NOVEL WEB Chapter 45
-72nd Dungeon, Ranked 8: The Swamp of All Diseases, Defeated by the Imperial Shining Star!
“Umm….”
As I read the newspaper, I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.
Given the circumstances, I expected Babayaga’s death, but I didn’t think it would happen this soon.
Hasn’t it only been four days since the 72nd Dungeon meeting ended?
The new 8th ranked dungeon boss will be the Twin Headed Ogre, Jokal.
Honestly, I couldn’t care less about that.
I swallowed my surprise and continued reading the article.
“…The Imperial Shining Star is single-handedly.”
The Imperial Shining Star referred to the rising heroes.
Currently, the four heroes of the empire are Balmunk, Wilhelm, Astin, and Leon.
Balmunk and Wilhelm are dead, and Astin and Leon are on the verge of retirement.
According to the game lore, all three should retire, leaving only Wilhelm to serve as the player’s assistant.
Despite his old age, his awakening with the holy sword contributed significantly to conquering Calandas.
This means that the two remaining heroes are practically useless.
The royal family and the extermination command will inevitably realize this fact.
That’s why they’re probably in a frenzy trying to elevate the emerging stars to replace the four heroes.
Just when the generational shift was urgent, now I’ve set their pants on fire.
It’s not just peeing on someone’s shoe; it’s peeing on a flaming foot.
And that was the conquest of the 8th ranked dungeon by the rising hero.
It’s a tad excessive to do it alone without a party, but they wanted to showcase the empire’s might.
Surprisingly, that approach worked.
A bold headline blared in the newspaper announcing the successful conquest.
Not even a hero, but the shining star achieved such a feat solo.
“I didn’t even know this.”
I’ve never seen or heard of such records in the game.
In fact, thanks to me, two heroes are dead; it’s bound to cause a massive ripple effect.
“…Of all people, it had to be her.”
The name glaring in the newspaper: Cecilia.
No matter how many buff potions she chugged or items she used, a novice star can’t conquer rank 8 alone.
But the moment I saw “Cecilia,” it all clicked.
She was destined to become the strongest hero ever.
I suspect she’s already stronger than the current heroes.
In her prime, she’ll likely reach level 95.
“If there’s no player, then she’s basically the protagonist.”
Right now, I can watch this all unfold comfortably, but deep down, I feel a wave of anxiety.
Statistically, the next target after rank 8 is me at rank 7.
Setting aside the rankings, my dungeon is definitely marked by the extermination command and the church.
The next target is undoubtedly the Tomb of the Faith.
It’s clear they’ll be preparing intensively with Cecilia at the center.
“This is a disaster.”
I need to rethink my plans because of this round table affair.
I might have handled it well on my end, but it’s undeniable that a foe stronger than Calandas has emerged.
While the two of them are outwardly antagonistic, the real enemies are the empire, the church, and the Tower of Five Colors—those three forces.
Above all, Cecilia is the one to watch.
There’s no such thing as a half-baked scheme like this!
First Balmunk, then Wilhelm. And now, Cecilia, of all people!
“…Maybe this is a good thing?”
When Cecilia comes back having maxed out her growth rate, she’s dead meat.
But if she arrives on her own before she gets strong, that might actually be an opportunity.
Right. Think positively.
For now, the priority was preparing a countermeasure against Cecilia.
Support from the 9th legion at the castle would be arriving soon, and Daron and Lin were on my side.
But just hoping for support would be too much of a “please help me” mindset.
What if they just ignored me in the castle, the underground tomb, and the twin tower?
If I were completely overconfident, I’d end up dead at Cecilia’s hands.
No matter what, reinforcing the dungeon and building defenses was the best policy.
Of course, training Charlotte, Balutak, and even Estizel was a given.
Even if I was redefining my plan, the basic framework remained the same as before recruiting Balutak.
Recruit the DLC boss as an ally, and strengthen my own power in the ancient dungeon.
