Your Majesty, Dinner Is Ready. - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 23 E-rank Dungeon – Tomb of the Earth Elf (4)
Thump-thump.
The stone statue that had begun to move approached us with each thundering footfall, shaking the ground.
Marlin, who had been fidgeting with her Dagger in hand, lifted her head and opened her eyes wide.
From the ceiling, pitch-black lightning dripped down in thick, viscous rivulets.
– I’ve given you ample opportunity to retreat, you worms.
Alongside an ominous voice echoing through empty air, black lightning gathered above the statue’s right shoulder, coalescing into the form of a bird.
An eagle—the creature that symbolized Sue’je.
Crackle-crackle!
As the tattoo on its collarbone sparked with increasing intensity, the eagle threw back its head proudly and cried out.
– I shall offer you all to Sue’je!
《Corrupted Statue of Meterd (?Level)》
《A sanctuary guardian befouled by the tainted aura of the wretched Sue’je. Though the passage of time has siphoned away much of its power, it remains far from harmless. A monster of such abnormally high caliber appearing in an E-rank Dungeon is itself suspicious. Make sacrifices of your companions and seize its strength!》
Crackle!
Lightning erupted from all directions, crackling past our bodies.
The thunder that swept across us flowed back into the eagle, swelling its frame larger with each surge.
The aura contained within the statue itself deepened and swelled with each passing moment.
“…Kahr, we can actually win against that, right?”
I hesitated for a moment, considering how to answer, then shook my head.
“If we meet it head-on, we don’t stand a chance. It grows stronger in direct proportion to the combined rank of our souls.”
“…What?”
Size. Weight. Overwhelming presence.
A monster that dominated in every possible dimension.
Even Explorers who hadn’t acquired the lowest-tier Rank—the novice grade—would find it unreasonably formidable at their level.
‘That’s why most don’t usually activate the Hidden Piece all the way.’
Exploration parties strong enough to handle it would be too busy advancing to higher-tier Dungeons, while it posed too grave a threat to Explorers who frequented E-rank Dungeons for any but the rarest to attempt its conquest.
By rights, no Explorer should have yet succeeded in clearing it at maximum difficulty.
Crackle.
Sue’je sent a surge of keen interest through her Altar.
“This is hardly the time to be amused. Your Follower may well meet her end here.”
《You’re right that this creature exceeds your current capacity to eliminate, but… you’ll manage anyway, won’t you. Do your best. Even the Wise One seems unimpressed.》
Both of them had contracted a collective case of recklessness.
No wonder both of their congregations were running dry.
“…….”
Rosalia, who had been watching the approaching statue, extended her arm and pulled me backward.
“Dangerous.”
This silent assassin had spoken a single word!
Given her nature to refrain from speech except in the direst circumstances, it meant she regarded the statue controlled by that eagle as a formidable threat.
“…Kahr.”
Marlin, her tail raised in alarm, gripped her Dagger tightly.
– Begone!
The corrupted statue advanced toward us slowly.
Objectively speaking it was sluggish, but with such massive bulk, that pace translated to alarming speed.
“How on earth are you planning to deal with that…?”
“Don’t be afraid. Calm yourself. I’m hardly about to throw a child like you into mortal danger.”
I’d sooner die myself than expose a girl to the threat of death.
…Though a little hardship wouldn’t hurt, would it?
“We can fell it. Dungeons may construct absurdly hostile conditions, but they never impose trials that Explorers cannot overcome.
“…Then what should we do?”
“Draw its attention for me, will you? Just dart around near it.”
“Yes!”
Marlin dashed forward, weaving left and right, drawing the creature’s ire.
Not her intent, perhaps, but an excellent provocation nonetheless.
– For I am the guardian of rough thunder!
Boom!
A massive fist came crashing down against the floor.
Marlin dodged with quick reflexes and started drawing its gaze again, her tail swaying.
She was performing far better than expected.
“There’s a task for you as well.”
I assigned a duty to Rosalia, who stood silently, her eyes fixed only on the statue.
“Carry me, please.”
“…….”
Rosalia turned to look back.
Her eyes had narrowed slightly.
“Don’t talk nonsense. Such harsh words….”
“…….”
“Just trust me and give me a piggyback ride. Unless you’d like to watch our Marlin become a flattened strip of jerky.”
The taciturn assassin looked forward again.
“Aaaaagh!”
Her pace as she fled had noticeably slowed compared to before.
At this rate, things might truly go very wrong.
Perhaps thinking the same thing, Rosalia exhaled softly and bent her back slightly.
“Thank you, sister.”
Before she could change her mind, Kahr climbed aboard.
Being taller than Kahr meant Rosalia’s feet didn’t touch the ground, making the ride remarkably stable.
“Now, take me to the head of that statue. You can do that, yes?”
She didn’t expect an answer, nor did she particularly need one.
Tap!
Rosalia surged toward a jutting pillar, launching herself upward and striking off the wall in one fluid motion before leaping again.
[Mighty Leap].
Though only rank 1, the Skill deployed by an assassin who had reached level 5 demonstrated a level of mastery that made lower-tier versions seem embarrassingly crude.
“You’re the best.”
She landed squarely atop the statue’s crown.
“Now, please move Marlin far to safety. After that, concentrate your attacks on the statue’s ankles.”
Rosalia nodded slightly and dropped down.
Now it was my turn.
Direct combat won’t work?
In a Dungeon, that simply means finding a specific weakness to exploit.
– Dare you, half-breed!
The black lightning eagle hurled invective at me, but I ignored it and reached out my hand.
Crack-crack-crack!
Lightning coursed across my entire body.
But there was no chance I’d become a Follower roasted crispy outside and tender within.
“That tingles.”
