Chapter 54
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
As usual, the square in front of the dungeon was crowded with young adventurers.
Today, I arrived as “Koji.”
This was to show that I was entering the dungeon in my original form, proving that I was working properly as an adventurer.
It wasn’t aimed at anyone specific, but if people thought I was living comfortably despite taking many days off, more people might approach me with various intentions.
I wasn’t in “Mose” because I was supposed to be Iris’s bodyguard, so I planned to avoid entering the dungeon alone, as it would seem a bit unnatural.
Well… I thought I could just say I was scouting or something.
I casually glanced over at the Cleric’s rescue tent, but I didn’t see Seria there.
Up until yesterday, I had made her run around a lot to make her give up on joining us, so she might be tired and resting.
It felt a bit like bullying, but since she had her own issues, I didn’t feel too sorry about it.
After looking away from the tent, I bought a few torches from a stall selling them and got some fire from the nearby skewer shop while also purchasing some kind of meat skewer.
It was grilled with salt, just like the last time I bought it, but unlike before, it didn’t seem to be orc meat.
”What kind of meat is this?”
”It’s rabbit, from the 4th District. Are you going to hunt it?”
Since it was from the 4th District, it must have been caught inside the dungeon.
I was about to go in, so…
”That’s not my main goal, but if I find one, I might as well go for it.”
I was just curious about the meat quality, and since my main purpose today was scouting, I planned to ignore monsters unless they attacked me.
However, I thought it was strange that adventurers wouldn’t want to hunt after hearing about the prey, so I replied like that… and the owner of the skewered meat shop made a subtle face and told me about the rabbit.
”It seems to be located beyond the 4th District, but the 4th District is controlled by big companies. During the day, a lot of people are searching around, so I don’t think you’ll find it easily.”
”Oh, I see… Huh? Is there a day and night inside the dungeon?”
”Apparently, there is? Ah, you seem like a newcomer, so maybe you didn’t know that much.”
”I think I might have heard about it, but I’m not sure…”
When I first came to the city, I wasn’t really focused on going deep into the dungeon, so I might have brushed off those details.
The skewered meat shop owner gave me some extra information.
”Well, if you’re a newcomer, you probably wouldn’t pay much attention to stories about the deeper areas. Anyway, about the 4th District… I’ve heard that at night, there are fewer people around, so if you’re going to hunt, it’s less likely to cause trouble at night.”
”If there’s day and night, then I think the prey would act according to the time…”
”Are you saying that the rabbits would sleep at night? It seems that the monsters inside the dungeon don’t sleep, you know. On top of that, they come attacking towards the light, so I’ve heard that every company focuses on defending their bases.”
During the day, it seems like there’s a lot of competition because of the number of people, but at night, the number of active humans decreases, forcing them to concentrate on base defense.
”So, it’s less likely to run into others at night, right?”
”That’s right. But it seems that the monsters also attack individuals aiming for the light, so in the end, I wouldn’t recommend rabbit hunting. Even if you want to sell the materials, the big companies keep the prices low because they have more numbers, so it won’t earn you much money.”
”Wow, so it’s a bit cheaper than the orc skewers, huh? Well, like I said earlier, that’s not my main goal, so I’ll leave it alone unless I’m attacked.”
”That sounds good. Getting into trouble with a big company would be a hassle.”
It seems that even regular people recognize how powerful the big companies are.
In that case… I should be careful about the Iris situation for a while, and let’s be cautious until Frederica confirms it’s safe.
Also, I’ll ask about the rumor that going to the 4th District makes it easier to join a big company.
”By the way, I heard that if one can get to the 4th District, it’s easier to join a big company. But can’t people who can’t make it there on their own gather together for that purpose?”
”Are you saying to form a makeshift team for that? I think you should avoid that.”
”Why is that?”
”Well, up to the 2nd District is fine, but the monsters in the 3rd District are way stronger. There’s a monster called the Gatekeeper that’s supposed to be really tough. Even if you gather a lot of people, you probably won’t make it to the 4th District, and even if you do, the big companies won’t see you as strong if you go in a big group.”
”I see. Is that why the guild doesn’t teach that method to join a big company?”
”Yeah, probably. I heard that years ago, about 200 people died all at once trying that, and the guild wouldn’t want to lose their earners like that.”
* * *
Leaving the skewered meat shop, I headed straight into the dungeon, passing through the 1st District where there are fewer monsters due to the competition for prey, and entered the twond District.
In the 2nd District, the further I went in, the fewer people there were, so I entered a less crowded passage and covered myself with Magic Armor.
This time, I wasn’t in the form of “Mose,” but rather in a transparent form with breathing vents open.
Of course, I couldn’t use any bright lights, so I turned off my torch and used night vision goggles.
These goggles have a light that emits infrared rays, allowing me to see in the dark.
I’m worried about whether monsters will notice the infrared rays from the night vision goggles, but if they do, I’ll just take care of them normally.
If I can’t handle it, I’ll retreat immediately.
