Chapter 47 - Chapter 47: We're Back
We who had been flung to the deep layers finally made it back to a floor where other adventurers were present.
Since I was tired of moving, we decided to return using the elevator and the train.
Waiting for the elevator at the campsite on Floor 4, a large amount of luggage came down.
Along with that, adventurers with what looked like high-quality equipment also descended.
There was even a man in splendid plate armor as if from a fantasy story, but the Princess made a displeased face upon seeing him.
It seemed he was someone she did not want to meet.
I caught eyes with a woman who looked like a sorceress among those who had come down.
She wore an exquisite green robe with a fantasy flavor and held a staff.
Chestnut-colored curly hair spilled out from the robe.
"Hey! Are those Cherry Princess and Empress?!"
It seemed high-level adventurers knew each other.
"Oh, it's you."
Judging from the Princess's tone and expression, she was indeed someone she did not want to meet.
Or rather, she was the type she was not good with.
"I heard you went missing?!"
"That is correct. We were flung to the deep layers by a woman of the Labyrinth Cult and have just returned."
"Eh?! The Labyrinth Cult?! What do you mean?"
Kaoruko explained the details in a roundabout way.
"So, does that mean the people of the Labyrinth Cult are using teleportation or dungeon walk-like magic to move freely within the dungeon?"
Hearing the female sorceress's words, other adventurers gathered.
The Princess was popular.
Besides, Kaoruko was popular enough to share the spotlight.
Many men would want to see her even just once.
"It seems so."
Upon my words, the woman reacted.
"And you are?"
I explained that I was the old man with the Item Box.
"Oh! There you are! That kind of old man! No way you're with Cherry Princess."
"That's right! He is my Darling."
"!!!Ehhhh?!"
Again, this reaction.
Well, I suppose I can't help it.
It's a story about a top idol's partner being an old man.
"Hey, Cherry Princess! Is this a joke?!"
"It is no joke! I have always stated my conditions for my partner, haven't I?"
"A man stronger than yourself, right?"
"That is correct."
"Then... this man?"
The woman pointed at me.
"Yes, he is the strongest in the world."
"Lies~"
The woman did not seem to believe it at all.
"Hahaha..."
I could only give a bitter smile.
In anime or manga, a battle scene would be inserted here where someone says, "Then... let me test your strength, claiming to be the strongest."
"An old man like that?! It must be some kind of joke."
A man wearing a helmet and plate armor stepped forward.
He was quite bulky, having mastered full equipment, and likely confident in his strength.
The huge sword strapped to his back also made one think of a power-type swordsman or warrior.
"I have no intention of joking!"
"So, you claim this old man is the strongest in the world?"
The man pointed at me as well.
"That is correct!"
"You rejected my invitation and chose to date such an old man?!"
"Haha, shut up, trash."
"What did you say?!"
Hey, hey, don't pick a fight.
Before that... usually the Princess listens to my words because I am truly strong, but judging from this conversation, she wouldn't have listened if I were an ordinary old man.
She has a clear personality, or rather, something like that.
"Hey, Princess..."
Kaoruko, who was covered in a blanket, also stepped in to stop it, thinking it was dangerous.
"Empress, what is with that outfit?"
The female sorceress was mocking Kaoruko's attire.
Her robe had been torn during the battle with the Treant.
"My equipment was slightly damaged in combat."
"Hmm."
The woman tried to peek at the equipment through the gaps in the blanket Kaoruko was wearing.
"Anyway! Old man! Fight me!"
"Huh?! Again, troublesome stuff... what benefit do I get from this..."
"Good."
That was what the Princess said, but it seems it was going to end up like this anyway.
I started recording with the camera.
It might be useful as evidence for something.
"Hahaha! I'll peel off the old man's disguise! Even if you get hurt or die, adventurers hold no grudges."
"If you die, it will be PK."
"There's only us here."
No, no, there are workers moving luggage too, right?
"I run a video site and can film videos inside the dungeon? Naturally, this fight too?"
"Eh?! Seriously?!"
The female sorceress reacted.
"Now that you mention it, there was talk of videos inside the dungeon going viral."
"I saw that video too."
"Then you saw the video where the guys from the 'Dancing Darkness' guild tried PK and got counter-attacked into becoming Ghouls, right?"
"Oh, so that was the old man who uploaded that video."
"So, shouldn't you stop?"
