Ch.438The Targeted NPC. (2)

“That’s it for today!”

-KUUUUNG…!!

[-Great Raptor- : Level 648 (Master of the 60th Floor) has died.]

[HP : 0]

As the massive dinosaur-shaped monster collapsed backward, I stretched with satisfaction, brightly exclaiming that I’d finished my tasks for the day. But there was no response to my voice. Not because I’d entered the dungeon alone, but for a different reason.

“Huff! Huff! W-what do you mean ‘that’s it for today’? It sounds like you’re planning to come back tomorrow, but that can’t be right?”

[-Siltra’s Gatekeeper : Level: 510 Name: Salt Non]

“Huh? Of course I’m coming back tomorrow. Didn’t I tell you? I’m planning to clear all the way to the 65th floor by the end of this week.”

“Gah! You’re insane! This is the first I’m hearing of this!!”

Salt Non, who had come this far with me, was still catching his breath roughly. But seriously, why is he so angry? He’s only had to do the easy work of stabbing the necks of monsters I’ve already killed.

“Huff… *inhale*. If that’s not a joke, I’m seriously going to get mad.”

“Haha. Sorry, sorry. But isn’t this perfect practice for adapting to your suddenly improved physical abilities?”

“You call making me face eight endlessly respawning monsters alone for an hour ‘practice’? I shouted at you so many times to kill them faster, but you…!!”

“Come on, I did it because you needed it! You’ve had almost no real combat experience against monsters on the way up here.”

Honestly, he’s just been getting carried the whole time. Isn’t he the one who’ll have trouble with daily life if he can’t control his strength? This is all consideration for him! I absolutely wasn’t just teasing a passenger who hasn’t paid his bus fare. Really, really!

“Damn it, wipe that smirk off your face. Saying it was for my benefit while grinning like that…”

“Oh my, ahem. Anyway, we’re going to reach the 65th floor this week. So take a good rest tomorrow. None of the dungeon exploration team can keep up with us anymore.”

The exploration team leader, who had tried to follow us responsibly until the end, finally retreated at the 53rd floor. I told him to just protect himself, but even with a thick, magically enhanced shield, he nearly died defending against a regular monster’s attack. Well, honestly, it’s a miracle that a human around level 300 could withstand attacks from monsters over level 500 thanks to his armor.

Originally, I told them not to follow, but when they insisted they would follow even if it killed them, I deliberately let a weaker monster slip by to let them experience firsthand that they couldn’t keep up with their skills. Honestly, I think it was the right call. Thanks to that, Salt Non also got to train to move in a way appropriate for his level.

“Damn it, all that complaining just to get one day off. But why the 65th floor? According to you, doesn’t this dungeon have 100 floors?”

“Oh, didn’t I explain that?”

“…You really are careless only when dealing with me.”

“Ahaha! Sorry, sorry. Honestly, you’re my only same-sex friend, so I guess I unconsciously get too comfortable with you.”

Feeling genuinely sorry for my behavior this time, I scratched the back of my head with an awkward smile. He shook his head in disbelief but waited patiently to hear my explanation.

“To explain, this dungeon does have 100 floors, but with just you and me, floor 70 is our limit. From that floor’s boss onward, there are bosses that require at least three people working together to defeat. And the 65th floor boss is an [Adamantium Golem] – about three times stronger than a regular mythril golem in terms of defense. Physical attacks barely work against it. You really need to be at least twice as strong as it to defeat it comfortably.”

“That makes it sound like magic is its weakness?”

“Exactly, that’s right.”

I told Salt Non exactly what I had planned. Ray’s party and Ira’s party, who would be following our trail, should comfortably reach the 60th floor. However, since this is an unexplored dungeon, the people of Aiti need to develop gradually using materials from the cleared floors.

But what if we suddenly conquered below the 70th floor and discovered rare materials that only players could obtain from bosses? They would turn away from developing their own technology and become obsessed with these rare materials.

Originally, Aiti’s dungeon had story content up to the 30th floor, and beyond that was user-exclusive content like an infinite tower. But now this is reality, and as we conquer floors, Aiti’s people will covet the materials from the dungeon and boss drops. As a result, they’ll recklessly charge toward an unclimbable mountain in the name of their own growth, ignoring the more accessible mountains right in front of them, and suffer tremendous casualties.

Especially from the 70th floor onward – remembering how even users who had cleared up to ep.5 struggled to complete those floors – people with lower levels than in the game would never be able to win, so there’s no need to increase the death toll unnecessarily.

Anyway, after explaining everything except my past life and how the difficulty increases hopelessly from the 70th floor onward, Salt Non agreed with my decision to stop at the 65th floor, but still asked curiously where I got such information.

“Hmm. I can’t tell you yet. But everyone in our group knows the reason except my sister Ira. Is that hard to believe?”

