Chapter 127 - Chapter 127: Departing to Attack Again
From the video featuring Kaorulko, believers of the God Izal began to increase not only in Japan but across the world.
It is likely that the ability to receive mysterious powers regardless of the dungeon is a major factor.
There is no cost required for anything.
For mage adventurers, there is even greater benefit.
A method to effectively utilize the magic power stored in magic stones is provided.
This is quite significant for an adventurer.
It also serves as a stockpile of magic power for when the time comes.
It can be used not only for attacks but also for defense and healing (heal), and the magical tools from the other world brought by Tetsuo.
To put those to practical use, knowledge and technology to turn magic stones into batteries are necessary.
This hurdle has been cleared.
The item most desired is likely the Magic Bag, which serves as a substitute for the Item Box, but even a single magic lamp holds the possibility of changing the world.
If we have the Golem Motors that Tetsuo showed us, magic power can be converted into power.
That might be usable not only inside the dungeon but also in every corner of the surface world.
Leaving the God Izal aside for now—
We began preparations to clear Floor 8.
Clearing Floor 7 means other adventurers will flock to Floor 7.
Top rankers must advance further.
The Princess will go, and if she does, I must go with her.
The rival Iroha will naturally advance as well.
If I dive into the dungeon, Sana will come with me.
In the end, everyone is going.
Tetsuo, the Apostle of Izal, has business at the end of the dungeon.
Since our destination is the same, it feels like a mutually beneficial arrangement.
The combination of Tetsuo and Shazam is super powerful and will likely be effective against the strong enemies we will encounter from now on.
Borrowing his power might be quite cheating.
Me, with the cheat Item Box, and Tetsuo, with the blessing and cheats of a god from another world.
This is too much cheating.
Before entering the dungeon, the usual members gathered.
"Daisuke—by the way, money was transferred from the Yaegashi Group."
"Oh, that's good."
"I went to Haneda and got the emerald dragon scales. It was very helpful."
The gem scales seemed to surprise Tetsuo as well.
It was something that didn't exist in the other world, and it might sell for a high price even in the world he returned to.
"We are also providing valuable items."
"Ha ha ha, that's something you can sell normally if you go to the other world."
Even if it is common here, it can be precious in certain places—such things are common in this world as well.
While talking with Tetsuo, I noticed a woman approaching.
A sleeveless turtleneck, denim, blonde hair over a shoulder bag; she looks foreign—but I can tell she has a distressed expression.
"Tetsuo."
"Hm?"
Just as I was about to warn him, she took something out of her bag.
"Kieeeee!"
She swung it back and attacked.
"What is it?!"
Before I could react, a black thing grabbed the woman's hand.
Shazam had protected Tetsuo, but looking at the hand—she was holding something like a syringe.
Poison?
"I'll kill you!"
Even I understood that.
For some reason, it seems Tetsuo was targeted by a foreigner.
"Not Daisuke, but me?"
He seemed surprised as well.
"You scoundrel who pretends to be God!"
Since I heard "God," she probably thought it was related to the gods.
Held by the black thing, the woman was hanging in mid-air.
That's when I realized she had large breasts.
"What did you say?"
"She's saying 'You impostor who deceives the gods!' Ha ha ha. Exactly, I am the target."
This seems like a serious attempt on my life.
After all, what's in the syringe—must be a deadly poison.
"What are you going to do with that?"
"Hm?"
When Tetsuo grinned, Shazam's black body wrapped around the woman.
She was dragged into the black hole—
"She disappeared..."
"What happens to the woman depends on that woman."
At his creepy smile, I stopped speaking.
Tetsuo often claimed to be "The Man Who Absolutely Kills Anyone Who Tries to Kill Him."
Is it another religious figure who cannot forgive Tetsuo, who claims to be the Apostle of God?
Tetsuo uses my site to display that he is the Apostle of God and the miracles received from the God.
Did that bother them?
The Princess and the others are surprised by the sudden incident, but there seems to be no rebuttal or opinion.
It seems to be a "no interference in god-related matters" stance.
Well, it really has nothing to do with us anyway.
"Yo! Darling!"
Iroha, with a loud voice, pushed through the crowd.
She is equipped with adventurer gear, the magical micro-bikini.
The Princess, Kaorulko, and Sana wear robes over shallow layers to avoid attention, but the bold female warrior doesn't care about such things.
She proudly displays her own body with dignity.
"Iroha, did something interesting happen?"