"Hahaha! If I crush this old man right here, you won't be able to do that anymore."
Are all Rankers like this?
Well, possessing power beyond human understanding is amazing enough to make one mistake themselves into thinking they are a special, chosen existence.
"Hey, hey, let's stop this?"
"I can't. If I kill you, Cherry Princess is mine."
The man drew the huge weapon on his back and took a stance.
"For real?"
This is no joke.
"Cherry Princess! You don't mind?!"
"Hahaha, if you can win."
She was laughing loudly with her arms crossed.
Princess, stop this too.
Well, she probably thinks I won't lose.
"You can't swallow your spit!"
The man swung the giant sword and brought it down aiming for my head.
The tip left a white trail aimed at me, showing the sword was serious.
I dodged that white line and stepped back, but the man immediately closed the distance upon seeing my movement.
As expected, a Ranker's movement.
It might work against monsters, but the opponent is a human and has an Item Box.
If I crush him under a tank, he will truly die, so I pulled debris out from storage.
Due to my speed, he collided with the obstacle that appeared in a straight line.
I ended up looking like the special forces from a certain country that attacked me at the Nuclear Power Plant Ruins.
"Gah!"
He collided head-on with the debris at his own speed and rolled onto the ground.
I immediately circled around and kicked his temple.
It was an attack aiming to cause a concussion by shaking his brain.
He was likely a high-level Ranker, so kicking him a bit harder should be fine.
Since my movement speed has increased, my resistance to G should have increased too.
"Here goes... this should settle it, right?"
"Hahaha! That's what I said! I wouldn't lie, right... Darling."
The Princess hugged me.
"Lies... like I was treating a child..."
The female sorceress was surprised, but it felt like the ambush worked well.
My level is indeed high, but in terms of combat experience, I am practically a complete amateur.
If the opponent were a monster, it might be different, but against a human, I cannot fight head-on.
You never know what will happen.
"Y-you! Using an Item Box is cheap!"
"Eh?! Are you the type who gets ambushed by monsters and says, 'Cheap! Fight me head-on!'?"
"Guu..."
The man seemed to have a concussion and couldn't stand.
He would probably recover with healing skills or potions.
"The Item Box is also my skill. Using it in combat is natural."
"Hahaha! As expected of Darling! Say more! This guy is the type I hate the most, who doesn't know his own strength and gets arrogant."
The Princess put her hands on her hips and laughed loudly.
The man I had bested looked dejected, as expected.
Well, I don't think he could have won even without the Item Box.
"Please stop instigating the fight."
"There were many men targeting me. I will silence all such scum!"
"Ehhh? Well, the dungeon is a society of strength, you know."
"Then there is no problem!"
Oh, Nagoya is a castle town.
At that moment, the female sorceress approached.
"Old man~ you're really strong~ How about me? My breasts are bigger than Cherry Princess's."
"Stop it, Mikan!"
"Mikan?"
"That one's name is Mikan."
"We have a woman named Kirara too... the Kirakira-name generation."
"Kirara? Could it be Yamada Kirara?"
It seemed the female sorceresses knew each other.
"Do you know her?"
"That BBA is still alive?"
That's a terrible thing to say.
Well, given her personality, there are probably many who dislike her.
"Recently, she has turned over a new leaf and is adventuring properly, and is even training the next generation."
"Hmph... how long will that last..."
"Look, in terms of breast size, you can't beat the Empress."
I pointed at Kaoruko.
"Gu?!"
Well, it's impossible.
"Come on, get away, Mikan! Weakness is contagious!"
The Princess forcibly inserted herself between me and the woman.
"What's that!"
Her level seems much higher, so resisting is a bit impossible.
"Alright, let's go back up, Darling."
"Yes... as I said before, be careful of the Labyrinth Cult."
"We won't make such mistakes... besides, if we knew they were such people from the start, there would be a way to deal with them."
"That's true. At least it won't be a surprise kill."
"Hmph..."
The man I fought seemed to have recovered thanks to his companion's healing.
As expected, high-level adventurers recover quickly from that sort of thing.
Still, now that he knows my strength, he has become quiet.
"Then goodbye."
Just then, the loading and unloading of luggage for the elevator was finished, so we boarded.
When the gate-like door closed, the iron cage slowly went up.
The vertical distance was about 100 meters.
Usually, we go down slopes.
If the gradient is 5% and the vertical distance is 100m, the slope length would be about 2km.
