Volume 4 Chapter 118 Inside the Meat
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
6th Floor: Burning Dragon Peak. Its Guardian: a giant turtle with a rock shell. The Rock-Shelled Dragon.
We broke inside and reached the core. A dark-red, beating heart. Destroy it, and the Guardian falls. The floor clears. But during the fight, we saw a human-like shape inside the heart. What was that?
Inside the airship (the “love hotel”), I replayed that split second. It was definitely there. Inside a crack in the dark-red flesh, a human form. I didn’t imagine it. For that moment, it was burned into my sight.
”Was someone absorbed before us?” Kéa asked, tilting her head.
Earlier, Kéa herself almost got pulled into the heart. Others could have been absorbed the same way.
If it’s a victim, who? An adventurer? No.
We cleared the 5th Floor boss. That unlocked the 6th. So no one reached this floor before us. Even if someone invaded after, they couldn’t have beaten our airship and gotten this deep. No. That thing was inside from the start.
”I only felt it for a moment, but—” the blond elf, Rozmiaque, cut in. He spoke with a noble air.
”I felt no pain or fear from the one inside. If anything, it felt peaceful.”
”I see…”
If Rozmiaque says so, it’s true. His Spirit Magic (a type of magic that senses feelings) reads emotions. I’ve relied on his accuracy many times.
They aren’t suffering. They aren’t calling for help.
If that’s the case…
”A controller?” Sphica muttered, her voice calm.
The true Guardian controlling the Rock-Shelled Dragon. Or maybe a control unit. A living part of the machine. Something like that.
That would make sense.
If so, they’re an enemy. We should just blast it with the magic cannon. Heart and all. But—
I still felt uneasy. Was it really okay to attack? The shape was small. Child-sized.
”Just to be safe…” I started. Everyone’s eyes turned to me.
”I won’t aim directly at it. Even if we destroy the core, I’ll shift the firing line.”
A short silence.
Then, a sigh.
”You’re soft, you know that?” Gaedaf said, shrugging with a laugh.
No blame in his voice. Just a half-amused shrug.
”That kind of thinking can get you killed, kid.”
”I know.” I replied short. Still.
For the life of me, I couldn’t pull the trigger.
”Mr. Taro is just kind.” Tifi smiled softly. Lifia nodded hard.
”If the Master says so, then it’s the right path!”
”Thanks.”
Soft, huh. I know. If I chose only logic, I wouldn’t hesitate. Just blow it up and move on. That’s the safest, easiest choice.
But killing someone inside without even checking who they are? I’m not that cold. Whether it’s right or not, I don’t know.
We got ready and went back to the airship.
The room was tense. Everyone understood from the last fight that normal attacks couldn’t destroy the heart.
”Magic charge complete!” Beckus shouted, his voice rough and Northern.
Behind him, the magic pipe connected to the cannon pulsed faintly. The charged magic was compressed, held right at the edge of exploding.
”Range set! Spread stopped! Shockwave minimized!” Nokiroul yelled, working several magic circle panels. Fine adjustments. If we messed up, the shot could blow this whole room away. But we focused it into a single point.
”Defense magic ready whenever you are!” Yomi finished her chant and reported.
The air grew tight.
Everyone’s eyes locked on me.
”Alright. Open it.”
A heavy grinding noise.
The airship shutter slowly rose.
Beyond it lay the Guardian’s inside. Its heart.
Thump, thump. The dark-red mass pulsed. A sick heartbeat, just like before.
For a split second, I hesitated. Would whoever is in there be safe?
But there was no other way. If luck is on our side, it’ll be fine.
”Fire!” I ordered.
The Sailor Brownies (Yomi’s fairy servants) pulled the trigger.
—A flash.
A stream of compressed magic shot out.
A white-hot beam pierced the massive heart. Direct hit. It punched right through.
Right away, the shockwave came back.
A blast of pressure blew inward, shaking the airship to its core.
”Yomi!” I yelled.
”Leave it to me!” Yomi called back.
Yomi’s defense spell activated.
A barrier of light pushed back the incoming magic and shockwaves.
The air shook; my vision blurred.
”Close it!” I shouted.
The shutter slammed down.
Silence.
