Chapter 80 - Chapter 80: Bicycle Speed Battle!
Since the Princess was away, I went diving into the dungeon alone.
I picked up a cat along the way, met Sana, and so on—just a normal adventurer's daily routine.
Returning to the hotel and finishing dinner, Iroha came to visit.
There was no prior appointment, but when I welcomed her, it turned out her younger sister had gone missing inside the dungeon.
Iroha's sister is not an adventurer; she is a mole who makes her living by digging holes in the dungeon to discover new floors.
I ended up accepting her request to search for her sister.
The fact that Iroha came straight to us first means she trusts us that much.
After all, we have the top-ranked Princess and the Empress.
To top it off, there is an old man, a high-level adventurer, with an Item Box.
I may be bragging, but this is undoubtedly the most trusted guild in the world.
We decided on the members: our guild's crew led by the Princess, Iroha and her partner, and we recommended Sana based on my recommendation.
Personally, I believe Sana has sufficient skill.
She has reached that level, and the fact that she could raise her level this much in such a short time suggests she has talent.
According to Iroha, they want to leave immediately, so we prepare.
The Princess and others equip Bikini Armor and the Breast-Curtain Dress.
Seeing them cover these with deep robes, I also equipped my usual armor from my Item Box.
What should I do if drop equipment appears for me?
An old man wearing fantasy-style armor or equipment would be strange.
If it were a cool, mature outfit, it would be fine, but items from this dungeon tend to have higher performance the weirder the equipment is.
It might be the creator of the dungeon playing a prank.
With preparations complete, we all head to the first floor.
"Are you going out now?"
A staff member at the front desk called out to us.
"Yes, we might be away for a while."
"Understood. Have a good trip."
The lobby was brilliantly bright with lights, but outside, the night curtain had already fallen, and the sky was changing from deep navy to black.
Amidst the market lights glowing colorfully in the darkness, people constantly crossed the sidewalks.
Voices of chatting and laughter overflowing from there melted into the night air, creating a lively atmosphere.
Appetizing scents from the lined stalls momentarily stopped the feet of the walking people.
Many adventurers are likely on their way to inns after finishing their day's earnings in the dungeon.
We went against that flow of people and headed toward the dungeon.
As we walked through the bright town, a pitch-black area suddenly appeared.
A place where lights and such cannot be used due to the dungeon's influence—the light of the automatic ticket gate in front of it stood out.
Illuminated by the automatic gate's lamp, the silhouette of a mage in a dark-colored dress was visible.
You could tell even from here that her chest was swelling.
She didn't lose to our Empress.
That shadow looked our way and waved.
"Daisuke-san!"
"You were already here?"
Waiting for us was Sana pushing a bicycle.
"Hmph!"
The Princess saw her and made a difficult face; it seems she doesn't think much of Sana.
She only has the impression of meeting her on the way back from the Floor 7 expedition.
Just as I thought it was only her, another shadow appeared from the darkness.
Illuminated by the light, her identity became clear.
"Kirara? You can't come with us."
"I know that!"
She's still the same, which is just fine.
Since Iroha hasn't arrived yet, I'll explain the mission.
It involves considerable danger, little chance of earning money, and so on...
"I'll go!"
Sana answered immediately.
"Ugh! Sana! Think about it a bit more?!"
"It was decided from the start."
"Ugh..."
Kirara is flustered by Sana's seriousness.
It's quite imposing.
Well, she has already reached a level beyond that of a veteran right in front of her eyes.
At this level, it wouldn't be strange if she were on the adventurer ranking list.
"If anything happens to Sana, I won't accept it!"
"Sorry, but I can't guarantee that."
"I understand!"
"Kirara, give up. Sana has already made up her mind."
"..."
Seeing Sana's serious face, Kirara seems to have lost the ability to say anything.
"I don't mean to distrust Darling, but is it really okay?"
The Princess seems worried about Sana's abilities.
Well, when we met in the dungeon the other day, she was struggling on Floor 5.
"I understand why the Princess is worried, but she has reached Level 31."
"Really?!"
"If that's the case, I think she will be sufficient combat power."
Kaorulko doesn't seem to be opposing it.
"She is an attack-type mage, but she can also use Heal."
"Ugh... I want to trust Darling, but..."
"She's a valuable force ready for immediate action, isn't she?"
"Ugh~"
As she crossed her arms and bent her body sideways, grunting, Sana grabbed my clothes.
"If the Princess says no, I'll take her personally..."
