Chapter 69 - Chapter 69: Preparation for Clearing Floor 7
Our top guild joint attack team finally reached Floor 7.
Just as when we visited here before, a massive wall blocks our path.
To proceed beyond Floor 7, we have no choice but to use the entrance located 100 meters high from the ground.
"..."
Everyone who visited here is looking up at the ceiling illuminated by magical light.
"Gya! Gya-gya!"
The harpies that followed us disappeared into the scaffolding 100 meters high.
"Right now, there is their nest where the harpies went, and the entrance was there."
"It really is impossible without being able to fly, isn't it?"
Iroha and Koeda are also looking up at the ceiling.
"Darling, it's no good to make a hole in the wall, right?"
"We did that on the opposite side of Floor 7, not here -- but it was just a hole that led nowhere."
"So that hole didn't connect to Floor 7's dungeon?"
"Yes, it was a hole with an unknown destination."
"Oh, scary."
As Iroha made a bored expression, the Princess clapped her hands.
"We'll stay here for one night. Let's prepare the camp."
"U~su" "Ha~i!"
We took out everyone's luggage from the Item Box.
This is a safe zone, so there is no need to worry about being attacked by monsters.
If this were a real fantasy world, we would have to worry about being attacked wherever we were.
It can be frustrating in a world like a game, but there are convenient parts too.
Perhaps because of the smell of food.
The harpies also came down from above.
"Gya! Gya-gya"
"Alright, alright, wait. I'll feed you now."
After patting their heads and preparing the meal, the harpies climbed onto my head and shoulders.
Well, since it's an act of affection, I can't ignore them, but it's a bit troublesome.
We gathered by guild and ate.
Iroha, her companion mage Koeda, and Mikan, the mage from the Golden Path, were also there.
Gorilla, who had nowhere to go, was eating a lonely meal alone in the corner.
Well, since he lost trust, it can't be helped.
It is often said that piling things up is difficult, but they collapse in an instant.
After everyone finished eating, we held a meeting under the magical light.
When we wake up from sleep, we will assemble the scaffolding stored in my Item Box and stack it up to a height of 100 meters.
Normally, it would be impossible without using a crane or something, but here we have high-level adventurers who boast of their strength.
Gorilla, who stayed in the rear during combat, should be able to do manual labor.
We need to recover his trust little by little.
Whether he has the intention to do so, though...
After the meeting, it was personal time.
I took out an air mat from the Item Box and lay down.
Since the ground is dirt and rock, having this makes a huge difference in stress.
Lying on my back, Gigi and Chichi climbed onto my stomach and curled up.
The two of them weigh about 30kg, so they are quite heavy.
"Hey, are you planning to sleep there?"
"Gi" "Gi~"
"Is there still a nest of companions above?"
"Gi"
I'm not quite sure if it's YES or NO, but with such a strong smell of food.
If other harpies were here, it wouldn't be strange if they came to rummage for food.
Well, since we are a large group, there might be a possibility that they are on guard...
Probably, their bed was disturbed, so they might have moved to another place.
Thinking about it, it's a bit pitiable, but if we are going to clear Floor 7, there is inevitably a necessity to pass through there...
Thinking about Floor 7, the harpies suddenly flew up.
"Gya-gya! Gya-gya!"
As I tried to get up wondering what was going on, something warm covered my body.
"Darling."
"Wait a bit, Princess."
The one who climbed on top of me was the Princess.
She probably intimidated and scared away the harpies.
"..."
Silently, Kaorulko also came over next to her.
"Wait, wait, we aren't going to fight here, are we? Iroha and Koeda-chan are here too."
"Ow! Next time it's me!"
"Stare..."
Looking at the one making noise, Iroha and Koeda were looking at us.
There is no way we would do such a thing in a place like this.
There are children from other guilds too -- I was thinking that...
"Stare" "Excited!"
Before I knew it, the mage girls surrounded us.
They were looking at us with eyes full of interest, watching intently.
"I won't do it! Alright, alright, move back, move back! Disperse!"
"Che~" "..."
I scattered everyone who looked disappointed.
I can't believe it.
Well, this party has many girls.
Yuuki, the minority male, was indifferent, reading a book under the magical light.
After that, the three of us slept, but naturally, nothing happened.
They looked disappointed, but it is natural.
Or perhaps, in an attack camp like this, it is normal to have a contest after the contest?
It makes me think deeply, but in such a life-or-death extreme state, one might awaken to primitive instincts.
