Chapter 61: Monolith (8)

“Huuuh!”

Rohan shoved both hands between the steel plates he had cut with his dagger.

And ripped. Ignoring the wriggling vines, he bulged his forearms and pried the steel plates open.

Baaaaang───!!! Booom───!!!

The car, moving on all fours with vines, rolled its tires as if they were about to burst.

The horn blared like a scream. The dagger he had stuck in the bumper fell out as if it had been coughed up.

Did the parasitic monster instinctively sense the danger, or was it writhing in pain?

Unfortunately, either way, Rohan’s grip wouldn’t loosen.

──Crack!!! As Rohan roughly tore the door apart with his hands, the vines supporting the body staggered, losing their strength.

He finished it off with a kick, and the car tumbled over sideways.

A clear sign that the monster had died.

Following that, crashing sounds echoed from beyond the wall, and points poured in.

Shion and Clara’s work.

Rohan wiped the sweat dripping down his face after confirming that the two girls, who had dealt with the group of monsters, had returned unharmed.

Wow, this crazy weather.

The closer they got to their destination, the higher the level of the monsters became.

The problem was not only the monsters’ level but also the abnormally rising temperature.

If he didn’t have a mana-infused body, he would surely have perished in this murderous heat.

He didn’t know if this phenomenon was caused by moving towards the center or by the passage of time.

He also didn’t want to know.

Because whatever the answer was, there was no other way but forward.

“Oppa! The path is clear now!”

“Fighting a motorcycle and a utility pole… This battle was a particularly ludicrous nightmare.”

It was so hot and humid that one might suspect this was hell, but the girls didn’t show any signs of annoyance or conflict.

Rohan found this particularly admirable.

“Good work, both of you.”

He handed Shion and Clara a cool bottle of mineral water each. And they continued their journey, sticking to the shade as much as possible.

Leading the way, Rohan checked the timer on his Smartphone.

…28 hours 6 minutes.

They had spent over a full day in the Dungeon.

He didn’t use it for anything other than checking the elapsed time, so the battery was a little below half. Still plenty left.

Right now, it was more important to be careful not to let the heat damage the Smartphone than to worry about the battery running out.

Step. Step. Step.

They quickly walked beneath the precariously tilted buildings, supporting each other.

Past them was an overpass. Two pedestrian bridges, lying broken in an X shape.

Rohan approached as if nothing was wrong, his memory stirring at the familiar structure.

The Main Character’s Party took three days to reach this point.

He recalled the rest event that had taken place in Abyss City.

And compared it.

Good. Much faster than I thought.

He had expected it to take at least two days to get this far, but that expectation was pleasantly shattered as Shion and Clara’s teamwork started to click.

Having fought together all day, the three of them had grasped each other’s styles and blended together.

They also seemed to have become closer than before, crossing the lines of battle. He was also pleased that Shion seemed to have figured out how to talk to Clara.

Rohan approached the broken overpass, carefully confirming the absence of vines.

He suggested to the two girls following him:

“Shall we rest here for a bit? There’s a decent amount of shade.”

“Yes!”

“Let’s.”

As soon as the break started, Rohan took off his jacket and tossed it aside, then removed his shirt.

He wrung it out like a twisted rag, regardless of the wrinkles. Sweat trickled onto the ground.

Shion also hid behind a piece of debris, out of Rohan’s sight, and wrung out her sleeveless top in her underwear.

However, Clara only went as far as taking off her thick, long boots.

She sweated the least of the three, but Clara wasn’t completely dry either. It was just that her outfit made it difficult to deal with.

“Clara. Do you need more water?”

“I still have some left…!”

Rohan, having roughly put his crumpled shirt back on, sat next to Clara.

The anxiety she had shown when they first entered the Dungeon was no longer visible.

“Are you hungry? Or do you want something sweet?”

“We just ate a little while ago. I’m fine.”

Clara replied with a shy smile to Rohan’s questions.

She felt his kindness as he checked on her and Shion’s condition from time to time.

Really, I’m so glad Oppa is here…

At moments like this, she truly felt that Rohan was older.

It was a gut feeling that couldn’t be clearly proven, but the Skills were only a part of Rohan’s abilities.

She was certain that if she followed his broad back, they would definitely escape this Dungeon. Thanks to that, her heart was at ease.

“Rohan. Wouldn’t it be better to eat at our next break rather than now?”