"Daisuke-san."
"Gnnn..."
It seems the Princess finds this quite uninteresting.
"Sakurako-sama, you must show the magnanimity of a top-rankeder here."
"This person is definitely targeting Darling! My capacity is small enough!"
"Really..."
Kaorulko is exasperated.
"But we need combat power, don't we?"
"Ugh..."
When told that, the Princess seems to be in pain.
Adventurers who normally wouldn't participate in such a dangerous expedition that yields no money.
Sana's participation should be valuable.
As Sana hid behind me and the Princess kept grunting, Iroha arrived pushing a bicycle.
She had the mage Koeda following behind her.
It was rare for Iroha to have a bicycle, but given her body size, the vehicle looked very small.
It seems Kirara realized persuasion was impossible and retreated.
"Bring Sana back safely!"
"Well, I'll be as positive as possible."
"Answer seriously!"
"It's impossible. Honestly, I have no idea what will happen."
"I'm fine! No matter what happens, I won't leave Daisuke-san!"
"Really! I don't care what happens!"
Kirara pouted her lips and disappeared into the darkness.
"Sorry! I kept you waiting! It took time to persuade the guild members."
"Did they oppose it?"
"No..."
Iroha hesitated, but Koeda spoke up.
"If anything happens to Iroha-neesan, it concerns the survival of the guild."
"Is there no number two?"
"Hahaha... The successor is supposed to be Koeda, you see..."
So that's how it is.
I felt she had a lot of trust in her, so I thought that might be the case.
"If the top and number two go together, it would be a real problem. Well, it's understandable that the guild members are worried."
"Even so, I can't abandon Kagari."
"Your sister's name?"
"Yes—she is my only blood relative."
Ah—so they also lost their blood relatives when the world stopped.
Becoming adventurers at such a young age must have a certain reason.
The Princess and others are quite special cases.
It's like a life-or-death hobby.
"I see, then we must get serious."
"Everyone, I'm sorry! Even though it won't earn money!"
"Hahaha, it's fine. We are always rivals anyway."
Hearing my words, Iroha blushed, which was rare.
"Was that mage just now involved in some trouble?"
"Yes, regarding her—Iroha, this mage participating on my request is Sana."
I introduced the participating mage, and it seems Iroha remembered her.
"Hm? The girl we met in the dungeon the other day, right? Is she okay?"
"I explained to the Princess, but she has reached Level 31."
"Heh! In such a short time!?"
Iroha was also surprised by the speed at which Sana's level was rising.
"She is attack-type, so leveling up is advantageous for her."
"Still, that's fast..."
"She focuses on firepower, but can also use Heal."
"That's great!"
"She can do it, right?"
"Yes! Of course! I'll be grateful!"
She held Sana's maple-leaf-like hand with her large hand.
"Please take care of me."
"The pleasure is mine!"
"The Princess and Iroha seem okay."
"Gnnn... It can't be helped!"
"As expected of the Princess! I love you."
I hugged her and gave a light kiss.
Well, she doesn't seem fully convinced.
"Ugh~"
This time, Sana was wary of the Princess.
"Koeda, please take care of us too."
"Yes! Please take care of me!"
She bowed politely.
"Stare..."
Sana was staring at me intently.
"She was with me during the previous deep-layer expedition. She is a support-type mage."
"Please take care of us."
The two bowed to each other.
"Then let's go!"
Although it was a temporary party, the Princess was the leader.
Iroha agreed to this as well, and since it was a search for a family member, there was a possibility she might lose her ability to make calm judgments.
An ability to view the overall strategy objectively was necessary.
Iroha understood this too, so she likely handed over the leadership rights.
"Princess, is it okay for Sana to be under me?"
"No, she will be under my command."
"Understood!"
Sana answered immediately.
She probably understands that this expedition will be tough.
It is only natural to follow a veteran top-rankeder with rich experience.
It was already past dusk, and a thin darkness covered the frontier lands.
There was a place gaping open with a blackness that surpassed that darkness—the entrance to the dungeon.
Even the entrance where one could see the unevenness of the rock face and mossy traces during the day had now melted entirely into the darkness, to the point where its shape was completely unknown from the outside.
As if the depths continued into an unfathomable abyss, a deep, cold, and eerie presence floated around.
Since lights cannot be used around the dungeon, the pitch-black darkness of the hole stood out in contrast to the brightness of the town.
A sense of pressure that was not felt during the day now pressed down heavily and coldly, as if wrapping around the whole body.
