Chapter 51 Interlude Nine – The Prison Of Hot Sand, I
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
As far as my eye can see, the vast desert forms sand dunes here and there, not quite flat.
In the middle of this sea of sand, Nishina-san and I stood alone.
”Tina, what’s going on? Where are we?”
Tina remained floating near me.
’Um, it seems like we were teleported to some other place in the dungeon due to an abnormality in the Teleportation Magic Circle.’
”This is a dungeon?”
’It looks like an open field floor, but the depth of the level is unknown.’
I tried to open the automap, but the part with the level display was garbled.
”Is it possible not to know the level?”
’No, normally it’s only possible in special areas. There’s something strange about this place.’
”Tsuchimiya-kun, who are you talking to?”
Nishina-san asked with a worried expression. It seems like it would be better to disclose the information.
”Oh, actually, my gift is called ‘guide fairy.’ It’s a fairy that only I can see, and it teaches me various things and supports me.”
”Gift… Did it also teach me how to use magic?”
’Yeah, it was thanks to guidance from a guide fairy named Tina.’
”I see… So, does she know where we are?”
It seems like she’s starting to understand.
”Well, it seems like we were sent somewhere in the dungeon due to an anomaly in the teleportation magic circle, but she doesn’t know where exactly.”
”Is this place a dungeon then? What happened to Akari and the others?”
”Tina.”
’I can’t say for sure, but there’s a high chance they were sent somewhere on this floor. Those who are in contact should have been teleported to the same place.’
”They’re probably somewhere on this floor. If they were in contact, they should have been teleported to the same place.”
”At that moment, it looked like Chikako was clinging to Akari…”
Satou-san and Hano-san might be together, which means Maekawa-san is probably alone.
”Hey… what should we do now?”
We’re in a desert… We don’t know where we are, and we have no idea how big this place is.
I read somewhere that during the day, it’s good to dig holes to avoid the direct sunlight and save energy, and move when the sun goes down. But since this is a dungeon, we don’t even know if there’s a night here, and I’m worried about Maekawa-san and the others. Since it’s a dungeon, there might be monsters too. We should try to meet up with Maekawa-san and the others as soon as possible. We have lots of food and water in storage, and even water from a recovery spring, so we shouldn’t dry out and die too quickly.
”Let’s look for Maekawa-san and the others while we move. We need to meet up with everyone first.”
”Yeah! I understand!”
Luckily, Nishina-san is wearing a robe. Wearing the hood should help protect against direct sunlight. I also put on a blazer from the storage room for winter uniforms.
It seems that in the desert, a suit that can block direct sunlight and has good ventilation is more suitable than short sleeves and shorts.
Instead of a hat, I put a leather bag with holes cut out for my eyes on my head. It may look strange, but I can’t afford to get heatstroke easily.
As we get ready, sweat starts pouring out due to the heat.
”Nishina-san, here you go.”
I take out a cold sports drink bottle from the storage room and hand it to Nishina-san.
”Where did you get this from? And when did you grab the winter uniform?”
”Tina’s support function has a storage space in another dimension. There’s plenty of water and food, so if you want anything, just let me know.”
”Y-yes! Thank you, Tsuchimiya-kun.”
”Now, which way should we go first?”
Looking around, I saw a big sand dune far away.
”First, let’s go to the top of that.”
I pointed to the top of the sand dune.
”It’s pretty tough…”
We were climbing the steep slope of the big sand dune. It felt like we had been walking for over an hour from the starting point, but for some reason, my phone’s clock was stuck at 3:47 PM, so I wasn’t sure. The antenna wasn’t up, and there was an ‘X’ mark, so I couldn’t communicate.
”Nishina-san, are you okay?”
”Yeah, I’m okay. Tsuchimiya-kun, don’t push yourself too hard. Want to take a break?”
Nishina-san, who was climbing up the slope quickly, looked worriedly at my face. If I thought about it, Nishina-san is Evold, so she has much more stamina than me.
