Chapter 140 - Tiny Ambush

Nova blinked in confusion, looking between the three men who were now following him through the gate like he was their savior. "...You weren't actually guards at all?"

"Nah, the boss just sent us outside because he said we had gotten weak and lazy. And when we didn't manage to open the gate on our own, we couldn't really argue with his point..." The lead guard shrugged with obvious embarrassment. "I'm sure he would have let us back in before too much longer, though."

Nova frowned at the three men following him through the gate, but they seemed to be telling the truth. This place shouldn’t be judged with common sense, he figured.

Nova glanced around at the city streets that opened up before them. “Is there anything I should know before doing anything stupid?”

The armored guard looked thoughtful as he pondered Nova’s question. “Hmm, I guess it’s important to know that a lot of the people here got to the tenth floor, just like us. So it’s—”

"What?! You're all from the surface world?" Nova's voice rose with shock, stopping dead in his tracks. He had been convinced that the dungeon kept all groups separated from each other up to this point.

"Yeah, that's right. Well, as I said, a lot of people. Some were born here from people who arrived a long time ago, while others were already here when the bossman created this place, like a few of the guards who work in the castle. But the city itself is mostly filled with people descending from 'the surface,' yeah."

Nova felt his worldview shifting as he processed this information. The implications were staggering. "...Why are you all staying here instead of leaving?"

"Well, it definitely beats dying! And it's honestly a pretty nice place to live!" The guard gestured around at the well-maintained streets and cheerful atmosphere.

"So… you're all staying here because you can't beat the dungeon king?" Nova asked slowly, trying to wrap his head around the situation.

"Exactly right. Even the strongest people we have around here wouldn't stand a chance against him in a fight, and I promise you there are monsters hiding in every single building." The guard's tone grew more serious. "Plus, we've got everything we need here—food, shelter, entertainment. Why risk death for an uncertain reward?"

“Well,” the spearman interrupted. “To be fair, we all risked death to get to this floor. But that was only a risk, while fighting the bossman is more of a guarantee.”

Nova’s mind raced through the different solutions, but so many were hindered by the dungeon itself. "...And killing someone else to steal their Soul Power wouldn't work since it would just be taken by the dungeon anyway."

"Yeah, you got it. That's both a blessing and a curse, depending on how you look at it." The armored guard nodded approvingly. "Plus the fact that all our talents are locked away..."

"...But surely, sending everyone in the city at him at once would make it possible to beat him?" Nova gestured toward the populated streets around them.

“It would, but due to the rules of this place, only one group can face him at a time. So we three could only beat him on our own, for example. And you alone, I guess?”

Nova was only half listening now. All he cared about up to this point was getting to Millie, then he would figure out the rest from there. But now…

‘There has to be some way… Why would the dungeon king let all these people in if they were just going to die here? Why not do it sooner, on an earlier floor? Is he gathering manpower? Or are the people here simply unable to figure out the solution?’

He was really hoping it was the latter option. Unless, of course, this whole situation was simply another test designed by the dungeon itself.

“This… this is a lot to take in. But there’s no way this many people have reached floor ten. The record that has stood for decades was floor nine!”

"Oh, you must be from one of the northern regions, then. We don't get many visitors from those areas…" The guard nodded with understanding. "This is the final floor for all dungeons spread around the entire world. Every single dungeon eventually leads to this same place."

Nova felt another piece of the puzzle click into place. "...That actually makes a lot of sense. But how do I know you're not just part of the test designed for this floor? How do I know you're not trying to trick me somehow?"

"Yeah, that's a pretty common theory among newcomers…" The guard shrugged with good humor. "Well, when the next guy shows up here, you might start to realize the truth of our situation."

"...Whatever the case may be. I've got urgent business to take care of." Nova's tone made it clear the conversation was over.

"Hey, I know you'll need some time to adjust to all this information. Thanks for helping us get through that gate!" The armored guard called after him with genuine gratitude.

"Yeah, no problem."

Nova was already walking away from the trio, heading down the main road that led deeper into the city. He could feel the presence of Millie's ring so clearly in his mind now, like a beacon calling him forward. There was no reason to waste any more time on explanations and theories.

‘I’m finally here, Millie.’

The mansion he eventually arrived at was quite unlike what Nova had expected to find. It was certainly large, but the building stretched much more vertically than horizontally, with rooftops and balconies reaching nearly fifty meters up into the air. The structure looked more like a wide tower than a traditional mansion, with multiple levels stacked on top of each other in an almost precarious way.

Millie's ring signature was coming from one of the upper floors, he noticed as he focused on their connection. The signal was strong and clear, so close now that he could practically feel her presence. It took considerable self-control not to simply rip the wall open with magic and burst inside to reach her.

Instead, he approached the main entrance as calmly as he could manage, taking hold of the ornate brass knocker hanging on the heavy wooden door and giving it several good, solid knocks. The sound echoed through the building's interior, announcing his arrival to whoever might be listening.

A voice appeared seemingly out of nowhere, ringing clearly in his ears as if the speaker was standing right beside him. "Mmmyeah, come right in."