Well then, is my preparation for the reconnaissance good enough?
Ah… in this form, I won’t be recognized by others, and if I accidentally bump into someone, they might think I’m an unknown monster, so I need to be careful.
With that, I became transparent and entered the 3rd District.
From here, it looked more like a stone passage than a cave, and the change from the 1st District to the twond District was clearer.
I’m curious why monsters don’t cross that boundary, but… I guess it’s fine for now.
It seems there aren’t many people around unless big companies or teams are passing through, so I decided to float along to avoid making noise that might alert someone far away.
In the 3rd District, there were armed goblins and slightly different-looking demon wolves wandering around, but… suddenly, I was noticed.
”Grrrr…”
”…”
The demon wolf growled, and the goblin stayed quiet.
I was spotted by a group of about 5, led by a demon wolf with horns shaped like a lightning bolt.
It seems that, since they operate in the dark, they have a different kind of vision. It looks like they are recognizing my position using magic goggles’s infrared.
Normally, they would probably attack me right away, but I’ve already sealed their movements with magic thread.
So, as I was thinking of taking care of them… the demon wolf howled.
”Grrrr!”
*Crack!*
*Zap, zap!*
”Grrr!?”
”Awooo!”
When the leader-like demon wolf howled, a strong light burst around us, and at the same time, lightning struck.
From the shape of its horns, it seemed like it was a monster that could release electric shocks.
However, it didn’t seem to distinguish between friend and foe like in a game, as it ended up hitting nearby allies too.
”Grrr…”
”Argh…”
The electric shock must have been quite effective, as the monsters caught in it let out weak cries… but they didn’t fall due to my threads and stood there like puppets.
Meanwhile, I was floating in the air, completely unaffected, thanks to my Magic Armor that protected me from the electric shock and the goggles that blocked the strong light.
After taking care of the monsters and collecting the magic stones… I let out a sigh.
”Haaah… I can’t believe there are things like that, it surprised me.”
I see.
Since there were goblins that used magic, it wouldn’t be strange for monsters to have special abilities like that.
Humans have titles and skills, and there were even creatures in my past life that could generate electricity.
Thinking about that, I looked at the demon wolf that had released the electric shock.
The materials from such monsters might sell for a high price, but I really don’t want to carry too much stuff.
I didn’t bring a cart when entering the dungeon, so if I leave pulling a cart that I shouldn’t have, I might be suspected of stealing it.
So…
”I’ll just take this much.”
I decided to only collect the Electric Wolf’s horn and moved on.
It seems that with Magic Armor, monsters can’t see me, but if they can sense infrared, then… if I use night vision goggles, I’ll probably still get attacked normally in the future.
However, if I prioritize not being noticed by humans, I can’t avoid using this, so I decided to take out any monsters I find right away.
”Gii…”
*Thud.*
After finishing yet another battle… or rather, task, I continued to collect magic stones while observing the defeated monsters.
The ones I just dealt with were a group of goblins.
There were a total of 7, some using swords, spears, and bows, but where did they get this equipment?
Could it be that they absorbed it in the dungeon?
I can’t confirm it, but since they aren’t the only ones armed, I’ll have to be careful as I proceed.
I checked the map for my route, occasionally dealing with monsters as I moved on… until I arrived in front of a certain room.
According to the map, this is the “Gatekeeper” room.
It’s about 50 meters square (� 538.2 square feet) and around 20 meters high (� 65.6 feet).
There are no doors at the entrance, but at the back of the room, there are double doors, and the map says those doors won’t open unless I defeat the Gatekeeper.
However, it seems that the Gatekeeper won’t appear unless I enter the room, and since I’m just peeking in from outside, there’s no one here right now.
Since I haven’t encountered any adventurers up to this point, and there are none inside, it might be okay to challenge it without worrying about being seen.
So, when I entered the Gatekeeper’s room, I saw several goblins and an electric wolf in the center of the room.
There didn’t seem to be any special effects when they appeared.
The monsters that showed up were armed and seemed to be special, just like the ones on the way here… but there was also a surprisingly large goblin.
Yes, that’s about 2 meters (� 6.56 feet) tall.
That’s just compared to normal goblins, so it’s not extremely huge.
Armed with a sword and shield, it looked strong because of its build, but of course, like the other monsters, it was already bound by magic threads.
*Grr, grrr…*
”Gr… Guaaaah!”
The big goblin was trying to move while howling along with the other monsters.
It seemed to be much stronger than the others, so it used a lot of magic power to keep it fixed with the magic threads.
”Gaaw!”
*Zzap!*
The electric wolf released its shock, and my magic power used to defend with Magic Armor increased a bit.
Even though it wasn’t a huge problem, it was like losing a few meals worth of damage.
Even if I had some leeway, I should avoid any damage I can…
”Gah…”
*Thud.*
I dealt with the monster that appeared as the Gatekeeper just like the others on the way, collected the magic stones, and then headed toward the door at the back.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Report Error Chapter
by
Tags: