Chapter 133 - Chapter 133: The Golden Mountain
We continued to clear Floor 9 of the dungeon.
We defeated the dragons, the inhabitants of Floor 9, and kept leveling up.
As a side note, we were looking for an entrance to the deeper layers, but we couldn't find one.
Whether Floor 10 is the final floor or not remains unclear, but since we've come this far, we have no choice but to go there.
What we suspected was the huge crack on Floor 9.
When we visited here before, a terrifying atmosphere had drifted from the crack.
Perhaps the final enemy lies at the bottom of the crack.
Since we had leveled up sufficiently, we decided to descend into the crack.
Normally, if we were to descend into a crack like this, we would return to the surface to prepare first—something like that—but Tetsuo is here.
If we ride his partner, Shazam, we can fly through the air and descend into the crack easily.
Even if a dangerous enemy appears, if we ride Shazam, we can escape in a single bound.
This is too much of a cheat.
If we miss this chance, who knows when we'll be able to clear Floor 10?
Shazam emerged from Tetsuo's black hole.
Everyone boarded the black carpet.
For now, let's record some footage.
It might not be publishable since Shazam is in the shot, but this is valuable footage.
"Gya-suke!" "Daisuke!"
The harpies arrived.
It's quite dangerous, and I wonder if it's okay to bring them along.
"Gigi and Chichi can stay here..."
"But if they go somewhere else, won't it be a problem for us when we return?"
"True..."
"Gya!"
While I was thinking, the harpies boarded Shazam.
It seems they will descend with us.
"Thank you."
"Gyu~"
When I stroked their heads, they narrowed their eyes.
"Tetsuo, sorry, but go ahead."
"Hi-yo~ Silver!"
The flying black carpet carrying us circled quietly above the eerie crack, slowly descending as if drawn by something.
From inside the crack, a chilly wind blew up as if leaking from the bottom of the earth, and a cold sensation that pierced the skin clung to us.
"It's a bit cool," Sana muttered about the cold air.
The crack continued deep into the earth as if devouring the ground, its edges irregularly broken and jagged.
Looking down, the crack appeared as a white line.
It wasn't darkness.
"Daisuke-san, is it bright down there?"
"It looks like it from here..."
As proof, the darkness was gradually pushed back by light, and colors began to appear in the scenery.
Shadows formed on the rock faces, and shapes became clear.
It wasn't as bright as midday, but the cave walls themselves glowed faintly, a level where you could see without a light.
"The fact that this layer is different means this is the final battle location, right?"
It might be what Tetsuo said.
As the black carpet continued to descend slowly, the view suddenly opened up.
As if a curtain had been pulled back, a vast space appeared before our eyes.
There was quite a height to the ground, and falling from the crack would be fatal.
No walls could be seen; what surrounded us was a faint mist and a pale light filling the space.
There was an expanse there that seemed to defy the very concept of underground.
"Whoa! What is this?!"
Iroha let out a surprised voice at the suddenly spreading scenery.
"It's amazing..." "It's wide..."
Kaorulko and Sana were also stunned.
"This... we can't descend with a rope, right?"
"Yes, we can't do it without this flying black thing..."
The Princess seems to have the same thought as me.
"If this is the boss room, we probably can't reach it at all?"
"Even so, if we explore the dungeon and build passages and stairs for decades—or perhaps..."
As the Princess said, we who descended using Shazam, a cheat, might be completely unexpected.
"Gya!" "Gya-gya!"
The harpies took off from Shazam and circled around us.
"Hey, are you okay?!"
If they aren't on guard, does that mean there are no enemies?
While we were talking, the black carpet arrived at the ground.
Everyone jumped off.
Covered in thin mist, it felt bright.
Maybe it's because we are high-level adventurers.
Anyway, we took a quick photo around—but since there was nothing, we stopped the camera.
"Well, if the harpies are here, we can return to that hole's location..."
"If you're worried, shall I use my magic tool?"
It was the magical tool Tetsuo had that could indicate direction.
"No, it should be fine."
"Princess! What do we do from here?"
Iroha was asking for future instructions.
"Darling, we can return to this place, right?"
"Yes, it should be fine since the harpies are here."
"Then, let's move forward."
"Understood."
"Alright! That's what I'm talking about!"
Iroha was full of energy, but Kaorulko and Sana looked a bit worried.
"Surprisingly, nothing happened, ha-ha."
As Tetsuo said, there might be a small treasure chest ahead and it's over—.
No, there should be a mass of malice that seemed to crawl out of the crack here.
Right now, I can't feel that presence, though....
Everyone moved forward through the thin mist.
"Gya!"
We could hear the harpies' cries from above.
It seems they are following us.