"By the way, that Yuuki guy became a believer of that old man's god."
She pointed at Tetsuo along with me.
"As expected. Well, since the means to master magic is right before our eyes, it's natural if you think about it..."
"The god was also happy that the number of believers increased so much? Thanks to Daisuke."
Listening to our conversation, Tetsuo is smiling.
"It's probably because magic might become usable outside the dungeon and magic stones can be utilized effectively."
If one becomes a believer of Izal, receiving some blessing is certain, but it doesn't necessarily mean magic can be used outside the dungeon.
That part is similar to the line between whether one can become an adventurer in the dungeon or not.
"It might become normal to use magic anywhere in Japan."
It was Kaorulko's words, but there will be people who find it difficult to accept a new god...
"Tetsuo—if I become a believer of Izal, are temples or shrines out of the question?"
"Maybe it's fine? The Japanese gods and Buddhas are like symbols, right? There's no real god anyway."
"As expected, there will be people who can't accept it..."
"Well, I'm not forcing anyone to become a believer, ha ha ha!"
For normal believers, if they quit their faith, the body patterns disappear, and the blessing from the god is lost.
"Are there those who are not normal?"
"Those above believers, like me... if the god commands it, they cannot leave..."
"So there are such cases?"
"Yes. But those people are bound because they did something to that extent."
"I see..."
"Daisuke-san, Kirara-san also became believers, you know?"
Sana came to us.
"Eh?!"
I was surprised by her words.
"It seems that the ability to store magic power in magic stones was significant."
Even Kirara couldn't resist that charm.
Well, she is a mage...
"I thought she was the type who wouldn't believe in gods..."
"It seems she wasn't like that."
"Will her bad behavior be cured?"
"No, that's not the case anymore? She prays properly every day."
"If you change, you change."
Anyway—what will she do from now on?
I don't think it's a business that can last forever...
While talking, we entered the dungeon.
Passing through the entrance hall and moving a bit, we got on Tetsuo's Shazam in a place where no one could see.
"Oh, this, this! This is so convenient, I want to ride it every time!"
"Iroha seems to have completely fallen in love with Shazam."
"It's comfortable, the ride is good. We don't have to deal with weak enemies—best!"
"Mm!"
The Princess nodded in agreement at the convenience.
"Alright! Let's go!"
At Tetsuo's command, Shazam began to rush through the darkness.
Just like before, the speed is saved.
Deep in the dungeon, wrapped in pitch-black darkness, a ripple like a single thread of wind runs.
At its center was Shazam, black as if the shadows of the night were solidified.
Silently, it skimmed the walls, slid just under the ceiling, and skillfully dodged crumbling stone pillars.
Its trajectory flowed fluidly, like stitching seams in the darkness.
The light of chemical lights used by adventurers flickered for a moment, revealing the outline of Shazam's body.
That too, for a moment, sank back into the darkness immediately.
"Uhyoohhh!"
Adventurers hearing Iroha's voice from the ceiling would be scared.
As I smiled, we were already in the connection passage to Floor 2.
We continued flying inside the dungeon.
"Princess, are we grinding for experience points at Floor 7 again? Or Floor 8?"
"Let's go to Floor 8! Floor 8!"
Iroha's heart seems to be already heading to Floor 8.
"Well—let's start with Floor 8."
"Understood."
"Yay!"
"That's good, but we need to take the Harpies at Floor 4 or 5."
"True—we would get lost without them."
Iroha seems to already trust the power of the Harpies.
"Tetsuo, fly a bit slower at Floor 4."
"Okay."
"Thanks."
"If we can't find the Harpies, there's also the option of using my magical tools?"
"Oh, right."
Among the magical tools he possesses, there is something like a direction finder.
If the main unit is set at the dungeon exit, the sub-unit always points in that direction.
With this, we can find the exit, but we cannot find the entrance to the next floor.
We still need the power of the Harpies.
Upon entering Floor 4, Shazam entered low-speed flight.
"Daisuke, isn't it better to do a loop flight?"
"Yeah, that's right, please."
"Alright."
We flew slowly drawing a circle in a wide area.
Magical lights appeared in the darkness, followed by the sound of explosions.
"Oops, a battle nearby?"
"It's not the Harpies, right?"
Continuing to fly in the darkness, we saw something flying from the direction where the battle sounds were heard.
"Gyasuke!" "Daisuke! Daisuke!"
Are those the Harpies?
