Chapter 43 - Chapter 43: Dungeon Hot Spring
We were flung to the deep layers of the dungeon and are currently returning to the surface.
It is a dungeon like a game, but it seems there is no system where clearing an event returns you to the surface.
If this were a real game, it would undoubtedly be a terrible game.
The only consolation is that I got to meet two beautiful women at the bottom of hell.
While clearing the dungeon with those two beauties, we aim for the surface.
I defeated a monster that looked like a Griffon with Kaorulko's magic, but she ran out of mana and collapsed.
With no choice, I carried her on my back and moved forward.
Waiting for us there was a plaza filled with steam.
"Wow, lots of steam."
Princess waved the steam in front of her eyes with her hand.
"There might be hot water ahead."
"If it is hot water, fine, but with this steam, it could be a hot spring."
"That is possible."
For now, I decided to move forward.
After moving about 10 meters, the water surface came into view.
Since the front was completely white, I couldn't tell how wide it was.
Crouching down while carrying Kaorulko, I smelled the hot water.
There was no irritating odor, so it didn't seem like poison.
If it were volcanic gas, it would smell like rotten eggs.
Is there a volcanic zone inside a dungeon?
Well, since the space in this dungeon is twisted and connected to somewhere else, it wouldn't be strange to have lava or volcanic gas.
It looks like a hot spring, but not a normal one found on the surface.
I dipped just my fingertips in.
"Darling!"
"It's fine."
High-level adventurers can heal instantly from a minor burn.
If they are fine with radiation, shouldn't they have resistance to toxic gas?
Even in games, there is a status effect resistance stat.
My fingertips are fine, so I put my palm in -- no problem.
"Oh, this is good water, haha."
I felt no irritation on my hand, so it seemed like just ordinary hot water.
Hearing my words, Princess also stuck her hand into the water.
"It's hot water! Amazing!"
"In a game, places like this would be a Fountain of Recovery or something."
I took an air mat out of the Item Box and laid Kaorulko down.
Her lower breasts coming out from the Breast-Curtain Dress had amazing power, but they couldn't be lifted by magical power.
"If dungeon clearing reaches this far, this place will become a famous spot!"
Princess was excited by the sudden hot spring.
It would be much better than washing my body with the remaining treated water in the tank.
"Yes, probably. If lodging facilities are built, this could become an oasis."
"Haha, wonderful! Our names will remain here too."
Princess was dancing around in circles.
"That's right -- but more importantly, Kaorulko is like this, so let's stay here for the night."
"I'll do whatever Darling says. If the Magician doesn't recover, we can't do anything."
We can't fight while carrying her like this.
I checked Kaorulko's condition -- she is fine.
"But Kaorulko's magic was amazing."
"If we could use that magic from the start..."
Princess looked regretful, but we did something irregular like being flung to the deep layers suddenly.
"But if she can only fire once in the current situation, it's hard to know when to use it?"
"That's true..."
Even if it worked against the Dragon, we would have to carry the Magician afterward.
If there were more people, we could have her fall back... but this time, there was no choice.
"Sorry -- but with this humidity. I'll take off my clothes and equipment. Princess, you're fine in a bikini, right?"
"If Darling takes them off, I'll take mine off too."
"Well, I don't mind, but is that okay?"
"We're going to make a baby when we get back! It's nothing to be naked!"
"You're so manly."
-- Saying that, but being naked together was awkward, so I took a bath towel out of the Item Box and decided to wrap it around our bodies.
I wrapped a towel around my waist, hiding only my crotch.
Well, this should be fine.
"I don't mind being naked..."
"Haha, I would really like to do that too."
"Then isn't that fine!"
"No, wait! Kaorulko is here too, right?"
"We can make her naked too."
"Well, if she agrees, fine... but wearing equipment might be a bit problematic."
"Darling, do you still have the bath towel?"
"Yes."
I handed the towel to Princess and started undressing Kaorulko.
For now, I turned my back.
More than that, I was curious about the hot water in front of me....
I dipped one foot in just a little.
It felt warm, a tingling sensation.
I felt no irritation or abnormality in my foot, so I tried lowering it all the way to the bottom.
The depth was up to my thigh, not that deep.
If I lay down, I could soak in it.
Also, if we clear this far, maybe we can dig the bottom deeper and make it a complete hot spring.
Oh~ Dungeon Hot Spring~ My imagination runs wild.
I can picture young adventurer girls squealing and laughing in the hot spring.
Soaking in the hot spring of delusion, I sat on the edge and dipped both feet.
After soaking my feet for a while, if there are no problems, I'll soak my body too.
As soon as I got in the water, it seemed there was no event like healing (Heal) activating or full recovery.