That's a relief.
"Seriously, there's nothing here—like that vertical shaft, normally you couldn't clear something like this?"
"Can't do it." "Can't do it."
The words of the old men harmonized with Iroha's words.
"Huh?" "Darling?"
Iroha and the Princess were looking at us.
"Hehe, no—nothing. It's an old man gag."
"..."
At my bitter smile, the Princess looked suspicious.
Well, even she must be anxious in a place like this.
"Tetsuo, my dad told me that joke, right? You know it well."
"My dad was a jerk, so I read it in my buddy's house books."
While talking about boring jokes, I remembered something I wanted to check.
"Hey, I want to try something, is that okay?"
"Darling?"
While looking at the Princess's profile, I took out a small magic stone and a sword from my Item Box.
The magic stone was filled with magic power, glowing with blue light.
"Darling, what are you doing?"
Iroha seemed interested in what I was doing.
"No, nothing. I was wondering if I could remotely explode a magic stone with magic~"
"Remotely?"
Iroha looked suspicious.
"Well, let's just try it for now—move back a bit."
I made everyone step back.
Well, even though we are all high-level adventurers, it would be pitiful if they got hurt.
"Darling, good!"
When they moved back, the figures of the Princess and others could be seen blurred by the white mist.
"Okay! Namu Thunder (Small)!"
After the spark flew, the magic stone glowed after a short pause.
Seeing that, I jumped back.
In the next instant, the magic stone exploded with a dry sound.
"Oh! There's such a way to use magic stones."
Tetsuo seemed interested in my experiment.
"If Shazam is here, it seems we could reach out and stick it to a weak point."
"That would be interesting!"
In Tetsuo's world, magic is developed, so there seem to be various ways to use it.
While experimenting with magic stones, the harpies flying above were making noise.
"Gya-gya!" "Daisuke!"
"They're coming!?"
The magic stone attack might be useful right away.
"What kind of monsters are in a place like this?!"
Iroha also had her weapon ready, but she seemed very interested in the monsters of the deep layers.
If this were a narrow cave, there might be a sense of fear, but with such a vast space....
As everyone held their weapons and exchanged glances, a rumble shaking the ground came through.
"This is big, isn't it?!"
"So, it was that, right?!"
The Princess's "that" referred to the mass of malice and terror that seemed to spew from the crack in the ground—but.
It was approaching, but I didn't feel that terrifying presence.
Perhaps because our levels had risen and we had accumulated combat experience.
Everyone held their breath and prepared for what was coming from beyond the white mist.
Along with a heavy vibration that resonated in the bottom of the stomach, the ground trembled slightly, and the surrounding air became tense.
While everyone held their breath and watched, the depths of the mist became slightly brighter and shimmered with gold.
"It's coming!"
"What is it?! Isn't something glowing?!"
"Is it gold?"
As Iroha and Sana said, something golden could be seen.
Its brilliance gradually took shape, and slowly breaking through the curtain of mist, a giant shadow revealed itself.
Something like spread wings held the wind, skimming the air while echoing the sound of metal feathers.
Finally, the fog parted, and its true form appeared.
"Dragon!?"
Everyone's voices harmonized.
It was indeed a dragon, but not just any individual—it was a golden dragon with three heads.
The whole body was covered in brilliantly shining gold, and every single scale reflected light as if it were a polished jewel, piercing the fog and faintly dyeing the surrounding space gold.
"Is this real gold?!"
I could hear Iroha's shout, but if it were real gold, it should be soft and unsuitable for armor.
Isn't it an unknown material that looks gold?
Even so, it seems to have value as an undiscovered material.
As we held our weapons, suddenly the three heads opened their mouths wide.
"Princess! Kaorulko!"
"Understood!"
"Kyaa!"
I grabbed Sana and flew sideways.
The moment everyone jumped aside at once, the three heads of the Golden Three-Headed Dragon roared simultaneously as if chasing them.
Scorching breaths wrapped in dazzling light were released from each mouth—a golden flash as if spitting out a part of the sun itself.
The ground where the breath landed was instantly enveloped in high heat with a loud explosion, the bedrock scorched and rotted, turning into liquid.
With a thunderous roar that split the ears, the surroundings were enveloped in white smoke.
The melted ground bubbled like hell, and the smell of scorched earth and evaporated metal stung the nose.
Was the smell irritating the nose a poisonous gas?
It really smells bad for the body.
Rock melting and evaporating must be extremely hot.
"Darling, this is bad!"
Iroha's face was pale.
It's a face she usually doesn't show, but she seems scared by the breath's power.
"With the Holy Shield [Protection], it's clearly not enough."
Kaorulko's words were natural.
