Chapter 11

“Well… Here it is. The bottom floor.” Lorna had spent about twenty minutes in the dungeon when she reached the lowest level: the ninth floor. Getting here was way, way too easy. It doesn’t even feel real. It had helped that the dungeon was primarily designed around solving puzzles and wasn’t particularly large or deep. And since Lorna knew the answers to all the puzzles from the get-go, a leisurely walk through a handful of rooms was enough to take her to the bottom. “But now I have to fight a boss, right? I hope I’ll be okay…” Lorna stood in front of a massive door. If she could defeat the boss on the other side and collect the Labyrinth Core, she would pass the adventurers exam. “First things first—the internet!” She opened the Wiki Guide page on the boss she was about to face. It contained a list of recommended skills and a detailed strategy for how to fight it. But Lorna hesitated. Hmm, I dunno. This is just a bunch of information. It’s kinda hard to get a sense for how strong this thing is going to be. I wish there was something more concrete. Like if someone could tell me what fighting it is like… The moment that thought popped into her head, Lorna noticed something on the page. “Huh…? Comments?” She had never noticed it before, but at the bottom of the page was a collection of comments from different people. Who would write something in a place like this…? thought Lorna, somewhat taken aback. But if the internet was a bookshelf for the gods, that meant the ones who had written these comments were… “These…must be conversations between the gods themselves.” Lorna swallowed hard. She was certain whatever was inscribed in this “comment section” would constitute a conversation of extradimensional proportions, the likes of which she couldn’t begin to imagine. Is…is it really okay for me to behold such hallowed words? Well, I’ve come this far… Okay! Here I go! Lorna strengthened her resolve as her eyes moved down the screen to the comments section. As for what was written there… Discussion (84 comments) #79: Anonymous Ninja what do u mean u won lmaooo get outta here with that crap bro. u must be braindead lol freakin tryhard lolol get a life fr #80: Anonymous Knight okay w/e you’re just mad cause you know i’m right #81: Anonymous NIGHT Yo this guy’s so mad right now I bet his face is red while he’s typing lmfao #82: Anonymous Ninja pffft whatever bro, ive got no time for losers like u unlike you jobless basement dwellers i actually have shit to do lmao ive gotta get to work so c u later morons lol btw if u keep tryin to pick fights with me im gonna doxx u so, keep fukn around n find out lol #83: Anonymous Partier What color are your panties??? #84: Anonymous Swordsman Bruh, you need to log off. “……………………” Lorna stared at the screen in shock, her mouth agape. When she finally spoke, her voice was trembling. “Th-the gods… They’re fighting…?” She didn’t understand the strange dialect they were using, but she was certain they were fighting a war beyond the ken of mere mortals like her. I’m not sure what “lol” and “lmao” mean, but…they must be magical words used to cast some kind of spell! There was much Lorna didn’t understand. But for now… “…Right, well. I’m just going to pretend I didn’t see any of that.” Lorna scrolled down quickly and put the comments out of sight, then she passed her eyes over yet more words left by the gods. “This boss is so damn weak man. I can’t believe a weakass loser like this gives out S-Rank gear lmao” “Man the opening movie for this one was peak.” “I no damage’d this guy at Level 1 and it was so easy.” “Have they seriously not fixed the safe spot on this boss yet?” “Who cares. I just want them to fix the power creep on anything over S-Rank” “You all seriously think they’re ever going to fix the game balance in Etalia? Get real.” Lorna had trouble comprehending a lot of what she saw. But the fact that the boss was weak came through loud and clear. Based on what the gods are saying…I guess this boss must be really weak. One of them had even defeated it at Level 1. Well… It’s written on the internet. So it must be true. This makes me feel a lot better… Lorna had yet to find any lies on the internet, so she felt confident it would be right this time as well. It also made perfect sense why this task had been chosen for the adventurers exam. “Okay, then! Let’s get this over with!” She moved in front of the large door leading to the boss room. “I’m pretty sure I need to say the key words in front of this door. Let’s see… ‘It is I, the one carved with the number of the beast,’ right?” As soon as she spoke those words, there was a tremendous rumbling, and the door opened on its own. The room on the other side was pitch-black. “Huh? It’s so dark. I can’t see anything…,” Lorna muttered, making her way into the center of the space. The moment she reached it… Drip, drip, drip. …water