Chapter 132 - Chapter 132: Dragon Zombie
We kept repeating our attacks on the deep layers of the dungeon.
On the way, we stopped at a hot spring in the dungeon to rest, where we ran into Yuuki's party.
They were also patrolling Floor 7 and in the middle of leveling up.
Yuuki and the other adventurers must have defeated the floor boss of Floor 7 and are advancing to Floor 8, but――.
They do not have the strong allies of the deep layers――the Harpies.
Without their navigation, they might get lost in the vast dungeon.
If Tetsuo had the directional magic tool he possessed, we could return, but…….
Magic tools using Magic Stones might not be practical for quite some time.
Until then, dungeon conquest will probably stop at Floor 8.
No, adventurers might come up with a conquest method we never imagined.
If they want to use homing instincts, there is the option of using pigeons or dogs.
When cornered, humans will do anything.
Anyway, after leveling up at Floor 8, we finally descended to Floor 9, but…….
What appeared before us was a giant undead dragon that did not retain even a shred of its former dignity.
Seeing a monster I had never seen before, I started my camera for recording.
The rotting, melted body of the monster still boasted overwhelming mass, but its skin was rotting away in places, revealing blackened bones.
Scales should have covered its entire body, but now only a few remained, and the cracked ones looked brittle like old roof tiles.
More than that, what attacked us was an odor that pierced through the nasal cavity.
"Gloroooooo!"
From the mouth of the rotting monster, a sticky liquid like pus dripped from between the blackened, crumbling teeth.
Leaking from deep inside was a sound that was neither a voice nor a growl, accompanied by an unpleasant tremor.
It was just like the sound of air trapped in leaf mold being forcibly pushed out.
"Ueeeeee!"
Unable to endure it any longer, Iroha repeated vomiting.
"Stinky!"
Tetsuo hid inside Shazam.
It was not just a smell of decay.
A smell too heavy and damp, as if dead meat and sulfur were mixed, or as if it bubbled up from the bottom of a swamp where blood and mud had rotted.
It felt as if the air itself was turbid, and for a moment, my lungs reacted with rejection.
My throat became itchy, I was attacked by a sensation of my stomach turning over, and I involuntarily held my breath.
"Princess! Are you okay? Kaorulko and Sana?"
"Uguu……"
"Uu……""U~"
Everyone was covering their mouths, looking like they were about to vomit at any moment.
Every time the dragon opened its mouth, more dense miasma was exhaled from between its fangs, invading the surrounding air in a sticky manner.
It seemed as if even the soil beneath our feet was rotting with a sizzling sound.
There were no pupils in the eye sockets, only a dimly glowing red light, where only a strong hatred and resentment toward the living were lodged.
Every time the wings, with rotting flesh clinging to the bones, slowly lifted with a creaking sound, the odor was scattered around in a puff.
"Ugee! What do we do with this! Darling!"
Even Iroha, who was usually tough, had a pale blue face.
"If it's undead, it's Sana's turn, right!"
"Guguu…… Y, yes!"
"Everyone, buy Sana some time!"
"B, but Darling, how do we do this?!"
The Princess was right.
I don't think ordinary slashes would work.
Since it is already dead, it won't feel pain either.
"Huh?! It's dead!?"
That's right.
If it's already dead, it should go into the Item Box――but looking at it, this thing is over 10 meters long.
Impossible.
Still, we must not let the monster's presence focus on us.
I took out a sword from the Item Box.
It was an ordinary drop item sword, and the sword I have been using recently.
"Oryaaaaa!"
The sword, spinning rapidly, pierced the giant zombie's flesh.
"Gloroooooo!"
"Take this! Namu Thunder!"
Flash and lightning tore through the darkness, running wild.
The sword stuck in the dragon acted as a lightning rod, drawing in pale blue magical lightning.
"Grooo!"
The lightning surging from the sword struck the mass of rotting flesh directly.
Along with a dull, heavy impact sound, the electric current penetrated deep into the flesh, and a sound like something bursting crackled.
The monster let out a scream, but it didn't seem to have any effect.
The wet rotting flesh instantly scorched, cracked black, crumbled, and white smoke rose from its surface.
The floating white mist contained a foul, fishy smell mixed with the scent of burnt fat and the remnants of decay, inducing nausea.
"Compressed Light Bullet! Strike my enemy! [Magic Missile]"
Kaorulko's magic also ran through the darkness, but it passed right through the rotting flesh.
"Damn! This thing is troublesome……"
I glanced at Sana――it seems it will take some time.