--Sleep and wake up.
Probably morning.
While preparing the meal, Kaorulko woke up, so I checked the time -- it's correct.
"Gya-gya" "Gya"
I fed Gigi and Chichi first.
Once they are full, they will go play somewhere.
Since this is a safe area, there should be no need for harpy alarms.
Everyone else woke up, so I took out their luggage from the Item Box.
Magical lights appeared all at once, and the inside of the dungeon suddenly became bright.
After eating breakfast noisily, we took a short break and started working.
We are going to build scaffolding up to 100 meters above the ground, but whether it can really be done is unknown until we try.
For now, it seems structurally safe.
There is a problem that things left in the dungeon get absorbed, but it seems Yuuki's magic called Fix can handle it.
When everyone gathered, I took out the 10-meter-high scaffolding stored in the Item Box.
"Oh" "Kyaa~" "Sugoi~"
Cheers rose from everyone.
Looking up.
We must build the scaffolding right up to the landing near the ceiling.
For now, I asked Yuuki to cast the Fix magic.
"Fix."
When he chanted the magic, blue light danced.
Sparkling things seeped into the single pipes that made up the scaffolding.
There is magical light, but it is local.
The sight of blue light dancing is truly fantasy-like and beautiful.
It even looks like fairies are dancing.
"Darling, we have to decide where to set it up."
"For now, I thought of that method too. Hey! Gigi!"
"Gya!"
The harpie above reacted.
She clearly understands the name I gave her.
She fluttered down near me and hopped over.
I took out a bundle of fishing line from the Item Box.
First, I tied a weight and let the harpie hold it with her feet.
"Take this up there. Do you understand?"
"Gya!"
Holding the weight, she took a short run-up and jumped into the air.
A white line was drawn in the darkness.
The movement stopped after about 10 seconds.
I pulled it a little, and it seems fine.
If we can hang a rope from above like this, there would be no problem, but it's not that easy.
This string falls down if pulled too hard.
I attached a weight to this string and let it hang.
The string stretched tight, and this established a vertical line.
In other words, the top of this string is the landing.
The installation location was decided.
"Next! Level the ground!"
If the ground is tilted, you cannot build something 100 meters high there.
A flat surface is essential.
I took out a level about 1 meter long and a string from the Item Box.
A tube filled with water was attached to it, containing only one bubble.
If it is tilted, the bubble shifts, and if it is level, the bubble in the tube comes to the center.
After checking the level, next we stretch the string -- primitive, but the most reliable thing.
Ancient pyramids also used water during construction, or so I read somewhere.
Before the world stopped, laser levels were used and were convenient, but semiconductor lasers became hard to make, so we returned to water levels.
We measure the height between the stretched string and the ground, and cut down the high parts.
Of course, machines cannot be used, so it is manual labor.
High-level adventurers who boast of their strength hold pickaxes, swing them up, and swing them down.
--That is not what happened.
Because I have something good.
"Darling, are you going to chip away at the rock bit by bit?"
Stopping Iroha who was peeking in, I took out a Rotting Knife from the Item Box.
"Like this!"
I struck the high parts of the rock with the knife.
Then, that part becomes mushy, so you just scoop it up with a shovel.
"Gya!"
The harpie returned, so I gave her chocolate and she happily ate it.
"Really, you understand what humans are saying, don't you?"
Yuuki is also impressed, and I think so too.
If this cuteness spreads among adventurers, won't fewer harpies be hunted?
I think so, but it cannot be denied that this is due to my special ability...
I took out a shovel and bucket from the Item Box.
"Dig up the softened parts with this shovel."
"I see~ Kunka-kunka -- no smell."
Iroha is smelling what has accumulated in the bucket.
"Even if the rock becomes brittle, it doesn't turn into organic matter."
With this method, leveling the ground shouldn't take that much time.
Iroha is digging the ground, and Gorilla is carrying the buckets.
I thought he wouldn't participate in the work, but he seems to be doing it.
At least, I think he intends to redo it...
"Darling, what do we do about the depressed parts?"
The Princess is measuring the level of the ground.
"In that case --"
I brought quick-drying cement in the Item Box, but I wanted to try something.
I put the rock softened by the Rotting Knife into the depressed parts -- and smoothed it out beautifully.
Next, I took something out of the Item Box.
It was a green potion.
I put it in a spray bottle and sprayed it with a swish-swish sound.
This mushy and slimy state should be a status ailment.
