Chapter 128 - Chapter 128: Wu and Yue in the Same Boat
I am attacking the dungeon again with Tetsuo.
This time, the goal is Floor 8.
I ride on Shazam, Tetsuo's partner, and descend into the dungeon in one go.
It feels exactly like switching from a local train to a limited express.
We were talking about pushing through Floor 7 as well, but we encountered adventurers who had gone ahead in the meantime.
They were on the verge of total annihilation, attacked by a Greater Demon, so we went in to rescue them.
We decided to head for the room we used for camping before.
"I hope that Mimic hasn't spawned over there."
"Haha, if it's a bother, I'll take it down again."
Tetsuo came over to us and handed something over.
I took it, and it was a bottle filled with a purple liquid.
It was something that dropped before, but based on information from the net, we confirmed it to be a High-Grade Recovery Potion.
"Is it okay? It's something Tetsuo defeated."
"There were two bottles, so I got one."
"Then, is it okay to give this to them?"
"Yes."
And so――since there are some with severe injuries, we also handed over the purple Recovery Potions.
"Thank you..."
Including what to do after this, we cannot have a discussion here.
We decided to head for the room where we camped before.
I asked Tetsuo to summon Shazam.
"Eh?! W-what is this?!"
"It's a convenient mount. It's like a flying carpet."
Iroha is pointing at Shazam and laughing.
"Is... is it a drop item?"
"No... well, just think of it as us commanding an unknown animal――wahaha!"
"..."
At Tetsuo's words, the rescued adventurers look like they can't believe it――or something like that.
Well, that's certainly the case.
"We saved you――sorry, but regarding him and this black thing, please keep it a secret."
"W-w-understood..."
As everyone boards Shazam, a cry comes from the darkness.
"Gyask! Daisuke!"
Since a battle broke out, it seems the Harpies who had taken refuge somewhere have returned.
"Eh!? Harpies!?"
The adventurers are surprised by the monsters that suddenly appeared.
Well, we are getting along with them without any problems, but this is the normal reaction, isn't it?
"Yes, it's fine, it's fine! These guys are tame with me."
"Daisuke!"
"Speaking human language?!"
"Haha, this one has slightly high intelligence."
I pat Chichi's head.
"Gyu~"
"I... I can't believe it..."
"They are useful guys, so please don't attack them."
"W-w-understood..."
Wu and Yue in the same boat――that must be a strange sight of those who should not coexist moving together.
What dances in the air is a pitch-black carpet transformed from an unknown creature.
A deep black that seems to swallow the darkness glides through the dungeon's space.
On top of it, beings that should never be compatible were sitting shoulder to shoulder.
On one side, adventurers covered in blood and sweat――scars remaining on their equipment tell of their many battles.
On the other side, monsters with wings covered in fluffy feathers――rubbing against me.
And another old man――not wearing golden or white holy robes, but an Apostle who came from another world to act as a proxy for a god.
"..."
Perhaps feeling the tension of this situation, the adventurers do not open their mouths.
After a while of silence, the room where we camped before comes into view.
Peeking inside――there is another treasure chest inside.
I know this one is a Mimic, but could it be that it sometimes swaps with a normal treasure chest?
"Shazam Punch!"
I ask Tetsuo to give it a light attack.
Shazam, transformed into a black fist, lightly punches the treasure chest.
I could crush it right there, but if it's a normal treasure chest and the items inside break, it would be a waste...
While thinking such things, the lid of the box opens and numerous tentacles come out from inside.
"Oh, it really is a Mimic..."
"Uwaaaaa!" "Hii!"
The adventurers I brought along are surprised by the Mimic they have never seen before.
The type here is different from the Mimics on the upper floors.
It is a more powerful type, and it seems to have high attack power.
"Daisuke, is it okay if I take it down like this?"
"Yes."
Reacting to Tetsuo's words, Shazam turns into a black spear and dives through the Mimic's tentacles.
It pierces straight into the center part of the monster.