”Yeah, let’s take a little break.”
If we keep going like this, I’ll tire out before long. It’s important not to push ourselves too hard.
After thrusting the tip of the Kondou Spear into the slope, carefully changing the direction of my body and lowering my hips. If I’m careless, I feel like I might slip all the way down. Nishina-san also sat down next to me, resting her hips. To ensure safety, when I reached out my hand for her, Nishina-san happily clung onto it.
As I drank tea from a PET bottle and looked ahead, I was overwhelmed by the sight of the vast desert stretching out endlessly. I felt like I had become very small.
”It feels like we’ve come on a trip overseas, doesn’t it?”
Nishina-san said nonchalantly as she rested her head on my shoulder.
”Certainly, I never thought I would see such a view in my life.”
Although the automap is working, it’s not very helpful because the area is too vast. It’s reassuring not to have to go around in circles in the same place. I strain my eyes to see if there are any signs of people, but I can’t see anything resembling them. It’s hard to grasp the sense of distance of the place I’m looking at right now.
”Tina, how big is this place? And does night come here?”
’I don’t know. Since it’s a dungeon, I can’t rely on its appearance to judge its size. It might be surprisingly small, or it could be as big as several countries. The day-night cycle can also be controlled, so it’s hard to say.’
”Controlled… So, what exactly is a dungeon?”
’Oh, you want to know that? Originally, dungeons are extremely dangerous places created by great sages to intentionally control and manage the uncontrolled growth of otherworldly realms around a dense magic core. They’re said to be a ‘system’ created by these sages. Even though they’re managed, autonomous magic intelligence handles everything, so humans can’t interfere at all. At the same time, they’re used to enhance humanity’s strength using vast amounts of magic.’
”Creating dangerous dungeons intentionally? There’s a lot I don’t understand. Are ‘System’ and ‘Player System’ the same thing?”
’Um… I tried to be vague, but you caught on. The ‘Player System’ is something newly created for summoned people from another world, and the creators… um, it seems like I shouldn’t talk about this anymore. If I talk too much, I might get deleted, so please understand.’
”Got it.”
It would be troublesome if Tina gets deleted. The immediate issue is how to escape from this floor and reunite with Maekawa-san and the others.
”As long as Akari and the others are safe…”
Although Maekawa-san and the others might be physically fine for a while, the problem is the monsters. If this is a deep floor, powerful monsters might appear.
”Yeah, we need to find them and reunite quickly.”
After climbing the slope again, we somehow reached the top.
Looking around from the top of the tall sand dune, there were still no signs of any people.
”I can’t see anyone anywhere…”
”If they’re hiding in the shadows of the dunes, we won’t be able to find them.”
I’ve heard that once you’re 2km (1.24 miles) away, humans become as small as sesame seeds and are nearly impossible to spot.
The distance to the horizon is approximately 4.4km (2.7 miles) from the eye level of an adult male on Earth. That’s less than 20km (12.4 miles) even from the height of a 10-story building. I remember the Sahara Desert was supposed to be about the size of the entire United States. I didn’t think this dungeon desert would be that huge, but trying to find a specific person in this vast sea of sand without any clues is almost impossible. At least if they were closer, it would be better.
”Tina, is there any way to find everyone?”
’…I’m sorry. My search range is about 150m (492ft) in radius right now. Once I reach level 5, I can increase it to 200m (656ft), but that’s all I can do for now.’
”I see… Let’s go with that for now.”
’Understood. I will spend 2030 of your exp points to level up and expand my search range.’
It’s better than doing nothing.
After casting the Flare Bomb Magic on the ground, I shot Lightning Bolt Magic into the sky twice. There was a sound of explosion and light. If someone is nearby, they might notice.
We waited for about an hour, but no one approached.
”Tsuchimiya-kun…”
When I stood up, Nishina-san, who had been sitting back to back keeping watch on the opposite side, also stood up. Just staying still can drain your energy.