As an old man, I can't let these girls fight such a monster.
I looked up, and the harpies seemed to have evacuated.
"For now, I don't know how strong this guy is! Tetsuo and I will handle it."
"Alright! Then, the old man will get a little serious too! Shazam!!"
Tetsuo put his hands together and clapped.
The abnormal black hole that opened in front of him—I could see it now too—was like void itself, ignoring the logic of reality, a crack of darkness that swallowed sound and light.
From that void, something slowly crawled out.
First to appear was an abnormally large hand—fingers abnormally long, covered in knobby black carapace, with a monstrous texture like fused tree roots and rock.
The moment that hand gripping the ground bit its fingers in, the earth groaned, stones shattered, and dust rose.
Next, dragged by that hand, what rose from the hole was—a black, mountain-sized main body.
Bigger than a dragon!
"This is Shazam's main body!"
A dense, heavy mass of darkness that completely blocked our field of view.
Its outline seemed to mimic a human shape, but the shoulder width was enormous, and a face like a flat surface floated above the headless torso.
That "face" had no eyes or nose, only countless points of light flickering.
As if an unknown creature from the bottom of the deep sea was staring at us.
"Shazam Punch!"
The black giant's fist swung down toward the three dragon heads—in the center.
That leisurely movement seemed clumsy at first glance, as if ignoring gravity itself—but in the next instant, with a roar that seemed to split the air, the fist struck the dragon's head.
A dull impact sound echoed around, and the dragon's neck reared back with the momentum of a collapsing mountain.
Its huge body swayed as if lifted by the shockwave of the punch, golden scales peeled off, fangs shattered, and blood and fragments scattered.
Time hadn't caught up yet, but in reality, it must have been quite fast.
At the moment of the attack, the space warped, and the wind seemed to reverse for an instant.
"Amazing!"
Iroha was the one cheering.
"Like a kaiju movie!" "This is no longer a human battle."
The Princess and Kaorulko were stunned by the collision of huge masses.
"Holy Shield [Protection]"
The defensive magic cast by Sana hit the flying fragments.
"Oh, thank you, Sana."
"Yes."
"Shazam Kick!"
Shazam's attacks didn't end.
This time, the dragon's abdomen was kicked up by a giant leg.
The Golden Mountain rolled over and flipped, shaking the ground.
Only adventurers couldn't do attacks like this.
As the Princess said, this is a kaiju movie.
"Oh! We can't just be watching."
If the dragon flips over, it's my turn.
I took a huge magic stone from my Item Box.
It was time to use the attack I just tested in actual combat.
I don't know if it will succeed.
"Darling!"
The Princess shouted.
"Stay back! The dragon might go berserk."
Holding the magic stone with both hands, I jumped—landing on the dragon's tail.
From there, I took a running start and jumped again.
"Here I go!"
Swinging it back hard, I smashed it into the dragon's butt.
I knew the magic stone filled with magic power would explode.
I took out a sword from my Item Box and stabbed it into the mucous membrane part where there were no hard scales.
"Gyoooo!" "Gyeeee!" "Gyaaa!"
Different pitched screams rose simultaneously from the three necks.
"Go! Special Move! Namu Thunder!!"
Lightning released from the magic sword thundered onto the dragon's huge body.
The lightning bolt became a sharp flash, piercing through the gaps in the scales and stabbing deep into the flesh.
The dragon's scream echoed, and I jumped back from the spasming huge body.
—In the next instant.
A sound of something breaking near the dragon's waist—immediately after, a flash leaked from the gaps in the scales, and the flesh exploded as if swelling from the inside.
Bones burst out along with thick scales, and heat and blood gushed out from the torn skin wounds.
Internal organs—masses like huge livers and blackened intestines—danced in the air carried by the blast, and meat pieces covered in slime were slammed onto the ground and walls.
An intense metallic smell and a mist of warm blood covered the surroundings, and something warm and wet landed on my face.
The dragon couldn't endure it, writhing while letting out a cry of agony.
"Nice!"
Magic stones infused with magic power can be detonated with magic.
Maybe we could also apply sticky rice paste or adhesive, stick it to a weak point, and then detonate it with lightning—something like that.
The huge golden monster was still alive, but its belly was split from the inside, and its internal organs were spilling out.
It couldn't be saved anymore.
"Ge-a-ro-ro-ro-ro!"
I thought so—but the dragon writhed and turned its three heads toward us.
Opening its mouth, a large amount of bodily fluid sprayed out.
Was it planning to release a final fart?
"Shazam Chop!"
Tetsuo's voice rang out sharply like a battlefield command.
The giant swung a black hand blade aimed at the dragon's neck.
