n

n

nWe mapped out a room earlier. It resembles some kind of chapel. The doors can be secured, and we can get some rest for the night.” The guy who drew the map suggested.

nThe guild leader patted my back. “You doing okay? The spell you just cast, it hurts the zombies, and it helps us. Can you do it again?”

nI gave him a queasy look. “I think, but I’ll probably pass out after. That’s as far as my mana will go.”

nThe guild leader nodded. “Men! We’re going to make for the chapel. When Deek casts his spells, we’re going to push through the crowd behind us and break for it.”

n“Hehe… I’ll carry the little Deek when he passes out.” The muscular girl adventurer said, winking at me.

nI really didn’t do anything to try to catch her interest. I really didn’t want to become her plaything. Ah, well, I wanted to live right now, so I was willing to flirt back, but my expression mostly just looked sick. I wasn’t used to these kinds of life and death situations. Even a gaming mentality had its limits in protecting my mind from stress. Fortunately, these adventurers understood all too well that I was just a rookie, even if they called me the town hero.

n“You can do this,” The guild leader shot me a thumbs up. “Ready? Go!”

nI gritted my teeth. The group was depending on me, so I did the same group spell as before. White light exploded out again. This time, I really did hit my limit. My consciousness slipped away as I fell to the floor. I really hoped we’d make it okay. I realized I was putting a lot of trust in these guys that I barely knew.

nMy eyes opened, and my head throbbed. I felt like I was hungover. Growling, I tried to sit up but only fell back down.

n“Mana exhaustion.” A voice next to me said, “Here, we owe you this much at least.”

nA vial was pushed down my lips. It was like the mana vial I still had on me. It had never occurred to me earlier to drink it. I could have completely avoided mana exhaustion, but my brain hadn’t been thinking in those terms. As the sweet liquid went down my throat, I felt my strength recovering.

n“How does that feel?” The guy who was pushing it down my throat was the guild leader himself.

n“I still have a headache.”

n“Yeah, even healing won’t let you get away from that. Just give it an hour. Try to eat something. It’ll help.”

nThe guild leader helped me up, and I took a seat around a flameless fire. Everyone around me was rather somber. They had been caught in a trap and were now stuck in a dungeon where death was a genuine possibility.

nAlthough I had my own rations, they put a bowl of something appetizing in front of me. It was a thick tasting soup with noodles and beef. I really enjoyed it. By the time I was done eating, just as the guild leader had predicted, my headache was feeling better.

nThe room we were in had two exits, and both were currently shut. Large stone doors sealed us in like a tomb. The room had a certain degree of elegant overtones. They had called it a cathedral, and with pews and altar in the front, it certainly gave the impression of one. All the cobwebs and such made it feel like an abandoned one.

nI walked around the room just to stretch my legs when my eyes fell on something interesting. “Can I get a light?” I asked an Adventurer nearby.

nHe handed me the lantern on the ground, and I brought it closer to the wall.

n“Did you find something, little one?” the voice of the woman came from behind.

n“Yes, it looks a bit like… a mural?”

n