It seems like just ordinary hot water, but just being able to soak in hot water in such a place is grateful.
Drinking it -- probably not good.
Even if it's no good as drinking water, it has value as cleaning water.
"Phew... I can't believe this is inside a dungeon... Princess, how about over there?"
"I've finished undressing. Darling, won't you store her clothes in the Item Box?"
"Understood."
Walking towards her after getting out of the water, Kaorulko was lying down wrapped in a towel.
Even over the towel, the two large bulges were visible.
Sana's breasts were quite large too, but I think this one takes the cake.
I stored the dress folded next to the lying Magician in the Item Box.
"Isn't it cold?"
"It's like a natural sauna, so no problem."
Well, I am naked too, and it feels just right. Maybe the indoor temperature is around 30 degrees.
"Since there is hot water, let's get it."
I walked towards the back to get the hot water with the tank.
I walked a little -- I couldn't see the end.
I had a bad feeling.
Could this be the joke unique to this dungeon where moving forward connects to another place?
If I go too far, I might not be able to return.
I confirmed there was enough space to just take out the tank, so that was okay.
I placed the tank on top of the bathtub.
Tilting the tank with high-level power, I discarded the treated water outside the bathtub.
Doing this naked looks like a gag, but I am serious.
Filling the water is easy.
Just submerge the part with the valve into the bathtub, and the water flows in automatically.
Well, only as much water as the bathtub's depth will fit.
I stored the tank filled with hot water in the Item Box.
This makes it freely portable, but thinking about it, this is an incredible thing.
"Your Item Box is still an amazing skill, Darling."
Before I knew it, Princess had come behind me and was watching what I was doing.
"This is an incredible cheat depending on how you look at it."
"For example?"
"Let's say we made a small hydroelectric generator using this tank."
"Fumu..."
Using the Item Box, I carried the tank to a high place and let the water flow.
Naturally, electricity could be generated by hydro power.
The fallen water flows back into the tank for reuse.
"The labor is only what I spent climbing to the high place."
Completely, input energy <<<< output energy.
It could be called a type of perpetual motion machine.
While talking with her, I returned to the original spot.
"Thinking about it, I understand why various countries target Item Box users."
"Was Kaorulko ever targeted?"
While conversing, I tried soaking in the bathtub -- no problem.
Princess soaked in with me and hugged me.
If this weren't a scene of being stranded in a dungeon, it would be the best situation....
"There were a few times, but I repelled them."
"Well -- Princess is a super famous top ranker. They probably realized it wasn't worth the trouble to touch you."
Instead, I became the target.
The opponent wasn't a ranker, just a normal old man.
They might have thought it was as easy as twisting a baby's finger.
"Darling? Were you ever targeted?"
"I fought with a special forces unit of a certain country. I repelled them with the Self-Defense Forces."
"Eh?! The military?!"
"Yes, yes, haha. What a hardship for just one old man like me."
"But if we were caught, who knows what would happen."
"They might do human experiments to find the secret of the Item Box."
"It's a place where human rights are suspicious."
While talking with Princess, Kaorulko seemed to wake up.
"Mm..."
"Kaorulko, are you okay?"
Princess got out of the bathtub and ran to her.
"Princess-sama... Eh?! What is that outfit?!"
"It's not just me, you're like that too."
"Eh?! Eeee?!"
It seemed she finally realized she was naked with only a bath towel.
Sitting up, she covered her chest with both hands -- and looked around frantically.
"This is a hot spring area we found in the dungeon."
"A hot spring?"
"Yes, it's good water."
I scooped some water with my hand to show her.
"There is such a place inside a dungeon."
Kaorulko was surprised too.
"We were talking that if clearing reaches this far, it might become a major base for rest and lodging."
"I agree."
"Can your body move?"
"...It's a bit painful..."
Kaorulko was checking her own body.
"What's wrong?"
"When wearing that equipment, my stamina and mana recovered slowly."
"Is that so?!"
"Yes. When I used magic, my mana was completely exhausted, but now I can probably use Light..."
"Then we have no choice but to use that!"
Well, Princess was right.
"Ugh..."
Kaorulko seemed unable to make up her mind, but she had never heard of equipment that automatically recovers HP and MP in this dungeon.
She sees them in games though.
"Anyway..."
"Kyaa!"
Princess picked up Kaorulko in a princess carry and got into the bathtub with her.
As expected of a high-level adventurer.
Ordinarily, one couldn't do such a thing.
"Oh... it really is hot water."
Kaorulko, who was trembling a bit, seemed relieved to know it was ordinary hot water.
She seemed to be enjoying the sensation of the water.
"That's right. We checked for poison and irritation just in case, so I think it's fine..."