‘Ancient dungeon. Is it worth a visit?’
Given the urgency of the situation, there wasn’t much time to train the DLC bosses.
Absorbing the ancient dungeon core seemed like the best method.
‘But just with Charlotte and Balutak, that’s going to be tough.’
Maybe using Dullahan Carleon as a knight to escort me when support arrives would help.
Having that one would certainly make tackling the ancient dungeon much easier.
*
When the empire’s constellation falls, the star of the new holy one rises.
In the palace of the Tumainist Empire, besides the royal family and ministers, a woman also resides.
If we talk about her lineage, she was neither a noble nor a commoner, having been born and raised in a slum as an orphan.
However, she had become the rising star of the empire, destined to be a hero soon.
BANG.
The head maid emerged from Cecilia’s private room, letting out a deep sigh.
The head maid was originally the second daughter of a marquis family, who had come to the palace to serve the royal family.
But ever since Cecilia started living in the palace, she was in charge of being her personal maid.
Serving the royal family and fulfilling Cecilia’s needs.
The latter was far more grueling for the head maid.
“Where has she gone again?”
Cecilia roamed the palace freely, utterly disregarding decorum.
The head maid couldn’t possibly rein in someone like her, who ignored even the eunuch’s advice.
With another heavy sigh, the head maid stepped outside the palace.
As she moved, the dirt ground crunched beneath her feet, and cheers echoed from all around.
Arriving at the imperial knight’s training grounds, the head maid focused on one spot.
There was a noticeably bright yellow hair on one head amidst the chaos.
Before her lay dozens of knights sprawled out on the dirt.
“Hool…”
The head maid was dumbfounded.
This wasn’t the first time—how many times had she faced the knights as part of her training?
Imagine a 25-year-old woman taking on the imperial knight corps by herself.
Everyone would just laugh it off.
But if that woman was Cecilia, it was possible, and it had become effortless at this point.
The sword she held wasn’t even a real blade, but a dull ceremonial sword.
Moreover, she had taken down all the knights while dressed in her sleepwear, without any armor!
There wasn’t a hint of trouble on her face.
“Cecilia.”
Upon being called, Cecilia turned her head.
The moment their gazes met, the head maid flinched subconsciously.
Her eyes, always half-closed as if sleepy.
That cold, unfeeling gaze never felt normal, no matter how many times she saw it.
“Why.”
“Why are you asking? It hasn’t been long since you woke up, and you didn’t even have breakfast. Training on an empty stomach like this…”
“I’ll manage.”
Cecilia turned around emotionlessly.
She walked up to each fallen knight, took their hands, and helped them up.
Seeing that made her seem fundamentally good, but her usual expression was far too cold.
Aside from her face, her voice was always monotonous, lacking any highs or lows.
Every time the head maid looked at her, she secretly harbored doubts.
Is that woman really a person capable of emotion?
While lost in her thoughts, Cecilia had already headed toward the imperial palace.
Snapping back to reality, the head maid hurried to catch up to her.
“Cecilia, regarding the upcoming social ball—”
“I’m not going.”
“…Would it hurt to reconsider this time? It’s not just any occasion; you conquered the 8th dungeon. You should at least make an appearance in the social scene—”
“I said I’m not going.”
Despite the repeated requests, Cecilia’s stubborn resolve was evident.
Even now, she didn’t hold back on her antics in the imperial palace, drowning in her own world.
Eat when she’s hungry.
Sleep when she’s tired.
Train when she wants to train.
During her stay at the palace, she didn’t bother to adhere to etiquette when meeting the prince, princess, or even the emperor.
Still, there were two main reasons why the royal family kept her in the palace.
The first was to train her as a hero.
By potential alone, she was considered the greatest hero of all time.
In the palace, she sparred with knights, had maidens at her service, received regular mental care, and consumed the best nutrients.
On top of that, staying in the palace meant she would receive overwhelming support.
Given the aim to create the strongest hero who would bear the future of the empire, such support was hardly seen as wasted.