began to trickle down from above, falling right before her eyes. Lorna looked up. That was when she saw it. “Uh…?” Right above her head was a massive gaping maw lined with countless teeth. What she had thought was a wall in front of her turned out to be the body of a gargantuan black dragon. “……” Lorna’s mouth fell open, and her body froze stiff. Then, from behind her came a slam! She looked back and saw that the door had sealed her in. “Uh… Uhhh… I’m s-s-stuck…?” It seemed to be one of those “no leaving until the boss is defeated” type of situations. Lorna turned timidly back around, and her eyes met those of the black dragon. The black dragon’s whole body was bound in golden chains, and it looked like a fearsome, wicked god of old. It reminded Lorna of a guard dog. Or rather, a guard dragon. “Grrrraaaaarrrrrgghhh!!!” The dragon’s roar rocked the entire room and made it tremble and quake. The sound had hit Lorna at point-blank range. “……” Silently, she turned around to face the other direction. “Nope, nope, nope. Nooo, thank yooooou! Wasn’t this thing supposed to be weak?! How is this weak?! Open! Open uuuup!” she screamed, tears in her eyes, as she banged on the door. But of course, the door refused to open. There was no running away from a boss fight. D-did the internet lie to me?! But the internet’s never lied to me! There’s no way! Maybe…maybe this thing’s only weak from the point of view of a god?! As Lorna’s mind raced, the black dragon lumbered toward her, ripping its chains from their moorings. The fight had already begun. In a panic, Lorna turned her staff toward the dragon. “Ahhhhh!!! Petit Ice! Petit Ice! Petit Ice!!!” The ice formed a tremendous wave that assaulted the creature. The fact that she had cast the same starter spell over and over in a panic did not change the fact that she was casting each one with an SSS-Rank staff. The black dragon let out a pained roar and tried its best to maneuver out of the way of the icy barrage. Lorna took advantage of the opening. “C-c’mon, internet!” She manipulated the screen as she frantically ran around the room. “I’m gonna die! I’m gonna die! I’m gonna diiiiie!!! I need to look up this dragon or else I’ll— Wh-wha—?! I think I pressed the wrong thing! Oh no, oh no! How do I go baaaaack?!” Registration complete! Adult content agreement confirmed! Terms of use confirmed! Age confirmed! [!] Payment must be received within three days of registration. Contact us: XXX-XXX-XXXX *If you registered by mistake, CLICK HERE. “Gyaaaaah?!” Lorna’s face turned crimson as she frantically tapped the CLICK HERE button. [!] VIRUS DETECTED! [!] Warning: Your system is about to crash! To delete, press OK now! “Whyyyyyyyyy?!” “Grrrrrrooooaaaaarrrr!” “Aaaaaahhhh!!! Petit Ice! Petit Ice! Petit Iiiiiiice!!!” This went on for a while. Despite her panic, however, Lorna eventually managed to find the information she was after. Boss: Apocalypse Dragon Ragnadrek Spawn Location: The Twilight Temple Level: 83 Weaknesses: Fire, Ice, Light. Weak points in the stomach and wings. Resistances: Dark, Poison, Debuffs Rewards: Apocalypse Dragon equipment (guaranteed), Item Box Expansion +50, Apocalypse Dragon Gem (100 percent), Apocalypse Dragon Scale (70 percent), Apocalypse Dragon Wing Membrane (20 percent), Apocalypse Dragon Crown (7 percent) Details: A Hard difficulty boss that can be fought after clearing part one of the story. This boss has been present since the first version and is the weakest of the Hard bosses. Flashes are very effective at blinding it. It also has several weak points to exploit. Finally, the boss area contains a safe spot for avoiding damage. “Pant… Pant… Safe spot?” Lorna, still flustered, swiped her hand repeatedly at the screen in an attempt to find more info on this “safe spot.” “The safe spot is…behind the stone altar? Um… Oh! Over there!” At the back of the room was a space that looked like it might be used for rituals. According to the internet, the area behind the altar at the top of the stone stairs was a safe spot. Lorna had no time to think things through. “Reckless Rush!” She activated her Reckless Boots’ equip skill and flew across the room and up the stone stairs. She couldn’t brake in time, so she stopped herself another way—by slamming against the wall. “Huff… Huff… This is the safe spot?” There was nothing in the space aside from the stone altar. And it wasn’t particularly high up, either. She couldn’t imagine it providing much defense against the dragon’s attacks. Looking back, she saw that the black dragon was right on her tail. “Grrrrrrooooaaaaarrrr!” Its roar was filled with rage. And from within the dragon’s gaping maw, Lorna could see flames beginning to build. She had read about this on the internet. It was the action the boss took before it unleashed its breath attack. “Waaaahhh!” Lorna panicked and slid behind the stone altar. At