”Let’s move.”
”Okay… but, where should we go?”
It seems like we both understand that the situation is hopeless. I have no idea where we should go either.
”Kondou-senpai, please.”
I murmured like a prayer and tossed the Kondou Spear into the air.
The Kondou Spear fell and its tip stuck into the sand, then slowly lost balance and fell over.
The tip is pointing to the right of our direction.
”Tina, please mark this direction on the map.”
’Okay.’
A straight line is drawn on the map towards the northeast.
After picking up the Kondou Spear, we started walking northeast.
As we continued silently down the sand dunes, Tina suddenly spoke up.
’Master, there are monsters.’
Looking at the map, I saw a red light behind us. When I turned back, I couldn’t see anything. It was about 200m (656ft) away.
As we kept walking while checking the map, the light slowly closed in on us. When it got to about 100m (328ft) away, I looked back again but still couldn’t see anything.
When it got even closer to 50m (164ft), I stopped and turned around.
”What’s wrong, Tsuchimiya-kun?”
”We’ve been followed by monsters, but I can’t see them.”
”Huh?”
As the two of us stop and squint, a red light moves closer, about 10m (33ft) away.
”Ah! Something just moved!”
We saw it. Something flat on the ground slithered smoothly.
As we observe, it approaches stealthily. It’s quite big, about the size of a six-tatami mat (10 m2/108 sqft).
”We’ll confront it here.”
”Uh, okay.”
I step forward and thrust my left hand out towards it.
”Flare Bomb!”
A ball of flame flies, hitting the ground and exploding. Amidst the flying sand, we see a mantis-like monster jumping up from the blast. Its back is sand-colored like a flounder, but its belly is pure white, with sharp teeth like knives lining its wide-open mouth.
’It’s a Desert Tray! It’s a monster that appears around the 13th floor!’
The 13th floor, huh? In a game, at my current level, there’s hardly a chance of winning, but in reality, who knows. If it’s a living creature, it should die if you hit its weak points.
The Desert Tray stops hiding its presence and charges straight ahead, scattering sand as it goes.
”Nishina-san, get down!”
If this huge thing charges straight at Nishina-san, there’s no stopping it!
Dragging the Kondou Spear along the ground, I run to the left. Luckily, the Desert Tray changes course towards me.
I jump into the air with a Blast Jump to dodge its open mouth lunging at me.
By the time I land, the Desert Tray has passed by.
Next, I’ll land a hit.
It’s going to be a close call, but first, I need to make an attack count.
”Ice Burn!”
Nishina-san shouted as the dessert tray slowed down to change direction.
The dessert tray started to struggle like a fish out of water when it landed on the ground.
”Nishina-san, nice!”
I ran to the dessert tray and closed the distance with a blast jump.
”Azure Thunder Fang!”
I wrapped the Kondou Spear with azure thunder in the air and pierced the back of the dessert tray while jumping on it.
Zzzz! The azure thunder burst and the dessert tray convulsed. I continued to stab the Kondou Spear multiple times around its head.
”Is it dead…right?”
I stabbed the tip of the Kondou Spear into the head of the dessert tray that still wouldn’t evaporate.
”The exp points keep increasing. It’s more than 10 times as much as the hobgoblin… This place might be a pretty deep floor.”
It seemed like a troublesome opponent if I were to fight it head-on, but we managed to trap it with Nishina-san’s magic. However, normally, if a monster dies, it should turn into black mist and evaporate.
”Why isn’t it disappearing?”
’It might be bad. This floor might be an unmanaged abandoned floor.’
”Abandoned floor?”
’Dungeon monsters are given temporary bodies by the souls of the summoned monsters. However, if those monsters breed with each other, there is a certain probability that a real monster with a physical form will be born. When these real monsters breed, most of their offspring are born as real monsters with complete physical forms. These monsters are uncontrollable and can cause a stampede of monsters overflowing from the dungeon, so if the management system is working properly, they should be automatically culled.’