The writhing tentacles suddenly stop as if the battery ran out, and all at once they are slammed onto the floor.
The countless tentacles that stopped moving, only their tips twitched.
"Store!"
Since it would be in the way as is, I store the Mimic's corpse in the Item Box.
"Item Box!"
The adventurers are surprised by my ability.
It seems they didn't know I was the old man with the Item Box, even though I gave them various items.
"I thought it was famous that there is an old man with an Item Box alongside the Cherry Princess and the Empress..."
"No, I heard the story, but it was different from my image..."
Perhaps I was taken aback because I am a very ordinary old man.
Speaking of which, Tetsuo, who is doing something like being a god's Apostle, also looks like a very ordinary old man.
"Hey, old man!"
Iroha went to the Mimic and seems to have picked something up.
She threw it toward Tetsuo.
He did not catch it directly; Shazam caught it in mid-air.
Looking at it――it seems to be a dagger.
"I don't need it! Daisuke!"
She threw it back to me as is.
"It dropped on such a deep floor. I think it's probably a dagger with an enchantment on it?"
"If it's my weapon, I have this."
He took out a pitch-black, huge mace from somewhere.
I think the shape is a normal mace with a protrusion on top, but it has a strange feeling.
"It feels strange... is it some kind of magical mace or something?"
"No, it's a normal steel mace, but since I've sliced thousands of monster and human heads like watermelons, wahaha!"
He is laughing as if it's natural――but is the blackness because it has sucked the living blood of humans and monsters?
If you use things carefully, Tsukumogami might take residence, but is this the reverse state...?
How many battlefields must the other world he lived in have been――it's terrifying.
"Ugh..."
The man who was unconscious seems to have woken up with a Heal.
A woman is giving him a purple Recovery Potion.
"It's a safe zone, shall we eat?"
"That sounds good!"
Iroha agreed first.
"Princess, what will you do?"
"I understand."
I check with the adventurers just in case.
"Can you eat?"
"Ugh... thank you for saving us..."
The man recovering from illness still seems unable to.
He looks quite painful, and it might take a night or so before he can move.
For now, I hand over calorie bars and non-spoiling bread.
"Thank you."
I was thanked by the woman.
When I take out food from the Item Box, the Harpies come first.
"Gyask! Daisuke!"
"I know, I know."
It seems the adventurers are also eating the portions I shared.
Well, they were defeated soundly and have no appetite, but they won't last if they don't eat.
Looking at them, they don't have much luggage.
It seems they dropped it during the battle.
If they were chased by a Greater Demon, they surely didn't have time to pick things up.
"What should we do about those people?"
"Should we save them?"
Iroha denied my words.
"Darling, they have come this deep into the dungeon. They must have made up their minds, right?"
"Well, that's probably true."
"..."
The Princess says nothing either.
Personally, I want to help them, but Shazam and Tetsuo are my partners.
I can't do anything alone, and it would become a nuisance to my companions.
Watching the adventurers crushed in the corner of the room, Tetsuo, with a piece of fried chicken in his mouth, goes over to them and says something.
"What are you going to do from now on?"
"..."
They look at each other.
"Depending on the conditions, I'll let you ride on that black thing just now and carry you to the entrance of Floor 7?"
"R-really?!" "Ugh..."
It seems their opinions are divided among them.
"W-what are the conditions?"
"Well..."
Tetsuo's eyes are licking the female mage's body from bottom to top.
From a god's perspective, isn't that bad?
"H-having the audacity to take advantage of someone's weakness!"
"Horrible~" "It's terrible."
Words of contempt leaked from Iroha and Sana as well.
"Oops, don't misunderstand."
If you look at Tetsuo's gaze, you might misunderstand.
"Grrr!"
The woman covers her exposed thigh.
"Have you ever heard of the god Izaru?"
"...Izaru?"
"Yes, I've heard of it. If you become a believer, you can use magic even outside the dungeon..." or something like that.
"That's right, that's it. Especially mages――right now! If you become a believer, you can learn the technique to extract magic from Magic Stones."