"Well, even if we get some rashes, we have potions."
"And we are high-level adventurers."
"Yes -- what is beyond that steam?"
Kaorulko pointed to the other side of the white curtain.
"I tried moving a little -- but it looked dangerous, so I stopped."
"Yes, it is a dungeon."
"That's right."
Well, it seems they understood.
This is a space where physical laws are twisted, so anything could happen.
Like suddenly connecting to another world....
Even if we go to another world, if my Item Box and level work as is, I think we can manage....
Is there such a convenient thing?
But, going to a place without the internet now....
We might struggle with food....
Worrying about non-existent things is useless.
I decided to enjoy the bath with them.
Stretching my legs, I submerged my whole body in the water.
I had to lie down a bit to get everything submerged -- a subtle water level.
If this were a commercial hot spring, it would be a design flaw, but since it's natural, there's no helping it.
Maybe there is a deeper place if we search....
"Phew~"
While soaking in the water, Princess climbed on top of me.
"Hey, young lady, is that okay?"
"We're going to make a baby when we get back, so this is nothing."
"Your uncle and aunt would faint seeing this scene."
Kaorulko, soaking in the bath with us, was looking at us.
"My parents have nothing to do with it!"
Is it okay... well, she is an adult now, so it's her freedom.
"That's fine, but if you sit on top of such shallow water, your butt will stick out."
In fact, her charming hips were sticking out of the water surface.
"Mmm~"
She might have thought so herself.
She got off from on top of me.
I know we must hurry, but we can't fight until Kaorulko's mana recovers.
We are doing the reverse of normal clearing, so enemies will get weaker from here, and I think we can manage with just me and Princess.
Still, that is this dungeon -- we don't know what is there.
That woman of the Labyrinth Cult might have the ability to move freely inside the dungeon.
If so, there is a possibility of encountering her again.
It is best to be fully prepared.
"Phew~"
I tried sinking to the very limit in the water.
It is truly good water, but is it okay to relax this much....
Struggling won't start anything....
"..."
"Hm?!"
"What's wrong, Darling?"
"No, I thought I heard something..."
"..."
"What? Did I imagine it...?"
The sound is echoing, so I don't know well -- what is it?
"...Gya! ..."
"No, I feel like I can hear it... Could it be a Harpy's voice?!"
"Um, a Harpy?"
"Probably... there might be a passage somewhere again."
"Indeed -- that beast might react to Darling's voice and scent."
It seems Princess really dislikes Harpies.
"You don't have to hate them that much..."
"Only I should react to Darling's scent!"
"That's unreasonable... here."
For now, I took out a weapon from the Item Box to prepare for battle.
The weapon I handed her was the sword dropped from the Griffon in the previous battle.
"I am sorry for not being of use."
Kaorulko looked dejected.
"No, no, it was amazing magic. It just seems to have poor fuel efficiency."
"If we could use that magic from the start! There might have been a different development."
The three of us got out of the bathtub and took a combat stance surrounding Kaorulko.
Everyone was in just a bath towel, so they might slip off.
We could put on equipment, but my intuition says that cry is a Harpy.
"Let's go?"
"Yes!"
"Oooi!! Is anyone there?!"
"...Gya!"
"I think it's her voice after all."
"Chi..."
It sounded like Princess clicked her tongue.
"That Harpy can guide us again, right?"
"I know!"
"Oooi! Harpy?!"
"...Gya! Gya!"
It sounded like there was a reply.
"Oooi! Over here! Do you understand?!"
"Gya! Gya!"
"I feel like it's getting closer."
"I heard it too."
It seemed Kaorulko heard it too.
"Oooi!"
I spun around in place.
The sound was echoing, so I couldn't tell where it was coming from.
"Gya!"
Something jumped out from behind the white steam of the bathtub.
"Whoa!"
Startled by the sudden occurrence, I instinctively raised my weapon -- but the one who came in front of me was her after all.
"So it was you after all?!"
"Gya!"
She jumped up trying to grab me, so I instinctively dodged.
"Wait, wait! I'm naked! If you stop me now, you'll leave holes all over me with your claws!"
Usually I have armor so it's fine, but now I am naked.
If her sharp claws dug in, bleeding was inevitable.
I hugged her as she fell into the water.
"Sorry~ but I'm naked, so please forgive me."
"Gya"
"If a Harpy came from the other side of the bathtub, does that mean there is a connected hole..."
"Maybe there is a hole on top of the wall, and she came from there?"
"Princess might be right, but at least it's certain that the other side of the steam wasn't connected to another world."
"Indeed..."
"Then, let's go check a little."
"Already leaving?"