”In this case, what’s bad about it?”
’Abandoned floors occur when either an entire floor or part of it is discarded for some reason, or when there’s a malfunction in the generation process causing it to separate from the dungeon. One thing that applies to both scenarios is that there’s no Return Magic Circle.’
”What!? That’s…”
I didn’t say it out loud to Nishina-san, but it’s pretty bad news.
”Well, whatever. First, let’s focus on joining Maekawa-san and the others. We’ll think about the rest later.”
It’s not like it’s decided that it’s an abandoned floor yet, and either way, what we need to do now remains the same.
”More importantly, do these monsters not drop magic stones or items?”
’No, monsters carry magic stones inside them. Items and treasure chests should drop as expected. Oh, but on abandoned floors, it might get a bit shady depending on the conditions. Besides, the monsters’ corpses themselves are treasures, you know.’
”Is that so?”
’The monster is like a bunch of materials. The Desert Tray has a sharp poison needle at the base of its tail, which sells for a high price. Its magic skin is also useful for making armor and capes, and its poison, cartilage, liver, and such are ingredients for Magic potions. Encountering natural monsters in dungeons is considered lucky and rare.’
”Can you store this one in the storage?”
’Got it.’
The big Desert Tray suddenly disappears. I might get scolded if I suddenly bring this to the buying counter. I’ll consult Lugia-san when I get back.
”Huh? It disappeared!? What’s going on?”
”It seems like it sells for a high price, so I stored it in the storage.”
”Wow… you can store even such a big thing?”
Nishina-san stares blankly at where the Desert Tray disappeared. It’s probably best not to talk about the abandoned floor yet.
”More than that, I was saved earlier. Thank you for earlier, Nishina-san. Thanks to you, we were able to defeat it.”
During our dungeon exploration earlier, I thought Nishina-san was really good at observing the battle situation and using magic effectively.
”No, it’s not like that. I can only stop movements for a little bit. Tsuchimiya-kun is really amazing. You can defeat strong monsters with just that.”
”If I were alone, I would have struggled more. You were a great support. Thank you.”
”Um…”
Nishina-san blushed and looked down. Nishina-san seems to be becoming a more reliable ally than I thought.
As we resumed our journey, about an hour later, a large lizard began running towards us from afar. It was about 6m (20ft) long.
After stopping its movements with a Lightning Bolt, Nishina-san’s Ice Spears slowed it down completely, allowing me to approach and deliver the final blow.
According to Tina, many desert monsters seem to have a weakness to the ice attribute.
I also collected the bodies of the lizard monsters called Alpharex, as they do not disappear after being defeated.
Encountering natural phenomena like rare individuals in succession suggests that we are getting closer to the abandoned floor.
Walking silently through the unchanging desert landscape, we continued for three hours with breaks in between. Nishina-san’s tiredness was becoming noticeable. Although I am more fatigued, I can still move as I have replenished water and food. I hope to use the water from the recovery spring only as a last resort. If we were to reunite with Maekawa-san and the others, we don’t know how long the five of us will have to spend in this desert.
However, we are starting to fall behind in our march. Sleepiness is creeping in, so maybe we should camp for the night. Even though it is still bright, it should already be midnight by the actual time.
Lost in my thoughts, Nishina-san suddenly spoke up after a long while.
”Tsuchimiya-kun. It’s getting a bit dark, isn’t it?”
”Huh?”
I was absent-minded and didn’t notice. The sunlight is still shining brightly, but indeed, the light is turning reddish. Looking at the western sky, the big sun is getting closer to the horizon, trying to dye the sky red color as it shimmers in the heat haze.
Is night coming? I need to prepare for the night camp and get some sleep. I wonder if Maekawa-san and the others we couldn’t meet are safe.
”Tsuchimiya-kun! I see something over there!”
