I was in the room where those ten Armor Bear Bugbears had appeared.
Since I had some knowledge of the dungeon's structure beyond this point, I proceeded without hesitation. There should be no room for confusion as I made my way towards my destination.
At that moment, I heard sounds of battle in the distance. It seemed like someone was fighting monsters. Intrigued, I decided to hurry over to see what was happening.
"Hey there, Kiska!"
"Oh, hello."
It was Hero Eligion who was fighting the monsters.
"I didn't expect all of us to get separated like this. For now, I'm glad to meet up with you."
Hero Eligion said.
Indeed, he also seemed to have become separated from the rest of the party due to the teleportation.
"So, what do you plan to do now?"
"Yeah, everyone is a concern, but right now, it's a priority to find the Demon Lord. It would be great if you could guide me."
"I don't mind guiding you."
Guiding through the dungeon was not a problem. However, the dungeon was vast and complex. With no idea of where the Demon Lord might be hiding, it was a question of where to start the search.
"Well, on this floor, there are three teleportation circles, and each of them connects to a different location. It would be great to know which teleportation circle would get us closer to the Demon Lord the fastest. If we were to search all of them randomly, it would take quite a number of days."
"I see."
After listening to my explanation, Hero Eligion placed his hand on his chin and started pondering.
"Well, but we have no choice but to explore the dungeon at our own pace."
Hero Eligion said with a nonchalant expression.
"Um, is it really okay to explore so leisurely? Isn't there a possibility that the Demon Lord could escape this dungeon while we are exploring? What if we take too much time?"
"That's a crude concern."
Hero Eligion asserted.
I had no idea why he was so confident.
"Do you know what a Hero is?"
"No, I don't."
Even if I was asked about what a Hero was, I had never really thought about it.
"Listen, a Hero is the one destined to defeat the Demon Lord."
"I see."
"Understand this well. No matter how formidable the Demon Lord is, even if there seems to be no chance of victory, the Hero will eventually defeat the Demon Lord. It's not a matter of logic. It's because that's how it's destined to be. Therefore, as a Hero, I will undoubtedly confront and fight the Demon Lord in this dungeon."
His words were not just about self-confidence; they almost seemed like blind faith.
How could he believe so firmly that a Hero would always win against the Demon Lord?
"Even so, what would happen if the Hero were to lose to the Demon Lord?"
"That's an impossible assumption. But in the highly unlikely event that the Demon Lord were to win, the world would be destroyed."
Hearing the words "the world would be destroyed," my heart raced.
I came from a world 100 years in the future.
It was to save the world from its destined destruction.
"Is the Demon Lord's goal to destroy the world?"
"Yes, that's right."
I felt like I had figured out what I needed to do in this era.
If I defeat the Demon Lord, the world will be saved.
"Oh, and there's one more reason why it's fine to explore leisurely."
"What is it?"
"As a matter of fact, there's been a divine revelation."
"A divine revelation."
It was a message from the gods. I had heard that there were facilities dedicated to receiving such revelations, and occasionally, the gods would speak to the priests working there.
"The content of the divine revelation is, 'Katarov Dungeon will become the final battlefield.'"
"Is that so."
In hindsight, it had been a question.
How did the heroes know that the Demon Lord had taken refuge in this dungeon? But if there was a divine revelation, I would be satisfied with that explanation.
"Anyway, that's why I'm asking for your guidance in the dungeon."
"Understood."
From there, we continued through the dungeon. We debated which of the three teleportation circles to use but decided to start with the first one, which led to the floor where Agetha, was sealed previously.
The reason for our choice was that I thought we might have a chance to meet Agetha.
"But it seems she's not here after all."
In the original timeline, Agetha had been sealed in this place, but now it was completely empty. I wondered where I could find Agetha.
"What do you mean by 'she's not here'?"
"Oh, um…"
Just when I was struggling with how to answer the Hero's question, someone or something abruptly appeared.
"You're here quite early."
It was a low, raspy voice.
In the space where nothing had been before, it had suddenly materialized.
"I've come to settle this."
Hero Eligion smiled.
"I dislike your confidence, Hero."
Saying that, it gives a wry smile.
The entity before us was like a giant, with an inhuman face, bulging muscles, reddish-black skin, and massive armor. It wielded a sword larger than itself.
"Then, shall we settle this, Zoga, the Demon Lord?"
That's right; the presence before us was undoubtedly the Demon Lord.
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