almost the same exact instant, the dragon launched its attack. GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAARRR!!! The dragon’s roar was followed by a beam of light, its golden hue reminiscent of the twilight sky. “Huh…?” Lorna was confused. For some strange reason, the dragon’s breath attack didn’t reach all the way to the stone altar. It might have had something to do with the angle from which it was launched. Or maybe it had collided with some kind of barrier. She couldn’t be sure. What’s more, the black dragon didn’t show any signs of trying to climb up after her. Apparently, the stairs were too small for it. In other words, the dragon couldn’t get close enough to use any physical attacks, nor could it reach Lorna with its breath attack. “Th-this spot… It really is safe.” Lorna heaved a sigh of relief. The black dragon continued to ceaselessly fire off its breath attack. But there was nothing to fear. Lorna assumed that whoever had been keeping this dragon here (maybe as a pet?) had carefully calculated the layout of the area so as to create this safe spot. If I stand here and hit it with long-range attacks, then… She could win. Filled with determination, Lorna pointed her staff at the black dragon. “Okay, first up—Terra Drain!” Lorna sapped the boss’s MP, draining it of its ability to fight. “Next up! Petit Ice!” The internet had said the black dragon was weak to ice, so Lorna poured all the MP she’d just drained into a barrage of ice spells. At this point, the black dragon was little more than a massive target. “Next uuup… A little break.” Lorna sat down behind the altar and took out the packed lunch she had brought with her. She’d been walking a lot today, and this seemed like as good a time as any to recharge. Mmm. The sweetness of this Ipple pie is just what I needed. All the while, the black dragon continued to roar and rampage nearby. And after Lorna had finished her Ipple pie and Ipple juice… “Okay! Time for round two!” …she went right back to pelting the boss with ice spells. Then, after Lorna had cast the same ice spell many times, something changed. “Wh-whoa! It’s flying!” The black dragon tore apart its chains and took to the air. “Oh, I remember reading about this. When its HP gets low, its attack pattern changes…” She wondered why it didn’t simply go all out from the get-go. Perhaps it had been created in such a way that it was only able to unleash its full power in an emergency. Luckily, the internet had Lorna covered when it came to dealing with this new pattern. Strategy: When its HP drops below 50 percent, the dragon will begin to attack from the air and strike with its chains. Dealing with the dragon while it is airborne is tricky, so knock it out of the sky with a flash of light. The range of its breath attack is also increased during this phase, and it inflicts Poison, Paralysis, and Confusion. Get ready to dodge as soon as it starts charging its breath attack, or retreat to the safe spot. “Um, right! When it starts to fly, I use…Petit Flash!” Bang! A flash of light erupted above her. The black dragon groaned and fell out of the air. As it writhed around on the ground, Lorna launched another Terra Drain followed by another barrage of Petit Ice. Any time it seemed like the dragon was about to use its breath attack, she would carefully hide behind the altar. And whenever it took to the air, she would use Petit Flash. “All right, looks like I’ve got its movements down!” Lorna did a small fist pump. According to the internet, the gods called this “having the high ground.” Seriously, though… Is this dragon just really dumb? Why does it keep repeating the same things over and over again…? It was almost as if its movements followed a set pattern. I kind of feel bad for it. It’s like I’m bullying the poor thing. Of course, it would kill Lorna if she didn’t kill it first. So she took a deep breath and… “Petit Ice!” …unleashed a full-strength blast of ice magic. Crack-crickle-crackk!!! Ice enveloped the room and froze the black dragon completely. It seemed her final attack had done the trick. The boss exploded in a huge burst of mana light and disappeared, leaving behind a block of ice in the shape of its body. Defeated Apocalypse Dragon Ragnadrek! You gained 66,600 EXP! LEVEL UP! Lv. 22 Lv. 42 SKILL UP! Giant Killer II Giant Killer III SKILL UP! Magic V Magic VII You learned the Petit Darkness and Petit Barrier starter spells! You learned the Dragon Slayer I skill! Item Box slots have been expanded by 50! Obtained Title: “Apocalyptic Conqueror” Text recording the experience points and a host of other rewards Lorna had just obtained flashed by her eyes one after another. And that meant… “I…did it? I beat the dungeon?” The moment Lorna spoke those words aloud… Poof! …a treasure chest appeared on top of the stone altar. “Whoa! Wh-what’s that?” she said, reeling. Um, I guess this is