Chapter 137 - Chapter 137: A World Unknown?
We defeated the giant goat-headed monster that was on Floor 10.
It seems this was the final boss.
That was good, but defeating the final boss means the dungeon disappears.
Until now, we had been defeating the final boss near the surface, so what would happen if we did it on the bottom floor?
――I had forgotten to consider that.
Perhaps I had dragged a large number of adventurers into the disappearance of the Special District's dungeon.
Have I done something irreparable?
While I was in a state of agitation, Tetsuo pulled a woman out from inside Shazam.
She was that woman from the Labyrinth Cult whom we had defeated.
After laying the woman down, he squatted.
What was he going to do?
"God, oh God."
At his call, the eyes of the sleeping woman opened, turning toward us.
Sharp, quiet, as if piercing his question.
It was a gaze that seemed to see through everything, as if not responding with words at all.
"What is it, my child? I am busy right now."
"That guy Daisuke is worried that adventurers might get caught up in the dungeon's disappearance."
"It is nothing――I am holding back the dungeon's collapse with my power."
"Really?!"
I let out a sigh of relief at her words.
"Does a god lie?"
"I-i-no, I apologize."
"You have become my Apostle. I must provide some service."
"Thank you!"
I pressed my head against the ground.
Her reaction soon vanished.
She was likely slowing the dungeon's collapse to drive the adventurers to the surface.
Truly, how grateful.
"Phew... I can rest easy now."
"Ha ha ha! Well, it seems you've been favored by a god, though you should be mourning -- or so it feels."
"But since I became an Apostle, you'll take care of various things for me, right?"
"That is true."
This incident is also one of them.
"..."
I fell into thought for a moment.
"What's wrong, Daisuke?"
"We've always defeated the final boss near the surface -- but if we defeat it on the bottom floor, we get caught up in the dungeon's collapse, right? Does that make sense?"
"Haa -- that must be a trap. The design is to lure people in with levels and items from the start, then kill them along with the final boss."
"W-why would they do that?"
"Because it becomes their energy source -- or so I think."
So they feed on human desires and negative emotions?
"That's just like a demon or something..."
"Well, something like that."
I felt a bit annoyed at his explanation.
Annoyed that he had kept such important information hidden.
"..."
It seems my gloomy mood reached him.
"I understand why Daisuke is angry -- but I just want to finish the job from the god and go home."
"I know that..."
Just as I had used him, he had used me.
We were even.
Besides, it is a fact that we cannot escape from here without his cooperation.
"Phew... for now, let's return to the surface..."
"Return? You can?"
Tetsuo immediately refuted.
As the god had said, the dungeon is surely in the midst of collapsing.
"..."
"I don't know."
"Well, let's try moving for now."
When Tetsuo summoned Shazam, we boarded the black carpet.
Once we took flight into the sky, I immediately focused my eyes, searching for cracks in the ceiling spreading overhead --.
No matter how much I looked, I couldn't find any such cracks or gaps.
The cracks were quite large, so I didn't think I could have missed them.
The white mist covering Floor 10 had cleared, and visibility was good, yet the sky above felt heavy and sealed shut as if covered by a single sheet of dull lead plate.
I circled repeatedly, changing angles to search, but the result was the same.
Only a blackened ceiling spread out; there was no sign of an exit anywhere.
"Are we trapped?"
"That is possible, but let's search for other exits."
"Yes, leave it to me."
We expanded our search range.
As we flew around in circles through the space, I realized it was gradually narrowing.
"Whoa, isn't this bad?"
At Tetsuo's words, I panicked and looked around, focusing my eyes.
It seems I am losing the benefits of my level, but my night vision still works.
I tried opening the Item Box -- it still works.
With this, food is no problem.
"Tetsuo!"
I spotted what looked like a passage beyond the wall and pointed in that direction.
"Oh?! I can see it too! Shazam!"
He directed Shazam toward the passage.
We increased speed and plunged into the passage.
Fortunately, the passage didn't seem to be closing in on us.
"Phew... this place seems safe."
"My, my, what is going on?"
It seems Tetsuo doesn't understand the situation either.
Since there was no danger, I slowed the speed.
The passage was completely different from the orderly stone structures and artificial shapes we had seen so far.
The ceiling and walls were not smooth surfaces, but covered in countless bumps and curves as if water droplets had worn, melted, and stacked them over thousands of years.
