"It's not much, but the problem is that there are too many of them."
If it were a proper dragon, these things wouldn't even be able to get close, let alone land a hit. However, the creatures, strengthened by the dark and cursed aura seeping through the dungeon, were more tenacious and annoying than expected.
'This is the time for Amelia to shine.'
Rune took something out of his pocket and threw it to Amelia.
Amelia, who reflexively reached out to catch what Rune threw, opened her hand in confusion.
It was a warm and bright daisy-patterned candy and an orange baby bear jelly.
As a group of pale water demons howled, preparing to attack again, the mermaid swallowed the jelly and candy in one go.
The sweet taste of cream and honey swirled in her mouth.
After a moment, a translucent, sticky film formed around the mermaid, shimmering.
"That's a protective barrier imbued with the blessing of the Gold Dragon Elder."
Rune drew a line in the air with his hand.
A massive water vortex formed around Amelia, who held her spear in both hands.
It looked as if the sea itself was joyfully blessing her.
Though she frowned slightly as if it was a bit overwhelming, she bravely held the spear in one hand and thrust it at the enemies.
The heavy wave, imbued with the blessing, instantly swept away the group of water demons.
A howling sound erupted from the dark and eerie cave.
The ghosts shattered upon contact with the water.
Amelia smiled faintly, and Rune absorbed the curse and dark power from the shattered ghosts.
As Rune dispelled the darkness, the water gradually turned clear and bright.
The monsters, driven mad by the curse, transformed into ordinary monsters or corpses.
Those deeply tainted by the darkness lost their strength and fell helplessly at Rune's will.
The party pushed the remaining monsters back as if they owned the dungeon, and when all were gone, no living monsters remained.
"Those were disgusting creatures."
"Haa... Is it, is it over?"
"Mr. Rune is awesome! Sister and Mr. Ferdikion. Lahan too!"
Heimi approached the party and spoke.
Meanwhile, Rune had gathered all the valuable materials.
The cursed dungeon would not be seen again after this purification.
So, he had to gather as many materials as possible that could only be obtained in this dungeon.
At that moment, a vibration sound echoed, and the party looked around.
Ferdikion raised his sword, and Heimi perked up her ears.
Bianya, who flapped her wings a couple of times, tilted her head and blinked, then sat on Rune's head.
After a short, concise cry, the bird responded with a somewhat sorrowful sound to the vibration.
Heimi, who asked the question, nodded while listening to Bianya's cry, then looked surprised.
"Really? The dungeon is crying because it's in pain?"
When the other party members showed their confusion, Bianya flapped her wings more and spoke to Heimi.
Uh-huh, uh-huh. Heimi, nodding at Bianya's words, looked at Rune.
"Mr. Rune, the dungeon says it needs help. It's being pushed too hard."
Amelia, who had never heard of a dungeon with a will, looked surprised.
Ferdikion watched the situation expressionlessly but seemed to know something.
Rune, who turned his gaze from Heimi, was intrigued.
'Could the dungeon be asking for help directly? Or, is this a good thing?'
Duran, the golem, looked at Rune, whose lips curled slightly upward.
They exchanged quick glances and opinions without the others noticing.
When the vibration sound disappeared, Rune cleared his throat.
"Let's tidy up a bit before we go."
The area was a mess due to the battle. As they were about to settle down, Ferdikion stood up with his sword.
"I'm fine. I'll keep watch."
Rune, who was about to leave, stopped him with wide eyes.
"What are you talking about, bro? You fought at the front in a place full of water energy. For safety, you should rest and recover your condition."
"Right! Being reckless is different from being brave!"
Heimi and Bianya chimed in, and Ferdikion reluctantly turned back.
Honestly, he thought Ferdikion would be more stubborn, but he was quite compliant.
Taking advantage of this, Rune quickly took out a picnic mat from his pocket and laid it out, then took out various foods and drinks.
"Apple juice! I was just craving it!"
Fresh vegetables and fruits, which were rare in the dungeon.
Everyone felt hungry at the sight of the sandwiches.
As the party settled down to eat, Rune took a bite of the castella and milk, then stood up first.
"I'll go collect some trophies for Jed. Duran, come with me."
Ferdikion's suspicious gaze followed them persistently. Rune replied calmly.
"I can't make you collect items. It's also a request from one of my subordinates. Instead, I'll go with Bianya and Duran."
"Rune... I can... help, so, let me go with you."
Heimi, who puffed her cheeks and quickly stuffed bread into her mouth, puffed her cheeks even more and shook her hands.
He thought he was letting them eat comfortably, but they wouldn't leave him alone.
Especially Ferdikion's gaze was as if he was getting revenge for being stopped earlier.
Rune chuckled and thought about treating them to a meal after the job was done, then sat back down.
Heimi, who had stuffed her cheeks like a hamster, finally chewed and swallowed the food.
Ferdikion, apparently pleased that his earlier stop was returned in full, crossed his arms triumphantly.
'Since I stopped him, it's only fair that it came back to me.'
Everyone's gaze was on Rune.
In the end, to match the mood, Rune put a cookie in his mouth.
Only then did the other party members look away and quietly reach for the snacks.
After a satisfying meal and a warm cleanup, Rune, who had surveyed the surroundings, approached Duran and called the fairy.
"Hey, make a path as I tell you."
"There are more monsters in that room than before, right?"
The fairy, who heard Rune's story, chuckled with sparkling eyes.
[They'll disappear. You.]
It was a mocking advice to a foolish person.
Rune replied nonchalantly.
A creepy sound came from the beads.
At that moment, Heimi's ears perked up, and she turned to look at the beads.
"These beads are strange!"
Suddenly, red salamanders appeared all over Heimi's body, staring at the black pearl.
When five pure fire elementals appeared, the bead fairy, who had been scared and quiet, was confirmed, and Rune revealed a meaningful look.
'Oh, you're afraid of elementals.'
It was a being born from negativity and evil.
It wasn't strange that it didn't like pure elementals born from nature.
Rune, to confirm, subtly asked.
"If you don't make the path properly, should I give it to Heimi instead of Duran?"
The defiant fairy's voice was filled with terror at the mere thought.
The fact that it was trying to avoid even a low-level fire elemental was a sign that it had always struggled with elementals.
'If it were to face Christina, the Gold Dragon Elder who handles light, and Rai, the light elemental, what would happen?'
He thought it would be troublesome if it held a grudge, but there was a suitable person to deal with it.
'Good. When I take it to the lair, the rest will be up to Christina.'
Feeling pleased, he hid his intentions and gathered materials with the others.
With the others, he collected all kinds of materials, including those he picked up out of curiosity, into his pocket.
After the cleanup, they walked down the single path.
"It shouldn't be a problem. We can just choose one and go together. If we're wrong, we can come back."
Rune shook his head at Ferdikion's words.
"It would be nice, but the guide fairy says we have to split up and go both ways."
Of course, this was what Rune had instructed the fairy to say.
But he pretended to be unaware and continued.
"We need to clear all the monsters on both paths. If we only clear one passage and leave, the monsters on the other path will regenerate."
"Oh, so even if we clear one path, if we all go to punish the monsters on the other path... "
"While we're away, the monsters will regenerate."
Heimi and Ferdikion chimed in.
"Right. So, we need to split up and hunt monsters on both paths. The fairy also says that if we reach the end