Even a 5% gradient is quite steep, and without enhanced physical abilities at a high level, it would be quite tough.
With a loud noise, the machine stopped, and we arrived at Floor 3.
From here, we take the train.
It's my first time riding it, but without this opportunity, I wouldn't ride it, so I'm a little excited.
There was a train platform near the elevator.
It was made of concrete.
Probably, after laying the railway, they brought in cement and such.
The train was stopped, but there was only one passenger car.
Probably converted from a commuter train in the city.
They must have brought in a body that was old and about to be discarded.
Previously, such bodies were exported overseas, but now that seems impossible.
Besides, there are few moving ships these days.
The difference from normal vehicles is that there is absolutely no light.
There is fiber optic lighting on the platform, but not inside the vehicle, so square, pitch-black windows are eerily lined up.
Aside from the passenger car, everything else is a freight car carrying supplies.
Now that I think of it, we transported the black-furred Troll in this too.
When boarding the passenger car, there was a conductor holding a chemical light.
That's the only light, but... well, we can see in the dark, so it's no problem.
Inside, there were facing seats like a commuter train and hanging rings.
I remembered working in Tokyo, but since we were the only passengers, it was like a ghost train.
"How do we handle tickets? I don't have cash, so I can't pay?"
"Daisuke-san, it's pay later."
Kaoruko told me, so I handed over my Adventurer Card and received a ticket printed with a 2D code.
It seems we will read this and pay when we exit the dungeon.
"Even so, I thought there would be more users."
"This place is a bit deep. Floors 1 and 2 have quite a few users."
"I see."
Naturally, the deeper the floor, the higher the fare.
Seeing them struggle to transport people and supplies like this... I understand just how cheat-like my Item Box is.
With an Item Box, we could transport a large amount of supplies into the dungeon at the start, which would speed up dungeon development.
Ah, now that I think of it... the nuclear power plant work was left half-finished.
I intended to take a short break, but this happened.
The official Hareyama-san must be angry.
The contract probably won't be terminated, right?
Even if I slacked off on the job, if they said, "We went this far, so no contract termination, no payment," I would think about it a bit.
"Darling, what's wrong?"
While sitting on a facing seat with a hole and pondering, the Princess spoke to me.
"No, due to this commotion, I slacked off on the work I was asked to do, so the other party must be angry."
"This time is unavoidable. It was an accident in the dungeon."
Kaoruko said that, but...
"Well, yes."
"They probably know we are adventurers, right?"
"They know."
"I think they will understand."
"I hope so."
While the three of us were talking, the train started moving.
The train slowly moved through the dark dungeon.
Black rock walls approached on both sides of the train, giving the sensation of running inside a living creature.
The tracks were laid along the dungeon, but it seems they excavated part of the dungeon to reduce curves.
Normally, they should just dig a tunnel straight, but that doesn't work in this dungeon.
Drilling a hole connects to other places.
It is very troublesome, but there are escape routes.
If you expand an already open hole, there is no problem.
For example, if there are adjacent rooms, breaking through the wall connects to other places...
If you simply expand an already open hole—like a door—and connect it to the neighbor, you can create a hole.
Thinking about it, perhaps the horizontal tunnel we were crawling through... if we gradually expanded that, we could drill a hole in the wall blocking the dungeon or the entrance to Floor 7.
It's unclear without trying, but someone might do it eventually.
The sound of the train wheels creaking cut through the silence of the dungeon.
Metallic sounds echoed, returning from unseen places far away.
That sound was like unknown entities lurking in the darkness whispering to each other.
The tunnel ahead felt as if it would continue infinitely.
Looking outside... probably the lights used by adventurers were flickering and moving.
Since the interior was pitch black, the outside lights were clearly visible.
The air inside the dungeon was cool and humid.
Droplets seemed to fall occasionally from the rocky ceiling, the sound hitting the train roof creating a rhythm.
Gazing at the scenery outside, we arrived at the campsite at the Floor 3 entrance.
By the time we got here, there were many people.
The Princess and Kaoruko had deeply covered themselves in robes and blankets.
As more people gathered, their identities might be revealed, and they would be approached more often.
I am still just an ordinary old man.
If I bring up the Item Box topic, people would just say, "Oh, that person."
My level is not publicized, so the general perception might be that I am just a lucky old man who accidentally got an Item Box.
We boarded the elevator with many people.
The train running on Floor 2 had two passenger cars with many passengers.