If so, I thought it would return to normal with a green recovery potion (potion) that cures status ailments.
"It returned to normal -- I see, the status ailment was cured."
"As the Princess guessed. I was half-doubtful if I could succeed, but it went well."
"If we use this, we might be able to build walls in the dungeon."
Kaorulko, who was watching the work, muttered.
"I think if we put it in a mold and harden it, we can make blocks."
"Ho -- if we can secure building materials inside the dungeon, various things will go smoothly."
Yuuki is right.
Until now, if we tried to build some facility inside the dungeon, we had to bring supplies from outside.
"Also, if we make blocks with this, there is a big advantage."
Kaorulko answered my question immediately.
"Normal blocks might be absorbed by the dungeon, but since this is made of dungeon material..."
"Haha, I see. The value of Yuuki's Fix magic will decrease, though."
"First, we need to get that knife you have, Darling."
"Why is even Yuuki calling him Darling!"
"Really, it's troublesome, so let's just call him Darling."
"Agreed!"
Everyone's voices aligned.
"Seriously? Fine, I guess."
If it's a distinctive name, it should be easy to remember.
"I will call him Daisuke-san."
As expected, Kaorulko seems embarrassed to call him Darling.
"Thank you, Kaorulko, hahaha..."
While smiling bitterly, the base was completed, so we installed the first layer of scaffolding.
The first layer has two units placed in parallel to stabilize it.
"We will stack them up from now on, so everyone stay a little away. It might suddenly collapse."
"Understood."
The Princess guided everyone.
"Summon!"
Since I am taking it out of the Item Box, it's not really summoning, but before I knew it, "Summon" became the default.
Making a loud metallic sound, the scaffolding landed on the scaffolding.
I have become quite skilled at controlling the Item Box.
Of course, it's not perfectly precise, so some fine-tuning is needed.
For manual labor, we have high-level adventurers.
Two people are enough.
Once the position is perfect, we fix it with bolts next.
On the ground, we could use power tools, but here it's impossible.
Everything is manual labor.
This has to be done by sheer numbers.
I took out tools, bolts, and nuts from the Item Box and asked everyone to help.
"Alright!"
The second layer is complete.
Like a baby turtle on top of a mother turtle.
We will keep stacking on top of this.
Stairs are also attached, so movement is easy.
First, I go up to the top floor alone and summon the next floor.
If the balance seems to collapse, I immediately store it again.
Repeating this should cause no problems.
Once the scaffolding is placed well, everyone helps fix it with bolts and nuts.
We stack 10 pieces of scaffolding -- seven more times.
Well, it should work out.
"Gya!" "Gii!"
Gigi and Chichi fluttered around me.
They probably think I am playing.
"Hey! You damn birds! Don't bother Darling!"
The Princess's angry shout came from below.
"Gya~!" "Gii~!"
The harpies reacted to the Princess's angry shout.
"Ugh, noisy..."
As expected, it is noisy when they make a racket right by my ear.
While keeping up with the harpies' play, by noon, we had stacked up to half with Kaorulko's clock.
I was worried about stability, but it seems fine.
Even if an earthquake happens on the surface, it doesn't affect the inside of the dungeon.
If there is danger from a great earthquake, it seems there is a way to take refuge inside the dungeon.
Well, if a tsunami flows in, it would be a problem...
It became noon, so we took out everyone's luggage and ate.
Since we moved, we got quite hungry.
Before the meal, I took out the camera and photographed the state of the scaffolding --.
Building something like this in the depths of a dungeon, even the Buddha would notice.
Our members have become fixed.
The female mage who was Gorilla's partner is also eating with us.
"Isn't it okay to keep him company?"
"Just helping with the work a little isn't enough."
Well, it seems he has completely lost trust.
She -- Mikan, said she wanted to join our guild, but is that her true intention?
Given everything that has happened so far, if the last straw has been broken, there are some things that can't be helped...
That is between them, and we don't know.
We also fed the harpies.
"Gya-gya!" "Gii!"
They were happily eating what I made, but suddenly stopped moving.
"Huh?! What's wrong?!"
The harpies' condition was strange.
Looking at nothing, they were emitting alarm sounds vigorously.
"Gya! Gya~!" "Gigii~!"
All their feathers stood up, and they bared their fangs.
This is the first time I have seen such a harpy.
"Princess!"
"Hmm! Something is wrong!"
Everyone must have noticed the abnormality.
They began to equip weapons one by one.