Tetsuo speaks a bit dramatically with gestures.
"I heard that story too, but is it true?"
The female mage bit――she seems interested.
"The Empress over there also became a believer and started using the magic in Magic Stones. If you can do that, you won't have to worry about running out of magic, and you can cast great magic repeatedly."
"..."
"Ugh..."
The mages are troubled.
If they store magic in Magic Stones, the scope of dungeon clearing will expand.
"And so, will you not become a believer of Izaru? If so, I have to help believers, so I can carry you to the entrance of Floor 7."
"..."
She thought for a while, then the woman opened her mouth.
"I will."
"Decided! You really have to pray seriously, okay?"
"Yes."
"Izaru shows the unseen path and speaks in voices unheard. That you have touched His will is not fate, but proof of being chosen. Blessings to the woman who seeks profound truth."
The woman clasped her hands before Tetsuo, who was chanting something like a prayer.
"...The voice! I can hear the voice!"
"Alright!"
Tetsuo came over to us.
"From a god's perspective, was that okay just now?"
"Hmm? What are you talking about? The woman chose to become a believer."
"Old man, that's definitely not all, right?"
Iroha is looking at Tetsuo with a suspicious gaze.
"No, no――but if a believer is asking for Initiation, I cannot refuse as an Apostle, wahaha!"
"..."
Even if the women give him the cold eye, the old man is not bothered at all.
"Didn't the god say anything?"
"Anything――I'm just taking care of the believers."
"That can be said, but..."
"For example――if Daisuke disappeared, I could do whatever I wanted with these four girls here――of course, that's a no-go, right?"
Tetsuo glances at Sana, and she looks down.
Perhaps Sana might have wished for such things to the god.
"Don't touch the Empress or Sana."
"Sana-chan is a Saintess, and I won't touch Daisuke's companions――and so, I have a trivial errand, so can you wait here for a bit?"
Tetsuo is negotiating with the Princess.
"I understand. Even if we leave them here, they might not return safely."
"Well, that's the point. It's called humanitarian consideration, wahaha!"
"Liar!"
Iroha does not trust Tetsuo at all.
"Oga! You want a strong man, right? Shouldn't you switch to that guy?"
"Haha, joke! I don't like that type."
"Wahaha! That's right."
Tetsuo seems not to care at all.
"Speaking of which, the Cherry Princess also said she wants a man stronger than herself, didn't she?"
"Stop joking. I have Darling."
"Well, well, young people with a bright future should avoid useless guys like me――wahaha!"
He laughs and spreads out Shazam.
"Then, wait here until I come back."
"I'll be back soon――Hi-Yo! Silver!"
Black with Silver, how is that?
Anyway, I think young people don't get that joke.
It's a joke from my father's generation anyway.
"Um..."
Sana pulls my clothes.
"What is it?"
"What is Hi-Yo Silver? Is it a spell?"
"Haha, no. In an old drama, a horse named Silver appeared. It's like the protagonist's catchphrase when riding that horse."
Well, I only heard it from my father and watched it on a video site, I didn't watch it in real time.
"Wow~"
"Sana's grandfather might know it."
While talking about unimportant things, drinking a beverage, I wait for Tetsuo.
Sometimes you need a break, but Tetsuo returned in less than an hour.
"Hey! Sorry for the wait!"
"You were fast."
"It was a super express, wahaha! They were blinking their eyes back and forth."
Probably, he knocked them out.
At that speed, even if monsters pop, they would be torn apart.
"We were saying that since Shazam is black, there shouldn't be a Hi-Yo Silver."
"Haha, I have a white horse at my house. It's a habit from that time."
"There's a horse too?"
There seems to be a stable, and it seems to be a fairly large house.
"Yes, I go out by horse in the town and nearby."
He seems to want to return to his home in the other world quickly.
He has a family too.
Once you live there, it becomes your capital...
For now, the worries in front of my eyes are gone.
Now we can proceed.