Normally, no adventurers dive at midnight.
If one steps even a single step into that darkness, a premonition that one will never return crosses one's mind.
"Daisuke-san... Night dungeons are scary, aren't they?"
"It's probably because the inability to use lights stands out due to the dungeon's influence."
"High-level adventurers have good night vision, so there's no problem."
As the Princess said, although the colors were in gray tones, the surroundings were visible.
The difference between seeing and not seeing made a huge difference in fear.
"Princess, Sana can see too, so she's fine."
"I see."
"W-well, I can't see..."
Koeda, standing behind Iroha, whispered in a small voice.
"Hahaha, Koeda will be able to see soon enough."
Iroha laughed while Koeda clung to her large body.
"So, once your level reaches a certain point, you can see in the darkness too?"
"Apparently around 30, but I've heard it varies."
"There's no set standard?"
"I haven't heard of one."
Since Iroha, who has active exchanges with other guilds, says so, it must be true.
We huddled together and entered the entrance hall.
"Wow, it's pitch black..."
Of course.
During the day, the lights here were brought in from the outside sunlight via fiber optics.
Without that, the fiber optics would be pitch black too.
"Eh~ I can't see at all."
Saying that, Koeda broke a chemical light.
Suddenly, the background changed from gray tones to green.
"It's my first time coming at night, but adventurers without night vision wouldn't approach like this."
"The campgrounds are pitch black too."
Scared of the darkness, Koeda stuck close to Iroha.
"Oh, I see—Iroha, it's rare to see you with a bicycle. Does that mean trains aren't running at this time either?"
"That's right."
"Then I'll bring out my bicycle too."
I took out the bicycle from my Item Box.
"Daisuke-san, what should I do with my bicycle?"
"Lend your bicycle to the Princess. You'll ride on the back of mine."
"Understood!"
"Wait a minute!"
The Princess called out "Wait a minute."
"What is it?"
"Why is that woman riding on the back of Darling as if it's natural?"
"Princess, you should let Kaorulko ride on the back. That would be the smoothest resolution."
"Well, that's true."
Iroha seemed to agree with my opinion too.
"Sakurako-sama, please don't throw a tantrum."
"I'm not throwing a tantrum!"
"Princess, hurry up."
I urged her too.
I thought it was a bit wrong to suddenly bring Sana along, but she is certainly combat power.
There are no adventurers willing to accompany us on such an expedition.
"I understand!"
When the Princess took the bicycle from Sana, she put Kaorulko on the back.
"So, Cherry Princess is actually quite troublesome, huh?"
"Don't call me troublesome!"
The Princess countered Iroha's words and started pedaling the bicycle.
I, carrying Sana on the back, and Iroha and the others followed immediately.
"Hyaahhh!"
That voice came from Koeda, standing and riding on the back of Iroha.
She couldn't see in the darkness.
She might feel as if she had been thrown into a void space.
"Iroha, your bicycle seems quite small. Are you okay?"
"Even if I extend the saddle to the very top, it's quite tight."
"That's how it seems."
"I borrowed the sturdiest one I could find, but I must not break it..."
She's surprisingly delicate.
I thought she would naturally break it recklessly—something like that.
Was that my prejudice?
We raced through the pitch-black darkness of the dungeon, wrapped in darkness unlike usual.
Now, neither the magic lights used by adventurers nor the glow of chemical lights were visible.
Every time I pedaled, the wind cut through my skin, cold and biting, and the surrounding scenery was covered in a black veil so dark that not even shadows were visible.
Only the gray rock face continued endlessly.
The only sounds reaching my ears were the sound of tires cutting through the silence echoing within the dungeon and the low sound of cutting the wind.
"When you can see in the darkness, it's not scary at all."
Sana's voice came from behind.
As high-level adventurers rode their bicycles at full speed, we breezed through Floor 1 and arrived at Floor 2 in no time.
The campgrounds, usually bustling, were pitch black, with magic lights and chemical lights flickering here and there.
It seems some people are staying here.
Continuing to pedal, we aimed for Floor 3.
From around here, monsters began to appear, but we charged straight through.
Normally, fleeing while dragging monsters would be considered "train behavior," a serious violation of etiquette, but there were no adventurers at this time.
"Iroha, where is the destination?"
"Floor 6!"
According to her story, they couldn't break through Floor 7, so they tried to dig a hole from Floor 6 to access deeper layers.
I don't understand the logic, but this dungeon doesn't necessarily connect Floor 6 to Floor 7.