The train running on the final Floor 1 had three passenger cars.
"There are quite a few people using it."
"..."
The two remained silent, holding their breath.
It seems troublesome if their identities are revealed.
They weren't carrying weapons since they were in the Item Box, and they looked lightly equipped with robes and blankets.
No one would think they were top Rankers.
The train ran for a while and stopped.
It was the nostalgic Entrance Hall.
My intuition says it's around evening outside.
"Hello, Hall! I'm back!"
It was truly a difficult journey home.
It was strange that I managed to return alive.
This is thanks to the two of them... or rather, thanks to those Harpies.
I wonder if the Harpies are okay?
I can't tell adventurers not to kill monsters...
After all, it is abnormal for them to be attached to me.
Getting off the train with many adventurers and stepping outside, the sky was red.
"Oh, my internal clock wasn't that messed up."
"Yes."
"Princess... shall we go to a crowded place and start a ruckus?"
"Indeed. If we delay, more victims may appear."
"You are tired, but push on a bit more."
"I understand. This is not just our problem!"
In the sunset, the market before the exit was dyed in vivid orange and deep crimson, the whole area shining like flames.
The sun was slowly setting, but the boundary between the sky and the earth was hidden by chaotic buildings.
In that scenery, many adventurers gathered in lively forms.
Adventurers were talking with their companions, preparing for the next adventure.
Excitement and anticipation floated on their faces, and their cheeks, dyed red by the setting sun, looked even more passionate.
We must protect these adventurers.
"Princess, let's do it at the place that buys things."
"Understood. Leave it to Darling."
"OK!"
Heading towards the merchants who buy monsters and Magic Stones, I shouted loudly.
"Who will buy a big item!"
At my voice, the buyers turned at once.
Among them, I saw familiar faces.
"Brother! I haven't seen you in a while, I thought you had kicked the bucket."
The old man who bought from me before came over.
"Yeah, I was almost dying."
"So, what's the big item?!"
"Listen and be surprised... it's a Dragon!!"
I shouted with an even louder voice.
I had never heard of a Dragon being traded here before.
Not to mention, such news wasn't circulating on the internet either.
...That means, Japan's first... or rather, the world's first extermination.
"A Dragon?! Brother, no matter how much..."
"What? Are you saying it's a lie?"
"But..."
"Alright! It's in the Item Box, so I'll take it out right here. I finished it off and stored it immediately, so it's hot and steaming?"
It seems he didn't trust me.
I got the people around to make space.
Since Dragons were rare, everyone cooperated.
"Alright! Summon Dragon Tail!"
There wasn't enough space to take out the Dragon's body.
Originally, this wasn't a place to bring out such a big item.
With a loud noise, a huge dragon tail covered in large scales appeared.
"!!!!"
From the surroundings, a murmur and cheers erupted at once.
Even the buyers seemed to have their legs give out in surprise.
"Big! A Dragon's tail?! Look at those huge scales! I've never seen anything like that?!"
Naturally, the surroundings were a sea of people, the focus of attention... the stage was set.
The three of us, me, the Princess, and Kaoruko, jumped onto the Dragon's tail.
Looking down at the Special District residents who had gathered, she took off her robe.
She exposed her skin, and with this, the people were glued to us.
"Everyone, listen! I am Cherry Princess!"
Her clear, loud voice caused the people to murmur.
"Cherry Princess!" "Cherry Princess!" "Then the one next to her is Empress?!" "Who is that old man?!"
Everyone was focusing on the Princess.
As expected of a charismatist... the hook was perfect.
As expected, the Princess with her outstanding fame was the most effective for a speech here.
The smart Princess understood that too.
"Daisuke-san!"
Suddenly, a familiar voice was heard, surprising me.
Looking for the source of the voice, Sana was waving her hand.
"Sana!"
"I was worried!"
She looked like she was crying.
I feel bad, but she got caught up in the accident.
"I caused you worry! I finally made it back!"
"Daisuke-san!"
"Sorry... I couldn't find Ren."
"Y-yes..."
"Sana, I'm sorry, but please film me. There is an important scene coming up."
"Y-yes."
I asked her to come closer and handed her my smartphone.
"Ugh!"
The Princess glared at me.
"She's a child from our guild."
"Princess, you get disliked for troublesome women."
"Don't call her troublesome!"
Anyway... the accusation drama of us who danced back from hell began.