Ch.67April, and the Dungeon (5)

We conquered the fifth and sixth floors in succession.

Normally, it would have taken quite some time due to disarming traps and solving puzzles, but since I was a veteran player, I knew the entire map structure. At least we could save a lot of time by not wasting it on solving puzzles.

“Sasix. Those blocks over there. Press them in blue, red, green order.”

I said to Sasix.

“Got it.”

Sasix immediately pressed the blocks as I instructed.

Clunk-!! Rumble-!!

Soon, the massive door began to open effortlessly.

This puzzle originally consumed quite a bit of time to solve.

Players had to wander around the map in all directions to find the code, and only after combining the codes would they know the correct sequence to press.

Some might wonder, “Couldn’t you just try pressing the three buttons randomly until you get it right?”

‘But… if you get it wrong, you take a fixed 100 damage.’

That was the cruel part.

At this point in the game, players and party members typically had around 200 HP. Making two mistakes was essentially game over. Worse yet, you couldn’t cast healing spells while pressing the buttons. The developers’ malice in preventing any shortcuts was evident.

However, from the second playthrough onward, it was a piece of cake. The puzzles weren’t random; the answers were always fixed. You just had to memorize them.

——-

In the center of the seventh floor, there was a treasure chest. However, iron bars surrounded the chest. You had to input a password to remove the bars.

‘The answer is… JOKE’

I immediately entered the alphabet characters. Originally, you had to collect documents scattered throughout the map to discover each letter.

But… yeah, fuck that. Why bother with such tedious work? If there’s a shortcut, it’s only natural to use it.

Clank-!

As the iron bars disassembled, the treasure chest’s gleaming appearance was revealed.

“There must be something valuable inside, right? It even has a lock!”

Umi’s eyes sparkled.

“Wait.”

I immediately stopped Umi.

This is where the developers’ malice showed itself. Normally, after solving a puzzle, you wouldn’t expect another trap.

But… this treasure chest was a mimic. If you tried to open it, it would immediately devour the player, chewing and tearing them apart.

Couldn’t you just not open it? One might wonder, but that wasn’t an option.

When you killed the mimic, it would drop an item, and that item was quite good.

‘Stone Staff’

It was a useful piece of equipment that amplified all spells, including healing and attack magic. There was a penalty of slightly reduced maximum SP, but the spell amplification rate was a whopping 120 percent. It was a reliable item that carried mage characters through the mid-game.

The problem was how to deal with this mimic.

This game was fundamentally turn-based, and once the trigger of opening the treasure chest was activated, combat was forced.

But now I was standing in reality, not in a game.

Grab-!

I immediately picked up Pinocchio.

“Master… I tried so hard for you… You won’t abandon me, right?”

Pinocchio, apparently suffering severe psychological damage, could only mutter with cloudy eyes.

“Of course!!! I won’t abandon you! You and I are partners!!”

I said with a bold smile.

To be precise, it wasn’t that I wouldn’t abandon him, but that I couldn’t, though I didn’t mention that.

“So I’m counting on you again!!!”

Holding Pinocchio by the head, I threw him straight at the treasure chest.

“W-wait!! Master?!!”

Just as Pinocchio’s body touched the treasure chest.

“Grrrrrr!!!!”

The treasure chest immediately revealed its true nature. The mimic opened its mouth wide and began chewing, tearing, and savoring Pinocchio.

Crunch-! Crack-!!

The clear sound of sharp teeth grinding through wood echoed.

“Aaaagh! Master!!! It hurts!! It hurts!!!!”

Pinocchio’s screams emanated from inside the box.

“Just hang in there!!! Pinocchio!!!”

Mimics had a habit of focusing solely on whatever they were biting. This was when the mimic was most vulnerable.

Shing-!!

I drew my sword and aimed it at the chest part of the mimic.

Thrust-!!!!

I immediately stabbed the sword in.

Slash-!!!

Piercing through solid objects with my sword was now effortless. The sword penetrated the mimic’s chest and destroyed its core.

“Grrrrrr!!!!”

The mimic died instantly.

“Ugh… shit… my whole body aches…”

Pinocchio finally crawled out of the mimic’s mouth.

Poof-!!

Where the mimic had vanished into steam, a stone staff appeared.

“Here, Umi. Take it. It’s yours.”

I said with a smile.

“Hmm… it’s so crude.”

Umi seemed displeased with the staff’s appearance. It did look like just a stick carved from stone.

“But its performance is guaranteed.”

I stroked Umi’s head to comfort her.

“Alright. Since it’s a… gift from Shota.”

Umi’s face flushed slightly as she caressed the staff.

No, attributing that kind of meaning to it is a bit… I just gave it to strengthen the party’s combat power.

