<h4>Chapter 42: I''m stuck in a dungeon with an elf?</h4>


    As Ophelia spoke of exploring the dungeon, I couldn''t help but feel a twinge of unease inside me.


    I couldn''t let her just take the dungeon, but I didn''t want to start a conflict either. "Perhaps we could share the dungeon," I suggested. "There should be ample materials to support us both, and I don''t need everything within it - just the rare ore and crystals, which I''m sure there will be an abundance of."


    Ophelia sighed dramatically, her sultry voice sending a shiver down my spine. "Oh, Lord Lumiere, always the boy scout," she purred, her eyes smoldering. "Can''t you see that you''re no fun?"


    Mojito bristled at her words, warning her to mind her tongue.


    But Ophelia merely brushed him off, calling him an underling who should keep quiet.


    "Mojito, calm yourself." (Fasit)


    "But she''s talking bad about the boss!" (Mojito)


    "Let Lord Lumiere handle this.." (Fasit)


    I could see the anger in Mojito''s eyes as he exploded in fury, telling her to stop being so rude.


    Ophelia sighed again, sounding almost bored. "I wasn''t insulting him, just stating facts," she said, her gaze turning back to me.


    And then, without warning, she was standing right in front of me, her hands on my jaw, caressing me gently.


    I could feel my face growing hot as she rubbed her thumb slowly around my lips.


    She had a seductive air about her that I couldn''t deny, and her eyes were surprisingly attractive.


    But I couldn''t let her distract me from the matter at hand. "And what is your proposal, Ophelia?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.


    "How about we battle it out?" she suggested, a small moan escaping her lips. I felt Serena tense beside me, clearly not liking the way Ophelia was getting so close to me.


    But I couldn''t deny that her proposal intrigued me.


    A battle could settle the matter once and for all.


    Still, I had to y it safe. "What kind of battle are you suggesting?" I asked, keeping my tone neutral.


    Ophelia just grinned, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "A battle of wits, of course," she said, her tone yful. "We''ll prove who is the better dungeon conqueror."


    I couldn''t help but be intrigued by her proposition.


    But I knew that I couldn''t let my guard down around her. I had no idea what her true intentions were.


    I had agreed to Ophelia''s challenge, feeling the tension building thick in the air.


    But just as we were about to start, a sudden, unexpected force shook the earth beneath our feet, causing me to stagger back.


    The entrance to the dungeon began to suck everything inside of it, drawing objects and creatures alike into its depths.


    I watched in horror as Fasit, Serena, and Mojito were pulled towards the entrance.


    But Serena was quick on her feet. With a wave of her hand, she cast an [Ice Magic] spell, forming a wall of ice that kept them safe from being sucked in.


    I was grateful for her quick thinking, but then I saw Ophelia being pulled towards the entrance as well.


    Panic set in as I tried desperately toe up with a n.


    I attempted to use my [Earth Magic] to seal the entrance and stop the catastrophe, but it was no use. The wall I created shattered like ss, and I was pulled towards the entrance along with Ophelia.


    "Ohe on!" (Lumiere)


    We screamed as we were both sucked into the dungeon''s depths, the force pulling us like rag dolls. For a moment, everything was chaos as we tumbled through the air.


    But then, just as suddenly, the suction stopped.


    I hit the ground hard and scrambled to my feet, looking around for Ophelia.


    I found her beside me, looking shaken but unharmed.


    We exchanged a look of disbelief before the realization set in: we were trapped inside the dungeon.


    I could hear Serena''s screams as she saw us vanish from sight, and my heart went out to her. But before I could even move, the entrance sealed shut, cutting us off from the outside world.


    ...


    As I tumbled down the dark, vertical tunnel with Ophelia, I felt my mana cut by half.


    Antimagic runes must be at y here, suppressing our magical abilities.


    I panicked and yelled, "My magic power has been cut in half! This is bad, really bad!"


    Ophelia looked at me as if I were stating the obvious. "What do you expect me to say, ''Oh no, really? I had no idea''?"


    I rolled my eyes, "It''s not the time for sarcasm, okay?"


    The ground tilted, and we continued to tumble downward at an rming speed. "If we keep falling at this speed, we''ll go st!" I screamed.


    As we fell, I focused my mana and used my [Earth Magic] to create something to hold onto on the now-vertical ground.


    I grabbed onto it and Ophelia''s arm.


    She struggled to break free but I warned her that she''d die if she kept struggling.


    I used my magic to create a rock and dropped it, timing how long it took to echo back up. "We fell for forty seconds!" I shouted, trying to calm down mybored breathing.


    "(Alright, it took forty seconds for the rock tond from where we are, factoring discement, eleration due to gravity being 9.81 meters per second squared and the time of fall... we''re 7,848 meters above ground or rather, 25,748 feet high. Curse my superior skills in math.)" (Lumiere)


    Ophelia demanded an apology for how casually I was touching her, but I shot back, "I''m trying to save your life here, not hit on you!" I plead with her to stop struggling and work together to find a way out.


    She scoffed, "I don''t need amon man''s help!"


    I rolled my eyes again. "You''re such a brat. Stop acting like you''re too good for me and focus on staying alive."


    She demanded that I apologize for my words, but I knew that she''d die if I let go of her. "Look, I won''t drop you, but you need to stop being suicidal for petty reasons."


    Ophelia sighed, "Your words have some logic, so I''ll grant you the pleasure of saving me."


    "(Grant me the pleasure of saving her? How proud can she get?)" (Lumiere)


    I smirked, "I''m touched. But seriously, we need to find a way out of here."


    As I gasped for breath, a glimmer of hope appeared before us.


    A door opened from somewhere in the walls. "Thank the heavens," I said.


    I channelled my mana into [Earth Magic] to form a bridge from where we hung to the door.


    I had to strain my mana to do so, even after the antimagic rune halved it.


    As we walked on the bridge, my heart pounding with nervousness, the door led us to abyrinth.


    The walls glowed a golden luminescent light, illuminating our path.


    Ophelia scoffed at my magic, saying "You''ll run out of mana soon enough if you keep using your magic excessively and I''ll have to save your sorry behind."


    Iughed it off.


    "You have less magic power than me, so in any case you should be the one that''s worried." (Lumiere)


    She retorted, saying "Having more magic power doesn''t mean you have the better advantage."


    I looked around thebyrinth, unsure which direction to take.


    There were several turns and a path straight ahead.


    "Let''s get moving." I said, trying to sound confident.


    However, Ophelia had other ns. "Follow my lead," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice. I rolled my eyes and followed her, still unsure of what was going to happen next.


    "I have a feeling thisbyrinth has traps and tricky paths," I predicted. "My human senses alone wouldn''t be enough to navigate without getting lost or attacked."


    "But fear not, Lumiere," Ophelia interjected with a smirk. "Follow me. Elves have superior sensory abilitiespared to humans."


    I rolled my eyes and sighed. "I have Rank A [Magic Detect]," I informed her, surprising her. "Normally, a human my age shouldn''t have a sensory skill rank that high."


    "Who are you, really?" Ophelia asked curiously.


    "Just a guy who wants a peaceful life," I replied. "But apparently, I can''t seem to enjoy one."


    "I don''t care about your life story," Ophelia retorted. "I just want to know who you are and if you''re a mixed breed."


    I chose not to respond and suddenly, a mischievous feminineughter echoed throughout thebyrinth. It sent shivers down my spine and got Ophelia and me instantly on edge.


    "Where is iting from?" she asked, her voice rising in rm.


    "Let''s keep moving for now," I suggested, trying to keep calm. But then, theughing voice spoke up again. "Prepare for the game of a lifetime!"


    My blood ran cold. This was definitely not good.


    ...


    --- Status ---


    Name: Lumiere Venrite


    Race: Human


    Age: 18 Y/O


    Titles: The fifteenth child, The eleventh son, Naturally dead, Bastard child, Integrator, All-Father?s courtier, Business man, Meld Master, Prodigy, Savior of the Grygans, Lord of the Grygans, King of Curses, High Minotaur Lord, High Grygan Lord, Great Lord of the North-eastern Domain, The one who sires.


    ss: High Mage


    Physical Strength: 34/34


    MP: 25,000/25,000


    Magic Arts:「Unlocked Elemental Series — [Fire Magic] (Rank B), [Wind Magic] (Rank B), [Earth Magic] (Rank B), [Water Magic] (Rank A)」, [nt Magic] (Rank B), [Summoning Magic] (Rank S+), [Purification Magic] (Rank SSS+), [Lightning Magic] (Rank C), 「Unlocked Curse Series — [Curse Fire Magic] (Rank E), [Curse Wind Magic] (Rank E), [Curse Water Magic] (Rank D), [Curse Earth Magic] (Rank E), [Curse nt Magic] (Rank E), [Curse Lightning Magic] (Rank F)」.


    Magic Skills: Integral Skill [Appraisal] (Rank C) | Additional Skills: [Lung Master] (Rank D), [Status Modification] (Rank SSS+), [Enhanced Stamina] (Rank B), [Poison Resistance] (Rank C), [Magic Detect] (Rank A), [Element Merger] (Rank B), [Mana Pressure] (Rank A), [Night Vision] (Rank C), [Enhanced Vision] (Rank C), [Enhanced Olfaction] (Rank C) | Unique Skills: [Beginner''s Luck] | Curse Skill: [Fire Demon''s Curse].


    Sacred Benefaction: All-Father?s Crest of Guidance.


    <<updated abilities="">> </updated>


    [Lightning Magic] :: Acquired from Grygans through affinity trade.


    [Curse Lightning Magic] :: A 「Curse Series」 variegated form of [Lightning Magic].


    [Night & Enhanced Vision] :: Acquired from Grygans through skill trade.


    Physical Strength increase from 28 to 34, gained through stat trade from Minotaurs.


    [Enhanced Olfaction] :: Acquired from Minotaurs through skill trade.


    [Enhanced Stamina] :: Already had this skill but it increased from Rank D to B because the Minotaurs also possess it but as an Integral Skill rather than Additional Skill.


    [Grand Buster] :: Attack used by Fenghis, acquired by Lumiere after bing High Minotaur Lord.


    [Mana Points] :: 15,000 originally, gained 20,000 after he sired the Minotaurs, and lost 10,000 again after skill, affinity and spell trades with them. Currently has 25,000 mana points.