Chapter 85

"Sorry for the wait, we're resuming the series today! 'Yuri-senpai said some pretty deep things, didn't she?'"

After Yuri-senpai left, Kuna muttered.

"Soji, what do you think? I think it might be a good idea to go back."

Anne spoke with a serious expression. Yuri-senpai had given us two pieces of advice. One was that because she had a bad feeling, it would be better to go home today. The other was that in any era, a prince's kiss is what breaks a bad spell. The latter was a bit confusing, but the former was very clear. If it weren't for her, I would have dismissed it...

"No, let's go hunting. Even if it's dangerous, we have to move forward. Doing nothing in this situation is also risky."

To analyze Kuna's abnormal magic power and to use magic that utilizes abnormal magic power, we need more strength. We need to get magic stones and become stronger as soon as possible. Staying in the current situation is itself a risk. If we have to take the same risk, I want to choose the path of moving forward.

"Alright, Soji. But let's not overdo it."

"Agreed. Let's be even more cautious than usual."

"I'll be careful too."

The three of us nodded and resolved to move forward.

◇

"This is the eighth floor underground. The atmosphere has changed again, hasn't it?"

"This floor is almost entirely a lake. Be careful, the footing is unstable."

As soon as we arrived at the eighth floor underground, Anne's face showed astonishment. This floor was a vast lake with mangrove-like trees towering in the water, their roots protruding from the surface. We could use these roots as footholds to move forward.

"The water is muddy. I don't want to fall in. My clothes would turn muddy and I wouldn't be able to get them clean."

"It's not just the dirt. The water is saturated with miasma. If you fall in, it will be terrible. Your skin will rot, and if you drink it, you'll thrash around from the miasma. Even if you're a good swimmer, the miasma damage will cause you to drown and drink more water, leading to death from the miasma. Even experienced explorers can die easily if they let their guard down."

Kuna swallowed hard as she looked at the lake. The eighth floor underground is not a favorable field for explorers. The footing is unstable due to the mangrove-like roots, and if you slip and fall into the lake, you'll experience hellish suffering.

"Let's get through this field as quickly as possible!"

"That's a good idea. Fighting on this footing is tough."

"This floor has more than just that to dislike."

Besides the unstable footing, there are other disadvantages for explorers. Both of them had serious expressions. We firmly stepped on the mangrove roots and continued walking. The path of mangrove roots ended.

The next foothold was about two meters ahead. We took a running start and jumped. Even with Rank 2 physical abilities, the situation where a fall could mean death was tense. It seemed we would have to keep jumping for a while, as the gaps between the mangroves were wide and surrounded by water.

"Kuna, do you sense any enemies?"

"For now, I can't sense any enemies with my ears."

Kuna answered Anne's question.

"Kuna, you need to be vigilant not just on land."

I chuckled. Kuna always falls into the traps in the underground labyrinth. An enemy was already approaching.

"What do you mean?"

"Try to notice it yourself."

"Understood."

I wanted her to learn from experience. Fortunately, it was a situation I could handle.

"Ah, I see."

It seemed she had noticed. Kuna informed Anne that the enemy was in the water. Yes, because it was in the water, Kuna hadn't noticed its approach. Most explorers who come to this floor for the first time neglect to be vigilant about the water and suffer as a result. The moment we landed on a new mangrove root, it happened.

A large, yellowish-brown body leaped out of the water. It was a crocodile about two meters long, with its huge mouth wide open. It had sneaked up from the water and was trying to catch us off guard.

I jumped to the right, and Kuna and Anne to the left. We were able to react because we had noticed it in advance. As we passed by, there was a sharp sound. It had tried to bite us with its massive mouth. The crocodile passed between us, did not land on the ground, and dived back into the water.

It seemed to still be targeting us. A shadow appeared in the lake, circling around the mangroves where we were. This monster is a Hiding Alligator, a Rank 1 upper-class monster known for its caution and malice.

"Not only is the footing bad, but there are monsters attacking from the water. This is indeed a nasty floor."

Kuna used the "Blazing Spear"... a high-penetration long-range magic that combines eight flaming spears. When it hit the water, there was a loud explosion and steam rose. However, it had little effect on the crocodile in the water. The poor compatibility between water and fire, and the miasma-infused water, which weakens magic, were factors.

The shadow of the Hiding Alligator disappeared. It must have dived deeper. We increased our vigilance. I was the first to notice it. It had silently circled to the opposite side of where it last showed its shadow, showing only its head. It had moved stealthily to catch us off guard. I noticed it because I sensed its magic power. Yes, despite being a monster, it can use magic. A fist-sized water ball formed at the tip of the Hiding Alligator's snout, spinning rapidly and increasing the water pressure to its limit before being fired. It exceeded the speed of sound. A water rifle bullet. Its target was Kuna.

