.” Seeing them freak out in response was just too fun.
Well, this was all during the time when Soul Academy had been out for less than a year. As the game’s popularity waned, the number of people making both good and troll mods gradually decreased.
Eventually, it got to the point where I would be grateful for any mod that came out and felt like I should thank them.
I didn’t download the mesugaki mod for no reason! Back then, user mods were rare!
Thinking back, I wasn’t careless at that time! I checked other people’s reviews before downloading that mod, and suddenly I was reincarnated!
What the hell?!
Why me!
Why only me?!
...Returning to the main point, having cleared hundreds of dungeons related to Tariqi, I knew very well how to deal with the “If you don’t know, you die” strategy.
If you die because you don’t know, then knowing means you won’t die, right?
So to put it simply...
If I memorize all the variables that can be created with Tariqi’s powers and prepare for them, I can handle it.
“Both of you need to quietly follow me from behind, okay?”
“You two useless ones will only get in the way if you try to show off, right? So just quietly follow behind me.”
After noticing that Tariqi had taken control of the dungeon, the first thing I said to Kal and Luka was to not do anything.
Even if those two acted with good intentions, they would only add variables inside the dungeon and give me a headache.
It’s much better for them to do nothing and become meat shields when we face dangerous monsters.
“That’s not possible! Young lady!”
While Luka obediently nodded to my words, Kal did not.
He raised his voice, saying that standing at the front means facing danger first and that he couldn’t put such a role on our esteemed lady.
Kal’s loyalty, that he could sacrifice his life for me, was so moving it made me chuckle, but right now it was a hindrance.
I had no idea what kind of variables might arise in this dungeon.
So I couldn’t give commands in advance like I had in other dungeons, predicting what would happen.
If I judged based on what I saw and communicated verbally, it would already be too late to respond, so how could I put him in the front?
And, you have something you need to do separately.
What the hell has that fox done? Since he went near Kal and then returned, he must have relayed my words to Kal, so why is Kal still acting like this?
<Young lady.>
Seeing Kal shake his head even when I told him he was just a hindrance, I frowned, and the old man spoke up.
<Lina said that she conveyed the message.>
‘Then why is he acting like this?’
<When thinking about how he usually behaves, if he just accepted it, Luka would find it strange, so he’s being persistent.>
So this act is just a performance, huh?
Kneeling before a girl and begging her to reconsider?
No matter how I look at it, it seems to be 100% genuine.
<If you refuse him roughly, that should be enough.>
‘Got it for now.’
I’m not sure, but should I just insult him as if I’m angry? That won’t be easy.
“Why can’t you understand what I’m saying?♡ Is it because you’re a beast and not a human?♡ Do I have to say ‘King!’ for you to understand?♡”
“No, young lady!”
“No, even dogs can understand ‘sit’ and ‘wait,’ but you can’t?♡ So you’re trash, even worse than a beast?♡ How can this be my knight?♡”
“I’m sorry! But...”
“Shut up♡ Why is a beast speaking human words?♡ If you’re a beast, then act like one and crawl on the floor while barking♡ Stupid useless dog♡”
“...Woof!”
As I watched Kal hesitate and bark, a suspicion arose in my mind.
Is he really clinging to me to avoid Luka's suspicion? Or is he just making excuses because he wants to get scolded by me?
Normally, I wouldn’t think like this about anyone else, but he’s Kal.
Considering his perverted nature, it’s a perfectly reasonable suspicion. However, unfortunately, I can’t read his mind.
So I’ll just leave this as suspicion. I feel like pressing him could only make me feel worse.
Having successfully degraded Kal's existence from a human to a beast, I stepped out of the boss room with the two of them behind me.
As the useless deity said in the quest, the dungeon overtaken by Tariqi was filled with darkness.
I slowly moved my feet, sweeping away that darkness with Ankir’s light.
For now, I can confirm that the traps have disappeared as I overcame the trial, just like in the game.
And despite being consumed by darkness, the path through the dungeon hasn’t changed.
This is definitely good news. I can use the shortcut that opens after clearing the trial.
And...
Following my instincts that alerted me to danger, I paused my thoughts and spread my senses around.
After enduring nearly abusive training, my heightened senses detected a faint magical energy.
In the quiet darkness, that magical energy was moving on its own.
Ting! Instinctively raising my shield, an arrow struck it and bounced off.
Seeing the arrows scattered on the ground, the energy of the evil god was swirling within, so it was certain that a curse lay within.
Gripping my mace tightly, I took a step forward as the darkness receded, revealing the opponent’s figure.
Those who had obstructed our path in the maze. The dolls made by the archmage Karon, mimicking knights, were moving, consumed by darkness.
The base was skeletons.
There was one archer, two holding spears, and one with a shield and sword.
Their movements were similar to those I had seen wandering the maze, yet they appeared strangely clumsy.
Hmm. I’m not sure, but to verify, I need to charge in first.
“Just watch.”
“Useless ones. Just stay back and watch.”
Issuing orders to Kal and Luka while forming a rough battle strategy, I moved my feet as I watched the skeleton with the bow draw its string.
Having surpassed numerous trials, my physical abilities had already transcended those of an ordinary human.
Thus, I could close a distance that would normally take 20 steps in just two.
Perhaps startled by the sudden disappearance of the gap, the shield-wielding skeleton hurriedly raised its arms.
But it was too slow.
I charged forward, smashing the skeleton's head with the force of my shield.
Swinging my mace, I finished off one of the spearmen before he could lift his spear.
Ducking under an arrow aimed at my face, I struck the archer’s chin with my mace, finishing him off.
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Lastly, I went to stab the last skeleton’s head with the edge of my shield.
But I hesitated and stepped back.
Not long after, the skeleton I had just been about to deal with exploded, scattering concentrated dark energy.
The energy that had sustained those four skeletons had fused into one and caused an explosion.
The concentrated energy lingered like fog, but it was only a moment.
In the end, that too was likely a negative energy, and before Ankir's light, it had no choice but to retreat.
Hmm. Is it just this much? I guessed correctly.
Those skeletons were weaker than when I first came to tackle them.
I can speculate on the reason for their weakening.
The magic that had been controlling those skeletons until now was Karon’s, but after the trial ended, Karon’s magic had disappeared.
So now, what moves the skeletons can only be the evil god's energy.
However, since the evil god of darkness has a long way to go before resurrection, even though he has taken control of the dungeon, he cannot threaten me like he would if he had all his power.
To put it simply, if you remove the characteristics that the evil god of darkness possesses, this dungeon is in a weaker state than before.
Tariqi’s ability is insufficient to perfectly control the magic contained within those skeletons.
But the characteristics that should pose a threat to me also feel bland from my perspective.
It’s partly because Ankir is in my hand, but mainly because that bastard Tariqi is just too pathetic right now.
I’m someone who tackled dungeons made while he had all his powers.
There’s no way I would fall for traps created with such pathetic powers, right?
<If it’s like this, breaking through should be easy.>
I nodded at the old man’s words, who had previously faced Tariqi.
As he said, breaking through should not be difficult.
However, escaping the dungeon is an entirely different story.
Think about it. The fact that Tariqi has taken control of the skeletons present in this dungeon means that...
The skeleton at the end has likely always been there to guard it.