A huge blade formed from the pitch-black shadow slashed through the air and came down.
Overwhelming mass like a collapsing mountain—.
Striking the dragon's open neck, a dull crushing sound echoed.
As if crushing a block of iron, the thick scales shattered, and muscles and bones collapsed in an instant.
"Oh! Tetsuo, thank you!"
I gripped my sword, kicked the ground, and jumped.
Into the enemy's embrace—right into the belly where the internal organs were gone and it was empty.
Heat, humidity, and a fishy smell attacked me.
Looking up, a huge organ moving regularly like a machine—the heart.
"Here I go! Namu Thunder!"
I stabbed my sword into it and bestowed another electric shock on the huge monster.
The smell of burning and white smoke rose.
"Goaaa!"
The dragon's scream traveled through the organs like a transmission pipe and echoed inside the abdominal cavity.
It was shaken violently once, the body and organs mixed together, but then it quickly went quiet.
Looking up, the organ that was beating just now was trembling irregularly.
"Phew... Ugh!"
Was it over?
Taking a breath, I realized I was covered in guts.
I tried to rush out, but my body stiffened.
"Wha?!"
Then my body began to glow.
It was a level up after a long time.
"Darling!"
I could hear the Princess's voices from outside, but my body wouldn't move.
"I can't move because I'm leveling up. Watch the surroundings."
"Understood!"
"Well, well..."
But—without Tetsuo and Shazam's help, could I really win fighting such a big guy head-on?
In the depths of this ground crack, even escaping would be difficult.
Still, would the others eventually come here?
Thinking about the reckless adventurers, the level up ended.
I checked the status.
The level had exceeded 70.
"Phew..."
Finally, I crawled out of the dragon's guts.
"Darling!"
I stopped the Princess who was trying to hug me.
"Princess, sorry—cast a cleansing magic. I'm covered in blood."
"Understood, Cleanse!"
Her magic soaked into my body, and the monster's bodily fluids and guts dried up and fell to the ground.
Without magic, washing this off would be absolutely impossible.
I would have to worry about infections and such.
Magic is wonderful.
"Phew..."
Finally taking a breath, I was hugged by the Princess.
"Darling!"
"You leveled up after a long time."
"Darling, what level did you reach?"
Iroha seemed curious about my level.
"I exceeded 70."
"Really~"
Anyway, I had to dispose of this big guy.
"Sorry, Tetsuo—can you cut it up?"
"Alright."
He was riding the huge Shazam's hand, but gradually the black giant body was getting smaller.
"God-sama! Is that the main body of that black thing?!"
"Well, yes. If I used full power, I think I could get a bit bigger..."
"Really~"
"There are enemies to fight with such a big Shazam-san..."
Sana whispered.
"That's right, Sana-chan. They are the enemies of our God."
What kind of enemies are there that require a Shazam that can slaughter a dragon in one hit?
While I was thinking, Tetsuo was dismantling the golden dragon.
He cut off the three golden heads and the tail.
As expected, if divided into three parts, it easily fit into the Item Box.
"Daisuke-san!"
While I was fiddling with the Item Box, Sana shouted.
"What?!"
The white mist around us slowly swirled as if it had a will, and in its depths, in the narrow gaps of fog repeating light and dark—something black shadow swayed.
Pushing aside the mist, a figure resembling a person began to appear quietly and gradually.
The outline was blurred, and the face and clothes were not clearly visible, but only an inhuman sense of oppression was conveyed first.
A cold, hard presence seeping out from the fog.
"Finally, you intend to defile this holy land. You insolent one."
The one appearing before us was that woman of the Labyrinth Cult, wearing a robe over her bare body.
"So, you weren't finished off after all."
"Sana-chan!"
Suddenly, Sana shouted.
A small robe appeared next to the woman.
As Sana shouted, it looked like Ren, who had gone missing in the dungeon before.
She was also wearing a robe over her bare body, dressed similarly to the woman next to her.
Ignoring Sana's call, her expression seemed fixed to her face.
As if erasing them—or rather, as if dissolving into the white mist, the two figures disappeared, and at the same time, a vibration was transmitted to the ground.
"Again, a dragon?!"
The Princess shouted—but my back was tingling.
I have a bad feeling about this.
Every time the vibration crawled across the ground, a bad sense of pressure spread slowly in the depths of my chest.
As if my heart was being grasped and slowly squeezed with force—a such unpleasant sensation.
The presence coming from beyond that white mist was not that of a mere monster.
Passing even emotions like anger and killing intent, a pure "malice"—an unfathomable hostility that denied our very existence and tried to trample it—was transmitted through the mist, burning the skin.
My instincts were ringing an alarm at this approach without sound.
"Run!!"