Probably, because of this smell, she can't concentrate.
As I was struggling with how to attack――suddenly, a black "something" crawled out of the ground, distorting space itself.
This existence, which was neither shadow nor smoke, writhed like a snake with intent and charged straight for the giant body of the Dragon Zombie.
In a silence that seemed to swallow sound, without the slightest hesitation, it pierced through the rotten scales and bones.
"Is that Shazam?!"
Tetsuo had hidden in the shadow due to the terrible stench, but it seems his partner came to provide support.
A dull tearing sound echoed a moment later, and the shadow ran through from the monster's chest to the tip of its tail in an instant.
In the next moment, the Dragon Zombie's body was split in two, and the rotting pus and blood accumulated inside gushed out like a fountain.
A pungent, irritating smell filled the surroundings, and a slimy mass of entrails collapsed onto the ground.
The structure, barely held together by bones and skin, no longer retained its original form.
Between the torn ribs, muscles that had not yet fully rotted splashed about, scattering the aura of death.
"Ueeeeee!"
"Uppu!""Muuuu~"
The girls were covering their mouths, but vomit was leaking through the gaps in their fingers.
"Here I go!! Turn Undead!!"
Quiet words of prayer were spun from the Saintess clasping her hands to her chest, and white, shining light welled up from beneath her feet.
Like the breath of a spirit, a faint mist spread along the ground.
That light was cold, yet housed a pure warmth, as if sanctifying even the air it touched.
The moment the white light reached the feet of the rotting dragon, it began to crumble as if shattering glass.
From the joints of the bones and the rotting cross-sections of the flesh, fine particles of light burst forth and danced in the air like dust.
Its body gradually lost its structure, unable to maintain its shape like a pile of blocks that had lost their structure, and the shattered fragments, one by one, turned into white light and ascended into the sky.
"Oh! As expected, Saintess!"
After the sparkles filling the darkness had gone, only pure white bones remained.
It was truly purified to pure white, looking like a specimen.
"Ah!"
Sana's body was enveloped in white light.
Level up.
There was no sign of the monster in the surroundings.
The Harpies also seemed to have evacuated somewhere.
They were not visible nearby.
"Is everyone okay?!"
"Uu……""Uppu……"
The Princess and Kaorulko were still covering their mouths.
This might be a kind of status abnormality.
"What about Iroha?"
"Uwaaaaaaan! I hate this so much!"
The big warrior was sitting flat on the ground, crying her eyes out.
When surrounded by bugs, the Princess regressed to a toddler, and now it's Iroha.
Well, in such an extreme situation, there's nothing to be done.
I glanced at Sana to check――is she okay?
I hugged Iroha's large body and patted her head.
"It's okay now."
"Uwaaaan! Fugu! Fugu!"
She is really crying.
Does Iroha just hate the smell?
Next time an undead dragon appears, I should have her stay back.
That aside, without a mage or cleric who has Turn Undead, this is absolutely impossible.
That's probably why it's Floor 9.
While comforting Iroha, a head emerged from the shadow.
I was a bit surprised, but it was Tetsuo.
"Are you okay now?"
"Yeah, Sana's Turn Undead succeeded, so it's purified. Well, a little smell remains……"
The area was purified, but the rotting odor scattered around also remained.
Still, it's better than having that rotting mountain there.
"Phew…… That was a terrible smell."
Tetsuo came out of the shadow with his whole body.
"I was saved."
I thanked him.
"So, this is a type that can't be handled without the Saintess's Turn Undead, right?"
"I think it could be blown away with an explosion type, but it would be super stinky……"
"Uwa, I don't even want to think about it."
Tetsuo made a terrible face and stuck out his tongue.
Probably, an unimaginable stench would be scattered, and everyone would become combat ineffective.
"If it were a smaller undead, it would fit in the Item Box."
"That's right. I've put undead in the Magic Bag before."
"We might need to prepare anti-undead protection masks……"
"Oh?! That might be good."
Ideally, we would want something like chemical protective suits, but I think wearing those would negate the effects of magic-type armor.
I'm fine since I have the Item Box, but adventurers without one would have a hard time.
"……"
The Princess also has a blue face.
"Princess, sorry, but gather everyone and use a cleansing magic."
"……Understood…… Uppu……"
"No, maybe it's better after you calm down?"
"No, that smell…… Uppu……"
Kaorulko was about to vomit from the smell of her own filth.
Yes, the contagious vomit was caused by that smell.
Just then, Sana's level up also finished.
Well, even if it's undead, the opponent is a dragon.