From above, countless stalactites hung down like fangs, and small puddles where water seeped out dotted the ground below, with shadows from the ceiling swaying gently within them.
The damp air mixed with the scent of limestone and cold moisture, and water droplets trickled down the walls, falling from above.
"Monsters?!"
Below, there were living creatures.
A four-legged animal was walking -- a large lizard or something like a Lesser Dragon.
"Isn't the dungeon gone?"
He tilted his head in confusion as well.
"I don't know."
I really don't know what is going on -- fortunately, there don't seem to be flying monsters for now...
While thinking that, I immediately collected the flag.
"Gyoe!!"
A huge shadow cutting through the wind rushed alongside our flying carpet.
Its form was nothing like a bird; it had not a single feather, only thin, supple wing membranes like leather spreading wide along its skeleton.
The tips of its wings were long and sharp, bending slightly as if to yield to the wind each time it caught it, making a sound of tearing through the air.
The head at the end of its long neck thrust forward with a sharp beak, and on its sides, eyes like a raptor that never misses prey glowed.
"What is that?! A Teranodon?!"
"That's a wyvern."
It seems Tetsuo knows the enemy's true identity.
"It's the first time I've seen one in a dungeon..."
"More importantly, they seem to see us as prey, ha ha!"
Opening a huge mouth lined with many sharp white fangs, it tried to bite us.
"Weapon!"
I pulled out a sword from the Item Box.
"Leave it to me!"
Tetsuo's black hole silently sliced through the wyvern's wing membrane.
The thick membrane tore like paper, and cold air rushed out through the tear.
The wyvern struggled desperately to flap its wings, but it could no longer grasp the air.
Its huge body lost balance and began to spin rapidly, tumbling like a top.
The spin was so fast that its long neck and tail whipped like a whip, and its dying scream echoed as if torn apart into the sky.
The black shadow shrank and crashed violently into the ground.
"It's a monster that would fetch a high price if sold..."
"Daisuke's Item Box is full of dragon materials, isn't it?"
"Well, that's true."
More importantly, escaping from here is the priority.
Shazam continued flying, moving forward through the huge passage.
It seems the floors are not separated; the scenery continues to look similar.
I saw no signs of other adventurers, nor anything that looked artificial.
"Could it be -- we were transported somewhere else again?"
I remembered the traps I had encountered in the dungeon.
"Yes, that is possible."
"Please, have some mercy."
Fortunately, being transported didn't mean being trapped in a narrow place -- or something like that.
Even if we keep flying with Shazam, we can't see an exit, but I realize the monsters are gradually becoming smaller.
Large monsters have disappeared, and below, small monsters like goblins are gathering in groups.
It seems they have formed a settlement; there are dwellings and what look like campfires.
This is a pattern we haven't seen before.
The dungeon monsters were mostly individuals that seemed to have just popped into existence, and there were only the harpies' nests.
There was no large-scale settlement like this.
Could they be breeding?
"Monsters are living normally..."
As I wondered about this, lights appeared ahead.
"Daisuke, it looks like an exit."
"There is an exit? Where does it lead...?"
At least, it is certain this is not a dungeon in Tokyo.
Such a place did not exist.
We headed toward the glowing light ahead, gradually slowing our speed.
We had no idea what was outside.
As Shazam slowly exited, a blinding light that wrapped around our entire bodies attacked.
I involuntarily closed my eyelids tightly and covered my eyes with my arms.
For a while, a white film dominated my vision, and the contours of the world seemed to melt away.
My eyes gradually began to accept the light.
First, vague contours appeared, and colors slowly regained their shape.
When my eyes were fully adjusted, what spread before me was a scene that common sense could not possibly comprehend.
"What is this?!"
Two old men on Shazam shouted simultaneously.
Before our eyes lay a dense forest sea.
"Shazam, turn into a bird."
It is better to be agile inside the dungeon, but this seems to be outside.
Now that I think about it, when I first saw Shazam, it was in the form of a large bird.
Since the forest blocked our view, Tetsuo raised Shazam's altitude.
Behind us was the hole we had emerged from, a mouth open in the cliff.
As we gained altitude, we saw a sea of deep green undulating like waves to the limit of our vision -- an endless, huge forest sea covered everything to the horizon.