However, given the atmosphere, I couldn’t say that.

“Shota!! What about mine!!! Get me something quickly too!!”

Taiga pestered me in a tone that seemed tinged with jealousy.

“Hey now. Don’t expect to find rice soup in a well.”

I tried to push Taiga away casually.

“What’s rice soup?”

Taiga tilted her head in confusion.

Ah… they’re Japanese. They don’t know what rice soup is.

“It’s a thing. Taiga’s equipment is on the eighth floor. Let’s hurry up.”

I said.

———

Afterward, we conquered the eighth floor.

Since I knew the entire structure of the tower, we easily conquered the eighth floor as well. The party members’ HP was intact, and their SP status was good. Our preparations for the boss battle were perfect.

Taiga’s exclusive item was here.

There were three treasure chests in front of us, and we had to choose one of them—a trap with a twist.

All three chests were mimics. Whether you chose the wrong chest or the right one, you had to fight a mimic. But if you chose the wrong chest, the mimic wouldn’t drop anything. It would just be a pointless battle. You had to choose the right chest and defeat the mimic to get the item.

The correct answer was the middle chest.

“Knock knock.”

I held Pinocchio and knocked on the chest’s entrance.

“Grrrrrr!!!”

Sensing the bait, the mimic immediately opened its mouth and bit into Pinocchio.

Crunch-! Crack-!!

While the mimic was chewing, tearing, and savoring Pinocchio, I immediately subdued it with my sword.

Ding-!

What emerged was a ring.

It was an accessory item called the ‘Ring of Cold Evasion.’ Just wearing the ring granted resistance to cold. Additionally, it greatly increased the evasion rate against cold attacks.

It was practically Taiga’s exclusive equipment. The weakness of Taiga’s psychorobo, Fenrir, was cold, and just by addressing this cold vulnerability, Taiga’s survival rate would significantly increase.

“What… it’s not a weapon? That’s disappointing.”

Taiga seemed disappointed that it wasn’t a weapon.

“This is good. It gives you resistance to cold attacks, you know?”

I said, taking Taiga’s hand.

“…Hmph. Then put it on for me.”

Taiga said hesitantly, her face slightly flushed.

“Sure thing.”

I slipped the ring onto Taiga’s ring finger.

“For someone who’s always beating people up, you have pretty hands.”

That observation naturally came from my lips. They were truly feminine hands.

“I don’t always beat people up?!!!! J-just occasionally..!!”

Taiga immediately struck the top of my head with her other hand.

“Really… you have no sense of mood. None at all.”

Taiga grumbled, but she was grinning as she looked at the ring I had put on her. She was happy to receive a ring from her boyfriend and to be complimented on her hands. Taiga had a surprisingly girlish side to her.

At that moment, Umi began to act out.

Thud-!

Umi threw down the stone staff she had received from me. She just full-on threw the staff to the floor.

“Give me a ring too.”

Umi said with a cold expression.

“U-Umi… what are you saying?”

There weren’t any ring items I could give to Umi. And… that stone staff is valuable. Don’t throw it around carelessly. Think about Pinocchio’s suffering, being chewed alive by a mimic to get that.

“Give me a more romantic gift too. Like a ring or a necklace.”

Umi said.

“Hmph. Jealous much?”

Taiga snickered, having gained some sense of superiority.

“Ah… this ring is so pretty. It looks even more lovely when Shota puts it on for me.”

Taiga then attempted to provoke Umi.

“A ring from my boyfriend—I wonder if this is a good one?”

Taiga delivered a textbook provocative line. How do you even know how to do that?

“Eeeeeek!!!!!!”

Umi seemed to have very low resistance to provocation. She immediately let out a shriek. This one… her volume gets better by the day.

“Search from the first floor to the eighth floor right now. If you don’t find a ring, you’re dead.”

Umi grabbed me by the collar.

“W-wait!! There really aren’t any rings here!!!”

I immediately protested.

“You think that’s the end of it just because you say there aren’t any?”

Umi moved from my collar to my neck. Tremendous force transmitted through my neck.

“Okay!! I get it!!!! I’ll buy you a ring later!!! A couple ring!!!!!”

I finally shouted with my eyes tightly shut.

Only after hearing those words did Umi release her grip. Really… Umi was becoming more eccentric by the day.

Anyway, we broke through the ninth floor after that.

Soon, we reached the boss room on the tenth floor.

“Once we deal with this one, the addicted people will be cured. Let’s all do our best.”

Sasix, as if he had been waiting for this moment, made a leader-like statement. We all nodded with determination.

After confirming each other’s resolve, we immediately rushed toward the tenth floor.