”…What happened?” I asked.
I checked the outside screen. It was pure white. Covered in smoke and leftover magic glow. But that cleared, too. Little by little.
What I saw was a wrecked space. Walls gouged, pipes torn, machines dead. No trace of the factory-like inside from before. Only a dim emergency light shone on the rubble and debris.
And. The turtle’s massive heart was unrecognizable. Chunks of meat were scattered. The beat had stopped. A complete shutdown.
”Guess it worked.” I muttered.
This cleared the 6th floor of the dungeon.
”Yahoo! A mountain of treasure! All ours! Woo-hoo-hoo!” Beckus cheered.
”Let’s go, boys!”
The dwarf brothers opened the door themselves and jumped out, shouting with joy. They dove into the rubble.
The Sailor Brownies followed.
”Wait! Safety check first!” Yomi yelled, but they didn’t listen.
”This is how it works! First come, first served!” Beckus shot back.
”If we go later, there’ll only be scraps!”
Once they got like this, nothing could stop them.
”Can’t be helped. Shall we go?” I asked the group.
I couldn’t just leave them. At least I wanted them in sight.
We stepped out, staying alert.
”How is it?” I asked.
”…Hmm. Nothing moving. Everything silent.” Sphica answered, eyes closed, sensing the area.
So the heart really was the weak point.
The room had completely changed.
The walls, the machines, the pipes that ran everywhere—all destroyed. Rubble littered the floor. The equipment that was running moments ago was dead silent.
And the meat. Black, burned chunks of what used to be the heart.
In the center of the room, a huge lump of meat lay on the floor.
The turtle’s heart, or what was left of it. Pierced by the magic cannon, it was deeply gouged. It didn’t twitch.
But even so, it was still huge. Big enough to fit a person inside.
I scanned the room.
No pieces of a human body among the rubble.
In that case.
My eyes went back to that lump of meat.
Are they still inside?
”Leave it to me!” Beckus shouted, already taking out his tools.
Nokiroul rushed over, looking excited.
”This heart… it’s not just meat. The magic-conducting fibers are—”
”Lectures later! Open it up first!” Beckus snapped.
The dwarf brothers started cutting it apart with practiced moves.
The burned meat split open with dull thuds. It looked like just raw meat to me, but to them, it was a pile of treasure.
”Hey, Dawn! Don’t just stand there staring, help out!” Beckus barked.
”Yeah, yeah… man, getting dragged into manual labor.” Gaedaf sighed.
Gaedaf and the rest of Star of the Dawn were pulled in.
But as expected of high-level adventurers, they were used to cutting up monsters.
The heart remains were sliced away.
And then—
”Hey, this is…!” someone yelled.
Inside the meat. Deep inside, a foreign object was visible.
”It popped out!” Beckus shouted.
Beckus reached in and pulled something out.
What appeared was a person.
And—
”She’s a stunner!”
What came out was a small girl.
”It’s a girl! Hey, back off, you pervy old man!” Yomi shouted.
The girl was limp, not moving.
Her whole body was covered in blood, flesh, and slime.
”Wait, let me have a bit more fun—” Beckus groaned.
”Shut it! Brownies!” Yomi ordered.
At Yomi’s command, the Sailor Brownies moved.
They were often used for the dwarfs’ chores lately, but their real master was Yomi.
Beckus and the others were pulled away and dismissed.
”Water! Fire!” Yomi called.
Yomi made warm water and washed the girl’s body.
The fairies worked the cloth, carefully wiping off the dirt.
Little by little, the girl’s form appeared.
She was short. Even shorter than Korukona.
Soft, curly, peach-colored hair. Wet, it clung heavy to her cheeks.
But something else caught my eye even more.
”…Demon Race?” I whispered.
Horns. Two pairs of curled horns on her head, like a sheep’s. The Demon Race. A species once called the enemy of humans. We were almost at war, but they’ve kept a peaceful status for a while now. At least, we had no reason to fight.
Sphica made a breeze and dried her off.
She had a slim build, but a developed body.
A beautiful face. Like a doll.
But her eyes were closed.
”Is she alive?” I asked.
I stepped closer to check.
Her chest rose and fell, just barely. She was breathing.