my reward? But who would leave something like this here? And…why? Actually…where did this thing even come from? How did it appear? Indeed, the treasure chest had manifested out of thin air. Though, come to think of it, the internet did mention there would be a reward for defeating the boss. Upon recalling this, Lorna checked the internet again. Let’s see… “After defeating Apocalypse Dragon Ragnadrek, it will drop a piece of Apocalypse Dragon equipment that corresponds to the battle style you used during combat.” Hmm… I don’t really understand what this “Item Box Expansion +50” part means, though… That hardly mattered, however. At the end of the day, Lorna would take whatever rewards she could get. Besides, who could resist the allure of opening a treasure chest? She reached out, eyes brimming with excitement, and threw open the lid. “Wooow! A robe!” She pulled out a jet-black robe. Talk about luck—this was exactly what she had been hoping for. “Yesss! I got the equipment I wanted most!” Lorna’s DEF was so low that it had become a source of constant anxiety. Even a small scratch from the black dragon could have easily killed her. But now all of that was in the past. Yep, yep! A high attack stat is all well and good, but there’s nothing like having good defense. Lorna wasted no time equipping her new robe and checking out her stats. Lorna Hermit, Lv. 42 HP: 164/164 MP: 96,660/276 ATK: 44 (+360) DEF: 90 (+746) M-ATK: 173 (+3,600) MIND: 173 (+1,666) SPD: 88 (+300) LUCK: 90 Equipment Weapon: Staff of World Tree (SSS) Armor: Apocalypse Dragon Ragnarobe (S) Armor: Reckless Boots (B) Skills Internet (SSS) Terra Drain (SSS) Enchanted Wings (S) Reckless Rush (B) Magic VII (D) Giant Killer III (D) Art of Slaughter I (E) Dragon Slayer I (C) Titles The Abandoned One Yggdrasil’s Chosen Calamity Witch Lord Slayer Apocalyptic Conqueror “W-wow… I’ve gotten pretty strong…” Lorna hadn’t taken a good look at the level-up screen when it displayed a moment ago. She was only just now noticing that she had shot up twenty whole levels. At Level 40, I’m in the same league as some of the strongest warriors in the kingdom… That made her plenty powerful without even factoring in the modifiers from her equipment. And now her DEF was off the charts, and her MIND had somehow already hit four digits. “I wasn’t even trying that hard…” It felt like Lorna was rapidly moving away from the bounds of humanity into something beyond. But setting that aside for the time being… “This robe was called the Apocalypse Dragon Ragnarobe, right? Let’s see…” She decided to focus on looking up her new equipment instead. Equipment (Robe): Apocalypse Dragon Ragnarobe Rank: S Type: Robe Price: 66,600,000,000 shil Effect: DEF +666, MIND +1,666 Poison, Blindness, Instant Death Resistance +66 percent Dark Resistance +66 percent Equip Skill: Enchanted Wings (S) Effect: Grants the target Winged status (lasts until canceled). Winged status allows target to fly (ignoring all terrain effects). Details: Apocalypse Dragon Ragnadrek used this robe when he was a human king. This flight-bestowing garb is a symbol of the king’s avarice and his desire to make the very heavens his own. In the end, it was sealed underground along with its owner. Using the robe’s equip skill, Enchanted Wings, enables the player to fly directly to the starting location of a variety of Hard difficulty content. During combat, it allows you to attack from above, letting you strike from safety at any time and effectively breaking the game’s balance. It is important to note, however, that controls when Winged are difficult to master. It’s likely to give you a horrible case of motion sickness and make you want to throw up. Caution is advised. Okay, well… It’s strong; I know that much. Lorna was completely lost, as usual. But the main point seemed to be that the robe came with an equip skill called Enchanted Wings. And who could ignore the allure of trying out a new skill? “All right, here goes! Enchanted Wings!” she called out cheerfully. Two wings of white light spread out from Lorna’s back. “Wow! I’m like an ange—eeehhlllll?!” The moment the words left her lips, her body began to float upward. “Uhhh?!” She floated all the way to the ceiling, bumped her head, and fell back down to the floor. Thankfully, her DEF was so high that she barely felt a thing. “Th-this is going to take a lot of practice to get used to…” Being able to fly sounded useful, but this skill was clearly going to be a tough one to master. “Anyway. I wonder what this other thing I got is. It says Item Box Expansion +50, but what could that possibly mean?” Item Box Expansion +50. That was what the reward screen had said, in any case. But rummaging through the treasure chest, Lorna couldn’t find anything inside that seemed to fit that description. “Hmm. Maybe I need to call it out like an incantation? Let’s see… Item Box!” She’d tried saying the words out of pure curiosity, but the moment she did, her staff disappeared from her hand and a screen appeared in front of her eyes. Inventory: 1/50 “Uh… I guess this is where my staff went.” In a frame underneath the screen, she could see an icon that looked like a staff. She tapped it out of curiosity and—poof—her staff appeared in her hand. “Wh-whoa! It’s back! What’s going on? This is so convenient!” She was able to figure out how it worked in no time at all. Essentially, it was a skill that let her keep her things in a pocket dimension. “This is…totally amazing!” It had been bundled with her other rewards like a forgettable extra, but this would make carrying her things around infinitely easier. And now she no longer had to worry about her high-ranking gear getting stolen. With something like this, Lorna could plunder and smuggle to her heart’s content. Not that she would, of course. “In that case…” Lorna eyed the massive gem enshrined in the stone altar. She guessed it was the thing powering the whole dungeon—the Labyrinth Core. With her new skill, it would be a cinch to bring it back and complete her task for the exam. “Okay, then! Item Box!” she called, reaching out to touch the Labyrinth Core. As soon as her fingers brushed it—poof—it was gone. She looked at her Item Box again and confirmed it had been added: TWILIGHT TEMPLE LABYRINTH CORE X1. She would have no problem bringing it back to the entrance now. “All right! Time to head back!” She was still in the middle of the exam. If she didn’t return quickly, the proctor would fail her for taking too much time. That said, she would also fail if she used an item to return to the entrance. Looks like it’s time to put Enchanted Wings to use. She thought back to the path she had taken to the boss room. The dungeon was ripe with potential shortcuts now that she could fly. It was almost as if the place had been designed for her to try out her new skill. “Okay, one more time! Enchanted Wings!” Once again, wings of light grew out of Lorna’s back, and she headed off toward the dungeon’s entrance. Meanwhile… Just what is going on in here…? wondered Elmina Manaflame, the exam’s proctor, as she took a step into the Twilight Temple. Ever since Lorna Hermit had descended into the dungeon, the very earth had begun to quake and tremble ceaselessly. Elmina had also sensed a tremendous amount of mana and cold air flowing out from deep inside the dungeon. Something wasn’t right. The other examinees had already been evacuated. But Elmina, as guild master, had little choice but to investigate the cause of the disturbances. And she was not at all prepared for what she saw inside. “…Huh?! What…what happened here…?” The dungeon was frozen solid. Entire hallways were encased in ice. Here and there she saw rows upon rows of monsters turned into frozen sculptures, their faces twisted in horror. There was only one person who could be behind something like this, and yet… Im…impossible! Elmina had never heard of magic so powerful. Judging by the residual mana around her, the magic used to do this must have cost thousands of MP. No human was capable of such a feat. And what’s more… “…Ah! B-but how…?!” Elmina came upon the door leading down to the third floor. It had been thrown open. Many adventurers had taken on this dungeon, but no one had ever gotten past the second floor. Elmina’s entire plan hinged on trapping Lorna Hermit there. And yet… “She…she made it through…” It was inconceivable. There was no way to solve the second-floor puzzle unless you could decipher the mysterious instructions. And yet the puzzle had been solved. And in such a short amount of time. D-don’t tell me… She can’t possibly have cleared the dungeon…right? Most adventurers treated dungeons merely as places to gather materials—and they tended to stick to the first few levels to do so, staying in areas where there were no traps or puzzles. To even attempt to clear one, a person would need an exorbitant amount of items, traversal skills, and a whole lot of time. A dungeon was not something one cleared like this, all alone, and with absolutely no preparation. “…Ah!” Suddenly, Elmina felt a chill run down her spine. It felt like someone had grasped her heart with a frozen hand. She instinctually understood what it meant. Something, or someone, was there. Elmina looked to the left and right…but she couldn’t see anyone. Yet the feeling was unmistakable—there was an overwhelming presence nearby. “M-Mana Scan! …?!” The moment she activated the skill, she noticed it. An enormous amount of mana filled the area. It seemed to be coming from every direction. Whoever it was, Elmina was already surrounded by their mana. And yet…she couldn’t see them anywhere. “Ah… Ngh…” She couldn’t breathe. Her teeth began to chatter uncontrollably, and she was filled with a primal sense of fear. Just then, something passed before her eyes. A white feather had fallen from above. …A feather? That was when Elmina realized something: There was one place she had yet to look. This mana had to be coming from there. So Elmina slowly tilted her head up, and… “………………Ah…” …a profound sense of despair overtook her. A shadow was looking down at her. It was floating in the air on divine wings of light. It’s…her… Elmina knew all too well the identity of this creature beyond mortal comprehension. It was Lorna Hermit. What? …Has she gotten even stronger? Is this Lorna Hermit’s second form? Or maybe…this was her true form all along? Lorna was now draped in a sinister robe of the darkest black and had wings of light growing from her back. What’s more, the mana her body exuded had increased by an unfathomable amount. It was as though she had feasted on the dungeon’s mana and made it her own. I… I have to get out of here, thought Elmina. But her legs wouldn’t move. She felt like a tiny ant being glared at by a dragon. As Elmina stood in place, frozen in panic… “Oh! Miss Examiner! ” “…?!” Fwoosh! …Lorna tore through the air at a tremendous speed and, in an instant, descended in front of her. Oh… This display brought Elmina to an unfortunate realization: There was no running away from Lorna Hermit. “Look! I brought you the Labyrinth Core, just like you asked! ” Lorna held her hand, and… “…?!” Fwoomp. …the space around her hand warped and twisted. Suddenly, a massive gem appeared in Lorna’s palm. Wh-what was that?! Did she just use spatial magic? That’s the stuff of legends! Th-there are no known skills with that kind of power! And that includes A-Ranks! And more importantly, the gem in Lorna’s hand—there was no mistaking it. It was the fabled Labyrinth Core. There was no chance it was a fake, either. The enormous amount of mana seeping out of it was proof of that. Sh-she actually got the Labyrinth Core…?! Then it’s true?! She already cleared the entire dungeon?! Elmina’s mind went blank. She was so disoriented and confused that she thought she might throw up. But she knew one thing—everything she had ever thought she knew about the world had been completely upended. Lorna held out the legendary Labyrinth Core for Elmina as though it were some common bauble. “So…I guess I pass the exam, huh?” said Lorna with a big grin. Elmina felt so much pressure emanating from that grin that she broke out in a cold sweat. I… I have to fail you… If I don’t, then my elite life plan…will be… She had to fail Lorna at all costs. Her entire lifestyle depended on it. Tears streamed down Elmina’s face. All she could muster was a nod. “You…you…pass…,” she replied, deflated. It had all been for naught. There was no way for her to fail Lorna. Why is a monster like this even taking the adventurers exam…? And why did those damned Guugelheits disown her in the first place…? Elmina didn’t understand. Nothing made sense to her. But she knew her actions today would mean the end of her relationship with the Guugelheit family. Her elite lifestyle was over. She didn’t regret her decision, though. The reason was simple—Lorna was far more terrifying than the Guugelheits could ever be. “Oh, right!” said Lorna suddenly. She placed her hand on Elmina’s shoulder. “Your life… You should take care of it, okay?” “…Um, what?” “If you’re not careful, Miss Elmina… Well, you might die. And sooner than you expect.” “……” Elmina nodded furiously in response. Lorna, seeming satisfied, flashed Elmina a smile before walking away. A few moments later, when the final echoes of Lorna’s footsteps died down, Elmina collapsed in a heap. She…she’s going to murder me… The girl’s words had been a clear warning. Lorna Hermit did not take kindly to Elmina’s attempt to trap her. “Try that again and I’ll kill you. Got it?” Lorna’s smile had said it all. There was no other way to interpret it. I think, pondered Elmina, face blank, I need to go home. I miss my hometown. Meanwhile… Miss Elmina sure is kind. She must have worried about me and entered the dungeon to make sure I was okay. What a nice thing to do. Lorna hummed as she made her way back to the dungeon’s entrance. An internet window floated just ahead of her. Character: Elmina Manaflame Guild master of the Aiphoné Adventurers Guild. Wielder of the A-Rank skill, Inferno Magic. Also known as the Witch of Conflagration. Elmina is an elite spellcaster and retainer of the Guugelheit family. She is very popular in the fandom, especially in a certain section of the fan art community. **MASSIVE SPOILERS BELOW!** Elmina dies in Part 1, Chapter 5. I still can’t believe the internet knows when people are going to die… Elmina’s such a kind person; I’d really hate for anything to happen to her. Lorna didn’t understand the bit about when Elmina was supposed to die, but now that she’d warned her of her fate, Lorna hoped the guild master would find some way to avoid it.