"...You were expecting me?" Nova asked, surprised by the casual invitation from someone he had never met.

"Nova, right? I've heard your name mentioned a few thousand times by now, so of course I'd be expecting you eventually." The voice carried a note of amused familiarity, as if Nova were an old friend rather than a complete stranger.

Nova couldn't suppress the smile that bubbled to the surface at those words. If this person knew his name, then Millie had definitely been talking about him. But still, he couldn't be completely sure she was safe until he saw her with his own eyes.

"I'll take you up on that offer, then," he said, grabbing the brass handle and pushing open the door to enter the strange building.

Immediately upon stepping inside, he could tell the entire structure was filled to the brim with magical formations of incredible power and complexity. The walls practically hummed with stored essence, creating an almost overwhelming sensation for someone with his magical sensitivity. But at a glance, all the formations seemed to be used for completely ordinary tasks, like providing light to rooms or maintaining comfortable temperatures throughout the building.

"If you step on that glowing circle in the middle of the floor, you can get straight up to us. It's a teleportation formation," the voice explained helpfully.

“Right.”

Nova looked down at his feet and saw that he was indeed standing near an intricate circular pattern carved into the floor. It did seem like a genuine teleportation formation, at least based on the rune work he could observe. But there was absolutely no way to know exactly where it would transport him, or whether it was safe to use.

‘But why would it be a trap? He wouldn’t know my name unless Millie were really here. Or has been, at least.’

He walked onto the formation and felt it activate under his feet. The world around him suddenly shifted and blurred, and then the room completely changed in an instant. But the moment he finished materializing, he was immediately attacked by something small flying directly at his face and wrapping itself tightly around him.

"Mmpf!" Nova's muffled protest was lost as something small and warm pressed against his face.

"Nova! Nova! It's youuuu!" The familiar voice made his heart leap with relief and joy.

"Mhmf, mih," he tried to respond, but it was nearly impossible to speak with Millie covering his entire face like an enthusiastic blanket.

But who cared about breathing or speaking clearly? This was the moment he had been fighting toward through nine floors of deadly challenges. Nova wrapped his arms around her small form and embraced her back as tightly as he dared, one hand gently patting her back in the soothing rhythm he remembered from countless nights when nightmares had woken her.

"It's really youuuu," Millie cried, finally pulling back just enough to look at his face with wide, tear-filled eyes. Her cheeks were flushed red, and her nose was stuffy from crying, but she was smiling through it all with the kind of pure happiness that made Nova's chest feel tight with emotion.

"I'm so sorry it took me this long to reach you, Millie. I'm sorry you had to be alone and scared for so many days." The words came out rougher than he intended, thick with feelings he had been holding back since the moment she disappeared.

"Is ogay," she replied, her voice barely understandable through her stuffy nose and the lingering sobs. "I knew you would come find me eventually."

"Of course I would come for you. Of course." Nova's voice was steady now, filled with absolute certainty. There had never been any other option in his mind.

"Is Anny here too?" Millie asked, wiping at her eyes with the back of her small hand.

"Yeah, she's here with me, but I left her back by the entrance to the city for now. We'll have to go pick her up later so she can see you too."

Millie nodded eagerly and smiled even brighter at that news. Then she threw herself forward into another hug, though this one was less desperate and overwhelming. She left him room to breathe this time while still holding on tight enough to convince herself he was really there.

Nova kept her lifted in his arms and held her close as he finally started taking in the room around them. It was brightly lit with warm, gentle light, and far less saturated with magical energy than the entrance floor he had passed through. A soft little bed with colorful blankets stood in one corner, while an assortment of toys was spread across the floor on a thick, fluffy carpet that looked perfect for a child to play on.

The whole space seemed like it had been hastily but thoughtfully put together specifically for a young guest. There were no potentially dangerous magical formations visible, no sharp tools or hazardous materials anywhere in sight. Someone had clearly gone to considerable effort to make this a safe haven for her.

"Did this Father Lowe person set up this room for you?" Nova asked, still holding her while he examined their surroundings.

Millie nodded against his shoulder, her voice muffled but clear enough to understand. "He asked if I wanted to come with him instead of staying in that scary entrance place. I was really nervous about it at first, but Kovu convinced me to follow him here."

“...Did he now?”

It had been a safe choice this time, and clearly the right decision given how well she had been cared for. But she would have been more secure staying in the protected starting area where he expected to find her.

‘Well, unless Anny and I didn’t get here for some reason. I guess it was impossible to know what would be the best choice.’

"And this Father Lowe has been kind to you? He's treated you well?" Nova asked, needing to hear the confirmation directly from her.

She nodded again with enthusiasm. "He is really nice! He brings me food and tells me stories."

The disembodied voice rang out again, but this time it seemed to come from the room itself rather than by Nova’s ears. “I appreciate that, Millie!”

Out of nowhere, a tall man in flowing white robes appeared in the middle of the room with a soft shimmer of teleportation magic. He bowed elegantly to the pair, his movements smooth and refined. "I'm not used to housing guests in my humble home, but I do make exceptions when they're as adorable as this little one."

Ch.139 --I-- Index --I-- Ch.141