Again, everyone boards Shazam, and we head for the exit of Floor 7.
This time, we don't stop at the hot spring on the way and rush ahead.
Without any encounters with enemies, we arrive at the mid-boss room at the exit in no time.
Right in front of us is the usual giant door.
"It's annoying that we have to fight here every time."
I understand Iroha's feelings too.
"There is a narrow tunnel from the place with the hot spring to the exit, so if you use that, there is no mid-boss battle?"
"I heard that place is full of bugs."
"That's right. Also, the exit is 100m high from the floor again."
"Are you not trying to clear the dungeon?"
"Maybe..."
"Well――the boss here can be taken down in one shot if Sana is here, ahaha."
She is right.
"Oga! Stop chatting and let's go!"
"Even so, Sana is the one who does it, right?"
"That's right, but there might be irregularities. Don't let your guard down!"
"Hey hey, aren't you setting a flag now?"
"That means..."
"Ah..."
At Iroha and Sana's words, Kaorulko made a face like something is wrong――
All gazes turn to the Princess at once.
"What's with those eyes! Are you saying it's my fault!?"
"..."
Angered by everyone's silence, the Princess pushes open the door.
Even if low-level groups mistakenly reach here, they might not be able to open this door.
The moment we enter the room, the air tightens in an instant.
A huge roar that shakes the walls tore through the space as if it were packed with anger and intimidation.
At the ear-piercing sound, everyone involuntarily stiffens their bodies.
The premonition became reality in the worst form.
What was there was not the usual Lich, but a monster radiating overwhelming presence――a giant Dragon.
The scales covering its entire body shine darkly and dullly like obsidian, making a hard sound with even the slightest movement.
Burning red eyes looked down at us, intimidating the intruders.
Its appearance indicated it was a Lesser Dragon, a lower species called "Lesser Dragon," but even so, it is more than enough of a threat to humans.
Its height is easily double that of a horse, and the air distorts from the hot breath peeking through its teeth.
"Whoa! Cherry Princess!!"
Iroha shouts first.
"Are you saying it's my fault?!"
"Is it not?!"
"This is not the time to argue! We can't go to Floor 8 unless we take this down."
"Darling is right."
"Alright! Sometimes I'll do it and earn some experience points!"
I take out a sword from the Item Box.
"Let's go! Daisuke, I'll help."
"Then, let's split the Lesser Dragon's parts."
If Tetsuo participates, I should stop filming.
"Wahaha, dragon materials have value even in the other world."
"Let's go!"
"Alright!"
"Gyask! Daisuke!"
The Harpies are flying around in circles above the room.
"Don't get involved in the battle, Harpies!"
"Gya! Daisuke!"
"Tetsuo! Can you flip that guy over?!"
"Haha, no problem! Shazam!"
A black shadow extending from his feet crawls on the ground and slides toward the massive body of the Lesser Dragon.
It dives under the belly covered in black shining scales.
I don't think we can break through these scales with a direct attack.
In the next instant, Shazam changes shape like a noodle and transforms into a shape like a giant palm.
That palm, as if ignoring gravity, lifts the dragon's body from below and thrusts it up into the sky at once.
"Gyao!"
The dragon lets out a scream.
It must never have thought it would be lifted up――.
The massive body dances in the air, and when slammed on its back, the scales creak, the ground shakes, and the air trembles.
The black palm opens its fingers as if triumphant for a moment, then dissolves back into a shadow and disappears into the ground.
"Alright!"
I swing my sword and jump onto the dragon.
This giant monster appears as an invincible rival on a fantasy stage, but it has weaknesses used for clearing.
One is the eyeballs――here they are not covered in scales, and it is close to the brain.
One is the mouth――there are no scales here either, only soft mucous membranes, and this is also close to the brain.
One is the reverse scale――very famous as a dragon's weakness.
And the remaining one――for any living thing, the place where mucous membranes are exposed.
Yes, the genitalia and excretory organs.
"Oryaaaaaa!"
I thrust my sword into the butt hole