Nishina-san points ahead. I strain my eyes to see, but at first, I couldn’t see anything. But after walking a bit further, I see it too.
What is that? Clearly, an artificial whitish structure. As we get closer, the scenery turns red, and I realize it’s a tent house. Next to the tent house, there’s a tree growing, with lush leaves and round fruits.
Is there water? An oasis, perhaps!
My legs naturally start moving faster, but I noticed something strange when we got about 50m (164ft) closer.
No matter how much we walk, the tent house doesn’t get any closer.
”Tsuchimiya-kun… something seems weird.”
”Yeah…”
We keep walking, but the tent house just keeps getting farther away, like the distance isn’t shrinking at all. The leaves of the tree sway in the wind, and the tent house looks shiny in the sunset. The sun is about to set, but it feels like time stopped since the light hasn’t changed.
’There’s some kind of barrier. At this rate, we’ll never get there!’
”A barrier… Can’t we do anything about it?”
I’m getting impatient and frustrated.
’I don’t have a way to break the barrier, so we’ll have to invite the people who set it up. Since the sunset is linked to the distance of that facility, it might be related to an event. In that case, we need a key item prepared somewhere.’
A key item, huh? I don’t have time to search for something like that. I just have to pray that someone’s over there.
”Excuse me! Is anyone there?”
I shout desperately, but there’s no response.
”I know you’re there! Just show yourself for a moment! Come on!”
”Tsuchimiya-kun, you sound like a debt collector.”
Oh no, calm down. I’m not even Evold, but my urge to attack is rising.
Just thinking about some guy in there, cool as a cucumber, smirking at me makes me want to drag them out and punch them. This is just paranoia from fatigue. Losing your temper is a bad move. Let’s be gentlemanly about this.
I take a deep breath to calm myself, and I notice that Kondou Spear is vibrating slightly, almost as if resonating with my frustration.
Oh, is that okay, Kondou-senpai? I’m gonna do it, okay?
Kondou Spear is ready to go. Just feeling that makes me feel pumped up. The urge to attack, which I had been holding back, swells up, and I can feel a sense of liberation as my lips curl into a smile.
”Excuse me, please open this! Within 10 seconds! 10, 9, 8, 7…!”
As I rapidly count down, I raise up Kondou Spear, emitting a high-pitched sound.
”…2, 1, Zero!”
At the same time, a light suddenly appears on what seems to be the entrance of the tent house, but my hand doesn’t stop.
”You’re too slow!”
With all my strength, I swing down Kondou Spear, effortlessly cutting through without any resistance. But I can definitely feel the sensation of cutting through something dense.
Following the path of the tip, the scene in front of me shifts vertically. The next moment, a violent gust of wind blows as if a glass window had shattered.
”Aaaahh!”
”I have done it…”
’Please calm down a little! Are you doing something outrageous? Cutting down a barrier all of a sudden is like declaring war! The magic pressure inside and outside the gust is completely different! This is more like a seal than a barrier! There might be something dangerous inside!’
I walked with Kondou Spear. The scenery, red like the blood of a sunset, grew dark and was enveloped in twilight.
”The tent house is getting closer! Tsuchimiya-kun, what did you do?”
”I cut down the barrier. I won’t let them act like they don’t know me anymore.”
”You can do that too… Tsuchimiya-kun is amazing after all.”
”No, the amazing one is not me, it’s Kondou-senpai. I’m just a normal person.”
”Is that so?”
I’m just an otaku, except for being Kondou-senpai’s kouhai. Maybe I should talk to Nishina-san later and tell her how amazing Kondou-senpai is.
When I arrived in front of the tent house, the sun had completely set and the moon was out. It’s a half moon tonight.
”We’re from the Kondou group! We’d like to borrow lodging, meals, and power indefinitely! We’re truly sorry!”
”Am I also from the Kondou group…?”
A white flag appeared from somewhere above the tent house, and the entrance curtain opened smoothly.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.