"Did they get targeted by magic again?"
"Perhaps they were targeting the adventurers' food?"
It might be what Sana said.
"Is it because I taught them that human food is delicious...?"
"Daisuke-san, the Harpies have been targeting adventurers' meals for quite some time."
"That's right, just as the Empress says."
The Harpies were hated because they would bomb with poop and then rummage through the food when the adventurers ran away.
Since Shazam was flying slowly, the Harpies flew straight to me.
"Gyasuke!" "Daisuke!"
"Yes, yes, you were chased by magic—poor things."
I stroked them.
"Darling!"
The Princess is angry, but it can't be helped.
"Daisuke, let's go ahead."
"Sorry, please!"
Shazam began to slide through the darkness again.
Skipping Floor 5 and Floor 6—we arrived at Floor 7.
We asked Shazam to hover in the air and look down.
The walls still have holes, and it seems the dungeon has not been repaired.
"There doesn't seem to be any other party."
The Princess looked down as well.
"Sakurako-sama, supplies are piled up in the corner."
"In that case, there might be a party inside."
"Everyone, enter the passage, gather closer."
Tetsuo changed the shape of Shazam.
We cannot move forward unless we make it wide enough to proceed through the passage.
Everyone lined up in two columns vertically.
In response, Shazam also changed into a long, thin shape.
We rushed into the maze entrance that opened up.
"Tetsuo-san, this is the map."
"Oh, thank you!"
Kaorulko handed the map to Tetsuo.
"Can't Shazam read characters?"
"He has no eyes~ but he understands words."
He seems to grasp the positional relationships of where humans and objects are.
How he grasps the position seems unknown.
Ultrasonic radar like a bat? Detection using magic power?
It's a mystery.
"If he can mimic humans so accurately, maybe he could talk if he could reproduce vocal cords?"
"Oh, that sounds interesting! He seems quite intelligent, so let's try teaching him."
If there is a function to accumulate air and send wind, and a function to vibrate a thin membrane, that would be enough.
Tetsuo held a magic lamp at the tip of the slenderly extended Shazam.
This confirms the front, and with a little light, our field of vision will expand significantly, which is helpful.
"Princess, how do we handle battles here?"
If we proceed through the maze, there are situations where encounters with monsters are unavoidable.
"Darling, let's go directly to Floor 8?"
Iroha seems to be in the mood for Floor 8 already.
"You're asking me, but the leader is the Princess."
"Hmm... okay, decided. Avoid encounters with monsters as much as possible and head directly to Floor 8."
"Alright! That's the spirit!"
Iroha snapped her fist.
"Since it's decided... will we encounter even if we float in the air?"
"I don't know."
The Princess reacted to my mutter—but well, that's probably it.
Under Tetsuo's control, Shazam smoothly proceeded through the maze passage.
There is no vibration or sway, so you forget you are flying.
"The group that entered here should be moving while looking at Kaorulko's map, so they might join us eventually..."
"Yes... maybe they will enter side paths to search for items?"
"That's possible too—but if it were me, I would base it on the hot spring and clear from there."
"Anyway, we can't even reach that far?"
Iroha has a point.
This place is quite tough.
While thinking about Floor 7, a huge battle sound was heard.
The dungeon shook with the explosion sound.
Probably magic, but I cannot tell if it was used by a monster or an adventurer.
"Tetsuo, is it on the map's path?"
"Seems so."
As expected, it turned out like this.
"I hope we can take a detour..."
We do not yet grasp the connections of the maze.
Getting lost here would be troublesome.
"Let's approach slowly."
"Understood."
At the Princess's instruction, Shazam carrying us slowly moved toward the direction of the battle sounds.
As we proceeded through the passage, the battle sounds heard gradually intensified.
They hit the stone walls of the maze as if screams risking their lives, echoing in layers.
Amidst these, heavy explosions resounded.
Pale blue flashes illuminated a distant corner, and the aftereffects of magic distorted the air.
With the roaring sound, air pressure rushed in, shaking the maze, the cracks in the walls creaked slightly, and dust rose.
"It's close."
Just as I thought that, something seemed strange.
"Uwaaaaa!"
"Someone, help meeee!"
"Kyaaaaaa!"
It seems they were fighting well from the battle sounds, but that's not the case.
Isn't this a pinch situation?
"Princess!"
"No choice!"
"Well, if it's like this, no one will complain if we take them out from the side."