At least she wasn’t dead.
”Hey, men, stay back.” Yomi glared at me.
The girl wasn’t wearing anything. Completely naked.
Gaedaf, Rozmiaque, and the others showed restraint and started backing away.
I’ll just watch a little more.
A nice sight, a perk of the job—no, that’s not it. I need to see what’s going on.
White skin. Full breasts, a slim waist, wide hips. A nice figure. The kind that would make any man lose his head.
”Hmm.” Sphica, standing next to me, groaned.
”This hair color, could it be…”
”You know something?” I asked.
”I can’t say for sure. But… I have a feeling it resembles the traits of the Evil Demon Race (a higher type of Demon Race).”
”Evil Demon Race?”
An unfamiliar term. From the name, is she a relative of the Demon Race?
”They are a species at the top of the Demon Race. The leader class… in elven terms, they’re like High Elves.”
I see.
”They have great power. Though they are said to have weaknesses too.”
Weaknesses?
Just as I was about to ask—
Twitch. The girl’s fingers moved slightly.
Everyone’s eyes fixed on her. Her eyelids slowly lifted.
What appeared were deep red eyes. Without focus, they wandered, then locked onto me.
We met eyes. A moment of stillness.
The girl’s mouth opened.
”…Darling?”
—
Summary:
Taro and his party defeat the Rock-Shelled Dragon guardian and proceed to loot the boss room. While searching the massive, pulped heart, they discover a mysterious, naked girl of the Demon Race. Upon being cleaned and revived, the girl opens her eyes and addresses Taro as “Darling.”
—
Trivia:
- The Rock-Shelled Dragon serves as the boss for the 6th floor of the dungeon.
- Rozmiaque’s Spirit Magic is highly accurate for gauging enemy emotions.
- The Evil Demon Race is a high-ranking, leader-class sub-species of the Demon Race.
- The girl found inside the heart has two pairs of sheep-like horns.
Notes:
• Kéa – A high-energy, dual-wielding adventurer who uses swords to carve through enemies. She is reckless in combat, frequently puts herself in danger, and is prone to suggesting direct physical attacks.
• Rozmiaque – A tall, silver-haired high-ranking elf in ornate robes serves the Master with loyal devotion in Spirit Magic. Condescending and bigoted, he despises half-elves and humans, using six-letter Spirit Magic and root-based magic to bind, damage, and trap targets. He interrogates aggressively, suspects a hidden High Elf, and senses concealed truths.
• Sphica – Elven Matriarch and elder sister to Rozmiaque, with long golden hair, blue eyes, and the appearance of a woman in her twenties. A clairvoyant elder and spirit user, she leads the party through the dungeon with deep knowledge of dungeon lore and the world’s logic. She serves as a liaison between the protagonist and the young elven newlyweds, wielding significant influence over her kin.
• Gaedaf – A muscular, broad-shouldered man and leader of the adventurer party ‘Star of the Dawn’. He is a Gold Rank adventurer known for his expertise in close-quarters dungeon combat and fearless demeanor.
• Lifia – A half-elf with short blonde hair and one of Taro’s wives.
• Taro – A summoned Hero who utilizes a Love Hotel as a safe zone and mobile base.
• Tifi – A chestnut-haired woman and one of Taro’s wives.
• Beckus – An elderly Dwarf and world-class blacksmith with a boyish enthusiasm for mechanical inventions, capable of identifying magical ores. Stationed inside the Love Hotel, he oversees tactical decisions and bombardment planning.
• Nokiroul – A blacksmith and technician who works closely with Beckus on specialized equipment. An elderly Dwarf specializing in magic augmentation and decoration.
• Yomi – A magic user capable of deploying barriers and utilizing precision ranged light beam magic. As a party member and adventurer, she expresses disgust toward the biological horror of the Guardian’s core.
• Brownie – A little sailor fairy.
• Korukona – A cat-eared girl with amber eyes from a fishing village, possessing exceptional physical ability and ship-piloting aptitude. Brave yet vulnerable, she radiates honesty and gratitude, often offering blunt observations. Taro rescued her from pirates and plans to return her home, where her skills and spirit are deeply valued. She now participates in exploring the Guardian’s interior.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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