Shion came out fully dressed. She approached and sat next to the two who were resting.

“Should we? Is that okay with you, Clara?”

“Yes! I think it would be better to do as Unni says.”

At some point, the way the two girls addressed each other had changed like this.

Remarkable progress.

“…”

“…”

So the three of them relaxed leisurely under the shade of the overpass.

They didn’t particularly talk. However, it was a comfortable silence.

“Let’s move.”

Rohan’s words, after emptying his water bottle. Shion and Clara prepared without a word.

Clara put her feet into her removed boots and began to tie the laces, and Shion repositioned her goggles and stood up.

Shion moved her head around to check if she had dropped anything.

Rohan watched Shion as he put his clothes on.

And he saw something strange.

Huh?

It wasn’t his imagination. The corners of Shion’s lips were slightly upturned.

Rather than being pleased, Rohan felt his heart sink.

What is it…?

He couldn’t think of anything that would make Shion so happy.

In this heat, they were constantly engaged in exhausting battles. So it was natural to be worried when she looked happy.

When Rohan stopped tidying his clothes and looked at her, Shion, reading his gaze, unusually covered her mouth with her hand as if embarrassed.

“…I made a fool of myself.”

“Are you alright?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not going crazy from the heat.”

“Well, that’s a relief, but…”

Rohan continued moving his hands, but his face was troubled.

Seeing this, Shion turned the faint smile on her lips into a wry one.

She openly revealed her inner thoughts.

“It’s just… I find it quite enjoyable to spend time like this without being restrained.”

Clara, who didn’t know Shion’s situation well, showed an ambiguous reaction, but Rohan immediately understood why Shion was smiling.

“Shion.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll resolve it as soon as possible once we get out.”

“…”

Shion’s expectations of Rohan’s actions in the Dungeon had increased.

Therefore, she was speechless. What should she answer here?

“Let’s go.”

However, Rohan didn’t seem to be expecting an answer as he grabbed his dagger and took the lead.

Clara, with a puzzled look on her face from their conversation, trotted after Rohan.

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36 hours after entering the Dungeon.

The number of monsters Rohan and his party had defeated so far was countless.

Fortunately, none of the three were injured despite dealing with so many monsters.

But Rohan knew.

The problem starts from here.

They had all finished their meal and taken turns napping. They were in the best condition possible under these circumstances.

He lifted his head and looked up.

The building they were aiming for came into view.

“Seems like we found the right place, right?”

“Indeed. It’s definitely different.”

“Haaa…”

They could tell by looking at the windows of the building. The inside was filled with vines.

Unlike the ones they had encountered so far, these vines had sharp thorns growing menacingly.

“Rohan. Are we going to enter this building now?”

“Yeah. We have to.”

“Then from here on, wouldn’t it be better for Clara and me to take turns leading the way?”

Clara nodded, as if wanting to say the same thing, but Rohan firmly shook his head.

“No. I’m the one who received specialized training in dealing with monsters.”

“Hmm…”

“Besides, even if my skills are lacking, I’m at least sturdy. It’s right for me to stand at the front, take the hits, and respond.”

Although Rohan said this because of his knowledge, the two girls looked like they wanted to refute his claim of being sturdy.

However, by this point, they knew. That Rohan would never yield.

“And we need to consider attacks coming from behind, not just the front. I’ll leave that to you two.”

“…Understood.”

Shion and Clara nodded.

Rohan concluded the conversation for the time being and opened the Shop.

The lowest-grade potions cost 100 Points each. He bought three Health Potions and three Mana Potions.

The potions were about the size of a thumb. A convenient size to carry.

The Health Potions contained shimmering red liquid, and the Mana Potions contained bluish liquid.

“Take one each. Don’t hesitate to use them immediately when you need to drink them.”

“Is this… a potion, by any chance?”

Shion examined the items with surprised eyes.

“That’s right. I can get more, so don’t hold back at all. Clara, you understand too, right?”

“Y-Yes…!”

Rohan didn’t regret spending 600 Points this time.

Even if Full Recovery followed after clearing the stage, thorough preparation was necessary for now.

Unlike Abyss City, they only had one life.

“Shall we go in then?”

At Rohan’s voice, the two girls pocketed the potions.

Then they took stances, ready to deal with monsters immediately if they appeared.

“One… Two!”

──Boom! Rohan’s kick blew the building’s door off.

The interior was revealed.