"What is it! This is a safe zone, right?!"
Iroha shouted.
"Since it is a dungeon beyond human wisdom, anything could happen."
Yuuki's words are also reasonable.
If there is an existence that created the dungeon and even bent physical laws, it wouldn't be strange if the rules were changed at any time.
The darkness began to surround the surroundings with murmurs and a sense of oppression, as if it were alive.
The air was heavy, and a sensation that something eerie was right there attacked everyone.
Although invisible, something was definitely moving in the darkness -- that unpleasant and incomprehensible thing was swirling, silently creeping closer, as if about to manifest with form.
A sensation that something that should be invisible exists there rushed over, making even breathing difficult.
The darkness was not just a space of nothingness; something was writhing within it.
Silently, without shadows, yet something was definitely approaching.
A coldness that made the spine shiver seemed to gradually spread from the darkness, distorting even the sense of time.
Everyone present raised their weapons, froze their spines, and held their breath.
The silence was so profound that one might think even the sound of heartbeats could be heard.
Everyone's eyes searched for the existence lurking in the darkness, and tension reached its limit.
"Something is coming out!"
As the Princess's words echoed, I started filming with the camera in the Item Box.
"Behind me!"
Yuuki ordered the girls to fall back.
"Koeda! Give me a buff!"
"Y-yes!"
Blue magical lights danced into the darkness one after another.
"Darling-san! Buffs?!"
A voice came from the girl who fell back behind Yuuki.
"I don't need it. Pass it to the others."
Still, what is "Darling-san"?
Well, it's fine.
"..."
Behind me, Kaorulko closed her eyes and quietly began preparing magic.
If the opponent is a strong enemy, she probably intends to unleash a fatal magic.
As everyone raised their weapons and held their breath, a roaring sound that resonated in the stomach was heard.
"Nwooooo!"
A giant abnormality manifested from the darkness.
It is a two-legged monster about 5 meters tall, but I have never seen anything like this.
A swollen upper body with thick arms like logs.
Short legs emphasized the imbalance.
It resembles a Troll, but it has no hair.
There is a protrusion that looks like a head, but is there a neck?
"What is that!?"
Iroha's voice echoed.
"I don't know!" "I don't know!"
Even the experienced heroes, the Princess and Yuuki, seem to have never seen it.
"Ooooo!"
As it approached further, it became clear that the head-like thing was a collection of multiple small heads.
"Kyaaa!" "Kyaa!"
Screams began to rise from the girls.
It looked like human heads no matter how you looked at it.
"Is this a Ghoul?!"
As Iroha said, if it is a Ghoul, it was originally human.
Is this a super-powerful type where multiple Ghouls gathered?
Were they former adventurers who came down to the lower floors?
Speaking of which, there should have been many adventurers who were sent flying by the Labyrinth Cult and went missing.
"No, wait! I recognize those faces!"
The monster's heads -- faces in expressions of agony, I have met them before.
"Ah! Is that... the leader of the Dancing Darkness!?"
Yuuki also seemed to notice.
"Y-yes, that's right! That annoying guy! I remember him too!"
So those guys are the executives of the Dancing Darkness who fled into the dungeon with the Labyrinth Cult?
Why did this happen?
"Nwooooo!"
Before confirming their true identity, the monster charged and threw a punch.
We dodged with a jump, and the giant fist sank into the floor, scattering fragments in all directions.
"Protection!"
Yuuki and the others used magic to avoid the fragments, but we cannot let the monster approach the mages.
We must draw the monster's hate toward us.
"Hey! Over here!! Do your worst!"
I fired missiles from the Item Box into the monster's body like a small mountain.
"Nguoooo!"
The monster screamed.
Fortunately, it seems it doesn't have defensive magic or skin that is incredibly hard.
The thrown weapon pierced the monster's body.
If this is the case, it's just big, so if we keep dealing damage, we can defeat it, right?
I thought so -- but...
The single pipes embedded in the monster's body gradually moved and were expelled outside.
The metal pipes falling to the ground made a shrill sound.
"Seriously... maybe it's regeneration?"
"This is the worst."
As Iroha said.
"Gururu..."
Ten red eyes in total on the monster's head glowed.
If it was originally human, does it still have intelligence?
If so, it might target the mages regardless of hate.
Before that, is it really a Ghoul?
"Princess! What do we do?!"
"Uuuu..."
Even the Princess seems unable to make a judgment.
This is seriously, what do we do?