“When did I say I didn’t believe you? I was just curious how you know everything about a dungeon you’re supposedly entering for the first time. If even your sister, who you’d die for, doesn’t know, it would be shameless of me to insist on knowing.”

Slightly grateful for his consideration in understanding my circumstances, I extracted the magic stone from the dead boss and confirmed its body disappeared. Then we turned around and returned to the dungeon warp that had been completed up to the 42nd floor a few weeks ago.

“Mmm~ Then I’ll rest tomorrow too, maybe watch some videos of the kids~!”

“Hmm. I’ll go to the weapon shop tomorrow. I had to swing my weapon too roughly today because of someone, so I need to get it maintained.”

“Oh, then buy some raw meat on your way back. I’ll make dinner boxes for the kids when they enter the dungeon tomorrow.”

“…I’m in the middle of blaming you, and you’re asking me to run errands?”

“That’s why I’m giving you more things to blame me for?”

“…Pfft.”

It’s surprisingly enjoyable right now, finishing dungeon exploration without any worries, having meaningless conversations with a friend, and laughing just from looking at each other’s faces. If everything really ends, I think it would be genuinely fun to travel separately with Salt Non while Ira attends the academy in Natie with Gor, who would be revived. With such thoughts, we boarded the dungeon warp that had descended to the 42nd floor, continuing our trivial conversation…

[Master! Something is taking control of the entire dungeon…?!!]

“Huh? Gor?”

“Hmm?”

-GUUUUNG!!!

While we were talking, Gor’s status window, which had been silent as he tracked the escaped Beretta, suddenly cut off with an urgent message, and at the same time, an unexpected earthquake began. W-what is this now?!!

“Ugh?! Shit!!”

-THUD!!

“Ah…?!”

Even I couldn’t maintain my balance properly in the shaking dungeon warp – no, elevator – and I desperately swung my arm to push Salt Non outside. Was he surprised that I practically struck him, or was he shocked by what he was seeing? Either way.

-KAGAGAK!!! ⎯⎯⎯⎯KIIIIIIK!!!

“Sh-shit…!!!”

Salt Non’s figure, looking at me in surprise with his mouth agape, disappeared upward in an instant.

*

“Huh?”

“Huh? What’s wrong, Ira?”

“Did something happen?”

“…Both of you, didn’t you just feel something?”

“Hmm?”

About a week after the start of the latter half of Dungeon Sports Season 13, Ira’s party, which I was participating in as a guardian, was currently conquering the 28th floor of the dungeon. Ray’s party, still one step ahead of us, was searching for the boss called Minotaurus that Jack had told them about on the 30th floor. Suddenly, Ira stopped in front of the path leading down to the 29th floor and started looking around, drawing everyone’s attention.

“Sis, didn’t you feel something? A sound or vibration?”

“…Hmm, I’m not sure? At least I didn’t hear anything.”

When there’s no threat and we’re normally exploring the dungeon, they don’t listen to my advice. That’s the rule of the [Magic Girls of Natie] party, and Ira, who had followed that rule better than anyone, now looked at me with anxious purple eyes and asked. I focused on my hearing more than usual, but I couldn’t feel the vibration she mentioned. However.

“…No. Something is happening. Something is moving beneath this dungeon right now.”

“Hmm. If Ira, whose magical power and detection abilities are superior to ours, says so, should we create a detection magic circle to properly check? I heard this area has been cleared by the exploration team, but they also said it was only recently explored.”

Despite hearing my words, Ira seemed even more convinced as she stared at the ground. Her dear friend Grace supported her opinion, and naturally, Miss Latina began the preparations.

But what exactly did she feel? I really didn’t feel anything.

Regardless of my doubts, the three of them prepared and activated detection magic, and magical power vast enough for even a magic novice like me to perceive began to flow throughout the dungeon. Wow, with this much magical power, I wonder how far they can detect…

“…Non oppa?”

“Salt Non? You mean the person about 10 floors below us?”

“Shh! Latina, we’re not supposed to talk about that!”

Ira’s complexion, after mentioning the name of the male elf said to be Jack’s friend, began to turn pale, regardless of her friend’s slip of the tongue. Huh, what’s wrong?!

“…Oppa is gone. And Non oppa is fighting monsters alone. They were supposed to be exploring the dungeon together…!!”

Could it be that he left his friend to fight monsters alone for training too? No, if that were the case, it wouldn’t explain why he himself is completely absent. Confused by Ira’s words, I quickly tried to gather my thoughts when Ira looked at me with serious eyes and continued.

“Sis, this is an emergency. We need to go down immediately. Right now, Non oppa is about to be surrounded by powerful monsters!”

My confused thoughts found focus at the voice of my red-haired sister-in-law.