The sky was so wide it took one's breath away, clear and blue to the ends of the earth, and the scent of green surged forward.
It reminded me of the mountains in the countryside where I lived.
High above, strange shadows with sharp wings circled leisurely -- monsters equipped with sharp beaks and fangs dominated the airspace as if searching for prey.
Occasionally, their shadows crossed over the forest sea, leaving a brief black ripple on the deep green ocean, but not a single building or wisp of smoke indicating human activity could be seen.
"Eh?! Where did we end up?!"
"I don't know..."
Tetsuo muttered at my question.
Well, he probably doesn't know either, but it clearly isn't Japan.
"Is this inside the dungeon? Fiction has such jokes..."
"But I can't believe that sky is fake..."
After I spoke out loud, I found myself agreeing with him.
"If monsters are flying in the sky -- could we have been transported to another world?"
"Ahh, that's possible..."
"Wait, wait, there's no time to panic yet, calm down."
"Hee hee hoo."
We took out canned coffee from the Item Box and took a break.
In times like these, canned coffee is best.
"Phew..."
After catching my breath, I stood up and poured out my thoughts.
"There were rumors that dungeons connect to other worlds, but could it really be true?!"
"Calm down, Daisuke."
"How can I be calm?!"
"I understand your feelings, but panicking won't change the situation."
"Haa! I know."
I roughly sat down on Shazam.
"Well, what should we do..."
Even Tetsuo seemed to be troubled.
"How about we summon that woman again and ask the god?"
"Hmm? She didn't react well just now, so I'm not sure."
He seemed reluctant, but he brought that woman out from Shazam.
The black membrane dissolved, and a naked woman appeared.
"God, oh God, where is this?"
Even when Tetsuo spoke to her by her pillow, she was unresponsive.
"God, I have something to ask you!"
I tried speaking to her too -- unresponsive.
"This is it -- you heard Daisuke's wish, didn't you?"
"Wish... was it about the dungeon's collapse?"
"There was also the girl's matter, wasn't there? It might not work for a while."
"But --"
"The fact that the god says nothing means it's not a crisis -- or so it seems."
"This is it?"
"Ha ha, well..."
I said I would become an Apostle, but maybe that was hasty.
――That said, regarding Ren and the dungeon's collapse, there was nothing I could do.
"Well, let's move forward a bit more and look for a human settlement."
"First contact in another world..."
"That's fine. I have the blessing of languages."
Now that I think about it, that's right.
He had said he had a blessing from the god that allowed him to speak and understand any language.
In fact, he speaks foreign languages fluently.
"Understood..."
Carrying us, Shazam began to fly over the forest sea.
I am anxious that the monsters flying above might attack.
Well, my level is gone, but if I have Tetsuo and Shazam, it should be fine.
Even as we continued flying, the scenery spreading below did not change at all.
A deep green ocean -- an endless forest sea continued from one end of the vision to the other, forever and ever.
Occasionally, trees of different species poked through the canopy, mixing red and yellow spots like flowers in the deep green, but even that was just part of this huge forest.
Through gaps in the branches and leaves, moving shadows were glimpsed.
Herds of beasts ran between the trees, and insects larger than birds flew low in the air.
Sometimes, creatures with long tails hanging from the treetops looked up at us, sending gazes as if evaluating an external enemy.
Something flapped on a distant branch, a high-pitched cry echoed, and in response, a deep bass roar returned from another direction.
"Already, just looking at it, it's not Earth..."
"Ha ha! This is a familiar sight to me."
"Was the other world where Tetsuo lived like this?"
"Well, yes."
Soon, rock formations rose, and a vertical cliff came into view.
From that one point amidst the endless waves of the forest sea, a thin white streak rose into the sky.
It was like a single thread of smoke piercing through the deep green sea.
Even as it fluttered in the wind, it was surely rising constantly.
This was not smoke created by nature -- this was the work of someone using fire.
In other words, human activity was there.
During the long, lonely flight, that smoke seemed to shine like a lamp pierced into the darkness of despair.
Even if what waited beyond was unknown, that smoke gave me a reason to move forward.
"There's smoke!"
"Right! We can make first contact with the residents of this world."
"What about the possibility of Orcs or Goblins?"
"Ha ha, that is possible."
"Do you understand Orc or Goblin languages?"
I asked a worrying question.
"No, I don't. Kobolds were no good either."