"【Magic Ore Refinement: Black Form Shield·Wall】"

I had prepared the magic as soon as I sensed the magic power. The orichalcum, given to me by Cyril of Elsie, transformed into a shield. I positioned myself to protect Kuna, raised the shield, and received the impact. A dull shock ran through my hand, but the shield was unscathed. If it had been mithril, it would have been pierced. It was that powerful a hit.

"What!?"

"When did it get behind us?"

Kuna and Anne's surprised voices overlapped. The Hiding Alligator is skilled at concealing its presence, especially in a water environment. Even they couldn't easily detect its presence. Moreover, it is very cautious. It excels at ambush attacks and can even perform long-range attacks. It is one of the top killers of explorers in the forest area.

"Both of you, stay calm and search for its presence. Look for movements on the surface, magic power, sounds, and use all your senses."

They nodded. The Hiding Alligator dived again.

"Hey, Soji-kun. Is there a way to counter that crocodile? We're at a standstill like this."

Kuna asked while searching for its presence.

"There are mainly two ways. One is to counterattack when it leaps at us like it did just now."

"I thought of that too, Soji. But I don't sense it approaching."

"That monster is called a Hiding Alligator. Its caution and patience are abnormal, and it is hated by explorers like a snake or a scorpion. The method I just mentioned is almost impossible. To be honest, the first attack is often a leap, so it would have been best to finish it off then."

The Hiding Alligator can wait for hours for an opportunity, and even if it gets impatient, it won't make a reckless attack but will give up and flee.

"Ugh, that's no good. Even if I want to ignore it, I can't jump to the next foothold knowing it's lurking nearby. I'm afraid it will attack me as soon as I jump."

"That's also part of its winning pattern."

It's really annoying. It ranks high on the list of most hated monsters in the forest area. The only saving grace is that there are few of them.

"Then, what's the second method? I don't want to have a staring contest with that crocodile."

"The second method is a powerful strike that can break through the water. Let me demonstrate. 【Magic Ore Refinement: Third Form Bow·Pierce】"

I transformed the orichalcum into a bow. However, not a regular bow, but a mechanical bow. I can now take this form, which I previously avoided due to its high consumption, thanks to reaching Rank 2.

"It occasionally shows its shadow on the surface to create tension. Let's aim for that."

As I said, the Hiding Alligator floated to the surface, and its shadow began to circle. I readied the mechanical bow, set an arrow on the rail, and channeled magic power. The weapon created through refinement contains a single magical circuit. The modified bow form has the ability of "magnetic manipulation." I predicted its path.

"Penetrate...【Coil Gun】"

The arrow was fired from the mechanical bow at supersonic speed due to magnetic acceleration. The arrow, with a small surface area, efficiently pierced the water and broke through the hard scales of the Hiding Alligator in the water. The water turned red.

This alone wouldn't kill it. The arrow has two features. One is a barb that prevents it from easily coming out. The other is an invisible, fine orichalcum thread attached to the arrow, connecting it to the bow.

"【Lightning Strike】"

Through the orichalcum thread, a lightning strike ravaged its body. After about 30 seconds of continuous electric current, the Hiding Alligator died and sank to the bottom of the lake.

"That's it. Did you find it helpful?"

"...Soji, that's something I, a swordsman, can't do no matter what."

"That depends on your ingenuity. You can defeat it with what you can do. There are things you can do with a sword."

"I can use long-range attacks too. But an attack with the penetration power like Soji-kun's... I'll think about it, though."

Kuna and Anne began to consider what they could do. It's a good trend. There are things you can't learn just by being taught.

"By the way, the Hiding Alligator has more annoying points."

"What!? There are more?"

"Yeah, in a way, that's the worst part."

Kuna made a visibly unpleasant face. I chuckled and spoke.

"Even after all the trouble of defeating it, it usually dies in the water, so it's hard to recover the corpse and the magic stone. Its skin is excellent as a material and is used for noble bags, so it sells for a high price. That's why it's especially frustrating."

Recovering the corpse from the miasma-infused water is very difficult. Explorers often have to watch the corpse sink into the water with tears in their eyes.

"That crocodile is annoying even after it dies..."

Kuna said in exasperation. Anne was also smiling wryly.

"Well, I'll make sure to recover it."

I pulled the thread attached to the arrow's tail. The arrow has a barb, so it won't come out. After a while, the dead Hiding Alligator's body surfaced.

"Phew, it's caught. Just defeating it is mediocre. A top-notch explorer thinks about what to do after the defeat. You two should be aware of that."

The barb on the arrow is designed for such situations. I whistled while dissecting it and putting the valuable skin in a bag.

"Typical of Soji. You're as thorough as ever."

"Well, it's impressive, but I can't really respect you for it..."

I received contrasting looks from the two of them.

"The meat of this thing is delicious. The thigh meat is especially good, so let's take it back. It's great as fried chicken. It will be tonight's dinner."

While the two of them made awkward faces, I calmly continued the dissection. I was looking forward to tonight's dinner.