“None of that matters.”
Cecilia spoke while focused straight ahead.
“Tell the command center. Let’s conquer the Seven Lairs, fast.”
“No way. Everything has its procedures. And it’s not just any dungeon; it’s the Seven Lairs. It’s not a place that can be conquered easily, like you think.”
“I can go alone.”
The head maid squeezed her eyes shut.
Every time, she felt like communication was impossible.
“Why are you so eager about this?”
“Revenge, obviously. Why do you ask?”
“I know, but…”
As everyone in the palace knew, Cecilia’s sole reason for living was revenge.
Starting from the 7th Lair, she aimed to gain strength and eventually take on the 10th layer of Hell.
Though systematically breaking through was for the sake of humanity, her thirst for vengeance was stronger.
In the distant past, her mentor had lost his life in the 2nd rank of the 10 stages of Hell.
To Cecilia, he was more than just a mentor.
He was the only support she could rely on—her everything.
The man who took her, an orphan from the slums, and made her life whole.
The man who became everything in life.
Cecilia had long since resolved to take vengeance on the Ten Daemons of Despair that had snatched away such a teacher.
That resolve had not faded to this day, and Cecilia remained blinded by revenge.
“He’s just so pitiful.”
…This is where the manipulated memory ends.
Lucas did not die at the hands of the Ten Daemons of Despair. The truth was that he was executed while cursing humanity on the gallows.
When Cecilia heard of Lucas’s execution ten years ago, she went berserk like a madwoman.
She slaughtered the knights, killed the hero, and even aimed a sword at the prince’s neck.
In the end, she was subdued and thrown into a dungeon, but the Empire couldn’t afford to abandon her.
Cecilia was none other than Lucas’s only disciple, who had inherited everything from the strongest hero.
Even the imperial family recognized her as a talent too valuable to just kill.
However, memory manipulation magic was ineffective against her, as she possessed mana exceeding even that of active heroes.
The upper echelon of the Empire gathered to devise a solution, and they settled on the Laura Ruby Gem.
“Lady Cecilia, isn’t that thing on your chest uncomfortable?”
“Not really. They say it’s a good artifact.”
“….”
“It’s not like I can just take it off if I wanted to.”
“I see, I momentarily forgot about that.”
The head maid gazed gloomily at Cecilia’s chest.
The ruby gem affixed there was neither mere jewelry nor a simple artifact. It was a binding seal of magic, known as the Laura Ruby Gem.
It nearly nullifies the wearer’s resistance magic.
In other words, Cecilia was completely defenseless against memory manipulation magic, like an ordinary person devoid of mana.
However, it was difficult to erase individuals stored within one’s original memories through memory magic.
For Cecilia, Lucas was everything in her life.
Erasing him from her memories was practically impossible.
Thus, the manipulated memory stated that Lucas had fallen at the Seven Lairs, vanquished by the Ten Daemons of Despair.
This was to stoke Cecilia’s thirst for revenge and plot to one day conquer the Seven Lairs.
Once outside this imperial palace, she would be exposed to an environment that could shake those manipulated memories.
If she were to hear news about Lucas’s execution while wandering the outside world, the memory manipulation would be altered once again.
That was the second reason the royal family had confined Cecilia within the walls of the palace.
Cecilia paused and looked up at the sky.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just miss my teacher.”
“….”
The head maid knew all too well about her habits.
Whenever she looked at the sky, it meant she missed her teacher, and Cecilia did this dozens of times a day.
“The Seven Lairs….”
At the thought, the head maid’s expression darkened.
There were rumors circulating beyond the palace walls.
The seventh-ranked of the Seven Lairs, the boss of the Tomb of Faith, was said to be the Death Knight Lucas.
The head maid hoped it was just a baseless rumor.
The next dungeon Cecilia aimed to conquer was the Tomb of Faith.
If that Death Knight truly was Lucas… how pitiful would that be?