Chapter 264 Deep Floor Team (Part I)
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
(Gunilla’s POV)
”Mr. Tank! Watch out!”
I shot a Black Bow at this giant snake called ‘Two-Headed Serpent’ that was about to pounce on Mr. Tank from the side.
Romy followed up with an arrow aimed at the same snake.
The magician and thief were already down, and the leader, along with 2 fighters, was barely holding their ground against another ‘Two-Headed Serpent.’
”Watch out!”
The snake, hit by my and Romy’s arrows, charged at us, but the leader slashed at it while Mr. Tank blocked it with his huge shield.
”You guys need to run! You don’t have to attack!”
”But, two of them are down… and we’re up against 2 huge snakes…”
Romy argued back to the leader, but he shoved her aside.
”We’ll handle this! We can regroup later! Just get out of here!”
The leader caught the snake’s fangs with his sword and grinned at us.
”Romy, we gotta run!”
I grabbed Romy’s hand and tried to head back the way we came, but we couldn’t get past the snake.
”Gunilla! Let’s go down there!”
Romy pointed to a staircase that probably led to the next level.
I nodded at Romy and took off running.
* * *
(Hiroya’s POV)
As the blinding light settled down, we found ourselves standing in the ‘Safety Zone’ on the Third Floor where we had finished exploring last time.
”Alright, is everyone here?”
”Hiroya’s good.”
”Kazumi’s here too.”
”Rena’s here.”
”Martina’s fine!”
”Dorothy’s safe.”
”…Asuka’s here.”
”Aluda too.”
”Meluda’s okay.”
”Uu’s here~.”
Everyone raised their hands in response.
”Looks like everyone’s safe. This is the first time teleporting from outside into the dungeon, but it feels the same, huh?”
After being wrapped in light, I felt that fly sensation and that ‘falling from a high place in a dream’ feeling…
then the light eventually faded away, and I was already at the teleportation destination.
It felt like that.
”Ah, that weird feeling of falling is kinda gross, you know? ──Alright, everyone, let’s check our gear. Is everything ready?”
Maybe my words brought back that falling sensation, as Liz shivered a bit and then instructed everyone to check their stuff.
* * *
”Looks like everyone’s gear is good, Ms. Liz.”
Liz nodded at Dorothy’s report.
”Okay, let’s head outside. Martina, you’re in the lead.”
Called by Liz, Martina stood in front of the door.
”I’ll keep an eye out for traps, so Rena or Doro-Doro, can you handle monster detection?”
”Yeah. Rena and Dorothy will take turns detecting. Dorothy, that cool with you?”
”Yep. I’ll go first then.”
Right, we were supposed to lighten Martina’s load.
After hearing Rena and Dorothy’s replies, I nodded at them and opened the door to the ‘Safety Zone.’
As soon as we stepped out of the room, we were hit with screams and vibrations echoing through the hallway.
”That’s probably the boss on the Second Floor, right? ──What should we do?”
At Asuka’s question, Liz nodded.
”They must be having a tough time. Hiroya and Asuka, you two lead the way to the Second Floor! Kazumi and Rena, get ready with attack magic, and everyone else, prepare your Black Bows!”
Before Liz even finished her instructions, Asuka and I dashed up the stairs to the Second Floor.
* * *
”Two ‘Hydras’, huh…”
The ‘Hydras’ turned to face us as they noticed.
And beneath their writhing bodies…
lay 6 fallen adventurers.
”Flaming Arrow!”
”Light Arrow!”
Kazumi and Rena’s magic, along with arrows from Liz and the others, were aimed at a 2-headed snake.
”Asuka! Let’s focus on that one!”
”Got it!”
Asuka and I took off running towards the other 2-headed snake.
”Physical Boost!”
The two-headed snake raised its head and stretched its neck towards us.
Its huge fangs peeked out from its wide-open mouth.
(If I’m gonna slice off its head… I gotta dodge first…)
Just as it got close, I sidestepped.