Iroha agreed with the Princess.
For now, it is a life rescue.
No matter how much it is a dungeon of self-responsibility, abandoning them here would be a bit dangerous.
If they died in an unknown place, it's none of our business.
Arriving at the scene—a huge black body was chasing adventurers carrying injured comrades.
It seems they encountered a Greater Demon.
Here too, it is the most troublesome enemy.
And yet—if in this state, the monster should be able to finish off the losers in one go, but it is not doing that.
I think it is chasing the losers, tormenting them, and enjoying it.
—That means it has intelligence comparable to humans.
"Daisuke! This is bad! Can I kill them?"
Seeing the tragic scene, Tetsuo proposed.
"Princess!"
"It's a crisis, leave it to me!"
"Alright!"
Greater Demon punches approached the fleeing adventurers.
If they take that hit, humans would be minced.
"Gyaaaa!"
A black palm caught the approaching giant punch.
Shazam, which had dropped us, blocked the enemy's attack.
"Gugo!?"
The Greater Demon seemed confused by the suddenly appearing black enemy.
"Alright!"
At the moment Tetsuo sharply raised his spirit, the giant black arm was cleanly severed as if cut by a sharp blade, without even a moment to resist.
The cross-section was unbelievably smooth, and the severed arm fell clumsily to the floor according to gravity without making a sound.
With a dull impact sound, the black arm rolled on the floor, still twitching spasmodically.
From there, a black liquid like darkness seeped out slowly, staining the cold stone floor.
"Gugooooo!!"
The demon, whose arm was suddenly gone, let out a scream that shook the maze.
He must not have dreamed that the small animal he was tormenting and playing with would counterattack.
"Let's go!"
Riding on the black wave of his partner, he jumped, slashing horizontally to the side.
No weapon was visible, only a sharp presence remained as if the space was torn apart.
In the next moment, the demon's head shifted horizontally halfway.
"Gooooo!"
As the monster screamed, the head shift became larger, and it fell to the floor with a dull sound.
Even so, it did not stop moving.
"It won't die even with this?!"
Since half the head is gone, there should be no vision.
As proof, the black giant body lost its direction and collided with the wall.
"Shazam!"
Responding to Tetsuo's voice, the black wavy thing changed into a sharp spear shape.
It drew an arc, rose above the monster, and dove down.
It pierced the exposed head of the monster at a 90-degree angle.
"Uwa!"
Iroha, who was next to me, involuntarily let out a sound.
Such an attack cannot be seen normally.
The black giant spear pierced the monster's body, emerging from the chest.
The spear changed into a fist, and bodily fluids dripped, holding something.
Probably—the magic stone that was the monster's power source.
With such a terrible attack, even the demon stopped moving.
Its giant body stiffened, twitching spasmodically, and a groan mixed with agony and terror leaked from deep in its throat.
Black foam overflowed from the enemy's mouth, and its body continued to tremble like its death throes.
The monster's attack is terrifying, but Shazam's attack is terrifying too.
If this were aimed at us, there would be no way to defend.
Shazam gave me the large magic stone, seeing me scared.
As I received it, the black spear was pulled out of the demon's body as if in reverse playback and returned to Tetsuo.
"Hic!" "Hiiiii!"
The adventurers we saved were grimacing at us.
Their faces were like they saw the Grim Reaper—but rude.
Looking closely, there were three men in common robe-style fantasy equipment and one woman in a high-exposure one-piece—probably a mage party.
One of them was unconscious.
It was a common party composition, but there might be others who were defeated.
"Don't worry. We just came to help."
At the gentle words thrown by the Princess, the adventurers probably realized they were saved.
As their expressions relaxed, they hugged each other and began to sob.
"Do you have potions?"
"We... used them all up..."
The woman answered my question.
"I can't give you too many."
I handed three potions taken from the Item Box to the woman.
"Ah, thank you."
"Kaorulko, heal."
"Understood."
Kaorulko seems to be healing at the Princess's instruction.
The opponent is an unconscious man.
He looks seriously injured, but will healing and potions manage it?
"A-ah! Are you Cherry Princess-sama and Empress-sama?!"
"Please stop with the 'sama'."
The Princess has a troubled face.
Kaorulko always calls her with 'sama', but is she embarrassed to be called that by others?
"Princess, if we stay here, we might encounter enemies again."
"Mm."
"The room where we camped before is near. Let's take refuge there."
We decided to head for the room we visited before.