"No, I'll wait until Kaorulko recovers, but I just want to confirm what is beyond that steam."
"I understand."
I probably think this is a safe area, but I decided to have Princess stay to guard the Magician who ran out of mana.
"Gya"
Carrying the Harpy, I walked through the white mist while soaking in the water.
Even though it's a hot spring, it's not natural; there is no sulfur smell, and it's not slippery.
It's just hot water.
"Owaa!"
"Gyaa!"
I was suddenly thrown into the water along with the Harpy.
The ground beneath my feet suddenly disappeared.
Panicking, I swam back to where I could touch the bottom.
"Darling!"
Princess's voice came from beyond the steam.
"It's fine! It suddenly got deep!"
"Be careful!"
"I understand!"
Well -- what should I do?
I don't know how far it continues, so I can't just swim.
"Gya!"
I picked up the splashing Harpy.
She doesn't seem to be a water bird, so she can't swim.
"You're fine because you can fly, right~"
"Gya"
I thought for a while.
I certainly didn't bring a lifebuoy.
Should I float the tank?
That wouldn't sink, but I couldn't move either?
"Umm, that's it! Can't I use the air mat as a lifebuoy?"
I've seen scenes of floating on an air mat at the beach.
I took an air mat out of the Item Box and tried riding on it.
"It... seems safe..."
This should work as a raft.
"Gya!"
Riding the air mat with the Harpy, I started rowing into the sea of water.
"Are you really sure? Don't let me end up in another world when I notice."
"Gya"
With her navigation, we moved through the white scenery.
White, or rather, since there is no light, it only looked gray to my eyes.
Soon, I heard the sound of falling water.
A strong current, or the sound of a waterfall.
Suddenly the gray scenery turned black, and the whole area became like a starry sky.
-- A wall, or rather a cliff, covered in glow moss.
"Hey, where is the hole?"
"Gya!"
She flapped her wings and flew up, landing on the cliff.
It seems there is a hole there.
The height -- it's quite high.
For now, I tried climbing beside the waterfall, and there was space where a ladder could be placed.
Can't I climb from here?
First, let's secure the footing.
I took rocks out of the Item Box and built a platform.
These rocks have various uses.
"Ladder Summon."
I took a ladder out of the Item Box, extended it, and placed it on the platform.
It felt a bit unstable, so I took out extra rocks to sandwich it.
This should hold it firmly.
I checked the ladder and started climbing.
This extends to 8 meters, so with the added platform, it's about 10 meters high.
"Gya"
The Harpy was watching from above.
"Alright!"
The place I finally reached was a space of about one tatami mat.
There was a horizontal hole gaping open there.
The height was about 1 meter, so I could somehow crawl in.
So we can take a shortcut from here.
This might be a great discovery.
After all, we can shortcut the dungeon and come straight to the hot spring.
"But..."
Do monsters not spawn in this passage?
The fact that the Harpy can move safely means there is no worry?
No, maybe monsters don't eat each other?
"The shortcut the Harpy went through was cut off in the middle."
Speaking of which, if this hot spring is the midway point, where is the other side of the hole?
"Hey, Harpy."
"Gya"
"There is another hole, right?"
"Gya!"
She flew up from the platform, heading straight up, and landed on top of the cliff.
On the opposite side of the dance floor where I am -- about 20 meters higher.
"Ah -- that leads to the hole near the ceiling we saw."
"Gya"
Flying in the sky allows free movement, but for us, it is quite a difficult shortcut.
Was it right to come down?
It's a bit ambiguous....
For now, this passage seems usable.
Tonight we will stay at this hot spring to recover our strength, use the shortcut, and escape this maze.
I left the ladder as is and returned to Princess and the others.
"Oooi, Princess!"
"Darling! Are you safe?!"
"Yes, there were no monsters. I found a horizontal hole that could be used as a shortcut. Humans can pass through."
"Great! This brings us closer to the surface again!"
"I'm glad, Princess-sama."
"Yes, it's all thanks to Darling."
"No, no, it's all thanks to the Harpy."
"Gya!"
She seemed a bit proud, understanding my words.
"...That beast is getting cocky, isn't it?"
"The fact is we were saved thanks to her, so don't say things like that."
"Gya!"
"..."
Actually, without the Harpy, we might still be wandering in the deep layers.
"Princess-sama -- please stop saying childish things, it's embarrassing."
"Which side is Kaorulko on?!"
"It doesn't matter if it's ally or not."
"It does matter!"
Princess was pouting, but we had grasped a clue to escape this maze.
If we mapped it out bit by bit and searched for the exit, who knows how long it would take.
In the first place, we don't know how wide this maze is.
We must not overdo it, yet we must return to the surface quickly.