The spot where I had been a moment ago was gouged out by its fangs.
(This is it…!)
I twisted my body and drew my sword, aiming for the extended neck of the two-headed snake.
The centrifugal force of my strike hit its neck.
(Got a hit!)
With a slash from ‘Yamikirimaru’, that massive head was severed.
Asuka’s initial thrust pierced the open upper jaw of the other head, going straight to its brain.
As Asuka and I landed almost simultaneously, we looked at the other 2-headed snake…
it was already taken down by the magic and arrows.
* * *
”Hey, you okay?”
Liz called out to the barely breathing fighter.
The other 5 were…
”…”
Rena was silently shaking her head as she checked on the fallen adventurers.
It seemed ‘Healing’ was too late.
”The porter girl… heh, two of them… got away… beyond that staircase…”
As she spoke, the fighter coughed up blood.
”Got it. We’ll find them.”
”Ah… they… can’t fight…”
Liz glanced at Rena, but Rena looked down and shook her head.
”P… please help them…”
With that, the man breathed his last.
* * *
”A porter without combat ability made it to the Third Floor…”
While gathering their bodies in the corner of the hall, Martina unlocked a wooden box that had appeared and handed the old jewelry and the recovered magic stones from the two-headed snake to Uu.
”Got to hurry up or it’s gonna be bad…”
Kazumi looks beyond the landing.
”Let’s go. Martina in the lead, just like we planned. Dorothy, focus on enemy detection, and Rena, you concentrate on that porter’s detection. Got it?”
”Got it.”
”If anything other than monsters gets detected, it’s probably those girls.”
”Yeah. I don’t think anyone else has made it to this level yet besides us.”
After Liz gives instructions to Dorothy and Rena, Aluda speaks up.
”If we wanna lighten Marti’s load, I’ll go up front too. Gotta use that dwarf ‘instinct’ of mine.”
”Can you handle that? We’re looking for people in the maze, so I wanna use full detection ability.”
Liz accepts the suggestion and announces the change in formation.
- Scouts.
Martina, Aluda.
- Vanguard.
Me, Asuka.
- Midfield.
Kazumi, Rena, Meluda, Uu.
- Rearguard.
Liz, Dorothy.
”I’m putting a lot on Meluda as the ‘Mr. Tank’ but…”
”It’s fine! Liz and Doro are right behind us. Meluda just needs to watch the front.”
Meluda winks at Liz while holding a large shield.
”Let’s hurry. If a porter without combat power runs into a monster on this level, it’s game over.”
Rena casts ‘Wisp’ to light the way, and we head down the landing.
* * *
(Gunilla’s POV)
”I wanna hide somewhere, but… all the doors lead to monster rooms…”
Romy whispers softly, her voice a bit shaky.
We ran desperately from the landing.
Before we knew it, the scenery had changed to a rocky cave, and there were a few shabby wooden doors, but they looked too scary to open.
After walking for a bit, we finally found a big rock in the corridor to hide behind and took a breather.
”I’m… hungry.”
”…I ain’t had lunch yet…”
My backpack should still have a meal from the party in it, but I don’t have time to dig through my stuff.
”Oh, there was a chocolate bread in the pouch, right?”
”Oh yeah!”
I had bought some snacks before we set out.
Both me and Romy pulled out the chocolate bread from my pouch and started munching on it.
”It’s so good…”
”Yeah, it’s delicious… mmm!”
Romy, who was eating too fast, choked a bit, so I handed her my leather water bottle.
”Phew… thanks, Gunilla♡.”
For now, we gotta find a way to hide.
I spread out the canvas sheet that I had tied under my backpack and connected it with Romy’s, then curled up to shield her, covering us with the sheet.
”Just take a nap, Romy… it’ll help ya feel better.”
”Yeah. You should rest a bit too, Gunilla.”
We leaned against the rock, covered ourselves with the sheet, and took turns napping.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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