During the ritual sacrifice, the temporary presence of Im Han-soo’s existence had inflicted pain like Death itself had draped an arm across my shoulders in false camaraderie.
Compared to that, this level of lightning was mere static.
I clenched my teeth and activated the Skill.
‘Stay calm.’
The Black Lightning Bloom—a Skill fundamentally granted to the impure Followers of the heavens.
As a growth-type Skill, it was currently only rank 1, yet under certain conditions it could demonstrate effects that transcended its rank.
I began to manipulate the lightning.
– Cease this, half-breed!
The eagle thrashed its wings violently and shrieked, sending lightning cascading down at me indiscriminately.
I ignored it and pressed on with my concentration.
“…Hah, haa….”
Hollow laughter spilled uncontrollably from my lips.
Blood dripped from my nose, and my entire body was paralyzed—I could barely move.
The statue’s violent thrashing made it hard to hold on, but even if I fell, what was a little crippling?
With steady resolve, I commanded the thunder.
Crack-crack-crack!
At some point, the eagle’s movements had begun to slow.
Though it was composed entirely of lightning, I could feel the emotion radiating from its face.
Fear.
– Impossible!
Had it decided that shaking me off was impossible?
Now it was attempting to crush the other two beneath the statue.
I’d anticipated this, which was why I’d made an additional request of the silent assassin.
Bang!
Rosalia dashed in with blinding speed, her flying kick landing squarely on the statue’s left ankle.
That was no Skill.
It wasn’t the assassin’s signature dagger technique—just a simple kick—yet it unleashed power rivaling any respectable skill, and the massive stone statue staggered in an instant.
While the eagle’s gaze remained locked on Rosalia, I continued to channel the Black Lightning Bloom, controlling the black lightning.
Crack!
In resonance with the raging lightning, the mark on my collarbone crackled and flared upward.
I felt it clearly.
Suejeyu’s anticipation watching what I was doing with such keen interest.
Then.
Lightning of a different caliber began to swirl across my entire body.
No—it was far beyond that.
Crackle!
I had become lightning itself.
《Well, congratulations…. Your growth-type skill Black Lightning Bloom has grown rapidly in proficiency and advanced to Rank 2.》
The effect of Rank 2 Black Lightning Bloom.
Beyond mere control—I could now transform my body into lightning.
– This cannot be!
The panicked eagle thrashed desperately, moving the statue’s arm to bring its head crashing down on me.
A desperate measure bordering on self-destruction.
Boom!
Half of the statue’s head shattered and fell away.
I instantly transmuted my body into lightning to slip through the attack, then activated Ghoul’s Mobility.
My agility stat spiked sharply, then recovered through the linked combination of the Sieve Curse and Dark Cloud Thunder, temporarily surging my vitality.
“That one stung a little, didn’t it?”
Thanks to the heightened vitality stat, the trauma to my mind and body vanished in an instant.
“Now, why don’t you surrender peacefully to your junior?”
I curled my lips upward and pulled the eagle into an embrace with both arms.
“Come with me. Ermentaz.”
– ……!
The black lightning eagle.
The last guardian standing alone in the Temple of the Earth Elf, after all those of his kind who retained their sanity had fled.
Ermentaz opened his beak wide in horror.
– How dare you! You mongrel!
His sharp talons seized my face and began tearing slowly.
A final death throes.
I just had to survive this.
My mental stamina was nearly depleted—my head felt like it would split open—but I could still use a skill one more time.
“Please, give up now.”
I began transmuting both arms into lightning, absorbing the electrical discharge.
Since control had already shifted almost entirely to me, Ermentaz could not revert to human form and was slowly drawn into my body.
An overwhelm that would have been impossible through raw strength alone.
Only possible through this romantic strategy: a half-elf charming Suejeyu’s favor plus the weakest follower combination!
Without the will of that exalted being offering indirect aid through the tingling energy saturating this dungeon, such a miracle would have been impossible.
– No! Raging Thunder Cloud, I beseech you, save me!
Snap!
Through the mark on my collarbone, a certain emotion was transmitted to me.
If I were to express that being’s will—something no crude language of lesser life forms could fully convey—in mere words, it would be as follows.
Save you?
Why would I?
– Kraaaaaah!
The Earth Elf, abandoned by both the nature deity and Suejeyu, was absorbed into my body as pure, brilliant lightning.
With the operator gone, the stone statue of the nature deity ceased its movements.
My entire being was utterly exhausted, my mind reeling, so I lost my balance and fell downward.
“Sis!”
The taciturn assassin leaped upward using Mighty Leap one last time, caught me, and descended gently to the ground.
My heart was beyond words, so I simply raised my thumb.
“…….”
Rosalia, who had been staring at my hand in silence for a moment, carefully raised her thumb in response.
Rumble.
The ground where the statue had stood rose upward, forming a single massive altar.
At its center, I could see a gate flickering in deep red.
“How was that—my conquest of this dungeon?”
Of course, there was no reply.
After exploring the dungeon together, I’d grown almost fluent in reading what lay behind that taciturn expression.
“Not bad, was it? That’s what you’re thinking, isn’t it? I feel the same way.”
E-rank Dungeon.
Tomb of the Earth Elf.
Singed around the edges though we were, we’d cleared it all the same.
“Kahr!”
Marlin came bounding back, the one Rosalia had set safely apart, her face breaking into a bright smile.
“Thank goodness you’re all right. I really thought the lightning had fried you completely!”
“Like I’ve told you before, I don’t die in E-rank dungeons. If I’m going to throw my life away, it’ll be in an S-rank.”
I pressed down gently on Marlin’s head as she stood there, having stubbornly protected the hat I’d bought her even through all the chaos, and climbed back down to the ground.
“Shall we go collect our handsome reward?”
The most generous compensation awaited us—the kind that made your chest swell with anticipation before you even claimed it.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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