Chapter 128: Something Is Off

Finally, we arrived at the mine, just a few minutes away from Ironburgh. As Sarah and Justine had said, the secret passage Carl had shown us had been completely destroyed. The low and narrow tunnel we once knew had been blown apart by the combined firepower of my Swordmaster and my Sage.

Debris was scattered across the surrounding area, and deeper inside the mine, the walls had crumbled, sealing that entrance completely. We were now stuck taking the longer—and far more dangerous—route.

I sighed in frustration. We had a shortcut straight to the heart of the dungeon, but now we’d have to push through the worst path, one filled with undead. My good mood from the morning vanished completely, as if a Ghost had drained it from me.

My three Valkyries followed me to the entrance of the mine. I took a deep breath, then turned back to them.

“From here on, things get serious. Don’t let your guard down,” I said firmly.

“Right,” the three of them replied in unison.

Thanks to Diane, who had done a quick scouting run a few days earlier, we didn’t have to waste time figuring out which path to take. The problem was that the correct route was supposed to be filled with Ghosts. But something caught my attention the deeper we went into the dungeon.

“Where are the Ghosts?” Sarah asked, noticing the same thing I did.

Whenever we got close to one, it was natural to hear their eerie murmurs—but the only sound echoing through the tunnels now was that of our footsteps.

“It’s so hot…” Alicia complained.

She was right—the environment was much hotter than before. Sweat trickled down my forehead, and judging by Diane and Sarah’s expressions, they felt it too.

Sarah, wearing more revealing clothing, tugged at her neckline as if trying to give her chest some room to breathe. Justine, who had the worst luck, was wearing clothes that completely covered her ample bust, so she had no choice but to fan her face to try to cool down.

“Hey, Rick. We’ve got several flasks of Holy Water,” Justine said to me, sweating from the heat. “Can I grab one to drink?”

“I don’t see why not. That goes for you two as well—Sarah, Alicia. But just one flask each. I still think our enemies haven’t left the dungeon.”

Each of us took a flask attached to our gear and sipped from it as we walked through the tunnels.

Everything about that place felt strange. Not even the usual chilling presence of those creatures could be felt, leaving only the cave’s naturally hot and humid air. It was as if the ghosts had simply vanished into thin air.

But I knew that couldn’t be true. If that place had become a dungeon, it would remain that way until its core was destroyed. We were the only Awakened nearby, so it wasn’t possible that had already happened.

We kept moving forward, but we didn’t encounter a single Ghost anywhere in the dungeon. We had already walked quite a distance from the entrance, yet none could be seen. If the mine was still a dungeon but no monsters stood in our way, then there was only one place they could be.

“Hmm? That’s strange… it’s not as hot anymore,” Justine said.

She was right. With every step we took, the suffocating heat began to fade. The closer we got to the core, the more the temperature dropped, to the point that the tunnel walls started to gather layers of ice.

“We should’ve brought warmer clothes—Achoo!” Alicia said just before sneezing.

“Really? I don’t feel that cold,” Justine replied, as if the cold didn’t bother her at all.

“Of course you don’t,” Alicia said, her eyes drifting toward Justine’s ample chest with envy. Then her expression changed, as if she had just come up with an idea.

“Ah, Rick…” Alicia now addressed me with a fragile voice. “It’s so cold here. Can I use your body to warm myself?”

Alicia didn’t wait for my answer, wrapping her arms around mine and pressing it right between her upper body. She was covered by her clothes, but I could feel her small breasts enveloping my arm.

At that moment, I began to feel another presence—this time on my other arm. Unlike Alicia, who wasn’t particularly well-endowed, I could clearly feel that the other girl had something much softer and warmer pressing against me.

“Sarah?!” I was caught off guard when she imitated Alicia and hugged my arm.

“I’m cold too,” Sarah said, avoiding my gaze.

The two girls seemed to enjoy the warmth of my body. They nestled against me like cats curling up on a cushion. I liked their presence—their scent, and the fragrance that drifted from their hair.

’But this isn’t the time for this! We’re in the middle of a mission!’ I thought inwardly.

I tried to move, but the two of them were so absorbed in the moment that it felt like their feet had frozen to the ground for good.

I looked toward the one girl who hadn’t followed her instincts, the one who would surely help me out of this situation.

“Justine,” I called her name.

The bespectacled girl was in front of me, walking closer. I thought she would help free me from the other two—but instead, she only made things worse by joining the other Valkyries.

There were no free arms left, so Justine hugged me from the front, her arms wrapped around my neck while her breasts pressed against my upper body.

“Hey, Justine. I thought you said you weren’t cold,” I said.

Justine looked me in the eyes and replied, “And I’m not. But I think my mana is low, so I’m trying to recharge by hugging you.”

“What are you, some kind of battery?!” I asked nervously, but Justine had no intention of letting go. On the contrary, the three girls only tightened their embrace. Meanwhile, the cold of the cave was starting to bother me. The warmth of my body was slowly losing against the dungeon’s freezing air.

’Frozen or suffocated? I wonder which way I’ll die.’

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