"Kobolds are like dogs..."
"That's right."
If I understood monster languages, I could have communicated better with the harpies.
Well, the harpies seemed to understand human speech, so that was enough.
Now that I think about it, what happened to the harpies?
If the adventurers were spat out from the dungeon, what happens to the monsters?
Were they spat out together?
Then it wouldn't be different from a stampede.
Still, is it better than being crushed to death in the dungeon?
"The fact that I became an Apostle -- does that mean my family is protected by the god's blessing?"
"Well, if it's with me, then yes."
"Please be safe."
It would be pitiful if the harpies were killed along with the other monsters, but they are monsters...
If that happened, it would be unavoidable.
They had been so helpful to us...
Well, worrying about Japan where we can't return soon is pointless.
Now, I must deal with what is right in front of me.
Arriving at the source of the smoke, we circled overhead.
Below, we saw what looked like a wooden settlement, and bipedal beings resembling humans pointed up at us.
"They look human!"
"Seems so -- let's land for a bit."
"I leave it to you."
"Yes!"
Shazam circled, lowered its altitude, and landed in what looked like a plaza in the center of the village.
"Women?!"
Dark skin, clad in glossy black equipment carved like obsidian, the lines of their toned bodies clearly visible even through armor.
Their equipment exuded a functional beauty for battle, yet shamelessly emphasized feminine curves.
Were they wary of us? Everyone had drawn their swords.
Swords curved like Japanese katanas.
Faces with silver hair flowing were uniformly well-proportioned, their eyes holding the sharpness of eagles piercing prey.
Their lips, as if knowing the scent of blood, were tight, and their unmoving postures showed the unshakeable resolve of those who had survived on the battlefield.
The sight of them standing in a line was magnificent; just standing there filled the surrounding air with tension.
Not a single male shadow was visible -- could they be Amazons?
There was one more major feature they had -- their ears were pointed...
"Dark Elves -- the first time I've seen one. I had heard they existed among the elves..."
"These are Dark Elves?!"
I felt curiosity welling up from deep within my chest like a spring.
A race I had never seen -- their appearance reminded me of mythical beasts in picture books or characters in foreign folktales from my childhood, and my heart stirred as if returning to my boyhood.
Skin color, ear shape, the light in their eyes -- each one was as fresh as an unknown gem.
My gaze was naturally drawn in, but this was not a market on a journey, nor a sideshow tent.
This was a genuine first contact with a different race -- a first contact.
In a situation where every gesture and movement could determine the relationship that follows, acting like a child is foolish.
I desperately suppressed my excited emotions, pretending to be a calm traveler.
Since Tetsuo has the blessing to speak all languages, I will leave it to him.
Only I am excited; they seem quite tense.
"We are not enemies! We are travelers who have lost our way."
Hearing Tetsuo's words, the Dark Elves were clearly agitated.
Did I say something wrong?
It didn't sound like that...
"Why can you speak our language?! Are you a commoner?!"
A woman with flowing silver hair spoke.
It seemed surprise outweighed caution.
"Yes, it is a blessing from the god."
"God? Your god?"
"It is called Izal -- do you know it?"
"Yes, a commoner's god. I know."
"You know?"
"Tetsuo, what is a 'commoner'?"
I asked because a word I didn't quite understand appeared.
"It means a normal human."
"Heh~"
"Eh? Daisuke, do you understand the content of the conversation?"
"Yes..."
"In that case, did you receive the blessing of languages too?"
"Eh?! Is that so?"
Well, it is helpful to understand words in an unknown world...
When traveling abroad, not understanding the language is the biggest difficulty.
If you understand the language, misunderstandings disappear -- thinking about it, this blessing is essential for first contact.
"So -- what business does a commoner have with our village?!"
"As I said before, we got lost. Can you tell us where this is?"
"Rustle rustle..."
The Dark Elves gathered and whispered something.
Well, if a different race suddenly appeared, they would be wary.
"Tetsuo, shouldn't we give some gifts?"
"That's true... Daisuke, do you have salt?"
"It's in the Item Box..."
"In a forest like this, obtaining salt must be difficult. Well, there might be rock salt..."
I see, even in fantasy, salt and spices are precious goods.
"Let's try it for now."
I took out a transparent plastic bag of salt from the Item Box.
I never thought I would end up in another world.
This makes me truly an adventurer.