She must have gained quite a lot of experience points.
Could it be a higher species than a normal dragon?
"Sana, are you okay?"
"Y, yes……"
She was holding her nose.
Since she hugged Iroha's body, she was covered in vomit, and the smell was terrible.
Everyone gathered to cleanse her with magic.
"Cleansing!"
As the blue light of magic spread, the adventurers covered in vomit all became clean.
Finally, it feels like the smell is fading.
Only Tetsuo was not dirty.
"Old man! You were hiding away so quickly!"
Iroha, who had regained her energy, was criticizing Tetsuo's actions.
He dodged the enemy's attacks with his own ability, after all.
I can't blame him.
"I did provide support properly, right?"
"That's right. I was really saved."
As he said, if we hadn't bought time, Sana's Turn Undead might not have succeeded either.
"Uguu……"
Iroha didn't say anything else.
For now, let's collect the remaining bones and scales.
I don't know about the bones, but the scales should be worth money.
"Oh?!"
I lifted a huge Magic Stone buried in the mountain of white bones.
The hard, black-shining block was bigger than a volleyball.
I put this one in the Item Box too.
"Sana!"
I tried to hand it to her, but she didn't seem interested.
Well, we've earned enough.
Then I'll use it.
Later, I'll put plenty of magic power into it and convert it into a weapon.
It's the saying, "A staff prepared in advance prevents falling," or "Preparation prevents worry."
I don't know what enemies lie ahead.
For now, I'll do what I can.
"Even so, that was tough. I didn't expect such a big zombie to exist……"
"That big undead, taken out in one shot――as expected of the Saintess."
Tetsuo nodded with a grunt.
"Can you use Turn Undead when you become a Saintess?"
"At least, I think you can use it if you become a Priest or Cleric class. The mechanics of this world seem a bit different from my other world, so I don't really know."
If it means Cleric, it means those with certain experiences are out, so will someone like Sana appear in the future?
I looked at everyone's faces――their tension was clearly dropping.
If it's a status abnormality, potions might work.
I distributed potions from the Item Box to everyone.
"Should we retreat for now? We might need to prepare protection masks as well."
"……That's right."
The Princess, who drank the potion, decided immediately.
"……"
Even Iroha, who is usually full of energy, seems to agree with the Princess this time.
Kaorulko and Sana also agreed.
Well, we have sufficiently achieved the purpose of this attack.
Everyone's levels have gone up quite a bit too.
We returned to the surface with the Harpies who had come back.
Returning is easy if we have Tetsuo and Shazam.
We arrived at the entrance hall in no time.
------◇◇◇------
――After returning to the surface, I rested for about a week and replenished supplies.
The Dragon Zombie video went viral.
Frankly, I think it's disgusting, but there must be a desire to see scary things.
The comment section was also very lively.
"Eeeeeee!"
"Stinkyyyyyy!"
"Undead dragon?!"
"Will the video be deleted?"
I was worried about that too, but for now, it's fine.
Well, if this gets deleted, all battles with monsters would be out anyway.
"So there are such big undead!"
"OMG! Unbelievable!"
There were many comments in foreign languages too.
"What is that white mist-like magic that takes out zombies in one hit?!"
"They say it's a magic like Turn Undead."
"There is such a magic? I've never heard of it……"
"As expected of a top-ranking party."
"Saintess? I heard Saintess."
"Damn crab! Is there such a class?"
"If it's a Saintess, can you use Turn Undead?"
Damn, I forgot to delete the word "Saintess."
Well, it should be fine.
Everyone was chatting in the comment section, and I'm happy too.
Anyway, this time I prepared protection masks.
I skipped protective suits because the drop item effects would be nullified.
Well, I think if we can just block the smell, it will be fine…….
When I actually put on the mask, I realized breathing was difficult.
Maybe it's a bit difficult to use.
After resting properly, I returned to the dungeon with the revived members.
Of course, Tetsuo and Shazam were with us too.
He seemed to have business at the final point of the dungeon.
For us, having him and Shazam is like having a hundred men.
There is no more reliable ally than this.
Well, Tetsuo's evaluation is not very good among the women…….
Nevertheless, we formed a party and kept attacking Floor 9.
Tetsuo's power is hard to get elsewhere, but he doesn't seem to be using his full power yet.
Shazam's power shouldn't be just that either.
He might be saving it for enemies we might fight in the end.
We are grateful that he is cooperating with our attacks, so I say nothing about that.
With this group, we can now defeat dragons normally.
Floor 9 is full of dragons, really.