It could connect to even deeper layers.
In fact, the deep layer connected from Floor 3 is considered equivalent to Floor 6 because Minotaurs spawn there.
"Princess, the destination seems to be Floor 6."
"Understood! Let's blast through to there!"
"Wait, wait! Take care of the bicycles. They aren't made to withstand the load of adventurers."
After passing through a group of Orcs and Lizardmen on Floor 4, cries came from above.
"Gya! Gya-gya!"
"Harpy?"
Today, we couldn't slow down.
We didn't have time to play.
Looking to the side, Harpies were flying alongside us.
"Sorry, but we can't play today."
"Gya!"
She adjusted her relative speed and landed on top of my head.
"Kyaa!"
Sana behind me was startled by the Harpy's action.
She was spreading her large wings above my head, so lift was probably being generated.
Surprisingly, she wasn't heavy.
When we turned corners, she couldn't keep up with the movement and separated for a moment, but she quickly returned and spread her wings above my head again.
"Darling, that Harpy is the usual one, isn't it?"
Iroha rode alongside.
"Yes."
"She really is tame."
"Well, I don't really know why she's tame."
"Gya-gya!"
More Harpy voices came from above.
This one might be Chichi, but she didn't come down.
She seemed to be following us while flying above.
"Daisuke-san!"
"What is it?!"
"Does this Harpy poop or not?!"
"Eh?! W-well, probably... but girls shouldn't talk about pooping."
"B-but!"
Well, there was probably the Harpy's rear end right in front of my eyes.
Maybe it's unreasonable to tell her not to worry about it.
She had landed on my head and shoulders, and I hadn't pooped on me, so I thought it was fine.
We charged straight into Floor 5.
Monsters greeted us immediately.
From here on, I also started filming.
"Everyone, scatter!"
Our bicycles scattered, charging through the Treant forest.
"Gya!"
Because the bicycle movements were tricky, the Harpy left my head.
Dodging branch attacks, the bicycle line reunited, and this time, a giant appeared from the darkness.
It was a Golem.
"Its movements are sluggish! Dodge under its feet!"
"Whoa!"
We passed under the Golem's raised legs.
As the giant legs stomped the ground, the earth tremors reached the bicycle handlebars.
This would make a great video.
"D-Daisuke-san!"
A worried voice came from behind.
"What's wrong?!"
"A-are you okay?!"
"Haha, I'm fine, I'm fine!"
Since I kept pedaling, I might have been in a runner's high.
We passed between the Golem's legs, and it didn't seem to pursue us.
Its attack power was terrible, but its movement speed was slow.
It should be fine.
"Darling!"
Looking ahead at the Princess's voice, we saw rows of black, shaggy fur.
"Trolls?"
"Gwo! Gaa!"
Black monsters stood up.
"A bear?!"
They were bigger than the brown bears I hunted in my hometown.
Since they were here, they must be monsters.
The leading Princess changed course, and everyone followed.
I intended to dodge this too, but this time the monster was different.
They chased us at a tremendous speed.
Brown bears can reach speeds of about 60 km/h, but these seem to go faster than that.
Our bicycles were already screaming, and we couldn't increase speed any further.
Low-frequency sounds galloping on the ground lined up with the bicycle column, and black shadows formed a line in the gray scenery.
"Gwoooo!"
White fangs and red glowing eyes emerged from the darkness.
"Parallel battle! Sana, magic!"
"Yes! Light Bullets!"
"Target their feet!"
"Strike my enemies! Magic Missile!"
Blue light danced in the pitch-black darkness, and flashes were fired toward the black fur.
The monsters hit at their feet lost their balance and rolled over.
They really rolled like rubber balls, so I couldn't help but laugh.
They looked like foolish animals from an anime.
Well, if you trip while sprinting at 60 km/h, you'll roll over.
"Strike my enemies! Magic Missile!" "Strike my enemies! Magic Missile!"
Flashes followed.
It was Kaorulko and Koeda's magic.
Kaorulko, of course, but even Koeda, a support-type mage, has the Light Bullet spell?
Well, it seems like a basic spell learned first.
The bear monsters, with many comrades rolling on the ground, seemed to give up the pursuit.
"Phew."
I wondered what would happen, but this might have made a fun video.
Finally, we reached Floor 6.
"Stop for now!"
The Princess's voice echoed in the safe zone of Floor 6.
"Ooh!" "Oshi!"
The bicycle column stopped right there.
Now, what happens next?