There are various types, but for now, just dragons.
The levels are around 55, roughly.
When I first came to this dungeon at level 49 and was going wild, everyone caught up.
My level is close to 70, but since everyone is patrolling the same place, they will catch up eventually.
As an old man, I want to rejoice in the growth of the youth.
The people here are undoubtedly the top members in the world.
We cleared the defeated dragons and took a short break.
The giant monsters don't fit in the Item Box, and it was troublesome to cut them before, but this time we have Tetsuo.
With his black hole power, even the hard dragon scales are nothing.
Truly, one cut and it's done.
"Store!"
The giant dragon's body and tail were sucked into the Item Box.
I really wanted to dismember it and take out the Magic Stones, but I don't have the time.
Before putting it in the Item Box, I cut and roasted the tail meat to eat.
Fire cannot be used in the dungeon, but this time we have Tetsuo's Magic Stove.
The fragrant smell of roasting meat filled the surroundings with a sizzling sound.
"Gyasuke!""Daisuke! Daisuke!"
The Harpies were making a fuss at the delicious smell.
"These guys should be okay even if raw a bit, right? They're noisy, so I'll feed them first."
Tetsuo seemed annoyed by the Harpies' cries.
"Let's do that……"
They usually don't cook, so they must eat raw meat.
If so, it should be fine…….
Birds of prey eat raw meat by the handful too.
"Gyagya!"
When I gave the Harpies the dragon meat, they happily started eating.
"That magic tool is really convenient, isn't it?"
While eating the meat, Iroha sighed.
"If the Yaegashi Group works hard, it might become usable all over Japan someday."
"You mean it can be used outside the dungeon, right?"
As Kaorulko said, if that happens, life in Japan might change drastically.
While eating the dragon meat, we planned our future strategy.
――Because, although we wandered around Floor 9, there was no entrance to the next layer.
There was no sign of a floor boss either.
The Harpies were also flying around in circles, paying attention to a certain place.
"Princess, what do we do? I think that crack is suspicious……"
When we were sent to this layer by the Labyrinth Cult, I remember a terrifying aura coming from a crack in the ground.
Could the source of that aura be at the other end of the crack?
"Hmm…… As expected, that place is the most suspicious."
"Even if we proceed along the wall, we can't find an entrance to proceed to the next one."
As Kaorulko said.
"Normally, descending into that crack would require a lot of preparation again――but we have Tetsuo and Shazam."
If Shazam can fly, we can safely descend into that crack, and if anything happens, we can fly away.
It's the strongest.
"I'm fine. Probably, the destination of the messenger from God is there too, wahahaha!"
"What about Iroha and Sana?"
"Of course it's fine! We've leveled up this far. Let's see Floor 10."
"I will go too!"
Both of them were full of energy.
They haven't experienced that terrifying aura, after all.
I think that was a really dangerous existence…….
If this dungeon has a final boss――it would be that one.
Probably.
"……"
I looked at the Princess and Kaorulko, and the three of us nodded silently.
It's like being ready.
After finishing the meal, we prepared to depart and rode Shazam together.
"Harpies! Guide us to the crack in the ground!"
"Gyasuke!""Daisuke!"
We followed behind the Harpies flying in the sky with Shazam.
The ceiling here is high, so it seems easy for the Harpies to fly too.
With determination, we kept flying endlessly through the dark space that seemed to continue forever.
In the void where no light reached, only the sound of flapping wings remained faintly in the ears.
Amidst a heavy silence and an invisible pressure that felt like it was wearing down the heart, a change appeared in the movement of the Harpies flying ahead.
They suddenly slowed down and began to spin in circles, dancing in the air.
It seems they found it.
As we approached the circle of spinning Harpies, the air changed.
A slimy coldness brushed against the skin, and an unknown unease seeped deep into the chest.
I suddenly looked down――.
The black, hard ground was slowly cracking with a sound as if groaning.
The cracks running through the earth gradually widened, forming an irregular curve into a creepy mouth-like shape.
As if a living creature was opening its jaw, it was deep there, harboring an unfathomable darkness.
From the depths of the crack, I thought I heard a low growling sound――was it the wind, or perhaps…… the breathing of something?
"This is it――I feel like it's the same place as before."
"Yes! Alright! Let's go down!"
The Princess decided immediately.
"Tetsuo, is that okay?"
"Of course it is."
"Alright!"
Iroha snapped her fist.
"Whether a ghost or a snake comes out……"
"Darling, what is that?"
It seems Iroha doesn't know this phrase.
Well, young people these days probably don't know it.